ANKARA
The former secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Berlin representative of the American Jewish Congress, Stephan J. Kramer, said on Thursday that Muslims and Jews in Germany work together in many fields.
During an event titled “Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Germany,” organized by the foreign press association in Berlin, Stephan J. Kramer and Ali Kizilkaya, head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, expressed their opinions about xenophobia in Germany.
Kramer said the Jewish Council cooperates with the Islam Council on issues such as circumcision, halal food and the hijab. “We are ahead of other European countries on cooperation in Germany. Others can learn a lot from us.”
He said there is a future for Jews in Europe and that the Jewish Community, which has faced anti-Semitism in the past, should not retreat from society but on the contrary, be more visible.
Saying that he personally gets along well with Kizilkaya, Kramer admitted that many people in his community have prejudices against Muslims. The Jewish community should cooperate with Muslim community to overcome prejudices, he said.
Kramer also said that Jews do not have any intention of leaving Germany.
Kizilkaya said that statistical data is required for the fight against Islamophobia. “The German government revealed that 45 mosques were attacked last year but to analyze the causes for those attacks we need to separate statistical data. Unfortunately anti-Islam attacks are not recorded separately,” he said.
Kizilkaya added that the situation is difficult for Muslims in Germany and the media makes it worse through offensive coverage.
He said that there is no anti-Semitism in Islam and that criticizing Israel is not the same thing as anti-Semitism.
