Recently, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière listed ten Martin Luther-style “theses” on what all Germans have — or should have — in common. The article published by German daily Bild sparked a heated debate about the controversial term “leitkultur” (“guiding” or “leading culture”).
Along with less-disputed claims, such as a typically German trait of valuing education not simply a means to an end, the interior minister seemed to wag a finger at Muslim newcomers unwilling to adapt to local customs. “We say our name. We shake each other’s hand when we greet . . .We are an open society. We show our face. We are not burqa,” he wrote.
Some accused de Maizière of blatant populism and attempting to co-opt the anti-immigrant message of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party ahead of the federal elections in September.
Others mocked the text by creating their own lists, relishing in German stereotypes, such as a love for excessive bureaucracy. “If there’s no form for it, it doesn’t really exist” was among the “100 points Thomas de Maizière forgot” offered by writer Kathrin Weßling.
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