20 Years Turkish Community in Germany
Today the Turkish Community is also a contact partner for asylum issues.
“At the moment we are increasingly developing into a general human rights organisation,” says Gökay Sofuoglu. He and Aysun Aydemir have been chairman and chairwoman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TCG) since the beginning of 2015. The umbrella organisation embraces 270 member associations ranging from those of individual federal states to professional bodies, such as the Association of Turkish Dentists, to Turkish teachers’ organisations and parents’ associations. The idea to form a nationwide organisation was born in Hamburg 20 years ago. But it was actually founded in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where its head office is still based today. Meanwhile, the employees there speak not only Turkish and German, but also Arabic or Russian, says Mr Sofuoglu. This is important because in the present situation many migrants and refugees like to turn to an organisation that has many years of experience with integration.
“A great deal of experience with integration and minorities”
The TCG is both an interest group and a mouthpiece. It subscribes to the Federal Republic of Germany’s free, democratic, social and rule of law principles, and aims to achieve the broadest possible impact, independent of political and religious convictions. It gained a high level of respect with its initiatives to improve the educational opportunities for children with Turkish roots in Germany. Current objectives include greater political participation and municipal voting rights for Turkish people living in Germany. And now the organisation intends to address the challenges of current asylum policies more strongly: “We have a great deal of experience with integration and minorities which we can place at the disposal of the state,” says Mr Sofuoglu. He stresses it is important to open up more to minorities. The recent attacks in Paris have also deeply shocked and dismayed Muslims in Germany. And the president of the TCG has condemned the attacks in no uncertain terms.
20th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Community in Germany on 2 December 2015
