Anti-Islam praise from Wilders provokes Merkel

if you lay down with dogs don't be surprised when you find you have fleas.

The German PM canNOT be surprised that right-wing readers/listeners inferred stuff such as this Dutch perspective. I would bet that some middle-Eastern press had similarly inferred anti-Islamic perspectives.

Slamming multiculturalism carries risks like this. The German PM knew about the risks and walked out on that plank anyway.

It is possible to discipline non-working social policy without going where-she-went. This is like Golf, the next shot is played from where the previous shot landed. FORE.

I'm not anti-Islam nor am I even a religious person but it certainly seems as though practically every country is bending over backwards to please people of the Islamic faith. When one moves to another country then one must accept the customs and laws of the host country. If one can't except that, then one needs to go somewhere where they can have everything that is afforded them in their homeland. This is not exactly a two way street that we are talking about. In most mideast countries people of other religions would not be afforded so much leave way as Islam is afforded in western cultures.

Wilders suffers from very bad genes. No wonder he is so angry.

I don't like a leader that brave for one day and cowards the next. The CDU needs a btter leader than Merkel, who says what he means and mean what he says.

The German Chancellor is badly out of touch with the voters. As F.R. Strauss did, she needs to go sit at some Stammtisches and learn what the real feelings of voters are. But she does not want to know, because it would require to make hard choices and say hard things. And, of courtse, make hard decisions. She does not have the courage of Mr. Sarkozy, pure and simple.

Either this guys going to give himself a stroke, or the Boogeyman is going to find him. Chill out, have a künefe. On another note, God Bless the fact that there is more than 1 opinion. If Germany wants Sharia, so it will have it.

And why does thelocal.de always insist pointing out where on the Political Spectrum certain groups are from, (ie Far right, Conservative, Moderate,) when these distinctions have different definitions the world over, is this not an international website? Or just some Germans opinion website?

and how DANK is that Blondie in the Society Gallery this week. holy s.....

I think theLocal.de stole that Image from Local in Sweden.

The photo of Geert reminds me of Julian Assange.

@derExDeutsche: For what it's worth I reckon that The Local is an international web-site only by nature of the internet and by limited definition (Sweden and German).

If I dare to speak for contributors then my guess is that most of us are Anglo-bored expats living in Germany with limited German-language skills desperatly seeking a connection to our new home though there may be a few of us hiding in the ranks who are Anglo-Germans in it for fun.

Then there are the right and the far-right commentators from the large pool of the unemployed but proud wireless users in the land of the free. You know who you are - sit boy, roll-over... at a boy - Woof!!

The Local love to bate us and I love to take the bate! Note to Ed. It's been two days since the last Google Street View article. C'mon!

Dear Mr Kayak,

We'll see what we can do.

Best regards,

The Local

@kayak

some of those bored ex-pats don't even have a grip on the English language !

As for Street View articles, one can never have enough of them.

Maybe it's time to give up, and aquiesce.

Merkel should start an affair with Wilders cuz of holding similar opinions. Damn racist low life folks still don't understand the concept of globalized tolerant world with civilized human values.To hell with CDU n NPD! It's in their damn blood n civilized nations r fed up with filtering these hatred genes from this blood. Rest in peace!

Ang Merkel talks the truth and is brave enough to say it. These fringe politicians try and cling onto her. She is doing a wonderful job with the economy and she is leading europe out of the recession. germany has a great leader, long may she be in power.

Thank you crm114. It looks like I took the bait this time.

:-)

Hey supernova, how would you react if Christian evangelists from, say, the UK moved into a Muslim country (like Yemen) and insistently demanded their "right" to not integrate within-- and gradually displace-- the long-resident Muslim culture there? Pretty arrogant, right? Sorry, but you are the hateful one here, not the CDU whom you accuse of bias. The CDU and Merkel in particular have every right to reject multiculturalism and demand strict integration of immigrants into the host culture-- without this, you wind up with social breakdown and the loss of the cohesion that actually makes a country functional, to everybody's detriment (including the immigrants).

Again, this is especially true for Germany, which has a deeply-rooted culture there that's been established more or less since the classical period, and which (to its credit) was largely not involved in the international slave trade, or in the overseas colonialism that characterized Britain and France. Germany has no burden or post-colonial hangover to change itself for some social engineering agenda.

Multiculturalism is probably fine for countries like the USA, Canada and Australia, which after all are immigrant nations (with an indigenous population before the immigrants streamed in), recently settled and therefore with a much more fluid culture and demographics. It makes sense for them to be more multicultural. Maybe also Britain and France to some extent, given their own colonial histories and continuing economic relations with former colonies-- multiculturalism is more natural there. But not Germany, and frankly not most other nations, either.

Try going to an ancient, non-European country-- like Korea, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand-- and see how well your whining about multiculturalism would be received there. You'd be kicked out before you could check into the hotel-- either you integrate, or you leave. Those Asian countries are much like Germany, with long-established and ancient cultures in their regions, and with little or no history of overseas colonialism, so they have every right to make such a demand. If any immigrant group-- not just Muslims-- in Germany has a problem with the host culture or is upset about the demands of immigration, then they'd probably be happier elsewhere in a more multicultural country anyway, like the UK, or Australia or North America. Places like the US and Australia are nice, big countries anyway where they can more or less import their culture and be left alone, so they'd probably be far better off there in any case.

The Local is a platform for bigots and their likes....I am amazed how commentators here jump their guns...I am aware that peopl are colored by their experience yet one needs to broaden their horizon and see on the bright side...It's amazing apparently how obsessed people are with Islam or muslims in Europe...There are so many people of Turkish/Arab descent that don't deserve such horrible comments and I am even more flled with consternation that one never mentions stories of success despite harsh paths people had to undergo and made it quite well in life, in terms of contribution to the economy or those who are well integrated in their host countries................

@Gladiolus: Your obsession about one particular folk in current case Muslims is sub classified form of your uncontrollable xenophobic tendencies. Which era are you living in? 40s, or even back in 19 century, knock knock it's 21st century baby n genes are mixing up like they did before we founded damn nations on this planet.

"the long-resident Muslim culture there?", don't you know Spain and more than half of Europe used to be Muslim, why do you folks have problem with letting people practice their religion and lifestyle. This is exactly where you miss the point. You expect folks to be exact clones of yourselves just cuz they live in your damn country.

Assimilation & Integration are two DIFFERENT things my robotic fellows, learn the definition. Expectation to assimilate is NEGATIVE cuz you expect others to follow your way of thinking, have your religion and be exactly like you. Expectation to integrate is POSITIVE this means to know the language, rights and be able to get along with folks.

Multiculturism & globalization are the only futuristic ways of our planet earth. It will take you next 50 years to reach where other civilized countries like UK, USA are. By that time it will be too late, life is too short to deal with folks full of hatred genes. Besides why should we show Gerrys the right way of living and enjoying life by getting them out of depressive hatred feelings which makes their lives boring, complicated and hallow.

Everyone is unique and keep it that way! I don't say it, the formula has long been put into practice among civilized nations.

To all immigrant fellows, don't consider OK to be the best just cuz you haven't seen better yet. You don't have to suffer this crap!

Rest in Peace cuz that is your only comfort!

Lets be considerate of MR. Wilders, his mother dropped him on his head when he was an infant.

If you're going to pontificate, at least learn to spell simple words such as "bait".

Thanwx wxman bwxut youwx're twxoo slwxow. Read back 5 comments from #19...

But you're write about the spelling, drool....

@supernova

You claim that Europe was once half Muslim. You're referring to the Ottomans and the Berbers and their advances up to Paris and Vienna. Those were fuking invasions, man. According to your logic, Iraq is Christian because many US soldiers are Christians.

I'm glad my ancestors fought them off, I'm sure yours say back and watched the fighting.

When Sharia law finally is the law of the land Merkel and company will be the first to be stoned.

Sharia law is hardly implemented even in fully Muslim populated countries. It is only in Saudi Arabia, Iran and that is it. I must disappoint you but rest of the Muslim countries are living by modern democratic constitutional ways.

Don't spread the controversial Islamophobic fear used by right extremists to indoctrinate western head for promoting Islamophobia which is current trendy form of your Xenophobic tendencies.

Folks who trust people like you do lack a lot of knowledge.

@supernova

You're painting things to be a lot rosier than they are. A lot of muslim countries defer to local religious councils in dealing with family affairs and petty crime, not because of any written law, but because of tradition.

That is part the reason that German has a problem with things like forced marriages and honor killings among immigrant populations that are largely from Turkey and the Balkans.

Mr. Wilders may look like Beethoven or Wagner. But his mind is more in tune with Herr Himmler.

It still amazes me as to how some people can be so blind. Supernova look around the world and tell me where the majority of the strife comes from? Europe is way ahead the rest of the world in terms of integration and immigration issues. And it is showing the ugly face of Islam upon their societies, sorry but this is the reality and the propaganda we see that this is a simple tiny fraction of Islam but the more I read and study the subject it seems this is further from the truth than any of are being told. I don't know of any other religion, race, or ideology that emigrates to countries and expects their customs,religion, and laws to be recognized and supersede their own culture and laws. I am not sure how a book with so much violence and ignorance can be considered a religion of peace. But it's not a religion to begin with, it's an ideology which controls your entire life. Honour killings of your own children in the name of a book? And these occur more and more in the west by supposed moderates in The USA that everyday joes. Does that make all Muslims bad no, you cannot be that ignorant however the cons and violence far outweigh the good. The shame of it is that the good muslims suffer because of it but if they are truly the majority then there would not be this tiny faction of radicals as they are reffered to.