Germans Anxious About Growth of Islam

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Germany express a certain degree of anxiety over the growth of the Islamic religion and culture in the country, according to a poll by Infratest-Dimap released by ARD. 33 per cent of respondents are very concerned about this matter, and 29 per cent express moderate concern.
Germany is home to Europe’s second-largest Muslim community after France.

Last month, voters in Switzerland participated in a referendum which banned the construction of minarets in Swiss mosques. The minaret—a tower from which the call to prayer is sounded—is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques.

On Dec. 13, Thilo Sarrazin, a former Berlin finance senator and current member of the German Central Bank committee, said Muslim headscarves should be banned in Germany.

Earlier this year, Sarrazin was criticized after he declared: "A large number of Arabs and Turks in this city, whose number has grown through bad policies, have no productive function other than as fruit and vegetable vendors."

Polling Data
 
Are you concerned about the growth of Islam in Germany?

Yes, very concerned	33%
Yes, moderately concerned	29%
No, not concerned	22%

Source: Infratest-Dimap / ARD
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 German adults, conducted in December 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Angus Reid Global Monitor, 19 December 2009