Open letter to Mr Michael Weißenborn, Stuttgart News
On the knowledge of editor-in-chief Digital: Swantje Dake and editor-in-chief of Stuttgart News: Dr. Christoph Reisinger
Statement on the article "Muslim Student Homes; Qur 'an from early to late? "By Michael Weißenborn from 11. December 2018 in Stuttgart News (print edition)
Dear Mr. Weißenborn,
In your above. Articles about the construction of the Filder Mosque depict our association as well as the VIKZ in a bad light. This, on the very day that the local council decides the future of the Filder Mosque. Unfortunately, some objectivity and journalistic due diligence can be missed in your article.
Through the rhetorical question "Qur 'an from early to late?" And other negative narratives such as "Acts in silence," you place in the room as if the Koran were read and memorized in the student dormitories from tomorrow to evening. Religious teaching is part of our work, which is by no means about memorizing the Koran, but about imparting religious knowledge comparable to communion in Christian children and young people.
In your remarks, you refer to "some experts," especially Ursula Spuler-Stegemann, who prepared an expert report on behalf of the Hessian state government in 2004, without having visited any VIKZ facility or student dormitory. It is now 14 years ago. It is noteworthy that you have no mention of the more recent study by the migration researcher Prof. Ursula Boos-Nünning from the University of Duisburg-Essen from 2010, who examined these student dormitories empirically. The study is http://vikz.de/index.php/publikationen.htmlzugänglich for everyone on the VIKZ website.
Professor Boos-Nünning also refers to the expert opinion of Spuler-Stegemann and writes: "From these and other individual criticisms, Spuler-Stegemann concludes, as she explicitly states, that" the VIKZ's own interest in setting up Student residences mainly (insist) in religiously shaping children and young people of school age with a training goal that even ultimately makes integration impossible. " (Underlining in the original, ebenda p.35). At various points she writes of a lack of integration, isolation, lack of tolerance in the values of the students and of anti-Christian statements. The problem with the opinion is that there is hardly any evidence of a statement. It is not argued with empirical data or even individual experiences at the level of the description, but many statements reveal the emotionally negative basic attitudes of the author … " (Page 7).
Furthermore, you mention unilaterally an event from Neu-Ulm, which again dates back several years. Here, too, the opinion of the New Ulm VIKZ community (at the site as an annex) on the facts is not taken into account.
The assertion by the competent local youth and social services association (KVJS) that there is no "evidence of child welfare hazards due to the conservative orientation" and that the student dormitories are controlled by "on-site visits" goes among the individual Negative enumerations on your part. Conservatism is a phenomenon present among parties, churches and in city society.
You also say that we stayed among ourselves at our neighbourhood festival. On the contrary, we were very pleased that many accepted our invitation, neighbours, local councils, church representatives and other interested citizens. When you ask your request to talk to my wife or to the woman of the Imam, you had a resounding ' yes ' from us. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as the two women were unreachable when you arrived.
In addition, there are also many positive things to report about the VIKZ, if you wanted to: He has been a member of the German Islamic Conference since the beginning (2006); Invited to receptions and talks by the Federal President and the Federal Government; Is a partner of state governments when it comes to religious education and Islamic theological chairs; In close contact with the Evangelical and Catholic churches; Train his imams in Germany, who are socialized here, such as our Imam Bilal Yilmaz, whom you already know, etc.
Our community has existed in Leinfelden-Echterdingen for 30 years and so far there have been no "anti-integration" let alone problematic occurrences.
We would like to stress once again that our facility is open to all and that we are striving for more intensive exchanges with the city society. There have already been several discussions with different representatives of the city society, which we want to expand further.
Sincerely
Muhammet Güclü
Chairman
Attachment: "press