23 years old Gulseren who did not provide her last name is graduating from Duisburg university this year with an honor. She has been extremely active in student clubs and social projects. Being a covered girl from a Turkish origin, Gulseren also is a member of German Social Democrat Party. However, she believes there is no future in the party for her because of her religious choices. So she plans to join Turkish-German NGO’s to have an opportunity in Turkish politics one day.
The head of a prominent Cologne-based NGO, Bulent Bilgi, pointed out the exact same issue when he gave an interview to Turkish public broadcaster TRT. Bilgi said conservative Turks in Germany have no representation in German political parties. “Take Serap Guler for example,” Bilgi said referring to the undersecretary for the Integration ministry of North Rhine Westphalia. “She is of a Turkish origin but she publicly once said she was not elected by Turkish votes so that she does not represent Turks,” said Bilgi who is the head of Union of International Democrats.
Serap Guler -a member of Angela Merkel’s CDU- once shared her mother’s covered photograph on instagram to make a point on coming from a religious family. The other prominent Turkish-origin political figures, however, all are anti-Turkish and/or of leftist ideologies. Some of them even openly support PKK which is recognized as a terror group by Berlin.
Bulent Bilgi says it is one of the priorities of his NGO to encourage ethnic Turks to enter politics in Germany in the coming years. He says German establishment needs to pave the way for pro-Turkey conservatives to join and earn important positions in political parties. That would also help Turks to better integrate into German society.
Diaspora Daily 