Memory Wars: Muslim German history

Who does German history belong to, what is part of it and who can make their voices heard in those debates? These are central questions in negotiating German identity, particularly with regards to Islam. While Federal President Wulff declared, that Islam belongs to Germany, his successor Steinmeier seems to have – after the Hamas terrorist attack of 7th October 2023 – imposed conditions for this membership – for the Palestinian community and, by extension, for Muslims as a whole. Apparently, the fact that Muslim Germans belong to Germany is still up for debate. This has grave consequences, as time and again people regarded as being Muslim fall victim to terrorist attacks, from the NSU to Hanau. Why in particular is the debate about Islam being used for political mobilisation in Germany? And what consequences does this have for Muslim people in this country? In this panel, Tania Mancheno and Jürgen Zimmerer will discuss these questions with Ozan Zakariya Keskinkılıç and Naz Al-Windi. Both are political scientists; Keskinkılıç also belongs to the authors of the recently published anthology “Memory Wars” (ed. Jürgen Zimmerer, 2023).

The event is part of the series “Colonial Legacy Dialogues”, a cooperation between Kampnagel and the Research Centre Hamburg's (Post-)Colonial Legacy, in which scholars, activists and artists discuss the connections and effects of colonialism in Hamburg, Germany and the Global South.