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Washington PostSarrazin, a board member of the German Central Bank, has divided the nation by postulating the theory that Germany is being "dumbed down" by Muslim immigrants and their children. Wielding statistics and scientific arguments both in his book and in public comments, he delves into territory largely taboo here since the Holocaust, suggesting that "hereditary factors" are at least partly to blame.
Turks and Kurdish immigrants, he asserts, are genetically predisposed to lower intelligence than Germans and other ethnic groups, including Jews.What has also shocked many is that so many Germans have rallied to his side as the central bank and his political party have sought to oust him for his pronouncements. Among Germany's population of 82 million, about 5 percent are Muslims, most of Turkish descent. A poll published in the national magazine Focus this week showed 31 percent of respondents agreeing that Germany is "becoming dumber" because of immigrants
"It's absolutely unacceptable with the history here that such a large amount of people follow what he says," Kramer said. "
The lesson of the Holocaust is not just about Jews, but that human dignity is indivisible. Yet now, they react if there is a genetic comment about Jews, but not if it's about the Roma or the Turks. We obviously still have some homework to do."
The bookish, mustached Sarrazin - who declined a request for comment - is no stranger to controversy. While a member of the Berlin state senate,
he famously said civil servants had a physical odor and wrote a diet for welfare recipients who claimed they couldn't live on their meager state assistance checks. But in the past year, he has homed in on the issue of Turkish and other Muslim immigrants.
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