Jun 29 2008
The Crescent Moon Rises over European Football (originally written 6-24)
Europe is in a tight spot now on the eve of the Euro 2008 semifinals. There is the possibility of two non-traditional European countries reaching the finals, along with Germany, which the general dislike for can only be compared to that baseball fans feel towards the New York Yankees. The Russia vs. Spain game does not conjure up the same emotions as the Germany vs. Turkey game; Russia has always sort of been a European country. Turkey on the other hand, well…
Germany and Turkey have an interwoven relationship similar to that of the United States and Mexico. With a Turkish population just under 2 million, Germany has the greatest concentration of Turks, and people of Turkish descent, than any other nation outside of Turkey. Turks emigrate to Germany for the same reasons as most immigrants, in hopes of finding jobs and an overall better life. At the same time, again like many immigrants, they retain traditions from the home country, most importantly language and religion. Many Germans (and other Europeans as there are Turks in other countries as well) feel resentment towards the Turks for their lack of assimilation into the host country, particularly the language, and European culture in general. There are entire immigrant/non-native neighborhoods in cities where German is almost a secondary language (an example is the Kreuzberg district in Berlin), but this is not abnormal, almost every major city has immigrant districts. It becomes a problem when there is a supposed cultural clash. Now, many Europeans with certain prejudices have to make a decision, do they want Germany to lose at the cost of the non-traditional Turkey entering the final or do they want Turkey to lose at the cost of allowing the always powerful German football team into the final?
In Belgium, the leader of the extreme right party, a party once deemed illegal for racist (i.e. Fascist) leanings, Filip Dewinter, stated that a victory for Germany would be a symbolic victory for all of Europe. Apparently the quantity of Turkish flags flying in Europe irritate him to the point where he asks “Do Europeans choose for a European Europe or for an Islamified Eurabia?”
The viewpoints of Dewinter are those of an extremist, on the fringes of the political spectrum, he does not represent the vast majority of Europeans or Belgians for that matter. Most Europeans are most likely sitting back and waiting to see what happens, devoid of personal prejudice of either team or country as these semifinals can make for one of the most interesting finals in European Championship history.
Source:
Photo by Wordsmithlind
One Response to “The Crescent Moon Rises over European Football (originally written 6-24)”
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sadly enough, though, it’s not just a neglectible minority that votes for dewinter and his party
next topic: basque country and the victory of spain!