German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday Islam was part of Germany, echoing a statement by former President Christian Wolf in 2010 when he said Islam was part of the German society.
"I would like to say what former German President Christian Wolf had said that Islam is part of Germany and I support this view," Merkel, of the conservative Christian Democratic Party, told a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
"I am the chancellor of all Germans and this includes all those living in our country regardless of the origin of these people," she added. "Everybody is welcomed here regardless of their faith," affirmed the Chancellor who was speaking following the deadly attacks in Paris that killed 17 people.
She called for encouraging dialogue among faiths. "I would like to thank the German Muslims because they took the initiative to encourage this dialogue," added Merkel.
There are four million Muslims living in Germany, representing five percent of the country's 81 million population. Two-thirds of the German Muslims are of Turkish origins, 13 percent from East Europe, eight percent from the Middle East and seven percent from Africa
Source: KUNA