A new poll published in Germany shows an overwhelming majority of Germans who oppose Muslim immigration to their country and believe "Islam has no place in Germany."
In a survey conducted by the Civey Polling Institute, participants were asked whether "Islam is part of Germany". 54.6% responded "definitely not" while 19.7% responded "probably not." Only a 6.4% minority replied that Islam "definitely" belonged in Germany, while 14.9% replied "probably yes". Another 4.4% abstained.
Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the question of whether Islam belongs in Germany when in 2016, at the height of the wave of Muslim immigration to Germany, she declared that "Islam belongs in Germany."
Last Friday, after meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Kjell Stefan Löfven, Merkel said "four million German citizens believe in Islam, and these Muslims are part of Germany and with them, their religion, Islam, is part of Germany."
Merkel also noted deep disagreement between herself and Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, leader of the German Christian Union party, who emphasized the Christian heritage of Germany and opposed Muslim immigration to the country. "Islam does not belong to Germany; Germany was shaped by Christianity," said Seehofer, who also stressed the great influence of the Christian Church on German everyday life. However, he stressed that "the Muslims who live with us belong, of course, to Germany."
A segmentation of voters in the new poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of 93% of voters for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which established itself as an anti-immigration party, believed "Islam does not belong in Germany." Among Green Party voters the picture was different, with only 19.2% saying "Islam does not belong in Germany."