March 1, 2011: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was received like a rock star by 11,000 cheering Turks last Sunday (February 27). He wasn't in Turkey, though. Instead, he gave a speech in Düsseldorf like he did three years ago. Erdogan came to Germany to meet chancellor Angela Merkel, but first he wanted to address his fellow Turks, some of whom have lived in Germany for decades.

Erdogan upset leading German politicians by telling the crowd in Düsseldorf that their children should first learn Turkish before being exposed to German. He added that Turks living in Germany should seek to be integrated but not assimilated into German society. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle criticized Erdogan's advice, emphasizing that learning German is the "key to integration" of all immigrants living in Germany. "Children who grow up in Germany must learn German first of all," he said in Berlin. Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Alexander Dobrindt accused Erdogan of thwarting integration efforts.

Erdogan seemed to take up the gauntlet and indirectly address the controversy over multiculturalism that European politicians – including Angela Merkel – have declared to be a failure. Erdogan also seemed to be responding directly to a speech given by Dutch politician Geert Wilders in Berlin last October, who had commented on Erdogan's speech in Germany three years ago. Erdogan basically repeated that part of his earlier speech that Wilders had criticized:

"When the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan visited your country in 2008, he told the Turks living here that they had to remain Turks. He literally said that 'assimilation is a crime against humanity.' Erdogan would have been right if he had been addressing the Turks in Turkey. However, Germany is the land of the Germans. Hence, the Germans have a right to demand that those who come to live in Germany assimilate; they have the right – no they have a duty to their children – to demand that newcomers respect the German identity of the German nation and Germany’s right to preserve its identity."

Erdogan's speech did not promote any feeling of resident Turks belonging to Germany. Erdogan actually appealed to Turkish national pride in front of people who in some cases have lived in Germany for three or more generations. His comments will only reinforce the conviction of many Germans that multiculturalism is a failure and that assimilation of resident foreigners is the only way for Germany to absorb its many guest workers who have ended up staying in the country.