Jewish Gene, Muslim Brains Miss Bundesbank Target: Matthew Lynn
A Jewish gene? Immigrants who are making Germany dumber? It is hard to imagine what precisely was running through the mind of Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin when he was promoting his new book on what he sees as the decline of the German nation.
Forget any posturing on Sarrazin’s part as some sort of German patriot, or as a defender of the country and its people. One thing is certain: By choosing to write his book, and then by hanging on to his position amid calls for him to step aside, he is trashing the reputation of a proud German institution.
The only intellectually and morally respectable course for him to take now is to resign immediately and to apologize for the embarrassment he has already caused the central bank and its president, Axel Weber. If he doesn’t resign, he should be considered as nothing more than a self-publicizing crank.
When Sarrazin sat down to write his book, whose title translates as “Germany Does Away With Itself,” he must have known his views were inflammatory. He argues that Muslims have more problems assimilating into European societies than other minority groups. Migrants from countries such as Turkey and Morocco depend on the state and are making the country “dumber,” he claims.
To make matters worse, in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Sarrazin was quoted as saying Jews have “a particular gene” that sets them apart.
Smart Enough
Not surprisingly, Sarrazin has run into a storm of publicity. Presumably that was what he planned: He is smart enough to know what kind of reaction his book would stir up. Chancellor Angela Merkel urged the Bundesbank to act, calling Sarrazin’s comments “completely unacceptable.”
Even so, Sarrazin is hanging on to his job, resisting the pressure to quit. Bundesbank President Weber may be keen for him to leave, even though there is little provision to sack Sarrazin under the bank’s rules. In any case, Sarrazin has already done huge damage to the Bundesbank’s reputation.
This isn’t an issue about freedom of speech, though that is how Sarrazin has tried to portray it. It is an issue of respect and responsibility. On both measures, he has failed to live up to the standards that the country has a right to expect from someone appointed to the board of the central bank.
There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for a German politician or central banker to start discussing a “Jewish gene.” It would be wiser to leave the topic to biologists and geneticists, rather than central bankers.
Sarrazin’s Motives
Given the historical record, there is no justification for any senior German figure to make a comment on the subject. His only motive in raising it was to attract attention.
There is an important debate to be had about how much migration any country needs, and who should be allowed in. A nation such as Germany, with a very low birth rate, is likely to need more people in the decades to come. That raises challenges of making sure the newcomers fit into the existing society. The more honest and open the discussion about that, the better.
It is perfectly legitimate to raise issues about immigration. It is acceptable to discuss how Muslim communities integrate in traditional European societies. There is no need for a politically correct taboo on mentioning the subject.
Yet, none of the points that Sarrazin makes on immigration is particularly original. You can find plenty of books, and lots of websites, where the same arguments are made. You can agree or disagree with them, depending on how compelling you find the points on both sides of the debate.
Sarrazin has been in hot water before. Last October, his responsibilities at the Bundesbank were reduced after he said that most immigrant Turks and Arabs “keep producing more little girls in headscarves.” He later apologized for the comments.
This time he may have gone too far. He has exploited his job title to promote an incendiary book, which has nothing to do with the bank’s mandate. If he resigns, he will show that he still has some respect for the Bundesbank’s standing in German society. That’s what a true patriot would do.
(Matthew Lynn is a Bloomberg News columnist and the author of “Bust,” a forthcoming book on the Greek debt crisis. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer of this column: Matthew Lynn in London at matthewlynn@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this column: James Greiff at jgreiff@bloomberg.net
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