Merkel ally says Islam not part of Germany
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Head of Merkel's conservative bloc in parliament, Volker Kauder, told the Passauer Neue Presse that "Islam is not part of our tradition and identity in Germany and so does not belong to Germany." The remarks are sure to stir controversy as the government hosts a conference to improve the integration of Muslims.
A row over whether an ultra-conservative Salafist Muslim group should be allowed to hand out millions of free German translations of the Koran to non-Muslims had already raised tensions and threatened to overshadow the conference. (Reuters)
