BERLIN // Last Sunday, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister campaigning to become chancellor in the federal election on Sunday, wooed the immigrant vote by visiting a Turkish family in Berlin to celebrate the Sugar Festival with them.
He smiled for the cameras as he handed out sweets to toddlers, savoured Turkish dishes from the richly laden dining table and spoke about how he had travelled around Turkey when he was a student.
The campaign visit made it into Bild, the country's best-selling newspaper, and the intention was to assure the 5.6 million immigrants eligible to vote in Germany that Mr Steinmeier and his Social Democrat party (SPD) will look after them.
It is a message many immigrants, which include four million Muslims, most of them of Turkish origin, no longer believe. They feel let down by the government of the Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has ruled in a power-sharing coalition between her conservatives and the SPD since 2005.
With the election looming, immigrant groups are complaining that they are hopelessly under-represented in parliament and that neither of the main parties has done anything to improve their position in the past four years.
Opinion polls indicate that Mrs Merkel is almost certain to remain chancellor, either in a repeat of her coalition with the SPD or with her preferred partner, the small, pro-business Free Democrat Party.
"If the current government stays in power, or if Merkel forms a government with the FDP, I have no hope that there will be any improvement in integration or in education for immigrant children," said Özcan Mutlu, a Turkish-born politician campaigning for a seat in parliament for the opposition Greens party.
"Merkel has done nothing to boost spending on education despite pledging to do so two years ago. Turkish and Muslim voters in Germany have to be taken seriously. They are making up an increasing number of voters and they have special issues like unemployment, lack of participation in society and poor education. The parties must deal with these problems."
The Bundestag, the lower house of parliament which will be elected on Sunday, has only 11 members with an immigrant background, of which five are of Turkish descent. That is less than two per cent of all 614 MPs, whereas 18 per cent of the population - a total of 15m people - are immigrants or born to immigrants.
In her first term, Mrs Merkel has hosted regular conferences with Muslim groups to discuss issues like headscarves and Islamophobia, but the meetings have been widely dismissed as a symbolic gesture that achieved little.
Worse, OECD - the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - studies have revealed that Germany's education system is failing to provide equal opportunities for immigrant children because it is not teaching them enough German to succeed in school, let alone reach higher education.
Mrs Merkel herself irritated Muslims when she told a meeting of her Christian Democrat Union party in 2007 that mosque minarets should not be built as high as church steeples in Germany - a statement seen as pandering to the right wing of her party.
Statistics indicate that there has been no improvement in the position of immigrants during Mrs Merkel's first term. They have an unemployment rate of around 20 per cent, twice as high as the rate for people of German origin.
That is partly due to poorer education but also a result of outright xenophobia - immigrants frequently claim that prospective employers throw job applications away as soon as they see a non-German name on the top.
And there is overwhelming anecdotal evidence that German landlords are reluctant to rent apartments out to immigrants, often dismissively referred to as "foreigners" even if they were born in Germany.
Immigrants have formed virtual ghettos in the major cities where communities live parallel lives. The Berlin district of Kreuzberg, for example, is referred to as Little Istanbul because many of Berlin's 120,000 Turkish immigrants live there.
Given that there is still such a pronounced lack of integration even half a century after the first Turks were invited as "guest workers" to make up for a shortage of home-grown manpower after the Second World War, it seems astonishing that the issue has barely featured in what has been a soporific election campaign.
The lack of attention given to immigrants, despite Mr Steinmeier's photo opportunity on Sunday, is all the more surprising in view of their potential political clout. Of the roughly 2.8m people with Turkish roots, some 600,000 are eligible to vote.
A survey conducted in March by the polling institute DATA 4U showed 55.5 per cent of Germans with a Turkish background would vote for the social democrats, 10.1 per cent for the conservatives and only 0.9 per cent for the FDP.
More than 20 ethnic Turks are campaigning to become MPs but most of them are unlikely to succeed because they are too far down in the parties' lists of candidates due for a parliamentary seat under the complex proportional voting system. The chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany, Kenan Kolat, recommended this month that Turkish Germans vote for immigrant candidates regardless of the parties they represent, in a bid to boost their representation in parliament. "We want to vote for people, not parties," he said.
But Mr Mutlu, the Greens politician, is against such tactical voting. "What counts is how qualified and suitable the candidate is. Immigrants shouldn't reduce themselves to their ethnic origin," he said. "We need more immigrants applying for German citizenship and more of them need to get active in all the parties so that they can bring about a change of attitudes."
That will take time, said the most senior politician with an immigrant background, Cem Özdemir, the co-leader of the opposition Greens party. "We're a long way off immigrants becoming a normal part of politics," he told Spiegel news magazine recently.
Mr Özdemir, born to Turkish parents, said it should be normal for a German politician to tackle integration issues and for a Turkish-born politician to worry about fiscal policy. "But we'll need more immigrants in German politics for that to happen. We're not that far yet."
dcrossland@thenational.ae
Premier League results
Saturday
Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2
Leicester City 3 Fulham 1
Newcastle United 3 Everton 2
Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Manchester City 3 Watford 1
Sunday
Liverpool 4 Burnley 2
Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Company%20Profile
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Arctic Monkeys
Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino)
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
Company%20Profile
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T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
Company%20Profile
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Racecard
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud
TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
LIVERPOOL%20TOP%20SCORERS
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GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
The%20team
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Zayed Sustainability Prize
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1