“The fact that the current debate on the possible entry of Turkey” into the EU “should ignore the cultural aspect is a sign of a lack of realism”: so said Thomas Sternberg of the ZDK (Central Committee of German Catholics) in a statement issued in Bonn in recent days. Sternberg, spokesman of the ZDK on questions of cultural policy, lamented the fact that “in the current debate, the cultural questions practically have no importance”. “In spite of its secular constitution, Turkey, from a cultural point of view, continues to be an islamized country. Culture is not religion”, explained Stenberg, “but has its origin” in religion. This goes “not only for Islam: the European identity in fact derives from three sources: the Graeco-Roman heritage, the Jewish and Christian religious tradition and the history of European freedom”, recalled Sternberg, who added: “Pointing out the Islamic roots of Turkish culture does not mean passing judgement on them. Islamic countries have a great history and their culture is admirable, but it is different from that of Europe”. “We need to discuss the meaning of culture for the European identity he concluded -; the cultural question is at the basis of the identity of the person and society”.
