Germany: Far-Right, Immigrants, Fashion, and Hijab

A recent event in East Germany has once again heightened concerns about the influence of far-right ideas and trends in society and even in government institutions. At the same time, a book discussing the impact of immigrants on fashion design in Germany and their role in enriching the country's culture remains a prominent topic. Last Thursday, Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, traveled to Saxony (an eastern German state that was part of former East Germany before reunification) to meet with the people and officials of the province. Although the number of foreigners and foreign-born residents in the former East German states is small compared to the western states, the closed cultural environment and the lack of connection to the outside world for 40 years during the Soviet-backed regime, alongside recent concerns stemming from globalization, which sometimes exaggerates issues related to identity, security, and economic and job-related anxieties, as well as terrorist acts associated with extremist Islamism (whether from among refugees or foreign-born individuals born in Germany, etc.), have all intensified the anti-foreign sentiment and the rise of far-right forces in East Germany. On the day of Merkel's visit to Dresden, the capital of Saxony, supporters of the Pegida movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West), who view Merkel's refugee and immigration policies as the source of an 'Islamic invasion of Western culture' and the burial of this culture under Islamic teachings and values, organized a protest against her visit. A passerby insults the Pegida demonstrators, leading to a confrontation with one of the protesters, while a team of reporters and cameramen from Germany's second television channel is also present, filming the entire march and this altercation. The protesting individual (in an unlawful position) also confronts the television team, claiming they do not have the right to film the faces of the demonstrators, and calls the police, who are nearby, to assist in stopping the television team's work. The police detain the television team for 45 minutes under the pretext of checking their identification documents. The situation becomes more complicated when it is revealed that the protesting individual is also an employee of the provincial criminal office (police department). Thus, the issue doubles: one is that an employee working in a sensitive position is obligated to uphold and promote the rights enshrined in the constitution and has access to sensitive information, including the database of foreigners and foreign-born individuals in Germany within the police and judicial departments, yet participates as a supporter of far-right forces in their demonstrations and protests against the free work of the media. The second problem is that the police, who should normally defend the television team's work, indirectly sided with the demonstrator and Pegida as a whole, preventing the television team from continuing their work. A third issue arises with a tweet from the Prime Minister of Saxony, a party member of Merkel, fully defending the police's actions and criticizing the television team's work. Ultimately, the discussion now revolves around the extent of the influence of far-right forces within the police and security forces in Germany, particularly in the eastern part of the country. Estimates suggest that at least 30% of the police in Saxony and similar states in East Germany lean towards far-right groups. The fact that attacks on refugee accommodations in this state are four times higher than in other areas is also indicative. The current debate is whether it is appropriate for police officers, who are part of the populace, to have various political leanings, but the sensitivity of their work in defending human rights, freedom of expression, and press freedoms enshrined in the constitution has posed a question for the political elite in Germany: what should be done? Should there be stricter selection and training processes for police and relevant employees? Is combating the strengthening of far-right forces through the integration of these forces' positions into the programs and approaches of conventional right-wing parties and making traditional parties more appealing to those inclined towards these extremist parties? This is something that some traditional conservative right-wing parties in Germany are currently engaged in. The fact that this approach has not worked and that some voters still lean towards the original examples of these extremist positions (Alternative for Germany or Pegida) raises further questions. The controversial events in Dresden, combined with various meetings of the head of Germany's domestic security agency (Verfassungsschutz) with three senior representatives of the far-right populist party 'Alternative for Germany' and the unconventional issues discussed in these meetings, have all turned the question of the influence of far-right ideas and trends within society and its institutions, or the public's inaction in the face of this expansion, into a current topic of discussion. Consequently, the political elite of the country and civil society are faced with the question of what should be done? This question is not only raised in Germany but also in several European countries (and the USA) that are facing an unprecedented rise of far-right and populist movements. Amid such discussions and concerns, a book published a year ago in Germany continues to be a relevant and contemporary topic. This book, titled 'Traces, Trends, and Migration' with the subtitle 'In Search of the Traces and Impacts that Immigrants Have Left on Fashion and Society,' is available in the book market. The book primarily addresses the influence of foreign-born fashion designers on clothing culture and fashion in Germany. It has been published in both German and English as part of a project under the supervision of the Academy of Fashion and Design Berlin (AMD Akademie Mode & Design Berlin) and with the support of the German Foreign Office. Several prominent journalists, experts, and photographers in the fashion field have contributed to the book. The first sentence of the book states: 'Many (in Germany) view foreigners as a threat.' The book, in over 200 pages with diverse articles and images about ten designers who have influenced and transformed fashion and clothing culture in Germany, seeks to demonstrate that this perception does not closely align with reality. According to the book, many fashion designers working in Germany have origins in China, Turkey, Bulgaria, France, Kenya, Vietnam, and Iran. Among the ten designers introduced in the book, two Iranian women are featured. One of these women, Leila Paydari, came to Germany with her family at the age of nine. After her university studies, she became a member of the editorial team of a fashion magazine, and later, from what she created by hand, a globally recognized brand named 'Lala Berlin' emerged. The other woman of Iranian descent who has made a name for herself in the fashion and design industry in Germany and whose life and works have been included in the book 'Traces, Trends, and Migration' is Nabi Talayi, who came to Germany at the age of eleven and has become a prominent name in the German fashion industry, inspired by the clothing of Iranian nomads (while removing their ethnic elements). A part of the book is also dedicated to fashion designs of headscarves and Islamic hijabs, indirectly raising the question of whether the various designs of headscarves and head coverings contradict fashion, which fundamentally knows no place or religion, and whether this fashionable display of hijab will change critics' views and perceptions about it, transforming it, especially where it is mandatory, from 'an instrument of subjugation and limitation for women' into ordinary clothing alongside other garments. Overall, the book is prepared in line with and in support of the claim that fashion is a unique characteristic and art that makes us aware of various aspects of human life. Because fashion deals with human mentality and taste, accompanies them, and simultaneously changes them, and it changes with their changes. It narrates the individuality of humans and, at scales, their companionship with the collective. Fashion perhaps more than anything else blurs borders and allows people to look beyond their closed national boundaries, draw inspiration, and move away from the alienation of other cultures, just as the West has increasingly opened its fashion culture to designs and ideas from distant lands in clothing and attire since the 18th century, giving more space to diverse tastes and mentalities. Now, in the globalized world, this influence and interaction of fashion have doubled, especially through migration and the acceptance of immigrants and the movement of people. The publication of this book and the project that contributed to its preparation and publication is a new effort to combat the wave of extreme nationalism and anti-foreign sentiment in Germany, as well as to emphasize the importance of cultural diversity and the positive impact that the presence of immigrants has on the formation of a diverse and tolerant society.