Alexander Wehrle, President of the 1.FC Köln
Dear Mr Wehrle,
as a German-Jewish activist I am engaged in the fight against anti-Semitism.
As a woman from Cologne and wife of a passionate FC member, I was simply bewildered.
Of course it’s right and important these days to take a stand against racism, but you have to look carefully at who you’re making common cause with.
The operating organisation of the Cologne mosque, the DITIB, the extended arm of Erdogan, by no means stands for the values for which the 1 FC Köln is known.
In a mosque of the Turkish religious association DITIB, children have even performed a battle scene from the First World War – in military uniforms and with toy guns.
Even the Turkish-born Green politician Cem Özdemir explains:
“In its present state DITIB does not belong to Germany.”
Mr Wehrle, with this action you are not setting an example of tolerance and cosmopolitanism, against racism.
Instead, you are showing, at best, a dangerous ignorance of political Islam.
And I certainly do not need to mention the view Erdoğans followers in Germany also share about Jews and Israel.
By the way, the Cologne synagogue has a much longer history in this city, but it is not shown on the jersey. Kinda strange, don’t you think?
You should give it some thought and revise this measure, for the sake of the club and its credibility.
Best wishes,
Malca Goldstein-Wolf
https://www.ksta.de/kultur/malca-goldstein-wolf–gegen-die-klischees-kaempfen–31116526
https://www.bild.de/regional/koeln/antisemitismus/wdr-steigt-bei-roger-waters-konzert-aus-53987110.bild.html