Intercultural bridges: Turkish-Islamic association promotes cohesion

Intercultural bridges: Turkish-Islamic association promotes cohesion

Tirschenreuth, Deutschland - In Tirschenreuth, a promising dialogue about cultural bridges began. Celal Öztürk, the chairman of the Turkish-Islamic cultural association Marktredwitz, met on July 3, 2025 with District Administrator Roland Grillmeier in the district office. Together with Mehmet Aslan, the chairman of the Turkish-Islamic Culture Association of Waldsassen, they discussed the opportunities to expand intercultural cooperation and to promote mutual respect. "We can beat bridges between cultures," explained Öztürk and underlined the importance of a respectful coexistence. Oberpfalz echo 20 years for the German-Turkish friendship in the region and is proud to support the community with its bakery in Marktredwitz.

District Administrator Grillmeier praised the work of Öztürk and Aslan as particularly valuable in rural areas. He emphasizes the need that people of different backgrounds come into conversation and develop joint projects. The conversation is planned as a prelude; Common initiatives in the areas of culture, education and integration are to follow this year. Another exchange between the representatives has already been agreed, which shows that a fertile soil for intercultural dialogue is prepared here. Youth Network Working together to offer Muslims for their faith and contribute to integration.

Integration through language investigation

In Germany, around three million people live with a Turkish migration background. This group represents one of the oldest and largest migrant communities. The members of these community bring a variety of cultures and actively contribute to society. In many cases, the key to integration lies in learning the German language, which is of central importance not only for the labor market, but also for political participation.

Öztürk is a good example: his club works closely with integration courses, which offer around 1300 people a year in language and literacy courses. In addition to the linguistic mediation, many Turkish language learners promote intercultural exchange and are often the bridge builders between German and Turkish culture. German emphasizes that language learners are motivated to learn German at an advanced level and also show resilience towards discrimination and social exclusion.

The vision of common learning and respectful coexistence is the focus of the efforts that drive Öztürk and Aslan. The planned projects should not only work locally, but also cooperate across the district with the neighboring districts of Wunsiedel and Hof, which shows that the endeavor to intercultural exchange extends far beyond the city limits.