German President: "Muslims living here belong in Germany"

In an interview with German magazine Die Zeit, German President Joachim Gauck said, "The truth is that there are many Muslims living in the country. What I will say is this: Muslims living here belong in Germany." Replying to a question with regard to his predecessor Christian Wulff's views on the issue, Gauck said, "In essence, I am sharing his approach on this issue. Because he actually wants to say that let's take a breath and see the facts. The fact is that there are great many Muslims living in this country. Then I will say that Muslims living here are part of Germany" Gauck underlined that the sense of belonging to the country does not depend on the place of birth, but originates from the place of residence and commitment to norms which are valid there. "In other words, those who come here – I'm not only talking about only tax payers, but also about those who come here to enjoy the rights and freedoms which do not exist where they come from," Gauck added.