Cem Özdemir
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Cem Özdemir
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 Cem Özdemir |
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| Born | December 21, 1965 Bad Urach, Germany |
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| Political party | Alliance '90/The Greens |
| Religion | Islam |
Cem Özdemir (born 21 December 1965, Bad Urach) is a German politician. He is the co-leader (with Claudia Roth) of the German party Alliance '90/The Greens. He is a former Member of Parliament and currently a Member of the European Parliament for his party.[1]
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[edit] Political career
Cem Özdemir has been member of the German Green Party since 1981.[2] From 1989 to 1994, he was a member of the Party's regional council for the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.[2] He was elected to the Bundestag (German Parliament) in 1994[2], thus the first German-born second-generation immigrant to be a representative in the Bundestag. From 1998 until 2002, Özdemir was the Green Party's Parliamentary Spokesman on Domestic Affairs and chairman of the German-Turkish Parliamentary Group.[2]
Özdemir measured critique of Muslim culture in Germany together with his advocacy for better immigrants' education and Turkey's EU membership bid has put him in conflict with people at both ends of the spectrum on Islam's role -- both hard-line imams and secular critics of German islamists.[1]
In 2008, Özdemir became the designated (male) party leader of the Greens.[1]
He has been frequently referred to as 'Germany's Obama', albeit mostly outside of the country [1].
[edit] Personal life
Cem Özdemir is descended of ethnic Circassians from Turkey. His parents immigrated to Germany in the 1960s. He gained German citizenship in 1992. Özdemir is married to German-Argentine journalist Pia Castro, with whom he has a daughter. Özdemir describes himself as a secular muslim.[1]
He was voted the best dressed German politician for the year 2005.[3]
[edit] Bibliography
- Currywurst und Döner – Integration in Deutschland
- Ich bin Inländer (autobiography)
- Die Türkei: Politik, Religion, Kultur
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d McGroarty, Patrick (2008-11-15). "Özdemir set to win prominence in German politics". Today's Zaman. Associated Press. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=158808. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
- ^ a b c d Biography, official site (German)
- ^ Cem Özdemir - politics beyond ethnic terms, BBC Languages.
[edit] External links
- Official Web site (English) (Turkish) (German)
