Clashes have arisen over attempts to construct mosques or wear head scarves in school. There is a quite negative picture of Islam in France. Now, the political dimension is more important than the economic. Many migrants maintain closer ties to their homeland than they did a decade or two ago, thanks to the development of E-mail, satellite television, and cheap airfares. In Germany, Turkish television programs are broadcast in real time from Istanbul via satellite.
Someone can watch a Turkish program and then step outside and be an active member of German society.
Kutoglu, the Turkish fashion designer based in Austria, says his position offers the opportunity to be a bridge between the two groups. I always see myself as a messenger between the two cultures. I try to make my Turkish culture sympathetic here. In Turkey, I also try to change the wrong or bad ideas about Austria and Austrians. Susan Ladika is a freelance journalist who lives and writes in Vienna.