Freedom to Imagine the World: Violence and the Writing of Self

Abstract

In 2012, Necla Kelek, a German feminist of Turkish heritage, who has become notorious for her positions on Islam and Turkish integration into German society, gave a talk that elicited the following response on the satirical blog AggroMigrant. The blog entry laments the rudeness of somebody who arrives late but preaches German punctuality, and then asks:

So are you Muslim, or not? What is really your take on Sarrazin’s statements about biological intelligence? And why do you preach things that you yourself don’t adhere to, like German punctuality? In [your] dissertation you still wrote how important Islam is for integration, but in your presentation you speak of how it is a hindrance. You explained this contradiction by insisting that you changed the conclusions of your dissertation to please your doctoral adviser […] I almost can’t help but think of the bad word: Opportunist.

Amusing as the insistence on “German punctuality” may be, the frustration underlying the post expresses a common irritation with Kelek’s public persona. At times she rejects Islam, at others she identifies herself as Muslim; despite this set of contradictions she consistently associates violence with Islam.