BERLIN (JTA) — The German official in his new doomsday book on the future of Germany appears to endorse Nazi racial ideology, Jewish leaders said.
Thilo Sarrazin, a board member of the German central bank since May 2009 and a former finance minister for the state of Berlin, in "Germany Abolishes Itself" writes that Muslims are to blame for dumbing down German culture. Jews and others possess superior genes, he suggested in the book, which is to hit stands Monday.
His racial ideology puts Sarrazin firmly in the far-right extremist camp, according to Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
Sarrazin, a member of the left-of-center Social Democratic Party, should consider joining the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany, Kramer told the Handelsblatt Online newspaper last week.
"At least that would make the battle lines more obvious," Kramer said, and it would free the Social Democrats from having to kick him out.
In an excerpt of "Germany Abolishes Itself" in this week’s Der Spiegel magazine, Sarrazin writes, "I do not want the land of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be predominantly Muslim, where Turkish and Arabic are spoken in broad sections of the country, where women wear a headscarf and where the daily rhythm of life is determined by the call of the muezzins."
In a pre-publication interview, Sarrazin said that all Jews "share a particular gene," as do Basques and other peoples. His remarks drew harsh criticism from German political leaders.
Sarrazin’s comments have caused a ruckus in the past. Last October he said that Turks and Arabs were taking over Germany due to a high birthrate, and that he would be happier if it were "Eastern European Jews" who were reproducing so fast, "since their IQs are 15 percent higher than that of the German people." He later apologized for the remarks.
At the time, the National Democratic Party credited Sarrazin with "hitting the nail on the head" when it came to Germany’s current course.
Some Social Democratic leaders suggested at the time that he be ousted from the party.
