Berlin

Immigration has always played an important role in shaping the face of Berlin, which continues to attract migrants from all over the world. In the postwar period, immigration increased after labor recruitment contracts were signed with Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Portugal, and Tunisia, followed by family reunification.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, immigration proved crucial to rebuilding Berlin as Germany's capital. German resettlers from the former Soviet Union and asylum seekers from Eastern Europe were among those who boosted the city’s population in the 1990s.

Roughly 14 percent of the city's 3.4 million residents are of foreign nationality, originating from 195 different countries. A further 12 percent are non-ethnic German nationals. Non-German ethnic groups include Turks, Arabs, Poles, Russians, Albanians, Serbs, Macedonians, Vietnamese, Dutch, Chinese, Africans, and Latin Americans.

Although data is not collected on the basis of religion, available figures indicate that Protestants form the largest religious group at 23 percent of the city’s population. This is followed by Roman Catholics at 9 percent and Muslims at 6 percent. There are 120,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union.

The number of Muslims in Berlin is estimated on the basis of the number of immigrants from countries with a Muslim majority population (largely Turkey and North African countries) to which the number of Muslims with German origin is added. Berlin's statistics agency estimates more than 70,000 Muslims holding German nationality, the majority being naturalized immigrants.

The At Home in Europe: Muslims in Berlin report focuses on the newly created district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Home to 147,804 inhabitants, Kreuzberg has a Muslim population of roughly 35,000, one of the highest concentrations of Muslims in Berlin. Located in the center of the city, Kreuzberg is sometimes referred to as “Little Istanbul” for its significant Turkish population. Despite its popularity and diversity, Kreuzberg is marked by high levels of unemployment and lower than average income.

The focus on Kreuzberg allows for a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between residents and policymakers where Muslims form a higher proportion of the population than within the city or state as a whole. A study of the local level also examines whether these demographic circumstances at the district and neighborhood level have encouraged the development of practical solutions to social policies that respond to the needs and views of local Muslim populations.