Islamic Men In Berlin Rhetorical Analysis

Before coming to Berlin, I had previous knowledge that most of the Turkish and Arab population residing in Berlin are Muslim. Many Western narratives about the Muslim population place Muslim men in a position of oppressor, and women in a position of the oppressed. In the West, we hear the stories of Muslim women who have escaped abusive marriages and who are victim to male violence in some way or another. These narratives shape our perceptions of the Muslim male. They are portrayed as aggressive, violent, and dangerous. Even though I believe this not to be representative of the entire population, I believe the worlds’ perceptions of Muslim men are shaped by these alarming stories. When arriving to Kreuzberg, I found myself engaged in conversations with a few locals in coffee shops. I asked the people what they thought about the male Turkish migrant worker population (since I noticed there were many in the area.) These various individuals did not have to say much about them except that they kept to themselves most of the time. I noticed this when I walked around Kottbusser Tor. There were always groups of Turkish or Arab men huddled around Turkish coffee shops, specialty food stores, and hookah bars. They did not seem to interact with Germans very frequently. I found this

Especially around Kottbusser Tor, I have witnessed these interactions and have thought to myself that even in a hub of bars and entertainment, there is explicit segregation. Being familiar with “othering” of Latino men in America, I found the generalized perceptions of Turkish and Arab men in Berlin to mimic those of Latino men. Because of the perceived threat of their masculinity, I believe that many people, especially women, have an inherent caution against this demographic. As I spent more time in the area, I found the seclusion of female, Turkish and Arab Muslims to be recurring as