Turk breaks taboo as king of German hunting club

BERLIN, Aug 11 (Reuters) An immigrant businessman has made history by becoming the first Turk to preside over a traditional German hunting society, and he is determined to prove integration in Germany is not as poor as widely thought.

Emir Oezel, who moved to Germany when he was 11, was crowned king of his local hunting club, or ''Schuetzenverein'', in the north-western town of Paderborn last month.

Since then he has become something of a media celebrity, featuring in documentaries and posing for newspapers in his green uniform and hunters' hat with an oak leaf and acorns.

''My position can give people hope and shows that integration is possible,'' Oezel, 46, told Reuters by telephone.

The appointment by club members is a sign of respect from the local community, although the attention he has attracted indicates integration may not be as advanced as Oezel thinks.

Hunting associations have deep roots in Germany. Founded in the Middle Ages, when town dwellers needed shooting and marksmanship skills to defend themselves, these days the male-dominated societies are more than just a shooting range.

Similar in some ways to the Freemasons or Rotary Club, they offer networking opportunites, help for members in need and social activities -- often involving large quantities of beer.

A friend introduced Oezel to the Paderborn club in 2002 and as king he will represent it at events for the next year.

It is not a problem that, as a Muslim, he does not drink alcohol, he says.

''You don't have to give up your own culture to fit into another society,'' said Oezel, adding that both immigrants and Germans needed to work towards a more integrated society.

''As a Turk and Muslim I am ready to make an effort to integrate. The other side is that people in our town must be ready to include (us) and should not be scared,'' he said.

Oezel runs a business with his wife in Paderborn, a mainly Catholic town whose 300,000 inhabitants include 3,000 Turks.

About one in five people living in Germany has an immigrant background and the country is home to the second biggest Muslim population in western Europe, after France.

Turks tend to have lower paid jobs than Germans and live in separate areas but relations are smooth compared with countries like Britain and France, where violence has sometimes erupted.

Fears about Muslim radicalisation after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the perpetrators of which included some Muslims living in Hamburg, prompted the government to focus on improving integration. It has since held a series of high-profile conferences with immigrant groups.

Many Turks, Germany's biggest minority, form their own communities and speak Turkish to each other. Studies show Turkish children tend to perform less well at school, and language problems make it difficult to get vocational training.

The government has promised to boost language lessons for immigrants, a step Oezel says is vital.

But overall, he is positive about the future.

''Some people say integration in Germany is dead but it is not dead, it is a process we have to push forward,'' he said.

REUTERS SLD VC0910