Turkish Groups Slam Anti-Terror Islamic Database

A day after interior ministers of Germany's 16 states broadly agreed to set up a federal database for Islamic extremists and terror suspects, Turkish organizations in the country sharply criticized the move and warned of possible misuse. "Who will check whether innocent people will also be included in the database?" asked Hakki Keskin, chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany. "Terror is terror and can't just be limited to Islam," he added. Celal Altun, general secretary of the Turkish Community in Berlin raised doubts over the legality of such legislation. "Even if the security of a state takes priority, such measures amount to an invasion in the constitutional rights of a person," Altun said. He cautioned that millions of immigrants could be spied upon if such a database was set up. "They (the immigrants) will then retreat into their worlds -- that will hamper integration," he added.