Sawsan Chebli Explained

Birth Name:Sawsan Mohammed Chebli
Birth Date:1978 7, df=y
Birth Place:West Berlin, West Germany
Party:Social Democratic Party
Spouse:
    Children:1
    Alma Mater:Free University of Berlin
    Office:Berlin State Secretary for Civic and International Affairs
    Term Start:6 December 2016
    Term End:21 December 2021
    Predecessor:Hella Dunger-Löper
    Successor:Ana-Maria Trăsnea
    1Namedata:Michael Müller
    Office1:Representative of Berlin to the Federation
    Term Start1:6 December 2016
    Term End1:21 December 2021
    Predecessor1:Hella Dunger-Löper
    Successor1:Ana-Maria Trăsnea
    1Namedata1:Michael Müller

    Sawsan Mohammed Chebli (born 26 July 1978 in West Berlin, Berlin,[1] West Germany) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

    Early life and education

    Chebli was born to Palestinian asylum seekers in Germany and grew up with her parents and twelve siblings in Berlin's Moabit district. She was stateless until the age of 15, and her father was expelled from Germany three times and returned illegally each time.[2]

    Chebli only started to learn German when she entered school.[3] After completing her Abitur at Lessing-Gymnasium in Wedding, Berlin in 1999, she studied political science at the Otto Suhr Institute (OSI) of the Free University of Berlin.[4] [5]

    Political career

    Chebli joined the Social Democratic Party in 2001. During her time at university, she worked as student research assistant to Gert Weisskirchen. From 2004, she served as chief of staff to Johannes Jung.

    Between 2010 and 2014, Chebli was the first spokesperson for intercultural affairs of the Berlin's State Minister of the Interior and Sport, Ehrhart Körting, in the state government of the Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. From January 2014, she served as deputy spokesperson of the Federal Foreign Office under Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel; she was the first Muslim to hold that post.[6]

    From December 2016 until December 2021,[7] Chebli served as State Secretary for Federal Affairs in the state government of the Governing Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller. As one of Berlin's representatives in the Bundesrat, she was a member Permanent Advisory Council, which is composed of the sixteen envoys of the federal states.

    In August 2020, Chebli announced that she would run for a parliamentary seat in the 2021 national elections.[8] [9] For her candidacy, she won many well-known supporters, including Auschwitz survivor Esther Béjarano, musician Marius Müller-Westernhagen, art collector Julia Stoschek and actors Sebastian Koch and Clemens Schick. In an internal vote, however, she lost out against Michael Müller.[10]

    Other activities

    Political positions

    In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2016, Chebli addressed the role of Sharia, saying, "it primarily deals with the personal relationship between God and humans. It addresses things like prayer, fasting and alms. That presents no problems for me as a democrat; it is absolutely compatible [with democracy], just as it is for Christians, Jews and anyone else."[17] The statement caused controversy after her appointment to a governing position in Berlin.[18]

    Chebli has also denounced anti-Islam right wing German populists, telling Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "My father is a pious Muslim, hardly speaks German, can neither read nor write, but he is more integrated than many functionaries of the AfD who question our constitution."[19] [20] [21] [22]

    Alarmed by displays of anti-Semitism among new immigrants to Germany in 2018, Chebli proposed required visits to Nazi concentration camp memorials, an idea which soon received support from the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the World Jewish Congress.[23] [24]

    Controversy

    In January 2022, the Berlin Regional Court ruled that the publicist Roland Tichy must pay Chebli damages of 10,000 euros for sexist remarks about her in his publication Tichys Einblick.[25]

    Personal life

    Chebli has been married since 2006.[26] In 2020, she gave birth to a son.[27]

    Publications

    Notes and References

    1. https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/profil-sawsan-chebli-1.3789943 Profile of Sawsan Chebli at the Süddeutsche Zeitung (German)
    2. Itay Mashiach (18 May 2019), A Daughter of Palestinian Refugees, This German Politician Is Fighting anti-Semitism Haaretz.
    3. Itay Mashiach (18 May 2019), A Daughter of Palestinian Refugees, This German Politician Is Fighting anti-Semitism Haaretz.
    4. Web site: Sawsan Chebli . 2 May 2017 . Munzinger Archiv . Munzinger-Archiv GmbH, Ravensburg . 2020-02-09 .
    5. Web site: Der Chebli-Effekt - Warum diese Frau so polarisiert . Nejezchleba . Martin . 22 April 2014 . Berliner Morgenpost . 2020-02-09 .
    6. Itay Mashiach (18 May 2019), A Daughter of Palestinian Refugees, This German Politician Is Fighting anti-Semitism Haaretz.
    7. Julius Betschka (20 December 2021), Nachfolgerin von Sawsan Chebli: 27-jährige Sozialdemokratin wird Staatssekretärin in Berlin Der Tagesspiegel.
    8. Lorenz Maroldt (August 15, 2020), Chebli kandidiert gegen Müller: Nimmt eine Frau sich Macht, legen Männer das als parteischädigend aus Der Tagesspiegel.
    9. Sabine Menkens (August 16, 2020), Sawsan Chebli: „Ich denke, dass ich für dieses dynamische Berlin stehe“ Die Welt.
    10. Ulrich Zawatka-Gerlach, Robert Kiesel and Ingo Salmen (October 28, 2020), Sieg gegen Sawsan Chebli: Michael Müller gewinnt Duell um die Bundestagskandidatur Der Tagesspiegel.
    11. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/about/who-we-are/board-directors/ Board of Directors
    12. https://apolitical.foundation/advisors Global Advisor Network
    13. https://centreforfeministforeignpolicy.org/advisory-council Advisory Council
    14. http://www.cc-stiftung.de/index.php/supervisory-board/ Supervisory Board
    15. https://www.stiftung-evz.de/eng/the-foundation/board-of-trustees.html Board of Trustees
    16. http://dafg.eu/fileadmin/dafg/DAFG_-_Wir_ueber_uns/2014-05_DAFG_Flyer_EN_FINAL.pdf About Us
    17. Web site: Müller und Chebli im Interview: "... als würden Muslime für Aliens gehalten". Jasper von. Altenbockum. Rainer. Hermann. 3 August 2016. Faz.net. 21 December 2017. www.faz.net.
    18. Web site: Ärger um muslimische Staatssekretärin Sawsan Chebli. Ulrich. Kraetzer. Morgenpost.de. 8 December 2016 . 21 December 2017.
    19. Web site: "... als würden Muslime für Aliens gehalten". "Alle reden über Scharia, aber kaum jemand weiß, was Scharia bedeutet. Scharia heißt auf Deutsch: Weg zur Quelle, also der Weg zu Gott. Sie regelt zum größten Teil das Verhältnis zwischen Gott und den Menschen. Es geht um Dinge wie das Gebet, um Fasten, um Almosen. Das stellt mich als Demokratin doch vor kein Problem im Alltag, sondern ist absolut kompatibel, wie es für Christen, Juden und andere auch der Fall ist.". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 3 August 2016 . 14 February 2017.
    20. Web site: "Wirbel um Scharia-Aussage Sawsan Cheblis: Berliner Bürgermeister legt sich mit Parteifreunden an". Huffington-Post Germany. 14 February 2017.
    21. Web site: Das seltsame Integrationsverständnis einer Vorzeige-Muslima. Huffington-Post Germany. 14 February 2017.
    22. Web site: "Das Bild von der erfolgreichen Migrantin hat Risse". Die Welt. 14 February 2017.
    23. Miriam Hollstein (7 January 2018), SPD-Politikerin fordert KZ-Pflichtbesuch für Deutsche und Migranten  Bild.
    24. Rick Gladstone (10 January 2018), German Idea to Fight Anti-Semitism: Make Immigrants Tour Concentration Camps New York Times.
    25. Alwin Schröder (4 January 2021), Wegen sexistischer Beleidigung: SPD-Politikerin Chebli erhält Schmerzensgeld von Journalist Tichy Der Spiegel.
    26. Itay Mashiach (18 May 2019), A Daughter of Palestinian Refugees, This German Politician Is Fighting anti-Semitism Haaretz.
    27. Joachim Fahrun (26 August 2020), Wie Müller Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf für sich erobern will Berliner Morgenpost.
    28. Web site: Sawsan Chebli: "Ich träume davon, dass wir Muslime ein anderes Bild des Islams zeigen" | ZEIT ONLINE . Zeit.de . 2012-05-31 . 2016-12-21.
    29. Web site: Muslimischsein - Deutschsein - Frausein . de . Spd-fem.net . 2012-11-26 . 2016-12-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161210002835/https://www.spd-fem.net/weibsbilder/muslimischsein-deutschsein-frausein . 2016-12-10 .
    30. Web site: Multi-Kulti oder Parallelgesellschaft? . Diplomatisches-magazin.de . 2016-12-21.

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