Excerpt:
A senior Muslim representative in Germany praised on Monday comments by President Christian Wulff that Islam was integral part of the country's society, aimed at cooling a heated debate on integration.
The remarks, in a landmark speech marking twenty years since reunification, "was a sign that Muslims are not second-class citizens," Aiman Mazyek, head of the central council of Muslims in Germany, told the popular daily Bild.
"Wulff made clear that different ways of life and diversity are welcome. I think that this speech will send a jolt through the Muslim community, which numbers around four million in Germany," he added.