Cemile Giousouf ( gr, Τζεμιλέ Γιουσούφ; born 5 May 1978) is a German politician; she was the first ever
Muslim member of the
Christian Democratic Union (CDU), serving as Member of the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
for one legislative term from 2013 until 2017.
Early life and education
Giousouf was born on 5 May 1978 in Leverkusen to ethnic
Turkish Gastarbeiter parents, who immigrated in the 1970s from
Greece, where they lived as a
minority in
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, �υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and historic ...
. Soon after her birth, Giousouf was sent back to her uncle in Greece. At the age of two, Giousouf returned to her family in Germany. Giousouf has a brother.
The members of her immigrant family spoke Turkish as well as Greek at home as their native languages, denoting their ethnic ancestry and original nationality, as well as German; they are naturalised and second-generation citizens.
In addition to her German citizenship, Giousouf also holds Greek citizenship.
Following the completion of her high school education in Leverkusen with the
Abitur
''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen yea ...
, Giousouf studied political science, social science and
Islamic science
Science in the medieval Islamic world was the science developed and practised during the Islamic Golden Age under the Umayyads of Córdoba, the Abbadids of Seville, the Samanids, the Ziyarids, the Buyids in Persia, the Abbasid Caliphate and ...
at the
University of Bonn
The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...
.
Professional career
In 2008, Giousouf was employed as consultant in the State Ministry of Generations, Family, Women and Integration of
North Rhine-Westphalia under the leadership of State Minister
Armin Laschet
Armin Laschet (; born 18 February 1961) is a German politician who served as Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 27 June 2017 to 26 October 2021. He served as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 22 January 2021 to 3 ...
. At the ministry, Giousouf was in charge of the "Women with Immigration History" dossier. From 2009, Giousouf served as consultant in the Department of Integration at the Ministry of Integration and Social Welfare of the same state.
Political career
During her university years, Giousouf was active in the German-Turkish Forum, a subordinate organization of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
In 2008, Giousouf was elected vice chairperson of the organization's North Rhine-Westphalia branch, to which she belonged since 2004. Giousouf was also active in the CDU's several other local organizations as well as in the city administration of
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
.
Giousouf entered CDU's federal-level organization in 2011, where she was active on integration matters. On 30 June 2012 Giousouf was elected to the executive board of CDU state organization in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In 2013, the local organization of CDU in
Hagen nominated Giousouf for the
federal elections. In the next two preliminary inner-party elections, Giousouf was able to make her way for the federal election as direct candidate in the
Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis District in September 2013. Giousouf became the first ever Muslim politician of the CDU to be elected into the Bundestag.
In parliament, Giousouf was a member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment. In this capacity, she was her parliamentary group’s rapporteur on state-funded scholarship schemes and the
validation of foreign studies and degrees.
Other activities
*
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (german: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sank ...
(KAS), Member of the Board of Trustees
* Avicenna-Studienwerk, Member of the Board of Trustees
* Council of Muslim Students and Academics (RAMSA), Member of the Board of Trustees
* Green Helmets, Member of the Board of Trustees
* Internationaler Bund (IB), Member of the Federal Counselling Committee
Federal Counselling Committee
Internationaler Bund (IB).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giousouf, Cemile
1978 births
People from Leverkusen
German politicians of Turkish descent
German people of Greek descent
Greek people of Turkish descent
Living people
University of Bonn alumni
German people of Turkish descent
Female members of the Bundestag
Members of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia
German feminists
German Muslims
Greek Muslims
21st-century German women politicians
21st-century German civil servants
Members of the Bundestag 2013–2017
Members of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany