German mayor blasted for posting picture of a cucumber that looks like somebody wearing a BURKA

A GERMAN mayor has come under fire for posting a "jokey" picture of a cucumber that looks like a burka.

The picture of the Islamic burka-like cucumber was shared on social media by Mayor Simone Stein-Lücke, who oversees the municipal district of Bad Godesberg in the former West-German capital of Bonn.

2

The word "Gurka" was added above the picture, as a pun on the German word for cucumber "Gurke".

The timing of the joke by the conservative politician of the Christian-Democratic Union was unlucky, as it coincided with news that the controversial King Fahd Academy in the district, a Saudi school, would be closed.

The controversial school and mosque which was funded by Saudi Arabia had been linked with jihadist ideology by German TV programme Panorama. The Saudi Kingdom decided it would close the academy as it said it no longer saw a need for a school in a country with "one of the best education systems in the world."

Related Stories

ISLAMIC DRESS BAN

A majority of Brits back a ban on the burka in public, poll shows

BREAST IS BEST

French PM blasted for suggesting naked BOOBS represent France better than a headscarf in latest burqa bust-up

'You can’t do that'

'Cop' tries to remove woman's burkini in social experiment by pranksters on Brit beach

'LIKE IT OR LUMP IT'

Defiant French mayors are STILL enforcing burkini bans despite ruling by nation's high court

Mayor Stein-Lücke said she respects every religion and did not mean to cause any offense.

She said: "I respect every religion. But I have always stressed that I am opposed to a full-face veil.

"It was a humorous post, no more, no less. Perhaps the timing of the post yesterday was unfortunate. But I still find it amusing."

Stein-Lücke regretted the closure of the academy because according to her it enriched the educational landscape.

2

She said: "Despite all frictions in the past, it is an integral part of our social and cultural life. Since I have been in office, I have guided a critical and constructive dialogue with the academy."

According to a report in local newspaper ‘Express’, there are many problems involving Muslim citizens in the Bad Godesberg district.

They especially pointed to the murder case of Niklas P., a 17-year-old boy who they say was knocked unconscious and then beaten to death by a gang of young men in May. The suspects in the case have a migrant background, according to reports.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368