Thilo Sarrazin, a politician whose book on immigration has angered German Muslims, formally stepped down Friday from his job on the board of the country’s central bank.
German President Christian Wulff relieved him of his responsibility, Sarrazin told the German Press Agency dpa in Berlin. Only Wulff has the power to appoint or remove people from the board of the Bundesbank, which is independent of the government.
Sarrazin’s book, Germany Abolishes Itself, has become a best- seller with its claim that uneducated Muslim immigrants are a burden on government budgets and a problem for Germany’s future.