Germany’s government has launched a 10-point plan to define the country’s culture, starting with the statement: “Wir sind nicht Burka” (“We are not burqa”).

The interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, argued Islamic veils that cover the face run contrary to “democratic coexistence”, adding: “We are an open society – we show our face.”

The slogan has generated a mixed reception in Germany, with commentators calling it an “unproductive” addition to a charged debate and one newspaper asking: “What does it mean?”

It was revealed days after Germany’s parliament supported a partial burqa ban for women in the civil service, judiciary and military.

The moves are part of an intensifying national debate on identity and immigration ahead of national elections, amid a right-wing surge following the arrival of more than a million refugees.

Mr de Maizière claimed that consensus on core German cultural values – Leitkultur – would help integration and cohesion, saying that some standpoints were “non-negotiable”.

“This includes mutual respect and the rule of law over religion,” he added.

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“We remain part of the West, proud Europeans and enlightened patriots.”

The interior minister defined the term as a person who “loves his country and does not hate others”, saying the national flag and anthem were core parts of German identity.

Nationalism has been problematic since the Second World War in Germany, where the legacy of Nazism is still keenly felt, but Mr de Maiziere said problems were “are all over now, especially for the younger generation”.

His 10-point plan included “social habits” like shaking hands that express national attitudes, education, sport and the arts, Bach and Goethe, as well as traditions including carnivals and folk festivals.

Mr de Maizière described Germans as the “heirs of our history, with all its ups and downs” and emphasised the importance of tolerance, adding: “We are disturbed by the fact that some things have slipped.”

Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images

Politically-motivated crime is at an all-time high in Germany, with left and right wing demonstrators repeatedly clashing and hundreds of refugee homes attacked, while far-right movements including Pegida have gathered strength.

The refugee crisis and a string of Isis-linked terror attacks has driven rising fears over Islamist extremism but Mr de Maizière emphasised that all religions were a “glue for society…in the Christian church, in the synagogue and in the mosque”.

“Our country is shaped by Christianity,” he added. “We live in religious peace.

“And the basis for this is the absolute supremacy of the law over all religious rules in the state and society.”

Recent years have seen rising support for the anti-EU populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party but Mr de Maizière’s plan claimed that Germans are also Europeans.

“We are perhaps the most European country in Europe - no country has more neighbours than Germany,” he added.

Police arrest activists during a demonstration against anti-immigration party the Alternative for Germany (AfD) before its convention in Cologne on 22 April (Reuters)

His manifesto was laid out as Angela Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) push for a fourth election victory in September’s elections.

It generated controversy by critics who said the government was attempting to impose set rules on German culture and make it “dominant” over migrants.

Ralf Stegner, deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), called it a “cheap attempt to get conservatives going and run along behind right-wing populists”.

The AfD, whose poll showings have been declining, also derided the theses as electioneering.

The party is predicted to enter the Bundestag for the first time after unprecedented success in local elections, while the centre-left SPD is also enjoying strong support.