Sad demise of the multicultural dream
When I was a lad back in the 60s and 70s I thought it could work. I can still remember being moved to tears upon hearing John Lennon's Imagine. of course, my state of mind was compromised at the time ;) But I think the last 20 years have taught us it's a pipe dream and more and more of our politicians are agreeing.
Angela Merkel said Germany had "kidded itself" multiculturalism was working
In a speech in Potsdam, she said the so-called "multikulti" concept - where people would "live side-by-side" happily - did not work.
Mrs Merkel's comments come amid recent outpourings of strong anti-immigrant feeling from mainstream politicians.
A recent survey showed that more than 30% of Germans believed Germany was "overrun by foreigners".
The study - by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation think-tank - also showed that roughly the same number thought that some 16 million of Germany's immigrants or people with foreign origins had come to the country for the social benefits.
Mrs Merkel told a gathering of younger members of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party on Saturday that at "the beginning of the 60s our country called the foreign workers to come to Germany and now they live in our country... We kidded ourselves a while, we said: 'They won't stay, sometime they will be gone', but this isn't reality.
"And of course, the approach [to build] a multicultural [society] and to live side-by-side and to enjoy each other... has failed, utterly failed."
In her speech, the chancellor specifically referred to recent comments by German President Christian Wulff who said that Islam was "part of Germany" like Christianity and Judaism.
Mrs Merkel says Islam is part of Germany but more must be done on integration
While acknowledging that this was the case, Mrs Merkel stressed that immigrants living in Germany needed to do more to integrate, including learning to speak German."Anyone who does not immediately speak German", she said, "is not welcome".
Her comments come a week after she held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the two leaders pledged to do more to improve the often poor integration record of Germany's estimated 2.5 million-strong Turkish community.
Earlier this week, Horst Seehofer, the leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, CSU, said about integration that it was "obvious that immigrants from different cultures like Turkey and Arab countries, all in all, find it harder".
"'Multikulti' is dead," Mr Seehofer said.
In August, Thilo Sarrazin, a senior official at Germany's central, said that "no immigrant group other than Muslims is so strongly connected with claims on the welfare state and crime". Mr Sarrazin has since resigned.
Such recent strong anti-immigrant feelings from mainstream politicians come amid an anger in Germany about high unemployment, even if the economy is growing faster than those of its rivals, the BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says.
Our correspondent adds that there also seems to be a new strident tone in the country, perhaps leading to less reticence about no-go-areas of the past.
I wish our politicians had her bollocks.
An excellent article. to me, Liberalism IS multiculturalism. We accept and rejoice in our differences, yet work together for the common good.
Much has been made of these Sharia courts; yet similar bodies exist for Jews. The catholic church has in the past played a similar role in society.
The main issue is abuse and rights of the individual. These should and must be protected at all costs. Civil law must always override these bodies.
my point of view. I take this small segment from Johann Hari's article, from Feb 2010, in which he apposes the backing of Sharia family courts by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the name of multiculturalism.
"There is a better way for the state to understand and regulate human differences, beyond the old oppositions of Tebbittry(Little Englander) and multiculturalism. It is called liberalism. A liberal society allows an individual to do whatever he or she wants, provided it doesn't harm other people. You can choose to wear PVC hotpants or a veil. You can choose to spend all day praying, or all day mocking people who pray.
Where a multiculturalist prizes the rights of religious groups, a liberal favours the rights of the individual. So if you want to preach that the Archangel Gabriel revealed the word of God to an illiterate nomad two millennia ago, you can do it as much as you like. You can write books and hold rallies and make your case. What you cannot do is argue that since this angel supposedly said women are worth half of a man when it comes to inheritance, and that gay people should be killed, you can ditch the rules of liberalism and act on it.
The job of a liberal state is not to stamp The True National Essence on its citizens, nor to promote "difference" for its own sake. It is to uphold the equal rights of every individual – whether they are white men or Muslim women. It has one liberal culture, with freedoms used differently by different people. "
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-rowan-williams-has-shown-us-one-thing-ndash-why-multiculturalism-must-be-abandoned-780710.html
This goes in cycles. When the economy is up, everyone is happy. But in a recession, people get more conservative and more anti-immigration.
yawn.....
but with the doors open for immigration in the West for so long, there is no going back. However, I do think it is time to close those doors and rethink what immigration accomplishes weighing out the good and bad.
I think what HAS to exist is the ability for nations to get along with each other for the purpose of trade and coalitions.
I might tweak a few things, but I think it is in Qatar's interest to control who comes to their country and their stay while there.
Multiculturalism has to exist, there is no other way forward. Usual resistance to change is there which is very much expected.
Isn't language proficiency one of the requirements to immigrate to any country? Or is it not so for Germany?
If they were, I am sure learning Arabic would be on the list of requirements.
She should visit India. Maybe she'll learn something about multicultural societies.
Also, in Canada, they ENCOURAGE people to keep their traditions, while integrating into the society
She makes some valid points. Immigrants need to integrate within the society and must learn the language.
"A recent survey showed that more than 30% of Germans believed Germany was "overrun by foreigners"."
That means that 70% thought otherwise.
I have worked with Germans for many years. I have found them extremely hard working, focused and accepting of others. Yet, I found that there were issues regarding the former East Germans integrating with their western brothers.
Integration is something to be discussed and addressed. But IMHO, it is not all doom and gloom.
Should we or shouldn't we abolish the sponsorship law?
...are very late to tell the truth, coz her popularity are going down & down. Other politicians from the National Democratic Party say that more than 20 years ago. We have in Germany a lot of problems, coz of that turkish and other criminal foreigners. My opinion: Kick them out!
I wish we had the same rules, like here in Qatar. I get RP renewed only I have a sponsor & job. I can't come to here & say "I'm poor refugee, feed me, give me an flat & so one." But that are happen in our Germany, where Gays are Mayor from Berlin and we natural Germans have to be quite, when we are telling the truth about the turkish or arabic minority in Germany.
We all remember what happened 80 years ago when europe wasn't happy with some minority groups. I am Qatari, I do go to europe on holidays, and I noticed how intolerant the euros are becoming. I was in madrid this summer, one drunk spaniard asks me something in spanish, and when I answered "no hablo espanyol", he answers me in broken english with a hateful look "if you no Espeak Espanis, why do you come to spain"....I thought only the french do that!!!! That's one story of many....Even the Europeans from arab origins are racist towards visiting and other arabs, which is an alarming behavior...felt like an israeli dealing with a self hating new york jew....
Dangerous times indeed, from all civilizations through out history, the craziest "mofos" are the european, I dont need to site distant history. World wars, holocaust of jewish gypsy and roma peoples, pogroms, nuclear weapons, conventional weapons....etc. And now is the peace and love LSD trip wearing off...only time will tell.
Its the time to beat up on Muslims and Arabs if you do so you will get re-elected its happening around the world its politics at its worst! Its funny I don't see Germans here learning Arabic, not even to do business.
:)
XXX there is legal immigration to India as well. Anyway, the developing nations will be developed at some point and then the problem will be the reverse immigration. I hope it happens within my lifetime.
hahahahaha
ok shapil
then i don't have any doubt, else i'll lost my Cup of Karrak Tea :P
which is surely a problem. I was confused and thought you were referring to legal immigration in India in order to live off of taxpayer funded welfare.
But yes, I can see that would be a problem.
Cryspy...the Gali ka chai wala also says the same thing and he is pretty reliable ;)
about their own struggle with immigrants, although I do think she has a legitimate point about knowing the language and being willing to integrate. It is more the fact that German politicians are speaking out without fear of the PC brigade that I found interesting, and hopeful for my own country.
While I agree with your sentiment , I find Merkel's speech kind of racist. The German Turks are the most integrated when compared to other Muslim immigrants living in Europe. Despite the discrimination since Germany got united , many German Turks rose to spotlight in different fields.
Maybe they should return to turkey , as it's booming now more than ever. Many international companies (even European) are closing done their factories in western Europe and focusing on their turkey based factories.
and since when Wikipedia has become an authentic source? ;O)
XXX now i am having doubts on your searching skills...here is the wikipedia link...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_in_India
XXX i can hear you. I have observed this problem in different places but i dont know of any silver bullet on how to solve it. Proper integration and robust controls are a good start.
I hope, that complete ban will take enough time, till i get my post graduate degree from UK (Next Year Paln) since i realized that even a duffer with Red passport can get higher salary here in ME :P
into India? I tried looking up some info but could only find links about indians immigrating. Not anyone immigrating to India. Now I am curious :)
I am grateful that I was born where I was, but not happy at all with the current trends in my country.
And I really didn't know that India is known for its social welfare programs and large immigrant population. I guess I assumed it isn't considered a land of opportunity since the numbers of Indians immigrating elsewhere are quite large. But that may just be a numbers game due to the extremely large population.
Learn something new everyday.
XXX if I speak for India which is my birthplace, then yes there are immigration related problems at the national level (particularly from one neighbouring country) and there are also problems at the regional level specially between western(Mumbai etc) and northern India(Bihar, UP etc). Don't consider yourself to be the only one that is blessed :)
problems associated with large immigrant communities that don't integrate and go on welfare?
What?
I didn't hear you?
hmm... that's what I thought.
Maybe if they were, you would swear, too ;)
Thats what i meant without swearing ;)
to another country. Build it in your own damn country.
FU, pretty much everybody saw this coming some time ago...except those in charge...
While in Rome do as Romans do...if you cannot, then make your own Rome.
I saw this coming a long time back. Countries must stop the policies aimed at false theories of equalities with foreigners to appease them.
oh, so those in the ivory towers have at last aknowledged (sp? )reality....wow, took them a while!