Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed", Chancellor Angela Merkel says.
She said the so-called "multikulti" concept - where people would "live side-by-side" happily - did not work, and immigrants needed to do more to integrate - including learning German.
The comments come amid rising anti-immigration feeling in Germany...
A recent survey suggested more than 30% of people believed the country was "overrun by foreigners"...
There has been intense debate about multiculturalism in Germany in recent months.
Correspondents say Mrs Merkel faces pressure from within her CDU and its allies to take a tougher stance and require immigrants to do more to adapt to German society.
Earlier this week, Horst Seehofer, the leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the CSU, said it was "obvious that immigrants from different cultures like Turkey and Arab countries, all in all, find it harder" to integrate...
The debate first heated up in August when Thilo Sarrazin, a senior official at Germany's central bank, 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-immigration 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, our correspondent says.
Multiculturalism runs counter to liberalism and is little more than an easy excuse for talking out of both sides of one's mouth. If a person has any ideals whatsoever, they should support those ideals for ALL people rather than indulding in all the obvious double standards multiculturalism demands.
How any intelligent person could think multiculturalism is anything but a recipe for conflict is beyond me.
Half-truths and cherrypicking from the right, why are we not surprised?
Moderator's Warning: |
Multiculturalism has failed because people refuse to move out of the 'comfort zone' of their own community, academics have warned.
The study said the Left-wing doctrine had ignored the dangers of religious fundamentalism and should be scrapped
Read more: Why the dogma of multiculturalism has failed Britain | Mail Online
A senior Tory has called for a "grown-up" debate on immigration after a race equality campaigner said the pursuit of 'multiculturalism' should be ditched.
This week Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), denounced multiculturalism.
Reading a little beyond the headline, we find...
-- "Companies will go elsewhere because they won't find the people to work here anymore."
In other words, her basic message is that integration has not worked - but it needs to. And immigrants have to accept that, in particular, they need to learn the language." --
assimilation is a two way street, the immigrant has to want to assimilate and the people in the country has to allow the person to assimilate. Germany has not done its part in helping immigrants to assimilate. The turks brought in in the 50-60's as cheap labour were not generally allowed to become German citizens, as such the turks had no reason to become " german". If I recall correctly even their childern if born in Germany were not German citizens.
Germany and much of Europe does not view immigrants as being fully "french" or fully "german", which makes it difficult for those who could not pass as being french or german physically to assimilate in the society.
...the people in the country has to allow the person to assimilate.
Not true, especially when you're talking 2nd and later generations. The only thing stopping most 1st generation immigrants (legal or otherwise) from being seen as native, is a noticeable akzent.
.
When I was a kid, one of the families with whom I was closest was Lebanese. When very young, I noticed that the mom spoke with an accent, but the kids didn't, and it didn't even dawn on me that they were any "different" until I was old enough to be more aware of world politics and culture. The same goes with some Chinese friends in that nobody I knew SAW any sort of difference, cared about any sort of difference or made any sort of difference an issue. That is because of our melting pot approach to society.
What the multiculturalists so often fail to understand is that multiculturalism is all about PRESERVING all that which separates people. A melting pot approach does not demand that people just forget about their ethnicity, abandon all of their customs or all act as perfect automatons, but it DOES mean that people will have a basis for commonality. Without that commonality, society can only become balkanized and disintegrate as separate groups remain separate and mutually exclusive by very definition.
As I grew up to know more about my friends, I was fascinated about their families histories. I asked questions, they shared. I knew more about Lebanon as a twelve year old than I would ever have known by reading the papers. I knew more about Chinese culture than I would have known if kept separate. What so many of these dogmatic multiculturalists fail to realize, so busy they are in their witch hunts looking for the politically incorrect, is that the melting pot approach is the very vehicle for eliminating much of the potential bigotry they think they are opposing. By preserving differences, they build a wall between people. By supporting he most regressive elements within a population, they prevent modernization. What these dogmatic people are actually preventing is the very sort of communication and acceptance that can only be brought about when people have that shared basis to begin with.
Reading a little beyond the headline, we find...
"But the headline does not tell the whole story.
She added a softening caveat: "We should not be a country either which gives the impression to the outside world that those who don't speak German immediately or who were not raised speaking German are not welcome here. That would do great damage to our country.
"Companies will go elsewhere because they won't find the people to work here anymore."
In other words, her basic message is that integration has not worked - but it needs to. And immigrants have to accept that, in particular, they need to learn the language."
BBC News - Germany's charged immigration debate
Half-truths and cherrypicking from the right, why are we not surprised?
-- The only thing stopping most 1st generation immigrants (legal or otherwise) from being seen as native --
-- At the same time, the country needs to provide incentives for successful integration ranging from a fast track; to citizenship to educational opportunities e.g., language teaching, etc--
Regardless of party allegiance, a Nigerian in parliament winning purely on merit and not because of her relatives or by buying the election will be amazing.
..it is mainstream Britain which needs to integrate more with the British Asian way of life, not the other way around.
In maths and science, key Muslim contributions such algebra and the number zero will be emphasised to counter Islamophobia.
Not true, especially when you're talking 2nd and later generations. The only thing stopping most 1st generation immigrants (legal or otherwise) from being seen as native, is a noticeable akzent.
.
-- (However, the repugnant Islamic propaganda that Muslims invented algebra and the number zero are wicked wicked lies (amongst many others). The Romans understood the number zero and the Babylonians used algebra millenia before. ...But you don't want to buck Multiculturalism by being Iswamophobic and admitting the truth now, do you?)
How many turks look german?
I wouldn't say they all do, but not many Greeks look German either. Are Greek second or third generations accepted as Germans? Its more of a religious intolerance than a racial one imo.
Are second and third generation Greeks viewed as being German?
Just to be clear that nobody is being a "wevisionist"
...could you point out a recognised mathematics source that backs your claim up that the Romans either had a concept for zero or for its use please?
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