Europe and Islam
Right-wing populists are celebrating success after success, the fear of Islam is growing and all Europe is discussing integration. Follow the debate with us.
The Sun - United Kingdom | Tuesday, 14. December 2010
The alleged perpetrator in the Stockholm bombings lived and studied in the city of Luton, north of London. Thankfully, the Muslim community there didn't want to have anything to do with him, notes the tabloid paper, The Sun: » more
The alleged perpetrator in the Stockholm bombings lived and studied in the city of Luton, north of London. Thankfully, the Muslim community there didn't want to have anything to do with him, notes the tabloid paper, The Sun: "The Luton-based Muslim suicide bomber who blew himself up in Sweden was clearly a dangerous fanatic. But there is a positive side to the revelations about Taimour Abdulwahab Al-Abdaly. It emerges that the vast majority of regular worshippers in his Luton mosque had no time for his ravings. Mosque leaders sent him packing, saying they wanted nothing to do with his brand of extremism. Good for them. Luton has its share of Islamic hotheads and anti-war demonstrators. But there are many responsible and wise community leaders there, too."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » United Kingdom
Jyllands-Posten - Denmark | Tuesday, 14. December 2010
Following the suicide attack by alleged bomber Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly in Stockholm, the liberal conservative daily Jyllands-Posten urges peace-loving Muslims to take a stand against Islamic extremists in Europe: » more
Following the suicide attack by alleged bomber Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly in Stockholm, the liberal conservative daily Jyllands-Posten urges peace-loving Muslims to take a stand against Islamic extremists in Europe: "Of course, Muslims in Europe are not to be held responsible for the deed of a crazy man. Many Muslim organisations have already distanced themselves from Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly. Nevertheless it is important that the millions of peaceful, pro-integration Muslims in Europe distance themselves even more clearly from this fanatic minority that sows hatred. ... There are great risks involved, but it is crucial that peaceful Muslims don't merely confine themselves to protesting loudly, but that they actively try to prevent Islamic extremists from gaining a foothold and spreading their message of hate."
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More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Crime, » Sweden, » Europe
Die Weltwoche - Switzerland | Wednesday, 1. December 2010
The European 'guiding culture' is based more on Greek and Roman values and less on Christianity, writes Beda M. Stadler, a professor at the University of Bern, commenting in the weekly Die Weltwoche on the Sarrazin debate: » more
The European 'guiding culture' is based more on Greek and Roman values and less on Christianity, writes Beda M. Stadler, a professor at the University of Bern, commenting in the weekly Die Weltwoche on the Sarrazin debate: "Let us measure Christian culture against reality, the material goods it has created and, perhaps as Europe's most important cultural asset, by the accumulation of scientific findings. After the Assyrian dawn of mankind the high cultures of the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans followed, each of these cultures attaining a higher level of cultural achievement. And what came then? A cultural void that lasted a thousand years. The Christians were masters in copying from previous cultures. Even today the odd temple frieze beautifies an ugly church façade. Compared with the cultures that preceded them the first thousand years of Christianity were a disaster that only ended with the Enlightenment. So-called Christian cultural assets emerged only thanks to the new secular values, based on science and philosophy, which still define our lives today. Europe's guiding culture therefore continues to rely on the values of the early Occident, such as Greek philosophy and Roman law, rather than Judaism and Christianity."
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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Switzerland, » Europe
All available articles from » Beda M. Stadler
Die Presse - Austria | Monday, 29. November 2010
Fifty-three percent of those who cast their ballots in a referendum on Sunday voted in favour of automatic expulsion for foreigners who commit crimes. The liberal conservative daily Die Presse writes that the referendum, an initiative of the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), reveals a schizophrenic attitude on the part of the Swiss: » more
Fifty-three percent of those who cast their ballots in a referendum on Sunday voted in favour of automatic expulsion for foreigners who commit crimes. The liberal conservative daily Die Presse writes that the referendum, an initiative of the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party (SVP), reveals a schizophrenic attitude on the part of the Swiss: "This populist motive is also what - despite all the plausible arguments - pervades the expulsion initiative and thus exposes a certain climate in Switzerland, for example the stubborn 'We're better than all the rest' attitude. The growing anti-foreigner sentiment - which is aimed not only at Africans and Eastern Europeans but also at Germans and Austrians - reveals a certain schizophrenia: on the one hand foreign murderers, robbers and dealers must be expelled from Switzerland, but on the other hand despots, dictators, Mafiosi and racketeers whose money often comes from dubious sources are bid a warm welcome."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Crime, » Switzerland
All available articles from » Wolfgang Greber
Politiken - Denmark | Friday, 26. November 2010
Recent opinion polls show that an increasing number of Danes reject the government's plans for tighter laws concerning foreigners. Neither the conservative governing party's "point system" for foreigners nor the proposals of the leftist opposition are finding support among the country's population, comments the social-democratic daily Politiken with satisfaction: » more
Recent opinion polls show that an increasing number of Danes reject the government's plans for tighter laws concerning foreigners. Neither the conservative governing party's "point system" for foreigners nor the proposals of the leftist opposition are finding support among the country's population, comments the social-democratic daily Politiken with satisfaction: "At last all the tactics are coming to nothing and the liberal voices can once more be heard. While the head of the Social Democratic Party Helle Thorning-Schmidt and the chairman of the Dansk Folkeparti Pia Kjærsgaard spend their time discussing what it means to be Danish and the value policy of the past, the voters are heading off in a new direction. ... This voter rebellion will allow the parties to go back to differing in their points of view and create space for politicians to talk about positions again - in contrast to the tactical masquerading of recent years. The mood may change, but this wave of protest from the sea of voters can no longer be stemmed."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Integration, » Denmark
Die Presse - Austria | Friday, 26. November 2010
The Swiss are being asked to vote in a referendum next Sunday on an initiative to speed up the deportation of foreigners who have committed criminal offences. The "expulsion initiative" was conceived by the right-wing nationalist Swiss People's Party (SVP). The liberal-conservative daily Die Presse believes, however, that the referendum serves only to stir up hatred since it is not legally enforceable: » more
The Swiss are being asked to vote in a referendum next Sunday on an initiative to speed up the deportation of foreigners who have committed criminal offences. The "expulsion initiative" was conceived by the right-wing nationalist Swiss People's Party (SVP). The liberal-conservative daily Die Presse believes, however, that the referendum serves only to stir up hatred since it is not legally enforceable: "'What a nice country Switzerland could be without all those criminal foreigners!' That was the message on the placards of the notoriously xenophobic Swiss People's Party. The initiative does have a catch, though: it can't be implemented. The text violates the EU agreement on freedom of movement as well as international law. Surely even the SVP doesn't believe that the country that hosts the UN Council on Human Rights will in future be deporting people to countries where they are threatened with torture. But the SVP is concerned not with the issue itself but with keeping a fire burning under the resentment that has fed the party for years."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Human rights, » Switzerland
All available articles from » Helmar Dumbs
To Vima Online - Greece | Thursday, 18. November 2010
Athens is the only European capital where there is no official mosque. Thousands of Muslims therefore celebrated the Islamic sacrificial festival in the open air on Tuesday. The left-liberal daily To Vima criticises the long drawn-out discussion about building a mosque and the hypocritical position of the state: » more
Athens is the only European capital where there is no official mosque. Thousands of Muslims therefore celebrated the Islamic sacrificial festival in the open air on Tuesday. The left-liberal daily To Vima criticises the long drawn-out discussion about building a mosque and the hypocritical position of the state: "The issue of building a mosque in Athens is accompanied by major hypocrisy. The only ones who state their position clearly are those who are opposed. ... The discussion has been going on since the early 1970s. Since then there have been many hold-ups ... on the part of the state and the Church. And while building a mosque back in the 1970s would have been a polite gesture by the Junta to Arab governments, today it has become a social necessity. ... There are, after all, mosques in all western capitals and Christian churches in many Muslim capitals."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Migration, » Minorities, » Greece
All available articles from » Nikos Bakounakis
De Telegraaf - Netherlands | Tuesday, 16. November 2010
The right-wing populist Geert Wilders has decided that Eric Lucassen, a member of parliament for his Party for Freedom (PVV) who has been previously convicted for a sex offence, may remain a member of his faction. This means the minority government can maintain a majority thanks to the supported of the PVV. But the decision is wrong, writes the tabloid De Telegraaf: » more
The right-wing populist Geert Wilders has decided that Eric Lucassen, a member of parliament for his Party for Freedom (PVV) who has been previously convicted for a sex offence, may remain a member of his faction. This means the minority government can maintain a majority thanks to the supported of the PVV. But the decision is wrong, writes the tabloid De Telegraaf: "The MP apparently refuses to give up his mandate and the lucrative income it provides. This confirms all the prejudices against which PVV leader Wilders and his faction have been fighting since the founding of his party. The PVV member has no place in parliament after this episode. ... For the cabinet the danger has passed that it would lose its majority. But this doesn't change the fact that a totally unreliable MP who claims to be a politician lacks the courage to take the step he should take. This is cowardly and unworthy of an MP."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Netherlands
Upsala Nya Tidning - Sweden | Wednesday, 10. November 2010
The pogroms against Jews committed in Nazi Germany on November 9, 1938 are also commemorated in Sweden. The liberal daily Upsala Nya Tidning draws parallels ... » more
The pogroms against Jews committed in Nazi Germany on November 9, 1938 are also commemorated in Sweden. The liberal daily Upsala Nya Tidning draws parallels to the treatment of Muslims in Sweden today. "The Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years, and the patterns are well-known. Nevertheless some authors and journalists fail to recognise these blatant forms of discrimination. Anti-Muslim sentiment has long been fomented covertly, but now it is part of the political arsenal of a party represented in parliament. Nevertheless some commentators don't recognise the parallels to the centuries of persecution suffered by the Jews. People are right to be offended by the classification and appraisal of humanity according to arbitrary ethnic, religious or 'cultural' criteria as practiced by the Sweden Democrats. But on a broader level there is also a similar mindset, according to which 'multicultural' society is being transformed from a trivial description of diversity in the world to a political ideology which turns a blind eye to individuals and shared qualities and sees nothing more than 'groups', 'ethnic affiliations' and 'cultures'."
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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Ethics, » Sweden
Göteborgs-Posten - Sweden | Friday, 5. November 2010
Rather than worrying too much about youth unemployment Sweden should be thinking about who is going to do the work when almost half the workforce retires in the coming years, the daily Göteborgs-Posten writes, calling for fewer barriers to integration for foreigners: » more
Rather than worrying too much about youth unemployment Sweden should be thinking about who is going to do the work when almost half the workforce retires in the coming years, the daily Göteborgs-Posten writes, calling for fewer barriers to integration for foreigners: "Sweden is on the brink of an enormous change of generations. More than 1.5 million people will retire in the next 15 years. That's roughly 44 percent of those now on the job market. ... And of course it's the young people who are supposed to replace them. But there aren't enough 20 to 30-year-olds in Sweden to take over all the tasks. Sweden must also import workers. ... All those willing and able to work are needed here, regardless of where they come from. ... Another important aspect is to check the skills of those who come to Sweden from other countries, and to make it as easy as possible from them to complete or further their education."
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More from the press review on the subject » Labour market, » Sweden
Berlingske - Denmark | Tuesday, 26. October 2010
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on Tuesday revealed details of a new "value policy" which includes the partial tearing down of immigrant ghettos. For the right-wing liberal daily Berlingske Tidende Rasmussen is on the right track: » more
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on Tuesday revealed details of a new "value policy" which includes the partial tearing down of immigrant ghettos. For the right-wing liberal daily Berlingske Tidende Rasmussen is on the right track: "Denmark's policy on foreigners and integration policy has largely been a success. Today there are fewer forced marriages, more young second-generation immigrants - primarily women - getting an education, and more new-Danish home owners. All of that is well and good. But the remaining problems will only be solved when the fight over values is waged both locally and globally, at the grass-roots and ideological levels. Failing that the fight over values makes no sense, because it would not stand on the side of freedom and democracy."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Denmark
Kurier - Austria | Monday, 25. October 2010
In order to have a sensible debate on integration one must properly define the goal of that integration, in other words those things that can promote identity, writes Helmut Brandstätter in the daily Kurier and proposes a contemporary form of patriotism: » more
In order to have a sensible debate on integration one must properly define the goal of that integration, in other words those things that can promote identity, writes Helmut Brandstätter in the daily Kurier and proposes a contemporary form of patriotism: "What do we identify with today? With the EU - hardly. ... But who is Austrian? The answer must be everyone who feels at home here, who wants to settle here, accept Austria's laws and traditions and is prepared to do something for the common good, for Austria. But patriotism as a positive feeling of 'we-ness' can only emerge from a project for the future. And that project can have only one goal: how do we promote achievements in sciences, research, the economy, culture and sport and present them internationally in such a way that Austria remains attractive for people who believe they can fully realise their potential here, that they can achieve more here than elsewhere? This would be a contemporary patriotism, an awareness of Austrianness that offers good prospects for the future."
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More from the press review on the subject » Weltanschauung, » Austria
All available articles from » Helmut Brandstätter
Libération - France | Tuesday, 26. October 2010
Five years after massive riots shook the French suburbs, sociologist Didier Lapeyronnie looks at the situation in these troubled neighbourhoods in the left-liberal daily Libération: » more
Five years after massive riots shook the French suburbs, sociologist Didier Lapeyronnie looks at the situation in these troubled neighbourhoods in the left-liberal daily Libération: "The banlieues are becoming increasingly run down, and nothing has been done since 2005. City planning has evaporated with the crisis, and urban renewal is at a standstill. More than one third of the banlieues' inhabitants live below the poverty line. Youth unemployment has exploded. ... Ghettoisation is growing, and is fed by a blend of inaction, stigmatisation and political repression, as well as through the normal development of racial and urban segregation. Numerous neighbourhoods are losing all grip, concentrating poor and largely immigrant populations. The ghetto has long been foreign to French society, but there's no denying its existence. It is less a place than an alternative form of social organisation."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » France
All available articles from » Didier Lapeyronnie
Delo - Slovenia | Monday, 25. October 2010
For the first time in Slovenia's history a black mayor was elected on Sunday. The Ghanaian-born doctor Peter Bossman took the day in the run-off vote in the coastal city of Piran. The daily Delo complains that media coverage focused solely on Bossman's skin colour: » more
For the first time in Slovenia's history a black mayor was elected on Sunday. The Ghanaian-born doctor Peter Bossman took the day in the run-off vote in the coastal city of Piran. The daily Delo complains that media coverage focused solely on Bossman's skin colour: "The press and other media were most interested in the question of whether Slovenia is democratic enough - and if people would dare - to elect a black man as mayor. That is sad. But most people in Piran didn't share these worries. What they were interested in was which candidate would do the most to improve their living conditions. ... From this perspective the oh-so-interesting political question running through the country was a matter of indifference, namely whether it's right for a black man to be elected mayor in the city of Piran. The Piraners, on the other hand, say: What does it matter what colour the cat is? Any colour you like as long as it can catch mice."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Elections, » Society, » Slovenia
All available articles from » Boris Suligoj
Die Zeit - Germany | Friday, 22. October 2010
Whether the issue is integration or the railway station project Stuttgart 21, public debate in Germany has a hectic, disruptive side to it, writes Matthias Krupa in the liberal weekly paper Die Zeit: » more
Whether the issue is integration or the railway station project Stuttgart 21, public debate in Germany has a hectic, disruptive side to it, writes Matthias Krupa in the liberal weekly paper Die Zeit: "It may be that all this agitation is bubbling forth from the same source: a deeply felt dissatisfaction with the powers that be. ... But at the same time this autumn's protests and debates ... have something unfounded, something excessive about them. They occur in a country that with all its imperfections is comparatively well-off. The integration of millions of people does lead to conflicts, but until now - luckily - all that's burned in German cities has been a couple of rubbish bins. The number of unemployed has dropped from more than five million to three million. ... Today the people's anger is aiding the erosion of a political order which has become unstable by any standard. Many people act as if this game could go on indefinitely, as if there were still a party or candidate waiting in the wings. But political resources are limited and once trust has been lost, it cannot be replenished at will. Citizens too bear responsibility in democracy."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Social movements, » Germany
All available articles from » Matthias Krupa
taz - Germany | Wednesday, 20. October 2010
The German President Christian Wulff has delivered a speech to the Turkish parliament, calling migrants in Germany an enrichment and defending the rights of the Christian minority in Turkey. The leftist daily die tageszeitung is full of praise: » more
The German President Christian Wulff has delivered a speech to the Turkish parliament, calling migrants in Germany an enrichment and defending the rights of the Christian minority in Turkey. The leftist daily die tageszeitung is full of praise: "Until recently Wulff was condidered about as boring as a model son-in-law. Now the top CDU politician has let rip and refused to go back on his word although he has received much flack from within his own party for his statements that Islam is an integral part of Germany. Wulff commands respect for his address to the Turkish parliament focusing both on the problems of integration ('the dependence on state support, the crime rate, machismo and unsatisfactory education and performance records') as well as the Turkish state's refusal to deal adequately with with the harmless demands of the tiny Christian minority. If Wulff keeps up his unexpectedly manful attitude and shows himself to be an enlightened integrator in the face of dangerous polemicists à la Sarrazin and Seehofer he can already be described as an important president."
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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Germany, » Turkey
All available articles from » Philipp Gessler
Blog Del alfiler al elefante - Spain | Wednesday, 20. October 2010
Europe's multiculturalism is already a reality that should be accepted rather than polemicized, writes Lluís Bassets in his blog Del Alfiler al Elefante: » more
Europe's multiculturalism is already a reality that should be accepted rather than polemicized, writes Lluís Bassets in his blog Del Alfiler al Elefante: "The fundamental question is whether Europe accepts that it is a continent of immigration after being a continent of emigration for almost two centuries. This is not a matter of making any kind of decision. ... Neither those who reject the idea of a multi-coloured, multicultural society nor those who, to the contrary, consider this mixture to be the ideal human society will be able to influence what is already an unalterable fact. ... Faced with this new reality we must choose our attitude to it: do we accept it as a fruit of an evolution which is already irreversible, and make the most of the new social dynamic. Or do we exacerbate the tensions that a change of this magnitude entails ... to the point where the countries and the continent are divided and a kind of social and cultural 'cold war' is declared between Christianism and Islam?"
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Europe
All available articles from » Lluís Bassets
Sme - Slovakia | Tuesday, 19. October 2010
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statements about the failure of the multicultural approach are valid not only for Germany but for Europe as a whole, argues Petr Morvay in the liberal daily Sme: » more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statements about the failure of the multicultural approach are valid not only for Germany but for Europe as a whole, argues Petr Morvay in the liberal daily Sme: "Multiculti was doomed to failure from the outset because it is based on mistaken beliefs and illusions. And above all because it negated the fundamental cultural differences. Naturally adequate command of the language of a country is a precondition for immigrants getting a decent education and work to feed the family. But ultimately what is more important is what immigrants are talking about and which values they believe in. The problem is not that Christian Churches and mosques stand side by side in a European city, but what is preached in these houses of God: love for one's neighbours even if they hold different beliefs, or hate. Multiculti is a failure because a number of immigrants have no sympathy for the democratic system, for the freedom of the individual, for equal rights for women and for laws that apply equally to all. A consensus on these common values is however a pre-condition for any kind of multicultural coexistence."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Germany, » Europe, » Turkey
All available articles from » Peter Morvay
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany | Tuesday, 19. October 2010
In the midst of the current integration debate the German Economics Minister Rainer Brüderle has proposed introducing a point system for immigrants. The conservative daily Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung believes such a system could facilitate the influx of skilled workers: » more
In the midst of the current integration debate the German Economics Minister Rainer Brüderle has proposed introducing a point system for immigrants. The conservative daily Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung believes such a system could facilitate the influx of skilled workers: "Already the lack of qualified workers is clearly visible in certain sectors. In a country with a shrinking population this lack can only get worse. Faced with such a situation it's reasonable to target foreign workers and to let them into the country on the basis of their qualifications, knowledge of German and the current demand. The term 'point system' may not appear in the coalition agreement. But it does address the need to systematically attune the influx of workers to the requirements of the labour market according to clear, transparent criteria. And that's exactly what a point system is: clear and transparent. If every applicant can see right from the start what qualifications are necessary for a work visa, the whole complex process of checking and comparing foreign qualifications becomes needless. Instead of getting caught up in ideological debates, the government should finally summon up the courage to introduce a pragmatic solution."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Economic Policy, » Labour market, » Germany
All available articles from » Henrike Roßbach
Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland | Sunday, 17. October 2010
Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe but the agitators are making grave mistakes, writes columnist Eric Gujer in the conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung: » more
Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe but the agitators are making grave mistakes, writes columnist Eric Gujer in the conservative daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "Among the delusions of Geert Wilders and other populists is the belief that the unloved Muslims can be forced to leave. This is an illusion and not even desirable from a demographic point of view. On the contrary, the ageing societies of Europe need immigration if they want to maintain their living standards. The Muslim immigrants have found their place in Europe, and Islam along with them. This simple observation, however, doesn't tell us anything about to what extent Islam can be compatible with the values of European enlightenment. This can and should be the subject of discussion. But the capacity for differentiation and rational discourse must be among the minimal standards for a democracy. Those who denounce these minimal requirements as elitist and recommend listening to the people and their moods instead make it impossible to conduct sensible politics."
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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Europe
All available articles from » Eric Gujer
Trouw - Netherlands | Monday, 18. October 2010
Social values should play a key role in the debate about integration in Germany, the daily Trouw writes: » more
Social values should play a key role in the debate about integration in Germany, the daily Trouw writes: "There is no reason to shy away from debate about integration: how much immigration we want, which conditions immigrants must fulfil and whether there are values that can't be given up. These are questions that can be discussed in an integration debate. And Germany can contribute to this ever-growing debate in Europe. ... A few years ago Germany began a debate about the 'Leitkultur', or 'leading culture'. ... It touched perhaps on the very core of the problem. Can immigration create a society with completely changed values? Or are there indispensable values that are fixed for everyone who wants to live here? Immigration creates insecurity and therefore it is wise to talk about it."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Germany
Pravda - Slovakia | Monday, 18. October 2010
The issue of cohabitation with immigrants must be addressed urgently, writes the left-leaning daily Pravda with an eye to events in Germany: » more
The issue of cohabitation with immigrants must be addressed urgently, writes the left-leaning daily Pravda with an eye to events in Germany: "Some of the immigrants are sought-after qualified workers, others are a burden on the social system. They all bring with them not only rich traditions but also habits that engender distrust. Consequently immigrants are both an advantage and a source of problems. ... If politicians fail to react to society's fears of immigrants out of a fear of being labelled racist, they're doing the genuine racists a service. ... With her comment that multiculturalism has failed, Angela Merkel has started a debate that Slovakians must also not avoid, even if we still have little experience with immigrants."
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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Migration, » Integration, » Weltanschauung, » Germany, » Slovakia, » Europe
All available articles from » Andrej Matišák
The Independent - United Kingdom | Monday, 18. October 2010
The liberal daily The Independent sees a Europe-wide trend behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement that integration has failed in Germany: » more
The liberal daily The Independent sees a Europe-wide trend behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement that integration has failed in Germany: "Germany now joins France, Belgium, the Netherlands and - so far, to a lesser extent, Britain - in questioning the multicultural approach adopted by governments for many years. If integration is now to be the focus, however, the effort will have to be two-sided. As well as requiring migrants to do more, governments and the indigenous population will have to try harder, too. And this will take funds - for language tuition, better schooling and homes - at a time when money is in very short supply."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Germany, » France, » United Kingdom, » Belgium
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna - Poland | Monday, 18. October 2010
Despite tougher conditions for immigrants in the US, integration is more successful there than in Germany, writes the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna: » more
Despite tougher conditions for immigrants in the US, integration is more successful there than in Germany, writes the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna: "German schools teach immigrant children about Otto I, Duke of Saxony, but they simply aren't interested because they don't consider him their ancestor in any way. In the US the social services treat immigrants very badly - in Germany by contrast immigrants are treated very well. In America the education is nothing special, and the universities demand fees on top of that. In the US the integration process is brutal, in Germany by contrast it is mild. The result: the Germans have less success with integration than the Americans."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Germany, » U.S.
All available articles from » Jan Wróbel
Lapin Kansa - Finland | Thursday, 14. October 2010
The current integration debates in many European countries are the price that must be paid for a misguided policy, writes the US-based political scientist Keijo Korhonen in the daily Lapin Kansa: » more
The current integration debates in many European countries are the price that must be paid for a misguided policy, writes the US-based political scientist Keijo Korhonen in the daily Lapin Kansa: "It's now 50 years since Germany fetched cheap and humble workers from Southeastern Europe and above all Turkey for what it thought would be only a limited period to power its 'economic miracle'. ... In the US the third generation of migrants has been completely Americanised, while things look entirely different in Germany. People from migrant backgrounds have not yet fused with the Germans, their level of education remains miserable and there is twice as much unemployment in their ranks as in the rest of the population. The German bank manager and former social democratic politician Thilo Sarrazin recently poked a wasps' nest when he fanned discussion over integration in Germany. ... He has initiated a serious debate over the unquestionable failure of integration policy in his country. If we were smart in Finland, we'd learn from the mistakes of others - the UK, France, Germany and Sweden. ... There's still time to develop a reasonable migration policy, to profit both from migrants and from our local population."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Integration, » Germany, » Finland, » Europe
Der Standard - Austria | Tuesday, 12. October 2010
The success of the right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPÖ) in Vienna's city council and provincial parliament elections clearly shows that immigration is the most important subject on the political agenda, writes the liberal daily Der Standard: » more
The success of the right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPÖ) in Vienna's city council and provincial parliament elections clearly shows that immigration is the most important subject on the political agenda, writes the liberal daily Der Standard: "Perhaps it took the shock of the Vienna election result and the 27 percent for Strache's FPÖ to make the city and the country finally realise that immigration is the top theme - and dealing with it is the main task for the coming years. Should it be tackled in Vienna, a city of migrants, by a red-black coalition which has failed miserably on this issue at a national level? It will be strenuous but realistically speaking only a red-green coalition offers the chance of finding a half-way adequate answer to this challenge. … And it is by no means certain that [such a coalition] would seriously disturb the good relations between the city authorities and trade and industry, which are also interested in integration. The old warhorse Häupl [the social democratic mayor of Vienna] just needs to pluck up the necessary courage, otherwise Strache's troop could end up even more successful in the next elections."
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More from the press review on the subject » Elections, » Austria
All available articles from » Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi
Bild - Germany | Monday, 11. October 2010
Horst Seehofer, leader of Germany's co-governing CSU party based in Bavaria, called last Friday for an immigration stop for Arabs and Turks. A silly move, writes the tabloid Bild: » more
Horst Seehofer, leader of Germany's co-governing CSU party based in Bavaria, called last Friday for an immigration stop for Arabs and Turks. A silly move, writes the tabloid Bild: "The CSU leader has really blown it this time with his call for a stop to immigration! Such talk won't even help him reconquer the important sovereignty over the air space above Germany's regulars' tables. The regulars are far to clever for that! It's not a matter of letting NO more foreigners into the country. The question at hand is WHO comes to Germany and how ready they are to integrate. Seehofer intentionally chose the weekend Chancellor Merkel met Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan to start his new crusade for the Christian West. This targeted provocation can have only one explanation: Seehofer is up to his neck in trouble in his own party! The CSU's popularity has fallen to just 38 percent and [Defence Minister] Guttenberg is breathing down his neck - in such a tight spot you'll grasp at any straw you can."
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All available articles from » Einar Koch
Sme - Slovakia | Friday, 8. October 2010
Slovakians are currently discussing plans to build a mosque in Bratislava. The liberal daily Sme compares the Slovakian discussion about Islam as an integral part of Western society with the debate in Germany: » more
Slovakians are currently discussing plans to build a mosque in Bratislava. The liberal daily Sme compares the Slovakian discussion about Islam as an integral part of Western society with the debate in Germany: "The statement by German President Wulff that Islam was part of German society sounded like an innocent invitation to dialogue, nevertheless it sparked a stormy debate. Chancellor Merkel was quick to comment that the Basic Law is in force in Germany, and not the Sharia. But the genie was already out of the bottle. ... The majority of Germans don't believe in multiculturalism and fears of Muslims are rife. Not a great environment for dialogue. ... In Slovakia debate is getting started on the mosque in Bratislava, but at the same time there is not enough room for a discussion of whether our country is modern and tolerant enough. You can't call for tolerance on the one hand and at the same time slander people who have their doubts about such tolerance. Once the mosque has gone up in Bratislava no one should have to be afraid of it. The Germans have been unable to perform this balancing act."
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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Society, » Germany, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Katarína Mallok
Blog Del alfiler al elefante - Spain | Thursday, 7. October 2010
The new Dutch government coalition made up of Christian Democrats and right-wing liberals is dependent on the backing of Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic Party for Freedom. In his blog Del Alfiler al Elefante Lluís Bassets points to how this creates a central dilemma in the country's political debate: » more
The new Dutch government coalition made up of Christian Democrats and right-wing liberals is dependent on the backing of Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic Party for Freedom. In his blog Del Alfiler al Elefante Lluís Bassets points to how this creates a central dilemma in the country's political debate: "It is indeed a disgrace that a government formed by democratic and civilised parties has to rely on the backing of a party that defines itself as fundamentally against immigration and against a religion it considers dangerous and destructive. But it is also a disgrace that it is a punishable offence to express anti-Islamic views or see Islam as a dangerous and destructive religion, as many people believe other religions or indeed all religions to be. The sum of these two unfortunate circumstances is the most alarming aspect and what makes Wilders so strong. A society that has no qualms about permitting a racist and xenophobe to participate in government yet at the same time denies the right to blasphemy is heading straight for an uncontrollable conflict."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Integration, » Minorities, » Human rights, » Netherlands
All available articles from » Lluís Bassets
Dnevnik - Slovenia | Wednesday, 6. October 2010
For the first time in the history of Slovenia a black person is running for the office of mayor in the local elections on Sunday. Peter Bossman, a physician, is in the race to become mayor of the coastal city of Piran. This is a great opportunity for Slovenia, writes the left-liberal daily Dnevnik: » more
For the first time in the history of Slovenia a black person is running for the office of mayor in the local elections on Sunday. Peter Bossman, a physician, is in the race to become mayor of the coastal city of Piran. This is a great opportunity for Slovenia, writes the left-liberal daily Dnevnik: "The Slovenians don't reject people a priori in all areas because of their skin colour. In socialist Slovenia there were many doctors of diverse origins. … However it's one thing to be a doctor but quite another to grasp for the insignia of power and authority over the 'true natives'. … If Bossman is elected this will bring an unstoppable wave of change to Slovenia. Not only would Bossman triumph over his rivals, Slovenia would triumph over itself and its prejudices and stereotypes."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Elections, » Slovenia
All available articles from » Vlado Miheljak
Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Tuesday, 5. October 2010
The Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders has been on trial since Monday in Amsterdam, accused of inciting racism and discrimination against Muslims. The business newspaper Hospodářské noviny examines the reasons behind the current success of right-wing populists: » more
The Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders has been on trial since Monday in Amsterdam, accused of inciting racism and discrimination against Muslims. The business newspaper Hospodářské noviny examines the reasons behind the current success of right-wing populists: "They need an opportune environment in which to work, like the ones the economic crisis or the images of terrorist attacks provide. And naturally they also rely on daily contact with the growing number of immigrants. … It takes someone who addresses the fears of the public in such a way that a convincing picture of an enemy is created. … The third part of the answer lies in the failures of the established parties, … which have struggled to integrate the immigrants while forgetting the worries of the majority society. … Wilders is now making the government pay for his support. His success depends also on the parties, which so far have been at a loss as to how to deal with him."
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All available articles from » Adam Černý
The Sunday Times - United Kingdom | Monday, 4. October 2010
The decades-long quest for multiculturalism in the UK has strengthened rather than weakened racism in the country, writes Minette Marrin in the conservative paper The Sunday Times: » more
The decades-long quest for multiculturalism in the UK has strengthened rather than weakened racism in the country, writes Minette Marrin in the conservative paper The Sunday Times: "Official insistence on multiculturalism, on positive discrimination and on identifying near-universal 'institutional racism' have produced self-consciousness about race, together with a culture of apartheid and victimhood for many groups. ...Many people, including me, have been saying for years that multiculturalism and positive discrimination have been divisive. They have weakened our shared culture and our common ties and promoted instead, throughout all the public institutions and beyond, a culture of anxiety and resentment about race. The idiotic examples of primary teachers refusing to read out stories about pigs, for fear of offending Muslims, are the tip of an iceberg of fear and guilt heaving underneath the surface of society."
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All available articles from » Minette Marrin
Trouw - Netherlands | Friday, 1. October 2010
In the Netherlands the designated prime minister Mark Rutte of the centre-right liberal VVD party and the Christian Democrat Maxime Verhagen of the CDA have presented the programme of their minority government, which Geert Wilders has pledged to support. But the right-wing populist is already giving evidence of his destructive power on this issue, writes the daily Trouw: » more
In the Netherlands the designated prime minister Mark Rutte of the centre-right liberal VVD party and the Christian Democrat Maxime Verhagen of the CDA have presented the programme of their minority government, which Geert Wilders has pledged to support. But the right-wing populist is already giving evidence of his destructive power on this issue, writes the daily Trouw: "Even the announced measures regarding immigration and integration can't be qualified as extreme. The Netherlands won't be demoted to an outsider within Europe, as the leading politicians in neighbouring countries had feared. ... [With the presentation of their programme] Rutte and Verhagen have reached out to society as a whole. The hidden danger lies in Geert Wilders' remarks. ... He said that he doesn't hold with terms like connecting and building bridges. He also announced that he would continue to fight Islam as a dangerous political ideology. With a couple of sentences he thus rendered useless the gesture made by Rutte and Verhagen. This shows once again how unfortunately the minority government is structured."
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Jyllands-Posten - Denmark | Thursday, 30. September 2010
Five years ago today the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten published twelve Muhammad cartoons that sparked huge waves of protest in the Muslim world. Today the right-wing liberal paper asks what attitude one should have in the face of increasingly multicultural societies and globalised information networks: » more
Five years ago today the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten published twelve Muhammad cartoons that sparked huge waves of protest in the Muslim world. Today the right-wing liberal paper asks what attitude one should have in the face of increasingly multicultural societies and globalised information networks: "Two basic possibilities are open to us. The first is to live by the motto: you accept my taboo, I'll accept yours. ... But if it's forbidden to offend religious feelings it must also be a punishable offence to offend the views of atheists. In such a world there will soon be little that cannot be banned on the grounds that it might offend someone. The second possibility is to accept that in civilised society no one may claim the privilege not to be offended. In such a law-based society the use of force sets the natural limit to freedom of opinion for those wanting to live in peace and security. Unfortunately many people prefer the perspective of the offended fundamentalists. They may often have noble motives, but they are blind to the fact that this has dramatic consequences for freedom. This debate is now more important than ever."
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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Weltanschauung, » Denmark, » Global
Dnevnik - Slovenia | Thursday, 23. September 2010
Politicians blame foreigners for everything when Europe is in crisis, writes the left-leaning daily Dnevnik with an eye to the success of right-wing populists in Sweden and elsewhere: » more
Politicians blame foreigners for everything when Europe is in crisis, writes the left-leaning daily Dnevnik with an eye to the success of right-wing populists in Sweden and elsewhere: "This applies to poor countries as well as rich. Only last year it was fashionable to look down one's nose at Switzerland after a referendum banned the construction of minarets there. ... Very interesting. Twenty percent of those living in Switzerland are immigrants. Switzerland, which does not belong to the EU, still seems liberal towards foreigners. In Italy, which has built up a modern political system on xenophobia, only six percent of the population are foreigners. In Britain it's just ten percent. In Sweden, the most recent country to have discovered this trend, nine percent of the population are of non-Scandinavian origin. Whenever the continent is in crisis, people blame and systematically lash out at foreigners. They're a handy target because there are so few of them."
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All available articles from » Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic
La Repubblica - Italy | Thursday, 23. September 2010
Commenting on France's deportations of Roma in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica, French historian Jacques Le Goff urges dialogue, pointing to Europe's common roots: » more
Commenting on France's deportations of Roma in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica, French historian Jacques Le Goff urges dialogue, pointing to Europe's common roots: "As a historian I believe Europe's thousand-year history has been shaped by the diversity of its peoples, the mixture of cultures and their progressive integration. Europe emerged from the amalgamation of the so-called Roman, Gallic-Roman and Spanish-Roman peoples ... with the so-called Barbarians, a word that is banned from the vocabulary of historians today. Nowadays fortunately we no longer despise anyone who doesn't belong to what are referred to as the higher cultures. Historians and all those who wield social influence should show that what makes Europe special is its ability to integrate even those who are different. For sure, the problems with the integration of foreigners evident all over Europe today are connected to the growing number of immigrants in recent years. But we shouldn't forget that in late antiquity and in the Middle Ages the numbers of the so-called Barbarians - the Celts, the ancient Germanic peoples and the Slavs - who roved Europe were much higher."
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All available articles from » Jacques Le Goff
Ta Nea - Greece | Tuesday, 21. September 2010
Albanian immigrants who have been living in Greece for several years frequently make racist comments about Asian immigrants, and there are suspicions that Albanians were recently involved in racist attacks against Afghan refugees in Athens. The Albanian columnist Gazmend Kaplani examines the reasons behind this attitude in the left-liberal daily Ta Nea: » more
Albanian immigrants who have been living in Greece for several years frequently make racist comments about Asian immigrants, and there are suspicions that Albanians were recently involved in racist attacks against Afghan refugees in Athens. The Albanian columnist Gazmend Kaplani examines the reasons behind this attitude in the left-liberal daily Ta Nea: "Racism is probably like food that has gone bad and poisons the organism. Those who have eaten it tend to vomit all over other people - those who differ from them and are weaker. And while they vomit they say to themselves: 'We were different. We weren't like these people.' To avoid this you have to work hard on yourself and remember your own past. ... The more insecure you feel, the lower you find yourself in society and the more you look for someone to use as a scapegoat. And the more vulnerable you are to racist and fascist ideas."
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All available articles from » Gazmend Kaplani
Berlingske - Denmark | Monday, 20. September 2010
The entry of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats in the Swedish parliament, or Riksdag, has to do with the lacking discussion over integration: » more
The entry of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats in the Swedish parliament, or Riksdag, has to do with the lacking discussion over integration: "For too long all talk of integration - one of Sweden's most pressing problems - has been suppressed. For foreign observers it is astonishing that Sweden has so much political correctness that discussion of immigration does not belong to 'proper' debate. This has crippled discussion over how the goals of integration can best be furthered. And yet this subject hangs like a terrific burden over Sweden, as you can see when you visit the migrants' ghettos in Malmö, Gothenburg and the satellite towns around Stockholm. Integration is an unknown term there, the very places where a parallel society is emerging."
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Jornal de Negócios - Portugal | Wednesday, 8. September 2010
The ideas put forward by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin display intellectual vanity and moral dishonour in the opinion of business paper Jornal de Negócios, but it notes that they nonetheless raise important issues: » more
The ideas put forward by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin display intellectual vanity and moral dishonour in the opinion of business paper Jornal de Negócios, but it notes that they nonetheless raise important issues: "Sarrazin has disrupted the camouflage tactics which, given Berlin's growing opposition to Turkey's EU accession, wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. The political justifications tend to get mixed up with arguments about maintaining a secular European Union or one that is based on Christian roots. But in both cases the EU is regarded as incapable of allowing a country with more that 70 million mostly Sunni and Alevi Muslims to become a member. ... The Sarrazin affair has opened up a polemic that was delayed by the refusal of the German parties to discuss issues pertaining to the integration of Muslim immigrants."
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All available articles from » João Carlos Barradas
Der Standard - Austria | Thursday, 9. September 2010
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière on Wednesday presented the government's new integration programme. But integration cannot be imposed from above, the daily Der Standard writes: » more
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière on Wednesday presented the government's new integration programme. But integration cannot be imposed from above, the daily Der Standard writes: "The subject of integration will preoccupy the Germans for years to come. They are having fewer and fewer children and are dependent on immigration. For many years family reunification dominated the immigration process. Skilled workers were not a priority. Germany is paying the price for this now because as a country of engineers it suffers from a lack of skilled workers. This means politicians must make all the more effort to help immigrants. More teachers who are immigrants and Islam lessons at state schools are logical steps. But they are - unfortunately - not a solution that will resolve all the problems within a few months. Making up for the omissions of the past takes time. Integration is not something that can be commanded in a loud voice from above."
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All available articles from » Birgit Baumann
Népszabadság - Hungary | Tuesday, 7. September 2010
The left-liberal daily Népszabadság writes that with his ideas about Muslim immigrants, German Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin is articulating fears widely prevalent in Germany and Europe: » more
The left-liberal daily Népszabadság writes that with his ideas about Muslim immigrants, German Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin is articulating fears widely prevalent in Germany and Europe: "Not only is Sarrazin a master of provocation he is also very skilful at juggling half-truths and generalisations. ... Nevertheless the problem he addresses is real. Not just in Germany, but also throughout Europe fears abound of minorities whose birth rates are higher than those of the majority populations, and who do not always share the cultural values of their host country. Almost every country has its own minority, be they Turks, Arabs or Gypsies. And every country has or will have its own Sarrazin to torpedo the politically correct, open discourse. It is not a good strategy to suppress problems or sweep them under the carpet. We've got to look reality in the face."
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All available articles from » Edit Inotai
Financial Times Deutschland - Germany | Friday, 3. September 2010
Controversial author Thilo Sarrazin is being forced to resign his post at Germany's federal bank, with the Bundesbank board naming a lack of political moderation as the reason. The liberal daily Financial Times Deutschland writes that although the Bundesbank's decision to part with its besieged board member is absolutely correct, it has been left looking like a puppet in the hands of German politics: » more
Controversial author Thilo Sarrazin is being forced to resign his post at Germany's federal bank, with the Bundesbank board naming a lack of political moderation as the reason. The liberal daily Financial Times Deutschland writes that although the Bundesbank's decision to part with its besieged board member is absolutely correct, it has been left looking like a puppet in the hands of German politics: "The Bundesbank is a myth. It is supposed to be independent and incorruptible and dedicated solely to the goal of price stability. Yet in these past torturously long weeks its president seemed anything but independent. This was above all down to the politicians who clamoured for Sarrazin to be ousted but at the same time acted as if they had nothing to do with the whole affair. Following the good advice of the German chancellor, the opposition and even the German President, [the president of the Bundesbank] Weber seemed passive and submissive. The decision the board has reached now barely changes this. The once so proud Bundesbank comes across like a puppet on the strings of politicians. ... If Germany's politicians can learn something from the Sarrazin affair it's that the areas of responsibility need to be clearly defined. If they want an independent Bundesbank then they should allow it to follow its own staffing policies."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Banks, » Germany
nrc.next - Netherlands | Thursday, 2. September 2010
Right-wing populists are gaining ground in the US, France, the Netherlands and now in Germany, writes columnist Bas Heijne in the daily nrc.next. He sees a growing divide between uncertain, angry citizens on the one hand and a new enlightened elite on the other: » more
Right-wing populists are gaining ground in the US, France, the Netherlands and now in Germany, writes columnist Bas Heijne in the daily nrc.next. He sees a growing divide between uncertain, angry citizens on the one hand and a new enlightened elite on the other: "The right-wing populists' rhetoric is as predictable as the principled indignation of their opponents is dull. All we hear is noble words. ... The one group does all it can to use objective speech (the constitutional state, the principle of equality). The other takes a devil-may-care subjective ('genuine and false French people'), romantic ('Restoring Honor'), dramatic (the anti-Islam film 'Fitna') or doom-and-gloom ('Germany abolishes itself') attitude. It is not difficult to see what kind of language appeals to most people in our media culture. ... Anyone who wants to fight back must learn a new, attractive form of speech. Like that of the populists, this speech must be firmly grounded in daily life, it must be playful and challenging, catchy and aggressive. Fewer principles, please, and more passion."
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All available articles from » Bas Heijne
taz - Germany | Thursday, 2. September 2010
The new book by German Federal bank board member Thilo Sarrazin is being rejected by the established media, which describe it as Islamophobic and populist. Markus Linden sees the perception of populism as an exclusively negative phenomenon as mistaken and writes the following in the left-wing daily die tageszeitung: » more
The new book by German Federal bank board member Thilo Sarrazin is being rejected by the established media, which describe it as Islamophobic and populist. Markus Linden sees the perception of populism as an exclusively negative phenomenon as mistaken and writes the following in the left-wing daily die tageszeitung: "Public discussion on politically contentious issues - be it the building of mosques, integration policy or education vouchers for social benefits claimants - is often a precondition for raising public awareness of these issues. In such cases the populist often does himself a disservice which, however, ultimately promotes democracy. ... Populism stands out and politicises society. But if it is reacted to appropriately, support for it among the population evaporates. The populist destroys his own foundations, as it were. This process is naturally not automatic, as the numerous examples of successful right-wing populist parties in Austria and the Netherlands show. The alternative - a de-politicisation that leaves the economical factors as the decisive excluding criterion and allows intolerance to smoulder in silence - is hardly desirable. ... At any rate at least Sarrazin's racially-motivated tirade has promoted politicised discussion. And that's a good thing."
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All available articles from » Markus Linden
Financial Times Deutschland - Germany | Tuesday, 31. August 2010
The anti-Islamic statements of Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin are having a negative effect on the bank's image, writes the liberal daily Financial Times Deutschland: » more
The anti-Islamic statements of Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin are having a negative effect on the bank's image, writes the liberal daily Financial Times Deutschland: "To sell his book he has given a new twist to his well-known ideas about how Germany is being dumbed down, and in so doing moved even closer to the xenophobes. If Sarrazin were still a state-level politician this would simply be a case for the party committee, while the public and the press could have a field day criticising his ideas as they did during his time [as finance minister] in Berlin. But Sarrazin hasn't been a politician since May 2009 and is now an executive of the German Federal Bank. and as such, according to the bank's code of ethics, he must 'behave at all times in a way that upholds and furthers the standing of the Bundesbank and the people's trust in the Bundesbank'. Sarrazin has violated this rule - knowingly and repeatedly."
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Público - Spain | Tuesday, 31. August 2010
The European Union must define a clear approach regarding migration and citizenship otherwise individual member states will introduce their own stricter immigration policies, political scientist Alfonso Egea de Haro writes in the leftist daily Público: » more
The European Union must define a clear approach regarding migration and citizenship otherwise individual member states will introduce their own stricter immigration policies, political scientist Alfonso Egea de Haro writes in the leftist daily Público: "You would think the EU states and the European Union would come up with a better integration policy. After all, the EU is based on free circulation of people (as well as of goods). This principle also gives purpose to European citizenship. But the lack of a harmonised immigration policy and joint citizenship are leading to a tightening up in the policies of individual states. On the one hand they use the examples of other countries as an excuse (Italy has announced it will adopt similar measures to France regarding its Roma settlements). On the other hand the freedom of movement fans fears that a lax policy could turn a country into a main target for migratory flows."
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All available articles from » Alfonso Egea de Haro
Berlingske - Denmark | Tuesday, 31. August 2010
In the run-up to Sweden's parliamentary elections on September 19 the Swedish television station TV4 prevented the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats from broadcasting a campaign spot with anti-Islamic content. The conservative daily Berlingske Tidende sees this as symptomatic for a suppressed yet long-overdue debate on immigration: » more
In the run-up to Sweden's parliamentary elections on September 19 the Swedish television station TV4 prevented the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats from broadcasting a campaign spot with anti-Islamic content. The conservative daily Berlingske Tidende sees this as symptomatic for a suppressed yet long-overdue debate on immigration: "The fact is that the EU countries are dominated by ageing populations. We need people who are willing and able to contribute to growth and prosperity and who want to become an intellectual and cultural part of Western society. Denmark and other countries that have pulled the brakes and allowed pressing debates to take place can teach the rest of the EU that immigration must be controlled, so that problems can be solved before they loom too large. Certainly, such public debates can be uncomfortable, oversimplified and offensive. But what is the alternative to free and open democracy? The absence of public debate is far worse."
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La Stampa - Italy | Tuesday, 31. August 2010
The anti-Islam book by Thilo Sarrazin, a prominent member of Germany's Social Democratic Party, sheds light on a dark side of Germany which must not be kept concealed, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: » more
The anti-Islam book by Thilo Sarrazin, a prominent member of Germany's Social Democratic Party, sheds light on a dark side of Germany which must not be kept concealed, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: "Now it has fallen to Thilo Sarrazin ... to break the silence. ... Sarrazin will no doubt pay for this with expulsion from the Social Democratic party and perhaps even from the Bundesbank. But take heed because if you listen carefully you hear views that go far beyond Sarrazin's. ... Sociologists describe a parallel society encompassing entire districts with their own way of life, with residents who marry only each other and speak their own language and go only to their own doctors, banks and religious schools, avoiding all contact with the country they live in. Something has gone wrong with the German integration model and even if Thilo Sarrazin chose the worst words to say it, the problem remains."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Minorities, » Germany
All available articles from » Francesca Sforza
Kurier - Austria | Monday, 30. August 2010
The criticism of Germany's integration policy may be justified, writes the daily Der Kurier, but it shouldn't be expressed in such an offensive way as in the book by German Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin: » more
The criticism of Germany's integration policy may be justified, writes the daily Der Kurier, but it shouldn't be expressed in such an offensive way as in the book by German Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin: "Most of what Sarrazin says is familiar. He has stated the facts, exaggerating them slightly, put them together and drawn his own conclusions: The politicians - not only in Germany - are deluding themselves about the problems of Muslim immigration for ideological reasons. And therefore putting the future at risk. Even if most experts agree with his findings (not his dramatic conclusions) Sarrazin will remain a largely ignored alerter of whom there are plenty more academically serious than him. ... The media storm that ensued after cleverly chosen excerpts of Sarrazin's book were published in [German media] Spiegel and Bild proves that it's time for an honest discussion. And open society (and not only the SPD, as its highest party court concluded) must be equal to this, and even needs it. But it doesn't need offensive provocations hurled from a position of lofty comfort and out of intellectual vanity."
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All available articles from » Reinhard Frauscher
Blog Achse des Guten - Germany | Sunday, 29. August 2010
Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin will present his controversial book Deutschland schafft sich ab (Germany abolishes itself) today. According to Sarrazin Germany is being dumbed down due to the higher birth rate among the lower classes and generally poorly qualified Muslim migrants than among academics. An important contribution to the debate on immigration, writes Richard Wagner in the blog Achse des Guten: » more
Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin will present his controversial book Deutschland schafft sich ab (Germany abolishes itself) today. According to Sarrazin Germany is being dumbed down due to the higher birth rate among the lower classes and generally poorly qualified Muslim migrants than among academics. An important contribution to the debate on immigration, writes Richard Wagner in the blog Achse des Guten: "At stake here is whether we want Germany to continue participating in the West and the European idea as an ally of the United States and Israel, or whether we adopt 'multicultural democracy' and cultural relativism and toss in the constitutional state in favour of an Anatolian basar subject to religious rules of thumb all of which contradict Christian theology. ... At stake here is whether we view freedom as central to our way of life, from the freedom of opinion to free enterprise, the equality of the sexes and the personal responsibility of citizens, or whether we resign ourselves to the 'culturally sensitive' transformation of our society and the de-Europeanisation of our country. With his statements the social democrat Sarrazin has turned society's attention to a topic which we can no longer ignore."
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All available articles from » Richard Wagner
Le Jeudi - Luxembourg | Thursday, 26. August 2010
People of many different nationalities live in Luxembourg, but not together, which makes it hard to talk about Luxembourg society at all, the weekly Le Jeudi writes: » more
People of many different nationalities live in Luxembourg, but not together, which makes it hard to talk about Luxembourg society at all, the weekly Le Jeudi writes: "They say people are content and prosperous here. But the fact is equal opportunity remains a pipe dream for the majority of foreigners. ... The various groups cohabit more or less well and mingle little. Friends, husbands and even employers are chosen from the same circles defined by nationality, speech or culture. More than 90 percent of Luxembourgers have a Luxembourger as a spouse, and the same goes for the Portuguese. People love to show off the 'multi-culti' nature of society when it's time to celebrate, but that's not at all true on a daily basis. Under such circumstances it's really hard to say anything about a 'Luxembourg society'.
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All available articles from » Laurence Harf
Der Standard - Austria | Friday, 27. August 2010
The new book Deutschland schafft sich ab (Germany abolishes itself) by Thilo Sarrazin, member of the Bundesbank board and SPD politician, has made headlines. The daily Der Standard is critical particularly of its depiction of Muslim immigrants: » more
The new book Deutschland schafft sich ab (Germany abolishes itself) by Thilo Sarrazin, member of the Bundesbank board and SPD politician, has made headlines. The daily Der Standard is critical particularly of its depiction of Muslim immigrants: "Muslims in Germany are lazy sods who have only two aims in life: plundering Germany's social welfare system and tirelessly propagating their useless species. These are - roughly speaking - the theses German Bundesbank banker Thilo Sarrazin, former SPD finance senator in Berlin, puts forward in his book. ... It doesn't take a degree in psychology to know that simply hammering away at people isn't going to motivate them to change. For Sarrazin there's not even black and white, only black. He completely ignores the many positive examples of integration. It all smells strongly of self-promotion and provocation at other people's expense. If Sarrazin were really interested in improving integration he would still be a politician and not a banker at the Bundesbank."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Germany
All available articles from » Birgit Baumann
Le Monde - France | Tuesday, 24. August 2010
US political scientist Samuel P. Huntington's idea of the clash of cultures allows a better understanding of today's world, writes the former Dutch member of parliament and Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the daily Le Monde: » more
US political scientist Samuel P. Huntington's idea of the clash of cultures allows a better understanding of today's world, writes the former Dutch member of parliament and Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the daily Le Monde: "What do the controversies around the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, the eviction of American missionaries from Morocco earlier this year, the minaret ban in Switzerland last year, and the recent burka ban in France have in common? All four are framed in the Western media as issues of religious tolerance. But that is not their essence. Fundamentally, they are all symptoms of what ... Samuel Huntington called the 'Clash of Civilizations', particularly the clash between Islam and the West. ... The greatest advantage of Huntington's civilizational model of international relations is that it reflects the world as it is - not as we wish it to be. It allows us to distinguish friends from enemies. And it helps us to identify the internal conflicts within civilizations."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Ayaan Hirsi Ali
România Liberă - Romania | Friday, 20. August 2010
France began on Thursday with the deportation of Roma to Romania. The conservative daily România Liberă examines the reasons for their failed integration in Romania: » more
France began on Thursday with the deportation of Roma to Romania. The conservative daily România Liberă examines the reasons for their failed integration in Romania: "We too are defending the cultural identity of the Gypsies in a feeble bout of multiculturalism. The authorities in Bucharest, first and foremost head of state Băsescu, talked of the 'nomadic' character of the Gypsy culture and of the injustice of collective solutions. But this is precisely the reason why the integration programmes don't work. It's simply not enough to reserve a couple of university places [for Roma], to finance social housing for them and organise a couple of dozen imposing seminars per year. Integrating these people is not about the idea of cultivating the pleasures of the 'nomadic' cultures but about changing them, as scandalous as that may sound. Multiculturalism is nothing but a monstrous intellectual sham which has nothing to do with 'tolerance' or 'openness' but does plenty to undermine one's own culture."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Romania, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Cristian Campeanu
The Sun - United Kingdom | Tuesday, 14. December 2010
The alleged perpetrator in the Stockholm bombings lived and studied in the city of Luton, north of London. Thankfully, the Muslim community there didn't want to have anything to do with him, notes the tabloid paper, The Sun: » more
The alleged perpetrator in the Stockholm bombings lived and studied in the city of Luton, north of London. Thankfully, the Muslim community there didn't want to have anything to do with him, notes the tabloid paper, The Sun: "The Luton-based Muslim suicide bomber who blew himself up in Sweden was clearly a dangerous fanatic. But there is a positive side to the revelations about Taimour Abdulwahab Al-Abdaly. It emerges that the vast majority of regular worshippers in his Luton mosque had no time for his ravings. Mosque leaders sent him packing, saying they wanted nothing to do with his brand of extremism. Good for them. Luton has its share of Islamic hotheads and anti-war demonstrators. But there are many responsible and wise community leaders there, too."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » United Kingdom
Jyllands-Posten - Denmark | Tuesday, 14. December 2010
Following the suicide attack by alleged bomber Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly in Stockholm, the liberal conservative daily Jyllands-Posten urges peace-loving Muslims to take a stand against Islamic extremists in Europe: » more
Following the suicide attack by alleged bomber Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly in Stockholm, the liberal conservative daily Jyllands-Posten urges peace-loving Muslims to take a stand against Islamic extremists in Europe: "Of course, Muslims in Europe are not to be held responsible for the deed of a crazy man. Many Muslim organisations have already distanced themselves from Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly. Nevertheless it is important that the millions of peaceful, pro-integration Muslims in Europe distance themselves even more clearly from this fanatic minority that sows hatred. ... There are great risks involved, but it is crucial that peaceful Muslims don't merely confine themselves to protesting loudly, but that they actively try to prevent Islamic extremists from gaining a foothold and spreading their message of hate."
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More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Crime, » Sweden, » Europe
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Further articles on the subject » Demographics, » Migration, » Minorities, » Religion, » Integration, » Europe
More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » Migration, » Minorities, » Religion, » Integration, » Europe
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