Sunday, December 5. 2010
The Ignorant Approach
In Germany, even though the country and its people are historically polluted by narcissism and crimes again humanity, the majority of the population is hostile toward Muslims. Deep-rooted like a prejudice is one of the basic arguments - if you can call it an argument - being used in many discussions: The Muslim migrants have refused to integrate themselves into German society.
Well done, if you ask me! Because, not so very long ago, another religious group suffering from rejection, prejudice and hate by the Germans did not hesitate to assimilate even beyond hyper-Germanness, and still there was no end to hate; it just found another name, Antisemitism. In fact, assimilation had its part in the development of this new hate, going from religious Anti-Judaism, i.e. Christian hate against the Jews, to political Antisemitism, which is nothing but racism.
Of course, there are differences. For starters, most of the German Jews were actually Jewish Germans, they were born and brought up in this country, they were educated with the German language as their mother tongue, and with German national values. Many Muslims living in Germany nowadays are migrants and their families have not been here since the medieval centuries. You see?
The German Jews did not do themselves a favour being more German than most of the Germans. It made them even more suspicious to many Germans that some Jews were prepared to give up their habits and ways, and, often enough, even their religion, so easily and eagerly in order to be accepted.
And if you look into it, total assimilation means nothing else but a complete change of identity. Because, how can you be a Muslim, if you do not live as a Muslim? You cannot. You would have to stick to the Five Pillars of Islam being the foundation of Muslim life: faith, daily prayers, almsgiving, fasting and the Mecca pilgrimage; almost in the same manner as a godly Jew would never ask another Jew whether he was Jewish, or had a Jewish mother, he would ask: Do you keep Shabbat?
Tradition or not, habits or not, faith or not, those who are not willing to accept a stranger in their midst, will always find a way to reject him anyway. The only way to get along is to value diversity instead of egalitarianism. And to embrace each other with respect and tolerance on any side. To postulate integration as a solution is an ignorant approach.
© 2010
Well done, if you ask me! Because, not so very long ago, another religious group suffering from rejection, prejudice and hate by the Germans did not hesitate to assimilate even beyond hyper-Germanness, and still there was no end to hate; it just found another name, Antisemitism. In fact, assimilation had its part in the development of this new hate, going from religious Anti-Judaism, i.e. Christian hate against the Jews, to political Antisemitism, which is nothing but racism.
Of course, there are differences. For starters, most of the German Jews were actually Jewish Germans, they were born and brought up in this country, they were educated with the German language as their mother tongue, and with German national values. Many Muslims living in Germany nowadays are migrants and their families have not been here since the medieval centuries. You see?
The German Jews did not do themselves a favour being more German than most of the Germans. It made them even more suspicious to many Germans that some Jews were prepared to give up their habits and ways, and, often enough, even their religion, so easily and eagerly in order to be accepted.
And if you look into it, total assimilation means nothing else but a complete change of identity. Because, how can you be a Muslim, if you do not live as a Muslim? You cannot. You would have to stick to the Five Pillars of Islam being the foundation of Muslim life: faith, daily prayers, almsgiving, fasting and the Mecca pilgrimage; almost in the same manner as a godly Jew would never ask another Jew whether he was Jewish, or had a Jewish mother, he would ask: Do you keep Shabbat?
Tradition or not, habits or not, faith or not, those who are not willing to accept a stranger in their midst, will always find a way to reject him anyway. The only way to get along is to value diversity instead of egalitarianism. And to embrace each other with respect and tolerance on any side. To postulate integration as a solution is an ignorant approach.
© 2010
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