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July 30, 2010
Berlin plans 'integration contract' for immigrants
Published: 23 Nov 09 08:31 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20091123-23449.html
The government is planning to institute "integration contracts" for immigrants to encourage them to become contributing members of the country’s society, Germany’s integration commissioner announced on Monday.
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“All who want to live and work here for the long run must say yes to our country,” she continued. “To this belongs proficiency in the German language, but also a readiness to take part in society.”
German values, such as freedom of speech and equal rights for women must also be recognised in the proposed contract, said Böhmer, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats.
In response to controversial comments about Berlin’s failing Turkish and Arab community made by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin in September, Böhmer told the paper she had been stunned by his statements.
“There are indeed large city quarters with parallel societies,” she said, but added that when Sarrazin was serving as Berlin’s finance minister, he failed to take action.
“When one did nothing to improve matters and then makes such statements while no longer holding responsibility, then I can only react with astonishment,” she told the paper.
“Regarding the necessary debate over poor school achievement, there must also be a discussion over those who get their high school diplomas, study, start companies, or become engineers, doctors and lawyers,” she told the paper, adding that these immigrants are part of the “economic success of our country.”
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Your comments about this article:
I fully support the Government in what they're doing. They're trying to make it easy for everyone to live and work here while thinking of the benefit of their own people.
They clearly and personally outline the basic rules to each immigrant.
A thing which's absence has much too often been abused by those who later got involved into criminal activities. They could much too often refer to the phony explanation "Oh i did not know that this was forbidden here, no one told me ,really "
They also create a legal basis which makes it easier to expell criminal immigrants from the country.
Freedom of speech will become a problem though if it does not refer to all the exceptions that come along with it.
We dont have 100% freedom of speech in Germany, and if this is not outlined in detail there the missing outline can be easily abused as a loophole for hate preachers.
Come on people there is room for so much irony and satire and even something Kafka would write! That whole mentality is so quintessentially Deutsche!! Ah well. If ya missed it ya missed it. Brings me to my next point. "You don't suppose Fred's gone...I can hardly even say it,,, gone native, Sir?" Maybe some of us have been here too long. :)
Head scarf or the dress code of muslim women is a sign of modesty that made her safe from the lustful eyes of the rapists and the bad guys. And btw the modest dress code or the head coverwas also common in the west until the start of this centry.
In the end I think the white europeans donot have to be afraid from anyone , I am sure no nation has the capacity or heart to occupy , innihialte, displaced and murder the million of local inhabitants as iin the case of North and South America, Australia, Canada or Afrikas.