tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16761020.post1228563723751888515..comments2023-10-20T21:52:36.752+05:30Comments on Cross Connections: Not wanted -Muslims in Germany?Farzana Verseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891229615361937135noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16761020.post-55441325299490908352011-03-16T02:48:23.201+05:302011-03-16T02:48:23.201+05:30Just one point. The case of immigrants in germany ...Just one point. The case of immigrants in germany (or even scandinavia and similar countries) is not the same of immigrants in the gulf states or even foreigners in india. As someone who has worked in all three places, I can clearly say that there is no comparing these realities. <br /><br />Foreigners in India have it easy because the majority of urban India speaks english passably. <br /><br />In the Gulf, the immigrants (skilled and unskilled) are simply there do do their jobs as long as they care to do so. period. There is no question of them being integrated with the local community. In fact in most of the gulf states, there is no scheme for immigrants to gain citizenship except through marriage to locals. Add to that the general equivalence in freedoms and rights (eg: salaries are much lower for skilled immigrants compared to skilled locals), etc. Plus the fact that in the gulf states, english is usually the second major language especially in the business sector. <br /><br />Life for an immigrant in most of western europe is very different. You are very much part and parcel of the system and your rights and privileges as a tax payer on a resident permit are virtually identical to that of an EU national. And the language of business and communication is usually always the major language of that country (eg: German in germany). So it is entirely important that one achieves some minimal mastery of the local lanaguge if one's own aim is to feel more integrated in the country. <br /><br />And for the record, nobody is forced to learn the language to live in the country - it is only a suggestion. people have the choice to do so and that too, virtually free of cost. These langugae schemes were introduced because there was a lot of hue and cry about how the government didn't do enough on the integration side to help people get integrated - and one means that they developed to do so was to help foreigners have access to cheap language courses. It is ironic that this scheme is now being criticized as well.Annanoreply@blogger.com