Immigrants - How much is TOO much?

[Amina13]

Hey people,

 

Just out of curiosity, what do you think about Syrian refugees and Europe? 

On one hand, Europeans claim that they give taxes for living a better and safer life, not for those uneducated Muslims to come our country and destroy it.

On the other hand, those refugees (excluding the terrorists among them, which are very few compared to the innocent ones) did not choose to be a refugee. They've been obligated to leave their country. At the end of the day, they are victims of this conflict. 

I was wondering where do you stand in this debate? And why?

 

[heintze]

I live in Sweden- Europe’s most welcoming country for refugees. I would love to help people running from wars and poverty. But the problem is that these people have different cultures and that brings segregation into a society. I have many friends coming from the Middle East and I have heard many of them say that it's wrong to have sex before marriage and that women who aren't virgin before marriage are wh*res. My friend's mother wears a niqab and she forced my friend to start wearing the hijab. I was completely shocked when I found out but I was even more surprised when I noticed that our other friends who come from Syria/Lebanon didn't care much and acted like it was a normal thing. Many people in Sweden with immigrant backgrounds do not inegrate well and are sort of isolated. There are also thousands of immigrants here who integerate well into society and get along with Swedes, I am not saying that all immigrants are alienated. According to SCB, there are higher crime rates in areas where the proportion of immigrants is high. And that makes sense if you think about it since higher crime rates are common among those who have experienced war/trauma/poverty. Also, most of the refugees are male which brings imblance in the population. I would love to help others, but if that means that my future children will be around other children who think that it's wrong to show your hair, then I will pass.

[Amina13]

I agree with you to a certain extent, @heintze. I like the way that you call "my friend" and "our friends". It is very kind of you  

When it comes to the cultural difference, well, first of all, I know where I stand in this debate. By the way, in Islam it is not okay to FORCE girl wear hijab - the final decision is hers. Parents can advise it but no physical abuse or harming her is acceptable in Islam. But the more important question is that how to make both sides less upset. I cannot say that just live as you wish, because that won't work when it comes to such a big difference between cultures. I think the way to deal with this phenomenon is doing things in private, not publicly - for the sake of harmony and peace among people with totally different cultures.  

 

Edited November 5, 2016 by Amina13
adding detail

[Empiral]

I just find it hilarious that whenever the issue gets brought up by supporters of either sides, it instantly gets turned into a "is Islam a peaceful religion" debate instead.

Ultimately the problem is not with Islam, but with cultural integration. Muslims have been practicing Islam with no problem in Europe/NA for years as integrated members of society. You can't expect people who have not been exposed to Western culture to be integrated so easily though. There is a false equivalency when looking at Syrian refugees and regular Muslims in our society. Concerned supporters of either side of the problem need to realize this. 

@heintze, is it true that after accepting refugees and migrants, Sweden's rape rate has gone up for more than 1000%? And that in Sweden it's not legal for people to be classified based on their race/country of origin? 

I also find sometimes members of the left-wing - where I identify - tend to use political correctness as a way to ignore the actual problem. You are not helping anyone when you overlook the issues that are brought about with accepting migrants, and by calling people who are uncomfortable "racist" and "selfish", you are only adding societal tension to this already controversial problem. Integration is hard. It takes years before new immigrants and refugees alike can become functional members of the Western society. The focus should be on government programs that can help with integration and find ways to compromise among different political views.