Integration: Pegida’s lies

Dresden, a noble city, city of culture, a martyr-city of World War II, pulverised in 1945 by British Lancaster bombers that caused tens of thousands of deaths. Dresden capital of Saxony, the symbol of German reunification, today witnesses with concern, shared by a large part of the German population, the harsh demonstrations promoted by Pegida – Patriotic Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes, patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West -. The Pegida movement first appeared on Germany’s socio-political scene this fall: several rallies in Dresden have already taken place since October. Great use of social networks, non-explicit political identification and a blatant appeal to the Jewish-Christian roots of European culture to be defended; demand for zero tolerance against refugees, against the abuse of asylum for war refugees, opposition to homes to the poor and to “immigrant criminals”, and a total rejection of the so-called “Islamization of the West”: all this makes Pegida an element of considerable impact. Steffen Zimmermann, desk manager of the portal of the German Catholic Church www.katolisch.de, conveyed to Massimo Lavena for Sir Europe an analysis and evaluation on the impact of the movement on German society. Pegida’s demonstrations were largely debated on Germany’s national media, and were strongly criticised by many. What are its major negative aspects, and to what extent could Pegida influence areas of German society? “Pegida’s rallies have scared many people in Germany. They bring to the fore a nationalist and xenophobic potential that was considered no longer present in Germany in such dimensions. Moreover, it is clear that not all protesters are neo-Nazis and racists. But the fact that many ‘ordinary citizens’ support the xenophobic arguments of Pegida is reason for great concern. It is not yet clear how the demonstrations of Pegida will evolve. So far, increasing numbers of participants attend their weekly events in Dresden – the latest, last week, was attended by 15 thousand people – . It is therefore very important that as many people as possible in Germany distance themselves from Pegida. Over the past days the Christian Churches have given encouraging signs in this regard. More and more people, including bishops, have taken a stand against Pegida and have expressed their solidarity with the refugees.”A xenophobic thought against dialogue that refers to hypotethical Christian ideals: how could this fabrication be countered?  “One thing is clear: Pegida has nothing to do with Christianity, and it cannot invoke Christian values. Indeed, Pegida protestors claim that they defend Christianity and the Christian West, but this is not true. Christian values are not defended by stating that people who come to us as refugees and who need our support are unwanted, or even by physically threatening them. Those taking part in Pegida demonstrations are committing a sin by violating the most fundamental Christian values of love for others and mercy. This was underlined in recent days by the Archbishop of Bamberg, Msgr. Ludwig Schick, who stated in clear terms that Christians should not support Pegida.”The Catholic world, associations (ZDK, Caritas, Bdkj…) have turned dialogue in a strength: at what stage is the path of mutual understanding with Islam in Germany?  “The German Catholic Church’s relations with Islam are good, characterized by mutual respect. For the Catholic Church the Council document ‘Nostra Aetate’, which is viewed by Muslims ‘with great respect’, is essential in this regard. Among Catholics and Muslims in Germany there is a fruitful dialogue and relations are growing increasingly close at community level.”The process of integration of Islamic communities in Germany did not start today: immigrants from Turkey, Iran, the Balkans have now reached the fourth generation. Many athletes are Muslims and they play in national teams. To what extnt is the path of integration being affected to the current international crisis and by Pegida?”The integration of immigrants is still a challenge. Overall, Germany has achieved great results and has made significant progress in recent years. At all levels there are proposals for immigrants: while, as regards language skills, there are higher expectations towards immigrants. All measures carried out aim to promote integration. From an economic perspective, Germany is a strong country that is always in need of immigration; thus it should aim to become an attractive destination for migrants. We will wait and see to what extent the Pegida protests could jeopardize a good degree of integration. But already now Pagida is monitored critically and with concern at international level.”