While I understand the concerns of Europeans regarding the crime and problems the influx of refugees has brought along, I think it is wrong to brush all Muslims with a broad stroke based on the behavior of a sub-set of the Muslim population.
The primary issue with the refugees in Europe is that the majority are young, single males raised in very different cultures. Approx 80% of the "refugees" are young single males, and the majority are economic migrants and not refugees.
How should Europe deal with this crisis? All refugees should be placed in camps until processed and validated to have no terrorist ties. In the camps they should be educated about western cultural norms, expected behavior, and given language lessons. Complete families with children should have priority for resettlement, followed by single mothers with children, then others who are not young single males. Canada has had success by focusing on families with children to come across the Atlantic because they tend to integrate with western society and follow the law - young single males statistically tend to have the criminal issues. Only refugees who agree to work and hold a job should be accepted. A job should be lined up for them prior to being moved to a permanent residence.
"Refugees" who are economic migrants should be sent back to their home countries. Young single uneducated males who are refugees should have their entry rejected and sent back to camps on the border of Syria (or where ever) unless a case is made for why they will be successfully integrated.
Any refugee re-settled in a western country should have a host family or organization. The host family or organization will be responsible for paying for damages for any crimes committed by the hosted refugees. Also any refugee convicted of a crime should be immediately deported. Any refugee accused of a felony crime should not be allowed bail since they are high flight risks.
Please note the primary victims of Islamic terrorism are other Muslims. Many Muslims are victims and not perpetrators. There are many Muslims world-wide who are educated and integrated into western societies and ideals.
It is unfair to take the readings of a holy book and making the case that all the followers of a faith are uncivilized and violent. I certainly hope that nobody reads the Old Testament and states that all Jews and Christians that follow the book are automatically uncivilized, violent, backwards, hostile, and living in an earlier era.
I understand that people from Muslim countries many times have difficulty assimilating into western societies because the cultures are very different. The way to solve this issue is by proper screening and education -- not by banning all people of a particular religious faith.
I do appreciate you bringing the stories and issues from Europe involving refugees to our attention in the ET forum; however I believe there is a better approach to solving these issues than pouring on hatred extended to all people of a particular religion.
And yes, I have also worked with professionals who are Muslim. I know their families, I have coached their kids in soccer, and they are good members of our community. I am sure that I am not the only member on P&R who will say this.
History has shown that as long the muslim population in a country remains under 2%, they will be regarded as a peaceful minority, that poses no threat to other citizens. And the immigration policy of the USA and Canada has been geared towards admitting talented individuals to their countries, opposite to that of the EU, where immigration from muslim countries mainly consisted of uneducated laborers. These two factors forge a more favorable view of muslims in your case.
In the Netherlands, we're dealing with third-generation muslims, that compare unfavorable in any statistic, they're much more criminal, perform badly in school and are far more often dependent on welfare. Research has shown that even after 3 generations they still consider themselves Arabs and muslims in the first place and not Dutch citizens. Also the majority of muslims in the West favors sharia law above Western law. If that doesn't convince you of my view that muslims remain a "Fremdkoerper" in Western societies I don't know what would.
With regard to your plans about assimilating/educating refugees: it's pearls before swines. 80% of refugees have no formal education whatsoever and are illiterate. They are coming from societies where no law and order exists and disputes are settled by using violence.
The question at hand is, how much lives are we willing to sacrifice, how much crime are we willing to accept in order to provide shelter to these so called "refugees"?
Last edited: