The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 1

How Refugees Affect German Culture

Abigail L. Julian

Mr. Falls

December 2017

Abstract
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 2

As more and more refugees enter Germany, citizens are scared of losing their culture. However,

the way people live has changed over the years and continues to do so every day. Refugees want

to be a part of the German culture, and are pleased majority of Germans are accepting. There are

citizens in Germany who think refugees could vastly improve the society, and do not want them

to leave. Syrian refugees bring their normal ways of life with them and implement that into

where they currently reside so they can feel more comfortable. the They have been persecuted in

their own country and had to flee, it is very hard for them to feel somewhat normal in a new

country. It is important for them not to lose their culture and remember where they come from.

Refugees want to feel accepted and they can achieve this with the help of Germans and their

culture.

Table of Contents
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 3

Abstract………….………………………………………………………...………..2

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………...3

Introduction………………………………………………………………………...4

Limitations………………………………………………………………….………5

Literature Review………………………………………………………….……….5

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………..9

Background………………………………………………………………….9

Misconceptions……………………………………………………………..10

Public Opinion……………………………………………………………...11

Perspective of Refugees………………………………………………....…12

Other Countries…………………………………………………………….13

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...13

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………15

Appendix A………………………………………………………………………..18

Appendix B………………………………………………………………………..19

Introduction
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 4

Since the beginning of civilization, people have been persecuted and ultimately

displaced, whether it be because of their religion, political stance, or their country’s status of

conflict. These groups of people are referred to as “refugees.”

Refugees have been fleeing Syria since 2011, and it has become the largest displacement

crisis recorded (Edwards, 2017). Most Syrians flee because of the continuing civil war between

the government and their people. Soon after, ISIS became a prominent threat due to their control

over Syria. This caused even more refugees to flee to European countries.

Over time, countries have been more and more generous when it comes to expanding

their boundaries to refugees. Refugees have been fleeing mainly to Europe, specifically countries

such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy, and then migrating to more prosperous European countries

like Germany or Austria. For example, in 2015, Syrian refugees were allowed to seek asylum in

Germany. Since then, Angela Merkel has not put a limit to how many they will allow to enter.

Since there is such a large influx of Syrian culture, Germans are anxious their own

culture will begin to disappear. Culture has never been the same, it is constantly evolving. Many

individuals do not notice because the culture adjusts to their lifestyle and it becomes a part of

them. German society isn’t the same it was 100 years ago. It has become a different way of life

with old culture implemented within.

Refugees are nearly impossible to ignore. Integrating these civilizations will provide a

new sense of familiarity and help subcultures become more prominent in the future. Refugees

provide positive changes to ways of life and make countless economic and cultural contributions.

Limitations
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 5

Geographical Limitations: Refugees have been displaced all around the world,

however, due to the vastly different effects countries have had, the author will only be

researching the societal effects of Syrian refugees in Germany. Other European countries may be

mentioned but not to the extent of Germany. This does not excuse the fact that countries all over

the globe have been affected. The author will need to be specific in order to get in-depth and

provide as much factual information as possible.

Personal Bias: The author is a proud member of the Tallwood Global Studies and World

Languages Academy. Students in this program tend to have a more open-minded and

multicultural perspective on the world. Due to this personal bias, the paper may be slightly

shifted in favor to the acceptance of refugees.

Time Limitations: The author was fortunate enough to travel to Stuttgart, Germany with

the Global Studies and World Languages Academy, however, experienced some time limitations.

While ten days was extremely informative to the author, it was not sufficient to obtain a deep

knowledge of the matter at hand. Therefore, she conducted intensive research on the subject. The

information compiled while in Germany will be used within the research paper as a reliable

source.

Literature Review

When studying the topic of the affect refugees have on German culture, it requires an

accumulation of sources.

There are a number of economical impacts refugees provide. According to Paul Solman

and Jeffrey Sachs with PBS, refugees offer a different range of skills that can be beneficial to the

economy around them. Higher skilled refugees are often net contributors, and others have

become active in their city’s labor force, causing their economic situation to rise. Although,
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 6

certain conflicts may arise. Higher skilled refugees, such as doctors, lack the necessities to

perform their career well. For example, most hospitals require German as well as English in

order to work there, and many refugees only know English. Other issues with this is when they

do learn German to the level required, the hospitals will bump the level up one more, so they

cannot work yet.

This concerns many politicians in Germany because the influx of refugees have improved

the economy since the Open Door Policy. The Germany Economic Outlook from

Focuseconomics shows all of the statistics from 2012 to 2016. The economic growth was steady

in 2012 and 2013, but has grown considerably since 2014. The unemployment rate started to

decrease in 2014 and has continued to do so even with the influx of refugees.

According to Zen Nie with GlobalEDGE, Germany implemented the Open Door policy

because it would improve their economic situation. He mentions that refugees will always create

new jobs, whether there is a job shortage or not. Nie also states that refugees are more likely to

open small businesses because they don’t have jobs waiting for them like many immigrants.

A main concern many host countries have when accepting refugees is the impact they

will have on the host’s culture. Christopher Bobyn with ABC News explains the German citizen

point of view on the Syrian and Turkish refugees by taking photos and interviewing selected

individuals. When he interviewed a Turkish refugee that had been living in Germany for one

year, he mentioned that Germans will never refer to him as German, only a muslim. Bobyn then

interviewed an Alternative for Germany candidate (AfD). The candidate explained that he used

to vote liberal but the introduction to refugees caused him to change his views. The candidate,

Joeg Sobolewski, said "We have a culture in Germany of strong female leaders and also

Freikorperkultur (nude beaches). We should celebrate that." The AfD used to be extremely
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 7

unpopular but it is now on the rise as more and more German citizens believe their culture is

being taken from them.

Gregory Warner with NPR gives a different perspective. His article is about Syrian

Refugees adjusting to the German culture. Sophia Lierenfeld is a dating coach and decided to

help refugees with their love life. She didn’t expect to be doing this, but she wanted to find a way

to help refugees involve themselves in the German culture.Many of the refugees appreciate it

because it is hard for them to adjust to the new culture and involve themselves in it.

Berlin is home to majority of Syrian refugees. Jessica Bateman with Rough Guides

explains just how much Syrian culture is in Berlin. She states that you can not only find

restaurants and clothing shops for muslim women, but hearing Arabic being spoken is just as

common as German or English.

An article from The Daily Sabah, speculates that misconceptions are the main reason for

the disapproval of refugees. For instance, it states that majority of Turkish citizens believe that

refugees are “taking their jobs” when in reality the unemployment rate has lowered since the

Open Door policy. It also mentions that one in five people found Syrians dangerous, but never

had an encounter with them before.

Dunya Habash used a TED Talk to explain her own misconceptions of a refugee camp

she visited in Zaatari. She is the daughter of Syrian immigrants but her thoughts were very

similar to those in America or Europe. She first talked about how she believed the camp was in

great need of food and water, when in reality the refugees didn’t need those at all. They even had

shops that other refugees could buy from. The shops sold a variety of things, including hookahs,

toys, desserts, and wedding dresses. What Ms. Habash was referring to was that there is a huge
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 8

stereotype when it comes to refugees. They are seen as helpless and unable to provide for

themselves.

Discussion

Background

Syria’s civil war commenced when President al-Assad responded to peaceful protests by

killing and imprisoning hundreds of protesters. This caused the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a group
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 9

wanting to overthrow the government, to rise up and be the main challenger toward the Syrian

government (Jazeera, 2017). Before the civil war, many Syrian citizens complained of high

unemployment rates, political corruption, and lack of freedom, this is what most of the protests

consisted of. This conflict has lasted nearly eight years, and has taken more than 480,000 people.

Inside of Syria, more than 3.6 million citizens are displaced, while there are 5.2 million seeking

refuge in neighboring countries (Mercy Corps, updated 2017).

In July 2015, Germany was having major issues with how they were perceived to other

countries. This is because of Germany’s effort to impose financial discipline on Greece. Many

citizens and other countries were appalled to see that Chancellor Merkel would let Athens file

bankruptcy. Some citizens were so upset with her harsh behavior that caricatures of her as Adolf

Hitler surfaced (Chu, 2015).

The bitter opinion of many changed when Chancellor Merkel implemented the Open

Door Policy in September 2015. Some Germans hope that by opening borders to refugees it will

help remove the stain of their negative past. While accepting refugees could be helpful to

Germany’s image, Angela Merkel made sure to state that was not the reasoning for providing

open borders (Chu, 2015). Chancellor Merkel stated that she believes it was the right choice both

politically and humanely. She mentioned that she still believes she made the right choice two

years later (Baume, 2017). In 2016, Merkel refused to put a limit on the number of refugees

entering Germany, but has recently changed her mind to a cap of 200,000 refugees per year due

to a compromise with her Bavarian partners ( Eddy, 2017).

Misconceptions

There are a variety of stereotypes refugees face, including the way refugee camps are

perceived. Many commercials show camps as impoverished or severely lacking necessary items.
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 10

Dunya Habash created a TED Talk and explained this is not the case in many situations

(Habash- TEDxBIRMINGHAM, 2017). She is a Syrian-American living in the United States,

she used to visit Aleppo and Damascus frequently, but slowly watched her extended family leave

these areas as the conflict got worse and worse, eventually all had fled.

Ms. Habash decided to visit one of the refugee camps, Zaatari. She explained that she

was very surprised as to what she saw exploring the environment, that she carried several

stereotypes of camps. She saw what could be called a small community, there were shops with a

wide range of goods. Ms. Habash saw hookah shops, bakeries, and even wedding dress shops.

Many of the refugees didn’t have food or water issues, they had different goods they were

willing to exchange with one another she wanted to make the point that what we see on

television or magazines is not the case for every refugee camp, not all are powerless or

struggling.

There are multiple hardships refugees endure in Germany, including discrimination.

When many refugees first entered the country, they could not find a place to live because many

landlords did not think they had money. A young student, Aziz Dyab experienced this directly.

After being denied a room by a landlord, Aziz ended up meeting him to change his mind. The

landlord asked him what his religion was, and after that he asked how he was going to pay for

the rent (Chazan, 2017).

Some refugees experienced much worse forms of discrimination. Since the Open Door

Policy was implemented, a far-right party, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the

West (PEGIDA), has become increasingly known due to their violent outbursts. A 72 year old

man was attacked by a gang, then stated he wanted to go back to Syria (Perry, 2015). An Alt
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 11

Right party has also attacked Red Cross staff solely because they were helping refugees at a

camp (Perry, 2015).

Public Opinion

While many German citizens (both conservative and liberal) were in agreement of the

Open Door Policy, many are starting to change their views. Many people had their own views as

to why they should allow refugees to stay in Germany, whether it was economic prosperity or

morally correct, however, these reasons seem to have become less and less important as 2017

comes to an end.

A local bakery owner (asked not to have his name within the paper) did not mind the

entrance of refugees in 2015, he said he thought it would help his business. Now, in 2017, his

mind hasn’t changed, he actually wants them to stay for as long as they need to. His business has

not only increased, but a refugee works part-time for him now (Interview, 2107). The owner

believes the refugees are very helpful to Germany as a whole. A teacher, Mrs. Merz, has similar

beliefs. She teaches a handful of refugee students every Wednesday with learning German and

other basic studies. Mrs. Merz says there will always be conflict when something big like this

happens [the acceptance of refugees in Germany], and that they must find compromises. She

says she can understand why some Germans may want the refugees to leave, but she does not

think it cannot be fixed (Interview- Merz, 2017). A German student who goes to school with a

small amount of refugees, Patricia, mentioned they did not affect her studies. She thinks it is

great they are going to school and trying to be normal (Merz, 2017). These three citizens show

examples of how many Germans feel toward the acceptance of refugees. All three of the

interveiwees saw refugees were in need of help and understood their terrible situation.

Perspective of Refugees
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 12

Many German citizens are greatly affected by this situation, but so are the refugees. Some

Syrian refugees want to fit into the German culture, so they stop doing certain things they would

normally do, like going to a mosque (Su, 2017). Many of the newcomers that have entered

Germany don’t want to talk a lot about their religion because they think it doesn’t help them fit

in (Su, 2017). Because their country doesn’t seem to be doing much better, many refugees have

created a stable life and started families, they want to contribute to German society (Spiegel

Online- Relotious).

It is hard for refugees to find work because of all of the barriers involved, therefore

making it even harder to connect with German society (Spiegel Online- Relotious). Refugees

need to learn the German language, apply and receive a work permit, and need to find a career

they understand. A syrian refugee family living in Germany desire nothing more than to fit in

with their fellow neighbors. Adel Mauti has had a lot of trouble finding a job, he has done as

much as he can but has not had much luck.

Other Countries

Other countries have had a different take on refugees. Everyday, refugees make the

dangerous trek to escape Syria, they flee to anywhere they can, usually in Europe. Greece has

taken in a substantial amount of displaced people (International Rescue Committee, IRC, 2017).

This country experiences similar issues in Germany, location. There is a large problem regarding

where to evenly disperse refugees but also keep families together. The IRC works to solve not

only that but also integrate them within their new communities. Not only has Greece taken in
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 13

many refugees, they also serve as a bridge for them in order to make it into Germany (DW,

2017). The refugees want to be reunited with their families, but most of them are in Germany.

This is not the case for Turkey. There are so many refugees that they have their own

small communities, and some have not learned the Turkish language because everyone speaks

Arabic (Frayer- National Public Radio, 2017). They do, however, have the same struggles with

difference of culture.

Conclusion

Refugees have struggled countless times before, and have intruded on culture

unwillingly. It is not only hard for them to adapt to a new life in such a short period of time, but

it is also hard for the country receiving the refugees. This is because there is such a large increase

in people and everyone has to adjust. It is important to make compromises when it comes to

large situations like this.

The German culture has changed throughout the years and will continue to change with

or without refugees. For example, it was common to wear Dirndls or Lederhosen very often, but

then started to decrease majorly in the nineteenth century. Germans still wear both, but usually

only for special occasions like Oktoberfest. The culture is still prevalent, but has changed with

society over time, like most others. Refugees want to be a part of the culture and society, they

want to fit into the world they were immersed into. They had to abandon their way of life and

find someone else’s to be a part of.

The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 14

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Appendix A
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 17
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 18

Appendix B
The Effects of Refugees residing in Germany 19