The flow of refugees into Europe is a source of major problems for European nations. In addition, many of the countries are looking at the issue in different ways and are taking different approaches to dealing with the issue.
Germany is taking the most welcoming attitude and as a result it is also the nation where most of the refugees hope to end up.
Some people have said perhaps it is feelings of guilt Germany has over World War II that is the main reason so many are willing to accept large numbers of refugees. However, it is more likely that their attitude is a result of post-war reflection over totalitarianism and racism.
Not long ago, I traveled to Berlin, visiting the Jewish Museum, a building with a special architectural style where visitors can learn about the history of the Jewish people in Europe, as well as the Holocaust.
In addition, a walk through the streets of Berlin brings constant reminders about the violence of the Nazi government and the Holocaust.
In a park next to the German parliament, the Bundestag, a large wall bears a detailed record of the persecution and killings of Jews and Roma, or gypsies, during the Nazi era. The area also offers a peaceful space with a small pond for contemplation. Furthermore, not far south of the landmark Brandenburg Gate is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe — also known as the Holocaust Memorial — which was erected in 2005 and covers an area of about two soccer fields. The memorial consists of 2,711 concrete slabs, or stelae, of different heights. The stelae remind visitors of gravestones, and walking through the area stirs up a variety of emotions and thoughts.
As architect Peter Eisenman — the designer of the memorial — said it is intended to force visitors to face the past.
In other words, the urban districts of Berlin, the German capital, is filled with many significant and eye-catching reminders of Nazi brutality and the Holocaust. These are also reminders to all of us that we should think about how we treat those who are different from ourselves. Although the vast majority of people living in Germany have no direct connection to World War II and Nazism, they have all been steeped in a cultural education that has been the result of deep reflection over war and racism that the whole country went through after the war.
Of course, as the strongest European economy, Germany is also the nation that is most able to receive refugees. Following the end of World War II, Germany imported large numbers of workers from Turkey and eastern Europe, who helped rebuild the nation. The workers are called gastarbeiter — guest workers — rather than “foreign laborers” or “migrant laborers.” They have all become the new face of German multiculturalism.
With the help of appropriate arrangements and guidance, refugees might in the future become a new and important social force in Germany.
Chi Chun-chieh is a professor in the Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures at National Dong Hwa University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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