Problems connected with immigration should be talked about openly, says Ahmad Mansour, a German psychologist with Arab roots.
Mansour believes there is a “false tolerance“ in society which is in the long run damaging sucessful integration efforts. According to the phenomenon of “plush toys“, many people think that they are helping the newcomers by protecting them from any kind of criticism. They are deceiving themselves by overlooking problems which are connected with strictly keeping the rules of Islam.
The psychologist was focusing mostly on the schooling system. “It is emphasized many times that I need to respect religious freedom. But how is it possible, if some of the Muslim students refuse to shake hands with others, girls cannot bathe together with the boys and the keepers of Ramadan are unable to follow the instructions?“ Mansour pointed out.
The expert believes that one can become stigmatized as a racist even by trying to start a discussion about the topic. The Germans are neglecting their own culture and integrity for fear of being seen as racists and Islamophobes. “The real racism is that some people are willing to protect certain Muslims from any kind of critique.“ Mansour also mentions the case of a social worker who experienced similar fears while pointing out the educational methods of the Muslim parents.
