This article is a month old but it still raises many relevant and thought-provoking questions well worth your consideration:
- To absorb newcomers effectively, must Europe respect the values of others without prejudice? It is surely not as simple as European values being 'right' and all others' being written off as invalid?
- Are the events on New Year’s Eve in Cologne an unfortunate one-off or do they constitute a valid reason to shut down what remains of Europe's openness to immigration?
- "Migrants are no more likely to commit crimes than natives." Can this ever really be true if you begin a new life in a new and alien country with culturally different norms?
- Are "cameras in public places" the answer to enforcing European laws, or is this simply a reactive Big-Brother strategy when we should really be looking at a more preventative approach involving genuine assimilation?
- To what extent is 'assimilation' a form of compromise? Is it not a dumbing down of valuable cultural beliefs and norms in order to facilitate economic benefits?
- Why is it that the European public is afraid of welcoming refugees if they appear to solve the problems of an ageing population?
- Is it better to be politically correct or "culturally imperialist"?
Related Reading:
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/
- http://www.economist.com/migrationcrisis
- http://www.theguardian.com/world/migration
Beyond The Border
A fascinating look at illegal immigration in Texas