Challenges of Participation in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands: Christian – Assyrian and Muslim – Turk Immigrants

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges of participation of the first-generation Christian – Assyrian and Muslim – Turk immigrants in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands – countries that implement different multicultural and civil integration policies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Christian – Assyrian and Muslim – Turk immigrants born in Turkey and migrating to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Their ages are between 45 and 72 years old. They have different levels of education. Assyrians are proficient in multiple languages (Assyrian, Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish); Turks in Turkish and some of them in English, other than the host languages. The majority have citizenship in the host country. Based on the interviews, the research identifies four challenges: identification, contact, language, and discrimination – racism. The findings show that Assyrian immigrants have a strong connection with their ‘Assyrian’ identity due in part to the genocide in 1915 that they call ‘Seyfo’, and Turk immigrants have a more mixed sense of identification in their home and host cultures. Both Assyrian and Turk interlocutors have close immigrant friends and neighbours; having similar activities or hobbies increase their chances to contact with the native citizens. The barriers reported are the lack of language proficiency, unequal working conditions, and perceptions of racial and religious discrimination in education, employment, housing and social life. The findings of this study suggest that both Assyrian and Turk interlocutors want to be accepted as part of the host society without losing their sense of cultural particularity. This poses no threat to the host society, and policies should be designed that support diversity and encourage the participation of immigrants.