Integration - ein Trojanisches Pferd in der demokratischen Gesellschaft?

Abstract

Dictatorships and democracies have very different records regarding human rights. In most of the latter, their human rights legislation or their constitutions treat everyone as equal and recognize that each person should have equal status before the law. In the real world of politics, however, there are tensions even within democratic societies between the claims of nationalism and the ways in which human rights are exercised. For the most part, only citizens are granted the full range of liberties and enjoy all the rights of political participation. In Germany, this can be seen by the limits which are placed on the rights of asylum seekers. In 2006 21000 asylum seekers came to this country, but only 251 were granted asylum. Those whose applications were rejected were for the most part deported. Some however managed to go underground and remain here as "illegals". Their fate is here described, and can be likened to scenes from some fictional manuscript. Their struggle to exist and their daily lives usually lead to homelessness and escaping from the police. Their situation often leads to confrontations with the local residents, due to cross-cultural misunderstandings, or to open xenophobia. The author seeks to promote a climate of cross-cultural understanding which would benefit both the immigrants and the residents.