It's a complex issue.
While there is no doubt that xenophobes and bigots have hijacked a legitimate issue, and Merkel is only being a dangerous demagogue here, there is a kernel of truth to the whole debate.
Many conservative Muslims see integration as an either-or choice; it doesn't need to be. Integrating into Western culture doesn't mean you have to start drinking alcohol or become promiscuous. It also doesn't mean you have to give up your religous rituals. It is quite possible to be a normal, average Joe in a Western country and still not drink alcohol, keep fasts in Ramadan and continue speaking your own language outside of work.
I would say one of the best models to follow for immigrants would be Asian (specifically Chinese and Japanese) immigrants. They tend to assimilate quite well into the host culture
without sacrificing their ancestral culture.
While it is true that some European countries (France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland) have legitimized Islamophobia into national laws, that was to be expected from the continent that spawned the Holocaust. Meanwhile, the English-speaking Western countries continue to be quite liberal and tolerant and old-time Muslim immigrants in those countries should strive to set an example of integration for new migrants.
Something that German chancellor said about training Islamic scholars and I totaly disagree with it and is plainly stupid!
Actually, I quite agree with her. It makes me cringe every time I see one of these Muslim religious leaders come on national TV. These guys are a phenomenal embarrassment to the Muslim community and reinforce thousandfold the public image of Muslims as aliens.
They talk in thick foreign accents, have little knowledge of local culture and history, and woudl score a whopping
zero on any public relations skills test.
All Muslim religious leaders in Western countries should be locally educated and reared -- there should be absolutely no importing of religious leaders from the old country.
