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The Great Persian Famine of 1917-1919 that killed an estimated 10 million Iranians (over 50% of the

So how does the Iranian and Arab (mostly Syrians nowadays and recently) community interact? Have you interacted with some of the Syrian refugees and if so have you discussed politics? Probably not.
You might be surpised but I did indeed. I helped a family of Syrian refugees. Young couple end 20s with a little son and a baby. This was made possible by our school. They were very nice and kind people. Talking was not really possible, though a bit english with the wife. Also I know a Kurd from Syria, he works in the old city I lived in for turkish restaurant. He spoke farsi. His family is still in Syria. The poor dude is really a mess. For politics, yes they all accused Assad and Iran, especially the Kurd told me how and what. He said this is sad that Iran is on the wrong side etc. I believe them of course and they did of course change my view towards Syria a lot but I still .. nah forget it ^^

I am sad to say this but some of the conflicts "back home" have been transferred to the West by some representatives (usually the second generation). Thankfully they are a tiny minority for now and stick to the occasional insult or beating here and there but we should hope that it would stick to that alone.

Yesterday I saw a really dirty scene between two Iraqis in an shop. The insults that they were giving each other. Thankfully it was in Arabic, lol.


Well at school, last year especially, people's emotions were very obvious because of the incidents of new year celebrations 2016. People made randomly accusations and claimed that some bs fake facebook post were true. In discussions (subject was ev. religion) me and friends debunked most of the times the bs and I defended even Islam as a non muslim the whole time. I said even once that they are dumb racists to say all refugees are rapists and are rich because they have a smartphone. They had sooo wild claims you would die by laughing. However the small minority you refered to always will give the naive people oil to push their fire. Long story with bad grammer in short: yes there some are black sheeps but I think our society for example in germany is mature and intelligent enough to understand the situation eventhough we have hard times with pegida and AFD idiots etc. pp




"Years ahead of Europe" is quite optimistic is it not? If he really could do such a thing I would want him to resurface and give him another chance.
As I said there are things that are true and then things like that. I cannot understand it. Actually both sides. Well I am after all too much a westerner.


Do you like Merkel? I only know little about German politics but I know that you guys have Bundesland (Provinces) with your own laws. I have visited Germany many times. It's a nice country especially the South (Bavaria in particular).
One word. Oktoberfest.

Well I want to refere to a very good teacher of mine. We are living in the "Mutti-Land". Merkel is our Mutti or Mom and we are not gonna change that soon eventhough I think we should maybe update this. The phrase is from 2014.
Nowadays there are a lot of people that are disappointed by the government of Merkel. That's why relativly many people support right shitheads like pegida and AFD. But afterall those who join these idiots are a minority that is very loud I guess. But the dangerous thing is that other who are disappointed stop going to vote and make the right wing to gain a better position.

Yes our Bundesländer are quite autonomus. Actually we call them Länder which means countries. For example their governments can decide about how school and education is done in their Bundesland.

Germany is indeed a beautiful country. We have many nice spots. You should also once visit the Nordsea Isles like Wangarooge.

Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch. Nicht viel, lol.

Das könnte aus Google Übersetzer stammen :D
 
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@2800

Shall I be brutally honest with you? Progress has nothing to do with the amount of hair or legs or cleavage that a woman shows. I much rather prefer highly educated but modest girls. We do not need to "please" the West by adopting Western moral standards. We have our own religion and even without that religion (Islam) we have our own indigenous cultures who are not the same as Western culture and moral views.

If I was an Iranian I would be 100 times more proud of an "Hijabi girl" who finished a university degree in engineering or medicine rather than an supposedly "open-minded" woman of no significant achievements who likes to show off on social media with a ton of make up, colored blond hair, revealing clothes etc.

Sure as a man it is occasionally nice to look at, I won't lie, but is that really what we should strive towards as societies? Europeans can afford to discuss irrelevant matters because they have already achieved most of what they need or want to achieve. That luxury we do not have.

I for instance care 100 times more about Saudi Arabian woman playing a much greater role in the workforce (the ironic/moronic situation that we live in is that Saudi Arabian women are better educated than the men - in fact some of the best educated in the Muslim world based on the percentage of women with university degrees) but yet they can hardly be found in the workforce. Instead cheap, often lesser qualified, foreign labour is imported by the public and private sector. Does this make any sense? It does not. Not even remotely close.

Therefore I value educational achievements much more than something superficial such as look.

That's not to say that radicals are not a big problem or that specific laws in both KSA and Iran are moronic and are oppressing women and have little if anything to do with Islam but more a wish to control women and thus half of the society.

A healthy balance between religion, traditions, modernity and logic is all I call for. Sadly nowadays the radicals in each group seem to dominate the debate. This is completely counterproductive and extremely harmful.

In KSA recently there was a woman in Riyadh (22 years old) who had proclaimed on Twitter that she would go out without an abaya and without a headscarf on a date with a guy. She recorded those actions on Twitter and was later apprehended for defaming the public sentiment. Some radicals called for hear death (yes, a small minority unfortunately did so) while other radicals called for her to go out naked next time. If this is not an example of the problem I do not know what is. You guys probably have similar "discussions" in Iran from what I know.

Here she is:



And some years ago an Saudi Arabian female TV anchor based in London (not even KSA) was similarly meet with insults because she wore no headscarf!



A brave cleric recently (also a few years ago but times flies by fast) appeared with his wife who only wore a hijab and said that this was perfectly Islamic and no problem. Most people supported this decision and hailed him (he is considered a conservative cleric) while the ultraconservatives started cursing the clerics wife and called her a whore because you could see her face (not hair)!




Ghamdi is a famous/one of the biggest tribes/clans/families of Southwestern KSA and KSA as a whole and the tribe/clan was divided but eventually they agreed with him.

In KSA tribes/clans still have a lot to say in the sense of social influence and social pressure. Also as KSA is an incredibly family-oriented society, damaging your reputation and that of your family can have big consequences for a person.

So this shows that when a healthy balance is not there you will have a lot of polarization which is dangerous for the society.

Already we are emotional people.
 
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@2800

If I was an Iranian I would be 100 times more proud of an "Hijabi girl" who finished a university degree in engineering or medicine rather than an supposedly "open-minded" woman of no significant achievements who likes to show off on social media with a ton of make up, colored blond hair, revealing clothes etc.

Well for me both options should be on at least allowed. ^^
 
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You might be surpised but I did indeed. I helped a family of Syrian refugees. Young couple end 20s with a little son and a baby. This was made possible by our school. They were very nice and kind people. Talking was not really possible, though a bit english with the wife. Also I know a Kurd from Syria, he works in the old city I lived in for turkish restaurant. He spoke farsi. His family is still in Syria. The poor dude is really a mess. For politics, yes they all accused Assad and Iran, especially the Kurd told me how and what. He said this is sad that Iran is on the wrong side etc. I believe them of course and they did of course change my view towards Syria a lot but I still .. nah forget it ^^




Well at school, last year especially, people's emotions were very obvious because of the incidents of new year celebrations 2016. People made randomly accusations and claimed that some bs fake facebook post were true. In discussions (subject was ev. religion) me and friends debunked most of the times the bs and I defended even Islam as a non muslim the whole time. I said even once that they are dumb racists to say all refugees are rapists and are rich because they have a smartphone. They had sooo wild claims you would die by laughing. However the small minority you refered to always will give the naive people oil to push their fire. Long story with bad grammer in short: yes there some are black sheeps but I think our society for example in germany is mature and intelligent enough to understand the situation eventhough we have hard times with pegida and AFD idiots etc. pp





As I said there are things that are true and then things like that. I cannot understand it. Actually both sides. Well I am after all too much a westerner.




Well I want to refere to a very good teacher of mine. We are living in the "Mutti-Land". Merkel is our Mutti or Mom and we are not gonna change that soon eventhough I think we should maybe update this. The phrase is from 2014.
Nowadays there are a lot of people that are disappointed by the government of Merkel. That's why relativly many people support right shitheads like pegida and AFD. But afterall those who join these idiots are a minority that is very loud I guess. But the dangerous thing is that other who are disappointed stop going to vote and make the right wing to gain a better position.

Yes our Bundesländer are quite autonomus. Actually we call them Länder which means countries. For example their governments can decide about how school and education is done in their Bundesland.

Germany is indeed a beautiful country. We have many nice spots. You should also once visit the Nordsea Isles like Wangarooge.



Das könnte aus Google Übersetzer stammen :D

Oh, that was kind of you. I have seen and interacted with Syrian refugees in Denmark and Spain too. Never discussed politics with them. I try to avoid that in real life. Well, you know that you don't have to support ISIS/Al-Nusra/Islamists in order to be against Al-Assad?:)

Young people are often easily fooled and lack the perspective that age and experience can give. Also many of such people have hardly ever interacted with strangers or locals (the other way around) hence the often moronic claims and behavior. A lot could be solved if people took their time to talk peacefully and let people express their views mutually. As we do currently, lol.

I am sure that he had such ambitions but it is doubtful that he could pull it off in a region like the Middle East.

I saw on my television an interview with parents whose son was injured in that horrible truck terrorist attack in Berlin. They said that they would never vote for Merkel again and blamed her.

Actually this Tunisian from what I know, was not only a criminal from Tunisia but also an illegal migrant. It was the failure of Germany to allow such people back in after the were told to leave. Syrians cannot be blamed for that IMO or other foreigners.

Do you see any slight rise in neonazism or nationalism in Germany? We hear only about this in East Germany and in the villages there.

Actually I have visited a lot of Germany and especially driven past it. I have lived half my life in Europe and grew up there too. I visited places such as Schloss Neuschwanstein, the German Alps (I skied in a town called Lenggries), Baden-Baden, Stuttgart, München, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden etc. A lot were 1 day stays only as we used to drive past Germany.

Schreiben kann man nur auf Google Translate lernen.:lol:

BTW you might not know this but when you study chemical engineering you are bound to be exposed to German one way or another. This was quite a pain for me. I normally learn languages quick easily and I like studying languages but German is a very difficult language. Especially written German and German grammar.

Well for me both options should be on at least allowed. ^^

Yes, I have no problem with either but I would be more proud of the first example as a parent/objectively speaking IMO.
 
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it really depends on the qualities of the ruler and his personal characteristics

And therein lies the problem. The ruler is chosen by how fast he was as a sperm. In a democracy/republic, the ruler is chosen because of how capable he is of ruling (well, thats the plan at least, until a populist gets in charge).

you cannot categorically deem such a system ineffective or amoral because that was the norm back then and you are looking at it from a more modern viewpoint.

Oh I didn't say those. There is such a thing as a benevolent dictator, and they can be great. But they are sadly uncommon.

As for constitutional monarchies, I like the UK's system where the monarch has no actual power (well, they do, but to exercise it would mean constitutional crisis), and doesn't get its money from the taxpayer. The British Royal family is actually hugely profitable for the British people because of the tourist revenues. However, to get all these ingredients all at once is difficult to say the least. Iran had 2 attempts at constitutional monarchy in the 20th century and none of them succeeded.

Not only that you guys seem to have earthquakes in the area!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Bushehr_earthquake

Ah, I remember that. Fortunately, the reactor was built to withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes. Iran

Anyway a nuclear power plant is being built currently in the UAE

Good for them. Unfortunately Iran's reactor building started in the 70s, with a German design. Sanctions, war and more sanctions meant Iran had to ask the Russians to finish the job, and even they dragged their foot the whole way. So the reactor was only online in 2011. Nearly 40 years after construction began. Contract has been signed with Russia to build 2 more reactor at the Bushehr site - remains to be seen how long they are going to take on that one.
 
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And therein lies the problem. The ruler is chosen by how fast he was as a sperm. In a democracy/republic, the ruler is chosen because of how capable he is of ruling (well, thats the plan at least, until a populist gets in charge).



Oh I didn't say those. There is such a thing as a benevolent dictator, and they can be great. But they are sadly uncommon.

As for constitutional monarchies, I like the UK's system where the monarch has no actual power (well, they do, but to exercise it would mean constitutional crisis), and doesn't get its money from the taxpayer. The British Royal family is actually hugely profitable for the British people because of the tourist revenues. However, to get all these ingredients all at once is difficult to say the least. Iran had 2 attempts at constitutional monarchy in the 20th century and none of them succeeded.



Ah, I remember that. Fortunately, the reactor was built to withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes. Iran



Good for them. Unfortunately Iran's reactor building started in the 70s, with a German design. Sanctions, war and more sanctions meant Iran had to ask the Russians to finish the job, and even they dragged their foot the whole way. So the reactor was only online in 2011. Nearly 40 years after construction began. Contract has been signed with Russia to build 2 more reactor at the Bushehr site - remains to be seen how long they are going to take on that one.

It is a problem if the ruler is incompetent but if he is just a ceremonial figure (uniting figure) without much political power if any, like in most constitutional monarchies, it is irrelevant as the parliament and government are the rulers and decision makers together with the judiciary.

In old times, were only the elite was educated and could even read and write, outside the few examples of the opposite, ruling dynasties were surrounded by the best advisers (in general) and heirs were taught by the best possible teachers and were prepared for their future role as rulers.

For instance do you really believe that Khamenei is the best leader that Iran could possibly choose? I have no illusions in this regard when it comes to KSA. Or that the politicians in the West who are elected really are the most competent people out there? We know that this is NOT the case as the brightest minds do not usually want to waste their time, life and energy on something such as politics when they can earn much more money in the private sector and have a much more peaceful life.

Also who says that the citizenry are even informed enough to make a qualified decision? Often than not they are not voting with their brains.

That's great and I was also joking if that was not clear, lol.

Good luck. Hopefully there could one day be regional nuclear cooperation (sometime in the future) so we did not have to depend on foreigners.

KSA plans to built some 20 nuclear power plants by 2030 and we have signed deals with numerous countries (South Korea, China, France, Russia, Japan etc.) but time will only tell.
 
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while the ultraconservatives started cursing the clerics wife and called her a whore because you could see her face (not hair)!

o_O

without much political power if any, like in most constitutional monarchies

Maybe in a perfect world, but this is the middle east. We are very, very far from perfect. The sort of scumbags both in our countries and in the west will want to ensure they get what they want.

For instance do you really believe that Khamenei is the best leader that Iran could possibly choose? I have no illusions in this regard when it comes to KSA. Or that the politicians in the West who are elected really are the most competent people out there? We know that this is NOT the case as the brightest minds do not usually want to waste their time, life and energy on something such as politics when they can earn much more money in the private sector and have a much more peaceful life.

The brightest minds may not be suited to politics because an astrophysicist isn't necessarily a good politician. I know this is a blunt example, but political science is a nuanced thing, and although the best people don't always get the job, they often do. I personally wouldn't want to go into politics because I see it as a dirty, cut throat business that I don't want any part in.

As for Khamenei - for the position of Supreme Leader, I struggle to think of anyone else at the time of his appointing that could have done the job when giving the same balance between the political factions, while keeping the country together. He is not some half wit cleric... he is certainly highly competent at his job. Maybe Rafsanjani, but I don't know. At the early days of the revolution there were a lot of radicals, some of which were truly extremists... there was one who wanted to knock down Persepolis. That clown died some time ago.

Also who says that the citizenry are even informed enough to make a qualified decision? Often than not they are not voting with their brains.

While its true that the citizenry can be influenced by media and fear-mongering, there is no better system than democracy, with the proper checks and balances to prevent unsuitable candidates from running. Sometimes the citizenry must be ignored for the betterment of the country. For example, the disastrous result of the Brexit referendum. That referendum should have never happened.

KSA plans to built some 20 nuclear power plants by 2030 and we have signed deals with numerous countries

Sounds good... but too ambitious IMHO. Nuclear power plants take a seriously long time to build and commission. That target seems even more difficult if you are talking about entire power plants and not individual reactors.
 
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o_O



Maybe in a perfect world, but this is the middle east. We are very, very far from perfect. The sort of scumbags both in our countries and in the west will want to ensure they get what they want.



The brightest minds may not be suited to politics because an astrophysicist isn't necessarily a good politician. I know this is a blunt example, but political science is a nuanced thing, and although the best people don't always get the job, they often do. I personally wouldn't want to go into politics because I see it as a dirty, cut throat business that I don't want any part in.

As for Khamenei - for the position of Supreme Leader, I struggle to think of anyone else at the time of his appointing that could have done the job when giving the same balance between the political factions, while keeping the country together. He is not some half wit cleric... he is certainly highly competent at his job. Maybe Rafsanjani, but I don't know. At the early days of the revolution there were a lot of radicals, some of which were truly extremists... there was one who wanted to knock down Persepolis. That clown died some time ago.



While its true that the citizenry can be influenced by media and fear-mongering, there is no better system than democracy, with the proper checks and balances to prevent unsuitable candidates from running. Sometimes the citizenry must be ignored for the betterment of the country. For example, the disastrous result of the Brexit referendum. That referendum should have never happened.



Sounds good... but too ambitious IMHO. Nuclear power plants take a seriously long time to build and commission. That target seems even more difficult if you are talking about entire power plants and not individual reactors.

Just to clarify. Those were users on social media and whether they meant it or only wanted to troll I have no idea about. The backlash that he faced from fellow conservative clerics was mostly the usual "he is misguided on this subject" and "I disagree" kind of comments.

You are right. I feel that the majority are trapped in two very opposing worlds and forced to pick sides. If just sanity prevailed and the outside world would let the region develop in its own way and not interfere. People, at least in KSA, are incredibly tired of the discourse and instability in the region. They would rather focus on important matters such as diversification, education, infrastructure, health care and the usual stuff that matters the most for most people across the world.

I respect the West on many fronts and have ties to this part of the region but at the same time I am very frustrated that the same West is not doing enough or putting enough pressure for reform to take place in for instance KSA, the GCC, Arab world, Middle East and much of the Muslim world. At the same time I am not in favor of outright interference. I guess that I am a bit naive and believe the best in people but I forgot that once most people reach power they get easily corrupted.

I for once would love to have the kind of mythological rulers that you read about in literature or how ancient/past rulers (some of them at least) were described. Whether or not such descriptions were accurate or the result of propaganda/bias is hard to tell with certainty.

I at times do not know what to support and what to hope for. Such a confusing region of late. One good news and then 2 bad news follows and it continues forever.

Well, that might be the case but allow me to disagree a bit. I don't necessarily believe or think that politicians and those people attracted to politics and the limelight are the right people in power. More often than not this is not the case IMO.

As for internal Iranian politics my knowledge is not sufficient so I cannot dispute what you are saying.

That's quite extreme. I have for instance yet to hear a cleric in KSA talk about demolishing Mada'in Saleh.

You know what. I tend to agree but at times I would prefer some kind of Islamic-inspired (Mut'azillah for instance) meritocracy. Utopian, I know but I would love to see how such an society would unfold.

Yes and that is why I am a bit doubtful about whether 20 nuclear power plants can be built in such a relatively short time period but even if just a few were built it would be good for not only then nature but also the economy. Of course provided that nuclear safety regulations would be as safe as possible. The last thing this region needs is a local Chernobyl or a nuclear disaster.

Anyway I have to go. It was a pleasure discussing with you two. Trolling aside, I do like you guys although I do not know you in person.

Cheers.

@AmirPatriot @warfareknow
 
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I am very frustrated that the same West is not doing enough or putting enough pressure for reform to take place in for instance KSA, the GCC, Arab world, Middle East and much of the Muslim world.
They don't care, as long as they get what they want. Realpolitik.

I for once would love to have the kind of mythological rulers that you read about in literature or how ancient/past rulers (some of them at least) were described. Whether or not such descriptions were accurate or the result of propaganda/bias is hard to tell with certainty.
I suggest you watch this video. It is highly insightful.


Well, that might be the case but allow me to disagree a bit. I don't necessarily believe or think that politician and those people attracted to politics and the limelight are the right people in power. More often this is not the case IMO.
Not necessarily who is more attracted to politics, but who is most knowledgeable about it. I try to know as much about it as I can, but I would hate to be an actual politician.

Politics is anything but. Again, I refer you to the above video.

Anyway I have to go. It was a pleasure discussing with you two. Trolling aside, I do like you guys although I do not know you in person.

Cheers.
:cheers:
 
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Oh, that was kind of you. I have seen and interacted with Syrian refugees in Denmark and Spain too. Never discussed politics with them. I try to avoid that in real life. Well, you know that you don't have to support ISIS/Al-Nusra/Islamists in order to be against Al-Assad?:)

Well it was a nice experience and this is the way we show the new "everything foreign is bad" attitude is only a very very small voice in our country. We caused millions to die to displace and should know better but i guess everywhere idiots are the loudest people.

Young people are often easily fooled and lack the perspective that age and experience can give. Also many of such people have hardly ever interacted with strangers or locals (the other way around) hence the often moronic claims and behavior. A lot could be solved if people took their time to talk peacefully and let people express their views mutually. As we do currently, lol.

yep nothing to add or maybe just that those who spew the greatest bs were the most stupid people in our school. Eventhough we were at the best highschool (there are 3-4 different types of highschool depending on your Bundesland), which is the Gymnasium, one of these special persons on a trip to Berlin asked on the Autobahn for real if we are still in germany -____-

I am sure that he had such ambitions but it is doubtful that he could pull it off in a region like the Middle East.

I think his intentions were good but the way he did it was wrong. You can see this by the united voice of revolution against him.

I saw on my television an interview with parents whose son was injured in that horrible truck terrorist attack in Berlin. They said that they would never vote for Merkel again and blamed her.

Actually this Tunisian from what I know, was not only a criminal from Tunisia but also an illegal migrant. It was the failure of Germany to allow such people back in after the were told to leave. Syrians cannot be blamed for that IMO or other foreigners.

Yep. Some would try to abuse this attack to polerize against refugees ..
But many say german bureaucracy is fault however in this case nope. He had not the required papers to be deported back to Tunesia. That is the problem. Tunesia did'nt accept him. Government is blamed for much, as I said many people are disappointed but there also many false accusations like this. You can only blame police and BND because they knew he is dangerous anf lost his track.


QUOTE="Saif al-Arab, post: 9075354, member: 167867"]
Do you see any slight rise in neonazism or nationalism in Germany? We hear only about this in East Germany and in the villages there.[/quote]
Hmm
In everyday life I never ever experienced any kind of racism. I am accepted as who I am and even seen as a german :D However if we talk about the bigger picture of germany then yes. The right wing always existed but many people disappointed with the government joined the right wing hype. There are a lot of reasosns for that. Here an example:
Look at the main group of people that joined Pegida. People with low education, working partially or even unemployed. Elderly people with low Pension. All of the mentioned people have one thing in common, they fear to lose what they have. They demonstrate against refugees because they say the refugees will take away our jobs, our money, our pension. They feel left by the government that always presents us new numbers of low unemployment while many people are secretly unemployed or working partially for the min. wage. In these times the right wings come as they are opportunistic and gather all these people with themselves and shout in between of populist requests their racists bs.
the most funny thing is that as you said many of these things happen in east germany. This is where the least muslims and foreigners live.


Actually I have visited a lot of Germany and especially driven past it. I have lived half my life in Europe and grew up there too. I visited places such as Schloss Neuschwanstein, the German Alps (I skied in a town called Lenggries), Baden-Baden, Stuttgart, München, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden etc. A lot were 1 day stays only as we used to drive past Germany.

hope you had only good and happy moments while you were here and enjoyed your stay :D

Schreiben kann man nur auf Google Translate lernen.:lol:

:D

[Q
UOTE="Saif al-Arab, post: 9075354, member: 167867"]BTW you might not know this but when you study chemical engineering you are bound to be exposed to German one way or another. This was quite a pain for me. I normally learn languages quick easily and I like studying languages but German is a very difficult language. Especially written German and German grammar.[/quote]


Hahaha :D
Well, I had to learn german and it was very easy for me but I must admitt I had the advantage to be very young when we moved to germany.
Languages i find difficult are french and spanish.
I had 5 years french and 3 years spanish and I cannot say a single phrase In these languages. I was never interested to learn them. Just needed them to have a good graduation and then forgot everything :D

Yes, I have no problem with either but I would be more proud of the first example as a parent/objectively speaking IMO.
(Y)
This is exactly what I mean, at the end everybody can choose. But both should be allowed. I mean it is dumb when some activists say you are suppressing women with hijab and they think every women thinks like that.
 
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Nice couple, look much sensible.
2656399268.jpg
 
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Is this PDF's new year resolution? To have respectful discussions with each other? 2017 is going to be a good year.
 
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