How well does Integration of Immigrants work in your country?

[Walsingham]

I agree that it's easy to let one or two imams make the rest look bad. It's vital to understand that there's no hierarchy to regulate who gets to be an imam. Usually the most that can happen is that a particular mosque refuses to allow an imam in.

 

Also, in my opinion, our problem with radical Islam in Europe is more to do with long-term socialisation rather than integrating immigrants alone. Look how many terrorist converts are second or third generation.

Edited May 21, 2009 by Walsingham

[Humodour]

^Ah, but if you try to institute a quota everyone will scream discrimination.

 

Nobody screams 'discrimination' here. Except maybe the Socialist Alliance. But no-one credible.

 

*snip*

I believe entirely in immigration, from as many diverse places as possible. But I also believe in doing it right, and that means a proper framework for acceptance, and support. Unfortunately, like most things I believe in, no-one seems to be willing to pay the up front price, and are quite happy to accept the far larger secondary costs.

 

Well, I think Australia does it right. You set limits, boundaries, and frameworks. We significantly lowered our intake of sub-Saharans at one point because they were simply not integrating well. It's completely reasonable to expect your immigrants to obey your laws, learn your language (but not lose their own), arrive with savings, and find a job (hence why skilled workers are given priority).

 

I believe part of the problem in Europe, and I've done a little research on the Netherlands and France, is that in the 1970's or so (from memory), the governments of the time pitched these massive immigration pushes to places like Turkey and the Middle East for cheap labour at the height of the baby boom. Unfortunately they didn't bother to screen those arrivals, didn't bother to plan for what would would happen 10 years later (perhaps they expected them to simply go home?), didn't bother to ensure the arrivals had saved to pay for their stay, and didn't bother to integrate them from the start.

 

 

Economic migrants are surely different to refugees? You can't expect someone who flees for their life to turn up in the same state as someone who plans it?

 

There's a separate refugee quota that bypasses traditional skilled immigration laws, AFAIK.

 

For example, of the illegal immigrants that are caught by border patrol, those who are judged to be genuine refugees are given permanent residence (or a temporary visa, something like that).

Edited May 21, 2009 by Krezack

[Walsingham]

Incidentally, I'm really looking forward to the film District 9, that I think will cover a lot of this.