Should immigrants adopt the culture and traditions of their new country?
These days, Germany for sure is what people like to call a „multicultural country“. People from different countries, with different cultural backgrounds and religions, live together closely. Even though this without a doubt holds many benefits, considering that there is so much to learn about other cultures, there are still people who do not seem able to cope with these lifestyles and attitudes that differentiate so much from German culture and Christian religion. The question if immigrants should adopt the culture and traditions of their new country is still a fiercely discussed one.
For people who leave- or maybe even have to leave- the country they were born in to live in a foreign place, keeping their culture and religious traditions often is the only way to make themselves feel at home. Mostly they do not know the country and never have been there before. Especially considering the cases of immigration caused by war or other political meanings, the immigrants often do not even speak the language of the country they move to. In this case, their religion and traditions are what they consider the foundation of their identity. These are the only things left to them from their old lives and it naturally is what they hold on to. Of course they also want their children to know where they come from and what this really means.
Many German people though, expect immigrants to assimilate to our culture and even religion. They are confused by Muslim women wearing headscarfs or Jewish people not celebrating Christmas. Their traditions and religious behavior are completely new and strange to most German people and usually they do not try to understand them but refuse them anyway. The reason for this behavior might be rooted in the fact that it is a part of the human nature to be afraid of things we do not understand. Furthermore, there are a whole lot of people feeling offended by immigrants...
