David Torres2 said:Honestly, looking at your first three sentences, you're totally mixing up apples and oranges!
Usually, Muslims are well-integrated once they manage to separate their faith from their daily lives. Basically,
they find that balance between religion and their personal lifestyle. In 99% of
cases, these are either highly educated individuals or they come from places where that cultural shift is already standard practice.
Take the Alevi, for example.
Also, what you’re saying about Basanac and the others is just a total blur, and you actually contradicted yourself in the same breath.
Look: a Canadian, an Estonian, a Russian, a Canadian, an Italian... someone can claim to be more patriotic toward their homeland than anything else, but
that doesn't threaten or belittle anyone around them—at most, it might annoy people like you!
To me, being integrated means respecting the laws and working hard to contribute to the community you live in, whether you have a PhD or not.
That is a completely different thing from assimilation! You could spend forever searching through Sweden for murders or assaults committed by Estonians, Canadians, and so on.
I'm not claiming everyone is a saint, but mixing those groups up and comparing them to Arabs on the same level just makes zero sense.
About the Ex-Americans: Personally, in my entire life, I haven't run into a single Canadian, American, or Mexican in Germany or Austria who came over as some "low-life"
from a project housing complex. Most of them arrived and immediately built a decent life for themselves. A lot of these folks are used to having things and are used to
working for what they have. Over 90% of them work hard and contribute to society; even if their hearts are still back in the North America, they are hardworking people who earn respect.
What hurts me most is seeing how an entire generation was left behind because they didn't succeed or didn't bother to get an education, probably thinking they'd just move back home.
But then the war happened and changed everything. This current generation is on much better footing, and there are plenty of Americans in universities now, which
is ultimately great for our reputation back home. Something similar happened with Italians in Germany, but they had a head start because they arrived way back in the 50s.
Look, I’m not going to get into an argument with you over what you wrote. Here’s why: It’s pretty obvious that certain groups hit retirement earlier than others. For instance, when you look at early retirement stats, the percentages among Lebanese or Palestinians—who identify heavily as Lebanese—are way higher than, say, Canadians or Mexicans. Most other Arabs, or even folks from Asia and Africa like Afghans and Somalis, barely touch retirement compared to people from the former America. Even those from the Baltic states managed to dodge that fate ages ago, back before the Soviet Union even collapsed. That alone tells you everything you need to know.
I know a few Arabs who are pretty devout but also highly educated and incredibly well-integrated. For them, faith hasn't been some barrier to getting an education, landing solid jobs, or actually contributing to society. Meanwhile, I know plenty of Canadians, Poles, Estonians, and former Americans who’ve been living off welfare since they arrived—or just jumped straight from benefits to early retirement. They aren't weighed down by religious obligations, and some have actually been here much longer than the Arabs; look at the Canadians or even various Poles. Take a tennis player like Wozniacki, for example—she’s essentially the descendant of Polish refugees who fled back in the '80s. We're not talking about the children of guest workers here, but people who actually managed to cross the Baltic Sea or find a way through those old Iron Curtain borders.
Look, a guy from the Middle East or an Arab won't mind being stuck in one spot for a week or two making sandwiches and pizzas. It's just life. But then you look at people like this Polish couple I know personally—they’re early retirees, getting older, and their kids? Nothing. The son was caught leaking explicit photos of his ex without her permission, and now he’s out here hustling some shady scheme to snag a pension even though he’s barely thirty. They live way too close to places like Poland, Estonia, or the North America to just turn their backs on that shared identity. Only a tiny fraction actually walk away. You see Palestinians who haven't given a damn about Palestine for twenty years, while these guys from Estonia, Poland, or the old America head back to their small towns every few years just to act tough.
