Since January this year, a family from Afganistan is living in the house, where I live. 4 people, a man with his woman and 2 childen at the age of 9 and 2. They are nice people. They are friendly and always smiling. They want to integrate, they learn german and have plans for the future, contributing to the community. They are aware, that they live of tax-money.
We helped them as good as we could. We gave some clothing from our children, we helped them with papers, we drive them to make their shopping on a regular base and I even give German lessons to the man, a slender shy man, who is always smiling with little stars in his eyes. He makes a quite intelligent impression on me and learns pretty fast.
Last week on monday we (we live above them in the house) heard squeeking sounds, clatter, crying, splintering and shouting. In a splitsecond it was clear as day that this "nice" man was battering his wife like a maniac. My wife and I looked at another in disbelief for a second and then ran both down the stairs to knock, or more hammer on their door, shouting at them to stop and to open the door.
10 Seconds later (and these felt like an eternity) the man opened the door, rubbing his knuckles but smiling as ever, asking what we want. It was clear that he had beaten his wife in front of his two children across the whole appartment. I, full of adrenalin, told him with clenched fists and an almost calm voice, that he has to stop, whatever he is doing now, or I will stop it. I explained that in Germany we don't hit women, and we don't hit children, and that our culture works the way, that everybody takes care of the persons around them. I told him, that I expect him to stop me, too, if I ever loose my temper versus my wife. My wife offered to his wife asylum in our home, if ever she needs it, to be save from him.
He looked at me and probably understood only half of what I was telling and said, that he was sorry for being so noisy and that he will not be as loud again.
Some days later his wife told my wife, that he does that "fortunately not thaaaat often", and that she really must be a lucky woman. This is normal and Ok, according to Islam. She also said, that it was her fault and she will behave better in the future...
Well... I still am thinking how to proceed in future, I still am not sure, if I reacted the right way (if it had been a German guy, I probably would have given him a beating ... but here... "culture"). If we stop helping them with their shopping and the German lessons, it will be a harder time for the woman. And at least, the basic and frightening fact is:
These are settled "normal" and "nice" people, compared to 100 thousands of others, that I've seen around Germany so far. I always was sceptic about this whole immigration wave but now I say it loud and firm:
I don't want this kind of culture here in my land. I don't want this kind of behaviour to spread here in my land. I don't want tax money to be spent on this kind of people.
Check out some facts and numbers. (these numbers are all 2011 numbers, but I doubt this has changed much)
TL&DR
I don't care what you believe in and what your religion is, I don't care what your skin colour is, I don't care where you come from. I even don't care if or what you vote for.
What I care for is, how you act and how you treat other people. If you don't force people to do as you wish and as long as you don't hurt other people (and no, having another opinion does not hurt in the first place), you can do, believe and live where you want to.
