Wiebke Arnold – Pike & Hurricane

Staying Politically Correct – PEGIDA

Wiebke Arnold — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 23:48:39 +0000

Since it was founded in October 2014, the PEGIDA movement – an acronym for Patriotische Europäer Gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West) – has been gaining support, stirring up German politics and society. Despite claiming to be neither xenophobic nor racist, the group has been attracting mainstream conservatives, as well as Neo-Nazis and football hooligans. They protest against the alleged dangerous swelling of Islam within Germany and other European countries, and purport to defend their Christian values, as outlined in their 19 point manifesto. However, even a cursory examination reveals this is not to be the case. PEGIDA is the manifestation of a more profound problem in a religious disguise.

Pegida in Dresden, December 2014

As their name suggests, PEGIDA are claiming to defend the values of the Christian West, or occident, against Islamisation. This is striking, as the movement originated in Dresden, where only a very small fraction of the population is Christian. What’s more, the attempted connection to Christianity is anything but welcomed by church leaders in Germany. Former president of the Lutheran World Union, Bishop Christian Krause, told Die Welt that he perceives the use of Christian symbols at rallies, such as crosses painted in black, red and gold, as “perverse”. He remarked that Christian values would entail respect for religious freedom and standing up for the plight of Muslim refugees. According to him, someone who claims to defend these values by excluding others, obviously, does not know what he or she is defending.

Similarly, in an interview with Die Zeit, a spokesman for the German evangelic church claimed using the term “Islamisation” was unjustified, with less than 5% of the German population being Muslim, most of whom reside peacefully in Germany. He added that using the term to support xenophobic and racist paroles would demonstrate values diametrically opposite to those of Christianity. Unsurprisingly, hardly any Christians are to be found at PEGIDA rallies. What, then, is the movement fighting for?

My conversation with the “concerned citizen”

Interested in investigating the concerns of PEGIDA supporters, I contacted a Facebook group associated with the organisation, kindly asking for the members to elaborate on their worries. Soon after posting my question, Facebook user Besorgter Bürger (concerned citizen) replied. He pointed out that there are more and more rules in Germany, which demand that citizens abstain from practicing their religion, whilst making allowances for Muslims t. Moreover, he mentioned that Muslims need to become more tolerant also, noting that religious freedomis a two-way street. Touching upon more general issues, I asked him to elaborate on the restrictions he felt in practicing his religion. To my surprise, my message was never answered and I was subsequently deleted from the group. I am not alone in this experience. Numerous reported cases of PEGIDA supporters refusing to speak to the “lying press”, give off the impression that anyone questioning the movement is unwelcome.

This proves to be counter-productive, as some valid points are included in the 19 point manifesto of the PEGIDA; about the asylum legislation in Germany and the EU as a whole, as well as the need for reforms, better integration, faster application processes and the right to self-determination. Showing a reluctance to engage in dialogue is not the way to get one’s voice heard. This behaviour tells me that PEGIDA supporters are unsure as to what they are supporting. One thing they are sure about: they are dissatisfied with the German government.

This became clear after Angela Merkel addressed the public in her New Year’s speech; calling for people to turn their backs to PEGIDA, arguing the group was “full of prejudice, a chilliness, and even hatred”. As a result of her speech, even more people joined PEGIDA rallies, the direct opposite of the hoped-for effect. Despite taking a stand for tolerance and religious freedom amongst all Germans, the problematics behind the religious facade was not addressed in her speech.

Counter-protestors against the “LEGIDA” spin-off

What is happening on German streets, therefore, is not surprising. A recent study published by the Bertelsman Foundation revealed that around 57 percent of Germany’s non-Muslim population feel threatened by Islam, with one in four Germans willing to support a ban on Muslim immigrants altogether. PEGIDA emerged from this 57 percent. Kathirn Oertel, one of PEGIDA’s leaders, claimed that “exceptions are always made for the Muslims and for nobody else”. Her complaint referred to an instance where Muslim girls skipped swimming lessons on account of wearing headscarves. This reveals the widespread sentiment that the line between staying true to one’s principles and being politically correct has been blurred too much. Exceptions are being made to ensure everyone’s needs are met. The problem with the alleged “Islamisation” is that the protestors rarely make a distinction between Islam and Islamists, between well-integrated Muslims and fanatics.

Frank Richter, director of the Federal Agency for Civic Education in the state of Saxony, in an interview with the Guardian, claimed to identify the real problem behind the movement. “From a lack of understanding in our political system…to a loss of trust in institutions, people don’t feel they’re being listened to enough”, leading to frustration and discontent with the political leaders. “They feel they’re being talked down to, they don’t understand the way the asylum law is applied” Richter explains.

Nevertheless, the rallies should be taken seriously and constructive dialogue with PEDIGA members should be encouraged. Finding ways to integrate immigrants into society more smoothly, as well as drawing the line between respect for German law and the struggle to stay politically correct more clearly, should be on the top of political leaders’ priority list in 2015. If not, the situation might easily get out of hand soon.

By Wiebke Arnold

Image credit:

Picture 1 & 3: Caruso Pinguin, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Picture 2: Wiebke Arnold

The post Staying Politically Correct – PEGIDA appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.

Fortress Europe – or the Border of Hypocrisy

Wiebke Arnold — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:08:43 +0000

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked one of the greatest moments in history – people were reunited and peace had prevailed. Twenty-five years down the line, we still remember this memorable event because it tells us “if we can do this, we can do anything”.

However, fourteen guests of honour did not take part in the ceremonies for this year’s 25th commemoration. Fourteen white crosses representing the people who died in the attempt to cross the Berlin Wall were stolen by the Centre for Political Beauty – a German group of activists notorious for their controversial acts, such as the EBay auctioning of Angela Merkel in 2009 and an X-factor style audition for Syrian Refugees in 2014. Despite these being highly contentious undertakings, they are trying to make a point. We need to stop and open our eyes to what is happening around us.

In fact, the crosses were taken to the outer edges of Europe, to the borders of the EU, where refugees are being prevented to reach European territory. Similar to the events 25 years ago, people are being separated by force. As recorded by Amnesty International, the borders that are particularly affected by immigration are the land borders between Greece and Turkey, which used to be one of the main entry points for migrants entering the EU before mid-2012. In August 2012, Greece launched an operation to block its border, positioning police officers for border control, as well as setting up a 10.5 km long killing-machine-like fence. This blockade caused an immigration flux in neighbouring Bulgaria, leading to authorities struggling to adequately attend to the needs of refugees. Instead of taking proper measures and appealing to other EU member states, Bulgaria increased their own border security.

The countries that are affected the most by migrants from the MENA region (Middle East, North Africa) are Greece, Bulgaria, as well as Italy, Spain and Malta. Many of these countries are struggling to manage the migrant influx. According to the current immigration framework only one EU member state is responsible for the assessment of an asylum application. Unfortunately, the conditions in Greece and Italy are increasingly bad. This has led to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) enacting that member states should stop sending back asylum seekers to these countries. Southern EU countries have complained that the law does not allow for an equal distribution amongst member states as the majority of asylum seekers arrive on southern shores.

By stealing the white crosses, the Centre for Political Beauty tried to point out the hypocrisy of building borders while celebrating the fall of another. However, the fences are not the end of this. At the south-eastern border in Turkey and Bulgaria, immigrants are even pushed back unlawfully to the country they came from, mainly Syrian and Afghan refugees. According to international law, a country only has to grant asylum once the person is on its territory. However, by keeping migrants from reaching the borders by force, the authorities are taking away one of their basic human rights – free movement. Australia is a country well-known for keeping out refugees, and therefore widely discredited. Although their actions are deemed largely contentious, what the EU is doing is not that different. Trying to keep migrants from coming to Europe, the EU is even creating a buffer zone by supporting the migration control systems in neighbouring countries, such as Libya, Morocco, Turkey and Ukraine.

The problem with immigration, however, is not a lack of solidarity amongst European countries or that there are simply too many refugees for Europe to handle. Quite on the contrary, it is an attitude problem. Europe is afraid. Pope Francis recently appealed to the Europeans, saying Europe was “slowly losing its own soul” by no longer being “open to the transcendent dimension of life”. The notion of peace and unity that was so noticeable after the Berlin Wall came down seems to have faded away over the past years. People feel as though they are losing their national identity in the process of European convergence. But instead of looking for solutions, people are finding scapegoats for their identity crisis – the immigrants. Polls have shown that Europeans generally perceive the condition to be more severe than it actually is. Estimating the number of immigrants to be much higher than in reality can shape the political opinion and lead to misconception of the situation altogether.

So really, the problem lies with the people of Europe, standing in the way of creating more effective laws. Pope Francis so rightly said “we cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery!” The White Crosses stolen from the 25th Berlin Wall commemoration should be a wake-up call. Personal frustrations with the EU should not become another person’s death sentence. It is time to look beyond the borders of Europe for a change of mind.

By Wiebke Arnold

Image credit:

Picture 1: phlippe leroyer, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Picture 2: Irish Defence Forces, licensed under CC BY 2.0

The post Fortress Europe – or the Border of Hypocrisy appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.

Don’t Hold Back

Wiebke Arnold — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 11:37:40 +0000

Going on exchange can either be a marvellous experience or a nerve-wrecking disaster. Finding accommodation at the last minute, travelling to your destination, tackling language barriers, scouting your way around the city as well as the university campus, getting lost on your way to class – there are a lot of things to work out in the very beginning and whole lot more debacles to figure out on a daily basis, such as mastering your host city’s public transport system.

Nevertheless, no matter how your experience turns out, going on exchange offers opportunities for self-development and enhances future employability. This is of even greater importance for students who are at risk due to social exclusion, such as people with disabilities. Ensuring a smooth and enjoyable time on exchange, good organisation and support from both your home and host universities is the most essential thing. Unfortunately, not all universities are equipped with a care service and sufficient accessibility on campus to cater to the needs of all students.

“Sometimes I had some problems with accessibility”, Eric recalls, a French student, who uses a wheelchair. “I had to change residence; I was often refused on the bus if I was not with many friends and I had to ask the faculty to change the place of some classes in order to follow the course.” For the purpose of creating more awareness and facilitating the exchange process for students, organisations such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) project ExchangeAbility have come about with the purpose of removing obstacles to participation in student exchanges and promoting the opportunities available.

Having been introduced to Sweden mere months ago, the project is still in its first phase of acquiring local coordinators for each ESN section. “As soon as a section appoints a local coordinator, he or she will start cooperation with the university’s disability unit and together figure out how to promote and raise awareness for students with disabilities to participate in exchange” Ben Sejdaj explains, the ExchangeAbility ambassador in Sweden.

Promoting awareness of disabilities in university studies, in particular exchange studies, is an important undertaking, as it shapes the future of our workforce as well as creating future career opportunities and opening doors to new connections. Taking a closer look at the Erasmus Programme, for instance, in the year of 2009/2010 only 230 students with special needs received a supplementary Erasmus grant – this represents only 0.14% of all Erasmus students – signifying room for improvement.

“ExchangeAbility covers both physical and psycho-social disabilities such as physical, hearing, visual, speaking, intellectual impairments; mental health conditions; and Autism Spectrum Disorder” says Ben, addressing a range of disabilities, and so ensuring anyone can get support. He further points out, “The two main things higher education institutions are supposed to be able to provide are care services for students with disabilities and good accessibility to their buildings“, . Unfortunately, only 33% of the universities in Europe have a disability unit, office or similar facility where students can get support and guidance.

Coming to Sweden as an exchange student with a disability, you’re in luck, as “Swedes are very tolerant and aware of persons with disabilities, which makes the communication easier”, Ben observes. However, despite the awareness, there are still gaps in the system. Although Malmö University has a disability unit, not all students with a disability know of the support and assistance they’re entitled to. Philipp, a student from Malmö University remarks that even though “[he] only [has] a stutter”, the Disability Service at his host university in Sussex, UK, still wanted to meet with him. “In the end, however, it seemed unnecessary, as a lot of the teachers there were less bureaucratic and more understanding than in Malmö.”

Similar organisations to the ESN ExchangeAbility exist in the US, such as the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs or Mobility International USA. As for Europe, projects like The Link Network and ExchangeAbility were some of the first student exchange orientated organisations in Europe signifying an important step towards an inclusive academia and employment sector?. Not only do projects like these open doors to international experiences, they set the cornerstone for a more accessible workforce. Organisations such as Workability Europe, UN Enable, and Disability Awareness in Action (DAA) of the International Disability and Human Rights Network represent some campaigns that actively deal with the issue of promoting awareness and inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“If you have a physical disability, you know that not everywhere is going to be accessible, so don’t let it overwhelm you and just remember that there is a solution to everything with some careful planning and organisation”, is Jessica’s advice, an Irish student living with Cerebral Palsy. Even though the ExchangeAbility project had not been introduced to her host university in Barcelona when she went there on exchange, she remembers that “my disability was never an issue, as everything was planned well in advance to ensure that my needs were met.” On her first day, she met with a disability officer to arrange transportation to and from campus, as well as to and from her campus accommodation.

In the end, it comes down to this: students with disabilities should by no means feel discouraged or intimidated of taking the risk of going abroad. A disability should not hold you back. The first steps have been taken towards a more accessible academia across borders and with that a step towards a more inclusive future. “I’ve learned over the years that there are always going to be obstacles to overcome when you have a disability”, Jessica points out. “But, how you tackle those obstacles makes a big difference to your overall experience. You shouldn’t let them hold you back.”

By Wiebke Arnold

Image credit:

Picture 1: Jeff Ozvold, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Picture 2: Oliver Gouldthorpe, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

The post Don’t Hold Back appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.

Consumerism and the Lack of Happiness

Wiebke Arnold — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:09:13 +0000

Standing in front of my closet this morning, choosing an outfit for the day, I caught myself thinking “I have got nothing to wear”. Ironically, I had just looked through a selection of shirts, skirts, pants and dresses – there were plenty of eligible outfits – I merely deemed them unsuitable for the occasion. So I did have something to wear, I just wasn’t pleased with the choices – there was nothing new about my clothes. As a woman, I believe this situation is not that rare of an occurrence. However, the fact that I felt the urge to update my already well-stocked wardrobe, got me thinking – why do I feel that I need more, when I already have so much?

In today’s society it can be difficult to distinguish between one’s wants and needs. At times it may even feel as though it is impossible to control the desire to want more. No wonder, with TV shows, social media, newspapers and even toilet stall doors shoving advertisements in our faces every day – more or less subliminally – cajoling us to shop, starting the vicious circle of consumerism.

As early as the 17th century, the consumerist way of life started to implement itself into our society. English historian Keith Thomas describes it as “the gradual emergence of a new ideology, accepting the pursuit of consumer goods as a valid object of human endeavour” increasing the living standards of all classes and providing opportunities previously limited by social ranking. Connecting satisfaction, well-being and, most of all, status to one’s possessions became a way of measuring life’s worth. This doctrine was taken further by economists after the World Wars, especially by Victor Lebow, who in 1955 demanded we seek happiness in consumption, making it our way of life. Though this doctrine might have been beneficial for the economy then, it developed a momentum of its own, with severe consequences for our lives today.

Adapted by our governments and implemented by the media, our society still revolves around consumption, making us believe that it will lead to fulfilment. Consequently, not only have we made consumerism a way of life, we also make our happiness dependent on it – measuring our worth by how much we own compared to others. However, this leaves us eternally unsatisfied – and envious of others who seemingly have more. Despite feeling happier after a purchase, the sensation wears off quickly, shifting our focus back to the things we still do not have. Philosopher Henry David Thoreau once said that “it is the preoccupation with possessions that prevents us from living freely and nobly”. Meaning that what is promised to us through consumerism – happiness and satisfaction – actually keeps us from achieving just that.

The dilemma with the never-ending desire to buy new things is that it is not sustainable; the one thing that the economists failed to tell us. Producing more stuff also means creating more waste – naturally, this cannot go on forever on a finite planet – thus having a negative impact on our planet. Even though, we should be aware of this, living in the 21st century, consumerism still has a tight grip on us. Yet, studies have shown, organising our lives around how much we own, actually, affects our wellbeing in a bad way, leading to depression and anxiety more often than satisfaction and happiness. In fact, consumerism has an impact on our social life and our environment as materialistic values shift our focus from the things that actually matter.

Since not consuming anything is close to impossible in today’s world, the situation may seem helpless. I find myself in a constant struggle of valuing what I have, thus resisting the urge to shop but wanting to buy all the things society suggests I should own. Luckily, there are certain things we can do to move towards a more conscious type of consumerism and with that a more sustainable way of life. One of the causes of consumerist behaviour is insecurity; we buy things to make us feel better about ourselves. Therefore, finding alternative ways to feel better and more secure, such as spending time with friends and family, can help us realise that there is a lot to be thankful for. Another thing we can do is to minimise media exposure; installing ad blocks and muting commercials can be a start to this, with the upside of less annoying ads and pop-ups when streaming movies.

However, to foster a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle on a bigger scale, we need to start pushing for broader societal change and the implementation of intrinsic values in politics. Ecological Economist, William Rees, said that “we need to learn to live within the means of nature”, meaning that we should share and redistribute our wealth. This may seem like a difficult task – still, training ourselves in awareness is something we can do as individuals to contribute to the big picture. For instance, useful tools, such as the Conscious Consumer Shopping Guide, show that conscious consumerism actually adds to our life quality, rather than restricting us in our living standard.

So the next time, I catch myself uttering the words “I don’t have anything to wear”, I will remind myself that I do in fact have a lot to be thankful for – things way more important than a new outfit.

By Wiebke Arnold

Image credit:

Picture 1: David Blackwell, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Picture 2: Zohar Manor-Abel, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

The post Consumerism and the Lack of Happiness appeared first on Pike & Hurricane.