From the perspective of an immigrant from a Muslim-majority country, this story sends a troubling message: simply escaping war should be enough reason to be grateful.
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Hamid's Story and the Politics of Gratitude in a German Language Course Book
From the perspective of an immigrant from a Muslim-majority country, this story sends a troubling message: the message is that simply escaping war should be enough reason to be grateful.I am still not sure how to tell this story, but I guess it makes sense to start with what I found problematic in the first place, which I believe I explained quite well in my letter to the publisher of the book. So, everything here is like the original email I sent them, except for the parts in bold.
Subject: Concerns Regarding the Representation of Immigrants in Your Book
Dear Publisher of One of the Few and Biggest German Language Coursebooks,
I am currently a student in a Berufssprachkurs B2, and I would like to address some problematic aspects of the textbook used in our course. I strongly believe that these textbooks, along with your German language classes, play a crucial role in our immigration experience. They are often among the first places where we encounter German culture outside of our usual social circles. This significantly influences our perceptions and impressions of this country.
For this reason, I am writing this letter. To clarify my concerns, I will revisit the story of Hamid (NameoftheBook, p.XX) from the textbook.
First, I want to emphasize that my critique does not stem from an idealized view of our home countries. I recognize the positive aspects of Germany—after all, I chose to immigrate here rather than elsewhere. However, this does not mean that the challenges faced by immigrants should be ignored or that Germany should be portrayed in an overly idealized manner (The reason I include this paragraph here is worth considering as well; I think it may make me sound somewhat apologetic. What do you think?).
Concerns Regarding the Story of Hamid
The textbook presents the story of Hamid, who left his home country two years ago. While the country of origin is not explicitly mentioned, his name strongly suggests that he comes from a Muslim-majority country. The text states:Er ist nicht religiös, liebt Rap-Musik und sieht am liebsten amerikanische Fernsehserien und Filme. In Deutschland ist das kein Problem, in seiner Heimat konnte er aber nie offen darüber sprechen. Er ist nicht nur wegen des Krieges geflohen und hat seine Familie und viele gute Freunde zurückgelassen, sondern auch, weil er frei leben wollte. Dieses Ziel hat er in Deutschland eigentlich erreicht. Er muss keine Angst mehr haben und kann sein Leben leben.(He is not religious, loves rap music, and prefers watching American TV series and movies. In Germany that is not a problem, but in his home country he could never speak openly about it. He fled not only because of the war and leaving his family and many good friends behind, but also because he wanted to live freely. He has actually achieved this goal in Germany. He no longer has to be afraid and can live his life.)
This portrayal is problematic because it presents an overly simplistic contrast between Hamid's home country and Germany. It implies that fleeing war alone should make one grateful and that Germany grants immigrants complete freedom, disregarding the structural challenges they continue to face. In reality, people like Hamid can still experience discrimination and violence in Germany. Simply having a non-German name and foreign origins can put someone at risk, as tragic events like the NSU attacks (NSU-Attentate) and the Hanau shooting (Hanau-Attentat) have shown.Moreover, "sein Leben leben" also includes the right to secure housing. Unfortunately, studies show that people with foreign-sounding names face significant discrimination in the housing market, regardless of their income or employment status (see: Study on Discrimination in the Housing Market.
Later, the text continues:
Trotzdem steht ihm noch viel im Weg. Vor allem muss er zahlreiche bürokratische Hürden überwinden. „Alles dauert so lange, ich komme nur in ganz kleinen Schritten voran", sagt er. Er will Ingenieur werden, aber er hat Schwierigkeiten, weil ihm immer noch einige Dokumente fehlen. An die Uni kann er aus diesem Grund noch nicht. Er besucht einen Gast-Kurs an der Universität in Konstanz am Bodensee. Zugleich bereitet er sich auf die Prüfungen vor, die er für die Zulassung zum Studium braucht, und arbeitet in einem Imbiss.(Nevertheless, much still stands in his way. Above all, he has to overcome numerous bureaucratic hurdles. 'Everything takes so long, I'm making progress only in tiny steps,' he says. He wants to become an engineer, but he is having difficulties because he is still missing a few documents. For this reason, he cannot go to university yet. He is attending a guest course at the University of Konstanz on Lake Constance. At the same time, he is preparing for the exams he needs for university admission and working in a snack bar.)
The story ends with Hamid reflecting on his dangerous journey:„Im Rahmen meiner Möglichkeiten versuche ich einfach, das Beste aus meiner Situation zu machen, auch wenn es manchmal frustrierend ist", sagt Hamid. „Denn eines mache ich mir immer wieder klar: Ich habe acht Versuche gebraucht, um nach Deutschland zu kommen, wir sind gekentert, ich bin fast ertrunken, es war alles sehr gefährlich, aber ich würde es sofort wieder tun, wenn ich müsste. Hier ist meine Zukunft."(Within the scope of my possibilities, I simply try to make the best of my situation, even if it is sometimes frustrating,' says Hamid. 'Because one thing I keep reminding myself of: It took me eight attempts to get to Germany, we capsized, I almost drowned, it was all very dangerous, but I would do it again immediately if I had to. My future is here.)
Why This Narrative is Problematic
From the perspective of an immigrant from a Muslim-majority country, this story sends a troubling message: that simply escaping war should be enough reason to be grateful—so grateful that any difficulties or injustices in Germany should be overlooked. It reinforces the idea that Germany is the sole provider of freedom while failing to acknowledge the contributions that people like Hamid make to German society and the economy.Some might argue that this is just a short story in a textbook, but narratives like these are deeply influential. They reflect and reinforce larger discourses that shape how German society perceives immigrants—particularly those with Turkish or Arabic names.
I hope you take these concerns seriously and would appreciate hearing your thoughts on them.
For reference, I have included the original text from the textbook at the end of this email.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Dr. Your-Well-Educated Kanak (Usually, I don't believe adding my academic title to an email makes much sense, and I am often skeptical of people who do so. However, somehow, I get the feeling that in Germany it might help to be taken seriously, which is why I include my title. Now, I just remembered that I also have a story about me, the Bürgeramt, and putting my PhD title on my German ID.)
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