Germany prints its constitution in Arabic for refugees

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.com/en/germany-prints-its-constitution-in-arabic-for-refugees/a-18751108

Germany has translated 20 articles of its constitution into Arabic to help migrants integrate. Chancellor Angela Merkel says the arrival of hundreds of thousands of new residents marks a watershed in German politics.

Germany prints its constitution in Arabic for refugees
30.09.2015

Adopted in 1949, Germany's "Basic Law" sets out the country's defining postwar principles. As the country prepares to take in up to 800,000 people this year, officials have expressed optimism that an Arabic translation of selected sections could help them assimilate.

"I am convinced that the first 20 articles of our constitution are what shape our culture," Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told the mass-circulation daily Bild , adding that Germany had printed 10,000 copies for distribution among refugees at registration centers. "What is important for our culture is that the principles of our democratic society apply to everyone," he said.

In a nod to common anxieties , Gabriel said refugees would have to accept secular governance and the declared right to freely express one's sexual identity. Acknowledging another worry commonly expressed by politicians and press, Gabriel also said that Germany officially did not tolerate anti-Semitism.

"People who come here must not only learn the German language, but also learn the rules of the game of living together," said Gabriel, who also serves as party boss for the centrist Social Democrats.