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Loren Wait
AP English III
12 December 2016
Correlation is not Causation: Germanys Open Door Policy
Germanys current chancellor Angela Merkel introduced an open door policy to
her country in an effort to give a safe haven for Middle Eastern refugees to escape the
traumatizing experiences their country is filled with because of ongoing conflicts in
Syria. With their admittance into Germany, refugees are given a place to stay for three
years, after that they either have to leave or apply for residence permit. Germany is
doing these refugees a great service but has also caused problems and protests. As a
result of racial misconceptions and hate being spread as well as unfortunate events,
turmoil amongst women in Germany has risen due to the countrys intake of
middle-eastern refugees and recently introduced open door policy.
Over the past five years, middle-eastern countries such as Syria have
experienced nonstop commotion and danger preventing them from living normal happy
lives. Although the majority of these people that are living in constant fear are innocent,
they still receive constant bashing and discrimination simply for the color of their skin
and the history of their religious values. Upon being admitted into Germany the
refugees are hoping that open arms come with open doors, but that is not always the
case. In fact, Hala Kindelberger while giving a speech on Syrian refugees integrating
into Germanys society described three mens experiences as a dream filled with
bitterness and exile. Since Merkels introduction of the open door policy in 2015, rape

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throughout Germany has risen and the majority of German citizens have decided to
blame the increase in rape on the influx of refugees. Rape is defined as unlawful
sexual activity and usually sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of
injury against the will usually of a female or with a person who is beneath a certain age
or incapable of valid consent (Rape.) This definition does not put a race or a gender
on the one committing the crime which is unlike the ignorant people who have decided
to pin the crime on the minority which is not surprising considering the history of the
country. Due to ignorance, the citizens of Germany seem to forget that correlation does
not always mean causation. After an alarming survey taken in throughout Europe of
over 30,000 people, it was found that 27 percent of young men said that some
situations justified sexual intercourse without consent, compared with 20 percent of
young women who were polled (27% of Europeans.) This jaw dropping statistic
adds to the controversy that was initially created over the issue of rape when Merkels
open door policy was instated in 2015. Sexual intercourse without consent is never ok.
It does not matter what the woman happens to be wearing or how they behave
themselves in certain settings, if a man engages in sexual intercourse with a woman
without her giving the ok, it is rape.
While there have been several accounts of German women being raped by
middle-eastern men, there have also been accounts of German men raping refugees
and even German citizens. Some people have gone as far as formulating falsified
stories in an effort to get the refugees removed from Germany. The presence of an
unknown variable in any situation is likely to be taken advantage of, especially in a

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situation like this one. Blaming an entire race of people for a few mens actions is
ridiculous. Would Germany like it if their entire country was penalized due to the fact
that Hitler who lead the mass genocide of over six million people was also born in
Germany? The Holocaust took place in Germany over different opinions about skin
color, sexual preference, and religion, which is similar to what is going on now in
Germany. These stupidly ignorant generalizations have lead to the discrimination of
several ethnicities and cultures throughout the years.
Some despisers of Angela Merkel, Germanys chancellor elected in 2005, blame
her for being the reason that refugees are allowed into Germany. The year 2015
marked the start of Merkels 10th year as Chancellor of a united Germany and the de
facto leader of the European Union, the most prosperous joint venture on the planet. By
years end, she had steered the enterprise through not one but two existential crises,
either of which could have meant the end of the union that has kept peace on the
continent for seven decades. The first was thrust upon herthe slow-rolling crisis over
the euro, the currency shared by 19 nations, all of which were endangered by the
default of a single member, Greece. Its resolution came at the signature plodding pace
that so tries the patience of Germans that they have made it a verb: Merkeling
(Goring). The people of Germany are concerned that this pattern of slowness for
Merkel will not cease and that the refugees will be in their country much longer than the
three years that were previously promised. Additionally, as of August 9, 2016 it was said
that, Germany appears to have drastically curtailed its open-door policy for migrants in
2016, turning away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months,

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already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015 (Germany has curbed..). The idea of
open arms is not proving to be an easy one, especially with the limited space the
country has to offer. While Merkel does need to uphold her promises to allow the
refugees three years and please her people, the refugees that have been given a place
to stay have nowhere else to go and kicking them all out is not the answer.
Rape is no joke but, neither are the dangerous actions occurring presently in
Syria. While there is no current way to simply make these problems banished, there are
things Merkel could do in an effort to lessen the severity of them. For example, more
serious background checks on refugees could be very useful considering the concern
so many women have about their safety with all of the extra people in Germany. This,
while it sort of turns the open door policy into a cracked door policy would cut down
on the number of refugees allowed into Germany and therefore reduce the turmoil so
many have created. Germany could also potentially crack down on police and other
methods of protection, not from the refugees but for both the refugees and women.
Safety, being a main concern for so many, should be increased throughout Germany in
order to make the citizens and refugees feel less on edge and help to start them back
on the path to a normal life.
The time for change is now. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, I have a dream
that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin, but by the content of their character. It is sad that this quote,
although it is beautiful, still applies to situations today. Germany, opened its arms for a
good cause but as always, sick people have taken advantage of it and cause problems

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for everyone - especially the women - living there. The people of Germany need to
understand that the right thing to do is not always the easiest. The middle-eastern
refugees seeking a safe place to live in Germany are typically doing no harm to the
citizens they are living alongside. While new increased safety measures need to be
taken, the refugees should not be kicked out of the country.

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Works Cited
"Duke and the art of the protest." UWIRE Text, 30 Nov. 2016, p. 1. General OneFile,
Accessed 13 Dec. 2016.
"Germany has curbed open-door policy for migrants, govt data shows." Cyprus Mail
[Cyprus], 9 Aug. 2016. Global Issues in Context, Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.
Goring, Rosemary. "Courageous Merkel is the leader of the pack." Herald [Glasgow,
Scotland], 14 Dec. 2015, p. 16. Global Issues in Context, Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
"Rape." Rape - Definition for English-Language Learners from Merriam-Webster's
Learner's Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2016.
"27% of Europeans say rape may be acceptable in some circumstances.", 29 Nov.
2016. General OneFile, Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.