Germany prints its constitution in Arabic for refugees

Germany has translated the first 20 articles of its constitution into Arabic and printed 10,000 copies for distribution at registration centers, a move meant to help speed up the integration of about 500,000 asylum seekers into German society, politicians said.

Germany is expected to take in about 800,000 refugees this year — a number much higher than its neighbors, who have been more reluctant to resettle people fleeing poverty and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Syria and elsehwere.

Now, politicians are worrying about how to best integrate refugees with little or no knowledge of the German language or culture, Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said Wednesday.

While no one would be forced to give up her religion or “change her private life,” Gabriel told German newspaper Bild, newcomers would be expected to respect democratic values, including, Gabriel said, the separation of church and state, gender equality, gay rights and freedom of expression. Anti-Semitism would not be tolerated, he added.

“There is a culture of freedom and responsibility, of rights and duties, which we don’t want to give up,” Gabriel told the newspaper. “People who come here must not only learn the German language, but also the rules of the game of living together,” he added.