How can we make integration work?

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have arrived in Austria and Germany in the past few years, many of them hoping to start a new life there. The question of integration has dominated the political agenda – and this was also the subject of a discussion that kicked off Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein’s Zukunft im Turm series this autumn.

Islamic scholar and author Lamya Kaddor – an expert on account of both her academic background and her own roots – contributed her expertise and her personal experience to the discussion.

Born in 1978 in Ahlen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lamya Kaddor is the daughter of Syrian immigrants. She studied Arabic and Islamic studies, education and comparative studies at the University of Münster. She is also a successful author.

“Integration can only be effective if both sides – immigrants and the majority population – fulfil their obligations. In other words, there has to be a willingness among immigrants to integrate and adapt, and on the other hand the German majority needs to respect people from migrant backgrounds and their German-born descendants as equals.”