On the German language and visa
by
YAKUP ÇETİN*

Upon receiving the invitation I quickly started preparing the 13 items required for a Schengen visa as listed on the German Consulate General website. Believe it or not, it is rather exhausting, time-consuming and nerve-racking as well as insulting for an academic to have to collect all these documents including a copy of my ID, travel insurance, invitation letter, official trade register of the university, marriage certificate and much more. When I also add the day I spent on travelling from Büyükçekmece to Taksim just for a five-minute appointment with the consulate representative, plus the expense of paying an agency to help me during the visa process, the entry permit to Germany cost me almost 130 euros and a significant amount of valuable time. In return, I was largely disappointed and annoyed to discover that I was only issued a visa for eight days. I did not know whether I should laugh or cry at this relatively cold German attitude; I had planned to attend other conferences in the future in Germany using the same visa.

At the US Consulate General, I was given a visa valid for 10 years. Similarly, the Italian Consulate General issued me a Schengen visa valid for one year and the British for six months, without this much bureaucracy. Both as an academic and the son of a German Turkish guest worker who exhausted his strength and sacrificed his health to boost the German economy, I really find it hard to understand Germany’s fussiness and parsimony as far as visas are concerned. Is this a fair way to treat a Turkish citizen whose compatriots in Germany include 70,000 business entrepreneurs who offer 350,000 jobs and contribute more than 30 billion euros to the German economy? Moreover, over 1,100 German companies and factories operate in Turkey, not to mention the 50,000 Germans who have become permanent residents here.

Below you will read two thought-provoking and conflicting stories that express my very feelings on the issue.

This first true story takes place in the 19th century in city of Mülheim where the Rhine River separates Germany from France. In those years, it was routine for the French to cross the river and plunder the crops of German farmers during the harvest season, for the German army was rather weak and sluggish. When this French oppression became unbearable, Germany sent a letter to the Ottoman sultan asking for urgent help to stop the impudent French looters. It is noteworthy to mention that the Ottoman sultan was addressed and praised as a ruler who provided peace and justice in the world. Germany’s request for help was not in vain; the noble sultan responded by sending three sacks of uniforms belonging to Ottoman soldiers (the Janissaries) together with a letter. The Germans were surprised with this response; however, they were quite relieved when they read about the unique plan. The sultan wrote that there was no need to send the Janissaries to fight the French soldiers; instead, he suggested the Germans wear the Ottoman military uniforms and patrol along the riverbank just before looting season. As instructed by the sultan, when the harvest season came, the German farmers excitedly put on the Janissary uniforms and waited curiously by the river to see how the French soldiers would react. As foretold by the sultan, the French cowards fled upon noticing Ottomans on the opposite side of the Rhine River. They even left their villages and withdrew inland. A shout of triumph and delight rose among the German farmers, for their crops were safe and the French threat was over. To remember and honor that historic event, the inhabitants of Mülheim not only preserved the Janissary uniforms over the years in the city museum but also hold annual celebrations by raising the Ottoman flag to the top of the highest building in the city. You can hear similar stories all over the region (in Belgium, Holland, France, etc.) praising Ottoman justice.

The second story is based on my own personal experience and happened during my childhood spent in Germany until age 14. I was lucky then and thankfully managed to successfully complete both my primary and secondary education at German schools. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for many other Turkish students, particularly those who started school soon after their arrival in Germany. Unlike the US where migrants are offered English language classes and orientation programs so that they can function better in American schools and society, Turkish migrants in Germany were denied such opportunities. Mostly because of a lack of German language skills and dissimilarity between educational curriculums, countless Turkish children were considered learning-challenged and sent to Sonderschule (a school for the either mentally or physically disabled). Despite linguistic research on language shock, culture shock, language barriers, alienation, acculturation, equality in education, etc., that has been around for over three decades, I still cannot understand why these concepts were overlooked by German authorities between the ’70s and ’90s. I would like to ask you just how scientific, humanistic and ethical it is to make Turkish children with average IQs share the same classes and curriculum with mentally challenged German children. So if today Germany is experiencing problems with some of its Turkish migrants, then who is actually to blame for this?

On a final note, the eight-day visa issued to me by the German Consulate General will definitely not prevent me from contributing to solidarity, friendship and constructive relations between these two countries that share so much. As an optimistic Turkish scholar in all sincerity I assure you that my belief and values command me to love, help and support unconditionally. No matter what.