Spiegel: A Syrian Family's Quest to Become German

The Muatis -- asylum application number 03301 A 2014, case file 587729 -- are one of hundreds of thousands of refugee families in Germany. They are Muslims from Syria, like most of the asylum-seekers. And they have a limited right to stay in the country, like most of the others. Until recently, they lived in a container, but now they have their own apartment. And although they are recognized as refugees, they no longer want to be just people with numbers and reference numbers, they want to have children in Germany, pay taxes and be a normal part of society. [...]

The Muatis are the only refugees in the apartment building. But their German upstairs neighbors say that the Syrian family, which lives on the ground floor, is more German than all the neighbors combined.

"Germany isn't going to give us all the time in the world," says Adel. He believes the Germans will give the refugees no more than three years to settle in. In those three years, he says, the refugees will receive help from all over the place -- from neighbors, employment offices and the government. As a family with four children, the Muatis receive a monthly subsidy of €1,800 ($2,135). The Germans don't ask for much in return, except that the refugees learn the language, obey the law and find work. "Three years," says Adel Muati. "We have to make it by then, or we'll never make it." [...]

The Germans, he replies, are generous to strangers but tough on themselves. They separate their garbage, sorting out glass, plastic and paper, and walk their dogs on a leash, like camels. They love cleanliness and rules, they prefer to make their lives difficult instead of easy, and they like to obey rules. "In fact," Adel Muati says, "they would make the better Muslims."[...]

The test is called "Life in Germany," and consists of 33 of a total of 310 questions that German officials apparently believe are important for a life in Germany: What is the name of the festival where Germans wear colorful costumes and masks? What happened on May 8, 1945? Can two men get married? Could a 25-year-old named Tim live together as a couple with a 13-year-old named Anne? What is the Schengen Agreement? What does a year of separation mean? Who wrote the lyrics for the German national anthem?

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