„Perserreich 500 v.Chr“ von William Robert Shepherd – William Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1923. Lizenziert unter Gemeinfrei über Wikimedia Commons.
… Iran! Did not know that until I met Basim, a Saluki dog, in the park.
And he told me – if I am not mistaken – that in former times, even before Christ, Persia expanded to Thrace (now parts of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey) over the core land we now call Iran, to North West India and Egypt in the South (see map). The Salukis, as nomads, learned to fit in these different living conditions.
And Basim pointed out that today you have to be careful with names – as a nation is not necessarily an ethnic group and vice versa (e.g. an Arab is not a Persian). “So, how should I address you then?” I asked him. “Well, to keep it simple, use my first name. I am Arab with Greek roots, coming from Egypt, now in the immigration process.” “Immigration? You are going to live and work here?” “Oh yes,” he replied, “I really want to do that – and I hope it will not take me too long until I am finally accepted.” “And how is it goin’ so far?” “I’m fine – helpful, nice people taking care for me, not offending me with words or attacks. You know, there are many other dogs, they even fled their countries, asking for shelter here, and they were attacked.” “You do not have to ask for shelter here – it is a fundamental right,” I affirmed, making clear that I am not xenophob and that racists are just disgusting me, even more in my own country. Incidents like in Dresden last friday are just too much – attacking people whose job is providing humanitarian aid (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz). Is Germany not yet mature enough to be a country of immigration and shelter?
Side note
Have we already forgotten about the fact that Germany signed recruitment agreements with many South European countries, starting with Italy in 1955 and we welcomed the first “Gastarbeiter”? (ah, OK, for the historians: the term ‘Gastarbeiter’ traces back to the last years of World War II, when foreign civilians worked for wages in the NS War Economy). Without these agreements and people the “Wirtschaftswunder” would not have been so successful. The campaign continued in both parts of Germany, until 1973, the oil crisis – after years of economic recession – stopped the process. The “Gastarbeiter”, as they were called in the BRD euphemistically at first (the name became popular in the 60s even when the time limitation, in practise, had been eliminated; in the DDR they were called ‘Vertragsarbeiter’ but not integrated in the way they handeled it in the West), now are called ‘foreign employees’ or we use the technical term ‘migrant worker’. And who can deny that they opened a new door to their countries for us (or don’t you like travelling to Italy or Greece or…?).
Basim continued: in former times, the Salukis were travelling with their masters, being allowed to sleep with them in their tents, accompanying them when hunting. I am sure he will find a job here that suits him as he is crazy about nature and hunting, conserving wonderful World Heritages (ah, he misses the Pyramids and old temples so much…). “What I like most? Observing flying eagles – for hours.” he said before we said goodbye to each other.