Integration, Not Assimilation

Last Friday's interview with me in Birta has triggered a very positive response of people offering their help and support, and wishing me luck. For this I'm very grateful. But I'm also grateful for the question one friend of mine asked regarding the headline of the interview, "Aðlögun, jafnrétti og samstaða" - a translation of FNÍ's slogan, "Integration, Equality and Unity".

To many, "aðlögun" can mean either "assimilation" or "integration". My friend wanted to know which of the two I meant. As is reflected in our slogan, I meant integration, but I feel it's important to distinguish the difference between assimilation and integration, and why we support the latter but not the former.

Assimilation, to me, means to completely surrender your identity in order to "be one with" the group. You let go of everything that makes you who you are, and adopt a whole new identity; one barely distinguishable from anyone else in the country. Integration, on the other hand, means that you are fully a member of society - with the same rights and privileges as anyone else - without having to surrender your identity.

Assimilation is morally reprehensible. You cannot ask people to give up the most fundamental parts of what makes them who they are - their culture, their religion, even their name - nor does it make for a more harmonious society. On the contrary: any country that has attempted assimilation has sparked great social unrest. In the end, attempting an assimilation program achieves the opposite of what it intends.

Integration, by contrast, is simply asking that all members of society are provided equal rights and protection under the law, and that new arrivals are thoroughly educated as to what these rights and privileges are. This is why FNÍ has stressed that immigrants be informed of not only their labour rights, but also that Icelandic language classes include teaching the basic principles of Icelandic society and government. In this way, new arrivals can gain a better understanding of the country they live in, the way it works, what they're entitled to and that we live in a democracy.

Such knowledge benefits both immigrants and Icelanders alike.

In other news, praise must be given to Davíð Þór Jónsson, for the column he wrote in last Sunday's Fréttablaðið entitled "Gyðingahatur", wherein he not only praises Jewish people for the contributions they've made to the world, but also stresses the important distinction that needs to be made between Jewish people and the policies of the Israeli government - a distinction not too often made in Iceland. Thank you, Mr. Jónsson!

Our Platform

The first meeting of the New Icelanders' Party exceeded my expectations in terms of the ideas presented. It's great to hear unabashed advice from intelligent people. After compiling these ideas democratically, we've arrived at a central platform:

Integration, Equality and Unity

The New Icelanders' Party refers not only to those people who've newly arrived in Iceland, but also to those Icelanders who have new ideas, new visions for the country, and want to create a new society. This society rests upon our three fundamental issues: integration, equality and unity.

Integration - because we want to see Iceland as a model country for the rest of Europe, if not the world, by actively working to integrate immigrants into Icelandic society. This will help prevent the sort of marginalization and "ghettoization" we see in some European countries who chose to ignore the people they once welcomed. It will make the newcomer feel more welcome, which is good for them, and also quicken their transition into Icelandic society, which is good for Icelanders and new arrivals alike.

Equality - because all of us are entitled to the same rights. In this sense, we refer not only to immigrants, but also to the nation's elderly, the disabled, the single parents: we are all one nation, and the New Icelanders' Party will work hard to ensure that everyone is given equal protection and equal entitlement under the law.

Unity - because a society divided cannot stand. We are not a "single issue" party - we welcome the input of everyone in shaping our goals and objects. Iceland has a tremendous potential for direct democracy, and we want to make that a reality.

First Meeting 13 July

The first meeting of the New Icelanders' Party will officially be held from 18:00 to 21:00 on Thursday 13 July, on the third floor of Alþjóðahús (Hverfisgata 18). Feel free to bring along friends, family, and anyone else you feel would be interested. This meeting will be held to finalize our platform, to come up with campaign ideas, and to hold a general discussion. If you are not able to attend, send me the questions you want raised at the meeting, as well as what you believe are the three most important issues our party needs to address. A full summary of the meeting's minutes will be forwarded to you afterwards, and further discussion is always welcome.

The New Icelanders' Party Starts Now!

The results of last May’s city elections have left more than a few people disappointed, particularly in Reykjavík. However, we only have ourselves to blame – voter turn-out for municipal elections was at 77 percent; the lowest it’s been in a long time. It could be that the other 23 percent didn’t see any party that had something to offer them. For 5,424 of the city’s residents – Reykjavík’s immigrant population, who comprise nearly five percent of the city – this is especially the case. While the Leftist-Green Party and, to some extent, the Social Democrats both included in their platforms issues that reflect the needs of the immigrant community, these issues didn’t see a lot of visibility during the campaign, for whatever reason. The other parties didn’t even seem to have an immigrant platform.

But all’s fair in love and politics: each party has the right to decide who they want to represent, and to prioritise which issues will get the greatest visibility. For this reason, I’ve come to the decision that since no party seems to place enough (or sometimes any) importance on immigrant issues, the time has come for a party that does just that. In other words, such a party - The New Icelanders' Party - will run for parliament in the 2007 elections and for Reykjavík city council in 2010.

The New Icelanders' Party is open to anyone; immigrants and Icelanders alike. Our primary platform will be issues that concern the immigrant community: the cost and availability of Icelandic language classes, education about labour rights, the ability to get an education – for ourselves and our children, fighting discrimination and the general promotion of both multiculturalism and assimilation.

Such a party would be beneficial to both immigrants and Icelanders. For immigrants, the party would emphasise the issues concerning them, and would give them a direct voice in city affairs. For Icelanders, The New Icelanders' Party would help combat ignorance on both sides of the equation, promote greater cooperation and help newcomers to Iceland to assimilate into Icelandic society faster.

I believe that such a party can and will succeed. There are currently about 13,000 foreigners living in Iceland - about the same number of people got the Liberal Party four seats in parliament in 2003 - and our numbers keep rising. The previously mentioned 5,424 Reykjavík immigrants are more than enough to get us one seat on city council (the Progressives got theirs with barely more than 4,000 votes). But also, I believe that Icelanders want the nation’s newest residents to be better assimilated into society, and that they want their foreign-born neighbours to have the same rights and opportunities that they enjoy.

In some democracies, you choose the lesser of a number of evils. It shouldn’t have to be that way. It is my hope and my intention that The New Icelanders' Party will give a voice to those who, until now, haven’t had much of one.

Of course, this movement is just getting started. We need people who are concerned about these issues, Icelanders and immigrants alike, who are willing to help finalise a platform, organise a campaign, and naturally, to run for office. We will meet regularly, and put this party into action. All those interested can contact me at paul_f_nikolov@hotmail.com.

New Icelanders' Party FAQ

The announcement that I've formed The New Icelanders' Party is only a few days old, and already, I've received many inquiries from immigrants and Icelanders alike, all of it thoughtful and positive material. I'd like to address a few of the more commonly asked questions.

Why do you need to form a special party? Wouldn't it be easier just to work within an already-established party?

This question was posed to me this morning on NFS, and it's one I wrestled with over the past year before coming to my decision. The fact is, we've already tried working within established parties, with little result. I have personally spoken to MPs and ministers about immigration issues and received dismissive responses both on and off the record. Immigration issues were also ignored during the campaigning of the municipal elections last spring, even by parties that allegedly have an immigrant platform. Most important of all, little if anything has been done by elected officials to address the most pressing issues the immigrant community faces. All this being the case, a significant percentage of the country is going unrepresented in both city hall and parliament. If no one wants to represent us, we have no choice but to represent ourselves. This is why we will run for parliament in 2007 and Reykjavík city council in 2010.

Won't creating The New Icelanders' Party further divide immigrants from Icelanders?

On the contrary - one of our primary goals is to further assist the assimilation process. Iceland is in the unique position of being able to learn from countries who were in the same position decades ago; countries that welcomed immigrants as a source of labour but did little to help them get acclimated to their new homes. Today, we see the effects of this hands-off attitude in countries like Denmark and the Netherlands. Rather, we believe that not only should immigrants be taught the Icelandic language, but also its history, its culture, and its social mores. In addition, because Icelandic law requires immigrants to take 150 hours of language classes in order to be eligible for permanent residence status, but the cost of these classes keeps rising, we would like to see the cost of these classes fully subsidized. I would think that our party's intention to help new arrivals become more integrated into Icelandic society would be welcomed by both immigrants and Icelanders alike.

How do immigrant needs differ from those of anyone else living in Iceland?

While all of us living in Iceland are concerned with several common issues, such as education, the economy, and the health care system, there are certain areas that effect the immigrant community first and foremost, if not exclusively. Among these are the previously mentioned language classes and assimilation.

But there's also the issue of religious freedom. Not everyone who immigrates to Iceland is Lutheran - there are several hundred Muslims and Orthodox Christians living in Iceland who do not yet have houses of worship, despite the fact that they've applied for plots of land five years ago. We find this unacceptable, and hope the matter will be resolved before the 2007 parliamentary elections. If it isn't, though, rest assured that this will be one of our priority issues.

Also, many immigrants in Iceland are still unaware of their labour rights, despite the fact that the Confederacy of Icelandic Labour (ASÍ) has written up an informative booklet - translated into nearly 20 languages - explaining what a foreigner´s labour rights are. Sadly, this information is unknown to most of the immigrant community. This information needs to get into the hands of every foreigner living and working in Iceland.

Other points of our platform will be decided democratically by those within the party. Which brings me to . . .

How can I get involved in the New Icelanders' Party?

The New Icelanders' Party is open to anyone; immigrants and Icelanders alike. We need people who are concerned about these issues, who are willing to help finalise a platform, organise a campaign, and naturally, to run for office. We will meet regularly, and put this party into action. All those interested can contact me at paul_f_nikolov@hotmail.com.