The series of terrorist attacks that took place in recent weeks have had different impacts on refugees, aid workers, and journalists.
Aid work, which was hailed as brave and patriotic as recently as a year ago, is now condemned. Aid organizations are becoming targets of hatred and slandered in hate-fueled propaganda.
The accusations against aid organizations are often fabricated. The imagination knows no limits during election campaigns -- which is probably how the Caritas charity was accused of buying iPhones for asylum seekers in Austria.
Refugees are continuing to suffer in the wake of the latest attacks. On one hand, the left-wing parties continue to represent them as weak and helpless. On the other hand, right-wing parties and the tabloid media are portraying them as potential criminals. Such narratives are overpowering, making it virtually impossible for asylum seekers to present themselves as autonomous individuals.
Meanwhile, it has been difficult for refugees to communicate with the residents of their host countries due to the distance between asylum quarters and the main city centers. Together with the pervasive paranoia, the danger is that parallel worlds are being created.
The so-called "radicalization" is not an imported problem; it is created here in Europe.
These events are also affecting journalists and the way they're choosing to cover events. After the murder of a priest at a church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, near Rouen, Normandy, French media outlets decided that they would no longer release the photographs or identities of killers.
It is perhaps unwise and irresponsible to focus only on the moment of the crime and cruelty. Instead, a biographical approach should be taken, and attempts at providing context and explanation should be at the center of coverage.
This does not suggest portraying the assailants as victims, or justifying their crimes. But their desire for posthumous attention can tell us a lot about their need for social recognition throughout their lives.
The majority of perpetrators come from families that are not particularly religious. The so-called "radicalization" is not an imported problem; it is created here in Europe. It is most likely introduced through YouTube videos, by hate-preaching radicals.
In societies that are built around work and consumption, careers become the most important sources of social recognition, especially for marginalized individuals.
Communication between asylum seekers and the local community should be encouraged from day one.
If young people, who reshape their identities during their migration journeys, don't have a real chance for work and education, they might seek recognition elsewhere. And under certain circumstances, this could very well be a dogmatic religious exercise.
So what's the solution?
First of all, there needs to be more education in schools, and a way to evaluate the changes that youth are undergoing. The concern is not only suicide-bombings, but also individual incidents of rape, which are occasionally committed by young refugees, and cause great discomfort for supervising entities.
Secondly, communication between asylum seekers and the local community should be encouraged from day one, ideally in the form of small-scale accommodations rather than tenement housing.
Finally, as youth go through a period of identity reconstruction, regardless of whether or not they are migrants, they must be able to find social recognition and acceptance through education, career-building, and meaningful activities.
This post first appeared on HuffPost Germany. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity.