I have lived in Germany for many decades now and have therefore been living in a civilized, safe environment and society. This now appears to be over.

The mornings now consist of getting up and scanning the news headlines, not so much as to read about any new world developments, but wondering if a new attack has happened on my home soil, where this happened, and how many casualties there have been. I expect this now.

This is the country in which I now live.

When the refugees first arrived, I belonged to the faction that supported the decision of the German government to help these people; it was the civilized and humane thing to do. I supported this view vehemently until very recently. I couldn’t understand the other European countries closing their borders and refusing entry to all these poor people seeking shelter and help from war and destruction in their own countries.

Now I am forced to admit that they were right and I was wrong.

The problem is that I still firmly believe that the vast majority of refugees are frightened and helpless people who need support after a terrible ordeal, and there are relatively few who pose a threat or danger, but it’s these few who are threatening me and my friends’ and family’s personal safety. The comforting feeling of safety is gone, the war has now been moved to my home turf.

I know I may be overreacting; as I said earlier, this is an emotional response, but I no longer feel 100% safe in our own cities. My response is to eye foreigners I pass everywhere with careful suspicion, something I’ve never done before. It’s an unconscious reflex response. I don’t want it to be that way, but I can’t help it. It’s not really that I suspect some of them to go berserk all of a sudden, but wondering if I’m unlucky enough to come across one of those few who spell trouble. It could happen anywhere, anytime. That’s the country I now live in. And because of that, I feel angry.

At the same time I realise that this is the intended response, so I also feel manipulated and bad about my own changing viewpoint.

I don’t think there is a solution. There is no opponent to talk to or no one with whom to come to an agreement, and the killing in the country in which I live will go on, becoming more and more common with each passing week.

The mistake has been made, the floodgates have been opened and the enemy that can’t be seen is walking among us, and it’s now a new country that is only beginning its downward spiral with no solution in sight. This sounds melodramatic, it probably is, but that’s the way I feel about it.

I can only hope that, given enough cause, this country won’t descend into vigilantism with angry mobs starting to roam the streets at night. Looking at the ghastly political developments with the far right parties on the rise, I don’t think this is very far away. After all, a few months back none of us would have thought it possible what’s happening here now.

Both God and Allah help us all.

This is a nice sentiment, and I wish it were true.
I agree that social conditions seem to play a vital part, but that's all that I'm in agreement with in your statement.
The way I see it, it is not a matter of ethnic background or nationality, this seems to be entirely religious-driven. It transcends countries, borders and ethnic groups. It's almost ethereal.
I can't even remember when or if I last heard of a Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist rampage.

This is a nice sentiment, and I wish it were true.
I agree that social conditions seem to play a vital part, but that's all that I'm in agreement with in your statement.
The way I see it, it is not a matter of ethnic background or nationality, this seems to be entirely religious-driven. It transcends countries, borders and ethnic groups. It's almost ethereal.
I can't even remember when or if I last heard of a Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist rampage.