University President and “renowned” education expert Professor Thomas Strothotte made news this week when he told German newspaper Die Ziet that Germany should adopt “mandatory” Arabic language education for all students, starting at primary school, in order to “keep up” with the “new reality” in Europe following wave after wave of refugees.

From The Daily Caller:

“We would appreciate being a country of immigration and multiple languages,” Strothotte said. “Refugee children need to learn German and German children Arabic.”

Strothotte believes increased understanding of Arabic will have positive effects on Germany culturally, economically and politically.

He says that this is how the German people can be “on pace” with Arabic becoming a “world language.”

He also refers to the coming “profound transformation process in the Middle East,” and that this change will position Germans as partners in that transformation and the region as a whole.

A pretty thought (sort of), but it seems that the real “profound transformation” is happening in Germany, as police have to come up with new guidelines, and everything from pubs to public pools have had to rewrite their rules and make accommodations for the tide of refugee immigration.

Perhaps it is just the notion of language in general, but it’s hard not to think of the infamous but apocryphal words of Nikita Khrushchev. “We will bury you, and your children will speak Russian.”

Only who is being buried, and who is speaking what language?

Photo via Rasande on Flickr.