BERLIN, March 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Many freshly-minted citizens, who have lived in Germany for long years as immigrants, doubt the effectiveness of a proposed 100-question citizenship test, with an opinion poll showing that the majority of native Germans have failed to answer the questions of the quiz.

"It's not bad to have that kind of general knowledge, whether you're German or not. But knowing the answers wouldn't make me feel more German," said Sisi, who fled with her father to Germany from Angola nine years ago, the German Deutsche Welle reported Sunday, March 26, on its website.

The test, which has been approved by the German state of Hessen, wants would-be new citizens to possess an in-depth knowledge of German history, culture, politics and values.

"What is the population of Germany? Which year did the Nazi dictatorship take power in Germany? Which German Chancellor won the Nobel Peace Prize? In which year did Germany's constitution come into effect? are but samples of the 100 questions.

Applicants would also be asked to name three German philosophers and state how often national elections are held in Germany.

The quiz has drawn fire from many parties and politicians in the European country, with the Green Party complaining it was too extensive.

Others have criticized the nature of the questions and how relevant they really are for potential citizens.

Sisi, 25, said answering the questions should not be a condition for getting the citizenship.

"It doesn't necessarily mean you're a proper German."

Though she went to a German school and is now a trained retail saleswoman, Sisi was unable to answer questions such as "What did German scientist Otto Hahn do in 1938?" or "In which German elections are EU citizens allowed to vote?"

She asserted that immigrants learn German culture and values by living in the country.

"I learnt all about Germany when I came here," said Sisi.

"Germans eat at specific times, they visit each other at specific times. Sunday is a day of rest, which is a custom we don't have in Africa. I've become very German in that respect."

But Gloria, another immigrant in Germany, said some of the test's questions make sense.

"It's reasonable to expect people to know about the country they want to live in," added Gloria, who hails from Albania and has lived in Germany for 14 years.

She agrees on the need for a test, but thinks the priorities need to be different.

"..those people who don't get the opportunity to go to school in Germany, like many of the guest workers who came here, stayed and started a family, obviously aren't going to know anything about the Reformation or which convention took place in 1848."

Gloria believes the questions tend to concentrate very much on history with no mention at all of contemporary German culture.

"Why aren't there any questions about modern pop music or hip hop?"

A recent opinion poll showed that a majority of native Germans have failed to answer many questions in the citizenship test.

Some 79.8 percent of Germans polled by the German Omni Quest institute failed to answer a question about the name of the German national anthem.

A percentage of 68.8 also wrongly answered a question about when the eastern and western parts of Germany were united while a 44.1 percent failed to give the right number of the German states.

Around 20.4 percent did not know the name of the first German Chancellor.

The poll, which included a random sample of 1,000 Germans over 14 years old, included only ten of the test's 100 questions.

The issue of integration has recently taken central stage in several European countries.

On Thursday, March 23, the interior ministers of Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Poland and Spain agreed to weigh drafting an integration contract in which new immigrants would agree to respect Western values.

The Netherlands has recently imposed some of the world's toughest national entry laws, with would-be immigrants having to watch a film featuring a topless woman and gay men kissing to test their readiness to accept Dutch values.

The latest European statistics show that immigration is holding off the demographic decline in Europe as the natural population growth is slowing across the 25-nation bloc.

According to the EU's statistics office Eurostat, all of Europe's heavyweights, except for France, now depend on immigration to keep their populations stable or growing.

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