THE MORALITY OF REFUGEE INTEGRATION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE WESTERN CULTURE

Abstract

The morality of refugee integration has become a profound ethical and cultural question in contemporary Europe. The unprecedented influx of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa over the past decade has challenged the foundations of Western moral and cultural identity. Western civilisation has been shaped by Christian ethics, which emphasise compassion, hospitality, and the sanctity of human life. These moral imperatives have historically guided Europe’s humanitarian responses to global displacement crises. However, the growing openness of European borders, motivated by both moral conviction and political obligation, has generated significant cultural and religious consequences. This study examines the moral principles underpinning refugee integration within the context of Europe’s Christian heritage, exploring whether the moral ideal of universal compassion conflicts with the preservation of Western cultural and religious values. It analyses the ethical frameworks that justify refugee acceptance including the Christian duty of love (agape) and the secular humanitarian ideal of human rights while also interrogating the moral dilemmas that arise when integration leads to cultural tension, Islamisation, and social instability. The research employs ethical theory to evaluate how Europe’s moral posture, originally rooted in Christian humanitarianism, is being tested by the psychological, religious, and cultural transformations that accompany refugee resettlement. It argues that the West now faces a moral crossroads: whether to uphold an inclusive universalist ethic that transcends boundaries or to reaffirm a contextual moral order grounded in its Christian cultural legacy. The study concludes that sustainable integration must balance compassion with prudence, preserving both moral integrity and cultural identity in an increasingly pluralistic Europe.