India, Sept. 13 -- The victory of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt province of Germany found its seed in the decision taken by then Chancellor Angela Merkel to admit almost a million individuals, mostly from North Africa, and put them on a fast track to citizenship. Ultimately her decision led to the families of those admitted into Germany as well, a figure on track to cross two million.

The new domiciles had no concept of what life is in a democracy, having been in dictatorships of one form or the other throughout their lives. It was therefore difficult for many to adjust to democratic norms. Violence was in their DNA, part of their toolkit for survival in the harsh, unforgiving world that they had come from. Women in ...