Refugee helps Berlin print Arabic subway map

After German newspapers published Arabic-language guides for refugees, Berlin’s public transport network has done the same for its rail map — with the help of a Syrian asylum-seeker.

The leaflet published by Berlin’s public transport operator BVG includes names of the capital’s main underground stations and essential information on the public transport system in Arabic.

“All translations were done by Ebrahim Kadour — himself a refugee from Syria who arrived in Berlin a few weeks ago — together with Rafael Sanchez from the ‘Moabit helps!’ initiative,” said BVG, referring to a volunteer group centered on the Berlin district of Moabit.

“Both worked voluntarily on it over a whole weekend,” it added in a statement.

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said Monday that the country may receive one million people seeking refugee status this year, up from the record 800,000 arrivals predicted so far.

Germany, buckling under the pressure of the wave of asylum seekers, reintroduced identity checks Sunday on people travelling within the passport-free Schengen zone, essentially reversing its open-door policy to Syrians.

But Gabriel stressed that “everyone who applies for asylum on German soil is allowed to stay here until a decision is reached. We are not changing that.