Right-Wing, Wrong-Way

 In a twist of irony that practically writes itself, the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), a German political party known for its staunch anti-immigration stance and emphasis on “German culture,” released a sticker campaign that fails the most basic test of cultural competency.

Diagnosis: Unconnected Letters

The sticker, screaming in bright yellow and pink, demands that “Gang Rapists” (German: Gruppenvergewaltiger) go home and warns that “Allah will judge you”. However, the Arabic text intended to convey this threat is a typographical disaster. It suffers from the classic “Western software” glitch: the letters are disconnected and written backwards (left-to-right).

Arabic text in question

Arabic text as it should be

Gang rapists, return to your homes! Allah will judge you.

Stylistic Note The AfD’s translation is partially literal.

The phrase chosen for “Go home” is عُودُوا إِلَى مَنَازِلِكُمْ – ‘ūdū ilā manāzilikum (Return to your houses). This phrasing sounds oddly domestic – like a parent telling children to go inside for dinner, or a police officer telling a crowd to disperse for the night.

If the political intent was “Leave Germany” or “Get out,” a forceful slogan like اِرْحَلُوا (Irḥalū – “Leave/Depart!”) would be more idiomatic in a protest context. The current phrasing sounds like they are just sending the criminals to their rooms.

Note: You don’t use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters.

Analysis

The creator of this sticker likely used a standard graphics program (like an older version of Photoshop) without enabling the “Middle Eastern type engine”. The result is a double-failure:

1. Disconnection: Arabic script is cursive; letters must join together. Here, they are floating in their isolated forms.
2. Direction: Arabic reads Right-to-Left (RTL). This text was pasted Left-to-Right (LTR).

To read this, an Arabic speaker has to mentally reverse the entire sentence letter-by-letter, then join them, then derive the meaning. It is effectively illegible at a glance.

Let’s break down the grammar of what they tried to say:

The Political Context

The irony here is thicker than the sticker itself.

• The Sender: The AfD portrays itself as the protector of German identity and often warns against the influence of foreign languages and cultures.
• The Fail: In their attempt to address a specific foreign demographic (Arabic speakers), they failed to consult a single person who actually speaks that language.
• The Message: They are effectively shouting gibberish. By failing to check the layout, they signaled that they don’t even know the enemy they are trying to address.
• The Verification: A simple check on Reverso or even Google Translate would have provided the correct spelling, but the layout engine destroyed it.

It serves as a permanent reminder: If you’re going to tell someone to leave (in their own language), at least make sure you aren’t writing it backwards.

Source: Real Place

Time the picture was taken: November 2025

Location: Germany

Credit
Picture credit: Gerald Drißner
Added: 11/30/2025 Gerald by Drißner

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