...I wonder how many people might have made the same observation about the name "Patrick"?

Foreign immigrants, religious minority, low income, poor education... and on top of that, known for hot tempers, bare-knuckle boxing and (unlike Muslims) love of whiskey.

Yet, the Irish not only assimilated, but contributed mightily. Of course, there were riots and gang violence in the interim... but hey. People get annoyed when they're left out, confined to communities among "their own kind", and called names, but once they figure out how to work the system, they find another way to work out their problems. Even if no one will let them into the executive washroom or into the country club until the new undesireables arrive.

Or maybe it was the Chinese, in California. Even now, we have Chinatowns in America, but the Chinese Americans are Americans nonetheless.

The Belgians will deal with their new Belgians. First generation has unique characteristics. Second generation will be the generation in which assimilation starts, but the process will not be complete even then. We have learned this in the United States. People are not so different now than they were 150 years ago, even though our attention span has been adjusted by MTV and the internet.