Behind the 500,000 pitiful Syrian refugees that have poured into Europe in the first 6 months of this year and the total of 4 000,000 souls displaced since the start of this Middle East turmoil this year, lie a host of other issues that crowd the room like a ton of gorillas. First and foremost is the battle against the Sunni extremist ISIS waged by an odd coalition of forces some of whom are at war with one another. Adding another wrinkle to the emergence of ISIS is the fact that they have been successfully recruiting Muslims from Western countries and have openly admitted that they mean to use the refugee crisis to send sleepers into Europe and America. Then, secondly, there is the civil war between the genocidal and totalitarian Syrian Premier against his own people which is the immediate reason for the European refugee invasion. Overlying these two major conflicts is the life or death power struggle for control of the Muslim world, led on the one hand by the Gulf State Sunnis and on the other the Iranian Shia. Also the perception that the Muslim world is controlled by terrorists hangs over the plight of the refugees.
On top of all this is the predominant belief in that Middle East that the balance of power has shifted to Iran as a result of the recent controversial nuclear deal. This brings into focus another gorilla skulking in the shadows of the room - the fight to destroy Israel lead by newly empowered Iran and its surrogates, designated terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Not to forget that Syria’s Assad is a key partner in this imbroglio against Israel and it is from this country the refugees emanate. On the world stage yet another shifting of fortunes as Russia, by arming Assad, brings itself closer to creating a de facto power block between it and the Shia world controlled by Iran. This like everything else in the volatile Middle East has unsettled Israel who to date relied on Putin as an ally and as a result Netanyahu has scurried off to Moscow to plead with the unpredictable Russian Premier. Obama too is weighing up his options in relation to Putin’s blatant opportunism. The ripples of the refugee catastrophe are felt everywhere and are in contention in the upcoming US Presidential election for example.
THE SYRIAN REFUGEES AND THE MUSLIM WORLD
Before moving onto the existential predicament the refugees have landed Europe into let us see how the world around Syria is coping. Three and a half million of the 4 million rooted from their Syrian homes that are still in the Middle East. The bulk is in Lebanon, (1,100,000), Jordan, (620,000), Turkey, (1,600,000), Iraq, (223,000) and Egypt (143,000). All these countries are stretched to the maximum with this flurry of humanity and are targets for destabilization. Now it does not take a rocket scientist to realize these countries are all predominantly Shia. So where are the Sunni Gulf States in this desperate crunch? On its face the Gulf States are culturally most suited to settle these fugitives. The Gulf States have the same religion, legal system and the equivalent language but they have steadfastly refused to lift a finger to help. Kuwait, presumably in a crude attempt to deflect attention from the obvious sectional reason for their shameless neglect, have argued that their country is too rich for the Syrians. (It is also interesting to note that the evacuees are not clamoring at the Gulf States’ borders either). There are nearly sixty Muslim countries in the world and no others have volunteered to settle even a thousand.
Assuming that this behavior, particularly by the Gulf States, is not just callous indifference it sends a message to all concerned of the deep divisions in the modern world between Sunnis and the Shia - a circumstance that will have profound implications in the predicted tussle between Iran and IsraeI. One could tritely refer to Israel and the Gulf States relationship as an unholy alliance! Needless to say this neglect of the Syrian plight by their Sunni brethren has not past unnoticed and is used as an argument by many in Western countries not to become involved.
THE EUROPEAN DILEMMA
It is fair to say that Europe has been in an agitated ambivalent state ever since the refugees began pouring in. The humanitarian dimension of what was unfolding resonated in a continent that had stood by in the thirties and forties when a genocide was taking place. There have been desperate scenes of frantic scrimmaging everywhere interspersed with 71 dead bodies in a truck, drownings and most poignant of all a dead three year old young boy being dragged out of the water. The European Union is meeting regularly, anxious not to repeat their inhumanity exhibited at their infamous meeting at Evian, France in 1938 when every participant refused to take in any Jewish refugees. In the forefront of the relief effort is Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany who has argued, “If Europe fails on the question of refugees, its close connection with universal human rights will be destroyed”. Merkel initially pledged support for the placement of 800,000 fugitives. Other countries were far more circumspect - UK 20,000, France 24,000 and Spain 15,000.
The real Gorilla in this room is the fact that Europe has already experienced Muslim immigration and has witnessed a failure by that community to integrate into their societies. Also isolated terror incidents and flagrant antisemitism by Muslim extremists has left more than a sour taste. Interestingly enough Holland and Belgium have not agreed to any settlements. Issues such as communities demanding Sharia law abound throughout Europe and women and chid abuse related to custom are a challenge to local authorities. However, other than Hungary’s right wing Prime Minister claiming that he was not going to allow the Christian fabric of his society to be torn by a massive Muslim presence the Muslim identity of the homeless has remained in the closet.
Also it is patently obvious that this is not Europeans perpetuating genocide while the world stands by. For example, the Europeans never put the hapless refugees in trucks they were put there by shameless exploitative thugs. All the Europeans are trying to do is wrestle with the nightmare that has landed on their doorstep. When caseloads of weapons are discovered in boxes captioned “Humanitarian Aid”, when opposition forces in the country cry enough is enough, it is understandable that there is concern by Governments. In contradistinction even in Hungary the plight of the damned has been embraced by individual citizens who empathize with the Syrians and have provided them with clothes, shelter, food and warmth.
PULLBACK ON REFUGEES
As the days roll on and the numbers of fleeing souls increase exponentially the brake mechanisms go into effect. Hungary has put up a fence making it extremely difficult to enter their country en route to migrate to the richer nations of Germany and Austria. They are even using tear gas and water hoses to control the mob. Germany pulled back too on their generous financial aid given to emigres and have replaced it with food coupons. Germany too is about to put up a fence on its border. There is little doubt that Europe cannot resettle what could be millions of people and somehow they are going to have to find a compromise between humanitarianism and reality. The initial planning EU meetings have morphed into emergency meetings on how to cope with this flood of humanity not how to integrate it.
The United States at the moment are going through their own contortions on the subject. Immigration per se has been made an issue front and center by the current GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump, for the Presidential nomination. The latter wants to deport 12 million Mexicans that are in America illegally. Ironically the United States is the country in the world that has been able to integrate peoples from all countries and persuasions into their melting pot. However, with Immigration a hot button election issue it is unlikely that Obama is going to make any sizable gesture. Thus far he is admitted just over a thousand Syrian homeless and has an objective of about 10,000 for a year. It is not only Trump who is sounding the alarm the number two contender on the Republican slate at present, Ben Carson says that no one can come in until they have had a comprehensive security check, which as it is not possible now, no one can seek asylum. It would be a brave Presidential contender in this climate to propose a major contribution to alleviate the crisis.
(All this immigration bluster is so much hot air because there is no way that 12 million Mexicans are going to be sent home as they are integrated into the economy. The quicker they are legalized the better as they are generally younger than the overall population and one needs a tax base to support the baby boomers who are going into retirement. Also no one cannot even hazard a guess at the true USA illegal situation as there are millions and millions of undocumented workers from other countries. For example there are a 100,000 illegal Greeks that have found there way to the US since their economy collapsed. Nothing will happen to these individuals till legislation is passed that punishes the employers - a policy not favored by the big donors of the GOP).
There is little doubt that Angela Merkel and some of the other European leaders had the adding of large numbers of young workers to their countries in mind in addition to their altruism. Their populations are aging and this is yet another gorilla in this overcrowded room.
COMPROMISE ON ALTRUISM AND POLITICAL REALITY
The religious leader who has been in the forefront of the type of compromise needed is former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. He believes that solidarity and empathy needs to be displayed towards the victimized Syrians. He has just completed his book “In God’s Name” where he explores the causative factors of those who effect violence in God’s name. He believes in the biblical edict, “Love the stranger as you were once strangers in Egypt”. He states that if one cannot have empathy for the plight of the Syrian displaced there is no hope as the world then loses its moral compass. At the same time he recognizes the limitations imposed on the European countries and as he is being interviewed left right and center to put a number on the refugees the UK should accept he has come out with the figure ten thousand. The precedent he relates to derives from the project initiated by Sir Nicholas Winton who brought in 10,000 Jewish children from Nazi Germany into the UK. He believes that, “….Sometimes small humanitarian gestures can pierce the darkness and light a flame of hope”.
Pope Francis’s message of hope and solidarity is for every Catholic parish to open its doors to one Syrian family.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
Jay H. Ell has tried to show that even if Europe was able to absorb all the Arab refugees the underlying problems would still need addressing. He would also hope that all those gorillas in the room could be openly discussed. It is not wrong, for example, for a people to discuss their fears such as infiltration by ISIS so they can be realistically answered. Also the Middle East mess needs sorting out. The West has a moral duty to help resolve the chaos as their imperial meddling has more than contributed to it.
The major military decision that needs clarification is how to take on ISIS without supporting Iran and Abbas because all that does is push the can down the road. In case the US and the other 5 major powers hadn’t noticed Iran has become more belligerent since the nuclear deal. The central decision to be made by the Muslim world is to take on terrorism before the extremists take over the religion. Already they have hijacked the platform and the whole theism is being identified with the murderers.
The West also need to remember who their only real ally is in that region and who operates from their value system. Israel too has made what should be considered a humanitarian gesture as the Israeli Defense Force has treated over 1500 injured Syrians regardless of what side they were on in this latest conflict. Abbas’s contribution has been to invite the 4 million displaced Syrians to settle on the West bank. Not surprisingly the refugees did not make a beeline to his and Hamas’s democracies and headed straight for Europe. They did need to become cannon fodder in yet another fracas.
One should be grateful that at least one is not hearing that if the Israeli Palestinian confrontation would be resolved than all these problems would go away.
To be continued as anything can happen for this powder keg to explode….
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