We are watching the huge "crisis" in Europe as migrants from Syria and the rest of the Middle East head to Germany and Sweden and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Europe. Most of the coverage fails to get to the heart of the problem. There are a number of questions that have to be answered before a proper response can be determined.
The key question is who are the people in this migration? We don't need to report their names, but it is very important to get a statistical breakdown of the people involved. We need to know each of the following bits of information:
A. What country do these people come from? -- Are these really people from war torn Syria or do they come from places at relative peace like Iran, Jordan, and Turkey?
B. What religion do they follow? -- How many are Sunni Moslems and how many are Shia Moslems? What percentage are Christians? How many are Druze or Yazidi?
C. Where were these people when they began their latest trek to Europe? In other words, how many of the Syrians were in refugee centers in Turkey or Jordan for a while before they left for Germany?
D. How many of these people are adult males, how many are adult women and how many are children?
E. How many of these people have split up from their immediate families?
This may sound like dry statistics, but it is very important information. The Europeans (and we) need to know if these are really refugees or if they are people seeking to move in order to find a better job or welfare benefits. Those who come from Syria may be fleeing war, but those who come from Iran, Turkey or Jordan (for example) are coming from countries at peace. Those who are Christian or Druze or Yazidi may be fleeing religious persecution. Depending on from where they come, the Sunnis and the Shiites are not likely being persecuted for their religious beliefs. Even for Syrians, those who left directly from the war zone are fleeing danger. Those who first went to Jordan or Turkey and stayed there for months or years are not in any danger. It seems safe to assume that men are more likely looking for an economic benefit rather than refugee status. This is particularly true of men who have arrived in Europe while leaving their wives and children behind. Not many men would flee the war zone for "safety" while leaving their families behind to deal with an actual war.
For countries like Germany where the migrants are seeking asylum, there is a difficult choice to make. People whose lives are at risk due to the Syrian civil war or the ISIS attacks in Iraq should be helped by the entire world. This is a moral duty that ought not be shirked. On the other hand, people (even refugees) who are safe in Jordan or Turkey or elsewhere ought not be granted asylum just on the basis that there's a civil war in Syria. The citizens of the western countries have no obligation -- moral or otherwise -- to provide a living for the people of the Middle East. Those who seek asylum in the West just in order to collect welfare benefits or even to get a better job and the chance for a wealthier life, ought to be made to wait in line and follow the rules that apply to all those who want to immigrate to the country involved. On top of all this, we have the problem of jihadis who infiltrate into Western society by means of this "refugee" movement. Imagine the irony of ISIS terrorists being fed and housed by the governments of the very countries they seek to destroy.
So far, there is almost no data that answers these questions. Without those answers, there is no way to make a rational decision how to react to the situation.
The key question is who are the people in this migration? We don't need to report their names, but it is very important to get a statistical breakdown of the people involved. We need to know each of the following bits of information:
A. What country do these people come from? -- Are these really people from war torn Syria or do they come from places at relative peace like Iran, Jordan, and Turkey?
B. What religion do they follow? -- How many are Sunni Moslems and how many are Shia Moslems? What percentage are Christians? How many are Druze or Yazidi?
C. Where were these people when they began their latest trek to Europe? In other words, how many of the Syrians were in refugee centers in Turkey or Jordan for a while before they left for Germany?
D. How many of these people are adult males, how many are adult women and how many are children?
E. How many of these people have split up from their immediate families?
This may sound like dry statistics, but it is very important information. The Europeans (and we) need to know if these are really refugees or if they are people seeking to move in order to find a better job or welfare benefits. Those who come from Syria may be fleeing war, but those who come from Iran, Turkey or Jordan (for example) are coming from countries at peace. Those who are Christian or Druze or Yazidi may be fleeing religious persecution. Depending on from where they come, the Sunnis and the Shiites are not likely being persecuted for their religious beliefs. Even for Syrians, those who left directly from the war zone are fleeing danger. Those who first went to Jordan or Turkey and stayed there for months or years are not in any danger. It seems safe to assume that men are more likely looking for an economic benefit rather than refugee status. This is particularly true of men who have arrived in Europe while leaving their wives and children behind. Not many men would flee the war zone for "safety" while leaving their families behind to deal with an actual war.
For countries like Germany where the migrants are seeking asylum, there is a difficult choice to make. People whose lives are at risk due to the Syrian civil war or the ISIS attacks in Iraq should be helped by the entire world. This is a moral duty that ought not be shirked. On the other hand, people (even refugees) who are safe in Jordan or Turkey or elsewhere ought not be granted asylum just on the basis that there's a civil war in Syria. The citizens of the western countries have no obligation -- moral or otherwise -- to provide a living for the people of the Middle East. Those who seek asylum in the West just in order to collect welfare benefits or even to get a better job and the chance for a wealthier life, ought to be made to wait in line and follow the rules that apply to all those who want to immigrate to the country involved. On top of all this, we have the problem of jihadis who infiltrate into Western society by means of this "refugee" movement. Imagine the irony of ISIS terrorists being fed and housed by the governments of the very countries they seek to destroy.
So far, there is almost no data that answers these questions. Without those answers, there is no way to make a rational decision how to react to the situation.
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