Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, Originally posted in Arabic on September 6
We have all heard and read about the unfolding crisis in Europe, with the mass arrival of refugees from the Middle East. Last week, on my way to London, I was actually stuck in a French train station, as authorities closed the railroad tracks in an attempt to block refugees.
I have to admit that I am somewhat surprised by the European reaction to all of this. Discussions about the likely plight of millions of refugees from the Middle East have already been held in the immediate aftermath of the Arab Spring, nearly 4 years ago. In addition, there are only 200,000 refugees currently in Europe, all of whom could easily be integrated into the different countries in the region.
What Europe is truly concerned about is what is going to happen next. This initial wave of immigrants is a precursor to what could come next. This is an important moment for the world to finally realize the extent of difficulty and struggle faced by countries like Jordan and Lebanon, who have been absorbing Syrian and Iraqi refugees for several years now, while lacking the financial resources available to the Europeans.
It is also an important moment to understand that those fleeing the Middle East could be considered by some as fortunate or lucky. Just think of what happens to those actually present in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen.
The Europeans must change their approach. They must support the countries that have already offered a shelter to refugees, as well as do whatever they can to fight extremists in the region. So long as the problem was far away, Brussels could afford to turn a blind eye.
Now is the time for urgency. If Europe doesn’t take action today, things will get much worse very quicky. – Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed