Who are “THEY”?
Syrian refugees, War Syria
“European morals are in danger because of them. We don’t want anymore terrorist in our country. Why should we clean up their mess? They all are fortune seekers. They will destroy our country. They will rape our girls. They are a danger to our freedom. They are all criminals. They are not thankful.”
After reading this you might question yourself who my character “they” is. For a lot of Europeans they is the face of a terrorist seeking help in a rich continent which they will eventually exploit, use and ruin. For me “they”, are the children who left their friends behind, the mothers who saw their children die, the fathers who had nothing more to offer than despair in order to protect their family, a lover who saw the love of his life being raped and abducted to serve as a sex-slave, a friend who had to bury the one he grew up with, the teacher who counted fewer students every day the war continued, the doctor who had to tell multiple times a day to loved ones that they lost a life, a politician who saw his land get destroyed by barbaric men and artist that could do nothing more than capture pain in his eyes and in his future work
Amnesia of the European history
If we had not been in the same position as these people I would have maybe understood the ignorance of most people, but I guess we European people forgot where we came from. They say the present is incomplete if the history is forgotten. In this case our present is as incomplete as it can be. To go back down memory lane I will try to freshen things up for you guys. A short course of European history is what is needed to create humanity towards these refugees.
In 1938 the American president Roosevelt plead during the conference of Evian for a better support system towards refugees. At that time his plea was for the support of the Jewish community in Germany. Countries did not respond well on that plea. Europe and the world needed to face a holocaust before they agreed upon the rights of refugees. After the horror of the WO II the world agreed upon a principle in The convention of Geneva in 1951 .
German refugees with what is left of their belongings on the Tiergarten station in Berlin (August 1945)They agreed upon the non-refoulement article. This article states that: “ a refugee can not be sent back to the country of origin if there are grounds to fear their prosecution” This was signed and supported by 145 countries. But still most of these countries would rather not want any refugees from Syria, Irak, Afghanistan or any other Islamic country. When the convention of Geneva was signed a quarter million Europeans were on their way to the US to seek asylum.
The dress code of the non-refoulement article
Hilarious is the fact that we now days use the law and its protection only for those who are worth protecting. How do we know when you fit the profile? Do you need to have a certain religion? Do you need to have a certain appearance? What is the dress code of the non-refoulement article? I am not that much of a fashion diva but I know that being muslim, wearing a head scarf, growing a non fashionable beard and speaking a certain not western language are excluded from membership to this principle.
So is this how the bouncers of Europe (our governments) are trying to explain the dress code of the non-refoulement article? After having this said I wonder what part of International law we did not understand? 145 countries signed this treaty but most of them are excluded of their rights because some fancy western membership has more audacity.
Lets sail the sea of inhumanity towards Europe
People are denied humanity and are stuck on a railway station in Hungary. Freedom of movement of Individuals is one of the core grounds of the European union but not for these people.
Syrian refugees with whats over of their belongings in the train station in Boedapest, Hungary .(August 2015)When Europeans were crossing the sea towards America boats where waiting for them in Bremen and they could board like respected human beings to start a new life because they had suffered a lot. These poor people risk their lives, that of their wives and children in the hope to reach a coast that will understand their pain and sorrow. They lost lives in inhuman ways. Children drown, fathers sacrifice their own lives for others, mothers witness the death of sons and husbands and when reached the coast not nature but the nature of human kind starts to torture them.
So whenever you see a refugee don’t forget to realise that they shed sea’s of tears while crossing over to Europe, standing on the door of a continent that once also knocked on a door in hope for a life, safety and a future without pain, desperation or tears. “They” are just like your grandparents but less fortunate because they are unwanted.
By S.A.
Sodaba Writes The Tale Of..... 