This past week, we witnessed a horrifyingly sad display of international
indifference toward hundreds of people stranded aboard rickety boats.
Photographs circulating in the world press show these unfortunate people
pleading for mercy and tears rolling down their cheeks. Struggling with
starvation aboard makeshift boats, these poor souls weren’t allowed
entry to various countries and turned away to meet their inevitable fate
out in the ocean.
One wonders what could be the reason behind this
callous attitude. How could the world become so indifferent to the
plight of others? What could possibly be the cause of this frosty
behavior? How could the humanity stoop to this level of cruelty?
While
some people went to work as usual, some attended feasts, some welcomed
their guests for dinner and some spent hours on various social media
platforms, in a far corner of the same world, a group of refugees on
makeshift boats belonging to human traffickers were left to rot, out in
the ocean.
After much reluctance, a few countries have finally agreed
to offer refuge to some of these poor people. Malaysia and Indonesia
have decided to provide these stateless (around 7,000 to 8,000) people
with shelter. This is a temporary solution and more efforts are required
to resolve the issue once and for all.
Otherwise, nobody considered
Rohingya Muslims, who were about to starve to death, worthy of taking
in. They didn’t want to give them shelter. They didn’t want to spend
money on these poor people, but thought it to be expedient to spend
money on sports events, parties, expensive clothes, cars, stadiums,
shopping malls, or tourist attractions. Instead of asking, “how can we
help these poor people?” they started looking ways to “get rid of them.”
Needless
to say, not every leader or officer thinks this way. Surely, there are
nations and there are good people who are trying to help the Rohingya.
However, the final decisions of the policymakers once again brought to
the fore the tragic trends in the world of politics. The situation is so
dire for Rohingya Muslims that they accept risking their lives aboard
rickety boats despite knowing that countries of the region will turn
them away and despite the “death” lurking in the sea. What could
possibly drive huge numbers of people to such a desperate act?
No one
should think that now that Indonesia and Malaysia have accepted some
refugees, the problem is solved. Although the discovery of mass graves
in Thailand, the hotbed of human traffickers, led to a clampdown on
traffickers, the problem is far from being solved. Currently, the boats
that set off from Myanmar and are now adrift at the sea are home to some
8,000 people. Traffickers now charge the final installment not when
they land, but while at sea and then abandon the ships. While the people
of some Muslim countries wish to do everything they can to help the
refugees, their respective administrations have finally decided to take a
few steps in this regard. Most of the countries are blaming the Myanmar
government in an attempt to convince the world that it is not their
problem. But it is the problem of the Muslims, and the problem of the
world. Considering the fact that we live in the same world with these
migrants in need, how could it be not ours?
It would be pertinent to
mention here that the Malaysian foreign minister consulted his
Bangladeshi, Indonesian and Thai counterparts to find a solution. It is
also heartening to note that UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon talked to
Malaysian and Thai premiers and called for the rescue of these refugees.
Another good news is that the US’ Holocaust Memorial Museum stated that
Muslim minority in Myanmar are being subjected to genocide, as it shows
that the world has begun to notice the Muslim Rohingya after a long
period of silence. But the truth is, despite the calls from the world,
it looks unlikely that Myanmar administration, which is still
essentially under military control after the coup, could provide a
solution. However, serious sanctions by ASEAN members could prove
convincing for Myanmar, as they had refused all calls for solutions and
didn’t attend meetings held for that purpose. Yet, as long as there is
support of giants like China, which is in the process of laying a
natural gas pipeline through Myanmar, such options look far-fetched.
For
this reason, it is important that Muslim countries like Malaysia and
Indonesia consider the situation as a problem of their fellow Muslims,
of their own citizens, rather than that of Myanmar and produce solutions
accordingly. The solution is simple. Just like Turkey, which welcomed
more than 2 million refugees without questions, without foreign aid, and
with love. Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 islands and some of
those islands are partially or completely empty. They can easily provide
tents or containers, which could be used for settlements and give these
people some means for agriculture, few cattle for breeding and treat
the Rohingyas like their own citizens that would contribute both to
themselves and to their country’s economy. In countries like Malaysia,
which are in need of labor force, the presence of Rohingya will prove to
be a blessing. Expecting foreign aid is meaningless and futile. These
can be done easily without extensive costs, using the current resources
of the states.
Let’s correct a misconception, which is the result of
the cruel ways of politics of today: A refugee in difficulty is not a
burden like many bourgeoisies like to think, but instead, he is a guest
from God. And a guest from God comes with blessings from God and those
who welcome them will definitely be rewarded with gifts in return for
doing something that would please God. This is God’s justice. And the
decisions of the politicians or the international laws are invalid in
the face of God’s justice.
ALSO SOURCE LINK TO DONATE AND READ MORE INSHA'ALLAH:
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Click here to support Rohingya Refugees in Indonesia by ...
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The UN calls the Rohingya one of the world's most persecuted
minorities. For decades, the Rohingya suffered from state-sanctioned
discrimin...
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INSHA'ALLAH ALSO READ THIS PDF ARTICLE - 'Early Warning Signs of Genocide in Burma' :
http://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20150505-Burma-Report.pdf?utm_content=sf9502480&utm_medium=spredfast&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=US+Holocaust+Memorial+Museum&sf9502480=1
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