The Independent, UK
written by Adam Withnall
Friday September 11, 2015
Saudi Arabia has reportedly responded to the growing number of people fleeing the Middle East for western Europe – by offering to build 200 mosques in Germany.
Syria’s richer Gulf neighbours have been accused of not doing their fair share in the humanitarian crisis, with Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE also keeping their doors firmly shut to asylum-seekers.
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which quoted a report in the Lebanese newspaper Al Diyar, Saudi Arabia would build one mosque for every 100 refugees who entered Germany in extraordinary numbers last weekend.
It would be unfair to suggest that the Gulf Arab states have done nothing to help the estimated four million Syrians who have fled their country since the start of the conflict in 2011.
Just this week, the al Hayat newspaper reported that 500,000 Syrians had found homes in Saudi Arabia since the civil war began – as workers, not refugees.
There have also been significant contributions from rich individuals towards the upkeep of refugee camps round the Syrian border, estimated by the BBC to total around $900 million (£600 million).
But amid a history of competition between the Gulf states and Iranian-allied nations, there is a deep fear that allowing an influx of Syrian refugees could also let in Syrians loyal to Bashar al-Assad.
There also exists a more general concern about demographic change, leaving the states opposed to the idea of welcoming refugees. In the UAE, foreign nationals already outnumber citizens by more than five to one.
Back in Germany, Angela Merkel welcomed two refugee families at a home for asylum-seekers in the Berlin suburb of Spandau on Thursday.
She told reporters after the visit: “Their integration will certainly take place in part via the children, who will learn German very quickly in kindergarten. And I hope and believe that the great majority will want to learn our language very quickly.”
Whether she will welcome Saudi Arabia’s reported offer, which Al Diyar noted would “have to go through the federal authorities”, remains to be seen.
Why doesn't Saudi Arabia house the refugees in these tents temporarily? They are just sitting there EMPTY.
Hmm... Food for thought. Religion of peace? The oil rich Islamist kingdoms have openly stated they are refusing the Muslim refugees to protect themselves from terrorists.
But they have nooo problem getting the UN to FORCE all infidel nations of the West to take in ALL Islamists refugees flooding their infidel kafir nations at once.
Extraordinary failure to act by Arab countries. Everyone should know. Hat-tip @CBCNews and @NatashaFatah pic.twitter.com/a0OW32cgjP
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) September 5, 2015
The Daily Mail, UK
written by Jay Akbar
Friday September 4, 2015
More than four million Syrians have been forced to escape the never-ending civil war ravaging their country and the barbaric terror group carving a bloody trail across the Middle East.
The vast majority live in overcrowded refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq - all under threat from ISIS - and record numbers are making the perilously long journey to Europe.
Yet, as debate rages between politicians in Europe over how many they should take, nearby super-wealthy Gulf nations of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain have refused to offer sanctuary to a single Syrian refugee.
Amnesty International's Head of Refugee and Migrants' Rights, Sherif Elsayid-Ali, described their inaction as 'shameful'.
He said: 'The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis... It is a disgrace.'
None have been allowed to enter the (relatively) nearby Gulf nations, who all rank in the world's top 50 GDPs and have a combined military budget of more than £65billion, according to Arab expert Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi.
He said: 'The Gulf must realise that now is the time to change their policy regarding accepting refugees from the Syria crisis. It is the moral, ethical and responsible step to take.'
None of the Gulf countries signed the 1951 Refugee Convention which defines a refugee 'outside the country of his nationality' because of 'fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality'.
Syrians can still apply for 'costly' tourist visas and work permits to enter wealthier Gulf nations but they are rarely granted, according to the BBC.
Gulf nations argue that accepting large numbers of Syrian refugees is a serious threat to the safety of its citizens because terrorists could hide themselves among civilians.
They have donated large sums of money to help homeless refugees. According to ReliefWeb, the UAE has funded an entire refugee camp in Jordan which shelters tens of thousands of Syrians.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have donated funds, food, shelter and clothing to Syrias in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.
In total, the Gulf states are thought to have given over £589m to the aid effort - but it is four times less than the United States has.
The UK has given £918million to help deal with the impact of violence in Syria and Prime Minister David Cameron today announced Britain is increasing its aid for refugees to more than £1billion.
Britain's contribution is more than Saudi Arabia's £387million , UAE's £359million and Qatar's £157,000 combined.
The Gulf region 'has the capacity to quickly build housing for the refugees,' according to the Managing Editor of the Quartz news website, Bobby Ghosh.
He wrote: 'The giant construction companies that have built the gleaming towers of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh should be contracted to create shelters for the influx.
'Saudi Arabia has plenty of expertise at managing large numbers of arrivals... There's no reason all this knowhow can't be put to humanitarian use.'
The majority of Syrian refugees have been taken in by Middle Eastern countries. Around 1.9million live in Turkish refugee camps, 1.1million in Lebanon, 629,000 in Jordan, 249,000 in northern Iraq and Egypt has housed 132,000, according to the United Nations.
But there was a massive surge in those trying to reach Europe this year and asylum applications had topped 300,000 by early August.
More than 89,000 were from Germany, which expects to take in more than 800,000 refugees from all over the world this year, and 62,000 for Sweden.
The UK has promised to rehome 'thousands', said Prime Minister David Cameron, who only this week claimed accepting more people was not the simple answer to the crisis.
Breitbart News
written by Donna Rachel Edmunds
Saturday September 5, 2015
Five of the wealthiest Muslim countries have taken no Syrian refugees in at all, arguing that doing so would open them up to the risk of terrorism. Although the oil rich countries have handed over aid money, Britain has donated more than Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar combined.
Between 10 and 12 million Syrians have been displaced by the bloody civil war raging in their country. Most still remain within Syria’s borders, but around four million have fled over the borders into neighbouring countries, mostly Turkey Jordan and Lebanon, and beyond.
Lebanon, which has 1.1 million Syrian refugees, shut her borders to the Syrians in June of last year. Jordan, host to another 630,000, followed suit in August last year, preventing more Syrians from abandoning their country.
By early August 2015, European states had received nearly 350,000 asylum applications from Syrians, nearly a third of whom applied to Germany for asylum. Another 65,000 have applied Sweden and 50,000 in Serbia. Hungary and Austria have received close to 19,000 applications each although that figure is likely to rise, while the UK is processing 7,030 applications, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Yet amidst cries for Europe to do more, it has transpired that of the five wealthiest countries on the Arabian Peninsula, that is, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, not one has taken in a single refugee from Syria. Instead, they have argued that accepting large numbers of Syrians is a threat to their safety, as terrorists could be hiding within an influx of people. Sherif Elsayid-Ali, Amnesty International’s Head of Refugee and Migrants’ Rights, has slammed their inaction as “shameful”.
He said: “The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis… It is a disgrace.” None of the Gulf States signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, which legally defines a refugee as “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality”. However, they have taken refugees in the past.
Twenty-five years ago, hundreds of thousands of Kuwaitis fleeing Saddam Hussein’s invasion were given refuge. According to Arabian expert Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi: “in Abu Dhabi, the government rented out entire apartment blocks and gave them to families for free.”
Instead the countries, all of which are within the Top 50 list of wealthiest nations by GDP, have opted to donate aid to those affected by the crisis. According to the Daily Mail, the UAE has funded a refugee camp in Jordan giving shelter to tens of thousands of Syrians, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have donated funds, food, shelter and clothing to Syrians in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.
Total donations from the Gulf States are believe to total £589 million, less than a quarter of America’s £2.8 billion, and a fraction of the £65 billion they spent on defence in 2012 alone. The UK has handed over £920 million so far, but the Prime Minister yesterday pledged to increase that figure to £1 billion. He also promised to take in thousands more refugees.
Al-Qassemi has argued in the that the standing that the Muslim countries now have in the world confer on them a moral obligation to step in. “The Gulf States have emerged as the nerve centres of Arab diplomacy, culture, media production, commerce and tourism, amassing an unprecedented degree of soft power unrivalled in the region and beyond,” he said.
They also form “the most influential bloc within the 70-year-old Arab League.”
“But with great power comes great responsibility. The Gulf must realise that now is the time to change their policy regarding accepting refugees from the Syria crisis. It is the moral, ethical and responsible step to take.”
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