News:
The Independent Newspaper reported on Friday 29th May 2015, British tourists have complained about desperate migrants pouring into the Greek island of Kos making their holidays “awkward”.
More than 1,500 men, women and children have landed in the last week as the influx of people fleeing conflict and poverty continues.
Homeless and carrying the only remnants of their former lives in bags, they have been left to seek shelter in an abandoned hotel or on seaside arcades as authorities struggle to cope.
Comment:
This story was also reported in other papers and through social media with varied angles. Whilst The Independent carried images of children and women, the BBC reported on individual migrants and why they had fled their countries of origin giving this story a human element. Other reports told how the migrants were an inconvenience to British holidaymakers who wanted to have a holiday and not have to see such sights. The so called migrant crisis has coincided with the half term break for British schools hence British holiday makers have been directly affected.
The NIMBY-“Not in my back yard” mentality is typical of those in the western world. The migrants in this particular report were from Afghanistan, and others have come from various Muslim countries where western governments claim to intervene with a humanitarian agenda, saving Muslims from all kinds of tyranny. For some of the holiday makers interviewed the only thing that was on their mind was their own enjoyment being spoiled, clearly showing a lack of humanity. If your way of life has set the happiness of the individual as a prime goal and the aim in life, then anything that inconveniences a person’s happiness is regarded as negative. One holiday maker commented, “It’s really dirty and messy here now,” she added. “And it’s awkward. I’m not going to sit in a restaurant with people watching you.”
Another British couple on holiday with their grandchildren told the newspaper that they “don’t like it”, adding: “We won’t be coming back if it’s like a refugee camp again next year.”
Such comments sparked outrage on Twitter, where people said they were “speechless” that comparatively wealthy holidaymakers could seemingly feel so little empathy for people risking their lives to flee warzones.
Whilst seeing the outcome of war and conflicts may not be pleasant the attitudes are not surprising when the individual is constantly fed the idea of his own superiority. In the western world people work, work, work to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, living in a bubble of materialistic satisfaction it is easy to escape from the sad realities of the lives of the majority of people in the world. When one is face to face with the real life crisis people are going through there is no way to associate with oneself as there is no way to associate with human beings whose lives are considered to be of less worth, whose issues are just spoiling your fun!
In the history of Islam, we see that human life was valued and sanctuary was offered to those who were destitute and escaping persecution. Humanitarian assistance was a reality such as in the famous example of Jews who were expelled from Europe and embraced by the Uthmani Khilafah.
Beyazid II (1481–1512), issued a formal invitation to Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal. In 1492, when more than 150,000 Spanish Jews fled the Spanish Inquisition, many went to the Uthmani Khilafah. The Sultan is said to have mocked the Spanish monarch’s lack of wisdom: “Ye call Ferdinand a wise king he who makes his land poor and ours rich!.”
The Jewish population at Jerusalem increased from 70 families in 1488 to 1,500 at the beginning of the 16th century. Istanbul had a Jewish community of 30,000 individuals with 44 synagogues. Bayezid allowed the Jews to live on the banks of the Golden Horn. Egypt, especially Cairo, received a large number of the exiles, who soon out-numbered the native Jews. Gradually, the chief center of the Sephardic Jews became Salonica, where the Spanish Jews at one time outnumbered, the original native inhabitants. The Jews became an asset for the Khilafah and their human potential was recognized and nurtured.
Masses are ultimately led by their leadership. Western governments have put into place laws and policies that cause hardship for migrants, many mass media outlets report negatively about the migrants and individualism affects people in all aspects of life. Despite some people expressing shock and empathy in these situations, current day Europe will never welcome migrants with open arms.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Nazia Rehman – Pakistan