After months of boiling yet subdued tensions, and upon the recent beheading of another Lebanese soldier as announced by ISIS, Syrian refugees are facing reprisals, with many forced to evacuate Lebanese areas. The actions and threats of ISIS have sparked outrage among the Lebanese people, many blaming the Syrian refugees for the cause of the intensifying security risks. The Syrian refugees are either being kicked out violently by residents or are given eviction notices by the municipality police claiming that they are not against the refugees, but special safety measures ought to be taken in order to control the sensitive situation. Syrian refugees, many whom are women and children, are afraid to leave their houses, are particularly worried as support has been abruptly cut off, and are gravely expecting that any future clashes will lead to horrific undesired results. (The Daily Star – Lebanon)
It is important to highlight the gravity of the situation, which the refugees in the Middle East are experiencing due to the unstable political situation in the region, caused by the historic undue interference of Western countries coupled with the puppetry of the Muslim rulers who have continually abused their power to extinguish the people’s aspirations to revolt against tyranny and dictatorship. The constant Western interference and the impotence of the Muslim rulers had taken a toll on people’s patience causing them to become frustrated and eager to adopt any proposed solution to bring a temporary end to their miseries, even if it means going against their traditional Islamic disposition of deeply rooted generosity and care. The agony and suffering of the people fleeing their country seeking security and safety in another country is an issue that has been going on for decades especially after the fall of the Islamic Khilafah in 1924, and the way they are being dealt with and treated has significantly yet negatively changed over the years causing a huge impact on people’s attitudes, especially by burdening the people with a responsibility far beyond their capability with no or minimal support from the government.
Lebanon in particular over the years had been the permanent or temporary home for refugees from various countries with more than half of the Lebanese population having foreign roots. Homing refugees in Lebanon is not a new phenomenon; however, the general view on refugees in Lebanon has majorly been a negative one with liberty haphazardly given by the government to various leaders to claim ownership of certain areas to the exclusion of all others. Lebanon and Syria in particular and until recently were very good neighbors and were considered sister countries, with no need for either citizens to use a passport to cross the border. However, with the beginning of the Syrian revolution and the rise of various factions fighting Assad’s oppression, and the Western involvement to suppress all forms of revolution which can dangerously affect its interests of power and wealth in the Middle East, the rising rivalry between Lebanese and Syrians has become a wellspring for the West. In addition, and as expected, mainstream media is playing a vital role in mutilating people’s minds and poisoning the harmony between Lebanese and Syrians. Lebanese in general and Muslims in particular ought to fight against this false flag as Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هَـٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۗ وَأَرْضُ اللَّـهِ وَاسِعَةٌ ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
Say: ‘Slaves of Mine who have iman! have taqwa of your Lord. For those who do good in this world there is good and Allah’s earth is spacious. The steadfast will be paid their wages in full without any reckoning.’
(al-Zumur: 10)
As such, it is essential to comprehend the true reasons behind Lebanese directing this hatred towards the Syrian refugees, via these four points:
1. Division of the Muslim lands and the promotion of nationalism consequently led people to claim sole ownership of certain lands and act selfishly under the pretext of “national security”. Nationalism and colonial borders have restricted our compassion towards our brothers and sisters from other countries, and made us hold blind reservations against welcoming people from other lands. We ought to remember that these lands which we claim ownership are actually not ours; they belongs to Almighty Allah سبحانه وتعالى and He wants these lands to be opened to all those fleeing persecution. Where are our ‘Muslim leaders’ who are supposed to not allow this division to happen, who are supposed to bring the hearts of the Muslims together, and who are supposed to make sure that harmony and compassion exists between Muslims and non-Muslims no matter who they are and from which country they come from?
2. Absence of thoroughly functional governments and the carelessness of successive governments has resulted in not only neglecting the refugees but also its own citizens and has been a major issue never been seriously addressed in Lebanon post Khilafah. The Lebanese government has dramatically weakened over the years in its accountability and effectiveness to cater to its own citizens, thus rendering it totally incapable of taking care of others seeking refuge. This includes not just the Syrians, but also Palestinians, Iraqis, Armenians, Sri Lanki, Kurdi and many others. As such, the burden of taking care of the refugees has fallen upon the people who are already struggling to make a living despite the tough conditions such as extreme power cuts, shortage in water supplies, dramatic increases in prices due to high taxes, unpaid government wages, and so much more. People with money and power have blackmailed their way to be exempted from this responsibility, thus adding more gasoline to the existing blazing fire.
3. Disrespecting the refugees, making them feel as outcasts, and blaming them for the problems in the country made playing with the blame-game card a safe escape for corrupt politicians to distract masses from real issues. People need to see beyond that since with the arrival of the refugees, the existing serious problems are surfacing to become clearly visible after being constantly hidden and repetitively ignored by the Lebanese government. Actually, the government is intentionally not interfering in people’s decisions to kick the Syrians out of Lebanese areas, and they are actually supporting it by allowing the municipalities to take action or by remaining silent, so that the minds of the people stay oblivious to the serious problems raging in the country for years. The government wants the people to focus on the minor issues so that their energies are drained making them incapable of focusing on the major ones.
4. Punishing the whole Syrian refugee population for the actions done by some Syrians is not fair at all especially to those who sincerely want to earn a decent living and provide a secure and safe life for their children and families. This is actually the Western phenomenon which the Lebanese government has learnt the secular, liberal concepts well from their masters. This is a selfish and greedy approach inspired by a liberal and capitalistic view on life and exploiting people’s frustration and agony to serve the hidden agenda.
A Lesson to learn from Madina and Ahl as-Suffa
At the time when Prophet Mohammed صلى الله عليه وسلم was in Madina and the Masjid Al-Nabawi was built, a special shaded place behind the masjid was constructed and dedicated for the Guests of Islam. These guests were refugees who fled religious prosecution from Kufr systems and tyrant rulers and had no family, wealth or place to rely on. Complimentary food and water would be provided from the Sadaqat that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sent to them or when the Sahaba who were well-off would invite them over to their houses without making them feel that it’s a favor, since sacrifice and generosity are Ibadaat which Muslims should be willingly doing in order to gain Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى pleasure. These guests got an exclusive chance to learn the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with full dedication, as this is what they would do with their time in addition to trying to earn for a living despite the difficult conditions. These guests were dealt with respect and honor without feeling as outcasts, nor were they blamed for the difficult conditions since the Muslims strongly believed that sustenance is solely provided by Allah سبحانه وتعالى and that He سبحانه وتعالى might inflict His beloved believers with tough trials to bring them closer. Abu Huraira (ra) was one of these guests, and Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم appointed him as their representative in order to convey the guests’ needs to the leader and convey the leader’s messages to them, thus organizing the Muslim society in a rightful manner.
Therefore, as Muslims who believe in Allah سبحانه وتعالى and fear Him سبحانه وتعالى only, we should be welcoming the refugees for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. We should consider that maybe one day, unless we have experienced this already, Allah سبحانه وتعالى might put us through this difficult test and we would be forced to flee our land. Wouldn’t we want to be dealt in a decent, caring and respectful manner? We should also seriously work hard towards establishing the Islamic Khilafah that will be lead by a just, caring and God-fearing ruler as only under its shade and with the proper management of the state’s resources that the Muslim lands will be once again reunited without the selfish and restrictive colonial borders and the appointment of greedy rulers, and we will be provided with shelter, protected from harm, and supported until we are able to stand on our feet. We will not need to worry about seeking refuge in foreign non-Muslim countries, especially Western countries, and we will not need to worry about accommodating additional refugees as Allah سبحانه وتعالى is The Best Provider. We will be welcomed in the lands ruled by Islam, and we will be well-supported by our Muslim brothers and sisters, without allowing the Kuffar to affect our Islamic attitude.
يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ
“O My slaves who believe! Certainly, spacious is My earth. Therefore worship Me (Alone).”
(al-Ankabout: 56)
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Umm Adyan –Australia