Real progress leaves nobody behind

Real progress leaves nobody behind.

The Middle East is a hotbed. One big tangle where it is unclear who is the enemy and who the friend. Syrians live between a regime that stops at nothing and IS. When in this conflict,you have lost your house, belongings and loved-ones, you are left with no choice. The only option is to flee. To leave all misery and distress, destruction and death behind. Are we still surprised that Europe is a predictable refuge?

This commentary was written at the end of September. We were wondering if the worst was over. The refugee door was ajar then, but later it opened widely.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees is (too) much.
Every person who rejects refugees should remember that his/her (grand)parents used to flee to Holland and England in the past, in order to avoid the violence. Notwithstanding all the shortages then, they were given shelter. Should the European Union accept one million refugees, it would not yet make up 0.2 % – and this is correct – of the total population of Europe. The key question is whether we are prepared to offer a lasting and well organised form of integration? Because this is the cornerstone.

In essence it is about trust.
The distress of people, the chaos and the hopelessness appeal to the better side in ourselves. This is without doubt correct. But there is more. In the middle of this refugee story full of emotions , powerlessness and incompetence it is not unthinkable that a whole new perspective arises totally unexpected, that nobody could have foreseen or predicted , but as a result of which everybody gets better and stronger tomorrow.

Refugees not only challenge our solidarity.
For each welfare state it is at the same time a test for its degree of development. A country that considers itself ‘highly developed’ only proves itself  through its involvement in and decisiveness towards the weakest. They who can organise themselves and have welfare , have the moral duty to give shelter to refugees who unwillingly and unasked for, have been forced to leave their country in order to find safety and life.

Let us not leave anyone behind in our longing to progress.

 

 

 

 

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Preceding articles:

Israeli leaders delight in Europe’s cruelty toward refugees

Human tragedy need to be addressed at source

Poster: Please help the refugees

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Echte vooruitgang laat niemand achter

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Additional reading:

1. Mocking, Agitation and Religious Persecution
2. Al Qaeda regaining foothold in Middle East bubonic plague for American elections
3. Palestine, Israel, God’s people and democracy
4. Holy land Christian exodus
5. Victims and Seekers of Peace
6. Continues Syrian conflict needing not only dialogue
7. ISIL will find no safe haven
8. Funding of ISIS
9. Wrong choices made to get rid of Assad
10. Fitting the bill in the North and in the East
11. Europe and much-vaunted bastions of multiculturalism becoming No God Zones
12. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
13. Disintegrating Syria whilst diplomatic talks and poker-play continues
14. 2014 Politics all over the world
15. Are people willing to take the responsibility for others
16. If Europe fails on the question of refugees, then it won’t be the Europe we wished for
17. Disintegrating Syria whilst diplomatic talks and poker-play continues
18. Can We Pay The Price To Free Humanity?
19. bORDER-Gastrofest
20. The New gulf of migration and seed for far right parties
21. Consequences of Mass Immigration in Sweden
22. See how you can use your skills, resources, and energy to help Syrians and other refugees in need
23. He who beams never walks in the dark

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