The case For and Against refugees

Even if you are not following the news daily, you're aware of the current situation concerning refugees (and migrants). A number of countries have seen, or a least heard, the increasingly loud voices of local "patriots" speaking against offering asylum to refugees. For those of you who are not able to make a difference between a refugee and a migrant, the first is a person fleeing armed conflict or persecution, whose situation is "so perilous and intolerable that they cross national borders to seek safety in nearby countries." (Adrian Edwards, chief spokesperson for UNHCR). Migrants are people who CHOOSE to improve their lives for the sake of finding better work, living condition, better life by the end of the day. Migrants are people who do not face safety problems once they return home. Between the two of them refugees are protected by international law, meaning that they should not be expelled or returned to situations/countries where their life will be in danger.

While not 100%, most of the people fleeing to Europe at this time are considered refugees.

- Depending on which country you are currently in, chances are that in the past your countrymen have fled to other countries, and in most cases they have been accepted. Imagine if they would have not been accepted, due to their race, religion, or the level of their education. It's only wise to treat other people the same way you'd WANT other people to treat you in similar situation. - Depending on a country you are currently in, there might be a lot of Your migrants living in other countries. While they are not refugees, don't you think it's only good they have had the chance to migrate to other countries of their choice? And if that's the case, why shouldn't your country offer the same to people from other countries? It's simply common courtesy. - Now, let's forget all about the past, let's forget all about what has been done for you. Let's just talk about logic - you do agree that you should help people who need your help? Do you accept that tolerance is important in this world? Do accept that helping those in need is a sensible thing to do? And I'm talking about helping in the most general sense right now. No politics involved. If we would talk about politics, of course we should go into discussing how the problems COULD HAVE been prevented and all that. But we need to take a look at the situation that we have right now, and deal with that. Parallelly, of course, hope that the heads of the countries are doing the best to ease the situation and work towards getting the countries the refugees are fleeing from, safe again.

The laws that say you, or your country, should (or should not) accept refugees don't matter. What matters, is humane treatment of other humans. What matters is that you are tolerant. What matters is that even if you don't personally take in refugees, or maybe don't even like them, you don't work against people who are willing to do that; you don't cause problems, you won't promote intolerance. By the end of the day, that's the main thing.




While it's maybe not exactly against refugees, there are some understandable points that could be made against refugees, or more about what they (or maybe you, if you are one of them) could do to improve the attitude towards the refugees.

- While case should be made that countries have the responsibility to take in refugees and offer them shelter, refugees should keep in mind that in big part, especially when individuals are involved, refugees are accepted based on good will. And you do want good will from the locals. But if you pretty much go illegally (even though, as a refugee, the illegal part is so and so), and you start DEMANDING that people HAVE to give you food, shelter, money, and this has happened in some places, then you start to lose the support even from the people who were willing to help you before. Because after you make those statements, they start to have concerns about what happens once you are accepted. - When you go to another country, it's only normal to also accept their laws. If you are a Muslim, you could say that your religion demands that you don't accept a certain law in the country you have gone to (be the law about women, burqas, or anything else), you still need to accept those laws as your own, even if you don't like them for one reason or another. - To say it bluntly, there's a saying - "beggars can't be choosers." However, it would seem that at this point refugees don't seem to like this idea. Instead of Hungary or Greece or...whatever else, refugees do their best to go to the richest European countries where they can get more money and opportunities. When you fled from Syria for example, you were a a refugee, but once you start saying that you don't like this or that country because they are not up to your standards, you become an illegal economic migrant. Even more, if you got to Europe and decide to start breaking the local laws and cross the borders illegally, you actually become a criminal.

By the end of day, if you are a citizen of a country of the receiving end of refugees, you need to be tolerant towards the refugees. Do to others what you want others to do to you. If you're a refugee, don't forget that you're in a stranger's house. Be polite and if you're offered food and shelter, be thankful. If not, be happy that you were let inside, and don't start demanding things. Tolerance and friendliness is required from both sides, and if individuals are able to play nice, if individuals are able to show they are good human beings, the governments will follow. Not vice versa.