While European Countries Have Offered Asylum to Afghan Refugees, Muslim Countries Have Shut Their Doors on Them
Turkey, Pakistan and Uzbekistan Have Sealed Their Borders
Main Points:
1. US, Canada and UK have allowed Afghan refugees to enter
2. US government has sanctioned $500 million for Afghan refugees
3. European NGOs have asked European nationals to come to the
help of Afghan refugees
4. Muslim nations have not offered financial help to the Afghan
refugees or internally displaced persons.
5. Taliban have not showed any sympathy or concern for the
displaced Afghans
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By New Age Islam Staff Writer
19 August 2021
An Afghan national at a
gathering to urge the international community to help Afghan refugees, in New
Delhi on August 18 [Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters]
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With the Taliban’s ascent to power in Afghanistan, the major
fallout of the political instability was a large scale displacement of Afghans.
Approximately 400, 000 have been displaced internally and hundreds of thousands
of Afghans are fleeing Afghanistan for the fear of a tyrannical rule of Taliban
as they have witnessed during their previous rule. The large scale migration of
Afghan has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Women and children are the most
vulnerable section during this crisis and they are suffering the most. Many
Afghans have tried to flee to Turkey while many other entered Pakistan through
Friendship Gate in Chaman in Pakistan. They have also fled to bordering Iran
where already hundreds of thousands of Afghans live as refugees. Many Afghans
enter the bordering countries through forests and mountainous regions because
the governments do not allow them to enter.
The unfortunate aspect of this humanitarian crisis is that
most of the Muslim countries have prevented hapless Afghans from entering their
territory citing refugee overload. This has put the migrants at greater risk of
exploitation and hardship. For example, Turkey, the self-styled leader of the
Muslim countries has announced that it will not allow migrants from Afghanistan
as it already has given shelter to 4 million refugees mostly from Syria and
1,20,000 refugees from Afghanistan. It has sealed its borders and built a wall
to avert any refugee influx. However, this has given opportunity to smugglers
who take $ 1000 per person from Afghan migrants to lead them into Turkey
illegally. Turkey has detained about 1500 illegal entrant into the country.
People arriving from
Afghanistan cross the fence at the Friendship Gate crossing point, in the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border town of Chaman, Pakistan [Abdul Khaliq
Achakzai/Reuters]
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Pakistan which shares its borders with Afghanistan and has a
lot of political interference in the political affairs of Afghanistan has also
made it clear that it will not allow more refugees from Afghanistan. Prime
Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan has said that Pakistan already hosts 1.4
million registered refugees from Afghanistan apart from hundreds of thousands
of unregistered refugees. Another influx of refugees will create economic,
social and political problems for the country.
Another Muslims country Uzbekistan which shares its borders
with Afghanistan has sealed its borders and made it clear that it will take
stern action against those who illegally enter the country. At least 158
Afghans were detained for illegally entering the country. Apart from that, 446
Afghan military warplanes and helicopters and 585 soldiers illegally entered
Uzbekistan and were forced to land in Termez.
Only Iran, a Shia majority country has kept its borders open
though it already hosts one million registered Afghan refugees. The UNHCR has
lauded Iran’s inclusive and humanitarian approach towards Afghan refugees. It
should be noted that Iran has included Afghan nationals in its national health
and education system. UNHCR has hoped that Iran will continue to extend its
hospitality and protection to Afghan refugees.
On the other hand, the European countries have shown the
greatest concern and sympathy for the Afghan refugees as they had shown their
concern and sympathy for the Muslim refugees of Syria. As no Muslim country has taken any sincere
step, financial or diplomatic, to solve the refugee crisis arising out of the
ascent of Taliban in Afghanistan, European countries and NGOs have shown real
concern for them. The US President Joe Biden granted an extra $500 million for
“unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs of refugees, victims of
conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in
Afghanistan, including applicants for Special Immigration Visas.”
Moreover, 46 Senators have called for “humanitarian parole
category” to allow Afghan human rights activists and public personalities to
swiftly relocate to the US.
As thousands of people
attempt to flee Afghanistan with the Taliban in control, some people here in
the Valley are looking to help. (WHSV)
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The US will help 30,000 Afghans to relocate to its territory
and some of them will be temporarily housed at Fort Bliss at El Paso in Texas.
NGOs like Save the Children and Pro Asyl have demanded that
the European nations should admit displaced Afghans and built more resettlement
places for them in Europe.
At a time when the Afghan nationals need help from the
Islamic countries, they have closed doors on them and on the other hand, the
Western countries have opened their doors for them and have assured of help to
them. In a press statement yesterday, the Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson
said that UK will take in 20,000 Afghans, particularly women, girls and
religious minorities, in coming years. The UK had a similar programme for the
victims of the Syrian crisis.
Travelers enter in
Pakistan through a border crossing point in Chaman, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 16,
2021. A special flight of Pakistan’s national airline PIA has arrived in
Islamabad carrying 329 passengers from Kabul, and another carrying 170 people
will arrive later today. A spokesman for the airline said Saturday that the
airline will operate three flights tomorrow to transport Pakistanis and other
nationalities looking to leave Kabul. (AP Photo/Jafar Khan)
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Canada has also agreed to accept 20,000 refugees while
Muslim country Tajikistan has said it will give shelter to 100,000 Afghans.
The Islamic nations have no schemes for Afghans suffering
due to the current crisis. They have no financial plans to help the displaced
and impoverished Afghans as a result of the crisis. The US is trying to
persuade Qatar to take in 2000 Afghan refugees.
Currently, the Afghans are going through very tough and
testing times. They need food and medical facility. The Taliban who claim to
follow Islamic Shariah and vow to establish a government based on Shariah have
not expressed their concern for the displaced Afghans. They have not yet issued
any appeal to the Afghans not to leave their country. Though they have said
that they will not commit violence against any group but it has not created any
confidence among the people particularly the minority communities like Hazaras
and Uzbeks. No major statement of Taliban appealing the people not to leave the
country has come yet. Therefore, there is still no clarity on what policy the
Taliban will adopt towards minorities, women and on education. That’s why,
people are fleeing to Europeans countries in the hope of a safe and peaceful
life. Meanwhile, and Muslim countries are a silent spectator to the hardships
and miseries of the common Afghan people.