Daily Times

There is only one natural starting point that comes to mind for all issues Muslim and that is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It is made up of 57 member states, supposedly “the collective voice of the Muslim world”, and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”. To date, what have they done regarding the Syrian situation? Absolutely nothing other than to hold a vote in 2012 to suspend the Syrian state from the OIC only to officially register Arab disdain for Assad. That also officially marked the Saudi-Gulf open declaration against Iran as their enemy number one which, to date, supports the Assad regime.
The Saudi, Qatari, Emirati or essentially Khaleeji or Gulf approach to assert their role in Syria was to arm specific groups that could potentially defeat the Syrian army. That has not yielded any mentionable result other than the ascendancy of Islamic State (IS). Assad is weakened but remains; the factions are mired in infighting. Still, according to the BBC, “individual charitable collections have totalled hundreds of thousands of dollars…the Gulf States have provided in total around $ 900 million through charitable organisations and individual donations.” But “the idea of thousands of foreigners coming in, without employment or any definite return date, is deeply uncomfortable for Gulf states with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular extremely concerned about the potential for Assad loyalists to strike back.” The ruling families are resentful of the west for not taking Assad out earlier and so consider the Syrians their problem. They do not intend to open their borders to them or any other displaced Muslim populace.
On the refugee front, according to a report from the UNHCR, dated September 15, “Pakistan is the second largest refugee-hosting country in the world, hosting around 1.5 million Afghan refugees, a figure that accounts for 10.5 percent of the total global refugee population. Afghan refugees are one of the largest and longest displaced populations in the world.” Given that Pakistan is undergoing monumental shifts internally and is under attack on multiple fronts, it is unlikely it can take in any Syrian refugees. On top of that its distance from the camps, in Jordan and Lebanon from where the mass exodus is happening, perhaps renders its choice prohibitive.
This last week in September is when the happy picture of migrants being welcomed into Europe with blankets and teddy bears turned sour. The Washington Times reported on September 17: “European nations once friendly to refugees abruptly yanked their welcome mats Thursday, as Germany considered slashing its benefits and Croatia announced it was closing most of its road links with Serbia” until further notice after Hungary closed its borders completely. Germany would maintain its open-door policy for Syrians alone but reduce cash benefits and hasten deportations for anyone whose paperwork fell short of requirements of proof or were phony. Meanwhile, the desperation of the refugees only increases and the crisis has no solution in sight as the EU fails to come up with a cohesive policy on its response due to intense divisiveness amongst the states.
It blows one’s mind how Muslims (minus those who house the refugees entirely) act as if they are dead. The western press only seems to name those countries with money as worthy of mention, i.e. the Gulf-Saudi nexus. The South Asians, who make up well over a third of the Muslims in the world, are absent from the narrative entirely. Those of the Far East rank even lower. It is, therefore, imperative that Pakistan request an emergency meeting of the OIC to bring to the table the role of the Muslims in the humanitarian crisis that refugees face, be they Syrian, Iraqi, African or the Rohingyas.
All third world Muslim countries cite financial constraints as the number one reason for not accepting refugees but this is inadequate and unacceptable in the context of Islam. The Gulf States and the Saudis are not signatories to the Geneva Convention on the status of refugees. Perhaps there is no convincing them but there are many other countries that can play a commendable role and must be compelled. If there is cohesive recognition and acknowledgement of the situation there will be motivation towards a solution as well. The EU is a living example of having emergency meeting after meeting to come to a workable plan that they will no doubt execute effectively and efficiently.
In turn, the Pakistani state can and should encourage its own citizenry, especially its extremely wealthy elite, to get involved in providing humanitarian assistance to Muslim refugees. An Egyptian billionaire is in the middle of talks having “announced that he was interested in buying an island where (Syrian) refugees could be housed until they can return to their own country”. Naguib Sawiris said the proposal was something motivated by a desire “to clear my conscience as a human being, and nothing more.” Even the new pope has asked Catholics in Europe, “every parish, religious community, monastery and sanctuary to take in one refugee family”. What if a quarter of a fifth of the mosques in Muslim countries did the same or even just raised money for them? That would contribute significantly to the repatriation for tens of thousands of people anywhere in the world. If the Greeks who are dead broke and in a far worse economic crisis than most Muslim states can take on 30,000 plus refugees and feel a moral compulsion to help them, surely the ummah can as well.
According to Jinnah, Pakistan is a nation whose entire creation is solely defined by its destiny to lead Muslims out of the abyss. I subscribe to that thought without an iota of doubt. These are the moments where we ought to display leadership that will be recorded in history and more so in the hearts of the vanquished. The Syrian crisis is a watershed moment for millions of Muslims and that includes millions of Pakistanis. For that moment to pass without action renders my generation an irrelevant one, failing itself to be meaningfully included in what is the essence of the definition of the Islamic faith: compassion for the ummah. Not to mention that if it does not hold any meaning for us, it will surely hold none for future generations.
The other day I heard an interview on National Public Radio where a young woman, a citizen of Iceland, which has decided to take in 50 Syrian refugees, was appalled at the “lack of humanity” she thought her government was showing. In her opinion, the number being that low was an affront. So she offered, with the help of her friends and their pooled personal resources, to buy tickets for five Syrians and provide them housing so that the government could lift their figure to 55. She was one woman, Caucasian, not Muslim, not Christian, just offering as a human being what she could to come to the aid of another human being facing colossal distress. That too a human being that has nothing in common with her in any sense; she was driven by a compulsion rooted purely in humanity.
The Palestinians live their lives in a diaspora and no one lifts a finger to reverse that for them. Now walls have been built and rights have been erased, history will be rewritten and a people will be forgotten. The last generation of Muslims holds the burden of that inaction squarely. In the words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “The example of the believers in their affection, mercy and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” So what does it mean when there is no reaction? Every day a new country in the west announces its pledge to take on as many refugees as its society can bear. If for no other reason but the sake of our own souls, can the Muslims please take a step towards doing that as well?

(Concluded)

The writer is a freelance columnist