This week, I posted an article stating that now that Bashar Assad is gone from Syria, it is time for the Syrian refugees to go home. If the celebrations carried out in December in German Christmas markets are any indication, it seems the vast majority of Syrians are happy with the fact that Assad is gone and an Islamist government has taken power.
Apparently, the left-wing Dutch newspaper, Volkskrant, has a different take. The below article is translated by Fousesquawk.
Assad's fall will influence the stay -or departure-of the Syrians in the Netherlands
-By Caroline Vos, 27 December 2024
The new (dis)order
The geopolitical cards have been reshuffled in 2024 in many ways. Both nationally and internationally, it seems a new order-or-disorder has emerged. The Volkskrant Commentary discusses the most important shifts at the end of the year. Today Part 4: Syrian refugees.
The year 2024 seemed to end with few bright points; with wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, which dragged on without hope, and the rise of populist and radical-right anti-migration parties that seemed primarily bent on disruption. But in December, the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, fell completely unexpectedly after a rapid and orderly push by the rebel army of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The joy among Syrians, including the 14 million displaced persons and refugees worldwide, was immense. After 13 years of civil war, there was finally hope for peace, for a return, for reunification with families, but also for finding the truth and justice after the crimes of the brutal Assad regime.
Behind the initial euphoria, there is also fear. Minorities worry over the promise by HTS-leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa to form an inclusive interim government. Will he respect the rights of Christians and women, for example?
Moreover, it is feared worldwide that neighboring countries will take advantage of the power vacuum, and that radical Islamist armies such as the Islamic State will reemerge once again.
Caption: Syrians protest on 27 October in the Hague against cabinet plans to declare parts of Syria safe so that Syrians must return. Image-Marcel van den Bergh/de Volkskrant
Millions of Syrian refugees would consider returning if, in fact, there was a lasting peace in Syria, especially in the neighboring countries of Turkey and Lebanon, where many refugees are living in poor conditions. But also in Europe, where many refugees have admittedly been received warmly and are well established, but many are also increasingly confronted with Islamophobia and xenophobia, or for too long, have seen their lives ticking away in idleness awaiting their procedures-working and study have been long since banned.
The bleak anti-migration mood now stands in shrill contrast with ten years previous, when, in one year's time, one million Syrians made the dangerous crossing over sea from Turkey to Greece. The images of the dead three-year-old boy, Aylan, who washed ashore on a Turkish beach in a red t-shirt brought about a wave of compassion echoed in the legendary words, " We can do this".
Since then, refugees and migrants have divided Europe to the core. For ten years, the member states have failed to develop a humane migration policy or share the burden equally. The result is everyone for himself. Reinstitution of border controls and shoving the problem to neighboring countries, in which deals with autocratic leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, or Libya are not shied away from.
Also in the Netherlands, migrants and refugees have been declared as "enemies", by which xenophobia can further continue and can further divide society. The lowest point was the idea of PVV-leader, Geert Wilders, this summer of sending Syrians back to parts that were supposedly safe in the Syria of Assad, a cruel dictator who locked up opponents and tortured them to death in mass prisons. Due to the unexpected fall of Assad, the process of sending Syrians back-ironically enough- would be expedited, but hopefully would be done voluntarily.
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Fousesquawk comment: As I previously pointed out, some Syrian refugees are valid and some were fleeing ISIS as opposed to Assad's henchmen. Law-abiding people in that category are entitled to a fair hearing. Unfortunately, far too many young males have questionable allegiances. Does the Netherlands really want any who were allied with either Assad or ISIS? And what about those who were committing crimes in the Netherlands or other European countries? As I previously pointed out, it is not just Syrians who are wreaking havoc in Europe. There are North Africans (most notably, Moroccans), Afghans, Chechens, and many others. The Dutch and their neighbors can be humane to true refugees while getting rid of the troublemakers. The objection I have to the above article is that it doesn't even mention the Syrians who have caused problems in the Netherlands, which is the real reason why so many Dutch want to send them back. The Dutch are not xenophobic. The problem is that their hospitality has been abused by too many refugees-if they are truly refugees.
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