A person would have to be inhuman or a member of Daesh (so-called IS) — which amounts to much the same thing — not to weep at the miserable and sometimes deadly plight of desperate refugees seeking to reach Europe, principally from Libya to Italy and Turkey to Greece. EU politicians are mesmerized by a problem, which has roused strong feelings among voters. There are vocal groups throughout Europe who demand that these people be given at least temporary entry and shelter, even if they are so-called “economic migrants”. Some go so far as to say that all migration is good and benefits the countries that take in every asylum seeker. Then there are those who hold the view that these illegals should be stopped and sent home. The Neo-Fascists in particular argue that Europe already has too many immigrants from different cultures. France's National Front, though seeking political respectability under Marine Le Pen, still whispers that all immigrants should be deported. But in between these two extremes there is a majority who, while wishing to do whatever is necessary to save human lives during perilous sea crossings, nevertheless are worried that a surge of migrants will destabilize their societies. Indeed there are second and third generation European Muslims who are concerned that the arrival of more Muslims — and the great majority of those fleeing carnage in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa is Muslim — will exacerbate the rising tide of Islamophobia in EU states. The politicians talk glibly of improving economic and political conditions in the countries from which these migrants are flowing. Even where this might be possible, it is hardly a quick fix for a flow of refugees that swells with each new day. And what, it might be asked, do these politicians propose to do to improve the conditions in Syria, a country that they have, unforgivably, all sat by and watched descend into hell? The greatest number of illegal immigrants coming through Turkey is now from Syria. They are fleeing vast camps set up in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. The local governments working with a wide range of charities and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have, over the last four miserable years, achieved amazing feats in housing, feeding and caring for Syrians families. At the very least, these unfortunates have found safety. But they have not found peace of mind. Not only do they have fears for friends and relatives still caught up in the Syrian carnage but they have very legitimate concerns for their future. Safe they may be, but a seemingly interminable existence in sprawling camps breeds frustration and despair. One crucial problem is that understandably, host governments do not want the refugees to flood the labor market, taking jobs from locals because they are prepared to work for far less. Yet work not only provides an income, it also gives dignity and a sense of purpose. There is a myriad of skills among Syrian camp occupants, yet they can only be used within the camps themselves. Even teachers are not officially allowed to teach Syrian kids. The UN and NGOs, with the backing of local governments, should look to establish proper jobs within the camps, producing goods and services that could, if necessary, be exported rather than upset the host economies. This would surely serve to persuade many would-be illegal migrants to stay put.
