Page 369 - A Helping Hand for Refugees

There is no doubt that what first comes to mind when refugees are
mentioned today are the four million people who have fled Syria during
the last five years or so of relentless war. Women and children repre-
sent 75% of that figure. Bearing in mind that more than seven million
Syrians have also had to leave their homes and move to other towns,
who have become refugees in their own country in other words, almost
half the pre-war Syrian population of 22 million have essentially been

forced to migrate.

The Somalis are another people who have had to abandon their
lands due to war and famine. The number of Somali refugees dispersed
among various countries exceeds one million. The number of Afghan
refugees who have fled ongoing fighting and sought refuge in other
countries exceeds 2.4 million.

One and a half million Rohingya Muslims who have fled perse-
cution in the Rakhine region of Myanmar are struggling to survive on
the brink of starvation in Bangladesh. More than 240,000 Rohingya Mus-
lims are also living as displaced refugees in their own countries, just
like the Syrians. There are more than 120,000 refugees on the border

with Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people also have
refugee status in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand and var-
ious European countries.
In addition to Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Myanmar, the

refugee problem is also growing in Iraq, Sudan, Yemen and many other
countries. Some of the millions of people forced to embark on an
unknown journey due to persecution, oppression and violence lose their
lives en route, and some of those who reach their destinations suffer
inhumane treatment they simply do not deserve.

Yet standing up for and protecting the weak anywhere in the
world, no matter what their faith, sect or ethnicity, and striving to put
an end to the wickedness in the world is an important component of
Islam, as well as a humanitarian responsibility. All that needs to be done

Adnan Oktar (Harun Yahya) 367