To be fair. Some of them will automatically mistrust anyone in any kind of authority due to the lives they once led, the reason they are leaving to move to a better place. I think a lot of you need to grow up and be more considerate of people's feelings. They're scared, hungry and frustrated. Like kassio said, they're probably clinging onto religion as a hope of salvation.
If that's true, then why are these "religious" people fleeing to the "godless" European countries of the west? Do the refugees have ANY plan of assimilating into the host culture? Or will they instead insist on either being an isolated group (kind of like setting up your own little country in someone else's bigger country) or is the plan to become violent and kill all the people who offend you?
If this is the case they can cling onto it, starve to death, and hopefully it's right or they wasted their life. And they should be sent back home. If you just show up expecting to move into someone's house and the person try's to give you something out of kindness and you are disrespectful of it? That's fine that's thier choice to stick to religion. But they can do it back in their country.
This isn't a PC thread. This should have ran dual with the fist UN Refugee thread. It would have kept that thread clean. IMO. It is something to consider. "Syrian Migrants Refuse Aid" represent opposition. If the title is a issue. As opposed to "Syrian Refugees Refuse Aid"
You usually post pretty well in forums, so, don't take this as an attack. Your post seems condescending. You described them almost like a frightened puppy that may bite the hand of the person trying to help it (which is kind of cute) or as a group of savages who don't know what's best for their own good. My read on this would be that the aid workers are dealing with a dangerous group of people who are militantly religious and willfully ignorant. Combining those two elements is never ever any good. So, what do I think should be done? Those people either need to go home or they need to assimilate into the culture that is helping them. And yes, you can assimilate into a culture and still keep your religious beliefs in tact. People do it every day. This should be no different. Wanna better your life in France? Great! Be a Muslim who learns about cheese and grapes. Wanna better your life in England? Great! He a Muslim and Learn about Dr who! Wanna better your life in Germany? Wonderful! Be a Muslim and Take some engineering classes! There is no religious conflict with any of this stuff Learn the language. Get to know the people, and yea, stop acting like savages.
I'm not arguing with you there moose, at all. However assimilating into another culture which is I a varying degree completely different to your upbringing can't be done overnight. It takes ALOT of time. Where i live there are large groups of middle eastern / Asian people, they rarely interact with the native people here, I don't like it, i think they should integrate much more. Having said that I'm a realist. Realistically refugees from abusive and violently terrifying backgrounds are going to jump at anything. A simple solution would be to change the aid packs (or remove any possible offending items) before distributing them. People in this thread are treating them as though they are less than us. They are under huge amount of stress and terrible conditions, they don't know who or what to trust, so they cling onto their god. The last time I checked all humans were supposed to be treated equally. Maybe I should go read mien kampf again?
Who's not treating them equally? Theres a huge difference in graciously saying "thank you, but we can not except", and being offended and assholes when being offered something during your time in need.
Saw an article in an Arab newspaper along these lines. "We- the Arabic nations- will not accept refugees because we want them to go to heathen lands and convert the unbelievers, and to introduce Islamic law." Yadayadayada...... We are sooooo screwed.
Just because all people are "equal" doesn't mean all behavior is equally acceptable. What will you do when a group of militant Islamists moves into YOUR neighborhood and refuses not only to assimilate, but instead attacks YIU for not obeying Allah? Will you just love them to death. There is evil in this world, and your looking at it when you see their culture and attitude
I know it sounds high minded and noble to embrace those who hate you, but, if someone declares them self as your enemy and you embrace them, you know what happens? They kill you.
This bears a repost. And no, to you others, you may not respect their religion, you may decry their stubborn traditions, you may lack the sympathy, and respect, for your Syrian brothers, but you can not turn them around. Whether by simple morality, or international law, you're not allowed to return refugees to from where they came, if doing so would put them in harm's way.
They wouldn't flee to the shores of their enemy. You idiot. They don't hate us. They want to be away from the violence, and poverty that civil war brings.
You label an entire culture as evil? You make general assumptions on their actions, which will prove remarkably untrue? You brand refugees fleeing from war as militant? You hate them for not immediately assimilating, when you would not do the same, were you fleeing to them?
Look, I'm not a high, and mighty person. I'm not noble. I'm not good. At times I wonder if I'm even decent. But I care about my fellow humans. I cannot find it in my heart to turn away terrified refugees. Fleeing from war, fleeing from poverty, fleeing to keep their loved ones safe. Regardless of any race, religion, I cannot turn them away, much less back (which by the way, is internationally illegal). Yes, and rapid influx of people means economic strain. It means cultural strain. It means a lot of things that won't be well liked. But.. I think it has to be put up with. Keep your nations safe, obviously. But treat the refugees as people. You may not care about them as much, but they are just as human, just as worthy, as your mother, your friends, your children.