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(Unedited) SYRIA, ONCE A SHELTER FOR REFUGEES - Feature

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ISMAIL AMSYAR MOHD SAID

The document discusses the refugee crisis in Syria and its impact on surrounding countries. It summarizes that Syria, once a major refugee hosting country, is now the fastest producing country of refugees as the conflict continues. Neighboring countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are sheltering over 3 million Syrian refugees but this is causing economic problems and increasing social tensions. The UN is expecting the number of refugees to rise to 4.1 million by the end of 2014 and hopes more international support can help relieve the burden on surrounding countries now stretched beyond their capacity to cope with the large influx of refugees.

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SYRIA-REFUGEES ONCE A SHELTER FOR REFUGEES, SYRIA IS NOW THE FASTEST REFUGEES PRODUCING COUNTRY. KUWAIT CITY, Jan XX (Bernama) As if the bloody crisis is not enough to bring miseries into their lives, the toll of Syrians that are internally displaced and leaving the country to seek refuge in the neighbouring countries continue to rise. After nearly three years drenched in blood and bombarded by the parties of the conflict, Syria crisis continues to deepen. The crisis saw the country that was once worlds second largest refugee hosting country, including the Palestinian refugees, became the fastest refugees producing country today, causing economic instability to the hosting community and countries. United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon in his opening speech at the second international pledging conference, held here recently, described the on-going conflict in Syria has now become a regional crisis. Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are now home to more than three million Syrians who have fled, he said, adding that more than 80 per cent of Palestinian refugees inside Syria are in need of humanitarian aid, stressing that he is concern about the reports of starvation. Ban noted that the refugee crisis is causing great hardship and raising tensions throughout the region as it directly linked to increasing instability and conflict, car bombs and sectarian violence in Iraq and Lebanon and is undermining the economies development. We must do more to support host countries, said Ban, stressing that no country, no people should face hardship or calamity for helping Syrians in need. ISLAM IN THE PROTECTION OF REFUGEES United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Antonio Guterres in his speech at the conference, commended the teaching of Islam with regards to the refugees protection. Addressing delegations from 62 countries and more than 29 regional organisations, he said the neighbouring countries generosity and readiness to shelter refugees from danger is deeply rooted in Islamic law and tradition. In fact, the most beautiful sentence I have ever read on refugee protection is not from the 1951 Refugee Convention, but from Surah At-Taubah, verse six. This is a remarkable example of religious tolerance and commitment to refugee protection in Islam, he noted.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister cited the verse, which reads: If one amongst the non-believers asks thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah, and then escort him to where he can be secure. He said that the generosity of Syrias neighbours need to be matched by massive international support, in a true spirit of effective burden-sharing, which is essential to preserving the asylum space for people fleeing the conflict. Countries in the region need strong financial assistance, but they also need others to help carry the burden of actually taking in and protecting refugees, he said, calling all countries to keep their borders open for the refugees. SOCIO AND ECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE HOSTING COUNTRIES The UNHCR High Commissioner, while explaining the importance of assisting the refugees, said that the hosting countries have received an unrelenting steam of fleeing Syrians and have provided them protection, at enormous cost to themselves. The pressure is felt heavily in all areas of daily life as budget deficits are increasing; growth suffers; and jobs, salaries and price levels are affected across the region, leaving local families struggling to make ends meet, he said. According to Guterres, the presence of over 860,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon is equivalent to 66 million refugees arriving suddenly in the United States, 17 million in Germany and over 280 million in China. As a result of the refugee influx, Lebanons population has already grown to the level it was expected to reach only in 2050. By end of this year, the World Bank estimates that unemployment in Lebanon may double, and an additional 170,000 Lebanese risk being pushed into poverty, he explained. A joint World Bank-United Nations study estimated that the conflict has cut gross domestic product (GDP) in Lebanon by nearly three per cent annually, leading to a total loss of up to US$7.5 billion. For the resource-poor country, Jordan, Guterres said that hundreds of millions of additional subsidies are being paid by the government to ensure refugees have access to water, bread, gas and electricity at the same prices as Jordanians, estimating the cost of hosting them at some US$1.7 billion so far. He further added that Turkey has spent US$2.5 billion on assisting Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis, which mostly drawn from its own budget and in northern Iraq, the population of Dohuk governorate has increased by over 10 per cent because of the refugee influx.
Meanwhile according to UNHCRs Regional Response Plan 5 (RRP5) Preliminary Report for the period of January to December 2013, the total registered Syrian refugees in Egypt have surpassed the initial projection of 100,000 refugees when UNHCR registered 130,000 refugees in November. With no camps, Syrian refugees are currently living in three main urban areas in Egypt namely Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta, as well as other smaller urban areas throughout the country, the report said. WHAT WILL THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES? According to Guterres, the UNHCR is expecting the number of refugees in the region surrounding Syria to rise as high as 4.1 million by the end of 2014 based on last years arrival trends. Their needs, as well as those of local people sheltering them in neighbouring countries, are enormous. As the conflict rages on and the neighbouring countries are stretched beyond capacity, I hope more countries farther afield will provide Syrian refugees with additional forms of protection, he added. The Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, held here on Jan 15, aimed to raise US$6.5 billion for some 11.6 million Syrians facing extreme conditions inside the country and in neighbouring nations. The one day conference, opened by Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, and chaired by United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, however only managed to raise US$2.4 billion at the end of the conference. --BERNAMA IAMS

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(Unedited) SYRIA, ONCE A SHELTER FOR REFUGEES - Feature

  • 1. SYRIA-REFUGEES ONCE A SHELTER FOR REFUGEES, SYRIA IS NOW THE FASTEST REFUGEES PRODUCING COUNTRY. KUWAIT CITY, Jan XX (Bernama) As if the bloody crisis is not enough to bring miseries into their lives, the toll of Syrians that are internally displaced and leaving the country to seek refuge in the neighbouring countries continue to rise. After nearly three years drenched in blood and bombarded by the parties of the conflict, Syria crisis continues to deepen. The crisis saw the country that was once worlds second largest refugee hosting country, including the Palestinian refugees, became the fastest refugees producing country today, causing economic instability to the hosting community and countries. United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon in his opening speech at the second international pledging conference, held here recently, described the on-going conflict in Syria has now become a regional crisis. Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are now home to more than three million Syrians who have fled, he said, adding that more than 80 per cent of Palestinian refugees inside Syria are in need of humanitarian aid, stressing that he is concern about the reports of starvation. Ban noted that the refugee crisis is causing great hardship and raising tensions throughout the region as it directly linked to increasing instability and conflict, car bombs and sectarian violence in Iraq and Lebanon and is undermining the economies development. We must do more to support host countries, said Ban, stressing that no country, no people should face hardship or calamity for helping Syrians in need. ISLAM IN THE PROTECTION OF REFUGEES United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Antonio Guterres in his speech at the conference, commended the teaching of Islam with regards to the refugees protection. Addressing delegations from 62 countries and more than 29 regional organisations, he said the neighbouring countries generosity and readiness to shelter refugees from danger is deeply rooted in Islamic law and tradition. In fact, the most beautiful sentence I have ever read on refugee protection is not from the 1951 Refugee Convention, but from Surah At-Taubah, verse six. This is a remarkable example of religious tolerance and commitment to refugee protection in Islam, he noted.
  • 2. The former Portuguese Prime Minister cited the verse, which reads: If one amongst the non-believers asks thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah, and then escort him to where he can be secure. He said that the generosity of Syrias neighbours need to be matched by massive international support, in a true spirit of effective burden-sharing, which is essential to preserving the asylum space for people fleeing the conflict. Countries in the region need strong financial assistance, but they also need others to help carry the burden of actually taking in and protecting refugees, he said, calling all countries to keep their borders open for the refugees. SOCIO AND ECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE HOSTING COUNTRIES The UNHCR High Commissioner, while explaining the importance of assisting the refugees, said that the hosting countries have received an unrelenting steam of fleeing Syrians and have provided them protection, at enormous cost to themselves. The pressure is felt heavily in all areas of daily life as budget deficits are increasing; growth suffers; and jobs, salaries and price levels are affected across the region, leaving local families struggling to make ends meet, he said. According to Guterres, the presence of over 860,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon is equivalent to 66 million refugees arriving suddenly in the United States, 17 million in Germany and over 280 million in China. As a result of the refugee influx, Lebanons population has already grown to the level it was expected to reach only in 2050. By end of this year, the World Bank estimates that unemployment in Lebanon may double, and an additional 170,000 Lebanese risk being pushed into poverty, he explained. A joint World Bank-United Nations study estimated that the conflict has cut gross domestic product (GDP) in Lebanon by nearly three per cent annually, leading to a total loss of up to US$7.5 billion. For the resource-poor country, Jordan, Guterres said that hundreds of millions of additional subsidies are being paid by the government to ensure refugees have access to water, bread, gas and electricity at the same prices as Jordanians, estimating the cost of hosting them at some US$1.7 billion so far. He further added that Turkey has spent US$2.5 billion on assisting Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis, which mostly drawn from its own budget and in northern Iraq, the population of Dohuk governorate has increased by over 10 per cent because of the refugee influx.
  • 3. Meanwhile according to UNHCRs Regional Response Plan 5 (RRP5) Preliminary Report for the period of January to December 2013, the total registered Syrian refugees in Egypt have surpassed the initial projection of 100,000 refugees when UNHCR registered 130,000 refugees in November. With no camps, Syrian refugees are currently living in three main urban areas in Egypt namely Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta, as well as other smaller urban areas throughout the country, the report said. WHAT WILL THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES? According to Guterres, the UNHCR is expecting the number of refugees in the region surrounding Syria to rise as high as 4.1 million by the end of 2014 based on last years arrival trends. Their needs, as well as those of local people sheltering them in neighbouring countries, are enormous. As the conflict rages on and the neighbouring countries are stretched beyond capacity, I hope more countries farther afield will provide Syrian refugees with additional forms of protection, he added. The Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, held here on Jan 15, aimed to raise US$6.5 billion for some 11.6 million Syrians facing extreme conditions inside the country and in neighbouring nations. The one day conference, opened by Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, and chaired by United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, however only managed to raise US$2.4 billion at the end of the conference. --BERNAMA IAMS