The plight of Syrian children

Aylan was only three years old. He was born while the people of his city experienced the bitter and horrific crimes committed by Takfiri terrorists.

He wanted to play games like any other child. But, the worrisome countenance of his mother prevented him from doing so. He had sensed his mother’s heart racing, but could not realize the root cause of his mother’s concerns. However, his five-year-old brother had come to realize that his parents’ hopes were dimmed. When their father boarded his wife and children on a boat, crammed with migrants, Aylan had tightly grabbed his father’s arms. Only a few hours later, the turbulent sea weaves took away Aylan’s life. In the next few days, photos which had captured this child’s lifeless body on the shores of Turkey, shook the world, and devastated the international community. Later on, the world was also witness to the lifeless body of Syrian homeless children, which were washed ashore. However, Syrian migrants continue to risk their lives in an effort to save themselves from the atrocities of Takfiri terrorists.

Helma is another girl who managed to save her life. She was shattered and exhausted due to walking long hours, without food and water. Her younger brother failed to endure these hardships and passed away on the way to safety. The fatigued Helma left her motherland in the company of tens of thousands of other homeless Syrians. She continues to have nightmares about the horrific scenes of beheaded individuals and gory bodies. Her father, who was an ordinary farmer, was ruthlessly killed by Takfiri terrorists for refusal to collaborate with Takfiri outfits. After suffering months of horror, Helma, in the company of her mother and other Syrian refugees have reached Europe. Her mother anxiously cuddles her only asset in life, her daughter. Helma is nine years old and cannot analyze all of the sufferings she has gone through. Security is a word which has turned meaningless for children like her. Her hands shake at times as the result of her fears and anxiety. Now, she has embarked on a country, in which majority of people consider her as a stranger. A female Syrian refugee advised Helma’s mother to take further care of her daughter, while warning against the possible sexual abuse and smuggle of refugees’ body organs. Helma cannot fully understand these terms, but senses that she is exposed to major threats by glancing at the worrisome eyes of her mother.

The fragile Syrian and Iraqi children cannot endure the hardships of homelessness. The only crime of these children is that they have been born in war-stricken countries. These children have lost their homes and hearths; have lost their parents and loved ones; have witnessed the brutal crimes committed by Takfiri terrorists; and have been forced to beg on streets or do difficult jobs. According to latest reports, the names of 270,000 child refugees have already been registered in Europe’s immigration system. Additionally, many of them have fled to Lebanon, Turkey, and other regional countries. Many of these children have lost their parents in the recent tragic incidents and have headed for foreign countries on their own. A low percentage of refugees have settled in camps, and many of them are living on streets, and/or border regions with the least possible means. The operatives of terrorist outfit dubbed ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) have committed brutal crimes against these refugees, and currently Western countries mistreat these refugees for being Muslims.

The world of Islam is currently faced with the plight of discord. The Global Arrogance has masterminded sinister plots in a futile bid to defeat Islam and to dominate Islamic lands. The arrogant powers have opted for backing extremism and expanding terrorist outfits in Islamic regions as the best avenue for advancing their ominous goals. The former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in a recent address to US Congress, admitted that al-Qaeda terrorist outfit has been shaped and supported by the US. Currently, despite the West’s hollow claims about participating in the campaign against terrorism; the US visibly supports ISIL and other terrorist groups. Meanwhile, the innocent children of the World of Islam have fallen victim to the ploys of Global Arrogance. Additionally, a number of Arab states, which maintain good facilities, have not appropriately reacted to the issue of refugees and regional insecurity.

The homelessness Syrian and Iraqi children, who have encountered the atrocities of Takfiri terrorists, should be assisted by world Muslims. During the past four years, millions of Syrians have been forced to leave their homes and hearths amid the attacks of terrorist outfits; out of which at least 2.4 million Syrians have sought refuge in other countries. Millions of other Syrians have also been internally displaced. A large segment of the Syrian refugees are children, while 740,000 of these children are less than eleven years old. Iraqi refugees are also grappling with the same plight.

The children which have experienced homelessness have currently been denied of education. Their major concern is to protect their lives; to find food to stay alive; and to find a shelter to remain safe from cold. It seems unlikely for these children to be able to continue their studies in the coming years. This generation of Muslim Syrian and Iraqi children has lost the opportunity of education at the prime of their lives. Moreover, due to poor sanitation, different types of contagious ailments have spread in refugee camps. The first victims of these ailments are children. Due to poor sanitation and lack of access to healthy water and food; a significant number of these refugees, especially children, are suffering from ailments such as tuberculosis. Additionally; war, insecurity, and homelessness have exposed these children to mental disorders and depression.

Tens of thousands of child refugees, especially the ones who have lost their breadwinners amid terrorist operations, have been entrapped by criminal gangs in Europe. According to European Union’s police force, more than 10,000 child refugees, who have arrived in Europe in the past eighteen months, have gone missing. The EU police force has emphasized that many of these children many have been enslaved or have been sold to criminal gangs for sexual abuse.

Currently, the European governments are grappling with a refugee crisis. This crisis is in fact the product of the bellicose policies of world powers, such as the US, Britain, and France in the past fifty years in West Asia. Meanwhile, the role of Islamic countries, especially the wealthy Arab states, in alleviation of the woes and hardships of Syrian and Iraqi Muslim refugees has faded away. Due to mounting war and insecurity; the number of child refugees surges, every single day.

MR/ME