By The Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

The image of the body of the three year old boy that washed on Turkish beach has left us aghast of the horrors of crisis unfolding in Middle East. He looked just like any other child of his age who forgets all the worries of the world in his tender sleep but there was no waking up for this one. World is a strange place, people sympathize with the suffering of Syrian people but given the sheer number of refugees, countries after countries are shutting the door in their face but I don’t think its European countries fault either.

 There were several reasons that lead to this situation on railway stations, bus stops and borders of Europe today but an astonishing fact that has emerged from this episode is that Gulf countries has not taken in a single refugee from Syria.  It’s easier to put blame on Europe and I am not defending them but it’s a collective responsibility and Gulf countries should be leading the way in extending a helping hand toward these people but lo and behold they have shunned their own fellow Arabs, so much for the brotherhood. Syrians should ask themselves why their pro Caliphate neighbors have abandoned them, why they have to ask asylum at very places their leaders and religious establishment call unbelievers.

Another cruel aspect of this tale is the war itself, refugee numbers will continue to swell. Britain, Germany, Austria, France, Turkey or any other country is addressing the symptoms of the disease. Poison of ISIS will not stop at Syria. It will spread into other countries and when sympathies towards those asking help will turn into outright hostility world will realize the cost of ignoring the war in Syria. Wars that were started over oil a decade ago are leading us to what Samuel Huntington predicted a clash of civilizations. The unwelcome rallies, anti-immigration marches are proof that public opinion will swing from center to far right and we have seen this pattern all over the world. Extremist ideology, unwillingness to assimilate and attacks like Charlie Hebdo or lone wolf attack on that Jewish grocery market in France will test the patience of population, politics and ideology of European nations.

There are people like Yazidis and other religious minorities who need protection but in this ocean of people how would you differentiate wolf from sheep. When the euphoria dies down how would European society cope with their new neighbors and how their new neighbors would cope with them. World leaders have to take a collective action in stopping the war in Syria. Not only Bashar al Assad but ISIS too is fueling this migration bubble and its not going to burst anytime soon, if European countries can’t cope with this catastrophe now what about the aftershocks that will come later.