Hand in Hand
A wise African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” (“African” 1). This philosophical quotation encompasses an important message on how to address one of the world’s most prevalent and devastating problems: the Syrian Refugee Crisis. As millions of Syrians are displaced by the Syrian Civil War, they attempt to seek refuge in surrounding foreign nations. So far, the countries of the world have only addressed the crisis by deciding the fate of the refugees that cling to their borders. However, these individual policies are ineffective in addressing the whole problem. In fact, these unified strategies have led to creation of additional problems, expanding the crisis into new countries …show more content…
Therefore, to fully address the Syrian Refugee Crisis, the world’s governments must advocate for the creation of multi-cultural awareness and education programs. Millions of refugees leave from Syria and migrate into other Middle Eastern countries, European countries, or even North American countries, which all have starkly contrasting cultures. When Syrians flee from their home, they not only leave their material possessions, but also relinquish their sense of belonging and familiarity in the world. In foreign countries, the natural-born citizens often speak a different language, practice a different religion, live a different lifestyle, and even wear a different style of clothing than the citizens of Syria. The New York Times details the experience of one Syrian family trying to resettle in Canada with aid of a Canadian family, reporting that “the sponsors and the adult refugees could barely understand one another without help… they often [got] stuck in roundelays of Canadian and Syrian courtesy, so reluctant to impose that they [did] not say what they mean[t]” (Kantor and Einhorn 12). The cultural differences between countries continually ostracizes the refugees from society. As a result, many citizens develop a negative attitude towards the customs of the refugees that they do not understand. For example, refugees are often unable to find employment without learning a country’s native language, even if the government has successfully provided the refugees with job opportunities. Because of their unemployment, the citizens of a country may develop the idea that the refugees are stagnant people and a burden on the country. These discriminatory practices result in the continued persecution of refugees by other nations, which is the very
A wise African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” (“African” 1). This philosophical quotation encompasses an important message on how to address one of the world’s most prevalent and devastating problems: the Syrian Refugee Crisis. As millions of Syrians are displaced by the Syrian Civil War, they attempt to seek refuge in surrounding foreign nations. So far, the countries of the world have only addressed the crisis by deciding the fate of the refugees that cling to their borders. However, these individual policies are ineffective in addressing the whole problem. In fact, these unified strategies have led to creation of additional problems, expanding the crisis into new countries …show more content…
Therefore, to fully address the Syrian Refugee Crisis, the world’s governments must advocate for the creation of multi-cultural awareness and education programs. Millions of refugees leave from Syria and migrate into other Middle Eastern countries, European countries, or even North American countries, which all have starkly contrasting cultures. When Syrians flee from their home, they not only leave their material possessions, but also relinquish their sense of belonging and familiarity in the world. In foreign countries, the natural-born citizens often speak a different language, practice a different religion, live a different lifestyle, and even wear a different style of clothing than the citizens of Syria. The New York Times details the experience of one Syrian family trying to resettle in Canada with aid of a Canadian family, reporting that “the sponsors and the adult refugees could barely understand one another without help… they often [got] stuck in roundelays of Canadian and Syrian courtesy, so reluctant to impose that they [did] not say what they mean[t]” (Kantor and Einhorn 12). The cultural differences between countries continually ostracizes the refugees from society. As a result, many citizens develop a negative attitude towards the customs of the refugees that they do not understand. For example, refugees are often unable to find employment without learning a country’s native language, even if the government has successfully provided the refugees with job opportunities. Because of their unemployment, the citizens of a country may develop the idea that the refugees are stagnant people and a burden on the country. These discriminatory practices result in the continued persecution of refugees by other nations, which is the very