Dark Mode
Friday, 22 November 2024
Logo
  • Muslim Council of Britain calls for EU to treat refugees with mercy regardless of color, creed

Muslim Council of Britain calls for EU to treat refugees with mercy regardless of color, creed
In less than a WEEK 600,000 Ukrainian refugees have been given shelter in Poland (File photo and text: Patrick Ney Facebook page)

The Arab News reported, the Muslim Council of Britain has said that the EU must treat all refugees fleeing conflict zones with “compassion and mercy regardless of their race, color or creed."

In a statement, it called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to peace” in Ukraine.

“We support all measures that will bring about a just peace as soon as possible. We urge our British government to play its part in the international community to bring about a lasting political solution to this conflict.”

The MCB also urged politicians and members of the media to be “mindful” of the “language and attitudes” displayed during the crisis.

A host of Western news channels have drawn criticism for their coverage or their guests’ comments on the crisis, which have been described as racist and problematic by many.

Videos circulating online, many with millions of views, have drawn attention to the language used to discuss the Ukraine crisis compared with conflicts in the Middle East.

This is the basement area of the Municipal Perinatal Hospital in Kharkiv. Tiny newborns and older infants that are sick and need special care (File photo and text: Euromaidan Press)
This is the basement area of the Municipal Perinatal Hospital in Kharkiv. Tiny newborns and older infants that are sick and need special care (File photo and text: Euromaidan Press)

One journalist, on American channel NBC News, drew condemnation for saying: “To put it bluntly, these are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from Ukraine ... They’re Christian, they’re white, they’re very similar.”

In another video, a journalist for the UK’s ITV News said: “Now the unthinkable has happened to them, and this is not a developing, third-world nation, this is Europe.”

Nigerian students badly treated at Ukraine border, President's office says

The MCB said: “The alarming consequences of such attitudes are clear to see: black and ethnic minority refugees fleeing from Ukraine are being discriminated against. 

“We call upon all European governments to treat all refugees with compassion and mercy regardless of their race, colour or creed.”

To that effect, the MCB urged the British government — which critics have said is moving too slowly to accept Ukrainian refugees — to “reconsider” its planned overhaul of the asylum system through the Nationality and Borders Bill.

President Zelensky survives three assassination plots thanks to Russian anti-war officials

The MCB said the bill “will effectively criminalise and re-buff those seeking refuge from such wars and persecution,” adding: “We cannot turn our backs on people in desperate need of sanctuary.”

Source: arabnews