The first World Humanitarian Summit hosted in Istanbul has been a stark reminder of the plight of hundreds of millions of people around the globe at the hands of tyrants, modern-day colonialists and the rich countries that simply have no care for the needy.
Isn't it sad that a developing economy like Turkey's is the number three humanitarian aid donor in the world after the United States and Britain, whereas there are all those rich countries that should have surpassed Turkey?
Turkey has spent $10 billion on paper in four years for the 3 million Syrian migrants who fled their country during the ongoing civil war. In reality, Turkey has spent much more than $10 billion in tax payer's money and says it is prepared to do everything necessary for the well-being of these migrants. No country in the world would have done anything like it over such an extended period.
Turks have not only allowed their government to spend this money for the migrants, but have also opened their homes and embraced Syrians in every way possible. In another country, such a presence of migrants would have caused social and political turmoil. This did not happen in Turkey, because throughout history Turks have always sheltered those in trouble. The Ottomans provided shelter to the Jews fleeing Christian brutality, the Republic of Turkey provided safety for German democrats during the Hitler era. Turkey has helped Iraqi Kurds, Yazidis and Afghan migrants in modern times. It is now our turn again to provide help and relief for the Syrians.
Turkish tradition and Islamic values require us to provide shelter to all those in need, irrespective of their religion or race. Besides Turks have deep respect for the Quranic verse that says, "You cannot sleep in peace when your neighbor is craving with hunger." Besides all this, it is a trait of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to rush to the help of the oppressed and needy. So Turkey has done its duty but what about the international community?
Europe preaches supreme values and human dignity, yet we see how they treat Syrian migrants as well as North African refugees, leading us to reach the conclusion that this is not the "family of civilized nations" that we would like to choose as a role model.
The fact that the nations of the world have not sent their heads of state for the summit indicates how little regard they have for humanitarian issues. But that should not surprise anyone with a bit of common sense. The injustices of the world, colonialism and slavery, are all the products of the so-called developed world. Now the oppressed and the underprivileged are saying their homes and lands have been shed of all the riches and therefore, now they all have to head toward the West to claim what was taken from them.
The world powers cannot hide behind their veto powers in the United Nations Security Council and try to ward off the demands of those who feel they have been subjected to injustices. The U.N. Security Council's vetoes cannot halt the exodus of millions of migrants seeking a better way of life.
It is high time the rich of the world started to attend to the plight of the masses of the needy, oppressed and underprivileged people. Or else no summit or forum can save them in the long run.
