Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria and the conflict's transformation into a civil war, Turkey has become one of the main shelters for refugees fleeing from Bashar al-Assad's snipers and barrel bombs. With its 911-kilometer-long border with Syria, Turkey is one of the leading recipients of refugees in the region, together with Lebanon. The government has opened its doors to the Syrian people - if it had not, then thousands would be added to the death toll in this bloody war. On Jan. 15, 2015, the U.N. estimated that 220,000 people had lost their lives in the Syrian war, while the death toll could be as high as 305,000, according to certain activist groups.

Of course, Turkey's open-door policy has been warmly welcomed by Syrian refugees. And it was an agreeable move in the eyes of the international community and Western countries, who supposedly care about human rights. Dealing with nearly two million refugees and taking care of them is not an easy task for a government, but the government has managed to come through it. Turkey has committed itself to providing good living conditions and humanitarian assistance for refugees. In many reports, the refugee camps in Turkey have been defined as the best refugee camps ever seen. However, Turkey has been accused of becoming a highway to foreign fighters instead of being an assistant that provides help for refugees. The 911-kilometer-long border and the hills across the border where the fighters cross into Syria are hard to patrol. The governments of the foreign fighters' country of origins have been unwilling to share intelligence about those who have been travelling to Turkey to cross the border and join the war.

But what makes things worse has been that the number of refugees stuck in Syria has never stopped increasing, the refugee camps were not enough and many Syrians chose to take care of themselves in Turkey instead of trying to survive in Syria. Of course, this has caused problems. There are complaints about increasing property rents in towns and cities and decreasing wages of positions where employers have found a way to lower the costs, taking Syrians into service.

Still, Turkey has not suffered a social crisis because of Syrian refugees; mostly Turkish people have seen Syrian refugees as their guests and have tried to help them as much as they could. Syrian refugees have good relationships with Turkey's people, with the exception of some individuals and groups that are xenophobic. As the anti-immigration discourse rises in Europe, the hostile behavior toward Syrians returns. Syrians accept paying higher rents and earning less because they do not have many options apart from being seen as "beggars," "invaders" or worse, as "terrorists." And being insulted has not made their lives easier.

As the general election approaches, the leader of the Republican People's Party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, included a new election promise in his campaign speeches, vowing that the CHP will send Syrians back to their homeland if his party comes to power. This is a not a surprising move from the CHP, as many deputies and party members, as well as the leader of the CHP, Kılıçdaroğlu himself, have expressed their discomfort with Syrians being in Turkey many times. But now, they have set their eyes on the votes of xenophobic people, aiming to win the elections with points of hatred and hostility. After standing with the Syrian butcher Assad, this is a whole new level of shamefulness, even for the pro-Kemalism apologists.