Why is the European Parliament a mere spectator in the Idlib tragedy?


We have written numerous articles on Idlib and will keep on writing. A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in Idlib as people have suffered under heavy bombardment for months now.

In Germany and Europe, where I have lived since 1981, I have held multiple offices as a senior director in different nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), including the SOS Rassismus and Interkultureller Rat Deutschland.

In my political career, I have worked at local and state levels in Hesse, Germany. I have also had roles as party manager at the local, state and federal levels. As a member of the European Parliament, I have experienced politics at the European level. I have come close to a lot of well-known politicians and learned from them personally.

I know very well how sensitive and effective European politics and media can be about human rights if they want to. For this reason, I am watching with sorrow how the national parliaments of EU member states, the European Parliament and the national parliaments of other important European countries, like Switzerland or Norway, have remained so passive on the Idlib issues.

While Turkey stages a total struggle, not only against Daesh but also against the PKK and its Syrian offshoot PYD, European institutions do not support but often criticize Turkey's rightful actions. They are not giving the expected response on Idlib where the Syrian regime is outright slaughtering people.

For instance, the European Parliament has not given a good account of itself on the issue.

The "lies" of terrorist PKK's representatives, who freely roam the corridors of the European Parliament and use all opportunities offered by some MEPs to spread terrorist propaganda, could very much affect the European Parliament's reports and decisionmaking. The terrorists affiliated with the PYD, which is known to have cooperated with Daesh terrorists in different parts of Syria, are being welcomed in the European Parliament as "heroes fighting against Daesh."

PYD's oppression and persecution of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens in Syria are well-recorded in a number of U.N. reports. However, for some reason, these facts are not much talked about in the European Parliament or the national parliaments of EU member states.

Many times in Europe, we have seen with great sadness lawmakers protesting with flags of the terrorist PKK or PYD.

When it comes to Kobani, we have seen exhibitions opening in the European Parliament and PKK propaganda being carried out at these exhibitions.

Sad but true: Many MEPs are "mobilizing" for the PKK terrorist organization and its lies, making a lot of noise.

Sad but true: The lie that "Kurds are being massacred" has always worked very well. Those who tell this lie and those who support this lie influence European governments by misleading the public with the claim that they are embracing human rights and could lead to wrong decisions in parliaments.

The PKK terrorist organization is not in Idlib. There are no Kurds in Idlib among those who are being subjected to the most brutal and treacherous attacks or those who are there are "unpopular" Kurds.

In Idlib, the majority of the people that the Syrian regime has bombed and massacred, irrespective of all human rights, are Syrian Arabs and they are all Muslims.

There are no members of the PKK terrorist organization lobbying and making propaganda in the corridors of the European Parliament for the Muslims who have been massacred in Idlib.

Is that why the European Parliament and other national parliaments are so indifferent to the tragedy and massacre taking place in Idlib? Is there no need to make urgent decisions for Muslims under attack in Idlib? Are the developments in Idlib not enough to push them to claim human rights?

Is the real problem that people in Idlib are Arab and Muslim? As a person who is very aware of what might be happening in the European Parliament if the Syrian regime were bombing PKK and PYD terrorists in Idlib now; I follow this double standard with great sadness.

The European Parliament must end this double standard and stand by the people when it comes to human rights, no matter what ethnicity or religion they belong to.