The GCC countries and millions around the world followed the tragedy of Syrian refugees in several European countries. We have all seen awful images and scenes reported by news agencies and social networking outlets, but what was bothering was that this tragedy was used to defame and insult the GCC countries for allegedly not helping the Syrian people.
A lot of insults and defamation were made on inaccurate grounds. The GCC countries made a lot of financial, political and diplomatic efforts in addressing Arab issues such as the situations in Yemen, Syria and Libya, while providing financial support for other Arab countries suffering from the aftershocks of the so-called Arab Spring.
The GCC countries seem to be destined to be targeted with accusations whenever there is a humanitarian crisis or catastrophe.
Before, when the Palestinian people suffered Israeli attacks, the GCC countries were blamed. Now, as many Syrians rush to the land and sea borders of European countries, it seems the finger-pointing season is back.
Some Western outlets and officials wonder why these refugees preferred to go to Europe instead of the Gulf States or why Gulf States are silent about the worsening tragedy of the Syrian refugees. I hope most of these questions are innocent and in good faith, but many chose to dispute the positions of the GCC countries, and exploit the opportunity to undermine their reputation and attempt to destroy their image.
Objectively speaking, there is tens of convincing replies to what is being said on the position of the GCC about the Syrian crisis, but I am quite confident that they will not find their way to the ears. Many of those making these accusations belong to online armies of terrorist organizations and extremist groups, which have caused the entire region to fall in sectarian and ethnic battles that do not seem to be coming to an end, so they do find nothing wrong in pointing fingers to the Gulf States.
Such tragic scenes represent a propaganda matter for planners of tactical media campaigns from religious movements in the region. The opportunity is favorable and valuable to them to undermine the reputation of the Gulf States. They even attempt to drive a wedge between some of the leaders of these countries and their people through provoking religious and nationalistic feelings and making false allegations. They are in fact seeking to achieve media victories out of the pain and suffering of people.
These haters know that the flow of Syrian refugees is not new, and that millions of them spent the harsh winter seasons in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and other border countries since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011. The GCC countries have been dealing with all of these crises and made serious humanitarian, material and political efforts but the region’s crises accumulated, and for them to be solved, international efforts should be made.
Turkey was never blamed, although it added fuel to the fire in Syria, under the pretext of fighting Daesh but with the real intention of depriving the Kurds from building an independent state. For years, Turkish borders were the safe passage of tens of thousands of fighters and mercenaries who sought to join Daesh. Turkey sought to achieve an agenda of self-interest however so it is now attacking European countries for failing to address the Syrian refugee crisis.
Iran is not blamed either, although it has played the primary role in igniting the Syrian fight and supporting Shiites in Iraq and Alawites in Syria, regardless of the losses of lives and casualties. The same happened in Yemen until the GCC intervened to preserve the lives of millions of Yemenis. What is certain is that Iran is only interested in preserving its interests and saving the regime, but it was not subject to accusation.
No one blamed Russia or China, two countries that prevented any solution to the Syrian crisis in the Security Council since 2012. Russia seemed happy as Syrian refugees were flowing to Europe which suffered from severe financial crises, aware that these refugees will force Europe to cooperate with Russia in Ukraine, in order to ensure similar cooperation from Moscow in finding a solution to end the Syrian refugee crisis.
It is ironic that a London-based Arab writer tenderly blamed the preachers of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group for not demanding the GCC states to receive Syrian refugees, but did not call them to end the bloody conflict they are waging in Syria and Libya, and violence acts they commit in countries such as Egypt. Obviously, stopping violence is equivalent to receiving refugees. The killing and slaughter and bloodshed are more terrible than the scenes of refugee flows.
