Most refugees aren't from Syria, most are young men

[classical_hero]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/eu-of-600000-refugees-only-20-are-syrian-72-men/article/2573083

The refugee wave sweeping over the European Union has nearly reached last year's total of 662,000, but despite reports that many are families from Syria just 20 percent are from that war-torn nation and most are younger men.

Eurostat, the EU's statistical agency, said that by August, 600,000 had arrived at the union's border seeking asylum, but just 121,500 were from Syria. The rest came from a collection of other countries including Kosovo, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

So why are the rest of the people leaving? It seems most of them are economic migrants who have no fears for their safety but just want to go to a place where they can get free stuff from.

 

[JollyRoger]

Holy Moses, send these people back to Egypt.

 

[Antilogic]

Yup, free stuff. We need to make sure our countries have the most unfree stuff imaginable. Every time you take a breath you are charged a buck.

 

[JollyRoger]

What is wrong with gleaning rights?

 

[Archbob]

Because their countries suck, that's why they are leaving.

 

[Agent327]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/eu-of-600000-refugees-only-20-are-syrian-72-men/article/2573083


So why are the rest of the people leaving? It seems most of them are economic migrants who have no fears for their safety but just want to go to a place where they can get free stuff from.

I guess someone hasn't been following the European refugee crisis thread... Dug up some old news, have we?

 

[Synobun]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/eu-of-600000-refugees-only-20-are-syrian-72-men/article/2573083


So why are the rest of the people leaving? It seems most of them are economic migrants who have no fears for their safety but just want to go to a place where they can get free stuff from.

People in those three areas don't fear for their safety? Is that so? Citation needed.

Also, refugees aren't restricted to cases of "constant threat of brutal torture", so even if they weren't desperately fearing for their safety it still wouldn't invalidate their attempted escape from a miserable life and society.

 

[Grisu]

Gods, not this argument again.

The Syrians make up the largest group, which doesn't mean that they are the majority (though their share is steadily rising, the numbers in the article are old).

What the article fails to mention is which of these refugees actually get asylum granted. If we take Germany, for example, the largest groups after Syrians are people form Albania and the Kosovo, but while Syrians get asylum in 93,2% of the cases only 0,2% of Kosovars and 0,4% Albanians actually get asylum...

 

[Leoreth]

"Young men"? Any of our MRAs from the other thread willing to take that one up?

 

[Wastl]

Gods, not this argument again.

The Syrians make up the largest group, which doesn't mean that they are the majority (though their share is steadily rising, the numbers in the article are old).

What the article fails to mention is which of these refugees actually get asylum granted. If we take Germany, for example, the largest groups after Syrians are people form Albania and the Kosovo, but while Syrians get asylum in 93,2% of the cases only 0,2% of Kosovars and 0,4% Albanians actually get asylum...

True, though if you want to point this out, you should also mention that hardly anyone whose asylum query gets rejected is actually send back, meaning they are still in the country. Less than 10% of the people who are supposed to leave actually leave. Hence Germany changing the laws recently.

 

[Samson]

"Young men"? Any of our MRAs from the other thread willing to take that one up?

Many of these refugees are from Eritrea, where young men can be forced to serve over 5 years military service (women do not have to serve). This is reported as a major reason for leaving.

This is another example of where men's rights and women's rights overlap. Society considers soldiering to be a man's pursuit, so women find it harder to enter / progress in this career and men are forced into it.

 

[Akka]

I notice, though, that they flock to Europe instead of stopping in one of the several countries in-between, despite said countries having a much closer culture and sometimes language.

But I guess I'm just racist or something.

 

[El_Machinae]

1/5 of Jordan's population is refugee. Have you looked at the relative strain being borne by the 'culturally friendly' countries. It's a common complaint, but it can be confronted with googling. You can help counter the meme.

 

[Akka]

1/5 of Jordan's population is refugee. Have you looked at the relative strain being borne by the 'culturally friendly' countries. It's a common complaint, but it can be confronted with googling. You can help counter the meme.

Yes I've looked :

Spoiler :

Of course, neighbouring countries have more refugees. Are we supposed to be surprised more people can make it to the other side of the next border than half a continent away ?
There still is hundred of thousands of people who somehow manage to reach the center of Europe, but somehow many countries much closer and not already laden with refugees are ignored.

Which mean that either those people are purposedly ignoring countries which are culturally, geographically and religiously much closer to them, or the governments of said countries are refusing to let them enter (or a bit of both).

 

[NovaKart]

Many of these refugees are from Eritrea, where young men can be forced to serve over 5 years military service (women do not have to serve). This is reported as a major reason for leaving.

This is another example of where men's rights and women's rights overlap. Society considers soldiering to be a man's pursuit, so women find it harder to enter / progress in this career and men are forced into it.

Actually women are conscripted as well in Eritrea. However I think they can be exempted if they have a baby and perhaps their service is shorter or not as harsh but I don't know really.

I believe the reason most refugees are young men is that it's like an investment for the family and they can send back money or eventually bring the rest of the family over. People don't exactly want to pile their wife and family or old parents in a rickety boat to Greece and then walk for days in the forest, get taken to jail in Serbia, etc.

 

[brennan]

Young men is the group most able to travel unhindered. Frequently they are trail-blazing to find safety for their families. The inference that if they are young men their migration can only be for economic reasons is straightforwardly idiotic and reeks of racism.

 

[REDY]

Young men is the group most able to travel unhindered. Frequently they are trail-blazing to find safety for their families. The inference that if they are young men their migration can only be for economic reasons is straightforwardly idiotic and reeks of racism.

Either their family is in safety or they left them in danger. Its not science.

 

[jackelgull]

Either their family is in safety or they left them in danger. Its not science.

Or their family is already dead. That could be a possibility too.

 

[warpus]

From what I read Canada's prioritizing families. We're taking in 25,000 refugees, but it seems that all the single dudes are going to be at the bottom of our list.

Makes sense to me.

I read somewhere that the reason so many of these refugees are men, is because in many European countries it's easy to bring in the rest of your family after the fact. But in that case I would have to question how exactly dangerous the conditions are if they are living women and children behind.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

It needs to be noted that there is nothing wrong with migrating for economic reasons.

The threats of poverty are every bit as real as the threats of violent persecution.

The young Jesus may have been a refugee from violent persecution under Herod, but the bible closely connects his family's trip to Egypt with that of the Patriarchs who were economic migrants fleeing the economic woes of famine rather than any violent threats.


Immigrants don't get nearly as much "free stuff" as natives anyway, and what they do get is rarely enough to compensate the for being legally denied the opportunity to participate in the free market to support themselves.


Regardless of the reason they are fleeing their homelands, Christians in particular still have a moral duty to welcome foreigners. Jesus said that if we reject them we are rejecting him.

It is shameful that so many on the Religious Right are choosing to be among those "goats" that Christ says he will sort on the left and tend tell to depart into the eternal* fire.


("Aionios" could be "lasting for an age" or "pertaining to the age to come." The verse does not necessarily require the sort of Eternal Damnation that the Religion Right believe all men deserve, but is equally compatible with Annihilationism or certain forms of Universal Reconciliation which involve long periods of suffering in order to purify and rehabilitate souls.)


You can argue that the biblical commandments pertain to how Christina should act personally rather than how states should act, but it should be noted that in Matthew 25 he said he was returning to judge the nations rather than just individuals.

It must also be noted that the Federal government makes it illegal for private individuals to show the sort of charity demanded of us. Christians doing their duty without going through the government face serious persecution.