Racist migration

You'd think if the British royalty were anything in the world, they'd definitely at least be politically correct. Umm…nope! Prince William waded into the Ukraine-Russia crisis by stating that while Britons were used to seeing conflict in Asia and Africa, it was "very alien" to see it in Europe. The unfortunate and avoidable armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia has brought to the fore the deep-seated racism that dwells in the hearts of Westerners.

Sane minded people unequivocally condemn war, the cost of which is too high on humans and nations alike. Women and children pay the highest cost during times of war comprising almost 80 per cent of those who are displaced by it. Geopolitical unrest is bad business for the rest of the world, jacking up prices of essentials (like fuel prices which are skyrocketing now), and creating a clime of uncertainty. The loss of human lives and the thousands of refugees seeking shelter are the greatest tragedies. With the availability of political dialogue as an option, we can't condone nations going to war. Coming at the back of two tormenting years of the pandemic, it seems surreal that this crisis is even unfolding!

But what's shocking to us has been a reality for some of the world in the Middle East and Africa. Haven't our hearts bled at the evocative videos and photographs of Syrian refugees? Remember that three-year-old dead little boy, Alan Kurdi, who was swept up on Turkish shores, drowned while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea? What about the more recent scenes of Afghans dropping from the sky like flies? Do you also remember that much of the Western world shut its gates on these refugees? Those same nations are now welcoming white Ukrainians with arms full of warmth and compassion. What has changed is but the colour of the refugee's skin.

I feel for the Ukrainian refugees; I can't imagine losing one's home and livelihood almost overnight, and being thrust into unfamiliar locales, living at the mercy of foreign governments and strangers. My heart goes out to the men, women, and children who seek to rebuild their lives while trying to forget the nightmares of the past few weeks. I do feel empathetic at their plight. But many like me can't help but draw comparisons between different kinds of refugees. The brown and dark-skinned ones are not welcome, neither are their religions into the white man's world.

It's also repulsive to hear foreign journalists seem surprised that conflict was unfolding in a place like Ukraine which isn't 'Iraq or Afghanistan', where the people "look like" white people from other parts of the world and seem "civilised", drive similar cars. In the last few days, it has become crystal clear that many in the western and European world, including political leaders and journalists, see a great distinction between the so-called cultured, evolved European world versus the crude, alien, other worlds such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa, where bloodshed, death, and loss are to be expected and accepted as 'normal'. But how can such a situation unravel in white-dominated Europe? They are all so eager to help Ukrainian refugees that a country like Poland that has categorically been refusing refugees threw its gates wide open. Baby strollers, winter wear, toys are being left at Poland borders for Ukrainian refugees. As per news reports, there are now two Ukrainian refugees entering Poland every three seconds!

Of course, there is politics of migration at play. Countries can't be overburdened with a steady stream of refugees who become additional mouths to feed and a drain on resources and national coffers. There is also the inscrutable and bigoted fear of dilution of cultures in ethnically homogenous countries. While impinging on a country's resources is a valid argument, the latter blatant racism. Instead of all the privileged sealing their borders, there is a need for a concerted effort to help the needy but within each country's limits. However, what's most hypocritical and downright racist is the acceptance of white, Christian majority, European refugees while cruelly turning their backs on refugees of colour. Racism is so rife that even in the Ukrainian crisis there are instances of Africans and South Asians, including Indians, facing racism at the borders while crossing over into safe havens — a fact that even the United Nations has now admitted.

May all those who require shelter receive it, let no one be turned back on the basis of religion or skin colour. Sounds like a prayer, doesn't it? There is little else one can do in these helpless, troubled times.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal