I am not the first to point out that Ukrainian refugees are being welcomed throughout the world with open arms, while others such as Syrians are not being given the same love or respect. I am overwhelmed with emotion as I watch the kindness that the entire world has given to the Ukrainians, but I grieve watching others, whose worlds were destroyed in just the same manner, are being ostracized.
Serena Parekh, Northeastern professor of philosophy, who has written extensively on refugees and the ethics of forced displacement has said that the motivating reasons behind these different attitudes are varied and complex. Eastern Europeans have sympathy for their neighbors and know what it feels like to live under Soviet aggression. But it would be a mistake, she adds, not to consider that bias against Middle Eastern refugees also played a role.
Parekh hopes the shift in attitudes toward refugees outlives the crisis in Ukraine. “It’s heartening to see that this attitude is possible and that it’s possible for a large number of people.”
There are now 82 million forcibly displaced people around the world.
But who is a refugee?
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