Refugees fleeing the long conflict in Syria once were welcomed in neighboring Turkey with open arms, sympathy and compassion for fellow Muslims. But attitudes gradually hardened as the number of newcomers swelled over the past decade.
The 32-year-old refugee from Aleppo, Fatima Alzahra and her son were attacked by neighbors in their Istanbul apartment building because she is Syrian.
The situation quickly escalated when a man threatened to cut Fatima and her family into pieces. Another neighbor, a woman, joined in, shouting and hitting Fatima. The group then pushed her down a flight of stairs.
Fatima said that when her 10-year-old son, Amr, tried to intervene, he was beaten as well. She said she has no doubt that the motivation for the aggression is racism.
Analysts believe that anti-immigrant sentiment now nearing a boiling point has been fueled by Turkey’s economic woes. With unemployment high and the prices of food and housing skyrocketing, many Turks have turned their frustration toward the country’s roughly 5 million foreign residents, particularly the 3.7 million who fled the civil war in Syria.
The prospect of a new influx of refugees smuggled into Turkey from Iran following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has also reinforced the unreceptive public mood and caused public outrage.
Turkey is on one of the main transit routes for Afghans seeking shelter in Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment