Insight: Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe

This is an insight written by Sara Rissanen on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace lecture, “Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe: On the Psychology of a Humanitarian Challenge” held on January 12, 2021.

The presentation started with the statistic that “in 2019, 8.7 million people were displaced — 30,000 new displacements every day — for a total of 79.5 million.” This number is astounding when you truly consider how such displacement removes people from their homes, communities, and livelihoods. 

There are a few assumptions that are held in regards to refugees that were shared throughout the talk. These include (1) refugees migration is forced, driven by security concerns, and temporary, (2) refugees (particularly from Iraq and Syria) pose a security threat to their host countries, and (3) refugees are individuals that have made individual migration decisions. The researchers shared their research, addressing these assumptions, with the aim to find a better solution to the refugee crisis. 

This first assumption — that refugee migration is forced, driven by security concerns, and temporary — is partially true. Syrian refugees had to flee Syria for their own safety. The decision to leave is forced on these individuals. While they are deprived of their agency and choice in these situations, the research found that the refugees much of the time feel they had control over their decision to move and to stay. This is necessary to recognize. This assumption also touches on how the refugee crisis was assumed to be temporary but as we see now it clearly isn’t. The research found that many refugees have a high motivation to go back to Syria, but when later asked the same question there was a lower interest to return to Syria. These refugees begin to understand that going back may not be feasible and as they become acclimated to their host country they begin to see a new life there.

The second assumption, the perception of refugees as a threat to security, is harmful to refugee assimilation in their host country. The research study shows that the refugees most likely to hold extremist Islamist ideologies are less likely to move to the West. Based on their results the refugees who want to flee to the West do not pose a threat to the security of western countries. While research clearly found this assumption is wrong, convincing individuals of host countries not to discriminate against refugees based on their beliefs and heritage is a much more difficult task. Hate backed by fear can be very difficult to address. 

The third assumption goes along with the trend of giving humanitarian aid to refugees on a very individual basis – to the individuals and their families. The researchers propose that aid can be better given to refugees when given through a collectivistic approach – on a community level. Communities are important for the well-being of refugees as they provide psychological needs such as a sense of belonging. This assumption addresses the perception of individuals in the host countries and tackles the question of how to support communities in the integration of refugees. 

The conclusions of the talk put these assumptions into perspective — that the refugee problem isn’t temporary and returning home is much of the time unfeasible, refugees are not a threat, and refugee resettlement means refugee integration. These all come to the conclusion that a new approach to the refugee problem is required. While these solutions need to happen through humanitarian aid, I found this talk extremely helpful in allowing me to understand the refugee crisis from the perspective of the refugees. The empirical research presented gives insight into the lives of refugees and the difficulties they face within host countries. I think being able to understand and empathize with those displaced is the first step in being able to correctly provide aid and successful integration. 

Thank you to Arie Kruglanski, David Webber, Katarzyna Jasko, and Erica Molinario for sharing your impactful research with our UMD community.

You can watch the full video of the lecture on our YouTube channel here.

About the Author

Sara Rissanen is a senior studying Marketing at the University of Maryland. She is currently the Marketing Specialist at the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace. Sara hopes to create a better future by opening the conversation of peace-building among her peers.

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