Saudi Arabia has taken in 2.5 million syrians, just not as refugees

Saudi Arabia said it had provided about $700m in humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees [Reuters]Saudi Arabia has defended its efforts to aid Syrians fleeing the conflict in their country, following criticism that Gulf countries have not been taking in enough refugees since the crisis broke out there more than four years ago.

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The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Friday cited an official source in the foreign ministry as saying the kingdom wanted to make clear its role in helping refugee in light of charges it was doing nothing.

The official said it was "important to clarify these efforts with facts and numbers in response to media reports, which included false and misleading accusations about the kingdom".

None of the six states that form the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, has signed the UN convention on refugees, which has governed international law on asylum since World War Two.

But Gulf states say they have taken in hundreds of thousands of Syrians since the civil war there began in 2011, just not as refugees.The source said

Saudi Arabia had received nearly 2.5 million Syrians since the conflict erupted.

"[Saudi Arabia] was keen to not deal with them as refugees, or to put them in refugee camps, to preserve their dignity and safety, and gave them complete freedom of movement."

"[Saudi Arabia] gave whoever chose to stay in the kingdom, which are in the hundreds of thousands, proper residency ... with all the rights that are included like free health care and engaging in the workforce and education.

"The kingdom has also provided about $700m in humanitarian aid to Syrians and had set up clinics in various refugee camps, the statement by the SPA said.The official source said more than 100,000 Syrian students were receiving free education in the kingdom.

The country has also provided humanitarian aid to countries hosting Syrian refugees and through international relief organisations.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/saudi-arabia-denies-giving-syrians-sanctuary-150912050746572.html

Reply 1

thunder_chunky

I'd be surprised if they didn't use them as slave labour.

Reply 2

HucktheForde

Original post by Mathemagicien

Title: Saudi Arabia has taken in 2.5 syrian, just not as refugees

So they took in 2 men and a woman?

(I'm talking about their standards, I don't class women as 0.5 men)

mistype

Reply 3

Alba2013

I see the pushed the women and kids to the front to take that picture!

Reply 4

KingBradly

Original post by TheArtofProtest

If they have, and especially if they are not classifying them as refugees, then that should be applauded and they should be encouraged to take in more, as an opportunity for them to start reliving their lives.

But something tells me that this piece of information will be conveniently ignored by many on the right who moan about the barbarians trying to get into Europe.

Yes, being suspicious of the KSA is such an irrational and right-wing thing to do. They're a well known left-wing heaven.

Reply 5

Omen96

Why we suck up to that cancer of a country I do not know, the west has a lot to answer for

Reply 6

username471863

I very strongly dislike the Saudi government and monarchy and the Wahhabism that is exported from that country is toxic but that doesn't mean that Saudi can't do anything right and that any good news reported from there is fake. The fact that some of the hysterical lot don't seem to want to believe is that the vast majority of Syrian refugees have fled to other Middle Eastern countries.

Reply 7

username471863

Original post by KingBradly

Yes, being suspicious of the KSA is such an irrational and right-wing thing to do. They're a well known left-wing heaven.

He's talking about the fabrication that the refugees are coming here rather than fleeing to neighbouring states (even though the majority of them have). It is the right-wing who are guilty of this hysterical mentality.

Reply 8

Josb

“Saudi Arabia has offered no evidence to support its claims that it has ‘welcomed’ so many Syrians, and it appears that figure consists mostly of Syrians who have passed through Saudi Arabia, however briefly. Counting the number of Syrians that have entered and exited Saudi Arabia does not amount to taking in refugees from Syria,” Peter Bouckaert, the Emergency Director at Human Rights Watch told euronews."

http://www.euronews.com/2015/09/30/why-aren-t-rich-gulf-states-welcoming-syrian-refugeesor-are-they/

Reply 9

ODES_PDES

Original post by Mathemagicien

Title: Saudi Arabia has taken in 2.5 syrian, just not as refugees

So they took in 2 men and a woman?

(I'm talking about their standards, I don't class women as 0.5 men)

Reply 10

Good bloke

Original post by Josb

it appears that figure consists mostly of Syrians who have passed through Saudi Arabia, however briefly.]

Which is precisely why the Saudis were so prominently pointing out they had been given freedom of movement. Those naughty, naughty slightly misleading Saudis.

Reply 11

Y.boulal

Original post by WBZ144

There is no such thing as Wahhabism. I myself am from Saudi Arabia and no one calls themselves Wahabbis. They call themselves sunni's. And anything from there is true. But of course you are entitled to your own opinion. Also if you have read the book of abdulwahab then all he preaches is tawheed which is to worship only God and not ask other people for help e.g. dead in graves and other things like that which unfortunately people have turned to.

Reply 12

Good bloke

Original post by Y.boulal

There is no such thing as Wahhabism. I myself am from Saudi Arabia and no one calls themselves Wahabbis.

Well, no. Salafis don't like being called Wahhabis anyway but when the highly autocratic government determines that its people will be Wahabbis there is no need to differentiate them from sensible Moslems, is there?