Member-only story
Refugees are people first
Let's act with compassion and open hearts
For days, I doubted whether to write about Afghanistan or not. I’m not a politician, military expert, or war journalist. I’m also not an Afghani. So, why should my thoughts matter?
However, in the end, I’ve decided to write.
I’m writing as a human being who has been watching videos of people in danger, people in panic, people in fear.
I’ve read articles and stories that make my stomach turn. As a woman, my heart breaks whenever I think of Afghan women and girls. But, I also think about the men and boys who don’t want this life for themselves or their families.
Unfortunately, I also read comments on social media and news articles, and at times, I’m more horrified by our privilege and lack of compassion than anything else.
I live in Spain, and a comment read, “What’s happening is horrible, but the solution is not to bring them here.” In the West, we “care” about refugees as long as we don’t see them, as long as they’re not “our problem”.
Politicians in several Western countries use racist and anti-immigration rhetoric against people who flee their countries from countless threats.
