Posted on 09/06/2015 5:26:37 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
As thousands of people fleeing ongoing violence across much of the Middle East–particularly Syria’s bloody civil war–continue to stream into Europe, that continent, and with it, the entire world, is scrambling to find a solution to this massive refugee crisis. Exact figures vary, but recent estimates by the United Nations put the number three thousand migrants per day passing through the Balkan states on their way to Western Europe. While some countries (namely: Germany, Sweden, and Hungary) are expected to feel the strain of this incoming influx of refugees more than others, the mass migration has thrown into stark relief just how ill-prepared the entire European Union is, when it comes to handling this humanitarian crisis.
While the E.U. and its members struggle to find an adequate and equitable response to the thousands upon thousands of incoming–and already arrived–refugees, an Egyptian billionaire has offered his own unique solution: Buy an island.
Naguib Sawiris, chairman of Orascom Telecom Media, and whose $2.9 billion dollars puts him at number 577 on Forbes “World Billionare” list, tweeted his proposal earlier this week:
Lest you think Sawiris isn’t serious about his proposal, he followed up on his tweets in an interview with Agence France-Presse, saying: “You have dozens of islands which are deserted and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees” and putting the cost at anywhere between $10-100 million dollars. Once purchased, he believes the island-haven could serve as a temporary home for refugees, in which they’d be given the opportunity to get back to work, building the infrastructure necessary to accommodate its occupants.
The ultimate goal of Sawiris’ plan, aside from creating a safe space for those fleeing their homes, is to afford them a renewed sense of humanity. As he explains to AFP: “The way they are being treated now, they are being treated like cattle.”
In the days since making his announcement, Sawiris has seemingly yet to move forward with the plan, although Quartz points out that there are a number of Mediterranean islands already for sale which he could purchase on the spot, without having to approach Greece or Italy.
Still, as the refugee crisis continues to grow, and European countries struggle to find a way to respond, Sawiris’ proposal–no matter how outlandish it may seem–highlights the fact that there are those out there searching for ways, large and small, to address one of the most pressing humanitarian needs of the twenty first century.
If you’d like to know what you can do to help with this crisis, GOOD has compiled a list of options and resources, here.
Aren’t there any islands that are part of Muslim countries? Why should Christian countries lose any more territory to this invasion?
Capitalism doing what socialism etc won’t.
Its a stupid, bullish** idea, and everyone with half a brain knows it will never amount to anything.
Yet it is emotive, shows fake compassion, and gets media play — so is suitable for the shallow, symbolic fantasy world of Muslim and leftist politics.
Could we cold buy an island, or set aside a part of the country and put all of our America haters there?
Be careful.....that island might tip over.
Great idea, because there aren’t enough arab countries already. Keep in mind, once they’ve made that one unlivable, they can always colonize another one.
But then, why should they colonize some little island when they can colonize a whole European continent?
Call the island Hatey.
Just sell us some islands in the Pacific, and we can aid the poor, migrant Japanese worker! Sell us Guam, the Philippines, or Hawaii! We promise we have no aggression in our hearts!
How about Bahrain? It’s an island. So is Brunei... the Maldives... Madagascar...
That's exactly right. Where is that demon George Soros?
It’s a pity that Devil’s Island isn’t ten times larger.
Do what the Chinese are doing and build an island
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