LONDON: The EU must treat all refugees fleeing conflict zones with “compassion and mercy regardless of their race, color or creed,” the Muslim Council of Britain has said.
In a statement, it called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to peace” in Ukraine.
“We support all measures that will bring about a just peace as soon as possible. We urge our British government to play its part in the international community to bring about a lasting political solution to this conflict.”
The MCB also urged politicians and members of the media to be “mindful” of the “language and attitudes” displayed during the crisis.
A host of Western news channels have drawn criticism for their coverage or their guests’ comments on the crisis, which have been described as racist and problematic by many.
Videos circulating online, many with millions of views, have drawn attention to the language used to discuss the Ukraine crisis compared with conflicts in the Middle East.
One journalist, on American channel NBC News, drew condemnation for saying: “To put it bluntly, these are not refugees from Syria, these are refugees from Ukraine ... They’re Christian, they’re white, they’re very similar.”
In another video, a journalist for the UK’s ITV News said: “Now the unthinkable has happened to them, and this is not a developing, third-world nation, this is Europe.”
The MCB said: “The alarming consequences of such attitudes are clear to see: black and ethnic minority refugees fleeing from Ukraine are being discriminated against.
“We call upon all European governments to treat all refugees with compassion and mercy regardless of their race, colour or creed.”
To that effect, the MCB urged the British government — which critics have said is moving too slowly to accept Ukrainian refugees — to “reconsider” its planned overhaul of the asylum system through the Nationality and Borders Bill.
The MCB said the bill “will effectively criminalise and re-buff those seeking refuge from such wars and persecution,” adding: “We cannot turn our backs on people in desperate need of sanctuary.”
