Iran's Exemplary Refugee Program

by Stephen Lendman

Trump wants Muslims from designated countries barred from entering America - on the phony pretext of protecting the nation's borders and national security concerns.

Israel only accepts Jewish refugees and asylum seekers.

Brussels, representing 28 EU countries, conspired with Turkey to punish desperate refugees needing help, turning their backs on them contemptuously.

EU nations sealed their borders, wanting a human flood created by US-led NATO wars barred from entering their countries,  enforcing collective punishment on people in need, flagrantly violating the European Convention on Human Rights.

Iran's refugee settlement program stands in marked contrast to uncaring Western nations and Israel.

On Wednesday, Sivanka Dhanapala, UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Iran praised the Islamic Republic for its "exemplary" settlement program, saying:

"In a world where you have multiple bad stories about hosting refugees, I think Iran is really a good news story."

"It's a story that's not told often enough. The leadership demonstrated by the Iranian government has been exemplary in hosting refugees and keeping borders open."

Soviet Russia's 1980s war in Afghanistan displaced around six million people, Iran and Pakistan absorbing most of them.

The Islamic Republic still shelters about one million registered Afghan refugees. Around two million more reside in the country, making its refugee population one of the world's largest, according to the UN.

"We have also worked with the government on incorporating refugees into a government-sponsored health insurance scheme which is a ground-breaking development not just for Iran but globally for refugees," Dhanapala explained.

The UN praised Imam Khamenei's 2015 directive, calling on education administrators to let all Afghan children attend Iranian schools, documented or not.

The UN worked with Tehran's government in giving refugees access to government-sponsored healthcare, a groundbreaking initiative with global implications for refugees overall if the world body is able to expand the program to other countries.

Refugees in Iran have no fear of US-style Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting them, placing them in harsh detention facilities ahead of deporting them, separating family member from each other.

Iran's refugee settlement program is humane. America spurns people in need, including its most vulnerable citizens and a human flood created by its imperial wars.

Tehran is a world leader in helping displaced refugees and asylum seekers in need. Yet Trump wants its citizens banned from entering America.

Iran provides shelter, sustenance, medical care and education for refugees in need. America spurns them, one of its many high crimes against humanity.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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