After Villach Attack: Increase in Hate Comments Against Syrians
He warns against holding all Syrians responsible now. Some people have demanded after the attack to "deport everyone to Syria." But "not all Syrians are like that. Terrorism does not belong to any religion, terrorism harms us," Alshater warns against generalizing all compatriots of the attacker. Like many others, he fled from Syria to Austria in 2015. "We fled from exactly these people. ISIS killed Muslims there." The fact that the food delivery driver who ran over the attacker with his car and thus stopped him also comes from Syria shows "that not everyone is the same."
TikTok and Lack of Employment as Reasons for Radicalization
He sees several reasons for young people becoming radicalized. On one hand, stricter rules are needed to be able to take action against relevant content on TikTok. "Not only Syrians, but also Austrians watch these videos." But refugees should not be left alone: "Many young people are here alone, they sit around for years without employment and wait for feedback from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum." Asylum procedures should be faster, and asylum seekers should have access to the labor market in the meantime, he believes.
For those still waiting for the outcome of their asylum procedure, the association organizes "language cafés." Since the fall of the Assad regime, after Austria suspended ongoing asylum procedures, the rush has decreased. "People are no longer interested. At first, they were happy (about the change of power, note), but then it was immediately said 'go back'. That is inhumane." Many Syrians would like to return to their homeland, but "only when there is security, freedom, and democracy."
Increased Hate Comments Against Syrians After Attack in Villach
Alshater wishes for more action against Islamist ideology from the Islamic Religious Community. "There need to be more events for young people about democracy and about how such acts harm all people - including all Muslims."
His association is committed to the development of a democratic, secular society in Syria and helps refugees from Syria integrate into Austria. Religion plays no role in this. "Not all Syrians are religious Muslims." A few hours after the attack, the association condemned the act on Facebook and called for sharing information with the authorities.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.