The news reports are heart-breaking. We see European countries being lectured daily about their failure to take in Syrian refugees, but Saudi Arabia – which has taken in ZERO to date – has 100,000 air conditioned tents sitting unused. This enormous network of deluxe tents, located in Mina, are only used a week of each year (this month, btw) by Hajj pilgrims. Amusing Planet reports;
“For the rest of the year, Mina remains pretty much deserted.”
The 24 x 24′ tents were permanently constructed by the Saudi government 20 years ago and were upgraded in 1997 to be fire proof. They are divided into camps with both kitchen and bathroom facilities and could provide shelter for almost ALL of the 4 million Syrian refugees that have been displaced by the country’s civil war which, was exacerbated by Saudi Arabia’s role in funding and arming jihadist groups.
Saudi Arabia claims it has taken in 500,000 Syrians since 2011, but almost all of them are legal immigrants who moved there for work. Lebanon has taken in 1.3 million refugees – more than a quarter of its total population. Seems like this part of the world –where the crisis is happening and has the MOST space and resources– is doing the LEAST to help their own people.
However, the Saudi government HAS offered to build 200 mosques for the 500,000 migrants a year expected to pour into Germany.
(via Info Wars)