News:

On Monday, November 3rd, after the capsizing of a boat at the Bosphorus entrance, which was constructed for 8 people, but loaded with 42 illegal immigrants; 10 children, 4 women and 10 men were found dead. While only six men were rescued, the search after the other lost passengers, including 2 children and 3 women is still in progress. In addition, it was found out that these illegal immigrants had to pay each 7000 Euros for this journey of hope, trying to reach Romania and Europe overseas. This story once again brings to mind the facts of human trafficking throughout the world and especially in Turkey.

Comment:

Almost every day, there are news about refugees trying to reach a better life in the so-called better Europe. In the first 3 days of November alone, 51 illegal immigrants including women and children were grabbed on the shores of the Aegean Sea, and in September, 61 people including 3 babies, 28 children and 18 women drowned after an overloaded boat with more than 100 immigrants sank in the open sea at Izmir.

Ongoing wars, regime repressions and poverty are some of the main reasons forcing people to migration. More than 800 thousand people worldwide each year are trying to reach a better life through illegal immigration. And Turkey as a goal, source and transit country due to its geographical location is of special significance in the matter of migration. However this makes Turkey also a huge market for human traffickers and made them earn about 300 million dollars through emigration to Europe and 7 billion dollars to America. 829 thousand illegal immigrants were caught until the beginning of the year 2013. Between the years 2004-2013, 1321 people have become victims of human trafficking in Turkey. According to United Nations data, between 800 thousand and 2.5 million women, men and children are subjected to human trafficking either in their own countries or through crossing borders.

In spite of knowing the dangers of travelling overseas, especially Muslims risk their lives in order to reach European countries. In fact, it is not them to be blamed for this waste of money and life, but rather the Muslim countries and especially Turkey. Because in a capitalist system, which gives the opportunity to gain profits out of people's grievances, those who do not fall into the hands of human traffickers are becoming victims of the modern slavery system. According to figures published by TURKSAM (Turkey Center for International Relationships and Strategic Research) in 2013, almost 250 thousand legal immigrants, and almost 300 thousand illegal immigrants every year, have entered or traveled through Turkey. It is stated that especially during the summer months the number of illegal workers reaches 500 thousand, who become exploited in tourist areas, in under-the-counter-businesses in Istanbul, in the tea fields of the north-eastern provinces, in agriculture in Thrace; in the areas of industry, domestic service, construction and textile industries, and finally and unfortunately in the entertainment industry.

Their misery can easily be seen on the recent examples of Syrian refugees in Turkey. These days Turkey which boasts with embracing more than 1.5 million Syrians, 200 thousand people from Kobane, 300 thousand Iraqis and Yazidis, and in total about 1.8 million immigrants, is discussing the costs of these migrants to the country. Minister of Health Muezzinoglu, stated that the government has spent up to 4.5 billion dollars till today for migrants, while the amount of international aid is only about 150-200 million dollars. However this money seems not to have provided an easy life to the Syrian refugees, as everyday more and more refugees seek ways to leave the camps and try to stand on their own feet. In this attempt, hundreds of refugees fall into the traps of capitalist exploitation machinery through the hands of unscrupulous covetous employers.

Especially in the textile industry and clothing manufacture, the hourly wages of a Syrian immigrant of 42 cents, which is even below 62 cents of an employee wage in Bangladesh has increased unemployment among Turkish workers too. While Syrian workers in Istanbul are paid 600-800 Liras a month, in the Eastern and South-Eastern cities they are even paid only 240-500 Liras. This means that their hourly wages amount only 0.42 cents, while working 10 hours a day and 6 days a week. The daily nutrition of the Syrian employee is said to be on the mercy of the employer. However the costs of one registered worker amounts 5.48 dollars.

Facing such exploitation and hopelessness, it is easy to understand why people are ready to risk their own and their women and children's lives even after reaching a ‘safe' Muslim country. If the Muslim countries, with Turkey at the forefront, would take care of their own people's lives and the lives of those who seek refuge on its soil according to the example of Rasulallah (saw) and the rightly guided Khulafah after him (saw) in affording them with safety, opportunities of providing for their maintenance in a just way, and well-being in any aspects of life; thousands of people a year would not end up as slaves of capitalism, and commodities in the hands of unscrupulous traffickers or lose their lives in a brutal manner. Again here the main problem is that the Ummah is not aware of being already in a Western country when they arrive in Turkey. Unfortunately Turkey is very Western: It exists at the moment upon a ‘Western' idea; and is implementing the Western secular capitalist system with all its maladies - its laws, its rules, economy and the much too tender penalties against those who dare to harm innocent lives. And those migrants who manage to arrive in the Western countries, end up under inhumane conditions, continuously being abused - not only physically or economically - but rather as instruments in the agenda of secular self-seeking politicians, in creating fear against the foreigners and Islam, and to pursue their aims in the homelands of these immigrants. Any humiliation and exploitation the Ummah endures inside and outside their own lands is only due to the imperialist policies of these Western countries. All the wars in her homelands serve the upholding of the Western countries' own existence. Therefore, the West is never going to provide those who arrive in its lands with a better life. Instead of searching for dignity and well-being in the West, the only solution against any kind of humiliation lies in Islam. And Islam will only be able to give fruits, if it is implemented comprehensively and immediately.

Indeed, Omar bin al-Khattaab (ra), a great Companion of the Messenger Muhammad (saw), and the second rightly guided Khalifah spoke the haq (truth) when he said:

"We are people whom Allah has dignified by [giving us] Islam, and whenever we seek dignity in anything other than Islam, Allah will humiliate us."

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Umm Khalid