A United Nations humanitarian disaster endeavor on the Mediterranean Sea has raised terrorism concerns. The boats carrying refugees from the Middle East and North Africa could be acting as a “shield” for ISIS fighters, some terrorist experts have warned.
The UN plan to “resettle” at least one million refugees from “war-torn” regions in the Middle East and North Africa in the West could create a “full-blown security crisis” warns terrorism and national security specialists. ISIS has already reportedly threatened to infiltrate the United Nations boats filled with refugees, German intelligence officials say.
“An open door policy would, both for the USA and Europe, mean that the threat of Islamists and terrorists entering our countries would increase to a very dangerous level,” Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders said during an interview with Fox News .
Earlier this month Muslim refugees attempting to get to Italy from Libya reportedly threw 12 Christians migrants overboard. All 12 of the refugees drowned, according to Italian police reports. The law enforcement officers arrested 15 Muslims in connection to the murders of the Christians on board the same boat.
Even in the wake of the drownings on the refugee boat bound for Italy, the United Nations and charity partners such as Oxfam and Amnesty International have reportedly continued to focus on the dangers faced by all of the refugees who seek to “escape violence” and “economic hardship” on rickety boats.
The UN is reportedly pushing government officials in Europe to accept nearly 800 refugees from the Middle East and North Africa after their boat capsized in early April. Several days prior to the boat accident a similar event occurred causing 400 drownings. Another boat capsizing incident about the same times left approximately 50 more people dead.
“It is to ensure the right to asylum of the growing number of people worldwide fleeing war who need refuge and safe haven,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a call for the “international community” to develop a “comprehensive and collective” response to the Middle East and North Africa boat refugees situation Ki-moon said any such response should exceed the concept of meeting the immediate rescue needs of the migrants.
“We could collectively offer to resettle 1 million Syrians over the next five years,” UN Special Rapporteur, François Crépeau, said. “For a country like the UK, this would probably be around 14,000 Syrians a year for five years. For Canada, it would mean less than 9,000 a year for five years – a drop in the bucket,” the report did not say how many Middle East and North African migrants the United Nations would expect the United States to accept.
What do you think about the UN Middle East and North Africa refugees plan? Will ISIS capitalize on the opportunity to gain access to the United States?
[Image via: U.S. Coast Guard/Getty Images]
