Why do Muslims seek to immigrate to Western countries?

ali gunes

gunesali1@gmail.com

 

Two days ago, I met two immigrants from two different Muslim countries. We talked about numerous things. Then the talk came to the situations in their countries. I do not want to disclose their names because they prefer to remain anonymous for security reasons.

When our talk progressed, I asked them why they left their home, memories, land, and stories behind and came to Türkiye as it is not easy. One of them read the lines from Warsan Shire’s Poem “Home”:

“no one leaves home unless

home is the mouth of a shark…”

 Later, when I gradually started decoding their words, I understood that they were not willing to stay in Türkiye but to go to a Western country as soon as they found any opportunity. Western countries are Islamophobic; they always hate, degrade, and humiliate Islam and Muslims. Thus, I worried about why they wanted to immigrate to these non-Muslim countries.

What they told me showed that the decision to immigrate to Western countries among Muslims is a complex issue influenced by various factors at home and abroad.

However, during our conversation, their ideas of seeking a better and secure life in Western countries intrigued me more than others.

“A better and secure life.”

It is an irony, even a paradox!

Cannot Muslim Countries provide “a better and secure life to their citizens?

Then I asked these two immigrants why they could not attain “a better and secure life” in their countries. Here I will summarise three possible reasons these two immigrants told me, even though there may be many others. 

First, they told me that there is financial stability in their countries. They think and believe that Western countries will offer them a higher standard of living, better-paying jobs, and more opportunities for career advancement. While listening to them, I sought to interpret their words. To some extent, they were correct when considering Muslim countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, etc. They said that for many Muslims in their countries, “immigrating to a Western country is seen as a way to improve their financial situation and supply a better future for their families.” Hence every Muslim must ask the following questions: why cannot Muslim leaders or economists create “a just, stable and promising financial situation” in their countries? Are these leaders less talented, less educated, and less knowledgeable, or are economists less educated? Why cannot they keep people at home?   

Secondly, they told me that accessing education opportunities in Western countries is still the dream of many Muslims. Today when one listens to some Muslims, it is possible to notice that they want to send their children to Western countries for education because Western universities, they believe, give good education and teach foreign languages, mainly English, which, they think, will enable their children to get better job opportunities. Thus, many Muslims try to immigrate to Western countries to access better education opportunities. Having looked at Western universities, it is possible to see that they are “known for their world-class academic programs, research facilities, and resources.” This “world-class education” or “higher-quality education” has meaning in life. Undeniably, “higher-quality education” means a good job opportunity in the increasingly changing global markets worldwide, advancing careers and improving prospects, and eventually contributing to building a robust, well-advanced country. I visited a few Muslim countries. Of course, these Muslim countries thrive on creating “higher-quality education”; they have money, educated people, luxurious buildings, and laboratories. Yet, these conditions cannot help many Muslims and their children stay home and get a better education. Again, something is missing in the educational field, too. The questions are as follows: are the educational approaches wrong in Muslim countries to get what is desired? Are they mentality, perception and cultural differences that do not allow the education system to achieve a “high-quality” standard? These questions and many others must be objectively and realistically re-considered, studied, and implemented to accomplish a world-class, high-quality education.         

I also learned from these two immigrants that other diseases that afflict Muslim countries are political instability, sectarian and tribal conflicts and civil wars. Unfortunately, these diseases are significant factors that cause people to leave their homes and seek refuge in other countries. Many Muslim countries, such as Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and so on, have experienced political upheavals, civil wars, and unrest, leading to displacement, loss of life, and destruction of property.  Of course, some of these problems may be resulted from outside forces, particularly imperial powers, which indirectly thrive on creating instability in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia to control and exploit the underground reservoirs for their benefit. But the real problem seems to be the lack of robust leadership. Also, leaders of some Muslim countries are controlled; some are corrupt and crazy for power, some use the wealth of their lands for the benefit of their own families and close relatives to live in luxury, and some have tribal minds that destroy the peace and harmony of their countries. What is more, political instability in Muslim countries also results further in putrefaction, such as embezzlement and misappropriation of funds, bribery and kickbacks, nepotism and cronyism, intimidation and repression and exploitation and oppression, which noticeably wreak havoc on the perception of a social state, social fabric of society, peace and harmony in personal and societal life and relationship, and which cripple people’s hopes and dreams for the future. Eventually, immigrating to a Western or peaceful country can offer refugees and asylum seekers a safe haven, allowing them to rebuild their lives and start anew. As Warsan Shire writes above, “no one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark…”

In conclusion, if Muslim countries and their policymakers do not carry out sincerely and wisely their responsibilities and duties in economics, education, political life, and many other areas of life, Muslims will continue to immigrate to Western countries. No one can prevent it, and Muslim people continue to witness the disgrace of humiliation when poor and desperate people die in their capsized boats at sea. Muslims should not stop often blaming blindly Western countries; instead, they should stand up, act prudently, and do their job appropriately and reasonably not only to improve their societies but also to increase the standard of living; otherwise, Muslim countries will wallow in the backwardness syndrome and the orientalist perceptions of Muslim countries and Muslims will come true.

Everyone is the product of their own choice.