IN his remarks at the Dignity For Children Foundation in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, United States President Barack Obama acknowledged Malaysia’s efforts in supporting some 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers from varied cultures and backgrounds.
Sixty million people are
displaced all over the world.
The father of two daughters said refugee children deserve love, protection, stability and education just like our children, and that there are a lot of children from war-torn countries who were not getting that kind of support.
He added that these children
represented the “opposite of terrorism” and the “opposite of violence”.
At the G20 summit last week in Antalya, Turkey, Obama stressed that many refugees were the victims of terrorism and they were most vulnerable to wars, internal strife and human trafficking.
He said that we did not close our hearts to these victims by equating the issue of refugees with terrorism. In short, he said we should not
have “religious tests for our compassion”.
Then, in a town hall meeting with Asean youth leaders in KL on Friday, Obama said the energy, idealism and optimism of the young generation represented the future of Asean.
In contrast with the violence in the world, Asean has incredible
potential as a region rich in cultural and religious diversity, to stand up against extremism, to promote
tolerance and to build inter-faith dialogues.
The power of young people lies in the way they encounter challenges with a fresh outlook and not to be trapped in the past, the impulse to ask “why”, and the persistence to pursue big dreams.
The future of humanity depends on our treating human beings with respect and dignity, regardless of religion, ethnicity and sexual
orientation.
n S. MATHANA AMARIS FIONA,Puchong, Selangor