One of the world’s most well-known refugees is now giving advice to Muslim refugees fleeing their war-torn countries for Europe.
The Dalai Lama reportedly said that Europe has accepted “too many” refugees, and that they should return to their native lands.
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung interviewed the spiritual Buddhist leader in Dharamsala, India, which is the site of Tibet’s government in exile.
"When we look into the face of every single refugee, especially the children and women, we can feel their suffering," the Dalai Lama said, according to an Agence France Presse translation of the German interview. “A human being who is a bit more fortunate has the duty to help them. On the other hand, there are too many now.”
The Dalai Lama is the head monk of the Tibetan Buddhist religion. He fled his native Tibet years ago after China cracked down on the Himalayan region, which is a semi-autonomous part of China.
"Europe, for example Germany, cannot become an Arab country," the Dalai Lama reportedly said. "Germany is Germany.”
He also said: “From a moral point of view too, I think that the refugees should only be admitted temporarily,” according to AFP. "The goal should be that they return and help rebuild their countries."
Under the leadership of chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany accepted over one million refugees last year, most of whom were fleeing the war in Syria, or civil conflicts in Libya and other African nations.
(Hat tip Washington Post)
-HS
