Aylan was born in a war-torn nation in a savage world. He never experienced peace, tranquility, or the joys of childhood. Unfortunately, Aylan is not alone. An entire generation of Syrians has experienced the brutishness of life, the sorrow of loss, and the pain of death. The most heartbreaking aspect of this misfortune is that their current state of suffering is not their fault. It is a product of social, political, and cultural global conditions. Those who are primarily responsible for the misery of the Syrian people are Bashar al-Assad and the intruding regional powers such as the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, the wealthy Persian Gulf states and the regime in Tehran seem so indifferent to the pain they are causing that one would think they have not yet seen the image of Aylan.
One can understand why the Syrian refugees who hold the Islamic Republic partially responsible for their pain and despair may not want to travel to Iran. But what about the rest of the Islamic world? As the Washington Post wrote yesterday, the wealthy Arab nations of the region have done next to nothing for the Syrian refugees.
As depressing as it is, perhaps Aylan’s image has finally stimulated a response in the global community. Many news organizations are heavily focused on the refugee crisis and even the Iranian media is discussing the issue. The newspapers in support of the hardliners have blamed the entire refugee crisis and tragedy on the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The reformers, who cannot express themselves freely, have restored to satire; an Iranian satirical writer has published a column in which he writes in the first-person from Rouhani’s perspective. In his column he writes: “I will never forgive myself if there is any possibility that I am in any way responsible for this devastating death.”