The exiled Tibetan leader expressed that we should treat refugees with compassion, that Islam is a religion of love with only a “small group” of Muslims acting violently, and that refugees need to eventually return home to help their own countries.

by Staff Writer – DalaiLamaFilm.com

In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama expressed a balanced view of the European refugee crisis, wanting to empathize with both refugees and Europeans.

Some radical and right-wing groups have focused on the Dalai Lama’s comments that “there are now too many [refugees]” and that “Germany, can be no Arab country,” but that mischaracterizes the complex and balanced thoughts that the Dalai Lama expressed.

The Dalai Lama often presents perspectives on many sides of an issue, and in this case, he was emphasizing and expressing compassion for the needs of both the refugees and Europeans.

At the heart of his comments, he advocates treating the refugees with compassion, and that Islam is a religion of love:

“Love is the core message, even in Islam in every religion. Malicious people there are among the Buddhists , Christians, Jews and Hindus. Only due to some sad events emanating from a small number of Muslims, we should not condemn the entire Muslim world.”

Since he and hundreds of thousands of Tibetans themselves are refugees from Chinese-occupied Tibet, perhaps the Dalai Lama was interpreting the refugee experience through his own, and encouraging them to eventually return to their countries as he hopes that Tibetans can, one day:

“I find that these refugees should be only a temporary basis. The goal should be to return and help rebuild their own countries.”

Here are his full comments:

Dalai Lama: “If we look into the face of each individual refugee, especially the children and women, we feel their suffering. A person that is doing a little better, has a responsibility to help them. On the other hand, there are now too many. Europe, for example, Germany, can be no Arab country. Germany is Germany. (Laughs) There are so many that it is difficult in practice. Also seen morally I find that these refugees should be only a temporary basis. The goal should be to return and help rebuild their own countries.”

AND:

“There are Muslim individuals and small groups who kill each other in their own countries. Shiites, Sunnis. They do not represent the entire Islam and all Muslims. Love is the core message, even in Islam in every religion. Malicious people there are among the Buddhists , Christians, Jews and Hindus. Only due to some sad events emanating from a small number of Muslims, we should not condemn the entire Muslim world.”

You may read the entire interview, here: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/dalai-lama-tenzin-gyatso-im-interview-zur-fluechtlingskrise-14260431.html

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