Why do Syrian Refugees prefer to go to Europe and the US when they are closer to the Arab and Islamic World?

Answer 1

They don't necessarily but you don't hear about it. There are more than 4 million Syrian refugees in the surrounding Arab and/or Muslim countries Lebanon, Jordan & Turkey. The number of Syrian refugees heading towards Europe is in minuscule in comparison (200,000 - 400,000) but rising steadily. Europe is a large and rich continent with an ageing population, Jordan and Lebanon are small states with struggling economies and high unemployment. It is only natural that after four years of war Syrian refugees will start to look further than neighbouring countries as they are coming to terms with the fact that they are unlikely to be able to return to their homes in the near future. The US has hardly taken in any Syrian refugees.

Answer 2

First, it should be clarified that this is not just a question of preferences, although those are certainly an important factor in the decision-making process, but a stronger deciding factor is what different countries are offering and the possibility of having a good life post-settlement.

Second, it should be noted that the original preferences of Syrians were to stay locally, believing that the Syrian Civil War would end soon and they could return. As Syrians are coming to grips with the fact that Syria will likely remain a conflict zone for many years, their priorities have shifted from looking for a temporary solution to looking for a more long-term solution. While Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey have taken in a combined 4 million refugees, none of them plan to grant asylum and/or citizenship to these Syrians.

1) Better Standard of Life and Offers: Northern Europe (Germany and Scandinavia) have impressive social safety nets and medical facilities. The rest of Europe and the Anglo-America may not have such a high level of medical care and social programs, but these are far higher than anything in the Islamic World. Additionally, while some countries in the Islamic World do have benefits of a kind, these are only given to citizens and naturalization is practically impossible, even for someone born there to foreign immigrants. Finally, European countries and Anglo-American countries are offering to take in certain quotas of migrants and no Islamic Countries (other than neighboring Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon) have offered to take in fleeing refugees. Germany has even suspended a large part of its vetting process for migrants, making it very attractive to economic migrants, as well as actual refugees. In the Arab World, there are pervasive rumors that West is overflowing with money and living there will be like paradise, further enhancing the appeal of already-exciting offers.

2) Better Internal Treatment / Refugee Conventions: A number of countries in the Islamic World like Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia have refused to sign the 1951 Convention on Refugees. This means that these countries are not required to take refugees that come to their borders, they are not required to grant asylum or citizenship to those refugees who they accept - often throwing them out not long after their entry, and they have no duty to integrate them into the general population. A perfect demonstration of how the Islamic World deals with refugees is the Palestinian Refugee Problem where Palestinian Refugees have been rotting in refugee camps since 1949. (Read more about this issue see the Related Question: What happened to the Palestinian Arabs who fled from the advancing Israeli forces in the 1948 and 1967 Arab-Israeli war?) Syrian Refugees can rest assured that they will live safely in Western countries, but do not have the same assurances in the Arab World. Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon are constantly worried about be ejected from the country and cannot get work permits in most cases, leading them to perform illegal work to support their families.

3) Cultural Issues: Syrians are conservative by Western Standards but are liberal by Gulf and definitely Saudi standards. Some Syrians are afraid that if they go to these places, they could not live as they would like. Conversely, Syrians know that there are religious Muslim communities in Europe that they can join to live more conservatively than the average European and this will not be a problem in Europe. Also, outside of the Arab World, such as in Iran, Afghanistan, etc. the people do not speak Arabic, so they would have to learn a whole new language and culture anyway. They might as well learn one that is going to provide more resources for them.

4) Instability: Many countries in the Islamic World are unstable and are dealing with their own insurgency issues. Libya and Afghanistan are in the midst of civil wars. Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey are trying to stamp out local insurgencies. By contrast, Europe and the US are completely stable.

5) Distance is Relative: While the US and Europe are further away from Syria by distance, it is more important for people to be with their families than to be in a place that is physically closer to Syria than somewhere else. If they can be united with their families in the US, that will work for them far better than being split up across Jordan.