Cairo -

a secluded island that embraces refugees to suffice them with the scourge of homeland wars and the torment of waiting at the borders of countries, that dream that appears outside the door of the utopia of the Greek philosopher Plato, the Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris tried to implement on the ground, and even within the homeland of the famous philosopher himself, but the historical ideal It could not be verified in the 21st century.

Seven years ago, Sawiris tried to allocate a safe area to receive refugees on a Greek island in the Mediterranean, but he failed to do so, and recently announced the reason for the incompleteness of his project, which is the lack of approval by the Greek authorities.

Through his account on Twitter, in response to a tweet by Jordanian writer Amal Al-Harthy, in which she wished to allocate a safe place for refugees, the Egyptian businessman said, "The problem was not (it was not) in buying the island, the problem was in the Greek authorities' agreement to allow immigrants to live on the island and provide entry and security procedures." .

I don't know if it's a crazy idea at the end of the night, but why don't the countries of the world agree to prepare a far, safe island for everyone who seeks asylum to escape war, poverty and corruption?

Provided that international laws are established in it and the refugees live in it

— Amal AlharithiAmal Al-Harthy (@arabwomanmag) April 24, 2022

No, the problem was not in buying the island. The problem was in the approval of the Greek authorities to allow immigrants to live on the island and to provide entry and security procedures.

https://t.co/RiK3vJMU7f

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) April 25, 2022

The beginning of the dream

This April, Forbes magazine announced the list of the richest Arabs for 2022, and Sawiris, aged 67, ranked third among the richest people in the Middle East, with a fortune of $3.4 billion in 2022, an increase of $200 million over the year. the past.

As for the island’s story, it dates back to September 2015, when the Egyptian billionaire was affected by the scene of the death of the Syrian child, Aylan Kurdi, who drowned during a painful sea journey undertaken by his family to reach the European borders, to curse his desire to buy an island that accommodates refugees.

Through various press statements at the time, he explained his dream that he would build a small port or a marina on the island, and would make people build their homes in addition to schools, a hospital, a university and a hotel.

Sawiris went on with his dreams at the time, saying that he could employ from 100,000 to 200,000 refugees on the island, and establish a joint joint-stock company with an initial capital of $100 million, indicating that he would name the island "Ilan".

"Ilan's picture woke me up, I said I can't sit without doing anything, and I pretend it's not my problem," he added.

The Arab Rich List for 2022

Greece or Italy sell me an island,ill call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) September 1, 2015

Crazy idea.. Maybe but at least temporary until they can return to their countries ??!!

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) September 1, 2015

And whether allocating an island for refugees was just a passing dream or a kind of free publicity for the Egyptian businessman, Sawiris said, "I don't need anything.. I don't need fame.. I'm famous.. I don't need money.. I have money." There is nothing in it for my own good... I just want to feel good about myself that I did something and didn't sit still... That's it."

He stressed that to turn the idea into reality, the island needs to be subject to the authorities of the country that falls within its borders, as well as many procedures related to following up on refugee data.

Indeed, Sawiris identified two Greek islands owned by the private sector suitable to implement his dream, announcing communication with the owners of the two islands.

And after 3 years of announcing his dream, Sawiris answered, via Twitter, a question about the dream that he could not achieve, stressing that buying an island for Syrian refugees is the dream that he failed to turn into reality.

Build an island in the Mediterranean in Greece for Syrian refugees, until the war ends... https://t.co/XoxDmjmC8c

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) October 31, 2018

Utopia and threat

A number of social media pioneers interacted with the idea of ​​buying an island and allocating it to refugees, and some of them expressed solidarity with the utopian idea after the world failed to solve the humanitarian crisis resulting from wars, while others saw that the Greek government’s refusal of Sawiris’ request was appropriate, as this is a security threat to its borders and a waiver of A piece of its territory for the benefit of citizens of other countries.

When I see those who drowned because the coasts do not want to receive them and every country throws the other at me... I say your idea, A.

Najib was saving the lives of many young men, women and children... Mercy for these souls... A loss that you are a mother carrying out...!!!

— magda (@magda01201299) April 25, 2022

An idea of ​​the utmost prudence, with the addition of its reconstruction and feeding of its population from the budget of the United Nations.

https://t.co/Sq8i64xReS

— Mohamed Al-Rafafi RAFRAFI (@RAFRAFI_MED) April 25, 2022

Naturally, Greece is not. The issue is already dangerous and will remain a major threat to the European Union countries, especially since all countries have an armed ideological conflict between multiple groups.


Ensuring that the island does not leave the gathering point for groups is almost impossible

— Karlos.A (@KarlosAnis) April 25, 2022

The next morning, they differed between each other


, and each group created a party


, and each party became a leader


. They cut off each other


and searched for another island… Safe https://t.co/YWYWwDxR3F

— Wiss El-Sabe3 3achar (@HobeikaWissam) April 25, 2022

Their right is that they fear for their country. With time, the Syrians were increasing, and so they could take it and threaten the security of Greece, with all due respect to your humanitarian position, but Greece has the right to preserve its country and its security.

— Rise UP (@RiseUP23374793) April 25, 2022

And last August, Sawiris - a Christian by religion - sparked widespread controversy on social media platforms after he suggested that his country host Afghan refugees after the Taliban took control of power in Afghanistan, following the departure of the US occupation forces.

Suggestion: Can we host a number of Afghan refugees fleeing from the rule of the Taliban in Egypt?

The question is for all except the Egyptian brothers!

— Naguib Sawiris (@NaguibSawiris) August 20, 2021

closed island

It seems that the Greek government quoted Sawiris' dream, but in its own way. Last September, the Greek government opened a refugee camp on the island of Samos, and it was described as the first closed and monitored camp, as it is surrounded by barbed wire and surveillance cameras.

The Greek authorities have placed restrictions on refugees, as entry to the camp will be reserved only for asylum seekers with electronic chip cards, with entry and exit prohibited at night.

Although Athens confirmed that the isolated camp, with an area of ​​12,000 square meters, would meet European standards for the reception of refugees, European media reported the concern of human rights organizations from that camp, as it would prevent the identification of the most vulnerable people effectively and limit the access of asylum seekers to services and increase The severity of the adverse impact of lockdown on people's mental health.

The representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Greece, Mireille Girard, expressed concern that the camp was closed.

She added in statements to Agence France-Presse that the UNHCR considers that the asylum seeker needs protection, as he is not a criminal or a person who represents a danger to society, pointing out that the camps should be open.

Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris (social networking sites)

Other solutions

The ideal dream of the Egyptian businessman to allocate a place for refugees in what looks like a utopia, overlooks the policies of states and the legal frameworks that regulate dealing with refugees, regardless of how humane those policies and laws are.

Away from the utopia of solutions, many human rights organizations and research centers have begun to refute the means to solve the refugee crisis.

The process of resettlement to other European and Western countries has become more difficult since 2015, according to a report by the McClum Care Carnegie Endowment for the Middle East, and populist politicians and security events have contributed to tightening the screws on immigration policy in EU member states.

The report, titled "The Refugee Crisis in the Arab World", stated that European countries are keen to keep Syrian migrants in their neighboring countries, referring to the deal concluded between the European Union and Turkey, in which the latter agreed to host asylum seekers who were deported from Greece in exchange for 6 Billions of dollars in aid.

The report highlighted the growing feeling of refugees that they are trapped in a trap between host countries trying to deport them from them on the one hand, and the perilous journey of return on the other hand, calling for tireless efforts by the international community to alleviate the miserable conditions faced by refugees on both sides of the border.

In light of the increasingly narrow options for refugees, the research report considered that stakeholders and other concerned parties must search for a lasting political solution that includes the safe return of refugees to their countries, with necessary political and security guarantees.

9 solutions

Under the title "9 Solutions to Welcome Refugees", Amnesty International presented a report dealing with solutions to the global refugee crisis.

The international human rights organization enumerated the means to solve the crisis, including allowing people to obtain asylum as a human right while taking care of refugees by allowing groups of people to collect funds to bring refugees to their countries and help them settle there.

Among the solutions is also the reunification of families through the consent of the governments of the countries to allow refugees to join their family members who are already settled abroad.

The report pointed out the possibility of granting health visas to refugees who suffer from serious illnesses and need life-saving treatment, as well as providing refugee visas to start their studies in schools and universities in another country.

It is also possible to start projects for refugees, providing them with jobs in order to secure a livelihood, which helps them to become independent and integrate into the new society, as well as speeding up the resettlement of those who need asylum more than other people who have been subjected to torture.