Man who aided Syrians pleads for compassion towards refugees
Saj Hussain (centre) and members of the Ballaghaderreen community won a ‘Community of the Year’ award the People of the Year Awards in 2018 for the welcome they gave to Syrian refugees.
A Ballaghaderreen member of the welcoming committee for asylum seekers has called on the Government to provide more facilities for rural Ireland.
Saj Hussain, aged 42, moved to Ireland in 2002 from Pakistan and has been a highly active member of the Ballaghaderreen community for 20 years and chairman of the Tidy Towns Committee. The father-of-five is the coordinator of the welcoming committee at the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC) in Ballaghaderreen and has helped hundreds of Syrian refugees to settle in the area. He is very saddened by the events in Ireland in recent months, especially the protests at refugee centres.
Mr Husain said he questions "where humanity has gone" when child asylum seekers are impacted by scuffles between Gardaí and protestors, as occurred in Roscrea, Tipperary, last week. But he said the Government also must take responsibility.
"I know the Government is not handling things properly," he said. "There should be open information and when there is a vacuum - and no proper information - there is problems."
The Independent candidate for the Roscommon local elections said asylum seekers should be welcomed in Mayo.
"I have grown up in such a way that if somebody hungry is looking for help I try to share and I think we should try to assist them as much as we can," he said. "But at the same time, the Government is culpable because they are not giving the facilities to communities in rural Ireland."
Elected members of Mayo County Council unanimously passed a motion last Monday, January 15, calling on local authority staff to immediately cease co-operation with the Department of Integration in relation to housing refugees and asylum seekers. Around 50 people also gathered at the council offices on the same day to show their concerns over plans to convert the former Castlemacgarrett House and estate in Claremorris into modular homes for Ukrainian refugees. This follows protests in Ballinrobe and Roscrea in recent weeks week and Saj, a barber shop owner, said the situation is sad.
"The refugees should be welcomed with open arms after fleeing trouble and trauma," he added.
