Editorial: looking the fear in its coffee-brown eyes

For lion’s share of Estonians, receiving refugees is rather a negative – as seen in an asylum related study presented yesterday. No big news really (three years back, results were the same) and it’s never too wise to praise or criticize the general mentality in a nation. We should ask ourselves, however, why we think like we do. And judge the foundations for it.

Thanks to the researchers, the causes can be derived from results. The first one being related to terminology: turns out, people tend to think they understand the notions of «asylum seeker», «immigrant», «refugee» and «fugitive» while often unable to differentiate refugees from other kinds of immigrants – thinking the former may include those leaving their homelands due to poverty or unemployment. In other words, we think that refugees are foreigners arriving at our shores to seek a life better and easier – even though these rather are folks forced to flee due to persecution based on race, religion, position in society, nationality, or political stands.

A look at other reasons for caution, three main ones strike the eye: a whopping 80 percent think the social welfare will go on overload; 64 percent fear unemployment will grow; and 60 percent fears conflicts.

All three are derived from the main cause of confusing refugees with those just seeking a better life. Refugees tend to be educated and qualified, they include doctors, IT-specialists, veterinarians, interpreters. Thus, they never aim to live on social welfare, but intend to get a job fast.

For the same reason, it isn’t justified to fear that refugees equal unemployment or hazard of conflict. As obtaining refugee status is quite clearly specified, their numbers as related to rest of population will always be quite small. Last year, seven people obtained refugee status in Estonia. Since the turn of the century, they total 74. Definitely, this is a figure too low to endanger employment or be seen as source of national or religious conflict.

Even so, says the report, the main refugee related fear is other cultures and customs; therefore, Estonians are least welcoming towards people from Middle-East, Central Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, our existing experience with refugees shows that their desire to integrate in Estonia, learn the language and local habits are often stronger than with native non-Estonians.

Estonia does have its own, historic reasons colouring attitudes towards immigrants – not right to pass a moral assessment on that. But we can spread knowledge. And, as evidenced in the study, that’s the major lack.