The Syrian refugee crisis And how we are leading them through it

Media coverage of the issue Media coverage focuses on the issues created by the presence of the refugees in other countries. For the most part, their presence is causing unrest. They are not welcomed. A New York Times article wrote about how a French village is being divided by the refugees’ presence. An article from CNN writes about Syrian women who were welcomed only by men trying to rape them and a young girl who was bullied to the point where she wished she was back in Syria.

Media coverage of the issue In general, there is disgust toward the refugees. The situation is described as “dire” and it places an “enormous strain” on neighboring countries. The media coverage reveals many things about the situation, but it also shows us that there is not any effective leadership taking place.

If concepts of leadership are applied, then… Why are people starving? Why are people still being abused? Why are people being treated as less than human? Why are the citizens of these neighboring countries not leading the charge to help those displaced by the war?

Leadership concepts and definitions that are not being applied “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse). Emergent Leadership- the emergent leaders should be verbally involved, be informed, seek others’ opinions, initiate new ideas, and be firm but not rigid. Transformational Leadership- “Transformational leaders exhibit charismatic behaviors, arouse inspirational motivation, provide intellectual stimulation, and treat followers with individualized considerations” (Klenke). Leadership should be a relational process.

Leadership concepts in the media coverage. Leaders are supposed to identify a problem. Leaders should be well informed. Leaders take the initiative to expose and address the problem at hand.

Different images of leadership The majority of the French are reflecting poor images of leadership because they are fearful. Volunteers reflect an image of servant leadership.

Nations helping for the wrong reasons. Power and identity make up a nation. Because of their power, nations do good things to keep an identity of being “good people.” Many nations are not helping because of a genuine concern for the Syrian refugees. They are helping because it keeps the people happy and reflects well on them, making them appear as good leaders. Because of this, the help falls short. It can stop coming at any point.

A Christian approach to leadership The world needs to be led by people doing things for the right reasons. Help needs to come from a genuine concern and love for the Syrian refugees. A Christian approach to leading the refugees out of this situation would be a much better option.

Why a Christian approach to leadership would be better for the Syrian refugees A Christian approach would come from a Christ-like love that would include the following: Heartbreak for the suffering the migrants are in A desire to relieve them of that suffering A desire to give them a better life Because of this, a Christian leader would not be able to give up until he saw that all of the refugees were sheltered, clothed, and given food and drink. A Christian approach to leadership would ensure that a resolution to this issue is found. It may not be clear what that resolution is now, but a Christian leader would continually work to find it because of a Christ-like love and compassion for the refugees.