The disaster in Turkey and Syria is still a shock (and will be for a while!), but it has already become a public process with its own problems, tasks, risks and contradictions. And now we are not talking about political aspects, but purely practical aspects related to helping people and providing security for them and their property.
So there is a lot of debate about whom to help and through whom, whom not to help, etc. We do not claim to provide a comprehensive clarification, but we will give some advice:
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Sending aid allegedly to Syria, which is guaranteed to go through the structures of the Assad regime, is not worth it, because first of all it will be embezzled, and secondly it will become an instrument of pressure and blackmail by these scoundrels.
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Those who are in Russia should not send money to various unregistered organizations and individuals, especially abroad, from accounts, cards and wallets linked to your personal data, which can easily identify you and hold you accountable for «financing terrorism», as has happened before.
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Those who are in Turkey and Syria, we will not give you any advice because you know it better than we do — there are plenty of both government and well-known charitable organizations, reliable compatriot communities, jamaats, etc., so help through anyone you trust.
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For those in the West who are also afraid to help through anyone, we advise you to search, in the language of the country where you live, for local websites of United Nations organizations, such as Unicef, which have projects and fundraising campaigns to help those affected in both Turkey and Syria in almost all countries. Below is a link to a centralized project (in English) where it should be safe to donate money from Russia: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/Syria-Turkiye-earthquake
Now let’s talk about another unpleasant problem — looters.
It is well known that these creatures not only take advantage of human suffering and exacerbate it, but also hinder disaster relief efforts, as in some cases international donors have refused to continue their work due to attacks on their convoys by looters.
Nevertheless, with all responsibility, we urge brothers and sisters to stop promoting videos of executions of these villains, especially when it is done by impulsive police officers, no matter how satisfying such retribution may be humanly.
It should be understood that the Turkish state, regardless of who leads it tomorrow (and this will be decided by the Turkish people), is currently facing a colossal challenge and the loss of manageability and legality in terms of its potential consequences is as much a risk as natural disasters. Therefore, if a law on the execution of looters is passed tomorrow and it is done in accordance with the law of war, after the verdicts of military field courts, that is one thing. But if individual policemen take justice into their own hands, and if this is later promoted and turned into an example, then it is a path to the self-destruction of the state, its disorganization and even greater disasters.
Therefore, we kindly ask our readers to stop publicly supporting and promoting such actions, and instead to morally support the healthy forces of the state and society in containing the disaster. Initiative and participation, yes, are undoubtedly important, and may Allah Almighty reward everyone for their efforts in this situation. But let us also remember the awareness, responsibility, security, law and order that are necessary for society and the state to cope with this disaster. (In the photo — the lawful arrest of looters who will be handed over to the court)