The tragic death of Aylan Kurdi and Germany’s humane stance on Syrian refugees left Muslims in fits of both sobs and cheers, at the same time. Aylan Kurdi, a three years old Syrian boy washed ashore on a Turkish beach, is now destined to remain seared in the conscience of both Orientals and Occidentals, reminding them of their irrelevance and inaction at his plight. In the aftermath of Kurdi’s death, Angela Mekel, in an attempt to subside the resultant wrath, pledged to absorb 500,000 refugees stuck in the throes of infernal Syria. Consequently,the German stance revealed upon Muslims the invalidity of the thesis that bisects the world along cultural and religious fault-lines.

Following Germany, Obama announced that USA, which has until recently accommodated only 1500 refuges, would be accepting 10000 refugees by the next fiscal year. In addition to this, America would give four billion in financial assistance to relief agencies, in a bid to alleviate the miseries of Syrians still in the heinous clutches of Assad and ISIS. Following suit were Clinton and other potential presidential candidates of theUSA. Hillary called for “a US-led international response to the problem”. Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, called for “a coordinated approach with Europe to deal with the crisis”. Maryland Governor Martin O’ Malley, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, wrote in USA Today, “We should begin by taking in at least 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016”. This American stance rejuvenated Muslims’ belief in America’s spirit of benevolence. Indeed, the stance nullified the “us” vs. “them” narrative. With parochial bigotry relegated to the background, Syrians were perceived only as humans, irrespective of religion, race and geographical otherness, in the same way as the Americans.

Adding to this was the response of Icelanders. With disinterest in the always dyspeptic right’s narrative with reference to Muslims of their being intrinsically alien to Western culture, Icelanders appeared to be in the vanguard fending off scholars and states propounding cultural segregation. They said, “The refugees are our future spouses, best friends, or soulmates, the drummer for the band of our children, our next colleague, Miss Iceland in 2022, the carpenter who finally finished the bathroom, the cook in the cafeteria, the fireman, the computer genius, or the television host.”

Though the above-mentioned good-will gestures portray a very hunky-dory picture bringing the possibility of harmonized co-existence between secular West and bien pensant Muslim World into the limelight, nonetheless there have been attempts at derailing this hard-won unity. Hungary, Daniel Pipes, and Stephan Richter – on state, intellectual and journalistic levels, respectively – are a few reactionary forces hell-bent on strengthening the flimsy knot between Muslims and Westerners; hence, transforming the desire of unified co-existence into a chimera only achievable in never-never land.

After jumping over the razor-wired steel security fence of Hungary, the migrants were corralled in makeshift camps, in contrast with Germany where they were welcomed with food and hugs. Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, justified his antipathy to Syrian migrants by saying that he prioritized Hungary’s “Christian” characteristic demographically; this is why, accepting the wretched Syrians meant defacing the “Christian” composition of Hungarian society. This attitude is reflective of Hungary’s desire to maintain isolating walls between Christians and Muslims on state level. Most importantly, it must be noted that extremists hold “isolating walls” as their avowed mission. Hungary makes it manifest by shuttling migrants into camps because they are Muslims, and therefore a threat to its Holy Grail: the Christian composition. Extremists expose it by ringing the Westerners’ necks because they are Christians and hence not part of the ummah; therefore, a danger to their Mecca: anomalous Islam.The Hungarian response is a state-level response at rendering ineffectual Germany’s efforts in exorcizing the bloody specter segregating world on cultural fault-lines.

Though Nemzeti Televizio N1TV fired Stephen Richer for her inhumane act of tripping desperate Syrian named Abdul Mohsen, the story did not end there. This hostility is indicative of a mentality found mostly in the rightist faction of European society. On the place of sharing dwellings with their wretched brothers [as Germans did], Richer stretched herself to the hilt in dumping them further down in the bottomless pit of helplessness and misery.

Daniel Pipes, an expert on Middle Eastern politics, came with his weird guidelines by opining that it would better serve refugees if they stay in their cultural zones, once again fueling debate bordering the clash of civilizations narrative. As usual, even this time, he came unglued in abstaining himself from fallacious generalizations with reference to Muslims. For him, all Muslims whole-heatedly lend positive affirmative to child marriage, female genital mutilation so on and so forth. Immigration to Europe means bracing oneself for their deprivation. As per his conviction, all Muslims generally and monolithically abide by these specific codes of law. What about Muslim moderates? What about Muslim liberals who are fighting extremists along with their extremist codes of conduct. Germany, USA and Iceland have turned, fortunately, deaf ears to his hogwash this time.

It can be confidently said that there are two streams of Western thought in their dealing of Muslims: German, American and Icelandic thought and Hungary, Stephen Richer, and Daniel Pipes thought. In the same way as in the Muslims: Extremists viz. ISIS and Taliban and moderates viz. millions living serenely in West and those fighting these reactionary extremist forces.

What West has perpetrated Muslims need to avoid: the sin of attributing malfeasances of teeny chunk of Muslim population to all Muslims as explicit in the views of Pipes described above. Hungary, Richer and Pipes constitute a minor portion of Western society and Muslims need to deny them while reinforcing, at the same time, Germany USA and Iceland. Muslims have to stand out by setting a benchmark for West to follow while formulating policies with regards to Muslims. Germany with its team must remain persistent with this benevolence as it has proved to be a fatal blow to politics of cultural, racial and political segregation. Even graver responsibility lie on Muslims, particularly migrants, by defying conventional wisdom by synchronizing their religious and humane Western ideals [ only humane]; hence, proving that they are not type-cast with extremist and fundamentalist stereotypes. Both Muslims and Westerns are equally responsible this time.