, the
flow of refugees to the European Union has increased significantly, and there is a rise in criticism of some
Muslim nations for allegedly accepting few refugees. The
Syrian Civil War forced millions to flee their homes in search of safety. Saudi Arabia, as a
rich country, was heavily criticized for not offering land to
Syrian refugees – it only offers resettlement for asylum-seekers whose families already reside in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, like all the other
Arab states of the Persian Gulf, is not a signatory to the
1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, which mandates member states to protect refugees within their country. However, according to a Saudi official, Saudi Arabia has issued residency permits to 100,000 Syrians. Syrians in Saudi Arabia include migrants from Syria to Saudi Arabia and their descendants. The number of Syrians in Saudi Arabia (referred to as "Arab brothers and sisters in distress") was estimated to be at around 2,500,000 people in August 2015 and consisted mainly of temporary foreign workers.
Conflicting versions Saudi foreign ministry officials claim that the nation has received nearly 2.5 million Syrians since 2011. However, the
BBC reports that Saudi Arabia has let in 500,000 Syrian refugees since 2011, while
Arab News reported that Saudi Arabia was
already home to 500,000 Syrians. Saudi Arabia claims to have granted 100,000 Syrians residency. An official from Saudi Arabia's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Saudi Arabia "made it a point not to deal with them as 'refugees'."
The Huffington Post has criticized the international community for saying that Saudi Arabia has taken no refugees. The newspaper claimed that outlets in the US have exploited a technicality used by the UN to count Syrian refugees, and that it is more plausible that 500,000 Syrian refugees are currently in Saudi Arabia. ==Notable Syrians in Saudi Arabia==