Int'l group exec: Migration a God-given right

Saying migration is a "God-given right" to all people, an official of an international Islamic group said governments should extend assistance to migrants worldwide, a report of "Arab News" said. In the report, International Islamic Relief Organization of Saudi Arabia (IIROSA) secretary general Adnan Khalil Basha called for international cooperation in organizing and legalizing migration.  He also called for humanitarian assistance and relief to migrants, refugees, and the displaced. “Regardless of its causes or factors, migration is a God-given right to all human beings. Was the land of God not spacious enough to migrate in?" the report quoted him as saying. He issued the statement on December 18, celebrated by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day of Migrants since 2000.  Basha explained that migration become a growing phenomenon in the world because of the search for better living conditions or due to wars, conflicts and religious, racial, or political oppression.  He added that in 2010, 43 million people were forced to migrate or seek refuge.  Of this number, he said 15 million were dispersed inside their own countries. Basha said the IIROSA will continue its suport and humanitarian assistance to refugees, migrants, and the displaced because it is a "religious and humanitarian duty." Based on the 2009 stock estimate of the Commission Filipinos Overseas (CFO), there are about 8.6 million Filipinos abroad, 4.1 million of whom are permanent migrants, 3.9 million are temporary migrants, and more than 600,000 are reportedly irregular or undocumented migrants. The CFO likewise said that the top five major destination countries for overseas Filipinos are United States, Saudi Arabia, Canada , United Arab Emirates, and Australia. - VVP, GMA News