Stateless children’s citizenship: A humanitarian imperative beyond legal boundaries

The life of a stateless person is difficult. — The Star

WE must firstly understand that none of us made a conscious decision where and in which circumstances we were born. Therefore, we should not turn a blind eye to those who were born to relatively unfavourable circumstances and not feel entitled to our privileged circumstances.

All of us must remind ourselves to maintain our humane qualities when dealing with stateless children. We cannot on one hand claim that we are god-fearing and yet deal with this issue without compassion. For one, the emphasis on safeguarding and protecting orphans is crystal clear in the Quran. Compassion cannot be sacrificed at the altar of legality and administrative convenience.