
More than two million refugees have now fled Syria resulting in a humanitarian crisis. However, the Jordanian authorities maintain that they have kept their borders open for Syrian refugees.
Amnesty International reports that hundreds of people fleeing the civil war in Syria are being turned back at the border with Jordan and neighboring countries. Those being denied entry include Palestinian and Iraqi refugees who have been living in Syria, and those without identity documents. Many of them have already lost everything. Of those who have found refuge, it is estimated that there are 716,000 in Lebanon, 515,000 in Jordan, 460,000 in Turkey, 169,000 in Iraq, 111,000 in Egypt, and 4.25 million others displaced inside Syria.

In other news today, the decomposed bodies of 92 migrants, consisting of 52 children, 33 women and 7 men, who had died of thirst were found in the Sahara. Most of them were women and children. It was most likely that the people were from Niger, judging by their dress and the way the women's hair was braided. Apparently, they would normally go to Algeria for begging on the streets.
Niger, one of the world's poorest countries and frequently suffers from drought and food crises, lies on a major migrant route between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. But among those who make it across the desert, many end up working in North African countries. The director of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that about 80,000 impoverished migrants make the hazardous journeys across the Sahara desert through Niger every year, searching for work.

This is not my scroll on the left. However, from what I can make out of the artistic impression, my scroll is a blessing on our house. The first symbol represents protection in the form of a dragon. Below that, luck is revealed in a horse's head. Down a bit comes companionship and then joy. It's taken me decades to decipher the meaning.
So the order makes protection of the foremost importance, followed by luck, companionship and lastly joy. Judging by the examples of the two news stories above, protection is definitely the most important. Once we're born, our fete is almost set in stone because of ties to family and tradition. But then, luck plays a part like the Syrian family who arrived in England before the trouble. Once the bright flame of love smolders, Companionship gives a sense of understanding and support. And, if everything else falls into place, we can experience joy.