Fear must be overcome for humanity to renew its faith in migrants

We have seen some dark days in our world this year. In 2015, we have seen acts of sickening violence, the fury of nature and – perhaps most poignant of all – the corpse of the boy, Aylan Kurdi, face down on a Mediterranean beach.

But while the world is full of darkness, it is not surprising that so many cultures have created festivals of light. Hindus celebrated Diwali last month, followed by Loy Krathong in Southeast Asia, where candles were lit and set afloat to give thanks. Soon it will be the holiday season for much of the Western world. Lights are already twinkling everywhere, from Central Park to Bondi Beach.

In Ireland, a nation that lived through poverty, war and famine, there is a tradition of placing a candle in the window during the holiday season, to remember the emigrants who now live far away. It is ironic that this tradition is now so apt, as families from the Middle East seek a safe haven.

READ MORE: Coverage of Europe’s refugee crisis

Migration defined 2015. It was a year of mass and rapid population movement. A typhoon in Vanuatu, an earthquake in Nepal, a war in Syria, abuse in several countries, with nearly 900,000 migrants arriving by boat in Europe fleeing war, poverty and persecution: the world was in flux, from the mountains to the deserts to the oceans.

In an ignorant panic, sections of the media and society have sought to paint migration as a social evil: a divider of families and communities, a spawning ground for fanaticism. For the first time in many decades of watching, commenting and leading thought on migration, I have started to worry.

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I see an anti-migrant sentiment beginning to seethe. I see political malaise; an absence of courage, a bankruptcy of leadership, and a paucity of moral sensitivity.

I see a one-sided debate, focusing on fear, negativity and security. Where are the smiles of welcome from last summer? Where are the banners in football grounds declaring “Migrants Welcome”?