I work in a retail store and I've seen a huge number of imigrants over the past 6 months. They are... 'poor'. At least when you look how they dress, I mean, majority of their clothes is ripped off and many of them stink. Btw, I'm not making fun of anyone. But what struck me the most is how like 80% of them own an amazing phone which are like 500e+ worth. It was pretty weird.
I've seen some asylum seekers like that. They did indeed have an expensive phone. I guess those expensive phones are lifesavers over there.
I've also seen a number of highly educated and well dressed Iraqis and Syrians ask for refuge in Belgium. We often think of these people as poor jihadis, but truth is the majority I've met were not only well educated, they also couldn't care less about Islam. In fact when questioned about it I often hear them say that they are muslim and don't denounce their faith, but that it means little in their day to day life.
What I'm trying to say is: for the most part we know pretty much nothing about people in those countries.
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Thats because the Syrian standard og living, particularly in Damascus, was pretty high before the war started. I do understand that the contrast is a bit weird, but the majority of those Who are able to get out were well off before the fighting started.
In fact this causes a lot of problems in the centers that offer them a place to stay in Belgium. These centers are not fancy. Not in the slightest. You couldn't pay me to live there. So naturally these Syrians, who did enjoy a fairly high standard of living, are disappointed to suddenly be living in such a center rather than a house.