Syrian refugee crisis: Are wealthy Gulf states doing their part?

(The Christian Science Monitor) As the number of migrants flooding Europe’s shores and borders swells, wealthy Arab Gulf states have come under increasing scrutiny for their perceived reluctance to open their borders to those fleeing Syria.

Amnesty International reported late last year that six Gulf states have offered “zero” resettlement places for Syrians and that the region has taken in a total of eight registered Syrian refugees.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar face particular scrutiny because of their support for combatants in the Syrian conflict, now in its fifth year. They are major backers of several predominantly Sunni Syrian rebel groups that oppose President Bashar al-Assad, micro-managing their battlefield strategy and hosting rebel commanders. Qatar reportedly has funneled billions into Sunni Islamist militias.