×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Saturday
09
May 2026
weather symbol
Athens 25°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Politics

Dalai Lama: “Europe could become Muslim or African if migrants are not returned to their countries”

"The aim is that they should eventually be able to return to rebuild their own countries. That has been my view right from the beginning"

Newsroom June 27 08:00

Δείτε περισσότερα άρθρα μας στα αποτελέσματα αναζήτησης

Add Protothema.gr on Google

The Dalai Lama has claimed that Europe could become ‘Muslim or African’ if refugees who have been taken in are not then sent back to their home countries.

The Buddhist spiritual leader, who has been living as a refugee in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959, said only a ‘limited number’ of migrants should be allowed to remain.

During an interview with the BBC, the Dalai Lama added that refugees who have fled to Europe should be given skills before being returned.

He said Europe was under an obligation to take in those who needed help, but ultimately they should be returned to their homelands.

The 83-year-old said: ‘European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training, and the aim is – return to their own land with certain skills.’

When asked what should happen to those who want to stay in their adopted countries, he replied: ‘A limited number is OK. But the whole of Europe [will] eventually become Muslim country – impossible. Or African country, also impossible.’

The interviewer asked about his own refugee status, the Dalai Lama repeated his earlier claims that ‘Europe is for Europeans’.

He added: ‘They themselves, I think [are] better in their own land. Better [to] keep Europe for Europeans.’

It is not the first time the monk has made such comments. In a speech last year in Malmo, Sweden, the Tibetan Buddhist said refugees should return to help rebuilt their own countries.

He said: ‘Receive them [migrants], help them, educate them, but ultimately they should develop their own country. I think Europe belongs to the Europeans.’

Last September when he made a similar comments after being asked about refugees during his public talk in Rotterdam, the Dalai Lama issued a statement in response.

He said: ‘When refugees from other countries have come to Europe, it’s wonderful that Germany and other European countries have given them help.

‘However, I think that most of those refugees think of their own lands as home, but just now there is lots of killing, bullying and suffering there.

‘That’s why they escaped. So, in the short term, European countries should provide them with shelter, and should particularly provide children with facilities for education and training, including mechanical training, for the young people.

‘The aim is that they should eventually be able to return to rebuild their own countries. That has been my view right from the beginning.

‘For example, we Tibetans took shelter in India, but most Tibetans want to return to Tibet when the situation there has changed. Each country has its own culture, language, way of life, and it is better for people to live in their own country. That is my view.’

In the recent BBC interview, the Dalai Lama, who is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, went on to say he admired the European Union as a method of avoiding global conflicts.

He said: I’m an outsider, but I feel [it’s] better [to] remain in the union.’

EU figures from last year state around 4.4 per cent of the bloc’s 512 million population are non-EU citizens.

The statistics said that 2.4 million migrants entered the EU from non-EU countries in 2017. There arr thought to be around 70 million refugees worldwide.

When asked about President Donald Trump he replied that his time in the White House ‘lacked moral principle’ and that his America first policy was ‘wrong’.

The Buddhist monk has made India his home since fleeing the capital Lhasa in 1959 during the Tibetan uprising.

He set up a government-in-exile in Dharamsala in northern India and launched a campaign to reclaim Tibet from China, which gradually evolved into an appeal for greater autonomy – known as the so-called ‘middle way’ approach.

India, which granted him asylum in 1959, has supported the Tibetan leader but of late the government has maintained a distance, citing diplomatic sensitivities.

In 2015 he said that if he was succeeded by a female Dalai Lama she would have to be attractive, despite declaring himself to be a feminist.

Speaking to the BBC he again said while laughing: ‘If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive.’

>Related articles

The six times Americans saw UFOs in Greece, three of them on video – What the files released by the Pentagon say

Concern in the Hellenic Armed Forces over the armed drone boat in Lefkada – Why it was found loaded with explosives inside a cave

The National Basketball Association will allocate more than $3 billion for the launch of NBA Europe

On international Women’s Day this year in March he called for more women to be given leadership roles instead of men who are ‘celebrated for killing their opponents’.

He posted: ‘Women have been shown to be more sensitive to others’ suffering, whereas, warriors celebrated for killing their opponents are almost always men.

Source: dailymail

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#africa#african#Dalai Lama#diplomacy#Enoch Powell#europe#illegal immigration#islam#islamic expansionism#jihad#muslims#politics#population replacement#refugees
> More Politics

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Crete is the leader in Greek tourism, 5.6 million international arrivals in 2025 (+5.5%)

May 9, 2026

The six times Americans saw UFOs in Greece, three of them on video – What the files released by the Pentagon say

May 9, 2026

Ryanair cuts 12 routes in Greece — 10 from Thessaloniki & calls for a “freeze” on airport charges

May 9, 2026

Weather: Weekend with African dust and local showers – Temperatures in the 30s coming from Monday

May 9, 2026

Concern in the Hellenic Armed Forces over the armed drone boat in Lefkada – Why it was found loaded with explosives inside a cave

May 9, 2026

The National Basketball Association will allocate more than $3 billion for the launch of NBA Europe

May 8, 2026

What Fraport says about the closure of the Ryanair base in Thessaloniki

May 8, 2026

Zelensky confirms the three-day ceasefire and the prisoner exchange with Russia

May 8, 2026
All News

> Greece

In reverence, the emotional deposition in Jerusalem, see photos & video

The Holy Temple of the Resurrection opened after many days due to the war between Israel and Iran

April 10, 2026

In the final stretch for the accreditation of joint master’s degrees: Aiming for their launch in the coming academic year

April 10, 2026

Schedule for Epitaph Procession today (10/4)

April 10, 2026

Perfect weather for Easter excursions, according to Tsatrafyllia’s forecast

April 10, 2026

Easter in Greece: The customs that continue in Greek tradition – From Nafpaktos to Corfu

April 10, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα