There's a Brexit inside us all.

The thirteenth sign of Qiyamat just came to pass with Britain (the "Great" now being questionable) voted itself out of the European Union.

The effects were immediate: the Pound fell, the EU threw up their collective arms in a Mexican wave of disappointment, and Facebook-warriors from as far as the colonies statused their sincere disgust at the obvious stupidity of 52% of the British people.

But is the outcome really that outlandish?

Sure, sitting a thousand miles away the fact that Brexit was even an option seemed bizarre. We all know that greater cohesion and cooperation between nations is the future of global economic growth. Britain reclaiming its "nationality" certainly seemed like a step backwards.

But this wasn't just an economic issue, a problem that could have been reduced to its mathematical components and logically solved.

This was one of the many anti-immigration posters put all over the country, pleading the people to come to their senses and "take control" of their country. Using the refugee crisis as fuel for their fear-mongering, the UKIP leaders painted a dystopian picture of hordes of unwashed non-white refugees flooding their streets, taking their healthcare and jobs, spreading disease and extremism.

This was a race issue. This was a xenophobic issue. This was an elitism issue. 

Already, social media is rife with reports from minorities (read non-white) in Briton facing harassment.

This evening my daughter left work in Birmingham and saw group of lads corner a Muslim girl shouting "Get out, we voted leave". Awful times

— Heaven Crawley (@heavencrawley) June 24, 2016

@miqdaad My 13 y/o brother had chants of "bye bye you're going home" at school today. He insisted that it was "a joke" but it worries me.

— Yasin. (@Yxsinyoh) June 25, 2016

Oh, but there is more:

 

The racism and bigotry literally don't fit the page.

Can we really be surprised of these after-effects of a campaign based on hate, alienation, and fear of those different from you?

But these aren't just the symptoms of an immoral, ailing western society. Not even a few weeks ago, right here in Pakistan, we experienced our very own version of mass, outspoken xenophobia and racism.

Border guard killed in Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes

Things heated up with the recent border clashes with Afghanistan, which resulted in loss of life and several injuries. However, the following hate-storm on social media brought to light the ugly sentiments of the people, lurking just below the surface.

Tweet upon tweet called for the explusion of all Afghan refugees, for the borders to be sealed, many accompanied with blatant racism and ethnic slurs. Was this much different that the so-called "stupidity" of the British people? Did we not also succumb to the same forces of fear, racism and self-interest over all, forgetting that the refugees were forced to leave everything behind from a war-torn home trusted in the generosity and humanity of their neighbors? 

We all have the capacity for racism, for judginh and alienating people who are different. We can very easily ignore the plight of refugees and focus on our hate of the "other", of how they bring crime, drugs and poverty.

What we need to realise is that these are the symptoms, not the causes of the problems. The real issues are war, strike, unemployment, discrimination, persecution, and the list heart-breakingly goes on and on. Blaming the victims only serves to further the divide, exacerbates the problems, and leaves no room for positive discourse and improvement.

Empathy is a dying trait, and we need to try our damnedest to hold onto whatever shreds that our left in this world full of pain and suffering.

The problem was never the refugees or lack of border control. It is, and always has been, our selfishness.