Keeping Interests And Opening Doors
It’s not surprising that many Americans fear the arrival of Syrian refugees in the wake of the slaughter in Paris. Battening down the hatches is a natural, knee-jerk reaction and a politically expedient response to such terrorist attacks. Horrified by the savagery perpetrated on hundreds of civilians enjoying a Friday night, it’s easy to think that bringing in Syrian refugees is like opening the door for terrorists. In light of all the recent threats and shootouts in the aftermath of Friday’s attacks, if there were ever a case for unnecessary caution, now would seem to be the time.
The proposals and actions of several governors and politicians, including a few presidential candidates, however, is morally reprehensible, un-American and may even be illegal. Senator Marco Rubio, a leading Republican presidential candidate, stated that the United States should stop taking in Syrian refugees. Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz idiotically displayed their (in)ability to read the Constitution when they suggested that we only admit Christian Syrians. Donald Trump couldn’t resist throwing his hat into the bigotry ring and said he would even consider shutting down mosques because they might be preaching un-American values. At least 26 governors—all Republican—have vowed to not allow any Syrian refugees to settle in their states. Republicans in Congress are expected to introduce a bill that would stymie Obama’s plan to admit 10,000 refugees over the next year.
These responses are ignorant. Counterterrorism data is clear: most of the terrorists on American soil do not come from the ranks of refugees, but rather are individuals who are born here and who become vulnerable to recruitment because of mental illness, social marginalization, discrimination and other factors that have nothing to do with admitting refugees into our country. If Mike Pence, Republican Governor of my home state, Indiana, really cared about “ensuring the safety and security” of all Hoosiers, he would be taking steps to fight the hundreds of gun-related deaths each year, not taking part in petty political posturing over the non-existent terror threat from refugees. Beyond the factual incompetence of their actions, confusing refugees with terrorists is morally unacceptable and strategically misguided. Stopping refugees from coming to the U.S. based on the absurd argument that Muslims are inherently violent could provide propaganda benefits to the Islamic State. ISIS draws in recruits from around the globe by offering a cause and a home to Muslims who feel marginalized and scorned. All our strategic efforts to stop their growth are undermined by declaring Islam itself to be the enemy, and by treating Muslims and refugees as a class of suspicious potential jihadists. But by defining Islam as the problem and cast aspersions on Muslim populations in the West, our politicians are feeding the Islamic State a narrative and undermining the war against terrorism.
Beyond the mere strategic absurdity, vilifying refugees is an un-American, inhumane act. At the G20 summit meeting in Turkey on Monday, Obama said, “Many of these refugees are the victims of terrorism themselves, that’s what they’re fleeing. Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values.” The international community’s obligation to protect civilians fleeing war and persecution is enshrined in human rights laws and principles that the U.S. and European nations have championed over the past century. America is the beacon of hope and liberty. Humanitarian interests are American interests. The plights of Syrian refugees are American interests. And a small thing we can do to advance our said interests is by taking in refugees, not forcing them to stay in war-torn Syria and perhaps even driving them into the hands of ISIS. So far, more than 200,000 Syrians have died. If 129 deaths causes such a stir, why aren’t the 200,000+ Syrian deaths a cause for more mourning? How many does it take to create a moral outrage?
The Syrian refugee crisis is the biggest the world has witnessed since World War II. And yet, the U.S. is taking the back seat and doing as little as possible. Denying safe haven to thousands of suffering Syrians because of fearmongering and bigotry is itself a threat to our security, to our role as a leader in today’s complex world and to our compassion as a nation.