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Khalid Boulbourj is a teacher trainee at the CRMEF. He graduated from the University of Hassan 2, Mohammedia, Morocco. [/symple_box]
The ongoing controversy in the United States on the crisis of Syrian refugees does seem to be going in favor of the latter. A poll that was conducted recently revealed that more than half of the American population opposes the decision of hosting Syrian refuges. According to the words of observers, their refusal emanates mostly from fear of being the targets of another Paris-like attack. In the aftermath of the horrendous spate of attacks in France, police reports reportedly identified the presence of a Syrian passport lying near the corpse of one of the attackers. This discovery has unfortunately constituted a justification for those who are not in favor of taking in Syrian refuges into the country. Many presidential candidates have accentuated this refusal by their statements.
American presidential candidates have repeatedly voiced statements that radiated their complete opposition to admitting Syrian refuges to the US. The notorious billionaire and presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is amongst those who have disgracefully countered the decision of taking in refuges from Syria. It is no surprise that he had strongly opposed this decision, given that his bigoted comments have consistently targeted Muslims, and since the majority of Syrian refuges are Muslims, they too were not safe from the prejudiced attitude of Trump. Unsurprisingly, the frontrunner for the Republicans, Donald Trump, said in a rally in New Hampshire on October, “If I win, they are going back”, referring to Syrians. His statement seemed to be appealing to the massive audience listening to his speech, which, upon hearing this statement, applauded and cheered joyfully. It is not the statement of Trump that saddens me most; it is rather the reactions that ensued that do.
Donald Trump is not the only presidential candidate opposing the decision of taking Syrian refuges into the United States, Ted Cruz, the senator of Texas and presidential candidate, appears to be sharing the views of Donald Trump. Cruz’s approach, however, seems to be stronger and more vicious than that of Trump. In the 18th of November, Cruz introduced the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act, a bill that “would immediately bar any refugee who is from any country that contains territory controlled in substantial part by ISIS, al Qaeda,” or any organization of their alike. Paradoxically, Cruz, who is a strong opponent of the decision of admitting refuges to the United States, is, in point of fact, the son of a refuge. His father fled Cuba in the 50’ss in fear of being prosecuted by the regime.
Donald Trump, ted Cruz, and approximately thirty US governors have openly announced their refusal to admit Syrians to the United States, claiming that their actions are intended to ensure the safety of American citizens. However, these politicians seem to be unaware of the reports that showed that 30000 people are killed annually in the United States by firearm. Perhaps this issue should be of priority and be addressed immediately in view of the calamitous consequences it renders. Also, Trump and his fellow-politicians are not maybe conscious of the recent Washington post analysis, which revealed that American fatal police shootings resulted in the death of approximately 400 Americans in 2015, including the death of more than 600 others in 2014. If they are truly concerned with the safety of their citizens, they should be talking about laws or decrees that can adequately and effectively deal with these two problems. Nonetheless, Trump and his circle are more concerned about Syrian refuges. The US government has hosted more than 2000 refugees from Syria, with children and women constituting the majority of this number. From 2012 to this very day, Syrian refuges have been living peacefully and harmoniously in the United States. They neither pose threat to the United States’ national security, nor to the world’s. So, why not take in more?
I implore American governors and population, not as a Muslim or Arab, but as a human being whose heart is aching over the sufferings of Syrians to take them in. They are not terrorists and they surely don’t sympathize with them. As a matter of fact, they have forcedly and tragically fled their beloved country in fear of being bombed or killed by terrorists. Please act humanely. This is all I’m asking you to do.
