The Land of the Brave and the Path of Fear

Bashar al-Assad killed 8000 of his own people between January and July of 2015. Daesh (ISIS) killed a little over 1000 civilians in the same time frame. Several million people have fled Syria because of the hell which is being unleashed on innocents just like you and me. Most have gone to Europe, and in many cases face open hostility dripping with racism. Slightly more disguised racism comes from those in the United States who oppose accepting Syrian refugees.

These refugees are in dire need of aid and we must let our actions be guided by knowledge and compassion, not fear and misunderstanding. Half of them are children, and millions are cut off from any form of education for several years in a row (UNICEF). The UN has stated that the various relief programs are “not sustainable” (Vox). Hundreds of thousands have fled to Europe, however many have been turned away for reasons as inane as the country in question ‘not having any mosques.’

This xenophobia is mirrored elsewhere, with Polish politician Janusz Korwin-Mikke referring to war refugees as “human trash” who want to come to Europe to “live off handouts” (Brussels Times). What Mr. Korwin-Mikke misses is that when hundreds of thousands are dying, the last thing on your mind is getting ‘handouts’ from the Polish government. However, none of this ignorance is as deplorable as what is found in the United States today. Prominent politicians support Nazi-esque registries of religious groups and conveniently disregard facts in order to create a nationwide panic. It remains to be seen whether a repeat of the 1940’s Japanese-American internment camps is in our future. One of the rallying cries of those who believe that a Syrian life is unimportant is the idea that refugees may actually be a terrorist in disguise. However, the background check for refugees is extremely thorough and takes anywhere from 1-2 years.

Despite the rigorous screening process, it is understandable that people may be reluctant to accept refugees, due to recent events. It also costs money to house, feed, educate, and care for refugees. This does not change the fact that it is the right thing to do. As kids, we learned the story of the pilgrims, arriving at Plymouth Rock, fleeing persecution. If the Land of the Brave chooses the Path of Fear, we would betray not only our own morals, but also the essence of what our country represents. In the words of Susan Grant, “we can fear, or we can care.”