Imagine your country has been completely dismantled by a long and bloody civil war. Many friends and family have died, and you are left with your old, beloved town or city, which has been turned into rubble. There is no state of society anymore, and the world you once knew is now an apocalyptic battlefield where you are just trying to survive. The government has abandoned you, and there is nothing else to do but move into another country, hopeful that they will help.
This scenario is all too real for the millions fleeing war torn Syria, Libya, and other nations who were plagued by unstable governments and are now riddled with religious extremists trying to seize power. Most of these refugees are seeking asylum in European countries, many of whom aided in the warfare, but many of them are being turned away, due to the fact that Europe is afraid the influx of immigration will bring about negative consequences for their own people.
One judgement upon how the politicians are handling this situation concerns the undisputed fact that countries such as the UK and the US were some of the main assailants in the Syrian Civil War; assisting in countless air raids and even arming the rebels with weapons and men.Throughout the five years of fighting, this civil war has completely dismembered the entire Syrian country, ultimately causing the collapse of society there. Entire cities and towns turned to debris and garbage paint a clear picture of current living conditions being frankly unlivable.
So why has the US only officially taken 1,500 refugees? We are the ones who helped bomb millions of homes, hospitals, and other important establishments in the name of spreading “democracy” within totalitarian and dictator regimes. WE were catalysts for the dismantling of this society, and we left its people completely helpless, so why aren’t we helping the citizens we displaced?
Neighboring European countries are the main ones that are feeling the strangle of thousands upon thousands of destitute refugees coming over their borders every single day. Many have been living in the streets, fields, or train stations, among other sad make-shift homes, being refused entry to certain countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Serbia. These same countries even passed a law just last week to consider immigrants crossing the border a serious criminal offense, resulting in immediate deportation and imprisonment.
What can we, as privileged Americans, do? There are tons of websites you can donate money to that will provide these refugees with clothing, a warm bed, and some supplies to keep them alive. We must help our fellow man, because everyone knows that if something like this happened in America, European countries and 99 percent of the rest of the world would take our citizens as refugees.
