Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, an estimated 250,000 Syrians have been killed. As a result, many countries around the world have decided to open their borders to those seeking refuge from war. There is an estimated 3 million Syrians who have sought safe havens around the world, with only a small percentage of these people relocating to the United States.
Generally, people have sympathized with these refugees, understanding that they are merely victims of a civil war out of their control. This was until the recent chain of ISIS attacks around the world, with the most recent being in the heart of France. The bombings in Paris were orchestrated by ISIS on November 13th, which led to the death of over one hundred French citizens.
Since the attack, there have been rumors that one of the suicide bombers involved was a Syrian refugee who gained access into France through the refugee program. With the possibility that the event was orchestrated by a refugee, paired with information released by ISIS specifically threatening certain countries, there has been a recent growth of anti-Islamic sentiment in America and around the world. Shootings of Muslim houses, burning of mosques, and even death threats to those of Islamic faith are results of backlash from the recent Isal attacks. People have wrongly associated the Islamic extremists with the Islamic refugees of Syria who are seeking refuge.
Some citizens of the United States do not trust these Syrian refugees, which has led to the recent conflict between President Obama’s administration and the governors of 31 states. President Obama argues that the U.S. borders must remain open to Syrian refugees, as long as the individuals pass the rigorous vetting process, imposed for the very purpose of keeping terrorists out. However, these governors have been arguing that they have no capability of knowing if that process is accurate enough to protect the safety of their state's citizens. Regardless of which stance you chose to take on the matter, there is no question that the Syrian refugees have the ability to compromise the safety of the United States and its citizens, and the issue should be discussed.
Yes, the people of the United States do deserve answers from the Obama administration. How are they are going to handle the refugee issue? Can a vetting process of people not from the United States ever be secure enough? Most likely not, as France also thought the same thing. Are there individuals in Syria who have intentions to pose as refugees, go into the borders of welcoming countries, and perform acts of terrorism? Absolutely, but they are ISIS Islamic extremists, not everyday Muslims. To hold an entire group of suffering people responsible for the actions of a few people seems unfair to me.
The individuals of ISIS may be headquartered in Syria, but their views of the Islamic faith are so extreme and far-fetched, they cannot even be associated with the beliefs of the individuals who are actually seeking refuge.
I do not back the Obama administration in opening the borders and flooding the U.S. with refugees in this current climate. It simply does not make sense given the recent events in France and the threats on the United States. We need to have a better understanding and grasp on the situation before the U.S. can make such big decisions. I also applaud the governors of the states who have shut down their borders under the current climate, as the level of security that we have currently does not match the risk associated with the capability of a single individual who may slip through the cracks.
But, Americans who argue that the Syrians of Islamic faith have no place in America at all are only continuing to breed a culture of hate. This is exactly what ISIS wants, to further the divide around the world between religions, and for people to respond to their hate crimes with more hate. We cannot pin the actions of the few extremists on an entire religion. It is simply inhumane. But we do need to rethink our method of vetting before we can just simply open the borders of our country.
