It is no secret that there has been a lot of negativity, violence and hatred in the news recently. Trump's decision to impose a temporary ban on the immigration of citizens from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan is one that comes at a time of increasing divisiveness in this country. The protests and outrage that have followed this decision has been astronomical.
The rise of terror attacks in our country and around the world have left many people feeling scared, paranoid and uneasy. Thousands of people have died at the hands of radical groups, and people are understandably concerned about this. However, to deny people entry into the United States on the basis of religion is an exact contradiction to the beliefs that this country was founded on.
Our country was founded by immigrants. A group of brave individuals who chose to stand up to the tyrannical British Empire and fight for freedom. One of those most important freedoms was religion. The United States Constitution, the most powerful piece of legislation in this country, states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
During World War II (WWII) millions of Jews were persecuted on the basis of their religion. At this time, there were several opportunities for Americans to allow Jewish immigrants into the country. However, they were turned away.
Adolf Hitler blamed Jews for almost all of the problems that Germany was facing as a country. His animosity towards this group of people led him to extremist acts that forever changed the world.
We are all well aware of the horrific events that took place during WWII and the genocide of the Holocaust. The abuse that the prisoners of the Nazis faced are documented in books, pictures, memorials and museums for us to always remember. The world vowed that the events of WWII would never happen again, and that we would rise up together to police instances of genocide.
While we are certainly not experiencing a genocide like the Holocaust, it is important to realize that the current situation is reminiscent of the events of early WWII. I understand that we want to keep our country safe, however, I think we need to be careful that the animosity towards Muslim people does not continue to grow. The actions of a few do not represent the whole group. There are radicals in every religion, but that doesn't mean that every religion is bad. I understand that people are scared and that this is a tricky situation to handle. I am just fearful that individuals who are completely innocent and are simply just looking for an escape will be killed in the crossfire.
As Emma Lazarus stated in The New Colossus, "Give me your tired, your poor; Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Let us continue to be a country where the huddled masses can breathe free.
