It seems like every few years a country or region bursts into flames, fueled by cruel despots, or civil war, or both. We’ve seen it time and time again: homeless, hungry and frightened people fleeing an intolerable situation that threatens their very lives.
It was the Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. It was the Asian refugees after the fall of South Vietnam, and the people of Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo during their civil wars. Most tragic of all, it was the 800,000 people slaughtered in Rwanda when no one came to their rescue.
Today, it’s the Syrian people who are trying to escape murderous militants, constant war and total destitution. I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like to be terrified and desperate to find a safe place. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to carry your children on your back and run away from everything you’ve ever known, leaving behind loved ones and your home country.
I don’t know how the world is going to help all the millions trying to escape Syria. Some countries like Jordan are already overwhelmed with huge numbers living in tents inside their borders. European countries are trying to take in as many as possible, but they too are overwhelmed. The United States was cautiously going to allow a few thousand of them into our own country, but there are still so many who will be trapped, unable to proceed and unable to go back. And now, everything is really messed up with the terrorist attacks in Paris, and the fear and hostility that have developed as a result.
Our nation, to its shame, once turned its back on a group of Jewish refugees seeking to escape Nazis Germany before the war. They tried to come in through Cuba but were refused entry and forced to return to Germany where a third of them later died in concentration camps. But after Vietnam, there were refugees fleeing Cambodia and Laos and some were literally rescued by former Iowa Governor Robert Ray. He ignored complaints that foreigners would take jobs and created a safe haven for many of them here in Iowa. He is still admired today for his courage and compassion in welcoming the so-called boat people. I seriously doubt he would have refused to accept children and their mothers from Central America a year ago, and I doubt he would turn away Syrian refugees today.
For those politicians who constantly tell us how religious they are, I wonder how they can reconcile their faith with their opposition to helping these Syrian refugees. I’m amazed at their intolerance of Muslims, some to the point they would allow only Christian refugees to come to America. One presidential candidate would even require American Muslims to register. Do you suppose they would have to wear arm bands, too, or perhaps a tattooed number on their wrists?
I understand fear. The cruelty of these ISIS barbarians is truly terrifying, and I recognize the need to carefully screen those who wish a safe haven. I don’t underestimate the danger of terrorists trying to infiltrate our country and I appreciate the extraordinary efforts of our Homeland Security personnel who are constantly monitoring threats. It’s why I’ve never objected to the strict measures the Patriot Act imposes on us, and have never been concerned if my telephone calls were being monitored. I also believe radicals who travel to the Middle East to interact with terrorists should never be allowed to return. I am perfectly willing to give up some of my privileges if it makes us safer.
I am not willing, however, to give up my idea of what I thought we were as a nation. I still believe in the words on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…..”
It’s losing these values that really terrifies me.