History will remember those who bullied and those who had the political courage to open our doors.
EDITORIALS
NOVEMBER 19, 2015
Our View: Hysteria over Syrian refugees unworthy of us
Screening of Syrians is already more stringent than for any other refugees
That isn’t stopping GOP governors and candidates from being demagogues
U.S. House to vote Thursday on measure that would slam the door
When you see someone scared, cowering and defenseless what do you do? Would you help?
Yes, we’re talking about the Middle Eastern refugees who have fled a region filled with violence, deprivation and death. We’re talking about thousands of people who are desperate to find a safe place for themselves and their children.
Just a few weeks ago, most people considered the Syrian diaspora heart-wrenching. Seeing a small boy’s body on a Turkish beach moved many. Knowing that dozens of people were crowding onto tiny boats, sleeping in tents, shivering as they wrapped their children in their only coat, touched our hearts.
Now many Americans look upon those same people and they see terrorists. What changed?
It wasn’t the people we’re looking at, it was us.
Many Americans have become terrified of allowing even a few of those cowering refugees into our country. It’s hard to blame them. Having witnessed the massacres in Paris, the bombing of a Russian airliner over Egypt and suicide bombings in Beirut, being frightened is a natural response. But fear is our least worthy emotion. From Plato to Jesus of Nazareth to Franklin Delano Roosevelt we have been warned that we must not let fear rule our hearts.
Unfortunately, some people not only give in to fear, they try to use it for political advantage. We’ll put several GOP presidential candidates in that category, along with 30 Republican governors. Using fear to rhetorically beat up on refugees is the act of a bully. Calling out the National Guard to expel refugees, as one GOP leader in Tennessee has demanded, is demagoguery.
We appreciate that Gov. Jerry Brown has decided to stand up to the bullies, saying California will welcome some refugees, once vetted. Californians should be proud – not scared – to have already taken in 250, the most of any state.
Of those, 36 are in Stanislaus County, one of 11 counties to have refugees, according to the U.S. State Department. There are 82 in Sacramento County.
By accepting the refugees, we are offering aid in a humanitarian crisis. We are also standing against the bullies and demagogues.
Frankly, Muslims have lived among us for generations. We have a mosque in our region, just as we have dozens of Christian churches and a Jewish synagogue. Muslims teach in our schools, shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants. They are not jihadists; they are our neighbors, co-workers and classmates.
Half of the 2,200 Syrian refugees admitted to America since 2011 are children. The screening for Syrians is more stringent than for any other refugee group, taking at least two years in most cases. It involves the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center and Defense and Homeland Security departments.
Offering shelter to refugees and keeping America safe are not mutually exclusive. In fact, those who feed the panic are betraying our values. Those who want to turn away refugees are doing exactly what the terrorists want.
The Republican majority in the House plans to vote today to “pause” resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees until there is a way to conduct more thorough background checks. This is pandering to fear. While not as despicable as banning refugees or giving priority to Christians, as Jeb Bush and Sen. Ted Cruz suggested, it would effectively close the door even as the carnage in Syria worsens.
Reps. Adam Schiff of Burbank and Zoe Lofgren of San Jose refuse to take part. “It is in these times that the core values of our nation are tested,” they said Wednesday. “Welcoming refugees who are fleeing persecution and war is the humane – and American – thing to do.”
History will remember those who bullied and those who had the political courage to open our doors.
Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/opinion/editorials/article45478422.html#storylink=cpy
