My Point of View by Robin Brown

ISIS, ISIL, Daesh or the Islamic State — whatever you choose to call them — was the focus of the Sunday morning news talk shows today (Nov. 22). With the recent attacks on Paris, the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Syria and surrounding nations, and the presidential candidates playing Monday morning quarterback, it’s no wonder there are lots of opinions to hash, rumors to escalate and fear to spread.

For those who are as confused as I once was about the terminology, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams), ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Daesh (an insulting name for the Islamic State) and the Islamic State (Caliphate declared in 2014) have been used interchangeably as they basically refer to generations of the same group. One would recognize other groups that have declared support for the Islamic State such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Whatever we choose to call them, this terrorist organization is wreaking havoc in Syria and around the world. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing their homelands in fear for their lives and the lives of their families. Wouldn’t we do the same for the sake of the ones we love?

The big question seems to be, “Under what circumstances, if any, should refugees from Syria and surrounding nations be allowed asylum in the United States?” I was disturbed to read a letter to the editor in the Star Tribune that listed a five-step plan for entry that included: families only, 2 1/2 years of U.S. military service, six months of English language and U.S. history, holding a job for five years and being sponsored by a church-affiliated community with the expectation that the refugee family will attend.

It’s fairly easy to counter the letter on two specific points. One, the U.S. eliminated the military draft in the early ’70s.  Is the writer’s plan to bring back the draft for all? To discriminate against refugees? Second, the Bill of Rights, Article I: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”  Are we really going to start telling people that they must attend church and what church to attend?

Presidential candidates have made clear, though not necessarily rational statements about how to approach the refugee crisis. It seems as though they are operating purely out of fear, on the one hand, or with their heads in the sand on the other hand. In any case, each candidate claims to know how to handle the situation better than our current president, and the chiefs of staff who, let me remind us all, have access to more specific intelligence on ISIS than does the general population.

It would be easy to frame this very important conversation to the limited and narrow terms of blue and red. After all, our presidential candidates offer answers in blue and red. The news programs we watch report with a blue or a red slant. For example, do you watch FOX or MSNBC? The families seeking asylum deserve so much more than that kind of simplistic dialogue. The country that we love and the civilization that we have worked so hard to create deserve well-thought-out solutions. Those solutions must ensure the safety of our citizens, honor our values as a nation and step up to our responsibilities to humanity.

The following are two of my favorite quotes that, I believe, should be considered as we continue to discuss our responsibilities to our citizens and to the world:

Hubert H. Humphrey said, “The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”

Mathew 25:35 and 40: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in… I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me.”

Yes, we need to vet all newcomers to our country. Yes, we need to keep our country safe. This can be done by following our constitution and our moral principles. We should not allow fear to replace the solid foundation our nation was built upon.

 

Robin Brown is a former District 27A representative.