A Twelve Letter Word For Fear
On Monday, December 8, 2015, Donald Trump called for a ban on all Muslim travel into the US.
This blind act of prejudice, this assumption about the content of one’s character based
on one’s religion, is all too common. Syrian refugees, many of them Muslims, were supposed to settle in predetermined states in the US. When thirty-one governors vowed to bar Syrian refugees from resettling in their states, the refugees were forced to scramble to be placed in other, more friendly areas.
A background for those who need it: Syria has a population of 22.85 million people. Of those, 90% are Muslim. That means there are 20.565 million Muslim people in Syria, a country which is in the midst of being torn apart by a brutal civil war that has displaced 11 million people. One cannot convey the brutality of a situation such as theirs - Muslims from Syria do not only have to deal with their entire life being ripped apart and burned to shreds at home, but they must also face extreme prejudice and discrimination in whatever country they could possibly be lucky enough to resettle in. This discrimination is one of the great barriers between them and successfully being placed in other countries.
Of course, Donald Trump isn’t the only one at fault here. Mike Pence attempted to keep Syrian refugees out of his state, and when that did not work, he didn’t allow any of the refugee resettlement money he had received to go towards helping the refugees. A Maryland state delegate called Barack Obama’s visit to a mosque an “endorsement of terrorism”. A New Hampshire state representative called any public assistance to Muslims treason. Islamophobia exists in the US. It is sad, but it’s true.
Prejudice stems from fear. It’s a powerful thing, fear - it makes us say and do things that
would otherwise seem fickle and unnecessary. Yes, there have been acts of hatred perpetrated in the US by Muslims, but there have also been terrorists who were not Muslims. It’s unjust to say that all Christians are terrorists because of the act of one man (such as Dylann Roof in the Charleston Church shooting). One could apply the same reasoning for a Muslim terrorist. The action of the very, very few does not speak to the character of the many.
Knowledge is power. We will not grow as a nation if we cower in the dark, in fear, and spew hate because we are scared. Nothing will progress that way. When we get the courage to see that this country has a problem, then we will be able to grow. Martin Luther King Jr. , a man who was known for facing immense prejudice summed it up with this quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”. And still, these words ring true.
