No question, the Paris attacks are an abomination to humanity and blasphemous in any religion. We stand stricken and outraged. Even fearful. We feel Parisians’ vulnerability, the soft underbelly of an open society. We probe our own weaknesses, and ponder our response toward the group that claimed the attacks as its own – the Islamic State, a terrorist entity that pretends to champion Islam.
The call from some of our political leaders to halt the flow of a modest number of Syrian refugees — estimated to be 10,000 — into this country, half of whom are children, is a knee-jerk solution looking for a problem.
The selective nature of the proposed moratorium — targeting refugees from only one country — is also troubling because there’s no confirmed, direct link between Syrian refugees and the Paris attacks. All the suspects identified so far hailed from France or Belgium. The call to block Syrian refugees is being made despite the evidence, not because of it.
Our refugee resettlement program — yes, even for Syrians — represents a core American value, one that reflects and continues our identity as a melting pot. We are a country founded and fueled by immigrants. We are a nation powered by the proposition that we value oppressed people — of all colors and creeds — who seek shelter.
The moratorium call is a troubling overreaction. Yes, we are concerned about national security and our collective safety. In the face of that worry, however, we must remind the world and ourselves that America is greater than its fears.
