With this increase of awareness of these global issues, many people have been quick to jump to conclusions and generalizations, the most common being that Muslims are a dangerous group of people.
I've seen all kinds of judgments and stereotypes against Muslims in the past several days and it breaks my heart. Having had experiences and friendships with people who are Muslim, I have developed a strong respect for the Islamic faith. They are a peaceful, moral people who's image has been distorted by the extreme behavior of a select few.
As humans, we love to put people in categories. We want to organize them according to our own ideas because it is more convenient to group them together than recognize them as individuals. And when extremists appear, it is easy to see them as the spokespeople for the whole. Many people have fallen in the trap of assuming that ISIS is a valid representation of the Islamic faith, and ISIS will use this to their advantage.
The truth is, Muslims likely hate ISIS as much or more than we do. They are a poor representation of Islam and its people. They also target other Muslims for a majority of their attacks. Islam is a victim of ISIS. By perpetuating hatred and discrimination towards all Muslims, we are furthering that damage. We are assisting ISIS and that is not okay.
So now is a time for compassion and love. There are thousands of Syrians uprooted for their homes and looking for their futures. They are looking for somewhere safe to go. And we have the opportunity to be that haven for them.
There has been extensive discussion over whether or not taking in refugees is a risk worth taking. People are scared that ISIS will use the immigration of these refugees as a way to infiltrate the US. In all honesty, this should be a concern. Likely, there will be some refugees with their mindset and influence. But this excuse to avoid assisting those in need makes a faulty assumption. It assumes that the US is clean from the influence of ISIS at this point in time. Chances are, ISIS already has individuals residing in the states who are loyal to their cause. Accepting refugees does not change that. Accepting refugees, in my opinion is not opening the US to the influence of ISIS because my bet is that it's already here. And in that case, I think it makes much more sense to help the thousands of people fleeing from their homes than to worry about what may or may not be coming with them. It is much better to do good in spite of the bad than to avoid the good because of the potential evil inside.
Thousands of Syrians are fleeing from their homeland. Thousands of individuals scared for their lives and wondering what will happen for them and their families. Thousands of mothers, fathers, and children hoping that someone, somewhere, will open their hearts and their homes because they had to leave theirs behind.
Who are we to tell them they don't have a future here? Who are we to tell them that our own safety is more important than theirs? In our history, the US has been so willing to send troops abroad to help people in need with their problems in the past. Take for example, nearly every war the United States has engaged in. Why do we take a different stance when it means them coming here instead? We are willing to fight their problems in their own land, but are so hesitant to share ours.
We must find our compassion and our humanity. We are on this earth together and we must work to maintain peace, safety, and health. Syria needs that assistance. These people need our help and we all should be willing to provide it.
If you are looking for a way to help out the refugees personally, there are many options for you.
If you are LDS, please donate to the Humanitarian Aid Fund here.
If you go to BYU or live in the Utah Valley area, this is also an option:
If neither of these apply to you, you can find local organizations that are putting forth an effort to help. This link also has a list of organizations that are working to assist refugees.
No matter what outlet you choose, you can help.
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