Martin O’Malley is arguably the least aggressive out of the three candidates running for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination. But in Saturday’s debate at Drake University in Des Moines, the former Maryland governor made a comment that will hopefully come to define the national security issue of our time. O’Malley said we will defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) not despite of, but because of Muslim Americans and Muslim allies abroad.
He called on Muslim Americans to be a voice in the fight against the extremist group which has claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13 suicide bombings and mass shooting in Paris. But if we’re going to ask a group of people to be brave in their rhetoric and action, our political leaders must do the same.
More than 120 people were confirmed dead after the attacks and, according to CNN, more than 150 anti-terrorist raids have been conducted throughout France in the days since. The French government has responded with a heavy bombing campaign against ISIS training camps and suspected munitions stockpiles in Syria. Although the response could be considered justified considering the barbarity of the Paris attacks, it will only add to the refugee crisis plaguing Europe and the refugee debate picking up political traction in the United States.
Monday, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad was one of the latest state governors to voice concern for admitting Syrian refugees into the U.S. in fear that terrorists will use the opportunity to gain entrance to western countries. But Branstad and the growing coalition of governors cannot keep Syrian refugees from entering the state of Iowa or any other state in the union. They cannot treat state lines as a border checkpoint, as some political pundits have suggested. The placement and acceptance of refugees is the jurisdiction of the federal government, and refugees cannot be barred from settling where they choose once they’re in the U.S.
The U.S. has a history of welcoming refugees. From those being displaced in Sudan to Burma, this county has a tradition of accepting those from embattled nations. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of State released in July 2014, the U.S. accepted 32,390 refugees from the Near East and South Asia region — which includes Syria and Yemen — from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2013. The majority, 19,488, came from Iraq — a country known for its ISIS stronghold areas and home to many al-Qaeda members.
With ISIS’ newly shown aggression abroad, a more thorough vetting process should be put in place to ensure refugee backgrounds do not include ties to terrorist organizations or extremist activities, but the small number of terrorists who might try to use the refugee migration as cover to enter the U.S. and other industrialized nations pales in comparison to the suffering of the Syrian people — being attacked on multiple fronts by ISIS, Russian bombardment, collateral damage from the U.S. led coalition air campaign and their own totalitarian government.
Some have even suggested only allowing Christian refugees into the U.S., assuming the Syrian religious minority would pose less of a terrorist risk. But discriminating against a person due to their ethnicity or religion isn’t an American value, nor should it become one. The majority of Muslims do not subscribe to the violence perpetuated by a small few who commit these acts in the religion’s name.
These human beings deserve safe harbor, and we cannot stand idly by and let the suffering of children and innocent families continue when we have the humanitarian capability to help fellow citizens of the earth. If we want to lead the community of nations, we have to set the example of what is morally right in our neighborhood. Doing what’s right for the refugees is how to defeat extremists, it’s how to defeat an ideology.
Contact Mike Mendenhall at
mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com