Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
On Refugees: a Plea for Compassion
Note: This is directed primarily to Christians. I intended to post this as a comment on another post, but it got too long.
Reading Ricochet, I am occasionally reminded that an American-centered and even conservative worldview is not necessarily synonymous with a Christian worldview. In other words, not every position that might be considered “conservative” – or that is based on the mantra of “America First” – is compatible with a truly Christian worldview, which I consider essential to being right.
There is an enormous, unprecedented refugee crisis in the world today, affecting over 60 million people. In Syria alone, over 11 million out of a population of 22 million have been displaced or killed.
And yet, many professing Christians here in America would rather prioritize their own material comfort and safety, putting up literal and metaphorical walls to keep out these people who are fleeing terrorism. They are seen as a threat and a burden.
This should not be so. Instead, this is an opportunity. An opportunity to carry out Christ’s commands to love our neighbors, especially “the least of these,” and as James said, to minister to widows and orphans, which is essential to true religion. (I am a passionate pro-lifer and we conservatives do a great job on compassionately opposing abortion, but we should also consider how the same principles of compassion, the sanctity of life and the value of every human being, also apply to the refugee crisis). An opportunity to witness to lost souls (many of whom were trapped in repressive regimes with little opportunity to hear the Gospel), and to show the love of Christ to rest of the watching world – how the love of Christ transcends borders and cultures, and casts out fear.
The command to “be not afraid” is one of the most repeated instructions in the Bible. It is certainly legitimate to have concerns and to expect the government to practice prudence. But many of the concerns that have been raised (economic, legal, religious, and security-related) are based on misconceptions, and the fears are overstated.
First, the fact is that the U.S. screening process is one of the strongest in the world – thorough and very strenuous. The likelihood of being killed by a terrorist attack from a refugee in the United States has been calculated at 1 in 3.6 billion.
No refugee, of the three million admitted through the resettlement program since the late 1970s, has committed an act of terrorism within our borders.
Of the domestic terrorist attacks inspired by extremist Islam since 2001, 70% of them were committed by U.S. citizens. In the same time period, about as many people were killed by white supremacist terror attacks as by radical Islamist attacks, and more were killed by dog attacks.
And even if the concerns and fears weren’t overstated or based on misconceptions, the command would still apply. “Be not afraid”, not because there is nothing to fear, but because God says, “I am with you.”
Putting America first over being disciples of Christ is great folly for Christians. To me, it’s astonishing and sad to see so many putting their own fears ahead of helping those who are desperately in need. Please, open your hearts and have compassion for the strangers.
In the Chronicles of Narnia, Mr. Beaver was asked if the lion Aslan – the Christ-figure of the stories – is safe. He replied, “Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” What’s true of Christ is also true of the Christian life. Safety is fine, and reasonable actions can be taken for protection; but safety can never be the main concern if we are following Christ.
This thought-provoking blogpost by a friend of mine really hits hard:
Published in GeneralIf we truly loved, as Christ loved us, we wouldn’t be arguing about whether or not we should let refugees into our nation. People’s lives are at stake, and we could do something about it. Many of these people aren’t walking in relationship with the Father, and we could show them how.
Instead, we are afraid of losing our freedoms or being blown up in our own land. As “disciples of Christ,” we are arguing over statistic numbers while thousands are ending up dead.
Can you really call yourself a follower of Christ and refuse refugees?
@MattY. : Syrian refugees in Europe have a terrible track record; as I stated before, many of them do not respect laws regarding rape, and they are wreaking havoc in Europe. This is happening right before our eyes. How can you justify doing to America what has been done to Europe? How can you just blithely ignore these problems?
Finally, I’ll add another video. Here Matthew Soerens answers a question about Sharia law. I’d like to hear more from him on some of the other objections that were raised here as well, like the anti-semitism, but this is all I could find for now.
I am not advocating the massive and chaotic flow of migrants into Europe seeking asylum. (Important to maintain distinctions: asylum seekers: people who are already in a country, or at a port of entry, seeking to be allowed to remain. These people arrive indiscriminately, and do not have to have legal immigration status to apply for protection. So do illegal immigrants, who don’t seek permission at all. Finally, refugees – under U.S. law, besides passing the vetting requirements, they must secure refugee status while they are still outside the United States). The smaller and more rigorous process in the U.S. doesn’t compare to the European situation. So I don’t believe I am advocating what you accuse me of – and crucially, neither do experts like World Relief and other organizations involved with the work.
Oh, dear. This is deeply naive. “Many don’t” prefer Sharia? The implication is most do! Which is supported in the polls I’ve seen, where majorities prefer Sharia even in Western countries with secular governments, like Britain.
My personal experience with Muslims hasn’t been all that great. There were several men in my engineering classes. One of them, from “Persia”, seemed very nice (and cowed). The others (Arabs) were known cheaters and one even threatened a friend of mine in the parking lot when she refused to show him her homework. This was in the late 80’s, before the rise of Islamism.
My daughter was attending a Montessori school with a Muslim girl. The mother was aggressive. It’s hard to describe an incident, but you just knew she felt superior and dominant in that setting.
My sister lives near Toledo (hello fellow Ohioan!) where there’s a large Muslim population. They have taken over her neighborhood park — self-segregating women and children on one end and men on the other. No non-Muslims feel comfortable using the park anymore.
You do understand that Islam has been at war with Christendom since its inception?
@MattY. : U.S. Intelligence experts have stated that there is no way to properly vet refugees from Syria. Do the experts you site know something that those who work in intelligence don’t?
So, what I take from this is that it’s basically impossible to vet these applicants. (I read that all the people Australia wants to send here destroyed their ID before setting out for Australia. Hard to figure how to vet an unidentified person.)
ISIS has bragged that they have infiltrated the vetting process in these camps. they know what docs they need to forge, they know what bureaucrats will take bribes to sell fake passports and birth certificates. We are $20 trillion in debt yet you feel the government should squander a fortune on a years long mission to vet these people when they can be helped in the region for a tiny fraction of the same cost. I admire your faith and your commitment to the social gospel, but I would recommend you render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and render unto God that which is God’s. No government funds should be used to subsidize the multi-million dollar resettlement racket no matter how noble the ideals.
Fr. James Martin, SJ, editor at large at America magazine would seem to agree with you in his article “I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.”
Fr. Martin is taken to task by John Zmirak in his article On Immigration, Fr. James Martin Wants to Shame Catholics with Bad Arguments and by Jason Scott Jones in his article On Immigration, Winning Cheap Grace.
I find Zmirak and Jones to have the better arguments.
The speaker here is woefully uninformed on Sharia.
According to the just-released survey of Muslims, a majority (51%) agreed that “Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to shariah.” When that question was put to the broader U.S. population, the overwhelming majority held that shariah should not displace the U.S. Constitution (86% to 2%).
More than half (51%) of U.S. Muslims polled also believe either that they should have the choice of American or shariah courts, or that they should have their own tribunals to apply shariah. Only 39% of those polled said that Muslims in the U.S. should be subject to American courts.
Get that? half of US Muslims think they should not be subject to American courts.
Turkey is a great example of creeping Sharia. It was secular, thanks to Ataturk and the Turkish military for almost a century. Now it’s sliding into a Sharia state under Erdogan. More and more Sharia like laws are in effect in Turkey. The Islamists are winning there. In what was the most secular Muslim state in the world.
Wake up.
And woefully uninformed on the nature of the Muslim god. He should try to engage in honest dialogue with an adherent Muslim about “God, our Father.” But, he should train to fight or flee first.
I hear a lot of “they just want the same things we do!” echoing around these discussions. This is the same mistake we make with the Left. It falsely assumes we’re dealing with rational actors and people who value truth (Truth). No, they really don’t.
Two noteworthy books:
The Suicide of Reason: Radical Islam’s Threat to the West by Lee Harris
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
This is not to say there aren’t exceptions. Unfortunately, they were born into a religion that punishes apostasy with death. We Christians can’t fix this.
I’ll check out those books. I bought one and put another on hold at the library. Here is a link to World Relief’s book.
Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis