Let me begin by saying that this is not a political commentary. I think of it as a public introspection, a searching for answers where, perhaps, there is no real answer. I have always tried to act compassionately, to put others needs before myself. I am a passionate defender of the unborn, a believer in the dignity of all human life, and volunteer for social and humanitarian causes; yet today, I find myself at a crossroads. My heart and head are at odds, and I don’t know that there is anyone out there who can help me find the right answers to my questions.
First, I am a student of history and a firm believer in the adage that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. I also believe that we are currently embroiled in the Third World War. While it is a war of weapons, it is also a war of ideology, not unlike the Cold War during which I was raised. It is a war of name calling, of hatred spewing, and of closed hearts and minds as much as it is a war of physical mass destruction. We are witnessing what our grandfathers and great-grandfathers witnessed with the aggression of Hitler, yet we have no single name to attach to this threat, just an ideology. How do we fight against an aggressive ideology in which nobody knows who the real enemy is? For I do not believe that the enemy is all Muslims.
I’ve known people of Muslim descent and practicing Muslims, and I know that they are not bad people. They are peaceful people who do not subscribe to the beliefs of those such as ISIS; so I wonder, as we’ve all heard others say many times, why do they not speak out? I’m not talking about those in war-ravaged countries or those who are under constant threat or surveillance, but those who are free to stand up and say “this is not right, this is not what we believe.” There are few places like Jordan, where all religions are welcome and where many of the current refugees have been able to flee; so where are the rest of the Muslim countries and their leaders?
During WWII, we brought in refugees from Europe, but we chose those who came. We did not open our doors to every person in Europe who wanted to flee the war. Was that right? I don’t know. But I do know that, on the contrary, we made sure that their homeland was safe for people to continue living secure, healthy, fulfilling lives. Those who say that was different and that we shouldn’t interfere with what’s going on in Syria or Iraq or any of the ISIS controlled countries, please tell me how is it different? How were the victims of WWII any different than those being persecuted today? Why wouldn’t we want, for our sake as well as theirs, to contain the threats in their lands and make their homeland safe for all people? Even MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, just yesterday, questioned why we are bringing people here who could be fighting for their homes. Because they have families? So did our Pop.
And what are our leaders here and throughout the West supposed to do? How can we help these refugees when we have those here at home who we are unwilling or unable to help – our poor, our homeless, our Veterans? We have approximately 50,000 homeless Veterans in our country. How do we look at them and say, we cannot give you food and shelter, but we can give it to people from the region where you put your very life at risk?
Pope Francis recently said that “refugees are more than statistics; they are children of God, each with his or her own inherent dignity.” My heart breaks over this, for I believe it to be true to the bottom of my soul. So where does that leave us? Where are we to find the resources to care for these people when we cannot care for our own? For it is not simply a matter of security. It is a matter of human dignity. Does that mean that we are to take care of everyone (Whatsoever you do to the least of my people… Mat 25:45), or do we help them to help themselves (let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Eph 4:28)? What is the right thing to do?
As far as security, our country has the strictest vetting process of any country in the world, yet our own intelligence officials have said that we can’t even come close to a guarantee that the process works. The attacks that have taken place on our own soil were, for the most part, homegrown terrorists (Boston, Oklahoma City, the first World Trade Center bombing). The perpetrators of 9/11 were here legally, so how well does the system work? Threats to our nation and our citizens can come from anywhere. Three of the Paris terrorists were French Nationals. How do we ever know if we are safe?
So again I ask, what is the answer? Where do we go from here? All sides will never agree. The only thing I know for sure is that leaders around the world need to take their heads out of the sand and recognize what the real problem is, the root of everything that is going on. There is an ideology (again, I won’t call it a religion – this isn’t the religion of Muhammed that we are fighting), but an ideology that hates the West and is determined to spread their hate throughout the world, destroying everything its path. Unless we strike at the root of the problem, nothing will be solved, no questions truly answers, no lives left to uphold with dignity. Which leads me back to the question of humanity. The questions swirl around and around in a vicious circle that truly never ends.
Amy Schisler is the author of two mystery / suspense novels. Her first book, A Place to Call Home is in its second printing and may be purchased in stores and online. Amy’s newest mystery, Picture Me, was released in August of 2015 and is available in stores, at Amazon, and at Barnes & Noble. Both novels are also available for Kindle, Nook, and iBooks. Amy’s children’s book, Crabbing With Granddad, may be purchased in stores and on Amazon.
You may follow Amy on Facebook at http://facebook.com/amyschislerauthor on Twitter @AmySchislerAuth, on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/amyschisler and on her web site http://amyschislerauthor.com.
I think you’ve articulated the frustrations of many. There are no easy, or seemingly “right” answers, which feels terribly troubling.
Thanks, Jodie. It is troubling – the uncertainty. I’m not trying to change any minds. I don’t know what to think myself.
While I agree this is a difficult issue, a root of our problem is that we are demanding that regular, ordinary Muslims stand up and speak out–for an ideology they have no part in, and events they have no control over. There are MANY who do speak out: look up “Not in Our Name,” a movement by Muslims to denounce Islamist terrorism and ISIS. However, we don’t ask that individual Christians speak up for the actions of a few bad eggs–fundamentalists who carry out school shootings, neo-Nazis, and Westboro Baptist Church, to name a few examples.
We cannot expect Muslims to be accountable for the actions of an entire community that spans the globe and comprises more than 1 billion people. WE must be better educated, and those who claim to be Christians must live up to our “Christian”values that command we embrace refugees, regardless of religious identity.
That’s not to say that there shouldn’t be a rigorous vetting process; in fact, the current one takes 18-24 months, and less than 3% of worldwide refugees are ultimately resettled in a third country such as the United States or Canada.
ISIS will only be defeated when we take away its agency, and when we stop sending young Muslims running in their direction. For many who feel moorless and without a sense of purpose and/or identity, and for Muslims in the West who are demonized and marginalized, ISIS is compelling. When your community rejects you, it is natural for you to seek community elsewhere. And ISIS is offering a warped vision of what a “Muslim” community could be.
So until we address our fear, until we stop expecting individual Muslims to take collective responsibility for others who pervert their religion, and until we seek to understand Islam within its rich and varied historical/cultural context, we will not defeat ISIS. We will strengthen it, and our communities will suffer.
Yes, we must take care of homeless veterans, and other vulnerable populations in the United States. But we must also accept the huge role we played in creating this refugee crisis-by entering Middle Eastern countries in the first place and, post-military invasion, leaving them worse off than before. We helped create the power vacuum in Iraq post-2003 that allowed ISIS to manifest, and so we are equally responsible for ensuring the safety of refugees fleeing its violence.
Thank you, Kate. You make excellent points. I appreciate your honest assessment. I do think that Christians are demonized for the actions of others, and many do speak out against those who make Christians look bad. Tolerance is often a one-way street, which in itself is a very sad reality for all religious groups.