Syrian Refugees: Law vs. Media Hype

    Syrian refugees are a repeated discussion in American media today, but what is the truth behind all of the political rhetoric? Initially, the question one must ask is what reasoning lies behind barring any Syrian refugees from the U.S.? Well, the answer is simple: examine the current refugee situation in Europe.
There is however, a law to take care of this concern, no matter how much open borders activists may ignore it. The Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act deals directly with the issue of refugees, particularly the hot button topic of those from Syria, and leads one to look at other accompanying facts confirming that the refugees should not be freely admitted to the United States.
However, an urgent need that the current legislation, as well as Obama administration is overlooking however, is Christian Syrian genocide, not just that of Syrian Muslims. Despite the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act meeting the needs of our nation on this issue, it falls short in rescuing Syrian Christians from brutal genocide because the State Department has fallen short. If the State Department adapts its genocide list to include Christians, and President Obama conveys the truth to the American people, both Americans and innocent Syrians of all backgrounds will be able to live safe, happy lives.
The most obvious and well known instance is the Paris attacks, which were associated with Syrian refugees (“"Paris Bomber Had Syrian Refugee Passport, Official Says”). In London, a 53-year old Libyan man convicted of over 70 crimes was allowed to stay because he was an alcoholic (Ibrahim). According to Gatestone Institute, in Germany a coalition of four social workers’ organizations and women's’ rights groups sent a two-page letter to German politicians.
The letter stated, “The consequences [of the influx of refugees] are numerous rapes and sexual assaults. We are also receiving an increasing number of reports of forced prostitution. It must be stressed: these are not isolated cases. Women report that they, as well as children, have been raped or subjected to sexual assault.”
 The reason America must tread carefully on this sensitive issue is because the United States does not want to become the next Europe. Now that it is clear why Syrian refugees are considered by many to be a threat, it is necessary to be clear about what the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act rules.
According to the website of Ted Cruz, the senator who passed the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Act, it “...immediately bars any refugee who is “a national of, has habitually resided in, or is claiming refugee status due to events in” any country that contains territory controlled in substantial part by a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as designated by the State Department.  The bill specifically names Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, and the State Department is empowered to identify and designate additional countries.”
    The only exception to this is “A refugee from one of the identified high-risk countries can be admitted, but only if the prospective refugee proves “clearly and beyond doubt” that he or she satisfies the requirements for refugee status and is a member of a group that has been designated as a victim of genocide by the State Department or by Act of Congress.” This important three year ruling will expire or be restarted if need be, and prevents potential terrorists or otherwise undesirable people from blending in with the overflow of refugees, while still meeting the needs of the persecuted by allowing entrance to those groups who are at risk.
A key factor the administration has neglected to address is the fact that despite ISIS and other Muslims hunting down Christians in the Middle East, only three percent of the total refugees have been Christian. Not only does this deny the existence of a prominent human rights violation, it denies the fact that anti-Christian sentiment is carried across the world by the refugees themselves.
According to Ibrahim, In Belgium on Christmas Day 2015, refugees set fire to a Christmas tree. A July report told of how two small families of Christian asylum seekers were harassed and abused by approximately 80 Muslim asylum seekers from Syria. The Muslims -- described by one Swedish newspaper as "fundamentalist Islamists" -- and the Christians resided in the same asylum house. As in Germany, the Muslims ordered the Christians not to use communal areas and not to wear crosses around their necks.
Even when Christian Syrians find refuge, the Muslims in the camps often bring the religious persecution from home with them. However, the Act works with the State Department’s list of groups facing genocide; and the State Department has refused to admit Christians to this list, despite admitting Yazidis, a tiny ethnic group with the same situation as Christians. Currently, there are many groups lobbying the State Department to make this change, and will make a decision by the middle of this month (“Petition Urges Secretary of State to Name Middle East Christians as Genocide Victims”)
President Obama has made many statements concerning Syrian refugees, asserting at one point that there are “No bigger threat than tourists.” President Obama also told the American people that they are mostly women and children; today’s Mayflower Pilgrims, if you will. Additionally  he said that the “states cannot legally block [the Syrians].”  (“President Obama Compares Syrian Refugees to Mayflower Pilgrims, Administration Says States Can’t Block Them”)
President Obama’s claim that the refugees are harmless women and children is somewhat true; 67% of the United Nations’ referred refugees have been. However, 62% of European refugees have been males (“Facts About the Syrian Refugees”). This is why the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act is so vital; it helps these women and children of any religion who are on a genocide list and keeps America safe from the men ransacking Europe. President Obama’s notion that the states cannot block these men is misleading and wrong; the act secures this necessary right.
    There are two sides to every coin, and the media plays to extremes; ban all Syrians, or open the borders without restraint. However, as is true with many issues in life, it is not quite so black and white. The Terrorist Refugee Prevention Act as a law is sufficient to meet America’s needs, while maintaining our legacy of democracy, hope and freedom. What is causing the disparity is that Congress, the Obama administration and others in seats of power will not adapt this legislation and the media coverage to properly discuss and meet the needs of a group suffering by the thousands on a daily basis: Syrian Christians.
   









Works Cited

ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Boyer, Dave. "Obama Says Syrian Refugees Are No Bigger Threat to U.S. than ‘tourists’." Washington Times. The Washington Times, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"Facts about the Syrian Refugees." FactCheckorg. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Ibrahim, Raymond. "Christians Persecuted by Muslims Even in the West." Gatestone Institute. Gatestone Institute, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Kern, Soeren. "Asylum Seekers, Beheaders and Mega Mosques." Gatestone Institute. N.p., 24 May 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"Paris Bomber Had Syria Refugee Passport, Official Says." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"Petition Urges Secretary of State to Name Middle East Christians as Genocide Victims." Petition Urges Secretary of State to Name Middle East Christians as Genocide Victims. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"President Obama Compares Syrian Refugees to Mayflower Pilgrims, Administration Says States Can't Block Them." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"Refugee Processing Center Reports Interactive Reporting." Refugee Processing Center Reports Interactive Reporting. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"Sen. Cruz Introduces the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act." Sen. Cruz Introduces the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.