SYRIAN REFUGEES, XENOPHOBIA AND TRUMP

As predicted the Parisian massacre turned out to be a game changer with far reaching consequences, (Blog: Paris and the Future of Terror). A key fallout was the marked hardening of attitude to the plight of the pitiful Syrian refugees. In no time they were swiftly relegated to pariah status. While Western Europe had previously accepted their predicament, in some instances only grudgingly, the body politic of EU countries now spurred on by right wing xenophobia reacted sharply to the Paris carnage. Nowhere was the terrorist blood spattered splurge more exploited than in the United States of America. It became front and center in the 2016 Presidential campaign with the GOP hopefuls finally finding a fear that resonates deep into the soul of the electorate. 

There are two tacks that the politicians are using to fuel the controversy. There is the argument that the vetting process on the refugees is not adequate enough to ensure that jihadist saboteurs will be excluded and more tendentiously that those Muslims currently in America need to be put on file and surveyed as some of them may be traitors.

XENOPHOBIA AND PARANOIA VERSUS REASON

Before continuing there is a very legitimate fear amongst the citizenry that there will be cold blooded murderous mayhem in the USA following the Paris, Beirut, Mali and Russian incidents. These fears are valid and need a rational response. However politically motivated exploitative xenophobia and paranoia is unconscionable and not a substitute for reason. So let us examine the facts as to whether Trump, Carson, Cruz, Rubio and several lesser lights among the GOP candidates, and about 30 GOP Governors who unconstitutionally refuse to allow any Syrian immigrants into their State are substituting xenophobia for reason.

COULD REFUGEES INCLUDE TERRORISTS?

Terrorist infiltration of refugees.

The narrative of those that wish to keep out the Syrian refugees is based on the potential for terrorists to masquerade as political fugitives. The latter theory has two fragments of supportive evidence. The first is in the form of a Syrian passport stamped by the Greeks certifying the bearer to be a refugee, which was found near a slain suicide bomber outside the French football stadium. The passport was found to be fake, The name on the passport was Ahmad Almohammad. The latter was a loyalist soldier in Assad’s Syrian army who had died a few months earlier. A refugee with a passport bearing the exact same name and details was located in a Serbian refugee camp. The German Minister of Interior, Thomas De Maziere, believes that the passport was deliberately left outside the stadium to mislead. The other supportive evidence of Jihadist penetration comes via ISIS themselves who have announced that they are infiltrating the refugees with their fighters. 

The claim ISIS made in regard to refugee infiltration was contemporaneous with the recent acceleration of fugitives onto the Mediterranean shores. The potential American immigrants have been in refugee camps for up to two years and are not being recruited from those just newly arrived in Europe. In any case no reliance can be placed on what ISIS does or does not say and it was fascinating to hear the GOP governors quote this as a rationale.

Further, negating the probability of the new Americans being “freedom fighters” is the fact that of the1600 already admitted half are children, a quarter are over 60 years and according to immigration officials only 2 percent are single males of combat age. In addition it has been emphasized that the easiest way for a terrorist to enter America is as visitor on the visa waver program. Why would they hang around in a refugee camp for 2 years and risk detection?

Back ground checks for Obama’s 10,000 Refugees insufficient.

The gist of the agitation of some of the opponents is not that they are against immigration of the Syrians per se but rather that their background checks are inadequate. National Public Radio recently featured the rigorous vetting that the current immigrants have been subject too.  These include the following steps:

The United Nations High Commission For Refugees, (UNHCR): The screening process starts here as this is where the potential immigrants are first registered. The UNHCR then make recommendations to certain countries on the basis of the applicants suitability to the destination country. They take into account whether the displaced persons have family in America and the like. If the US officials accept the UN assessments they begin their own processes.

US vetting agencies: These include the National Counterterrorism Center, The FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, The Department of Defense, Homeland Security and Department of State. All pprospective immigrants are finger printed and in view of ISIS those from Syria are subject to even further investigations as to their circumstances prior to fleeing Syria and any possible terrorist connections.

Their final destination in America is decided on by nine non profit groups six of which are faith based. 

This all looks pretty reasonable so why aren’t the fears stilled? This issue is still up and front because the politicians, with Donald Trump, the pacemaker, are not only ignoring the facts in their ongoing onslaught but are inferring that the indigenous Muslim population are terrorists and linking that to the danger of the Syrian refugees gaining immigrant status.

 ATTACKS ON AMERICAN MUSLIMS, BLACKS AND LATINOS LINKING THEM TO REFUGEES AND TERRORISM

The  Donald and his fawning presidential competitors have upped the ante by piggybacking the issue of the Syrian refugees to the alleged danger inherent in the Muslim minority of America. By so doing they are implying that the latter are either terrorists or harbor them. Then when it is politically advantageous the business tycoon links the Muslim “problem” to his initial bogeyman the 12 million undocumented Latino immigrants whom he has labelled as murderers, rapists and drug dealers. Then every so now and then he will add the “blacks” to his menu casting them as “untermenschen”. Of course in each and every instance of these excesses, there are clarifications or subsequent flat out denials often offering, in addition, that “some of his best workers are……” and "that the....... love him".

It is common cause that Trump is America’s greatest entertainer and can evoke interest and excitement more than anyone else and his signature message in this campaign is dehumanizing and scapegoating minority groups. Apparently he believes this is the pathway to making America great again.

LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES

As outlined above there is next to no evidence to back up Trump’s campaign so he resorts to lies in addition to attacking by smear as evidenced above.

Syrian Refugee Lies

The mogul Presidential wannabe's first sally into the Syrian refugee crises was asserting that Obama had sanctioned 250,000 Syrian immigrants which lie he has repeated ad nauseam. This was the beginning of ongoing lying on this issue. This inexactitude was coupled with the revelation that the Syrian refugees were pouring into the country at this very moment. He then claimed “We don’t know who they are” knowing full well that the authorities did. He then fantasized that the refugees were being sent to Republican controlled States and not Democratic States. Finally, he forewarned all potential Syrian immigrants that they were going back if he was elected - a promise he could not legally fulfill. He interspersed his venom with a false tweet that 8 Syrian refugees, not terrorists mark you, tried to penetrate our Southern border, and that this justified his wall. 

Muslim Lies and Guilt by Association Lies

He then started making the connection between the terrorists, refugees and the American Muslims. Amongst this all was his tweet after Paris, “Everyone is saying how right I am with illegal immigration and the wall. After Paris they are all on the bandwagon”. Most recently Trump has steadfastly confirmed that after 9/11 he saw thousands of Arabs in New Jersey cheering the flaming twin towers. Now no one can corroborate this story and the police have maintained that this is nonsense. He has amidst an outcry moved for a registry of all Muslims in this country something that even Cruz would not acquiesce to. The task was not impossible it was just a question of good management he replied to the dumbfounded reporter.

Black Lies

The Donald tweeted, correction retweeted, to 5 million followers that Blacks where responsible for 81 percent of white murders. He argued in his defense that he, the Presidential wannabe, could not keep tabs on all these statistics. He did not even bother to apologize when it was pointed out to him that in fact 80 percent of white murders were perpetrated by whites.

For a comprehensive review of Trump’s most recent lies Jay H. Ell recommends a piece in The Fiscal Times by Rob Garver.

TRUMP NOT ALONE IN XENOPHOBIA

Now if Trump was an isolated voice it would be one thing but as he correctly observes “everyone is on the bandwagon”. The whole GOP Presidential cabal except Kasich and to a lesser extent Bush have followed like lemmings.  Carson has likened the refugees to rabid dogs and does not believe a Muslim is eligible to be President. Cruz believes that bringing in tens of thousands of Syrians into the US is lunacy and will be bringing in a bill to halt any immigrants. Rubio is so compromised on the issue it is irrelevant what he says. The Republican Governors fell into line pretending they have a constitutional say as to who can and who cannot enter the USA. Implicit in their stand is that if someone is legally in the USA they can prevent them from entering their State. They will need a wall! Chris Christie Governor of New Jersey and a no hoper in the GOP Presidential Race maintained that he wouldn’t accept a five year old orphan Syrian refugee. The latter response more or less epitomizes the Republican Governors spineless acquiescence to the Trump line. Finally, to their dying shame, 47 Democrats joined the House GOP to insist on impossible vetting processes where heads of Agencies would personally have to sign off on each and every prospective fugitive. In addition at least half of the GOP, probably twenty percent of the electorate are joining in the Trump jamboree and hysterically cheering him on. 

All in all this behavior with its degradation and scapegoating of a group, lying in the process, creates an unreasonable suspicion, fear and hate that adds up to xenophobia and paranoia. It is up there with the attitude to Jewish immigration in the 20’s and 30’s which culminated with the turning back of the passenger ship St. Louis, whose passengers were jews fleeing from Nazi Germany. The sad parallel has not escaped 11 major Jewish groups and organizations that have outright condemned this dehumanization of the Syrian refugees. 

The media have largely abandoned their role as “The Fourth Estate” as Jay H. Ell has blogged again and again. Their priority is ratings and what can command a greater viewership - a Trump rave or explanations as to the vetting process for refugees?

AT THE END OF THE DAY

Jay H. Ell, forever the optimist, believes that this xenophobia could create a ceiling on the support Trump can garner. If he remains around 28% it is not enough to beat a single GOP hopeful - if it ever gets down to that. Also as we speak Carson is unravelling. Cruz who is right of Genghis Khan could replace The Donald and he is the conservative with the best chance to win a majority of Primary Republican voters. In the event of Jeb of not coming out of hibernation - at least he has made a start by labelling Trump a fascist - the establishment may be forced to back Rubio. Karl Rove has declared war on Trump and is placing his hopes on Christie - phew those guys are really hoping for a miracle. For those with reasonable memories just two short years ago, Cruz, Paul and Rubio were regarded as the Tea Party darlings and nothing has changed other than Cruz has outrighted the other two. If Cruz does in fact assume the lead that will not guarantee the departure of The Donald who again reaffirmed, in spite of his pledge to support the winner of the Primary process, that he has not excluded a third party run. They just have to be high fiving back in Hillary’s headquarters as the Republicans settle in for a long hard year.

The good news is that more and more Islamic groups are condemning the violent interpretation of Islam. Some in Islamic leadership positions consider it demeaning that they should have to assert the obvious anymore than, let us say, the Baptists should be responsible for an outrage perpetrated by one of their number. Jay H. Ell believes that if any group acts in your name and besmirches it the obvious response is to condemn their behavior and discredit them. (This is as opposed to an individual committing a crime who happens to be a jew, for example, where making a statement on behalf of the jewish position on the crime would indeed be uncalled for.)

Finally, there is a need for education to allay fears as to the refugee vetting process and to hear the stories of the victims of Assad and ISIS. “Time” has an excellent feature, “A Syrian Refugee Story - Inside One Family’s Odyssey from Daraa to Dallas”. (Must have somehow jumped over Trump’s wall and ran past the Texas Governor).