When I heard about the executive order that was signed in by our new president banning travel from seven Muslin-majority countries for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days, I was truly saddened. While I understand that its purpose is to prevent terrorists from coming into our country, somehow this doesn’t feel like it was the best way to go about doing so. In fact, to me, it feels more like the exact opposite.
There are more than 120 million innocent people who are affected by this, all for the sake of probably less than 1% who may actually be tied to terrorist organizations. And fear seems to be the motivating factor in signing in this new executive order, although I’m sure the administration wouldn’t see it as such.
Yet, it’s fear that once kept blacks suppressed through the implementation of one unfair law after another. The same was true at one point for women. And in more recent days, the LGBTQ community went through something similar as well. The fact is, if you go back throughout our entire history, any time the majority of those who were in power were afraid of something, laws were implemented to keep those fears suppressed and in check.
It’s truly amazing how it seems like we haven’t learned from any of these prior lessons in history. Didn’t all those fears that went into creating each of those biased laws and control measures in the past breed nothing more than greater fear? Didn’t they also do more to stir up greater violence, negativity, polarization and the like?
Nonetheless, now those who are seeking just to find refuge from war, or return to family, or attend things like their child’s graduation, or wanting to further their education, or do any number of other totally harmless things are being affected in a very adverse way.
Take Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose film, “The Salesman”, is nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign-language this year. Currently, under this new order, he would not be able to attend the ceremony as he has in the past the last time he was nominated. It’s sad that innocent people like Farhadi are being put into a classification as a terrorist because of this new immigration ban because Farhadi is anything but. What he is, is a visionary director who has added plenty to our arts and culture in this country. And sadly, Farhadi has opted not to attend the awards ceremony even if an exception is made for him and frankly, I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to visit our country right now either.
We who have been so quick to judge North Korea and their militant acts, especially with their border policies. How is this new immigration ban really any different?
Ironically, I believe this is exactly what the terrorists who do exist want for us. They want us running in fear, making policies just like this, because the only thing it’s going to do is help solidify their case and convince others to take up their radical cause alongside them. In other words, it’s going to make a lot more people become angry with the United States and be willing to create the very thing we are trying to prevent with this new immigration ban.
So, while the current administration feels this was the right thing to do, my spirit feels the total opposite. I don’t think we can ever prevent terrorism by enacting fear-based laws. I don’t think we will ever be able to fully control terrorists in this way.
And in all reality, I would guess that plenty of terrorists are already living on our soil, simply waiting patiently for things just like this to be enacted, as it’s only going to perpetuate the fear even more when they bring out their terrible calamities and create a vicious cycle of fear and hate.
So, what’s the solution then?
It’s the same solution I’ve been saying for some time now in many of my writings. We must walk through the fear, understanding that when those terrorist acts occur, because they will, no matter what we do, that we don’t respond with anything other than love and peace. We unite through the tragedy, and still embrace and love those who might be of the same faith as the radical terrorists, instead of reacting with fear and hate.
Jesus didn’t use fear and hate to spread His message, nor did he ever use radical methods either. He simply walked a path of peace and love and look at all of what He achieved.
The same held true for Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., and so many more. Each made great strides in forging equality, unity, and the like, all through standing up to fear, using non-violence, loving, even in the face of hate, never once having to enact drastic laws to accomplish any of it.
Regardless, I don’t think anyone can really foresee the true impact of this new immigration ban. But from my perspective, it truly feels like we’re heading down the wrong path, one that will have far more negative consequences in the long run.
But hopefully, one day, we’ll all realize that attempting to control our fear of terrorism, and any other fear for that matter, is only going to exacerbate those fears even greater and create the very thing we’re trying to prevent…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
