A word on the Refugee Crisis
Alien! Expatriate! Refugee! These words are such that a listener would hear and either feel empathy or antipathy. But is being a refugee bad? Are they not human like you and me? Do they not want to make a living for themselves and be the best version of themselves they can be?
This aversion is a widespread problem It spans the spectrum from allowing refugees into the country, to bullying, racism and ignorance of the families who have come from foreign countries. We live in a privileged society, and a privileged state, but not everyone lives the same lives we do. Many wake up everyday, striving to keep alive and live the next, Whether it is in the war-ridden Middle East Countries or in a hostile American neighborhood. Laws from previous administrations restrict how immigration is handled in the United States. These laws are from when conditions were different, when there wasn’t a refugee crisis with nearly 4 million Syrians seeking asylum and attempting to enter countries which are much smaller than the one they are running away from. Now there are entities in our country which are restricting fellow human beings from entering. Noujain Mustafa, a handicapped refugee from Turkey, seeking asylum in Germany, is one of the many refugees who attempted to seek asylum in the United States. The BBC news channel, got a chance to interview her and she spoke perfect English. When she asked how she learnt English so well, she said that she used to keep up with the TV show, Days of Our Lives, as often as possible, and used that to learn English, so she could watch her favorite TV show and speak a new language., a person, who is in distress, who is scared to live the next day, but still watches the same TV show you watch, feels the same pain when the characters break up and the same eagerness to watch the next episode that you do. Does that not show you that they are human too? When I heard that story on a John Oliver show the other day, I couldn’t help but be terrified of the world we live in, where those those laws and those people who restrict refugees like Noujain, live in a world in which they are comfortable in and don’t look around at the neighbors who are in distress.
Refugees are human beings too. they are people from countries who are seeking asylum, from countries around us, who have the same emotions and reactions as we all do. If our neighbor is scared and lonely, wouldn’t we call them over for dinner or to watch the next game?
Sergey Brin, the Co — Founder of Google, was one such immigrant from Russia who escaped nearly 35 years ago with his family and came to America, in search of a better land and to escape anti-Semitism. Theirs wasn’t the only family. If this happened in our recent past, is today’s situation in the middle east not similar?
There are also those people who have been living in the United States for 15 to 20 years, those who have re-started their lives here, have worked here and made friends and established a household where they are comfortable, are forced to go back due to issues with in immigration and citizenship. These are people who have adapted to the American culture and way of life from where they were and now have to go back and re-adapt to a way of living they are no longer used to. This forceful and unnecessary change, has been said to create mental health issues[3] such as loneliness and isolation, because you no longer know where you belong. However mental health issues are not limited to relocation but also the hostile environments we may be living in. These are people who have come to the United States, because they had a dream and they want to fulfil that dream. The dream could be as simple as waking up the next morning and taking a more relaxing breath than they took the day before. They want to fulfil a career goal or go to school , but this dream is no less important than our own dreams. There is a loss of innovation, a loss of ideas, when we drive the refugees and immigrants away. What would Google be, if we hadn’t had Sergey Brin in our midst? Where would a lot of us be if our ancestors had not come to the United States in the first place? We have to no reason to deny the refugees and the immigrants the safe environment they deserve!
What can you do? Talk to your local governors and senators about the refugee crisis, bring about discussions in the Student Senate and set an example to universities country wide, that you and your University believe in letting in refugees and believe in immigration reform! Urge your friends and your family to spread the word, have a discussion at work, at the dinner table, or even in class. The more you talk about it, and the more you know, the better prepared you are to defend your ground and help people coming in from the middle east. Go online and donate to the UN funds (click on the link), submit topics on Change.org and start the process in which we can make the change, so we may one day re-watch Days of Our Lives with Noujain. The world is hurting everywhere; humanity is hurting everywhere.
Also in honor of Alan Rickman and the great cause of Donating to Syrian Refugees watch this video, I promise you, you won’t be disappointed :)
And these efforts, will not be left as a shot in the dark, they affect everybody and have the possibility of making changes in our daily lives, both socially and materially. The social consequence would lead to a more diverse society, which is healthier to live in, allows regular exchange of ideas, thoughts and general development. Materially we would live in a better country, a better economy due to the increase in taxes, business orders and, depending on the management of the economy can also allow stabilization of the currency. I believe we can make this change as the people of the United States of America. We are able talk to those in power and demand a difference, We know that it’s what we can do for the country, and not what the country can do for us.
References [No Specific format]
[1] Fig 1, Image from: http://peacechild.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/AFP_Getty-160475678.jpg
[2] The Immigrant Learning Center, Immigrant Hall of Fame, Brin Sergey, http://www.ilctr.org/promoting-immigrants/immigrant-entrepreneur-hof/brin/
[3] American Psychological Association, Moving Repeatedly in Childhood Associated with Poorer Quality of Life Years Later, http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/06/moving-well-being.aspx, 2010, June 3rd
Thank You Notes:
