Terror and its ties to immigration.
Figure 1 cross examines the percentage of people who would want an immigrant or foreign worker as a neighbor, and the level to which the person being polled worries about a terrorist attack between 2017 and 2020, looking specifically at Canada and Poland to get a feel for opinion in North America versus Europe. Over 20 percent of respondents in Canada who do not want an immigrant as a neighbor are also very worried about a terrorist attack, with Poland following close behind at 19 percent. This shows a direct correlation between those that are scared of a terrorist attack and those that have some kind of negative view of immigrants, at least enough that they would not want one living next door to them.
This is an interesting, but not surprising finding. There has long been an anti-immigrant rhetoric that can be found in most countries across the world, even by those who are the descendants of immigrants, like most within the United States. Immigrants are often only accepted once they have denounced their native culture and fully assimilated into the culture of their new home. They are expected to drop the language they have spoken their entire life, and immediately learn the national language of their new home, and they should not speak it with any kind of accent as that makes it difficult to understand. Even then, they will get questions such as “where are you really from?”. Integrating into the new society, although helpful in avoiding judgmental stares, cuts one off from their heritage. It creates this losing situation where one must choose to denounce who they have always been, or accept the label of “other” and be seen as a threat. Imagine the pain of leaving the country you love to find a better life, only to be shunned. When did we as humans lose compassion for those that are in need? What makes a city, state or country truly beautiful is when it is a melting pot of culture. That mix of people and their passions can create a culture in it of itself. Removing individuality may make someone feel safer, but it is also incredibly limiting. If we all are the same, then how is anyone truly special?
Fear is a powerful beast, and a fantastic liar. It convinces us that if we can just bubble wrap ourselves and everything in our life that maybe we can be safe. If we just trust no one, we can never be disappointed or hurt when they inevitably break that trust. Fear tells us that change is bad and that the man who just moved in next door from Iraq is a terrorist. All of these things could be true. But is that minuscule risk worth living in fear? Maybe, if you just gave him a chance, he would show you that the risk is worth the reward. Maybe, you both enjoy the same movies, or your children play the same sport. Maybe, you make a new friend who can show you the beauty of the country where he grew up, and all the little things that make him smile. And maybe not. Maybe, all he does is prove that fear, although sometimes the loudest voice in the room, is not the smartest.
The first step towards solving this widespread problem is to show the public that immigrants are not bad people, and in fact, they are just like everyone else. That immigrant neighbor traveled hundreds, possibly even thousands of miles, not to incite violence, but to offer their family a better life than what they had in their home country. It is up to cities and towns to create and encourage local campaigns to help citizens realize this by integrating immigrants into society, rather than classifying them as others. This does not mean discouraging native culture that immigrants bring with them, but showing these differences can build a great society. There are many ways one could take this. Local magazines and newspapers could do monthly stories about local immigrant businesses, showing off what makes them special and why their culture, whether it be food or goods, is so important to them. The stories could also focus on why these families migrated here, and what they like about their new home. There is the opportunity to do a monthly, or quarterly introduction night, where people can gather at a local church or community hall to meet an immigrant family and learn about their culture, maybe even try some local cuisine. The options are endless when it comes to getting the general public to meet actual immigrants and realize that they are not coming to harm you, or threaten the fabrics of your life, but that they are just people seeking hope. Hope that their life can be better, for themselves and their family.