Before I begin, I’d like to get two points out of the way: one, I’m a political conservative. But I’m not one of those far-right monsters you hear about on the news. I think PETA is scum, but I sympathize with vegetarianism. I think QAIA is hypocritical, yet I sympathize with the LGBT+ movement. And while Tumblr has made it nearly impossible, I respect and sympathize with feminists and minority groups. In short, I’m actually quite moderate and progressive.
Two, I recognize this is a complicated issue. As a Jew, it’s even harder because part of me wants to be more closed-off; after all, Hamas is a Muslim-based movement too, and they’re frequently brainwashing Palestinian youth into harming innocent Israelis. What’s worse, the world is ignoring that, instead romanticizing these children. Therefore, I should want to insist that Islam figure out its own damn problems…but I don't. I recognize that life is complicated and people are complicated, not to mention messy, frustrating and have plenty of real issues that take precedence over my own.
Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time to talk ISIS.
Let’s make this clear: I don’t think anyone would doubt that ISIS is evil. They are. I know it’s debated constantly in the media and political spheres, but it’s a given that ISIS is awful. The fact that they exist is awful. The fact that they’re comprised of Muslims murdering other Muslims is worse. And that we’re having this discussion at all is ridiculous.
The challenge is, therefore, strictly humanitarian: how do we help their victims, i.e. the Syrian refugees? I’m sure everyone who isn’t living under a rock knows this by now, but given how there’s still talk of “should we, or shouldn’t we?”, I’d assume it’s big enough that you’d be aware even if you don’t read the papers or watch TV. As a Canadian, I know, for a fact, that both Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper shared a common goal of bringing in Syrian refugees. How many and how it’d happen separates the two, but I digress.
The idea of bringing in Syrian refugees would seem like a no-brainer initially. They’re in need of help, and the Western world, which prides itself on diversity and freedom for all, would be a perfect place. We already bring in refugees from all over the world as is, so why not Syria? Syria seems like a pretty mundane part of The Middle East, and it’s not like we can’t afford it, so…why not bring them over? Is it possible that we’re a little Islamophobic? Judging by the way the topic is discussed, that last point shouldn’t be ruled out.
Here’s where it gets sticky: the West has…a “problem” with Islam. It stems back to 9/11, when members of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist group, the Taliban, hijacked American planes and crashed into The Pentagon and The World Trade Center. I need not explain how big a tragedy that was, the aftermath speaks for itself, but it alerted the world to a, perhaps extreme, fear of Islam. It doesn’t help that there have been several incidents of extremist terror since, but the point remains that the world hasn’t gotten over its distrust of Muslims.
So when the Muslim world actually needs our help, it made sense that we’d be hesitant. That isn’t to say it’s right, it’s not, but I can see why it’d be a sore topic. As a Jew, it’s an even sorer topic because of Israel. Believe me when I say that I know plenty of decent people, friends and family alike, who become aggressively vocal about their disdain for Islam whenever it’s brought up. I’d give examples, but I won’t disclose names.
What I will say is that it doesn’t excuse the hate. It might not be intentional, but the resentment shouldn’t get in the way of helping those in need. We have a moral obligation as human beings to help those in need. Yes, a MORAL obligation, as in MANDATORY. I don’t care what you think of Muslims, these are people in need of help. Turning a blind eye is stinginess.
It’s especially stingy for Jews because it reeks of hypocrisy. I remember having a conversation about this a while back with my family, and one of the first points I brought up was past history. I was certain, I argued, that at one point before WWII this same conversation was being had about Jews. “Should we help the Jews in Europe?” “Nah, they’ll slow us down! Besides, they have other Jews to help them. Let their own kind deal with them!”
Funny how history repeats itself, huh? If only there was a way of verifying-
Huh, fancy that! Take a good look: 31.2% Yes, 68.8% No. This isn’t a matter of “left VS right” either, this is a general census. That almost 69% of the people surveyed voted “No” is pretty shocking given how universities are the centre of progressivism. Also, keep in mind that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a Democrat. And when the SS St. Louis came in with Jews, he turned them down. So did Canada, which was embodied in the famous “None is too many!” line from the Minister of Immigration. We’re no different now than we were then, methinks.
I bring this up to prove to my fellow Jews that they have an obligation to help, but I think the West in general is equally guilty. If we’re so insistent that we’re “multicultural” and “progressive”, then why aren’t we helping the Syrians more? Does this mean the other Middle Eastern countries shouldn’t be pitching in? No. Does this mean that every refugee will be a saint? Again, no. But that doesn’t exempt us from helping.
Besides, I’d venture a guess that the Syrian refugees are equally worried about ISIS; after all, when your biggest threat is your brother, then why wouldn’t you be concerned? I know that if another Neturei Karta sprung up in Judaism I’d be terrified, and they were bad enough the first time! So why would it be any different for Muslims?
I get it, it’s hard to care. We’d much rather be ostriches and pretend nothing’s happening. Except it is, and it’s serious. So while the world is increasingly becoming violent, we have a choice: do we pretend everything’s okay, or do we realize it’s not and do something? Either way, the choice is ours. I simply hope we make a good one.
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