By Tim Baldwin
Every nation has a duty to protect itself. Nations are defined by borders, citizens and jurisdiction: without this, nations fall and anarchy rises. Throughout history, whether to accept refugees has been an issue. The issue is heightened again.
Highly-influential philosopher, Emer de Vatel said, “every nation has a right to refuse admitting a foreigner into her territory, when he cannot enter it without exposing the nation to evident danger, or doing her a manifest injury … [but] no nation can, without good reasons, refuse even a perpetual residence to man driven from his country” (Law of Nations, Book I, Ch. 19, Sec. 230).
While rejecting refugees for reasons like “jobs” and “resources” seem minor, national security is major. Assuming Bush and Obama’s version of terrorism’s danger is correct, then admitting “refugees” from places known to produce terrorists poses a certain risk of harm to Americans –like receiving immigrants from places that have high death rates from communicable diseases. It’s a chance of numbers and time.
Some refugee-embracers are comparing refusing Syrian refugees today with refusing, say, Jewish immigrants before or during WWII. It’s a notable observation, but unlike wars of yesteryear, America has not declared war on anyone and thus can never win the “war on terror.” How do you create a safe and sensible immigration policy from such endless violence and aggravation throughout the world? A better foreign policy is needed.
By Joe Carbonari
A small part of Islamic Society believes Allah wants them to convert the rest of the world to their particular belief. They can be as subtle as to use a chat room or as crude as a beheading. Sounds bad, but they think, or use as an excuse, that their obeisance to Allah requires, or allows, it. This is irrational thought. This is perpetual war against the rest of us. Convert, submit, or die. Fortunately, most Muslims don’t subscribe to this interpretation of “going forth to spread the message.”
As a society, they have, however, allowed their society to get way out of control. They have allowed this irrational and inhumane way of thought to exist, and to grow, to the point of being an unacceptable threat to the rest of us. Muslim society must change what it teaches and what it accepts.
This problem is especially acute in Saudi Arabia, where the Saudi “family” runs the country and “Islam” keeps the people in line. Their version is called Wahhabism. They have schools and mosques throughout the Muslim world. They are extreme. They are turning out brainwashed terrorists and their supporters, or so it would seem. The world needs to have a conversation with the Saudis.
As for the Syrian refugees, we should do the right thing. Treat them decently and as individuals. Check them out. Weed them out, and then welcome them. We need Muslim friends.