It would seem so, if you listen to all the shouting over the proposal to welcome some Syrian 10,000 refugees into the United States.
Gov. John Kasich has joined the chorus of more than 30 governors calling for a ban on Syrian refugees. They’re worried about reports that one of the terrorists who attacked Paris may have been an asylum seeker.
But for me the voice that rings truest and clearest is that of a young Parisian friend. It is a voice of compassion.
Lien Duong, 18, spent the 2013-14 school year as an exchange student at Kettering Fairmont High School.
“These refugees didn’t ask for all that happened to them,” she said. “They are just running away from a civil war to a place they thought would welcome them and give them a stable life. It will be hard for them at the beginning and they know it, but I am sure they are willing to work hard if you give them a chance.”
The issue is far more than academic for Lien. Both her parents came to France as refugees from the Vietnam War. “It’s wrong to not welcome Syrian refugees, wherever it is in Ohio or in France,” she said. “These people didn’t ask for all that happened to them. They are just running away from a civil war to a place they thought would welcome them and give them a stable life. It will be hard for them at the beginning, and they know it. But I am sure they are willing to work hard if you give them a chance.”
Her own family is a refugee success story. Lien’s father is an engineer; her mother is a banker; her older brother is a third-year medical student. Lien and her parents were safe at home in a Paris suburb when the attacks happened. “I know a few people who were not as lucky as I was,” she said. “Some of my friends lost family members or friends. We all shared the grief because they were just people just like you and me. They haven’t done anything wrong; they were just living their lives and it could have be one of us as easily as it could have been them.”
Lien understands that France must close its borders temporarily, “but that doesn’t mean that the frontiers will stay closed forever. And that doesn’t mean that all refugees or all Muslims are terrorists. That is totally wrong. Closing the door in their face is not a solution, and it never will be.”
Indeed many of these refugees are themselves fleeing terrorist violence. What a cruel irony to be told, then, that the world is shutting its doors to you because of the violent actions of the very people who are persecuting you.
Charlotte Doria of Vandalia can hardly bear to imagine it: “Can you imagine if entire city of Dayton were torn apart, and you are grabbing hold of your child while the rest of world is calling you a terrorist? A lot of people don’t realize more Muslims have been killed by these terrorists than any other religious group.”
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is not backing away from Dayton’s proposed role as a host city for refugee families. In a recent statement she called for more security for hosting communities, but added, “We will continue to be a leader in the welcoming movement and will champion inclusive communities that enable all residents to thrive.”
Passions are so heated that Doria has lost friends over her support for the refugees. But that wouldn’t stop her from welcoming a Syrian family into her home. “I have the room, and I have the means,” she said. “I am only here for this one lifetime, and what I do with that life matters to me. Why are we all here, if it’s not to help one another?”
Doria is appalled by politicians who have suggested the United States accept only Christian refugees: “That’s un-American; it’s a disgraceful representation of what this country stands for. It sends an awful message to the world.”
Lien hopes the Dayton community will show the refugees the same welcoming spirit that was shown to her. “As an exchange student in Ohio, I was overjoyed to be welcomed to a place I was able to grow into the woman I am today,” she said. “I feel like the refugees were just like me when I waited to be picked by a host family. They are waiting for someone to welcome them and give them a chance to grow and become the people they want to become.”
Lien can only imagine how she would have felt if she hadn’t been chosen by a host family. How much worse, then, for these refugees? “I still had a place to call home, and they don’t,” she said. “They left all they know behind and sometimes they are even alone.”
Still reeling from her country’s loss, this young Parisian woman pleads, “These refugees are moved by the hope that they would be welcome somewhere. Don’t take away probably the last thing they have. Please don’t take away their hope. Because I think a world without hope is the worst world we could live in.”
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