There is a dangerous sense of growing global violence as very different challenges are being merged by ignorant thinkers into one thread of anti-Muslim rhetoric. These include the shocking Republican primaries in the United States, the reactions to the wave of refugees hitting Europe and to the terrorist attacks in Paris. It is a grave concern that violence and discrimination against Muslims (either blatant or hidden) is becoming part of the discourse on these separate issues.
It is a deep shame on the Republicans that Donald Trump’s lies have gained any traction. It is not true that he saw hundreds of Arab Americans celebrating the attacks on 9/11. Yet, he has an increased standing in the opinion polls, while his rival Ben Carson is second despite saying that the US could never have a Muslim president. It is a real problem that the other candidates have failed to dismiss this nonsense.
It is natural that the French should be furious over the attacks in Paris, but it is very dangerous that President Francois Hollande is speaking of war and the destruction of Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) without offering any policy on rebuilding Syria and for British Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking parliament’s permission to bomb Syria without speaking of political reconstruction. Pure military violence in Syria and Iraq is not the answer, and it is only part of a much wider solution.
Millions of families are fleeing the violence in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and other failed states as they head for more stable regimes to try and rebuild their lives. It is wrong to conflate these miserable refugees with terrorists. It is totally wrong to assume that they are radicals or violent extremists, even if one of two such criminals have infiltrated the millions of refugees. It is a grave mistake to argue that host nations should only take Christians or exclude Muslims.
There is a danger that a tragically simplistic call to ‘keep out the Muslims’ is becoming a popular solution to these problems. Nothing could be more wrong.
