Love or Fear?

#loveoverfear What are you so afraid of?

By Whitney Retzer

The Economist reports that 750,000 refugees have resettled in America since 9/11, and not one of these refugees have been arrested on domestic terrorism charges.

The world has always been a fragile ecosystem living and breathing between the balance of nature and the desire of man. Last Friday’s attack was a grim reminder of what man is capable of, if you can call these attackers human. It is often preferable to think of these killers as murderous monsters.

These atrocities are a time for love and reflection. Submitting to the grouping, the segregation of ‘all refugees’ or ‘all Muslims’ is a like-minded extremist hate mongering view. This energy will only cause further despair, suspicion and isolation. Why not instead of deconstructing your community and neighbors you work to build a better more accepting community?

I have lived in some of the most diverse cities in the world. A school I worked in Dubai, UAE had 90 nationalities of students. A grade 4 class could have 20 nationalities of students in a class of 24. I would boast to my Midwestern friends and family about what an amazing experience this was for students, families to experience the whole world in a classroom at school and I was shocked at their reply:

And… they all get along? I mean, how do all those nationalities of kids not fight?

I got this question NUMEROUS times.

Instead of imagining all of the possibilities of what it could be like for their child to be in a class with a Malaysian, Emirati, French, Columbian, Canadian, Norwegian, Dutch, Australian, Chinese, Russian, Kazakhstani, British, German, Egyptian, South African, Indian, Mexican, Kenyan, Indonesian and Lebanese student, these Midwesterners who I loved and respected dearly thought about violence. They couldn’t fathom how innocent children could work and learn side-by-side respecting, nurturing and learning from each other’s differences.

Children in schools like the one in Dubai will undoubtedly be future leaders because of their cultural intelligence, their deep understanding of international issues, their beliefs in a shared world history. These children experienced the world every day with their peers and their families. They sent emergency equipment when there was a typhoon in the Philippines. These children learned about biodiversity in Papua New Guinea and built schools in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. These are the accepting, innovating problem solvers of tomorrow.

I ask again, what are you so afraid of?

Is it your own reflection? Forbes reports that as of 2015 America hit a pivotal point where young Americans now die from domestic deaths by guns instead of by car as in the past. Forbes also reports that for every one person killed by terrorism, 1,000 people are killed in the USA by gun violence. That’s a 1:1,000 ratio that you will be killed by a domestic gun instead by a terrorist. If you’re afraid of gun violence, well that’s natural because we are surrounded by it in America.

With minimal regulation, guns are available to almost anyone. In fact, the Washington Post writes, “Membership in a terrorist organization does not prohibit a person from possessing firearms or explosives under current federal law," the Government Accountability Office concluded in 2010. The law prohibits felons, fugitives, drug addicts and domestic abusers from purchasing a firearm in the United States. But people on the FBI's consolidated terrorist watch list — typically placed there when there is "reasonable suspicion" that they are a known or suspected terrorist — can freely purchase handguns or assault-style rifles”.

France continues to take 30,000 refugees from Syria despite last week’s attacks reported by the Washington Post. This is not an Islamic or Christian issue; it is a humanity issue. I have lived in three Islamic nations: UAE, Qatar, and now Azerbaijan. I have always felt safe as a woman and also never needed to cover myself with hijab or niqab. I have taught Sunnis, Shiites from Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Yemen, Thailand, UAE, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and Jordan, and you wouldn’t believe the warmth exuding from them. They have a deep love of family and respect for others. It is truly a gift to know and call these people friends and learn from their deep-rooted cultural heritage.

Syria is an amazing country (or at least what is left) with its ancient biblical history of civilization on the Euphrates river. Just outside of Damascus you could visit holy villages that still spoke Aramaic, Aramaic being the ancient language of Jesus Christ which is used to record the first biblical writings. These areas have over 3,000 years of written history. My friend Julie’s father loved Syria and refused to leave Syria for Paris after years in the diplomatic service; he was finally home after travelling the world. He was shot in the head between crossfire on his way home in April, 2015.

Syria just like the USA was a brilliantly diverse country of people living side-by-side until totalitarian rule threw it into upheaval which further weakened it’s stability to fight invasion from extremist terrorist groups, to over simplify the conflict. Those that have not died are only looking safety; they would stay if they could. If you close your homes and your heart; you’re allowing extremism all over the world to prevail. The choice is yours: love or fear?