Loading ...The U.S. can be a force for good in Syria
I have lived in Iowa City for about the same number of years that I lived in Damascus, Syria where I grew up.
Syria is a melting pot between the three old continents. In the last century alone, it has accepted refugees from Armenia fleeing the Ottoman rule in early 20th Century, Palestinian refugees after the 1948 and 1967 wars, Lebanese during their civil war in the 1970s and Iraqi’s resettled in Syria in the 2000s after the American invasion. All these arrivals numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.” So reads The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus, inscribed on the Statute of Liberty — that beacon of freedom and opportunity for millions of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. But do we believe it anymore?
The U.S. has received refugees all along its history and most recently became home to refugees from Vietnam, Myanmar, the former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Sudan. Kosovo is planning to open a consulate in downtown Des Moines later this year, becoming the first nation to establish such an office in Iowa. The Des Moines consulate will focus on strengthening business and political relationships with Iowa organizations.
Now the Syrians, who after hosting many refugees — considering the new residents an enriching part of their experience and a fact of life — themselves are displaced migrants in Syria or refugees in camps in surrounding countries. Even the torturous trip to Europe has become worth the risk to those seeking health, work and education. The European countries are facing a new challenge to meet these new demands.
At 6 p.m. tomorrow, St. Raphael Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, at 722 E College St. in Iowa City, will host a relief event for the Syria crisis in support of the humanitarian work of the Internationla Orthodox Christian Charities. Tickets are $25 per person. You can register online at iocc.org/iowacity or e-mail Kristi@abuissa.net for more information.
This crisis is not a European problem, but a global problem. The U.S. should take a leadership position to solve this problem by going to the source. Solving the Syrian refugee crisis has to start by finding a resolution to the war in Syria.
President Barack Obama recently announced that U.S. troops will be deployed to Syria, signaling a dangerous escalation in a conflict with no military solution. Syrians need a political solution, not more bombing. Sending ground troops or Russia’s bomber airplanes will only add fuel to the fire which is spilling over the Syrian borders.
There are sufficient resources in the Middle East to start a Marshal-like plan to improve the lives in the Arab world. Leadership for good is lacking; we need to be that force, along with our oil rich Gulf and surrounding allies.
• Newman Abuissa. is an Arab American and social justice leader and member of St. Raphael Orthodox Church in Iowa City. Comments: newman@abuissa.net
Source: www.thegazette.com