Refugee diatribe overflows with falsehoods
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” That basic American belief remains as true today as it was 83 years ago when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt enunciated it in his first inaugural address. But the “My Turn” piece by Judy Taggerty (“Leaders selling us out again by bringing in refugees,” Nov. 19) also brings to mind a more recent presidential quote: “There you go again.” Her entire fear-mongering diatribe overflows with falsehoods, half-truths and innuendo; and, as is so often the case, unsupported by facts.
I hardly know where to begin. She writes “only 20 percent of U.S. mosques teach/preach peace.” Really? From where does she get that statistic? A quick Internet search finds it on numerous right-wing blogs, but none cite research to back it up.
Another claim in Ms. Taggerty’s piece that “Sharia law is now practiced in too many U.S. courts” is as ludicrous as it is impossible to cite any source.
“Under Common Core our schools now have kids pray to Allah, learn the Quran, etc.” Huh? Prayer has not been permitted in American public schools for two generations. Perhaps she mixes up learning about other religions with practicing them; but why would we want our children to know more about a neighbor’s religion? It seems she would prefer we just teach them to fear.
If there’s something familiar about her arguments let me suggest a little exercise: substitute “Jew” for “Muslim” and “Torah” for “Quran” throughout Ms. Taggerty’s essay. These same accusations have been made against “the other” for centuries.
As for bottom line — that we have much to fear from a flood of Syrian refugees: before we scratch out Emma Lazarus’ words at the entrance to the Statue of Liberty, how about we preserve the American tradition of welcoming “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” and instead urge — no, demand — our leaders to be vigilant and careful about who they admit.
Giving in to “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror” should have no place in America.
Alan Silverman
Kailua-Kona