If We Allow Them To Be....

Most of us have seen the tragic photographs of 3 yr old Aylan Kurdi laying dead on a Turkish beach. I know that there are people who disapprove of the use of photographic images, but the truth is that people don’t respond emotionally to statistics and facts the same way that they respond to a photo. Sometimes we need to see the consequences of our actions, or inactions, before we really understand what it is that we’ve done and what it is that we’ve failed to do.

It’s easy to say that the problem is on the other side of the world and the problem for European nations, some who are using the excuse of the fear of losing their cultural identities to avoid offering humanitarian aid. The fact is that this particular little boy had an aunt in Canada who had been trying for several years to sponsor him and his family to come there.

This is an international issue, one that implicates our countries here in North America as much as it implicates our allies in Europe. It’s a problem that requires a coherent and concerted international response. We all need to work to help these people to find a place of safety.

Aylan’s story is our story. I can’t help but think of the stories of my family, who came to America, without documentation, fleeing the wars of the 19th century taking place in Europe. All our families have similar stories. And remember this: in the aftermath of World War II, Europe was awash with refugees. The conflict had displaced huge numbers of people, and an international response was required.

Our responsibility to care for those who are cast out of their homes by conflict and war is immediate — but when we become accustomed to the idea that we live in a safe, developed, peaceful part of the world we can easily forget that it’s not long ago that Europe itself was a bloodbath, and that the people seeking help were white, European Christians.

It’s easy to forget that these refugees became a part of our culture here in the United States and Canada.  Whether the 19th or 20th century, many of us would not be alive today if our ancestors hadn’t been welcomed here. The Syrian refugees aren’t just inconvenient bodies, a political problem — they’re future citizens. If we allow them to be.