I am not a political person, I am not up to date on all the political happenings of the world, but I know the difference between right and wrong. I am hoping this blog can be one of encouragement and possibly open some closed eyes to the truth & graveness of this travel ban which Trump implemented.
The blatant targeting of Muslim countries and Muslim people terrifies me and echoes a familiar fear infused ignorance we all know too well which resulted in the murder of over six million Jews. Much of the world was not aware of the severity of the mass murder, torture and treatment of our brothers and sisters (aka “fellow humans”) while it was happening, yet many were aware and were passive in their actions, words and remained detached from circumstances which did not impact them directly.
It wasn’t until hindsight kicked in when we saw the list of great Jewish physicians, musicians and intellects who died in concentration camps; statements such as “He could have found the cure to Cancer” made the world realize that allowing what happened between the 1930s and 1940s was having a direct impact on their lives, as we have all said goodbye to a loved one who was not able to overcome the “Big C”. Regardless of intellect or skill, all life is precious, and everyone deserves to be given the opportunity to thrive.
I am a Canadian, and I think at this point I have never been more glad & proud to be a Canadian. It gave me great pride as a Canadian to see that Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted the below:
Diversity is our strength, and out of the 30,000 Syrian refugees who have come to Canada, not one has committed a terrorist attack. It is blanketed statements such as Muslims want to rule the world, or have everyone convert to their faith is incredulous. Refugees are fleeing for their lives due to heinous circumstances they need to escape, so that they won’t starve to death, or freeze to death; many would prefer to stay in their own country if the situation was one where they could live and not fear death.
Many are young children just wanting to have a chance at life, not to take over our jobs, not to inflict us with their faith, maybe to have the chance to have a positive impact on the world, maybe to find a cure to Cancer.
I was watching Global News this morning, and they were interviewing a family from Iran who have already been impacted by the travel ban, one is residing in Canada doing Cancer Research and he was supposed to go to a conference in San Francisco for Cancer Research, but was turned away because of the travel ban. All I could think was what if his mind had come together with another mind in San Francisco and they had an aha moment during the conference, let’s say hypothetically, what if this man from Iran had the missing puzzle piece to finding a cure to Cancer? What if he just missed his opportunity to discover a cure or share with another some valuable information? I am sure there are several similar situations and families have to fear being divided for 90 days minimally, unsure of what will be next.
For those who may read this, and were supportive of the travel ban, ask yourself – what if you were from a war torn country, and you finally found refuge in a country which is abundantly wealthy and all of a sudden you were in a position where you could not travel outside your new country or travel within your new country, and those you love (friends and family from your home country) cannot visit you, nor can you visit them. Or perhaps you are a student trying to earn a degree at a great American University like Harvard, and you cannot travel within the country you have admired and longed to be in for so long, and your parents cannot visit you, all because of your home country and the faith you may or may not practice.
The holocaust of the 1940s didn’t begin with a boom, it began with a whisper which was born from ignorance and fear, and the whisper grew into one loud audible voice screaming something along the lines of let’s make Germany great again, and put Germans first. Anti-Semitism grew into a monstrosity where we now wonder how other countries allowed it to happen, why Germans didn’t stand up for what was right.
We cannot be silent, we need to let the world hear us loudly and clearly that taking the rights away from any group of people is wrong. Religion, race, creed, sexual orientation, people are people. We are all human beings; no one is greater and no one is less.
So, maybe over the weekend we missed the opportunity for a cure to cancer. A possible cure to Cancer could impact all of our lives directly, as we all have loved ones who have been impacted by this devastating disease.
I am a practicing Catholic & I appreciated the religious ceremony & Trump asking for God to bless America & his presidency. All the religious pomp and ceremony around Trump’s inauguration was special, but I ask you this Trump, What would Jesus do?
Peace & Love – Rachel
You Know Jacques! 