The Syrian refugee crisis has been nothing short of an absolute humanitarian catastrophe. The U.S. response to this disaster has been incredibly lackluster. We should be ashamed of what we have allowed to happen. We have allowed innocent people to lose everything and instead of helping, our president has responded with calling for a complete ban of all Muslims coming into the United States. As a child of two Lebanese immigrants I am very sensitive to the struggle of these refugees. In March of 2017, I went to Lebanon for two weeks to visit my family. Visiting Lebanon was a very fond part of my childhood; however, this visit was different. One in four people in Lebanon is now a Syrian refugee (“World Refugee Day 2014”). I immediately took notice when I arrived at the airport. Families that just arrived from Syria were hoping …show more content…
I am not asking my fellow citizens to put the needs of others before themselves. Acting on our interests will help the whole of society. Adam Smith believed in a market society where individuals solely acted on their interests. He believed in a society where one can say “Give me that which I want, and you shall have this which you want” (Smith, 21). This philosophy can be applied here. Allowing Syrian refugees into the country is extremely beneficial for both parties. It rescues innocent people from inhumane and dangerous living conditions and it significantly helps the U.S. fight terrorism. Terrorist groups like ISIS get many of their recruits using a certain narrative. This narrative describes a struggle between Islam and the West. Their claim that Western culture is in direct conflict with Islam helps these terrorist groups in radicalizing people. ISIS cannot push this narrative, if the U.S., the symbol of Western culture, is committed to helping Muslim refugees. Not allowing refugees in, will only make it easier for terrorists to threaten American values and