Taking leadership and honoring our values

Posted 11/18/15

Nearly a week ago, the world looked on in horror as terrorists tore apart a Paris night with bullets and bombs.

The carnage claimed at least 129 lives, and hundreds more were wounded. The violence …

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Taking leadership and honoring our values

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Nearly a week ago, the world looked on in horror as terrorists tore apart a Paris night with bullets and bombs.

The carnage claimed at least 129 lives, and hundreds more were wounded. The violence struck restaurants, a soccer match and a California rock band’s concert, leaving vibrant city streets consumed by chaos and bathed in blood.

For Americans, the memory of the September 11, 2001 attacks remains all too fresh. The heartbreaking scenes from the French capital recalled that awful day 14 years ago, and the days since have seen a return of a familiar sense of unease and fear across the Western world.

The Islamic State, or ISIS – the vicious terrorist group that has capitalized on the Syrian civil war and instability in Iraq to claim a large swath of territory in those nations – has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks. The group claims to have been behind other heinous crimes in recent days and weeks, including suicide bombings that killed more than 40 people in Lebanon and the downing of a Russian commercial airliner in Egypt, which killed 224. Francois Hollande, president of France, has declared the attacks an “act of war” and vowed the nation’s response will be “pitiless.”

ISIS had been in the headlines well before the recent violence, but much of the world’s focus had turned toward the Syrian refugee crisis. The nation is in the midst of a deeply tragic, bloody civil war between the forces of Bashar al-Assad and an array of rebels and militants, including ISIS. It has become a proxy battle among regional and global actors, and there has been nothing to indicate the fighting will cease in the foreseeable future.

The situation has led millions of Syrians to flee their homes, and many to flee the country altogether. Hundreds of thousands have sought refuge in Europe, many risking – and some losing – their lives to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. As a continent, Europe has been grappling with how to address the massive influx.

President Barack Obama, as part of the international effort to address the humanitarian crisis, had authorized the United States to take in at least 10,000 of the refugees over one year. But the violence in Paris has led to intense and emotional debate.

It appears some of those involved in the French attacks may have entered Europe as refugees. Many in the U.S. and other nations have pointed to that revelation as cause to refuse refugees, lest other attackers be allowed to make their way across borders. Others have, unfortunately, chosen to focus on the Muslim faith of the vast majority of the refugees, calling for displaced Syrians to be denied sanctuary on religious grounds.

Several governors across the U.S. have said they will refuse to accept Syrian refugees in their states. Here in Rhode Island, lawmakers and religious and civic leaders have made competing calls on Gov. Gina Raimondo to reconsider her previously stated willingness to have the state take in displaced Syrians if called upon. The governor has indicated any such request from the federal level will be evaluated once it is made.

Recent events in France, Egypt, Lebanon and elsewhere have made it clearer than ever before that the fight against ISIS is the world’s fight. The criminals that constitute the group do not represent Islam or its billion-plus practitioners as a block. Their aims are power and control, and they are willing to use any means – however brutal and barbaric – to achieve those ends. Recent events will hopefully spur a new, shared resolve among the world’s nations to stamp them out – and to help bring peace, in some measure, back to Syria and Iraq.

So, too, is the Syrian humanitarian and refugee crisis very clearly a global concern. Security must always be a paramount consideration. But as Americans, we strive to be leaders on the international stage. Opening our arms to those who have seen their lives torn apart by violence and events beyond their control is in keeping with our values and befitting our place as a bastion of freedom and tolerance.

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