Leaders of major US religious groups have condemned proposed bans on Syrian refugees, contending a legitimate debate over security has been overtaken by irrational fear and prejudice.
Top organizations representing evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Jews and liberal Protestants say close vetting of asylum seekers is a critical part of forming policy on refugees. However, these religious leaders say such concerns, heightened after the Paris attacks a week ago, do not warrant blocking those fleeing violence in the Middle East.
“The problem is not the Syrian refugees,” said Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who noted how his state has welcomed a large number of Cuban refugees over the years.
Photo: Reuters
“This is falling into the trap of what the terrorists wanted us to become. We shouldn’t allow them to change who we are as a people,” he said.
About 70 percent of all refugees admitted to the US are resettled by faith groups, according to the US State Department office for refugees.
The Reverend Russell Moore, head of the public policy agency for the conservative Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant group, said screening is crucial and “we should insist on it,” but he said evangelicals should not “demagogue the issue as many politicians are doing right now.”
The Reverend Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, said in a Facebook post that new immigration policies are needed because “we cannot allow Muslim immigrants to come across our borders unchecked while we are fighting this war on terror.”
Still, many faith leaders who share those security concerns are condemning the tone of the current discussion.
The Orthodox Union said: “We encourage a sensible process of reviewing and enhancing security,” with the goal of “getting to yes” on admitting asylum seekers.
The group also said: “Neither partisan politics nor xenophobia can have a place in that debate.”
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