I am a board member of the Bridge Builders of Anchorage and a 31-year veteran teacher at the Anchorage School District. For the last eight years, my teaching has focused on immigrant, non-English-speaking students from many countries who attend schools within our district.
I am an immigrant from Iran who immigrated to this amazing country at the age of 13. I came to the U.S. to go to school, but my home country fell into revolution and I never returned. I was so proud when I became an American citizen, which included the idealism and values that this country stands for.
As an immigrant, an educator and a board member of Bridge Builders I have been appalled and dismayed that politicians have used xenophobic fear to chip away at our civil liberties and turn our nation from honorable leadership to fear of those in need. This is clearly not the sentiment that I read at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
Our thanks to Alaska Dispatch News for publishing a flood of letters to the editor regarding the global refugee crisis that is proliferating on our planet, in particular the thousands of Syrians who are fleeing their homes for their lives as mostly non-Syrian ISIS terrorists ravage their homeland. These refugees fear the same terrorism we do.
Regarding xenophobic fears about refugees, a few facts worthy of investigation and consideration are: No refugee to the United States has ever been involved in a terrorist attack on the United States; though we have had home-grown terrorists, with easy access to automatic weapons, who have attacked schools, churches, Planned Parenthood facilities, federal buildings and cinemas. In Anchorage we have many successful Middle Easterners who have fled their countries of origin and today serve us as doctors, dentists, engineers, teachers and military personnel. While not a refugee, Steve Jobs (Apple co-founder and genius behind the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar Films) was the son of a Syrian immigrant and stands as a shining example of what our country gains from immigrants and refugees.
Most refugees arrive with little or no documentation. Working with the authorities who process refugees, it is obvious that they are very well scrutinized in their application and interview process regarding their persecution. The terrorist who slipped through the refugee program in France actually provided a fake passport that was apparently visibly inconsistent with a genuine Syrian passport. We have an excellent Department of Homeland Security here in the Unites States (including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Because of this, it is far more difficult for a terrorist to infiltrate our country from outside, especially since 9/11. Our biggest threat is from "home-grown" terrorists who are already here and have become radicalized to various fundamentalist beliefs.
If we Americans unilaterally target entire nationalities and refuse Syrian and Iraqi refugees, other countries will follow suit. Then we are ultimately leaving these victims to their persecutors, who have already demonstrated they have no moral compass. Victims will have to choose between persecution, torture and death to themselves and their families – or survival. To survive, they will have to embrace the governance and ideology of their persecutors. If we lose our moral code, we risk creating a larger element of Islamic State terrorism by turning our backs on Syrian and Iraqi refugees fleeing ISIS.
As a nonprofit organization founded on promoting multiculturalism and diversity, the board members of Bridge Builders of Anchorage are compelled to take a stand against the divisive rhetoric and treatment of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Our mission statement reads, "To promote and celebrate of harmony and respect among all cultures with the vision of making Anchorage the first city without prejudice as the first step toward eliminating racism in Alaska." We have been culturally and economically enriched by the broad range of those seeking asylum here in our city. They have become an essential part of our workforce spurring our economy forward and have blessed us with their languages, food and customs. Let us not be short-sighted by joining in divisive rhetoric and reactions against any nationality, especially those seeking asylum within our borders. Let us be the community and the state to stand against it.
As Alaska citizens, we must applaud our governor's welcome. We are so proud that he, and we, are not paralyzed by the fear of the unknown but continue to open our doors to those who are fleeing terrorism. I strongly encourage those of you who live in fear of terror to get out of your comfort zone and get involved in organizations like Bridge Builders, or volunteer at Catholic Social Services by becoming mentors for immigrants and refugees who left or lost all their loved ones. Show them what a great nation we are. Let love heal your fear!
Minoo Minaei immigrated to the United States when she was 13. She became a U.S. citizen in 1992, and has taught in the Anchorage School District for 31 years. She is a board member of Bridge Builders of Anchorage, a group of people from diverse backgrounds dedicated to building the first "city without prejudice."
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com.