*WARNING: The following post contains triggers & graphic images- please use discretion*
Despite my clear aversion to the current president of the United States, I have tried my best since day one of Donald Trump’s election to keep an open mind and not simply fall prey to the terrible and exaggerated rumors of what he would most likely do to our country. But now, it is glaringly obvious, the clear parallels between the actions of our current president, and Adolf Hitler’s reign in Nazi Germany during the second world war. During my visit to an actual concentration camp in Germany in 2011, I was able to learn of the many ways in which Hitler manipulated the public, came to leadership, and brought on one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the world. In one such example that was recently shared by a friend on social media, a ship of Jewish refugees attempted to seek asylum from a concentration camp where they knew gas bombs awaited them, to the U.S. city of Miami. Our country refused to let in the ship, and all 254 passengers were forced to return to Europe and were murdered at Auschwitz.
This is the exact situation for Syrian refugees and Trump’s ban against Muslims today, and it is deeply saddening to see history repeat itself in such a way. The current Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or IS), grew out of what was al-Qaeda in Iraq, formed by Sunni Muslims after the U.S.-led invasion under the rule of George W. Bush in 2003. IS joined the civil war rebellion against Syria in 2011, where they found safety, oil fields as a primary source of revenue, easy access to weapons, and the opportunity to take advantage of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The U.S. led coalition continues to conduct air strikes along with other nations taking part in the fight against IS, and conditions for civilians continue to worsen day by day. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 300,000 people, including 86,000 civilians, have been killed since March 2011; the actual death toll could be much higher, since many armed groups did not report fatalities.
Just a few short months ago, I found comfort in Obama’s plan to allow a higher population of Syrian refugees to enter the U.S. And just yesterday, Trump signed an executive order, titled “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals”, which:“suspend(s) all refugee admissions for four months, indefinitely bar(s) entry for Syrian refugees, and suspend(s) all visa entry into the U.S. from Muslim countries (including) Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen (for 90 days).” (BBC News). Protests around the country continue as Canada and other countries continue to allow Syrian refugees to seek refuge in their homes, yet Trump continues to be ignorant of his obvious resemblance to one of the greatest mistakes in all of world history. Privilege is when one does not care about or take action against an issue because it does not directly affect their life; anyone who believes this privilege does not exist, is the one who is reaping its very benefits.
