The ‘Tempest-tost’ Syrian Refugees
Many of us are familiar with the Emma
Lazarus poem on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me
your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The
wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Lazarus poem on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me
your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The
wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
These words,
written in the late Nineteenth Century, depicted the United States as a
refuge for people who had crossed the Atlantic seeking a new home and a
better life than they experienced in the places they left behind. The
current massive humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, which has
created a flood of refugees exiting Syria, obliges our country to live
up to the welcome promised in that poem.
written in the late Nineteenth Century, depicted the United States as a
refuge for people who had crossed the Atlantic seeking a new home and a
better life than they experienced in the places they left behind. The
current massive humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, which has
created a flood of refugees exiting Syria, obliges our country to live
up to the welcome promised in that poem.
With President George W. Bush’s
invasion and occupation of Iraq, which led to the birth of Islamic
State, the U.S. government played a significant role in destabilizing
the Middle East. The United States and its allies — including Saudi
Arabia and Turkey — have trained, financed and supplied weapons to
forces fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. This has
exacerbated the refugee crisis we are now witnessing.
invasion and occupation of Iraq, which led to the birth of Islamic
State, the U.S. government played a significant role in destabilizing
the Middle East. The United States and its allies — including Saudi
Arabia and Turkey — have trained, financed and supplied weapons to
forces fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. This has
exacerbated the refugee crisis we are now witnessing.
