Dear Madame/Sir President:

The crisis regarding Syrian refugees is one of the biggest issues that the world is facing today. I, myself, am a legal immigrant; I know the feelings of moving to another country to have a better life. Also, I know what it’s like to start over and begin from nothing. The Syrian refugees are humans just like us. They have the right to live. They have the right to be free from prejudice on the basis of race, gender, national origin, age, color, or sex. They deserve basic human rights. I believe that the U.S. should accept more refugees and help the other countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq, who have accepted refugees.

The refugees need to be treated like humans again. They have gone through many traumatic events. Since the civil war, violence has gotten worse. Mariam Akash, a mother of nine whose husband was killed by a sniper said, “We’re just living on the edge of life. We’re always nervous, we’re always afraid.” This violence can affect these refugees mentally and physically. Some may be constantly paranoid. Some may not trust anyone except themselves. We have to reach out to them. We have to show that there is still a bright side in this world.

Back in October 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot. A gunman, who is a terrorist, asked for her by name then pointed a pistol at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit her and it went through her head then to her neck and eventually ending in her shoulder. As a result, she was in critical condition. Fortunately, she survived after many surgeries were performed. Anyone in Syria is in danger. They get threats or even get killed by terrorists. They need to be helped.

In addition, Syrian refugees are in need of a new home. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there was a total of 63.5 million refugees at the end of 2015. Back in September 2001, the US resettled nearly 800,000 refugees and only three have been arrested for activities related to terrorism. It’s not even close to a single percent of the refugees accepted, that’s about 0.000004% to be exact. This is a very low chance of any terrorist act. If we accept the same amount of refugees, the percentage will also be presumably the same.

Moreover, the number of rebels and jihadists is rising. They have capitalized on the chaos and taken control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, where it proclaimed the creation of a “caliphate” in June 2014. The terrorists want a global caliphate. It aims to replace existing, man-made borders, to overcome what it sees as the Shiite “crescent”. It also aims to take its war to Europe and America, ultimately leading Muslims toward an apocalyptic battle against the “disbelievers.” They want to spread the word of Quran in the world and making Islam as the most common religion, but civilians are affected by their actions. They are under control of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the airstrikes that other countries are launching toward ISIS are also killing innocent civilians. Imagine, how many innocent people will be killed if no action is made?

I know that some US citizens are afraid because they think that some of the refugees are terrorists. This is not true and how about the civilians? What about the refugees who are innocent? Are we just going to sit here and watch? No. Those people have so much more to live for. The US is called the land of free and the land of opportunity. It’s a place where people should be treated equally. It’s a place where people move to have a better life. I hope you, the future President, maintain this image and are able to help these refugees. I look forward to your service.

Sincerely,

Athena C