Pros and Cons of Accepting Syrian Immigrants

Debating the Syrian
Immigrant Problem 

Evelyn  E. Smith

Ph. D. in English (with a minor in rhetoric), Texas Christian University (1995)

Every argument deserves a counter argument, and every political decision deserves a weighing of pros and cons. After all, debate is a sign of a healthy society.  Accordingly, below is a handy rhetorical analysis of the stances argued  on CNN and Fox News both for and against admitting unvetted Syrian immigrants to the United States and Western Europe.  Please feel free to add your own reasons and also forward this blog page to your representative in Congress [or Parliament].

• Types of Argumentation: Ethos (an ethical stance), pathos (an emotional stance) and logos (a logical stance)

• Fallacies: Faulty generalization, faulty comparison, faulty sampling, appeal to pity, Ad hominem—shift to a personal attack, reductio  ad absurdum, either/or fallacy, jumping on the band wagon, appeal to tradition and appeal to authority.

Reasons to accept Syrian immigrants immediately:

• The “give me your tired, your poor, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free” argument (ethos, pathos): Since the Reformation and Renaissance, the US and most Western European countries have traditionally accepted outcasts (appeal to tradition, appeal to pity).

• Quotas in the US and most other countries world wide have limited immigration for most of the 20th-century; most nations limit immigration by such factors as age, income, job description, and level of education because they don't want immigrants to become a burden on the state. For example, Indonesia is requiring Sunni Muslims to convert to the Shiite branch of Islam before admitting them as refugees (logos).(s (logos).
• Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia aren't accepting Syrian immigrants either, and Indonesia is only admitting Sunni immigrants (logos). 

• Most Syrian refugees admitted thus far to the US appear to be older than military age or else members of family groups (Obama administration unverified claim; if it is true, this is a logical argument). 

• The Jews turned away from US ports were trying to immigrate directly from Nazi Germany or from Nazi-occupied Europe. Most potential Sunni Muslim and Christian Syrian immigrants have already fled from areas of ISIS-occupied Syria, and most are in refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan, and other Sunni Muslim countries.Male, military-age refugees in Europe appear to be economic refugees rather than Sunni Muslims or Syrian Christians fleeing Shiite persecution (logos, observation of news reports, although these might offer a faulty sampling).

• A come back for the most often cited example of this argument notes that more Native Americans died from epidemics than were purposefully killed by Europeans. Because the Native Americans had been cut off from the rest of the world, they easily succumbed to diseases brought by European migrants to the New World.  British commander Lord Jeffrey Amherst admittedly infected Indian blankets during the French and Indian Wars, but no record exists of American military commanders purposefully doing so (faulty generalization). 

• Admittedly, a large influx of European immigrants did indeed out number and over run the indigenous population—a self preservation argument that should discourage a wholesale immigration of Syrian immigrants for those individuals seeking to preserve such recently won rights as gay marriage and Women's Liberation (pathos, logos).

• France will continue to admit Syrian refugees.

• The Lemming Argument ("If everyone was jumping off a cliff, would you also do so?"--a question often asked by mothers and dads most probably everywhere):  The US as well as the United Kingdom don't necessarily need to follow in Germany, Sweden, or France's footsteps (pathos, Jumping on the Bandwagon).

• The Good Samaritan Argument: Christians have traditionally helped the downtrodden (ethos, appeal to tradition and biblical authority). 

• Then again, the Allies in World War II stood up to the bully on the block (ethos, logos, appeal to tradition), which some critics argue is exactly what ISIS wants them to do again--declare war on ISIS.  ISIS believes this will set in motion an apocalyptic war that will result in their conquest of the world.

• Aid doesn't necessarily need to take place outside of the Middle East. Instead, Sunni Muslim countries with the help of the US and Europe could accept Sunni refugees as potential naturalized citizens. President Obama decries the suggestion of applying a religious test, although no Syrian Orthodox Christians have donned suicide belts. For instance, Samaritan's Purse and different religious denominations from the US and Europe are currently offering aid to refugees still living in the Middle East (logos). Some critics also argue that if the US wishes its NATO and Middle Eastern allies to join in the fight against ISIS, the US needs to take its fair share of Syrian refugees.

•  President Barack Obama's defensive argument--not admitting Syrian immigrants entry into the US--will send a signal to ISIS that the US and by extension Western Civilization discriminates against Muslims (pathos). 

•  US President Franklin Roosevelt turned away Jewish immigrants during the late 1930s when in retrospect he could have saved them from the gas chamber  (ethos, pathos, faulty comparison).

• The Liberal White Guilt Argument: Attributing all the ills that have beset the world during the last 500 years to Europeans and their American descendants suggests that they have no moral right to limit immigration (ethos, pathos, faulty generalization). Unfortunately, neither genocide or slavery is limited to any one religious or ethnic group. Indeed, the three-cornered slave trade originated in Muslim-dominated areas of Africa, and the Ottoman Turks were responsible for the Armenian Genocide (1915 to about 1922).  Then again, Muslim critics often bring up the Crusades, which were, of course, a delayed response to Islam's original expansion. In other words, since the 6th century CE both Arabic Muslims and Western European Christians have sinned  as well as being more sinned against than sinning.

• Not admitting immigrants smacks of elitism and selfishness (ethos).

Reasons to put a hold on unconditionally admitting Syrian immigrants:

• The Donald Trump Trojan Horse Argument: Most of the immigrants flooding Europe are military-age males rather than males over age 50 or women and children. ISIS has promised that it will embed terrorists inside immigrant groups; moreover, one of the Friday the 13^th terrorists in Paris was a Syrian refugee (pathos, logos). 
• The "all jihadi terrorists are Muslims, but not all Muslims are terrorists" syllogism works (logos), but the reductio ad absurdum argument that Adolf Hitler,Timothy McVeigh, and (name your own villain) were Christians (although their actual faith might be debated) goes too far.

• Western civilization's cultural values mandate that all nations that can afford to admit their share of Syrian immigrants do so.  Accordingly, those nations who can best afford to do so, should take the largest percentage of Syrian refugees (ethos, pathos).

• The US [for the most part] has a better record of assimilating immigrant groups than most European countries perhaps because fewer Muslims have immigrated to the US; and the US has prided itself on being a more multi-cultural society than most European countries have been. Schools, of course, will need to ensure that Middle Eastern immigrant children value such concepts as freedom of speech and  the rule of law and then instill a love for their adopted country in refugee school children.  Strict adherence to the Koran, however, calls for an acceptance if not practice of polygamy and Sharia law--practices that run counter to the equal treatment of women as well as the recently won rights for the LGBT population (logos). 

• Assimilation of Syrian refugees needs to ensure that they will not be a burden on the state. Hence it needs to include language training in the host country's language, psychological testing for such maladies as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, job training, and job placement. Learning a completely different language with a different alphabet than one's own, for example, is also a very, very difficult task that takes some time to do (logos). Moreover, it might take longer to change hearts and minds!

• Admitting  large numbers of Syrian immigrants will overload local and state medical, school, and welfare systems, or at least it certainly has in Germany (pathos, logos).

• Some Muslims have had problems assimilating into Western culture in Europe and in the case of the Boston Marathon bombers the US. This is because historically Islam in the Middle East has for the most part been not so much a religion as a way of life. No separation of mosque and state exists (logos and Knowledge of traditional Muslim culture). 

Finally, remember that not everyone thinks like you do. Thus, thoughtful disagreement that weighs all points of view without resorting to name calling and logical fallacy will always be a part of civil discourse.

*Pros in red

**Cons in blue

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Addendum

January 4,  2015

Various authors have written articles trying to explain the differences between Sunni and Shiite, or Shia, Muslims.  Both sects share a belief in the major tenets of Islam; however, differences do exist between the adherents of both types of Islam.  While the practice of Islam in much of the Muslim world depends on location, social class, and ancestry, both brands of Islam, for the most part allow for individual differences.  This is particularly true for Muslims living in the United States and Europe where it's possible for secular and fundamentalist Muslims to exist within the same family.

Harney, John. (2016, January 3). How do Sunni and Shia Islam differ? New York Times. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/world/middleeast/q-and-a-how-do-sunni-and-shia-islam-differ.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=1

When the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE without naming a successor, the followers of Ali, the prophet's cousin and son-in-law, and Muhammad close friend, Abu Bakr, each claimed to be the leader of the fledgling religious and political movement. Both were assassinated by rivals, but when Hussein, one of Ali's sons was martyred in 680 CE, his followers became the Shittes, a contraction of the phrase Shiat Ali, which translates as followers of Ali. Their rivals in turn became the Sunnis, or the true adherents of the Sunnah, the Prophet's tradition (Harney, 2016, January 3, para. 3-5).

More than 85 percent of the world's Muslims are Sunnis, including those concentrated in Turkey, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Saudis belong to the fundamentalist Muslim sect known as Wahhabism (Harney, 2016, January 3, para.7).

Both Shiite and Sunni Muslims contain both secular as well as fundamentalist adherents. Shiites consider Ali and his successors as imams, or infallible leaders, the last of whom was a boy who disappeared in ninth-century Iraq, and who will return again as the Mahdi, or “Guided One”, who will bring about the Muslim equivalent of the apocalypse and Judgment Day.  Shiites most value martyrdom and sacrifice on the part of believers while Sunnis concentrate on achieving power within the public and political sphere (Harney, 2016, January 3, para. 6).

 Lawrence, Lee. (2014, February 16). Islam, the American way. The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2014/0216/Islam-the-American-way

American Muslims are statistically alike their non-Muslim neighbors in their political beliefs, occupations, and activities. Moreover, widespread disagreement exists, even within individual Muslim families, as to how best to practice their faith; for example, a Muslim woman's wearing of the hijab.  Meanwhile, 9-11 [ Boston and San Bernardino] have complicated the assimilation process.

Moareni, Azadeh. (2014, August 25). Here are some of the day-to-day differences between Sunnis and Shiites. Huffington Post. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azadeh-moaveni/differences-between-sunnis-shiites_b_5526484.html

The day-to-day differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims are subtle ones often based on local social class, access to economic resources, and national differences, although this rivalry (as in the case of Iran and Iraq) often escalates into war (Moareni, 2014, August 25, para.3).

Moareni notes that Shiites pray to Muslim saints to intercede on their behalf and make pilgrimages to Shiite shrines while Sunnis only make pilgrimages to Mecca.  Sunnis also consider any depiction of humans and animals as idolatry (Moareni, 2014, August 25, para 7-8).

Shiites follow senior clerics of their choosing while Sunnis are more concerned with consensus when it comes to interpreting Islamic law (Moareni, 2014, August 25, para. 9). Temporary marriage is primarily an exclusive Shiite practice, although Sunni-majority countries like Egypt make similar provisions to accommodate the sexual needs of Muslim males (Moareni, 2014, August 25, para. 9-10).

Tasch, Barbara and Peter Jacobs (2016, January 4). The differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims are at the center of the Iran-Saudi Arabia Conflict. Business Insider. Retrieved from

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/differences-between-shia-sunni-muslims-155718177.html;_ylt=A0SO8wk75YpWGXAAaipXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEycm5kcTc2BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjEzNTBfMQRzZWMDc2M-

Saudi Arabia is governed by Sunnis as are 87 to 90 percent of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims while Iranians are Shiite, or Shia, Muslims, who are primarily concentrated in Iran, while Pakistan, India, and Iraq have sizable Shiite minorities (Tasch, 2016, January 4, para. 4, 8 & 9). The differences between these two sects started out as political ones, but they evolved into religious movements (Tasch, 2016, January 4, para. 12).

One of the most important dates on the Shiite calendar is the tenth day of Muharram when Shiite Muslims celebrate the death of Hussein Ibi Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, and the son of Ali, the Shiite sect's founder, an occasion that calls for “collective atonement through lamentation and self-flagellation (Tasch, 2016, January 4, para. 14-15).

Both groups honor Muhammad as Allah's messenger, follow the Five Pillars of Islam, including fasting before sundown on Ramadan the recitation of five daily prayers, and the necessity of undertaking the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in one's lifetime. Both also read the Qur'an, but while Sunnis rely on Muhammad's teachings, deeds, and sayings as found in the Sunnah, to supplement the Qur'an and guide their daily lives, Shiites also listen to the pronouncements of ayatollahs (Tasch, 2016, January 4, para. 16-17). Approximately 40 percent of all Sunni Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa don't accept Shiites as Muslims (Tasch, 2016, January 4, para. 18).

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A Giving Heart

Supporting the Syrian refugees isn't an either/or argument with only two options. While liberals and conservatives debate how to proceed, those who want to love their Syrian neighbors as themselves might wish to contribute to those charities that are helping displaced Syrian refugees:

Syrian Crisis. (2015). Charity Navigator. Retrieved from http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1523

Charity Navigator provides links and ranks charitable organizations helping the Syrian refugees. Four star charities include the American Refugee Committee, Convoy of Hope Global Giving, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Medical Teams International, Mercy Corps, Mercy USA, Samaritan's Purse, Save the Children, Shelter Box USA, United States Fund for UNICEF.

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For a critique of fundamentalist Islam and its interpretation of jihad, go to the following link:

Smith, Evelyn. (2015 January 15). Freedom of Speech vs. Avenging the Prophet. McGregor, Texas, McGinley Memorial Public Library Books and Friends. Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2015/01/freedom-of-speech-vs-avenging-prophet.html

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Rhetorical Strategies & Logical Fallacies

Remembering the precept that not everyone thinks like you do readers might wish to consult these Online university guidelines for identifying rhetorical strategies and logical fallacies:

Fallacies. (2014). The Writing Center. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/fallacies/

Weida, Stacy and Stolley, Karl. (2013, March 11). Using rhetorical strategies for persuasion. OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/04/

Williamson, Owen M. (n.d.). Master list of logical fallacies: A short course in Intellectual self defense. Retrieved from http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl1311/fallacies.htm

See also:

Horner, Winifred Bryan. (1988). Rhetoric in the Classical Tradition. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Texas Christian University undergraduates used this text in the late 1980s and the 1990s while Dr. Horner taught seminars in rhetoric to graduate students. Her textbook's fallacies are the ones used in this blog.