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An Open Letter to Our President on the Syrian Refugee Crisis

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Muhlenberg chapter.

Dear President Trump,

If we cannot find the human decency to allow Syrian refugees and victims of the brutal and bloody war occurring there to take refuge in our country, then I do not know who we are as Americans. I know you may support xenophobic policies and make assumptions about who people are or what they believe in simply because of where they are from, but do you see what is happening in that country? We cannot tolerate that kind of thinking anymore. 

President Assad is using chemical warfare to torture and kill his own people. We claim to be the world’s super power, but how can we be if we don’t use our powers for good? If we are a leading world force, then we should use our position to be the world’s leader in respect, dignity, tolerance and acceptance. You want to put the United States first, but that does not mean ignoring what is going on in the rest of the world. We cannot pretend like we are a nation isolated from everything else. When genocides occur, when torture takes place, or when people need our help, the United States should be their friend, not their foe.

This country should not be somewhere where they feel as if they are in even more danger. Children are dying. People don’t have medical assistance. Houses are being burned to the ground. Yet, you choose to appoint a man who wants to start more wars and create more of these international human rights disasters as head of the NSA?

President Trump, with every bone in my body and with every fiber of my being, I ask that you look into your heart and help those who need it. I ask that you behave diplomatically to countries and respect their people. Don’t assume the children and their families who are suffering might be terrorists because they are from the Middle East. Let our nation of immigrants welcome all immigrants. Let people live their lives in the way they so choose. If you truly want America to be great again, then you would let everyone who lives here make it great, and show the rest of the world that our commitment to human rights is what makes us great internationally. I urge you…think with your heart for just a moment.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen

Riley Minkoff is a sophomore at Muhlenberg College and a Political Science major with a Spanish minor.
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Ali Senal

Muhlenberg '18

Muhlenberg '18 Grad with a BA in Theatre and Jewish studies. My hobbies include sleeping, movies, and spreading vegan propaganda. Former Editor-in-Chief of Muhlenberg Her Campus.