We should take US refugee suspension with a pinch of salt

By Simon Mone

It is now official that President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting a group of people of a specific religious faith from getting access to the United States of America.

It opens up to one speculation after another. As you can see, people from six Muslim-mainly countries of; Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen are not welcome. People from these countries and their well-wishers will surely take this with some level of scepticism.

Is it a direct attack on their religious affiliation?

To them, the answer is likely to be yes. Yes because of their pronouncements after bomb attacks on gatherings. So they have a responsibility to let the world know that this far from it.

We already see proposals to disband some refugee camps because of fear of threat to security. Kenya had decided to get rid of the biggest refugee camps - Dadaab and Kakuma.

They are certain that these refugee settlement facilities were used by terrorists as an avenue to torment innocent citizens - in church, at the mall and at the university. And you cannot fault the Kenyan government for acting they way they did. Had it not been for a court decision halting the disbandment, the camps would be no more.

Therefore, countries facing the suspension should think hard. Do something to convince the world that this thinking is in fact, not true. By halting entry of people into the US, President Donald has thrown the spanner in the migration works.

Trump has bewildered the humanitarian community. He is reversing the trend of humanitarian leadership, a characteristic of the United States for many years, offering support to the needy. So refugees will be left in a spot of bother.

And for a while, we think about how the suspension has dented efforts aimed at looking for answers to the immigration problem.

With all the justification being put forth; threat to security and all, the ban could trigger a number of pull-outs from countries that are hospitable towards homeless people.

No country would like to put up with threats to its peace and security.

Now, instead of looking for good solutions, many more problems might be created. One is the uncertainty that looms over hundred thousands of immigrants around the world. Immigrants that dream of making America their new home away from home simply have had their dreams shattered. They ought to start to re-direct their hopes towards more hospitable countries.

Look elsewhere for shelter, food, education and things like that. The ban is unlike America, which for so many years has been a global leader in championing the cause of the needy.

This tradition of tolerance and generosity of the American government towards people who are in real need could be flying out of the window. The compassionate benefits that refugees have enjoyed for a long time are being snatched off their grasp. And the burden of hosting refugees has been transferred to the less rich countries that are on bended knees for support.

It is a burden as the number of displaced people knocking at doors for shelter continues to increase. Let us continue to ask the important questions.

Including how the rest of the world will sit down to brainstorm on any initiatives that are aimed at supporting immigrants and refugees. Including how America can get away from the spotlight.

Even with the suspension, let America establish settlement camps in other countries and send support. It looks more decent than publishing a statement refusing to admit people from a specific religious faith.

The writer is a civil engineer