Muslims not surprised by immigration curbs
Trump has imposed 120-day suspension of refugee program, 90-day ban on entry to U.S. from countries with terrorism concerns
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Many citizens of Muslim-majority countries affected by President Donald Trump’s curbs on travel to the United States say they were hardly surprised the restrictions rank among his first orders of business.
The new commander-in-chief had, after all, once called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslim arrivals, and in his inaugural speech vowed to eradicate “radical Islamic terrorism” from the face of the earth.
But that doesn’t make news of the clampdown sting any less for those on the receiving end.
“No one is surprised but everyone is disappointed, especially with the height of hope with (Barack) Obama,” said Khalid al-Baih, a 36-year-old political cartoonist from Sudan. He fears new American visa restrictions will now have a knock-on effect. “Whatever America does, the rest of the world follows.”
Shadi Sabbagh, a 40-year-old resident of Syria’s capital, Damascus, who has a sister in the U.S., feels let down by what he called “unnatural” proposals to restrict the flow of refugees into the U.S.
“America is a nation of immigrants and no one can ever ban immigration,” he said. “What is our fault if some Muslims committed some wrong actions? Should we, as Christians, bear the consequences?”
The executive order issued Friday by Trump imposes a 120-day suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and a 90-day ban on all entry to the U.S. from countries with terrorism concerns. The three-month ban applies to Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The order also halts entry by Syrian refugees until the president determines that changes to the refugee program ensure that admitting them won’t compromise national security.
Abbas al-Bayati, an Iraqi Shiite member of parliament, said the curbs will send the wrong message to Iraqis at a time when Washington is counting on Iraqi forces to battle Islamic State militants in tough close-quarters combat in the northern city of Mosul.
“The United States and Iraq always stressed that they are allies,” al-Bayati said, noting American commitments to support democracy in Iraq. He urged the Trump administration to reconsider its decision “for the good of the two countries.”
Fellow Iraqi lawmaker Majid Chenkali, a Kurdish Sunni, was less diplomatic, saying Iraq should respond with similar visa policies for Americans.
“It should be an eye for an eye,” he said.
Mohammed ElBaradei, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Egypt’s former vice-president who now lives in self-imposed exile, posted on Twitter: “Will there be an Arab action to make us feel that we have some dignity?”
It was not immediately clear how Trump’s plans would affect Syrians scattered all over the globe.
Close to five million Syrians have fled the country’s brutal war since 2011, when an uprising against President Bashar Assad’s rule erupted in the country’s south. Most struggle to survive in tough conditions in neighbouring countries, and many have relatives who have settled in the U.S.
Trump said during his campaign that he would suspend arrivals from Syria, portraying them as a potential security threat.
Tehran-based diplomatic analyst Hassan Hanizadeh said Trump’s move will do nothing to improve strained relations between Washington and Tehran, and will only make things more difficult for ordinary Iranians who travel to the U.S. to visit family.
“As expected, Trump has launched aggressive policies against Islamic countries, including Iran,” Hanizadeh said.