Compassion deficit

TERRORIST attacks have a way of bringing out the very best in us – but also the worst. We’ve seen the highwater mark of human empathy, as people all over the world rally in support of the victims of the unspeakable violence committed in Paris on Friday night.

Now, however, we’re also seeing the stark limits of compassion, as governors across the US – including Charlie Baker – have announced that Syrian refugees are no longer welcome in their states. While security concerns are reasonable in the wake of a terrorist attack, this knee-jerk reaction is not.

Refugees entering the US already undergo security checks so rigorous that they take an average of two years to complete, according to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told reporters that Muslim refugees should be screened out, but Christians should be allowed in, since “there is no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts of terror”.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush argued on CNN’s State of the Union that assistance to refugees from the Middle East should focus on “Christians that are being slaughtered”.

President Barack Obama called the idea of denying refugee status on the basis of religion “shameful”.

“We don’t have religious tests to our compassion,” Obama said. Our inclusive values are part of what separates us from the Islamic State. Obama has not always been right about Syria, but he’s right about this.