Remember the boy on the beach
It is a tale of two stories.
The first story: the photo of a small Syrian boy lying prone on a beach in Turkey flashes around the world. We learn of the boy’s family’s attempt to reach Greece by water, of the desperation of a father who risked the life of his family so they might escape both the violence in Syria and the hopelessness of an overcrowded refugee camp or destitute urban squalor. There were no good choices; his, tragically, resulted in the death of his two sons and his wife.
The photo results in a global surge of compassion for Syrian refugees and for the great number of other Syrian parents facing impossible choices. Here at home the photo has a special impact after we learn that the boy’s aunt was a Syrian Canadian desperately trying to bring her brothers and their families to safety in Canada.
Compassion and generosity for Syrian refugees surge through the media and spill over into the Canadian election debate. The new Liberal government promises to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year and thousands of Canadians volunteer their support to settlement networks.
The second story: jihadi terrorists kill and injure hundreds of people in Paris. A Syrian passport is found, suggesting that one of the dead terrorists was Syrian. This story also flashes around the world. ISIS claims responsibility and threatens more attacks on western nations. The president of France declares war on ISIS. Canadians wonder about their own safety.
Brad Wall, the Conservative premier of Saskatchewan, calls for the suspension of the Syrian resettlement program until there can be full assurance that none of the 25,000 refugees pose a security threat to Canada. Other civic leaders also express concerns.
So what are we to make of these narratives in tension?
The link between Syrian refugees and the attacks in Paris is irrational and unavoidable. Fear is not subservient to logic. The chaotic flood of humanity that befell Europe had no significant security controls, refugees simply poured over and through borders. By contrast, Canada’s resettlement procedures have organized and reliable security controls. Experts point out that almost all the attackers were actually French citizens. Common sense suggests that it is Europeans, not Syrian refugees, who should be the proper subject of new security controls.
The two opposing stories appear alongside one another every day in the media and across dinner tables. Syrian refugees are destitute and desperate and we as Canadians are eager to welcome and assist them. They are the primary victims of ISIS and the Syrian conflict. In the counter story, we Canadians sympathize with these people but we must also prioritize the safety of Canadians. We should go slow and be absolutely sure that there are no jihadi terrorists among the 25,000. The focus shifts from sympathy to suspicion.
The question for Canadians is: which storyline will prevail? New information and government announcements push public opinion in one direction or the other. There are twists and turns. The Syrian passport found in Paris is a fake but fingerprints link one attacker with refugee movement through Greece.
Some prominent Canadians continue to express concern about the speed of the resettlement process. Others invoke our Canadian tradition of generosity toward refugees. There is a scattering of antiMuslim incidents. The minister of public safety, Ralph Goodale, reassures Canadians that reliable security measures will be in place for the refugees. He is supported by the heads of CSIS and the RCMP.
Neither story has been fully told. At some point, public opinion will coalesce around one narrative or the other. I dearly hope that it is the first, that Canadians will not forget the boy on the beach, that their spontaneous outpouring of generosity toward Syrian refugees will not be blunted by irrational or misinformed fears of ISIS infiltrating Canada through the refugee process. They are far more likely to come with a European passport.
This is a morality play that has not reached the last act. More facts, more opinions, will emerge. Eventually one view of Syrian refugees will prevail. Let’s remember that the story we choose will say more about us than anything else.