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Speak Up for Muslim Refugees in Conversation

Speak Up for Muslim Refugees in Conversation
22 Jun 2017 by Patricia Nyhan

 

As World Refugee Day is celebrated this week with public events and advocacy campaigns, I think of the power of everyday conversation between strangers. Recently, I had an uncomfortable one at the Tucson airport with a smart, articulate former commercial airline pilot as we waited to board our flight. The topic of Trump’s travel ban came up; he was for it.

 

“We don’t need more Muslims,” he said. I asked him for his reasons. A self-described news hound, he quoted what to him were incontrovertible facts. “Look, 99% of all terrorist attacks in the U.S. have been committed by Muslims.” When I asked where that number came from, he replied, “A Pew Research Center study.” According to my acquaintance, almost all refugees are men. They don’t care about their women. They just leave them behind while they climb into boats to cross the Mediterranean. They take away American jobs. They abuse our welfare system.

 

As we who support refugees and try to stay informed about immigration know, none of this is true . . . according to news sources we are consuming. If only we could remember those facts and figures when meeting a stranger who, like us, believes his sources.  Does it matter? Should we try to change someone’s mind on such a fraught topic in a few short minutes of conversation in an airport lounge? Could we?

Share Facts When and Where We Can

 

I’m sure I didn’t change the pilot’s mind that day. Maybe no one could have, even if much better informed than I am and armed with a sharper memory and a taste for argument. But, yes, it matters. With the cancerous spread of false news to Americans long turned-off by mainstream news, it’s important to share actual facts when and where we can. Otherwise, we two strangers just exchange opinions and leave each other uninformed and disrespecting each other.

 

I wish I could say my acquaintance took in any of my mild advocacy for Muslim refugees. In future, I’ll try to become better informed on the points he raised, since we hear them all the time and there is plenty of solid reporting refuting them. But how to even make it through such a conversation without giving up in frustration?

 

Experts in such matters recommend, as a first rule, listening. Be polite and try to understand what the stranger is saying – it’s common sense. Take into consideration what fears may prompt the person’s statements. For instance, a woman I met in Tucson vented about what she heard were thousands and thousands of non-Latino refugees sneaking into the U.S. across the southern border near where she lived. (Not true.)

How to Discuss Tough Issues

HIAS, the Jewish refugee resettlement agency, offers tips for answering tough questions in conversation with strangers, friends and family members who may disagree with our views on refugees.  They address the kinds of objections the pilot expressed to me – refugees as a security threat, drain on our economy, etc. – on their website www.HIAS.org.

 

As for staying current on those points, the other refugee resettlement organizations with whom we collaborate in partnerships are also good resources, as is UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. See our website pages Our Partners and Learn More.

 

Next time you find yourself in a conversation that touches on refugees, don’t be afraid to try seeking common ground. Not everyone can find a World Refugee Day event to attend near them. But we can all advocate for refugees in small ways, one fact-based conversation at a time.

 

Of course, some conversations wind up going nowhere, like the one I had with the Uber driver who took me to the Tucson airport.

 

“Where are you from?” he asked.

 

“Washington, DC,” I answered.

 

“That’s in Vermont, right?”

 

Tell us about a difficult conversation about Muslim refugees you have had. Share tips for success on our Facebook page.