Students Organize 4 Syria held a discussion with around 30 students about the current status of Syrian refugees Thursday afternoon in the Student Center.
The purpose of this discussion was to engage in an open dialogue with Eastern Michigan University students about Syrian refugees following the stereotypes and political statements resulting from recent terrorist attacks.
In particular, subsequent to the attack on Paris by the Islamic State terrorist group, State Governor Rick Snyder has paused recent efforts on allowing refugees to enter Michigan.
Ahnas Alzahabi, a senior business administration student, is the president of SOS. He said he does not agree with Snyder’s current state of mind.
“A lot of state governors have been saying that they do not want to receive any Syrian refugees because they pose a security threat,” Alzahabi said . “The fact of the matter is that Syrians are fleeing Syria because this violence is exactly what is happening in their country.”
Alzahabi also provided petitions to be given to Governor Snyder regarding his decision about the disallowance of Syrian refugees into Michigan for the time being. Seventeen students signed this petition.
Isaac Salinas, a freshman dietetics student, said that this issue is extremely pertinent and is not only limited to Middle Eastern or Syrian individuals.
“As long as this conflict exists, I think I should be doing something about it,” Salinas said. “Especially right now with anti-Muslim and anti-Middle East attitudes, and I just want to help clear that up. There will be overall more peace on campus by this discussion, and peace in the country overall.”
What began as an overthrowing of the Bashar al-Assad regime in 2011 has now turned into a civil war. Because of the growing violence and the living conditions in Syria, many people have been fleeing the country in hopes of living a better life, deemed as a “migrant crisis” in Europe. European Union ministers have also been speaking recently about tightening security borders.
This discussion will take place again from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24 in Room 104 of the Student Center.
