In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, I watched with great concern as the xenophobic and Islamophobic rhetoric ratcheted itself up to a fever pitch across our great nation. I listened as everyday citizens and Presidential candidates opined about the evils of Islam and their belief that all Muslims want to kill us and destroy our way of life. I then watched the rhetoric pivot hard toward Muslim refugees -- refugees who were fleeing the likes of ISIS in a last ditch effort to save themselves and their children from death and destruction.
Refugees had become the enemy.
If the rabid fears and political hysteria surrounding Muslim refugees were not enough, our own Governor Christie brought it to a crescendo when he said that even five-year-old Syrian orphans were not welcome in the Garden State.
This is when I decided to act.
In the same way that soldiers in the U.S. Armed Forces gear up and wage war, so too must we social justice warriors gear up and wage peace. On December 2, 2015 I left the comforts of the Jersey Shore and traveled to Lesvos, Greece. Lesvos is the front line of the Muslim refugee crisis. Last year alone, 500,000 refugees landed on the shores of this eastern island in the Greek archipelago seeking peace and a new life. It is estimated that another 1,500,000 refugees are still waiting in Turkey hoping to make the crossing.
When I arrived on Lesvos I joined with hundreds of volunteers from around the world to offer love and hospitality to these Muslim refugees, many of whom have only known war and destruction in recent years. It was one of the most intense experiences I have had in my life and I have been involved in social justice advocacy in the US and abroad for nearly 20 years.
During my trip in December and on a return trip earlier this month, I helped refugee boats land safely on the shores. I carried babies as young as four months off the boats to safety. I had women faint in my arms when they hit the shore. I carried a man with a bullet hole in his back safely to the medics on the beach. I helped senior citizens who survived the harrowing journey get wrapped in warm blankets. I worked at the refugee camp doing security, distributing clothing and food, organizing shelter, helping people navigate the process to get their legal paperwork sorted out, and offering solidarity and love to my Muslim brothers and sisters.
Not once during my weeks on Lesvos did I feel threatened or afraid. I met mothers and fathers, young children and seniors, engineers and teachers, nurses and construction workers, restaurant owners and soccer players. I met people who are just like us, who have survived the hellish realities of war and simply want to live in peace.
I hope my aid and advocacy for Muslim refugees and my writing about it may encourage you to join the dialogue on this critical issue. I hope you will take the time to read, to analyze, to discuss with great vigor and diligence what is happening with regard to this refugee crisis.
I know this is heavy stuff. I also know that engaging with the Muslim world is the greatest political challenge of our day and we must confront this challenge head on.
For those who might be critical of my aid and advocacy for Muslim refugees, let me be clear, I am not naïve. I recognize that among the millions of Muslim refugees that are on the move right now that there may be some who want to do us harm. But the threat of intended and unintended harm surround us every day. Statistically, I should be more afraid of dying on my daily commute on the GS Parkway or being shot by an armed American than I should be of a Muslim terrorist killing me.
In the end, we cannot allow our fears to stop us from living boldly and passionately in the pursuit of peace. We cannot give in to our fear and allow our compassion and humanity to be stripped away. We must have the courage to love our Muslim brothers and sisters, the majority of whom mean us no harm. If we do not live and love this way, then that small, vicious minority of violent Islamic fundamentalists have already won.
I refuse to give them their victory.
Jim Keady is the Director of Educating for Justice. His work has been featured on CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, Aljazeera, the BBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, etc. He is also a former Councilman in the City of Asbury Park. You can follow him on Twitter @JWKeady and on Facebook