Controversy and Chaos

Controversy+and+Chaos

Sarah Allen, Photo Editor

Controversy sweeps the nation after President Donald Trump declares a Muslim ban.

The ban affects many different countries that once relied on the United States for safety. Rallies and protests scattered as Americans strongly disagreed with the ban. The ban has a time limit so the end results can be predicted through current reactions from both America and the countries affected.

The seven countries that are affected by the Muslim ban include Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Libya. The purpose of the ban is to prevent citizens from Muslim-majority countries to come in to the United States. The countries affected by the ban are mostly in a state of urgency. With being war torn and economically unstable, refugees and immigrants have been trying to escape to a safer America.

In recent years when Obama was in office, the Obama Administration set a goal to get refugees out of their dangerous countries and welcome them to the United States with open arms. This was somewhat successful and allowed many people to come into the states. As one of Trump’s first official orders, this work will be reversed and his new policy on immigration and refugees will set in.

Syria is desperate when it comes to getting their people to a safe place. The main conflict taking place in Syria started in 2011. President of Syria, Bashar Al-assad, was under attack from rebel groups. Their goal was to overthrow the President because they didn’t agree with his way of ruling. During this time of conflict, ISIS was created.

Syria attempted to fight ISIS off but didn’t have much luck. During this fight Aleppo was destroyed. Aleppo was eventually completely destroyed with only trace of civilization left being the rubble of the once school buildings, hospitals and homes.

Isis also took over the lives of Syrians. Men were forced to grow facial hair while women were forced to cover up with burqas. Smoking is prohibited and access to the internet is cut off. The men and women affected by ISIS and their complete control will now be forced to stay in Syria until the ban is lifted.

ISIS did not stop when taking over Syria. Iraq is currently under attack from the terrorist organization. In 2003 the United States military forces invaded Iraq. Their dictator at the time was captured by American forces and Iraq has not been able to maintain political stability ever since. After being captured Dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged in 2006 after being sentenced to death.

In 2011, American forces attempted to help Iraqi military. The goal was to prevent the spread of ISIS. After countless executions and torment from ISIS, the eastern part of Mosul became liberated. After Liberation Mosul was not back to normal. A suicide truck bomb killed more than 200 people last year. ISIS claims to be the cause behind this killing.While troops were in Iraq, men and women volunteered to help translate to cut down on the language barrier. These people applied for Asylum in America and will not be granted because of the ban.

The ban affects Iran in a different way. The conflict in Iran started with high levels of unemployment that led to the Iranian revolution in 1979.The United States embassy in Tehran was then shut down. The country created a nuclear program that the US and the UN were forced to accept having no room for argument. The Obama administration helped to end this. The deal allowed foreign investments to flow into Iran.

In recent years the conflict in Iran has died down and they appear to be becoming more economically stable. Even with the country leaning away from conflict, minorities still live a difficult life. Rights like freedom of expression continue to be neglected. The United States has just recently built a better relationship with Iran and this ban is likely to reverse that.

The civil war in Yemen started two years ago.  The country was stricken with bombs and airstrikes that killed many, leaving rebel-held areas needing aid severely. ISIS cut off these parts of the country leaving them with no help in their time of need. In 2015 the United States backed the government in Libya. The minority Shia group of Houthi Rebels soon drove them out.

The group took over the capital of Yemen while Al Qaeda and Isis grew stronger from the conflict. The people in Yemen are typically poor and the options for leaving are limited. The people living here who relied on the option to become a refugee will now have to stay where they are with no money to leave any other way.

The former colonel of Libya, who was a successful colonel, was executed shortly after Arab Spring took over. In 2011, Moamar Gadhafi’s execution led to Libya having no stable government. ISIS militants soon took control. The United States helped aid in the fight against this by attacking Isis targets in the country. Two ISIS camps were destroyed by bombs eliminating some of the problem but the fight within the country still remains due to dwindling oil wealth.

Somalia, one of the poorest countries in the world, had their dictator kicked out in 1991. This led to a civil war. The government was reconstructed in 2012. During this time groups like Al-Shabaab, an extremist group, grew in size recruiting children to join their military. Mogadishu is under constant attack from this group. A twin blast to the capital recently killed twenty one people. Sexual violence and forced evictions remain across the country. Restrictions have been put on aid organizations giving Somali people a rallying cause to attempt to get out of the country.

Sudan has faced ongoing conflicts for years. The conflicts started around 2003 and continue to get worse as rebel groups grow stronger. The fight over land in the country led to native tribes being targeted letting innocent people be exposed to danger in the process. In the Darfur conflict it is estimated that around 300,000 people died. The president of the country at the time, Oma al-Bishar, was charged with crimes against humanity. With the president of the country being charged with things like genocide, the number of deaths is likely to be even larger.

The conflict didn’t end there. According to CNN’s website, the government is said to be using chemical weapons against the people in Sudan. The government could be accused of war crimes if it is proven to be more than a rumor. The number of people who have sought out safety in this country continues to rise from the original 100,000. These people will now have a harder time finding safety now that America is out of the question when it comes to having places to escape to.

Trump’s executive order has caused chaos around the world. People in America are fighting to get the ban removed while people in the countries affected are spending their time finding an alternative way out (if possible). Trump claims the goal of the ban is to “keep radical islamic terrorists out of the US”. This doesn’t change things for everyone with a visa. Some visas are exempt from the executive order like the one’s that are for diplomats. Permanent US citizens will not be blocked from entering the country.

Nationalities of the people who acted on the 9/11 attacks include United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who are not included in the ban. According to the New York Times, the ban is illegal. An executive order can be under legal-review if it is said to be unfair, and many believe this is executive order should be.

One driving factors behind the protests relating to the ban is the green cards that have been revoked. Trump’s administration has recently stated that if a person has a green card then they may re enter the country. If they pass security then they will be let back into America making the ban affect less people.

When the ban initially came out, over 500,000 green card holders would have been affected. The Department of Homeland Security initially planned to ban the entry of any one coming from the seven countries even if they had a green card. Many green card owners were denied entry into the United States through not being able to get on planes to being rejected when trying to come across the border.

Though one of the main goals of the ban is to stop terroristic acts and threats, it is unlikely that it will do so. Looking at the last 15 years, no major terrorist attacks on the United States have been in the name of Islam according to VOX’s website. Many terrorist attacks recently claimed by ISIS have come from people who have already been in America. Terrorists normally don’t leave their home country to act out an attack, they will usually have someone from the group who is inhabited in that country perform the attack.

The ban has caused mass chaos with the protests and enemies made. While the ban will only last a short amount of time, the results will last much longer.