Sue Lani Madsen: As Syrian refugee crisis brews, remember ISIS doesn’t play by the rules

What to do about Syrian refugees has been the hot topic of conversation ever since war broke out in Paris on Nov. 13. A man who is the son of immigrants described to me how last month he empathized with the photos of families fleeing Syria for Greece with young children the same age as his. He was certain we should welcome more refugees here. On Nov. 16, he wanted to protect his family by closing the borders, and he hated his reaction. We are all struggling to be both compassionate and safe.

In a formal statement this week, Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said Washington will “continue to be a state that welcomes those seeking refuge from persecution, regardless of where they come from or the religion they practice.” U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican, issued a statement acknowledging our long history of taking in refugees fleeing persecution, but went on more cautiously to say, “we must ensure that we do not allow terrorists to exploit refugee resettlement to gain entry to the United States. Our top priority must remain the safety of the American people.”

It isn’t strictly a Democrat vs. Republican question. This week’s Rasmussen poll found that 60 percent of likely U.S. voters oppose settling Syrian refugees in their home state, 28 percent are in favor and 11 percent are undecided. Republicans are more likely to put border security first; Democrats are conflicted. Push for opening the borders to the huddled masses of Syria and Iraq and you’ll be told your blind naivete will bring ISIS onto American soil. Stand up for border security first and you’ll be accused of lacking compassion for immigrants. But this isn’t an ordinary migration, this is a war.

We have rules for war, and ISIS doesn’t play by the rules. There are no front lines, no safe areas, no such thing as a civilian. A source who recently sat in on security briefings for Washington state officials confirmed what has been floating around the Internet all week: We are not safe. Evidence has been presented that ISIS has plans to distribute terrorists worldwide, creating refugees and using them for cover. We cannot adequately screen refugees from countries where no criminal or terrorist databases exist who are often traveling on false IDs. Proceeding with caution, as the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday, is not paranoid or racist or Islamophobic. It’s prudent.

Those opposed to the House vote for tighter screening often selectively use Bible verses to browbeat Christian conservatives, ignoring both context and interpretation. Ironically, many of these same folks will howl about cherry picking if anyone points out the Quranic verses urging Muslims to kill the infidels if they won’t convert to Islam. While it’s emphatically true that not all Muslims are terrorists, it’s also true that ISIS defines itself as Islamic and points to the Quran for justification for its actions. We can’t ignore this. It doesn’t matter if or how wrong ISIS is about Islam. It’s members have explicitly told us they intend to take control and establish a new caliphate because the Quran says so, and we should believe them. Another murderous movement once told the world its intentions, and the world mostly ignored the warning. How many lives would have been saved by 1945 if the German people and the future Allies had paid attention to “Mein Kampf” in 1925?

Americans do have a long history of sheltering refugees. Our Thanksgiving Day story of the welcoming Wampanoag Indians sharing a meal with struggling Pilgrims fleeing religious persecution in England is the rock solid foundation of our national character. But when asked to deliver a speech at the 350th anniversary of the legendary landing at Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims’ alliance with Chief Massasoit, a modern day elder of the Wampanoag was disinvited when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts learned the content of his speech:

“This action by Massasoit was perhaps our biggest mistake. We, the Wampanoag, welcomed you, the white man, with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end.”

I sympathize with the Wampanoag. It would be a shame not to learn from their experience.

Contact Sue Lani Madsen at rulingpen@gmail.com.