The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Thursday called on political leaders to welcome the thousands of Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the United States, comparing them to Jewish refugees who fled Europe during the Holocaust.
The Museum said in a statement that the US cannot “turn our backs” on Syrians displaced by violence and terrorism in their home country.
“While recognizing that security concerns must be fully addressed, we should not turn our backs on the thousands of legitimate refugees,” the statement read. “The Museum calls on public figures and citizens to avoid condemning today’s refugees as a group. It is important to remember that many are fleeing because they have been targeted by the Assad regime and ISIS for persecution and in some cases elimination on the basis of their identity.”
The Washington, D.C. museum’s own catalogues point to the similar treatment of today’s refugees and that of Jews fleeing Nazism during World War II. The US government rejected thousands of Jewish emigrees during World War II because they feared they might be Nazi spies. Today, lawmakers want to ban Syrian refugees out of the fear that some may be Islamic terrorists in disguise.
More than two dozen governors have said they will refuse the relocation of Syrian refugees to their states. The House also passed a bill Thursday calling for a halt to President Barack Obama’s plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year.
