Dakota Beacon

India was constituted as a “secular” nation.  It is predominantly Hindu, but there have always been large numbers of Buddhists, Muslims and various other religious groups throughout India’s history.  Recently India initiated a policy whereby migrants from outside its borders would not be given citizenship if they were Muslim.  Of course a chorus of protest from Muslims . . . plus the other usual suspects, students and other tools of leftism, was raised.  On the surface it might seem that this is “bigotry”. But the need to retain the secular quality of India was measured against the obvious threat of tides of Islamic migrants forcing a theocracy upon the nation - and the Muslims lost.  The policy is there to protect, not deny, a secular government.

It must be understood that India can see very clearly what Islamic dominance brings with it.  Islam itself is founded upon the demand that no Muslim may serve under any non-Muslim, that there is no god but Allah, that the ultimate goal is a world-wide caliphate under Sharia.  None of this comports with a secular society. It is diametrically opposed to secular government or conduct of any kind. India need only look across its border to either Bangladesh or Pakistan, or slightly farther, to any of the other nations which have fallen under Islam.  There is no secular government or secular life or society in those countries. India understands better than many other nations. France and Germany, Scandinavia, Britain, Spain and Italy are learning from first-hand experience. India is wisely taking a similar route to Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Slovenia in at least exercising caution with those seeking Indian citizenship.

We could learn much from those who have this greater experience and deeper understanding.  As of the moment, many local jurisdictions are debating the issue of whether to accept “refugees” into their communities.  The obvious concerns on the surface are matters of financial commitment, adequate services, housing, etc. These are minor concerns of the moment.  Of much greater import is the long-range, in-depth effect of acceptance of refugees - who, exactly they are, why they think they should be here, what they want, how they plan to fit in with the American way of life.  We should consider carefully whether these refugees are seeking an opportunity for a better life and more wealth or whether they are being driven out of their homelands by persecution and threats to their lives.  

There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking a better life - it’s basically what most of our ancestors did.  This kind of immigrant should be provided with information about how to apply for immigrant status. The true refugee, however, is another matter.  This is a person or family at immediate risk. Throughout Islamic-controlled areas, adherents of other beliefs - Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and others - are being persecuted, their homes, businesses, churches destroyed, their children kidnapped, parents killed in front of them, by Islamic terror organizations such as Boko Haram.  In established Islamic nations such as Pakistan, blasphemy laws are used to incarcerate or execute non-Muslims. Sharia is the law of the land in such places and no one can be said to live free there. As Islam spreads, violence follows anywhere there is resistance to Sharia. India wisely chose to limit the harm to its political and social structure, to protect its non-Muslim population.  [It might be added Western nations such as France, Britain and Sweden are beginning to see a massive grass-roots backlash to lenient immigration policies which have been open doors to unvetted, almost entirely Islamic, migrants.]

We should do the same.  Vet “refugees” very, very carefully to make certain that they are truly refugees and not merely migrants.  We should direct our representatives on county commissions, city councils and city commissions as well as our state legislatures, that we do not want to transform our communities into pockets if Islam under the guise of helping “refugees”.  It is a game of numbers. When the numbers or percentages reach critical mass we begin to see ever greater demands for accommodation at the expense of other populations and we begin to find that the values of Islam and Sharia begin to be manifest in abuses, particularly of women, Jews and gays.  If we don’t want to see this, there is a way to avoid it - simply make sure that whoever is admitted to America is truly ready, willing and able to become American, to share our American values and respect American - not Sharia - law.