MARCH 2017

where do you STAND?
Is President Trump right to give priority immigration
status to Christians of the Middle East?
BY MIKE SARAFA
This month’s cover story explains President
Trump’s follow through on his campaign
pledge. Trump pledged to give Middle Eastern
Christians priority when crafting immigration
policies for the Unites States, including his attempted
ban on immigration from certain Muslim
countries. This pledge—now turned policy—is
controversial to say the least. It has been championed
by those representing the afflicted groups,
but roundly condemned by those who object to religious
preferences in these matters.
Where do you stand?
To analyze a complex problem such as this, it
might be helpful to draw upon a basic theory in
college logic courses. Remember Aristotle and the
syllogism? Wikipedia defines a syllogism as a major
premise, supported by a minor premise to deduce a
conclusion. Thus, in Wikipedia’s example; all men
are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is
mortal.
I have constructed four syllogisms that assume
various points of view that might be useful in bringing
some clarity to this issue. But the bottom line is
that the major premise is often formed by one’s own
opinion of perspective regarding the facts. Still, some
facts are well known which is potentially problematic
for some conclusions. They are not constructed very
neatly, but you’ll get the point. Here they are:
All terrorists are Muslim.
Muslim immigrants could be terrorists.
Therefore immigration from Muslim countries
should be stopped.
Christians in the Middle East are persecuted.
Persecuted people deserve special treatment.
Therefore, Christians deserve special treatment.
The influx of immigrants is bad.
U.S Policy allows too much immigration.
Therefore U.S immigration policy is bad.
Americans have common Judeo-Christian values.
Christians of the Middle East share those values.
Therefore, more Christians should be welcomed to
the U.S.
There seems to be two underlying premises to
Trump’s views: one is that crime is up nationally;
second, illegal immigration is up. Therefore, illegal
immigrants must commit crime. Unfortunately,
for the Trump administration, there are no facts
that bear any of that out.
On the other hand, the fate of Christianity in
the Middle East has been moving in the wrong
direction for a generation. With ISIS, it came to
head. Christians were given a choice to convert,
leave or die. Christian towns were emptied then
plundered. Churches destroyed.
There is a case for preferences for Christian immigration.
It runs up against American ideals of
fairness and equity. It is between these two roads
that this issue travels. How it ends up and whether
it is right, is up to us as a society and government
to decide.
10 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2017