If you’ve studied world history before, you know one of the general trends throughout any empire involved taxing immigrants. One of the main differences that separated said people from the empire was religion. Take the Islamic Caliphate of Cordoba, for example, where “infidels” — specifically followers of Judaism — paid a tax in order to avoid persecution for following a different faith. Due to the region of Cordoba being controlled by the Islamic Empire, followers of Islam were given an advantage as they had to pay no taxes, whereas “infidels” had a portion of their income cast away for the Caliphate’s taking. Only one of the two types of people were taxed, and thus equality was definitely not secured at the time.
In America today, everyone is required to pay taxes. Sure, some have to pay a bit more than others depending on numerous factors, such as if they’re running a business, but all in all taxes are applied to everyone. In most cases, no one is exempted from all of their taxes, and certainly no one is exempted from taxes due to their religion. Indeed, in America, religion plays no major role regarding the status of a citizen. A Christian has access to the same things a Jewish, Muslim, or even Athiest person has. No one follower of faith is given priority over another.
At least, that’s how it should be. But Donald Trump is president, black lives are being taken at the hands of those who pledged to protect them, and the wage gap still exists. Things in America are never how they should be, and among all the things wrong with the country, Trump has yet again added onto the list.
According to Business Insider, Trump is planning on giving Christian Syrians priority when applying for refugee status.
Just let that sink in for a minute. When initially considering Syrians for refugee status in America, he is not looking for real major red flags, but their faiths. He is not seeking to keep out terrorists, but Muslims. (Though, as we all know, Trump seldom sees the difference between the two.) In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network regarding the matter, Trump said:
“They’ve (Christians) been horribly treated. Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, at least very tough to get into the United States? If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible and the reason that was so unfair, everybody was persecuted in all fairness, but they were chopping off the heads of everybody but more so the Christians. And I thought it was very, very unfair.”
The fact of the matter is, it is unlikely that Trump truly cares about how Christian Syrians were treated when applying for refugee status in America. We all know Trump is majorly anti-Muslim, and this is his way of keeping as many of them out as possible. What our new president doesn’t understand is that Syrian refugees do not come to America for any other reason than just that: refuge. Nearly everyone, whether they are Christian or Muslim or neither, are seeking to escape their war-torn homes. The sound of bombs dropping rings the same in the ears of a Christian as it does in the ears of a Muslim. Their faith has nothing to do with their desire to come to America, and therefore no one deserves priority over another. A refugee is a refugee. Should religion really make the difference between someone saving their own life and someone being forced to go back to the land that stole their sisters and brothers? (Hint: the answer is no.) Some of us were lucky enough to be born here without the constant threat of violence hanging over our heads. Refugees merely want to experience the same right. Don’t take that away because of something as minute as religion.
