This week, Auschwitz survivors have gathered back at the site of their nightmares, along with many world leaders, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of their liberation from Auschwitz. This may be the last time that so many survivors will be there for a decade anniversary, since many survivors are in their 90s.
I mention Auschwitz as part of Europe’s dark history that is on my mind as I introduce my new blog topic for the semester: the conflict in the United States and Europe over an influx of immigrants. Often citizens in these countries have talked of fears of losing their national identity and supporting a large number of welfare recipients. The more real, tangible result of such an influx of immigrants is the discontent among said immigrants as they are left outside of mainstream society. We have already seen the result in Paris when Charlie Hebdo was attacked. Europe exists in a state of fear of its own residents.
I mention Auschwitz not because I believe that we are on the road to another Holocaust. But Europe already struggles with a racist past—Jews, an entire group of people who were often economically disadvantaged and separated from the rest of society, had previously been blamed for problems in society. Muslims now are regarded as a security threat in Islam.
The United States may have more of a history with dealing with a segment of the population that is a “security threat”, since decades ago, Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps. In the Internet age though, having the Muslim population be confined or harassed by the law in any way would not only potentially be a violation of their human rights, but also potentially add fuel to the fire of Islamists’ fire against the West.
In next week’s blog entry, I plan on looking at Charlie Hebdo a little more. But the invasion of immigrants to France, Germany, and the United Kingdom is grabbing everyone’s interest right now, but the United States is wrestling with its own immigration crisis, and many Scandinavian countries are questioning their open door policies to immigrants. In an international age, more and more countries are questioning what it takes to remain a nation in flux of disappearing borders.
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