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After the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for shootings and bombs that killed more than 120 people in Paris, politicians across Europe began voicing renewed concern for the ongoing refugee crisis that has brought hundreds of thousands of Syrians to Europe in search of safety. Up to now, the main concern for European nations was how to deal with the large numbers of people seeking asylum after their long and difficult journey. Now, however, fear of ISIS militants disguising themselves among the refugees has made border security a top concern for many leaders. “We don’t think that everyone who comes from there is a terrorist, but even one terrorist is too many,” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “It’s bad even to think about how many terrorists may have gone through the territory of our country.” Security fears may bring about the end of Europe’s Schengen Agreement, according to Francois Gere, executive director of the French Strategic Analysis Institute. The Schengen Agreement allows people to move freely across 26 countries in the European Union. But the head of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland urged leaders and the public not to take their anger out on people who need help. " We cannot blame the refugees for this, because they are actually fleeing away from terrorism," he said. French President Francois Hollande said this week that France still plans to honor its original plan to accept 30,000 refugees over the next two years.Vocab
European Union
— a politico-economic union of 28 member states that operates through intergovernmental-negotiated decisions by the member states
Daesh
– the Arabic name used in the Middle East for the Islamic State (ISIS) and increasingly by European and U.S. officials; many prefer this term because it gives no legitimacy to the existence of an Islamic “state”
Schengen Agreement
– an agreement first signed in 1985 by a small group of Europeans nations and implemented in 1995 that allows for passport-free travel throughout most of Europe
Warm up questions
- What is a political refugee?
- Why do countries have borders?
- How do countries protect their borders?
Critical thinking questions
- Why do you think part of ISIS’s strategy includes instilling fear in people, so that nations will make major changes in their foreign policy, such as closing their borders and refusing to take in refugees?
- What would be the significance if the Schengen Agreement were to end?
- How do actions by the Islamic State (ISIS) damage the reputation of Islam throughout the world?
