The So Called "Muslim Ban"

The recently signed executive order by President Donald Trump has caused mass controversy across the nation. It has been dubbed the "Muslim Ban" by the media and proclaimed as a horrific act that is against the values that America was founded upon.

In reality, when the executive order is broken down and examined, it's not the beginning of fascism as it is implied.

The executive order can be read in its entirety here.

Countries on the List

Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia are the 7 countries in which the executive order bans access to the United States from. It does not ban all people of the Islamic faith from entering these great states, but it prevents citizens from countries deemed high risk by the Department of Homeland Security from entering the country. This a measure to establish a proper vetting process to prevent from allowing dangerous terrorists into the country, not to discriminate and punish Muslims for their faith.

Further, the list was developed under the Obama Administration by the DHS, therefore President Trump had no say or even influence on the countries effected by the ban. This means that he could not leave countries that allegedly have connections to his sprawling business empire exempt. 

DHS Reference

Countries Not Effected

7 majority Muslim countries' citizens are banned from the United States, but Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco are all not banned. They are 9 of the 10 countries in the world with the highest Muslim population. All together, they include almost a billion (around 980 million)  Muslims that are not effected by the executive order.

Over 80% of the Muslim world is not effected by the ban.

Population Figures Reference

Length of the Ban

The ban does not prevent everyone from the countries listed from ever entering the United States. Instead, it is a 90 day restriction. This approximate period of three months allows for the federal government to set up a proper vetting process to screen incoming individuals when entering the United States. This will hopefully prevent the incoming of terrorists and prevent future tragedies from occurring on American soil.

However, there is an exception to this 90 day rule. Refugees that are fleeing the war-torn state of Syria are indefinitely banned from entry to the United States. The country is plagued by a civil war and the evils of ISIS and other radicals. It is horrible that many of them have nowhere to turn and that many children sleep with no roof over their head and with guns blazing just around the corner. But the risk of allowing an agent of ISIS or another terror organization into the U.S. is too great. 

It is a tragedy that many will suffer and that we cannot provide food and shelter for all that are in need, but the safety of the American People must come first.

The countries banned are not banned because they are Muslim majority, they are banned because they are high risk countries. President Trump has not banned people from entering the United States because their god is called Allah, he has put a measure in place to establish a better vetting process to prevent future terrorist attacks and to establish the safety of the American people as a priority.