By : Toni Ervianto *)

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, President Donald Trump says his halt to immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations and ban on refugees is being done in the name of national security. But it's not clear the measures will help prevent attacks on American soil, and they could wind up emboldening extremists who already view the United States (US) as at war with Islam.

Recent acts of deadly extremist violence have been carried out either by US citizens or by individuals whose families weren't from the nations singled out. And the list of countries in Trump's order doesn't include Saudi Arabia, where most of the Sept. 11 hijackers were from, or other places with a more direct link to terrorism in US.

The admissions ban announced Friday also does not directly address a more urgent law enforcement concern: homegrown violent extremists already in the United States who plot their attacks without any overseas connections or contacts.

The executive order suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and bars all immigration for 90 days from Muslim-majority countries with terrorism concerns Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It indefinitely bars the processing of refugees from Syria, a country that's been of particular country to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) even though the number of Americans who have looked to travel there to fight with the Islamic State has been dwindling. But the culprits of recent deadly terror attacks aren't linked to the countries singled out by Trump's order.

John Cohen, a former Department of Homeland Security counterterrorism official who worked in government under Democratic and Republican administrations and who has been involved in refugee vetting policy said the primary terrorism-related threat facing the US today comes from individuals living here who become inspired by what they see on the internet, who carry out attacks independent of any terrorist organization. 

The FBI has for years been concerned by the prospect of airplane bomb plots and terrorists dispatched from overseas to commit violence in America. But the ascendancy of the Islamic State, and the group's ability through slick and easily accessible propaganda to reach susceptible young Americans in all corners of the country, has been a more immediate challenge — and a more realistic danger — for counterterrorism officials than any threat posed by refugees from abroad. "Dealing with that threat should be a top priority for this administration," Cohen said.

In general, Islamic extremists have accounted for a minuscule amount of the roughly 240,000 murders since Sept. 11, 2001, said Charles Kurzman, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kurzman said his research identified zero fatalities since Sept. 11 caused by extremists from the seven nations in Trump's order. He said people with ancestry from those countries have accounted for only a small fraction of extremist-related arrests and disrupted plots during the same time period. 

Still, while refugees are subject to screening — including in-person interviews, checks with law enforcement databases and collection of biometric data, when available — the process is not perfect.

FBI counterterrorism officials have long expressed concern about the lack of background information about refugees from Syria, a home base of the Islamic State, and Director James Comey has said that he could not guarantee a mistake-free vetting process. There have been isolated incidents of refugees later accused in terror-related plots.

Bigotry Spirit

Since Trump’s campaign during US presidential elections, Trump had been warned that he must be protected American people and their interest from a terror groups attack.

Actually, Trump’s decision on ban refugees immigration especially from Muslim countries such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen would be made some seriously trouble for Trump’s administration not only related to the next terror attacks to USA, but Trump’s decision will make USA has an economic barrier with some of Muslim countries. Even, London Mayor, Sidhiq Khan had been criticized Trump’s idea which make a bad tension with Muslim communities in the world.

Remembering the typical of Trump who reflects ultra nationalistic person, actually his current decisions among ban refugees immigration from Muslim countries didn’t make breathtaking for everyone. Furthermore, most of people has been saying that Trump’s decision is reflected as a bigotry spirit.

Essentially, Trump’s decisions will be affected to US tax revenue because most of sparkling employee in USA are Muslim workers. They have loyally been paid their taxes for USA development programme. So if the impact from Trump’s decision will be strucked them, they would be disobey to pay their taxes so that an USA economic could be collapsed.

As we know together, for maintaining the wheel of an USA economics daily activities, they need a lot of gas and gasoline from other countries specially USA has been imported it from muslim countries in Middle East region. If all of Muslim countries in Middle East and other regions will be together against a recent Trump’s decision regarding to ban refugee immigration, Trump’s government will be seen a trouble to maintain their economic growth. The failure of an USA’s economic growth could be made an economic, social and political uncertainty in USA. Those conditions if will happen, its make “nightmare” for Trump’s administration.

I think Donald J Trump must change his attitude to guarantee on his tenor to lead as US President will be smooth. Donald J Trump must be built good relationship and a good political communication among to his supporters specially to his opponent in his homeland or in USA and his opponents in abroad. To make its happen, Trump must be patient and always taking and making his decision more proportional than ever. 

Minimalizing terror attacks to USA homeland need the change of foreign policy in USA from always positioning Islam or Muslim as threats must swing to be “a potential friend” for American. However, being admitt or not, the terror group’s growing is triggered by an arrogant foreign US policy as far as always being blame Muslim communities as a terror groups. Being admitt or not, this is a reflection of bigotry spirit itself from American leader.

For Trump is needed to realize that his foreign policy will be changed. If its happened, a terror attacks to US in coming days will be eliminated. Last but not least, US invition to other countries to join with US regarding “war on terror” will be run smoothly without a suspicious intention. I hope muslim American and all of American people didn’t worry about Trump’s policy, because Trump doesn’t know how beautiful of Islamic teachings. If he understood it, I believe in Trump’s will be falling in love to Islam. Hopefully.

*) The writer earned master at the University of Indonesia (UI), Jakarta.

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