I’m writing in response to a letter that appeared in your Sept. 18 edition under the caption “United States should not allow war refugees.” This letter contained several misstatements of fact.

With regard to those escaping the conflict in Syria, the author contends that the “vast majority of the immigrants are young men, who appear fit and well fed.” In fact, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, of registered Syrian refugees, 49.5 percent are male (26.5 percent of whom are under the age of 17) and 50.5 percent are female. He goes to point out that they are “overwhelmingly Muslim” and that it “is no coincidence that almost all terrorist attacks in the U.S., including the ones that have been thwarted by the authorities, have been perpetrated by Muslim young men.” Again, this is simply not true. An FBI study looking at terrorism committed on U.S. soil between 1980 and 2005 found that 94 percent of the terror attacks were committed by non-Muslims. Think Oklahoma City and Charleston.

He further contends that “our authorities have no ability to examine each immigrant.” In fact, all refugees admitted to the U.S. are subject to a very detailed and rigorous process with the result that a very small number of refugees around the world (less than one half of one percent) become U.S. residents.

What is true is that fear too often keeps us from responding to international crises like this one. Not caution or prudence based on facts, but the kind of blind fear that ties our hands and keeps us from living up to our history of being a beacon of hope to oppressed peoples.

Brian Anderson

Redmond