The national debate over war refugees from the Middle East isn't abstract for Rasha Moussa Basha, a Bloomfield Hills mother who grew up in Hama, Syria.
She and Ismael Mosa-Basha, her husband of 10 years, are raising two daughters and working to help people fleeing their homeland.
He's also from Hama and is a developer, a trustee of the Muslim Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills and part of a group that wants to build up to 120 Pontiac homes for newcomers granted refuge after federal screening. She's an Oakland University student and board president of the nonprofit Syrian American Rescue Network, based in Royal Oak.
In separate interviews with two metro Detroit newspaper reporters, Rasha Basha shares sentiments voiced by Muslims across the country and beyond since a series of attacks by Islamic extremists in France on Nov. 13 and in Mali on Nov. 20.
Rasha Basha: "Everyone I know from the [Muslim] community wants to do everything in their power to keep America safe."
This neighbor has messages worth hearing as some Republican politicians urge a pause in admitting Syrians, so here are parts of what she tells Niraj Warikoo of the Free Press and Carol Hopkins of The Oakland Press:
“I’m not just concerned about the Syrian refugees, I’m concerned about the future of Muslims in this country. It’s scary, it’s very sad, very disappointing. This is a tough time for us.
“I’m worried about my daughters just walking in the streets . . . We cover our heads, and some people right away associate us with terror.
“We’re raising our kids here, so we do have a vested interest in the safety of this country. Everyone I know from the community wants to do everything in their power to keep America safe. To portray all Muslims as the enemy is outrageous.
”We [Rescue Network volunteers] don’t hand the refugees money. We help with transportation and getting them jobs.
“They are very motivated, hard-working and very happy they are here. They just want peace and a better life for their kids.”
-- Alan Stamm
