Miranda Mlilo, a freshman environmental science and policy major, speaks into a megaphone at the event.
A crowd of about 80 University of Maryland students gathered at the newly erected Frederick Douglass Square on Thursday to take a stand against Gov. Larry Hogan’s request to end the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Maryland.
Hogan and more than 25 other Republican governors contacted the Obama administration this week, urging the federal government to restrict the entry of Syrians in the wake of the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris that claimed 129 lives. ISIS has since declared itself responsible for the mass shootings and bombings.
Hogan announced on his Facebook page Tuesday that he requested “federal authorities [to] cease any additional settlements of refugees from Syria in Maryland until the U.S. government can provide appropriate assurances that refugees from Syria pose no threat to public safety.”
READ MORE: Hogan seeks to close Maryland borders to Syrian refugees
Many university students said they condemn Hogan’s decision.
“I for one feel that if we are to react this way we’re playing exactly into ISIS’s plan,” said sophomore government and politics major Viraj Patel, who attended the rally. “We should take responsibility when it comes to refugees. … If other countries can take in thousands of people, we should be able to do the same.”
Patel said the protest served as a precursor to Unity Week, a weeklong series of workshops and gatherings promoting inclusivity and diversity on the campus. Various student organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine, the Student Labor Action Project, Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy and this university’s NAACP chapter, sponsor the series.
READ MORE: Vigil for Humanity on McKeldin Mall honors victims of terrorism
Zein El-Amine, an Arabic Studies lecturer, said student efforts at this university to fight for justice and social equality impressed him.
“I’ve been an activist for 30 years, so I know a good protest when I see one,” El-Amine said. “It was very well-organized, and the speakers who spoke were fantastic.”
El-Amine, who spoke at the rally, said state governors’ requests to ban Syrian entry is based on xenophobia and political opportunism rather than facts.
“We’re acting as if we’re in the 20th Century,” El-Amine said. “It’s archaic.”
Sharing in his anger, Miranda Mlilo, the opening speaker at the rally, said university students and state residents must take it upon themselves to stand up against Hogan’s request.
“We will have no part in the racism and Islamophobia that is plaguing this country,” the freshman environmental science major said. “It’s not that we can’t afford to take them in. It’s not that there’s no room. The real issue here is fear.”
Fear, Mlilo said, has driven Hogan and the other state governors to prejudice.
“We share not only a common enemy but a connection of human beings,” Mlilo said. “Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution.”
Homa Hajarian, a sophomore English major who also spoke at the protest, read Hogan’s office number out loud and encouraged students to confront him directly.
“This is a beautiful symbol of solidarity … but we need to continue protesting after this because there’s a broader issue at hand,” said Aiyah Sibay, a junior English major. “No one should have to feel pressured to leave home.”
READ MORE: UMD students rally in solidarity with University of Missouri protesters
Mlilo said the gathering was held Frederick Douglass Square — officially dedicated by the university Wednesday — because Douglass serves as a role model for social justice.
“It’s a lightning rod for all the protests now,” El-Amine said. “I’m so glad this is happening.”’