Says religion not part of immigration

I believe that to not allow immigration of people who are Muslims is contrary to the fact that our country was founded on the principle of religious freedom and diversity.

I spent the 3 1/2 years working as an electrician for the U.S. military on a base in northern Afghanistan and part of my job was working with and training local Afghan men as electricians. As we were in the war zone these men traveled daily from their homes to the base, sometime through hostile fire. The majority of them were Muslims and also hardworking, honorable, upstanding family men who took the risk of working for USA because jobs were scarce and their families needed the money. Now that the base has been closed and our soldiers moved out of the area the Taliban has re-emerged. This has made these men targets for retribution for working for and helping the Americans. These men and their families have spent most of their lives in a perpetual war zone and I can understand why they would wish to emigrate and live in peace. Yes, I believe we need to screen and make sure that people are not coming here to harm us, but the religion they practice should not determine if they are allowed to emigrate to the United States. Our ancestors came to this country for opportunity and religious freedoms, which is what made America strong and a beacon of hope around the world.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Says religion not part of immigration."