Colombian superstar Shakira fears for minorities under new U.S. President Donald Trump's first term as leader.
The reality TV star-turned-Leader of the Free World signed an executive order last month (27Jan17), which barred citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering America - a presidential directive that was temporarily halted by Seattle based judge James Robart last week (03Feb17).
On Thursday (09Feb17) a panel of three federal judges in America's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the temporary suspension of Trump's travel order, dubbed the 'Muslim-ban' by critics, and Shakira has shared her thoughts on the global implications of the controversial decree.
"This isn't just an attack on Muslims or refugees - this is an attack on all humans and in particular, the ones most in need of protection," the singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador wrote in a new TIME magazine piece. "Right now, worldwide, 28 million children have been uprooted by conflict, driven from their homes by violence and terror. Children know no nations and no borders; those who survive will grow up to follow the lead of those who take them in. Do we show them love and acceptance? Or allow them to fend for themselves, vulnerable to guerrilla groups that will only teach them to perpetuate this cycle of violence?"
The halt on Trump's travel order is a win for activists, but Shakira thinks the failed executive order is an example of things to come under the new U.S. leader.
"We have to be vigilant about letting bigotry and hatred creep into the mainstream or be rationalized under the guise of 'protecting our people'," she added. "If we accept blanket targeting towards Muslims, we can all be sure that other minority groups won’t be far behind, whether it’s by closing borders to other supposed 'dangerous' groups or trampling their human rights in other ways."
