After the San Bernardino shootings, voices rise on both sides of the refugee debate

Bill Whittle scanned the crowd of more than 200 Redlands Tea Party Patriots and Unite Inland Empire members gathered for the yearly Christmas party. The tables in the Western-themed barbecue restaurant were decorated with stickers hailing the 2nd Amendment and proclaiming: “Don’t Tread on Me.”

“To say that this is a war on terror is designed to make sure that we don’t say that it’s a war on Islam,” Whittle told the crowd last week.

“Amen!” a woman shouted.

“The president said just a few nights ago [that] America is not at war with Islam,” Whittle, a conservative blogger and political commentator, continued. “I think that’s probably true. But Islam is at war with America, and they have been for some time now.”

The Dec. 2 terror attack in San Bernardino, which left 14 dead and injured 22 others, has intensified the debate over whether the U.S. should accept Syrian refugees and inspired some people — most notably GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump — to oppose allowing any Muslims into the country.

For some in this swath of Southern California, which has strong conservative undertones, the massacre at the Inland Regional Center provided a “told you so” moment.”

John Berry, a California state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots and a cabinet member of the Redlands chapter, said the terrorist attack by Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik validated what he and others have been saying for years.

“I take no satisfaction in saying, ‘I told you so.’ None, because this is a horrible, horrible atrocity,” Berry said. “But in some ways I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before.”

Just one day before the Inland Regional Center shooting, members of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots and other conservatives had pressed the Redlands City Council to keep refugees from being brought into the community.

In the days that followed, there have been dozens of reports of anti-Muslim incidents across the country. Just 75 miles from San Bernardino, a mosque was set on fire in Coachella.

Berry, 51, said such acts were deplorable, adding: “No one in their right mind is advocating that.” But, he said, “One of the media’s favorite tricks is they love to juxtapose these events on conservatives when it is just as unfair as it is unethical.”

The Inland Empire once was a solid Republican stronghold. But with the growth of the Latino population, which tends to vote Democratic, the GOP’s hold has become more tenuous, said John Pitney, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. Recent data show the percentage of voters registered as Democrats and Republicans in San Bernardino County at about 38% and 34%, respectively.

Berry, who writes instructional material for a software company, knows the divide well: His wife, Sharilyn, is a Democrat. And the couple’s 11-year-old son, Marshall — a precocious political junkie — can be humorously sarcastic about his dad’s brand of deep conservatism.

The day before the Christmas party, Marshall sat on the couch between his parents and faced his father. He chopped his hand against the air repeatedly, moving farther and farther to the right.

“Republicans, Republicans, Republican,” the boy told Berry before reaching as far to the right as his arm would allow. “You.”

Being outnumbered at times doesn’t bother Berry. He and his wife have been married for 14 years and “survived” their ideological gulf during three presidential cycles. This time around, John is betting on Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Sharilyn on Democrat Hillary Clinton.

“I’ve got the media and my wife to tell me how I’m wrong,” Berry said, joking.

Despite the levity, their debates can become heated, such as when the issue of terrorism came up later that night: “So after they blow up somebody, is that good enough proof for you? Or do you want to prevent it from happening?” John said, exasperated.

“I’m saying that if you wanted to do harm to our country, there are easier ways to get in than being a refugee,” Sharilyn, 50, said.

On Tuesday, more than two dozen members of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots and other groups again appeared in front of the City Council.

In a statement, Mayor Paul Foster reiterated that there were no plans to bring refugees to Redlands.

“Let this new challenge strengthen our resolve to be true to who we are,” the mayor said. “Despite the loud voices of a few individuals spreading fear, we are a community that embraces residents of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds, and we will not honor one act of evil with another act of evil.”

One by one, audience members stood to speak.

Dale Broome came to the council with a voluntary pledge that he said he and others planned to ask Islamic leaders in the community to sign. It called for them to create programs to identify extremists and commit to not disseminating terrorist propaganda or store illegal weapons, bombs or ammunition within the mosque.

Redlands resident Carol Dyer spoke against what she said was political opportunism: “Let us not reject those with families and lives and great need from Syria because of their religion or origin,” Dyer said. “Let us not become so narrow-minded, so bigoted, so xenophobic that we forget the basic tenets our country represents.”

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Don Dix of ACT for America, a national security nonprofit, also called for Muslim leaders to be more vigilant within their congregations and to work with law enforcement to identify potential terrorists.

“Of course the vast majority [of Muslims] are peaceful people,” Dix said. “Most Germans were peaceful, yet the Nazis drove the agenda and, as a result, 60 million people died. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.”

From the dais, Foster took a deep breath, swallowing hard

At the San Bernardino mosque Farook once attended, just days before, Hussam Ayloush’s voice echoed over the loud speakers.

“As-salamu alaykum.” Peace be upon you.

The executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations came to San Bernardino last week to urge fellow Muslims to talk about the good deeds being done in the community and condemn terrorist acts.

After prayers, Yaser Slayyeh, a cardiologist from Redlands, said tragedies like the mass killing were a time people needed to come together.

“We’re in the same boat in the middle of the ocean,” Slayyeh said. “If something happens to the boat, all of us will sink.”

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