Across the weekend, in cities across the world and across America, there were chaotic scenes and protests, as airport staff, civil-rights campaigners and lawyers began to process the effect of Donald Trump’s latest executive order. There were mass confusion about who was affected: refugees who had already been approved, those with valid US residency cards and students at American universities were all ensnared, barred from flights in cities across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Dual citizens could also fall under the ban.
For the Arab world, this is an extremely concerning development. Naturally, Mr Trump is seeking to keep the United States safe, and, seen in broad strokes, it could make a degree of sense to exclude visitors from countries that are going through significant upheaval: Yemen, Syria and Libya are certainly without stable government. In those circumstances, verifying who applicants are could be difficult, since there is no central authority.
Look closer, however, and the policy begins to unravel. Firstly, the policy goes far beyond the hypothetical case of a Syrian seeking entry to the United States from Damascus this weekend. The executive order drags in those who have been vetted and had visas issued. It includes those who have lived, worked and paid taxes in the US for many years. It includes those who have families in the US, who may even consider themselves American. It could even catch those who actually voted for Mr Trump.
Equally concerning is how this order looks and the message it sends. In the US, it creates the idea that people from those countries, all Muslim-majority, are inherently suspicious. That is dangerous. But it also lumps in all of those who are seeking to fight terrorism and extremism in those countries.
Take Iraq. Arabs and Muslims have been both the primary victims of the rise of ISIL, but also those who have fought the terrorist group most firmly on the frontlines. There are Iraqis fighting and dying this very day to keep Iraq, the Middle East and the wider world safe from the scourge of ISIL. Yet this order lumps them in with the very group they are fighting, drawing no distinction. That is not just disrespectful to those who have given their lives, but it also weakens the very alliances needed to stop further attacks, in the Middle East and in the US. Overall, this executive order is mistaken and sends the wrong message. Time for a step back.