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In Scranton, Reaction To Syrian Crisis

SCRANTON—As civil war rages on in Syria, more than a million people have fled the country and are looking for homes elsewhere, including here in the Unite...
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SCRANTON---As civil war rages on in Syria, more than a million people have fled the country and are looking for homes elsewhere, including here in the United States.

There is fighting in Syria as the president struggles for control with others, including Islamic extremists like ISIS.

"Anarchy is the way I would describe it. You have these different groups, it's also like that in Libya, these different groups going around killing other groups and no one is in charge,” said Dr. William Parente of the University of Scranton.

Dr. Parente teaches at the University of Scranton.
He has lived in and visited Syria several times and teaches a course about the politics of Islam.
Parente and his students are paying close attention as more than a million Syrian refugees try to escape the unrest.
As other countries accept some Syrians, U.S. Leaders say they may consider allowing more Syrian refugees here, into the United States.

"The German vice chancellor says over the next 3 years, they will accept 500-thousand,” said Dr. Parente who said the British and French government have also accepted thousands of Syrians, too.

When it comes to possibly allowing more Syrian refugees into the United States, people Newswatch 16 spoke with have different opinions. Some say it's a good idea. Others say it's not. There's even a concern among lawmakers and others that allowing more Syrian refugees into the United States opens the possibility to allowing ISIS terrorists into this country.

"Unless there's more resources, I don't think they can,” said Jessica Schmidt, a University of Scranton student.

"Just for the safety of our country, it may not be the best idea, find somewhere closer to their home that they can go,” said University of Scranton student Joseph Greeley.

U.S. leaders say they're also considering other ways to help ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

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