Syrian Refugee Family Starts Over In The U.S.; Blogger Challenges Stereotypes About Muslim Women.
D. TRUMP: With all the problems this country has and all of the problems that you see going on, hundreds of thousands of people coming in from Syria where we know nothing about them. We know nothing about their values and we know about their love for our country.</s>CAMEROTA: All right. Well, that was Donald Trump talking about Syrian refugees but he got some things wrong. There are 10,000, not hundreds of thousands of them, who have been relocated this year to the U.S., and they go through a long vetting process involving several agencies and it can take up to two years. So who are these Syrian refugees? Well, we spent a day with a Syrian family who is trying to rebuild their lives here in the U.S.</s>CAMEROTA: Maryam and Fadel arrived in the U.S. a year ago with their four young sons after escaping war in Syria. They wanted to protect their children from airstrikes hitting close to their house and from the psychological damage of witnessing death and destruction. First, the family made it to a refugee camp in Jordan, but they say the situation there was appalling.</s>MARYAM, SYRIAN REFUGEE RESETTLED IN U.S. (through translator): My kids were beaten many times in Jordan. My son, Ibrahim, has scars on both arms and on his leg. I wish we never went to Jordan and that I came straight to the U.S. from Syria.</s>CAMEROTA: After three years of violence and unspeakable conditions at the refugee camp, Maryam's family was chosen by the U.N. for relocation to the</s>U.S. MARYAM (through translator): We initially said no because we didn't have the money to move forward with this plan, but they assured us it was OK and told us that we would have jobs when we got to the U.S.</s>CAMEROTA: Last September, they arrived in New Jersey without money, job prospects, or a word of English. But they did meet two unexpected friends, Kate McCaffrey and Melina Macall, women who felt a deep desire to help the refugees.</s>KATE MCCAFFREY, ANTHROPOLOGY PROFESSOR, MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY: Syria is a country -- a country that's full of diverse people -- doctors, nurses, welders, all kinds of people -- grandparents -- and we've demonized an entire nation of people on the basis of fear of a few. And they just want an opportunity to have an ordinary life. To work, to go to school, to have a meal with their families. And they just want a degree of normality.</s>CAMEROTA: Melina remembers the moment that she was compelled to take action when she heard the governor of her state say that 5-year-old Syrian orphans could not be trusted.</s>GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: The fact is that we need appropriate vetting, and I don't think orphans under five are being -- you know, should be admitted into the United States at this point.</s>MELINA MACALL, FORMER PROFESSOR AT MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY: It just seemed too outrageous and heinous. He doesn't represent me and he doesn't represent many other people. Just try and imagine your day-to-day life and then suddenly everything you know being torn away from you. And then you finally find refuge somewhere and you're treated like a pariah.</s>CAMEROTA: Kate and Melina were so incensed by the political rhetoric that they came up with an idea -- throw a series of dinners at their synagogue. It would be an interesting melding of faiths. Syrian Muslims breaking bread with a Jewish congregation. One of the dinners was on Christmas night. That's where they met Maryam.</s>MACALL: She just had this twinkle in her eye and this great smile, and just warmth emanating from her. And she was definitely one of the personalities that shown in that evening without any exchange of words at all.</s>CAMEROTA: Maryam and Fadel could not communicate in English but they had something important they wanted to say about that gathering so they used Google translate on their cellphone.</s>MCCAFFREY: It said, I am in a haven of peace and tranquility.</s>MARYAM (through translator): I remember when they first came to visit us. I was so happy that American people came to welcome us.</s>CAMEROTA: Despite that warm welcome and their new friends, life in the U.S. has not been easy, starting with a $7,000 fee -- a reimbursement --that the U.S. charged Maryam and Fadel for the family's air travel.</s>MCCAFFREY: They were faced with this onerous monthly payment for the transportation loan so we decided to turn that around and we launched a campaign to raise $7,000 in seven days, and we were thrilled to be able to do that in less than 72 hours.</s>CAMEROTA: Fadel is a welder by trade but he has not been able to find work in the U.S. At the moment, they rely on government assistance to pay for their food and rent.</s>MARYAM (through translator): The one thing I hope for is to be constantly employed. We need a steady job. It's true we don't speak the language but our English will get better as we keep working.</s>CAMEROTA: And there's the emotional cost of moving thousands of miles from home. Maryam misses her friends and family who are still in Syria and still in danger.</s>MARYAM (through translator): Both my parents are sick.</s>MCCAFFREY: This is one of the hard things is that with cellphones they are in contact with their families and they can see terrible things happening.</s>CAMEROTA: Still, Maryam tries to focus on the positive.</s>MARYAM (through translator): I am overjoyed that my kids are going to school. This is the most important thing in the whole world for me.</s>CAMEROTA: What do you want your fellow Americans who are watching to know about this entire experience?</s>MCCAFFREY: We have a large country. We have been built on immigrants -- of people fleeing persecution -- and we encourage people to remember those American values.</s>MARYAM (through translator): We came to the U.S. and all of the country is welcoming us, thanks to God. We didn't expect that all the different faith groups would welcome us. Everyone made us feel wanted.</s>MACALL: When somebody new comes into your neighborhood just reach out a hand and your little -- your little action just means the world to someone else.</s>CAMEROTA: So, joining us now to discuss this is a woman on the front lines of trying to fight Islamophobia in our current political climate. Amani Al-Khatahtbeh is the founder and editor-in-chief of muslimgirl.com. That's the top Muslim blog for women in the U.S. She is out today with a new book. It is called "Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age". Amani, thanks so much for being here.</s>AMANI AL-KHATAHTBEH, AUTHOR, "MUSLIM GIRL: A COMING OF AGE": Thank you for having me here.</s>CAMEROTA: So, it was really eye-opening for me to go and spend the day with this Muslim family and I was -- I really came away with pretty intense mixed feelings. They're so warm and lovely and welcoming and kind and yet, they're in a really tough position having relocated here with no English and no jobs. What do you see when you watch their plight?</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: To be honest, watching that segment made me think what is America, if not the land of freedom and opportunity and tolerance? You know, just like we saw with them breaking bread with a Jewish family. I think that really epitomizes the struggle right now, is that we have to just really bond over the fact that we're all human beings and really just open our doors in that way.</s>CAMEROTA: And yet, on a practical level, the idea that they don't have money and they don't have jobs and they don't speak English -- I mean, is this a situation that is ripe for alienation and resentment on both sides?</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: I think that it is definitely a huge potential for alienation, of course. I mean, they're coming into a society where the lightning rod of contention right now in our election is whether or not they should be even allowed here. And, of course, I think that a lot of misunderstandings of most Americans breeds some contempt for that, as well. But that's why it's really important for us to extend our hands and reach out and really just get to know people.</s>CAMEROTA: So, for voters, and particularly Donald Trump supporters, who are nervous about letting people in who seem different and who don't speak a word of English -- I mean, what do you say to them?</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: I mean, Donald Trump wouldn't be here today if his grandparents didn't immigrate here, right, so that's really how our country has been built. It's been built by immigrants. And for Muslims especially, you know, the PDS (ph) released a study where they said that 10 to 15 percent of slaves that literally came here on boats in America were Muslims. They literally built this country. So, of course, we belong here. And the fact that we're only spoken about in the context of this refugee crisis or as outsiders or as immigrants is simply, you know, inaccurate.</s>CAMEROTA: And, of course -- I mean, I know, having read your book and your blog, you're also very incensed that, often, you're spoken about in terms of terrorism. And even when they're not painting you with a broad brush there is a feeling of if only peaceful Muslims would speak out about the radicals in their midst this problem would be solved. What is the error in thinking there?</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: It inherently implicates the Muslim people as a whole for terrorism, rather than looking at it as an individualistic act. And, of course, it's to keep in mind the context that there's 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. So the majority of us -- yes, not only do we speak out against terrorism, but we actually don't -- like, we have nothing to do with that. So the fact that we're expected to constantly speak to it is, I think, very dehumanizing.</s>CAMEROTA: And also -- I mean, people in Muslim communities do call the police all the time --</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: All the time.</s>CAMEROTA: -- even on their own children --</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: All the time.</s>CAMEROTA: -- and on their neighbors. They do it all the time. The idea that this isn'thappening is also a misconception.</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: Absolutely.</s>CAMEROTA: I want to read just one little portion from your book because you talk about how your lives, as a whole, have changed since 9/11. "After 9/11, it was like a curtain had been pulled back on my family, casting them into a spotlight, and revealing them to a world that seemed to have always been festering behind a thin veil." Is that how you still feel today?</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: Unfortunately, yes, you know. I think that, especially with the current election cycle, that curtain has been pulled back even more and we really see just the underlying sentiments that exist within America towards people that are different from us or that seem different, and it's really difficult. You know, the fact that there are civil rights organizations saying that Islamophobia today hasn't been this high of a level since immediately after 9/11. It's like I think that we should be progressing forward rather than slipping backwards and getting even worse.</s>CAMEROTA: Well, Amani, thanks so much for having this conversation with us here on NEW DAY today. And the book, again, is "Muslim Girl". It's a fascinating read for everyone who's interested. Thanks so much.</s>AL-KHATAHTBEH: Thank you.</s>CAMEROTA: We're following a lot of news this morning so let's get right to it.</s>D. TRUMP: This is a criminal act -- a conspiracy.</s>HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is unqualified and unfit, and every single day his campaign proves that.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to reassure Donald Trump the system is not rigged.</s>MELANIA TRUMP, WIFE OF DONALD TRUMP: He was lead on -- egg on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff.</s>GOV. MIKE PENCE (R-IN), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have no doubt the national media is trying to rig this election.</s>M. TRUMP: Don't feel sorry for me. I can handle everything.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.</s>CUOMO: Good morning, welcome to your NEW DAY. Donald Trump doubling down on claims of a rigged election, even blasting Republican leaders who deny his allegations of large-scale voter fraud because there is no proof. This comes as new documents were released by the FBI and they show a State Department official pressing the Bureau to declassify an email about Benghazi.</s>CAMEROTA: Also, Melania Trump speaking out in a new interview with CNN. She says that her husband was egged on to say those lewd comments and she believes that Trump never assaulted his accusers. We are one day away from the final debate and 21 days until the election. Let's begin our coverage with CNN's Manu Raju, live in Vegas. What's the latest, Manu?</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Alisyn. Donald Trump's path to 270 electoral votes is getting increasingly narrow as polls continue to show him losing nationally and in a lot of these key battleground states.