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 The Democratic governor was presented the Profile In Courage award
at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, alongside the
Syrian family he personally welcomed to his state.
Malloy invited the refugee family to settle in Connecticut a week
after the November 13 attack by Islamic militants that killed 130
people in Paris. At least one of the attackers is believed to have
held a Syrian passport, although the authenticity of the document
has been questioned.
The attack prompted governors in more than half the U.S. states to
oppose the settlement of Syrian refugees. Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump called for a complete ban on Muslims entering
the country.
 “When I saw that, I decided to raise my voice and to make clear that
not all Americans think all people should be barred at the door
because of religion or from where they come,” Malloy said in his
speech. “I accept this tremendous award on behalf of the good people
of this nation who said, ‘Not in our land.’”
It was the first public event attended by the refugee family — a
mother, husband and five-year-old son. In a halting speech in
English, the mother, Fatema, thanked Malloy and the United States.
“This country is our future. We love this country. We will work to
defend it and improve it,” said Fatema, who wore a headscarf.
The family’s surname was withheld because of concerns about the
safety of their relatives in Syria.
Fatema acknowledged that the family had received a less friendly
reception from some people, whom she said had formed the wrong idea
about Muslims based on the attacks in Paris, San Bernardino,
California and elsewhere.
“I tell them that those people ... are not bad Muslims; they are not
Muslim at all,” she said.
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Since the family’s arrival, about 75 Syrian refugees have been
settled in Connecticut, with another 250 slated to arrive, Malloy
said.
U.N. mediator Staffan de Mistura has said up to 400,000 people have
been killed as a result of the Syrian civil war and the U.N puts the
number of Syrian refugees abroad at 5.8 million.
President Barack Obama said on Thursday he expected the United
States would meet a goal to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees before the
end of the 2016 fiscal year, despite delays and opposition from
critics concerned about security implications.
The State Department reported on March 31, halfway into the fiscal
year, only 1,285 Syrians had been admitted into the United States.
Malloy received the award from John Schlossberg, the grandson of the
late president Kennedy.
“Whether Irish or Chinese, Jewish, Japanese or Latino, our newest
neighbors have all too often been greeted by a chorus of ignorance,”
Schlossberg said.
(Editing By Frank McGurty and Andrew Hay)
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