These 681,713 dots put the real magnitude of the Syrian refugee crisis in perspective

theweekmagazine:

Can you spot the terrorist? That question is becoming increasingly essential to answer as ISIS threatens many parts of the world with international terrorist cells, one of which struck Paris last Friday, killing 130 people. In the United States, dozens of governors have vowed to close their states to Syrian refugees under the suspicion that they haven’t been properly vetted; some presidential candidates have stressed the need to close mosques or use religious tests to pick out Christian refugees. On Thursday, the House passed a bill that would halt the intake of refugees in order to evaluate the process; Obama has promised a veto.

While one of the Paris attackers is believed to have posed as a Syrian refugee to get into Europe using a fake passport, so far every identified attacker has been a French or Belgian national. Further, of the 681,713 Syrians seeking asylum in Europe, only one is suspected by authorities of being a terrorist.

But what does that look like, exactly? Some perspective:

“Ask yourself: How many dots would you turn away or push back out to sea — to make sure the red one didn’t get in?” The Boston Globe challenges. Click through to The Boston Globe for a larger version — but be prepared to do a lot of scrolling.