Xenophobia—the fear of foreign people and objects—is rampant in western

countries. A diverse range of factors contribute to such dread: immigrants with

extreme ideology, loss of opportunities, increasing political and cultural
dominance of non-natives among many other subtle reasons. It goes without
saying that this phenomenon is ominous and can lead to intolerance, instability
and loss of identity among natives. It is imperative that proper solutions need
to be explored to cope with the phobia for a peaceful and harmonious living.
The irrational fear of foreigners has been rooted in various aspects. The prime reason is
flooding of immigrants among whom a marginal percentage of people enter illegally and
abet and resort to criminal activities, which leads to mistrust and fear of immigrants. A
classic example is the US wherein many Mexicans are entering illegally, committing
crimes and intimidating people. In addition, the youth in the host country are losing
many job opportunities. Currently, in the US, non-natives work for much lower salaries
than natives and are preferred by the companies which intend to cut costs and compete
in the global market, but such moves can send shivers down the spine among natives.
Furthermore, a feeling of being politically and culturally powerless has canopied the
western people since the immigrants have entered into the political arena and
influencing policies and favouring their own communities. For instance, so many Hindu
temples are being built in the US, which might bring in cultural fears and more
importantly, make the natives lose their self-identity. These factors can have a huge
impact on the host country. One repercussion is that when natives become powerless,
they might become intolerant of foreigners and start hating them, which ultimately
leads to disputes and it may also result in civil wars. Next, when diverse interests need
to taken into consideration, government policies are compromised on and can cause
political and administrative instability in the country, which is nothing but its doom.
In view of the magnitude of the fear, it is necessary that both government and
the individuals ought to invest their efforts in alleviating this menace. First of
all, it is suggested that strict laws and rules need to be in place to monitor the
inflow and outflow of immigrants. Then, it is possible to track and catch hold of
the malevolent foreigners that disrupt the country. Secondly, though an open
economy can grow quickly and become an economic superpower, as in the
case of the US, it is always important, in my view, that a country should give
preference to their citizens the first preference on economical, political, and
cultural fronts. Thirdly, when country becomes virtually cosmopolitan, the
diverse communities need to be addressed in policies for which
decentralization of power need to be observed in drafting policies so that it can
probably bring in unity in diversity.
From the above, it is quite clear that xenophobia has the potential to damage
peace and harmony among countries. Nevertheless, it is not a problem
without solutions. If some of the steps suggested above are implemented, it is
possible that the fear of foreigners can be reduced to the minimum.

INTOLERANCE INSTABILITY SELF IDENTITY

STRICT RULES FOR IMMIGRANTS ASSERTION OF ONE’S COUNTRY RAISE
AWARENESS BRINGING HARMONY AMONG CULTURES