On January 27, Donald Trump (hereafter known as Forty-five and/or President Dillhole) enacted an executive order that was intended to halt immigration from seven predominately Muslim countries and evict citizens of those countries already in the States. Those seven countries were Iran, Iraq, Syria, (which would put a stop to any conversations of the US accepting any of the constant flood of Syrian refugees), Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia. In a show of support for the victims of this stupid, stupid legislative decision, protests have sprung up across the country and right-minded lawmakers have moved to swiftly defuse the executive order. The movement on the afflicted countries is xenophobia on a scale never enacted in the United States and it speaks to a kind of blanket dismissal of seven nations that have played an invaluable role in human history, that contain some of the world’s most beautiful geography, and that are home to some of the most generous and capable people in the world. In case you didn’t realize that Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Somalia contribute more to the world than “terror” (and their contribution is debatable, anyway), here are some of the coolest facts about each of these awesome countries.
1. The Terrorists Responsible For 9/11 Were From Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Lebanon, None Of Which Were Listed in 45’s Muslim Ban
2. President Dillhole’s Executive Order Conveniently Missed Any Predominately Muslim Country With Which He Has Business
3. The States of Washington, Minnesota, Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts Have Already Sued the Federal Government Over the Legality of the Ban
4. The Ban Also Prohibits US Aid To Any Of the Seven Nations, Much Of Which It Would Be Generous to Describe as War-Torn
5. The Camel Was First Domesticated in Somalia, Which Is Why the Country Has 46 Different Words For ‘Camel’
6. Somalia Has the Single Highest Population of Livestock in the World With 5% of Africa’s Goats, 10% of Africa’s Sheep and 43% Of Africa’s Camels
7. Somalia Is Also Known As the Nation of Poets
8. Yemen Is the Biblical ‘Land of Milk and Honey,’ the Location From Which Two of the Three Wise Men Gathered the Gifts They Gave Baby Jesus
9. Though Its Surrounded By Kingdoms and Emirates, Yemen Is Actually a Republic
10. A Wedding in Yemen Might Last as Long as 21 Days
11. Yemen’s Territory Includes More than 200 Islands
12. Thanks To Its Location, Libyan Cuisine Incorporates Elements Of Mediterranean, African, and Italian Influences … And Yes, It’s Delicious
13. Lunch is the Biggest Meal in Libya and Is So Revered That Businesses, Shops, and Schools Close Down For Several Hours in Order That Families Might Gather For a Meal
14. Libya’s Capital City, Tripoli, Is Known as the Mermaid of the Mediterranean
15. The Expansive Libyan Desert Is Stunning, But Also So Dry That It Can Go Years Without Rain
16. Libya’s Oil Reserves Are the Largest on the African Continent
17. With More Than 1000 Miles Of Coast Along the Mediterranean Sea, Libya’s Coast Is the Longest in Africa
18. There Are More Egyptian Artifacts in Sudan Than There Are In Egypt Itself As the Country Used to be Part of the Egyptian Empire
19. Sudan Was Home to the One of the World’s First and Most Active Women’s Rights Movements, Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the Country Produced Several Prominent Female Scientists, Politicians, and Activists
20. Though Sudan’s Official Languages Are Arab and English, The Country Is Actually Home to More Than 100 Different Dialects and Languages
21. Egypt’s Famous Nile River Actually Converges in the Sudanese City of Khartoum
22. Syria Has Had a Recipe For Beer For Nearly 5,000 Years; Beer Is So Treasured That There Are Two Types of State-Brewed Beer
23. Syrian Weapon Crafting Was Revered In the Ancient World; Damascus Steel Swords Once Inspired Fear Among Invading Crusaders
24. Syria’s Capital City of Damascus Is One Of The Longest Continuously Inhabited Cities in the World
25. Syria Was One of the Founding Members of the United Nations
26. Iraqi Culture Has Long Celebrated Dance, Including Several Homegrown Styles Like the Hacha’a, Which Resembles Belly Dancing and Requires Long Hair (For Swinging Along to the Music)
27. Prominent Researchers Claim That Most People Who Originated in Ireland and Britain (and, By Extension, A Large Portion of America) Can Trace Their Heritage Back To Iraq and Syria
28. Algebra, Writing, and Even the Division Of Day and Night Into 12 Hours Were All Conceived in Iraq
29. The US Census Considers Iraqis and Other Middle Easterners As Caucasian
30. Up To the Early 1990s, Iraq Had Some of the World’s Most Celebrated Education Institutions
31. Polo Was Invented in Iran Around the 6th Century BCE As a Means To Train Iranian Cavalry
32. When Crafting Their World-Famous Hand-Woven Rugs, a Tradition Reaching Back More Than 2,500 Years, Iranian Artisans Intentionally Make a Mistake To Show That Only God Is Perfect
33. Around 70% Of Iran’s Population Is Under the Age of Thirty
34. With Man-Made Settlements Reaching Back More Than 6,000 Years, Iran Is Home to One of the World’s Oldest Continuous Civilizations
35. Iran Actually Controls 50% of the Most Sought After Caviar in the World, Caspian Sea Caviar
