Displaying items by tag: Refugees

Friday, 26 May 2017 11:55

Britain and Albania’s children

One in eight young people seeking asylum in the UK are from the impoverished Balkan state of Albania. There is little to do in Skenderbeu, a remote town in the mountains where jobs are few and poverty rife. Edison sees only one way out: ‘I want to go to England for a better life. I’ll do any work. My brother and my friends have already gone. I’m jealous. This is my dream.’ His brother left the town four years ago, one of hundreds of boys from this region - some as young as thirteen - whose families pay thousands of pounds to people-smugglers to take them to Britain. Every family seems to have at least one relative in London, many of whom end up working illegally on building sites or in car washes. The little town survives on money sent from Britain. Officials estimate youth unemployment in Albania could be as high at 80%.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 19 May 2017 12:45

Greece: a Muslim refugee and Christianity

Mahmoud believed that all Christians lied and killed Muslims, but he embraced Christianity after experiencing the love and compassion of believers firsthand. He was forced to flee Iraq after IS invaded the country; the terrorists tortured him because he refused to support their ‘caliphate’. While travelling by dinghy to Greece his boat sank, plunging him into the sea, but Greek coastal authorities rescued him. Mahmoud was terrified: ’I knew they would kill me because I am a Muslim - this is what I had been told.’ But they pulled him from the water and gave him dry clothes and food. Eventually, Mahmoud was connected with a Christian ministry and they told him about Jesus. ‘For 40 years my people have lied to me’, he said with tears in his eyes. ‘I need to know the truth. I need to know about Jesus.’ He accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

Published in Europe
Friday, 19 May 2017 12:41

EU calls for border controls to be lifted

On 2 May, the European Commissioner for migration asked Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Sweden (some of the richest and most preferred European destinations for migrants) to implement a gradual withdrawal, over the next six months, of the temporary controls applied in 2015 at their Schengen borders. Critics believe this could trigger another immigration crisis, and allow jihadists to cross Europe without being detected. Many Christians believe God is using this situation to bring the unsaved out of closed countries and into opportunities to hear the gospel (see the previous article).

Published in Europe
Friday, 19 May 2017 12:18

Libya: slavery threatens refugees

Desperate West African migrants, fleeing joblessness and violence and hoping for a better life in Europe, sometimes pay exorbitant fees to smugglers to get to Libya (a launchpad for Italy). Few are aware of Libya’s current lawless condition. Libya could be the end of their journey and their lives. Slavery is openly practised. The UN International Organisation for Migration reported the situation being dire. ‘Betrayed by ruthless smugglers, kidnapped off of the streets, sub-Saharan migrants are ruthlessly exploited by money-hungry Arabs. Some are sold; others are imprisoned. Escapees describe squalid conditions in prison, little food, and always forced labour. Captors regularly call home demanding a ransom. Men whose ransoms are not quickly paid are executed. With meagre food and unsanitary conditions, the death rate is rampant.’ Aid agencies have repatriated 1,500 people so far this year. Aware of this, criminals now pose as fraudulent aid groups.

Published in Worldwide

In the Syrian war, the town of Maaloula - one of the few places where people still speak a dialect of Jesus' language, Aramaic - was occupied by Islamist al-Nusra militants. Almost all of the town's 3,000 inhabitants, mostly Christians, had to flee from their homes. Thankfully, the town has now been liberated. Many homes were damaged in the fighting, and every church was burned or vandalised, yet some believers have now returned. With support from local churches and partners of Open Doors, families are beginning to rebuild their homes. Four have already been reoccupied, and in the coming months they expect the other houses to be finished too. Gradually, the infrastructure in Maaloula is also being restored. A bakery, pharmacy and bookshop have opened their doors again.

Published in Worldwide

Finally, after years of apathy and inaction, Washington is extending its hand to help Christians in the Middle East. US president Donald Trump recently announced that persecuted Christians will have priority when it comes to accessing refugee status. Christians and Yazidis are exposed to genocide at the hands of IS and other Islamist organisations which are moving into a vast campaign to enslave non-Muslim minorities and destroy their cultural heritage. Finally, self-interest and oil interests will take a back seat, with the UN and the USA showing solidarity with Middle East Christian refugees.

Published in Praise Reports

The Church of Ireland has launched a new resource on supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 14-page document summarises how the Church has supported asylum seekers and refugees, and highlights opportunities for church members to become more involved in this area of ministry and service. Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Republic of Ireland Working Group, said: ‘This is an excellent resource for all those who want to be informed about the refugee crises.’ Rt Revd Ken Good, chairman of the Northern Ireland working group, said, ‘It is clear that public awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees fluctuates considerably, depending on the emotional impact of media coverage. This resource seeks to provide helpful information to keep before us the scale of the human need while also acknowledging people’s fears and concerns.’

Published in Praise Reports
Friday, 10 March 2017 11:27

From Israel to Syria with love

Gush Etzion is a cluster of communities at the centre of the political controversy surrounding Jewish settlements. It supposedly consists only of right-wingers who consider all Arabs to be enemies, but there is a very different side to the community. Once a fortnight, trucks arrive to collect supplies donated by local residents. The supplies are taken north for the Amalia ‘buses of angels’ to distribute to Syrian children across the border. The activity looks like any other charity activity, but the teenagers organising it are Orthodox Jews and the recipients of the boxes are Arab refugees. The teenagers have also contacted Rabbi Shivi Froman, a resident of another Orthodox community and the founder of ‘Syrians on the Fences’ (SoF). SoF has collected over a million shekels to buy equipment for Syrian children, in collaboration with Israel Flying Aid (IFA). Froman’s late father was a leading Israeli voice for peace and reconciliation with the Arabs in the Palestinian Authority.

Published in Praise Reports
Friday, 10 March 2017 10:43

Iraq: Mosul civilians at serious risk

Numerous attacks, including heavy artillery and mortar fire from Iraqi forces and IS, are killing civilians in Mosul, said Human Rights Watch. They are fleeing in their thousands, with a massive spike in refugees in the last few days. The real concern among the humanitarian community is that this spike is going to continue and perhaps even increase. There is a limit at the moment inside the camps on how many people can be accommodated. Everyone is working as quickly as possible to make more space, but building an entirely new safe camp takes time. There is real worry about where all these people can stay safely. Currently 4,000 people escape Mosul on a daily basis. 30,000 Iraqis were displaced in less than a week, as US-backed Iraqi forces launched their offensive to recapture the densely populated western part of Mosul from IS.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 24 February 2017 08:53

France: child refugees and traffickers

The UK Government’s decision to refuse lone child refugees (see last week’s Prayer Alert) has been a boost to traffickers, who are ‘helping’ desperate teenagers rejected by official schemes. Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said that MPs felt misled by the premature closure of the scheme after only six months. It takes councils time to set up systems, and we are back to square one, with teenagers and children at risk of traffickers in Dunkirk. Desperation is what the traffickers want. Traffickers tell children, ‘Every route has been closed, but I can help you’. Volunteers have no hope to offer them, to make them go back to the official centres. Almost 100 under-18s believe they are eligible for transfer to the UK. Hundreds are sleeping rough (about 200 are teenagers), with no shelter and donated sleeping bags. See also the article in the British Isles section.

Published in Europe