Justice

Recently RefugeeHighway.com raised our attention to the French government’s plan to arrest 5000 people in 2009, who offer help to illegal migrants and refugees.  Apparently this will be an additional effort alongside the already existing expulsions of refugees aimed at curbing the flow of unofficial people entering into the country.  This is clearly a bold and drastic measure that appears not only to assert the State’s national sovereignty but absurdly to redefine the limits of Christian love, compassion and obligation.

If the French follow through fully with their policy as they have already begun, then at best the Christian foundations for such agreements like the Geneva Convention will be significantly eroded, and at worst, I might be doing my work behind bars.  Countries across the wealthy world are building a new wall on the foundation of national pride and xenophobia, that does nothing more than to polarize the issues even further into the north and south, the rich and poor, the good and bad.

Just today, I listened to an ORF radio report on the public schools in Austria. Because many of the schools in Vienna have over 80% immigrant children, there are efforts by some to establish schools that are open only to Austrian children.  We don’t need to look far in our well-off societies to see the extent and proportion of the illegal immigrant problem, and neither do we need to look far to see the inadequate understanding and response.

The current French plan is only one small step away from seeing destitute people like refugees -ones without a family, home and country- as unworthy of the respect, compassion and care that fellow humans might choose to show them or have the capacity to give, and thus in some way as less than human. In the name of national security, prosperity and culture this approach in one divine sweep, criminalizes acts of kindness and compassion, and calls what is good, evil.

In the name of French Law the plan forbids God’s Law, and in so doing reveals its own poverty and loss of life.

In my recent travels, I met a man who told me all about his efforts to serve among refugees. He is making visits to different churches, teaching, preaching, baptising  -the field is white with harvest.  At the same time, he explained how he has to work a full week in order to support his family and ministry. He shared that it is not easy to find enough time for ministry to refugees much less to manage the rest of his life.

I know he is not alone, and I could hear the pain in his tone as he shared how hard he has to work in order to make ends meet.  I could hear his longing to be freed up for full-time ministry. I could hear a protest against how things are ordered in this world. How come some are paid for their Christian service, but he has to work hard in order to do his. Where is the justice in this?

I felt like my friend was grabbing for some way to understand and explain how he fits into the economy and order of God’s kingdom. I am not sure we can understand this. He described his ministry as one of “doing” compared to those who only plan and talk.  I wonder if these questions and concerns about the order of things existed even before he became a Christian. I believe that they can lead to conflict and bitterness as easily now, after he has become a Christian, as they could have at an earlier time in his life.

So what can I do to help him? It would be easy to receive his comments as a judgment on anyone who is outside of his world. How can I help him to understand and accept others who may be serving in a different way? Difficult.

I think part of the problem lies in what he is comparing. As long as he sees others outside of his circle in some way as a threat, then it’s easy to take issue with them. I think it would help to replace this view of himself and others with a view of God.  Is there something I can give him to increase his view of God?   -a book, a gift, a place, a reminder, a salary?

I don’t mean to say this will take the problem away. However I think that the more he increases his view of God then the better he will be able to manage life.

I have been visiting churches this summer who pray for and help to support our work among refugees. I have noticed more people this year trying to understand the issues involved in reaching out to refugees. Often the questions people ask seem related to the increasing number of unregistered and irregular immigrants moving across America. Some of the questions I have heard include: “How much help is possible? Isn’t there a limit to our help? Do we put a limit on our compassion or do we limit the ones who are coming in? How can we offer endless compassion?”

The refugeehighway.com has recently highlighted news reports from the UNHCR website that focus on the complexities of the refugee highway. Many of the migrants in America have been forced onto the highway because of their own economic situation where the decision to leave is a chance to survive.

Michael Walzer points out in his book, “Spheres of Justice” (Basic Books, 1983) that refugees are stateless persons who need the promise of safety. To deny a person this statehood and security is a breech of justice. Jobs, education, welfare like food and medical care, are needs that can only be met after the question of statehood has been solved. This view helps to create a manageable limit around the question of who should be helped or allowed in and who not. A definition like this is helpful for addressing the questions from a political angle however it overlooks other human and spiritual needs that are just as great.

The reality is that refugees are often mixed within a larger migration group and it is difficult to discern where the true needs start and stop. The UNHCR offers a “10 Point Plan of Action” for addressing the reality of a mixed-movement of people. The action plan includes efforts to improve the information process to help combat racism and xenophobia. It reflects the ability to respond to diverse groups of people and needs.

In the end, there are no simple answers to the questions which people have asked me this summer. Christians and churches however, need to be among the first who are engaging these questions. This engagement is the first step toward the kind of action that the UNHCR recommends. It is engagement that seeks to protect and respect the dignity of every person and one that is marked by faith, hope and love in an unjust world.