Putting numbers in perspective

Putting things in perspective... 79,5 Million Displaced People worldwide... That would be 24% of the total US population. It is equivalent to the populations of the states of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut combined! It's roughly the population of the UK, Ireland and Greece combined. The numbers aren't statistics. They are people, mostly stateless people displaced by war. Our reaction shouldn't be self-justification, but pity and compassion

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who is an immigrant?

Who is an immigrant? Who decides? In my book I have tried to answer this question. Of course, it depends on who you ask. To be an "immigrant" is to have a legally protected status. To be a "migrant" does not. Who decides and how varies from country to country. In any event, when a person arrives at a "migrant detention centre" he or she is interviewed by UNHCR officials. He or she is asked for his or her story and his or her documents, proof of identity. Only after ca reful interviews do the UNCHR officials designate a person a "refugee." A "refugee" has the right to seek asylum in a country other than their country of origin. A "refugee" is not a person seeking "political asylum." A person asking for "political asylum" may seek the right to "immigrate" due to fear of persecution in their home country, for example Christians from Iran. "Migrants" in a detentio...
Read more

Refugees in Jordan: Stateless, but not helpless

Image
On rooftops in Jordan, Gaza refugees reconnect with lost land Rooftop hydroponics might be a far cry from tilled fields, but the act of farming can still speak to the soul of a displaced people, offering purpose and a sense of pride. JERASH, JORDAN  Christian Science Monitor Daily 28 October 2020 Taylor Luck Islam Abu Saud checks the series of white plastic tubes running and twisting across the expanse of green canvas in what looks like a life-sized school science project. She scans digital pH readers and engine pumps. Finally, the 22-year-old university graduate gazes with satisfaction at the end result of the past four weeks of labor: bright green heads of lettuce. Even better? This is not a farm or research center – this is her rooftop. “After waiting for opportunities to arrive,” Ms. Abu Saud says, “I am making opportunities grow at home.” In Jordan’s Jerash refugee camp, an experiment in hydroponic rooftop gardening is offering more than a badly needed source of income. It’s o...
Read more

Soon to be available!

Image
           Migrants landing on the Greek island of Lesvos where the Moria Detention Centre is located             source: https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/styles/slideshow_style/public/country/image/Grease.jpg?itok=weSuZMF9 I have been working on a book about immigration for the past four years. It has taken a long time to find a publisher, but it will be published by Cascade Books soon, perhaps in November. At present the book has finished copy editing. I have also received a "dummy" of the book cover. This book is both popular and "academic." It is popular since it is aimed primarily at the average Christian. It is directed to US Christians especially, but also contains information and ex periences of Europeans: in Greece, in the Netherlands, in Belgium and Ukraine. The book is meant to help average people get a hold on the issue of immigration and what it means for them. Much has been publ...
Read more