By David Stanczak
I don’t often espouse causes in my Forums, but…
What if, one morning, you found a letter on your doorstep threatening to kill you if you and your family didn’t move, really move, far away, forever? Christians living in the Middle East, especially Syria, Iraq, and other areas under ISIS control are receiving such letters every day. They are systematically singled out, persecuted, kidnapped, raped, forbidden to work, and murdered, by beheading, torture, or crucifixion; the women in their families, as young as 9, are forced into prostitution. They leave, by the thousands, becoming homeless in a way we cannot understand.
In Sunday’s paper, Charles Krauthammer predicted a religious “cleansing” of the Middle East, where Christians have pre-existed Muslims for 600 years.
The U.S. government won’t help these refugees specifically, because programs to rescue Christians aren’t likewise focused on “Yazidis, Druze, or Shiites.
You don’t have to be Christian to want to help. Lord George Weidenfeld of the UK has organized a Safe Haven Fund to support those he can (about 150) for up to 18 months. Weidenfeld, a Jew, was rescued as a teenager from Vienna in 1938 by Christians, and is returning the favor. But there are thousands of refugees.
I have donated to the Adopt a Refugee Family program. Operated by volunteers, 100% of contributions goes to the intended recipients in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey for food, water, clothing, and temporary shelter. The program is established as a 501(c) organization.
You can find Adopt a Refugee Family on the web, or call them at 248-406-2052 for more information.Living comfortably in central Illinois, it is easy for us not to understand that martyrdom of Christians did not end with the Romans; it is happening now. Executions are only part of it. These people, whose only “crime” is being Christian, are forced to make impossible choices, if they are even allowed to live long enough to make them. Help them. Please.
David Stanczak, a Forum commentator since 1995, came to Bloomington in 1971. He served as the City of Bloomington’s first full-time legal counsel for over 18 years, before entering private practice. He is currently employed by the Snyder Companies and continues to reside in Bloomington with his family.
The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Cumulus Media Inc.
