French greet Syrian refugees warmly, but many are wary

c. 2015 Religion News Service

CERGY-PONTOISE, France (RNS) When the first wave of Syrians and Iraqis arrived at this northwestern Paris suburb, Nabil Seghari signed up to volunteer with the Catholic charity spearheading the welcome efforts.

“I’m a Muslim working for a Christian association,” said Seghari, whose parents moved here from Tunisia. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is Christian, who is Muslim, who is coming from Mars. They’re all human beings. I wanted to offer them a smile and bit of happiness after their terrible travels.”