Churches in Europe act to shield migrants from deportation
In several nations, congregations have opened their doors to asylum seekers as government leaders have hardened policies.
(The Christian Science Monitor) Taara, a young mother from Afghanistan, kneads her newborn’s feet as she recalls how she and her husband, Zemar, fled the Taliban and left those they love in search of safety in Europe. They have slept in the woods, gone hungry for days, endured tear gas in refugee camps where security officials “used the stuff like water,” and, tightly holding hands, fought their way onto trains at stations that felt like Hunger Games sets.
Now the migrants (whose names have been changed to protect their identities) have received sanctuary from a German church and, for the past year, they have been living together with another family on church grounds.
“I can imagine telling these stories to our grandchildren,” Zemar said. “They won’t believe it. Sometimes we ourselves don’t believe it. . . . And now we’re here. Thank God.”
