A Christian Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in the Mediterranean
Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love…
Psalm 107:4-8
Background
The capsizing of a boat carrying an estimated 850 desperate men, women and children from Libya to the shores of Southern Europe has once again put the dangerous human migration route across the Mediterranean into the public spotlight. Only 28 lives were rescued.1
Assuming that this devastating death toll is confirmed, a total of 1,600 lives will have been lost in the waters between 1 January and 20 April, 2015. During this same period, more than 36,000 people reached the shores of Southern Europe. In 2014, 219,000 migrants survived the voyage. 3,500 migrants died at sea.2
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The United Nations, governments, humanitarian agencies and faith leaders are struggling to come up with a satisfactory response to this unprecedented crisis in the region.
Perspective – The Global Backdrop
The Mediterranean is one of the great crossroads of the Refugee Highway – the well-worn routes forcibly displaced people travel in search of safety, peace and a normal life. The map below documents such routes to and across the Sea.3
Some voices frame the Mediterranean crisis as a threat to the security and economy of Europe. Such a perspective identifies the flow of migrants as a problem to be stopped. They fear that rescuing migrants at sea will only serve to embolden others to attempt the crossing and further escalate the crisis. Perhaps they believe that the people boarding the boats in Libya have other options from which to choose. But do they?
Why people board the boats
People board the boats because they do not believe they have any other viable option.
There are presently over 51 million forcibly displaced people on the planet to whom the world offers only three possible "solutions".
1. Solution 1: Return to your country of origin. But refugee producing conflicts are increasingly protracted. Many go on for decades. 21 nations are presently engaged in such violence with no end in sight.4
2. Solution 2: Integrate into your country of refuge. The trouble is that 86% of the world's uprooted people are hosted by developing countries.5 These countries cannot possibly absorb and integrate all of the people seeking refuge within their borders.
3. Solution 3: Be resettled to another country. In any given year, less than 1% of the global refugee population is resettled.
It is clear that these "solutions" fall far short of offering any real hope to the majority of uprooted people in the world. The lack of effective solutions has led to the average time of forced displacement to now be 17 years.6
That is why hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced people come up with a forth solution – risk everything to try and reach a stable country in which they can find refuge and rebuild their lives. It is this dangerous hope that fills boats headed to Europe with human cargo.
Who is on the boats?
At risk of oversimplification, we can imagine people pay smuggler's fees and board overcrowded boats headed to Europe's shores for 1 or more of the following 3 reasons.
1. Many of those found on the boats are refugees – people forced to flee their countries. The majority of the 850 who were on the capsized boat last weekend were refugees from Eritrea (fleeing persecution), Syria (fleeing war) and Somalia (fleeing a failed state).7
2. Many sub-Saharan Africans migrated to Libya looking for work. But violence between political factions has erupted once again and ISIS is gaining a foothold in the country, where they have begun executing Christians from sub-Saharan Africa. It is no wonder that many of these migrants now feel compelled to flee Libya. They are faced with the option of a dangerous desert crossing back south, or a dangerous sea crossing to Europe. Many choose the sea in hope that Europeans will understand their predicament and give them refuge.
3. There are likely others who make their way to the Mediterranean with the aim of reaching Europe in order to improve their lives. They were not uprooted by war or persecution, but rather by economic despair. Unable to imagine a better future in their impoverished homeland, they risk everything to try and reach Europe. Often their families wait back home hoping to receive remittances to improve their lives.
How should Christians see this migration drama in the Mediterranean?
As Christians, we need to avoid falling prey to those trying to manipulate public opinion by inciting fear. When we picture the women, children and men coming across the sea, we must not envision them as potential terrorists and criminals. The truth is that the majority are seeking refuge from terrorists, violence, war and persecution. They are the threatened ones.
Putting a face on the numbers
Alice8 is originally from Eritrea. Like many others, she fled her homeland because of political and religious persecution. She received asylum (i.e. refugee status) after arriving in Europe by sea. While in Malta, Alice told the story of her Mediterranean crossing to Paul Sydnor, Europe Regional Director of International Association for Refugees (IAFR).
I was on a boat in the Mediterranean with about 30 other people, both Christians and Muslims. After three days at sea, our motor failed. We were adrift. Some of those on the boat knew that I could sing and pray. So whenever the seas grew rough and we grew afraid, they held me up so that I could sing and pray for everyone to hear.
By God's grace, a rescue boat found us. I was standing at the front of our boat when it began to sink. I got stuck as the boat filled with water. I was pulled under. Everything went black. I knew that I would die. I called out Jesus' name from under the water. I looked and saw a light. I swam to it as fast as I could. That is how I was saved. I know that it was God's strong arm that saved me.
Thank God that Alice was rescued at sea and that Europe formally recognized her as a bonafide refugee. Human life was saved. Human dignity was preserved. Human rights were honored.
Divine Mandate
As Christians, we need to prayerfully seek God's perspective concerning this crisis. God's Word is filled with perspective that can help us.
Christians carry a divine mandate to love the alien9 and to welcome the stranger10. Our response to human desperation and migration is not to be fear, but love. The default posture of our hearts is to be open, not closed.
Jesus laid out some of the marks that identify those who are of his kingdom in Matthew 25:35-36.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me."
As uncomfortable as it may make us today, his words make for a good description of the people trying to reach Europe's shores.
Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has asked church leaders to play an important role in the global refugee crisis – that of "creating humanitarian space in the hearts and minds" of people for refugees11. He made this plea after hearing Christian leaders unanimously confirm our divine mandate to love and welcome the stranger12. The United Nations is hoping that we will prove ourselves to be true to our calling and play an important part in assisting with the present crisis.
