Jessica Fulford: What Working With Kosovar Albanian Muslims Taught Me about Loving Refugees

Last updated on: July 19, 2017 at 9:00 am by Rebecca Florence Miller

Jessica Fulford: What Working With Kosovar Albanian Muslims Taught Me about Loving Refugees 2017-07-18T14:05:33-06:00 Rebecca Florence Miller

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Most of the refugees went to Albania to escape the genocide. But many also went to Germany and Italy. If the Kosovar borders had been closed, if other countries hadn’t been willing to take a chance on the Kosovar Albanian people, thousands more might have been slaughtered. Yes, they were Muslim. And yes, this was pre-9/11. But it still took people, administrations, governments, and more to make it possible for the refugees to escape with their lives.

The people who slaughtered them professed to be Christians, and yet these Muslims graciously and courageously chose to open their hearts and their lives to aid from Christian organizations. They had more reason to be afraid of us than we had to be afraid of them.

Here is my take on the current refugee crisis: Yes, our government should do its best to vet those who are applying for asylum and refugee status. But we, as Christians, should never be so afraid of any group of people that we let it interfere with our willingness to help those in need. Jesus never called us to only meet the needs of those who are considered “safe” by others in society. Christ would never have turned his back on anyone who was sincerely needing help.

How do we know which Syrian refugees are sincere and which are not? We don’t. Only God can judge the hearts of others. That is not our job. Our job is to be the hands and feet of our Lord while we live on this earth.

If you have not worked personally with refugees, the mystery of another religion and culture can be intimidating–even downright frightening. But I think American Christians should be more like my Muslim Kosovar Albanian friends, willing to put aside any preconceived notions about a group of people, despite what had been done to them in the name of another’s god. To look beyond fear and take a chance on someone who looks and acts differently. If we follow the example of the Muslims in Kosovo (and more importantly, the example of Jesus), we will be able to respond with love and hospitality no matter what we have endured–or fear enduring–at the hands of others.

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Because this is a Christian blog, the things I’m talking about will obviously be topics that people feel strongly about in one direction or another. Please keep in mind that this is a place for substantive, respectful, constructive conversation. All perspectives are welcome to discuss here as long as all can treat each other with kindness and respect. Please ignore trolls, refuse to engage in personal attacks, try not to derail the conversation into divisive rabbit trails, and observe the comment policy listed on the right side of the page. Comments that violate these guidelines may be deleted. Vulgar remarks may result in immediate blacklisting. For those who clearly violate these policies repeatedly, my policy is to issue a warning which, if not regarded, may lead to blacklisting. This is not about censorship, but about creating a healthy, respectful environment for discussion.

P.S. Please also note that I am not a scientist, but a person with expertise in theology and the arts. While I am very interested in the relationship between science and faith, I do not believe I personally will be able to adequately address the many questions that inevitably come up related to science and religion. I encourage you to seek out the writings of theistic or Christian scientists to help with those discussions.

Image source: Stephen Luke via Flickr. License.

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