Shams Tahir Khokhar and his brother Moon are on the run seeking refuge in Taranaki from anti-Christian sentiment in their homeland – Pakistan. The move comes following a series of life-threatening incidents. Shams, a former youth worker dedicated to promoting interfaith harmony, and his brother became the targets of a violent attack earlier this year. Read more
A Chinese man who became a Christian after surviving a four-storey fall has been denied refugee status in New Zealand despite fears of serious harm if he returns to his home country. He became more interested in Christianity after his arrival. In June 2018 while in the country unlawfully, a friend said he should apply Read more
A Honduran father separated from his wife and child suffered a breakdown at a Texas jail and killed himself in a padded cell last month, according to Border Patrol agents and an incident report filed by sheriff’s deputies. The death of Marco Antonio Muñoz has not been publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security, Read more
A refugee detained by Australia on Nauru has begged New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for help before it’s too late. Fatemah, a 55-year old refugee woman, has been told there’s an imminent risk of her sudden death because of her heart condition. The medical treatment that Fatemah needs is not available on Nauru. Australia approved Read more
When Syrian refugees leave their camps, they pack three items: food, water, and light. The first two generally come in the form of packages from the United Nation’s World Food Program or other nonprofit organizations. The latter, however, traditionally came in the form of kerosene lamps, which are less than ideal. In fact, they’re often Read more
Pope Francis has appointed a former refugee, who fled war-torn Vietnam by boat in 1979, to lead the Australian diocese of Parramatta. Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen, 54, begins his new role after serving as a Conventual Franciscan since 1989 and as auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne since 2011. Parramatta, in western Sydney, is one of Read more
“I was not born to live here like this,” says Ali. “I have three languages but I really want to learn Japanese. I love Japanese movies.” Ali is from Iran. He says he is not alone, but he seems very alone. We are in a refugee camp at Grande–Synthe, a Dunkirk suburb, sitting under a Read more
My wife, Nay, fled the Khmer Rouge 35 years ago when she was a little girl. Her father had already been killed by the murderous regime there, and her young mother managed to escape with two young children in tow through the Cambodian jungle. They cheated death with every step as they avoided landmines and Read more
The compassion of the crowd can make you feel heartless for reserving comment until a reasonable question has been answered. When we began getting pictures of Syrians walking into Europe last week and our media became awash with the story, my heart was stuck on one question: why is this happening now? The Syrian civil Read more