Refugees
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A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.[1]
People don’t plan to be a refugee, it’s not WHO they are. It is WHAT has happened to them. Most times, leaving their home was a desperate choice to survive. No one wants to experience war and trauma, to have their family torn apart, and to lose everything. Being displaced is one of the greatest injustices of humanity.
I have worked with Palestinian refugees for 18 years now. I have also been involved with Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria. I have been immersed in two of the largest refugee populations, totaling over 12 million displaced peoples. Syrians fled the uprising and civil war starting in 2011. I have heard horror stories of the violence they escaped. I have seen the trauma and the suffering first-hand.
For Palestinians, their displacement started in the 1940s, culminating in the Arab/Israeli War in 1948. Another major displacement happened in 1967 after the 6-Day War. The result was over 1 million Palestinians as refugees by the late 60s. Forced displacement continues to this day for Palestinians as an occupied people in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. While 5.6 million Palestinians are registered as refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza. Palestinians have 74 years as refugee status. While they have similar stories of fleeing violence like the Syrians, the same pain has now settled into generational trauma. Not PTSD because their trauma has never had time to heal and is being re-triggered daily. They don’t have closure.
As is clear with both the Palestinians and Syrians, a refugee crisis isn’t over in a few months or even years. People remain outside of their country and are forced to build lives in refugee camps or, if they are a lucky few, build a life in a new country. This is not their choice. Every single refugee I have known or talked to, hundreds, maybe thousands, wants to go home. More so, they want safety and security for themselves and their families. Frankly, it hasn’t been a priority to resettle Syrians or Palestinians. In 74 years, the United States has never resettled Palestinian refugees.
Imagine gunfire and bombs surrounding your home for days and weeks and months. Losing family members, friends, important leaders in your communities. Wondering if you will live to see the next day. Desperately seeking water, food, electricity, or communication. Imagine that kind of fear and being in survival mode for months or years.
I have never understood why refugees are feared and why countries refuse to take them in, preferring someone else to deal with them. Maybe people more like them. Or that it’s enough to keep them in refugee camps until they can go back. Most times, it will be too dangerous for them to ever go back. Do we understand the vulnerability of being stateless? Whose protection are refugees under? What services do they have? Where do their basic human rights come from?
I have worked with refugee resettlement agencies in Denver. I have seen just how hard and confusing it is for people to be resettled into our country. They don’t know the language or how our systems work or don’t work. I remember trying to help an Iraqi father register his kids in the Cherry Creek school district. We made two trips and still didn’t have the proper paperwork the district required, or we did, but it was in Arabic. His frustration at not being able to provide schooling for his children was tearing him down as a father and a man.
Watching the war in Ukraine unfold was triggering. I have been in a war in Lebanon and was forced to flee with only 5 minutes to pack. But as a foreigner, mine was called an “evacuation.” Watching the videos of urban warfare, hearing the screams of terror, and seeing the destruction is overwhelming. I knew it would displace Ukrainians and I knew the terror they were to experience.
Have you ever thought about the trauma that a person goes through in war? War is not a video game or a movie. There is nothing natural about living in that kind of violence. You decide under severe stress; you are not yourself, relationships are strained and there can be much dysfunction. I can attest to this. I had trauma counseling and space to heal after my experience. That comes with privilege and resources. Most refugees do not have access to such programs or resources. Or somehow, because basic needs are priority, we lose track that the trauma needs to be dealt with for healing and to move forward.
Ukrainians will continue to be displaced as this war drags out. There will be millions of them. I am glad the world is welcoming them and accepting them. We should. They deserve refuge after what they experienced.
We need to acknowledge our bias. White Ukrainian refugees are accepted as civilized refugees and welcomed. While we have excluded refugees from the Middle East and Africa from our welcome, from our compassion, and from our resources. We have added to their suffering instead of trying to ease it. What is the difference between them? All have fled violence and heartbreak. All deserve refuge, safety, security, and for their families to be together.
One last thought: I am glad to see the outpouring of support for Ukrainian refugees. I hope it continues. It will need to. It takes years for displaced people to return home or build new lives. This isn’t a one off. This isn’t finished in a month just because the news cycle is. Here’s my challenge to you: commit to helping refugee communities. I know we are bombarded with news of suffering around the world. I know we have our own problems. As first-world as they are, they are still annoying and take our energy. But we have resources and we do have information. Commit to help ease someone else’s suffering by staying engaged, educated, and involved. Refuse to bury your head in the sand. Continue to search our organizations to get updates and donate. Even the slightest involvement, taking five minutes to read an update or making the smallest donation, means you are stepping outside yourself and your problems. It means you are joining TOGETHER to make life a little sweeter for someone else. Shared humanity.
I have worked with Palestinian refugees for 18 years. Which isn’t sexy or a great sell for Americans. Yet I am committed. You know why? Because I have found nothing more life-giving than to be involved with refugees. The thought that me with all my faults, insecurities, bad behavior, and limited capacity can actually make a difference for those suffering, well for me, that’s what I want my life to be about…others.
[1] https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/what-is-a-refugee/