Safe Zones and Refugees

[Szdfan]

That's not a political statement. My neighbours are my neighbours.

Every human being on earth has value and was created by God, but not every person is my neighbour. I am not everyone else's neighbour. Neighbour means something.

But in a globalize, international, interconnected world, your neighbors may not just be the people that live down the street from you.

Josh, I keep reading some of your statements as indifference - i.e. these refugees are your neighbors, Jesus never said anything about helping people immigrate, etc. Am I reading you correctly? Are you indifferent? Do you see what people are experiencing in other parts of the world as not your problem?

[Szdfan]

How does hiding within a culture from a hostile government that wants to kill you minimize stress? How is it possible to rebuild your life if you're constantly under the threat of being discovered?

Do you have positive solutions to offer or do you just want to hop on a debate Merry-go-round?

This thread is for positive solutions and ideas only, not debating. See the OP. If you're interested in debating that's being done in other threads. Thank you.

I think I'm asking a legitimate question. How do you propose a nation hide millions of people from their own hostile government? How can someone who is in hiding rebuild their lives and live anything that resembles a normal life?

[Bootstrap]

If we want positive solutions, now, that focus on the vast majority of refugees who are not in the United States, there are plenty of options. Start by looking at what already exists. Give to a disaster relief organization - I know many of us do. Volunteer if you can. These organizations don't typically use safe zones, they typically work in neighboring countries where refugees are safer.

If you want our government to help do this, encourage them to fund such efforts.

We don't have to invent these things from scratch as though they did not already exist.

[Bootstrap]

In case people are confused about what a safe zone is, here's a good explanation:

(A) Safe Zone ... is an area that has been planned by Turkish authorities to create a buffer zone within Syria. The potential zone is planned between Afrin and Kobane cantons.

During the 1990s, safe zones were planned in Iraq and Bosnia in order to protect civilians from Iraqi Army and Yugoslavian Army. No fly zone was planned by US-led coalition in Iraqi Kurdistan and Shia-majority regions of Iraq after the Gulf War. Srebrenica, Žepa, Sarajevo, Goražde and Bihać were incorporated to pro-NATO safe regions after the Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia. Also, US forces created mini-safe zones for coalition forces within Iraq. Green Zone was established to protect Western officials and coalition soldiers from being jeopardized during Iraqi War.

Turkey and Syrian opposition proposed a safe zone that includes some regions of Northern Syria in 2013, however United States and the other Western governments was not willing to accept these plans. After the advancements of ISIL in Iraq, Turkey and United States negotiated 'safe zone', while USA accepted 'ISIL-free zone', US officials were reluctant to accept a no fly zone.

After the attacks of ISIL in Syrian Kurdistan, tens of thousands non-Sunnis, Christians and Yazidis fled to Turkey. In the beginning of 2015, refugees has begun to cross Turkish-Greek border and escaped to European countries. These huge refugee flows caused taking a re-consideration to create a safe zone for civilians in Syria. In February 2016, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel said, "In the current situation it would be helpful if there could be such an area where none of the parties are allowed to launch aerial attacks – that is to say, a kind of no-fly zone".

If the safe zone were working, the refugees would not be fleeing. Establishing a safe zone in Syria is a military option which would require a significant military commitment.

[temporal1]

the magic of google.
a person knows nothing of a topic on Wednesday, expert by Thursday, leading expert by Friday.
the way of internet forum wisdom.

[Josh]

That's not a political statement. My neighbours are my neighbours.

Every human being on earth has value and was created by God, but not every person is my neighbour. I am not everyone else's neighbour. Neighbour means something.

But in a globalize, international, interconnected world, your neighbors may not just be the people that live down the street from you.

Josh, I keep reading some of your statements as indifference - i.e. these refugees are your neighbors, Jesus never said anything about helping people immigrate, etc. Am I reading you correctly? Are you indifferent? Do you see what people are experiencing in other parts of the world as not your problem?

It's not my business to stick my nose into affairs outside of my realm of influence. I do think Christ should be our example, and he sure didn't try to do anything for people outside of his local area of influence.

[PeterG]

It's not my business to stick my nose into affairs outside of my realm of influence.

Then you shouldn't be saying anything at all about the refugee situation. But you have.

[Bootstrap]

Let's get concrete about positive solutions. What positive solution are you going to actively support?

If this thread is about positive solutions that Christians can get involved in, which ones are people committing themselves to? Are you going to give to existing refugee or disaster relief organizations, or volunteer for them, or do something else?

If this thread is about positive solutions that our government should support, would you urge our government to support any of the existing solutions that are currently helping refugees? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

If this thread is about safe zones, would you support a long term commitment to providing military security to protect people in regions of Syria?

[ohio jones]

I do think Christ should be our example, and he sure didn't try to do anything for people outside of his local area of influence.

I was outside his local area of influence.

[Bootstrap]

Let's get concrete about positive solutions. What positive solution are you going to actively support?

If this thread is about positive solutions that Christians can get involved in, which ones are people committing themselves to? Are you going to give to existing refugee or disaster relief organizations, or volunteer for them, or do something else?

If this thread is about positive solutions that our government should support, would you urge our government to support any of the existing solutions that are currently helping refugees? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

If this thread is about safe zones, would you support a long term commitment to providing military security to protect people in regions of Syria?

I will continue to support disaster relief and refugee organizations with donations. In my case, that's MCC, World Vision, and World Relief.

I will continue to support World Relief Durham in welcoming refugees who make it to the United States. I will continue to build a friendship with the two families who I am involved with here.

I will also plead with Caesar to allow 50 families we are waiting for to arrive here so that our churches can help them. And I will pray that God move our leaders to do the right thing. I will continue to pray for Donald Trump and other leaders by name.

What positive solutions are the rest of you signing up for, either here or abroad, with or without Caesar's involvement?