Mediterranean Hope – Newsletter October 2016
At The Time of King Amalek, by Paolo Naso, Coordinator Mediterranean Hope – FCEI
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel – when finally freed from the Egyptian oppressor, set out to the Promised Land and were attacked by a king called Amalek. “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God….” (Deuteronomy 25, 17-19.). A sad story that we can, however, read today when thinking about other people fleeing the violence of modern Pharaohs in search of their promised land: when they reach a safe harbour, they face new abuses. Read more…
Ecumenical Statement of Commitment–Lampedusa 3rd October 2016
We are Christians from Italy and from other parts of the world. We came here representing our churches and ecumenical associations. We came to Lampedusa to commemorate the victims of October 3rd, 2013 – the tragedy which caused the death of 368 migrants a few meters from the shores of Lampedusa. We are here because welcoming those who knock on our door is at the heart of the Gospel message that we want to live and witness. As representatives of our churches and our ecumenical associations, we are here to ask new migration policies. We are here to say that there are alternatives to the dead at sea and these alternatives are the humanitarian corridors – safe and legal ways to reach Europe from North Africa. Read more…
Humanitarian corridors seen from Lebanon, by Simone Scotta, Mediterranean Hope staff in Lebanon
I am 27 years old, I am Italian, and my work on the field in Lebanon gives me the chance to meet people who have lived a completely different life than mine. Considering the young average age of the Syrian population, those people are often my peers. In Lebanon, I met a girl aged 26 with five years of Psychology behind her and who was missing two exams to obtain her degree. Before she could complete her studies, Homs, her city, went up in flames, and she had no choice but to flee. Read more…
Rahma and Her Baby Have Now Escaped the War in Syria, by Karima Moual – La Stampa
A very dramatic story that let us discover the migrants’ tragedy in Syria. Rahma is Moroccan woman and she has lived for several years in Syria being married to a Syrian man who was killed during one of the many bombing attacks. After that she has found herself trapped with her daughter with no way out. The Syrian passport of her little daughter Rimas has not been enough to get out of the hell in which they are sent back from Lebanon and Turkey in their efforts to flee. Read more…
Mediterranean death toll soars, 2016 is deadliest year yet: UNHCR
With two months still to go, deaths of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean so far this year have hit a record high, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR detailed today. Expressing alarm at the situation, UNHCR reported that 3,740 lives had been lost so far in 2016, just short of the 3,771 reported for the whole of 2015. Read more…