Local & Global Responses to the Refugee Crisis

In a commentary in The Greenville News, Furman University Religion Professor Dr. Alfons Teipen looks at the refugee elements and themes found in three faiths:  Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Despite the lessons and heritage of these belief systems in welcoming strangers, he says,  “…  receiving refugees with kindness is not always easy: people who think, look, and pray differently than we are often perceived as a threat; a challenge to our ways of living and thinking and worshiping … Ironically, suspicion appears to be particularly strong toward refugees from the Middle East, the very region of the world that gave birth to all three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” Teipen’s guest column appears as many campus and off-campus groups come together in a series of events that kicks off Oct. 26, “Refugee Crisis: Local and Global Responses.”