Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Greek Islanders to be Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize


A small boat in water, with land on the horizon behind. Many people are on its outside in orange life jackets, some carrying inner tubes as well. A few are in the water swimming toward the camera. In the foreground a man in a red and back wetsuit has his hand out to them.

"On remote Greek islands, grandmothers have sung terrified little babies to sleep, while teachers, pensioners and students have spent months offering food, shelter, clothing and comfort to refugees who have risked their lives to flee war and terror." 

The quote above is from the petition for the Greek Islanders to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. From The Guardian, I continue:



"Greek islanders who have been on the frontline of the refugee crisis are to be nominated for the Nobel peace prize with the support of their national government.
Of the 900,000 refugees who entered Europe last year most were received –scared, soaked and travelling in rickety boats – by those who live on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
The islanders, including fishermen who gave up their work to rescue people from the sea, are in line to be honoured with one of the world’s most esteemed awards. Eminent academics from the universities of Oxford, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell and Copenhagen are drafting a submission in favour of awarding the prize to the people of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros."
~~
I am in Cebu Philippines right now and terribly jetlagged, but I caught this article and wish the best for the Greek Islanders who have, in the most basic way, helped those who needed help desperately. Their actions remind me of what the bible (Matthew 25:35-40) says:
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Stay tuned for reports from the Philippines!

The photo of refugees is courtesy of Wikipedia.
Tags: Syrian, Syria, war, refugees, refugee crisis, Greeks, Nobel Peace Prize
This is all for now,



No comments:

Post a Comment