Response to a Missouri Interfaith Immigration Forum

Immigration is a very hot topic within our country these days. Many people have very strong opinions when it comes to the topic of immigration. Luckily, Centenary United Methodist Church hosted an Interfaith Immigration Forum on September 10. This forum allowed members of different congregations and religions to join together and express their views and concerns with the current status of immigration in our country.

Obviously since this was an event that brought together different churches each presentation would tie in religion with the immigration issue. I felt as if most of the speakers were able to effectively tie religion in with the immigration issue. Many of the speakers reminded us that the Bible is full of stories relating to the migration of people such as the Jews. Rev. Paul Kabo reminded us that in 23^rd Deuteronomy it states that the Hebrews were reminded that they were immigrants from Egypt. He also stated, "You shall love the stranger for you are a stranger." Being a stranger to one another often causes one to be afraid or simply not understand people who embrace a religion that differs from ours.

Dr. Tahsin Khalid stated that the concept of immigration is not new to Islam. Many of the Islamic prophets including Muhammad and Abraham migrated themselves and were thus immigrants. He also explained that many Muslims are migrating to America for the purpose of religious freedom. When he first arrived in Cape Girardeau 15 years ago he was told by someone that this is a small, racist town. Luckily, he said that he has not experienced racism in this town and enjoys living here. Another speaker of an unfamiliar religion to some was Vivek Malik. Vivek is a Hindu and he made some great points that are stated in the Vedas. He said, "The world is one family and treat all religions with equal respect." Another significant point made by him is that there is only one universal truth; people are called by different names. He addressed the immigration issue by once again referring to the Vedas by stating, "The guest who knocks on your door is from the house of God." He wrapped up his speech giving examples of how successful Indian Americans have become in this country. Even with these success stories, law came into effect with many of the speakers.

Our country's immigration laws are not the most impartial and easy-going laws. Many people have to struggle to obtain citizenship or some type of residency in this country. Dr. Khalid recounted his problems with our government in 2003 when he was given trouble over his permanent residency because of his nationality, age, religion, and gender. Mr. Malik stated that he was still waiting to become an American citizen after all these years. Pastor William Burke adopted his son from Canada and told of how the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services are very arbitrary in how they give out visas. His son was not able to renew his license recently because some immigration laws regarding his visa had changed. It is obvious that the immigration laws have got to change and some of the speakers offered suggestions on the laws.

Dr. Donald Emge reminded us that our country's history is a history of immigration and that we must embrace this. He feels that the work visa laws should be changed because they temporarily give immigrants a taste of the "good" life. The immigrants are then forced to return home after a few years. Rev. Roy Jones also experienced how unfair immigration laws can be while he was in Germany from 1967-70. The government sent him on a wild goose chase in order to obtain a type of visa. He was finally able to accomplish this task quite easily with just the help of a Lutheran preacher he had met. Rev. Scott Moon was able to give laws a little more meaning than just a government's way of controlling its people. He explained laws as a gift from God. The law itself is there primarily to resemble God's law.

Overall, the forum was a great opportunity for people to see immigration issues from perspectives of other religions. Each speaker offered their beliefs on religion and an insight into what religion offers in the way of immigration. Rev. Roy Jones summed up the issue perfectly when he said, "It is a small world and it gets smaller when we care for each other."