In the news: What you need to know about the Syrian refugee crisis

[caption id=”attachment_1092” align=”aligncenter” width=”4000”] Syrian refugees contained in Budapest[/caption]

After my recent post on how you should care about the Syrian refugee crisis, I thought I would point out a few articles as an update. The news on the issue has no shortage currently, and it seems every day or so another article is coming out talking about more drownings, people being forcibly removed from places, and others get shuffled around.

If you’re trying to get up to speed on the issue, here are a couple of articles to get you started:

“Why Have 4 Million People Fled Syria? A Primer on This Complex War”

This piece is a great place to start. It’s a little lengthy, but gives some background to the conflict occurring in Syria. ISIS is not the only thing people in Syria are running from. In fact, it’s not the biggest thing.

“Christian politicians won’t say it, but the Bible is clear: let the refugees in, every last one”

Now this opinion piece in The Guardian is fascinating. Giles Fraser writes on the backwards logic of “protecting Christian identity” by refusing care to those in need. It is definitely something to chew on.

“Money Flows With Refugees, and Life Jackets Fill the Shops”

The New York times has produced an excellent piece concerning the black market economy that is rising around the refugee crisis. Where there are this many people moving, there is money to be made. In some instances, this is price-gouging on life jackets. In others, it verges on human trafficking. This is a complex issue, and we need to remember that there are many sides to it.

“While EU governments demur, refugees find a welcome on the Web”

This is a rather uplifting piece. With the expectation of one million refugees flooding in to Europe, and several countries forcibly closing off borders, it is interesting to read about grassroots efforts to house people. A counter-cultural movement in Europe is seeing private individuals open up their home and offer space to refugees.

“Thousands Enter Syria to Join ISIS Despite Global Efforts”

Finally, this one is only tangential, but I think it is interesting. People are flooding out of Syria now, but thousands of others are trying to get in.