Some Christians are in a state of denial, but the fact is, Jesus (pbuh)* was a refugee. He also wasn’t blonde and blue eyed, but that’s a battle for another time. 

According to the Biblical account, shortly after his birth, Mary and Joseph sought safety in Egypt. They’d been targeted by the insecure King Herod who had it out to kill anyone who could potentially thwart his power. They needed sanctuary. They were fleeing persecution. 

The Christian faith revolves around a young, Middle Eastern asylum-seeker who faced rejection and displacement from His earliest days. The face of Christianity’s central figure looks not unlike those that some in the faith would close their doors to today.

Enter Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ).

On January 30th, a group of West African students and their supporters gathered at the Nigerian High Commission on Metcalfe Street. They were there to pay tribute to the victims of Boko Haram’s latest attack on civilians in the town of Baga and in neighbouring towns in Northern Nigeria in early January. Despite the cold, they set flowers out in front of the Commission in memory of those who had died.