In a significant sign of unity, major church denominations and Christian organisations have come together to support Afghan Refugees, launching the Christians United for Afghanistan campaign.
The Uniting Church in Australia as well as Sydney Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals as well as the Australian Christian Lobby, Micah Australia and Common Grace have signed on to support the campaign.
“This crisis has already shown its power to unite us across theological, political and denominational lines” said Tim Costello, Executive Director of Micah Australia.
“Together, the Australian church is calling on our government to make a just and compassionate commitment to help the most vulnerable Afghan people. We want to ensure our nation responds in a way that we can look back on proudly in generations to come.”
As the plight of Afghan people captures the hearts of Australians, the campaign aims to amplify the Christian voice on this issue, with one main goal: to call on the Federal Government to provide a special intake of an additional 20 000 Afghan refugees and support the ongoing well-being of all Afghan refugees and their families.
Since the start of the crisis, the Government has announced an initial commitment of providing 3 000 refugee spaces from within Australia’s existing humanitarian program, well below what is needed to respond to this crisis.
The UNHCR estimates over 550 000 Afghans have already fled their homes since the start of the year – 80% of them women and children.
Coordinated by Micah Australia, the campaign is working closely alongside the Refugee services sector including the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), aligning with and complementing their asks.
The campaign also acknowledges and supports the #ActionForAfghanistan petition and open letter, coordinated by the Afghan Australian Advocacy Network, made up of people from diverse ethnic and religious groups which form the Afghan Australian community.
Rev Sharon Hollis, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, said, “As followers of Jesus, we believe each person is precious and loved by God. Right now, the scale of this crisis requires us to work together to provide protection and refuge to those who are in danger.”
Find out more and join the campaign at unitedforafghanistan.com