With Truth and Justice, He Will Be Their God
The Influx of 4 Million Syrian Refugees into Türkiye and Turkish Hostility
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the number of Syrian refugees staying in Türkiye is estimated to be around 4 million, making Türkiye the country that has hosted the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world.
However, as the duration of refugee stays lengthens and record inflation problems arise in 2022, public hostility towards refugees is increasing. According to the local immigration bureau, out of 1.3 million foreign residents, approximately 746,000 have obtained residence permits, while around 548,000 Syrians under temporary protection are staying in Istanbul.
An immigration official stated that around 200,000 Syrians have obtained Turkish citizenship. Major cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir have decided not to accept any more refugees. The immigration office announced that it has completely suspended residence permits for foreigners, including temporary and international protection procedures. Reports indicate that the United Nations, through Türkiye’s aid organization Red Crescent, issues and distributes 155-lira (approximately 12,400 KRW) cards to Syrian refugees.
In May 2022, President Erdoğan announced a new plan to encourage the voluntary return of approximately 1 million Syrian refugees from Türkiye. He stated that housing and public facilities were being built in parts of Syria where the Turkish military was stationed and that these areas were safe under Turkish military control. However, human rights groups and the international community opposed the repatriation plan, calling it unrealistic.
Thousands of People Trapped on Five Greek Islands Due to EU-Türkiye Agreement
Due to the EU-Türkiye agreement, thousands of men, women, and children are confined to five Greek islands, living in poor conditions. One of the key terms of the agreement states that asylum seekers arriving on the islands must remain there for the entire duration of the registration and asylum process. During this period, they are forced to wait indefinitely—from several months to even years—in unsanitary, overcrowded, and dangerous refugee camps.
The Vathy refugee camp on the island of Samos, which has a capacity of 648 people, currently houses more than 4,112 people, leaving thousands without any protection in filthy and dangerous areas outside the official camp.
Greece, along with Italy, is one of the EU countries with the highest influx of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Most migrants from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan enter Türkiye first but do not apply for refugee status there. Instead, they attempt to enter Greece by traveling through the Edirne or by crossing the Aegean Sea between Greece and Türkiye.
During this process, many migrants lose their lives while crossing the Aegean Sea on rubber boats, or they are arrested and deported on charges of illegal residence. Recently, Greece has strengthened maritime security to block the influx of migrants. However, Türkiye has accused Greece of pushing migrants back into its territorial waters, leading to ongoing conflicts between the two countries over the migration issue.
》Scripture Prayer
Zechariah 8:7-8, 11-13, 19-23(NIV)
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west.
8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”
11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD Almighty.
12 “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people.
13 Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
19 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”
20 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come,
21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.’
22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him.”
23 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. There are approximately 4 million Syrian refugees in Türkiye, and those from Afghanistan and Ukraine are also arriving in large numbers. Let us pray that this time, when residents of many cities and nations come to Türkiye, will be a day of salvation for them to seek God and receive His grace.
2. Many refugees pass through Greece and Türkiye as a gateway to Europe. Along the way, thousands of people die every year as they attempt the journey on small boats. However, the United Nations, European countries, Greece, and Türkiye are unable to resolve the refugee crisis. Let us pray that the refugees will hear the gospel of the cross so that only God, in His truth and justice, may become their God.
3. The fulfillment of world evangelization belongs to God from beginning to end. The whole world is now caught in conflict, disaster, chaos, and poverty, and people from various nations are flocking to Christian countries like those in Europe. “ In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:23) Let us pray that the Lord Himself will fulfill the day when this covenant comes to pass.
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