今天，难民议题在全球各地都被视为负面新闻。这种情况在过往并非经常如此，但现在许多西方政府正在挣扎，试图平衡同情心与移民政策、防止非法移民，以及处理难民重新安置的问题。常常被右翼政治推波助澜的公众声音，正在提出尖锐的问题，并要求采取保护主义行动来防止过度同化。理性担忧现在已经跟种族主义为邻为伴，而同理心则弱化成惺惺作态。
大约在公元前1400年（有些人认为更早），同一情景在古埃及上演。当时一群游牧犹太人因为地区饥荒而进入埃及寻找食物。资源丰富的埃及政府为此建立了庞大的谷物储备，欢迎这些移民，并让他们以工作回报接待。多年后，新的政府上台，对于这些已经规模相当的特定民族群体感到焦虑，担心他们可能成为政治威胁。但同时，他们又依赖这些劳动力来实现国家雄心勃勃的建设计划。他们的解决方案是奴役、残酷和试图进行种族灭绝，以便按自己的利益来控制局势。而上帝的解决方案，则是让这些移民得自由来见证他的良善与大能，并以此荣耀他。
今天，在香港大约有15,000名寻求庇护者，正在寻求政府承认他们为成功获批的声请者（successful claimants）。政府仔细地依照法律和联合国公约协议进行筛选程序，以确保那些面临政治逼害或生命威胁的人不会被遣返。然后，政府将处理成功获批的申请者并将其转送至第三国的责任，交给联合国难民事务高级专员公署（UNHCR）；这些第三国家将接收他们，并在适合的情况下提供公民身份。整个过程使香港政府能够履行其长期以来不接受难民在香港定居的政策。实际上，整个程序往往需要数年时间，才能做出最终决定，方可执行。与此同时，许多寻求庇护者生活在不确定的状态中，几乎没有得到任何认可和支持；而成功获批的申请者则在一个日益排斥他们的政治气候里，等待重新安置。
当我在香港当牧师，有幸认识许多寻求庇护者，与他们同行。
我想起J，他在非洲目睹父亲被射杀，并因为自己属于那个「错误的」部落而不得不逃命，最终病重，被一位不认识的朋友送到香港。他因为在香港受到的对待而变得非常沮丧，什至试图自杀，最后被上帝释放，成为一名宣教士。
我想起PV，他曾被困于一场漫长的叛乱里，随着战线在乡村地区来回推进，他先后受到双方的威胁和折磨，最终要逃命来到香港，在街头流浪，直到被拘留。在那里他遇到了一群信奉圣经的基督徒，他们也是寻求庇护者。当上帝最终释放他，他和朋友们就来到我们的教会，成为难民事工的创始成员之一。
我想起S，他曾是一名军队将领，政府被叛军推翻后，他不得不逃命。当上帝释放他，他便成为一位充满热诚的传道者，一有机会就分享其生命信息。
我想起R，他作为基督徒，在一个穆斯林国家挣扎求存，因违反伊斯兰文化的规则而生命受到威胁。他逃到香港，努力寻找生命意义，直到上帝释放他，成为「院牧型」探访者，去探望香港拘留中心里的寻求庇护者。
这些人和许多其他人虽已被上帝释放，并得以在香港事奉他，但他们却未能摆脱被指称为非法移民所承受的污名和歧视，即使他们被确认为成功获批的声请者之后，仍然如此。寻求庇护者在资格审查的过程中，虽然得到礼貌的对待，但种种艰辛和漫长的法律申请程序，对于庇护者寻求基本人权来说，并不友善。
作为基督徒，我们行事为人要以圣经的教导作衡量准则。我们自当要关顾那些寻求庇护者，因他们都是我们的弟兄姊妹。然而，作为耶利哥路上的同行者，我们应该要实践更大的使命，就是「当为贫寒的人和孤儿伸冤，为困苦和穷乏的人施行公义。」（诗八十二3），「你当为不能自辩的人开口，为所有孤独无助者伸冤。你当开口按公义判断，当为困苦和贫穷的人辩护。」（箴卅一8-9）。我们的生活应与周围的人息息相关，因为上帝呼召我们要「入世」。当我们帮助那些被边缘化的人，为他们发声，世界才能看到我们是「不属这个世界的人」。
Unwelcome
Tony Read
Today, refugees are bad news all around the world. It has not always been so, but many western governments are currently wrestling with the issues of how to balance compassion with immigration, how to prevent illegal migration, and how to deal with relocation. The public voice, often fuelled by right wing politics, is asking searching questions and demanding protectionist action against over-assimilation. Rational concerns are now bordering on racism, and empathy is dissolving into the mere ‘wringing of hands’.
Around 1400BC （some place it earlier） this same scenario played out in Ancient Egypt when a group of nomadic Jews entered the country to find food because of a regional famine. At that time Egypt was well resourced and had vast stores of grain established by the administration for just such an issue as this. It welcomed the immigrants and put them to work as repayment for their hospitality. Many years later a new administration came into power and became anxious about these immigrants who had grown into a sizeable distinct ethnic group and feared that they might became a political threat. But at the same time they were dependent on their labour force for the nation’s ambitious construction programme. Their solution was slavery, brutality and attempted genocide in a bid to control the situation to their advantage. God’s solution was to free them to serve him as a witness to his goodness and power.
Today in Hong Kong we have around 15,000 asylum seekers who are seeking government recognition as successful claimants. The government carefully navigates its legal responsibilities and UN Covenant Agreements to conduct its own screening process to make sure that it does not repatriate to their home country those who would be in danger of persecution or face life threatening political situations. It then charges the UNHCR （United Nations High Commission for Refugees） with the responsibility for processing successful claimants to third countries that will accept them and eventually offer citizenship if appropriate. This entire process enables the HK government to fulfil its long standing policy of non-acceptance of refugee settlement in HK. In practice this whole procedure often takes many years before a final decision can be made and enacted. Meanwhile many asylum seekers are living in limbo with little recognition and minimal support; while successful claimants are awaiting for resettlement in a political climate that increasingly rejects them.
During my time in Hong Kong as a pastor I have personally been blessed to know and walk alongside many asylum seekers.
I think of Jxxx who witnessed his father being shot in Africa and had to flee for his life because he came from the wrong tribe, who became desperately ill, was transported to HK by a friend he does not know, became so depressed by his treatment in HK that he tried to take his own life, and was eventually freed by God to go and serve him as a missionary.
I think of P.Vxxx who got caught in the middle of a long drawn out insurrection, who was threatened and tortured by one side and then by the other as the battle front moved back and forth in their rural area. Eventually he fled for his life and came to HK where he lived on the streets until he was put into detention where he found a group of bible believing christians who were also asylum seekers. When he was eventually freed by God he came to our church with his friends and become one of the founding members of our asylum seeker ministry.
I think of Sxxx who was an army general in a government that got overthrown by rebel forces and had to escape for his life. When God freed him he became a passionate preacher and shared his life message whenever he had the chance.
I think of Rxxxx who struggled as a Christian in a muslim country and whose life was under threat for breaking the rules of islamic culture. He then fled to HK and struggled again to find meaning for his life until God freed him to become a ‘chaplain-like’ visitor to asylum seekers at detention centres in HK.
These and many others have become freed to serve God in Hong Kong but not freed from the stigma and discrimination of being designated as illegal immigrants, even after being recognised as successful claimants. While they are undergoing the screening process asylum seekers are given polite but minimal support necessary to comply with hard-won court proceedings requiring the government to recognise basic human rights commitments.
As christians we also have our own basic scriptural commitments to consider. We will of course naturally care for those asylum seekers who are part of our own congregations. However, we should also consider the wider injunctions as fellow travellers on the ‘Jericho road’. “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed” （Psalm 82:3）, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute, speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and needy” （Prov 31:8-9）. Our lives are intrinsically connected with those around us because God has called us to be ‘in the world’. When we help and advocate for the marginalised, it’s then that the world sees that we are ‘not of it’.
（作者为葡萄藤教会创办牧师。本文属「与难民同行．难民不烂」系列，英文原文及翻译由难民事工小组提供，小组由香港的基督教教会和机构组成，一直以来支援在港难民和免遣返声请者在房屋、教育、心理、生活上的需要，帮助他们融入社会。）
