By Voice staff

Social justice advocates among five Dominican communities of women religious have sent postcards to their congressional representatives, urging that 30,000 visas be granted to Iraqis seeking refuge in the United States. Their action came Oct. 4 at the end of a day of discussion on the Iraqi refugee crisis held at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Berkeley.

Dominican Sister Arlene Flaherty, who works with Catholic Relief Services, called the plight of Iraqi refugees “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today.” Earlier this year she traveled to Syria and Lebanon to investigate the situation of Iraqi refugees living there and has since been working to get U.S. lawmakers to formulate a realistic and humane policy towards the refugees.

As many as two million people are displaced within Iraq and at least that many have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Turkey, she said. Without legal status, however, they are unable to rebuild their lives and the resources of the host countries are seriously strained.

Many of the refugees are Christians, a religious minority that peacefully co-existed with Muslims until becoming targets of extremists after the U.S.-led war began in the country.

Joining the women religious in advocating for decisive action to aid the refugees were members of the Western Dominican Province of men and Dominican laity. The five religious communities of women are: Adrian Dominican Sisters, Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, Dominican Sisters of Oakford, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, and Dominican Sisters of Tacoma.

(Kate Martin of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael contributed to this story.)

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