Persecuted Christians from Iran are among the deportees in a New York Times report, “As Trump ‘Exports’ Deportees, Hundreds Are Trapped in Panama Hotel”.
Panama has agreed to take deportees who come from countries such as Iran or China that the US will find difficult to return. About 350 refugees are held temporarily in a hotel in Panama City while a jungle camp is readied. For Australians, memories of camps on Nauru and Manus Island should be at the forefront of their minds.
“A migrant from Iran, Artemis Ghasemzadeh, 27, wrote “Help us” in lipstick on one window. The Times, which was able to contact Ms. Ghasemzadeh and other deportees by cellphone, conducted interviews with her, several other Iranian deportees and a migrant from China. Many of the deportees wanted only their first or last names used out of fear that they would suffer reprisals if returned to their countries.
“It was Ms. Ghasemzadeh who told a reporter, ‘only a miracle can save us.’
“She said she was an English teacher who, in Iran, had converted to Christianity in an underground church. According to Iran’s Islamic Shariah law, converting from Islam is considered apostasy and is a crime punishable by death…”
“Ms. Ghasemzadeh said that she and nine other Iranian Christians, including three children, ages 8, 10 and 11, had spent their days in the hotel, frantically trying to get help from the outside. At night they read from a copy of the Bible she had on her cellphone.”
If President Trump or his faith advisors, or anyone who owns the mug in the picture turns to Matthew 25:31–40 he would read Jesus’ words: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdomprepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Trump may be a conservative politician, but he is a liberal christian.
“and “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, “