By Jeff Brumley
A Baptist congregation in Oklahoma has taken in an Muslim man who fled Afghanistan to escape Taliban retribution for interpreting for American forces.
The folks at NorthHaven Church in Norman say their acceptance of the 31-year-old interpreter stems from a congregational culture of interfaith hospitality. The Afghan physician says the church’s welcome and aid confirm what he has learned working with Christians in a Kabul medical clinic.
“They were helping my nation,” said the interpreter, whose name is being withheld for security purposes. “I called them brothers and sisters.”
But the encounter between the church and the Afghan also stems from a complex and seemingly improbable mix of international politics, global war and one Baptist church’s desire to live its interfaith ministry.
This relationship between Baptist and Muslim comes amid a years-long struggle by current and former U.S. military members to help Iraqi and Afghan interpreters to acquire Special Immigrant Visas to escape retaliation from terrorists.
So far, more than 6,000 such visas have been granted to Iraqis, but the process has been extremely slow for interpreters from Afghanistan, according to the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project.
In 2009, Congress passed the Afghan Allies Protection Act, making available 7,500 Special Immigrant Visas.
“By the end of 2012, only 268 visas had actually been issued and an estimated backlog of 5,300 applications languished at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul,” the assistance project said.
As U.S. and other allied forces begin their draw-down in Afghanistan, those still waiting for visas fear for their lives as the Taliban seek to punish anyone who helped wage war against them.
Even the Afghan interpreter said he fears for his parents and siblings.
“It’s becoming very unsafe,” he said. “Many translators’ lives have become endangered and some have lost family members (because they) worked with the U.S. Army.”
The man obtained his visa with the influence of a number of U.S. Army officers for whom he had interpreted dating back to the beginning of the war in 2001. He arrived in the United States on Aug. 30.
NorthHaven Senior Pastor Mitch Randall said the Afghan’s resume is impressive.
“It’s full of colonels and lieutenant colonels” all vouching for his courage and character.
He arrived in Randall’s office Thursday morning along with Kelly Lynn, a lieutenant in the Oklahoma National Guard and the member who brought the man to church Oct. 19.
A Muslim’s presence in worship was no big deal at NorthHaven due to its long, consistent involvement in interfaith efforts, Randall said.
Randall said his own involvement in interfaith alliances, and his church’s hosting of interreligious events and personalities has shaped NorthHaven into a place where members are accustomed to encounters with members of other faiths — even in their own sanctuary.
“We realize Muslims are as diverse as Christians and we realize many of them are loving people,” Randall said.
Knowing that about NorthHaven made member Lynn feel totally comfortable inviting the former interpreter to church with him.
“It’s different than most of the Baptist churches I belonged to in the past,” said Lynn. “It’s a very open-minded, community oriented church.”
Lynn met the Afghan through a fellow National Guard officer who had worked with the interpreter in Afghanistan. Lynn was asked if he could employ the man in his T-shirt printing business.
He has done so, but his attendance at Sunday worship may help the Afghan find work closer to his calling as a physician.
Randall Thursday morning said he planned to call friends in the Oklahoma City area who work in the medical field to see if any positions are available for the man, who currently is not licensed to practice medicine in the United States.
Randall said he also planned to turn to social media, which he did with a Thursday afternoon Facebook plea.
“After spending two hours with this young man and hearing his story, I am calling on everyone to rise up and help …” Randall said in his post. “We have an opportunity to help someone who has sacrificed so much. Let’s find him a job! Please share to spread the word.”
The former interpreter said it’s hard to believe how helpful NorthHaven has been to him.
“How shall I thank them?” he said.