Migration
It has been over a year since the arrival in Nitra of 150 Christian refugees from Iraq. After months of hard work on immigration procedures, learning the language, and trying to overcome certain cultural barriers, it can be said that their integration into the Slovak society has been going well. They have settled in Nitra and in the surrounding towns and villages. Msgr. Viliam Judak, Bishop of Nitra, emphasizes the need to develop good relations between the Iraqi Christians and local inhabitants, which has been put into practice through the opening to the public of a community centre several months ago, with many opportunities to improve the integration of refugees in their new cultural environment. “We had two groups that decided to return to Iraq – some of them because they were unable to cope with the cultural shock and the emotional loss, and others because they had heard that their region was being liberated and wanted to contribute to the process. They had to face a great deal of disappointment back in Iraq, but the asylum policy is strict, so they could not come back to Slovakia, although some of them really wanted to”, explains Fr. Peter Brenkus from the civil association Peace and Good in Nitra. Most of the Iraqi Christians, however, stayed in Slovakia, realizing that it was a “kind of miracle” that they had been able to escape the severe persecution in their native country. “Our faith is in Jesus Christ, the Church, and the Bible, and we deeply appreciate the warm welcome and hospitality here in Nitra. Slovakia is the first place where I could come and keep my dignity, where nobody forces me to do things that I do not want to do”, says Michael Edward who was a theology teacher in Iraq.
