By Robert Hamd

Today, the younger generations of Christians are asking the difficult questions, such as why injustice persists. They are passionate about a convergence of the words of scripture and real-life practice. For example, they read passages from Isaiah that challenge us to “learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (1:17). They ponder the book of Jeremiah who criticizes those who “do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper,” and “do not defend the rights of the needy” (5:28).  They hear a similar prophetic voice, that of Hosea, who calls us to “hold fast to love and justice” (12:6), and Amos says, “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream” (5:24). According to the prophet Micah, the Lord requires nothing more of us than to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

All these voices challenge all generations of Christ-followers, whether the younger or the older, to put effort into changing the world as it is into the world as it should be, remembering that Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We are called to love God and neighbor–as our Lord Jesus Himself quotes the verses that tell us what He names the greatest commandment: the summary of all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:36-40).

When we heed the words of scripture and put them into practice, the natural outcome is our taking action to ensure that all of our neighbors are treated fairly, and that the weak and the poor get the help they need. We also reach out to our elected leaders and call them to take actions that will benefit everyone, not just the wealthy and the well-connected.

Calling Out the Problem, Prophetically

This call to follow the prophetic voices is sent out to the church worldwide, whether young or old. Many younger Lebanese are seeking to heed that call as well. They are wondering why injustices persist against those who are marginalized in Lebanese society, such as Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) [1]. While some Lebanese churches are also becoming more aware of the plight of MDWs as a result of current labor practices, other churches and church leaders seem slow to address the crisis and become more involved in fighting for justice for the voiceless MDWs. Their sluggish response is due in part to clergy and church leaders who hold back because, sadly, they have erroneously subscribed to a co-administrator role between church and state, in which the church tends to the spiritual needs of their community and the state focuses on maintaining the rule of law.

The late missiologist Joseph Comblin believed Christians need a conversion from institutions that hold them back or intimidate them from becoming prophetic [2]. Comblin’s thoughts encourage clergy and laity alike to rely on the work of Spirit who helps create new realities, possibilities, and revitalization, all enabling the Church to become a missionary community prophetically engaged with the culture while proclaiming the gospel.

One dilemma is that the Lebanese church has not used it prophetic voice among their communities to call into question unjust social and cultural practices. For example, in 2016, the Human Rights Watch World Report called out Lebanese society by highlighting the government’s failure to provide basic services, including garbage removal, which sparked public protests, with some protesters being prosecuted before military tribunals. The report points out that detainees continued to suffer from ill-treatment and torture. It also points out that “new residency policies introduced in January 2015 caused an estimated 70 percent of Syrians to lose legal status, restricting their movement and their ability to work, access healthcare, and send their children to school. With limited international support, the government struggled to meet refugees’ needs”[3]. As Christians, I believe it is important that we pay attention to troubling statistics and to specifically identify problems in our world. But that’s only the beginning. We need to see our churches as involved and active participants in the prophetic call by following Jesus’ mission to love the unloved, the foreigner, the poor and the downtrodden.

Calling for Prophetic Hospitality

When tourists or other foreigners visit Lebanon, the Lebanese cultural warmth embraces them. Many are pleasantly surprised, even taken aback by their Lebanese host’s hospitality. Hospitality is a cultural norm of Lebanese society. We can also find similarities of such kind hospitality to foreigners in the Bible:

When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God (Lev. 19:33-34).

I believe foreign guests are welcomed in Lebanon because their presence is temporary. However, the evidence is overwhelming that MDWs are not regarded as foreign guests, but are deemed contracted laborers who are hired to serve the host community. Moreover, distinctions are made based on the color of a person’s skin and recognized rank, and these distinctions are used to determine who is included and excluded from hospitality. Our work (The Philemon Project/GROW Center) observes a direct correlation between the MDWs status as an “outsider” and their skin color. One MDW we interviewed was not being afforded the same level of hospitality as a non-colored foreigner:

They [her Lebanese employers] think that because I am black that I am an unclean person and must be separated from the family. They make me sleep in a separate area, eat different food from what they’re eating. I have my own plates, spoons, and drinking glass. And I am instructed not to touch anything of theirs. [4]

The interview excerpt points to disturbing underlying racial attitudes present in Lebanese society which exclude MDWs from basic human rights. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus says:

[F]or this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them. (13:15).

As Christians, we need to heed Jesus’ words and see with our eyes and hear with our ears, and we need to confess that we need to do more, act more and be more for those who are treated as second-class persons and are not offered hospitality of any kind.

According to The Economist, racism is rampant in Lebanon. The report points out that racism in Lebanon is culturally rooted, with some claiming that racism is a legacy of the 7th-century slave trade. Others contend it stems from snobbery among Lebanese who do not want to rub shoulders with dark-skinned people. Such blatant prejudice against dark-colored MDWs reveals a darker side of hospitality: deep-seated bigotry that is responsible for the ethnocentrism and racist attitudes. As Lebanese people, who seek to portray ourselves as cosmopolitan, modern, and open-minded Arabs, we need to extend that open-mindedness to all who choose to work and live among us. We need to be welcoming and hospitable to all.

Calling for Prophetic Practice

For prophetic practice to be lasting and effective, the church needs to regain its prophetic voice in order to lead the way in challenging deeply held assumptions and to confront the status quo for the glory of God. I believe this requires a combination of clergy and laity to work together against harmful and ingrained xenophobic mindsets, whatever our context may be. It requires courage to stand with those who are marginalized, inviting all in our communities to participate in “a valid opportunity to be directly challenged by the gospel of explicit faith in Jesus Christ,” which encourages the church to be engaged in the world, seeking reconciliation, justice and peace [5].

Humbly, I would make three suggestions to encourage and affect change within our context:

1. I urge us as Christians to call for a unilateral halt to the practice of employers confiscating MDWs official travel documents and call for important documents to remain in the hands of MDWs to guard against exploitation and the restriction of their travel throughout the city.
2. I urge us as Christians to embrace a unified work contract that protects the rights of MDWs and employers guaranteeing days off, timely payment and defined work expectations.
3. Moreover, I also urge a call for prosecuting abusive employers and agencies to the full extent of the law in cases of forced labor and physical or sexual abuse.

الدعوة إلى شغف نبوي

_____________________

[1] International Labour Organization (ILO) held a conference with 25 different NGOs and young activists on June 2012 to discuss ways they can further their commitment to the promotion of migrant domestic workers’ rights from the standpoint of international labour standards.

[2] Comblin, Joseph. 1977. The Meaning of Mission: Jesus, Christians, and the Wayfaring Church. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. P. 124

[3] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/lebanon accessed 14/1/2018

[4] Agatha, J. Interview, July 17, 2012

[5] Bosch, David J. 1987. “Evangelism: Theological Currents and Cross-Currents Today.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research no. 11 (3):98-103.