Christianity Today | Ryan Burge | Nov. 7, 2019
Following Turkey’s recent incursion into Syria and establishment of a “safe zone” in coordination with Russia, the beleaguered nation faces another refugee crisis. According to the United Nations, 6.7 million Syrians have registered with their High Commission for Refugees. Turkey hosts the largest share, with 3.4 million, followed by Lebanon with 1 million.
The United States: 21,645, according to official State Department figures, from the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Of those, 536 were admitted in the last 12 months.
Of the total, 21,245 are Muslim, compared to only 211 Christians, including five Protestants. Tony Amoury Alkhoury is not one of them. But his is a story of potential for those allowed in.
Born in Homs and an evangelical Christian, he is 1 of 450 Syrians in the US on an active student visa.