Interfaith Prayer Service For Sanctuary Family At Old Lyme Church

OLD LYME, CT — The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme will host an Interfaith Prayer Service on May 9 in support of Malik Naveed bin Rehman and Zahida Altaf, and their daughter Roniya, who have taken sanctuary at the church for the past six weeks to avoid deportation to Pakistan.

The May 9 event, which will be held at 6 p.m. at the church, also is in support of "the sanctuary work being conducted at the church and across the state of Connecticut by other churches and human rights organizations," according to organizers.

"The evening will serve as an opportunity for us to draw together as people of conscience within faith traditions and outside of a specific tradition to show our continued support for Malik, Zahida and Roniya, and by extension, all families who are experiencing the terror of a forced deportation," said FCCOL Senior Minister Steve Jungkeit in a statement. "We call upon all community residents to gather with us to affirm and celebrate the hospitality at the core of our faith traditions and our democracy – and to commit to working together to build the generous, compassionate and embracing world we all wish to inhabit."

A potluck dinner will follow the prayer service in the Fellowship Hall of the church.

The church offered sanctuary to the married couple from New Britain "after recognizing that immigration law, as it was being applied in the couple’s particular circumstances, was unjust."

The goal in providing sanctuary is to give the appeals process a chance to work and provide immigration authorities with an opportunity to recognize the injustices and flaws of the law as it is being applied in this case, according to officials.

Added Jungkeit, "We believe that, with time and reason and compassion, the couple can receive the full, fair hearing and consideration they deserve – and that justice will prevail and they will be allowed to remain in the U.S."

Image via Shutterstock

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