Where do I start? I am appalled at the suggestion made by the American president to take over the Gaza Strip and build condos. As if no one else had ever thought of taking over parts of the Holy Land — and for what? For rich people to enjoy? Because that is what Jesus would want being done to his homeland, right? Having his own people displaced after one of the worst genocides in history and handing it over to the leader of the modern world empire?

Palestinians are and have been stateless for many years. Many don’t ever remember having lived in stability or land to call their own. Many minorities such as Palestinians do not hold citizenship to a recognized state (given that the U.S. and Israel oppose the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign country). This can be exacerbated if they are also displaced or “landless,” which makes their claim to a homeland even weaker.

According to The UN Refugee Agency, “More than 75% of the world’s known stateless populations belong to minority groups.” Most of us are somewhat familiar with the Palestinian struggle and particularly the threat of displacement on top of the already dire situation of those living in Gaza. This has made me reflect on all those other minorities around the world that also struggle to live in stability because of statelessness. 

Below are just five examples of minorities I am familiar with that still today face horrendous amounts of oppression, plus one that I learned about in an effort to continue to educate myself in the struggle of others. As you read their names, I invite you to hold the people in prayer and reflect on how beautifully and wonderfully made we’ve been created by God in diversity. Learning about each other’s histories, cultures, traditions and struggles can be one way of learning about the ways God can be present with us.

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me’” (Matthew 25:45).

1. Bedouins 

“The term ‘Bedouin’ comes from the Arabic Badawi, and can be translated as ‘desert dweller.’” As Middle Eastern pastoral peoples, Bedouins have historically been nomadic until more recent times. The main threat to their traditional way of living was the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and Western countries asserting country borders. These borders prohibited free movement between grasslands in the region “with the Sinai Peninsula as its first corner, Aleppo as a second, and the head of the Persian Gulf making a third . . . terrain that now lies within the borders of Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states.” 

2. Kurds

Like many other minorities, Kurds have been the recipients of discrimination that has made them struggle to maintain their language, culture and overall heritage as indigenous to their land (Mesopotamian plains) and rightfully deserving of statehood and autonomy. “Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.”

3. Hmong

The Hmong people are native to China, and their history can be traced back there for thousands of years. “However, following conflicts with the Han Dynasty, during the 19th century, some Hmong migrated in large numbers to the highlands of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.” Yet their struggle didn’t end there. During the Vietnam war, Hmong men were recruited by both the Americans and the Pathet Lao communist regime in Northeastern Laos where the Hmong had resettled. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians died and had to relocate to refugee camps. Eventually, they were offered resettlement in mostly Western countries. Nevertheless, many continue to live as stateless people not wanting to leave their native Asia. 

4. Roma

“The origins of the Romani people can be traced back to northern India, from where they migrated between the 13th and 15th centuries to Europe.” Roma or Romani people are often called Gypsies, but it should be noted that this is generally used as a derogatory term and should not be used to address people. “From the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Roma form the largest group among the ethnic minorities that are stateless or at risk of statelessness.”

5. Rohingya

Native to Myanmar, the Rohingya have endured brutal persecution and have been“effectively denied citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law, they are one of the largest stateless populations in the world.” This has forced them to flee by the hundreds of thousands to primarily the neighboring country of Bangladesh where they take refuge. Sadly, “half a million Rohingya refugee children are growing up in the world’s largest refugee camp.”