Being Choked by Thorns
Remembering Kayla Mueller
There are many heroes in this world. Some are recognized in monuments and ceremonies, in awards and adulation, while others are not recognized at all. Though difficult to determine the number of humans who have walked the earth, it is safe to say that the majority have been buried and forgotten. Though remembered for a time by family and friends, eventually people and their lineages pass away and their deeds remembered no more.
Though the reality of our finitude insists upon this cycle of living, remembering and forgetting, it comes to pass that some things must be remembered a bit longer before they are forgotten and obscured into the past.
From observing the actions of the current U.S. administration, one would be tempted to think that the errors of the past two centuries, in all their war and cruelty, have already been forgotten. If they have not been forgotten, we must ask why a rhetoric that keeps the innocent and defenseless trapped in brutal environments is continuing? Why has our current administration decided to perpetuate rhetoric of fear that seeks to shut all doors, physically and metaphorically, of hope to those in disastrous places?
When discussing the current tragedy of the refugees and migrants of the world, particularly in those war-torn regions of the Middle East, a hero comes to mind. Her name is Kayla Mueller, a protector of the poor and innocent and a warrior of social justice.
Kayla was born in Prescott, Arizona in 1988. Though I do not know much about her early life, her final years were spent in complete service to the poor in the most dangerous and vulnerable places in the world. She worked as a human rights activist in India helping Tibetan refugees, worked with abused Palestinians in Israel, and lobbied for African refugees there as well. In late 2012, Kayla worked in Turkey medically assisting refugees who had fled from the civil war in Syria. And if these things were not enough, she worked with Doctors Without Borders in the city of Aleppo, Syria in the middle of all the violence and danger.
It was during this time, in August of 2013, that Kayla was captured and taken prisoner by ISIS. For the following eighteen months of her life, Kayla was subjected to the most horrible forms of torture and isolation. She was held in small cells and was consistently beaten and molested by ISIS extremists. She and other heroic aid workers were forced into dungeons in ISIS held compounds, in rooms with virtually no light nor windows, and were given little if any food. Among these things, they were also constantly intimidated to convert to Islam.
Kayla, a devout Christian, is reported to have ‘clung to her Christian faith’ at all costs. Throughout the midst of this hell, she did not give up her faith in Christ and was not discouraged by these evil men.
Those captives who were successfully negotiated for and released spoke of the astonishing heroism that Kayla showed throughout her ordeal, even as it went from bad to worse with each passing day. During her final months alive, Kayla was kept as a sex-slave to an ISIS leader in the city of Raqqa, Syria. She was held with other young girls who were also abused. It is reported that she passed up multiple opportunities to escape in order to ensure the safety of the younger and more vulnerable girls. And throughout her tribulation, her witnesses state that she showed compassion and mercy to all she could, even in the midst of hell.
Kayla’s life was cut short by an airstrike in the city of Raqqa, Syria in early 2015. Tragically, the United States and her own organization failed to secure her release from her captors. But during her months in captivity and during her brief life, she showed the strength of one empowered beyond measure by the Holy Spirit and brimming with the love of Christ.
For these reasons and countless others, Kayla Mueller must not be forgotten. Horrors continue to rage in the Middle East. War still rages throughout Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan as the ‘war against terror’ continues. But as Kayla’s life reminds us, it is the most vulnerable who pay the price of war and terror: the innocent women, children and men just trying to live.
Kayla’s life and the lives of so many others brave enough to answer the call of Christian service stand as a living testament to end the plight of the refugee and migrant, wherever they are from. She gave her life for the care of the refugees of Syria. As of January 2017, as reported by the UNHCR, there are well over 8 million Syrian refugees who long for a home and a chance in this life.
Observing the current US administration’s stance on refugees and immigration, it becomes all too clear that Kayla and the heroes that gave their lives in service to the poor and abandoned are being forgotten. To deny the plight of the refugee and migrant during such a critical time and in light of the victims of these tragedies is to shame the memory of Kayla and those like her.
This article is not meant to be an angry tirade against the current President. But at this moment, the United States, in many ways the last beacon of hope for millions, is failing all of those who have so little hope.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus Christ tells us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34-35).
Kayla Mueller, in every aspect of her life, fulfilled this teaching of Christ. And now I am convinced she is one of the great ones in Heaven, watching over all of us. But those in positions of authority, who refuse to deny their thirst for power and let go of the rhetoric of fear and exclusion - they will surely lose their lives.
The current President, in his arrogance, continues to prevent any hope of allowing refugees – those subject to the same conditions as Kayla - of finding a better life. She gave her life so that others would find theirs.
Again, to deny the lives of so many vulnerable people is to shame the memory of Kayla and forget her heroic sacrifice. The travel ban signed this past January is clear evidence of this. And as we sit, this man and his cabinet are currently backing ‘The Raise Act’, a bill that would continue to curtail any hope of refugees and even stop legal immigration to the United States by 50 percent over the next 10 years.
What do these actions reveal about Christ’s command to love and give of oneself? Shortly after his teaching to deny oneself, Christ tells his disciples that the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven is he who desires to be the servant of all (Mark 10:35). Kayla Mueller chose to live her life, even from the youngest age, as a servant of Christ to the least of her brothers and sisters. She was kind and compassionate, the very opposite of fearful and power hungry. To remember Kayla Mueller is to defend her example and uphold those values that truly make humanity what it is called to be: a people united together in love for God.
I write this article to remember Kayla Mueller and to remember that there are still others out there who are defending the widow and the orphan. They are hearing the plea of the refugee while working to rescue them from their chains. We cannot forget them and let the heroes of our world and their brilliant examples fade into obscurity.
I believe Kayla is in Heaven with God and is at peace. But I believe she would be saddened that her life did not inspire the change needed to help those she sought to help. Yes, ISIS is responsible for her death, and the evils committed by the Syrian government against its own people is perpetuating the cycle of death as well. But rejecting refugees from US shores is the same crime. It is killing the innocent.
Please understand that many of the above details have been generalized and in no way does this article do justice to such a heroic person. I urge you to read further about Kayla’s life and to remember her in your thoughts, prayers and actions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayla_Mueller
Websites accessed 8/3/2017
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About the Author
John Mayer is a recent graduate of the University of Scranton's Masters of the Arts program in Theology and Religious Studies. He is a practicing Catholic who hopes to enter the field of religious education as a teacher of theology. He currently lives at home with his mother and father in northern New Jersey.
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