Polish Muslim leader helps feed migrants and soldiers

BOHONIKI – Maciej Szczęsnowicz cried erstwhile helium saw migrants astatine the borderline for the archetypal time, bare and exhausted from the ordeal of being stuck portion trying to participate from Belarus.

The president of the section Muslim assemblage successful the eastbound Polish colony of Bohoniki, Szczęsnowicz saw radical truthful bushed they could nary longer stand, truthful bare that they picked mushrooms from the crushed to devour and erstwhile fixed an apple, ate the seeds.

But what wounded him the astir was proceeding the sounds of their suffering.

“It’s the dependable of the crying and screaming of the children," helium said. "It’s the worst thing.”

As Poland has seen migrants from the Middle East crossing from Belarus into an country of forests and swamps, Szczęsnowicz has gotten to enactment helping to cod covering and hole nutrient for them.

A ample fig of migrants appeared this week astatine Poland's border, intensifying a governmental standoff betwixt the European Union and Belarus. With a buildup of forces connected the border, Szczęsnowicz is besides helping to provender soldiers and different work radical protecting the country.

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The AP visited him connected Saturday successful a edifice wherever helium and different volunteers were preparing a ample cookware of steaming chickenhearted and rootlike soup. It was destined for soldiers and different guards connected the border, but helium hopes that immoderate besides makes its mode to the migrants.

While the borderline portion is off-limits owed a authorities of exigency successful unit since aboriginal September, his transportation of crockery to the borderline has fixed him entree others bash not person — and a presumption of the suffering of the radical conscionable crossed razor ligament fences successful Belarus.

Thousands of migrants person been trying for months to gaffe done Poland's eastbound borderline from Belarus, hoping to marque their mode toward Western Europe.

To Polish and EU politicians, the accomplishment of the migrants, astir of whom are Muslims from the Middle East, is viewed arsenic a occupation to stop.

But determination is simply a important fig of Poles who simply spot quality beings successful request of a helping manus and person been seeking ways to assistance them. Medics person been going into the woods to supply aesculapian assistance to those who negociate to gaffe through. They are often sick oregon injured. Meanwhile, radical crossed the state person been donating wealth to organizations taking nutrient and different assistance to the migrants successful the forests.

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Most of the volunteers are Roman Catholic, arsenic is their country, but Szczęsnowicz heads the Muslim assemblage successful Bohoniki, wherever a tiny number inactive lives that is descended from a colonisation of Muslim Tatars who settled successful the country 600 years ago.

Still, helium says his Muslim individuality is lone secondary erstwhile it comes to helping migrants.

"We are expected to assistance everybody who entered the Polish border. Everybody, yes, due to the fact that they are human,” helium said.

Already the concern successful the portion tin beryllium deadly, with 9 deaths reported truthful far, including the decease of a young Syrian antheral reported connected Saturday. The risks turn arsenic wintertime approaches.

Szczęsnowicz fears that “here volition simply beryllium much deaths.”

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