Transcript:

[FOOTSTEPS AND PEOPLE TALKING IN MOSCOW] :02 

[GAVEL HITTING] :02 

[AISHA] :14 

Court is in session for the large influx of Jehovah’s witnesses wanting to immigrate to the United States. 

I talked with Professor Emily Baran, a soviet historian who specializes in marginalized Christian religious groups in post-soviet Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova to learn more. 

[DR. BARAN] :09 

“I think that it is important that people know that a major world religion is being persecuted as essentially a terrorist organization in Russia.” 

[AISHA] :15 

The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war has drawn attention to the problem, but the Russian refugee crisis far predates the Ukrainian war for religious groups, especially Jehovah's Witnesses whose organization was banned in 2017 after being labeled an extremist group. 

[DR. BARAN] :14 

“And I think it’s easy with the war to think ‘Everything in Russia is terrible, so of course they’re doing that,’ but this was before the war. This was the first time that a major western government had taken such a dramatic step against a major religion.” 

[FOOTSTEPS AND PEOPLE TALKING IN MOSCOW] :02 

[TYPING] :01 

[AISHA] :17 

Witnesses have chosen to abandon their struggles in Russia to embrace the struggle of the unknown in America. Ibrahim Karamustafic is a Bosnian immigrant that came to America after facing religious persecution in Eastern Europe as well. He understands the struggle of immigration all too well. 

[IBRAHIM KARAMUSTAFIC] :11 

“Yeah, this been very hard after come here. No speak English, no, no car, no, no, no money, no understand nobody. You know this very hard life maybe 3-4 years, you know.” 

[AISHA] :11 

Although there were a lot of hardships in America, for many fleeing persecutions like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Ibrahim Karamustafic, America has become a place of opportunities and freedom. 

[IBRAHIM KARAMUSTAFIC] :02 

“I’m happy here. Thank you, America.” 

[AISHA] :04 

In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, this is Aisha Kara with Middle Tennessee News.