More than 10,000 Icelanders offered to take in Syrian refugees after a prominent author from Iceland publicly requested her country's government allow citizens to help with the crisis. In an open letter posted on Facebook, Bryndis Bjorgvinsdottir pleaded with the country's welfare minister to raise the cap of just 50 asylum seekers per year. She said she knew someone who could take in five fleeing Syrians and asked for others to express public support.
On radio Tuesday, Glenn urged his listeners to take this story to heart and then do something about it.
"Out of a country of 300,000 people, 10,000 people in 24 hours said, 'I'll offer up my home. I'll offer up my money.' I'm asking you to do the same thing today," Glenn said.
Glenn said he has a goal of raising $10 million before Christmas to rescue Christians fleeing from ISIS.
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"If you have no money, can you house somebody? Can your neighborhood house somebody? Can your church house a family? Can you help spread the word? Can you help just as a prayer warrior? What is it that you can do? Because everybody has something," Glenn said.
Watch the segment or read the transcript below.
Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.
GLENN: We can save 2,000 people or more by Christmas. 2,000 people. Just so, you know, that's 800 more people than Schindler and his list saved. We can save 2,000 souls. And that's only if 400 churches get involved. 400 churches that is, hey, I will take a family. Now, it's $25,000 to get those families here. We'll break all those families down for you by the end of the week so you know exactly where the money is going, how it's being used. But did you see what Iceland is doing? Because Iceland is only a country of 300,000 people. 300,000 people in the entire country.
But one woman got on Facebook. She's a prominent author in Iceland. And she couldn't take it. And so she went on Facebook and she launched a campaign after the government said we'll take 60 refugees. We'll take 60. She thought, that's not enough.
So she went on Facebook and she said, who else will take some? Who will volunteer as a family to take a family in? I'm asking you, which churches -- will your church volunteer to take a family in? In the space of 24 hours, 10,000 Icelanders offered up their homes and urged their government to do more.
People wrote in, I'm a single mother with a 6-year-old son, I can take a child in need. I'm a teacher, I'll teach a child to speak, read, write. Adjust to our society. Another one wrote, I have clothes, a bed, toys, everything children would need. I'll pay for the airline ticket even to get them here.
Out of a country of 300,000 people, 10,000 people in 24 hours said, I'll offer up my home. I'll offer up my money. I'm asking you to do the same thing today. I'm going to post in a few minutes just a quick note that just says, what churches will take a family? What people will take one person? Will you offer up your home? See, when I started telling you that we are going to repeat the 1930s, everybody thought I was nuts. When I said, we're going to have to be a people that will hide or take people. Are you -- are you willing to be one of the righteous among the nations?
I thought this would happen with the Jews. I didn't think it would happen with the Christians. I thought it would happen with the Jews. But it's happening with the Christians. So now, what are we going to do? I ask you again what I asked you six, seven, eight, ten years ago. When the world goes mad and the world is crucifying people, when they're building houses of horror and concentrate camps -- I mean, what's the difference between the concentrate camp at Auschwitz and the one barrack in Auschwitz that held female prisoners that were used as prostitutes, used as pleasure receptacles, forced to have sex -- what's the difference between that and the 8-year-old girl that just escaped ISIS, who has testified that she was raped up to ten times a day every single day? What is her life like? What's the difference?
There is none. We said never again. Well, never again is now. I have a goal of raising $10 million by Christmas. That's a huge goal. I don't know if we can even make that. That's the largest amount of money we've ever asked to raise, by far. By far.
Maybe we can only make 5 million. I don't know. We've already raised 3 million. And not from big donors. Big checks. The average check is $100. It's the average listener. But it's the average listener that wants their name in the book of life. They want their name. This is the time that giants are born. And you're either going to sit on the sidelines. And not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. You're going to sit on the sidelines, and your name is going to be written in the book of death. Or you'll find a way -- if you have no money, can you house somebody? Can your neighborhood house somebody? Can your church house a family? Can you help spread the word? Can you help just as a prayer warrior? What is it that you can do? Because everybody has something.
Featured Image: Syrian refugees arrive on the shores of Lesvos island in Greece in an inflatable boat from Turkey on August 23, 2015. (Photo credit: ACHILLEAS ZAVALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
