If They Score Goals, They're Foreigners. If They Arrive in Small Boats, They're Migrants
Published: September 11, 2026
Duration: 1:30
Sixteen years ago—time flies—I ran a workshop in which I asked why a football player was considered a foreigner, whereas people arriving on wooden boats were labeled immigrants.
The goal of the activity was to help people understand why we accept certain individuals and reject others, as was the case with Ukrainian refugees. But I will give you a clearer, more graphic example. During the Bosnian War, which was widely televised, people had no issue welcoming Bosnian refugees, even though they were Muslim. Nobody claimed they were going to replace us or impose Islam on us.
The goal of the activity was to help people understand why we accept certain individuals and reject others, as was the case with Ukrainian refugees. But I will give you a clearer, more graphic example. During the Bosnian War, which was widely televised, people had no issue welcoming Bosnian refugees, even though they were Muslim. Nobody claimed they were going to replace us or impose Islam on us.