Slovakia Granting Asylum to Iraqi Christian Refugees

The country of Slovakia is granting asylum to 149 Iraqi Christian refugees fleeing Islamic terrorism.

Twenty-five families will arrive in the country in next few days, according to Interior Minister Robert Kalinak.

"They would lose their lives if we didn't help them," Kalinak said.

The families will be initially placed in a center in eastern Slovakia, and the Catholic Church has agreed to help them integrate into society in the predominantly Roman Catholic country.

However, most of Slovakia remains opposed to the European Union's plan to redistribute 120,000 asylum-seekers among the bloc's 28 nations.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said his government has filed a complaint to challenge the EU's decision.

The Associated Press reports that immediately after the refugee-sharing move was approved by EU ministers in September, Fico said Slovakia was not ready to accept the plan and was planning a legal complaint at an EU court in Luxembourg.

Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary have also voted against the plan.