Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees
Last autumn the Scottish Episcopal Church joined with other faith groups,
including other Christian Churches, and the representative Jewish and
Muslim organisations in Scotland, to work together in a new project called
Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees.
We are from different faith traditions; we are deliberately working together as
a symbol of our shared humanity. Our differences are small compared with
our common desire to help restore that dignity and fullness of life which we
believe is at the heart of God’s plan for us all. Christians bring a particular
story of Syria and Iraq, the cradle of our faith and now where in places it is
dangerous to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Jewish people have their own stories of
exodus and holocaust, they know the
importance of being granted sanctuary from
terror, and many take seriously their
obligation to offer sanctuary to those in need
today. Muslims bring their own experience –
of a growing normalisation of Islamophobia,
and where even in the supposedly civilised
world they are frequently collectively
mocked, patronised and blamed for the
actions of others.
Part of the work of Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees is to encourage and
support, and where necessary challenge, faith groups in Scotland, to try to
get a sense of co-ordinated action, so through our response we all pull in the
same direction.
At a local level across Scotland many local authorities are working with the
Home Office to welcome Syrian families. You might recall David Cameron’s
promise in September to take up to 20,000 vulnerable Syrian people from
refugee camps between 2015 and 2020. Scotland is now home to around
550 of these Syrian refugees, and we can expect more new arrivals over the
coming months.
Glasgow has been a dispersal centre for asylum seekers for around 18
years. There are around 3,500 asylum seekers living in the city at the
moment. Unlike the Syrian families recently arrived, asylum seekers have no
right to work, are given restricted and limited financial support and are
engaged in the legal process of an asylum claim. The fear of dawn raids,
detention and destitution is very real.
Many charity and faith based projects work in the city, and have done so for
many years.
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