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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