Why ?
Why do people flee their homes?
What would make you desperate enough to risk your life on a leaky dinghy and then stow
away in the back of a lorry? Here are some actual examples from the people we work with:
“A mortar fell on our children’s school.”
“Our flat was destroyed by a bomb.”
“My parents were murdered by the régime.”
“I was thrown in prison. They tortured me and broke my legs.”
“Family members have been put in a concentration camp.”
The general rule is that, to apply for asylum, you have to be in the UK. If you don’t have a visa, your only option is to enter the country by what the Home Office considers an illegal route, though immigration lawyers keep explaining to them that, in international law, there
is no such thing as an illegal journey if you are seeking asylum.
Does the UK get more than its fair share of asylum-seekers?
To listen to the rhetoric of those who want to foster a hostile environment, you’d think the UK was flooded by far more than its fair share of people desperately seeking safety. In fact, 86% of the world's refugees are hosted by developing countries.
The countries which host the most refugees per capita of their population are displayed on the right.
And the UK? It comes way down the list at less than 2 per 1000 people.”
Does religion come into it?
Of our eight trustees, four are Muslim and four Christian. Our faiths give the same message about how we should treat refugees.
In Islam, we hear that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
“He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while his neighbour goes hungry." [al-Sunan al-Kubrá 19049, Grade: Saheeh (Albani)]
This is echoed in Christianity: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. Asked “Who is my neighbour?”, Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, effectively saying, “Your neighbour may well be a foreigner.” [Luke 10:25-37]
You can love your neighbour without believing in God, but, if you don’t love your neighbour, you can’t claim to love God!
