Church offers a place of refuge

Face-painting fun on a day trip for asylum seekers and refugees organised by Restore

“I don’t like to be called a refugee,” says Farid, a lone 16 year-old from Afghanistan. “It singles you out. In God’s eyes, we are all human, we are all individuals.”

Farid is quoted in A Place of Refuge, a Church of England report that challenges the popular prejudice and misinformation about asylum seekers and refugees which surfaced in the headlines in the run up to the general election.

The report, published by the Mission and Public Affairs Council, advances a case for asylum policies based on compassion and solidarity. “Whatever the problems involved in framing a just system to deal with their claims, asylum seekers and refugees are fellow human beings with much to offer our society,” said Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, in the foreword.

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The report argues that we must recognise and tackle the root causes that make people flee their homelands, such as poverty, injustice and conflict. And given the presence of refugees and asylum seekers, churches have an “inescapable duty to stand alongside” them, responding to the “unique humanity” of each individual. A Place of Refuge proposes a series of actions, including: providing welcome, friendship and support; acting to dispel harmful untruths; opposing racist attitudes; and recognising the contribution of asylum seekers.

In the Diocese of Birmingham, where the city saw an influx of asylum seekers and refugees following the government dispersal in 1999, many of these principles are already being put into practice.

Restore provide one-to-one befriending in Birmingham city centre

It is estimated that up to 2,000 destitute asylum seekers and refugees were living in the Birmingham area and Restore, an organisation under the umbrella of Churches Together in Birmingham, emerged to co-ordinate befriending, English classes, one-to-one advocacy, drop-in centres, and mother and toddler groups as well as training and resources for local Christians.

Susanna Snyder, an Anglican ordinand on a refugee study placement at Birmingham Cathedral and a volunteer with Restore, said that working alongside these people had been “enormously enriching” and had undermined many of the stereotypes about those who arrive as refugees.

“One person will be saying bogus asylum seekers are flooding the country, or will associate asylum seekers with criminality. But we don’t want to counter that with a very naïve picture that is equally patronising, which says that refugees are all vulnerable victims. The fact is asylum seekers are as complex as the rest of us.

Most asylum seekers, she says, are “genuine people with heartbreaking stories in desperate need.”

“Yet within that vulnerability you meet incredible resolve and will and determination and strength.”

One woman who worships at the cathedral had to leave her children in Burundi. “She burst into tears when talking about her children. The thought that she would have come here simply on the off-chance of a better life and leave her children behind – anyone would see that as unlikely.”

The Dean of Birmingham, Gordon Mursell, a committed advocate of refugee issues, is hosting events in the cathedral to raise awareness during Refugee Week 20-26 June.

More information on Restore call 0121 766 8764

More on Refugee Week

A Place of Refuge: a positive approach to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK is published by Church House Publishing, price £5.99. To buy a copy, contact 020 7898 1300 or www.chbookshop.co.uk