The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has been urged to rethink the UK government’s asylum policy agenda, in a letter signed by forty senior faith leaders from across the UK’s Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities.
Just days after Mr Burnham’s appointment, the open letter, coordinated by refugee charity HIAS+JCORE, reminded him that “those fleeing persecution are no different to us”.
The faith leaders, who included the Revd Neil Thorogood, Moderator of the URC’s General Assembly, stressed their concern “that our society’s unity and cohesion are increasingly under threat”, and expressed their “hurt for this division and for those affected by recent unrest and violence in Southampton, Belfast, and Edinburgh.”
They put forward a series of policy requests, calling on the new Prime Minister to fully reinstate refugee family reunion rights, reverse the 30-month protection model, and return to a five-year route to settlement for refugees.
Scotland’s Chief Imam, Imam Dr Sayed Razawi, said that a fair and well-managed immigration system and compassion for those fleeing persecution “are not competing values. As people of faith, we believe that protecting the vulnerable and maintaining the common good go hand in hand. The United Kingdom is at its best when its immigration system is orderly, just and rooted in the dignity of every human person.”
The faith leaders were drawn together by HIAS+JCORE, a charity that exists “to enable refugees and asylum seekers to flourish as a part of a society free from xenophobia and racism”. It describes itself as being led by its “Jewish values and a history of Compassion (Rachamim), Responsibility (Arvut), Solidarity (Shlemut) and Partnership (Gishur)”.
URC, Methodist and Baptist leaders had previously written to the new Prime Minister, to assure him of their prayers, and to outline their vision of a society that “enables the flourishing of all life”. The leaders, whose Churches cooperate on justice issues through the Joint Public Issues Team, called for a government “of integrity that pursues justice and peace and seeks to serve the common good”.
They declared: “As Church denominations, we share a vision of a society where the poorest and most marginalised are at the centre, where refugees are welcomed, where the environment is renewed, where a just economy enables the flourishing of all life, and where politics is characterised by listening, kindness and truthfulness, and of a world that actively works for peace. Where there is common ground around this agenda, we are committed to seeking a constructive relationship with your government which will help to enable those hopes to be fulfilled.”
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