The Guardian: Refugees applying for asylum in the UK on the grounds of conversion to Christianity are being interrogated on “Bible trivia” by immigration officials. Questions such as the following—“What are the Ten Commandments?” “When is Pentecost?” and “How many books are there in the Bible?”—are being put to asylum seekers in an attempt to test claims of religious conversion.
CTV News: Profiles of Syrian refugees are presented to Canada by the United Nations, and the government’s decision on who will settle may be based on criteria such as religion. Although information on religious affiliation is not available, critics are concerned that the distribution could be different than the reported percentages of 74% Sunni Muslim, 13% other Muslim groups, 10% Christian, and 3% Druze among the Syrian population. Selection of refugees is ideally based on need, although for private sponsors responsible for 60% of the refugees coming to Canada, it is up to the church or group do decide who to sponsor.
CBC News: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News reported that the government is considering prioritizing religious minorities from Syria when deciding which refugee claims to approve. Such a policy would leave Sunni Muslims, who compose the majority of the Syrian population, without any chance of resettlement to Canada, despite the clearly high risks they face as a result of the conflict.
Wall Street Journal: The State Department released a report documenting the largest international displacement of religious communities, particularly in conflicts with religious or sectarian dimensions. The annual report’s release came as the Obama administration announced it was nominating Rabbi David Saperstein as the next ambassador for international religious freedom.
Religious Refugees