Al Jazeera: Rohingya refugees in India accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of hypocrisy regarding his government’s citizenship laws, which they claim discriminate against non-Hindus while failing to protect their rights.
Tag: refugees
Christianity Today: A recent report titled “Closed Doors” reveals a decline in the resettlement of persecuted Christians in the US over the past five years due to the effects of the pandemic and changes in refugee resettlement policies. Despite rising persecution levels globally, the number of Christian refugees admitted to the US has significantly decreased, highlighting concerns about religious freedom and America’s historical role as a safe haven for refugees.
UNHCR: Four individuals fled their homes due to religious persecution in Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Central African Republic, and Iraq. The challenges they faced and the assistance provided by UNHCR, emphasize the urgent need for support to help refugees rebuild their lives.
IRAP: The U.S. will reopen refugee applications for Iranian religious minorities who were previously denied due to stringent vetting processes. This move aims to address past injustices and improve access to asylum for affected individuals.
The Conversation: Despite the idea that welcoming the stranger is central to many religions, the widespread support of receiving refugees is waning. Immigrant advocates, in particular religious organizations, are appealing to the Biden administration to increase the processing speed of thousands of Afghans fleeing from the Taliban.
Policy Options: Religious groups have played an integral role in providing funds for settlement and supporting private refugee sponsorship. Canada’s private refugee sponsorship program is widely celebrated as a unique policy framework that allows citizens to actively participate in the process of refugee protection.
ReliefWeb: Large influxes of refugees from Muslim-majority countries have led to a significant rise in the overall number of Muslims in Germany. Recent studies report high prevalence of mental distress and illness among the refugees. Recent surveys from the German Islam Conference indicate that faith plays an important role in the social integration and inclusion of these individuals.
Religion News: The State Department is not permitting statistics about refugees admitted into the United States, including their religious affiliations, to be publicly available. There are two main reasons for the change: the development of a new information technology system, which will not be completed until December 2021, and concerns about privacy.
Sikh Channel: Afghan Sikh and Hindu refugee families arrive in Canada after the tireless work and campaigning by Manmeet Singh Bhullar. The new arrivals have been sponsored through private applications that were organized by the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, with support from the World Sikh Organization of Canada. Sikhs and Hindus have endured increasing religious persecution, and most have been forced to flee to other countries.
The Conversation: Locals within host countries are not the only source of intolerance and prejudice against religious refugees. There is also conflict among refugees of different religious groups. While some have suggested separating people by religion in refugee centres, researcher Kat Eghdamian believes that proactively counteracting prejudice can be achieved by allowing groups to mix and share their experiences.
Religious Refugees 