DOCSLIB.ORG

Refugees, Mental Health and Stigma in Scotland

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Refugees, Mental Health and Stigma in Scotland Refugees, mental health and stigma in Scotland Introduction This briefing paper aims to provide policy makers and service providers with an overview of what we know about refugees’ experience of mental health stigma and discrimination, and sets out recommendations for how best to respond to the mental health needs of new communities. With the support of See Me, Scottish Refugee Council and the Mental Health Foundation are working in partnership to influence the national response to the mental health needs and stigma experienced by refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland, and to build capacity within refugee communities to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination. 1 POLICY BRIEFING AUGUST 2016 Who are refugees? Asylum Seeker Eritrea, Iran, Someone who has fled their Sudan, Syria, country but whose application 65 million for refugee status to a state Pakistan that has signed the 1951 UN Forcibly displaced Refugee Convention has not Top countries of origin of people in the world yet been decided. asylum applicants to the UK in 2015 Migrant Someone who moves from one region or country to another 86% Refugee 38,878 Someone who has been % of the world’s Number of asylum legally recognised as needing refugees sheltered by applicants to the UK protection under the 1951 UN developing countries in 2015 Refugee Convention Refugees are men, women and children Once in a country of sanctuary, life who have been uprooted from their as an asylum seeker or refugee can homes and communities around be characterised by insecurity and the world and forced to seek the uncertainty. protection of another country. They are in vulnerable circumstances. They Only a tiny proportion of the more than have faced persecution, perhaps due 65 million people forcibly displaced to conflict, to their political or religious from their homes around the world beliefs, their gender or sexuality. Many reach Scotland. However, it is essential have experienced trauma. Every stage that the right services and support are of their journey to safety can bring its in place for those who do. Scotland own challenges to physical and mental is welcoming refugees to parts of the wellbeing, which will differ for everyone. country new to providing sanctuary, as well as to those with existing refugee communities. 2 3 Refugees in Scotland The UK received applications for year.4 The UK Home Office currently international protection from 38,878 operates three refugee resettlement people in 2015. Around one third of programmes in partnership with the asylum applicants are women and girls, UNHCR: and two thirds men and boys.1 The UK Government relocates those who require Gateway Protection Programme support, while they await a decision on for refugees who have pressing their asylum application, to ‘dispersal humanitarian or security needs, are not areas’ across the UK. Over the last able to return to their countries of origin decade, the number of asylum seekers and cannot integrate locally (quota of in Scotland has equated to around 750 people per year) 10% of the UK asylum population, with the vast majority living in Home Office Mandate Refugee Scheme for refugees contracted accommodation in Glasgow.2 who have close ties to the UK If recognised as refugees and granted leave to remain, people may either Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation remain in Glasgow or relocate to another (VPR) scheme for Syrian nationals part of the UK.3 currently living in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt or Iraq with specific If granted leave to remain, a refugee can vulnerabilities (quota of 20,000 people apply for family members to join them. over five years 2015-2020) Currently in the UK, dependent children under 18 and spouses or partners can Scottish local authorities are playing apply for Refugee Family Reunion Visas a significant role in the Syrian VPR to join refugee family members. scheme, resettling around 40% of the first UK arrivals under the scheme The vast majority of the world’s refugees in late 2015. To date, one Scottish are unable to travel far beyond the local authority has participated in the borders of their home country. They Gateway Protection Programme and often live in refugee camps for years with others have participated in schemes many children living their entire lives in to resettle small numbers of Iraqi and such camps. One of the ways in which Afghan interpreters who worked for the the UN High Commission for Refugees British Armed Forces in those countries. (UNHCR) seeks to assist these refugees Scottish Refugee Council estimates is to offer resettlement to another third that in total, there are approximately country. Resettlement allows refugees 20,000 refugees and asylum seekers the opportunity to rebuild their lives in living in Scotland.5 safety and security. Around 80,000 refugees are resettled worldwide each 2 3 Policy context Asylum area around the UK, where they will Asylum is a complex policy area where attend an asylum interview and await a devolved and reserved competencies decision from the Home Office on their overlap.6 Decision making on asylum and application. immigration - who is entitled to enter and remain in the UK - is reserved to the If recognised as needing protection, they UK Parliament. However, the provision will be granted leave to remain, their of many support services to refugees asylum support will be stopped and they and asylum seekers that live in Scotland are required to move into mainstream is devolved to the Scottish Parliament. housing and welfare provision within These include health, education, criminal 28 days. If refused protection, there is justice, housing, children’s services and normally a right of appeal to a judge in preventing violence against women. the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, The provision of financial support and but asylum support will be stopped accommodation to asylum seekers after 21 days. If specific criteria can be is a statutory obligation of the UK met, such as ongoing legal proceedings, Government. dependent children, or severe health needs, an applicant may be eligible to The asylum process itself is very apply for £35 per week preloaded onto a complex.i An applicant must lodge an cashless payment card (called the Azure application and undergo a ‘screening’ Card) valid in designated shops, and interview either on arrival at a port (usually shared) accommodation, until or airport, or, if already in the UK, in appeal rights are exhausted or they leave Croydon. If destitute and eligible for the UK. Further changes are being made support, applicants will be relocated to the asylum support system for refused on a no choice basis to a dispersal asylum seekers under the Immigration Act 2016. i See Appendix I for a diagram of the UK asylum process. 4 5 Refugee integration Key aspects of refugee integration Health policy are devolved to the Scottish Health policy in this area is also Parliament. The Scottish Government complex and differs across the devolved promotes an ‘integration from day administrations of the UK. In Scotland, one’ approach, which means that the law exempts refugees and anyone asylum seekers can access support and who has made a claim for asylum from services under the competence of the any charging for NHS services.8 The Scottish Parliament from the day they Scottish Health Directorate is clear that arrive in Scotland. This differs from the all asylum seekers are entitled to register approach in England, where integration with a GP in Scotland and states in its begins upon recognition of refugee policy on ‘overseas visitors’: status, which can be months or years after arrival in the country. Scotland’s Anyone who has made a formal approach is embedded in its New Scots application for asylum, whether pending refugee integration strategy, which or unsuccessful, is entitled to treatment was developed in partnership with on the same basis as a UK national who key stakeholders and is implemented is ordinarily resident in Scotland while through a series of thematic working they remain in the country.9 groups.7 This differs from other parts of the UK. In September 2015, the Scottish For example, in England, those who Government established a Refugee have been refused asylum and do not Response Taskforce, which brought receive Home Office support are liable together statutory, voluntary sector and to be charged for access to secondary refugee community representatives healthcare services.iii The Department to oversee Scotland’s response to the of Health also recently consulted on the ‘refugee crisis’ and the resettlement introduction of charging for primary of Syrian refugees to Scotland. Going healthcare services in England, including forward, this group will be incorporated accident and emergency and some GP into the work of New Scots. services.iv iii Emergency care, family planning, infectious diseases, and treatment due to domestic or sexual violence or female genital mutilation, are exempt from charging. As are victims of trafficking, immigration detainees and looked after children. iv Consultation included proposals to extend charging into A&E, ambulances, prescriptions, dental care, eye care and some GP services: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/483870/NHS_charging_acc.pdf 4 5 Amani’s story: Part one Amani came to the UK when she was 13 years old. This is her story… “I came to the UK with my family from East Africa due to political unrest. My mother decided it was unsafe for us to live in our homeland and so we had to leave. This was a difficult and painful decision where everything we knew had to be left behind: our culture, our heritage, our family and friends. “Starting our new life was not easy. There was a language barrier, the feeling of not belonging and the fear of not being accepted in society was always on your mind.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the D
    The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Marion Woodrow Kruse, III Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Anthony Kaldellis, Advisor; Benjamin Acosta-Hughes; Nathan Rosenstein Copyright by Marion Woodrow Kruse, III 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the use of Roman historical memory from the late fifth century through the middle of the sixth century AD. The collapse of Roman government in the western Roman empire in the late fifth century inspired a crisis of identity and political messaging in the eastern Roman empire of the same period. I argue that the Romans of the eastern empire, in particular those who lived in Constantinople and worked in or around the imperial administration, responded to the challenge posed by the loss of Rome by rewriting the history of the Roman empire. The new historical narratives that arose during this period were initially concerned with Roman identity and fixated on urban space (in particular the cities of Rome and Constantinople) and Roman mythistory. By the sixth century, however, the debate over Roman history had begun to infuse all levels of Roman political discourse and became a major component of the emperor Justinian’s imperial messaging and propaganda, especially in his Novels. The imperial history proposed by the Novels was aggressivley challenged by other writers of the period, creating a clear historical and political conflict over the role and import of Roman history as a model or justification for Roman politics in the sixth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Immigration's Future: Closing the Door on the American Dream?
    Barry Law Review Volume 24 Article 2 Issue 1 Barry Law Review: Fall 2018 1-1-2019 Immigration's Future: Closing The oD or On The American Dream? Ritcy Canelon Follow this and additional works at: https://lawpublications.barry.edu/barrylrev Part of the Immigration Law Commons, International Law Commons, Jurisprudence Commons, Legislation Commons, and the Other Law Commons Recommended Citation Ritcy Canelon (2019) "Immigration's Future: Closing The oorD On The American Dream?," Barry Law Review: Vol. 24 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://lawpublications.barry.edu/barrylrev/vol24/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Barry Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Barry Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Barry Law. : Immigration's Future IMMIGRATION’S FUTURE: CLOSING THE DOOR ON THE AMERICAN DREAM? Ritcy Canelon* I. INTRODUCTION History repeats itself, sometimes with new characters, new scenarios, or new twists. Throughout its history, the world has continuously seen people flee in masses from tyranny, wars, and other devastations. In the United States, the first settlers were fleeing from the religious oppression from their native homes.1 We study his- tory to feign we’ve learned from our past while ignoring all the signs of its reoccur- rence. If we never learn from history, we are Bound to repeat it, and the progress for our future may be halted by not fixing the problems from our past. The history of human immigration is not one that should be ignored. As the
    [Show full text]
  • The Integration Outcomes of U.S. Refugees
    THE INTEGRATION OUTCOMES OF U.S. REFUGEES Successes and Challenges By Randy Capps and Kathleen Newland with Susan Fratzke, Susanna Groves, Gregory Auclair, Michael Fix, and Margie McHugh MPI NATIONAL CENTER ON IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION POLICY THE INTEGRATION OUTCOMES OF U.S. REFUGEES Successes and Challenges Randy Capps and Kathleen Newland with Susan Fratzke, Susanna Groves, Gregory Auclair, Michael Fix, and Margie McHugh June 2015 Acknowledgments This report was originally prepared to inform the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) roundtable “Mismatch: Meeting the Challenges of Refugee Resettlement,” held in Washington, DC in April 2014. The private meeting convened resettlement providers, federal and state-level government officials, and civil-society stakeholders for a candid conversation on the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. refugee resettlement program, and future directions for policy development and program expansion. The roundtable and this report were supported by a grant from the J. M. Kaplan Fund. Additional support was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. © 2015 Migration Policy Institute. All Rights Reserved. Cover Design and Layout: Liz Heimann, MPI No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Migration Policy Institute. A full-text PDF of this document is available for free download from www.migrationpolicy.org. Information for reproducing excerpts from this report can be found at www.migrationpolicy.org/about/copyright-policy. Inquiries can also be directed to: Permissions Department, Migration Policy Institute, 1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036, or by contacting [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • The Nepali Caste System and Culturally Competent Mental
    THE NEPALI CASTE SYSTEM AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT: EXPLORING STRATIFICATION, STRESS, AND INTEGRATION. A Dissertation Presented to The Graduate Faculty at The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Scott Swiatek May 2021 THE NEPALI CASTE SYSTEM AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT: EXPLORING STRATIFICATION, STRESS, AND INTEGRATION. Scott Swiatek Dissertation Approved: Accepted: ___________________________ _____________________________ Advisor Department Chair Dr. Juan Xi Dr. Rebecca Erickson ___________________________ ______________________________ Committee Member Dean of the College Dr. Clare Stacey Dr. Mitchell S. Mckinney ___________________________ _____________________________ Committee Member Dean of the Graduate School Dr. Manacy Pai Dr. Marnie Saunders ___________________________ _____________________________ Committee Member Date Dr. Kathy Feltey ___________________________ Committee Member Dr. Marnie Watson ii ABSTRACT During the late 1990s, the Northern Bhutanese enacted policies marginalizing Bhutanese of Nepali Descent. Thousands of Bhutanese refugees were forcibly displaced to Nepal and established refugee camps where they lived for decades. While in the camps, refugees encountered traumatic life events, including torture, imprisonment, and sexual violence. Starting in 2008 and continuing for years. Bhutanese/Nepali refugees were resettled in the Akron area and encounter a new set of acculturation stressors related to finding employment, learning English, and reestablishing a new set of social networks. Older adults may cling to the Nepali caste system to cope with the unique stressors during the integration process. For over 100 years, people of Nepali descent subscribed to Muluki Ain, which codified discrimination against lower castes and mandated every individual be assigned a caste. Further, members of the ethnic and religious minority were often placed in the lower castes.
    [Show full text]
  • Slavery and Exploitation of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
    Struggling to survive: Slavery and exploitation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon 1 The Freedom Fund plays a critical role to [Slavery] is happening identify and invest in the most effective everywhere... front line efforts to end slavery and human Lebanese municipality official trafficking, bringing together a wide range of partners committed to this cause. Commissioned by the Freedom Fund, this report examines the manifestations I know a 12 year old girl of slavery and human trafficking among who has packed her toys Syrian refugees in Lebanon. It draws on in a bag because she has interviews with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, to work. She doesn’t want representatives from Lebanese and people in the camp to see international NGOs, Syrian organisations, UN bodies and Lebanese government her play with her toys and officials. The study, which was conducted think she is young and during January and February 2016, unfit to work. also reviews other recent research and Lebanese municipality official vulnerability assessments. 2 Contents 2 4 5 Executive summary Recommendations Syrian refugees in Lebanon: the growing risk of slavery and trafficking 7 10 12 Child labour Child marriage Sexual exploitation 14 16 21 Forced labour Factors contributing to Conclusion slavery and trafficking of Syrian refugees Acknowledgement We are grateful and humbled by the time and willingness that women, men and children showed in accepting to share their experience with us. We would also like to thank individuals and organisations working on the Syrian refugees crisis for taking time from their busy schedules to share their knowledge and analysis. Dr Katharine Jones Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University Contact: [email protected] Leena Ksaifi Independent Consultant and Director of The George Ksaifi Organization Contact: [email protected] Cover image © Tabitha Ross 1 Executive Summary Since it began in 2011, the conflict in Syria has crisis that has unfolded over the past five years.
    [Show full text]
  • Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
    Responses to Information Requests - Immigration and Refugee Board of... https://irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/country-information/rir/Pages/index.aspx?doc=4... Responses to Information Requests - Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada India: Treatment of Dalits by society and authorities; availability of state protection (2016- January 2020) 1. Overview According to sources, the term Dalit means "'broken'" or "'oppressed'" (Dalit Solidarity n.d.a; MRG n.d.; Navsarjan Trust n.d.a). Sources indicate that this group was formerly referred to as "'untouchables'" (Dalit Solidarity n.d.a; MRG n.d.; Navsarjan Trust n.d.a). They are referred to officially as "Scheduled Castes" (India 13 July 2006, 1; MRG n.d.; Navsarjan Trust n.d.a). The Indian National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) identified that Scheduled Castes are communities that "were suffering from extreme social, educational and economic backwardness arising out of [the] age-old practice of untouchability" (India 13 July 2006, 1). The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) [1] indicates that the list of groups officially recognized as Scheduled Castes, which can be modified by the Parliament, varies from one state to another, and can even vary among districts within a state (CHRI 2018, 15). According to the 2011 Census of India [the most recent census (World Population Review [2019])], the Scheduled Castes represent 16.6 percent of the total Indian population, or 201,378,086 persons, of which 76.4 percent are in rural areas (India 2011). The census further indicates that the Scheduled Castes constitute 18.5 percent of the total rural population, and 12.6 percent of the total urban population in India (India 2011).
    [Show full text]
  • Refugee Behavioral Health National and Regional Resources Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
    Refugee Behavioral Health National and Regional Resources Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ORR provides refugees and other eligible populations with opportunities to maximize their potential in the United States, linking people in need to critical resources to assist them in becoming integrated members of American society. Refugee Health: Many factors can affect refugee health, including conditions in the country of origin or refugee camp. Without feeling healthy, it is difficult to work, to attend school, or to take care of a family. Physical and emotional wellness and access to healthcare are foundations for successful resettlement. ORR’s Division of Refugee Health http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/refugee-health o Women's Health Videos: A four-part video series, “Somali Refugee Women: Learn about your Health!” covers a variety of health issues, including reproductive health, prenatal care, pregnancy, cancer screenings, diet, exercise and more. Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center http://www.RefugeeHealthTA.org o Access to Care: Affordable Care Act, Language Access (including interpreter best practices), Translated Health Education Materials o Refugee Health Updates: News, Resources, Funding , Trainings and Events Refugees and the Affordable Care Act (video in several languages and materials): http://refugeehealthta.org/access-to-care/affordable-care-act/resources-for-providers-and-refugees/ http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/health Refugee Health Information Network http://www.RHIN.org
    [Show full text]
  • Refugee Definition
    REFUGEE, ASYLUM, AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE (RAIO) RAIO DIRECTORATE – OFFICER TRAINING RAIO Combined Training Program REFUGEE DEFINITION TRAINING MODULE DATE (see schedule of revisions): 12/20/2019 Refugee Definition This Page Left Blank Intentionally USCIS: RAIO Directorate – Officer Training DATE (see schedule of revisions): 12/20/2019 RAIO Combined Training Program Page 2 of 27 Refugee Definition RAIO Directorate – Officer Training / RAIO Combined Training Program REFUGEE DEFINITION Training Module MODULE DESCRIPTION: This module discusses the definition of a refugee as codified in the Immigration and Nationality Act and its interpretation in administrative and judicial case law. TERMINAL PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE(S) When adjudicating a request for asylum or refugee resettlement, you will correctly apply the law to determine eligibility for asylum in the United States or resettlement in the United States as a refugee. 0) ENABLING PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Explain the elements necessary to establish that an individual is a refugee. Explain eligibility issues raised by facts presented in a case. Describe how to determine nationality, if any, of an applicant. • INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS • Interactive Presentation • Discussion • Group and individual practical exercises METHOD(S) OF EVALUATION • Multiple-choice exam REQUIRED READING USCIS: RAIO Directorate – Officer Training DATE (see schedule of revisions): 12/20/2019 RAIO Combined Training Program Page 3 of 27 Refugee Definition INA §101(a)(42) • Required Reading – International and Refugee Adjudications Required Reading – Asylum Adjudications ADDITIONAL RESOURCES UNHCR Handbook • Additional Resources – International and Refugee Adjudications Additional Resources – Asylum Adjudications CRITICAL TASKS SOURCE: The Tasks listed below are from the Asylum Division’s 2001 Revalidation. These tasks will need to be modified to reflect the results of the RAIO Directorate – Officer Training Validation study.
    [Show full text]
  • The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity
    The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Wilkinson, Ryan Hayes. 2015. The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467211 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity A dissertation presented by Ryan Hayes Wilkinson to The Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of History Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts May 2015 © 2015 Ryan Hayes Wilkinson All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Professor Michael McCormick Ryan Hayes Wilkinson The Last Horizons of Roman Gaul: Communication, Community, and Power at the End of Antiquity Abstract In the fifth and sixth centuries CE, the Roman Empire fragmented, along with its network of political, cultural, and socio-economic connections. How did that network’s collapse reshape the social and mental horizons of communities in one part of the Roman world, now eastern France? Did new political frontiers between barbarian kingdoms redirect those communities’ external connections, and if so, how? To address these questions, this dissertation focuses on the cities of two Gallo-Roman tribal groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting the Achievements of the Ancient Celts
    University of Louisville ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses College of Arts & Sciences 5-2013 Revisiting the achievements of the Ancient Celts : evidence that the Celtic civilization surpassed contemporary European civilizations in its technical sophistication and social complexity, and continues to influence later cultures. Adam Dahmer University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/honors Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Dahmer, Adam, "Revisiting the achievements of the Ancient Celts : evidence that the Celtic civilization surpassed contemporary European civilizations in its technical sophistication and social complexity, and continues to influence later cultures." (2013). College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses. Paper 11. http://doi.org/10.18297/honors/11 This Senior Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Arts & Sciences at ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository. This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has retained all other copyrights. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Dahmer 1 A Lost Civilization as Great as Any Scholars traditionally associate the advancement of Western culture from antiquity to the Renaissance with the innovations of the Romans and their Mediterranean cultural predecessors, the Greeks and Etruscans, to the extent that the word "civilization" often seems synonymous with Romanization. In doing so, historians unfairly discount the cultural achievements of other Indo-European peoples who achieved civilization in their own right and contributed much to ancient and modern life.
    [Show full text]
  • STRAINS of WORSHIP: the HUGUENOTS and NON CONFORMITY Robin Gwynn E Huguenots Who Came to Britain in the 1680S and 1690S Were Re
    CHAPTER FIVE STRAINS OF WORSHIP: THE HUGUENOTS AND NONCONFORMITY Robin Gwynn e Huguenots who came to Britain in the 1680s and 1690s were reli- gious refugees. To remain undisturbed in their homeland, they had simply to sign a statement abjuring the errors of John Calvin. Many refused to do so, or felt so guilty at what they had done that they chose to run the loss and dangers inherent in illegal ight in order to renounce abjurations they had signed under duress. eir actions speak eloquently of their religious determination, yet some who found themselves stranded across the Channel on British shores found they were expected to conform to an unfamiliar kind of Protestant worship based on more Anglican ways than was their cus- tom. is paper opens by analysing three early cases where conform- ing congregations ran into diculties. It goes on to show that while there were many practical advantages for the refugees in conforming, their memory of their French roots was oen too vivid to allow it, so that there is an unmistakable movement back towards non-conformity when opportunity permitted. e essay then examines the variety of opinion and practice cloaked by the word ‘conformity’, noting how the problematic relationship of conformity and non-conformity was not conned to England and extended well into the eighteenth century. *** As they ed, the refugees needed to decide where to make their new home. Britain looked promising. Potentially, England was the most powerful Protestant country. London was the largest Protestant city in Europe, oering excellent employment opportunities. French Protestant churches were already based in the city and in Westminster.
    [Show full text]
  • Response to Syrian Refugees! Now, WE NEED CLERGY and OTHER FAITH LEADERS to SIGN on to THIS FAITH LEADERS LETTER
    Dear Disciples Leaders, October 6, 2015 Congratulations for the difference you are already making in ensuring our nation’s compassionate response to Syrian refugees! Now, WE NEED CLERGY AND OTHER FAITH LEADERS TO SIGN ON TO THIS FAITH LEADERS LETTER http://bit.ly/WelcomeAllRefugees IMMEDIATELY to support Syrian refugees!! Add your name to the Faith Leaders Letter here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PNbNKO3TV1ZcoaKhhddNCV209kzGJvDs4yS11y5ODZw /viewform. Names added today will be listed as the letter is shared with Members of Congress ahead of a House Hearing on Syrian Refugee Resettlement this Wednesday. After that time, we’ll continue to gather signatures, and will continue to send the letter to national leaders. Please, will you help us share this alert and letter with all clergy colleagues that you know? Invite church members and friends to sign the Petition to the President: In this time of the WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS our world has experienced since WWII, I am delighted to report that Disciples last week helped push us over the needed threshold of 100,000 sign-ons needed for a Petition to the President, requesting a greater number of Syrians be resettled! THANK YOU, CONGRATULATIONS, and we will let you know the response to your request we receive from the White House! This Petition to the President is still open for signatures from ALL church and community members: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/authorize-and-resettle-syrian-refugees-us. We hope you can share it far and wide with church members and friends as a concrete way all Americans can help demonstrate our readiness to welcome Syrians currently seeking resettlement! Celebrate voices of faith supporting refugees: Also last week, Rev.
    [Show full text]