City of Sanctuary

Full meeting of the Council of Faiths this evening in the Welcome Centre. Guest speaker is Gill Buttery, Development Worker with Leicester City of Sanctuary. City of Sanctuary is a movement to build a culture of hospitality for people seeking sanctuary in the UK. Its goal is to create a network of towns and cities throughout the country which are proud to be places of safety, and which include people seeking sanctuary fully in the life of their communities.

A City of Sanctuary is a place of safety and welcome for people whose lives are in danger in their own countries. It is a place where:

• the skills and cultures of people seeking sanctuary are valued, where they are included in local communities and able to contribute to the life of the city.
• community groups, local government, media, business, schools and colleges have a shared commitment to offering sanctuary, so that it is seen as part of the city’s identity by local people.
• people seeking sanctuary can easily build relationships with local people as neighbours, friends and colleagues. Through these relationships, local people come to understand the injustices refugees face, and become motivated to support and defend them.

The City of Sanctuary movement began in October 2005 in Sheffield. In September 2007, with the support of the City Council and over 70 local community organisations, Sheffield became the UK’s first official "City of Sanctuary", a city that takes pride in the welcome it offers to people in need of safety.

A national network of Cities of Sanctuary will demonstrate the desire of people of goodwill throughout the country for a more just and humane approach to people seeking sanctuary in this country.

This is a different kind of meeting from those which the Council of Faiths has held recently; indeed, quite different from any meeting which I've attended in my three years here. Members are invited to take a few minutes to spek on the subject of asylum seekers and refugees from the perspective of their particular faith. Minou Cortazzi (Bahá'í) starts off, then Resham Singh Sandhu (Sikh), John Lally (Christian), Ramesh Majithia (Hindu), Alex Keller (Jewish), Fayyaz Suleman (Muslim), Janette Macdonald (Bahá'í) and our visitor Vinod Chudasama (from Leicester College - and a Hindu). Each one has the opportunity to speak at length and uninterrupted, about what their faith says to them (and through them) on this vital and moving topic. I've tried to quote below a few of the things each one said, but not linked them to any individual or faith. You may like to try and do that, faithful reader, but it's not a competition and there are no prizes on offer for this.

"Founders and central figures of each religion experienced banishment and exile for their principles and teachings."

"They have stood up against oppression and sacrificed themselves for those who could not protect themselves."

"When we come close to people - to 'The Other' - we come closer to feeling what they feel."

"Having a guest in your home is like having a visit from God there.

"Our God-given duty is to serve, heal and educate those from outside our communities, just as we would our own."

"As we become more God-conscious, we have to change our attitude and behaviour toward the poor, the needy and the oppressed."

"Justice is the most important thing in the world and it needs to be brought to the world on a world scale if we want to bring an end to oppression."

Leicester City of Sanctuary has obtained funding from Faiths Action to help strengthen relations with faith communities on issues to do with asylum seekers and refugees.

Find out more about Leicester City of Sanctuary:

http://www.cityofsanctuary.com/leicester