UK’s ‘hostile environment’ policy forces asylum seekers into destitution
A report by the Jesuit Refugee Service says that asylum seekers in the UK are being trapped into destitution by their immigration status. The report “Destitute and In Danger- people made homeless by the asylum system” says that the routes out of homelessness available to UK nationals are blocked to them. Large numbers of asylum seekers are rough sleepers, or couch surfers, at perpetual risk of ending up on the streets. Others use night buses as a form of accommodation. 43 per cent of all respondents had slept rough within the last year. The JRS report outlines a six-point plan to tackle the issues, including a call for an end to the so-called “Hostile Environment” operation, which the report says “pushes people into extreme hardship and poverty, with no legal way to support themselves, and means they are more easily targeted for exploitation and abuse”. It also calls on the government to allow people claiming asylum to have the right to work. The report goes on to accuse successive governments of having a policy “to manufacture destitution among people refused asylum”. Sarah Teather, director of the JRS, said it had witnessed “the crushing impact” destitution has on asylum seekers and their stories are horrifying. Read Catherine Pepinster’s report here
Independent Muslim MPs form Alliance with Jeremy Corbyn
Four IndependentMuslim MPselected to Parliament on the back of the Muslim Vote movement have teamed up with the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, to form an independent grouping in Parliament to increase their collective power. The 5 Pillarswebsite reports that the new “Independent Alliance” Parliamentary group, comprising Shockat Adam, Jeremy Corbyn, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed, is now the joint fifth biggest grouping in the Commons with the same parliamentary strength as Reform UK and the DUP.The aim of the group is to give the MPs greater opportunities to ask questions and hold the government to account on behalf of their constituents. The MPs issued a statement, saying: “We were elected by our constituents to provide hope in a Parliament of despair. Already, this government has scrapped the winter fuel allowance for around 10 million pensioners, voted to keep the two-child benefits cap, and ignored calls to end arms sales to Israel”. They are now more likely to be allocated question and speaking slots by the Speaker on a regular basis, including being added to the rota reserved for smaller parties to ask questions at Prime Minister’s Questions. All five MPs beat Labour candidates in July’s election with their pro-Palestinian stance in constituencies with large Muslim populations. The launch of the Muslim Vote movement was set up prior to the UK general election this year, reflecting anger about the situation in Gaza among many of the country’s Muslims.
Northern Ireland church burns down as it celebrates its 70th anniversary
Church leaders in Northern Ireland have called upon those behind an arson attack which devastated their church, to come and talk to them. Police are treating a large fire at the Church of the Holy Name in Greenisland, County Antrim, as arson. Parishioners said they were in shock after the large blaze broke out on Sunday evening in the week that the Church of Ireland community were celebrating the church’s 70th anniversary. The priest in charge, Rev Dr Izzy Hawthorne-Steele said she was “totally devastated….having been in such a high to be brought down to such a low”. BBC Northern Ireland reports that there had been a memory wall in the church which had original photographs, including a couple who had their wedding album of 60 years, all of which were gone. “I’m not angry I’m just thankful that we are a people that can trust on God to bring us through this”, Dr Hawthorne-Steele said.
Chinese Christian artist arrested for satire of Chairman Mao
The Times reports that a Chinese artist who is a Christian and whose work satirises the personality cult of Chairman Mao has been arrested in his studio near Beijing. Gao Zhen, whose permanent residence is now in New York, was visiting China with his wife and children to see relatives when their studio was raided by police. Gao was being held for “slandering the nation’s martyrs and heroes”, a criminal charge brought into force in 2021 which can attract a three-year prison sentence. Gao and his brother Gao Qiang emerged as artists in the 1990s and early 2000s in Beijing. In 1966, their father was either beaten to death or took his own life after being assaulted in the custody of the Red Guards, the radical Maoists who attacked what they saw as the bourgeois remnants of Chinese society, including those in positions of authority within the Communist Party. Some of the brothers’ work was particularly insulting — one shows Mao as a woman with large breasts, symbolising the party’s desire to give birth endlessly to new cadres. In another, Gao Zhen’s Christian faith is reflected in a work “Good Friday – Execution of Christ”, in which Jesus is put before a firing squad whose riflemen have Mao’s face
One in five Jewish parents more likely to send children to Jewish schools since 7 October
The Jewish Chronicle reports that one in five Jewish parents with children in mainstream schools in the UK say they are more likely to send their children to a Jewish school following the 7 October massacre. The findings are revealed in a new Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) survey. The report, entitled “Antisemitism in schools: how prevalent is it, and how might it affect parents’ decision about where to educate their children post-October 7” was released to coincide with the opening of the new school year. It indicates that 20 per cent of parents surveyed said they would be more likely to relocate their children to a Jewish school. This proportion doubles (40 per cent) for parents whose children have experienced antisemitism in and around school. The survey, written by JPR’s senior research fellow, Dr Carli Lessof, shows that Jewish children in mainstream schools are more likely to experience antisemitism at school, while those attending Jewish schools are more likely to experience antisemitism while travelling to and from school
Turin shroud scholar finds new research convincing him it’s authentic
The Church Times proclaims in a headline “Turin Shroud scholar produces more evidence of its authenticity”, referring to new research by Professor Giulio Fanti, the co-ordinator of the International Shroud Science Group at the University of Padua. The story quotes extensively from the study, repeating the claim that the bloodstains and markings on the shroud correspond to the brutal treatment of Christ at his crucifixion. The study says the hundreds of reddish spots of varying shapes and sizes on the body image imprinted on it, “seem perfectly consistent with the different types of torture suffered by Jesus who was wrapped in it as marks on the hands and feet with crucifixion, and a bloodstain on the chest with the post-mortem spear wound that Christ received.” Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurements, is the author of numerous works on the Shroud and is convinced of its authenticity. The Shroud is a handmade twill linen cloth measuring 4.4 by 1.1 metres, which contains the image of the front and back of a man, most clearly revealed in a photographic negative taken in 1898. The Vatican has not officially pronounced on its authenticity. In 1988, it was carbon-dated to the 12th century, although some scientists claim that the testing was carried out erroneously on a piece of medieval cloth. Professor Fanti’s study can be read in full here
