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Editorial:
"There's Nothing New About Change"
Anna Rankin
Comment:
Embracing the Stranger
Denise Wright
From
the Director: Change and Decay – so what's new?
David W Porter
Alwyn
Thomson
Ethel White
A
Changing Church
Chris Easton
Women,
the Church and Change
Lesley Carroll
Interview
with Noel Fallows: Multi-cultural Church Life
Anna Rankin
Urban
Grit
Ken Groves
Higher
Throne
Keith
Getty & Kristyn Lennox
2003
Conference: Reconciliation – Illusion or Elusive?
What's
Jesus got to do with Forgiveness?
Stuart Noble
Review:
Lost in Translation
Gareth Higgins
Review:
The Church Beyond the Congregation by James Thwaites
Claire Martin
Review:
A Time for Mission by Samuel Escobar
Ben
Walker
Review:
Against the Stream by David W Smith
Cheryl
Reid
Review:
Evangelicalism and National Identity in Ulster, 1921-1998 by Patrick
Mitchel
David Hewitt
Review:
I was a teenage Catholic by Malachi O'Doherty
Fran
Porter
COMMENT: EMBRACING THE STRANGER
NO ONE in touch with current affairs in Northern Ireland can be unaware of the frightening increase in racially motivated attacks in recent months. Indeed, an investigation conducted by Tim Samuels for Newsnight last October suggests that an individual is twice as likely to be a victim of racism in Northern Ireland than in England and Wales.1
This is a painful reality, for in spite of the difficulties that we have had as a divided society, we have been proud of our reputation for hospitality.
The polarisation into two traditions has, for many, masked the fact that we are fast becoming a multi-cultural society.
In the period from April 2001 to August 2003, 488 people applied for asylum in Northern Ireland.2 Many from ethnic minorities contribute to our economy as migrant workers. Public consensus still seems to favour a much greater restriction on migration as many, including the media, have suggested that such people are not arriving in search of a good job and a better life but rather to take advantage of the welfare benefit system. However, research from the Home Office shows that legal migrants contribute £2.5 billion more in taxes than they consume in services.3
In recent times, few European governments have pursued positive immigration policies; current policies are seen to be in place in order to deter immigration. For example, an Immigration Officer has the discretion to have an immigrant detained in prison in Northern Ireland without trial in spite of them having committed no criminal offence. Intense screening of asylum seekers and the reluctant granting of refugee status where there is sufficient evidence to prove their claim is valid, evidences the reluctance of government to encourage immigration. The term "fortress Europe" is frequently used to depict this attitude towards those who, due to persecution or economic deprivation, seek to live and work within our nation states.
Perhaps this term also reveals the root of the racism currently seen to be growing here. It is understandable for those who perceive themselves as under threat to develop a "fortress" mentality where their territory requires protection. Therefore expulsion of those threatening that territory is seen as a desirable objective.
For decades each of our traditions has believed itself to be under siege by the other and a fortress mentality is most certainly not an alien concept in Northern Ireland.
Those who are not like us are to be feared; strangers are not to be trusted. It is probably no coincidence that a great many racist incidents occurring, especially within Belfast, are in areas where local communities are under genuine stress and believe themselves threatened.
How are we as people of faith called to respond? Xenos, the word for stranger in Greek is also the root of the word for guest or host. Xenophobia, fear of the stranger (or perhaps of being a host) is in direct opposition to the gospel message. In contrast, scripture calls us to philoxenia, a love of the guest or stranger or more commonly, hospitality.
Jesus clearly states that the greatest commandment aside from loving God is to love your neighbour as yourself. He describes this neighbour as someone of a different race far from home (Luke 10:25).
How many of us living in this country, of any tradition, are indigenous to our island? How many have family members living abroad who have contributed significantly to the economic and social development of those societies. We would do well to reflect on the words of Deuteronomy 10:17-19 and Hebrews 13:2.
Perhaps we are only at the beginning of the debate on how we embrace the stranger who has come to live among us. Considering our struggle to embrace the neighbour who has lived beside us all our lives, perhaps we need to ask the question, 'Have we learnt enough from history to prevent us repeating the mistakes of the past?' How sad it would be if, in thirty years time, our children are reaping the consequences of our inability to adhere to the demands of our faith, in not only welcoming but embracing the strangers who should have become our friends and who possibly were messengers from God.
Notes:
1 http://www.mail-archive.com/archive@jab.org/msg42751.html
2 NICEM (Northern Ireland
Council for Ethnic Minorities)
3
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/news.asp?NewsId=332&SectionId=1
DENISE WRIGHT
is an elder in City Church, Belfast where she was Assistant Pastor for
seven years before becoming the church.s Community Project Manager. She
runs a multi-ethnic mother and toddler group and is a member of Embrace,
a group of concerned Christians working together to promote a positive
response from churches to the plight of asylum seekers and refugees in
Northern Ireland.
http://www.embraceni.org
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