Faith groups, including CPJ, responded today to reports that the Canadian federal government looking to prioritize the resettlement Syrian refugees from the country’s religious minorities. In their statement today on Syrian refugees, faith leaders supported the Canadian Council of Refugees in affirming and insisting that discriminating by religion is unacceptable.
Inter-faith Statement on Syrian Refugees
As representatives of organizations of different faith traditions we join together to call on the Canadian government to resettle Syrian refugees without discrimination based on religion.
All of our religions teach the fundamental worth of every human being. A person should never be excluded from refugee protection or resettlement on the basis of his or her religion.
In responding to situations of conflict where people are divided by religious affiliation and persecuted for their religion, it is all the more important that Canada assert that our humanity unites us all and that discrimination based on religion is unacceptable.
Refugees must be selected for resettlement based on need.
Signed by:
Sister Mary Jane Leonard, CND, Chair, Becoming Neighbours, a Joint Apostolic Ministry
Lt. Colonel Jim Champ, President, The Canadian Council of Churches
Dr. Iqbal Masood Nadvi, Canadian Council of Imams
Rev. Darren Roorda, Canadian Ministries Director, Christian Reformed Church of North America
Père Michel Proulx, Prieur des Chanoines Réguliers de Prémontré du Québec
Mike Hogeterp, Director, Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue
Joe Gunn, Citizens for Public Justice
National Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Gisèle Lafontaine, Filles de Saint-Paul
Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, President, Hindu Federation
Soeur Lorette Langlais, Institut Notre-Dame du Bon-Conseil
Peter Bisson, Jesuits in English Canada
Jean-Marc Biron, Jésuites du Canada français et d’Haïti
Bernie M Farber, Jewish Refugee Action Network (JRAN)
Ihsaan Gardee, National Council of Canadian Muslims
The Rev. Dr. Richard W. Fee, The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Rev. John Kapteyn, Executive Secretary, Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America
Commissioner Susan McMillan, Territorial Commander for The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory
Sister Joan O’Keefe, Sisters of Charity-Halifax
Sister Helen Petrimoulx, The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary of the Windsor Mission Center of the Ontario/U.S. Province
Sœur Josephine Goggin, Sœurs de la Charité de Saint-Louis
Rollande Lamoureux, Sœurs de Ste-Marie de Namur
Right Rev. Gary Paterson, Moderator, The United Church of Canada
Ida Kaastra-Mutoigo, Director, World Renew
Dr. Amritpal Singh Shergill, President, World Sikh Organization of Canada
Contacts
Brad Wassink: 613-232-0275 x. 225
Bernie M Farber, JRAN, 416-671-3204
Ihsaan Gardee, National Council of Canadian Muslims, 613-254-9704 613-853-4111
En tant que représentants d’organisations de diverses traditions religieuses nous unissons nos voix afin d’appeler au gouvernement canadien de réinstaller les réfugiés syriens sans discrimination fondée sur la religion.
Toutes nos religions enseignent la valeur fondamentale de chaque être humain. Une personne réfugiée ne devrait jamais être exclue de la protection ou de la réinstallation en fonction de sa religion.
Dans sa réponse à des situations de conflit où les personnes sont divisées selon l’appartenance religieuse et persécutées en raison de leur religion, il est d’autant plus important que le Canada affirme que notre humanité nous unit tous et toutes et que la discrimination fondée sur la religion est inacceptable.
Les réfugiés doivent être sélectionnés pour la réinstallation en fonction du besoin.
