Entitlements To Refugee Status
In Canada, that means a reasonable fear for one's life and safety in one's country of origin. Or that they flee a horrendous situation like civil strife, an internal war. And then there's the recently-revealed case of a young Chinese woman who came to Canada to study and who, while in Canada, made application for refugee status. Her name is Yu Mei Zhang, and in 2005, she arrived on a student visa. While in Toronto she continued to worship at the Chinese Gospel Church.
She's only 22 years old. In her native Fujian province she had been introduced, she said, to Christianity by a friend, and she felt drawn to the religion. In China Christianity is permitted to be practised in government-sanctioned churches, and these are considered to be 'legal' venues. For the government, it's a way to keep tabs. Many Chinese Christians, however, worship in illegal underground "house churches" which change locations often to foil government oversight.
Her mother informed her over the telephone that a representative of the government's Public Security Bureau had visited her, and she warned her daughter that she is being accused of engaging in illegal religious activities. Her mother urged her daughter to remain in Canada for her own protection, given the circumstances. A hard thing, one would think, for any mother to do, to encourage a long geographic separation from her child.
The refugee board that examined her claim for refugee status claimed to be unconvinced. They doubted her status as a Christian, and that she would be in danger if she returned to China. They claimed she was unable to respond to their queries satisfactorily in a manner to assure them that her story had merit. She had been unable to make the connection between the Last Supper when Christ sat to dinner with his disciples, and the Jewish holiday of Passover.
She had been unable to satisfy their demand to know the Protestant denomination of her church. She had been able to respond accurately and with conviction with respect to baptism, sacraments and the Bible, and did know there was a connection between the Last Supper and Passover, but was unaware of the details; what significance Passover had. And why would she?
The theological connection between the two would stump most practising Christians in Canada any day. It's likely only of fairly recent vintage that most Christians would even be aware that Jesus Christ was a Jew of his time, let alone that they'd know what Passover signifies to Jews. Their personal rigorous application of specific knowledge appears like a deliberate attempt to forestall her attempt to seek refugee status.
Which says a whole lot more about the construct and make-up of the refugee board than it does about the legitimacy of Ms. Zhang's claim.
Good to know that a federal judge, in response to an application to the Federal Court of Canada, has said the board drew erroneous conclusions about her credibility based on her responses to those specific questions. And questioned why they sought to overreach their mandate in an attempt to find inconsistencies in her claim.
He should now go a little further and enquire of the board members where they parked their brains.
She's only 22 years old. In her native Fujian province she had been introduced, she said, to Christianity by a friend, and she felt drawn to the religion. In China Christianity is permitted to be practised in government-sanctioned churches, and these are considered to be 'legal' venues. For the government, it's a way to keep tabs. Many Chinese Christians, however, worship in illegal underground "house churches" which change locations often to foil government oversight.
Her mother informed her over the telephone that a representative of the government's Public Security Bureau had visited her, and she warned her daughter that she is being accused of engaging in illegal religious activities. Her mother urged her daughter to remain in Canada for her own protection, given the circumstances. A hard thing, one would think, for any mother to do, to encourage a long geographic separation from her child.
The refugee board that examined her claim for refugee status claimed to be unconvinced. They doubted her status as a Christian, and that she would be in danger if she returned to China. They claimed she was unable to respond to their queries satisfactorily in a manner to assure them that her story had merit. She had been unable to make the connection between the Last Supper when Christ sat to dinner with his disciples, and the Jewish holiday of Passover.
She had been unable to satisfy their demand to know the Protestant denomination of her church. She had been able to respond accurately and with conviction with respect to baptism, sacraments and the Bible, and did know there was a connection between the Last Supper and Passover, but was unaware of the details; what significance Passover had. And why would she?
The theological connection between the two would stump most practising Christians in Canada any day. It's likely only of fairly recent vintage that most Christians would even be aware that Jesus Christ was a Jew of his time, let alone that they'd know what Passover signifies to Jews. Their personal rigorous application of specific knowledge appears like a deliberate attempt to forestall her attempt to seek refugee status.
Which says a whole lot more about the construct and make-up of the refugee board than it does about the legitimacy of Ms. Zhang's claim.
Good to know that a federal judge, in response to an application to the Federal Court of Canada, has said the board drew erroneous conclusions about her credibility based on her responses to those specific questions. And questioned why they sought to overreach their mandate in an attempt to find inconsistencies in her claim.
He should now go a little further and enquire of the board members where they parked their brains.
Labels: Heros and Villains, Justice
posted by Pieface | 6:27 PM
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