The angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream saying ‘arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word – Matthew 2:13
My home city of Glasgow www.peoplemakeglasgow.com was stunned by the knife attack in a city centre hotel ‘used to house asylum seekers during lockdown.’
Now as a journalist of 30 years standing I know of the importance, nay duty, to give a full account.
Glasgow’s miles better
But does drawing attention to it being a temporary home for asylum seekers not point to this being the motive for the attack?
And, of course, it doesn’t take much in this climate to ratchet up distrust of asylum seekers.
Those very same critics though use the name of Our Lord God daily.
Glasgow has made great strides since I was a boy.
I was educated in a privileged all-Catholic, all-boys, private school in a predominantly Pakistani area.
And the poor corner shop owner had to put up with all kinds of abuse.
School’s out
Us boys were on the surface taught about Christian equality.
But we were in fact indoctrinated to believe Catholics were the master race.
Of course Our Lord and God was an asylum seeker himself when his family took refuge in Egypt from the infanticidal King Herod.
Like Jesus, Moses was a refugee too, in modern-day Jordan www.visitjordan.com.
Jordan could teach us a thing or two about how to welcome assylum-seekers.
Palestinians welcome
And two million Palestinian refugees calling the Middle Eastern statehome.
I saw first hand how hospitality is at the centre of the Islamic faith.
And our guide Mr Jordan himself Zuhair was quick to remind our mainly Christian G Adventures International group www.gadventures.com and The water of life, Petra, and the sands of time of tolerance.
And that Islam, Judaism and Christianity shared the same story and prophets.
We would do well to remember when we are quick to demonise asylum seekers.
