In this chapter from The Oxford Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, Senior Fellow Fr. David Hollenbach, S.J., examines the role of religion in addressing the causes and experiences of forced migration and the responses to it, both by the displaced and by organizations seeking to help them. The chapter begins with a discussion of the normative traditions of several monotheistic and Asian religious communities on the needs and rights of refugees and other forced migrants. It then considers how different faiths such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam understand their responsibilities to aid displaced populations and highlights some of the strengths and special challenges they face in their efforts to aid the displaced today. It also looks at some of the core concepts underpinning responses to forced migrants in the religions of Asia, particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism.
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