The practice of sanctuary�giving refuge to the threatened, vulnerable stranger�may be universal among humans. From primate populations to ancient religious traditions to the modern legal institution of asylum, anthropologist Linda Rabben explores the long history of sanctuary and analyzes modern asylum policies in North America, Europe, and elsewhere, contrasting them with the role that courageous individuals and organizations have played in offering refuge to survivors of torture, persecution, and discrimination. Rabben gives close attention to the mid-2010s refugee crisis in Europe and to Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States. This wide-ranging, timely, and carefully documented account draws on Rabben�s experiences as a human rights advocate as well as her training as an anthropologist. Sanctuary and Asylum will help citizens, professionals, and policy makers take informed and compassionate action.

"This book explores the history and evolution of sanctuary and asylum as a legal concept including treaties, laws, and court rulings by major geographic areas around the world, influences of Hebrew [Old Testament], classical sanctuary theory and practices, the Koran, and other Islamic-Arab regional accords and conventions. The authors' approach is well cited and suitable for those who want a good starting point for further study. Included in the book are chapters on the following topics: Sanctuary and Asylum, Jewish View of Asylum, Asylum History, Asylum in France, Asylum: History, Asylum in France, Asylum in Great Britain, Asylum in Germany, Asylum: Islamic Law, Asylum in International Treaties, Asylum in International Relations, Asylum in the United States, Asylum in the European Community, Asylum in Latin America, Asylum in Sub-Saharan Africa"--

This book explores the history and evolution of sanctuary and asylum as a legal concept including treaties, laws, and court rulings by major geographic areas around the world, influences of Hebrew [Old Testament], classical sanctuary theory and practices, the Koran, and other Islamic-Arab regional accords and conventions. The authors' approach is well cited and suitable for those who want a good starting point for further study. Included in the book are chapters on the following topics: Sanctuary and Asylum, Jewish View of Asylum, Asylum History, Asylum in France, Asylum: History, Asylum in France, Asylum in Great Britain, Asylum in Germany, Asylum: Islamic Law, Asylum in International Treaties, Asylum in International Relations, Asylum in the United States, Asylum in the European Community, Asylum in Latin America, Asylum in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This is a history of the terms asylum and sanctuary as used in western nations. It traces the concepts from ancient Israel though Greece and Roman and into western civilization. It examines the modern obligation of asylum for those subject to certain types of discrimination, torture, and cruel punishment.

The rise and fall of asylum in antiquity -- Sanctuary in England -- The nation-state origins of refugee law -- The evolution and impact of international refugee law -- The US sanctuary movement -- The sans-papiers

"An examination of sanctuary seeking in the literature of medieval England between the twelfth and the seventeenth centuries"--

The author recounts the development in the United States of the 'sanctuary movement', a loose association of churches which accord refuge and legal and social services to central American refugees. United States immigration and refugee law is succinctly described, with due emphasis given to the 1951 Convention the principle of non-refoulement and the protection required by the 1949 Geneva Red Cross Conventions. The low refugee recognition rate for central Americans is identified as one reason giving rise to the need for extra-statutory refuge. The resulting confrontation between church and state is discribed, with reference to the prosecution and trials of various sanctuary workers. The author also assesses the legal implications for those helping 'illegal' refugees, who may be indicted for harbouring, concealing, shielding from detection or transportation; possible defences are suggested. Three chapters examine the history of sanctuary, as an ancient, biblical tradition; as a privileged refuge established in England in early years in reaction to the practice of blood revenge, and as reflected in elements of United States history, for example, in regard to the 'underground railroad' for fugitive slaves and in various responses to war resisters during the Vietnam period. The author concludes with the suggestion that the authority of the sanctuary novement today is moral, rather than legal; he notes the grassroots origins of the movement and the fact that the beneficiaries today are refugees rather than criminals.