“God Must Have Been Sleeping”: Faith as an Obstacle and a Resource for Rwandan Genocide Survivors in the United States

Abstract

In 1994, 1 million Rwandans were violently killed in only 100 days. Devastating for some Rwandan survivors was the significant role that some Catholic parishes and leaders took in ignoring, facilitating, and even perpetuating the genocide. This article seeks to understand how Rwandan genocide survivors draw on religion as they negotiate their postgenocide identities in the United States and comprehend their current faiths, beliefs, and practices. Based on qualitative interviews with Rwandan survivors now located within the United States, I argue that the experiences of religiosity postgenocide serve as both an obstacle and a resource in postgenocide life, creating significant individual and local ramifications for community engagement, reconciliation, and trauma recovery.

A Scoping Review and Conceptual Model of Social Participation and Mental Health among Refugees and Asylum Seekers

“…Several included studies describe churches, mosques and temples as places where individuals may receive opportunities to reconnect to practices and resources that are specific for the community, for example rituals and celebration of holidays. In some instances, the religious group may gather and meet on a regular basis, and provide a platform for interaction and practical help for members of the (sometimes ethnically organized) congregations [51,62,82,85]. As a consequence, participation in religious activities can be a source of emotional support, meaning-making and acceptance.…”

“…Another important aspect contributing to psychosocial well-being or lack of such was the sense of belonging in the host country in a broader sense. Sense of belonging was, moreover, associated with engagement in civic rights activism [90], educational programs [91] and participation in other formal and informal social domains [34,38,48,58,82]. On the other hand, refugee status in contrast to other immigrants [32] and long process of asylum applications were found to have a negative effect on psychosocial well-being [37] through deprivation of sense of attachment and belonging.…”

“…Also, psychological well-being was found to be enriched by community support programs [55] and recognition of one’s human capital [48]. Participation in social activities such as religious activities was associated with a sense of acceptance of one’s life situation [82], and community gardening was associated with increased social support and a sense of hope [92].…”

“…A general trend among the studies was implicit or explicit narratives of a causal link between social participation and improved subjective and psychosocial well-being as well as decreased psychological distress. However, mental health was not only described as the result of social participation and as influenced by regulations and frameworks that condition such participation, but also to some extent as a factor that influences opportunities for inclusion in various social contexts [34,38,48,58,82,90,91]. These findings are in line with previous studies in both refugee- and non-refugee populations that suggest that, aside from being an indicator of integration [16] social participation also promotes health, well-being and positive health-related behaviours [18,19,20,21].…”

Bereavement and Religion Online: Stillbirth, Neonatal Loss, and Parental Religiosity

“…A recent study showed persons who used aggressive, distancing, or exiting strategies toward their religion or toward the sacred were more likely to experience lasting negative effects of spiritual struggle (Exline, Kaplan, and Grubbs ). Additionally, at times, religiosity may be simultaneously an obstacle and a resource, as interviews with Rwandan genocide survivors showed (Fox ).…”