Grenada: Information whether members of the Seventh-Day Adventist faith face any form of discrimination in Grenada
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GRD23173.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Grenada: Information whether members of the Seventh-Day Adventist faith face any form of discrimination in Grenada, 1 February 1996, GRD23173.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac4a70.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided in a 13 February 1996 telephone interview with the past-president and current advisor to the board of directors of the Young Women's Christian Association of Grenada, in St. George's. Members of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) faith do not face discrimination in Grenada. She indicated that members of this faith hold important positions in the government, banking and service sectors, and are teachers as well. The freedom to not work Saturdays due to religious observance, as is the practice of Adventists, is widely respected. The source added that SDA churches are present in every parish in Grenada, and their members are "highly integrated and participatory in society and living with the same freedoms afforded to all Grenadians" (13 Feb. 1996).
In a 15 February 1996 interview the president of the Grenada Mission of the Seventh Day Adventists, who is the highest authority of the church on the island, stated that there is no mistreatment or fear of mistreatment among the membership in Grenada. He stated that the Adventists have not "experienced irregularities" in their treatment by the authorities and that the SDA church has "no complaints with the adequacy of police protection." He stated that the Adventists do not experience discrimination in the educational sector, but added that Adventist children are encouraged by the church to not participate in extra-curricular activities if they occur on a Saturday, which is considered a holy day.
Adventists are well-respected and widely represented across the employment spectrum. Members can be found in the security, heath and educational sectors as well as all levels of government. According to the source, the various levels of government, "past and present," have been very receptive to SDA petitions and concerns. For example, the government has guaranteed Adventists working as police officers, prison workers, nurses and other hospital workers the right to not have to work on Saturdays.
The source noted that there is limited discrimination against Adventists in Grenada in private sector hiring-processes because of Adventist's religious observance of Saturday as a day of worship. This is exclusively restricted to businesses that engage in commercial activities on Saturdays.
Please see attachments for related information on freedom of religion in Grenada.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Grenada Mission of the Seventh Day Adventists, St. George's. 15 February 1996. Telephone interview with president.
Young Women's Christian Association Grenada, St. George's. 13 February 1996. Telephone interview with past-president and advisor to the board of directors.
Attachments
Contemporary Religions: A World Guide. 1992. Edited by Ian Harris et al. The High, Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK, p. 417.
Freedom in the World: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties 1994-1995. 1995. Edited by James Finn et al. New York: Freedom House, pp. 271-272.
