Can’t Stay. Can’t Go. Refused asylum seekers who cannot be returned 25 desperation, do something that she wouldn’t back, I’m happy. Really; seriously. Because normally want to do. (Red Cross staff member, here it’s like, it’s like me I’m a slave…. They Glasgow 2) don’t force me to do something. They don’t say, “Come to do these things for us” and Three of our refused asylum seekers reported that, force me. No. But the way they treat me, it’s although they feel safe in the UK, feeling safe does like I’m a slave. And it’s true. It’s not like I’m a not equate to feeling free. Fiyori (Eritrea) told us slave; I am a slave. Me, I can’t go anywhere if that she came to the UK to feel safe. She claimed I want to go anywhere. I can’t go anywhere. asylum partly on religious grounds since her Imagine. It’s like I’m a cow with a rope around religion is banned in Eritrea: my neck; you don’t get to run anywhere. It’s like that. It’s not freedom. When you want Here I am free to practice my religion freely. In to go somewhere, you have to go open that way it is good for me, but I am not really the gates and be led on the rope. (Anwar, free. I want to live properly here. (Fiyori, Eritrea) Somalia) Anwar (Somalia) commented: Anwar feels like his life is going backwards and he can’t even think about tomorrow: When you come to this country you say, “Okay, I’m safe now”…. Here, you are safe – My life is going wrong. My life is going like this no one hit you, but you are not free. (Anwar, [makes motion with his hands to signify rolling Somalia) backwards]; it’s not like this [makes motion with his hands to signify rolling forwards]. You Enaya (Palestine) reported that feeling safe in know what I mean? It’s rotated back… I don’t the UK does not equate to feeling your future is have any plan, I don’t think about tomorrow, secure: what I’m going to do about tomorrow…. You [the interviewer], when you finish here, you It feels confused living here. It is safe, but the say, “I’m finished here, I’m finishing my work, future is unknown. If something bad happens I’m going to take a shower, I’m going to town to me, who does my daughter stay with? to meet my friend”. For me, it’s not like that. (Enaya, Palestine) When I leave here, I’m going to stay inside the house. (Anwar, Somalia) 3.10 A life in limbo Samir (Algeria), on the other hand, feels like his life is passing by too quickly and he has little control A number of our participants spoke of how difficult over the direction it is taking: it is to live life in limbo. Yes, sometimes people here are saying “why Enaya (Palestine) was offered a place at university can’t he sort his life?”. How? How I’m going to study law, but could not take it up because she to sort my life? I’m not working. I’ve got no cannot pay for her studies. This has left her feeling benefit, nothing. How am I going to sort my trapped: life? I am not young. Life is going very quick. I came into this country, I was 31 years. They said you are an asylum seeker; you Now I am 36. Yes, it’s five years now here in cannot study more. For university I would be England. I am in between, in between. (Samir, classified as an overseas student – £11,000 Algeria) a year and I cannot get any finance. I want to study. I don’t want life to just stop here. It’s In Faheem’s case, the Palestinian mission has no not life! I feel like I am in a prison and there is record of him, so he is left in limbo: nothing I can do. (Enaya, Palestine) I’m homeless. I don’t have a country. I can’t Anwar (Somalia) also feels trapped and wants to go back there [Palestine]. I can’t stay here. go back to Somalia: I don’t have a country…. I don’t know what to call myself. Am I British? I’ve been here I’m here, but really seriously, I’m not happy ten years. I don’t cause problems. (Faheem, here. It’s better where I was [in Somalia], yeah, Palestine) for me. Even now, if I can get any way to go