CHRISTIAN communities within the Middle East “are in freefall”, the recently appointed UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB), David Smith MP (Labour), said last week in a Westminster Hall debate. “The point is obvious: despite the worldwide growth of the Church, Christians remain vulnerable to persecution and conflict.”
The debate had been called by Ruth Jones MP (Labour), who desired to draw attention to the way in which during which “a whole lot of tens of millions of Christians — effectively entire populations — remain steadfast of their faith, at great personal cost.”
Ms Jones, a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for FORB, continued: “It is imperative that we advocate on their behalf, ensuring that they receive the basic freedoms that so a lot of us in democratic societies take without any consideration.
“Despite being the world’s largest religion, Christianity is essentially the most persecuted minority faith in lots of regions. That persecution stems from a variety of sources, including Islamist extremism, Marxist regimes, and dictatorial governments.”
Points were raised about Israel and Palestine (“People cannot worship in rubble”); about Afghanistan (“effectively inconceivable for a Christian to publicly express their faith”); and Pakistan (“young Christian men are increasingly being targeted for forced conversion”).
The increasing links with China were also questioned by MPs, when it was “a rustic where religious oppression has turn into ever more brazen”, Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) said. Research by Open Doors — “an organisation that monitors Christian persecution worldwide” — was cited on various countries.
Jim Shannon MP (DUP) desired to “recognise the importance of 2025. Let it’s a jubilee 12 months not only in name, but in motion — a 12 months during which captives and the persecuted find justice, during which those in fear find protection, and during which nations find peace through the promotion of tolerance and interfaith dialogue.”
Danny Kruger MP (Conservative), who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Christianity within the Holy Land, spoke of “what we predict of because the intrinsic value of each human being comes only from one place: the Bible. . . we’re the heirs to a practice that fundamentally recognises the worth of Christianity.”
He was also optimistic. “There are great things happening on this planet. Christianity will not be oppressed, downtrodden, or downcast. We are seeing very positive signs of growth and revival.”
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat) referred to “Christian nationalism around the globe, where Christianity is appropriated for political purposes”. Sir John Hayes (Conservative) was concerned about “parliamentary questions; I asked one when 70 Christians were found beheaded within the Congo. The response I got was filled with broadly drawn liberal platitudes about universality and multilateralism.”
“The statistics bear repeating: 380 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination, which is one in seven believers,” the Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty said. “Nearly 4500 were murdered for his or her faith last 12 months, and over 200,000 were forced into hiding or exile, each with their very own terrible story to inform.”
Responding to questions on the budget for overseas development aid (ODA), he said that the cuts were something that the Government had not been “glad to make”, although he didn’t reply to the suggestion that the ODA be withheld from countries that persecuted Christians. He referred to a string of policy interventions and policy initiatives around the globe aimed toward the promotion of FORB.
In concluding, Ms Jones said: “We have to make sure that that we’re turning laudable words into concrete actions to guard and support our Christian brothers and sisters internationally.”
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