As Christians face increasing numbers of attacks internationally, the British Foreign Office is to focus on 10 countries in a bid to get them to enhance their record on protecting freedom of faith or belief (FoRB).
The move was announced by the UK’s newly-appointed special envoy for FoRB, David Smith, MP for North Northumberland, a Christian who has previously worked for Tearfund and the Bible Society.
He told a London briefing, “You will know that, in accordance with the charity Open Doors, 380 million Christians alone are persecuted worldwide due to their faith.
“Persecution on the premise of faith or belief, enacted by States themselves and social groups, is happening on every continent on this planet. It includes social ostracism, police harassment, arbitrary detention, denial of citizenship, assault, destruction of websites of spiritual worship, torture, and killings.”
He explained, “Freedom of faith or belief demonstrates the core principle that human rights are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.
“If you’ve gotten no freedom to worship, you’ve gotten no freedom of assembly. If you’ve gotten no freedom of belief, you’ve gotten no freedom of conscience. If you’ve gotten no freedom to share your faith, you’ve gotten no freedom of speech.
“If you’ve gotten no freedom to practise your faith or belief you are usually not equal in dignity and rights. And so, today, the UK makes a recent commitment to the centrality of FoRB in our foreign policy.”
The 10 countries to be targeted by the UK are: Vietnam, Algeria, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iraq.
These, said Mr Smith, “are countries where the necessity is best; where opportunities exist to make positive change; and where the UK, specifically, has the relationships and partnerships to assist achieve this.”
But the UK government’s approach – designed to guard followers of all faiths and none – does raise questions. Of the ten countries targeted, only three – Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan – are in the highest ten of the Open Doors World Watch List of where Christians face the worst persecution, and none of Open Doors’ top six – North Korea, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Eritrea – are on the UK goal list.
In explaining the choice, Smith said, “Our focus in in search of to journey with these 10 countries is a vital stepping stone towards our overarching goal of a discount within the number of nations by which the proper to freedom of faith or belief is significantly curtailed.
“However, it is necessary to say that a more targeted approach doesn’t limit us. Situations equivalent to that in Eritrea and in Yemen are also on my mind, and I might be championing FoRB for all wherever and every time I can, including through private and non-private advocacy for prisoners of conscience.”
The UK government goals to extend support for international FoRB standards by: working with international bodies equivalent to the United Nations; specializing in key bilateral relationships; strengthening coalitions between nations; incorporating FoRB into the Foreign Office’s mainstream work; and dealing with civil society groups.
The appointment of an envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief was first made by the Foreign Office, following a report by Philip Mounstephen, then Bishop of Truro, in 2019. This found a widespread lack of know-how by Foreign Office staff in regards to the extent of persecution of Christians and other believers around the globe.
In recent weeks, research by Christian public relations agency Jersey Road has found that the UK’s mainstream media largely fails to report attacks on Christians across the globe.
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
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