The three-hour debate in the House of Commons on December 3 on the persecution of Christians in the 21st century, and the calls made by several MPs for the issue to be given much greater attention, has been warmly welcomed.
Several speakers highlighted the severity of the persecution of Christians around the world in passionate and detailed speeches. Sir Tony Baldry MP described the scale of the situation, saying: ‘There is now practically no country — from Morocco to Pakistan — in which Christians can freely practise their religion. That must be a matter of real concern to this House. There is a severe danger that Christianity will be almost completely erased from the traditional middle-east Holy Land of the Bible. Joseph would not now be advised to take Mary to Egypt to avoid the dangers of Herod, because Jesus would just not have been safe there today’.
Must not stand by
Sir Tony led MPs in urging the British Government to increase its efforts to address these concerns, saying: ‘I would really like both Front Benches to understand that what the House is trying to say today is that it is not prepared to continue to stand by while there is global persecution of Christians. They should not think that the line they want to take is sufficient’.
Most persecuted
Stephen Pound MP said that it was ‘beyond doubt’ that: ‘Christians are the most persecuted single group in the world today on grounds of religion’.
Responding to the debate, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mark Simmonds MP, assured the House of Commons that freedom of religion or belief is a priority for the British Government. ‘Let me be absolutely clear to the House: the Government are not silent and the Government are not quiet. When Christians are persecuted, we, as Government Ministers, speak out clearly and forcefully’, he said.
Issue taken seriously
‘I cannot stress enough how seriously the Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes this issue, as part of our commitment to freedom of religion around the world. Promoting respect for human rights is at the very heart of the Government’s foreign policy. Where Christians, or any religious believers, are victims of persecution we will condemn the violence and ask the relevant authorities to ensure that justice is served. There can be and should be no impunity for those who persecute individuals on the basis of religion or belief’.
