UK – Tory leader upholds rights of Christians
23/02/06
Acknowledges many people ignorant of persecution
David Cameron MP: "The work Open Doors does is extremely important."
"I don't think it is widely understood how much religious persecution there still is in the world. It's a bit like people don't understand how much slavery there is in the world. They think that was all sorted out years ago.
"Open Doors has got a job to do to persuade people that in some countries Christianity is absolutely banned and in some countries Christians are persecuted."
Eddie Lyle, Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors said, "We have been particularly encouraged by David's sympathetic and positive reaction to the two portfolios presented to him."
Open Doors UK invited the MP to their offices so they could present two issues to him: the plight of Christians in Eritrea and the imprisonment of Chinese Pastor Cai.
Pastor Cai was arrested following a raid on a church warehouse which contained 237,000 privately printed copies of the Bible and other Christian literature.
Rev Cai was charged with illegal business practices even though all the books In the warehouse were intended for free distribution through his network of churches.
Eritrea petition
Open Doors UK & Ireland is currently involved in launching a petition to the Eritrean ambassador in London, protesting the wave of persecution facing Eritrean Christians today.
The situation started less than three years ago, following a government decision that all churches not associated with the officially approved Lutheran, Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations must close down.
Since then, a wave of arrests has seen at least 1,752 Eritrean Christians imprisoned solely for their religious beliefs.
Approximately 60% of the prisoners are kept in metal shipping containers, each containing around 20 people. They are subject to freezing conditions at night and temperatures of up to 42 degrees during the day.
They are given one cup of tea and a piece of bread each day and are allowed out only once a day for about 10 minutes, to relieve themselves.
Prisoners are continuously pressured to renounce their faith as they are told things like "Do you know that your wife (or mother or father) is desperately ill? Why not just sign the form and you can go and care for them."
A very few, perhaps 1%, sign the renunciation papers; but the vast majority don't.
However, these stories of increasing persecution are echoed in many places around the world.
Sadly, persecution against Christians in Islamic countries has recently been inflamed by the publication of the offensive cartoons depicting Muhammad.
As a direct result, 51 Christians have been killed and 31 churches burned in Nigeria, Christians have been targeted and three people killed in bomb blasts in Iraq, a Turkish priest was murdered whilst at prayer, a Bible bookshop was bombed in Gaza and specific death threats have been issued to Christians living in the Muslim world.
Eddie Lyle issued this challenge to the people of the western world: "These Christians are paying the price for our freedom of speech. Surely, we owe it to them to speak out on their behalf and in defence of their basic human rights.
"They must not be forgotten."
Persecution widespread
In many Islam-dominated countries, however, Christians are severely persecuted. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, it is illegal to gather together or sell Bibles, and conversion to Christianity carries the death sentence.
In Pakistan, Christians can be sentenced to death on the unsubstantiated word of just one person for supposedly blaspheming Muhammad.
In Indonesia, villages have been 'cleansed' by those wanting to establish an Islamic state; and in Nigeria, schoolchildren have been burnt alive in buses and thousands of men, young and old, are brutally murdered in attacks on Christian villages.
Even in countries with supposed freedom of religion such as Turkey or Egypt, Christians experience discrimination, harassment and marginalisation.
David Cameron MP stated: "I think the freedom to worship is a key right that people should have the world over, and I think the work Open Doors does on that is extremely important."
Download the Eritrea petition in Microsoft Word format (1Mb)
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