All the highlights of the September Ambassadors’ gathering

On 24 September Ambassadors from all over the UK travelled to London to share advice, friendship and coffee…

Rev Joel Edwards explained to us the theological basis behind CSW’s conviction that as Christians, we should speak up for people of all faiths and none. 

Then we heard an inspiring talk from Wai Hnin a Burmese activist whose father’s political activities led to him being imprisoned for much of her life. Our Research & Advocacy Officer for the Middle East gave us an update on the tragic situation in Syria; and finally we heard from Research & our Advocacy Officer for South Asia, who discussed CSW’s recent mailing about Kiran; – a 13-year-old girl from Pakistan who was kidnapped and forced to marry a stranger and convert to Islam.

How to be a Good Samaritan

 Rev Joel Edwards, CSW’s Strategic Advisor, gave a thought-provoking talk on the meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan, and why it means Christians should speak up for the rights of people of other faiths. Here’s an edited summary of his talk:

Imagine a Christian development agency landing in a country where there has just been a devastating earthquake, and saying, “We’re going to give all the Christians blankets and food and housing, we’re going to rebuild their homes and education facilities – but we won’t do that for anyone who isn’t a Christian.”

Would God expect Christians to behave like that? Is that the spirit of generosity for which God is known? We believe that it’s not…

Millions of Christians worldwide experience persecution and harassment because of their faith – in fact, statistics show that they suffer more than any other religious group. But despite that, the fact is that it’s not just Christians who don’t enjoy religious freedom. 75% of the world’s population have their religious freedom compromised in some way. They believe in Allah, they believe in Buddha, they believe in the Hindu gods. Some of them don’t believe in any god at all.

We think God is fundamentally concerned about all his children – whether they profess the Christian faith or not. So how does God’s concern affect our response? 

There are two things which help us in our biblical response to people who suffer for their beliefs. One is the many instruments of international human rights law which prescribe protection for religious freedom for everyone. The other is our belief that our God is the God of all flesh.

Galations 6:10 tells us ‘Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially those who belong to the family of believers’ – the Authorised Version says ‘the household of faith’. So our core priority is to work for Christians. That won’t change – it’s still our main work. 

But as we prayed and looked at this text, it was like scales falling from our eyes. ‘Let us do good to all people’. ALL people!

Remember the Good Samaritan? He crossed cultural boundaries. He went to respond to someone who was broken – who was possibly a Jew, we don’t know – it almost doesn’t matter. What mattered was that in the eyes of Jesus’ audience, a Samaritan was a persona non grata. You just didn’t expect a Samaritan to do anything good. The point Jesus was making was that where the Levite and the priest – people who were known for always doing the right thing – failed to demonstrate neighbourliness, the ‘other’, the Samaritan, did exactly that. That’s radical.

We think God is calling us to something equally radical. We take the Bible seriously, and we believe it’s biblically correct to speak up for people of all faiths and none – not just for those who share our beliefs. We believe that we can speak up for their rights without condoning their belief system.

You cannot separate somebody in prison as an atheist, insisting on the freedom to say “I don’t believe in the god of this nation, and I have a right not to be in prison” from a Christian who says, “We want to set up churches without them being burnt down.” 

These are individuals seeking to exercise their God-given choice. And as the theologian Nicholas Wolterstorff writes, ‘Anyone who persecutes another person is persecuting an individual who shares the image and likeness of the second person of the Trinity.’ 

Today we believe God is calling CSW not to do anything new, but just to grab hold of the Bible and shake the dust off it. To go back through the pages of our own history, and rediscover God’s generosity in what Catholics call the Common Good, and what the Bible calls good neighbourliness. To be the Samaritan – the one who will do good to and for all people.

Wai Hnin: Campaigning for Burma

Wai Hnin knows first hand about the problems faced by the people of Burma. Her father was one of the leaders of a student protest group called the 88 Generation, and his determination to speak up for human rights has led to his being imprisoned for much of her life. She now works for the organisation Burma Campaign UK.

 

Syria: How you can pray

Our Middle East and North Africa Research & Advocacy Officer shared some shocking news from Syria with our Ambassadors. Due to security concerns we can’t publish photos or videos of this talk, but please do keep praying for the situation in the Middle East.

The city of Raqqa was once home to 14,000 Christians. Today, only around 130 Christians are left: Raqqa has been regularly targeted by airstrikes during the fight against Daesh (Islamic State). Its people have been slaughtered or forced to flee; those who remain live under Daesh control and in fear of their lives.

Please ask your church to pray:

• That the bombing and destruction of Syria will stop and extremist forces will be defeated
• For God’s comfort for all those affected physically and emotionally in this war-torn country
• That our petition on Syria will be well received, and that the international community will take decisive action to end the suffering of the people of Syria. 

Kiran’s case: Your questions answered

Our South Asia Advocacy Officer discussed our recent mailing telling the story of Kiran, a 13-year-old girl in Pakistan who was kidnapped and forced to marry a stranger and convert to Islam.

Q: With the very powerful story of Kiran hot off the press, can I ask where the figures of Christian and Hindu girls being abducted and forcibly married to Muslims originated?

A: Movement for Solidarity and Peace, a Pakistani research organisation, conducted a study in 2014 into the abductions of Christian and Hindu girls. They reported that approximately 300 Hindus and between 100 and 700 Christian girls are abducted each year from Sindh and Punjab provinces. Sadly, many families are reluctant to report cases due to the lack of response from the local police when they do.

Police officers may discourage parents from filing the case if it’s a Christian or Hindu girl who has been abducted. The abductor and his family may also threaten the parents into not reporting the case. So these abductions and forced marriages do happen regularly but they’re often not reported.

Q: Is the girl featured in the photograph a real girl who has been abducted?

A: Yes she is. Her name is Kiran Meghwar and I had the privilege of meeting Kiran’s parents earlier this year. She was kidnapped by some Muslim men when she went to buy vegetables near her home, and was later forced to marry. Her parents filed a complaint with the police that she had been abducted.

However, when the case was heard in court the judge said they would need to verify her age before making a judgement. The judge sent Kiran back with her abductors, and the court subsequently determined that she is 15 years old. Yet her parents have a copy of her birth certificate, which states she is 13. Even if Kiran were 15 her rights as a child have been violated – the legal age for marriage for a girl in Sindh Province is 18 years, plus her abduction and forced marriage is a criminal offence which must be investigated in line with proper police procedure. 

Despite that, Kiran is now married and we were told she goes by the name Fatima. Once a girl marries a Muslim man she automatically becomes Muslim, so this is a case of forced marriage leading to forced conversion.

What makes this especially sad is that Kiran’s parents actually know where she was taken. They, along with people from their community, followed the abductors to where they live and were told by elders in that community that she would be returned within five days. This didn’t happen: Kiran has still not been returned.

Perpetrators of abductions and forced marriage are rarely caught or prosecuted. Most cases follow the same process and the abducted girl is usually not recovered, so it’s unlikely Kiran’s parents will get justice through the judicial system.

Q: Are you aware of the recent case regarding the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, where one young Christian was arrested for liking a Facebook page?

This is the case of Nabeel Masih, a 16-year-old boy who ‘liked’ a picture of the Kaaba – Islam’s most sacred mosque – on Facebook. Apparently there was a picture of a pig over the image of the mosque. Reports say that he hurt Islamic feeling, and was charged under Section 295(A) of the Pakistan penal code, ‘deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief’.

As soon as the accusation was made the family went into hiding for fear of reprisals from the community – a very valid fear, as this has happened in other cases. Blasphemy is an extremely emotive issue in Pakistan because religion and identity are so interconnected, and local people often take matters into their own hands. Nabeel’s case is still ongoing as I write.

Q: Are we any closer to seeing the blasphemy laws amended or even abolished?

This is a very complex issue. The law was originally drafted under British rule, and made it an offence to insult another person’s religious beliefs or defile a place of worship. The aim was to ensure there was no offence to other religions. The government of Pakistan later added sections to the law, including a section which makes insulting the Prophet Mohammed a crime punishable by death.

Nowadays the blasphemy laws are widely misused to settle personal scores, and most of the accused under these laws are actually Muslim. However, Christians are also unfairly targeted.

There are calls from within Pakistan and internationally to repeal or amend the blasphemy laws, but it’s a dangerous thing to say. The former governor of Punjab Province, Salmaan Taseer, and Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Minorities, were assassinated because they had criticised these divisive laws. Unfortunately, hard-line Islamists who do not want to see the laws changed do exert considerable political pressure.

Nevertheless we are hopeful that there will be amendments to the law. In 2014 the Supreme Court made a landmark judgement directing the government to establish a National Commission for Minorities. This has now been set up, and the Chairman has submitted a proposal for amendments to the blasphemy law.

But we should be realistic. Even if the laws are changed, enforcing those changes will be very difficult. Religious nationalism is very strong in Pakistan, and changing people’s mindset will take generations. Please do keep praying as we work towards this long term goal.