For immediate use
16 May 2014
Coptic Orthodox Church UK
Media and Communications Office
Coptic Orthodox Church (Europe)
Media and Communications Office
Freedom of Faith
Comment by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of
the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom
The freedom
to choose and practice one’s faith is a fundamental right for all under international
law, and yet we continue to see numerous tragic cases around the world in which
that same right is non-existent, and exercising this freedom is punishable,
sometimes even by death.
As Christians
we believe that all are created in the Image and likeness of God, with His
Image intrinsic to our human nature, which lays the foundation for respect and love
for all. Within this nature, we believe that all have been given the freedom to
choose and live according to those choices, and while freedom of religion is
one choice that is central to the lives of millions across the world, it
continues to be widely violated.
As recently reported
by Amnesty International, Meriam Yahia
Ibrahim Ishag is a Christian Sudanese woman in Sudan who was sentenced "to
death by hanging for ‘apostasy’" after refusing to renounce her Christian Faith
and convert to Islam, although she has lived as a Christian since her childhood.
Meriam, who is twenty seven years old and is eight months pregnant, was reportedly
also sentenced to "flogging for ‘adultery’" because her marriage to a Christian
man is considered unlawful. This, among other cases, sheds light on the
intensity of the struggle facing so many around the world who strive to merely practice
their faith.
The recent
and deeply-disturbing development of the kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria who
have reportedly been
forced to convert to Islam is yet another incident that has shocked the international
community, and in which this brutal violation of this fundamental human right is
also causing great distress to families who anxiously await the return of their
children.
Egyptian
Christians know the effect of religious persecution against numeric minority
communities in the Middle East all too well, with the emergence of pockets of
intolerant Islamism that have led to more attacks on Christians in the eighteen
months following the popular uprising of 2011, than over the twenty years prior. This
intolerance has not only affected Christians however, as the first attacks after
the uprising were on Sufi shrines, and on a separate occasion Shi’ite Muslims were also senselessly killed
in the streets. That said, as Christians we do not live defeated but strive to
advocate for all who suffer persecution, oppression and marginalisation, be
they Christian or otherwise, man, woman, young or old.
The Baha’i
community in Iran is likewise no stranger to religious persecution, and 14
May 2014 marks the sixth anniversary of the imprisonment of seven Baha’i
leaders, detained for carrying out ‘peaceful
activities on behalf of their communities’.
Here in Britain
we pride ourselves on our multi-cultural community that seeks to accommodate
and provide for all, and rightly so. We cannot however ignore the fact that, for
many across the Middle East in particular, the concept of citizenship, justice and
equality are not rights available to everyone, and are very much dependent on a
person’s religious affiliation.
We must not
forget those around the world who continue to face intense persecution for
merely attempting to live out their chosen faith. We also continue to pray and advocate
for the rights of these individuals and communities so that this God-given freedom
may be exercised within the context of peaceful co-existence and cohesion. This
will then ensure a spirit of true reconciliation and acceptance within political
states and communities that respect all as equal individuals with equal rights.
*Ends*
