Consensus in the British House of Lords on the state of Christians in the Middle East

Consensus in the British House of Lords

on the state of Christians in the Middle East

Bishop Angaelos

On Friday 9 December 2011, I was privileged to personally attend the House of Lords debate on Christian minorities in the Middle East as the guest of His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. Led by the Archbishop the debate lasted four and half hours and consisted of ten-minute comments by 29 peers. They all spoke of issues related to the current situation of Christians in light of the so called ‘Arab Spring’ in Egypt and other countries in the Middle East. Egypt was top of the agenda for many of the speakers, mentioning the decline in the numbers of indigenous Christian communities, and the negative impact that would have on countries where this occurs, as well as pointing out the vast numbers of Christians now emigrating as a result of persecutions due to the perceived lack of protection from their own governments. 

It was noticeable that there was consensus among all who spoke, representing all sides of the House, in terms of recognising the seriousness of the problems currently faced by Christians in Egypt and the Middle East. The speakers emphasised the need to monitor the situation closely in order to ensure the rights of indigenous Christians in the region.

In response to the statements Lord Howell, minister of state in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, presented the government’s view stating, “...governments must respond to demands for the respect of universal human rights by implementing reforms that apply universally to all citizens, regardless of faith, ethnicity or gender, and the central consideration must be the one that has come through again and again in this debate…that religious freedom is a basic human right.” Lord Wood of Anfield, the Shadow Spokesperson stated “Some debates in this Chamber are about issues that divide us, but this is not one of them. The great virtue of this debate is that it is not to argue about policy but to bring to the attention of this House and those who follow its debates the disturbing and deteriorating situation faced by Christians in the Middle East…”

Overall, I was inspired by the sincere and informed statements made by the peers, and I encourage you watch the proceeding: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=9536

Above all, we have confidence in God’s promises and know that His children throughout the Middle East and throughout the world are in His hand, remembering His words: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11. At the same time however, we are also appreciative of those who are in a position to speak regarding basic human rights, and ensuring that they should not be denied to anyone of any faith anywhere in the world.

With all of this we commit all of those in the Middle East, Christian and Muslim alike, to God in our prayers, asking for a peaceful existence and transition for the region during these uncertain times.

The First Day of Parliamentary Elections in Egypt

Monday 28th November 2011 saw the first stage of parliamentary elections in Egypt, a historic day to mark the beginning of an election process that will continue on until March 2012. Across the 27 governorates within Egypt, people flocked to the polling stations to cast their vote to appoint lower house members to 5 year terms, choosing from approximately 6700 candidates. Despite the recent unrest and violent uprisings, reports from Egypt suggest that the day has gone well with an unexpected number of people participating in the vote.

In response to the day’s events, His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of The Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom said “We are pleased that the day has gone relatively smoothly without significant disruption. We have been praying for a peaceful start to this democratic process, and are hopeful that all the remaining stages of the electoral process will continue unhindered, in an equally peaceful manner. The people of Egypt deserve a new start in a nation that observes the equality and rights of all.”

The First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs William Hague, said the following in an official statement regarding the elections,

"I congratulate the people of Egypt as they go to the polls. I urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure that these elections are free from violence, fair and credible. What happens in Egypt will be crucial for the whole region and the world will be watching closely in the days and months ahead.”

Whilst most of the day has indeed passed free of violence and disruption, complaints and allegations have been made by several eye witnesses suggesting that various party members were distributing flyers and food in an attempt to sway votes, and many were unhappy with the late opening of certain polling stations. As the world looks to Egypt and awaits the results of the elections, the Church continues to offer up prayers for peace in Egypt during this time and the months to come.

Statement by HG Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom on the Maspero Cairo demonstration of 9 Oct '11

The whole world looked upon Egypt at the beginning of this year with excitement as Egyptians appeared to reclaim their nation, looking towards a more promising future of unity and collaborative efforts for their homeland. Only weeks later however, this idealistic dream started to fade and there was a return of attacks on an unprecedented scale against churches and Christians in Egypt.

For the first time we saw churches burned and demolished with the army looking on and doing nothing. Christians lost their lives, while those who had promised to protect ‘every Egyptian’ looked on. Since then, we have had an escalation of violence from Imbaba to Atfih to Aswan, along with the terrorist bombing of a church in Alexandria earlier this year. The common denominator in all of these, and every other attack for the past decades, is that there has been insufficient official investigation, and an absence of prosecutions and convictions.

This last week however saw a new even more dramatic turn. A peaceful rally, leaving from the Cairo suburb of Shobra and heading to the Maspero state television centre travelled for approximately ten kilometres very peacefully and without incident, bar some stones and rocks being hurled at them at one point. According to reports from the organisers, there were some 60,000 people there: men, women and children, young and old, complete families, marching in an orderly manner.

Once the march entered into the Maspero area however, there was a sudden escalation within moments and the army used excessive lethal force against these peaceful demonstrators. The same army that said in January that it would ‘not fire a single shot against an Egyptian citizen’ and stood by and watched churches burned and Christians killed ‘because it was not in a position to intervene’ now used live ammunition and excessive force in this situation, firing lethal shots to the chest and head while armoured troop carriers were driven directly into crowds, mowing people down and killing many.

Even the premature and unsubstantiated accusations by the military that shots were fired from amongst demonstrators would by no means warrant this level of reaction and retaliation used by armed soldiers.

While these facts speak for themselves, the following must be noted and investigated:

1. The escalation of unrest in Egypt has been caused by the numerous, and until now unresolved, attacks on churches and Christians and these must be investigated, and the perpetrators prosecuted and the situation rectified.

2. Use of this excessive level of force by the military must be investigated by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), bearing in mind that there have been tens of protests and demonstrations by various groups over the past months that have not met this level of reaction to date.

3. The press conference conducted by SCAF has caused outrage with allegations that no shots were fired by the military and that armoured troop carriers were not intentionally driven into demonstrators, asking people to be sympathetic to ‘frightened soldiers.’ Even if there was no ‘intent,’ the drivers of those vehicles have indeed caused death, and thus must be prosecuted. Furthermore, none of the footage of that incident shows any demonstrators carrying firearms, swords or molotov cocktails as alleged.

4. The irresponsible reporting by state media on the day of the Maspero incident must be investigated. There were major infringements included: the making premature, inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that Christians had been firing shots at the military, reporting derogatory and inflammatory claims made against demonstrators, expressing disgust at ‘disloyal protestors attacking the army’ and publicly televising insults and profanities against Christians and Christianity.

This is indeed a turning point in Egypt's contemporary history. A time in which there can be positive reform and the building of a new Egypt that is cohesive and that instills a sense of citizenship, ownership and responsibility into every Egyptian, ceasing to focus on the person's religion, but more on his or her contribution and accountability to a single nation state. Alternatively, this can be a point at which we merely continue denying the reality of the presence of conflict, leaving unlawful acts unresolved and unprosecuted, presenting one part of the community as a justifiable target, and continuing to drive a wedge between members of a single society, and this will lead to the demise of all.

Persecution is nothing new for Christianity, and especially for Egyptian Christians. Persecution and martyrdom have been an integral part of our identity since the establishment of our Coptic church in the first Century. We have confidence in God, Who is powerful, merciful and victorious; Who maintains His promises and Who seeks to protect His whole creation, if we indeed walk in His way. This is why we do not fear for Christians or Christianity in Egypt. Egypt has been, is, and will continue to be a place in which Christians witness their Faith on a day-to-day basis. We do however fear for Egypt, because it is Egypt that will weaken if Egyptians do not stand together, and if this unhealthy separation and discrimination continues.

Within these days of fast called for by the Coptic Orthodox Church for Egypt, we pray to our God, confident that the solution is in His hands and that His name will be glorified and exalted above all.

PUBLIC STATEMENT

International experts and advocates warn of dangerous escalation of attacks on Christians in Egypt and failings of the international media in reporting the incidents accurately.

We, the undersigned group of experts, advocates and faith leaders with an interest in Egypt, religious freedom and human rights, are gravely concerned at the increasing frequency of attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the manner in which such attacks are being reported by the international media.

We rejoiced at the determined yet dignified manner in which the Egyptian people asserted their right to enjoy fundamental freedoms. We were particularly encouraged by the solidarity and compatriotism demonstrated by all of the country’s creeds and political groups throughout demonstrations against the Mubarak regime. It was profoundly moving to see Muslims and Christians take turns in protecting one another while holding prayers in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

The collapse of the powerful state apparatus and the subsequent power vacuum this created, however, quickly opened a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of social problems that the Mubarak regime had either maintained or failed to address. As anticipated, we are now witnessing political struggles for power and influence in the new Egypt. While most of this is a necessary part of the emergence of true democracy in Egypt, the increase in and intensity of attacks on Christians are indicators of imminent civil unrest and the potential for widespread ethno-religious violence that demands an immediate response.

We are deeply concerned by the nature of these attacks on Christians, and the clear lack of action on the part of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. These attacks have been following established patterns. They have either been terrorist attacks, or well organized mob attacks by radical Islamist groups, referred to as Salafists, who are demanding Egypt become an Islamic state, free of Christians. Yet far from upholding the revolutionary spirit of unity we witnessed in January and February, the Armed Forces not only fail to provide adequate protection, but also continue to follow the policy of Mubarak’s regime by failing to uphold justice or arrest the real culprits, and by forcing reconciliation meetings on the victims that favor their attackers.

Both local and international media reporting of the attacks have been deeply problematic. Mainstream Egyptian media describes such incidents as communal clashes, with at times, inaccurate reports that they are incited by Coptic Christians. Some Islamic media uses harsher and more dangerous tone, with frequent calls to “punish” and ostracize the 10 million strong Coptic community.

The international media is reporting the attacks as “sectarian clashes”. However, these events are not clashes between two sects, such as Sunni and Shiite clashes in Iraq; they constitute a disturbing pattern of escalating attacks and violence against a minority community. Erroneous wording in media reports enable radical groups to continue their aggression, and the Egyptian authorities to remain oblivious and insensitive towards a vulnerable minority.

As we have seen in all cases of mass violence in the 20th Century, radical groups demanding a homogenized society, poor and compliant state performance and widespread scapegoating in media reports are all early indicators of ethnic violence, massacres and genocides.

Unless the international community shows strong resolve and tenacity in keeping the emerging Egyptian leadership accountable, millions of Egyptian citizens will continue to face escalating violence and serious human rights abuses. We urge the Egyptian authorities to uphold rule of law and show resolve in addressing the worrying trends, which have the potential to pull Egypt into further chaos.

Signatories:*

Ziya Meral; Joseph Crapa Fellow, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

Khataza Gondwe; Team Leader, Africa and the Middle East, Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Dr Jenny Taylor, Director, Lapido Media

Paul Marshall, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom

Nina Shea, Director, Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom

Dr Elizabeth Iskander; Dinam Research Fellow, London School of Economics

Thomas F. Farr, Director, Religious Freedom Project- The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy & Dialogue

Dr Mariz Tadros, Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex

Adam Hug, Policy Director, the Foreign Policy Centre

Baroness Caroline Cox, CEO, Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust



*Disclaimer: This statement reflects the personal views of the signatories and not their affiliated organizations and institutions.

To contact the signatories and request more information on religious freedom in Egypt, please email: EgyptConcern@gmail.com