Damascus, (Zenit.org) Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan
Earlier this month, British parliamentarians spoke passionately about the lack of concern exhibited by the Foreign Office on behalf of persecuted Christians.
They were, of course, right to voice their concerns and I am deeply grateful they did so. But Western governments need to go beyond words. They need to act.
Increasingly, parts of the Middle East region are becoming “no go zones” for Christians. Despite Christianity’s immeasurable contribution to civilization in the region for the past two millennia – not least in terms of religious freedom – it’s no exaggeration to say that Islamist extremism is doing its best to hound us out.
But where is the anger in the West – a region once a bastion of religious freedom thanks to its Christian heritage? Where is the political action? Did the founders of the United Nations have it in mind that Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be blatantly disregarded by so many countries, peoples and communities in the name of a religion’s supremacy?
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” the article states. “This right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
And yet many Western governments now not only disregard it, they are even actively supporting some of those for whom these principles are anathema. How can so-called democracy-loving nations – the most influential nations on the international scene – close their eyes to nations discriminating against religious freedom and the freedom of conscience in the name of an amalgam of religion and state such as practiced by Islamist extremists? How are they able to convince their electorates of their honesty when they tighten alliances with countries that still forbid other beliefs to exist on their soil?