At the Open Doors Watch List event, co-hosted by Lukas Mandl MEP Austria, and Nathalie Loiseau MEP France, parliamentarians, diplomats and others heard first-hand accounts of persecution from Christians from Cameroun, Pakistan and North Korea.
Lukas Mandl opened the launch by sharing the importance for EU Parliamentarians to continue raising FoRB issues to the EU audience. He reiterated the importance of these freedoms for Europeans and others alike. Nathalie Loiseau echoed this, adding that it is “our responsibility to not be silent.”
North Korea – Timothy Cho, APPG North Korea, shared his story as a 2-time defector and 4-time prisoner, saying “every act of faith must be done underground completely in North Korea.” North Korea remains at the top of Open Doors’ World Watch List. But threats are increasingly present on European soil, making this a critical issue for the continent as well. Tim shared, “All legislation is made with Christians in mind, to ensure that they are regularly unfairly persecuted. But what they don’t realize is, suffering does not destroy faith.”
Pakistan – The second testimony came from Hannah* from Pakistan, whose name was changed, a testament to the gravity of the situation. “As Christian women, we pay double the price.” Other women get advocacy for their rights, but for people like Hannah and Maha*, a girl whose story she highlighted throughout her speech, their rights are not upheld because they are Christian. Maha had dreamed of becoming a doctor but was forcibly married off to an abductor. She couldn’t have known that the documents proving her marriage were invalid. She spoke of “A commonly used name for Christians that suggests that we are defiled and separated.” She went on, “We are pushed aside in employment and education.” People are fighting to break barriers to education and opportunities. She is grateful for all those who raise a voice for Christian’s in Pakistan. She hopes for a future where Maha can be safe and can choose for herself when it is right to get married.
Cameroun – For security reasons, Marie* could not share her name. This speaks volumes to her story. She is a lecturer in a university in Cameroun and volunteers to support victims of attacks from Boko Haram. She’s worked with women whose lives have been torn apart, and trauma sufferers who have been devastated by the attacks. Here is part of her speech:
‘What we are facing is persecution, but that is not the full name given for this. Every time we point out what is really happening on the field, we say, “Oh, no, what you’re talking about is linked to ethical misunderstandings.
“It would be very good to call it what it is. It is a big step, because at least then we can find the solutions for it. If we continue to call it for political reasons or poverty, then we or you will look for solutions for the wrong problem.
“I come across people who have no roof or way to sleep and have to hide every single day. This is a survival life. With no house, you have to climb up the hills and sleep among the stones. When we say climb on the hills, it’s not like there is a place for you to hide. You have to fold yourself carefully and choose wisely, because you may not make it tomorrow.”
Marie asked why her communities have to go through this just because they have a different religious belief than others in her country. She asks, “What can we do? On the field, there are so many organizations trying to do something, but because they are mistaken in how they call it, they are also providing wrong solutions. If you bring a bag of rice and give it to someone without making sure that person will no longer be chased because of his or her faith, then you have not solved any problem. That bag of rice given will be taken back from them.
“I came across a man whose wife was given away in marriage to another man because he was refusing to stick to his initial faith. He was asked, “will you forget about this Jesus issue?” They had four kids. Since the answer was no, the wife was given away, and the children were sold – sold to Nigeria.
“What is happening there is also happening on our side. Do you know there are villages that have disappeared? And the people from them are called wahiwahi, moving without identity. Should somebody pay that type of price because of his faith? Aren’t we entitled to this freedom all together? But if you do not call it persecution, then you will not address the problem of freedom of belief. We are fighting for people to be free, and we are fighting for all religions, not just Christianism, because all men should be free to believe or to choose what to believe. To live our faith.”
Nathalie Loiseau, MEP, concluded the meeting by reminding those present that what Marie was describing could have been described by many. “Women and girls are paying twice: for being women and for being Christians.”
The EU is taking a step forward to advocate for FoRB by coming together as different political groups within Parliament because they really care, not because they want to instrumentalize a cause for a political purpose; they will unite because they believe in universal values.
“Thank you Open Doors for opening eyes.”
