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The Archbishop of York has called for David Cameron to ‘take a lead’ in helping persecuted Iraqis by offering support to those minorities under attack. The Archbishop say that he wrote to the Prime Minister three weeks ago calling for Britain to offer asylum to those fleeing the country, but had yet to receive a reply. Dr Sentamu, who is in the middle of a week–long fast and peace vigil at York Minister, also asked Mr Cameron to support calls for the creation of formal “safe havens” in Iraq, enforced by United Nations peacekeepers, for persecuted minorities. Read the full report from The Daily Telegraph

Reverend Chhedar Lhomi Bhote, 37, was arrested in October 2012 after a Hindu mob attacked and burned his home in north-eastern Nepal near the Tibetan Autonomous Region. He was accused of having consumed beef – taboo in Nepal though not explicitly prohibited for non-Hindus – as well as having killed the cow himself, which is considered a criminal act.

The pastor was arrested and later sentenced to 12 years in prison. After nearly two years of work by several Protestant NGOs and petitions to the Nepal government, the authorities relented and Bhote was released on 17 July, according to a statement on Monday by the The Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

The report from Églises d’Asie, the information agency of the Paris Foreign Missions, concludes by saying that prosecutions for consuming beef are rare in Nepal, a predominantly Hindu nation that forbids Hindus from eating beef but that makes exceptions for non-Hindus. The recent growth of Christianity in north-eastern Nepal has created tensions among the local Hindu community.

Islamic militants attempting ‘extermination’ of religious minorities must face international justice, insists a coalition of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh leaders.

Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian leaders have written to the Daily Telegraph urging David Cameron to use the UK’s seat on the UN Security Council to begin the process of bringing war crimes prosecutions against militants from Isil – short for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The letter describes the recent wave of atrocities, including forced conversion, beheadings and crucifixions of Christians and Yazidis, as a “tragedy of historic proportions.” More

After reports that the Archbishop of Canterbury has backed calls for the UK Government to appoint a Minister for Religious Freedom to compensate for its silence over Christian persecution, Conservative Home has published an article by Paul Goodman headed Cameron should appoint an Ambassador for Religious Freedom.

One tweet urged that it should be a post concerned for Freedom of Religion or Belief – Goodman states that the Foreign Office should focus “on the abuse of all people of faith, not just of Christians – though the Government should certainly take on their maltreatment (by cutting off government-to-government funding where appropriate: for example, to madrassas abroad).”

He concludes “There is much more that Ministers could so. The Government could, as the Canadian Government has done, publish an index of religious freedom. It should certainly hold a summit on the subject: if William Hague can co-chair a global summit on rape as a weapon of war, why shouldn’t his successor chair one on the persecution of religious believers – no less serious a matter? Finally, David Cameron should appoint an Ambassador for Religious Freedom. He has already created a mass of special envoys, and the absence of this one is notable. But since there are already too many swelling the payroll vote, he should look elsewhere. My nomination? Lord Alton – who is not formally a Tory at all.”

Last weekend, the Archbishop of Canterbury also supported a letter to UK Prime Minister David Cameron from the Bishop of Leeds expressing concern that the Government has no coherent strategy for dealing with Islamic extremism and strongly condemning its failure to speak up for Christians.

Chinese Buddhist leader Wu Zeheng (also known as Shi Xingwu) and approximately 18 of his followers remain in detention after police searched residences at Yinshi Yayuan complex in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, on 29 July, according to Wu’s followers, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Although Mr. Wu has largely refrained from advocating political change since his release in 2010, his disciples say the Chinese government has taken notice of his growing popularity, says the New York Times. In the last four years, Mr. Wu had drawn thousands of followers within China and across the world, largely through videos and writings he and his aides post online. Although the authorities have blocked his blog and microblog platforms in China, Huazang says that events organized by the group in recent years have drawn more than 8,400 participants worldwide.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the raid on the group. The government has not issued any public statements about Huazang Dharma, and those questioned by the police say the authorities did not suggest they thought the group was an illicit cult.

Jared Genser, Managing Director of Perseus Strategies in Washington DC, has urged action on Wu’s behalf, saying “In the first 24 hours of his detention Wu was kept awake for 16 hours, denied all food and water, and consecutively questioned by four different groups of police officers. He is currently being held in a small cell with no bed or bedding materials, forced to sleep on a hard floor. Further details of his current situation is not known. He and some 20 others remain imprisoned under formal investigation. Even more worrying, since his initial arrest, the provincial state-run Legal Times published an article accusing Wu and his followers of ‘using cultic activities to undermine law enforcement, to defraud, to commit sexual assaults, and to engage in other criminal activities.'”

Mr Genser has made a formal submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Lord Alton asked in a written question “How many officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are specifically focused on freedom of religion, and for what percentage of their time; and what resources are specifically allocated for the promotion of Article 18 through United Kingdom diplomatic services?”

The reply came from Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns, who has taken up Baroness Warsi’s responsibilities at the Foreign Office: “Within the Human Rights and Democracy Department (HRDD), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has one full time Desk Officer wholly dedicated to Freedom for Religion or Belief (FoRB), who works closely with Team Leader in the Equalities and Non-Discrimination Team, who themselves spend approximately 50 per cent of their time on FoRB. Additionally, the Head and Deputy Head of HRDD spend approximately 5 and 20 per cent respectively of their time on FoRB issues; one Human Rights Advisor spends 5 per cent and one HRDD Communications Officer approximately 10 per cent.

“As FoRB is one of only six thematic human rights priorities for the FCO, a considerable number of other FCO officials in London and overseas are engaged directly on FoRB as part of their wider human rights work. Given that violations of FoRB can be closely associated with other threats to UK interests around the world, I cannot provide a precise figure for the total number of FCO officials working on FoRB, though the number is high and rising.

“This year, seven FoRB projects around the world were approved and received total funding of £307,835.”

 

There has been a dramatic increase in violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief in Cuba. From the beginning of 2014 to mid-July, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports 170 separate religious freedom violations, many of which involved dozens of victims. This followed the record of 180 documented cases in 2013, compared with 120 in 2012 and 40 in 2011. More

A mob of about 60 people armed with machetes, knives and iron rods raided a Catholic convent and beat up its nuns and priest – the Catholic mission in Rangpur district, 280 kilometres northwest of Bangladesh’s capital city Dhaka. The attack was said to be the first attack of this kind in the country, according to the Bishop of the local diocese Dinajpur, Sebastian Tudu: “It’s unprecedented because nuns are highly respected in Bangladesh. The attack is obviously a targeted and planned attempt at intimidation.”

The July 7 attack including attempted rape and looting began around 2am and lasted for nearly two hours; consequently the incident led to multiple protests by thousands of Christians across the country, reports World Watch Monitor. More

The ancient Yazidi minority and many Christian communities face destruction, reports Middle East Concern.

During the night of 6-7 August, Islamic State (IS) militants attacked towns and villages to the east and north of Mosul with mortars and heavy weapons. The protecting Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew, leaving the area to be seized by the IS. This area, including the towns of Qaraqosh, Karamlis, Bartella and Tel Kayf, is the ancestral home of Iraq’s Christian communities and had the largest concentration of Christians in Iraq, including many who fled from Baghdad due to violence over the last few years. This area is now virtually emptied of Christians.

The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch has estimated that one hundred thousand Christians fled overnight, mostly on foot and with little or nothing in their possession. Many of these had already been displaced, having taken refuge in these towns in recent weeks after fleeing from Mosul. Most have now fled to cities in the Kurdish controlled areas nearby.

Earlier last week, the IS seized the city of Sinjar, a traditional home of the Yazidi minority, forcing two hundred thousand to flee to the surrounding mountain areas. There are many reports of atrocities, including summary executions of men and treatment of women as “spoils of war” (including abduction, forced marriage and rape).

The humanitarian needs of these displaced communities are overwhelming. Trapped Yazidi communities have suffered dehydration and starvation, and are grateful that air-drop operations have now started. Among Christians who have fled to Kurdish areas, many have taken refuge in Church halls and corridors, or in public schools, gardens and in the streets. There is an urgent need for water, food and shelter.

Church leaders have expressed deep concern for the future of the Christian presence in this area as many seek to emigrate. Asia News quotes Msgr Rabban Al-Qas, Chaldean Bishop of Amadiyah in the Kurdish controlled area, who says: “The majority of Christians want to get their documents and leave, go away, because they are afraid. Thousand of Christians want to escape.” He notes that the lack of effective government in Baghdad is a key part of the problem.

In the midst of this existential threat to the church in Iraq the church continues to be involved in the distribution of aid without distinction as to religion. Msgr. Al-Qas asserts that the Chaldean Church “is active, and we witness our presence with love.”

Meanwhile, on 9 August, Luke de Pulford wrote a strongly-worded article headed “The cowardice of the Foreign Office at the slaughter of Iraqi Christians”

After Christians were forced to leave Mosul and other areas that fell under the control of the Islamic State (IS), Kurdish and Shiite dominated cities opened their doors to receive them. Religious authorities adopted stances supporting Christians, as they called on residents to host and help their brothers in the country.

The Imam Al-Khoei Foundation, one of the prominent religious institutions in Najaf, issued on July 30 a statement in support of Christians and minorities in Iraq. An excerpt of the statement reads, “We announce our readiness to receive the displaced Iraqi families, be they Christians or Muslims. We call on all Iraqis to offer aid for the displaced families and protect them from the aggressors, in accordance with the principles of humanitarian and national fraternity.”

Read the full report from Al-Monitor