On 22 October, 2024, Aid to the Church (ACN) in Needed formally launched the 2024 edition of their Persecuted and Forgotten? report examining the challenges facing Christians in 18 countries where they suffer problems including harassment, detention, forced displacement and murder.
The report aims to raise awareness around the suffering and persecution faced by Christians, with research consistently showing that Christians suffer in more countries around the world than any other faith group. The report acts as a call to action to take steps to stop the human rights abuses that blight the lives of Christians around the world.
The event was hosted by The Lord Alton of Liverpool in the Attlee and Reid Room, House of Lords. Lord Alton gave the opening remarks, highlighting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) as the “canary in the mineshaft” in terms of the protection of fundamental human freedoms more broadly. When FoRB rights are disparaged, other human rights violations and the loss of political freedoms tend to follow in quick succession. He noted that where there is a lack of justice, perpetrators are emboldened, sounding not unlike Martin Luther King Jr. who once declared that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq also spoke, noting the importance not only of aid but also of a voice for persecuted Christians, emphasizing that everyday people can have a great impact by becoming informed and speaking up about these issues. He was followed by Father Stephen Ojapah of Nigeria, who is one of the many priests who have suffered terribly in the hands of terrorists demanding ransom payments. He shared the story of his own kidnapping and detention for 33 days at a remote location in Nigeria. His continued faith and optimism were a testament to the resilience of sincere religious belief even in the face of gross opposition and persecution. Interested persons can read more about his story – and about the general situation in Nigeria – by obtaining a copy of his recently published book, Tears and Torture: 33 Days in Kidnappers Den.
Ripka Karash from Pakistan shared her own experiences of being persecuted for her Christian faith in school and in the workplace, giving also a detailed recounting of her previous interactions with Maira Shahbaz, who is reportedly in hiding together with her family after previously having been abducted at gunpoint by three men and forced to convert religions and marry one of her abductors – at the age of 14 – and subsequently escaping her abductors.
Daniel Beurthe, Parliamentary and Public Affairs Officer at ACN spoke about what listeners could do after having heard these remarkable stories, calling for the UK government to “put its money where its mouth is (quite literally)” and for religious minorities to be mentioned more explicitly in published UK foreign aid priorities.
ACN’s 2024 report, Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians Oppressed for their Faith can be accessed here, where readers can also get involved by signing ACN’s open letter to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, and in other ways.
