Category: News

Stephen Timms MP (East Ham) (Lab) asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Iranian government about the persecution of Christians, Baha’is, and other religious minorities in that country?

Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood MP (Bournemouth East) (Con): The UK welcomed President Rouhani’s comments in 2013 that all Iranians, including religious minorities, should “feel justice.” Unfortunately, there has been little noticeable change in the approach taken by Iran’s security and judicial authorities.

The Iranian Constitution recognises only three religious faiths other than Islam: Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianiam. Christians nevertheless continue to face discrimination; Evangelical Christians, Iranian converts to Christianity and those involved in house churches have been particularly affected. Other minority religious groups have faced similar treatment, and the Baha’i faith – which is unrecognised in Iran – has been particularly discriminated against.

The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith. We will continue to use our bilateral relationship to urge Iran to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians.

Stephen Timms MP (East Ham) (Lab) asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian government about the case of the imprisoned Christian pastor, Farshid Fathi.

Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood MP (Bournemouth East) (Con): We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith.

Stephen Timms MP (East Ham) (Lab) asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the imprisonment of Maryam Naghash Zargaran.

Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood MP (Bournemouth East) (Con): We are aware of the imprisonment in Iran of Maryam Naghash Zargaran. We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian Government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and to end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith.

“Where so much suffering has occurred, and is still occurring, action is the shared responsibility of the entire international community” – UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) reported on a bleak situation where “international crimes appear to be intrinsic to the fabric of the state. The system is pitiless, pervasive and with few equivalents in modern international affairs.”

Repeatedly, the COI was faced with compelling evidence of the DPRK’s complete denial of the right to freedom of religion or belief, with adherents to Christianity singled out for particularly severe treatment: “people who were caught in the possession of Bibles were tortured during interrogation and in some cases executed afterwards.”

This Inquiry of the APPG on International Freedom of Religion or Belief intends to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of religion and belief in the DPRK, documenting and analysing the situation with a view to the unique role that the UK can play in furthering calls for freedom of religion or belief in North Korea.

Therefore, the APPG on International Freedom of Religion or Belief is currently calling for submissions from charities, experts, faith-communities and individuals with personal experiences or concerns, to address these questions:
• How does the regime of the DPRK respond to religion or belief? Please consider both the DPRK’s treatment of individuals and its overall policy towards religious or belief systems.
• How can the DPRK regime be brought to account?
• What impact has freedom of religion and belief had on South Korea? How does this – or could this – translate to a DPRK context?

We particularly welcome testimonies from individuals who have lived in the DPRK.

Each submission should be no longer than 4 pages, and clearly indicate the organisation and/or author of the statement. The submissions will contribute to a new report written by the APPG on the subject. The APPG can withhold the identities of authors of statements in the report, if a request for anonymity is clearly made in the submission.

Written submissions may result in individuals or organisations being invited to give oral testimonies at a formal hearing before Parliamentarians on 26 November. The APPG holds the right to use or not to use submissions in its reporting.

Submissions should be sent to zoesmith.nk@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is 5pm, 14 November 2014.

Hansard, 28 October 2014, Oral Answers to Questions, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE:

Naomi Long (Belfast East) (Alliance): What recent representations he has made to the Algerian Government on ensuring that Christians and other religious minorities are protected from persecution and discrimination. [905689]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Tobias Ellwood): We regularly discuss human rights with the Algerian Government, although we have not raised religious freedoms specifically. Human rights will be on the agenda for the next meeting of the EU-Algeria political dialogue.

Naomi Long: I thank the Minister for his answer, although I am disappointed that religious persecution has not been raised with the Algerian Government. What advice is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office giving to colleagues in the immigration service to ensure that they are fully equipped to offer good advice and support to people from Algeria and north Africa more generally who apply for asylum on the basis of religious persecution?

Mr Ellwood: I certainly will raise the matter with my Algerian counterparts. The hon. Lady has raised an important issue. She will be aware that regulations governing religion in Algeria came into force in May 2007. They are designed to be multi-faith and not to focus on one particular religion. I would be delighted to meet her to discuss the matter in more detail.

Alistair Burt (North East Bedfordshire) (Con): The atmosphere in which religious discrimination takes place is affected by other issues in a country, including economic pressures and the like. Does my hon. Friend think that the recent successful elections in Tunisia will ease the atmosphere in respect of persecution across the area more generally? Does he also think that economic development in the area, which is necessary for justice to prevail, is getting a boost from our work in Algeria

Mr Ellwood: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his question, and Tunisia is to be congratulated on the considerable progress it has made. It has just completed parliamentary elections, and presidential elections will follow in November, replacing the technocratic Government who have guided the country on its transition towards its new status as a fully fledged democracy. I very much welcome those changes: strong civil society, national dialogue, an apolitical army, and new progress towards a constitution.

Mr Frank Roy (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab): Religious intolerance and persecution is a problem throughout the world. What will the Government do to raise that issue with the Human Rights Council next year, and what does the Minister think the United Nations can do now to tackle the problem?

Mr Ellwood: The hon. Gentleman makes an important point, and the issue is raised at the United Nations General Assembly and in our bilaterals. Britain will continue to raise the issue on a regular basis at all our meetings, not just those in the middle east but also with other countries where there are questions to be asked in that area.

Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): What is the Minister doing for my constituents who have complained not only about the treatment of Christians in Algeria but also about the increasing pressure on Christians in Pakistan? What are we doing to monitor that, and what will we do about it?

Mr Ellwood: As I said, we are having bilaterals on that issue. The specific issue in Algeria is to do with new regulations that have been introduced. The rules are there but they now need to be implemented, and we will continue to have a dialogue on that. I intend to visit Algeria soon, and given the concern that the House has expressed today, I will certainly raise that issue during my visit.

The Cuban government has approved the construction on a new church building, making this the first church they have allowed in 55 years. The church is expected to be built in Sandino, a town located in the far western province of Cuba. Since the 1959 revolution, the Catholic Church has had tense relations with Cuba’s atheist government. However, the relationship is slowly improving since visits by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

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The All Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief And Asylum Advocacy Group is calling for evidence on ‘Claiming asylum in the UK if you are persecuted for your faith or belief’.

As persecution on the grounds of religion or belief increases so does the number of people claiming asylum due to such persecution. This Inquiry is a joint project of the APPG for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Asylum Advocacy Group (chaired by Bishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Church with diaspora representatives from other countries facing such persecution.)

While freedom of religion or belief is a protected right under international law and a clear basis for asylum, asylum claims on the grounds of religion and belief (including the freedom to hold no religious beliefs) present unique challenges for asylum decision-makers.

In order to be able to document and analyse current asylum decision-making for this group of claims and thereafter assess the UK performance in line with its legal obligations, the APPG on International Freedom of Religion or Belief is currently calling for submissions from charities, experts, faith-communities and individuals with personal experiences on their concerns, and suggestions on:

• how the UK authorities handle asylum cases on the basis of persecution for your faith and belief
• what challenges are faced in practice
• how they can be addressed and improved

We particularly welcome testimonies from individuals who have recently sought asylum in UK on the grounds of persecution for your faith or belief.

Each submission should be no longer than 3 pages, and clearly indicate the organisation and/or author of the statement. The submissions will contribute to a new report written by the APPG on the subject. The APPG can withhold the identities of authors of statements in the report, if a request for anonymity is clearly made in the submission.

Written submissions may result in individuals or organisations being invited to give oral testimonies at a formal hearing before Parliamentarians. The APPG holds the right to use or not to use submissions in its reporting.

Submissions should be sent to asylum@freedomdeclared.org

Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm 31st October 2014

Questions answered on asylum, anti-Semitism and refugees in Iraq highlighted some interesting gaps in government information:

• it is not known how many people have claimed asylum on the grounds of religious persecution
• there is no central record of how often issues of persecution and freedom of religion or belief are raised with foreign governments
• the breakdown of the ethnic or religious identity of refugees being assisted in Iraq is not known

The relevant Hansard records for 20 October are as follows:

Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con): To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many defined Christians entering the UK from Iraq and Syria have claimed asylum on the grounds of religious persecution in each year since 2012.

Minister of State (Security and Immigration) James Brokenshire (Old Bexley and Sidcup) (Con): Information on the basis of claim for asylum is not centrally recorded, and the information requested in the Hon. Member’s question could only be obtained through a manual search of individual case files. This would exceed the cost limit.

John Mann (Bassetlaw) (Lab): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times he or Ministers in his Department have raised concerns about anti-Semitism with their counterparts in (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Holland, (d) Belgium, (e) Poland, (f) Australia, (g) the US and (h) Ireland since 2010.

Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) David Lidington MP (Aylesbury) (Con): We are concerned about all instances of anti-Semitism, and regularly raise this issue with a number of countries, including those referred to in the Honorable Member’s question, though we do not hold a central record of every time we have done so. Our Embassies and High Commissions monitor cases of anti-Semitism and raise them with their host governments.

Anti-Semitism (and particularly Holocaust denial and denigration) are regularly discussed during meetings of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in a dedicated Committee, and as a formal agenda item during the plenary meetings held twice a year. The UK Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, Sir Andrew Burns, leads an active UK delegation in these discussions. All the states to which your question refers are members of IHRA, with the exception of Australia.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also works very closely with the UK Member of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), who provides expert advice on tackling anti-Semitism to the British Government and internationally.
The British Government will be represented at a senior level at the tenth anniversary of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Conference and Declaration on Anti-Semitism, being held in Berlin on 13 November 2014.

Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB): To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made so far by the International Humanitarian Partnership with establishing the proposed three camps, each to house 15,000 persons, for refugees who have fled from the fighting in Iraq; how that progress compares with the anticipated schedule; how many refugees are believed to be in need of shelter; which ethnic or religious groups are being assisted in those camps by the International Humanitarian Partnership; and what assessment they have made of what is likely to happen to those who are not provided for by those camps.

Lord’s Spokesperson on International Development, Baroness Northover (LD): The International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) is building one camp in Shekhan which will provide shelter for up to 6,000 people. Camp construction is on schedule and should be ready to provide shelter by mid-November. The IHP was initially requested by UNHCR to build three of the sixteen camps that will provide shelter to those who have been displaced by the conflict in Northern Iraq. This proposal has now changed and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has taken charge of building the two other camps.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) has received 860,000 displaced persons in successive waves. Of these, it is estimated that approximately 390,000 are in need of shelter. Of the £23 million that DFID has provided in response to the crisis, £17.5 million is funding United Nations (UN) agencies and NGO (Non-Government Organisation) partners to provide shelter, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and protection services. We continue to respond to the crisis on the basis of needs although we recognise that many of those who are receiving assistance belong to religious or ethnic religious groups that have fled persecution.

The Catholic News Agency reports that more than 200,000 people have signed a petition asking European leaders to offer “real help” for persecuted Christians and other religious minorities around the world.

Luca Volonté, a board member of CitizenGo and president of the international foundation Novae Terrae, told CNA that the petition seeks to address the “critical plight of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East and in many other part of the world.”

Volonté urged “the Council of Europe, the European Union’s foreign ministers and the European Parliament to put into action policies of asylum and humanitarian aid, to bring this horror to an end.”

Novae Terrae launched a petition in August on CitizenGo, an online platform for human rights advocacy, asking the Council of Europe and other continental leaders to step up in tacking religious persecution on a global scale.

The petition drew renewed attention when a Pakistani court on Oct. 16 upheld the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who has been sentenced to death for “blasphemy.” However, the petition notes, such cases are widespread, and many do not receive public attention.

It points to the example of Pastor Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor and American citizen who has spent the last 2 years imprisoned in Iran.

“At this very moment, Christians in Iraq are being given an ultimatum: covert, leave or die,” the petition states, emphasizing that Europe’s lack of response to such abuses has been “deafening.”

The efforts of the international community recently saved the life of Meriam Ibrahim, who was sentenced to death in Sudan for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. She was imprisoned for about two months, giving birth to her second child in prison. Amid international pressure, she was released and allowed to leave the country.

“Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, at least, is safe,” the CitizenGo petition reads. “Not safe are countless Christian women and men, babies, children and elderly people in Iraq and Syria, in Nigeria and Cameroon, in Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia and Egypt, to name just a few. Christians are driven from their homes. They are thrown in jail for blasphemy, and churches are burned and worshippers regularly slaughtered. Girls are abducted and married against their will.”

The petition calls on the European leaders, asking them “to respect their commitments regarding freedom of religion and beliefs, developing policies of asylum and managing European relations towards foreign countries according to their respect of religious freedom.”

The Independent reports that his body was left on display on a cross. Pictures being shared online show a banner attached to the teenager’s chest saying the boy has been crucified for taking photos of Isis military bases, as well as receiving “500 Turkish lira” for any footage taken.

The message describes the ruling for the alleged crime as “apostasy” and states the teenager has been “killed and crucified for a period of three days” as the punishment.

The alleged execution comes after it emerged Isis militants had beheaded their own fighters for spying and espionage.

It is not known who took the picture, which was circulated across social media by some Isis supporters on Friday.

Article in full

On Friday 24 October, The Marquess of Lothian’s (Con) written question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of ISIL on Christian communities in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon; and what plans there are to protect such communities.

was answered by Foreign Office Minister Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Con):  The humanitarian reports from Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region are deeply concerning. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and associated armed groups continue to commit atrocities against Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen and other communities throughout the areas under their control. We condemn any and all abuses of human rights, including those against Christians.

We are working closely with our international partners, including in the region, to try to assist and protect civilians – including Christians – from ISIL through a long-term, comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat this terrorist organisation.

This strategy is being delivered by a large international coalition, where UK actions complement, and are coordinated with, those of other actors. It has security, political and humanitarian dimensions. For example, in Iraq, we are carrying out airstrikes against ISIL and are providing military assistance to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces so that they can restore control over the areas taken by ISIL. In Syria, we support military action by the US and five Arab states against ISIL; we are supporting the Syrian moderate opposition, who are fighting ISIL; and we continue to work for a political transition: when it comes to tackling ISIL, Assad is part of the problem, not part of the solution. In Lebanon, we continue to press for the election of a President, strengthen municipalities and support the Lebanese Armed Forces reassert state authority in their border regions On the humanitarian front, we continue to provide swift and substantial assistance to those who have fled areas controlled by ISIL, including air drops to deliver aid to those trapped by ISIL. On the diplomatic front, at the Human Rights Council in September we, alongside our international partners, secured a resolution strongly condemning ISIL and stressing the need for accountability.

Under the headline A new booklet on apostasy in Islam has rattled extremist Somali clerics Guuleyste Ali writes in Kenya’s Daily Nation that “It’s not often that we hear of a battle of ideas between reformist the Muslim scholars and fundamentalist clerics of Somalia, who are fighting tooth and nail to silence the voice of moderation and reformation.”

This is the article in full:

Somali Muslim academics are calling for a review of the narrative of the Islamist ideologues that encourages youngsters to participate in a holy war against non-Muslims, and those Muslims they consider to be apostates. A booklet titled Xadka Riddada Maxaa ka Run Ah? (Is There Punishment for Apostasy in Islam?) and published in Nairobi is a scholarly treatise dealing with the contentious issue of apostasy in Islam and what punishment, if any, is prescribed by Islam.

The book, which is little more than 130 pages, is unsettling the Somali militants as it challenges their misuse of Islam as a political tool. Xadka Riddada, as it is commonly known, seems to be more dangerous for Islamist militants in Somalia than the thousands of troops sent by the African Union to the Horn of Africa nation, or the millions of dollars spent every month fighting Islamist terrorists.

The resistance to the book by radical clerics shows the fight against terrorism is essentially one of ideas rather than military might. The author, Abdisaid Ismail, is a Somali scholar who studied Economics and Islamic Religion at a university in Saudi Arabia.

He has done extensive research on the issue of apostasy in Islam and freedom of religion, and concluded that Islam does not prescribe the death penalty for apostasy, and that freedom of religion is clearly enshrined in Islam. The booklet is a counter-narrative to the Islamist position that Muslims cannot abandon their religion and if they do, they should be killed — a doctrine used to justify wanton killings in Somalia.

Al-Shabaab militants invoke an obsolete apostasy law in their fight against Somali government officials and soldiers as well as civilians working for the government, whom the radicals accuse of abandoning Islam simply because they oppose the extremists’ out-dated draconian version of Sharia. The author discusses other issues, including women’s equality with men in the eyes of Islamic Scriptures, a clear break from the Islamist view that a woman is worth half a man and that her place is firmly in the kitchen.”

Mr Ismail argues that many of the doctrines in Islam are based on the out-dated Arab socio-economic situation of the sixth century, and that much of the Islamic Jurisprudence now used by Islamists is no more than tribal reading of key religious sources.

He advocates the separation of Mosque and State, so to speak, which is contrary to the rallying call by Islamist jihadists and their ideologues for Sharia as the supreme law in Muslim countries. This call is equivalent to the Bible being declared the law in Christian countries, an unthinkable proposition in this day and age.

Unlike the wishy-washy moderates, Mr Ismail is clear about his position: Islam has been hijacked by extremists as well as by the so-called moderates, who essentially justify the militants’ brutality and oppose real reform.

The extremist clerics denounced the book shortly after it was launched last month in the Somali-populated Eastleigh suburb of Nairobi, known as Little Mogadishu.

The radical clerics launched a concerted onslaught on the booklet, which they described as “a clear apostasy”, effectively accusing the author of the sin that, in their eyes, deserves the death penalty.

Following the opposition to the book, death threats started flying around in social media circles, and soon Ismail found himself kicked out of a hotel in Eastleigh.

After the radicals also called for the banning and burning of the book, it is now effectively banned from bookshops in Eastleigh, a clear breach of Kenya’s liberal, democratic laws.

It is unfortunate that in Kenya, seen as a beacon of freedom and liberal democracy by Somali intellectuals, who had to flee the oppressive tendencies in their home country, has become a place where freedom of speech and expression is suppressed.

If the extremist clerics’ grip on the youth and their fanatical opposition to any hint of dissent is not addressed, any hope of dissuading Muslim youngsters from being radicalised and used by militants against their society is grim.

In a press release last week the independent NGO described the emergence and deterioration in a litany of grave human rights concerns across the country and stated that the prevailing political situation, and rise in religious extremism were proving significant hurdles in mounting any serious efforts to deal with these concerns.

It continued “There has been an unchecked rise in religious extremism and the situation has worsened for religious and sectarian minority communities. A sequence of attacks on Sikhs in Peshawar, assaults on Hindus in Umerkot and on temples elsewhere in Sindh, target killing of an Ahmadi doctor in Mirpur Khas, killing of Ahmadis in Gujranwala, of Zikris in Awaran and attack on a blasphemy convict in Adiala prison are just some of the manifestations of increase in fanaticism and intolerance. The lot of those charged under the blasphemy law has become all the more precarious as it has become almost impossible for them to defend themselves at their trial. The murder of Rashid Rehman for daring to defend a blasphemy accused whose case no one else was willing to take and the complete lack of interest of the authorities to go after his killers has further encouraged impunity.”