“We don’t want you to change the culture of Yemen or the Middle East, we are just asking for the right to exist. Can we accept ourselves?
Hassan Al-Yemeni* was imprisoned for espionage solely for converting from Islam to Christianity, the religion of the West. Her story is one of many told and untold stories of persecution and discrimination in the Middle East and North Africa.
He yesterday appealed to the EU to raise the plight of religious converts in its foreign relations with its MENA counterparts at an event to launch the Open Doors Global Watch List, a annual index listing the most dangerous places to live as a Christian.
The European Parliament audience of MEPs and their staff, EU diplomats and EU-based NGOs heard stories of Christian converts in Muslim-majority countries; people without identity, persecuted by their governments and rejected by their communities.
The event organized by MEP Miriam Lexmann (PPE) and started with remarks by Patrizia Toia MEP (S&D) was dedicated to the presentation of the World Watch List 2024 (WWL 2024) by Open Doors, an annual report which ranks the countries where it is the most difficult to profess and practice the Christian faith.
Published and presented to the European Parliament at the start of each year, the list draws on extensive research, data from Open Doors field workers, their national networks, external experts and persecution analysts to quantify and analyze persecution around the world. This year’s list covers the period from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023.
Cristian Nani (Open Doors Italy) presented the top 50 countries where Christians experience the highest levels of oppression and highlighted the main trends captured by the Christian NGO in 2023.
At least 365 million Christians live with very real threats to their lives, livelihoods and church communities because of their faith globally. 1 in 7 Christians are affected by this phenomenon. 4,998 Christians killed worldwide in faith-related attacks. The numbers are likely much higher, but many are not published.
Most of these murders, recorded by Open Doors, were in the south of the Sahara Desert, particularly in Nigeria (6).
The threat from Islamic militants in sub-Saharan Africa has intensified to the point that many Christians in the region are increasingly afraid. Radical Islamic elements exploiting unstable political conditions are a common thread across the African continent. Fractures in governance and security have opened the door to jihadist activities seen, for example, in Burkina Faso, Mali (14), Mozambique (39), Nigeria and Somalia (2).
North Korea (1) remains the most dangerous country in the world for practicing the Christian faith, with its regime having a zero-tolerance policy towards Christians.
A staggering 14,766 attacks, closures and demolitions of Christian churches, hospitals, schools and similar buildings. was recorded during WWL 2024, compared to 2,110 the previous year – WWL 2023.
Open Doors supports Christians by protecting and promoting their right to freely believe, worship and practice their faith, alone or with others, without intolerance or discrimination. It is for this reason that the presentation to the European Parliament focused on Christian converts from other religions, including Islam. These are the communities that are often the most forgotten and the most affected by persecution.
The policy priorities of Open Doors’ FoRB for the EU, as presented to the European Parliament, were to recognize the interdependence of the FoRB and other human rights, to encourage interfaith and interfaith dialogue, and to integrate the analysis of the FoRB in its foreign policy initiatives.
Hassan Al-Yemeni of CDSI Foundation with Kamal Fahmi of Liberate My People and Dr. Yassir Eric of Communio Messianica reflected on the human rights violations that come from society and government in countries like Yemen (5) and the Sudan (8) due to conversion to Christianity.
“If you want to measure democracy, we should look at how countries handle conversions. If people can exercise their inherent right to think and change their beliefs,” says Dr. Yassir Eric.
In many countries, recanting Islam is considered a crime of apostasy punishable by death or imprisonment. The case of Sudan constitutes a positive example of the abolition of the national law on apostasy and therefore constitutes a sign of hope for religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries. Dr. Eric adds “this [change of law] means that it is not impossible to grant freedom of conversion in the MENA region.”
Speakers called on the European Union to raise concerns about the human rights of people facing violations simply because they exercised their fundamental freedom to choose their belief.
Notably, Frans Van Daele, the EU Special Envoy for FoRB outside the EU, addressed the audience to reflect on his mandate. He highlighted the depth and breadth of the FoRB’s concerns across the world and said he tried to be diplomatic and never come across as “imposing the Western point of view.” It seeks to build on existing relationships with third countries and use the knowledge of its European colleagues at the EC and the EEAS.
About Open Doors
Open Doors International is a global organization with 25 national bases that has supported and strengthened persecuted Christians for over 60 years and works in 70 countries. Open Doors provides practical support to persecuted Christians, such as food, medicine, trauma care, legal assistance, shelters and schools, as well as spiritual support through Christian literature, training and resources.
To arrange an interview with speakers and Open Doors representatives, contact Anastasia Hartman at euadvocacy@od.org
Originally published in The European Times.
source link eu news
