British Asian Christian Association were invited to the exclusive launch of the final report by Bishop of Truro, The Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen on support
for persecuted Christians. The report which was commissioned by Jeremy HuntSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was the first
ever undertaking of global Christian persecution and BACA were privileged to have been invited to contribute written and oral evidence to the review
committee.
The findings of the report have been quite positive and we have shared previously a short analysis on the impact the report could have on Pakistan
with some further recommendations (here).
The launch was held on Monday 15th July 2019 from 09:30 – 11:00 at Church House, Westminster Assembley Hall and was presided over by the
Bishop of Truro himself and Lord Ahmad, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, who BPCA met earlier in the year when
seeking asylum for Asia Bibi in the UK (click here).
In his introduction to the report, Anglican Bishop Philip Mounstephen of Turo stresses that Christian persecution has become a “global phenomenon,”
and charged that Western governments “have been blind to the issue.” The prelate argued that the persecution of Christians is a violation of universal
human rights.
The report notes that “it is estimated that one third of the world’s population suffers from religious persecution in some form, with Christians being
the most persecuted group.”
Among other recommendations, the 176-page report calls on the British government to use its position as a Member of the UN Security Council to push
for a UN Security Council resolution urging governments in the Middle East and North Africa to protect Christians and other minorities.
Due to an award ceremony for Hannah Chowdhry one of our volunteers who was presented with a Diana Award none of our trustees could make the event.
However we sent our new temporary employee Sofia Chowdhry (16 yrs) who attended the event and recorded some of the presentation.
You can hear what was recorded (here)
