Amidst the halls of the European Parliament, a rally cried out against the brutal persecution of Christians around the world, echoing a call to action. The 2023 World Watch List of the Protestant NGO, Open Doors, unveiled a report that speaks to the suffering of 360 million Christians, whose faith is met with discrimination and hostility. 5621 murdered, 2110 church buildings attacked, the numbers staggering, a testament to the ongoing conflict.
MEPs Peter Van Dalen and Miriam Lexmann, joined by Vice-President MEP Nicola Beer, took a stand against this injustice. Van Dalen called the report "highly concerning," and urged the European Parliament to prioritize religious freedom in its human rights efforts. Beer emphasized the positive and stabilizing role religious communities play in democratic societies, while Lexmann, a former Communist, spoke of the attack on religious freedom as an attack on all human rights and democracy.
The voice of Dabrina Bet-Tamraz, a Protestant from Iran, now residing in Switzerland, added urgency to the call for action. Dabrina spoke of the discrimination and harassment she faced in Iran as a Christian and an Assyrian, and the continued threats even outside the country. Her parents, Pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz and Shamiran Issavi Khabizeh, spent years sharing their faith and training converts before being arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. Dabrina, now a pastor herself, implored the Iranian authorities to release imprisoned Christians and uphold the right to religious freedom for all citizens.
MEP Miriam Lexmann urged her colleagues to open their minds, to see that freedom of religion is the cornerstone of human rights. Beer stressed the importance of religious communities in democratic societies, while Van Dalen praised organizations like Open Doors for keeping the issue at the forefront.
This call to action resounds with a powerful chorus, demanding an end to the persecution of Christians and the protection of religious freedom for all.
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