April 8, 2011
The issue of religious freedom isn’t a paramount concern for Americans. After all, religious liberty is something that Americans experience on a daily basis, a right that is seldom denied or impinged upon in any way. But as a recent Pew Research Group study shows, at least 70 percent of the world’s population faces some restriction on their freedom of faith. Religious freedom may not seem relevant to most Americans, who take it for granted. But in some of the world’s most populous nations, religious freedom simply does not exist.
In the wake of recent church bombings in Nigeria, the Rev. Anthony Farinto of the Evangelical Church of West Africa attempted to explain the trauma of what his church members have endured because of their choice to be Christian instead of Muslim.
“Many of our members whose houses were burnt have to date not be found, despite all efforts by the church and their relatives to find their bodies or know their whereabouts,“ he told Compass Direct News. “The ECWA suspects strongly that many of the dead bodies hurriedly buried in mass graves by the Muslims included some of its members who were murdered within the Muslim neighborhoods.”
A Harsh Reality
Burned churches. Mass graves. Lost bodies. The tragic reality of religious persecution throughout the world is often underreported or chalked up to “sectarian violence.” But while incidents such as the church burning in Nigeria hasn’t reached the radar screen for millions of Americans, a united partnership of nonprofit organizations believes these religious liberty violations deserve attention.
A group of organizations represented under the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP), is seeking to draw attention to this crucial issue, and attempting to strengthen the efforts of religious freedom groups to strategically address the plight of persecuted Christians throughout the world. For many of these organizations, one of the most significant obstacles in the process of helping persecuted believers is the lack of awareness – and the perceived irrelevance – of religious freedom throughout the free world.
The Need for Awareness
In a recent interviewat ConservativeHome, author Paul Marshall offered his take on why drastic violations of religious liberty throughout the world are often ignored, or met with little more than a passing glance. “The reasons for this are many—many people are still shaped by defunct sociological theories that religion is passé, or going away or at least diminishing—so they often don’t notice what is going on around them,” he said. “There is also often a secular antipathy to religion, an attitude that it causes violence, wars etc, so there is a lack of sympathy for victims who suffer because of their faith.”
During the March 28-31 conference, the Religious Liberty Partnership sought to address best practices in ministry to the persecuted church. The coalition also tackled specific issues within the religious freedom realm, such as Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law, as well as statements on Nigeria, India, Sri Lanka, and China. The RLP hosted the leadership of dozens of organizations working with the suffering church internationally.
With members in 18 countries, the partnership is seeking to foster communication and collaboration among organizations seeking to aid the persecuted church. And with incidents of violent persecution making international news headlines with increasing frequency, the quest for collaboration is more pertinent than ever.
Finding a Unified Voice
Topics featured at the conference ranged from Pakistan’s blasphemy law to addressing the often urgent plight of Believers of Muslim Background (BMB) in predominately Islamic countries. The conference focused on unifying organizations and assisting leaders in sharing vital information and tactics with other groups.
The recently appointed Advocacy Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Andrew Johnston, reflected, “No other gathering brings together a field of such eminent experts in the field of religious persecution, nor such a breadth of organizations working in the field.”
Directors of organizations addressing the plight of the persecuted church in diverse ways found ways to collaborate and increase partnerships. Advocacy, awareness, and aid were all areas for discussion and collaboration.
“More than anything praying daily with leaders of organizations serving the persecuted church was an honor and was immensely affirming in the new ministry that I have been called to,” said Johnston.
The Way Ahead
Although the issue of religious liberty is often overlooked, attendees of the RLP conference point to certain leaders who have made the issue harder to ignore. One person whose life and recent death drew increased attention to persecution in the Middle East was Pakistan’s former Federal Minister for Minorities and a leading advocate for persecuted Christians, Shahbaz Bhatti.
While looking ahead at the future, RLP attendees were encouraged to remember the powerful example of Shahbaz Bhatti, who was murdered by radical Islamists in Islamabad, Pakistan, just over a month ago. His courageous work for Pakistan’s marginalized Christian community, his spirited outlook, his tireless efforts in defending imprisoned Christians, and his daring critique of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law, were all remembered with a moment of silence at the conference.
Later in the week, Bhatti’s life and death, and his powerful example for advocates of religious freedom today, was commemorated at a religious liberty dinner. Knox Thames, Director of Policy and Research at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, spoke of the remarkably courageous life of Bhatti, recalling his impassioned defense of suffering believers, and remarking on the urgency and relevance of the work he sought to accomplish. "We can best remember Shahbaz by making his death matter," he said.
Kristin Butler has visited with Christian communities throughout the Middle East and Asia. She is a contributing writer at Crosswalk.com, where she covers topics related to religious freedom, human rights, and philanthropy. For further articles, visit her website at kristinbutler.netor email [email protected].
