Why we can no longer turn away from the suffering of those persecuted for their faith

It is a known fact that violations against people of religion or belief are an indication of violations of many other human rights within the same context. It is also now understood that the issue is beyond the capacity of any individual, organisation, community or even State to tackle alone. That is why the collaboration and cooperation that was demonstrated at the UK Government Ministerial Conference for Freedom of Religion or Belief this week, as well as the relationships that will be forged to ensure ongoing work, will be critical in demonstrating the power of a collaborative and holistic approach to a global problem. We can no longer turn the other way or fail to recognise the destructiveness of the persecution faced by millions around the world purely based on the faith they have or want to have, or what they choose to believe, or indeed not believe.

 

Sitting in our own silos is no longer an option and neither is pretending not to see the suffering of others. It is time for us to see these violations as violations against the humanity we share, and to aspire to collaborative action that leads to solutions.

 

The overarching theme of the Ministerial Conference was Freedom of Religion or Belief For All (FoRB For All). This set the tone for the many conversations about equal access to rights to hold, change and express a faith or religion, as well as to hold or not hold a belief. It is without a doubt that we will not all agree with the choices that each person makes and yet we would agree that it is that particular person’s choice to make based on their intrinsic and inalienable right to do so.

 

Advocates and policy makers have worked for decades to enshrine the various rights, that we are all entitled to, in international treaties and charters. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, hold one such right, and it reads “we all have the right to our own beliefs, to have a religion, have no religion, or to change it,” and is a foundation upon which we build various initiatives that address the violations that contradict it.

 

Ongoing research and empirical evidence prove time and time again that the violation of the right of Freedom of Religion or Belief will often act as a preliminary indicator of a wider context of violations against other rights. It has also been proven that a violation of these rights negatively impacts whole communities as it disenfranchises many of their members and disables those communities from reaping the benefits of their contribution and interaction.

 

If we speak from a Christian perspective, we recognise that God has created all equally and with equal rights and so it becomes our responsibility to speak for those deprived of those rights. A violation against one, is a violation against us all.

 

Having said that, religious and faith communities will sometimes diminish their own credibility by merely looking after their own interests, appearing self-focused and self-interested, but the best models we have seen are those where one community advocates for another because of its deep conviction in the realisation of the intrinsic human dignity of every person.

 

This week saw the meeting of politicians, policy makers, advocates, and religious leaders around the theme of freedom of religion or belief, however, it is by no means their responsibility alone to safeguard these rights. We all have an interest and we all have a responsibility. It starts with awareness and education and continues with the desire to make a difference and to reach out to those who may need our support. When we do come to a point at which we want to help, we must also remember to approach this from a position of humility and a desire to help those who are impacted rather than to just fulfil an agenda, as honourable as it may be, with which we have affiliated ourselves.

 

These violations are against individuals and communities, they are against real people who experience real pain and who need real support and they must always be kept at the heart and centre of everything we do.

I pray that the Ministerial this past week brings an opportunity for us to serve some of the most vulnerable people in the world who have merely chosen to live life as they see it based on their own conscience and conviction.

 

I also pray peace and protection upon the millions who are now directly or indirectly impacted by war and conflict in areas that are plagued by violations of freedom of religion or belief, among other fundamental human rights, and who are internally or externally displaced, that they may find peace and stability and that we may play some part, no matter how small, in being a voice for them, empowering and enabling them to speak for themselves, and being an avenue of clear and effective action that gives them stability and restores dignity.