Christianity at risk of
wipe-out in the Middle East, warns new Civitas study
Christianity is in serious
danger of being wiped out in its biblical heartlands because of Islamic
oppression, according to a new report from a leading independent
think-tank.
But
Western politicians and media largely ignore the widespread persecution of
Christians in the
Middle East and the wider world because they are afraid they will be accused of
racism.
They
fail to appreciate that in the defence of the wider concept of human rights,
religious freedom is the “canary in the mine”, according to the
report.
The
refusal of young Christians in the West to become “radicalised” and mount
violent protests against the attacks on their faith also helps to explain the
“blind spot” about “Christianophobia” in influential liberal Western
circles.
The
report, Christianophobia, written by journalist Rupert Shortt and published by
Westminster think-tank Civitas, lays bare the scale of the vendetta against
Christians across the globe.
They
are more likely to be the target of discrimination or persecution that any other
religious group and they are particularly at risk in Muslim-dominated societies.
Oppression is magnified by anti-Americanism and the false belief that
Christianity is a “Western” creed, even though it originated in the Middle East
and has been an integral part of that region’s belief systems for 2000
years.
Mr
Shortt quotes expert findings that between a half and two-thirds of Christians in the Middle East have
left or been killed over the past century.
The
pace of this assault is now intensifying with the rise of militant Islam in
countries such as Egypt, Iraq and now, with the civil war, Syria.
Across
the world as a whole, some 200 million Christians (10 per cent of the total) are
socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their
beliefs.
Mr
Shortt writes: “Exposing and combating the problem ought in my view to be
political priorities across large areas of the world. That this is not the case
tells us much about a questionable hierarchy of victimhood.
“The
blind spot displayed by governments and other influential players is causing
them to squander a broader opportunity. Religious freedom is the canary in the
mine for human rights generally.”
The
report surveys
in detail the extent of Christian persecution in seven countries – Egypt, Iraq,
Pakistan, Nigeria, Burma, China and India. And it cites findings from the
Freedom House think-tank report to highlight the way that Muslim-majority
countries are the most hostile to Christians.
They
impose the greatest curbs on religious freedoms and make up 12 of the 20
countries judged to be “unfree” on the grounds of religious tolerance. Of the
seven states receiving the lowest possible score, four are Muslim.
Mr
Shortt traces the rise of Christianophobia in Egypt to the early 1970s when the
quadrupling of oil
prices gave Saudi Arabian religious extremists the material means to
export their intolerant views around the world.
For more, see: http://www.civitas.org.uk/press/prChristianophobia.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment