Displaying items by tag: freedom of religion

Around fifty Christians protested outside Norwood Primary School in Eastleigh, after the school cancelled its traditional Easter bonnet parade and church service. Headteacher Stephanie Mander informed parents that the decision aimed to foster an inclusive environment, opting instead for classroom lessons and craft activities about the meaning of Easter. Protesters accused the school of marginalising Christianity. Banners declared messages like 'Jesus is King' and 'Let’s cancel her’, referring to the headteacher. Protesters distributed Easter eggs and prayed collectively at the end of the demonstration. A smaller counter-protest of parents defended the school’s decision, citing concerns about promoting division and noting financial pressures on families that may have influenced the cancellation. Police were present, but no arrests were made. The event has reignited broader concerns among some Christians about feeling increasingly sidelined within educational institutions and society at large.

As Indonesia witnesses a leadership transition, its thirty million Christians are cautiously hopeful for positive change under president-elect Prabowo Subianto and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Subianto, a former military general, secured 58% of the vote in this year’s election. Indonesia, the second-largest Muslim country in the world, is home to a Christian minority (11% of the population). While the government allows Christians to worship freely, evangelism remains illegal, and Muslim converts often face social persecution. There are concerns about Subianto’s past support from conservative Islamic groups who might influence his policies. In the past the government has not actively persecuted Christians, but it has not always defended them either, particularly in areas like Aceh, where Islamic law is enforced. Christians are praying that the new leadership will uphold religious freedoms and protect their rights in a predominantly Muslim nation.

To strengthen international efforts to ensure freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), the government will host an international conference in London on 5 and 6 July. Promoting FoRB is one of the UK’s long-standing human rights priorities. The government remains deeply concerned about the severity and scale of violations and abuses in many parts of the world. Persecuting or discriminating against people for their religion or belief is often linked to other foreign and development policy challenges. The summit will gather politicians and campaigners from over 50 countries to continue to make progress on the issue. This year the organisers are being approached by diplomatic representatives from countries with historically poor records on religious freedom and who aren't part of the alliance, saying they want to come.

Mary Onuoha, an operating theatre specialist at Croydon University Hospital, was bullied and pressured to remove her cross necklace while on duty. Mary says she was forced out of the job she loved after working there for 18 years. She is challenging the NHS trust for harassment, victimisation, and constructive unfair dismissal as they had breached her freedom to express her faith under the European Convention of Human Rights and the Equality Act. In August 2018 bosses ordered her to remove the cross which was a breach of NHS dress code and a ‘health risk’ to her and to patients. Mary argues that the dress code was applied inconsistently. Other nurses were not asked to remove jewellery, hijabs, saris, turbans or religious bracelets. Also Mary wore several lanyards at the same time with no anti-strangle clasps, yet her cross supposedly posed ‘a risk of injury or infection’.

Ofsted wrongly tried to force Cornerstone Adoption and Fostering Service to work with non-evangelical Christian carers. The High Court has ruled that England’s only evangelical Christian fostering agency can continue to work only with evangelical Christian carers, stating, ‘Cornerstone is permitted to exclusively recruit evangelical Christian carers because of the exemption in the Equality Act 2010 for religious organisations’.

Religion is again at the forefront of French public debate. After an 84-year-old former far-right candidate fired shots at a mosque in Bayonne, Emmanuel Macron evoked the French concept of ‘laïcité’ in a speech at the inauguration of a European Centre for Judaism. Defined as the concept of separation of church and state, it has also been at the centre of debates about wearing religious symbols in public. Macron said, ‘Laïcité is a tenet of fraternity that should live in each French person like a compass in their relationship to other citizens - that is essentially a form of French civility. I want to recall it at this moment in our nation's history, where these values of unity and cohesiveness are sometimes distorted and used by those who, seeking to sow hatred and division, use it to fight against this or that religion.’

Please Pray with us for the 2019 Federal Elections in Canada:

1) Media - We are seeing an obvious manipulation of Canadians opinion in most of our mainstream national news forums. Global warming is being almost endlessly platformed and one news commentator stated that if you were interested in our environment and the future of our children, then there is only one party that you can vote for. (Liberal Party).

It is also what we are seeing that is not being reported. For example, we are not hearing of the huge protests and lawsuits being raised by many of our First Nations People regarding their desire to see pipelines built across our nation.

In addition, our current government has recently given over 600 million to news agencies that they deem to be good for our nation. This obvious ‘by-off’ by our government needs to be countered by righteousness.

2) Freedom of Speech / Religion - Three of the four main political parties have policy so that you cannot even run for those parties if you hold to a Pro-life viewpoint. This needs to be challenged in our Supreme Court as anti-democratic.

We are also seeing huge increases in those who want to be euthanized in Canada and many of our physicians and other medical personnel are being denied their freedom of conscience who would choose to not be implicitly involved.

3) Life - Canada is only one of three countries in the world with no law concerning abortion, (China, North Korea). In a recent Parliamentary meeting, one Member of Parliament stood announcing that Canada stands for abortion at any time in pregnancy and for any reason. (We are praying that the enemy has over-played his hand!).

4) Voter Turnout - Typically, there has not been a great difference between the percentage of Christians who vote and non-Christians. We are praying for effective national communication that will help pastors and other leaders to clearly see the crisis we are in. That boldness will replace fear and unrighteous issues will be addressed from our pulpits across Canada. Pray that Christians will be encouraged to register their voice in our nation by voting. What would happen if 100% of Christians voted?

5) Our God-Given Destiny - For Canada to arise and shine to fulfil her calling of Healing to the Nations, for Righteous Government to come forward in this season. (Recently submitted by the Canberra House of Prayer for Canada).

6) A Right Perspective Regarding Government - Please pray that Canadian Christians would not put all their focus on government as the only way we can positively change our nation. When we make all our problems political, we are saying therefore, that all our answers can only be political. This raises government to a place they were never meant to be. Jesus is the right solution, and he will be seen in us as we rightly minister to those around us, changing culture to eventually change government. Yes, prayer and righteous action are needed for our government, but let’s not make government something it was never intended to be.

Pray that Canadian Christians will develop a God-given compassion for those who are lost in our nation and are doing what they believe to be right in their own eyes.

Prepared by a National Prayer Leader in Canada
More info:www.nationatprayer.ca, www.transformationcanada.ca/prayer-for-election/, and www.canadainprayer.com/prayer-for-canada

The Bishop of Truro was asked to examine and report on global Christian persecution and the UK’s response. The report revealed, ‘Christianity is by far the most widely persecuted religion’ and ‘We have a sense of misguided political correctness making us blind to this issue. It recommends the UK Foreign Office seeks a Security Council resolution urging all Middle East and North African governments to protect Christians, and allow UN observers to monitor the necessary security measures. Lord Ahmad said the UK has previously raised the profile and acted on the rising tide of global Christian persecution with some success and will now consider the findings and recommendations of this report to see how they may enhance tackling Christian persecution even more. He added, ‘The report highlights the shocking impunity with which discriminatory laws, fear and violence are used by state and non-state antagonists to discriminate appallingly against Christians in countries across the world.’

Ukraine has deep-seated corruption, economic challenges, and conflict with Russia-backed militants in Donetsk and Luhansk resulting in 13,000 deaths since 2014 when Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy is a popular comedian with no political experience. He has called on the EU to step up sanctions against Russia ‘to get peace back in Ukraine’. Zelenskiy said that under his leadership Ukraine will continue to pursue EU integration, calling it ‘an assurance of the independence of the Ukrainian state, the welfare of the Ukrainian people, and the accelerated economic and technological growth.’ As the ‘Bible Belt’ of the former Soviet world, Ukraine’s Church has a history of persecution. Freedom of religion is improving, but is not yet protected in both law and practice. Leadership training and direction are greatly needed among Christians. May followers of Jesus arise as messengers of His hope for the future. See

In 2016, the EU parliament called for a permanent special envoy for freedom of religion and belief (FoRB), after the genocide of Christians, Yazidis and religious minorities by IS. One was appointed but his mandate was temporary; he was deprived of financial and human resources, and not fully integrated into the EU foreign strategy and policy. Consequently, the situation for minorities has deteriorated. 200 million Christians suffered brutal forms of persecution in 2018. 350 million Christians experienced discrimination. A proposal about this was put to the European parliament on 15 January; it was adopted, but further details are not yet known. It is hoped that a mandate will be fully integrated into EU foreign policies, with adequate financial and human resources to give real protection of FoRB.