“We’ve seen his Holiness express himself and become one of the most powerful advocates about the importance [of freedom of religion and belief], not only for Christian and Catholic communities, but for all minority faith communities around the world”
Source/Credit: CRUX Now
By Inés San Martín | February 2, 2018
Muslim clergy and leaders are often at pains to insist that terrorism and radicalism represent a tiny fraction of the overall Muslim population, and few figures drive that point home better than Tariq Ahmad, a British businessman and member of the Ahmadiyya branch of Islam who today serves as the UK’s leading government official for religious freedom.
Saying he’s “proud of my country but also my faith, Islam,” Ahmad acknowledged that in certain parts of the world today, Islam is being “hijacked” by radicalized and extremist voices, and even though he believes all religious leaders should speak out and condemn this, Muslims have a greater responsibility to do so.
“It is not Christianity that is being used at this time,” he said. “It is not Judaism, it is not Hinduism.”
Ahmad, whose formal title is “Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for Counter-Terrorism and Violent Extremism, Freedom of Religion and Belief,” emphasized that as bad as ISIS is, it’s not the whole story - millions around the world face “appalling persecution every day” because of their beliefs, he said, even in Europe, where anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are on the rise.
“These acts by terrorist organizations are appalling - but it is not just non-state actors who are to blame,” said Ahmad.
Speaking at a conference at Rome’s Gregorian University, he said that for far too long too many states have “failed to prevent religious discrimination or even to ensure the rights of citizens of all faiths - and none - are protected by the law.”
In countries such as Egypt, he said, Coptic Christians still don’t enjoy equal citizenship rights, facing social pressure that restricts their freedom to worship, build churches or play a full role in national life.
In other cases, he said, states are actively “trampling on their citizens’ rights.”
Among many examples, he noted the situation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia; Christians in China, where churches must be approved by the state or risk demolition; and Saudi Arabia, where non-Muslim religions are banned and the death penalty is imposed for apostasy.
Ahmad focused some of his talk on the rise of Christian persecution, quoting the latest report by Aid to the Church in Need which found that the plight of Christians had worsened in nearly all the countries it reviews, including North Korea and Nigeria.
“These findings are supported by Open Doors, whose 2018 Watch List indicates that 1 in 12 Christians have experienced persecution,” he said. “Last year around the world, more than 3,000 Christians were killed, and 15,000 Christian buildings were attacked.”
Calling the statistics “appalling,” Ahmad said that behind each one of them is a “human tragedy.”
“I welcome the work of the Catholic Church and civil society groups in trying to protect Christians around the world,” he said.
While in Rome, Ahmad met with several Vatican officials, to talk about where the Holy See and the United Kingdom can collaborate further to promote religious freedom and to raise the issue of discrimination of minority communities.
He spoke with Crux on Wednesday, a day after his lecture, to expand on some of the things he had addressed.
“We’ve seen his Holiness express himself and become one of the most powerful advocates about the importance [of freedom of religion and belief], not only for Christian and Catholic communities, but for all minority faith communities around the world,” Ahmad said.
Speaking about Francis’s leading role in the defense of religious freedom, Ahmad highlighted the pope’s recent trip to Myanmar, where he raised his voice in defense of persecuted minorities, even if he avoided using the word “Rohingya,” a sore spot for many in the country formerly known as Burma.
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Read original post here: UK's Muslim minister leads charge for religious freedom
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