Response: January - April 2020

Your insight into religious freedom

January-April 2020

Blasphemy and biased education: Life for Pakistan's religious minorities

Also inside this edition: Feature: Amplifying Sudanese voices at the UN Perspectives: Inspired by faith to fight for justice On the frontlines: Alain's story from Cuba and more...

Feature: Faith and a Future campaign

Pastor Nadarkhani on hunger strike for his children’s future Last September Iranian church leader Yousef Nadarkhani went on hunger strike for three weeks to protest his sons being denied their educational rights. Pastor Nadarkhani is himself in prison at the time of writing, serving an unjust ten-year sentence on charges relating to his church work. But he didn’t let his incarceration stop him from taking a courageous stand for the faith and future of his sons and other secondgeneration Christian children.

Many of you will remember Pastor Nadarkhani’s story. He spoke movingly at our conference in London in 2012, thanking CSW supporters for their prayers and campaigning for him. Originally arrested in 2009 after questioning the Muslim monopoly on religious education in Iran, he faced the death penalty for apostasy (abandoning a faith; in this instance, Islam). Over 60,000 of you campaigned for Pastor Nadarkhani and in 2012 he was acquitted and eventually released.

Despite this experience, Pastor Nadarkhani didn’t abandon his church activities. In May 2016 he was arrested once again and is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence alongside three other Christians, allegedly for ‘acting against the national security through propagating house churches and promoting Zionist Christianity.’

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Held in an Iranian jail, but still protesting He’s been fighting for 11 years for his children’s right to be exempted from Islamic studies at school. His children - Yoel, 15, and Daniel, 17 - have both been prevented from continuing their education unless they agree to take Islamic classes. Legally, members of religious minorities, including Christians, are exempt and in a 2009 ruling Iran’s Supreme Leader actually stated that children born into a Christian family have the right to receive a Christian education, even if the state considers their parents apostates.

Thus the restrictions on Yoel and Daniel are totally unwarranted, and their father risked his health in order to make a courageous stand for his children’s rights.

“Kevin can now look forward to a brighter future” Faith and a future for all children Stories like this led us to launch our Faith and a Future campaign two years ago. Since then, thousands of you have signed our petitions, joined us for protests, donated to the campaign - and prayed faithfully.

In October the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the right to education presented her latest report, and for the first time she mentioned freedom of religion in educational settings. Her report specifically referred to hate speech in textbooks, an issue we've focused on. This is an encouraging development and shows the importance of persevering in our advocacy and campaigning!

In Mexico, a very special first day back at school In September, seven-year-old Kevin was able to return to school in Chiapas, Mexico! His dream is to be a doctor, but his education was interrupted when he and other members of his faith community were driven from their homes in 2018.

Hundreds of you emailed the governor of Chiapas about Kevin’s case, and a Mexican organisation, Mision 21 Gramos, lobbied local officials.

Kevin and other children from his community can now continue learning and look forward to a brighter future.

Sadly we know that many more children in Mexico and all over the world are still missing out on an education because of their faith.

Which means that we’re going to keep up our advocacy and campaigning!

On the next page is a map we've put together of some key cases, to give you an idea of how widespread the issue is.

Sign

the enclosed petition to show your support for every child’s right to faith and a future.

You can also take action at faithandafuture.com

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Thomas Peter/REUTERS

Feature: Faith and a Future campaign

Where the campaign has taken us These key cases give you an idea of the scope and scale of religious discrimination in education around the world.

China: Quanquan

Nigeria: Leah

Leah Sharibu was one of 110 girls abducted from their school in Dapchi by a Boko Haram offshoot in February 2018.

The next month, following negotiations by the government, the surviving girls were put into vehicles to go home.

However, Leah wasn’t among them. She wasn’t released because she refused to convert in exchange for her freedom.

Quanquan is just six, but he’s already been forced out of school more than once because the authorities in Beijing, China, are punishing him for who his father is. Wang Quanzhang is a prominent human rights lawyer who was detained in 2015, and has been charged with ‘subversion of state power’. He’s still in prison, with very limited family visits, and now his son has been prevented from going to school.

Meanwhile in Xinjiang Province, between one and three million Uyghurs (who are predominantly Muslim) are being held in reeducation camps for ‘crimes’ such as owning a religious book or attending a religious meeting. Children are being separated from their parents and placed in state-run orphanages.

We’ve been campaigning for Leah since she was abducted, and in October last year we joined a one-day prayer vigil with people across the world praying for Leah’s swift and safe return.

Pakistan: Breakthrough for fair textbooks

Mexico: Kevin and Alma Kevin and Alma were both forcibly displaced from their homes because of their religion, and as a result their education was interrupted. Kevin has since returned to school after an international campaign, but Alma is still out of school.

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Iran: Daniel and Yoel Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani’s two sons, Daniel and Yoel, have been prevented from carrying on their schooling until they agree to take Islamic religious classes. Last autumn their father undertook a three-week hunger strike to protest for their rights. At the time of writing, neither Daniel nor Yoel has been able to resume their education.

In schools across Pakistan, children learn from textbooks that distort history and encourage discrimination against religious minorities. Following a petition signed by over 5,000 CSW supporters, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) agreed to re-examine its position to make sure no UK aid funds textbooks that promote bias and hate. We’re working with them to achieve this.

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Country in focus: Pakistan

Blasphemy and biased education: Life for Pakistan’s religious minorities No case highlights the fervour and frustration associated with blasphemy more than that of Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who was falsely accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death in 2010. Today she is in Canada, free at last, after eight years on death row in her home country. It’s been hailed as a victory for justice - but she should never have been behind bars in the first place.

Asia Bibi’s case became a symbol of the extreme injustices caused by Pakistan’s socalled ‘blasphemy laws’, which affect hundreds of people every year. So how did we get here?

We examine the policies, politics and prejudices that make the country what it is today.

Wife and family of Indriyas Ghulam, who was falsely accused of a revenge lynching after churches in Youhanabad were bombed in 2015. Mr Ghulam died in jail.

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Pakistan is an Islamic republic, but the constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief for all - and specifically protects religious minorities. It’s also Asia Bibi one of the few Muslim-majority nations to fully accept the UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite this, the situation for freedom of religion or belief in the country is dire. A number of factors combine to create an atmosphere of tension and fear, where the country is continually on high alert, staggering from one violent tragedy to another.

Rising hate speech by extremists encourages violence against religious minorities, including Shi’as and Ahmadis. 9 March marks the anniversary of one of the worst incidents of this kind of violence, when in 2013 over 100 homes were burned down in the Christian neighbourhood of Joseph Colony, Lahore. More generally, terrorist attacks are commonplace.

In schools across the country, children learn from biased textbooks that distort history and encourage discrimination against religious minorities. We recently saw a breakthrough in our campaign for fairer education - see p.5 for more details.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Hindu and Christian girls each year are abducted from their families or schools, forced to marry Muslim men and convert to Islam. Most are never returned to their families.

‘A death sentence even if released’ The blasphemy laws are often indiscriminately used against Muslims and non-Muslims to settle personal scores or business disputes. Since 1987, over 700 Muslims and 200 Christians have been accused of blasphemy, and the consequences are often tragic, with violence being meted out by extremist vigilante mobs against the victim and their family. Zohra Yusuf of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says, ‘Anyone even accused of blasphemy practically carries a death sentence even if they are released.’

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Country in focus: Pakistan

Around the world:

Latest news

If they are not released, they are left languishing under long jail sentences - some on death row - which are prolonged when cases are adjourned without a hearing. Such delays occur because of the palpable fear surrounding hearings: many lawyers and judges are reluctant to take on cases due to extremist groups threatening and sometimes attacking their families.

Various individuals including MPs have tried to reform these laws, but enormous societal opposition from extremist groups and religio-political parties means these attempts have met with little to no success and in fact, puts those who attempt reforms in serious danger. The former governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was an outspoken critic of blasphemy legislation, calling it a ‘black law’. He was assassinated in 2011, and his killer said he was motivated by Mr Taseer’s opposition to the blasphemy laws and his support of Asia Bibi. Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, was shot by Islamist extremists on 2 March 2011 for his opposition to the country’s blasphemy laws and his support of Asia Bibi.

A way forward?

International condemnation has had little impact on the conservative Islamic thinking behind blasphemy legislation. However, research by Engage Pakistan, an NGO working on reforming the blasphemy law, found that every Qur'anic and other theological text used by parliament to support claims of consensus on capital punishment for blasphemy, in fact reveals a caveat that non-Muslims should not be killed for insulting the Prophet.

In order for reform of the blasphemy laws to take place there needs to be a considerable shift in the public’s thinking and the extremist mindset of some, to create space for discussion.

The government must also be reminded that the blasphemy laws are wholly incompatible with Pakistan’s commitments under international law, and with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision of a ‘New Pakistan’ where religious minorities are protected and afforded equal rights under the constitution.

Asia Bibi’s case shows that justice is possible, so let us continue to pray and campaign for all those falsely accused of blasphemy who are still waiting for justice. Use p.12 of the Prayer Diary to guide your prayers.

Read more about the

blasphemy laws at csw.org.uk/ pakistanblasphemy

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Kiran Meghwar, one of hundreds of Hindu and Christian girls each year who are abducted and forced to marry and convert to Islam.

Latest news updates

A woman wearing traditional Xinjiang costume. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

China CSW travelled to Australia in August 2019 for our first public event there. The focus was on freedom of religion or belief in China, with speakers from Christian, Uyghur, Tibetan Buddhist, and Falun Gong communities in Australia. Speakers shared information about violations against their communities and called for action and change.

Nigeria

Algeria

In September 2019 Mrs Esther Katung, the wife of a pastor in Kaduna State, was seized from her home in a raid by armed assailants from the Fulani tribe. Despite her husband paying the ransom demanded by her captors, Mrs Katung, who was pregnant, was beaten to death the day before the money was received.

Church leaders and their families are being targeted increasingly in kidnappings for ransom in Kaduna and other northern and central states.

In October we received the news that three churches had been closed by the government in Algeria, bringing the number of churches closed in 2019 to eight. This wave of church closures began in 2017, and is based on the enactment of a 2006 law which ruled that all non-Muslim places of worship must be authorised by the National Commission for Non-Muslim Worship.

However, because the Commission does not actually meet, applications for permission to use buildings as churches, or to build new churches, are never considered.

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Feature: United Nations

‘I was a voice for the victims’

‘It felt like I was doing something very important for my country. I was a voice for victims, martyrs and elders – I took pride in speaking for them, and doing what I feel I was put here to do. And CSW gave me the opportunity.’

- Mohaned

Speaking out at a critical time

Amplifying Sudanese voices at the UN Claire Denman, UN Officer

Mohaned is a human rights lawyer who worked with us on many cases in Sudan until he was forced to leave the country due to government-sanctioned harassment as a result of his work.

As CSW’s UN Officer, I had the great honour of accompanying Mohaned at the UN in Geneva as he spoke about his country during a momentous time in its history.

A critical time for Sudan ‘When I put my suit and tie on the morning I went to the UN for the first time, I cried. I was doing something that I used to do, and it brought me back to myself.’ - Mohaned CSW facilitated Mohaned’s attendance at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), where our advocacy focused on urging the HRC to hold an urgent debate on the human rights situation in Sudan, and commission an independent 10

Mohaned

international fact-finding mission to investigate violations that had occurred across the country during the recent protests - most notably in June 2019.

As you may have read in the last issue of Response, this was a critical time for Sudan, as months of protests led to the removal of President Omar Al-Bashir and a transition to a civilian-led government.

Together, we attended numerous meetings so that Mohaned could update UN officials and country representatives on the situation in Sudan, and urge them to take action to keep the human rights situation in Sudan on the HRC’s agenda.

Having been forced to leave Sudan because of his work defending victims of freedom of religion or belief violations such as Meriam Ibrahim, Mohaned had wondered how he could continue advancing human rights and justice in his homeland. Coming to the UN and using his expertise to testify about the situation provided the perfect opportunity for him to continue his vital work.

Mohaned’s invaluable expertise provided an important counter-narrative to that of the former regime. With his first-hand experience not only as a lawyer in Sudan but also as a Sudanese national, he was able to express the need for UN action to support the transition towards a new Sudan where democracy and human rights are respected. Mohaned was able to share knowledge and provide crucial analysis of the violations being committed against peaceful protestors, drawing from his work as a human rights monitor, and having received videos and other forms of documentation.

He was also able to speak to the wider context of abuses including the injustices that religious minorities are facing and the tactics used by security forces in targeting them, including intrusive interference in church affairs. He also described the harassment and threats he had experienced himself due to his human rights work. Mohaned’s personal experiences and insights brought a fresh dimension to our work on Sudan at the UN. By bringing Mohaned to the UN, we enabled him to be a voice for Sudan’s religious minorities at a critical moment in his country’s history.

New regime, new future?

We’ve already seen positive outcomes at the UN since Mohaned’s visit: a new resolution on Sudan was adopted in September 2019, and the new government has approved the opening of a UN country office to monitor the human rights situation and support transitional justice. In even more encouraging news, investigative mechanisms are being put in place to report on violations against protesters - including the violent clearing of the sit-in site in Khartoum on 3 June and bring criminal charges against those responsible.

‘The future for Sudan will be even more difficult. We have a new regime with a government that represents the revolution, and many of our friends from that UN session are in positions of power now. However, we cannot relax.’ - Mohaned

Keep praying for the UN using p.6 of the Prayer Diary.

Claire Denman, UN Officer

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Perspectives: Faith and works Caption

Inspired by faith to fight for justice Our salvation is a free gift from God that we receive through faith, not something we earn. Yet the apostle James tells us, ‘Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’ (James 2:17) At CSW we recognise the importance of combining faith with concrete action.

Our faith is the inspiration behind everything we do - the knowledge that the Bible commands us to ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Faith is fundamental ‘He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”’ Luke 17:6 Throughout his ministry, Jesus devoted a considerable amount of time to emphasising the great importance of faith. We are taught that with faith and prayer, the impossible can become a reality.

Works are not worthless But it is also important to note that Jesus did not underestimate the significance of taking action. Indeed, he constantly calls on his followers to do good: not to judge others but instead to show mercy (John 8:7); to help our neighbours, whoever they may be (Luke 10:30-37); and even to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-45).

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Perspectives: Faith and works

Caption

Perhaps his clearest exhortation to us to do good works came when he spoke of the Last Judgement. Christ’s message could not be plainer: ‘Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:34-36)

Recognising the value in both This message is at the heart of everything CSW does. The very premise of our organisation advocacy founded on prayer - is evidence of this. We follow God’s injunction to use the talents and expertise he has gifted us with and the mechanisms available to assist those unable to speak for themselves.

It is because of our conviction of the importance of taking action that we lobby governments, organise protests, train human rights defenders, and share the stories of those suffering injustice because of their religious beliefs - and we invite you to join us in this work, which is inspired by faith.

Act.

Go to csw.org.uk/ campaigns to join our latest campaign 14

Caption

‘Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'

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On the frontlines: Alain Toledano Valiente

Yannes Kiefer/Unsplash

‘In Cuba, pastors are more at risk than criminals and bandits’

True to their word, the police did indeed charge Alain with disobedience on 25 September.

Apostle Alain Toledano Valiente is sadly far too used to receiving harassment from the Cuban authorities. As one of the key leaders in the Apostolic Movement and leader of Emanuel Church in Santiago de Cuba, he has been subject to a great deal of intimidation and abuse - among other things, the government has refused to register his denomination. The pressure on him has increased in recent months, with those in power trying to criminalise his ordinary pastoral work.

Church and home destroyed CSW has been working on Alain’s case for almost 15 years, raising awareness of the harassment he’s experienced.

On 5 February 2016 Alain's church building as well as the pastoral home in which his family lived were surrounded by police, state security officials and members of the military.

Hundreds of members of the church were detained, including Alain's wife

Marilin Alaya Correa. The authorities then proceeded to demolish both the church and Alain’s family home, while his young daughters could do nothing but watch the destruction take place.

All of this happened while Alain was out of the country. Worse still, this was not the first time that Alain and his church had had to face the demolition of their church at the hands of the authorities - it happened in 2007 too.

Washington DC. This promised to be the perfect platform from which to raise concerns about religious freedom in Cuba and call on the international community to take action. On the day of Alain’s departure he was stopped from boarding his flight by government officials who informed him that he was banned from leaving Cuba indefinitely for reasons of national security.

Tragically for Alain and his community, this harassment is not simply a story of the past.

The targeting did not stop there. In the space of less than two months – between 1 August and 25 September 2019 – Alain was summoned to the police station an astonishing 17 times, a deliberate campaign of harassment and attempted intimidation.

In July 2019 Alain was due to attend the State Department Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in

When he responded to one of these summons, on 7 August, Alain was informed that if his church went

‘They want me to stop being a pastor’

ahead with their planned women’s conference, he would be charged with the crime of ‘disobedience’ and risk imprisonment. Despite the high stakes, Emanuel Church went ahead with the event.

‘In Cuba, pastors are more at risk than criminals and bandits,’ Alain told us. ‘I committed no crime, it had to be manufactured. My disobedience, according to them, is that I cannot meet with other pastors in the nation, I cannot carry out any religious activity; that is to say they want me to stop being a pastor.’

Despite the ever-increasing risks to his freedom and despite witnessing the complete destruction of his property on two separate occasions, Alain refuses to give into the government’s threats. He continues to preach the Christian faith and carry out his pastoral duties, ‘convinced that neither death nor life…neither the present nor the future, nor any powers…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’. Romans 8:38

Go to csw.org.uk/

connectencourage to send a letter of encouragement to Alain, thanking him for his resilience and assuring him of your prayers.

Alain Toledano Valiente

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Get involved: Challenge events

Louise 'After hearing the stories of some of the people that CSW works with and supports, it made me remember that whilst I had a few minutes of nerves facing the abseil, afterwards I was looking forward to a celebratory lunch with my family, whilst the people CSW supports were most likely still in prison for their faith or facing unimaginable hardship.'

Take up a challenge.

Be a lifeline.

Emma, Communications Team

Janet

Wet, grey and muddy days didn’t stop our brave teams of fundraisers last October, as they pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones in two challenging events, raising vital funds to tackle injustice!

Behind every one of our 13 fundraisers is the person who inspired them to take on the challenge. For me, it was Leah Sharibu, the 16-year-old Christian schoolgirl who was abducted from her school in Nigeria in 2018, and who continues to be held captive because she refuses to convert in exchange for her freedom. For others, it was the victims of violent attacks on Easter Sunday last year in Sri Lanka, or Helen Berhane, the Eritrean gospel singer who was imprisoned in a shipping container for 32 months.

Between us we took on the heights of the Forth Bridge in a 165ft abseil, and tested our endurance in a half marathon through London’s Royal Parks. What united us all was the desire to do something tangible to support the people and communities whose stories of courage, perseverance and faith inspire us daily.

Together we raised over £12,000 to tackle injustice, campaign for freedom and be a lifeline for countless vulnerable people around the world.

Do something extraordinary Inspired to take on a New Year’s challenge? Join our brave team of abseilers who will be taking on the heights of Guildford Cathedral on 30 May 2020. Email admin@csw.org.uk or call 020 8329 0010 to find out more.

If abseiling isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of other ways to raise money to tackle injustice at csw.org.uk/fundraiseforfreedom

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'I felt a real conviction to raise some funds to support our work defending vulnerable and voiceless individuals who suffer for their beliefs.

Having had major cancer surgery and a series of related surgical procedures over the past two years, I also saw this as a personal physical and mental challenge and an opportunity to prove to myself that in God’s strength I had overcome this illness.'

Emily 'From mile 10 my feet and legs were telling me they’d had enough, and I had to dig deep to keep running. Around mile 11, I prayed to God for strength and I was reminded of the resilience and resolve of the people CSW works with. With that inspiration in mind, I picked up my pace and focused on crossing the finish line.'

Julian 'As I run this race I will remember that CSW are running hard every day of the year to secure the freedoms that make the world a happier and more peaceful place for us all.'

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Our manifesto #11

We believe we can all play a part in campaigning for freedom of religion or belief.

CSW is a human rights organisation advocating for freedom of religion or belief. As Christians we stand with everyone facing injustice because of their religion or belief.

T +44 (0)20 8329 0010 @CSW_UK /CSWUK csw.org.uk Registered Charity No. 281836

PO Box 99 New Malden Surrey, KT3 3YF United Kingdom