Response: July 2022

Your insight into religious freedom

Protests in Myanmar/Burma. Photo: Unsplash/Saw Wunna

July-October 2022

We shall overcome:

Also inside this issue:

The struggle for freedom around the world

Spotlight on Pakistan: Challenging prejudice and changing mindsets Feature: Why Christians should speak up for all faiths

Lead Story: Pastor Lorenzo The pastor and his wife, Maridilegnis, endured an agonising wait for his sentencing – unaware that this life-changing decision had already been made: Pastor Lorenzo had been sentenced to seven years in prison on false charges linked to his participation in peaceful protests on 11 July 2021.

The truth eventually came to light because the Cuban government wrote a public letter to the United Nations on 1 March 2022, responding to an official request for information on Pastor Lorenzo's case made in November 2021.

The letter stated that Pastor Lorenzo had been sentenced to eight years in prison, and it fell to our joint Head of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl to break the devastating news to Maridilegnis.

Maridilegnis then called her husband to tell him.

Seven years for Pastor Lorenzo:

The truth is out ■ The trial of Reverend Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo lasted just two days.

From 20-21 December 2021, only two witnesses were allowed to speak in his defence, while the prosecution brought 17 witnesses against him. The trial concluded with Pastor Lorenzo’s conviction, followed by over three months of silence from the Cuban authorities.

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A month later, the family finally received an official letter from the government stating that his sentence was seven years. We don’t know why this is one year less than they had told the UN, but the sentence is still completely unjust and unwarranted.

A letter full of lies The letter to the UN is full of contradictions and unfounded claims of violence as it explains that Pastor Lorenzo was convicted of ‘public disorder’, ‘criminal incitement’, ‘disrespect’ and ‘assault’.

Pastor Lorenzo's son meeting European diplomats at the Netherlands Embassy in Havana. Photo: @Eric_Strating

‘He did not use violence against anyone and that was made more than clear,’ said Maridilegnis. ‘They know that we are all witnesses to their lies.’

There is, however, overwhelming evidence that the Cuban authorities were the real aggressors on 11 July.

Live footage and photos show armed police and Black Beret paramilitaries attacking unarmed, peaceful protestors in the street; Pastor Lorenzo is shown being held in a chokehold.

‘I want to thank our Lord

for putting Pastor Lorenzo Rosales on our path because he has been a blessing for us’

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Lead story: Pastor Lorenzo

Around the world: Latest news

A campaign of harassment

Letters of hope

Harassment and mistreatment have followed Pastor Lorenzo into prison, including a five-day period in solitary confinement shortly before Easter. This was after he complained to guards that he hadn’t been allowed to attend Sunday services for several weeks. (In May he was finally allowed to attend.)

As he defied orders to stop sharing his faith with other prisoners, prison administrators feared that he was becoming a leader within the prison, so they placed him in isolation.

Yet even amid such unrelenting injustice, God is still turning darkness into light. Pastor Lorenzo’s fellow inmates have sent several letters to Maridilegnis, describing how he has touched their lives while in prison.

One of them wrote:

On 5 April the president of the Nigerian Humanist Society, Mubarak Bala, was sentenced to 24 years in prison on charges of causing a public disturbance.

‘I want to thank our Lord for putting Pastor Lorenzo Rosales on our path because he has been a blessing for us.

He has been the instrument that the Lord chose for the truth to come into our lives so that many could come out of the darkness into the light.’

Mr Bala was initially arrested in April 2020 after he was accused of insulting Islam in his Facebook posts.

Meanwhile, Maridilegnis was also threatened with prison in connection with a prayer event in support of the families of the unjustly imprisoned, that was due to take place at the end of April – even though she was not the organiser. The organisers were eventually forced to postpone the event after receiving repeated threats from the government.

These letters are a testament to the true character of Pastor Lorenzo.

Far from the violent criminal the authorities have made him out to be, this is a man of faith and integrity, who is still living out his calling as a pastor, even from behind bars.

Nigeria

Nigeria is one of 71 countries across the world that has a blasphemy law. Most are vaguely worded, and violate the freedoms of expression and religion or belief to differing degrees. The situation is compounded by deep social hostility in shari’a states, where blasphemy accusations can result in excessive sentences, collective punishment of an accused person’s family or community, or extrajudicial killings.

Iran You might be interested to see all the different ways that CSW has advocated for Pastor Lorenzo. Since 1 September 2021, we have: • Published ten articles and press releases on Pastor Lorenzo’s case that were covered in 13 different media outlets including Premier, plus several TV and radio interviews.

• Put high-level officials in several embassies in Havana in direct contact with Pastor Lorenzo’s family so they can monitor the situation directly.

Get involved

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• Coordinated an open letter on Pastor Lorenzo’s case, signed by seven Members of the European Parliament and submitted to the Cuban Embassy in Brussels.

• Led a campaign that mobilised 7,186 people to contact the Cuban Ambassador to the UK, calling for Pastor Lorenzo’s release. We also held a protest outside the Cuban Embassy in London.

We’re still campaigning for Pastor Lorenzo’s freedom.

Are you with us? Go to csw.org.uk/pastorlorenzo to join the campaign.

Nine Christian men from the Church of Iran stood trial on 22 February and were subsequently acquitted of charges of ‘endangering state security’ and ‘promoting Zionism’ by a revolutionary court on 28 February.

The men had originally spent nearly two years in prison, before being released between 30 December 2021

Mubarak Bala

and 1 January 2022 pending a review of their sentences.

Among them was Pastor Matthias Haghnejad, and while he too was acquitted of these charges, he was re-arrested on 15 January on other security-related charges which date back to 2014. He faces a six-year sentence if convicted.

Eritrea Abune Antonios, the legitimate patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, passed away at the age of 94 in the early hours of 9 February.

Patriarch Antonios had spent the last 15 years under house arrest, after being removed from office for resisting the Eritrean government’s repeated interference in church affairs. Throughout his detention he remained defiantly critical of the Eritrean regime, refusing to compromise even when it could have led to his reinstatement.

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On the frontlines: China

Uprooted and scattered:

the story of Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church ■ In 2019 dozens of church

members from Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church made the momentous decision to leave their home country of China to seek safety and freedom overseas. Years of harassment, intimidation and police raids had convinced them that they had no choice but to flee. They settled in Jeju Island in South Korea, but their ordeal is far from over.

Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church (SHRC) was founded in 2012 by Pastor Pan Yongguang, a former doctor. It was originally based in Shenzhen City, just 30 miles from Hong Kong.

‘When I went to this church, it felt like home’, says one woman who attends SHRC with her sister. ‘In this church, we love each other…We are a family.’

But by October 2012, the campaign of harassment had begun.

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‘They don’t need a reason’ The police were ‘polite’ at first, but increased the pressure from September 2014 onwards. After Pastor Pan and nine others were ordained by US missionaries in Hong Kong, the interrogations became fortnightly at least. Police followed Pan wherever he went.

More and more, the police would show up on Sundays to stop the worship service. One member describes what it was like: ‘They grabbed our arms and would not let us leave. I was very scared. All the kids were crying. The police burst in and caught all the men. There were fifty police officers... In China, if the police want to take you away, they don’t need a reason. They say, “come with me” and you have no choice.’

The Timothy School, which is run by the church, was also subjected to harassment. Police pressured the landlord to evict them, and when they eventually relocated, CCTV recorded everyone who entered and exited the building. All parents wanted was the freedom to educate their children, but they received pressurising calls

from the government education department.

A new home Leaving China was not an easy decision for anyone – they all had loved ones still living in China – but the pressure on the church was unbearable. The authorities were closing churches across the country, and with each piece of bad news, SHRC were convinced that they would be next.

A majority voted to leave. They made the journey alone or in family groups, the last of them arriving in South Korea in January 2020, just before the pandemic would have made the journey impossible.

Yet despite these difficulties, church members break into smiles when they talk about being able to worship freely at last:

‘Our hearts are free’

Since then, the church has endured cramped living conditions and limited work options due to the language barrier. Even more importantly, the South Korean government has rejected their claims for asylum; the appeals process is ongoing, but at the time of writing the outlook is not promising.

In the meantime, the church, which includes 30 children, continues to face challenges and uncertainty.

‘There was no one watching us, no one checking up on us. No one was going to burst through the door… We were safe.’

Many things about the future are uncertain: will they be able to stay in South Korea, or will they have to seek sanctuary elsewhere? But their future, the church believes, is in God’s hands. For now, just being able to freely worship God feels like a miracle. As one young woman said, ‘On Sundays in China, when we gathered together, we were scared all the time… But here our hearts are free.

We are not scared any more.’

A longer version of this article is available online.

Visit csw.org.uk/chinashenzhen to read more 7

Feature: Pakistan in bringing biased education to international attention. We succeeded in persuading the UK Department for International Development that they must ensure that UK aid to Pakistan is not funding hate. This was a key breakthrough, which you helped us campaign for, but there is still much more to be done.

Challenging prejudice and changing mindsets in

Pakistan

oth issues are deeply rooted in biased B education, but education will also be a vital part of the solution. Our hope is to eradicate hate from the curriculum and shape the minds of the next generation towards tolerance and acceptance, with a transforming effect that will ripple out for decades to come.

Who would have imagined that a young girl’s dream could hold such deadly power? But this shows how the spark of a single accusation can be fanned into flame by the surrounding culture, in which blasphemy is regularly used as a weapon, aimed disproportionately at the minority.

Between 1987 and 2021, there were 1,939 documented cases of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan. A staggering 45% of these charges were against non-Muslims, even though that group makes up only 3.6% of the population.

Intolerance seeps out of school textbooks which distort history and teach young minds to hate. Hindus, for example, are described as ‘enemies of Pakistan’, while chapters on religious minorities and their contributions to society have been removed. Even when a section has been reinstated, it is still segregated as a separate chapter – perpetuating the ‘otherness’ of religious minority communities.

A particularly shocking case took place in March this year when a young teacher, Safoora Bibi, was killed by three women whose relative – believed to be a 13-year-old girl – had had a dream that Safoora had committed blasphemy.

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Our Faith and a Future campaign a few years ago made great progress

The aim is to motivate politicians to address the issue of education in their manifestos, so that we can hold them accountable to their promises after the election.

Empowering communities to know their rights

Photo: xxx

■ Two of the biggest contributors to violations of freedom of religion

or belief in Pakistan continue to be the notorious blasphemy laws, and the rising rates of abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage. Last year alone saw the abduction and forced conversion of 78 women and girls: 38 Christian, 39 Hindu and one Sikh. These are just the cases we know about - the true figure is likely much higher.

group of academics and activists to campaign for education reform.

When a young girl is abducted, often the first thing the abductor does is ‘convert’ her to Islam before marrying her. This means that, if the case ever makes it to court, she will be treated under Islam’s shari’a law, which gives puberty as the ambiguous legal age for marriage. It allows shari’a law to override other laws, removing the protection of Pakistan’s Child Marriage Restraint Act which forbids marriage under 18 years old.

Part of our advocacy response includes educating families, and even lawyers who may not be aware of this tactic, so that their case is better supported in court. We’re also working to encourage safeguarding measures, such as getting photo ID for children.

Manifesto promises With cases of abduction and blasphemy on the rise, we urgently need to tackle these vicious violations at their roots. That’s why CSW’s South Asia team has embarked on a yearlong project ahead of Pakistan’s 2023 general election, forming a lobby

One of our advocates emphasised: ‘Whether they come into power or are in the opposition, they need to urgently address education policy because it is promoting intolerance – not just against minority communities, but now we see lynchings and division happening within the majority community as well.’

We can’t change an entire country in one year, but we can lay the foundations for future change. We can influence politicians to tackle biased education at its core, and begin building a mindset of peace in the next generation. With your help, this work has already begun.

Pray

for Pakistan using Week 5 of the Prayer Diary.

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On the frontlines: The struggle for freedom Historic advances Sudan’s military seized power in a coup on 25 October 2021, bringing to an abrupt end the transitional government that had been established following the removal of former president Omar al Bashir. The military arrested members of the civilianled administration, dissolved the Sovereign Council and the Cabinet, and brought national television and radio stations under military control.

Protests in Cuba. Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Rojas - stock.adobe.com

We shall overcome:

The struggle for freedom around the world

The citizens of Sudan refused to accept this. Peaceful protests took place around the country, but they were met with violence. Yet the protestors did not give up, unwilling to forgo the historic advances in freedom and justice that had been made under the transitional government.

These advances included decriminalising apostasy (leaving a religion), removing flogging as a punishment for blasphemy, and introducing rules allowing non-Muslims to drink, import and sell alcohol. They also announced the creation of an independent national commission for religious freedom, and a Ministry for Peace and Human Rights.

A turbulent history Sudan is no stranger to protests - it was protests that brought about the transitional government in the first place.

In December 2018 demonstrations broke out across the country.

What started as protests against a government decision that had tripled the price of bread, very

■ ‘Deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome. And I believe it because somehow the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ - Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr King spoke these words in a sermon he preached during the Civil Rights movement, in which hundreds of thousands of people joined protests supporting the human rights struggle of African Americans.

Today we’re seeing protest movements around the world continue to fight for human rights: last year we saw ordinary people from all walks of life rise up to call for their 10

basic rights and freedoms in a number of countries we work on - including Sudan and Cuba.

In both countries people of faith participated actively, and religious groups made public statements in support of freedom of expression and against government crackdowns - in some cases for the first time.

Sudanese officials celebrate the signing of the power sharing deal in August 2019

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Seven years in prison for a peaceful protest

On the frontlines: The struggle for freedom

As you read this, Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo is serving an unjust seven-year sentence in Cuba, simply for the ‘crime’ of peacefully protesting. You can read more of his story on p.2.

He was arrested after participating in peaceful protests that took place across Cuba in July 2021, and in December 2021 was convicted of ‘disrespect’, ‘assault’, ‘criminal incitement’ and ‘public disorder’.

Photo: Sudan protests

quickly developed into nationwide calls for democratic reforms and the removal of former president al Bashir.

Protestors were also demanding justice for the decades of atrocities that had been committed under the al Bashir regime.

Throughout the protests there were inspiring displays of religious harmony

by Christians and Muslims alike, such as an open-air church service where Christians and Muslims sang hymns together, and Christians preparing food for Muslims to break their Ramadan fast.

After a church service at the demonstration site Rafaat Sameer, Chairman of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) Land and Building Committee, said: ‘This is a time to move away from the trenches of religious and ethnic discrimination

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and head towards an inclusive and unifying Sudanese national identity for all of us. This is the time to open the door for equal opportunities and better life for all.’

Al Bashir was removed from office in April 2019, and following months of negotiations, a civilian-led transitional government was formed that September.

Since last October’s military coup which ended that government, activists have continued to organise peaceful mass demonstrations. The military has responded with violence, leading to at least 96 dead and thousands injured and jailed.

Pastor Lorenzo had joined the spontaneous peaceful demonstrations which took place in the context of Cuba’s ongoing and severe economic crisis, a record surge in COVID-19 cases, and an ongoing crackdown on human rights and pro-democracy movements. Protesters called for political change, chanting ‘Homeland and life’, a twist on the Cuban Communist Party’s slogan ‘Homeland or death’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘We are not afraid!’

Police and state security forces responded with violence and mass detentions.

Pastor Lorenzo told a lawyer that he was handcuffed, thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked with force in his abdomen and face, resulting in the loss of a tooth. One of the guards who took part in the beating later confirmed this in a confession to another pastor and to Pastor Lorenzo’s wife.

Photo: Pastor Lorenzo detained during protests

A cry for freedom You’ll have noticed some common themes in the protests in Sudan and in Cuba. Protests that began small but quickly grew larger, courageous yet peaceful demonstrators violently attacked by police and military - and above all, an insistent cry for freedom, justice and human rights. A stubborn belief that we shall, one day, overcome.

Pray with us Use Week 10 of the Prayer Diary to pray for God’s Kingdom of

freedom, justice and peace to come in these countries and many others around the world.

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Perspectives: Speaking up for all faiths

Why Christians should speak up for all faiths

by The Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro ■ I am convinced we

should campaign for freedom of religion or belief not only for Christians, but also for followers of any religion, as well as for those holding non-religious beliefs such as atheism.

Sharing the Good News

Bishop of Truro

There are good reasons, both practically and theologically, for advocating for freedom of religion or belief for everyone everywhere.

Although such advocacy has at times drawn criticism, I honestly cannot think of any biblical reason as to why it could be wrong.

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sisters in Christ. However, it cannot be used as an argument for us to be exclusive our support, precisely because it says, ‘let us do good to all people,’ before highlighting ‘those who belong to the family of believers’.

It is entirely understandable for Christians to have a particular heart for our fellow believers who suffer. But ‘do good to all’ cannot be construed as meaning we should be exclusive in our concern.

‘Do good to all’ Galatians 6:10 says, ‘Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’

Clearly, there is an emphasis in this verse on caring for our brothers and

Another objection is that by advocating for freedom of religion or belief for everyone, we are guilty of treating every religion as the same. And the argument is extended to suggest that campaigning for everyone stands in the way of sharing our faith.

Central to my role as Chair of the Partnership for World Mission – the umbrella body which gathers together the Church of England’s various specialist mission agencies – is sharing the Gospel in word and deed throughout the world. I would argue that campaigning for freedom of religion or belief for everyone actually

enables evangelism – by working towards a society in which sharing one’s faith freely with other people can occur without repercussions.

God-given free will In Genesis 1 and 2 God does not create man as some kind of automaton. He gives Adam instructions, and those instructions presuppose the ability to choose whether or not to obey.

Furthermore, the story of the New Testament is one of people making a free choice to follow Jesus. Indeed, there would be no Church at all if people did not have the freedom to choose to follow him.

No one, in the end, can be coerced into believing, and nor should anyone ever try to coerce them. I maintain that we have a God-given right to choose what and who we believe in.

We must recognise that people have agency over their lives, and ensure that they have the freedom to make that choice – including choosing to commit to Christ.

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Perspectives: Speaking up for all faiths Photo: The Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen speaking on ‘‘Why Christians should speak up for all faiths’ with Kiri Kankhwende, Head of Press & Public Affairs, CSW; Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London; and Mervyn Thomas CMG, Founder President, CSW.

Our neighbour is not just the one who is near us and like us, but is also the one who is distant and different from us.

Rather, it was about ensuring that Christians, in the global south particularly, received a fair share of the government’s attention, concern and assistance Indeed, I also argued that because Christianity is perhaps the one truly global faith, it has become what you might call a bellwether for repression more generally – if Christians are experiencing discrimination t in one context or another, you can be certain that other minorities are too.

Practical reasons the platform for effective advocacy In 2018 I was asked to lead a review into the way that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office had responded to the issue of the persecution of Christians specifically.

So one might wonder why I now advocate passionately for freedom of religion or belief for everyone.

Well, from the very start, I deliberately framed my justification for engaging

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in the work of the Review on the basis of freedom of religion and belief for everyone. One of the reasons I did that was because I knew that if my recommendations were to have traction in a liberal, plural society, I needed to make that commitment.

But I think there are other reasons worth citing.

I argued that the suffering of Christians has been woefully overlooked, so a focus on the persecuted Church was deserved. But I also was very clear that this was not about special pleading for Christians.

The answer lies in the person and work of Jesus Christ Ultimately it is Jesus who calls us to advocate for freedom of religion or belief for everyone.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus does something very radical, by

defining our ’neighbour’ in the widest possible terms. Our neighbour is not just the one who is near us and like us, but is also the one who is distant and different from us. And it is these people that he calls us to love and to serve.

And think too about the cross – God’s loving, heartbreaking embrace of all humanity in our wretchedness, as Jesus bears the weight of the whole world’s sin on his shoulders.

God so loved the world (John 3:16); all its peoples, everywhere, at all times. Therefore, I choose to stand up for freedom of religion or belief for everyone, without fear or favour, to express with all I am the breadth of God’s love; and indeed to ensure that all people everywhere have the opportunity to hear of this love, and are afforded the choice of finding liberty, life and love in him.

Watch This article is an excerpt from our webinar series ‘Why Christians should speak up for all faiths’, available at youtube.com/csw_uk

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Your stories: Mission Possible quickly that stopped being the focus of the event, and it was recognised as an annual diary fixture to raise money over a meal and auction. We have been blessed with many people who are immensely generous with their time.

We have consistently raised more than £20,000 for charities over the last few years, including two years in lockdown when we hosted the events online.

Putting the fun into fundraising ■ Clarissa Poulson and Kate

What do you enjoy the most about organising Mission Possible?

Elliott from St Michael’s Southfields share how their church put the fun into fundraising through an annual dinner and auction called Mission Possible!

What inspired the congregation to support CSW? St Michael’s had been supporting organisations who were doing great developmental and humanitarian work in different countries for many years.

However, we were also very aware of the extremely difficult situation facing so many fellow believers simply because of their faith, and decided that we must also support this important aspect of Kingdom work. We did some research into a few organisations and chose to partner with CSW: we were impressed by their vision and track record over many years.

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How did the idea of a Mission Possible fundraiser come about?

When the committee meets there's a real sense of achievement, knowing we're planning to raise substantial funds for CSW and the other charities.

We have built strong relationships with each charity, who report back each year on the valuable work they are doing. It's also a lovely way to thank the charity representatives by inviting them to join us.

What would you say to other churches that would like to organise a similar event?

I would definitely encourage other churches wanting to hold a focused evening of fundraising. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity shown not only by members of our community, but friends and guests from further afield, as well as many local businesses which support the evening with all sorts of generous gifts that are sold through the auction.

Visit csw.org.uk/foodyfundraiser to download a fundraising pack. There’s lots of ideas, ranging from a tea or coffee morning to a hosted dinner. Whatever you raise will make a difference to people facing injustice for their faith around the world.

Inspired by going to an NSPCC fundraising event, we decided to try a fundraising evening specifically for the charities we support. When we started it, in 2012, budgets were feeling squeezed, and we wanted to maintain our giving to these great causes.

How do you and the team motivate so many people to get involved?

We started on a slightly smaller scale, drawing people in with a quiz, but fairly

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Photo: Amgad Salah

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