Response Magazine April - July 2016

APRIL-JULY 2016

Response Your insight into religious freedom

We dreamed of living a peaceful life…

The screams pierced the everyday noise of a normal school day. But for Mayss it was a day unlike any other: a life or death moment stood ahead of her…

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See inside:

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The genocide debate

Who is my neighbour?

Going over the edge

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www.csw.org.uk

/Cswuk

@csw_UK

Photo: Freedom House

“Daesh is coming!

Daesh is coming!”

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Country in focus:

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syria

“Where is the Christian?”

It was a normal day for Mayss, a Christian teacher in a largely Muslim area in Hassakeh, Syria. Then everyone started running around the school compound, as Daesh (Islamic State) gunmen were upon them. “Where’s the Christian? Where’s the Christian?” they demanded. At once Mayss’ supervisor, a Muslim family friend, hid her and told the gunmen, “No, there’s no Christian here.”

a one-bedroom apartment in Lebanon and they barely have enough money to cover their rent each month.

He saved Mayss’ life in that moment. He told her to leave the school and never come back.

They’ve been waiting almost 18 months for resettlement, but with each passing week, their hope of a new future gets dimmer.

She knew she’d never be safe if she did.

They had hopes, dreams and normal lives, but they lost everything For Mayss’ family their ordeal didn’t stop there.

Her father managed a construction company. One day on his way from work an armed group abducted him and told him that unless he gave them protection money, they would come back to get him and his family. And that wasn’t the only time the family stood face to face with an armed group. One day they were travelling on a bus that was stopped by armed men. They were looking for Alawites, which is the sect President Assad belongs to. Those people were rounded up and led off to be killed.

Mayss and her family knew they had to leave. They had homes, hopes and dreams, but suddenly they lost everything. Today Mayss and her parents are living in

The biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time According to the latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency, almost five million Syrians have been forced to flee during the time that conflict has ravaged the country. Another six million have been displaced internally. Recently UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement describing the plight of Syrian refugees as “the biggest refugee crisis of our time”. He said that more needs to be done to provide resettlement and other answers to the plight of Syrian refugees.

Real Change for Refugees: Tackle the crisis at its root At CSW we long to see an end to the suffering of the Syrian people. It’s essential that the immediate needs

Campaign Update: #300toomany Since last summer we’ve been raising awareness of the crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists in China. Since last July, over 300 lawyers and human rights activists have been detained by the Chinese government. Even those who have not been arrested, or have been released, face the threat of harassment or re-arrest every day. It’s an unprecedented attack on human rights defenders in the country.

We’ve been focusing on the case of Zhang Kai, a lawyer who was being detained without charge in one of China’s ‘black jails’. Just as we were putting Response together, we received the wonderful news that Zhang Kai has been released and is now at home with his family. We’re still waiting for more information about the conditions of his release, but we’re thankful for this wonderful news!

NAME: ZHANG KAI DETAINED: 25 August 2015 SENTENCE: None CURRENT LOCATION: Released to return home to his family, but any conditions of his release are as yet unclear.

To support our work in China, please use the response form enclosed.

of providing sufficient food and shelter for refugees are met, but it’s not enough. We are committed to addressing the crisis at its root. The best way to offer hope and change to Syrians is ending the conflict. But in the case of a nation torn apart by civil war for five years, a solution is no easy task, especially when all previous attempts have failed. For the first time in five years, a fragile ceasefire appears to be largely holding, but many Syrians remain uncertain about the next step forward.

We believe the first, critical steps in bringing lasting change to Syria are: a UN investigation into genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, and an appropriate response; and a UN presence on the ground in the form of a stabilisation force which would freeze the frontlines, enabling the conciliation process to begin.

The inside track:

Campaigns This issue, we’d like to introduce you to one of the newer additions to our team!

Dave Mance joined CSW earlier this year to be our new Campaigns Manager. Since then, he’s been hard at work thinking up exciting new ways to spread the word about freedom of religion or belief. We caught up with Dave to find out more about him and what you can expect from some of our upcoming campaigns…

There’s a long and complex journey in front of us, but we believe that the transformational power of God and international action are a powerful combination that will restore hope to Syria.

Why did you join CSW?

Together, we can bring real change for Syrian refugees.

I plan and create campaigns, like our new ‘Real Change for Refugees’ campaign. It involves taking a key issue we’re working on and showing people how, through prayer and action, we can change the situation.

My old job involved advertising stuff that people don’t really need. Now I get to promote something the world really needs – justice.

What does your job entail?

Join CSW’s calls for the UN to investigate evidence of genocide in Syria and tackle the crisis at the roots www.csw.org.uk/realchange

What did you do before you worked at CSW? I worked at an advertising agency, creating digital campaigns for brands including PG Tips and Dove. I worked very closely with PG Tips Monkey and count him a close personal friend.

More case files NAME: LI HEPING DETAINED: 10 July 2015 SENTENCE: Awaiting trial CURRENT LOCATION: Tianjin No. 1 Detention Centre NOTES: Li’s wife was questioned for five hours after appealing for information on her husband’s whereabouts and posting relevant information online.

NAME: WANG YU DETAINED: 9 July 2015 SENTENCE: Awaiting trial CURRENT LOCATION: Tianjin No. 1 Detention Centre NOTES: Her husband Bao Longjun has also been formally arrested on subversion charges and their 16-year-old son, Bao Mengmeng, is reportedly under 24-hour surveillance.

What’s the best part of your job?

Being part of a team with people who are much smarter than me!

What’s your life like outside of CSW? I try to spend as much time as I can with my kids, who are five and seven, doing whatever they want to do – at the moment they’re obsessed with making mosaics.

If you had to describe CSW in three words what would they be?

Passionate, influential, prayerful.

Photos: China Aid

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In DEPTH

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The genocide debate You’ve undoubtedly seen the photos of the refugees fleeing Syria in unprecedented numbers as the civil war enters its fifth year.

Syrian refugees are fleeing unspeakable violence, devastation and terror in their country. There are strong indications that some of this may meet the official definition of genocide – in fact, many world leaders have already agreed on this.

But what does this actually mean, and how can we in the UK help the millions whose misery fills our screens?

Q: Why is the term ‘genocide’ important?

A: It’s clear that horrendous things are happening in Syria and parts of Iraq – abductions, horrific sexual abuse of women and girls, bombing and massacres of civilians, and the targeting of religious and ethnic minorities.

There have been claims that some of what’s happening could be acts of genocide – and if that’s the case, then the international community would be legally obliged to intervene. If an internationallyrecognised panel of experts examines the evidence and rules that genocide is indeed taking place, then UN member states (this includes nearly every country in the world) have a duty to take the necessary steps to prevent further acts of genocide, and to prosecute the perpetrators.

Q: So what exactly is genocide?

A: Genocide is the deliberate and systematic attempt to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group either ‘in whole or in part’. It’s the most serious crime under international law, and is defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.

Q: What’s the evidence?

A: The UN Commission of Inquiry into Syria consistently reports that war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed by every armed factions. These too are major crimes under international law. However, while, there is strong evidence that Daesh (Islamic State) may have committed acts of genocide against Iraq’s Yazidi community, there’s still a dispute about whether acts of genocide have also been committed against Christians and other religious minorities and ethnic groups in both Syria and Iraq.

Q: What needs to happen now?

A: We need you to urge the UK Prime Minister to use the UK’s position on the UN Security Council to initiate an official investigation into genocide in Syria. A definitive ruling will compel the world to take action.

The European Parliament and US State Department have already recognised Daesh’s crimes as genocide and many MPs and Lords have called for this recognition by the UK. But the truth is that world leaders calling it genocide won’t change anything. If we want governments to act, we must push for a UN Security Council resolution establishing an independent legal mechanism to determine whether genocide is indeed taking place – and if it is, what concrete action will be taken to help the millions who living under threat of genocide.

Join us to ask for an official UN investigation into whether genocide is happening in Syria www.csw.org.uk/realchange

Photo: Freedom House

m o o R e h t n i t n a h p e l E e Th vs Human rights?

Behind The Headlines

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Get

Perspectives

INVOLVED

NEIGHBOURS

Who is my neighbour?

When you ask Jesus a question, you have to be prepared to get an answer you didn’t expect.

Ever been stumped about how to raise money for CSW? Fundraising shouldn’t be a chore, so our Fundraise for Freedom team is delighted to share two great examples of how CSW supporters are raising money for religious freedom by doing something fun, creative or, in these cases, fearless!

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to answer someone who asked, “Who is my neighbour?” Jesus had just told him to “Love your neighbour as yourself” and the man wanted a bit more clarification on whom, exactly, he should consider to be his neighbour.

Be fearless for freedom!

The man was told that his neighbour is anyone who needs his help – and that really wasn’t what he was expecting to hear. Especially since the person in the story who needed help, was someone he would have considered his enemy.

So what does this mean for us today? Recently some noted Christians have pointed out that if Jesus was telling the story of the Good Samaritan today, he might have told it about the Good Muslim.

You might have heard various voices in the media speaking out as the refugee crisis unfolds, saying that we don’t have any obligation to help those who aren’t from our country. That we should help our own first of all. That we must close ranks, and look to our own interests.

we have to love the people we find hard to love

But this isn’t what Jesus taught. He taught us to look after others before we look after ourselves – to sacrifice ourselves in order to care for them.

It’s uncomfortable. Jesus knew what he said would be hard for his listeners to hear, but he didn’t leave any room for ambiguous interpretations of his words. He told us that in order to inherit eternal life, we have to love the people we find hard to love.

We have to love them in ways that will be difficult for us, in ways that will involve us giving up our comforts, and making financial and other sacrifices.

At CSW we work for religious freedom for all. That means that everyone is entitled to choose and change their religion – to hold any belief, or none at all. To worship freely, in public and in private. This doesn’t just apply to Christians, and it doesn’t just apply to people who look like us, and those we find it easy to want to help.

So the inescapable conclusion is that the refugees whose misery fills our screens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity, are our neighbours – ie, the people we need to love in the way that we love ourselves.

Jennifer Watkins Copywriter/Editor

Our CHIEF goes over the edge!

Sponsored cycle for his 75th birthday!!

In 2017 Robert de Berry is planning to celebrate his 75th birthday by doing a sponsored bike ride for CSW and Release International. We’re thrilled that Robert is choosing to celebrate his birthday in such a generous way, and if you want to support Robert in any way, from accommodation to joining him on his bike ride, please contact him on 01672 562907 or robertdeberry42@gmail.com.

In June our Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, goes over the edge - literally! Mervyn, along with a few lucky volunteers, will be abseiling down Guildford Cathedral on 4 June to raise money for CSW. You can donate at www.csw.org.uk/fundraiseforfreedom and, if you’re feeling particularly brave, find details on how you can join Mervyn as he takes religious freedom to new heights. He’ll probably even let you go first!

Saturday 4 June 2016 Don’t miss out!

“I do bike rides like this once every five years or so, and in my 75th year my journey will be approx 750 miles, travelling from Cape Wrath through the Hope Valley in Derbyshire and finishing in Peacehaven in Sussex. We will have meetings with Christians along the way to tell them about, and to pray for, persecuted Christians. I know that churches will open their doors to us.” Robert de Berry

oF Do you have an exciting idea W? for CS ise momonteaeym kno how todrara w and we’ll ise for Freed Let our Fun can! Contact us at help you out in any way we forfreedom www.csw.org.uk/fundraise

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THE BEST WAY TO SAVE THEM FROM DROWNING IS TO SAVE THEM FROM FLEEING

Join us in calling on the UN to take decisive action against the atrocities in Syria. Because real change can’t happen until we tackle the root.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide is an organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

PO Box 99, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3YF, United Kingdom T: +44 (0)845 456 5464 F: +44 (0)20 8942 8821 E: admin@csw.org.uk www.csw.org.uk @csw_uk /cswuk Registered Charity No. 281836

TAKE ACTION NOW AT CSW.ORG.UK/REALCHANGE