#RedWednesday is the time for people of all faiths, and no faith, to come together in solidarity for Christians and others who are oppressed.
Just one of many stories form Aid to the Church in Need:
"A THREE-YEAR-OLD Christian girl in Pakistan, who was raped by the husband of her school principal, is still a long way from recovery several months on from her ordeal.
"According to the national Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), based in Lahore, Anna was raped at the school she attended in Raiwind, Lahore – which operated out of the house of her abuser, Muhammad Saleem.
"Ms Merab Arif, Communication Coordinator of CCJP said: 'Girls from religious minorities are at high risk of sexual violence and abuse. And not just that, early and forced marriage deprives them as well of their fundamental right to education, health, and freedom of religion'."
ACN #RedWednesday 2021 Petition
We call on the UK Government and the United Nations to take more effective steps to address the double jeopardy faced by women and girls from religious minorities in certain countries suffering sexual violence and persecution.
In terms of vicious global religious bigotry Pakistan always strikes me a peculiarly squalid instance, though I suppose it's possible that we get to hear more of what happens there because of the country's membership of the Commonwealth and the UK's long historic involvement in that part of the world.
ReplyDeleteI hold no brief for the Assad clan's brutally despotic governance of Syria, but one of its positive aspects was - when compared with much of the Muslim world - the relative tolerance which it afforded to non-Muslims.
There don't appear to be many Islamic countries where Christian processions on festival days took place through the streets in Christian towns and villages, and where Muslim neighbours turned out to watch the show and share in the celebrations. And where churches were free to erect - arguably tasteless but nonetheless symbolic - tall neon crosses to proclaim their discipleship!
I should say that while I haven't seen this for myself, a friend of mine visited Syria - in better times than those of recent years - on more than one occasion, and witnessed all this for himself.