Red Wednesday 2021

 

#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.

SIGN THE PETITION

Imagine if she were your daughter!

Christian girl, 14, is being threatened by Islamist death squads in Pakistan for fleeing forced marriage to Muslim man, 45 - as thousands sign petition to give her asylum

Maira Shahbaz fears for her life. The 14-year-old is in
 hiding after being accused of apostasy for breaking off
the  marriage - an offence punishable by death in Islam

Catholic altar server Maira Shahbaz is hiding after being accused of apostasy

Over 9,000 have signed petition asking PM to grant her and family asylum in UK

As a backbench Tory MP, Boris Johnson led calls for Mrs Bibi to be given asylum

Maira has now appealed directly to PM, saying in statement: 'Please protect me'

Mail Online   

This is not an isolated report. 

On Armistice Day, International Christian Concern reported that two Christians, a mother and son, were killed in an incident of religious hatred in a village located in the Gujranwala district of Pakistan. They were shot dead by their Muslim neighbour because as a Muslim family they did not like waste water flowing by their home from the house of an ‘untouchable’.

In Pakistan the term chura or churi is used to denote Christians as low caste and untouchable. It is widely held among Pakistan’s Muslim population that Christians are dirty and as a result must be relegated to the lowest rungs of society

Christians are relegated to the sectors of cleaning and sweeping in Pakistan. While Christians make up around 4% of the population, nearly 80% of them are involved in sanitary department and cleaning jobs that are considered impure for Muslims.

On Wednesday, 25th November, Set Your Captives Free – A Report on Christians unjustly detained for their Faith will be launched in the UK parliament by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). 

The Report is intended as a springboard for ACN supporters to advocate for the release of those unjustly detained and demand perpetrators be brought to justice. It profiles individuals – young and old – both those kidnapped by extremist groups and others arrested by the state and held without charge.

As part of its advocacy campaign, ACN has so far collected more than 8,500 signatures calling on the Prime Minister to grant asylum to Pakistani 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz, profiled in the report, who is in hiding from her former abductor who has threatened to kill her, saying she is an apostate.  

Across the world, people will mark #RedWednesday by wearing red (e.g. putting on a red scarf), using social media to promote the campaign and lighting up public buildings in red.

You can sign the #RedWednesday petition HERE.