Source: World Watch Monitor, November 8, 2016
A Syrian Christian now living in the UK is helping to bring hope for the future to his native land as part of a worldwide advocacy campaign.
“Rami” coordinates “Hope for the Middle East,” a seven-year advocacy campaign from charity Open Doors, which works with the persecuted Church. It seeks to maintain a presence in the Middle East for the Church and to show that it has an active role to play in the future of Syria and the region as a whole.
“Through extensive series of consultations with Christian leaders in Syria and Iraq we were able to identify three main problems that cause despair. Let me explain what these are and the recommendations we give to the UN and to governments.”
a. Discrimination from government and other communities. “We try to ensure a legal framework that guarantees equal citizenship for Christians and other numerical minorities.”
b. Dignity in accommodation, work, and education. “Lots of refugees and internally displaced people received food parcels. Of course they are very grateful, but they would much rather provide for themselves.”
c. Recognition for the role of the Church in rebuilding and reconciliation. “As I said before, the Church belongs in the Middle East and needs to play a vital role in rebuilding.”
The way that Open Doors is tackling these issues, says Rami, involves working with indigenous church leaders in the Middle East, engaging with governments and decision makers across the globe, alongside the goal of collecting a million signatures in support of the campaign.
» WWM also reports updates to events in Ethiopia, where several teenage Christian girls have been imprisoned for inciting religious violence, and Pakistan, where a 16-year-old Christian boy was accused of blasphemy.