Uniting Church launches campaign against religious persecution

The Uniting Church in Victoria is set to launch a campaign to combat religious persecution, especially against Christians, around the globe.

Members of the church, and the general public, are being asked to join a network that will challenge governments, embassies and public officials when incidents of religious persecution come to light.

Network members will send letters, e-mails and faxes when people are being killed, tortured, imprisoned or harmed because they are Christians or a part of a religious minority.

Leader of the Church's World Mission and Social Justice unit, Rev David Pargeter said, "What passes as progress over the past century has not ushered in an era of religious tolerance. Persecution of religious groups is not a thing of the past but rather a tool of oppression in the present.

Sadly, we are increasingly aware of stories from around the world where people, or whole groups, ar e being denied their basic human rights because of the faith they follow.

"Religious persecution has many causes but it is not well understood. On occasion the Australian go vernment has been slack in following up cases of religious killings we have presented to it.

"For example, the Department of Foreign Affairs was made aware of reports of the murder of 19 Chri stians at the hands of death squads in the Maluku Islands in May 2001. In July 2001 the department said that the cases would be raised with the Indonesian authorities. In November 2001 they said the cases had been raised with the Indonesian authorities and they were waiting for a reply. Then in F ebruary 2002 the same department wrote to say they have not raised the cases at all with the Indone sian authorities. We are trying to get to the bottom of this matter", Mr Pargeter said.

"We reject the view of some Christian based organisations that there is a global battle between Chr istianity and Islam or Christianity and Communism. This is much too simplistic as the reality of re ligious persecution is driven by a desire to demonstrate absolute control on a society.

"Tragically, religious persecution is a daily reality for thousands of families around the world. W ith the Easter story now clearly in our minds we are asking people to remember how wrong the extraj udicial execution of Jesus was 2000 years ago, and how wrong such persecution is today".

March 29, 2002 -- ----------------- Stephen Webb Media Officer Communications Unit NSW Synod, Uniting Church in Australia Box A2178, Sydney South, NSW 1235, Australia email: