British Labour Leader Ed Miliband's Easter message highlights persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq - by Ruth Gledhill

Ed Miliband

British Labour leader Ed Miliband has used his Easter message to express his concerns for the fate of persecuted Christians around the world.

The brief and to-the-point seasonal message of Miliband, an atheist, contrasts with the overtly Christian offerings from Conservative politicians such as David Cameron and Michael Gove.

Miliband says he is looking forward to sharing the weekend with his family in Doncaster, where he was MP for Doncaster North until Parliament was dissolved at the end of March.

"In the midst of the Easter celebrations our hearts goes out to those who face difficult times both overseas and closer to home. My thoughts are particularly with Christians in Syria, Iraq and other countries where the church suffers terrible persecution," he wrote.

Miliband cites statistics from the International Society for Human Rights which state that Christians are the victims of 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today.

"We must all do everything we can to speak out against this evil and work to alleviate the suffering of those who are persecuted simply for their creed," he says.

"But we don't need to travel far to find families facing fear and uncertainty. Over two million children are now living in poverty in the UK. I have admiration for those church members and Christian charities that provide support and hope to those in need."

Noting that over the Easter weekend millions of Christians will attend Easter services and events up and down the country, he acknowledges that through such gatherings, the church shares the story of the resurrection, and spreads the good news of Easter.

"In the months to come I hope that we will all stand up for justice, serve the most vulnerable and work to positively transform our communities together."
 
Read more: Ed Miliband's Easter message highlights persecuted Christians in Syria and Iraq | Christian News on Christian Today

The Netherlands: Persecuted Egyptian Coptic Christians will not receive special asylum arrangements says Government

The Dutch cabinet headed by PM Mark Rutte sees no reason in the present situation for special asylum arrangements for Coptic Christians from Egypt. “There is no question of an organized religious cleansing there”, says the Dutch Government

Dozens of churches and other properties, however, of Christians in Egypt have been set on fire in the past week. The small Dutch Christian party ChristenUnie wants the cabinet to make more specific efforts on behalf of the Coptic religious minority, for example by designating them a ‘risk group’ as part of asylum policy. They could then be able to obtain temporary asylum in the Netherlands more easily.

But the cabinet is not in favor of this for now, and is also not prepared to relax its visa policy. Every visa application will be considered on its merits, but the visa procedure is not intended for people who want to stay in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans says in a letter to parliament.

ChristenUnie political party says it is disappointed. “Coptic Christians appear to be outlawed,” according to MP Joël Voordewind.

Timmermans says in his letter that ''individual Egyptians” have used the unrest to commit violent acts against Christians, but that it cannot be established with any certainty that there is organised viiolence by political movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The attacks against this Christian minority are “unacceptable,” but “there is no question of an organised religious cleansing. 

A parliamentarian from one of the opposition parties noted: "this is  a strange and obviously politically motivated decision by the Government, who in the past have always opened their arms towards repressed people from around the world, regardless of their race, political viewpoints, or religious belief. 

Christians organizations in the Netherlands have been urged to contact their political representatives and national organizations to lobby for the easing of Dutch asylum regulations, in particular for Coptic Christians and Christians throughout the Middle East, who are suffering from incredible dangerous conditions, including, persecution, torture and killings.

Almere-Digest