“Which specific aspects of law, or its interpretation, do you consider unfair?... Those that prevent Christians acting according to their conscience. Examples include but are not limited to, the accommodation industry, adoption, counselling and caring. In all these cases, the law is clearly biased against Christians..."
“It seems to be accepted that Christians and the Church are legitimate objects of derision and 'mickey taking', whereas to ridicule other faiths is not 'approved' behaviour. Christians of today are held accountable for the faults of their predecessors. Sectarianism is blamed for many wars.” Norma Charlton of C&M ministries
The UK Government has written to all local councils in England, telling them that new laws restore their power to hold prayers at official meetings after the High Court had ruled that local councils have no lawful power to hold prayers during official business. The court case was initiated by the National Secular Society and a local atheist ex-councillor who sued Bideford Town Council in Devon for conducted prayers. Read here statements of public officials in favor of the religious practice dating back to the 17th century.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britain's first female Muslim cabinet minister and chairman of the Conservative Party, leader of the ministerial delegation from United Kingdom to the Holy See, said on February 14th: "People need to feel stronger in their religious identities, more confident in their beliefs... Europe needs to become more confident in its Christianity. Let us be honest: Too often there is a suspicion of faith in our continent..."
"Matt", a Daily Telegraph cartoonist, draws two policemen who just found out that a well-known Muslim terrorist had been released, saying: "If he ever says prayers before a council meeting, he'll be right back in jail."
"We in the United States have always been concerned about persecution and intolerance around the world. I don't think we ever expected it to come in the form it is coming in our own country, where the government is impinging on some very good work we are trying to do, to force on us values that are foreign to the Judeo-Christian heritage."
Archbishop Mamberti proposed the institution of an International Day against persecution and discrimination of Christians as "an important sign that governments are willing to deal with this serious issue" at an OSCE meeting in Vilnius.
Observatory's Dr. Martin Kugler participated in the International Conference on the Freedom of Religion and Discrimination against Christians from Nov 30 to December 2 in Moscow. The interreligious forum brought together representatives of Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic communities and internationally renowned experts.
"In Britain, Christians face a double threat. Firstly, radical secularism that has forced the Catholic Church to curtail some of its valuable services to society, and secondly a growing radical Islam that is leading to the creation of parallel Sharia laws. This so-called "Sharia Creep" is out to exploit the weaknesses of our value system, increasing the chances of extremist violence."