The rest of the world is watching as freedom of religion is eroded in the West
from Christian Concern:
Dr Martin Parsons, an independent consultant on the global persecution of Christians, comments on the closure of churches during the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on freedom of religion.
On 23 March, the UK government announced a lockdown, including the first legal closure of churches by the government since Magna Carta. For a nation which has historically been seen around the world as the birthplace of freedom of religion, this was a dramatic step to take. However, government closure of churches set a dangerous precedent not just for freedom of religion in the UK, but also around the world.
Take Algeria for example: last October in response to a parliamentary question on the closure of churches there, Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad stated,
“We are concerned by reports of church closures in Algeria, including the recent closure in Boghni. We continue to engage with the Algerian authorities on this issue, including raising the importance of freedom of religion or belief as set out in Algeria’s Constitution…”
He added that,
“We will continue to monitor the situation, as the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief around the world remains a high priority for the UK.”
Yet what sort of a signal does it send out to governments around the world who are already closing churches, when five months later the UK government itself enforced a legal closure of churches?
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