Supporting "Freedom of Religion or Belief in a Turbulent World"
A conference was held at the European Parliament under the title "Supporting Freedom of Religion or Belief in a Turbulent World."
On April 6, a conference was held at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, entitled "Supporting Freedom of Religion or Belief in a Turbulent World." The meeting was hosted by Anja Haga, a Dutch member of the European Parliament from the Christian Democratic Party.
The report of this Dutch institution, titled “Platform for Freedom of Religion or Belief Worldwide,” which was published in 43 pages and with the same title as the meeting, was the topic of discussion at the gathering. The institution was launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together the views of different religions and non-religious beliefs. It has a close relationship with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has also declared itself politically neutral.
The meeting was attended by people such as Frans van Dijk, the EU ambassador for the promotion and protection of freedom of religion, Denis de Jong, a ten-year member of the European Parliament and a member of the board of directors of this Dutch institution, and Yale Kremers, a professor of religious studies at the University of Leuven in Belgium. They referred to the aforementioned reports and emphasized the centrality of freedom of belief or religion for the EU and the European Parliament.
In the main 43-page report of this institution, which was distributed at the European Parliament session, only recommendations were published regarding 17 countries, including China, India, Myanmar, and Qatar, while 41 countries, including Iran, were also examined in the academic review section and appendix of the report.
A representative of the Christian organization "Article 18" was also present at the meeting, and during the question and answer session, he asked the European Parliament member and Dennis De Jong two questions: "1. Has this Dutch organization taken any practical action, proposal, or recommendation to the European Parliament or other European institutions to support refugees such as Christian converts who have been persecuted in their country because of their faith and are currently living in difficult conditions and even at risk of deportation in Turkey or in European Union countries? 2. Why is the Iranian government, which completely violates all the indicators mentioned in this report, including the right to change religion and severely discriminates against Iranian citizens on the grounds of their beliefs and opinions, not among the 17 countries in the main report and has no recommendation been made?"
In response to the aforementioned questions, Dennis De Jong, while emphasizing the fact that the rights of religious minorities are severely violated in Iran, expressed sympathy for the Iranian people and added that the list of 17 countries was prepared so that the recommendations could be effective. He, who is a member of the board of directors of the Platform for Freedom of Religion or Belief Worldwide, did not explain why he thought the recommendations would be effective for countries such as Qatar, China and Myanmar but not for Iran and Saudi Arabia. Anya Haaga also stated in this regard that the activities of this Dutch institution do not examine issues related to asylum and asylum of religious minorities.
The Dutch organization mentioned in the appendix of its report, using sources from Amnesty International, Article 18, and the Baha'i International Community, wrote about the continued oppression and discrimination of religious minorities in Iran. The report, while referring to the continued attacks on house churches, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and confiscation of personal belongings, noted that some Christian citizens are accused of "acting against national security" and are sent to prison and internal exile.
These reports also mentioned "Anoshan Avdian", an Armenian citizen who was sentenced to ten years in prison for peaceful religious activity and on charges of "forming and managing an illegal group to act against national security" and was transferred to Evin Prison in late September 1402.
The Dutch institution referred to the pressure on Christian citizens to renounce and repent from Christianity and return to Islam, and the legal provisions used against religious minorities, especially Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code. According to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, “committing any other deviant activity, teaching, or propaganda that is contrary to or disruptive of the holy law of Islam in the real or virtual space, or creating psychological and physical dominance over a person in the form of a sect or any other organized criminal group, is considered a crime.”
Despite the fact that the Inquisition is prohibited in the Iranian constitution, Christian citizens, especially Muslims who have converted to Christianity, have repeatedly fallen victim to the Inquisition during interrogations and trials in courts.
