Campaigners welcome appointment of Fiona Bruce MP as Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief

Fiona Bruce

Source: ACN/CSW/ICN

Fiona Bruce MP has been appointed as the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief. In a statement she said said she was honoured to be given the job. She said: "There is much to do, and my post will be placed at the service of some of the most vulnerable people across the world. People like young girls Leah Sharibu from Nigeria and Maira Shahbaz from Pakistan, both brutally abducted from their homes and whose plights I was able to highlight recently in the House of Commons."

"This appointment comes in the light of continuing large scale horrors taking place - such as those against Uighur Muslims in China, Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and Yazidis in Iraq and at a time when, as the late and much respected former Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks stated, 'the persecution of Christians throughout much of the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, and elsewhere, is one of the crimes against humanity of our time.' These are some of the most deeply concerning issues of our generation, on which it will be a privilege to engage as Special Envoy, both nationally and internationally, with others similarly concerned."

Campaigners for religious freedom have warmly welcomed the appointment.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, National Director of Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) (UK), said that in her 10 years as an MP, Mrs Bruce had shown "consistent care and compassion" for people suffering religious freedom violations, especially Christians.

Mr Kyrke-Smith said: "Fiona Bruce has proved herself time and again to be a doughty defender of religious freedom and she has been a trail blazer in speaking up in Parliament about persecuted Christians.

"In doing so, she has helped pave the way for the progress already made on FoRB. Few people in Parliament can boast a similar record to Fiona in terms of consistent care and compassion for Christians and all those who suffer human rights violations because of the faith they profess."

Mr Kyrke-Smith said that for many years ACN has worked closely with Mrs Bruce on parliamentary debates in which she has highlighted the findings of ACN reports, notably the charity's series 'Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith'.

Stressing the many challenges ahead, he added: "In our troubled world, there is so much more to do and Fiona has both the skill-set and the passion to make change happen for the good of those whose rights are trampled on because of their religious beliefs."

He said the UK is well placed to respond to FoRB developments because of the close cooperation between charities and other NGOs as seen in last year's Bishop of Truro's Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary on Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.

He went on to pay tribute to Mrs Bruce's predecessor as special envoy for FoRB, Rehman Chishti MP, emphasising how he has continued to champion the cause of persecuted Christians since he resigned from his role in September.

Mr Kyrke-Smith said: "The huge energy and engagement Rehman showed in driving forward the Bishop of Truro Review recommendations is a source of great hope to persecuted Christians all over the world. Now we are in a position to do so much more to ensure that both Christians and other faith minorities are assured of their rights."

In a statement, the founder and president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas said: "This appointment is wonderful news for all who work on freedom of religion or belief. Fiona Bruce has been unwavering, courageous and outspoken in championing this fundamental right since she became an MP in 2010, and we look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. We would also like to thank Rehman Chisti MP for his work advancing the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief worldwide both during and after his time as FoRB envoy."