Prince Charles has spoken of his deep concern over the plight of Christians in the Middle East. His comments came at a Christian reception and followed meetings earlier in the day with Middle Eastern Christians who have fled to the UK, some of whom spoke of martyrdom and showed images of the destruction that they had experienced.
“I have for some time now been deeply troubled by the growing difficulties faced by Christian communities in various parts of the Middle East", the Prince said, continuing, "it seems to me that we cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are increasingly being deliberately targeted by fundamentalist Islamist militants.”
He went on: “The point though surely is that we have now reached a crisis where the bridges are rapidly being deliberately destroyed by those with a vested interest in doing so … this is achieved through intimidation, false accusation and organised persecution including upon Christian communities in the Middle East at the present time.”
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern, commented: "It is encouraging that senior public figures are beginning to speak out about the deep hostility and violence experienced by Christians in the Middle East at the hands of Islamic groups. As feared, for many Christians, the 'Arab Spring' has not brought greater freedom but oppression and persecution, leading to people being driven out of their homes and even losing their lives. There has been obfuscation and silence too long. We need action and diplomatic pressure from Western governments, led by the UK. I hope that Prince Charles' passionate warning is a catalyst for that."