Forced Conversion to Islam in the Gaza Strip

Over the weekend, I dispatched Jordan Sekulow from our Government Affairs team to Israel to research and work on the forced conversion situation that is taking place in the Gaza Strip.  Jordan will be giving daily updates on the radio broadcast, starting today, and I encourage you to listen in.  We are taking this matter very seriously.  Our United Nations (UN) strategy will include bringing this to the attention of the various governing organizations within the UN by September. 

For those who are not aware of the situation, let me summarize what I wrote the other day.  Last week, I received word from our offices in Europe about two cases involving recent converts to Christianity from Islam.  One case is out of Pakistan and the other is originating out of Egypt.  These are coming on the heels of a reported case out of the Gaza Strip where a professor was forced to convert to Islam on the threat of death.  In essence, accepting Jesus Christ in many Islamic countries is an offence, and forced conversions to Islam are being allowed.  I instructed our staff in Washington, DC, as well as in Europe, to immediately begin preparations for a response in these three cases.

The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) counsel, who is our liaison to the UN, is working with our team on developing a UN strategy to protect the religious liberty of these citizens.  Recently, the ECLJ was granted special consultative status with the UN.  I also asked our Government Affairs staff in Washington, DC, to meet with members of Congress to lodge necessary protests with these government embassies regarding these matters. 

Finally, were employing a European strategy to offer legal assistance to the lawyers in Egypt and Pakistan who are handling these sensitive and important cases.  We will continue to keep you posted as matters progress.  For a full report on the Gaza Strip situation, click here.