4/9/2025 United Kingdom (International Christian Concern) — On April 8, the U.K. House of Commons publicly debated and highlighted the scale and severity of the persecution of Christians globally.
This public Parliamentary debate is another great advancement in ensuring that the persecution of Christians and wider freedom of religion and belief issues are kept at the forefront of governments and political leaders’ minds.
The debate was led and facilitated by the Labour Party member Ruth Jones, the member of Parliament of Newport West and Islwyn in Wales.
In introducing the televised debate and discussion, Jones stated that despite being the world’s largest religion, Christianity is the most persecuted minority faith in many regions.
That persecution stems from a range of sources, including Islamic extremism, Marxist regimes, and dictatorial governments. She added that there needs to be an increased focus on the persecution and suffering of Christian women; from violent attacks to house arrests and forced marriages, Christian women and girls around the world are shamed and persecuted twice — once for their faith and again for their gender.
While highlighting the various reports and statistics available on Christian persecution, Jones emphasized North Korea, which is consistently considered the worst persecutor of Christians. The persecution of North Korean Christians has worsened in the last year following a rise in reported incidents of violence, which coincides with stricter regulations announced by the North Korean authorities early in 2024.
As the debate progressed, House of Commons members pointed to efforts that the U.K. Parliament should continue to pursue to highlight the increasing persecution of Christians globally. These include U.K. diplomats raising cases of Christian persecution at bilateral and multilateral levels, increasing pathways for legitimate Christian refugees to re-settle in the U.K., and supporting the role of the U.K. special envoy for freedom of religion or belief.
Conservative Party member Danny Kruger ended his speech on a powerful note, stating, “The principal enemy of Christianity globally is not misapplied western liberalism, it is alternative religions and ideologies, in particular Marxism in China, radical Hinduism in India, and, of course, radical Islam all over the world.
“Lastly, to end on a note of hope, there are signs of hope. There are great things happening in the world. Christianity is not oppressed, downtrodden, or downcast. We are seeing positive signs of growth and revival. In China, the house church movement has won many millions of converts. Here in the U.K., I am encouraged. There was a report from the Bible Society and Theos recently called ‘The Quiet Revival,’ which demonstrates that, quietly, we are seeing new growth in our faith in the U.K. On that basis, I have confidence in the future.”
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