Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his compassion and interest. It is sad that it is Holy Thursday evening during seachtain na Cásca when we are having this debate. That is our choosing. It is appropriate to have it this evening.

I apologise for Deputy Grealish who had to leave for an engagement in Galway. I thank him. I know Deputy O'Keeffe and others are travelling to Frascati again this year in August to meet world leaders. I was glad that the leaders of the Coptic Church were brought before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade to engage with us. There is a Coptic Christian community in Cahir in Tipperary. They are most welcome and valuable members of the community. I have sympathised with them totally and with their colleagues in Egypt after the horrific attacks that took place on Palm Sunday which caused deaths, slaughter and devastation. It beggars belief.

I salute the NGOs and peacekeepers. We have a proud record. Deputy Grealish referred recently on Leaders' Questions to some of the peacekeepers of the past. He made the case that they have not been recognised properly for the gallantry they displayed. We are proud in Ireland.

The United Nations has been lax in this case. It is ironic that under the dictatorships of certain countries – I will not name them but we know which ones – Christians were allowed to practise their faith with impunity, as were minority Muslim faiths. There was peace and harmony. They all worshipped whatever God they believed in or thought they were worshipping and there was no problem. However, things have changed since the bombing by the US, England and other countries. Since the removal of those dictators, there is no possibility for these people to worship or to hold their right to freedom of expression or anything else. The situation is far worse than it ever was.

Aid to the Church in Need produced a report in 2016 on religious freedom in the world. The report analysed the situation of 196 countries from June 2014 to June 2016. It concluded that Islamic extremism is the main threat for Christians and other religions. That is an honest report. It states that more than 334 million Christians are persecuted and discriminated against because of their religion. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, president of Aid to the Church in Need, made several observations at the launch of the report. He said that persecution has always threatened Christians and always will. However, he said that does not mean they need to have a pessimistic attitude or do nothing about it. We have to act. Out of the 196 countries under the microscope, 38 host Christian communities have suffered serious violations. This is savage. In 23 countries there is strong religious persecution and in 15 countries there is discrimination. The most dangerous countries for Christians are in the Middle East and Africa. These include Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and Somalia among others. According to the cardinal, this is the worst problem in the world community but we remain oblivious to the toil of these communities.

The media have a role to play as well. We are not getting the attention. We get it when there is a horrific atrocity, and rightly so. However, we are not getting it otherwise. Since 2014, one in five counties has been the victim of an attack from Islamic State. Islamic extremism is felt more strongly every day and has caused a rise in the number of refugees. In 2015, a total of 5.8 million people had to flee their homes. They lost everything. According to the United Nations, the total number of refugees in the world is 65.3 million. It is unimaginable. This is the situation that the Bishop of Syria has to endure every day.

These are the types of issues that arise. Christians who live under authoritarian regimes like those in China or Turkistan undergo difficult circumstances. In two years in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, 2,000 crucifixes have been removed from churches. We are at that in our country. We remove them from hospitals and places and we do not think of the consequences. I do not see the need or the rush to do it. We do not think of the awful consequences and the signal this sends to those people who are being savagely persecuted.

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