Earlier this week, Fiona spoke at a panel event hosted by the Conservative Christian Fellowship and Sat-7. This virtual event looked at the theme of freedom of religion and belief, asking the question “is freedom of religion possible today?”.
Fiona spoke of the extensive religious persecution currently witnessed around the globe. Highlighting the fact that 83% of the world’s population live in countries where there are restrictions on one’s freedom for religion or belief, Fiona encouraged those listening to not only debate this topic but move towards tangible action in this area. Furthermore, Fiona emphasised the need to speak out for individual cases, thereby humanising the impact of religious persecution and providing necessary dignity and attention to victims of religious freedom violations.
This panel was chaired by Dave Mann, the Partnerships Executive for SAT-7 UK. Fiona was joined by a range of influential speakers, including Lord Michael Farmer, Founder of the Family Hubs Network; Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Archbishop of London and Director of Refcemi and Mervyn Thomas OBE, Founder and President of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
In response to Fiona's call to action, many of the speakers offered a range of suggestions for people to stop turning a blind eye to religious persecution and instead seek religious freedoms globally.
The Conservative Christian Fellowship seeks to act as the main bridge between the Conservative Party and the Church, often hosting events with Christian Charities, Churches and Parliamentarians. Their annual fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference often attracts influential speakers, with this year’s event being in cooperation with the broadcasting agency SAT-7. SAT-7 broadcasts to over 500 million people in the Middle East and North Africa and is committed to vocalising Christians who might otherwise remain unheard and undervalued.