House debates

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Adjournment

Petition: Christians in Syria

12:48 pm

Photo of Luke SimpkinsLuke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I am very pleased to present a petition from the Barnabas Fund which highlights the plight of Christians in Syria, which has been approved by the Standing Committee on Petitions.

The petition read as follows—

To the Honourable The Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws the attention of the House to the plight of persecuted Christians in Syria.

We therefore ask the House to:

1. Recognise that the Christians of Syria are a significant but highly threatened minority in the current crisis, noting that Christians are facing unprecedented levels of violence from both the general conflict and targeted anti-Christian attacks from some factions;

2. Put the plight of Christians and other minorities at the forefront of their humanitarian aid programmes, ensuring that there are pro-active policies in place to guarantee equitable delivery to all communities;

3. Work towards and support only those outcomes in Syria that allow freedom, equality and justice for all without discrimination recognising that core human rights including freedom of religion and belief are the only basis for a stable society.

from 11,689 citizens

Petition received.

I thank the Barnabas Fund in Australia and their managing director, Mr Colin Johnson, for their work to get the petition to this stage. I also thank the churches and individuals who promoted the petition. There are 11,689 signatures, and I thank everyone of the people who signed the petition. This petition will be referred to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and I ask her to consider the concerns of the petitioners, as I know she will.

It is a dangerous world for Christians. Christians are a religious group that is so often neglected because it is mainstream. As the media bends over backwards to highlight discrimination or persecution of other religions, that focus comes at a cost, because the profile of Christians is therefore lowered. This petition is designed to enable the House to focus its attention on Syria. It is designed to remind us that the level of violence facing Christians is at an unprecedented level. It is designed to highlight the need for humanitarian aid programs and proactive policies and encourage the government, and other governments around the world, to be focused on not just Christians but also other persecuted minorities in Syria.

The petition asks us to look for outcomes in Syria that will allow freedom, equality and justice in that country without discrimination. Christian villages in Syria have been besieged and the Christians have been massacred. Church leaders have been kidnapped, women and girls have been raped and forced into marriage and children have been traumatised. As we know, what began as a people's revolution in March 2011 is now dominated by Islamists fighting for an Islamic state, and Christians are particularly targeted. There are very few sanctuaries left for them. In October 2013 the Christian towns of Saddad and Haffar were besieged. Forty six people were killed, 3,000 people were used as human shields and 2,500 families had to flee. Many of the rebels' abuses included killing civilians and targeting churches, and they have been confirmed as war crimes.

It is, of course, not just direct violence but also violence by way of example. Aleppo, which is home to around 400,000 Christians, has been besieged by the rebels for months. Many Christians have become malnourished owing to shortages and skyrocketing prices of food and other essentials. Access to water, electricity and communications is very limited. Christian children have also been greatly traumatised and are suffering most acutely. Some have lost one or both parents. Many are in desperate need, and the jihadists have even targeted Christian schools. Syria used to be one of the easiest places in the Arab world to be a Christian. Until early 2011 its churches were large—about 10 per cent of the population—and Christians were respected by the Muslim majority. They were allowed to worship and practice their faith without much official interference. But now, with an estimated 600,000 Christians having fled the country or lost their lives as a result of the civil war, Syrian Christian leaders are concerned that the church may be wiped out altogether, despite its long history. The church has existed in Syria since biblical times.

There is no doubt that Syria is a mess. It is difficult to find a side of the war that could be described as truly good and worth backing. But what is true is that the level of brutality is unprecedented. The issue then becomes: what can we in Australia to do about such a terrible mess? However, what Australians should not do is join terrorist groups. As we have known for some time, and was noted in the Australian newspaper this morning, more than 150 Australians are fighting with jihadist groups in Syria, most with the known terrorist groups Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Such extremist jihadist groups are known to have murdered, raped and persecuted Christians in Syria. I find this development that Australians could be so warped in their views that they should take up arms for terrorist groups very disturbing. I also find it naive or deceptive of those that express the view that those Australians that go to fight in Syria only want to be active in that war and would never be a threat upon their return. Such extremism has no borders. It is a sinister side of this war that shows a direct Australian involvement and shows that there are Australians that support terrorism and therefore pose a real threat to the security of even this country.

From the Australian perspective, we have provided $100 million in aid to help with humanitarian issues regarding Syria, and we have provided 500 resettlement places for Syrian refugees. This is the way we should provide support in such cases, and from this petition we should always look for more ways to help where we can do so. I thank the Barnabas Fund for this petition and for their work to highlight the persecution of Christians in Syria, in this case, and indeed all over the world. Given that it has already been through the Petitions Committee, I now table this petition.