Paul KeenanA religious freedom advocacy group is calling for more action on a major increase of attacks on Christians in Mexico
A religious freedom advocacy group is calling for more action on a major increase of attacks on Christians in Mexico.
In a new report on religious belief in Mexico, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reveals a significant increase in violations against Christian communities in recent years, due in part to the activities of criminal drugs gangs, but also due to an apparent unwillingness by government to tackle the phenomenon.
“Although root causes vary, many violations occur with impunity because of reluctance on the part of the state to involve itself in ‘religious affairs’ or to prosecute those responsible for criminal acts linked to religious freedom violations,” CSW asserts.
“Over the past few years the number of religious leaders under threat, including Catholic priests and Protestant pastors, has skyrocketed. Sadly, a significant number have been killed or kidnapped, though precise figures are difficult to obtain because of witnesses’ fear of retaliation by those responsible.”
Calling on the Mexican government to act on such crimes, Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of CSW said: “Violations of religious freedom are not and should not be a special category of crime that is exempt from prosecution. Action must also be taken to combat the threat of illegal armed groups, whose targeting of church leaders who refuse to cooperate with them on moral grounds has a chilling effect on religious freedom.”