SW News: Two Christian Democrat leaders in Sweden have come out with proposals for the country which call for supporting EU and UN sanctions against nations that persecute religious minorities. Both David Lega and Yusuf Aydin belonging to the KD party have also sought the nomination of a special ambassador for religious freedom.

Both the leaders have said that once Sweden attains international support, Stockholm should work in tandem with the UN in creating a resolution with regard to protecting Christian believers and other religious minorities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

By appointing a religious freedom envoy, drafting of trade pacts and reporting of rights violations can be expedited, said Lega and Yusuf. They pointed out how Canada and Denmark have already appointed similar ambassadors.
The two Christian Democrat leaders said that the new government of Sweden is at the vanguard of addressing the issues faced by persecuted Christians. Now all it needs to do is to take decisive action to act on its convictions with enough support from the European Union and the United Nations.
In a letter sent to Europaportal, Aydin and Lega mentioned that “The persecution of Christian minorities is an issue that we Christian Democrats have long fought for should be given a greater role in Swedish foreign policy. One of the fundamental rights in the UN's declaration of human rights is precisely freedom of religion, but Christian minorities have too often been ignored in both the debate and political action.”

Seldom noticed by the mainstream media, Christian persecution is a stark reality and this year has taken a turn for the worse as far as the oppression of believers is concerned. According to persecution watchdog Open Doors, as many as 360 million Christians are facing violence and torture around the world. According to this outfit, Christianity is one of the most oppressed religions in the world.