Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), has warned Qatar that his initiative, representing 15.7 million African Americans and 34,000 churches of 15 denominations “will not sit by quietly and allow” the persecution of the Christian community of Qatar.
“We are organizing our churches across the country to contact their representatives in Congress and we want the severest sanctions against the government of Qatar for the continued persecution of religious minorities simply because of their faith,” said Rev. Evans.“As a member of the African American clergy and President of the National Black Church Initiative, I have every reason to be concerned with the fate of the Christian Church communities of the Arab World. From Qatar to Iraq.”
A Milwaukee Community Journal article on NCBI demands reported the group’s concern that “Christian communities have paid a terrible price, most especially in Qatar, and Iraq. Whether forced to flee the violence of the civil wars that have ravaged these countries, or expelled by Muslim Brotherhood as part of genocidal ’cleansing’ campaigns, the size of these once vibrant Christian communities has been so depleted, that some rightly fear their extinction in their homelands.”
While demanding a change in Qatar’s religious policies, NBCI also believes that on too many occasions, the West has “negatively contributed to the conflicts that are unsettling the Middle East today.” The group is concerned that by taking steps out of blind ignorance, the regional situation could become even more volatile and precarious.
NBCI states its purpose is to partner with major organizations and officials whose main mission is to reduce racial disparities.
