As a Christian myself, I believe we should be more confident about our status as a Christian country and more ambitious about expanding the role of faith-based organisations. We should also be more confident in defending the Christian values of responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, tolerance and love. The Church of England also has an important continuing constitutional role as England's established church.
Britain's churches are at the centre of thousands of communities and provide support and comfort to millions in our society. I would like to assure you, the Government will continue to support our Christian churches and faith groups, promote British values and defend freedom of religion. That includes standing up for the hard-fought British liberty of freedom of religion, and taking on aggressive secularists who have tried to end the role of faith in public life.
I understand your concern for Christian communities around the world. Where freedom of religion or belief is under attack, other fundamental freedoms often face threat as well.
I can assure you that the Government is motivated by deep concern for religious communities in the Middle East; and by a desire to stand shoulder to shoulder with all well-meaning parties. Ministers have stressed the importance of guaranteeing religious freedom when working with the Lebanese Government and the new Government in Iraq. Additionally, the Government is prioritising reaching the most vulnerable people across Syria, including Christians and those who have suffered from the ongoing violence, with its extensive aid programme.
The situation for Christians in Iraq and Syria is deeply troubling. Daesh is an organisation that has repeatedly shown its capacity for acts of staggering brutality; including beheadings, crucifixions, the use of rape as a weapon, and the slaughter of children.
Many of the attacks perpetrated by Daesh have clearly been designed to incite violence and create sectarian division and have no place in the future of Iraq. It is therefore vital that all Iraqis unite together to confront the serious threat Iraq faces. I am assured the UK Government will do all that is in its power to encourage the different communities and countries involved to reach out to each other in rebuilding an Iraq capable of defeating the poisonous ideology Daesh represents.
The actions of Daesh in Syria, where Christians have been beaten and killed for their beliefs, show how far Daesh are from international norms of religious tolerance. Additionally, President Assad's actions throughout the ongoing conflict in Syria have included a deliberate attempt to stir up sectarian tensions in his effort to hold on to power.
The threat to religious minorities in Syria, including Christians, can only be eradicated by a pluralist, democratically elected Syrian Government and the Government is supporting the moderate Syrian opposition in its pursuit of this goal. Measures include the provision of training and life-saving equipment to the Supreme Military Council, and assistance to the Syrian National Coalition and civil society with capacity building efforts. In addition, a number of UK Government-funded projects have brought together religious leaders from all denominations (including Alawi, Christians, Kurds, Druze and Sunnis) to foster greater understanding between faiths and support reconciliation.