Didomi

This is part two of a two-part interview with Yamini Ravindran. Listen to part one here.

In Asia, the church is growing fast. And in most of South Asia, Christians are among the religious minorities. How is Christianity perceived, and how is religion politicized? Amid mounting nationalism, what challenges are Christians and religious minorities facing? What opportunities exist for them to advocate for peace and justice? How can we pray in support of our brothers and sisters?

To answer these questions, Michael Mutzner and Arie De Pater interviewed Yamini Ravindran, attorney-at-law from Sri Lanka, the director of advocacy at the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, the Executive Director for the Religious Liberty Commission of the Asia Evangelical Alliance. She was a member of the International Council of the World Evangelical Alliance (at time of recording).

Mentioned during this episode is Minor Matters, a movement protecting the rights of minorities and advancing religious freedom in Sri Lanka. Twitter: @minormattersorg

Stay up-to-date with Didomi podcasts via Twitter @didomi_co. We appreciate your feedback via email at [email protected]. Music was generously provided by artist C4C. 

And follow the hosts on twitter: Arie De Pater @ariedep and Michael Mutzner @michaelmutzner.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In Asia, the church is growing fast. And in most of South Asia, Christians are among the religious minorities. How is Christianity perceived, and how is religion politicized? Amid mounting nationalism, what challenges are Christians and religious minorities facing? What opportunities exist for them to advocate for peace and justice? How can we pray in support of our brothers and sisters? 

To answer these questions, Michael Mutzner and Arie De Pater interviewed Yamini Ravindran. Yamini is an attorney-at-law from Sri Lanka, the director of advocacy at the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, the Executive Director for the Religious Liberty Commission of the Asia Evangelical Alliance. She was a member of the International Council of the World Evangelical Alliance (at time of recording).

This is part one of a two-part interview with Yamini.

Stay up-to-date with Didomi podcasts via Twitter @didomi_co. We appreciate your feedback via email at [email protected]. Music was generously provided by artist C4C. 

And follow the hosts on twitter: Arie De Pater @ariedep and Michael Mutzner @michaelmutzner.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This month, we have witnessed yet another armed conflict in the Holy Land. In addition to the fighting between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians across the Holy Land took to the street to protest. The ferocity of the Palestinian anger caught Israel and the world by surprise.

Is Palestinian anger at Israel righteous? Where does the injustice in the Holy Land lie? How can the Palestinian Christian response to Israel's injustice be a demonstration of love? How do Palestinian Christians make the connection between being Evangelical and their national identity? What is a Palestinian Evangelical message to Hamas? And how can we pray for Palestinian brothers and sisters?

Didomi podcast co-host Wissam al-Saliby asked these questions to three Palestinian Evangelicals. Marwan Aboul-Zelof is an American of Palestinian origin and planting pastor of City Bible Church in Beirut, Lebanon. Daniel Bannoura is a Palestinian from the West Bank, currently pursuing a PhD in Qur'anic Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, in the United States. And Rawan Sabbah Munayyer is a Palestinian holding Israeli citizenship living in Jerusalem, currently pursuing a PhD at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Multicultural Education and Social Psychology.

Stay up-to-date with Didomi podcasts via Twitter @didomi_co. We appreciate your feedback via email at [email protected]. Music was generously provided by artist C4C.

Resources:

What if the church is attacked? How would the Muslim behave?, by Rawan Sabbah Munayyer (in Arabic)

As a Palestinian Christian raised in an Israel-loving church, how I see this latest conflict, by Marwan Aboul-Zelof

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What is it like to advocate for the poor and oppressed in Pakistan? What are the challenges that Christians and other minorities face? In Episode 4 of the Didomi podcast, Michael Mutzner and Wissam al-Saliby interview Yeshoo Ezra. Yeshoo is a lawyer and partner with Ezra Law Associates. He is also the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Peace and Justice Commission of Pakistan.

To learn more on some of this episode’s topics:

Pakistan: Protect underage girls belonging to religious minorities from abduction & forced marriages, World Evangelical Alliance, 5 October 2020

Pakistan: Abduction, Religious Conversion, and Forced Marriage of Minors from Minority Religious Groups, World Evangelical Alliance, 20 August 2020

Stay up-to-date with Didomi podcasts via Twitter @didomi_co. We appreciate your feedback via email at [email protected]. Music was generously provided by artist C4C.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

India is the biggest democracy in the world. However, recent reports and democracy indexes have noted that democracy is backsliding in India. Religious minorities are feeling the brunt of Hindu nationalism. The COVID-19 pandemic has only aggravated the situation. Pastor Vijayesh Lal, General secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, joins us from New Delhi to share with us on what the churches are doing in support of minorities rights, rule of law, and religious freedom in India.

This episode is co-hosted by Wissam al-Saliby and Michael Mutzner. Michael will also update us on the Swiss initiative for responsible multinational businesses.

Stay up-to-date with Didomi podcasts via Twitter @didomi_co. We appreciate your feedback via email at [email protected]. Music was generously provided by artist C4C.

To learn more on this episode’s topic:

Evangelical Fellowship of India Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC) Annual Report 2020 - Hate and Targeted Violence against Chrisitans in India

The Persecution Watch 15 – 31 January 2021 - A briefing by the EFIRLC

Trump’s Praise for Modi on India’s ‘Incredible’ Religious Freedom Doesn’t Match Our Research, Vijayesh Lal, Christianity Today, 28 February 2020

India: Anti-Conversion Laws Incentivize Violence Against Religious Minorities, World Evangelical Alliance submission to the Human Rights Council, 1 February 2021

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In this second episode of the Didomi podcast, Michael Mutzner, Permanent Representative of the World Evangelical Alliance to the United Nations in Geneva, shares on the French draft law in support of Republican Values that will be debated in the French parliament early December, and the impact it may have on religious minorities. Arie de Pater, Brussels representative of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), shares on migration and asylum at the EU level and the contribution of the EEA to the debate. Marc Jost, General Secretary of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance and Chair of Interaction Christian Evangelical NGOs platform, shares on the churches’ involvement in the Swiss Responsible Business Initiative and their support for corporate human rights accountability. On 29 November, the Swiss will vote on whether to allow for holding Swiss multinational companies accountable for human rights violations.

This episode is co-hosted by Wissam al-Saliby, Advocacy Officer of the World Evangelical Alliance, and Michael Mutzner. We appreciate your feedback at [email protected]. Music was generously provided by artist C4C.

For more information on the topics of our episode:

The French Evangelical Alliance’s commentary on the draft law strengthening “Republican Values” in France [In French]

European Evangelical Alliance’s the Refugee Campaign

European Evangelical Alliance’s updated policy positions on the asylum crisis (PDF)

The Swiss Responsible Business Initiative

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In this first episode, we share a bit about ourselves as a team: our backgrounds, our current roles, our motivation for our involvement in peace and justice issues, and the topics we'd like to explore in future episodes. It was fun to hear each others’ answers and stories. Listen in on our honest thoughts and interactions!

Emails us your feedback at: [email protected]. Music courtesy of artist C4C.

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