A Bible in Arabic taken from the ruins of a church in Iraq burned by Islamic State has been presented to Prime Minister Theresa May.
The Bible, bearing scorch-marks from the fire, is from St Mary's in Karamles, one of the Christian towns in the Nineveh Plain badly damaged by the terrorist group. Karamles originally had 797 houses and of these, 464 have been burned, 97 have been completely destroyed by bombs and the rest are damaged or vandalised. Christians have gradually been returning there, helped by church-led organisations including Aid to the Church in Need, but many are still afraid to go back.
Lisa Pearce, chief executive of Open Doors UK and Ireland, Father Daniel from Erbil in Iraq and Conservative MP Caroline Spelman met the Prime Minister yesterday in Parliament to highlight the plight of Christians and minorities in the Middle East and ask for help in securing a better future for them.
Daniel presented Mrs May with the Bible and later spoke to MPs, peers and church leaders.
The event came after 808,172 people from 142 countries signed a petition, launched by Open Doors, asking the UK government and the United Nations to ensure that Middle Eastern Christians and other minorities enjoy the right to equal citizenship, dignified living conditions and a prominent role in reconciling and rebuilding their society.
