Austria: Government Pledges to Help Persecuted Christians

Susanne Raab, Federal Minister for Women and Integration at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, was interviewed by Kathpress about this subsidy passed by the government. It should be noted that she distinguished herself for having asserted “that she was not a feminist,” Wikipédia indicates, which is rare for a person occupying such a position.

Moreover, according to the same source, “in June 2021, she had helped pass a law instituting a ‘national map of Islam’—that is, a website geolocating Muslim places of worship and specifying the names of their leaders” and their degree of radicalism and ties with foreign entities, which is still remarkable for a minister responsible for integration.

As for aid, it will be “primarily, but not exclusively,” intended for persecuted Christians. Raab stressed “the importance of religious freedom, which is not or not sufficiently guaranteed in many countries around the world.” It is therefore “our particular responsibility to campaign at the international level against the persecution of religious minorities.”

Raab affirmed, quite rightly, “that Christians are the most persecuted minority in the world and need special protection and support.” She “recalled the government’s efforts to promote protection from persecutions, freedom of religion and of belief, and human rights,” at the UN and EU level.

Kathpress specifies “that the new financial means will come from the current budget of the Federal Chancellery.” According to Minister Raab, the objective “is to support educational, religious, and training projects for children and young people, as well as for women, in order to offer the population better living conditions.”

The aid “will be implemented by the Unit for the International Protection of Persecuted Religious Minorities” established in May. The framework conditions for the subsidies are published on the website of the Federal Chancellery. Organizations and institutions can apply for funding. A committee will select the projects and finalize the details.

This million euros, which will be “available each year in the future,” Raab reaffirmed, certainly represents only a drop in the ocean compared to the immense needs of persecuted Christians, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, but small streams make big rivers.