November 7, 2023

At a time of so much grief and suffering in the Holy Land, we know that Jewish people and Muslims across Europe are living in fear, and increasingly so. The present conflict in Israel and Gaza is fuelling the intolerance which has been here for centuries.

Against this backdrop, EEA is now publishing 2 Calls to Action: one on antisemitism in Europe, the other on anti-Muslim hatred in Europe. We did not write either of these calls because of current events in the Middle East. Indeed, we have been working on these texts for many months. But, with the rise of intolerance against Jews and Muslims growing and the fear of more, we feel it is important to publish the texts now.

One could argue that these calls to action for Christians could be much shorter. We all know it is wrong to hate and that we are called to love all people and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. However, we felt that some context was needed. So, we have reflected briefly on history, biblical teaching, present attitudes and how Christians are responding.

We hope that these 2 texts will serve as inspiration for Evangelicals across Europe regarding our responsibility to be Good News People in word and deed. We pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide us all in our response to the problem of hatred, the distress of our Jewish and Muslim neighbours and the missional opportunities around us.

Meanwhile, you can find a statement and prayer resources regarding Israel and Gaza here.