British pastor: Police pander to Muslims and LGBT at Christians’ expense
The head of a Baptist congregation in Bristol says Christians face discrimination through the persecution of street preachers.
Dia Moodley, a 58-year-old pastor who leads the Spirit of Life Church in Lockleaze, said there is a “two-tier bias” of justice in which the interests of progressive activists and Muslim communities are placed above believers’ freedom of speech.
Crosswalk reports that on the eve of Easter, the minister resumed preaching in a Bristol shopping center after a long break caused by repeated arrests and threats from the authorities.
According to the pastor, police have subjected him to harsh censorship and hours-long interrogations over statements he made criticizing Islam and transgender ideology.
Moodley stressed that his experience points to a real danger of Christianity being pushed out of the public square in favor of other beliefs. “[...] the police’s line of questioning showed a clear two-tier bias in favor of Muslim and progressive beliefs, and against my Christian speech,” he told rights advocates.
Last year, the minister spent eight hours in a cell on charges of “inciting racial hatred” for peacefully proclaiming the Gospel. He insists that preaching in public places is an integral part of his ministry, yet the authorities are in effect applying blasphemy laws to him, even though no such laws officially exist in the country’s legislation.
According to data from human rights organizations, the number of Christian preachers in the United Kingdom facing persecution for holding a biblical position on abortion and LGBT issues is rapidly increasing. Many street preachers are not only coming under legal pressure but are also becoming victims of physical attacks by radicals.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a bishop in Britain had accused the authorities of destroying the country’s Christian heritage.
