Christian Solidarity International

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Christian Solidarity International ("Christian Solidarity International"), abbreviated CSI , is an international Christian aid organization that works for persecuted Christians worldwide. The organization with international headquarters in Zurich is Reformed and Free Church - Evangelical close circles. In some cases she represented Islamophobic and Christian fundamentalist positions.

The organization was founded in 1977 by the Swiss Protestant-Reformed pastor Hansjürg Stückelberger, who belongs to the Protestant- Pietist denomination. At first she organized silent marches for persecuted Christians in the Soviet Union . Today CSI is also represented in Germany , Austria , France , Hungary and the United States . Another organization is the British Christian Solidarity International Worldwide.

Buying slaves

For the attention ransom activities created by slaves in Sudan , during the civil war from 1996 from the black African and Christian- animist dominated South Sudan in the Muslim- Arab were deported northern Sudan ( see also : Slavery in Sudan ). According to its own information, CSI has freed tens of thousands of slaves so far. These ransom campaigns were criticized by organizations such as UNICEF and the aid organization Dinka-Komitee, which was founded within the mainly affected people of the Dinka , as morally questionable and counterproductive, as they could create financial incentives for further slave hunts. CSI, on the other hand, believes that slavery in Sudan is primarily a consequence of the war and, in some cases, the targeted use of “weapons of war” and less due to economic motives. Although other national organizations are now distancing themselves from the ransom campaigns, the Swiss CSI will continue them even after the end of the civil war. The organization claims to have freed more than 100,000 slaves between 1995 and 2012.

Relationship to Islam

Compared to the Islam CSI plays a very critical attitude. The organization emphasizes that the victims in Sudan are always Christians and the perpetrators are Muslims (a statement that is not always true) and sees Europe as threatened by Islamization . For this reason, she clearly rejects Turkey's accession to the EU . CSI describes itself as denominationally neutral and, according to its own information, also provides help to Muslims who have fled Darfur to South Sudan. CSI founder Stückelberger stated, among other things: "A Muslim who takes the Koran seriously cannot approve of a democratic-free social order." He was repeatedly accused of being incited to religion and being close to fundamentalist opponents of Islam.

In 2006, CSI sent the book Islam and Terrorism to numerous Catholic and Protestant parishes and other church offices in Germany . What the Quran Really Teaches About Christianity, Violence and the Goals of Jihad by Mark A. Gabriel . The Archdiocese of Freising points out that fundamental statements about Islam as a world religion are "at least misleading and misleading" in the book. The book cemented enemy images, “stirs up fears and replaces an urgently needed critical dialogue with confrontation”, writes the diocese. In addition, the book puts “Islam” under a kind of “general suspicion” and therefore “does not do justice to the diversity and diversity of the various directions and currents within Islam.”

CSI Austria

In contrast to the free church-oriented CSI-Germany, the Austrian organization of the same name is closely linked to the Catholic and Protestant dioceses and works with Amnesty International . Auxiliary Bishop Franz Scharl, Former Bishop Paul Iby and the Protestant Former Bishop Herwig Sturm belong to the board. The ecumenically oriented CSI Austria has observer status at the ÖRKÖ (Ecumenical Council of Churches in Austria) and is also involved in the parish work. According to its mission statement, this human rights and aid organization gets involved when a Christian is subjected to massive restrictions (discrimination, violence, displacement up to several years imprisonment and death sentence) just because of his faith. In principle, “non-Christian persons or groups” are never excluded from help.

CSI Austria has been campaigning for the human right to religious freedom worldwide since 1980: by means of silent marches, by means of petitions for Christians imprisoned for their faith, with protest rallies, with media activities (including press conferences and the publication of their magazine “Christians in Need”) draws the NGO's attention to Christians who are persecuted around the world and calls on politicians to take action. In addition, CSI-Austria supports projects in crisis-ridden areas with donations (primarily children and students in the Middle East and Nigeria, whose lives are seriously threatened by Islamic terrorism).

The separation of CSI Austria and CSI Germany is also clear from the fact that there is no link to other CSI websites on the Austrian website. CSI Austria is entitled to use the Austrian seal of approval for donations .

See also

Web links

Homepages

Critical articles on the slave buyback program in Sudan

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://csi-schweiz.ch/ueber-uns/internationale-csi-vertretungen/
  2. ↑ https://csi-schweiz.ch/ueber-uns/geschichte/
  3. ↑ Hans Hielscher, Gert Holle: Slave Trade on the Gazelle River? Spiegel online, July 24, 2000
  4. ↑ Swiss NGO frees people from slavery. In: 20 minutes . November 14, 2012, accessed April 10, 2018 .
  5. ^ Hansjürg Stückelberger: Cross and headscarf. (PDF) CSI, 2004, archived from the original on January 18, 2012 ; accessed on January 31, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Bettina Mutter: What connects a Christian aid organization with opponents of Islam. In: Tages-Anzeiger . January 28, 2008, archived from the original on January 31, 2008 ; accessed on April 10, 2018 .
  7. ^ Alfred Singer, Axel Seegers: Christian Solidarity International (CSI) (Mark A. Gabriel - Islam and Terrorism). Department of Weltanschauung issues in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising (accessed on September 10, 2019)
  8. ^ Austrian seal of approval for donations - CSI Austria ( memento of April 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 26, 2015.