Hungary has been the subject of
increased criticism in the
past few years, with Prime Minister Victor Orban accused of
harbouring
authoritarian tendencies and being hostile to migrants
crossing into the
country.
On June 20 the Hungarian
Parliament approved a package of
laws that criminalizes the act of helping undocumented
migrants; some fear it
will help transform the country into an “illiberal democracy.”
Is Hungary being unfairly
maligned? I recently attended a
conference in Washington on “Faces of Persecution,” organized
by Coptic
Solidarity, an advocacy group for Egyptian Christians. It
featured two
Hungarian government officials as speakers.
Dr. Laszlo Szabo was appointed
the Hungarian ambassador to
the United States last year, while Tristan Azbej is Hungary’s
Deputy State
Secretary for Aiding Persecuted Christians, a government
department now located
within the Prime Minister’s office.
Szabo, who previously served as
Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Trade in Prime Minister Orban’s government,
explained that his
government is helping to rebuild Christian settlements and
churches in northern
Iraq for Christians who fled the region when it was conquered
by the Islamic
State.
“Hungary believes it is best to
create a meaningful future
for these people, working with churches in Syria, Iraq, and
Lebanon, to provide
solutions, he said.
“They need help on the ground,
hence identifying whom to
talk to is important. We went to one town, Telesquf, north of
Mosul in Iraq,
and have rebuilt hundreds of houses.
“We also rebuilt three schools
and one hospital after
Islamic State was pushed out.” Out of 1,300 families that had
fled the town,
about 1,000 have returned.
“We
are proud to lead
by example. We also created the Stipendium Hungaricum
scholarship program for
students. We have to create a future of jobs and
opportunities.”
Szabo emphasized that there must
be meaningful solutions in
the affected countries themselves. “This is better than having
people flee to
Europe.” And at the same time, it will allow Hungary to
“preserve its
self-identity.”
Azbej served in Hungary’s Tel
Aviv embassy in Israel prior
to the launch of his unit in 2016.
It focuses on raising awareness
and providing humanitarian
aid in regions of crisis.
The ultimate goal, he indicated,
is to help persecuted
Christians in the Middle East to remain in their ancient lands
and to
strengthen their communities.
Their primary need is to be able
to return to their homes
with international support.
Hungary will topple the wall of
silence that surrounds the
persecution of Christians, he told the attendees. They are
victims of “cruel acts
of aggression and
discrimination.”
Helping them, he added, has
become a national policy for
Hungary. “We have dedicated programs for those living in the
crisis zones.”
He told the conference that
hundreds of young Copts are
studying at Hungarian universities, while Copts injured in
terrorist attacks in
Egypt have been treated in Hungarian hospitals.
Uncontrolled mass migration is a
threat both to Europe and
the Middle East, he maintained. In Europe, it will lead to a
loss of a nation’s
culture, while in the Mideast it results in that region losing
its best people.
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