A GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION #forSafeWorship
Protecting religious sites as places of shared heritage
August 11th, 2026
Religious sites are not just buildings. They are symbols of shared humanity, history and traditions and, as such, need to be protected and preserved. The #forSafeWorship initiative was created in response to the growing number of attacks on religious sites in recent years.
The initiative was developed following March 2019 terrorist attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand: a gunman opened fire in two mosques and killed 50 people. Meanwhile, Christian communities and churches in parts of Africa and the Middle East continue to face threats of terrorist attacks by Jihadist groups in Kenya, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, making Christians the most persecuted community in the world. More recently, the conflict between Israel and Palestine has also heightened concerns about attacks on synagogues and Jewish religious sites, renewing attention to the threat of antisemitism and recalling painful episodes from contemporary history.
#forSafeWorship is a call to action, inviting people from around the world to share their personal experiences and reflections on their relationship with religion through stories, photographs or short videos of one to three minutes. The guiding principles of the plan are seven key points: respect, responsibility, diversity, dialogue, solidarity, standing together, and staying together. Examples shared by participants include the Sé de Lisboa church in Portugal (1147), the Mubarak Mosque in the UK and the experience of finding a “home” in a synagogue abroad.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: “Everyone has the right to freedom […] religion; this right includes freedom to […], either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Places of worship can be spaces of peace and harmony, around which communities have gathered for thousands of years. Encouraging respect, dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding can help bridge cultures and serve as an antidote to hate.
References:
- https://forsafeworship.org/
- https://www3.parliament.nz/mi/get-involved/features/the-christchurch-mosque-attacks-how-parliament-responded/
- https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
- https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0017/
