Human Rights Commission Takes Freedom of Religion to Congress

On June 27th, 2019, Human Rights Organization took the issue of the world-wide threat of Freedom of Religion right to the halls of Congress.  Congressman Christopher Smith of New Jersey, Congressman Gus Bilirakis of Florida, and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota all attended a committee hearing to listen to human rights experts reveal just how widespread this persecution is.  The Panel who presented their information consisted of The Honorable Sam Brownback, the Ambassador for International Religious Freedom in the U.S. Department of State.  Nadine Maenza, the Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.  Dr. David Curry, President of Open Doors USA, and Thomas Farr, President of the Religious Freedom Institute.  

Ambassador Brownback stated in opening remarks that Christianity is under threat throughout the Middle East and that the Christian communities in many nations like Iraq and Syria are dwindling as a result.  In Iran, many Christians are jailed for their faith under the infamous Tehran Revolutionary Court that sentences Christians to prison for obscene charges such as "Enmity Against God, Corruption on Earth, and Disturbing National Security."  The Baha'i community is subjected to similar repression in Iran. As the Panel discussion continued, Representative Smith expressed concern over the Jihadist ideology that has spread throughout the region and states that this is the reason why so many Christians in the region have been subjected to ongoing communal violence and state-sanctioned persecution. Representative Smith made it very clear that Christians are the most persecuted religion in the world and that the U.S. minimizes persecution because we’re predominantly Christian and don’t want to seem biased.  This is a mistake.  Most Christians live outside the Western world.  They are also often part of ethnic minorities, meaning they’re even more persecuted.

Dr. David Curry, President of Open Doors, Testifying Before Congress

Though Iran and the spread of Jihadist intolerance was a central focus during the panel discussion, much was also said about China’s growing intolerance toward the numerous religious communities within their borders.  Ever since Mao Zedong seized power in the nation, the state has sought to manipulate, control, or eliminate all religion as they see religious faith as a challenge to the Chinese Communist Party.  Every religious group within the nation is subject to persecution, whether they're Buddhists in Tibet, Christians, Muslims, or Falun Gong.  Currently, thousands of Muslim Uyghurs are being held in Chinese Prison Camps, Christian Churches are begin destroyed, and both Muslim Uyghurs and practitioners of Falun Gong have been murdered and harvested for their organs.  The Panel revealed that the religious persecution in China has been the most severe time in modern history with the exception of the time-period of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution.  

The Panel brought other nations of concern onto the table, including Eretria, Burma, and Vietnam, both of which engage in governed level persecution of numerous Christian and non-Christian religions.  India, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic were also brought before the panel as all three nations experience significant persecution at the hand’s radical nationalist groups and insurgent forces while the governments in charge are taking ineffective action against the perpetrators.  Both the Panel Members and the Congressional Delegates reached agreement that the persecution of any religion by government or society is a threat to free religion everywhere, and that action must be taken.  Proposals such as economic sanctions, withholding of trade agreements with nations until religious rights are protected and prejudicial teachings halted, pressuring governments to take stronger action against violent insurgent groups, and the turning over of persecuting military leaders to the International Community for War Crimes Investigation are all solutions that are proposed.  The strongest push by Representative Smith was the encouragement of Round-Table Discussions between religious leaders throughout the world as well as the establishment of an effective Grassroots campaign that involves both government agencies and human rights organizations to address the issue of religious freedom all over the world.  

Link to Panel Video