For
Americans, religious liberty is in our DNA. The pursuit of that freedom is what
brought the Pilgrims to our shores nearly 400 years ago.
Thomas
Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, believed so strongly in
religious liberty that he authored Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom,
and when it became law, he called for it to be translated into multiple
languages and widely distributed.
We
see that same spirit in the appearance of religious freedom in the very first
line of our Constitution’s Bill of Rights—perhaps because our Founding Fathers
saw religious liberty as giving meaning to all of our other freedoms.
That’s
why the Trump administration has welcomed, listened to, and defended faith
communities like no other White House has before.
Last week, at the second ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, more than 1,000 people from over 130 countries gathered to celebrate that commitment.
It was a needed show of solidarity.
In today’s world, too many people in too many places suffer violence and
persecution merely for practicing their faith.
We
see it in Europe, where the old scourge of anti-Semitism has once again reared
its ugly head and Jews face harassment and violence.
We
see it in Sri Lanka, where a series of church bombings on Easter Sunday killed 259
people.
We see it in New Zealand, where 51 people lost their lives and scores more were injured during horrific shootings at two mosques.
In
the U.S., we’re hardly immune. Last October, 11 worshippers were killed, and
seven others injured in a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
What’s
even worse is that religious intolerance and persecution has effectively become
official policy in some places in the world.
In
Burma, government security forces attempted to ethnically cleanse the country
of its Muslim Rohingya population, prompting more than 750,000 to flee to
Bangladesh. Most of those left behind have been forced to live in what can only
be described as prison camps.
Since
Russia illegally took control of Crimea, the Tatar community has faced ever
greater repression and harassment. It’s increasingly dangerous for them to
practice their culture, speak their language, or observe their Muslim
faith.
In
China, 11 million Uighur Muslims have been treated brutally. Many have been forced
into government-sponsored reeducation camps. Beijing seems determined to strip
workers of their individuality, their identity and, yes, their faith.
In northern Iraq, ISIS has committed genocide against Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities. ISIS sought to wipe them from the face of the earth even though they’ve been a vibrant part of the region’s cultural mosaic for countless centuries.
President
Abraham Lincoln once said that he felt sorry for the man who can’t feel the
whip when it is laid on another man’s back.
Thanks to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, the U.S. Agency for International Development and others are working to offer relief and assistance to those who have suffered so much.
The
U.S. is providing a lifeline of assistance to the Rohingya who remain in Burma.
We’re also supporting those who have fled to Bangladesh and the communities
that host them.
Our Genocide Recovery and
Persecution Response Program is providing $340 million for work in northern
Iraq. We’re working with 57 new local partners, 13 faith-based groups, and 35
international organizations to provide urgent relief and humanitarian
assistance to devastated communities.
At
the ministerial, so many countries stood up for freedom of religion. But each
of us knows in our hearts that there is more we must do to show a doubting
world what religious liberty can and should mean.
In
the Gospel of Luke, the crowds call out to John the Baptist asking, “What
then shall we do?” He answers by saying that whoever has two tunics should
share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.
The Trump administration continues
to affirm our support for the freedoms enabling us to meet openly and to speak
openly about the importance of faith in our communities and in our
countries.
We
also go a step further. We invite faith communities—we challenge faith
communities—to take up the mission that the world’s great faith traditions call
for. To lift lives and build communities for believers and nonbelievers alike. To
share a tunic with him who has none.
Editor’s note: This commentary is excerpted from the author’s remarks at the State Department’s second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.
Source material can be found at this site.
