Trump Signs Executive Order to Promote Religious Freedom Around the World

Contact Your Elected Officials
The White House Washington

WASHINGTONโ€”President Donald Trump signed anย executive orderย on June 2 to prioritizeย religious freedomย in U.S. foreign policy and assistance programs.

โ€œReligious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and the United States will respect and vigorously promote this freedom,โ€ the order states.

Within six months of the date of the order, the secretary of state, together with the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is to โ€œdevelop a plan to prioritize international religious freedom in the planning and implementation of United States foreign policy and in the foreign assistance programs of the Department of State and USAID.โ€

The new order also allocates at least $50 million per year for programs that promote international religious freedom.

The Treasury Department may also consider sanctions on individuals involved in religious persecution by implementing the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, among other things. The law empowers the U.S. government to place visa bans and block the assets of human rights abusers and corrupt officials around the world.

Eighty percent of the worldโ€™s population lives in countries where religious liberty is threatened or banned.

In September 2019, Trump called on countries to end religious persecution around the world at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. He was the first leader to initiate such a discussion at the UNGA high-level meetings.

He urged governments to stop persecuting their citizens, release prisoners of conscience, eliminate laws that restrict religion, and protect oppressed people.

Thomas Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit welcomed Trumpโ€™s announcement.

โ€œI am encouraged that the Executive Order emphasizes that religious freedom is not just a nice-to-have human right. It explicitly states as U.S. policy that โ€˜religious freedom, Americaโ€™s first freedom, is a moral and national security imperative,โ€™โ€ he stated in an email.

It also takes important steps, such as โ€œrequiring religious freedom training for all overseas diplomatic personnel, and developing new economic tools to promote religious freedom and sanction individuals and countries who abuse religious freedom,โ€ he added.

In its annual report released in April, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) identified 14 countries of particular concern, including Burma, China, India, Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

China has been a growing concern for Washington. USCIRF Commissioner Gary L. Bauer told The Epoch Times that the long list of religious violations and the Chinese regimeโ€™s growing hostility toward religion have made China the worldโ€™s โ€œworst abuser of religious liberty.โ€

โ€œChina has declared war on all religious faith,โ€ he said, adding that the regime has become โ€œan international threat.โ€

Persecution in China

The Chinese regime has been consistently designated by the U.S. State Department as a โ€œcountry of particular concernโ€ for its poor record on religious freedom since 1999.

Religious groups of all kinds are under attack in China, including Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, and adherents of the ancient spiritual discipline Falun Gong. They suffer from systematic arrest, unlawful imprisonment, torture, and brainwashing. According to researchers, the government is using various methods of persecution, which include forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

Beijing has built detention camps to detain an estimated 1 million Uyghur and other ethnic minority Muslims in the far western Xinjiang region. Elsewhere, the demolition of underground churches and other houses of worship continues.

BY EMEL AKAN

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

Remember Epsteinโ€™s โ€œLittle Black Booksโ€?

Image of Bill Clinton getting a massage from Jeffrey...

On the Major Leagueโ€™s periphery: A major trip through the minors

For Nick Dunn, the trek through the minors is a trifecta of physical, mental, and organizational hurdles filled with politics, roster volatility, and injuries.

Private Citizens are Now Looking into Epstein Client List

Most Americans have never felt so betrayed and confused by a president and his admin as they are by the Trump admin over the Epstein client list issue.

Peace In Ukraine Wonโ€™t End The Westโ€™s Hybrid War On Russia

The Westโ€™s Hybrid War on Russia to follow peace in Ukraine is inevitable due to neoconservatives and liberal-globalists in its decision-making ecosystem.

Epstein Case Closed?

The DOJ and FBI announced on Sunday evening of the July 4th holiday weekend that Jeffry Epstein had no client list and didnโ€™t kill himself in prison.

Federal Judge Blocks Trumpโ€™s Birthright Citizenship Order After Supreme Court Ruling

Judge barred Trump admin from enforcing EO limiting birthright citizenship, after Supreme Court restricted judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.

California Might Stop Making Necessary Debt Payments for 2 Years

California State Legislature met the budget submission deadline and it was signed by the governor, but they still need to cut $12 billion in spending.

MP Materials Secures Rare Earths Deal With DOD, Shares Surge 50 Percent

MP Materials Corp. announced a public-private partnership with the DOD to build out rare earth magnet supply chain and reduce dependency on China.

Ex-CIA Director Brennan Says DOJ Hasnโ€™t Contacted Him About an Investigation

Former CIA Dir Brennan said he hasn't been contacted by DOJ, FBI, or CIA following reports he and former FBI Dir. Comey are under investigation.

RFK Jr. Bans Illegal Immigrants From Government-Funded Programs

HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is rescinding a 1998 interpretation of a law that allowed illegal immigrants to access certain government-funded programs.

Rubio Set to Visit Malaysia for ASEAN Meetings Amid Tariff Tensions

A delegation including U.S. Sec. of State Marco Rubio will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for series of high-profile meetings between July 11 and 12.

US Will Collect More Than $300 Billion in Tariff Revenues This Year, Treasury Secretary Says

U.S. is on track to potentially raise โ€œwell over $300 billionโ€ in tariff income by end of the year, Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said during WH Cabinet meeting.

Senate Panel Advances Trumpโ€™s CDC Director Nominee

A Senate committee on July 9 voted to advance the nomination of Susan Monarez to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
spot_img

Related Articles