Religious Freedom Remains Critical in U.S. Foreign Relations
Press Release
Religious Freedom Remains Critical in U.S. Foreign Relations
Congressmen Franks and Cleaver Host Luncheon For a Discussion on International Religious Freedom in American History and Foreign Policy
Congressman Trent Franks and Emanuel Cleaver, II hosted a private luncheon yesterday with over a dozen Foreign Ambassadors, for the purpose of facilitating dialogue between Members of Congress and Ambassadors serving in Washington, D.C., to strengthen the message that the United States Congress remains committed to securing religious freedom for all people everywhere. Congressman Franks made the following introductory remarks:
"Since joining Congress, I have made the promotion and protection of religious freedom one of my office's top priorities, which is also why I founded a Caucus to focus specifically on this freedom with Rep. Cleaver. There are over 40 Members of Congress participating in this Caucus, some of whom joined us today.
"Humanity was made to worship. It is an inherent part of being human, and by allowing people the freedom of belief and the freedom to express those beliefs openly and without fear, we enable them to express their humanity and dignity to the fullest extent possible. Thomas Jefferson stated that the 'Constitutional freedom of religious [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights.' Indeed, I truly believe religious freedom is foundational to all other freedoms.
"Over 70% of the world's population live in countries or territories that are either 'partly free' or completely 'unfree' with respect to religious freedom. This is a majority of the world and therefore a serious problem. Religious freedom is not just an American value, it is a universal value that all nations have committed to upholding. Charles Malik of Lebanon authored article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that 'Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.'
"It is my hope that the meeting between Members of Congress and Ambassadors from nations all over the world today will help bring about more open dialogue to advance the promotion and protection of the fundamental freedom of religion, and that in so doing, states that actively ensure the freedom of religion might realize greater political stability, economic prosperity, and social harmony, and ultimately advance the cause of human dignity and freedom."
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver made the following statement: "The foundation of our democratic nation rests on the establishment of the freedom to practice one's religion, express one's beliefs, or abstain from involvement in religion in one so chooses. It is telling that the very first amendment drafted by our founders addressed religious freedom, emphasizing the fact that religious freedom is indeed a fundamental right. I think the worldwide interest in our work, represented by the crowd of foreign dignitaries who gathered for this luncheon, shows the eager and earnest way the world is looking to us to advocate for those rights around the globe."
Angela Wu, the International Law Director of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, delivered the main address at the luncheon. An excerpt of her statement follows:
"...a freedom in theory alone is not much of a freedom at all. Even if we agree on the right to conscience generally, the contours, how the state interacts with it, is a complex question in execution. There are no absolute freedoms. They are all balanced against one another, and against the interests of, for example, public order or security and other things that are already recognised in international instruments. What's truly interesting about religious freedom, though, is that it's a right that encompasses so many others - the right to speech and expression, the right to freedom of association, even property rights...."
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