> Subject: [breakpoint] Doing What's Right, 05/07/2001
>
> BreakPoint with Charles Colson
> Commentary #010507 - 05/07/2001
> Doing What's Right: George W. Bush & Religious Freedom
>
> Last Thursday President Bush did something few
> presidents in history have had the courage to do.
> However, you may not have heard about it, since much
> of the press downplayed it. But you shouldn't miss
> it, because the religious freedom of millions rests
> on people knowing about and getting behind the
> president's actions.
>
> The president spoke to the American Jewish Committee
> in Washington Thursday on the subject of religious
> liberty. Bush spoke about how America, from its
> birth, has been committed to religious tolerance and
> religious freedom. We have always been a country
> that, he quoted George Washington, "gives to bigotry
> no sanction, to persecution no assistance."
>
> Over two centuries, Bush noted, "Washington's
> rejection of religious bigotry has matured . . . into
> a guiding doctrine of our foreign policy."
>
> And then the president took direct aim at the
> countries that persecute people for their faith: He
> condemned Iraq, Iran, Burma, Cuba, and Afghanistan
> for their mistreatment of Christians, Jews, and other
> religious minorities. He reserved special
> condemnation for China, which, he said, vandalizes
> churches and mosques, and puts religious leaders
> under arrest.
>
> But the president's strongest words were aimed at the
> government of Sudan. Sudan, he said, "is a disaster
> area for human rights." The Muslim government is
> "waging war against . . . Christians and other non-
> Muslims. Some 2 million Sudanese have lost their
> lives; 4 million more have lost their homes.
> Hospitals, schools, [and] churches . . . have often
> been bombed by government warplanes; . . . women and
> children have been abducted and sold into slavery."
>
> "Aid agencies report," the president continued, "that
> food assistance is sometimes distributed only to
> those willing to undergo conversion to Islam."
>
> The president backed up his remarks with some strong
> action, as well: He announced he had just appointed a
> special humanitarian coordinator, USAID Administrator
> Andrew Natsios, to ensure that U.S. food aid to Sudan
> goes to those who need it, no matter what their
> religion. And he promised that his administration
> "will continue to speak and act for as long as the
> persecution and atrocities in the Sudan last."
>
> This is great news, and I know from personal
> experience that we can count on the president to keep
> his word. A few months ago, Bill Bennett, Rabbi
> Sapperstein, and I talked with special advisor to the
> president, Karl Rove. We pleaded for a special
> presidential envoy to deal with Sudan. Rove got back
> to me and said, "We will do it." And indeed the
> president is keeping his word.
>
> The president's action has drawn fire in some
> quarters. Businesses that use Sudan's gum arabic for
> soft drinks and other products don't want Bush to
> take such a hard line against Sudan.
>
> But you and I need to let President Bush know how
> much we appreciate his courageous stand on this issue
> -- an answer to prayer indeed, delivered on the
> National Day of Prayer. So, I hope you'll contact the
> White House and thank the president for standing up
> for the rights of persecuted citizens around the
> world, including many, many Christians.
>
> I also urge you to visit BreakPoint Online for a copy
> of the president's magnificent speech. You probably
> won't find it in your local newspapers or on TV. But
> I want you to read it, because it's evidence that we
> now have a president, thank God, who is willing to set
> his jaw -- and do what is right.
>
> For further reference:
>
> Bush, George W. "The First Freedom of the Soul."
> Remarks by the President to the American Jewish
> Committee, 3 May 2001.
> Full text available on BreakPoint Online:
>
http://www.breakpoint.org
>
> Copyright (c) 2001 Prison Fellowship Ministries
>
