End religious persecution, prays Trump at UN meeting

[New York, USA, TCT] President of the United States Donald Trump wants nations of the world to bring to an end religious persecution.

“Today, with one clear voice, the United States of America calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution,” said the President during the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom event at the United Nations, an article originally published in www.Caffeinatedthoughts.com.  

President Trump is the first president to convene a meeting on religious freedom at the United Nations.

Survivors of religious persecution from around the globe were among attendees, along with civil society leaders, religious leaders, business executives.

The US administration officials including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary Mike Pompeo, Ambassador Sam Brownback, members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and members of the faith community also attended the meeting where more than 130 U.N. heads of state and delegations, as well as U.N. Secretary Antonio Gutierrez turned up.

During his speech, President Trump stated, “The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God.  This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights.  Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions. Regrettably, the religious freedom enjoyed by American citizens is rare in the world.  Approximately 80 percent of the world’s population live in countries where religious liberty is threatened, restricted, or even banned.  And when I heard that number, I said, “Please go back and check it because it can’t possibly be correct.”  And, sadly, it was.  Eighty percent.”

Trump concluded, “Today, I ask all nations to join us in this urgent moral duty. We ask the governments of the world to honor the eternal right of every person to follow their conscience, live by their faith, and give glory to God.”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2017, he has proven to be the most pro-religious liberty president in the history of the United States, and the historic Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom event is a great example of that. We must continue to embrace and protect our religious freedom in America and around the world.  Christians and religious minorities are now suffering more persecution than at any time in history.”

Persecution of Christians around the world continues to rise, with churches being burnt in various locations in Kenya.

In The Sudan under sharia law, thousands of Sudanese women have been flogged for “indecent behaviour”. Christian women face being imprisoned or whipped in public for wearing “immoral [un-Islamic] dress” such as a pair of trousers in the nation, according to reports.

In Central African Republic, fighting between Fulani rebels and the government has seen churches burnt down, pastors and priests killed while other atrocities are also reported.