This morning, President Obama spoke at the 62nd annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Hotel. As reported on the
White House blog, the First Lady, the Vice President and many legislators, officials and clergy also attended. In his remarks (
full text), the President devoted extensive time to issues of religious freedom around the world, saying in part:
We sometimes see religion twisted in an attempt to justify hatred and persecution against other people just because of who they are, or how they pray or who they love. Old tensions are stoked, fueling conflicts along religious lines, as we’ve seen in the Central African Republic recently....
Our faith teaches us that in the face of suffering, we can’t stand idly by.....[F]reedom of religion matters to our national security.... [T]here are times when we work with governments that don’t always meet our highest standards, but they’re working with us on core interests.... At the same time, we also deeply believe that it’s in our interest, even with our partners, sometimes with our friends, to stand up for universal human rights. So promoting religious freedom is a key objective of U.S. foreign policy.....
It is not always comfortable to do, but it is right. When I meet with Chinese leaders ... I stress that realizing China’s potential rests on upholding universal rights, including for Christians, and Tibetan Buddhists, and Uighur Muslims....
When I meet with the President of Burma... I’ve said that Burma’s return to the international community depends on respecting basic freedoms, including for Christians and Muslims. I’ve pledged our support to the people of Nigeria, who deserve to worship in their churches and mosques in peace, free from terror. I’ve put the weight of my office behind the efforts to protect the people of Sudan and South Sudan, including religious minorities.
As we support Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in direct talks, we’ve made clear that lasting peace will require freedom of worship and access to holy sites for all faiths....
More broadly, I’ve made the case that no society can truly succeed unless it guarantees the rights of all its peoples, including religious minorities, whether they’re Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan, or Baha’i in Iran, or Coptic Christians in Egypt. And in Syria, it means ensuring a place for all people -- Alawites and Sunni, Shia and Christian.
Going forward, we will keep standing for religious freedom around the world. And that includes, by the way, opposing blasphemy and defamation of religion measures, which are promoted sometimes as an expression of religion, but, in fact, all too often can be used to suppress religious minorities.... We continue to stand for the rights of all people to practice their faiths in peace and in freedom. And we will continue to stand against the ugly tide of anti-Semitism that rears it's ugly head all too often. I look forward to nominating our next ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to help lead these efforts....
And finally, as we build the future we seek, let us never forget those who are persecuted today, among them Americans of faith. We pray for Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary who’s been held in North Korea for 15 months, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.... Kenneth Bae deserves to be free....
We pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini. He’s been held in Iran for more than 18 months, sentenced to eight years in prison on charges relating to his Christian beliefs.... [W]e call on the Iranian government to release Pastor Abedini so he can return to the loving arms of his wife and children in Idaho.... And as we pray for all prisoners of conscience, whatever their faiths, wherever they’re held....
C-Span has a video of the full 90 minutes of speakers at today's National Prayer Breakfast.
Time has a brief summary of highlights.
