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Thread: From my interview w/ @SecPompeo this AM:
HH: Now it seems to me that it’s a very difficult order, but if you could persuade your counterparts in the PRC and Russia, that religious freedom practiced by all but the extremes of any faith, and every faith has extremes, 1
HH: Now it seems to me that it’s a very difficult order, but if you could persuade your counterparts in the PRC and Russia, that religious freedom practiced by all but the extremes of any faith, and every faith has extremes, 1
and they cannot be allowed to define the religion for which they purport to speak, but religious liberty is actually a stabilizing force in any country that embraces genuine broad-spectrum religious liberty. 2
Have you made that argument to President XI or to others who routinely try and control the house church in China, the Catholic Church in China, any other Protestant denomination, and of course, we’ll turn the Uighurs in a second? 3
But do they get a sense, do you get a sense that they actually listen to this argument?
@SecPompeo: It’s a good question. We’ve certainly made this argument not only to the Chinese, but to every country that’s not living up their obligations for their citizens to give them 4
@SecPompeo: It’s a good question. We’ve certainly made this argument not only to the Chinese, but to every country that’s not living up their obligations for their citizens to give them 4
the religious freedom that they have by right of their humanness. It’s absolutely also factually accurate, Hugh. Your predicate of your question, which is nations become stronger when they permit their citizens to exercise their core beliefs about who they really are. 5
And we make that case to each country about why this is not something that it just intrinsically good, but also good for them in terms of their capacity to build out their country, to grow their economy and their nation, to keep their country secure and safe. 6
There’s a central premise of religious freedom makes countries stronger. It doesn’t create risk, which is what I think some of the countries like China are concerned w/when they exercise political repression against various religious faiths. That makes their country weaker. 7
And we’ve made this argument, and we will continue to build that argument out and try and convince every country, including China, that it’s in their best interest to increase the religious freedom in their country.” hughhewitt.com/secretary-of-s… 8
