In 2012, the Obama State Department scrubbed the section on religious freedom from its human rights report, so this is a step in the right direction.
“U.S. places Pakistan on watch list for religious freedom violations,” Reuters, January 4, 2018:
WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department has placed Pakistan on a special watch list for “severe violations of religious freedom,” it said on Thursday, days after the White House said Islamabad would have to do more to combat terrorism to receive U.S. aid.
The State Department also said it had re-designated 10 other nations as “countries of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act for having engaged in or tolerated egregious violations of religious freedom.
The re-designated countries were China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They were re-designated on Dec. 22.
“The protection of religious freedom is vital to peace, stability, and prosperity,” the department said in a statement. “These designations are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries.”…
elee says
How long did this take? Why?
mortimer says
O-bummer! No concern for the human rights of religious minorities among the Dems.
gravenimage says
Hey–I’m glad to see it happening now.
I think a lot of people expected Trump to clean up everything the moment he took office. I think this is unrealistic. Just seeing steady movement–as we are–is an excellent thing.
Carolyne says
Already in the first year he has conquered global warming!
Liam Ronan says
It seems the supremely opportune moment to insist that Christian mother Asia Bibi be set free after 9 years of imprisonment for ‘blasphemy’. Transport her and her family to the United States and grant them asylum.
Jack Diamond says
Watch list. Watch them do what? Murder Asia Bibi? Let them free Asia Bibi before we will even speak to them again.
mortimer says
Hear, hear.
gravenimage says
I understand you frustration, Jack. But at least Trump is putting them on notice–better than what any of his predecessors have done.
David says
I agree 100%
Dreadnaught says
When people self identify in the first instance by their religious association the issue is more problematic and automatically becomes a political position.
The Jews in Israel or the Rohingya in Myanmar cant escape the fact that they are making territorial claims which have consequences beyond matters of religion.
The West has for so long been happy to regard a faith a a personal and private matter because for 2000 years it has only had to cope with variations on the same theme.
Opening the doors to Islam has changed all that and we should not be mislead in assuming that religious freedom has to be extend unconditionally to one committed to eradicate all others.
Januk36 says
+1
Buraq says
Dreadnaught, you wrote: The Jews in Israel or the Rohingya in Myanmar can’t escape the fact that they are making territorial claims which have consequences beyond matters of religion.
Poor comparison, I’m afraid. The Jews have had a continuous presence in Israel for 3,000 plus years. The Rohingya, however, are descendants of cheap labor imported on a massive scale by the British in the 1820s. They don’t speak the same language as the indigenous Burmese and their religion is Islam, as opposed to the Buddhism of the locals.
The two cases couldn’t be more different. However, there is a detailed and instructive article on the history of the Rohingya in Myanmar (Burma) here on Jihad Watch. I recommend that you read it.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/03/hugh-fitzgerald-the-rohingyas-aung-san-suu-kyi-and-the-maligning-of-myanmar
Prabh108 says
what about the Hindu Rohingya???
Chand says
Buraq says: “The Rohingya, however, are descendants of cheap labor imported on a massive scale by the British in the 1820s.”
But most of the Rohingyans were born in Myanmar. That is their country. So what if they speak a different language and practice a different religion? People who are born in the US naturally become US citizens, irrespective of their language and ethnicity and religion and the US is the most enlightened civilization on Earth. Why shouldn’t Myanmar do the same? Myanmar should recognize the rights of its own citizens and treat them like human beings and take back the refugees and punish those who committed atrocities against innocent civilians.
gravenimage says
Chand wrote:
Buraq says: “The Rohingya, however, are descendants of cheap labor imported on a massive scale by the British in the 1820s.”
But most of the Rohingyans were born in Myanmar. That is their country. So what if they speak a different language and practice a different religion?
………………………….
So what if Muslim Rohingya rape and murder native Burmese?
Good grief…
Buraq says
@ Chand
You wrote: But most of the Rohingyans were born in Myanmar. That is their country.
Then why do they murder the indigenous Burmese? They murdered 50,000 during WW2. That’s not the action of well integrated outsiders, is it? You should read Hugh Fitzgerald’s article that I recommended in my post above.
And successive generations have had since the 1820s to learn the language of their hosts! But they choose not to. Another symbol of non-integration by choice.
Finally, the Rohingya are Muslim. So, their religion commands them to remain apart and to pressurize their hosts, until they gain the upper hand and finally take over! Read Al Qur’an!
gravenimage says
Spot on, Buraq.
gravenimage says
Hindu Rohingya are not a problem. They are not trying to violently take over Burma as are Muslims.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
I don’t use the term “Rohinaya.” It is misleading. It was intended to mislead. It was a term invented by them as part of their claim to a separate state of Rakhine province – with the intention of having as part of a larger Bangladesh. They are “Muslim Bengalis.” Like the Kurds they a very large ethnic group whose members belong to various religions. That’s where the similarity ends – the Kurds of different faith get along better than the Bengalis. (Kurds tend to identify with their ethnicity more than with their particular religion.) The Kurds have no homeland whereas the Bengalis do have a homeland: Bangladesh. It’s where they came from and it is where they belong.
When I read the sentence that compared the Muslim Bengalis and the Jews I did a double take. What? Their situations are completely different. Until the founding of Israel the Jews had no homeland and the homeland that they did have centuries, no millennia ago was located exactly where Israel was founded. The Muslim Bengalis have a homeland. As was stated before, they were taken as indentured labour by the Brits to work in Rakhine. The problem is not that they wish to live there in peace. The problem is they wish to drive all kufar out so that they can take the region and add it to Bangladesh. Myanmar is justified in driving out the separatists Muslim Bengalis.
gravenimage says
True, Flavius.
Sharyati says
Yes true Buraq. Where ever Muslims are a Majority they do make sure to chase out the local indigenous population. This has happened in a lot of place here in India but the main stream media shuts up and never reports such issues. For example in a town in the state of Uttar pradesh in North India, Hindus were driven away by forcing to sell of there holdings for dirt cheap prices. This is happening in many places in south of the country like coastal Tamil Nadu too. But the media is mum on all this.
A isolated beef lynching happens and the main stream media has a field day. But when workers of Hindu organizations are killed as it happened yesterday in the state of Karnataka, the same TV channels do not even report the event. Also the recent cast clashes that happened in the state of Maharashtra are due to 2 anti national Muslims who are studying in the JNU, which is a university that houses and nurtures all anti nationals and lefties. Thus you see what happen when Muslims become majority in a place and if they are not, how clandestinely they kill and engineer clashes.
C. P. Meyer says
Exactly.
Prabh108 says
Dhan Vad Trump Sahibji Dhan Vad.
Vielen Danks.
Thank you.
CRUSADER says
And….
….it is a New Year !
George says
Put them on watch? Theres sufficient backlog on crimes that warrant immediate action, never mind waiting for something new. Wer are not talking about mischievous children here.
mortimer says
The Pakistan blasphemy law has to go. It’s solely used to discriminate against non-Muslim minorities and keep them living in constant fear.
They suffer from unrelenting and systemic persecution.
mortimer says
At last! A president who is telling the world to MOVE UP to HUMAN RIGHTS!
Lydia Church says
Obama was such a hater!
gravenimage says
US puts Pakistan on watch list for religious freedom violations, Iran & Saudi Arabia countries of “particular concern”
………………………
Excellent news. And great to see Saudi Arabia on that list, as well.
Peter says
They should be at the very top of that list
Norger says
Yes. They should be at or near the top of the travel ban list as well.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Peter and Norger.
duh swami says
Free Asia Bibi, and the doctor who fingered Bin Laden…
gravenimage says
+1
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Clueless mad savage Trump, you lied. Your evil united states is not serious about violations of human right in the world. why supporting fascist evil zionist state of Israel with clear records of such violations on palestinians ? Are evil zionists, being your Master, above your définition of human right abuses ?
LeftisruiningCanada says
Show me a Jew hating Palestinian being harmed by an Israeli, and i’ll show you a young man who was already being violent towards a Jew.
And, if i haven’t asked before, have you posted up your mithra response anywhere yet?
gravenimage says
Ibrahim itace muhammed believes that freedom and democracy are violating his “right” to destroy Israel and commit genocide against the Jews…
common sense says
We need permission to fix the entire mess just like the “greatest generation”. Better men committed suicide when they couldn’t get in the branch or outfit they wanted to fight in WWII. I wouldn’t recommend that since there are so many ways to support our military.
Hasn’t anyone learned this yet? I’m glad ISIS is the first example of Trump giving our military permission to engage and finish them. We need to be “deputized” so to speak for the rest of it.
Champ says
“These designations are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries.”…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“religious freedom” …something most mohammedans abhor.
Norger says
They have an inverted definition of “religious freedom.” Much like “peace” means submission to Islamic totalitarianism, “religious freedom” means the freedom to practice Islam, the only “true” religion. Ugh
LeftisruiningCanada says
Yes. Any restriction of their religious freedom, in normal speak, means something holding them back from treating unbelievers as third class slaves.
Opposing islam, or merely declining to convert, is a restriction of their religious freedom to be supreme, as is any suggestion of self defense either politically or physically. Looking a muslim in the eyes or not surrendering the nicest part of the street to walk on, is also the same.
When it comes down to it, a real muslim, filled with all the zeal and demonic spirit of his idol mohammad, considers it an affront and insult to his religion (which is really just his divinely ordained right to be a tyrannical narcissistic egotist) for unbelievers to continue being better than him in anyway whatsever, or even existing.
And, once non-muslims can no longer be found nearby, the same puritanical stricture will be applied to the muslims he passes by each day in the street. Some will not meet his mohammad based concept of perfection, and the whole things starts over again.
Islam is a religion perfectly designed to arouse all the best faculties of mankind in the worst possible way without any chance of improvement or reform of itself or mankind in general. Like other perverted utopian ideologies, it denies God in the name of a man made god, while seeking to imitate everything the one true God is by nature.
The result always has been and always will be, suffering torture and death on a vast and terrible scale.
Come Lord Jesus.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
‘“The protection of religious freedom is vital to peace, stability, and prosperity,” the department said in a statement.’
-=-=-=-
It seems few know/understand – including “the department” – that those who first put forward the concept of ‘religious freedom’ also added the caveat that such a freedom should not be extended to those who will not extend it to others. Extending such a freedom to those who would deny that freedom to others will lead to the complete loss of religious freedom for all.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Leftruinigcanada, are you deaf, dumb and blind that you cannot See and hear such mass killings of palestinians ? when Ghaza was was invaded by fascist zionist state of Israel more than 1000 palestinian were kiłled in a single mission alone. Is the number insignicant bellow what one jewish said according to evil Talmud that where one fingernail of à jew is injured the Jews are justified to kill one million palestinians ? Tell the number of Jews kiłled by palestinians to comparé and contrast.
on mithraist origin of present Day filthy christianity, i Will post the detail tomorrow if the operators of this site have not cut or refuse to publish It as they have doing to my posts whenever they feel that It is too debunking to Mr Spencer’s lies.
gravenimage says
Talk about projection!
Actually, Gaza was not invaded by Israel–it was *ceded* by her, in a vain hope for peace.
Buraq says
@ Ibrahim itace muhammed
Your post is full of hysterical lies – mass killings of ‘Palestinians’ by Zionists etc … The Israelis were forced to make an incursion into Gaza to stop the daily targeting of civilian centers by Hamas rockets – 8,000 of them over the years! No rockets, no incursion. And then you write about ‘filthy Christianity’; what would you and your leftist fascist friends say if anyone wrote about ‘filthy Islam’?
You’re a clown Ibrahim, slavishly following the dictates of brutal prophet. Get a life! Dump Islam and join the human race.
LeftisruiningCanada says
As usual, you provide no references to anything but your own understanding and authority. Sorry to say that your previous posting history has not earned you the position where statements can be accepted at face value.
Israel has made some incursions over the years, for reasons others have mentioned.
If they were so terrible, you might keep in mind that Israel was and is quite able to take Gaza back, and yet they do not. One would imagine such butchers as you think they are, to do a lot more damage. It’s not like they couldn’t.
Would your muslim brothers be so lenient with Jews i wonder?
As for your post on mithra, i do look forward to it.
If you are referring to your post being lost from the previous attempt to put it up, as i said, it was happening to me also. It was almost certainly to do with the length of the posts, and having reached some kind of limitation with the comments software.
Kepha says
I would have preferred Trump doing this after withdrawing our own and allied forces out of that pestiferous hole called Afghanistan. Our whole effort there depends on Pakistani cooperation (one reason it was a bad idea in the first place).
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
http://www.breitbart.com/radio/2018/01/04/bannon-praises-trump-potus-is-a-great-man-i-support-him-day-in-and-day-out/
mortimer says
These are some of the truest words to come from the Trump White House:
“The protection of religious freedom is vital to peace, stability, and prosperity”.
Amen.
LeftisruiningCanada says
But muslims believe dhimmis have religious freedom. They agree with this ideal, and are happily exploiting it for their take over by hiding behind it.
Better to define clearly what counts as a religion, and where the boundaries are.
dumbledoresarmy says
He’s got a list, and he’s checking it twice…
Or, to quote a different song, “I’ve got a little list, I’ve got a little list..”.
It begins to look remarkably as though there is a list of Mohammedan countries (or non-state / pseudo-state actors, in the case of the ‘Palestinians”) who have been on the receving end of US ‘aid’ largesse (which they, being Muslims, have viewed as nothing but their due, taking it for granted as jizya or as tribute) and Trump is slowly, patiently working his way down the list, with a view to… reducing expenses.
Each gets an ultimatum, or test, so to speak, that then provides the trigger for the cutoff.
Using the “Jerusalem’ test to flush *all* the rats out – both the mohammedans and their non-Mohammedan enablers/ dhimmis – was *brilliantly* simple.
Now it’s just a matter of applying further ‘tests’.
The ‘poor “Palestinians”‘ were first, being ‘low-hanging fruit’ (imagine if one got all US Senators and Congressmembers together and showed them, oh, about two hours’ worth of Fatah and Hamas kiddie TV? and assorted other sickeningly evil stuff poured out by the truckload by the ‘palestinian’ arab Muslims.. video of tiny tots waving knives and squeaking “Stab, stab, stab the Jew”, FB pages with diagrams showing where you put the knife in order to kill a Jew, and genocidal ecstastic howlings from imams in the ‘al aqsa mosque’, and so on, ad nauseam; *this* is the norm, this is what that society *is*, what it loves, what it watches, listens to, steeps itself in, 24/7).
Pakistan has now been put on notice.
I wouldn’t mind betting that Afghanistan, and Turkey ,and yes sirree, even the Abominable House of Saud, and Islamic Egypt, are on that list, too. Iran and Pakistan were pretty high up on it, because nukes.
gravenimage says
Hear, hear!
LeftisruiningCanada says
Yep, good points all.
Sharyati says
Actually he is giving too much leeway. He should have imposed sanctions on them and treat Pakistan like North Korea.
dumbledoresarmy says
Yes. The entire Dar al Islam – every majority-Islamic OIC country – should be treated like North Korea.
Wall them off, cut them off, keep them out, and *shun* them. Nothing else has ever worked, historically.
The apostates that defect from the Camp of Islam to the Camp of the Free can be put through heavy-duty cult-deprogramming processes and put on probation. If they’re sincere they will know, none better, why that is necessary and be happy to comply.
Sharyati says
But DDA that would be an impossibility as much of the world is dependent on oil and the bulk of it is possessed by these nations. India depends on Iran, the US on Saudi oil etc etc. Switching over to a non fossil fuel based energy source, would decrease Jihad by half. Now in India an electrification of vehicles drive is going on. Cars that commute within 5-10kms within a city should run primarily on batteries and there are recharge stations being planned just like we have petrol bunks. Let us see how this goes. Even a small success should cause a dent in oil revenue for these Jihadi nations.
gravenimage says
Actually, the US and Canada are now producing more oil–and several Muslim nations appear to be close to bottoming out…
Kepha says
The trouble is, NorK has China backing it.
dumbledoresarmy says
Yes. They are basically a wholly-owned sub-franchise.
China pretends not to be able to control this ‘rogue’ state. I don’t believe them.
They are using N Korea as a *weapon*. Like having a slightly-mad attack dog at your disposal; and you pretend you didn’t know there was a hole in the fence, when one day he gets out and bites a passer-by.
gravenimage says
Agreed, DDA.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Ignorant idiot manat bint satan(holy spirit),with all the hang up defeat suffered by evil united states and Its fascist evil zionist Masters, they can still make a move in 2018? such a move Will be dead before arrival.we Will smoke them out, get them running, track them and humiliate them again at the UN. The only alternative open to these two evil entities is to pull out of UN and remain isolated from international community to form their Union of two evil nations. The hegemony has now ended and cannot be resuscitate by whatever means even by hook or crook. Take note !!
LeftisruiningCanada says
You sure do think a lot of the UN don’t you.
Not surprising, since you are a fan of global take over.
How you can view the result of the Jerusalem vote as a defeat for the US is beyond me, since it will happen regardless of what a bunch of islamic failed states and their euro dhimmis think.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Oh yes, and if you have chance, it would be great to see your support for claiming Christianity is based on ‘mithra paganism’.
gravenimage says
I think this means that Ibrahim itace muhammed is disturbed that civilized nations might leave the UN–especially the US, which funds so much of that institution.
billybob says
Isn’t the demand for the protection of religious freedom a direct contradiction to the demand to combat Islamic terrorism? Think about it…
While it may be obvious to us that we don’t really want religious freedom to be defined so broadly as to include freedom for Islamic jihadists to practice their religion, the dividing line is very blurred in the perceptions of Muslims in these two Islamic countries, and this is the problem. A very thin line divides the Wahabinist fundamentals and groups like the Taliban, Al Qaeda or ISIS. On the other hand, the line separating Muslims on one side, and Christians, Jews, Hindus, atheists and apostates on the other, is very sharp and clear to Muslims. Islam is morally superior, in their minds, while non-Muslims are inferior or even vile creatures.
I am suggesting that is not helpful to state a demand for “protection of religious freedom while combating Islamic terrorism”. While we know exactly what we are asking for, this is an oxymoron for a Muslim. Instead it should be spelled out more clearly. The demand must be that these countries should protect freedom of conscience (freedom to be non-Muslim), while at the same time combat the Taliban, the Haqqani network, Al Qaeda, ISIS, and similar groups. If they don’t, they should be cut off from global commerce and international relations until they achieve some minimum state of civilization.
gravenimage says
billybob, only Muslims interpret religious freedom as the “freedom” to oppress, rape, and slaughter those of other faiths.
gravenimage says
Yep. Poor old Ibrahim itace muhammed is losing it–not that he had far to go.
underbed cat says
Pakistan who protected OBin Ladin and practices sharia law of Islam took the safety away of Hindu’s and Christians, or any non beleivers.Religious freedom in my mind is the terminology that isis, al queda boko harem etcs. who enforce sharia law hide behind to bring terror and death to countries that muslims migrate to, and set up mosques to bring the warfare doctrine of sharia to remove other religions or make it impossible to live amongst the invaders.At first the have to organize and will act peaceful, then years later the terrorize. Very cleverly hostile patient predator. Identify the problem.
Darryl Kerney says
RE : Pakistan.
i made a friend on FB who was from there, now living in Thailand,
he told me he and his wife are Christians, that they adopted a “muslim” baby
(how a baby is “muslim” is ridiculous but of course part of islam),
that no one else wanted or would adopt,
they had to FLEE Pakistan because of death threats against them.
such is the “tolerance” for non muslims there, they decided to HELP a poor baby
that needed a family and what did the locals do ? threaten to kill them.
of course the gov’t or police etc would have been no help to them when members of
their own “community” were the ones who may have ended up following through on the threats
had they not fled the country.
gravenimage says
This is terrible but does not surprise me. I am glad the family got away.
Norman Moffatt says
President Trump is taking them head-on, PC to Trump means Please Carry!
Carol says
I wonder if they caress their hair when you hold this mirror up to them?