While the administration’s leadership may be sending a strong message of its values to the world, that message hasn’t necessarily penetrated the Oval Office. Over the last year and a half, President Trump has often seemed to veer away from the role of alliance-building and affirming democratic institutions. He has struck out against Western allies in North America and Europe and cozied up to authoritarian regimes—often the very ones that were criticized throughout the ministerial. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/12/america-abidcation-trump-foreign-policy/549296/ When Pompeo and Pence spoke, both leaders scrupulously listed abuses against a range of religious groups, including Muslim minorities. That message of inclusion was mirrored by those in attendance: At least one prominent American Muslim leader—Hamza Yusuf, the co-founder of Zaytuna College—was in the audience. At the end of the conference, the administration released a document called the “Potomac Declaration,” which asserts, among other things, that “citizenship … should not depend on religious identification or heritage.” But the president’s past rhetoric on Islam contrasts the careful rhetoric of the ministerial: When he was on the campaign trail, Trump observed that “I think Islam hates us.” One of the first moves Trump made in office was to propose an immigration ban on a handful of Muslim-majority countries, and he has made a number of other comments suggesting suspicion toward Muslims. Some groups have cheered on Trump—and Pompeo, who convened this event—when they’ve criticized Islam in the past. But especially in recent years, many religious-freedom advocates in Washington have embraced a posture of “religious freedom for all.” Even some conservative groups that focus on Christian persecution have shifted their rhetoric. “This field is starting to understand that, of course, you advocate for those in your community, but the way to ensure your community’s long-term success is if everyone in society has religious freedom,” said Knox Thames, the State Department’s special adviser for religious minorities in the Near East and South and Central Asia. “I’m encouraged to see this evolution.” More than anything else, this ministerial was a nod to the power and influence of these religious-freedom advocacy groups in Trump’s Washington. Non-profits around the city have been abuzz about this event for weeks. These groups have been hosting side events all over town to get their organization’s particular name and cause into the State Department’s big, new conversation. “It’s like the first-ever Super Bowl for religious freedom,” said Johnnie Moore, the de facto spokesman for Trump’s evangelical advisers and a newly appointed commissioner on USCIRF, the independent governmental body that monitors religious freedom around the world. Moore has spent a lot of time in the past several years traveling around the world as a sort of unofficial, freelance representative of Western values, meeting with leaders such as Egyptian President Abdel al-Sisi and the crown prince of Bahrain. In his view, the Trump administration’s focus on religious freedom is a big shift from the past.<doc-sep>The event gives Donald Trump a spotlight for showing his pro-Christian bona fides. It also gives the president’s critics a platform to assail what they see as his hypocrisy on human rights. | Andrew Harnik, File/AP Photo U.S. gathering on religious freedom sets up competing narratives The event is drawing dozens of countries and hundreds of activists, some who say they’ll call out what they see as Trump’s human rights hypocrisy. The U.S. will host a first-of-its-kind gathering on international religious freedom next week, an assembly being hailed by evangelical voters who helped propel President Donald Trump into office. The three-day Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom has become the hottest ticket in Washington, with more than 80 countries sending delegations, hundreds of rights activists attending, and a number of others being shut out for political reasons as well as lack of space. The gathering gives Trump a high-wattage spotlight for showing his pro-Christian bona fides to the evangelical voters who helped him win the Oval Office. But it also gives the president’s critics a platform to assail what they see as his hypocrisy on human rights, especially when it comes to Muslims, whom Trump once proposed banning from U.S. soil. “We’re living in the eye of a paradox: Both narratives are out there and perception is reality,” said Chris Seiple, a religious-freedom expert who advised the ministerial organizers. He said the Trump administration is trying to tackle the topic without favoring any one religious group, and in doing so is setting “a new precedent in diplomatic history on this issue in that it is bringing together governments and grass roots — top-down and bottom-up meet.” The administration is heavily promoting the assembly, set for Tuesday through Thursday at the State Department. At least 40 foreign ministers are expected to show, including some from countries with questionable religious-rights records. Vice President Mike Pence, who has close ties to evangelical Christian groups, is planning to deliver a speech on the event’s final day. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has talked up the gathering in several interviews in recent days, calling it a “historic opportunity.” “Religious freedom is something that’s very important to me personally; it’s very important to President Trump,” Pompeo told ABC Radio Australia. “And the State Department is going to lead the world in opening up religious freedom to every citizen.” Breaking News Alerts Get breaking news when it happens — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. When Pompeo announced the event in May, he indicated that most countries asked to send delegations would be “like-minded” — with good records on religious freedom — but that some trying to improve their standing could also get invited. But according to a State Department staffer, countries that managed to snag seats include Bahrain and Hungary, whose governments have been accused of hostility toward some religious groups. In Bahrain, Shiite Muslims, many of whom are opposition activists, have faced crackdowns by the Sunni-led monarchy. Hungary’s increasingly autocratic ruling party has faced a backlash over a law stripping recognition from a range of religious groups. But China, Saudi Arabia and most other so-called Countries of Particular Concern — as designated by the State Department — were left off the invite list. One exception is Uzbekistan, a CPC country that appears to have made significant progress in improving its religious-rights record; it has been invited to set an example for others. “There is clearly an effort here to use the peer pressure of the international community to urge respect for religious freedom,” said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council and a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “The importance of this is to send a very strong message that America is once again concerned about religious freedom. They see it not as an American right, but as a human right.” The State Department staffer said that Russia and Turkey, whose religious-rights records have been increasingly problematic, were left off the invite list. The staffer added that administration officials hoped to highlight in particular the religious abuses by the government of Iran, an Islamist-led country that the Trump administration has singled out for pressure to the point where analysts say it is effectively aiming for regime change. On the civil-society front, the administration is taking an inclusive approach: Invitees range from atheists to Scientologists, according to the State Department staffer. Representatives of more broad-based organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, are also on the list. Many are hosting side events. Trump, who avoids church and has a long history of sexual dalliances, has more than any president in modern history delivered on promises to evangelical voters, who helped propel him into the White House. In January, he became the first sitting president to address the annual March for Life rally in Washington. By the conclusion of next week’s event, the administration expects to announce a series of proposals, including plans for other countries to replicate U.S. institutions, as well as naming religious-freedom ambassadors. “There will be some very tangible items which the administration wants to release,” Perkins said. “But the biggest thing here is this sends a message, a significant message, that religious freedom is a priority for the United States." Brian Hook, a top aide to Pompeo, said in a recent interview with Crux, a news site focused on Catholicism, that the administration “decided to convene a ministerial on religious freedom because we don’t think that enough attention has been given to the persecution of Christian minorities around the world.” The State Department sidestepped questions from POLITICO about whether this was indeed the case, but Pompeo and others have been careful not to make it appear that one religion will get more attention than others. Still, few religious groups are as excited about the gathering as evangelical Christians. While activists in that category have been exceptionally supportive of Trump’s broader agenda, they haven’t always been happy with the administration’s handling of Christian persecution abroad. In particular, they have pressured the administration to send more aid to Christians in Iraq, who the U.S. has said were facing a genocide under the rule of the Islamic State terrorist network. Pence last October promised U.S. Christian-rights activists that the administration would speed up and increase aid to those endangered Christians. Earlier this summer, he came under withering criticism from lawmakers and activists who said the aid had not materialized. Under pressure from the vice president, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced shortly afterward new measures to direct tens of millions of dollars more in aid to the religious minorities. Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and a vocal advocate for Christian minorities in the Middle East, said she and others were closely watching to see whether Pence and USAID would make good on their latest promise. Still, she praised the upcoming ministerial. “It’s substantive and important,” she said. “It’s an important networking opportunity for all of us. But it also will be directed at creating institutions in other governments for advancing religious freedom around the world.” The three-day event is being held 20 years after President Bill Clinton signed into law the International Religious Freedom Act, which requires the president and Congress to weigh religious freedom issues in U.S. foreign policy. It will include opportunities for survivors of religious persecution to share their stories at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise and parts of the world are seeing spikes in religious oppression. One group likely to get special attention is the Rohingya, Muslims subjected to what the U.S. labels an ethnic cleansing campaign by Myanmar’s Buddhist-dominated army. The gathering will also include opportunities for activists to raise concerns with U.S. officials.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON – Trump administration officials condemned antisemitism and defended religious pluralism at a ministerial on religious freedom on Thursday.The high-level conference, hosted by the State Department, included addresses by Vice President Mike Pence and US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.“Those nations that reject religious freedom breed radicalism and resentment in their citizens,” Pence told the gathering. “They sow the seeds of violence within their borders.”“Those who deny religious freedom for their own people have no qualms trampling upon the rights of other people .”The ministerial brought together foreign ministers, heads of religious and civil society organizations and survivors of religious discrimination “to combat religious persecution,” according to the State Department.It was the first event of its kind.The Trump administration has yet to appoint a special envoy to combat antisemitism, a congressionally mandated State Department position.In his remarks, Pence warned of rising antisemitism in Europe, singling out Britain, France and Germany for increased incidents.“In Europe, where religious freedom was born as a principle and is enshrined in law, sadly, religious intolerance is on the rise in many quarters. Just 70 years after the Holocaust, attacks on Jews, even on aging Holocaust survivors, are growing at an alarming rate.“Last year, hate crimes against Jews hit a record high in the United Kingdom. And in the same period of time, there were an average of nearly four attacks against Jews every day,” the vice president added. “In France and Germany, things have gotten so bad that Jewish religious leaders have warned their followers not to wear kippahs in public for fear that they could be violently attacked, and in too many cases, that’s exactly what’s happened.”<doc-sep>
President Donald Trump’s impulsive foreign policy has many critics but at least one bright spot — he’s winning plaudits from the evangelical right and even some Democrats for his push on religious freedom. Trump's religious freedom squad — including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Ambassador at Large Sam Brownback, and national security adviser John Bolton, a former member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF — has promised to deploy a stockpile of little-used legal tools to shame and sanction countries they view as interfering with the practice of religion. On Thursday, as the U.S. welcomed a capacity crowd to its inaugural Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, Trump indicated that the crackdown was starting — he threatened to sanction Turkey, a NATO ally, for detaining American pastor Andrew Brunson. The news drew an enthusiastic response from those gathered at the State Department and seemed to deliver on the long-held hopes of religious activists that Trump would clamp down on intolerance. “There’s a great sense of optimism because of the support of the president,” said Gayle Manchin, a USCIRF vice chair and the wife of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). “We have a great opportunity.” It remains to be seen how Trump will follow up on his tweeted threat to Turkey, and White House and State Department officials did not respond to questions about what form sanctions would take or when they might go into effect. Twenty years after the International Religious Freedom Act was signed into law, its sanctions have been used only twice, against Vietnam and Eritrea, a record viewed by civil society groups as dismal. The law’s power to punish groups or individuals also is rarely used. “Even though USCIRF has recommended multiple times that targeted sanctions be deployed by the White House, nothing has ever happened,” USCIRF Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga said. “The same people who are torturing Uyghurs in China or Christians in Iraq are able to send their wives and children here to go Christmas shopping in New York. This is a travesty. For the first time in 20 years, I feel that this is an administration that’s willing to take action.” Whether Trump takes action or not, his ministerial already has served a political purpose, raising the profile of religious freedom as an issue the administration cares about and sending a message of kinship to the evangelical voters who will be crucial to Republican chances in congressional midterm elections. But the event, with hours of testimony on dismal rights abuses, also showed the stark contrast between the administration’s statements on religion and its record on human rights. Trump has attempted to ban travelers from certain majority-Muslim countries from entering the U.S., separated thousands of families along the southern border to discourage asylum seekers, and failed to roundly condemn last year’s neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the ministerial, some attendees quietly dismissed the event as just for show. “It makes it hard to take them seriously when they both undermine religious freedom here at home and when they are ignoring so many other disastrous human-rights abuses,” said Michael Fuchs, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress and former deputy assistant secretary of state. “Some of the smoke and mirrors around an event like this can obscure the lack of a focus on human rights and the much, much bigger problems in religious freedom.” Trump’s team, too, is heavy with Christian evangelicals, which has raised concerns that the administration, if it does follow through with hints to step up sanctions, will be focused on Christian causes at the expense of other populations, such as the Rohingya, Muslims who have been subjected to what the U.S. labels an ethnic cleansing campaign by Myanmar’s Buddhist-dominated army. “This administration’s reputation is: We care about religious freedom if you’re Christian. They care a lot less about Buddhists or Hindus or Muslims,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a Foreign Affairs Committee member who didn’t attend the event. “Tragically, the incredible layer of bias, perceived and real, in this administration just kind of taints everything they’re doing. It’s not the bright spot it could be.” So far, Brownback has been conducting outreach for the administration by meeting with a multitude of groups. On a typical Tuesday, he’s on Capitol Hill for listening sessions organized by the International Religious Freedom Roundtable, an informal group of nongovernmental organizations. “This administration is very serious about this,” Brownback told reporters Thursday.