The Achilles Heel of Religious Freedom

By Robert Seiple on 06 May 2004

"I was disappointed with the Washington Times editorial (April 26, 2004)¹ on religious persecution in Southeast Asia. A single source, uncorroborated, offers up information from six years ago, and on this basis the editorial endorses the conclusion that "Christians face severe persecution" in Laos. Last month U.S. Embassy staff visited the area of Luang Prabang that was highlighted in the news release used by the Times — and found nothing of the sort.

Two months ago I was in Laos for my ninth visit, keynoting a conference on religious freedom (the first of its kind in a Communist state) sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and hosted by the Lao National Front, the governmental agency responsible for the implementation of religious freedom in Laos. District officials, village police chiefs, and local Lao National Front administrators were all there to discuss, among other topics, the Prime Minister's "Decree 92", an amplification of the Lao Constitution's guaranteed right of religious freedom. My role was to explain why America feels so strongly about religious freedom, and the mutual accountability we all have relative to the international covenants that speak to this freedom. Granted, it is sometimes difficult to believe how far Laos has come since the dark days of 1998, but extraordinary progress has been made and it's time we all update our snapshots.

The cause of religious freedom is supported by many people with great passion, but too often the information on which activists rely comes from little more than anecdotal research. Passion without scholarship is the Achilles heel of this issue. During my recent visit, for example, we had two extended meetings with the Governor of Attapeu Province, an area currently experiencing harassment directed against Christians. We were very specific in our complaint to the Governor, who in turn asked for time to solve the issue internally.

No sooner had we returned to the States when we received a report of a pastor jailed, livestock taken, and numerous Christians threatened by village officials because of their faith. Like a fiber optic prairie fire the same information arrived from seven different websites, each using this single source to highlight the incident, each imposing its own "spin," from advocacy, to fundraising, to anti-trade agreements.

But the Governor was good to his word. Through the church network and the U.S. Embassy, we found that conditions had markedly improved, replacement livestock were offered, the pastor was released from jail and, most importantly, the tone of the village officials had dramatically changed towards the Christians. Good news! I sent this positive development out to one of the websites, a large international advocacy organization. Unfortunately, more than a month has now passed and the good news has yet to travel any further.

Not unlike the news media, much of the activist community tends to linger only a moment, if that, over good news. This is very troubling. In the short term we lose the ability to applaud small steps, to encourage progress in a country where such progress is not always easy. Longer term, however, our credibility on the issue is threatened. We cry "wolf," loading up our attention-getting rhetoric with hyperbole, justifying questionable means with hoped-for ends. All who suffer discrimination and persecution for their faith deserve better. It is time to raise the reporting bar higher, certainly higher than our Achilles heel."

Last updated 12 January 2009