On 11 January, Robert and Margaret Ann Seiple returned for their 13th visit to Laos, a country where they have been integral in efforts to promote religious freedom. During their trip, they will meet with representatives from the Lao government, including Vice President of the Lao Front for National Construction, Mr. Tong Yeu Tho, and provincial governors; U.S. Ambassador to Laos, Patricia Haslach; and Lao religious representatives at the national and local level.
I want to begin with a “thank you.” You have known the Seiple family for a long time and your hospitality over the years has been very generous. We have spent many days with members of this department: eating crabs in Maryland, boating from the Lao “Summer Dacha” (our home), playing numerous rounds of golf together, and being introduced to sticky rice and Beerlao on our multiple visits to Laos. Our friendship is based on trust, working together for positive solutions over many years. Our accomplishments together include a high level Lao delegation visit to the United States, two religious freedom conferences here, a Prime Minister’s decree on religious freedom, and a Permanent Normal Trade Relationship. Most importantly, the greatest compliment I ever received came from Dr. Siho on our last visit. “You are family. Welcome home!”
I welcome the opportunity to be here today to discuss Religious Freedom. Why does the United States take this issue so seriously? We consider this freedom to be America’s first freedom. This freedom of thought, conscience, and belief – the freedom to believe or not to believe – is woven into the fabric of our Rule of Law. Like good law, it is predictable, transparent, easily understood, and fair. Religious Freedom protects the minority faiths as much as it protects majority populations. This issue has its historical heroes in the United States. Thomas Jefferson put forth one of the most critical statements of who we are as a people when he introduced the Virginia Statue in 1786. James Madison carried this language of religious freedom over to the Bill of Rights and America’s Constitution. No issue is more deeply imbedded in the DNA of a nation than Religious Freedom.
America is not perfect. We have been working for over 220 years to get to our present level of imperfection! But it has certainly been worth the work. For example, we have never had the kind of sectarian violence so prevalent in other parts of the world. Minority populations are as protected and embraced as majority populations. Our Amish minority (visited by the Lao Delegation in 2002) want to dress differently, worship differently, and work differently (no electricity). Local, state and federal laws allow them to do so freely. For their part, they continue to contribute positively to our national values. A few months ago, we had a horrible event take place in this community. A depressed man took over an Amish elementary school, tied up the young girls, and started to execute each one. He managed to kill five little girls before taking his own life. That night, in spite of the massive trauma that occurred during the day, members of the Amish community went to the home of the depressed man’s widow. Forgiveness was extended and help was offered. When the man was buried, 70 Amish folk went to the funeral. The Amish began to collect money for the man’s children. A redemptive moment and an amazing lesson, taught to all Americans by this small minority community.
In the end, a country’s human rights are determined by how that country’s government treats minority populations. This, then, is also important in terms of a country’s stature in the international community, and whether or not it is on the “right” side of history. But just as important as the moral imperative are the major pragmatics that evolve from religious freedom. When a minority population knows that the government has their best interests in mind, that minority becomes loyal to the government. Loyalty always increases the stability of a national population. Stability is foundational to a country’s security. So religious freedom is not only a moral imperative; it is also a pragmatic that enhances a nation’s security. It is important for a country to link knowledge and respect if greater security is going to be achieved. Understand your faith, or your atheism, at its deepest and richest best, and enough about your neighbor’s beliefs in order to show them respect. It is a government’s responsibility to create an environment where this can happen. This, by the way, is where Osama bin Laden got it so horribly wrong. He never understood the best of his faith and he has absolutely no respect for the faith of his neighbor. A misunderstood faith, an inappropriately applied faith, a partial faith in the hands of a religious zealot, is very scary indeed. We all need to work to provide the freedom necessary so that this kind of outcome is precluded. The linkage of knowledge and respect, then, is a homeland security issue of great importance.
One other pragmatic: there is no question in my mind that PNTR [Permanent Normalized Trade Relations] was ultimately accomplished for Laos because of the positive strides taken by this government, for religious freedom. Again, religious freedom is a great objective for all kinds of reasons.
How might Laos continue this progress for its citizens? I realize that my thoughts are coming from “outside” Laos, but I offer them in the spirit of trust and friendship. When I first began to pursue this issue of religious freedom with the Lao government, I was advised to work at all levels of government: nationally, at the province level, at the district and even the village level. It was sound advice. Similarly, I think that religious freedom needs to be taught, and subsequently embraced, at all levels of the Lao culture. When we held the Religious Freedom conference here, I was delighted that we were talking primarily with the more “distant” officials of the Lao government, village and district heads. This needs to continue, with an emphasis on the rationale for this issue, namely both the moral imperative and the security/trade pragmatics mentioned previously.
Second, I suggest that a lasting linkage be created between the government and religious groups. I know that various religious groups were contacted for their input to the Prime Minister’s Decree on this issue. That exercise was very positive. Religious groups felt that they were heard and that their input was taken seriously. Nothing builds trust between government and governed better than such an exercise. Trust, confidence, understanding, loyalty, transparency are some of the positive enhancements that emerge from this kind of dialogue. Such contact needs to be institutionalized and made a permanent part of the internal discourse in Laos.
Third, both the government and the religious groups need to find ways to facilitate the education of religious leaders. Religious leaders are interpreters of culture and national events. They are looked up to by the people they serve. It is in your own best interest that they be knowledgeable. Following our own “9/11” experiences, for example, our houses of worship were filled to overflowing. Congregational members were looking for answers to this tragedy, to find spiritual rationales for this most awful day. In many cases, the geo-political aspects of “9/11” were more complex than our religious leaders could know. Answers were incomplete. The lack of knowledge overwhelmed many of the religious leaders. At a critical time, many came up short. We need knowledgeable, sophisticated, learned leaders, not only in government but also in our religious institutions. Remember, there is a relationship between education and knowledge, and knowledge and respect, that benefits both governments and citizens alike.
Fourth, embrace diversity and honor differences. We are not all alike. One “size” does not fit all. Take Laotian Christians for example. There are both Catholics and Protestants, and some who worship on Saturday and others who worship on Sunday. But there are a host of other differences, differences that create multiple Christian denominations. Each one is important. Each wants an environment of religious freedom. Find a way to accommodate all of them. This will preclude the need for a stealth church, an underground community of faith, as well as the foreign deceit of missionaries here under false premises. When it comes to religion, make all of your citizens truly free. Once again, this will be very helpful to the government and the governed alike.
Finally, encourage your officials, both governmental and religious, to attend international conferences that are available to them on this issue. See what is working in other countries, in your own region, as well as around the world. Most of these conferences will be free. They will provide a great deal of knowledge to Lao officials but, more importantly, it will be an opportunity for the Lao to share this Laotian story. It is one of success, and one that needs to be heard by others.
Let me conclude by saying something here that I have said many times in the United States. I have been privileged to travel all over the world for the last couple of decades. It has been a fascinating experience for me and one for which I am most grateful. The highlight of my life, however, as a religious person who believes deeply in religious freedom, has been the involvement, along with my family, in this great Laotian story. We thank you for making all of this possible. Thank you very much!
Well it's over and we're still reeling from the incredible conversations we had at Global Leadership Forum 2007 at Fairfax Community Church. For those who missed it, be sure to check out the video on GlobalChristian.org in a few weeks. For those who caught it, let us know what you thought - so far our evaluations have all averaged well over four out of five. Your top three favorite speakers were Hadia Mubarak, Ahmed Younis and Madeleine Albright. Check out this survey to give some feedback or comment on this blog. http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2634svbf6uz0xhz/start
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