Is ‘Freedom of Worship’ Religion?
Confusion? Yes, more than a smidgen.
Both Barry and Hillary
make Freedom auxiliary.
The first of five freedoms: Religion.
The First Amendment has two clauses about Freedom of Religion. The first part is known as the Establishment Clause, and the second as the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause prohibits Government from passing laws that establishes an official religion or preferring one religion over another. The courts have interpreted the establishment clause to mean “separation of church and state”. The Free Exercise Clause prohibits Government from interfering with a person’s practice of his or her religion. However, courts have ruled that religious actions and rituals can be limited by civil and federal laws. Religious freedom is an absolute right, and includes the right to practice any religion of one’s choice, or no religion at all, and to do this without government interference, including the right to change one’s religion.
This President clearly sees religion as a key part of foreign affairs, especially when the Muslim world is involved. He is ultra-careful to not offend followers of Islam. We already know the administration has rejected the term “radical Islam” or any similar language and refuses to admit religion plays a major role in terrorism.
This new terminology of “freedom of worship” might be given as a sign to Muslim nations and places with Christian persecution like China that they are not going to crack down on religious persecution for minority religions in those countries. That could explain why Obama first used the term after a radical Muslim killed Americans at Ft. Hood. And it could also explain why he used the term “freedom of worship in speeches in China and Japan.
In my opinion Obama’s goal is to accommodate some aspects of Sharia law in this country. The State Department’s goal is to make this country sign the UNITED NATIONS Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention is signed by 194 countries but not US and Somalia. While looking good on paper the effect of this convention is that the State (Remember “separation of Church and State”) has superior claim on the children, not the parents.
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim is in jail, together with her 20 month old son, also in jail with her, since the Sudanese government does not allow her U.S.Citizen husband to have custody of her son. She is also 8 month pregnant and is sentenced to death by hanging as soon as the baby is delivered. Her crime? She is a Christian and refuses to renounce her faith, and for that she has to die according to Sharia law as it is practiced in Sudan. Can’t you be a Christian in Sudan? Yes, but her father was a Muslim and therefore she must be too according to Sharia law. The fact that he abandoned his family when she was six years old and since then has been raised by her Ethiopian Christian mother, the Christian faith being the only faith she knows is beside the point. So now she is in jail awaiting her execution as soon as her baby is delivered. The Sudanese cannot execute her now, that would mean to take the life of an innocent child, and only western decadent progressives would allow such an inhumane act as abortion.
Her husband is a Christian and a U.S. Citizen. He is legally married to her, and is the father of her 20 month old son and her yet to be born child. She is a Sudanese Citizen and subject to Sharia law. If she converts to Islam, her marriage is considered illegal and the children will go to Ibrahim’s father, the one that abandoned her when she was six years old. She cannot marry him again since he is a Christian and Muslim women can only marry Muslim men ( but Muslim men can marry Christian women according to Sharia law).
The Sudanese court ruled Ibrahim is an apostate who left Islam since she considers herself a Christian despite her father’s Islamic faith. She was sentenced to death and was also sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery after the court refused to recognize her marriage with Daniel Wani, an American Citizen. And, her children cannot have the father’s name since he is a Christian, according to Sharia law.
Last week, her attorney Mubarak filed an appeal based on Sudanese adoption of international law. He said he has high hopes for the court of appeals.
“There may be positive results,” he stated.
What has the State Department done so far? Nothing, except a few empty words.
Last week, multiple U.S. lawmakers pressed President Obama to grant Ibrahim asylum. Also last week, a group of bipartisan senators condemned Ibrahim’s sentence and urged Sudan to respect religious freedom.
Amnesty International launched an online petition demanding Ibrahim’s release that has garnered 660,467 signature so far.
Link http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/stopexecution-sudan
Update 5/27: Meriam gave birth to her second child, a daughter five days ago while shackled to the floor inside the filthy Sudan prison. She will be allowed to nurse her child until weaned. Then they will hang her according to Sharia Law.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 