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-VOA Editorials NO.4
In late December of last year, the Trump Administration unveiled its National Security Strategy. 1)
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Vice President Pence in his remarks at the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians said, “Protecting and promoting religious freedom is a foreign policy priority of the Trump administration. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback also said “religious freedom is the most important foreign topic today”, in his remarks at the United States Institute of Peace.
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.21) Persecution, repression, and discrimination are a daily reality for members of religious minority communities in too many countries around the world. Believers and non-believers alike are targeted for violence; their human rights are limited or sometimes entirely restricted.
The United States’ response to such violations and abuses of religious freedom is based on the 20-year-old International Religious Freedom Act, 3)
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Over the past several years The State Department has provided strategic guidance to its embassies and consulates about how to consistently advocate for rights of members of minority communities and promote their equal treatment in society. Recognizing the importance of preserving cultural heritage, 4)
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The Department has also worked with the Organization of American States to recruit countries in our hemisphere to join these efforts to combat persecution in other regions.
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In response, we must stay committed to emphasizing the universal importance of this fundamental freedom. 6)
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