Family Research Council President Tony Perkins and Bob Fu, Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom at the Family Research Council and President of ChinaAid, are set to participate in an interfaith roundtable on Capitol Hill. The event is organized by Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
The discussion will focus on the experiences of religious individuals in China under the government of the Chinese Communist Party. Pastor Pan Yongguang, who leads the Mayflower Church of China, will also take part. Pan and his congregation fled China and were granted asylum in the United States earlier this year following efforts led by Fu.
Other participants include Sam Brownback, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; David Curry, Commissioner at the same commission; Imam Mohamad Magid, also a commissioner; Rev. Frederick Davie, Vice Chair of the commission; Pastor Bob Roberts from Northwood Church in Dallas; Imam Hajim, a Uyghur imam living in the United States; Bhuchung Tsering from International Campaign for Tibet; Pastor Corey Jackson from Trinity Park Church in Cary, North Carolina; and Father Kurt Klismet from Trinitarian International Solidarity.
The roundtable is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12 at noon Eastern Time in room H-144 of the U.S. Capitol Building. RSVP is required by 9:00 a.m. Eastern on July 12.
Tony Perkins stated: “Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that must be protected everywhere. The Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing campaign against people of faith has been well documented and cannot go unchallenged.”
Bob Fu added: “We have seen first-hand how believers are persecuted simply because they refuse to renounce their faith or bow to state control over religion.”
Pan Yongguang commented: “Our church’s journey out of China was not easy. We are grateful for those who helped us find safety so we can worship freely.”
For more information about issues discussed at this event, see coverage such as The Federalist’s article about American dollars being linked to forced sterilizations in China (https://thefederalist.com/2021/07/13/american-dollars-should-have-no-part-in-chinas-forced-sterilizations/), National Interest’s analysis on China’s role in North Korea’s treatment of Christians (https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china-aids-and-abets-north-korea%E2%80%99s-abuse-christians-207429), and Newsweek’s examination of China’s three-child policy (https://www.newsweek.com/dont-mistake-chinas-three-child-policy-liberalization-opinion-1596633).
