Religious Freedom Is Being Threatened In Both Allied And Adversarial Nations

Instances of conflict across the globe constantly highlight the freedoms that Americans enjoy under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and those that other people living in other nations do not. We often find it easier to point fingers at jarring acts committed by our adversaries, but our allies are not less immune from taking drastic actions as well, which we couldn’t imagine happening here in America.

In the United Kingdom, which does formally have an official religion in the Church of England, prayer outside of abortion facilities has been banned this week by the House of Commons.

CNA reported the following on the measure:

Britain’s House of Commons approved legislation Tuesday to create “buffer zones” around abortion facilities that would prohibit a wide range of behavior, including silent prayer.

An amendment to exempt prayer and consensual conversation was voted down by lawmakers, who added the buffer zones to the Public Order Bill.

The final vote came the day after a pro-life woman was arrested in Birmingham for the second time for praying silently in an alleged violation of a local buffer zone law.

Unlike the United States, the U.K., of course, doesn’t have the Bill of Rights, which includes the First Amendment and protects the free exercise of religion as well as the right to assembly. If such a law were passed here, it would be ruled unconstitutional under both provisions.

If that seems harsh coming from a nation that is heavily regarded as one of America’s strongest allies, just wait until you hear what one of our adversaries is up to. 

In China, individuals seeking to attend religious places of worship must obtain permission from the government — before going to every event they want to attend.

Breitbart reported the following this week, which was discovered by China Aid:

The government must grant prior approval before a worshiper-to-be can attend a Sunday Mass, Friday mosque prayers, or other such events, and must do so before every single event, meaning on at least a weekly basis for Christians and Muslims. The “Smart Religion” application ironically does not allow “the use of religious identification keywords such as ‘mosque,’ ‘temple,’ ‘Christianity,’ and ‘Catholicism,’” China Aid noted.

America has long been a nation that has been a safe haven for those seeking religious persecution. The very notion was something that this nation was founded on. Today, religious persecution is still a category under which migrants can be granted asylum in this country. While governments threaten religious practitioners in nations both near and far, America remains a haven.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

READ NEXT: A Wounded Democratic Party Sows The Wind – And Reaps The Whirlwind