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Bush Will Not Make Dramatic Human Rights Statement During Olympics Visit

By Howard M. Friedman

Yesterday's New York Times reports that President Bush, on his trip to China for the Olympics, will not make the kind of dramatic gesture to protest lack of religious freedom in China that some are urging. (See prior posting.) The White House considered having Bush attend a worship service at an underground "house church", but Chinese authorities rejected the proposal. Indeed pastors and other activists with whom Bush might have met have been ordered by Chinese authorities to leave Beijing during the President's visit. The White House has also rejected Bush's giving a confrontational speech on human rights, seeing it as insulting to China and unlikely to be broadcast to the Chinese public. Instead, on Sunday Bush will worship at the officially registered Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Church. Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said that this is "not an affirmation of religious freedom. It's an affirmation of government-controlled religion."

Full post as published by Religion Clause on August 06, 2008 (boomark / email).