OPINION (Charisma) – A large group of faith and other civil society leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., last week to call on a prominent law firm to stop lobbying for countries and entities involved in the persecution of people of faith. Forty-six leaders representing Christians, Muslims, Falun Gong practitioners, Buddhists and other persecuted faith communities signed on to a joint letter asking Squire Patton Boggs, LLP, to stop promoting the interests of Communist China, Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—countries known for gross violations of human rights and oppression of religious freedoms. “We write to you as advocates for religious freedom out of a shared concern that foreign
governments represented by your firm are among the world’s most aggressive persecutors of people of faith,” the letter says. “It is deeply troubling to us that your prestigious firm and the many good people it employs are currently associated with and providing legal counsel, representation and other services to such nations.” At no time in history have religious minorities been more oppressed and systematically persecuted. The U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom reports more than 80% of the world’s population, in a record number of countries, face oppression directly related to belief and religious practices. READ MORE
