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If There is One Country with" a Tongue in The Cheek" Foreign Policy-That is USA

Darmitha-Kotte

The USA is at it again- "The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom" and this time it is the 9th. Again, it is nothing unusual for Sri Lanka, to expect from the USA anything other than objections to the possible implementation of "The Anti-Conversion Bill" of which they are so scared-therefore, from time to time it is mandatory for the Americans to bring out this topic with a view of using "almost blackmailing" or let us say in terms that are more appropriate to their inherent culture-"using cowboy tactics" to scare all countries that are either Buddhist, Hindu or Socialist. Most often, it has been proven that American intelligence makes gaping blunders "at the expense of human rights" in countries like Iraq, Panama, Afghanistan, and so many others in lesser or greater degrees.

Decency, mutual understanding and mutual respect for different socio-economic and religious cultures, the freedom to develop technological or nuclear weaponry, to tolerate another when they pose a threat to your "superior position" are unfortunately not defined very clearly in the dictionary of American vocabulary! With all the jargon about democracy, freedom, human rights, equality, tolerance- what we witness every day in the foreign policy activities of the USA is their arrogant disrespect for "other human beings, other cultures, other histories, "the right" to protect one's own heritage against aggressors, as well as the fact that as one Sovereign State to another- the right to decide what is good for one's country without the USA having to dictate terms and conditions- why may we ask?

Sri Lanka although a majority Buddhist country( whether anyone likes it or not) has enjoyed religious tolerance to an extent unseen in most other non-Christian or non-Islamic countries in the world. Buddhists are far more tolerant than most other religious groups and it is this tolerance that has been abused by Charismatic Evangelical Christian groups and "pushed Buddhist tolerance to the wall" as it were when Buddhists have begun to realize " this is our country and it is our religion- why don't these Christians respect our freedom and our right to protect what is ours" after all, we are not intruding on American soil or sending Buddhist Monks door to door in the USA as "paid workers" to sell Buddhism to Christians! Any Christian who has read The Dhamma and been convinced that it is the only way to find the much needed inner peace for westerners which they desperately need.

The enquiring Christian minds in western countries including USA have long begun to question the very existence of an Almighty God in this world if He can be so cruel as to create hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and droughts, create human beings with deformities while others are perfectly normal, create millionaires while at the same time create beggars and paupers or the educated and the illiterate. With all these questions in their back yard, they have the audacity to come to Asian developing non-Christian countries like Sri Lanka and tell us "God can solve anything-come with us!"

The "Daily Mirror" of 20th September carried an article on page A4 under classification bigotry "US report slams Lanka over religious freedom" reported by Easwaran Rutnam. We Sri Lankans have never tried to sell Buddhism to Americans as a vocation unlike the Charismatic Evangelists who have made it a profession with enormous monetary benefits for themselves by making it a livelihood more than a committed practice of one's religion. At times we feel sorry for all these Mormons, Every Home Crusaders, Gospel for Asia employees, Salvation Army, Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, who are walking every street knocking on the doors of infuriated householders and trying to sell their religion

The amount of money spent to print "ridiculous promotional material to sell God"- is the most insulting and sacrilegious act a true Christian could do against God! In countries like Germany and France some of the above mentioned religious groups are not even considered "religions" but "cults". It truly seems more appropriate to call these paid workers "militant Evangelists" rather than call Buddhists or Hindus who wish to protect their own religious heritage within their own countries "militant Buddhists" or "nationalist Buddhists"

The American "9th Annual Report on International Freedom of Religion "cannot be in any way be considered as an impartial investigative report(like most American "self-serving" reports that we have seen in relation to their foreign policies. Their so called sources, are all pre-arranged and pro-Christian informants and most often than not, they have little or no time to listen to the other side of the story of the targeted and victimized Buddhists or Hindus- why? Purely because it is easier for them to hear lies rather than listen and accept the truth- that it is the Charismatic Evangelists and Catholics who are hurting Buddhist and Hindu sentiments and that it these groups that have their religious freedom threatened by over zealous missionaries!

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