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US criticized for ignoring religious minorities in Mideast

WASHINGTON, June 18 (KUNA) -- A panel of legal and religious experts late Monday blamed President Barack Obama's administration for failing to protect religious freedoms in the Middle East.
A discussion entitled "The Future of Religious Minorities in the Middle East" was hosted by the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where the speakers all agreed that the US government has not shown the desire to advocate for minority rights.
Virginia Congressman Frank R. Wolf, who recently returned from trips to both Egypt and Lebanon, called the future of religious minorities in the region "uncertain at best," citing the imprisonment of Baha'i adherents in Iran as well as the persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt.
"America has always been a friend to the oppressed," said Wolf. "But now that allegiance is in question." Wolf pointed the finger at both the Obama and Bush administrations, claiming they failed to recognize that not only are religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries being victimized, but they are also being targeted.
Marshall Breger, Vice Chairman at the Jewish Policy Center, said it is up to the State Department to promote interfaith dialogue and prioritize the issue, adding that Jews and Christians have always had a place in Muslim-majority countries.
"To the extent in which the problem is theological, the answer must lie within Islam itself," said Breger. He encouraged what he called "mainstream, highly-esteemed Muslim scholars" to step up and engage with different parties and levels of government, using the Mauritanian-born Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah as an example of such a scholar.
Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement, emphasized the urgent need for a vision toward the Middle East, which he insisted the US does not have.
"You can have a vision amidst uncertainty," said Seiple. "It's called leadership." In line with Breger, Seiple explained that "the biggest problem is the treatment of Muslims by other Muslims," adding that it is not a problem with the religion itself, but a problem within human nature. He urged government officials to work with grassroots religious leaders to develop a vision based on concerns on the ground.
Robert Destro, a law professor at the Catholic University of America, insisted that multi-faith and pluralism training must be provided to court judges in the Middle East, because they are the ones implementing state laws, and simply passing a bill to protect religious freedoms is not enough.
Despite not being part of the experts panel, Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani, the Imam of the Islamic Center in Queens, New York, was a given a chance to reflect on the matter, citing several examples of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish co-existence throughout the centuries.
He noted that religious and sectarian tensions only emerged in the past 30 years. Al-Sahlani noted that before dialogue could be initiated, political and bureaucratic institutions in the Middle East must come to order. (end) ys.gta KUNA 180942 Jun 13NNNN