c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Faith-based organizations and people of faith stepped up to the plate in record numbers in 2005.

The Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina along the U.S. Gulf Coast prompted millions of dollars in donations, thousands of volunteers, an unprecedented mobilization of food, shelter and medicine, and countless prayers lifted up by people of all faiths.

We saw pain and grief on the faces of the disaster victims on our television sets and read about their plight in our newspapers. Protestant, Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim as well as many other religious groups responded by facilitating emergency relief help and sending disaster teams to the sites.

People of faith opened their homes to thousands of New Orleans residents who were forced to flee their flattened homes and apartments. And many drove down to the Gulf area to serve hot meals and hand out safe drinking water.

And to a lesser, but still significant degree, people of faith also responded to this fall’s earthquake in Pakistan, which left 80,000 dead.

While these three major disasters deservedly captured the world’s spotlight, religious freedom issues continued unabated in 2005, often with little attention.

In North Korea, the focus is on six-party talks aimed at resolving a three-year impasse over the country’s nuclear weapons. Almost forgotten is the fact that North Korea is one of the worst violators of human rights in the world, suspected of detaining more political and religious prisoners than any other country. The communist country is characterized by a complete lack of religious freedom. The government will arrest not only the suspected religious dissident but also three generations of his family to root out the “bad” influence.

President Bush raised the issue of religious freedom while traveling in China this year. He worshipped in a state-sanctioned church in Beijing. But reports of religious persecution are increasing. China reportedly practices torture and wrongful imprisonment in many rural regions, despite increased openness in the “westernized” areas. Among victims of the government crackdown are Christians worshipping in house churches, Roman Catholic priests, Buddhist monks in Tibet and Muslims in the Xinjiang Region.

In the little eastern African country of Eritrea, 26 pastors and priests, 1,700 evangelical church members and dozens of Muslims have been detained _ and some tortured _ over the last three years by the government. Some religious prisoners are being held without legal representation in metal shipping containers.

North Korea, China and Eritrea along with Myanmar (Burma), Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam were listed as “Countries of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom in the seventh International Religious Freedom Report issued by the U.S. State Department.

While we in the United States celebrate the beginning of a new year, millions are suffering discrimination, alienation, arrest and even death for their faith.

But you can make a difference by standing with those who are disenfranchised or can’t practice their faith. A few suggestions:

_ Stay informed. Research what is going on in countries like Sudan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and China. Filter the propaganda coming out of official government sources. Go to the Web sites of respected media outlets and advocacy organizations for breaking news.

_ Advocate for those who are not allowed to attend a church, synagogue or mosque. Write letters to those imprisoned for their faith. Write to government officials in countries where the religious community can’t practice its faith.

_ Urge your elected representatives in Washington to put pressure _ perhaps even economic sanctions _ on countries with little religious freedom or few basic human rights. Consider traveling overseas to visit prisoners or persecuted religious groups.

_ Support organizations working on behalf of people of faith in countries that have no tolerance for different religions.

MO/LF END RNS

(Carl Moeller is president and chief executive of Open Doors USA, a California-based affiliate of Open Doors International, an organization that supports persecuted Christians.)

Editors: To obtain a photo of Carl Moeller, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.