Letter to The Sunshine Coast Daily (Australia): Another Face of Terrorism

By an Australian Practitioner

Most of us are already familiar with the recent and disturbing images of the abuse that the Iraqi soldiers have been subjected to by their US captors while being detained in prison. As the world expresses its indignation against such abhorrent displays, we remain almost silent and quite unperturbed by China's systematic persecution of millions of its own citizens for their right to practise the peaceful exercise and meditation of Falun Gong. For attempting to uphold the principles of 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance', countless people are detained, tortured and murdered due to the immense popularity of Falun Gong and its traditional values outside of China's communist and repressive ideals. Christians following Papal authority and others with their own spiritual beliefs are also suffering a similar plight!

As our Australian government develops closer relationships with the most populated country on earth, do we not trade something of our conscience when remaining silent in the face of such injustice and inhumanity? All forms of terrorism are unconscionable, and while our attention is focussed on Iraq, China's regime remains scarcely unchallenged towards their human rights atrocities.

Terrorism is not only exclusive to some extreme factions, and it is time to stand up against this evil on all fronts, every despot and dictatorship. In the words of Edmund Burke, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

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