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Commentary: Righteous Faith, Courage and a Bright Future--Remembering July 20, 1999
By Li Zhiqing
(Clearwisdom.net) On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin launched the persecution
of Falun Gong out of personal jealousy and envy. The persecution has lasted five
years so far, and Falun Gong practitioners' anti-persecution efforts have also
lasted five years. For others, five years may not be a very long time, but for
people who suffer persecution constantly, five years are very long. For Falun
Gong practitioners who have endured brutal torture and cruel mistreatment, the
past five years have been very significant.
Jiang's persecution and Falun Gong practitioners' anti-persecution efforts
would seem to be a completely unbalanced contest. During the 13 years when he
was the head of China, Jiang took control over all the resources of the whole
nation. He has used the world's most powerful and violent dictatorship and media
propaganda tools to persecute Falun Gong. To persecute Falun Gong, the Jiang
regime has fully mobilized the Party, administration, the military, special
agents, personnel in the Foreign Affairs Department, educational system, media,
and the "religious field" and "scientific field." On the other hand, Falun Gong
practitioners had next to nothing from the material aspect, and had no
opportunity to publicly defend themselves.
Jiang's earliest goal was to "annihilate Falun Gong in three months," and he
implemented the extremely brutal and terrorist policy of "defaming their
reputation, bankrupting them financially, destroying them physically." But three
months passed, and Falun Gong practitioners were still tenaciously persisting.
Then, Jiang again executed the policy, "death of Falun Gong practitioners from
beating is nothing and shall be counted as suicide;" "the body shall be directly
cremated without investigating the person's identification." Tortures used on
Falun Gong practitioners include scorching the skin with red-hot iron, electric
batons, water dungeon, brutal beating, sexual abuse, biting from snakes and
poisonous bugs, drug injection, force-feeding of human feces and many more.
Jiang failed again. Falun Gong practitioners didn't give up, and now truth
clarification materials and banners can be seen everywhere in China. More and
more people have come to know the truth. Many government officials, police
officers, prison guards, inmates and many common people were changed by learning
the truth of Falun Gong. Outside China, Falun Gong is being practiced in more
than 60 countries, while Jiang is being sued in seven countries and regions
around the world, and some of his accomplices have been convicted of crimes
against humanity.
In the beginning, Jiang was confident about the persecution of Falun Gong. He
slandered and attacked Falun Gong during an interview with CBS (a TV network in
the US), and he gave every foreign head of state a pamphlet that defamed Falun
Gong at the APEC Summit Meeting. But the situation changed. In 2002, he
demanded of the German police to keep Falun Gong practitioners out of his sight
and feared anyone wearing yellow and blue clothing. He even asked that the sewer
lids be welded shut. During his visit to Chicago, he even took the rear door
reserved for dumping garbage as his way to enter and leave the hotel to avoid
seeing a Falun Gong protest. He is even extremely afraid of seeing Falun Gong
practitioners appeal in China. Jiang is no longer thinking about how to suppress
Falun Gong, but is constantly worrying when Falun Gong will send him to another
foreign court, or worse, when Falun Gong practitioners might bring him to
justice in China.
This different situation indicates that the persecution will be a complete
failure. Falun Gong practitioners have overcome the darkest period in history
and will welcome the victorious dawn. In China's history, no group has been able
to survive under such powerful government machinery and such brutal persecution.
Falun Gong has created a miracle in China's history by surviving these past five
years. In history, no other group has been able to reverse the overall situation
under such violent attack from the government in such a short period of time.
Even righteous religions and other groups in history were restored only after
several generations or even several hundred years, after a ruler was finally
converted to that religion. Falun Gong, however, has achieved it in a short
period of a few years, which is a miracle among miracles.
Looking back on this part of history, people are moved by Falun Gong
practitioners' perseverance and fortitude. In Chinese society, after 5,000 years
of absolute monarchy and after half a century of endless political movements and
persecutions, and as the Chinese people had become numb, indifferent, and full
of fear, Falun Gong practitioners tossed aside the traditional notion of
"protect oneself first." They have stepped out of fear and faced violence with
compassion, lies with righteous faith, terror with courage. Their indomitable
spirit encouraged and awakened people who watched silently on the sidelines.
These ordinary believers, who remained obscure with their names unable to be
recalled by people, overcame the most brutal persecution in history with their
unprecedented courage, and with their righteous faith in
Truth-Compassion-Tolerance and are stepping toward their final glory. This
bright, glorious chapter cast by courage fully illustrates the power of
compassion and the power of righteous faith. Their heroic stories, their courage
and their perseverance will forever remain in people's memory and inspire them
to pursue the Truth. |