September, 03, 2001

As the violence, hatred and bloodshed spiral out of control in the Middle East, one can look to the Far East for hope of peace and tolerance. In China now, tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners endure brutal persecution. Yet they are true to their belief of "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance."

For over two years, Jiang Zemin's regime has arrested, beaten, raped, tortured and killed practitioners. It has used the media to slander, fabricate and breed hatred. It has even tried intimidation through diplomacy and trade to turn the world against Falun Gong. Yet, Falun Gong practitioners have not once retaliated with hatred or violence. Their forbearance, paid with the precious lives of over 260 tortured to death, is evoking a growing upsurge of sympathy and support around the world. History knows the legacies of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Hopefully, the Middle East will take a lesson from the Far East: Truth, Compassion, Forbearance.

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