FILE: President Donald Trump addresses the 73rd U.N. General Assembly on September 25, 2018 in New York City.Spencer Platt/Getty Images
President Donald J. Trump will host and provide keynote remarks at the Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom event on Monday, September 23, 2019, at the United Nations Headquarters.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will also be in attendance and will introduce President Trump.
According to a press statement, Trump is working to broaden international support for ongoing efforts to protect religious freedom in the wake of increasing persecution of people on the basis of their beliefs and a growing number of attacks on and destruction of houses of worship by state and non-state actors.
The 73 -year-old will call on the international community to take concrete steps to prevent attacks against people on the basis of their religion or beliefs and to ensure the sanctity of houses of worship and all public spaces for all faiths.
Earlier this year, a report commissioned by British foreign secretary Jeremy Hun concluded that anti-Christian persecution is nearing genocidal levels.
The report claimed one third of the world suffers from religious persecution, and Christians as the most persecuted of religious groups, are at risk of disappearing.
“In Palestine, Christian numbers are below 1.5 percent; in Syria the Christian population has declined from 1.7 million in 2011 to below 450,000 and in Iraq, Christian numbers have slumped from 1.5 million before 2003 to below 120,000 today. Christianity is at risk of disappearing, representing a massive setback for plurality in the region,” the report said.
Anti-Christian persecution is global in reach, as the report noted the following instances of persecution and discrimination against Christians around the world:
- The bombing of churches in Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia
- State militaries attacking minority Christian communities in Myanmar and the Sudan
- The torture of Christians in North Korean and Eritrean prisons and the beatings of Christians in policy custody in India
- Mob violence against Christians in the states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Telangana
- Social persecution and lack of freedom of religion in North Korea, Saudi Arabia, the Maldives, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and China.
- Blasphemy legislation in Pakistan, Indonesia and Iran
- Religious extremism involving the attack on Christian minorities in India, Myanmar, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
It should be noted that Trump’s Monday meeting on religious freedom coincides with another on key climate summit talks at the United Nations still. 60 representatives from around the world are set to be making pledges on climate action.
A senior official confirmed to The Guardian the US president had booked a large meeting room relatively last minute on the same day for an event called Global Call to Protect Religious Freedom.
UN authorities said it was unlikely Mr Trump would engage with other representatives on how to deal with the climate crisis in any case, but the move to create a different event scheduled for the same time has proved provocative, the Independent reported.
