By Li Zhiqing
A few weeks after school started at our local university,
I was giving new students registration forms. I had a stack of truth clarification
materials on my desk. One student from India said, "Falun Gong, I know about
this. When I was in Vancouver, I saw the 24-hour appeal outside the Chinese consulate
that had continued for over 1,000 days. It was really amazing! This is really
a noble cause."
As I walked out of the Student Affairs Office, many
thoughts came to mind.
Many people outside of China support Falun Gong
practitioners’ efforts to clarify the facts and oppose the persecution. Falun
Gong has received over 1,300 proclamations, 130 resolutions of support, and more
than 1,000 support letters from various government entities and organizations.
It is human nature to be sympathetic to victims of persecution, no matter
what their nationality, ethnicity, or family background. The respect and praise
for a noble spiritual realm are also universal across nations.
In the beginning,
many outside of China did not understand Falun Gong. They hesitated whether to
support Falun Gong practitioners’ appeals. This was understandable. But Falun
Gong practitioners’ perseverance moved them.
In March 2002, when the scoundrel
group headed by Jiang Zemin issued a secret order to kill Mainland Chinese Falun
Gong practitioners without mercy, over 100 Canadian Falun Gong practitioners sat
quietly in the snow in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They went on a hunger
strike for 36 hours, and called on the Canadian government to stop the brutal
killing by the CCP headed by Jiang.
A Canadian parliament member in charge
of Asia-Pacific affairs told practitioners that many parliament members were moved
by the scene on Capitol Hill. They were talking among themselves and quietly cheering
for the Falun Gong practitioners.
At 11 p.m. that evening, a parliament
member came out of the Parliament to visit and shake hands with the Falun Gong
practitioners on hunger strike. He said that he supported us and that we should
keep up the hard work for this noble cause.
Another Canadian parliament
member said he had expressed his support for Falun Gong on a number of occasions.
He was again touched by the kindness of Falun Gong practitioners. He could not
understand why the Chinese government treated the practitioners with such brutality.
He hoped more people could step forward to support Falun Gong. He believed that
justice would prevail.
It is common for congressional members in the United
States to disagree with each other. Very few bills receive unanimous support.
Most congressional members are friendly with China. However, they have consistently
and unanimously voted for resolutions supporting Falun Gong.
In September
2005, during Hu Jintao’s visit to Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Martin said
at a joint conference with Hu, "We believe that both economic development
and better governance requires not only openness and transparency, but an understanding
of the importance of human rights – both human rights in terms of governance of
a country but also human rights in terms of the way that country is able to function."
Why has the Canadian government supported Falun Gong? Because this is a
nation that respects humanity and spirituality. This is a nation that was moved
by the great spirit demonstrated by Falun Gong practitioners. Why do so many people
and countries outside of China support Falun Gong? Because they understand the
painful suffering of Falun Gong practitioners. They know what the Falun Gong spirit
means to today’s world.
In June 2003, Canadian Parliament Member Rob Anders
told the practitioners who were doing the exercises in front of Parliament Hill
in the rain, "The Chinese authorities will one day understand what you are
doing. What you have been doing has brought hope." He praised the practitioners
for their persistence even in this bad weather, "representing sincerity and
goodness."
Those people who have learned the truth about the persecution
despite the environment of terror and persecution have also bravely stepped forward
to oppose the persecution. Well-known Chinese civil rights attorney Gao Zhisheng
said, "The persecution of Falun Gong is a persecution of the rule of law,
of morality, of conscience, of justice, and of humanity. It is the choice of people’s
consciences to openly condemn the persecution and support the victims. On the
other hand, silence is a shame. We all live in one family called the world. People
have no excuse to remain silent on the evil acts that are against humanity and
destroy the most fundamental human dignity, no matter where the acts are taking
place."
One day, everyone will offer the praise, "Falun Gong’s
resistance to the persecution is a noble cause." At that time, people will
be glad to have given us their support, because we protected the universal values
of humanity, and defended our faith.
Posting date: 2/Nov/2005
Original
article date: 1/Nov/2005
Category: Open Forum
