(Minghui.org) “They [Falun Gong practitioners] are wonderful people that make our community and our country stronger and better,” said Pat Ryan, a Democratic congressman from New York, when he talked about Falun Gong practitioners he knew during a recent interview.
US congressmen, human rights advocates, and other advocates for religious freedom shared in recent interviews about the Falun Gong practitioners they know based on their own interactions with the group.
Although the interviewees came from different backgrounds, the Falun Gong practitioners they interacted with all shared common traits: kindness, sincerity, peaceful, considerate of others, willing to serve to the community, and steadfast in their faith.
Congressman Ryan said Falun Gong practitioners “do good works in our community;” Nina Shea, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, said that the Falun Gong practitioners she has met are “very kind and very caring”; David Trimble, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, said they are a “very peaceful” and “very sincere” group; Rushan Abbas, a Uyghur human rights advocate, believes that the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance accurately describe the Falun Gong practitioners she knows.
U.S. Representative: Serving Our Community
Congressman Pat Ryan (Minghui.org)
Many Falun Gong practitioners live in Congressman Ryan’s district. “They’re incredible humans who give so much to our broader community in my district,” he explained. “They’re always serving our community, doing good works in our community, caring for others, providing food to people that need it.”
He also mentioned that the Falun Gong community organizes many cultural and festive events, including the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. “Our Falun Gong community is deeply loved by everyone,” he said. “They are wonderful people that make our community and our country stronger and better.”
Ryan also mentioned that he really likes a restaurant in his district run by Falun Gong practitioners, “They make the best croissants in America.”
When discussing how Americans view Falun Gong practitioners, Congressman Ryan emphasized shared values. “On a cultural level, Falun Gong practitioners are so similar to us, committed to freedom, to Truthfulness, Forbearance, and Compassion, values that we hold as Americans as well,” he said.
In his view, there are “so much in common” between the American public and Falun Gong practitioners, whether these practitioners are American citizens or live in China.
Director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute: Practitioners Are Very Kind and Caring
Nina Shea, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom (Minghui.org)
“The practitioners I’ve met have been very kind and very caring,” said Nina Shea, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, who has long focused on religious freedom issues. “They are optimistic and positive about their own way of life.”
Shea particularly admires Falun Gong practitioners for not focusing solely on their own experiences of persecution. She mentioned their activities, such as founding schools and organizing dance performances, saying, “I really admire how they don’t just focus on their victimhood, but try to put forward a positive vision of China and Chinese culture.”
Shea has seen many Shen Yun performances. She said she really liked them and “enjoyed learning about the traditions and culture and arts of China before the Chinese Communist Party.”
In her view, Falun Gong has a deep connection with traditional Chinese culture. “It draws on Chinese spiritual traditions,” she explained, “firmly within Chinese culture, embedded within Chinese culture.
President of the Religious Freedom Institute: Practitioners Are Very Peaceful and Sincere
David Trimble, President of the Religious Freedom Institute (Minghui.org)
“They’re a very peaceful group,” Trimble said. “They are well-meaning, they want to implement their beliefs in their way of life and share it with others.”
Trimble further stated, “My experience has been they’re very sincere, they’re very driven by their faith, and they’re a very peaceful community that wants to get along with others.”
Uyghur Human Rights Advocates: Very Trustworthy
Rushan Abbas, a Uyghur human rights advocate (Minghui.org)
Uyghur human rights advocate Rushan Abbas has been in contact with persecuted groups for years, including Falun Gong practitioners. She said, “They are very sincere, very decent, and they are very trustworthy.”
Upon seeing the banner that read “The world needs Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance,” she said, “that describes Falun Gong, the Falun Gong people.”
She added, “the more and more I get to know them, I feel like they are not getting enough attention.”
She also emphasized the importance of mutual support among different groups. “When we unite together, we are stronger. When we shout together, our voice is louder,” she explained. “That’s what the Chinese government is afraid of. So divide and conquer is the CCP’s tactic for years. So we have to show solidarity. We have to support each other.”
Abbas said that when she talks about Uyghurs, she also mentions other persecuted groups such as Falun Gong “because we have to include all of us; we have to speak for each other.”
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