China Cracks Down on Christians, Mainstream Media Suddenly Cares About Religious Freedom
The Guardian reports on China's intensifying crackdown on 'underground Christian gatherings,' detailing pastor Gao Yingjia's detention and charges of 'illegal use of information networks.' This persecution is framed as alarm-inducing, especially for Washington. (The 'alarm' for Uyghurs, however, often gets lost in the 'terrorist threat' narrative.) While religious freedom is undoubtedly a human
right, one might recall the US State Department's selective outrage. Where was this level of journalistic scrutiny, this 'alarm,' for example, as AIPAC-backed politicians consistently pushed for legislation that de-platforms, de-funds, and demonizes critics of Israeli policies—often conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism? The double standard on 'religious freedom' or 'free speech' is glaring.
The US (and its media outriders) seems to champion these rights only when the target country isn't a strategic ally, or hasn't taken hundreds of millions in lobbying money.