Exclusive; U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom: The People of Iran Are Approaching a 'Boiling Point'

Sam Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, stated on Wednesday, January 31, to Voice of America that the people in Iran are approaching a 'boiling point' due to the money the Iranian government spends on Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, while doing nothing for them. Brownback, who is attending the 'Religious Freedom' summit in Washington, described the state of religious freedoms in Iran as 'bad and deplorable' and added that Baha'i, Christian, and Sunni communities, as well as 'almost anyone not within the mainstream of the ruling clerics, are being persecuted and harassed.' He identified 'religious genocide' as one of the major challenges at the summit, warning that 'of the ten genocides, nine are against religious minorities' and emphasized that to stop genocide globally, 'any form of persecution and harassment due to religious belief must end.' In another part of the interview, Brownback noted that '80% of the world's population has some form of religious belief, and 80% live in countries with severe religious restrictions,' asserting that to achieve religious freedoms and ensure peace, 'all these restrictions must be lifted.' He also highlighted the economic benefits of religious freedom, stating, 'We have a diverse world, and people should be able to have their own religion and beliefs to find and recognize themselves, and we must open the space for them.' Brownback pointed out that resolving critical issues, including ensuring security, hinges on free worship and stopping 'persecution due to religious belief,' adding, 'People must be able to have security in their worship and beliefs.' This religious freedom expert expressed that crises such as genocide, security, peace, and economic prosperity ultimately lead to the path of 'religious freedoms.' He stressed that these fundamental issues must be 'properly established' and noted that 'we have not done this correctly for a long time.' The U.S. Ambassador expressed hope for the success of this summit and the formation of a global movement for religious freedoms that 'this summit promotes,' stating that a main movement is taking shape and 'we are all witnessing a leading movement.'