A persecution watchdog is calling on American Christians to step up pressure on China and to boycott the Beijing Olympics, citing China’s “ongoing history of human rights abuses.”
With the Olympics kicking off Feb. 4, Open Doors USA president David Curry and former Kansas governor Sam Brownback penned a joint opinion piece in The Hill detailing the pressing need to hold China accountable for the nation’s ongoing horrors.
Curry and Brownback said the Biden administration’s recently announced diplomatic boycott of the Olympics is “more symbolic than substantive” and called on the 200 million Christians in America to take action in an effort to up the ante on the pressures being placed on China.
“The only way to apply sufficient pressure to China is to hit them where it hurts: in the pocketbook,” they wrote. “The communist nation’s leaders are famously rapacious about economic growth, which means they are vulnerable to the decisions of everyday consumers in places like the United States.”
Calling for a boycott on the Beijing Olympics, Curry and Brownback recounted China’s contemporary and past human rights abuses. Last year, China ranked as the 17th most dangerous nation in the world for Christians.
Other groups are also experiencing horrific conditions, including the more than one million Uyghur Muslims who are held in prison camps. Curry and Brownback accused the Chinese government of “actively committing mass genocide against its own citizens,” a charge they hope will rally Christians to action.
“Specifically, American Christians and others need to look at the more than 80 major brands with links to the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims,” they wrote. “Some are also major sponsors of the 2022 Winter Olympics, including Panasonic and Samsung.”
The call for a boycott comes as many Christians in America remain unaware of the horrific conditions faced by Christians and other religious minorities in China.
Open Doors’ World Watch List explains some of the dire complexities surrounding the situation, especially for religious minorities.
“On a more local level, if a convert from Islam or Buddhism is discovered by their community and family, they are likely to face threats and physical harm—all in an effort to win them back,” Open Doors’ report on China reads. “Spouses may be forced to divorce. Neighbors and the community may even report the practice of Christian activities to the authorities, who could take action to stop them.”
As CBN News previously reported, the Biden administration announced a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics earlier this month, which means no official or diplomatic representatives will travel to China for the events.
Curry and Brownback are clearly hoping for a more definitive and hard-hitting response, though, from the American public and, in particular, Christians.
