Political Quotes

“this year, as we all know, we are celebrating America's 250th anniversary. This, of course, is an opportunity for all of us to reflect with gratitude on the many liberties and freedoms that we enjoy--fundamental freedoms not enjoyed by most of the rest of the world--all of which help make America an exceptional nation. America is a country envied by millions or perhaps billions of people around the world who long to experience the liberties we too often take for granted here at home. But it is also true that many countries do not share our values. Instead, they impose authoritarian or theocratic rules on their own citizens, as we have witnessed in recent years. Even on continents like Africa, countries like Nigeria have come under international scrutiny for violating the rights and freedoms of Christians and other religious groups as their legal system has become more and more entwined with theocratic rule--in this case, Sharia law. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report last July detailing some of these abuses. The report found that Nigeria's enforcement of so-called blasphemy laws has created restrictions on the religious freedom of Christians and other faith groups. Nigeria's Constitution grants authority to local governments to adjudicate their laws through Sharia, or religious, courts. In some states, this has resulted in the charging, fining, and imprisonment of non-Muslims.”