Religious freedom is under siege across much of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Rather than tackle the issue head-on, however, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s “bothsiderism” makes it worse.
The Islamic State perpetrated genocide against Yezidis, some of whom remain enslaved in Turkey or among its Arab proxies. Iraq-based diplomats I spoke with dismissed Yezidi claims as “wishful thinking” and refused to review proof-of-life videos. Blinken promoted them.
Often, Christians are in the crosshairs. Consider the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War during the waning days of the Trump presidency: Turkey and Azerbaijan timed their assault on Nagorno-Karabakh’s Christians to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Ottoman invasion of Armenia. The symbolism was clear: This was not just a dispute over land but also Armenian Genocide 2.0. That both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani partner Ilham Aliyev couched their operation in jihadist rhetoric and targeted churches and other cultural heritage simply undermined that fact.
Armenians were hopeful, though, when Joe Biden became president. Biden said he would recognize the Armenian genocide. He kept his word. The problem was that, two days later, Blinken turned around and authorized new aid to Azerbaijan, money that legally required certification that Azerbaijan had abandoned the military option. For Blinken, it was balance. The reality was the lack of moral clarity only encouraged Aliyev to continue his military push.
Last month, Azerbaijan sent troops into Armenia proper, killing more than a dozen. Blinken’s response was bothsiderism on steroids, never mind that only one country did the invading. It should surprise no one that Aliyev is at it again.
On Monday, he declared, “Armenia and the whole world saw that no one could stop us … They must accept our conditions [to open a corridor across Armenia] before it is too late.” In effect, Aliyev believes he can invade Armenia without consequence.
Nor is Armenia alone as a victim of blinkered Blinkenism.
Last month, the secretary traveled to Nigeria. After mildly criticizing Nigeria’s press freedom and human rights record, Blinken removed Nigeria from the list of countries violating religious freedom. What Blinken saw as balance, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari considers a green light to further his “Fulanization” drive. Genocide Watch has called Nigeria “a killing field of defenseless Christians” due to attacks by Fulani jihadists. Since Buhari came to power, he has encouraged co-ethnic Fulani “herdsmen,” who have in turn murdered more than 11,000 Christian farmers.
Let’s be clear, the issue is not passive migration due to “climate change.” Global warming did not burn down 2,000 churches or selectively cause four million Nigerian Christians to flee their homes. While some in Washington, including at the Congressional Research Service, belittle concerns about religious freedom in Nigeria, multiple reports and videos show the reality of the problem. The situation in Biafra is especially dire as Buhari seeks to complete the job he began as an officer during the civil war.
Then there is Pakistan. Decades ago, Pakistan was tolerant and even celebrated Christian and Hindu holidays. Founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah urged Pakistanis to respect religious freedom. Today, Christians and other religious minorities face capriciously applied blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty. In January 2011, Muslim bodyguards killed former Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer after he tried to protect a Christian woman awaiting a death sentence for blasphemy. Over the last year, Christian nurses across the county have faced spurious blasphemy charges for the crime of being Christian. Earlier this month, a mob stripped Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara, beat him to death, set his body ablaze, and then posed for selfies. His crime? Taking down an extremist poster that reportedly included a Quranic quote.
Pakistan has descended into mob violence and now exports its model to the Taliban’s Afghanistan. Blinken’s reaction? Continuing aid to Islamabad and treating it more as a partner than an adversary.
Religious freedom faces a most acute crisis. The villain is not the State Department, but knee-jerk moral equivalence has become an enabler. Both human rights and America’s broader reputation require diplomacy based on reality rather than the implication that victims share as much blame as victimizers.
Michael Rubin (@mrubin1971) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential. He is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
