A letter from a German Falun Gong Practitioner to her Family and Friends

The following is an email I sent to my parents and friends. My intention was to explain to my parents and friends who don’t practise Falun Gong what moves me to do so much time- and energy-consuming volunteer work every day to raise awareness about the persecution.

I really hope that they will understand me because I don’t want any misunderstandings to come between us. I always seem to be explaining my reasoning because I know that Falun Gong often seems to be strange and exotic to my parents. After I sent this letter, my mother told me that my father printed the letter and seemed very touched by it. They have often actively and righteously supported Falun Gong by signing petitions for the release of practitioners who are detained in Chinese prisons and forced labour camps.

I am very grateful that the people in my environment support practitioners in our attempts to stop the persecution. Of course, I am convinced that good deeds will be rewarded. People with clear, compassionate thoughts will enjoy a harmonious, bright future. When I was a child, my parents taught me: “Treat others as you would want to be treated yourself.” I am happy that my parents and friends have such clear and righteous thoughts.

My dears,

At this late hour I would like to share a few thoughts with you. Tomorrow, I will go to the airport because some Falun Gong practitioners will be deported to China. Even after five years of persecution, Falun Gong practitioners are still upholding the principles of “Truth, Compassion and Tolerance.” Although the persecution itself is occurring in China, I think that it affects all people who believe that “Truth, Compassion, Tolerance” are good.

Although I have never really understood communism, I have seen how the Chinese police officers treat peacefully meditating citizens. Even children were taken, along with their parents, to forced labour camps and terrible things have happened. The government arbitrarily uses its might against any spiritual belief; not only is Falun Gong being persecuted but so are Christianity and other religions.

Ever since I have learned of this and other injustices, I can no longer passively watch the tragedy unfold. Although the persecution has affected every facet of the life of Falun Gong practitioners in China for five years now, they have always remained peaceful. The persecution uses deceptive propaganda tools spread by the Chinese media, which have sometimes been accepted unquestioningly as truth by the German media.

The same family that is being deported along with their small children tomorrow morning has dared to stick to their convictions and their true faith. This is enough of a reason to be persecuted to death in China, where faith is regarded as a crime that is harshly punished. All people with the desire to become morally pure and healthy are affected by this persecution.

I really hope, you can understand why I volunteer so much of my time and why I will make the trip to the airport tomorrow to try to prevent the threat of deportation. The people I am trying to defend are perfectly nice and normal people who have fallen victim to the state-sponsored excesses of the Chinese Communist Party and [former Chinese leader] Jiang Zemin. The values I am trying to defend are “Truth, Compassion and Tolerance”. I will defend those values for the benefit of all people, including you. The world needs Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance.

Tomorrow, two so-called ‘dissidents’ will be deported, although I hope it won’t come to that. The father of the family was already taken into an airplane for deportation five times before and five times his deportation was prevented in the nick of time. For someone like him, whose life is in real danger, this implies that he had to fear for his life five times. However, this constitutes only a minute part of the suffering taking place in China; you can’t imagine the extent of the genocide there. Since the information blockade in China is complete, we in the West hear almost nothing about it, but some day soon people will ask, “How could all of this happen in modern times?”

You, who are so close to me, know exactly how good Falun Gong is and how many health-related and psychological benefits I have gained through practising, although it never cost me anything. Please help me to end the persecution in China. Visit the website for the International Society for Human Rights (IGFM) www.ishr.org and click on “China resolution” at the bottom. Write to your member of parliament and ask them to support Falun Gong. You can also write to the Chinese Embassy in Germany. I’d be happy to help you with any of this.

We can’t just accept the stuff that’s going on in China without complaint because it is directed against basic human rights in all civilisations and it hurts all religions that support “Truth, Compassion, Tolerance.” Therefore, it affects all people. Do you think this does not concern you? Is it too far removed from your own environment? You have to remember that more than 90% of all toys in the world are being produced in China for export. I even heard that a well-known German company, as well as an Italian brand and even McDonalds have admitted that their toys are produced in forced labour camps. Now it becomes clearer that the human rights violations in China are secret, mean, and morally untenable and that they directly affect our lives. Can you think of many things that are not ‘Made in China’? In every appliance you can find parts that are manufactured there.

In the end, we are all affected and this is why the persecution needs to be brought to light, I really hope that you will raise your voices and say “NO” to the persecution.

Best wishes,

Originally published in German at http://de.clearharmony.net/articles/200503/22825.html