Remembering the Support for This Noble Cause

A few weeks after school started at our local university, I was giving new students registration forms. I had a stack of materials about Falun Gong and the persecution on my desk. One student from India said, "Falun Gong, I know about this. When I was in Vancouver, I saw the 24-hour appeal outside the Chinese consulate that had continued for over 1,000 days. It was really amazing! This is really a noble cause."

As I walked out of the Student Affairs Office, many thoughts came to mind.

Many people outside of China support Falun Gong practitioners' efforts to clarify the facts and oppose the persecution. Falun Gong has received over 1,300 proclamations, 130 resolutions of support, and more than 1,000 support letters from various government entities and organisations.

It is human nature to be sympathetic to victims of persecution, no matter what their nationality, ethnicity, or family background. The respect and praise for a noble spiritual realm are also universal across nations.

In the beginning, many outside of China did not understand Falun Gong. They hesitated whether to support Falun Gong practitioners' appeals. This was understandable. But Falun Gong practitioners' perseverance moved them.

In March 2002, when the scoundrel group headed by Jiang Zemin issued a secret order to kill Mainland Chinese Falun Gong practitioners without mercy, over 100 Canadian Falun Gong practitioners sat quietly in the snow in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They went on a hunger strike for 36 hours, and called on the Canadian government to stop the brutal killing by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) headed by Jiang.

A Canadian parliament member in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs told practitioners that many parliament members were moved by the scene on Capitol Hill. They were talking among themselves and quietly cheering for the Falun Gong practitioners.

At 11 p.m. that evening, a parliament member came out of the Parliament to visit and shake hands with the Falun Gong practitioners on hunger strike. He said that he supported us and that we should keep up the hard work for this noble cause.

Another Canadian parliament member said he had expressed his support for Falun Gong on a number of occasions. He was again touched by the kindness of Falun Gong practitioners. He could not understand why the Chinese government treated the practitioners with such brutality. He hoped more people could step forward to support Falun Gong. He believed that justice would prevail.

It is common for congressional members in the United States to disagree with each other. Very few bills receive unanimous support. Most congressional members are friendly with China. However, they have consistently and unanimously voted for resolutions supporting Falun Gong.

In September of 2005, during Hu Jintao's visit to Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Martin said at a joint conference with Hu, "We believe that both economic development and better governance requires not only openness and transparency, but an understanding of the importance of human rights - both human rights in terms of governance of a country but also human rights in terms of the way that country is able to function."

Why has the Canadian government supported Falun Gong? Because this is a nation that respects humanity and spirituality. This is a nation that was moved by the great spirit demonstrated by Falun Gong practitioners. Why do so many people and countries outside of China support Falun Gong? Because they understand the painful suffering of Falun Gong practitioners. They know what the Falun Gong spirit means to today's world.

In June of 2003, Canadian Parliament Member Rob Anders told the practitioners who were doing the exercises in front of Parliament Hill in the rain, "The Chinese authorities will one day understand what you are doing. What you have been doing has brought hope." He praised the practitioners for their persistence even in this bad weather, "representing sincerity and goodness."

Those people who have learnt the truth about the persecution despite the environment of terror and persecution have also bravely stepped forward to oppose the persecution. Well-known Chinese civil rights attorney Gao Zhisheng said, "The persecution of Falun Gong is a persecution of the rule of law, of morality, of conscience, of justice, and of humanity. It is the choice of people's consciences to openly condemn the persecution and support the victims. On the other hand, silence is a shame. We all live in one family called the world. People have no excuse to remain silent on the evil acts that are against humanity and destroy the most fundamental human dignity, no matter where the acts are taking place."

One day, everyone will offer the praise, "Falun Gong's resistance to the persecution is a noble cause." At that time, people will be glad to have given us their support, because we protected the universal values of humanity, and defended our faith.