As I read President Bush's speech, my mind went back to the radical Christian fundamentalists who are today wrecking havoc in Africa and Asia, destroying indigenous cultures and traditions, encouraging civil disobedience, instigating religious and ethnic conflicts, and destabilizing governments and wondered why he didn't mention them. I hope he will next time, for it is equally important that he address radical Islamists and radical Christians who are two sides of the same coin. From lethal weapons to subtle and sophisticated, orchestrated disinformation campaigns, they have infiltrated our lives and our countries.

We have all read the Press Statements published by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and the sanctioning of Eritrea by the US State Department for violations of “religious freedom”. I do not want to revisit the biased reports on Eritrea, as I have already addressed them in the past and Eritrea categorically rejected this latest unfair and unjust portrayal of the status of religious freedom in Eritrea by a bunch of self serving radical extremists, their financiers and lobbyists. The sanctioning of Eritrea, a model of religious tolerance and cultural harmony is very telling of the political motives of those behind the enormous, well financed, coordinated “religious” and cultural aggressions against Eritrea.

Eritrea, as a young nation with 50% Christian and 50% Moslem population and located in the strategically important and volatile Red Sea region has been in the front line fighting all types of well financed radical Islamists. These individuals and groups were coming from Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and from far away places such as Afghanistan and Pakistan to impose their version of Islam on the tolerant and visionary Eritrean Moslems. Even though these externally financed terrorist groups killed some innocent European tourists and experts, because of the determination and vigilance of the Government and the people of Eritrea, there were not able to penetrate Eritrean society and destabilize the country. Their agents and riff raffs were also uprooted from all parts of Eritrea.

As if fighting these externally financed terrorist groups and the expansionist Tigrayan minority regime in Ethiopia was not enough, in the last three years, Eritreans have been fighting what can aptly be called “radical Christian aggression”. This latest coordinated attack by some externally financed and recruited radical Christians on the people of Eritrea, their traditional institutions and cultures, their beliefs and understandings, is as dangerous and destructive as the radical Islamist aggression. It is not a new phenomenon, nor is it unique to Eritrea; religious wars and crusades have destroyed many cultures and traditions in the past.

In his 7 October 2005 speech at the NED, President Bush talked about the militants as thriving on the suffering and frustration of others and being empowered by helpers and enablers, and he said that these militants target innocent civilians for a political vision. Here is how President Bush described the radical Islamist groups:

“Many militants are part of global, borderless terrorist organizations like al Qaeda, which spreads propaganda, and provides financing and technical assistance to local extremists, and conducts dramatic and brutal operations like September the 11th. Other militants are found in regional groups, often associated with al Qaeda -- paramilitary insurgencies and separatist movements in places like Somalia, and the Philippines, and Pakistan, and Chechnya, and Kashmir, and Algeria. Still others spring up in local cells, inspired by Islamic radicalism, but not centrally directed. Islamic radicalism is more like a loose network with many branches than an army under a single command. Yet these operatives, fighting on scattered battlefields, share a similar ideology and vision for our world.”

I hope the President of the United States is just as concerned about Christian radicals who are also part of a global, borderless, organization which spreads propaganda and unsubstantiated, baseless, self serving propaganda, provide financing and technical assistance to local adherents (converts), conduct illegal activities, establishing cells, share similar ideologies and vision of what our world should be, and thrive on the suffering and frustrations of the victims.

One such radical Christian fundamentalist, Todd Nettleton of the Voice of the Martyrs, someone who also entered Eritrea twice, pretending to be a “humanitarian worker” unabashedly told a Los Angeles reporter in July of 2004:

“…We don¹t see persecution as a problem that we can protest or help or make it go away it is always going to occur, because Christ promised it would… Our mission is to fellowship with those enduring persecution, support them when and where we can and be a blessing to them. In turn, we are blessed with their testimonies of God¹s faithfulness…”

If we look at the radical Christian aggression and coordinated defamation media campaign against the tolerant people of the peaceful and stable nation Eritrea in the last 5 years, we can easily pick out the enablers, helpers, the targets, and for lack of a better word, the “political vision” and destabilization agenda, of those advancing and financing these illicit activities.

We are all aware of the contributions made by sites financed by the minority regime in Ethiopia which is actively engaged in disseminating lies and disinformation against Eritrea. We know of the self serving Eritrean "intellectuals" who have jumped from the "democracy and human rights" bandwagon for the more lucrative "religious freedom" camp as they sell their souls to the highest bidders. But there are other militant and radical religious non-Eritrean cyber groups and organizations who have also contributed to the placing of Eritrea on the US State Departments “List of Countries of Concern”. Kevin Turner of Strategic World Impact, Todd Nettleton and Glenn Penner of the Voice of the Martyrs, Carl Moeller of Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Compass are just some of the major ones that are aggressively spearheading the disinformation campaign against Eritrea, and are actively engaged in subverting Eritrean customs, laws and traditions.

There are also small entities that are active as front organizations for the big guys. One such entity is the UK- based outfit called Release Eritrea. This two-person, financiers unknown, cyber outfit is run by a certain Berhane Asmelash who according to some radical Christian sites is an Eritrean who “used his medical skills to serve his church and his country and later as a church leader came to the UK for theological training”.

These individuals and groups all use the same verse, read from the same, and disseminate disinformation using the lazy “cut and paste” method of reporting. Whatever site you read you will see, “Christians are tortured in prison and others exposed to malaria-carrying mosquitoes and locked in shipping containers in soaring temperatures…The government has pledged to clear the country of evangelicals by 2005 etc. etc. What a pathetic lie. If we believe what these radical, militant, hate mongering individuals are writing from their deceptive cyber bases, half of the Eritrean population were to be eliminated by heat stroke, malaria, torture etc. etc. by 2005 for being Christians. They haven't been.

Therefore, I can't see the difference between the Islamist radicals that President Bush talked about and the Christian radicals who are equally exploiting Christianity “for political ends” and defiling “a noble faith”. Just like the Islamic radicals, these Christian fundamentalist and extremists are also elitists “led by a self-appointed vanguard that presumes to speak for the [Christian] masses”.

The US State Department's first historic mistake came when it placed Eritrea on its “List of Countries of Concern”, based on unsubstantiated testimonies and reports from disgruntled defectors, destructors and hired mercenaries working inside and outside Eritrea under the guise of humanitarian aid workers and religious crusaders.

The second mistake is the sanctioning of Eritrea based on “alerts”, “reports” etc. etc. by individuals and groups who are engaged in illegal, immoral and unholy politics of intimidation, in pursuit of dangerous agendas against the government and people of Eritrea.

So much for the credibility and integrity of the US State Department Report on Religious Freedom! Is the State Department advancing President Bush's policy on fighting all forms of terror or serving select interest groups with sinister political agendas?

God save Eritrea and the USA from the likes of Kevin Turner, Bin Laden and all other parasitic religious militants and radicals!

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