The Selectiveness of International Religious Freedom International Religious Freedom under the Trump administration: A Comparison between the Approach of Iran and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Religious freedom is an important aspect of what America is. As Vice President Mike Pence noted in at a UN event on religious freedom in 2019, “and Americans have always believed our first freedom is the freedom of religion” (United Nations). The current Trump administration has made international religious freedom an important part of its foreign policy. The Department of State has organized events for the advancement of religious freedom around the world and funds have been set up to provide help to victims of religious persecution. To many, this is a positive development, but it is not applauded by everyone. Some people, like foreign policy correspondent Nahal Toosi, point out the hypocrisies that are involved. She believes that countries with bad religious freedom records are being approached differently on the basis of their relationship with the United States.