World leaders need to stand up for rights: Clinton

Washington: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on the leaders of the countries around the world, including India, China and Pakistan, to defend the rights of all religious minorities in particular.

"We must stand for the rights of everyone in the community, all denominations ... In Egypt, Pakistan or Indonesia or China or India or anywhere else, leaders must be at the front saying, then act accordingly, "Clinton said.

"When I think of how much fear the minority of religious minorities are many around the world, governments are not I mean, I think governments have a greater role to play and their influence," he told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, based in prestigious Washington think tank.

"I think many governments especially rapidly in these societies in transition where there are so many things at the same time, many governments believe that religious freedom is something you get up after dealing with everything else, is not only a priority for them , "he said.

"We want to raise it up on the list of visibility of what is necessary to try, and try to send a clear message: We need to defend the rights of all people that you are now a leader of a diverse community. Society. If you are in Iraq, must be the protection of all communities, not just one or maybe two at most, "he said in his speech after the publication of the annual report of the Department of State International Religious Freedom for 2011.

Clinton said that several countries with different religious communities are now in the process of going through the transition towards democracy, who are dealing with issues of freedom whether to protect the religious freedom of its citizens.

"This is in Tunisia to places of Burma, and many in between. But take, for example, Egypt, which I visited two weeks ago. I had a very emotional very personal conversation with Christians who are deeply concerned about what the future holds for them and their country.

"What Egypt and other countries decide to have a major impact on the lives of its people and go a long way to determine if these countries are able to achieve true democracy," he said.

PTI