(Clearwisdom.net) According to a report in the Washington Post on May 12, 2010, the State Department made a decision to fund the Global Internet Freedom Consortium (GIFC), a group run mainly by Falun Gong practitioners, which provides software that enables users to skirt Internet firewalls sponsored by oppressive regimes such as the Chinese Communist Party. State Department officials decided to fund GIFC in the amount of $1.5 million, according to an anonymous State Department official, who confirmed the offer.
GIFC was started in 2001 by Chinese-born scientists living in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to develop software to defend against the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China by allowing citizens access to uncensored information. The anti-firewall software developed by GIFC is used around the world by people who live under oppressive regimes.
The report from the Washington Post reminded me of the situation in China when the Chinese Communist Party first launched its persecution against Falun Gong. At that time, all the media outlets in China constantly reported that Falun Gong practitioners received financial support from Western countries, especially the U.S.
In Western, democratic countries, when a government funds an organization, it is publicly acknowledged. GIFC is poised to fight for Chinese people's right to freedom of information. The Chinese government, on the other hand, uses the taxpayer's money to censor the Internet. The U.S.'s funding of GIFC is sensible, reasonable and legal. In the past few years, the U.S. did not fund the Falun Gong practitioners' efforts to break through the Internet blockade in China. That funding came mostly from practitioners who volunteered their own money and time to do the work.
All of the teachings of Falun Gong are available for free. Since the persecution began, many Chinese people have received materials from practitioners, and some have received it many times. The practitioners paid for all of the fliers, DVDs and books out of their own pockets.
Practitioners outside of China established the Minghui website [Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net], the Epoch Times newspaper and New Tang Dynasty Television. The financial support for these media outlets came primarily from practitioners who contributed their own time and money from the start. Many people who do not know Falun Gong may find this hard to believe. However, Falun Gong practitioners know that it is urgent for them to invest their money and time this way in order to expose the illegal persecution and torture, and to help reduce the suffering of their fellow practitioners in China.
Selflessness is tradition among Falun Gong practitioners. When Mr. Li Hongzhi started to teach the practice in China, he only charged ten yuan [about $1.25] for admission to his lectures. He was later forced to raise the fee by the local qigong association because other qigong groups complained that his fee was too low and that they could not compete. He raised his fee to no more than 50 yuan and the local qigong association took 60 percent of the fees. In fact, for senior practitioners, he only charged them half price. After paying the expenses for holding a lecture, there wasn't much left for Mr. Li himself. He clearly explained in his book that no one is allowed to collect fees in the name of Falun Gong.
When the persecution worsened, practitioners donated funds to help clarify the facts of the persecution and to expose the lies and propaganda from the Chinese government. Practitioners are free to donate however much they want, but they are not allowed ask others for money and are asked not to donate more than they can afford. The practitioners have successfully created their own path to validate the principles of Falun Gong even while suffering from the persecution. Mr. Li Hongzhi said in his lecture "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference" on April 20, 2003,
"... as of this day, when all of this is about to end, we haven't received a single penny from any country, any government, any organization, or any company. Everything we've done has been funded by Dafa disciples' using their own salaries, incomes, and earnings."
If the Chinese Communist Party had not blocked access to information about Falun Gong, the Falun Gong practitioners would not have had to start their own news media and anti-censorship software company. They would not have had to distribute fliers and put up posters in public places trying to raise awareness of the persecution and the violation of their human rights. Without the persecution, they would not have to do what they have done over the past 11 years to clarify the facts using their own time and money.
