By Suhag A. Shukla

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/suhag-a-shukla-esq/human-rights-and-religiou_b_856720.html

 

Stark statistics, indeed. Worthy of global opprobrium, no doubt. But the latest report from the quasi-governmental agency tasked with monitoring and reporting on religious freedom around the world, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), seems oblivious to these ongoing atrocities. For Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Bhutan are absent from the Commission's list that designates "Country of Particular Concern" or even the less serious "Watch List." USCIRF's recommendations are delivered to the State Department in the form of an annual report, with the intent and potential of shaping U.S. foreign policy. But alas, like most things in government, even human rights and religious freedom aren't free from the clutches of politics, privilege, and special interests.