FOR YOUR INFORMATION

April 18, 2013 | By Elliott Abrams and Azizah al-Hibri

Xi Jinping needs to hear that religious freedom is the only way to stop self-immolations.

The following op-ed appeared in the Wall Street Journal on April 18, 2013. 

When Kal Kyi, a 30-year-old mother of four, set herself on fire in March to protest Chinese repression of Tibet, she joined a grim and growing fellowship of despair. Over the past four years, 112 Tibetans have immolated themselves in protest against Chinese oppression.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 15, 2013| By USCIRF 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ongoing attacks and retaliations by Muslims and Christians in Nigeria’s violent, religiously and ethnically mixed Middle Belt has left more than 100 dead and dozens of properties destroyed since March of this year.  This recent Muslim-Christian violence in Plateau State exposes the Nigerian government’s failure to effectively deal with a history of religiously-related violence that threatens the country’s stability.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12, 2013 | By USCIRF

WASHINGTON, DC – President Barack Obama on April 11, 2013 announced his intent to appoint Eric P. Schwartz to serve on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom. 

“USCIRF welcomes Eric Schwartz,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett. “Given his remarkable depth of knowledge, experience, and commitment, I am confident that he will be a great asset to our Commission as we work to help advance the cherished right of freedom of religion or belief around the world.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 5, 2013| By USCIRF 

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today expressed concern about the Egyptian government’s continued application of blasphemy-like charges that are used to stifle dissent and limit the freedoms of religion and expression.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

April 1, 2013 | By USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett 

Even as we prepare to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, European society's dark past of bigotry haunts our present

The following op-ed appeared in The Guardian on March 31, 2013. 

As fellow Americans prepare to join their Jewish friends and neighbors in solemn commemoration of Yom Ha Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on 8 April, for many, the question that haunts us is this: has Europe fully transcended its past? If the past decade is any indicator, it has not. Despite much soul-searching following America's liberation of that continent, European antisemitism persists.

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March 26, 2013| By USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission dedicated to monitoring the universal right to freedom of religion or belief, urges the Obama Administration during its second term to promote religious freedom as both a pivotal human right and a practical necessity.  Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that encompasses other freedoms -- including those of expression, association, and assembly.  It serves as the proverbial canary in the coal mine, as it often is the first freedom taken away.  Recent studies have also shown that restrictions on religion are rising worldwide, and with that, an increase in societal hostility and instability. Consequently, religious freedom has real national security relevancy, as conditions supporting religious freedom can help combat the rise of violent religious extremism. 

USCIRF is committed to working with the Administration and encourages the U.S. government, across agencies, to utilize the expertise of the Commission. USCIRF recommends that the Obama Administration implement the following actions.