FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2015 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 15 is Yom Hashoah, Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, an international day commemorating the six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and her allies.  It is a solemn day of remembrance, recalling those who suffered and died and those who fought against this evil.  

“As we honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and those who fought against the Nazis and their sympathizers, we must go beyond remembering and condemn the torrent of virulent anti-Semitism that has been unleashed seventy years after the Holocaust’s end.  We also must condemn the continued existence and growth of Holocaust denial, an especially solemn responsibility given the gradual disappearance of the generations who witnessed the Nazi evil," said Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).    

The murder of four Jews in the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris during January’s terrorist attacks in Paris highlights the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish community.  However, anti-Semitism’s rise is not limited to France.  Killings have taken place in Denmark and Belgium, Jewish businesses have been attacked in cities across Europe, cemeteries have been defaced, hateful chants have rung out in soccer stadiums, and harassment has occurred in virtually every capital city on the continent.  And this disturbing litany of hatred is not merely anecdotal in nature.  According to the Pew Research Center, by 2013, Jews were harassed in 34 of 45 European countries and, according to some polls, nearly one in four Europeans hold anti-Jewish attitudes.  Furthermore, anti-Semitic harassment worldwide has reached a seven-year high. 

To this day, many governments still perpetrate or tolerate conduct which targets Jews and fosters anti-Semitism.  In Iran, organizers in Tehran in early May will stage the Second International Holocaust Cartoon Contest, and elsewhere in the region, anti-Semitism persists in most educational systems, including in Egypt, as well as in largely government controlled media.  Anti-Semitic literature from Middle East countries, like Saudi Arabia, continue to promote publications such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious forgery from early twentieth century Russia.  Outside of the Middle East, in post-Soviet Russia, "skinhead" groups commit violent acts of anti-Semitism in the name of Russian nationalism.

“We dare not remain silent in the face of this alarming resurgence of anti-Semitism, but we are equally obligated to speak out when other peoples similarly are threatened.  The Yazidis and Christians of the Middle East now are threatened with enslavement and extinction at the hands of ISIL and other violent religious extremists.  As we remember the tragedy of the genocide against the Jews, we must stiffen our determination to defend the fundamental rights of all persecuted people.  Yom Hashoah is a time to remember that if the human family is to endure and prevail, we must indeed be our brother’s keepers,” concluded Dr. Lantos Swett.  

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2015 | USCIRF

Calls on President-Elect to Govern Inclusively and Address Inter-Faith Tensions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) congratulates the people of Nigeria on peaceful national elections held on March 28.  The historic elections led to Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power between parties and fears of inter-religious violence were unrealized.  Opposition candidate Major General (ret.) Muhammadu Buhari was declared the presidential winner on March 31.  USCIRF also applauds President Goodluck Jonathan’s gracious acknowledgement of defeat.

“Nigerians and democracy are the real winners of these elections, which we hope signals the end of identity politics,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.  “President-elect Buhari’s outreach to a diverse cross-section of Nigerians transcended many regional and religious fissures that long have characterized Nigerian politics.  Now the hard work begins to govern inclusively, address inter-faith tensions, and confront Boko Haram.

“President-elect Buhari should seize this moment to help Nigeria tackle regional and religious differences and tensions by engaging in reconciliation with his opponents and their supporters,” said Lantos Swett.  “Reconciliation is essential for Nigeria to address the sectarian and religious freedom issues confronting the nation.”

This change in leadership comes at a challenging time for Nigeria given the need to address insecurity, endemic corruption, inequality, and strains on the economy partly due to falling oil prices and a devalued currency. 

Tackling the continuing Boko Haram insurgency that has killed more than 8,300 persons in 2014 and 2015 will be one of the president-elect’s primary responsibilities.  USCIRF reiterates that efforts to confront Boko Haram must respect the human rights of citizens in affected areas.  Additionally, any campaign to stop Boko Haram also must address the underlying conditions that have contributed to the radicalization of individuals, allowing the group and others like it to grow and operate.

President-elect Buhari also will need to address government failure to hold perpetrators of Muslim-Christian violence in the Middle Belt accountable, state-level religious discrimination laws, deteriorating inter-faith relations, and other religious freedom related issues.  Since 1999, sectarian violence in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt states, has resulted in more than 18,000 people killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and thousands of churches, mosques, businesses, homes, and other structures damaged or destroyed.

USCIRF has recommended since 2009 that the State Department designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC).  For more information about Nigeria see the Nigeria chapter in USCIRF’s 2014 Annual Report.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0613.