USCIRF Welcomes President Joe Biden’s Appointment of Mohamed Hag Magid to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Washington, DC – President Joseph R. Biden announced on August 10, 2022, the appointment of Mohamed Hag Magid to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

USCIRF welcomes Mohamed Magid and looks forward to his valuable expertise and insight that his years of experience working on international religious freedom bring to the Commission.

Mohamed Magid is the Executive Religious Director of All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center in Sterling, Virginia. He is the Chairman of International Interfaith Peace Corps, serves as a member of the Muslim Jewish Council, and is a Co-President of Religions for Peace. He was part of the Marrakesh Declaration initiative that aims to protect religious minorities in majority Muslim countries. Magid is also the Co-Founder of the Multi-faith Neighbors Network, which focuses on building bridges between Muslim, Evangelical Christian, and Jewish communities.

For years, Magid has focused on promoting freedom of religion or belief, preventing violence against women, and preventing violence and hate in our societies. Magid works with the United Nations Development Programme in training imams to deal with violence and extremism against religious minorities in East and West Africa.

USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. With Commissioner Magid’s appointment, USCIRF now has a full complement of nine Commissioners.

###

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

Malaysia maintains a unique dual legal system divided into civil and religious courts. In recent decades, the influence of these religious courts, which are based on the Shaf’i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, have grown, adversely impacting religious freedom. Since 2014, USCIRF has been reporting on Malaysia and most recently in 2022 recommended that the U.S. State Department place Malaysia on its Special Watch List (SWL) for religious freedom violations.

USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to provide an overview of Malaysia’s legal system and discuss some high-profile cases directly related to freedom of religion or belief.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Malaysia

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report:

Nicaragua Country Update – This report details deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua during the first half of 2022. In March, the government expelled the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s chief diplomat in the country, for unexplained reasons. Most recently, a judge sentenced a priest to over four years in prison on spurious charges and the authorities arrested another on suspicious reasoning. Additionally, the government has heightened its repression of Catholic-affiliated organizations by shutting down charities and expelling their workers, stripping universities of funding and legal status, shutting down news media and radio stations, and eliminating non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The report also highlights recent U.S. policy efforts to advance democracy and human rights in the country.

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State maintain Nicaragua on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. USCIRF also highlighted religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua during a February 2022 episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast.

###

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].