Commissioner John Ruskay sent the following letter to Russian religious prisoner of conscience Bagir Kazikhanov.

Click here to read the Russian translation of the letter.

July 26, 2017

Bagir,

I write recognizing that this letter never may reach you. Through my position as a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), I have become aware of your dire situation and have resolved to dedicate my efforts to securing your unconditional release from prison.

You and your fellow Muslims studied Said Nursi, an Islamic commentator who called for Islam to be modernized.  Said Nursi rejected hatred and violence. Yet the Russian government, because officials believe that your peaceful practices threaten national security and pose a cultural and physical threat to Russia, denied you your freedom. In February 2015, you were accused under the Criminal Code of recruiting a “terrorist” cell of Nursi followers and sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment.  

The Russian government accused you of participating in extremist activity, which you have not. They accused you of founding a terror cell, which you did not. And they believe that your beliefs pose an existential threat to Russia, which they do not.  

What you have done is peacefully follow the dictates of your conscience.  Yet the Russian government surveils, investigates, and prosecutes you and many of your fellow Nursi readers for alleged extremism despite no link to such activities.  And because of that you have lost your freedom.

Bagir, you have my support and the support of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. My colleagues and I will continue to highlight your case, and hope to meet you as a free man in the very near future.

Sincerely,

John Ruskay

John Ruskay is a Commissioner at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/+1-202-786-0611).

USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project highlights the plight of individuals who have been imprisoned for their religious beliefs, practices or identity. Click here to learn more about Bagir Kazikhanov.

Click here to watch Commissioner Ruskay’s statement in support of Bagir Kazikhanov.

Last year, Saudi Arabia unveiled Saudi Vision 2030, a bold plan to transform the kingdom’s oil-dependent economy to make it much more diversified and durable, no matter how global energy markets change. Vision 2030 makes it clear: to accomplish that would require Saudi Arabia to become “a tolerant country with Islam as its constitution and moderation as its method.” Who can argue with that goal?

But let’s be candid. Saudi Arabia has a long way to go. Since its inception, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which I serve as a commissioner, has recommended that Saudi Arabia be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern” because the government engages in violations of religious freedom that are “systematic, ongoing and egregious.”

The State Department has designated the Kingdom a CPC since 2004 but always has given the Saudis a waiver from the consequences of the CPC designation. Why? Some say the waiver reflects the State Department’s view about what’s in the United States' interest. Without the waiver, the designation would trigger actions that could range from slight to severe.

I traveled to Saudi Arabia with fellow USCIRF commissioners in February and saw firsthand that some progress is being made. For example, the religious police — the mutaween — no longer have the power to make arrests. If they believe someone is violating the country’s religious laws, they can only report that violation to the regular police who then decide whether to take action. Saudi human rights activists with whom USCIRF commissioners met called these “baby steps,” but added that it gives them hope that further progress is possible.

The barriers, however, are substantial. The powerful Saudi religious establishment’s use of the state to enforce its interpretation of Islam is severe and intolerant, and aims to maintain the status quo. Other readings of Islam are either disadvantaged or prohibited outright. Non-Muslims may not worship publicly. Private worship, in homes, for example, is not a right, though authorities do often turn a blind eye to small gatherings of Christians (who are not citizens but only guest workers from such countries as the Philippines and India).

The government also continues to restrict a broad range of other human rights. Women’s rights and women’s participation in society present a complicated picture. Under what’s called the “legal guardianship system,” women must be in the charge of a man — whether he's a father, a brother or even a son. Their second-class “guardianship” status, however, contrasts with women’s increasing participation in broader areas of society. For example, a majority of Saudi college graduates are now women, and the number of female lawyers is growing as is the role they play in the legal system.

Despite such promising trends, Saudi courts continue to prosecute individuals for political dissent, and variations from the state-backed conservative orthodoxy are often regarded as blasphemy or apostasy.

Those imprisoned for such crimes are seen by USCIRF and others as “prisoners of conscience.” One of them is the blogger and activist Raif Badawi. As part of the Commission’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, I have chosen to raise my voice in support of him and advocate on his behalf.

June 17 marked the fifth anniversary of Badawi’s arrest for “insulting Islam.” His “crime” was running a website that encouraged debate on religious and political matters in Saudi Arabia.

Six months after his arrest, he appeared before the Jeddah Criminal Court where he faced additional charges: "setting up a website that undermines general security," "ridiculing Islamic religious figures" and "going beyond the realm of obedience." He also was charged with apostasy. A conviction carries the death sentence under Saudi Arabia’s interpretation of Shari’ah, Islamic law.

On July 29, 2013, Badawi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes. Next, an appeals court increased his punishment to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes and a large fine.

On Jan. 9, 2015, Badawi was flogged 50 times near a Jeddah mosque in front of hundreds of spectators. This was to be the first of 20 weekly lashings carried out each Friday. Thankfully, intense pressure from the international community, including from USCIRF and a medical doctor’s finding that he could not withstand such treatment for long, halted additional floggings. Should they resume and be fully carried out, his sentence could soon become a death sentence. And his family believes these floggings could resume at any time.

He has not seen his wife, Ensaf Haidar, and their young children — Najwa, Doudi and Miriyam — for more than five years. For their safety, his wife and children fled Saudi Arabia for Canada where they were granted asylum in 2013. Ensaf Haidar has tirelessly advocated for her husband, as have the three children for their father, and as I will do until Badawi is free.

Saudi Vision 2030’s aspirations are laudable. Saudi Arabia should become a tolerant and moderate country, but that means accepting some debate and even dissent. That transformation needs to begin now. Releasing Badawi would represent a meaningful step forward.

MALDIVES: Maldives Ruling Party Should Repudiate Attacks on UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief

USCIRF Condemns Threats to Ahmed Shaheed’s Life

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the verbal and online attacks against UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed.  The statements by the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the online postings of at least one religious scholar include harsh criticism and accusations that Shaheed is an apostate from his Muslim faith. The denunciations of this advocate for religious freedom have even resulted in calls online for his beheading.

According to reports, statements from the PPM, the party of current President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, accuse Dr. Shaheed of spreading “evil deeds” among Maldivians.  “As if this were not enough,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Kristina Arriaga, who recently met with him in Oxford to discuss religious freedom, “the party also called on the public to speak out against Shaheed’s ‘irreligious’ activities, which resulted in online postings accusing him of apostasy and calling for his beheading.  Coming from the ruling party, this is nothing less than government-sanctioned incitement to violence.  That is unacceptable in the Maldives or any other country.”

Shaheed is currently the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.  In this key position, he is mandated to “identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present recommendations on ways and means to overcome such obstacles.”  Freedom of religion or belief is intimately linked to freedom of expression.  Dr. Shaheed is being attacked by political and religious figures in his home country for exercising his freedom of expression on a variety of issues spanning several countries.

One reported Facebook posting by an alleged religious scholar called for Muslims who have expressed views such as Shaheed’s to “repent,” and if they do not, “Their heads will have to be removed [from their bodies] as a non-believer.  [This has to be] implemented by the ruler.”  Postings and statements such as this and those by the PPM have resulted in numerous explicit, violent threats against Dr. Shaheed as well as his family.

USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark added, “The PPM should retract its statements threatening Dr. Shaheed and condemn in the strongest possible terms any calls for action against him.  Rather than inciting violence against a fellow citizen, the PPM should protect Dr. Shaheed and indeed any other Maldivian citizen who exercises his or her right to freedom of expression. A government is responsible for protecting its citizens, not being complicit in threats to their lives.”

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/+1-202-786-0611)