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October 27, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today commemorates International Religious Freedom Day, marking the 16^th anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA).

By enacting IRFA, Congress and the President recognized that religious freedom matters.  Among its provisions, IRFA created an international religious freedom office in the State Department and the U.S. Commission on Intentional Religious Freedom (USCIRF), on which we serve, as an independent, bipartisan entity tasked with monitoring religious freedom worldwide and making policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State and Congress.

“Promoting international religious freedom not only is an integral part of our history and identity as a free nation, it also is a key human right recognized by international law and central to peace and stability worldwide,” said USCIRF Chair Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett.  “Events that have taken place since the passage of IRFA reinforce the importance of religious freedom as a core component of U.S. foreign policy deserving of a seat at the table with economic, national security, and other core U.S. concerns.

“Today is a day to not only remember international religious freedom, but a time to renew America’s commitment to advocating for religious freedom abroad,” said Dr. Lantos Swett.  “The U.S. needs to use every tool at its disposal, especially IRFA, in support of this vital human right and work with the international community to speak out against violations of religious freedom and serve as a voice of the voiceless around the globe.”

Earlier this year USCIRF released its 2014 Annual Report, the 15^th since the Commission’s creation, that evaluated the past decade and a half of U.S. foreign policy on religious freedom and made recommendations for how to carry this work forward into the 21^st century.  In addition, USCIRF’s Annual Report recommended the designation of eight nations to the State Department’s existing list of “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs, including: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. (The State Department subsequently designated Turkmenistan a CPC.) USCIRF also recommended that the following countries be re-designated as CPCs: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan.

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

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October 6, 2014 | By M. Zuhdi Jasser and Hannah Rosenthal

The following op-ed appeared in The Detroit News on October 4, 2014.

On Saturday we will witness a confluence of two holy days of Judaism and Islam, offering a unique moment to reflect on the imperative of religious freedom.

On that day, Jews will observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is marked by a call to repent of sins, while Muslims will commemorate Eid al-Adha (Holiday of the Sacrifice), marking Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God.

For both communities, prayer, reflection, atonement and reverence for God are central to the commemoration of each holy day.

That both fall on the same day this year is a rare occurrence partly resulting from the shared use of a lunar month in our calendars, a symbolic reminder of common origins. The fact that both will be observed by our communities here on the same day in liberty and peace is remarkable. It is a tribute to the religious freedom that many Americans take for granted and is lacking across much of the globe.

As commissioners appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and as adherents of Judaism and Islam preparing to separately commemorate our holiest of days, we must reflect on the religious freedom conditions for Jews and Muslims abroad, while working for a future where all religious believers will enjoy the universal right of freedom of religion or belief.

According to the Pew Research Center’s January 2014 report, “Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High,” Jews were harassed in 71 countries and Muslims in 109 nations in 2012.

Jews in Iran often have been targets of anti-Semitic campaigns by government officials, including statements denying the Holocaust. Elsewhere in the Middle East, government media continue to promote anti-Semitic propaganda.

The plight of Rohingya Muslims in Burma remains especially dire, given relentless official discrimination and countless numbers being persecuted and made homeless and stateless. In China, the government persecutes Uighur Muslims, shutting down religious sites, conducting raids and restricting the study of the Quran.

What is true of Muslims and Jews is the case with members of nearly every religious group, as well as those who reject religious belief altogether. Nearly all suffer persecution somewhere in the world, despite the fact that most nations are signatories to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights guaranteeing freedom of religion.

It is time to reaffirm the universal human right to follow the dictates of conscience on matters of religion or belief, peacefully and without fear.

M. Zuhdi Jasser and Hannah Rosenthal are commissioners at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

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

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September 25, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the life sentence handed down to respected Uighur Muslim scholar Ilham Tohti for “separatism.”  The conditions of his detention and trial as well as his sentence clearly violate international law and call into question China’s claim to be a country based on the rule of law.

“USCIRF calls on the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release Ilham Tohti.  This prisoner of conscience’s sentence of life imprisonment is yet another example of the Chinese government’s attempts to suppress Uighur Muslims and others who peacefully advocate within the system for human rights and the rule of law. USCIRF also calls on the Chinese government to unconditionally release the seven students who were detained with Tohti,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.

Known for his advocacy of Uighur rights and autonomy for Xinjiang, the Uighur homeland, Professor Tohti was an economics professor in Beijing until his arrest in January 2014.  His sentence reflects the Chinese government’s hardline stance against Uighur Muslims and those it perceives as critical of its policies in the autonomous region of Xinjiang.  Since 2009, the Chinese government has instituted sweeping security measures that, among other goals, have sought to weaken Uighur Muslims’ religious adherence and eradicate so-called “illegal” religious gatherings and activities.  Uighur Muslims have expressed deep resentment at Beijing’s oversight of Xinjiang and the restrictions on their religious practices and activities.

“The Chinese government’s targeting of Uighur Muslim’s peaceful private gatherings predictably has led to instability and insecurity, and fueled resentment and the very extremism it seeks to quell.  For the sake of security and stability as well as religious freedom, the Chinese government should lift restrictions on all peaceful religious activities.  Professor Tohti’s sentencing also underscores the harsh nature of the Chinese government’s crackdown in Xinjiang and elsewhere.  I recently met with family members of Chinese prisoners of conscience whose stories about their loved ones  highlight the urgent need for China to join the community of nations in recognizing for all its citizens genuine and meaningful respect for human rights and religious freedom in law, regulation and practice” said Lantos Swett.   

USCIRF’s 2014 Annual Report chapter on China highlights the religious freedom abuses and violence that have resulted from the government’s policies in Xinjiang and throughout the country.  USCIRF has recommended “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) status for China for its systematic, egregious and ongoing violations of religious freedom or belief since the Commissions first made CPC recommendations in 2000.  The U.S. government has designated China a CPC since 1999.   

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