FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 10, 2006

Contact:

Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - With the expiration later this month of a 180-day waiver of U.S. government action for religious freedom violations in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned that the State Department Saudi Arabia Country Report on Human Rights Practices, released this week, exculpates serious human rights abuses in that country. Given that Saudi Arabia is a stated ally of the United States on the war on terror and that the Saudi government and others pay close attention to the State Department human rights report, there is a danger that the U.S. government will be perceived as crediting statements and cosmetic changes by the Saudi government as real human rights improvements. The Commission has not seen significant progress on the ground in Saudi Arabia, and believes the United States must take action in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA).

While the new format of the human rights report highlights the series of human rights problems that exist in Saudi Arabia, including that there is "no religious freedom," there is an inordinate emphasis on optimistic statements by Saudi leaders; statements that have yet to be followed by action. In some cases, the report even appears to justify serious abuses perpetrated by the Saudi government.

For example, in the report under the section on "Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, Degrading Treatment or Punishment," there is a discussion, citing press reports, of government lashing of persons convicted under sharia (Islamic law). In explaining the specifics, the report states, "...lashes were generally administered with a thin reed by a man who must hold a book under his arm to prevent him from lifting the arm too high. The strokes, delivered through a thin shirt, are not supposed to leave permanent damage, but to leave painful welts that bleed and bruise." This gives the impression that this particular act of torture employed by the Saudi government is administered in a humane, and thus permissible, manner. Further, in the "Freedom of Religion" section, there is an inordinate amount of attention to statements by Saudi officials that could be read as improvements, while conditions for religious freedom have, in fact, not improved on the ground.

Also, in highlighting the activity of imams in mosques, the report states that "Although to a lesser extent than in the past, mosque preachers, whose salaries are paid by the government, frequently used strong anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic language in their sermons...there continued to be instances in which mosque speakers prayed for the death of Jews." The decrease of frequency of these kinds of statements should not be construed as a significant improvement, however, given that these inciteful and inflammatory remarks by imams remain rampant. The Commission acknowledges that there has been increasing public discussion in Saudi Arabia on some human rights issues - although not necessarily freedom of religion or belief - and the report does make reference to extensive ongoing discrimination.

In September 2004, the State Department designated Saudi Arabia a "country of particular concern" (CPC) for its egregious and systematic religious freedom violations in accord with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). One year later, the Secretary of State authorized a 180-day waiver of action on that designation "in order to allow additional time for the continuation of discussions leading to progress on important religious freedom issues." With the expiration of the 180-day waiver later this month, and despite ongoing US-Saudi bilateral discussions, the Commission has not yet seen genuine progress on religious freedom conditions in Saudi Arabia. This is despite ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Saudi governments. In the time remaining under the 180-day waiver, the U.S. government should vigorously press for concrete commitments that would result in measurable, demonstrated improvements in respect for freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia. In the absence of such improvements, the U.S. government should not hesitate in taking strong action in accord with the IRFA, as has been recommended previously by the Commission.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.

Michael Cromartie, Chair • Felice D. Gaer, Vice Chair • Nina Shea, Vice Chair • Preeta D. Bansal • Archbishop Charles J. Chaput • Khaled Abou El Fadl • Richard D. Land • Elizabeth H. Prodromou • Bishop Ricardo Ramirez • Ambassador John V. Hanford III, Ex-Officio • Joseph R. Crapa, Executive Director

The Philadelphia Inquirer
March 3, 2006

By Michael Cromartie and Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou

The government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf has been a key player in the Bush administration's efforts against al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants that have retreated into the largely impenetrable areas on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

However, the Musharraf government has done little to combat Islamic extremists within Pakistan who promote violence and discrimination against religious minorities. When President Bush visits Pakistan tomorrow, he should remind Musharraf that his support for these groups is at odds with not only the protection of human rights but also with his commitment to fight terrorism.

More than five years after Musharraf vowed to address the sectarian and religiously motivated violence and discrimination that plagues Pakistan, attacks against religious minorities are rampant, and discriminatory legislation fosters an atmosphere of religious intolerance.

Pakistan's notorious Hudood Ordinances, which are meant to bring Pakistan's criminal justice system into conformity with Islamic injunctions, provide for punishments such as amputation and death by stoning. Although these punishments have not been applied, the laws have resulted in serious violations of human rights for Pakistani women.

Most of the religiously motivated attacks are committed by Sunni extremists against Shia Muslims, Ahmadis, Hindus, and Christians. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber killed 23 people marching in northwest Pakistan in observance of Ashura, the Shia holiday, and extremists burned several Christian churches in Sindh province.

Pakistan's Ahmadi community, numbering almost four million, is prevented by law from fully practicing their faith. It is illegal for Ahmadis to preach in public, to publish and disseminate their religious materials, and to call their places of worship "mosques."

Blasphemy allegations, which are often false, result in the lengthy detention of - and sometimes violence against - Hindus, Christians, Ahmadis and members of other religious minorities, as well as Muslims who question Islamic precepts. Prescribed penalties for blasphemy include death and life imprisonment, and some of the accused have been attacked and even killed by vigilantes while in police custody. Those who escape official punishment or vigilantes are often forced to flee the country.

Religious intolerance also informs Pakistan's public school curriculum, which according to the State Department, includes "derogatory remarks against minority religions, particularly Hindus and Jews," as well as other teachings. Such language reinforces religious intolerance.

Tomorrow, Bush should urge Musharraf to make serious, sustained efforts to promote and protect the religious freedom of all citizens of Pakistan. Concrete measures should include: repealing the Hudood Ordinances; rescinding laws that criminalize the public practice of the Ahmadi faith; decriminalizing blasphemy; and acting to prevent sectarian violence and punish its perpetrators.

A demonstrated U.S.-Pakistani commitment to improving religious freedom conditions in Pakistan is essential to any meaningful advances in the war on terrorism and to successes in the global promotion of democracy.

Michael Cromartie is chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Elizabeth H. Prodromou is a member of the commission.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2006

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240 (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - A delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) traveled to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh February 21 - March 2. Commissioners on the delegation were USCIRF Chair Michael Cromartie, Vice Chair Felice D. Gaer, and Commissioners Preeta D. Bansal. In Sri Lanka, the delegation traveled to Colombo and Galle. In Bangladesh, the delegation traveled to Dhaka. In both countries, the delegation met with a broad range of individuals, including government officials, religious leaders, human rights advocates, civil society representatives, and international observers. The delegation consulted with these individuals on human rights issues, including freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, as protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other instruments.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.