FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2004

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

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) announces its latest Policy Focus on Nigeria, which addresses the communal and sectarian violence that has killed more than 10,000 Nigerians in the past five years alone, the expansion of sharia law in the north, discrimination against religious minorities, and increasing extremist activity. The policy brief includes recommendations for the President, Secretary of State, and Congress. Nigeria has been listed on the Commission's Watch List for three years due to the nature or extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the Nigerian government. The response from the Nigerian government to the issue of religious freedom remains inadequate. Little effort has been exerted to stop the outbreaks of violence, and subsequent reprisals between Muslims and Christians. The Commission continues to monitor the actions of the Nigerian government to determine if the situation warrants designation as a "county of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

"The Commission has recommended that President Bush urge President Obasanjo to address communal and sectarian violence, religious freedom issues, particularly the sharia controversy, and discrimination against religious minorities," said USCIRF chair Preeta D. Bansal. "The Commission is also concerned about an increasing number of extremist activities in northern Nigeria. This Policy Focus contains observations from a Commission staff visit and outlines USCIRF recommendations for U.S. policy on Nigeria to ensure the protection of freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief."

The Turkmen government deploys a battery of repressive measures such as threats, fines, job demotions and dismissals, beatings, confiscations, and deportations against religious communities, as documented by the USCIRF in its reports. The Ministry of Justice in Turkmenistan this week said that unregistered religious activity remains illegal despite the May 13, 2004, decree by President Niyazov that dropped from the criminal code the practice of unauthorized religious activities. The May 13 decree supplemented a March 11, 2004 decree that dropped from 500 to 50 the number of adherents in a religious community required for registration. Some had hoped that Niyazov's May 13 decree would result in the legalization of Shia Muslim, Baptist, Baha'i, Pentecostal, Adventist, Armenian Apostolic, Lutheran, Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witness, and Jewish religious activities. As of now, only the state-regulated Sunni Muslim and the Russian Orthodox Church are granted limited legal status in Turkmenistan. On March 29, President Niyazov suddenly announced that no new mosques could be built after that date in Turkmenistan.

On May 13, Niyazov also issued a second decree that nullified a secret decree promulgated on 23 March, eleven days after his "liberalization" of the registration requirements for religious communities. The 23 March decree had required all registered religious communities to subject themselves to strict state financial regulation. Despite the May 13 decree, however, religious communities are required to adhere to a six-page model statute as a condition of registration. These harsh registration requirements violate international law and force many religious communities in Turkmenistan to function "underground."

Despite the blatant and on-going violations of religious freedom in Turkmenistan, some believe that if the government were to allow a few religious communities to register then Turkmenistan should not be designated a CPC. The Ministry of Justice said yesterday, however, that no religious communities have been allowed to register.

The Commission calls on the U.S. government to publicly urge the Nigerian government to:

• Take effective steps to prevent and contain acts of sectarian and communal violence, prevent reprisal attacks, and bring those responsible to justice;

• Open a consulate or other official presence in Kano, or in Northern Nigeria with representation from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID);

• Ensure that sharia criminal codes do not apply to non-Muslims or to individual Muslims who do not wish to go before sharia courts, and prevent law enforcement activities in northern states by any quasi-official or private corps of sharia enforcers;

• Support human rights defenders responding to credible allegations of religious discrimination in any part of Nigeria; and

• Urge the Nigerian government to identify, publicize, and counter foreign sources of religious extremism as part of its counter-terrorism efforts.

"The USCIRF urges the U.S. government to evaluate its foreign assistance programs and policy on Nigeria and consider these recommendations made by the Commission," said Bansal.

The Policy Focus on Nigeria is available on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.gov.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2004

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

MEDIA ADVISORY

Keynote speaker Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) invites members of the media to attend an invitation-only event the Commission is holding in conjunction with The Folger Shakespeare Library. Our featured speaker will be Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran. Her presentation will be followed by a question and answer session and a reception. The event, in conjunction with an exhibit currently at the Folger titled Voices for Tolerance in an Age of Persecution, will focus on the need for greater respect for tolerance and human rights amid rising religious repression in the world today.

WHAT:"Imagining Freedom and Straining to Hear Voices for Tolerance in a Post-9/11 Age"

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran"

WHEN:September 23, 2004, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

WHERE:Folger Shakespeare Library, Elizabethan Theatre

201 East Capitol Street, S.E., Washington, DC

The exhibition currently on display, which runs through October 30, uses the Folger's rich collections of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century books, manuscripts, and works of art to tell the important story of those who argued for religious tolerance in early modern Europe - a Europe divided by religious and political conflict and struggling to understand newly discovered lands and peoples. These voices have particular resonance in today's world where the relevance of historical events to present conflicts is often little understood or even ignored.

Our speaker, Dr. Azar Nafisi, is a visiting fellow and professorial lecturer at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and the director of The Dialogue Project, a global forum about the relationship between the Islamic world and the West. After being fired from her job as an English literature professor at the University of Tehran for refusing to conform to religious edicts and prescribed expression, Dr. Nafisi gathered seven of her best female students at her home to discuss the work of Jane Austen, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Vladimir Nabokov. These meetings served as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule, and inspired candid discussions which formed the basis of her award-winning book, Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.

Because space is limited, we request that you ensure seating by responding to David Park, at (202) 523-3240, ext.16, or by sending a confirmation email to [email protected].

This year's report includes recommendations on the process of constitutional development in Afghanistan and Iraq, the designation of "countries of particular concern," the global export of a religious ideology that explicitly promotes hate and violence toward members of other religious groups by Saudi Arabia, individual country reports on more than 20 countries, a review of U.S. Refugee and Asylum Programs, and a critique of the State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

WHAT:Press Conference: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2004 Annual Report

WHEN:Wednesday, May 12, 2004, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, in the Murrow/White/Lisagor rooms, 13th floor

Copies of the Annual Report will be available at the press conference and will also be posted on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.gov. They can also be obtained by contacting the Communications department at (202) 523-3240. Interviews with Commissioners may be arranged by contacting Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, at (202) 523-3240, ext. 27.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2004

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

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush today reappointed the Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colorado and appointed Michael Cromartie of Arlington, Virginia to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Archbishop Chaput will be serving his second term on the Commission. Michael Cromartie succeeds Dr. Richard D. Land. They will each serve a two-year term.

The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput was installed as the Archbishop of Denver in 1997. Prior to that he served as Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota for nearly nine years. He served as the Provincial Minister and CEO of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America in Denver for five years, in addition to holding various other leadership positions there. Upon his installation as Archbishop, he became the first Native American archbishop (Prairie Band Portawatomi Tribe) in U.S. history. Archbishop Chaput has a M.A. in Theology from the University of San Francisco and a M.A. in Religious Education from Capuchin College in Washington, DC. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Fidelis College in Pennsylvania. He was also an instructor of Theology and the Spiritual Director at St. Fidelis College Seminary.

Michael Cromartie is Vice President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., where he directs the Evangelicals in Civic Life program and the Media and Religion program. He has contributed book reviews and articles to First Things, Books and Culture, and Christianity Today. He is the editor of twelve books on religion and politics including, most recently, "A Public Faith: Evangelicals and Civic Engagement" and "A Preserving Grace: Protestants, Catholics, and Natural Law." He is an adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, an advisory editor at Christianity Today, on the Board of Directors of Mars Hill Audio, and was an advisor to the PBS documentary series "With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Christian Right in America." Frequently asked to explicate the dynamics between religious faith and political convictions, Mr. Cromartie has been interviewed on numerous radio and television programs, including National Public Radio, CNN, ABC News, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, MSNBC, PBS and quoted frequently in the Washington Post, New York Times, The New Republic, Time, and U.S. News and World Report. He holds an M.A. in Justice from The American University and a B.A. from Covenant College in Georgia.

"We welcome President Bush's reappointment of Archbishop Chaput and appointment of Michael Cromartie to the USCIRF," said Chair Preeta D. Bansal. "Archbishop Chaput has made invaluable contributions to the work of the Commission since his appointment a year ago. We look forward to continuing to work with him. We also greatly look forward to the insights and contributions of Commissioner Cromartie as we work to advance freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief around the world. All of the Commissioners join me in thanking former Commissioner Dr. Land for his enormous dedication and work over the past three years."

The Commission consists of nine voting Commissioners and the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, who is a non-voting member. Three Commissioners are selected by the President, two by the leaders of the President's party in Congress, and four by the congressional leaders of the other party. Archbishop Chaput and Mr. Cromartie join Preeta D. Bansal, Patti Chang, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Felice D. Gaer, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, Nina Shea and Michael K. Young on the Commission. Commissioners serve for two-year terms and are eligible for reappointment.

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.