Dec 23, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The media worldwide recently reported that Muslims in northern Kenya bravely refused to identify the Christians among them so that al-Shabaab terrorists, who were holding them all at gunpoint, could murder these Christians. That this report has received such broad coverage is significant and has particular resonance during this holiday season, as we look back at the past year and toward a new year.
“With so many humanitarian crises and the horrific violence committed by terrorists in many places throughout the world, 2015 has been a tough year for religious freedom and human rights. We have become so accustomed to stories of death and division that Kenyan Muslims risking their lives for Kenyan non-Muslims offers us great hope during this season,” said Robert P. George, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
During the past year, violent non-state actors, including al-Shabaab in eastern Africa, ISIL in Syria and Iraq, and Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighboring countries, perpetrated egregious violations of religious freedom and human rights, killing Muslims and non-Muslims alike. These groups also forced millions to flee their homes, threatening the very existence of some religious minority communities. During the past year, religious minority communities and dissenting members of religious majority communities also faced severe persecution from governments in a variety of countries, such as North Korea, Eritrea, and Iran.
“During this holiday season, we should stand with those who are persecuted for their faith, praise those who support and give shelter to the persecuted, and reaffirm our commitment to protecting and promoting this most sacred freedom of religion or belief. These brave Kenyans remind us that individuals make a difference when they take a stand and support the religious freedom of others. Governments need to do the same,” said Chairman George.
Please see the 2015 Annual Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which highlights the issues and countries noted in this press release.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.
Dec 21, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the Sudanese government for charging 25 Muslims with apostasy and public disorder. Apostasy charges in Sudan carry the death penalty.
“The Sudanese government should drop all charges against these prisoners of conscience,” said USCIRF Chairman Dr. Robert P. George. “These charges contradict Sudan’s constitutional commitments to freedom of religion or belief, religious diversity and religious tolerance. The United States and other nations must continue to pressure the Sudanese government to release the 25 and uphold its international and constitutional commitments to religious freedom.”
A Khartoum criminal court charged the 25 with apostasy on December 10, subsequently releasing them on bail on December 14. The court proceedings will reconvene on February 9, 2016. Five of the defendants were arrested on November 2 in a Khartoum mosque after organizing a public event in which they discussed their Islamic faith; the others were arrested the next day. All were charged with apostasy because they interpret Islam differently than does the government: they view the Qur’an as the sole source of religious legitimacy and reject the Hadith. In 2011, 125 members of this same mosque were arrested for apostasy, but were released after recanting.
Article 126 of the Sudanese Criminal Code specifies that any Muslim who declares publicly that he/she adopts any religion other than Islam is guilty of apostasy, a crime punishable with death. In January, the Sudanese parliament amended article 126 so that those accused of apostasy who later recant can be imprisoned for up to five years and receive 40 lashings.
“These arrests and the increased penalties for apostasy highlight the fact that the Sudanese government continues to violate, on a systematic, ongoing and egregious basis, the religious freedom rights of its citizens. They also underscore the appropriateness of Sudan’s long-time designation as a country of particular concern and the continuing need for the U.S. government to increase efforts to encourage reform and discourage regressive behavior,” said Chairman George.
USCIRF in the 2015 Annual Report again recommended that Sudan be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for its particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The State Department has designated Sudan as a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014. For more information, see the Sudan Chapter in USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.
Dec 17, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C – A new study of textbooks used in Turkey’s compulsory “Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge” class found both improvements and issues of concern. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) sponsored this study, which was conducted by Ziya Meral, a Turkish expert and 2010 USCIRF Crapa Fellow.
“The current Turkish textbooks are a clear improvement over earlier textbooks. They contain new sections on Alevi traditions and passages on the importance of religious freedom, and omit derogatory statements about non-Sunni Muslim religions. However, these textbooks also contain passages we fear could encourage intolerance toward, and reinforce negative stereotypes about, religious minorities and non-believers,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George. “A country’s education system, including its textbooks, should promote religious tolerance. Such tolerance is critical to the social fabric of a country, and can provide a bulwark against extremist ideologies, sectarianism, discrimination, and stereotypes.”
This study, “Compulsory Religious Education in Turkey: A Survey and Assessment of Textbooks,” examined all nine textbooks used in Turkey’s compulsory “Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge” class. This class is taught to public school students from the fourth through 12th grades. The study found positive passages on religion and science, religion and rationality, good citizenship, religious freedom, and the origins of differences in Islamic thought. However, the study also found that the textbooks had superficial, limited, and misleading information about religions other than Islam, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and linked atheism with the concept of Satanism.
The study made several recommendations, including that the Turkish government:
- Uphold the decision of the European Court of Human Rights and make religious education an elective for all children, Muslims and non-Muslims alike;
- In the meantime, ensure that all schools uphold the exemption option and school authorities support children who are exempted;
- Have experts from different religious faiths write sections about those religions; and
- Remove sections that negatively describe atheism and Christian missionaries or that reinforce anti-Semitic sentiments.
USCIRF long has monitored the status of the freedom of religion or belief in Turkey. Among other concerns, USCIRF received reports from religious minority communities that the textbooks required in the “Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge” class were problematic. USCIRF Commissioners discussed concerns about the textbooks with the Turkish Ministry of Education during a February 2014 trip. The Ministry acknowledged receiving similar reports, but noted that they had revised the textbooks in 2011. The Ministry shared the revised textbooks with USCIRF for its review and they were used for this study.
USCIRF placed Turkey on its Tier 2 list in its 2015 Annual Report. Tier 2 countries are those countries where the violations engaged in or tolerated by the government are serious and are characterized by at least one of the elements of the "systematic, ongoing, and egregious’ standard” of IRFA.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact Travis Horne at [email protected] or 202-786-0615.