Dec 13, 2011
The Hill's Congress Blog - Where Lawmakers Come To Blog
December 12, 2011
By Felice D. Gaer and Nina Shea
Commissioners on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
While Americans routinely enjoy religious freedom, most people live in places where it is seriously restricted.
In 1998, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), committing America to support this universal human right abroad. As Congress attends to the issue of the reauthorization of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which IRFA created and on which we've served, it's time to address some myths about backing religious freedom overseas:
• Myth: Promoting religious freedom supports a minor, narrow right to practice religious rites.
From food to clothing, work to play, births to funerals, weddings to holy days, worship to prayer, and almsgiving to thanksgiving, religion or belief is an integral part of identity and daily living for billions of people.
Religious freedom -- which encompasses freedom of thought and conscience - is foundational for a broad constellation of rights. Inseparable from freedom of expression and association, it's often the first freedom threatened by tyranny and terror. Freedom of religion or belief matters not only for religious adherents, but for those embracing no religion or beliefs rejecting all religions.
That's why IRFA, through USCIRF and the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. State Department, supports the right to reject as well as accept any religion or belief system.
• Myth: Promoting religious freedom imposes America's values on others.
America's concern for religious freedom is rooted in the first clause of our First Amendment. Yet IRFA's statutory mandate is tied to universal values. In 1948, the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly. Its Article 18 states that:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his [her] religion or belief, alone or in community with others, and, in public or private, to manifest his [her] religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
Based on our overseas travels, we can attest that every religious minority wants the full measure of religious freedom which these standards uphold -- standards we use to hold their countries to account.
• Myth: Promoting religious freedom abroad means favoring some religions over others.
Our government has spotlighted religious freedom abuse victims no matter the community to which they belong. Muslims have suffered terribly under non-Muslim governments in countries like Russia and Burma and under Muslim governments in nations like Saudi Arabia, which targets Shi'a Muslims and other dissenters from its own interpretation of Islam. From Egypt and Iraq to China and Sudan, Christians have endured brutal assaults. In Nigeria, Christians and Muslims alike suffer from violence perpetrated by members of both communities. Our Commission also reports on the mistreatment of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh, Buddhists in Vietnam and China, Baha'is in Iran and Egypt, and Ahmadiyahs in Indonesia and Pakistan, and on the promotion of anti-Semitic bigotry in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Turkey.
• Myth: Promoting religious freedom is too narrow a priority for American foreign policy.
Some believe religious freedom must take a back seat to economic and security issues. Yet universal and humanitarian concerns like protecting human rights, including religious freedom, powerfully affect our relations with the world. As Secretary of State Clinton has stated, they define "who we are." As President Obama stressed in his Arab Spring speech in May, they constitute a core principle for which we must speak out.
Moreover, religious freedom is associated with vibrant democracy, rising socio-economic well-being, diminished religious and communal tension and violence, and greater stability. Nations that trample on this freedom offer fertile ground for poverty and instability, war and terror. Counterterrorism officials connect terrorism to the dissemination by nations like Saudi Arabia of education that promotes religious intolerance and hate.
• Myth: Promoting religious freedom abroad is a partisan political matter.
In fact, religious freedom is and has been a bipartisan concern. America's history is rich with support from leaders of both parties for religious freedom for mistreated groups, from Jews and Pentecostal Christians in the old Soviet Union to Muslims in Bosnia and refugees from Iraq. Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, see religious freedom as an unalienable human right. It can't be taken away. And it must be defended by all.
In 1998, the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by a Democratic president. IRFA established USCIRF as a bipartisan federal commission, with its commissioners appointed both by Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as by the President.
Make no mistake: Freedom of religion or belief is everyone's concern. It's America's business - and the world's.
Gaer and Shea are Commissioners on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF"s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact Tom Carter, Communications Director at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or (202) 523-3257.
Dec 7, 2011
December 6, 2011
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom regrets to have to bring to your attention the attached resolution, which we understand to reflect our legal obligations to prepare to cease all operations unless reauthorized by December 16, 2011.
It remains our most fervent hope that the Commission will be reauthorized, so that it can continue its vital work in advising the President, the Congress, and the Secretary of State.
The Commission expresses its sincere appreciation to all those who have supported, and remain supportive of, the continuation and reauthorization of the Commission"s mandate and work.
Leonard A. Leo, Chair
Dr. Don Argue, Vice Chair
Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Vice Chair
Dr. Azizah al Hibri, Commissioner
Felice D. Gaer, Commissioner
Dr. Richard D. Land, Commissioner
Rev. William Shaw, Commissioner
Nina Shea, Commissioner
Ted Van Der Meid, Commissioner
* * *
UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
RESOLUTION (12/6/11)
WHEREAS the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) shall expire on December 16, 2011, in the absence of either enactment of reauthorizing legislation by the Senate and the House of Representatives that is duly signed by the President of the United States by that date, or, enactment of provisions specifically extending USCIRF's operations in another continuing resolution or other measures, should any of these be adopted by the Congress; and
WHEREAS Federal law requires USCIRF to undertake certain fiscal and administrative measures to ensure an orderly and financially solvent closure of the agency before its expiration; and
WHEREAS the Government Services Administration has notified USCIRF of the need to initiate such measures;
BE IT RESOLVED that, effective immediately, all USCIRF personnel shall, under the direction of the Executive Director, undertake any and all steps that are necessary to ensure that, in the event of USCIRF's expiration on December 16, 2011, USCIRF will shut down in accordance with all applicable Federal laws and regulations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that USCIRF personnel shall, under the direction of the Executive Director, take all necessary steps to preserve and archive any and all records of the Commission.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that USCIRF's Executive Director shall determine whether and where said records can be archived and make appropriate arrangements for their transfer upon expiration of the Commission.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution be transmitted to all Members of Congress, the President of the United States, and the Secretary of State, and that this resolution be posted as well on the USCIRF website.
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF"s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact Tom Carter, Communications Director at [email protected], or (202) 523-3257.
Dec 1, 2011
December 1, 2011 | by Azizah Y. al-Hibri and Richard D. Land
The following article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on November 30, 2011:
On Nov. 6, Burmese soldiers burst into a church in the state of Kachin, burning and looting it, severely beating its pastor, the Rev. Yajawng Hkawng, and kidnapping 50 of its members for forced labor, including women whom they reportedly raped.
Despite the government's recent words and deeds suggesting reform, such stories remain disturbingly common in Burma, now officially known as Myanmar. Rohingya Muslims, for example, are routinely arrested and tortured when they cannot pay extortion money. Hundreds of Buddhist monks are in prison for peaceful criticism of the government, including U Gambira, who has been so badly beaten that his relatives worry about his physical and mental health.
When she arrives in Burma on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should stress to her hosts the imperative of fundamental reform. Despite some positive steps taken by the new civilian government, including the release of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and 200 other prisoners of conscience and an easing of some Internet controls, Burma remains one of the world's most egregious human rights and religious freedom violators and continues to face economic and political sanctions for its misconduct.
For nearly 50 years, Burma's ruling generals have imposed their will on the nation. The U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma has accused the military of atrocities that amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. The government has repressed democracy, denied ethnic and cultural rights, displaced hundreds of thousands, and used rape, torture, forced labor, conscription of child soldiers and extrajudicial killings to "pacify" its people.
When the nation's military held elections in 2010, the international community and Burma's people viewed them as a fraud aimed at extending its rule. Notwithstanding the civilian government's recent moves toward reform, there are few who doubt that the military remains in control.
As a result, conditions for Burma's diverse religious communities have yet to improve by any measurable degree.
Who can forget either the riveting images of thousands of saffron-robed Buddhist monks leading peaceful 2007 protests -- or the subsequent bloody crackdown? In ethnic minority areas, religious restrictions and attacks on religious leaders and institutions are critical strategies of the military's war against the Karen, Karenni, Naga and Chin peoples. Across the country, the military has removed children from Christian homes for education in Buddhist schools, determined whether Muslims may marry or travel, and even issued new regulations last month requiring religious groups to get permission for "reading the Bible, fasting, prayer ... and [saying] the rosary of the Virgin Mary."
Given Burma's troubled record, the United States, along with the international community, should view contrary steps taken by the Burmese government with a cautious eye. We commend the Obama administration for seeking to assess Burma's current attitudes on reform, but we urge it not to let isolated positive actions obscure the reality of human rights and religious freedom abuses.
The U.S. should urge Burma to match reformist rhetoric with consistent and concrete actions, including the release of all political and religious prisoners, an immediate cease-fire in ethnic minority areas and a commitment to improve its human rights record. Improvements in religious freedom should be a critical benchmark for gauging Burma's intent on genuine reform.
Until there is evidence of change, the international community and the United States should maintain economic and political sanctions. The world must keep challenging Burma to move decisively toward democracy and freedom.
Azizah Y. al-Hibri and Richard D. Land serve as Commissioners of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. They wrote this for this newspaper.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact Tom Carter, Communications Director at [email protected] or (202) 523-3257.
For a link to the article, go to http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_19434696