Oct 1, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Releases New Report about Religious Tensions and Fulani Communities in West and Central Africa
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious tensions and Fulani communities in west and central Africa:
West and Central Africa Factsheet – This factsheet explores the role that religion plays in escalating violence committed by and against Fulani communities in west and central Africa. Predominantly Muslim and historically associated with cattle herding and livestock rearing, Fulani communities – one of the largest ethnic groups in the world – stretch across the African continent from Senegal to Sudan and have been both the victims and perpetrators of violence against civilians in many countries in recent years. Although the extent to which religious ideology contributes to driving this violence remains a subject of debate, the trend of increasing violence by and against Fulani groups is clearly aggravating religious tensions in countries such as Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S State Department designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations. USCIRF also recommended that the State Department place the Central African Republic on its Special Watch List (SWL).
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].
Apr 25, 2025
USCIRF Condemns Attack in Kashmir
Washington D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns the attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 people, including 25 Indian citizens and one Nepalese national. On April 22, gunmen attacked a group of tourists, most of whom were Hindu men. The perpetrators reportedly asked their victims to recite an Islamic verse, those who were unable to recite it were killed.
“This horrifying attack, predominately against Hindus, marks a blatant and egregious targeting of individuals based on their religious beliefs,” said Chair Stephen Schneck. “Our thoughts are with the victims’ families, and we urge authorities to hold those responsible for the attack accountable, while also taking measures to prevent retaliation against Kashmiri Muslims.”
India and Pakistan both claim parts of Kashmir, which holds a Muslim majority population. Pahalgam, where the recent attack took place, is a mountainous region located in Indian-administered Kashmir. Tensions in the region have increased since 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked Article 370 of India’s constitution, which had granted Kashmir constitutional autonomy. The revocation split the state into two federally administered territories under the control of New Delhi, a move that sparked widespread protests. The recent attack is one of the deadliest that Kashmir has experienced in the last few years. The last major attack occurred in June 2024, when an attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims resulted in the death of nine people.
“We are deeply concerned by the explicit targeting of Hindus and other non-Muslims,” said Commissioner Vicky Hartzler. “We urge the U.S. government to continue to deepen its leadership and engagement on religious freedom to ensure that all individuals are able to freely practice their faith without fear of attack or retribution.”
USCIRF previously expressed concern about the state of religious freedom in Jammu and Kashmir following the 2019 revocation of Article 370. In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF reported on the detention of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders focused on religious freedom issues.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].
Apr 22, 2025
USCIRF Offers Condolences on the Death of Pope Francis
Washington, DC –The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) offers its condolences to the Catholic community worldwide as it mourns Pope Francis, and to all religious communities who looked to him for inspiration as he led the Church for over 12 years. Pope Francis regularly called for the protection of religious freedom and vulnerable communities, particularly in areas of conflict or political turmoil—including Ukraine, Burma, and Nicaragua—and traveled to some of the world’s most challenging environments for religious freedom and other human rights, such as Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, and Iraq.
“We join the world in remembering Pope Francis’s remarkable legacy of mercy and compassion,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “Amid his deep and abiding commitment to standing for the most vulnerable among us, he also made significant contributions to advancing the cause of international religious freedom. We are deeply grateful for his work advocating for greater inclusion and non-discrimination for vulnerable religious minorities, and for the rights of millions of people displaced by religious violence and genocide during his time as pontiff. As he declared in his final Easter message, just this week: ‘There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.’”
The Vatican actively promoted religious freedom under Pope Francis’s leadership and direct engagement. In a 2014 address to an international conference on religious freedom, he described it as “a fundamental human right which reflects the highest human dignity” while lamenting the epidemic of religious persecution that “distorts reason, attacks peace and humiliates human dignity.” He carried this vital message to the United Arab Emirates in 2019, where he signed the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” with the head of the world’s most influential Sunni Muslim institution, al-Azhar.
“As we offer our condolences to the global Catholic community,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Meir Soloveichik, “we also reaffirm our steadfast and abiding commitment to freedom of religion or belief for Catholics and all faith communities around the world.”
USCIRF’s 2025 Annual Report details religious freedom conditions in countries where religious repression and persecution remain serious and often life-threatening challenges—including many circumstances for which Pope Francis often expressed his concern and called for change.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].