For Your Information

January 22, 2013| by Katrina Lantos Swett and M. Zuhdi Jasser

The following op-ed appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Sunday January 20, 2013.

On Wednesday, the United States observed its annual National Religious Freedom Day. This day commemorates the Virginia General Assembly’s adoption in 1786 of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and celebrates the enshrining of this right in the U.S. Constitution and our country’s culture.

For Your Information

January 14, 2013| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on January 14, 2013. 

Former Soviet prisoner and refusenik Natan Sharansky, Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, and Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani are some of the many people across the globe who were unjustly imprisoned for their beliefs.  Fortunately, these three men and women of conscience are now free.  We applaud their lives and the work they have done to advance the cause of freedom and dignity for all.

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12/26/2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following Washington Post On Faith opinion was published  on December 24, 2012. 

In a poem that became one of America’s most beautiful Christmas carols, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “I heard the bells on Christmas day, their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat, of peace on earth, good will to men.”

This promise of the season remains the most elusive.

Indeed, while America’s Christians look joyfully ahead to celebrating Christ’s birth, their brothers and sisters in too many other countries must approach this season fearing for their safety and freedom. Given the grim recent history, their worries are not unfounded.

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December 20, 2012 | By Katrina Lantos Swett

Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has passed a succession of anti-human rights laws curtailing freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Parliament might even pass a proposed blasphemy law that clearly would violate religious freedom. President Obama must speak out.

The following op-ed appeared in the Christian Science Monitor on December 20, 2012. 

This year has featured grim news of serious human rights restrictions imposed by Moscow on Russian society, including religious groups. At their next discussion, President Obama should convey these concerns to Vladimir Putin, reiterating to Russia’s president the need to adhere to universal human rights and religious freedom standards if relations are to progress between our two countries.

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December 19, 2012 | By: Mary Ann Glendon and Azizah al-Hibri 

The following commentary appeared in The National Interest on December 18, 2012. 

When most people picture Western Europe, they envision well-established democracies where fundamental freedoms are vigorously protected. For the most part, this portrait is accurate. However, when it comes to religious freedom, the past year and decade have witnessed trends that challenge this image.

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December 14, 2012| By Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. James McGovern, and Katrina Lantos Swett

The following op-ed appeared in Politico on December 14, 2012. 

Gao Zhisheng is one of the most respected human rights lawyers in China. In the course of defending activists and religious minorities and documenting human rights abuses, he has handled key cases, including those of the Falun Gong and Christians in Xinjiang.

Nabeel Rajab is a prominent human rights activist in Bahrain who has called for and participated in peaceful protests against the government.

Along with their leadership in support of human rights, they share something: These courageous individuals have been jailed and denied fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognized human rights standards and law.

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December 6, 2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett and M. Zuhdi Jasser

The following op-ed appearned in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 6, 2012. 

Starting on Saturday evening, Dec. 8, Jews in Pittsburgh and across the world will be lighting Hanukkah menorahs, invoking a story that, while rooted in Jewish history, inspires all who treasure liberty.

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November 26, 2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following op-ed appeared in the Boston Herald on November 22, 2012. 

Thanksgiving Day and the first feast of the Pilgrims remind us of their brave journey across the Atlantic in search of the freedom to honor their religious convictions according to their conscience.

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November 13, 2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following op-ed appeared on Al.com (By Special to The Birmingham News) on November 10, 2012. 

We observe Veterans Day Monday and honor our fellow Americans who have bravely defended our freedoms and kept us safe and secure.

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October 29, 2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett

The following appeared in The Washington Post On Faith on October 27, 2012. 

Across the globe, religion and belief continue to matter deeply in the lives of people and their cultures. From worship to prayer, births to funerals, weddings to holy days, almsgiving to thanksgiving, religion is a central source of identity, meaning, and purpose for billions of human beings.

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10/25/2012| By Katrina Lantos Swett, Mary Ann Glendon and Robert P. George

The following op-ed appeared in Roll Call on October 25, 2012. 

In the aftermath of the recent controversy over the notorious anti-Muslim film and the reaction to it around the world, now may be the time to step back, view the big picture and consider how best to move forward.