FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 19, 2000

Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom yesterday wrote to Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright urging the United States government to denounce forcefully the targeting of holy places of any religion in Israel and the Occupied Territories and to condemn those who call for violence in the name of religion. The text of the letter follows:

Dear Madam Secretary:

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has been observing with great apprehension the increasingly religious nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the potential impact of this trend on religious freedom. This is evinced by the growing instances of violence against religious sites (mosques, synagogues, and churches), the use of religious rhetoric to promote violence, the expanding controversy over religious claims to Jerusalem, and the extension of religiously-based confrontations to other areas of the world (primarily in the form of anti-Jewish actions in the Middle East, Europe, and even North America). The ongoing violence in turn has led Israeli authorities to limit access to religious sites because of security concerns. Moreover, religious conflict in the Middle East would escalate inter-religious tensions, and thus pose a threat to religious freedom, everywhere.

We therefore urge the United States government to denounce forcefully the targeting of holy places of any religion and to condemn those who call for violence in the name of religion. We hope that these goals will be emphasized by U.S. diplomats dealing with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In our view, the United States should call for restoration of access to religious sites when legitimate security interests are met, restoration of sites that have been damaged, and prosecution of those who perpetrate desecration of religious sites. We believe that the United States should take the lead in calling upon government and religious leaders everywhere to repudiate all attempts to turn the already grave situation in the Middle East into a conflict among religions.

Thank you for your attention to the Commission's concerns.

Sincerely yours,

Elliott Abrams
Chairman

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." src="https://www.uscirf.org/images/layout/subbottomtext1.gif" />

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 7, 2000

Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom today congratulated Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, a Commission member, on his receipt of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. President Clinton presented the award December 6.

"We are proud to claim Archbishop McCarrick as one of our own, but humbled by his lifelong service to and concern for religious freedom and human rights," said Commission Chairman Elliott Abrams. "President Clinton rightly saw in him the qualities Mrs. Roosevelt brought to her campaign for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

Currently Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark, N.J., McCarrick was recently named Archbishop of Washington, D.C. by Pope John Paul II. He will be installed January 4. Archbishop McCarrick was appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom by Senate minority leader Thomas Daschle (D) of South Dakota. His term expires on May 14, 2000, and he is 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." src="https://www.uscirf.org/images/layout/subbottomtext1.gif" />

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2000

Contact:
Lawrence J. Goodrich, Communications Director, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WHAT:The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will hold a press conference to release its report critiquing the implementation of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and the State Department's second Annual Report on International Religious Freedom. In its report, the Commission assesses the effectiveness of the IRFA process as it has been enforced by the Administration and Congress in its second year. Commission Chairman Elliott Abrams and Commissioner Nina Shea will conduct the press conference.

WHEN:Friday, December 8, 2000 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:Room 2200, Rayburn House Office Building

BACKGROUND:One of the guiding purposes and principles behind the IRFA is to make the issue of international religious freedom an integral part of this nation's foreign policy agenda. Many conditions of religious persecution around the world can be alleviated by careful, committed action by the United States. If the IRFA process is working properly and vigorously, much more attention will be paid to the issue of religious freedom as a matter of U.S. foreign policy. With Human Rights Day on Sunday, December 10, the Commissioners will address the effectiveness of the IRFA process and the Administration's handling of this issue as a foreign policy matter. Copies of the report will be available on Friday, December 8 and can be obtained by contacting the Commission's communications department at (202) 523-3240. The report can also be found 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." src="https://www.uscirf.org/images/layout/subbottomtext1.gif" />