Sep 14, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2017
MICHAEL CROMARTIE: Former USCIRF Chair and Religious Scholar Dies
“Cromartie embodied the effort to integrate religious values with public policy”
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was saddened to learn that on August 28 former USCIRF Commissioner Michael Cromartie died. For many years, he was a vice president at the Ethics & Public Policy Center in Washington, DC.
President George W. Bush first appointed Mr. Cromartie to the Commission in 2004 and he served multiple terms, ending in 2010. A true leader of the commission in its first decade, Mr. Cromartie chaired the commission twice (2005-2006 and 2007-2008) and served as vice chair three times (2006-2007, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010).
Mr. Cromartie was a prolific writer who edited more than a dozen books on religion and politics. He also served as a primary source for the media as reporters sought to understand the intersection of politics and religion. He has been described as being part of a wave of evangelical Christians who believed that their faith required an active engagement in both politics and public life.
USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark said, “Michael Cromartie embodied the effort to integrate religious values with public policy – at both the domestic and international level. We owe him a debt of gratitude for championing an open and honest discourse about the role of religion and belief in a public policy and political context.”
Mr. Cromartie was known to many current USCIRF commissioners and staff who remember him as a kind-hearted, affable man dedicated to encouraging groups to engage with each other on a civil basis. For journalists, this meant convening a twice-yearly group called the Faith Angle Forum that brought religious leaders and scholars together with journalists and writers. He then continued this work on creating a civil public discourse over religion and public policy in his work at the Ethics & Public Policy Center after he left USCIRF.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/+1-202-786-0611).
Sep 11, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2017
USCIRF Strongly Condemns Violence in Burma’s Rakhine State and Calls for Efforts to Protect Rohingya Muslims
USCIRF chairman describes the Rohingya plight as a “staggering humanitarian disaster”
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns attacks on civilians and security forces in Burma’s Rakhine State. Hundreds have been killed and approximately 300,000 Rohingya Muslims recently have fled to neighboring Bangladesh. This number is expected to grow in the days and weeks ahead. Burma’s security forces have razed entire villages, slaughtered families, and even placed landmines in the path of fleeing refugees, creating “a staggering humanitarian disaster,” according to USCIRF’s Chairman Daniel Mark.
“Burma’s security forces must end their attacks on civilians in Rakhine State,” said Chairman Mark. “We call upon Burma’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to unequivocally condemn the atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. Burma’s government and military must uphold their international humanitarian and human rights commitments.”
Beginning on August 25 and rapidly escalating ever since, Burma’s security forces have conducted disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks against Rohingya Muslims, conflating the unlawful and deadly acts of a few with the overwhelmingly peaceful population now fleeing for its life. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’s violent actions against state forces have put countless lives at risk and the Commission condemns its attacks as well. Alas, collectively, innocent Rohingya and Kaman Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and others in Rakhine State all suffer from the violence.
Most Rohingya refugees are fleeing into Bangladesh, which suffers from flooding and scarce resources. “For decades, Bangladesh has given shelter to Rohingya refugees, estimated at as many as 500,000 people before the latest crisis,” said Chairman Mark. “Violence and persecution in Burma have driven nearly 400,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh in the last year alone.”
USCIRF strongly urges Burma to collaborate with international partners like the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations, as well as regional stakeholders such as Bangladesh and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ensure that Rohingya Muslims and other vulnerable populations immediately receive adequate resources and compassionate care.
A concise explanation of the Rohingya plight may be found in USCIRF’s report Suspended in Time: The Ongoing Persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Burma.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).
Aug 16, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2017
USCIRF Welcomes the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2016
USCIRF chairman describes the report as “an important resource on religious freedom conditions globally”
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commended the State Department for its release of its annual International Religious Freedom Report. Covering 2016, this publication documents religious freedom conditions in almost 200 countries, including some of the most repressive governments in the world. The full text of the report may be found here and at www.state.gov.
When announcing the report’s release, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that religious freedom is a “core American value…and universal human right,” commenting further that it is a “human rights priority” for the Trump Administration. The report states that “The United States promotes religious freedom as a moral imperative. As importantly, we promote religious freedom because countries that effectively safeguard this human right are more stable, economically vibrant, and peaceful. The failure of governments to protect this right breeds instability, terrorism, and violence.”
Welcoming the report’s release, USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark remarked, “The State Department’s report is an important resource on religious freedom conditions globally. In particular, we strongly support Secretary Tillerson’s comments about genocide. He expressed unequivocally that ISIS is responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims. Such a strong and clear statement is both needed and appropriate. We applaud the Secretary of State for reaffirming this position.”
In USCIRF’s 2017 Annual Report, the Commission recommended to the White House and the State Department that 16 countries be designated as “countries of particular concern” (CPC). CPCs are those countries that perpetrate or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom.
The nations USCIRF recommended as CPCs include: Burma, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. This year marks the first time that USCIRF has recommended Russia as a CPC, due to its continued religious freedom violations both inside Russia and in neighboring Ukraine and Crimea.
By law, the State Department has 90 days after it issues its report to designate countries of particular concern. In 2016, the State Department designated 10 of USCIRF’s recommendations as CPCs. USCIRF calls on the White House and Secretary Tillerson to re-designate those 10 countries CPCs, and also to designate the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam.
Beyond the CPC recommendations, USCIRF’s report listed an additional 12 countries that warrant continued close attention even though their religious freedom violations did not meet the CPC standard. These “Tier 2” countries are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, and Turkey. Likewise, the State Department now has 90 days during which it will lay out criteria for creating a “special watch list” of countries with religious freedom violations that fall below the CPC level.
USCIRF Chairman Mark said, “USCIRF’s Tier 2 list is a good place for the State Department to start when compiling its special watch list. We look forward to working with the Department on countries of particular concern, entities of particular concern, and the special watch list. We also hope that the Senate swiftly confirms Governor Sam Brownback as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom when it reconvenes in September.”
Pursuant to the 2016 Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, this year, for the first time, USCIRF recommended three groups be designated as “entities of particular concern” (EPCs). They are the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria; the Taliban in Afghanistan; and al-Shabaab in Somalia. An EPC is a non-state actor that is “a non-sovereign entity that: 1) exercises significant political power and territorial control; 2) is outside the control of a sovereign government; and 3) often employs violence in pursuit of its objectives.”
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission, the first of its kind in the world. USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the Congressional leadership of both political parties. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or John D. Lawrence, Director of Communications ([email protected]/ +1-202-786-0611).