FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 21, 2014 | USCIRF

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) finds misguided a recent bill introduced in Turkey’s parliament that would change the status of the historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul from a museum to a mosque. USCIRF urges Prime Minister Erdoğan publicly to reject the bill and affirm that Hagia Sophia’s current status will be maintained.

Built in the sixth century by the Byzantine emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia served for nearly 1000 years as the most visible symbol of the Christian faith within the Byzantine Empire.  Following the 1453 Muslim conquest of Constantinople, Istanbul’s former name, this magnificent structure was converted to a mosque by Sultan Mehmed II.  For nearly 500 years it was a similarly potent symbol of the Muslim faith within the Ottoman Empire before becoming a museum in 1935.

Whether driven by political considerations tied to Turkey’s forthcoming elections, or for any other reason, opening Hagia Sophia as a mosque would clearly be a divisive and provocative move. It would send the message that the current government sees the sensitivities of Turkey’s religious minority communities, particularly its ancient Christian community, as being of little or no consequence.

Led by the AK Party and Prime Minister Erdoğan, Turkey has taken some positive steps over the last twelve years to reverse the negative consequences of decades of strict Kemalist secularism.  During these decades, the government expropriated the property, including churches, of religious minority communities, and closed centers of higher education like Halki Seminary. These problematic chapters of Turkey’s history remain fresh in people’s minds and continue to shape minority sensitivities.

Given Hagia Sophia’s longstanding connection to Christians and Muslims alike, as well as the rich spiritual meaning it embodies and the powerful emotions it evokes for members of both faiths globally, we believe the pending bill forces Turkey and its people into a zero-sum situation that unnecessarily favors one community over the other. Such an action could deepen the wedge between the government and its delicate relations with its Christian minority, by exacerbating the memories of the terrible religious freedom violations and historical tragedies that occurred in the last century. The problematic implications of such an action are compounded by the deteriorating landscape for democracy and human rights.  The past year has seen the imposition of serious new restrictions on internet freedom, privacy, and media freedom, with troubling implications for religious freedom.

Further, changing the Hagia Sophia’s status would risk undermining Turkey’s efforts to: enhance its standing in the international community; further its aim of becoming a bridge-building nation between west and east; and emerge as a model on how a Muslim-majority nation can be a religiously plural and democratic country.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal advisory body which monitors the universal right to religious freedom abroad.    

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at 202-786-0613 or [email protected].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 20, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, DC – President Barack Obama on May 14, 2014 announced his intent to appoint Father Thomas J. Reese and reappoint Eric P. Schwartz to serve on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom.

“USCIRF welcomes the appointment of Father Reese and the reappointment of Eric Schwartz,” said USCIRF Chairman Dr. Robert P. George. “Father Reese is an articulate advocate of humanitarian causes who will bring his compassion and wisdom to the cause of religious freedom. I also welcome the reappointment of Eric Schwartz who will continue to be a great asset to our Commission given his extraordinary depth of knowledge, experience, and commitment.  These Commissioners will be crucial to USCIRF’s work to help advance the cherished right of freedom of religion or belief around the world.”

“My fellow Commissioners and I also want to honor outgoing Commissioner Rev. William J. Shaw for his outstanding service to the Commission, his commitment to religious freedom, and his dedication to the voiceless,” said Chairman George.

Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. is a Senior Analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, a position he has held since 2014.  Previously, he was a Senior Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 2006 to 2013 and from 1988 to 1998.  He joined the Center as a Visiting Fellow in 1985.  He was Editor-in-Chief of America magazine from 1998 to 2005 and an associate editor from 1978 to 1985.  As an associate editor, he covered politics, economics, and the Catholic Church.  Rev. Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained in 1974.  He received a B.A. and an M.A. from St. Louis University, an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Eric P. Schwartz is Dean of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, a position he has held since 2011.  From 2009 to 2011, he was Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration at the Department of State.  Mr. Schwartz served as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery from 2005 to 2007, and as Chief of Office in Geneva for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2003 to 2004.  From 1993 until 2001, he was on the staff of the National Security Council, and from 1986 to 1989, he served as Washington Director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch.  Mr. Schwartz was first appointed to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2013.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of Refugees International, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.  Mr. Schwartz received a B.A. from Binghamton University, an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Composed of nine members who are part-time volunteers, USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives. 

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at 202-786-0613 or [email protected].

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

May 20, 2014 | By Robert P. George & Katrina Lantos Swett

The following op-ed appeared in the Wall Street Journal on May 19, 2014.

As Iran approaches the anniversary of Hasan Rouhani's presidential victory, the Islamic Republic's human-rights record, particularly its treatment of religious minorities, remains abysmal. This is especially true for the Baha'is, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority.

As with the cases of jailed Christian pastors, such as Saeed Abedini and Farshid Fathi, the Tehran regime shows no signs of wanting to free the so-called Baha'i seven—Baha'i leaders jailed on spurious charges, from espionage to "spreading corruption on the earth"—nor of stopping the persecution of its Baha'i population, which numbers more than 300,000.

Both houses of the U.S. Congress have spoken out for the Baha'is and other religious minorities in Iran. The Senate last December passed a resolution condemning Baha'i persecution. We urge the House to pass the companion measure speedily. Without continued attention from the U.S. and other members of the international community, the future of the Baha'is in the birthplace of their faith will be bleak, as will the fate of Iran's other minorities.

May 23 marks the 170th anniversary of the birth of the Baha'i faith in Iran. The faith emphasizes the unity of humankind. May 14 marked six years that the Baha'i seven—Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Vahid Tizfahm, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet —have been incarcerated for their faith. And as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), on which we serve, noted in its just-released annual report, the number of Baha'i religious prisoners has increased under Mr. Rouhani. As of February 2014, at least 135 Baha'is remained jailed for their beliefs. Hundreds more, though no longer detained, have cases pending.

It is well-known that Baha'is seek peace, not political power, and pose no conceivable security threat. Yet Iran's theocracy persecutes them, revealing a deep aversion to those whose only "crime" is embracing beliefs other than the regime's.

While all religious communities in Iran have suffered persecution since the 1979 Khomeinist revolution, none have fared worse than the Baha'is. The government has since killed more than 200 Baha'i leaders and removed more than 10,000 from government and university positions.

Baha'is are mistreated in nearly every stage and station in life. Last year, USCIRF received reports of Baha'i babies incarcerated with their mothers. Baha'is are barred from attending colleges and universities, from starting their own schools, and from establishing houses of worship to raise their children in their faith. Baha'is can't serve in the military and face job bias elsewhere. Authorities won't recognize their marriages, and Iran's media demonize Baha'is, reinforcing their pariah status.

When Baha'is die, their relatives can't inherit their property, have difficulty obtaining their death certificates and often witness the desecration of their grave sites, not just by vandals but by the government. Recently Iran's Revolutionary Guards began excavating a Baha'i cemetery that is the resting place for 10 women the government hanged in 1983. They were convicted of "crimes" that included teaching children's classes. The women chose to die rather than renounce their faith.

Taking their cue from the regime and media, extremists have attacked Baha'i property in several cities. In August 2013, following months of interrogation, a local Baha'i leader, Ataollah Rezvani, was killed for his faith. No one has been charged with his murder.

In the face of these abuses, the U.S. should recognize that when it comes to human rights and religious freedom, Mr. Rouhani has yet to bring reform. Second, Washington must ponder the implications of Baha'i persecution. The Baha'is threaten no one; religious dictates and doctrine alone drive their persecution. Baha'i repression confirms Tehran's theocratic character and suggests that change won't come easily.

Third, in dealing with Tehran, the U.S. should push for religious freedom and related rights, while continuing to identify Iranian agencies and officials responsible for severe abuses, and then freezing their assets and barring them from entering the U.S. as required under American law.

Finally, the U.S. Congress should continue drawing attention to the Baha'is and other abused Iranians through legislation and other measures. Congress also should keep spotlighting the names, faces and stories behind these abuses.

Through the Defending Freedoms Project, an initiative of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in collaboration with USCIRF and Amnesty International U.S.A., members of Congress have "adopted" prisoners of conscience, including Pastors Abedini and Fathi and the Baha'i seven, and advocated for their release. President Obama in February called for Pastor Abedini's release. It's time to call for the release of the Baha'i seven and other Iranian prisoners of conscience.

In the end, as go the Baha'is, so go freedom's prospects in Iran.

—Mr. George serves as chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and is a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University. Ms. Lantos Swett serves as USCIRF vice chair and is president and CEO of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at 202-786-0613 or [email protected].