FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2014 | USCIRF 

Pope Francis will be traveling to the Holy Land this weekend amidst a spike in so-called "price tag" attacks on holy places.  In recent years, such attacks – property crimes and violent acts in retaliation for activity deemed to be anti-settlement – have targeted Christian and Muslim religious sites and properties.  In recent weeks, politically-motivated vandals have been responsible for a number of attacks on churches and have used anti-Christian and anti-Arab slurs in their assaults.  We encourage efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for attacks and vandalism on holy places and religious sites.  We also encourage, to the extent possible while guaranteeing the pontiff’s safety and security, access to Pope Francis for Christians of all nationalities and all who wish to pray with him.

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

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].