FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2004

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

MEDIA ADVISORY

Keynote speaker Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) invites members of the media to attend an invitation-only event the Commission is holding in conjunction with The Folger Shakespeare Library. Our featured speaker will be Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran. Her presentation will be followed by a question and answer session and a reception. The event, in conjunction with an exhibit currently at the Folger titled Voices for Tolerance in an Age of Persecution, will focus on the need for greater respect for tolerance and human rights amid rising religious repression in the world today.

WHAT:"Imagining Freedom and Straining to Hear Voices for Tolerance in a Post-9/11 Age"

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:Dr. Azar Nafisi, author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran"

WHEN:September 23, 2004, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

WHERE:Folger Shakespeare Library, Elizabethan Theatre

201 East Capitol Street, S.E., Washington, DC

The exhibition currently on display, which runs through October 30, uses the Folger's rich collections of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century books, manuscripts, and works of art to tell the important story of those who argued for religious tolerance in early modern Europe - a Europe divided by religious and political conflict and struggling to understand newly discovered lands and peoples. These voices have particular resonance in today's world where the relevance of historical events to present conflicts is often little understood or even ignored.

Our speaker, Dr. Azar Nafisi, is a visiting fellow and professorial lecturer at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and the director of The Dialogue Project, a global forum about the relationship between the Islamic world and the West. After being fired from her job as an English literature professor at the University of Tehran for refusing to conform to religious edicts and prescribed expression, Dr. Nafisi gathered seven of her best female students at her home to discuss the work of Jane Austen, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Vladimir Nabokov. These meetings served as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule, and inspired candid discussions which formed the basis of her award-winning book, Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.

Because space is limited, we request that you ensure seating by responding to David Park, at (202) 523-3240, ext.16, or by sending a confirmation email to [email protected].

This year's report includes recommendations on the process of constitutional development in Afghanistan and Iraq, the designation of "countries of particular concern," the global export of a religious ideology that explicitly promotes hate and violence toward members of other religious groups by Saudi Arabia, individual country reports on more than 20 countries, a review of U.S. Refugee and Asylum Programs, and a critique of the State Department's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

WHAT:Press Conference: U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2004 Annual Report

WHEN:Wednesday, May 12, 2004, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, in the Murrow/White/Lisagor rooms, 13th floor

Copies of the Annual Report will be available at the press conference and will also be posted on the Commission's Web site at www.uscirf.gov. They can also be obtained by contacting the Communications department at (202) 523-3240. Interviews with Commissioners may be arranged by contacting Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, at (202) 523-3240, ext. 27.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2004

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush today reappointed the Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colorado and appointed Michael Cromartie of Arlington, Virginia to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Archbishop Chaput will be serving his second term on the Commission. Michael Cromartie succeeds Dr. Richard D. Land. They will each serve a two-year term.

The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput was installed as the Archbishop of Denver in 1997. Prior to that he served as Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota for nearly nine years. He served as the Provincial Minister and CEO of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America in Denver for five years, in addition to holding various other leadership positions there. Upon his installation as Archbishop, he became the first Native American archbishop (Prairie Band Portawatomi Tribe) in U.S. history. Archbishop Chaput has a M.A. in Theology from the University of San Francisco and a M.A. in Religious Education from Capuchin College in Washington, DC. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Fidelis College in Pennsylvania. He was also an instructor of Theology and the Spiritual Director at St. Fidelis College Seminary.

Michael Cromartie is Vice President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., where he directs the Evangelicals in Civic Life program and the Media and Religion program. He has contributed book reviews and articles to First Things, Books and Culture, and Christianity Today. He is the editor of twelve books on religion and politics including, most recently, "A Public Faith: Evangelicals and Civic Engagement" and "A Preserving Grace: Protestants, Catholics, and Natural Law." He is an adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, an advisory editor at Christianity Today, on the Board of Directors of Mars Hill Audio, and was an advisor to the PBS documentary series "With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Christian Right in America." Frequently asked to explicate the dynamics between religious faith and political convictions, Mr. Cromartie has been interviewed on numerous radio and television programs, including National Public Radio, CNN, ABC News, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, MSNBC, PBS and quoted frequently in the Washington Post, New York Times, The New Republic, Time, and U.S. News and World Report. He holds an M.A. in Justice from The American University and a B.A. from Covenant College in Georgia.

"We welcome President Bush's reappointment of Archbishop Chaput and appointment of Michael Cromartie to the USCIRF," said Chair Preeta D. Bansal. "Archbishop Chaput has made invaluable contributions to the work of the Commission since his appointment a year ago. We look forward to continuing to work with him. We also greatly look forward to the insights and contributions of Commissioner Cromartie as we work to advance freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief around the world. All of the Commissioners join me in thanking former Commissioner Dr. Land for his enormous dedication and work over the past three years."

The Commission consists of nine voting Commissioners and the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, who is a non-voting member. Three Commissioners are selected by the President, two by the leaders of the President's party in Congress, and four by the congressional leaders of the other party. Archbishop Chaput and Mr. Cromartie join Preeta D. Bansal, Patti Chang, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Felice D. Gaer, Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, Nina Shea and Michael K. Young on the Commission. Commissioners serve for two-year terms and are 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2004

Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes the announcement of Secretary of State Powell of the designation of Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Eritrea as "countries of particular concern" (CPCs) for severe religious freedom violations. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), which created the USCIRF, requires that the President or his designee, the Secretary of State, explicitly name those countries that are the most egregious violators of religious freedom and designate them as "countries of particular concern." The IRFA additionally requires that the Administration take action to oppose religious freedom violations in these countries. The USCIRF also welcomes the Secretary of State's redesignation of Burma, China, Iran, North Korea, and Sudan as CPCs, and the release of the  State Department's Report on International Religious Freedom .

"The Commission applauds especially that Saudi Arabia has been added to the U.S. government's list of the world's most egregious violators of religious freedom. The Commission has been recommending that Saudi Arabia be designated a CPC since the Commission was formed in 1999. This has been based not only on the Saudi government's violations of religious freedom within its own borders, but also based on reports of its propagation and export of an ideology of religious hate and intolerance throughout the world," said Commission Chair Preeta D. Bansal. "All individuals, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are denied freedom of conscience and belief in Saudi Arabia. This, together with the Saudi government's funding and global propagation of a particular brand of Islam, impedes the development of voices of toleration and debate within the Islamic tradition," Bansal said.

Since the Commission's inception, it has sought to increase public attention on Saudi Arabia. In the past year, the Commission:

• recommended Saudi Arabia be designated a CPC for the fifth time ;

• issued a policy brief on Saudi Arabia that includes USCIRF recommendations for the President, Secretary of State, and Congress ;

• proposed and then welcomed the announcement of a General Accounting Office (GAO) study on Saudi Arabia's funding of an ideology promoting violence and intolerance globally ;

• applauded the resolution introduced by Senators Susan M. Collins (R-ME) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) urging Secretary Powell to designate Saudi Arabia a "country of particular concern" and calling on the government of Saudi Arabia to cease its support globally for a religious ideology that explicitly promotes hatred and intolerance ;

• held a hearing on Capitol Hill ; and

• published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal .

The Commission also applauds the designation of Vietnam, a country recommended for CPC status by the Commission since 2001. In the past two years, religious freedom conditions have deteriorated in several key areas, including for ethnic Montagnard and Hmong Christians, the leaders of the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam, and "house church" Protestants, all of whom face arrests, detentions, discrimination and, in some areas, forced renunciations of faith. "For its active repression of religious freedom in the past and for the government of Vietnam's failure to respond to the international community's repeated requests to address ongoing violations of the internationally-recognized right to freedom of religion or belief, Vietnam clearly warrants CPC designation," said Bansal.

The State Department's acceptance of the Commission's recommendation of CPC designation for Eritrea is welcomed. The government of Eritrea in the past two years has embarked on a campaign against various religious groups, including through the closure of all houses of worship not belonging to officially recognized religious denominations, the arrest of participants at prayer meetings and other gatherings, and the imprisonment of armed forces members found in possession of certain religious literature.

"The CPC designation is the beginning of focused diplomatic activity on religious freedom and not the end," said Bansal. In addition to CPC designation, the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) stipulates that the U.S. government take active steps with CPC countries to address violations and promote freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. However, since the passage of IRFA, for every country named a CPC in previous years, the only official action taken by any U.S. administration has been to invoke already existing sanctions rather than to take any additional action pursuant to IRFA. Moreover, the State Department has not once to date submitted to the Congress the required evaluation of the effectiveness of prior actions against CPCs.

"This past disregard of IRFA requirements represents a serious failure in U.S. foreign policy. This year, for the first time since the passage of IRFA, countries have been designated as CPCs that do not have already existing sanctions assigned to them. Now that CPC designations have been made, we look forward to working with the State Department in formulating the statutorily required responses to these violations," Bansal said.

The Commission remains troubled that Turkmenistan in particular has not been given the CPC designation it so clearly merits. "The State Department's own reports have consistently concluded that religious freedom conditions continue to deteriorate in Turkmenistan, a highly repressive country whose leader is currently imposing a state religion based on his own personality cult," Bansal said. The Commission also regrets that Secretary Powell did not designate as CPCs India* and Pakistan, which the Commission recommended for designation in February 2004.

* Commissioners Bansal, Chaput, Gaer, and Young dissented from the Commission's recommendation that India be designated a country of particular concern (CPC). Their separate opinion with respect to India was attached to the Commission's February 2004 letter to Secretary Powell concerning the Commission's CPC recommendations.

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.