USCIRF ADVOCATE: Frederick A. Davie
Advocacy:
Press Release: USCIRF Commissioner Davie Calls for the Immediate Release of RPOC Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, March 4, 2022Op-ed: US should call out Nigeria's horrendous religious freedom record, October 17, 2021
Event: FoRB Victims List and Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project Update, February 25, 2021
Press Release: USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie Adopts Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu of Nigeria through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project,, September 17, 2020
Press Release: USCIRF Condemns Death Sentence for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu on Blasphemy Charges, August 11, 2020
Country:
NigeriaKey Fact:
Islamic gospel musician from Kano State
Detained Since:
Mar 1, 2020
Biography:
Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is a little-known Islamic gospel musician from Kano State, northern Nigeria. He belongs to the Tijaniyya order, a popular Sufi Islamic order across North and West Africa. Within the Tijaniyya, he belongs to what is sometimes called the Niassene Tijaniyya after a Senegalese shaykh named Ibrahim Niasse (1900-1975), who played a pivotal role in spreading and reviving the Tijaniyya from Senegal to Sudan.
Sharif-Aminu was accused of one count of insulting the religious creed, contrary to Section 382 (6) of the Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law of 2000, for a series of audio messages circulated via WhatsApp which became public knowledge in March 2020. The messages are said to have “praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood (Ibrahim Niasse) to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammed.” Sharif-Aminu went into hiding following backlash for his recording, when protestors burned down his family home. He was subsequently arrested that same month.
On August 10, 2020, the Hausawa Filin Hockey upper-Sharia court found Sharif-Aminu guilty of blasphemy and sentenced him to death by hanging. He reportedly did not immediately deny the charges, although he has 90 days to repeal the conviction. It is reported that Sharif-Aminu had access to his lawyer, but that the trial was closed to the public. Since his conviction, it has been reported that Sharif-Aminu is being held in incommunicado detention with no access to legal representation and to his immediate family. In January 2021, a higher court in Kano state overturned Sharif-Aminu’s conviction and ordered his case to be retried due to irregularities in the original trial.
Jul 06
Jul 6th 4:25pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Conversation with USCIRF: Religious Freedom in Tibet
Monday, July 6, 2020
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Virtual Event
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual conversation about the opportunities and challenges related to religious freedom in Tibet.
This special event will highlight the current religious freedom conditions in Tibet, how the U.S. government has promoted religious freedom in Tibet, and discuss USCIRF’s recommendations for U.S. policy. In particular, this conversation will examine the Tibetan Policy and Support Act and the need for filling the vacant position of Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Former USCIRF Chair Tenzin Dorjee will have a conversation on these topics with Commissioner Nury Turkel, who recently was appointed to the Commission. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Dominic Nardi will moderate the conversation followed by questions and answers from attendees.
Panelists
- Tenzin Dorjee, Former Chair, USCIRF
- Nury Turkel, Commissioner, USCIRF
Moderator
- Dominic Nardi, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF
This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording of the virtual event will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact Thomas Kraemer at [email protected] or 202-812-0331.
Gayle Manchin, Chair · Tony Perkins, Vice Chair · Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair
Gary Bauer · James Carr · Frederick Davie · Nadine Maenza · Johnnie Moore · Nury Turkel
Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad.
Sep 23, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Welcomes House Passage of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed the House of Representatives’ passage yesterday of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bars imports of all goods mined, produced, or manufactured in Xinjiang, unless proven by clear and convincing evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labor.
“We want to thank Representative Jim McGovern and Senator Marco Rubio for their leadership on this important legislation in Congress, as well as Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s strong floor statement and all the Members of the House who supported it,” USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel stated. “USCIRF urges the Senate to pass the companion bill swiftly and the President to sign it.”
Dozens of American and international companies are suspected of directly employing or sourcing from suppliers that use forced labor involving thousands of Uyghur and other Muslims. In March 2020, a bipartisan coalition of Members of Congress introduced the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R.6210/S.3471). Currently, the Tariff Act of 1930 prohibits the importation of goods into the United States made wholly or in part by forced labor, but it requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to make specific determinations about individual firms and products. On September 14, CBP issued five new Withhold Release Orders (WRO) against cotton, electronics, and other goods produced by specific companies in Xinjiang. In July 2020, the U.S. government issued a business advisory on the risks of supply chains that rely on the forced labor in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China. The Department of Commerce also added 11 Chinese companies implicated in forced labor to the Entity List.
“It’s unconscionable that American businesses could still be importing goods made with forced labor of a religious minority,” noted USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer. “This bill would go along way in keeping such goods out of American markets, but corporate executives also need to do their part by either verifying beyond a reasonable doubt that their supply chains in China are free of forced labor or moving their business elsewhere.”
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF called upon Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. In addition, it urged the administration to use its authority under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the International Religious Freedom Act to impose targeted sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for severe religious freedom violations against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].