Jul 16

WHEN:

Jul 16th 4:00pm - Jul 18th 2:00pm

During the week of the 2019 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, USCIRF participated through the following events:

 

Tuesday, July 16

The Mass Destruction and Desecration of Uyghur Mosques in China
Sponsored by Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)
Speaking: Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee
4:00 - 5:00 pm
George Washington University*
Marvin Center

A Conversation with U.S. Lawmakers on Religious Persecution
Sponsored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Congressional Caucus and Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC)
Speaking: Commissioner Tenzin Dorjee
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Capitol Visitor Center (HVC 201)
First Street SE
Washington, DC 20004

Will Religious Freedom Survive in Northeast Syria?
Sponsored by Family Research Council (FRC)
Speaking: Chair Tony Perkins
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Family Research Council
801 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

 


Wednesday, July 17

Best Practices in International Religious Freedom Advocacy (Breakout Session)
Speaking: Commissioner Kristina Arriaga
10:45 - 12:15 pm
State Department*

Deep Dive — Challenges to Religious Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa (Breakout Session)
Speaking: Director of Research & Policy Dwight Bashir
10:45 am - 12:15 pm
State Department*

Monitoring International Religious Freedom (Breakout Session)
Speaking: Chair Tony Perkins and Vice Chair Gayle Manchin; Q&A with all Commissioners
1:15 - 2:45 pm
State Department*

Journalism and International Religious Freedom (Breakout Session)
Speaking: Commissioner Johnnie Moore
1:15 - 2:45 pm
State Department*

Quantifying Religious Freedom: A 10-Year Global Analysis of Pew Research
Sponsored by Christianity Today and Institute for Global Engagement (IGE)
Speaking: Commissioner Kristina Arriaga
1:30 - 3:00 pm
George Washington University*
Marvin Center

Deep Dive — Challenges to Religious Freedom in East Asia and Pacific (Breakout Session)
Speaking: Deputy Director of Research & Policy Tina Mufford
1:45 - 3:15 pm
State Department*

Shining a Light on the Uyghur Crisis & Reflecting on Our Global Movement for Religious Freedom (Ministerial Reception)
Sponsored by IRF Roundtable
Speaking: Vice Chair Nadine Maenza
6:00 - 8:00 pm
United States Institute of Peace
2301 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037

The Role of International Religious Freedom in U.S. Foreign Policy
Sponsored by the Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom, George Washington University
Speaking: Commissioners Anurima Bhargava and Johnnie Moore
The George Washington Textile Museum
701 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
5:15 - 6:30 pm
 

 

Thursday, July 18

U.S. Government Grant Training (Hosted by USCIRF)
Opening Remarks: Vice Chair Gayle Manchin
9:00 - 11:00 am
Government Publishing Office
Harding Hall
732 N. Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC 201401

The Impact of War on Religious Freedom
Speaking: Vice Chair Nadine Maenza and Commissioner Kristina Arriaga
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Museum of the Bible
400 4th Street SW
Washington, DC 20024

Falun Gong Rally
Speaking: Vice Chair Gayle Manchin
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol

Christian Holy Sites and Holy Places in the Middle East
Sponsored by International Community of the Holy Sepulchre and Hudson Institute's Working Group on Christians and Religious Pluralism in the Middle East
Speaking: Commissioner Kristina Arriaga
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Washington School of International Affairs
1957 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20052

 

For more information about the 2019 Ministerial, click here.

For more information about side events taking place during the Ministerial, click here.

Jul 25

WHEN:

Jul 25th 5:00pm - Jul 25th 7:00pm

During the week of the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hosted the following events:

20th Anniversary of IRFA Reception
United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
2301 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037
Wednesday, July 25 from 5:00-7:00 pm

 

U.S. Government Grant Workshop
Government Publishing Office
732 North Capitol Street, N.W.
Harding Hall
Washington, DC, 20401 
Thursday, July 26 from 2:00-5:00pm

 

Jun 27

WHEN:

Jun 27th 10:30am - Jun 27th 12:00pm

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
 
Religious Freedom in Turkey
 
Thursday, June 27, 2019
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
216 Hart Senate Office Building

Hearing Transcript 

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a hearing about Turkey’s religious communities and their ability to practice their faith without government interference.
 
Turkey has a rich and diverse religious history with multiple religious groups calling the country their home over the past 2,000 years. People of these various faiths all desire to practice their beliefs as they see fit and to pass their values and traditions down to their children without government obstruction.
 
Recent positive developments in Turkey include the restoration and opening of a Bulgarian Orthodox church, permission to build a new Syriac Orthodox church, and the return of 50 property deeds to the Syriac Orthodox community. At the same time, religious groups still struggle to practice their faith unhindered. The government does not recognize Alevis as a religious group, deems their houses of worship illegitimate, and refuses to exempt their children from compulsory religious classes in school. Government officials and progovernment groups continue to direct hate speech toward Christians and anti-Semitic rhetoric toward Jews. The Armenian Apostolic Church has been prevented from holding patriarchal elections since 2010, and the Greek Orthodox Church is still awaiting the return of properties forcibly seized and the reopening of its historic Halki Seminary.  
 
Witnesses will highlight the current state of religious freedom in Turkey and discuss recommendations for U.S. policy that address these concerns consistent with the two countries’ broader security and economic partnership.
 

Opening Remarks

 

Panel I

  • Pastor Andrew Brunson, Pastor and former prisoner of conscience in Turkey
    Written testimony

     

Panel II

  • Mustafa Akyol, Senior Fellow, Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute
    Written testimony

  • Lisel Hintz, Assistant Professor of International Relations and European Studies, SAIS, Johns Hopkins
    Written testimony

  • Aykan Erdemir, Former Member of the Turkish Parliament and Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
    Written testimony

Bios

This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media can RSVP at [email protected]. The hearing will be livestreamed via the Commission website. For any questions please contact Jamie Staley at [email protected] or 202-786-0606.

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