FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 18, 2015

For Uighur Muslims in China’s autonomous region of Xinjiang, observing Ramadan – a month-long period of introspection, fasting, prayer, and devotion – is difficult, if not impossible.  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly urges the Chinese government to end all restrictions on Uighur Muslims’ religious practices and activities, including limitations on Ramadan observance, and honor their right to genuine freedom of religion or belief. 

“The Chinese government repeatedly has insisted that Uighur Muslims obey the state over the dictates of their own conscience,” said USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George.  “This insistence undermines the very foundation of religious freedom, a freedom enshrined in China’s constitution.  China cannot succeed among the global community of nations if it violates the fundamental rights of its own citizens.”  

Already in 2015, the Chinese government has required Muslim store owners in parts of Xinjiang to sell alcohol and cigarettes, in conflict with their religious beliefs and traditions.  Last year, longstanding bans on fasting during Ramadan for Uighur Muslim students, teachers, professors, and government employees were more stringently and widely enforced than in previous years, with some local officials reportedly holding banquets to test Muslims’ adherence to the prohibition.  Daily prayer and certain religious identity markers, such as the veil for women or beards for men, also have been banned in many areas.

Religious freedom and related human rights have deteriorated rapidly, especially in the Muslim majority autonomous region in recent years.  Under President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has used heavy-handed and indiscriminate measures against Uighur Muslims, resulting in a dramatic increase in arrests for offenses such as attending unregistered mosques or Islamic schools, fasting during Ramadan, or criticizing Chinese government policies.  In September 2014, professor and peaceful Uighur advocate Ilham Tohti was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for alleged “separatism.”  

“Each year, Beijing and regional authorities use the peaceful observance of Ramadan as an excuse to intensify its already strict control and repression of Uighur Muslims,” said George.  “The non-violent expression of religious belief must be protected, and the United States and international community should press China to respect freedom of religion or belief for all.”

In 2015, USCIRF again recommended China be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly severe violations of religious freedom.  The State Department has designated China as a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

For more information, see the China Chapter (in English and Chinese) in USCIRF’s 2015 Annual Report.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert P. George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, was elected on June 11, 2015 as Chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).  Dr. George was first appointed to the Commission in March 2012 by Speaker of the House John Boehner and reappointed to a second term in 2014. 

“I am honored to again serve as chair of USCIRF and work alongside my fellow commissioners in support of religious freedom and belief abroad,” said Dr. George. “World events underscore the importance of this fundamental freedom. Religious liberty is an essential human right and a key element in the quest for regional and global security. It deserves a seat at the table with economic and security concerns as the U.S. and other nations conduct their affairs.

“I also want to thank USCIRF’s immediate past-Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Vice Chair, Dr. James J. Zogby for their leadership and vision this past year.  I look forward to continuing our work together,” said Dr. George, who served as USCIRF Chairman in 2013 and USCIRF Vice–Chairman in 2014.

Dr. George also is the Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.  He has been a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, and is a Senior Fellow of the Witherspoon Institute. He has served on the President’s Council on Bioethics and as a presidential appointee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He has also served on UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), of which he remains a corresponding member.

Also on June 11, two USCIRF Commissioners were elected Vice Chairs: Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser and Dean Eric P. Schwartz.  Dr. Jasser was appointed to the Commission by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2012 and reappointed to a second term in 2014.  President Barack Obama first appointed Eric Schwartz in 2013 and reappointed him to a second term in 2014.   

Dr. Jasser is the President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) based in Phoenix, Arizona and a respected physician currently in private practice specializing in internal medicine and nuclear cardiology.

Mr. Schwartz is the dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and served for 25 years in senior public service positions in government, at the United Nations, and in the philanthropic and non-governmental communities.

Also serving on the Commission are Mary Ann Glendon, Dr. Daniel I. Mark, Thomas J. Reese, Hannah Rosenthal, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Dr. James P. Zogby.

USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and House of Representatives.  USCIRF’s principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wrote to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to urge him to pardon Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair. 

“Mr. Badawi is being unjustly held in a Saudi prison for nothing more than peacefully expressing on-line his internationally guaranteed rights to the freedoms of conscience and expression. Also imprisoned is his lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair, who is serving a 15-year sentence on trumped-up charges related to his work as a human rights defender.  Their imprisonment and the fifty lashes Mr. Badawi already has received from his sentence of 1,000 lashes constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and are contrary to international human rights standards,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.

View USCIRF Letter to Saudi King Salman Requesting the Pardon of Raif Badawi and Waleed Abu al-Khair.

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