This op-ed originally appeared in The Christian Post on September 18, 2018.

By Tenzin Dorjee and Nadine Maenza

It has been more than a year since Burmese authorities began a brutal campaign terrorizing, sexually assaulting, and killing mainly Rohingya Muslims, leaving burned villages and corpses in their wake; more than a year since more than 700,000 fled across the border to Bangladesh. Despised for being both ethnically and religiously different, Rohingya Muslims are considered by Burma's military and many of the majority Buddhist population as outsiders illegally residing in the country with the goal of spreading Islam across the land.

What is even more alarming is that this kind of violent campaign had happened before, most recently in October 2016. Then, too, Burma's military launched attacks against Rohingya Muslims and others. Their stated reason? That small groups of Rohingya insurgents, in both instances, attacked and killed Burmese security forces in retribution for increased harassment and discrimination. In so doing, the insurgents handed the government, the military, and some nonstate actors justification—in the name of combatting terrorism—to exterminate and forcibly evict Rohingya Muslims from Burma.

A new report from the State Department revealed that the military's campaign against Rohingya Muslims was planned well in advance, using the insurgent attacks as justification. In fact, the military had intensified its crackdown in the months leading up to the attacks. The report states "the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents."

While the State Department did not label the abuses against Rohingya Muslims as genocide or crimes against humanity despite robust supporting evidence, the United States and the international community nevertheless must swiftly seek justice against the perpetrators under the appropriate international instruments. A recently released UN-commissioned report concluded that Burma's top military leaders should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide, noting circumstances suggesting their "genocidal intent."

We should not be surprised. Burma's military and security forces—and even nonstate actors—have perpetrated these and similar abuses against several religious and ethnic minority communities in Burma for decades. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and many of the ethnic groups in Burma have long felt the military's wrath and society's disdain.

In the case of Rohingya Muslims, there is no denying that they have been targeted, at least in part, because of their faith. Earlier this year, a delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), where we serve as Commissioners, spoke with Rohingya refugees now residing in Bangladesh. They described how Burma's government and others often interfered with Ramadan and Eid festivals; locked and burned down madrassas and mosques; desecrated and burned Qur'ans; prevented burials according to Muslim tradition; and targeted imams for detention, torture, and killings. Last November, a USCIRF delegation met with Burma's government, including the Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture, religious leaders, interfaith youth groups, and civil society and to advocate for the religious freedom of Rohingya and other Muslims, Christians, and all religious and ethnic communities.

In USCIRF's 2018 Annual Report, we recommended that the State Department should redesignate Burma as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for its systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom against Rohingya Muslims and others. This designation should have been made by the end of August, and USCIRF urges the State Department to make CPC designations as soon as possible.

The United States must continue to impose targeted sanctions on specific abusers, through IRFA and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, as the Treasury Department did in August 2018 and December 2017. Such sanctions include visa bans and asset freezes.

It is imperative that the United States make human rights in Burma a priority not just in its bilateral relations, but also as part of its overall foreign policy strategy. The White House National Security Strategy prioritized religious freedom and protecting religious minorities, a policy exemplified by the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom held by the State Department in July 2018. The administration and Congress now must work together to respond strongly and to reinforce U.S. foreign policy priorities in Burma.

Burma's government can no longer deny the abuses perpetrated by the military and nonstate actors. The world can no longer stand by with only words and no action. Our collective conscience can no longer accept these violations of human rights.

Dr. Tenzin Dorjee serves as the current chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and was reappointed by Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2018. Nadine Maenza serves as a Commissioner at USCIRF. She was appointed by President Trump in 2018.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2018

USCIRF Calls for Release of Prisoner of Conscience as White House Takes Harder Line on Religious Freedom Violations in China
 

Christian Underground Church Leader Hu Shigen Imprisoned as Part of
Massive Chinese “Sinicization” Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC — Commissioner Gary Bauer of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today echoed the Trump Administration’s condemnation of widespread religious freedom abuses in China as he announced his “adoption” of imprisoned Christian church leader Hu Shigen. Hu, a religious freedom advocate who had suffered torture during a previous 16-year prison sentence for human rights advocacy, was detained again in 2015 and sentenced in 2016 to a 7.5-year sentence for “subversion of government power.”

“Tragically, the treatment of Mr. Hu is entirely consistent with what we’re seeing throughout China as Christians, Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners are persecuted for their faiths,” said Bauer, whose personal advocacy for Hu is part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. “The scope and scale of these violations is staggering and it is incumbent upon all of us to hold China accountable for its brutal treatment of individuals and communities of faith.”

In its 2018 Annual Report, USCIRF described China’s increased “sinicization” campaigns to control, govern, and manipulate all aspects of faith into a socialist mold with “Chinese characteristics.” In recent testimony before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, USCIRF’s Chair, Dr. Tenzin Dorjee, cited China’s forced “re-education” of Uighur Muslims, destruction of religious institutions, and the false imprisonment, often without legal representation, of religious freedom advocates like Hu Shigen.

USCIRF also remains concerned by the many unresolved issues, including the reported forced disappearances of Catholic clergy, that remain following the agreement in late September between Beijing and the Vatican.

To learn more about the plight of Hu Shigen, USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, and USCIRF’s recommendations for deterring China’s continued religions freedom abuses, Gary Bauer is available to speak on background or for attribution. Please contact Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

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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] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2018

U.S. Delegation Is First Ever to Meet with “Religious Police” in Saudi Arabia

USCIRF Delegation Holds Wide Ranging Meetings During Site Visit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a trip last week to Saudi Arabia, Commissioners Johnnie Moore and Nadine Maenza of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) met with government officials and had the first meeting ever granted between the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the “Religious Police”) and a U.S. delegation.  

“It was an excellent visit. No one was unavailable to meet with us, no topics were off-limits,” said Commissioner Moore. “We found the Saudis willing to engage directly on any issue. It was a very productive visit, marked by important discussions. The momentum of change in the country is absolutely undeniable, but, of course, there’s much in need of change.”

Commissioners Moore and Maenza met with officials from several ministries and had constructive dialogue on religious coexistence and reforms in Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), the CPVPV leadership disclosed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had compelled it to reassess its approach and reform most of its intrusive practices as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan announced in 2016 whose stated aims included making the Kingdom “a tolerant country with Islam as its constitution and moderation as its method.” 

“I am encouraged by the opening that is being seen in the capital of Riyadh,” said Commissioner Maenza. “I saw women driving, some guardianship rules being rolled back, and women and men increasingly mixing in public venues, including at a Cirque du Soleil concert in Riyadh. The question we continue to assess is whether this opening is extending to other parts of the country and the degree to which these reforms are impacting freedom of religion or belief in a country that still—for instance—officially bans public worship unless it is the state-sanctioned practice of Islam. We look forward to following up on specific questions related to the rights of minorities, including the Shi’a community and certain individuals deemed by USCIRF to be prisoners of conscience.”

The USCIRF delegation discussed in detail with members of the Shura Council, Saudi Arabia’s formal advisory body appointed by the King, USCIRF’s 2018 Annual Report chapter on Saudi Arabia, in which USCIRF continued its long standing recommendation that Saudi Arabia be designated a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom. The Department of State has designated Saudi Arabia a CPC since 2004.

USCIRF’s visit was partly intended to collect information for its 2019 Annual Report. 

Commissioners Moore and Maenza met with the following Saudi government ministries and affiliated government entities: Ministry of Defense – Ideological Warfare Center; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Information; Ministry of Islamic Affairs; Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice; King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue; King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz General Education Development Project (Tatweer); Members of the Saudi Shura Council; Center for International Communication; and the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal).

The delegation also met with representatives of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, its affiliated Fiqh Academy, and a range of non-governmental interlocutors.

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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] or Javier Peña at [email protected]or +1-202-674-2598.