FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 21, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns in the strongest possible terms the despicable slaughter in a Jerusalem synagogue of four Rabbis and one police officer.  Two Palestinians armed with a gun, knives, and axes killed these Rabbis during Morning Prayer, injured several others, and killed a police officer who responded to the attack in the Kehilat Yaakov synagogue in West Jerusalem.  Three of those murdered were American and one was British.

“USCIRF joins with the President and Secretary of State in their condemnation of this attack, and with the Secretary of State’s comments that link these brutal murders to Palestinian leaders’ repeated calls for people to express their rage.  USCIRF calls on world leaders of all faiths both to condemn this vicious attack and support comprehensive education on religious tolerance, coexistence and pluralism.  Tragic crimes like this remind us of the truth of the words of my father Tom Lantos that ‘The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest,’” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.

USCIRF expresses its condolences to the families of those killed in the attack and extends our prayers for a full recovery to those injured.  Targeting worshippers in a church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or any place of worship is among the most repugnant acts of terror that can take place.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today urged the Turkish government to reopen the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary, the only Greek Orthodox educational institution in Turkey, which was closed 43 years ago this month.  Halki remains closed despite Turkish government officials’ promises and public statements of support for its reopening.

“The ongoing closure of Halki Seminary flies in the face of the fundamental right of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to educate and train its clergy in Turkey so it can lead the community’s faithful around the world,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.  “We encourage the U.S. government to urge the Turkish government to publicly commit to a specific date in the immediate future to reopen Halki.” 

After a military coup in 1971, the Turkish state nationalized all private institutions of higher learning.  As a result, the Halki School of Theology, located on the island of Heybeli, was closed and remains closed to this day.

“Reopening Halki would be a significant gesture by Turkey and would send a signal to the international community that Turkey respects the freedom of religion or belief of diverse faiths,” said Lantos Swett.

“While Turkey recently has implemented some reforms, concerns remain,” continued Lantos Swett.  Reforms include returning some confiscated properties to minority religious communities, lifting the headscarf ban for women in public institutions and schools, allowing minority schools to enroll non-citizens, and revising textbooks to eliminate some religiously intolerant language.  Despite these reforms, along with the ongoing closure of Halki, other concerns include requiring that all members of the Greek Orthodox Church’s Holy Synod be citizens of Turkey; the limitations on religious communities’ rights to build, operate and maintain houses of worship and other properties; and the Alevi population’s right to operate their cemevis, which Alevi’s view as their houses of worship.

USCIRF placed Turkey on the Tier 2 list in its 2014 Annual Report, noting that the overall landscape for democracy and human rights has deteriorated significantly during the report year. 

For more information about USCIRF’s work on Turkey, please view the 2014 Annual Report here.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2014  | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  In the face of escalating violations worldwide of religious freedom, an initiative that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) promoted was launched on November 8 to create a global religious freedom coalition.  At the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, 30 parliamentarians from around the world signed an unprecedented joint statement committing themselves to advance religious freedom for all.  This statement, the Charter for Freedom of Religion or Belief, commits parliamentarians to promote religious freedom or belief for all persons through their work and respective institutions and enhance global cooperation.

“This historic event brought together individual parliamentarians from a wide range of nations and religious communities in a united effort to galvanize support at a time when religious freedom increasingly is under attack,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.  “Despite great religious, political, and regional diversity, they were unified in agreeing to combat persecution and support the principles of religious freedom that are found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

“Some of us came to this meeting from environments of safety, but we were moved by the presence of others who attended at great personal risk,” said USCIRF Commissioner Mary Ann Glendon.  “We owe them our best effort to ensure that this new initiative gains strength and support, and we expect this network to grow.”

Countries represented included Argentina, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.  In addition, from the United States two Commissioners from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom participated, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.  The parliamentarians sent co-signed letters to the heads of state of Pakistan and Burma expressing concern about religious freedom violations in each country, and wrote Pope Francis to apprise him of the initiative.

To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or 202-285-6868 or 202-786-0613.