Jul 29, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2004
Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges Secretary of State Colin Powell on his July 28-29 visit to Saudi Arabia to call on the government of Saudi Arabia to cease its exportation and support globally for a religious ideology that explicitly promotes hatred and intolerance.
"Numerous reports indicate that funding originating in Saudi Arabia has been used to finance activities that allegedly support religious intolerance, and, in some cases, violence. A growing number of policy makers and experts, including the 9/11 Commission, are calling on the United States to address Saudi support for extremism," said USCIRF Chair Preeta D. Bansal.
In April, several prominent Members of Congress asked the General Accounting Office to undertake a USCIRF-recommended study to examine U.S. government efforts to identify and monitor sources of Saudi funding for institutions that advocate intolerance and violence, and what the U.S. government is doing to counter that influence. In June, an independent task force on terrorist financing at the Council on Foreign Relations endorsed the Commission's recommendation for the study, and called on the U.S. government to publicly acknowledge that serious human rights violations in Saudi Arabia are significant issues in the bilateral relationship. Most recently, the 9/11 Commission's final report notes that Saudi Arabia funded organizations that propagate the Wahhabi doctrine have been exploited by extremists to further their goal of violence. The 9/11 Commission, along with the USCIRF, recommended that these and other problems in the U.S.-Saudi relationship be confronted openly.
The government of Saudi Arabia continues vigorously to enforce its ban on all forms of public religious expression other than the government's interpretation and presentation of the Hanbali school of Sunni Islam, often referred to as Wahhabism. This policy violates the rights of the large communities of non-Muslims and other Muslims from a variety of doctrinal schools of Islam who reside in Saudi Arabia, including Shi'a Muslims, who make up 8-10 percent of the population.
Bansal added, "The Commission also urges Secretary Powell to press for immediate improvements in respect for religious freedom, including: (1) establishing genuine safeguards for the freedom to worship privately, (2) dissolving the mutawaa, (3) permitting non-Wahhabi places of worship in certain areas and letting clergy enter the country, (4) reviewing cases and releasing those who have been detained or imprisoned on account of their religious belief or practices, (5) permitting independent non-governmental organizations, and (6) excluding offensive and discriminatory language from textbooks and the school curriculum."
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.
Preeta D. Bansal,Chair
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Jul 14, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2004
Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240 (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
WASHINGTON - A delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will visit Egypt from July 16-23. During their visit, Commission members will meet with a broad range of individuals from Egyptian society, including government officials, religious leaders, human rights groups, scholars, educators, legal specialists, and others active in civil society in Cairo and Alexandria. The delegation will consult with these individuals on human rights issues, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, as protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other instruments to which Egypt is a party. The standards set forth in these documents are also the underpinnings of the work of the Commission.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal commission that advises the President, Secretary of State, and Congress on how to promote religious freedom and related human rights around the world. It was created by the U.S. Congress in 1998. It consists of nine appointed Commissioners. The purpose of the visit is to learn what the Egyptian government and its civil society is doing to promote freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief in accord with international standards embodied in the UN human rights instruments to which Egypt is a party. Commission members note Egypt's influence on trends in the Arab world and Middle East. This trip is aimed at strengthening efforts to protect human rights worldwide.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress."
Preeta D. Bansal,Chair
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Jul 1, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2004
Contact:
Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27
Please join us for a video presentation featuring an interview with Aleksandr Chuev, a Russian parliament (Duma) deputy. Chuev has said that Russia needs to do more to punish what he calls religious "blasphemy," and that the Duma should adopt an amendment specifically aimed at punishing those who insult "traditional" religious beliefs. The video will be followed by a discussion with Lawrence Uzzell, who is a noted expert on religion in Russia.
In May of this year, a Russian parliamentary committee considered possible amendments to the law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations, including one amendment drafted by Chuev. That law, adopted in 1997, contains highly burdensome registration requirements that impeded the ability of smaller and newer religious groups to gain registration and function fully, but also implied preference to organizations deemed to be "traditional" to Russia. Chuev's proposed amendment would potentially further codify a hierarchy of religious organizations in Russia.
WHO:Lawrence Uzzell, President of International Religious Freedom Watch, former head of the Keston Institute, and a 1998 Pulitzer Prize nominee for his reporting on Russia's 1997 law restoring state control over religious life.
WHEN:3:00 - 4:30 pm, Wednesday, July 7, 2004
WHERE:The Offices of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,
800 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 790, Washington, DC 20002
** Seating is limited, so please RSVP by calling David Park at (202) 523-3240, ext. 38 or email [email protected] **
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and the Congress.
Preeta D. Bansal,Chair
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