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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.

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November 10, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two anniversaries this month highlight the importance of continually confronting and combatting anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it arises. 

This past Sunday, November 9^th, marked the 76th anniversary of the 1938 Night of Broken Glass, also known as Kristallnacht, an event many consider the start of the Holocaust.  On November 12-13, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will mark the 10^th anniversary of the Berlin Declaration on anti-Semitism for which participating States and civil society representatives will gather in Berlin. The Declaration acknowledged that anti-Semitism has assumed new forms and poses a continued threat to security and stability in the OSCE region.  OSCE participating States pledged to foster an environment free of anti-Semitic harassment, violence or discrimination, and combat anti-Semitic and other hate crimes. 

High-level delegations at the Berlin meeting will assess what has been achieved during the past ten years and focus on addressing current challenges. U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, and USCIRF Commissioner Hannah Rosenthal will attend the meeting as part of the U.S. delegation. 

“Kristallnacht and the OSCE meeting both serve to remind us that we must remain vigilant. The denial of freedom of religion or belief serves as a warning sign that malignant forces threaten civil society and freedom. The hatred that targets Jews knows no boundaries and relentlessly targets others, including Baha’is, Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims and Yazidis, and those somehow deemed to be different,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett.

“The fight against anti-Semitism is a struggle for the basic values and principles of liberty against the forces of tyranny in every form.  Anti-Semitism is prevalent in many of the countries USCIRF monitors.  Even in Western Europe, where some of America’s strongest allies reside, anti-Semitism is increasing, and some Jews question if they have a future there. It is vitally important that anti-Semitism is denounced whenever and wherever it occurs and that ‘never again’ will the forces of democracy and freedom turn their backs,” said USCIRF Commissioner Hannah Rosenthal.

USCIRF’s 2014 Annual Report highlights anti-Semitism in several countries featured in the report, including Western Europe, Turkey (Turkish Translation), Russia (Russian Translation), Iran (Persian Translation) and Egypt (Arabic Translation).

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

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November 6, 2014 | USCIRF

WASHINGTON, DC – On the eve of President Obama’s November 12-14 trip to Burma, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report, “Burma: Religious Freedom and Related Human Rights Violations are Hindering Broader Reforms.”  The report and its recommendations reflect a USCIRF Commissioner-level visit to Burma in August 2014 by Commissioners M. Zuhdi Jasser and Eric P. Schwartz and two USCIRF staff. 

USCIRF focused on four key issues in its mission: discrimination and horrible abuses against Rohingya Muslims; broader patterns of intolerance against Muslims driven by bigotry and chauvinism among religious and political figures that also impact all other minority religious communities in Burma; laws, policies and proposed legislation that entrench multiple forms of discrimination; and deprivation of citizenship to Rohingya Muslims and prejudicial practices in the issuance of identification documents to all Muslims. 

In the report, USCIRF urges the U.S. government to press Burma’s political leaders to permit humanitarian access to Rohingya Muslims who are displaced in Rakhine State and have been denied freedom of movement, and revise the Rakhine State Action Plan to ensure that Rohingya who have been in Burma for generations and know no other home will not be denied citizenship.  USCIRF also urges the U.S. government to press for the basic rights of all minority religious communities; encourage tolerance and reconciliation; and support international efforts to promote religious freedom and human rights, including a forthcoming UN resolution that will focus on human rights in Burma.  USCIRF also urges U.S. officials to use the term “Rohingya” in recognition of that community’s right to self-identify.  Additional recommendations can be found in the report. 

USCIRF’s visit to Burma underscores the appropriateness of Burma’s designation as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.  For more than a decade, Burma has been designated by the State Department as a CPC due to systematic, egregious and ongoing religious freedom violations.  In its report, USCIRF recommends specific ways the U.S. government could take advantage of this CPC designation to encourage reform and respect for religious freedom and related human rights.

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