Oct 1, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Releases New Report about Religious Tensions and Fulani Communities in West and Central Africa
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious tensions and Fulani communities in west and central Africa:
West and Central Africa Factsheet – This factsheet explores the role that religion plays in escalating violence committed by and against Fulani communities in west and central Africa. Predominantly Muslim and historically associated with cattle herding and livestock rearing, Fulani communities – one of the largest ethnic groups in the world – stretch across the African continent from Senegal to Sudan and have been both the victims and perpetrators of violence against civilians in many countries in recent years. Although the extent to which religious ideology contributes to driving this violence remains a subject of debate, the trend of increasing violence by and against Fulani groups is clearly aggravating religious tensions in countries such as Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S State Department designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations. USCIRF also recommended that the State Department place the Central African Republic on its Special Watch List (SWL).
###
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].
May 07
May 7th 10:30am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Challenges to Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
10:30 AM-12:00 PM ET
Virtual
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing on religious freedom in Sri Lanka and suggested policy options for the U.S. government.
Fifteen years after the decades-long civil war ended, Sri Lanka continues to reconcile with its history of religious and ethnic violence. Religious freedom conditions in Sri Lanka are on a worrying trajectory. Discrimination and periodic violence against religious minorities–particularly the Tamil Christians, Tamil Hindus, and Muslims–have exacerbated religious tensions. The Sri Lankan government has implemented and enforced a number of policies that have disproportionately targeted religious minorities, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, and the Online Safety Bill. Recent efforts to expropriate places of worship, such as temples and mosques in the North and East, have echoed and intensified tensions.
In 2023, USCIRF traveled to Sri Lanka to meet with faith communities, religious freedom advocates, and government officials. In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Sri Lanka on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.
Witnesses will discuss Sri Lanka’s legal framework, including from the firsthand experience of those detained and persecuted because of their religious freedom advocacy. They will also explore policy options for the U.S. government to engage with Sri Lankan officials to advance freedom of religion or belief.
Opening Remarks
- Frederick A. Davie, Vice Chair, USCIRF
- David Curry, Commissioner, USCIRF
- Stephen Schneck, Commissioner, USCIRF
Panel
- Hejaaz Hizbullah, Human Rights Lawyer; Former Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) detainee
- Madura Rasaratnam, Executive Director, People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL)
- Mike Gabriel, Head of Religious Liberty Commission, National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL)
- Shreen Abdul Saroor, Co-Founder, Women’s Action Network
- Alan Keenan, Senior Consultant, International Crisis Group (ICC)
This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. The video recording of the hearing will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions or to schedule an interview, please email [email protected].
Apr 19, 2024
USCIRF Sounds Alarm for Attacks Against Religious Communities in Sudan
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned by the devastating violence perpetrated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the ramifications it has on religious communities. Since the war in Sudan started on April 15, 2023, USCIRF has voiced its concern on the egregious human rights violations and its significant toll on human life, with over 13,000 estimated dead. Armed combatants have intentionally damaged and destroyed houses of worship and the conflict has deeply affected religious communities in Sudan.
“This week is the one-year anniversary of the brutal war that continues to tear Sudan apart. With no end in sight, USCIRF is sounding the alarm that this war is having on religious communities,” said USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Magid. “International humanitarian law deems houses of worship and religious sites as sacrosanct, even during armed conflict. Despite Article 53 protections, houses of worship and religious sites continue to be impermissibly damaged and destroyed in Sudan. We are particularly concerned by attacks on religious leaders in Sudan and the effects of the current conflict on religious minorities in the country. USCIRF urges the U.S. government to call upon all parties to armed conflicts to abide by international humanitarian law.”
Since the war began, it has been reported that over 150 churches have been damaged. In recent months, parties to the conflict across Sudan have targeted several religious sites across the country. In March, SAF allies heavily damaged and vandalized the Sheikh Qarib Allah mosque in Omdurman while using explosives. This past January, RSF troops set an Evangelical church in Wad Madani on fire. It was the largest religious structure in Gezira State, and one of the oldest built in 1939. In December 2023, Rapid Support Forces attacked a Coptic Christian monastery in Wad Madani, and converted it to a military base. Five priests and five seminarians also went missing after RSF troops captured the property. In May 2023, gunmen reportedly entered a church and shot four persons, including a priest and his son. The assailants also stabbed the church guard before looting the building.
Earlier this week, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello and USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman participated in the International Humanitarian Conference on Sudan, which marked the one-year anniversary of the war. During the conference, Deputy Administrator Coleman announced $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan, bringing the total U.S. government humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people to more than $1 billion since October 2023.
“USCIRF had high hopes for the future trajectory of freedom of religion or belief in Sudan. The Sudanese transitional government made significant progress from 2019 to 2021. Sadly, USCIRF is instead watching the horrors unfold in Sudan, reminiscent of the past wars that resulted in genocide and crimes against humanity in the country,” said USCIRF Commissioner Frank Wolf. “The U.S. government is the largest single provider of assistance to Sudan, and has provided billions of dollars of humanitarian aid. USCIRF hopes, with the U.S. government’s support, the violence will come to an end soon and Sudan can get back on its path to providing freedom of religion or belief for all.”
In November, USCIRF highlighted an increase in the destruction of religious sites during armed conflict, and called for governments and non-state actors to adhere to international law to protect these sites. USCIRF has also released separate publications on freedom of religion or belief in the Sahel region of Africa and the international law protecting houses of worship and holy sites, as well as a compendium which documents anti-conversion laws, including in Sudan.
###
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 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].