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).
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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].
Gender: Female
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment: March//2026
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Forced Renunciation of Faith
Neha Faqir
Extra Bio Info:
Neha Faqir was subjected to forced renunciation of faith.
In March 2026, Neha Faqir, an illiterate teenage Christian girl, was abducted in Punjab province, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to her abductor. Neha had disappeared after attending a sewing school that was operated by the wives of her abductor. In rapid succession, Faqir was converted, married, renamed “Ayesha,” and hidden in a madrassa.
Police authorities repeatedly obstructed her family’s attempt to locate her by initially refusing to file a missing person report and assigning the investigation to the wrong jurisdiction. Authorities told Faqir’s family that she had converted to Islam of her own free will “after doing her research on the issue,” despite being illiterate and showing no prior interest in converting. A court order for her recovery was issued.
In June 2026, Judge Muhammad Tariq Nadeem of the Lahore High Court dismissed Faqir’s family’s petition to return her to her family. During court proceedings, the judge prohibited her from speaking with her parents and made no effort to assess whether she had been coerced or was under duress.
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Turkey
Religion or Belief: Unknown
Date of Detainment: July//2026
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Deniz Göktaş
Extra Bio Info:
Deniz Göktaş is detained for his religious expression.
In July 2026, Turkish authorities arrested Göktaş, a popular stand-up comedian, for making jokes about the Quran in his comedy routine. Authorities charged him with "insulting religious values" and "insulting the president."