USCIRF Welcomes Announcement that Refugee Ceiling will Increase Next Fiscal Year

Encourages Prioritization of the Most Vulnerable

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) applauded President Joseph R. Biden for announcing his intent to raise the numerical ceiling to 125,000 for refugees accepted from abroad through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for the next Fiscal Year, which starts on October 1, 2021. The International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) requires that religious persecution should be considered in determining the refugee ceiling.

USCIRF also welcomed the Executive Order on Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration signed yesterday, which will position the Administration to be able to raise the ceiling.

“Unprecedented numbers of individuals worldwide are forcibly displaced by conflict or persecution, including based on their religion or belief. USCIRF is encouraged that the Biden Administration is taking steps to ensure that the United States can be a safe haven to those targeted for their faith by restoring a robust resettlement program,” said USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin. We hope to see the Administration prioritize the most vulnerable refugees, such as members of severely persecuted religious communities, those targeted for having no faith, and survivors of genocide or other atrocity crimes.”

Since the USRAP began in 1980, the maximum for refugees accepted into the United States has averaged 95,000 per year. The refugee ceiling for the current fiscal year is 15,000.

“The U.S. refugee resettlement program is a vital lifeline for those fleeing religious persecution,” said USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza. “However, only a small number of the world’s almost 80 million refugees and internally displaced persons will ultimately be resettled in a third country. We also call on the U.S. government to continue to support humanitarian efforts to aid those who are displaced and enable them to safely and voluntarily return home where possible.”

USCIRF recommended in its 2020 Annual Report that the U.S. government return the annual ceiling for the USRAP to the previously-typical 95,000. USCIRF will be holding a virtual hearing on Refugees Fleeing Religious Persecution on Wednesday, February 10th at 10:30 AM ET.

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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 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].

This op-ed was originally published by Religion News Service, on February 5, 2021. 

By USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins and Commissioner Frederick A. Davie. 

Last year, a Shariah court in northern Nigeria condemned Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a 22-year-old Muslim gospel musician, to death for committing blasphemy in a series of private WhatsApp messages. The same court found a 16-year-old boy, Umar Farouk, guilty of blasphemy for reportedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad while arguing with a friend and sentenced him to 10 years in prison with manual labor.

Farouk’s sentence has been overturned, and Sharif-Aminu’s case has been sent for retrial. But these harsh sentences are only the latest examples of the problematic application of Shariah law in some states in northern Nigeria, and they remain sources of concern.

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Despite its religious diversity, many Nigerians face systematic threats to their right to freedom of belief. Boko Haram jihadists and other armed insurgents frequently attack houses of worship and religious ceremonies and regularly abduct and execute civilians based on their beliefs.

But nonstate actors like Boko Haram are not the only threat.

Since 1999, 12 states in northern Nigeria have adopted Shariah penal codes that operate parallel to secular and customary courts. In deference to the country’s constitution, which protects Nigerians’ right to freedom of religion and belief, the penal codes do not apply to non-Muslims and exclude provisions against apostasy, which is typically punishable by death.

Yet many Shariah laws in northern Nigeria continue to criminalize blasphemy and result in harsh punishments for blasphemers. Additionally, the Nigerian criminal code includes a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment for insulting a person’s religion.

Blasphemy laws promote intolerance, discrimination and violence against religious communities around the globe. Even before Sharif-Aminu had his day in court, a mob burned down his family home in retaliation for his comments and forced him into hiding. Lawyers filing appeals on behalf of Sharif-Aminu and Farouk have had to do so in secret for fear of violent retaliation.

Recent blasphemy convictions in Kano State are particularly concerning in the context of the continued detention of prominent atheist activist Mubarak Bala. In April 2020, police arrested Bala for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. He remains in detention without charge despite a Dec. 21 court order for his release.

During Bala’s detention, Nigerian authorities restricted his access to his legal team and family. In July, his wife, who had recently given birth to a son, had to plead with the government for proof of life and for information on her husband’s whereabouts and wellbeing.

Through the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, USCIRF is advocating on behalf of both Bala and Sharif-Aminu, urging their immediate and unconditional release.

Blasphemy laws and harsh sentences cannot stand if Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom is to be realized. In December, the U.S. Department of State designated Nigeria for the first time as a country of particular concern for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of international religious freedom. Nigeria is the first secular democracy to be labeled a country of particular concern.

Repealing the blasphemy laws, which have deep local support in northern Nigeria, will not be easy. Efforts to repeal them, in fact, may backfire if they are perceived as “outsider” Christian or secular actors meddling in local affairs.

Consequently, the U.S. government should incentivize the government of Nigeria to engage state and local actors in a political dialogue designed to align local justice mechanisms with the rights and protections provided by international law and the Nigerian Constitution.

The United States should also urge the Nigerian government to provide stronger security for the lawyers working on blasphemy cases in areas where they are experiencing harassment and physical threats.

Ultimately, every Nigerian citizen has the right to believe and worship as they choose, and that right should be protected equally for all Nigerians, regardless of their faith or creed.

As the Biden administration begins to formulate its broader human rights policy, USCIRF highlights several priority countries when it comes to international religious freedom. Condemning and preventing religious freedom violations around the globe continues to be a top priority for the United States. While some are critical of the role the U.S. government plays in championing religious freedom globally, there are also others who say, “If not the United States., then who?” In recent years, there have been an emergence of new multilateral entities dedicated to promoting and protecting religious freedom worldwide. Do these entities have the potential to foster a more effective approach to addressing religious freedom challenges around the world?

Knox Thames, an expert on global religious freedom issues who worked at the State Department under both the Obama and Trump administrations, joins Dwight Bashir to discuss the top religious freedom issues facing the Biden administration and offers recommendations for U.S. policy.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Knox Thames, Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Engagement & Visiting Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace