This op-ed originally appeared in the Washington Examiner, on August 13, 2020.

By USCIRF Vice Chairs Tony Perkins and Anurima Bhargava

Earlier this year, we joined hundreds gathered under a large tent outside of Khartoum, Sudan for Sunday mass. We served as a brief distraction for the curious eyes of children, who quickly returned to gently entertaining and minding the youngest among them.

That afternoon, women elders shared stories of leading their fellow tea-sellers and teachers, as well as their daughters and granddaughters, to rise up against Omar Al-Bashir’s regime. They came from various religious backgrounds, yet together they had built a community and secured the freedom to stand with their heads unbowed and uncovered.

Later that day, we met with an Education Ministry official about the changes to the school curriculum that had long promoted the Islamist regime. 

Nothing that we encountered that Sunday would have been possible just a year ago.

For 30 years, the former regime led by Omar Al-Bashir systematically repressed religious freedom by applying Shari’a-based provisions on Muslims and non-Muslims alike. As just one heinous example, Muslim converts were punished by death. The application of these provisions forced many non-Muslim religious minorities to either convert to the state imposed-version of Sunni Islam, or flee the country.  

One year after its formation, Sudan’s transitional government has made remarkable progress in advancing religious freedom and protections for previously disenfranchised groups—particularly religious minorities and women and girls. Notably, the transitional government has taken concrete steps to repeal laws and regulations that restricted individual freedoms under the previous regime.

The transitional government repealed the repressive Public Order Law just three months after taking office. In April 2020, the government criminalized the dehumanizing practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Last month, the transitional government adopted the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act—which repealed the apostasy law, ended flogging, and abolished the guardianship law that required women to obtain permission from a male guardian to be able to travel abroad. The government also allowed non-Muslims to buy, sell, and drink alcohol.

These important legal changes have done more than just expand religious freedom. They kickstarted the much-needed process of building rapport between the new government and the Sudanese people of all walks of life.

Sudan’s transitional government has demonstrated a new commitment to transparency, accountability, and inclusion of historically marginalized groups. When cabinet members of the transitional government were sworn in last year, several ministers shared their plans of action publicly for the first time. This government appointed women in high-level government positions, including two women—one Muslim and one Christian—as members of the Sovereign Council, charged with overseeing the transitional period. To honor and respect its Christian citizens, the government also designated December 25 as a national holiday in celebration of Christmas.

Throughout the past two decades, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had recommended that the State Department designate Sudan as a "country of particular concern" (CPC), a category under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for governments guilty of "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" violations of religious freedom committed by Bashir’s government. That changed with our 2020 Annual Report. In recognition of this historic progress made by the transitional government, we now recommend Sudan for the State Department's Special Watch List (SWL), an improvement from the CPC black list.

However, there is still work to be done to safeguard and promote freedom of religion or belief for all Sudanese.

Further legal reforms are required to fully disentangle the Bashir regime’s repressive laws and policies. A pivotal step is the complete repeal of the country’s blasphemy law. While the recent Fundamental Rights and Freedoms Act removed the punishment of flogging, blasphemy is still criminalized and carries with it a punishment of up to six months imprisonment.

In addition to making changes on the books, the transitional government must work to ensure wide, immediate, and effective implementation of reforms—which will require overcoming domestic discontent. A recent demonstration on June 30^th showed a growing frustration with the slow speed of progress in the country. At the same time, ultra-conservative religious groups have raised concern that certain changes contradict Islamic teachings.

Changes in the legislative framework must be complemented by comprehensive reform of institutions like the judiciary and educational system. For example, the Ministry of Education is working on implementing comprehensive curricula reform to replace intolerant content in textbooks issued by the former regime with new materials that accompany improved teacher training. These important revisions in the educational system will be essential in promoting inclusivity and religious freedom for the next generation of Sudanese.

Therefore, we encourage the U.S. government to provide economic assistance and technical support necessary for these important legal and educational reforms.

While challenges remain, this has been a remarkable year for Sudan. Given these significant strides, the United States and the international community must continue to support Sudan in achieving a stable and lasting transition that will foster a social and political environment conducive to religious freedom for all Sudanese citizens.

This op-ed originally appeared in The Globe Post, on August 14, 2020.

By USCIRF Vice Chairs Anurima Bhargava and Tony Perkins

Over half-a-million Central Africans remain displaced outside of their country, fearing religious or ethnic violence should they return. These refugees­—many of them religious minorities—now find themselves wondering if they will be allowed to participate in rebuilding their war-ravaged country as the nation’s December elections approach.

The Central African Republic (CAR)—a landlocked country in the middle of the African continent where an estimated 89% of the population is Christian and a minority of 9% is Muslim—devolved into violent conflict in 2013. The conflict displaced over one-in-five Central Africans and triggered early warning signs of a genocide targeting civilians based on their religious identity. Today, many Central African refugees are religious minorities unable to return home for fear of violent retribution.

Despite such devastation, the Central African people have come together across religious lines to move forward.  Religious leaders from both Christian and Muslim communities are taking on roles as mediators, calling for tolerance and nonviolence. Pastors and bishops have housed displaced Muslims in their churches and refused entrance to armed actors who threatened to kill them. The government held peaceful, democratic elections in 2016, and the signing of a peace treaty with 14 armed groups in 2019. This treaty—signed by the current President, Faustin-Archange Touadéra —commits to creating an inclusive Central African Republic, in which all citizens of different religious and ethnic identities can live in harmony.

This progress will not endure, however, unless the Touadéra government ensures the participation of religious minorities in the upcoming elections. Unlike the 2015-2016 electoral process, efforts to ensure that CAR refugees can vote in the upcoming elections are lackluster and severely underfunded, facing more than a $10 million shortfall. Refugees living on the borders of neighboring states are expected to travel hundreds of miles in order to register to vote before the registration window closes in November. This means that CAR’s Muslim population will likely be underrepresented in the electoral process.

CAR refugees are subject to constant violence and fear: having been forced to flee their homes in the dead of night, they now face starvation as food rations in refugees camps have been cut in half and humanitarian funds dry up. Women fear attacks and sexual violence when they leave the camps to collect resources for their families. Fear of not being allowed to vote can be added to the list.

Religious minorities living inside the country face similar challenges. The voter registration process in CAR often requires proof of citizenship – either a passport or an ID card.  Religious minorities reportedly face additional difficulties in obtaining these documents, and are required to fill out extra forms or charged additional fees. Such barriers and hurdles suggest that CAR seeks to exclude religious minorities from the democratic process.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, on which we serve, recommended in its 2020 Annual Report that the State Department place CAR on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom, and that the U.S. government assist the CAR government in ensuring Muslims are able to participate in upcoming 2020 elections. The Touadéra government must provide support to register displaced persons and remove barriers for participation in elections based on their faith.

Central Africans should not be denied suffrage based on their faith. Upholding the rights of religious minorities to partake in representative governance is the cornerstone of a successful and peaceful democracy. The CAR government must work with the United States and international community to raise funds and ensure that Central African refugees and religious minorities are not denied their right to vote and contribute to rebuilding their country.