FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2019
 

USCIRF Releases Report on Violence in Central Nigeria on Eve of Presidential Elections
 

WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a report on the dynamics of conflict between religious and ethnic groups in central Nigeria, where social hostility between religious groups is a key issue and sectarian violence has almost doubled over the past two years. The report, entitled “Central Nigeria: Overcoming Dangerous Speech and Endemic Religious Divides,” also examines the role of digital media, elite influencers, and dangerous speech that exacerbates tensions and incites violence.

“USCIRF is deeply concerned about the deadly conflicts in Nigeria and the potential for more violence around the elections,” said USCIRF Chair Tenzin Dorjee. “Only hours ago there were two deadly attacks in Kaduna state that left 66 dead. It is imperative for the U.S. government and the international community to help ensure that religious freedom is protected and that Nigerians can coexist peacefully regardless of their religious or ethnic identities.”

The report also looks at ways that government actors and civil society, including religious leaders, have sought to combat these challenges. For example, some public officials have attempted to pass laws prohibiting hate speech, while religious leaders and civil society organizations have conducted radio programs and interreligious dialogues to address the sources of tension and violence. The report concludes with recommendations for the U.S. government and the international community to help Nigeria with conflict prevention and the protection of freedom of religion or belief.

 

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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] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2019

As Uighur Muslims Demand Video Evidence of Loved Ones, USCIRF Chair Tenzin Dorjee Calls on China to Release Prisoner of Conscience Gulmira Imin
 

WASHINGTON, DC – Tenzin Dorjee, chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), today called on China to immediately release Gulmira Imin, an imprisoned Uighur Muslim in Xinjiang. In July 2009, Chinese authorities cracked down on anti-government riots in the regional capital, Urumqi. On July 14, 2009, Ms. Imin, a moderator of a Uighur-language website for news and culture, was arrested. On April 1, 2010, Ms. Imin was sentenced to life imprisonment for organizing the riots, which she denies.

Following the Chinese government’s release on Sunday of a video allegedly showing a popular Uighur Muslim poet and musician alive, thousands of Uighur Muslims in the United States and around the world have called upon China to release videos of their loved ones.

“This year will mark 10 years since Gulmira Imin was given a life sentence. USCIRF again condemns the unsubstantiated charges against Ms. Imin and urges the Chinese authorities to release her immediately and unconditionally,” said Chair Dorjee, who advocates on behalf of Ms. Imin through USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project. “I commend the efforts of activists and relatives of those detained to demand evidence of their loved ones’ well-being. Ultimately, the Chinese government must release the millions of Muslims it has arbitrarily and unjustly detained.”

USCIRF has condemned China’s intensified “sinicization” campaign to control, govern, and manipulate all aspects of faith into a socialist mold with “Chinese characteristics.” According to the U.S. Department of State, the Chinese government has detained between 800,000 and two million Uighur Muslims in internment camps.

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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] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

This op-ed was originally published by The Globe Post on February 8, 2019.

By Gayle Manchin and Nadine Maenza

Recently, Grace Natalie, head and founder of the young and progressive Indonesian Solidarity Party, gave a speech at a party gathering in which she criticized laws prohibiting “immoral acts” like gambling and drinking.

Reasonable people can and do disagree as to how much governments should regulate these activities. However, because many of these “morality laws” are based on Sharia, some local Muslim groups filed a formal complaint with the police, claiming Natalie had insulted the Quran. If Indonesian police decide to formally charge her with blasphemy, she could face up to five years in prison.

Two years ago, Meiliana, an ethnic Chinese Buddhist woman from North Sumatra, remarked to an acquaintance about the volume of a loudspeaker on a nearby mosque. This comment sparked a riot that destroyed at least 14 Buddhist temples and, as of August, landed her in prison for 18 months for blasphemy.

After she was convicted, the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs issued guidelines on the use of mosque loudspeakers, suggesting her comments were not unreasonable or insulting.

Interreligious Tensions

Indonesia’s Criminal Code prohibits expression or acts “at enmity with, abusing, or staining a religion adhered to in Indonesia.” While intended to prevent conflict, this provision has, in practice, exacerbated interreligious tensions. Instead of encouraging Indonesians of all faiths to respect each other, the code has given license to hardliners to attack people from other religious traditions for innocuous or offhand comments.

Even more troubling, hardline opportunists increasingly wield the blasphemy law against political opponents. In December 2016, a coalition of groups staged massive protests against Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent, after he allegedly said that the Quran misled Muslims by forbidding them from voting for a Christian. In April 2017, Ahok lost his bid for reelection, and a month later he was sentenced to two years imprisonment for blasphemy.

Fortunately, the government reduced his sentence and released Ahok from prison on January 24.

Human Cost of Blasphemy Law

Indonesia’s reforms since 1998 have earned it widespread praise as a successful Muslim democracy, including from Vice President Mike Pence. Unfortunately, democracy also brought pressure on the government to accommodate hardliners who want to intimidate religious minorities.

The current president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, has tried to resist, but 23 people have been sentenced in blasphemy cases since he took office in 2014, according to Human Rights Watch.

And just eight weeks ago, the Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office released a mobile phone app that allows users to report instances of religious heresy.

In October, a delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), on which we serve as Commissioners, visited Indonesia. We learned about the human cost of Indonesia’s blasphemy law when we met with a local activist who was helping Meiliana and others accused under the law.

Tolerance

Although we were dismayed to hear about the persecutions, we were heartened to encounter many Indonesians who were genuinely committed to religious pluralism. They not only tolerated other religions but took pride in providing moral and even financial support to them.

After a group of suicide bombers attacked three churches in Surabaya in May, Muslims from a neighboring community offered their condolences and helped clean the debris. Nahdlatul Ulama – with an estimated 40 million members one of the world’s largest Muslim organizations – has criticized Meiliana’s conviction, stating outright that her remarks did not constitute blasphemy.

In USCIRF’s 2018 Annual Report, we placed Indonesia on our Tier 2 (countries that meet at least one of three criteria of systematic, egregious, or ongoing violations) for tolerating or engaging in serious violations of religious freedom, including blasphemy law enforcement. Last year, we issued a report analyzing blasphemy laws around the world and found Indonesia’s vaguely worded and imposed penalties harsher than average for such laws.

Defining Blasphemy

Indonesia has the right and indeed the duty under domestic and international law to prevent religious conflict. Balancing freedom of speech and religious tolerance is difficult for many countries, including the United States.

Yet, we came away from our visit convinced that Indonesia’s current blasphemy law, especially as applied, does more harm than good. We hope Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo use the good relationships they have built with Indonesian political and religious leaders to call for the repeal of the blasphemy law.

At the very least, the Indonesian government should amend the law to more precisely define blasphemy, to reduce the penalties, and to ensure that people like Natalie Grace and Meiliana are not severely punished for offhand comments.