Jun 7, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
May 1, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett
The following op-ed was published in the Boston Herald on May 1, 2013.
Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the violent demise of Osama bin Laden. His death provided a measure of justice, yet recent events offer a chilling reminder of how the fanatical ideology and methodology he embodied remains. The question is how to counter this violent religious extremism.
Here is one answer: Support religious freedom abroad.
The negative relation between extremism and freedom is clear. Studies show that while countries that protect religious freedom are more peaceful and stable than those that do not, nations that trample on this freedom provide fertile ground for war and terror and radical movements.
Indeed, of the four countries - Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Pakistan - that hosted bin Laden during his notorious life, each is an incubator of violent religious extremism, and all have perpetrated or tolerated repeated religious freedom violations.
In December 2012, the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace released a ranking of countries based on the number of terrorist attacks between 2002 and 2011. Seven of them - Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Somalia, Nigeria, and Russia - are either among the Tier 1 nations listed by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom for designation as the world"s worst abusers or our Tier 2 list of serious religious-freedom violators.
Why is there a correlation between a lack of freedom and the presence of violent religious extremism?
First, when governments enforce laws - such as blasphemy-like codes - that stifle religious freedom, they embolden extremists to commit violence against perceived transgressors. In Pakistan, such codes fuel extremist violence against Christians and Ahmadi Muslims.
Second, when governments repress religious freedom or fail to protect it, they drive some into the arms of radical religious groups and movements. Russia"s repression of Muslims in the name of fighting the extremist views of some has produced violent extremism in others.
And finally, governments that crack down on everyone"s freedom in the name of fighting extremists also strengthen the extremists by weakening their more moderate, but less resilient, competition. Under President Mubarak"s rule, Egypt ended up strengthening the Salafists while weakening their more liberal opposition.
Taken in reverse, a government that abandons repression for freedom creates a true marketplace of ideas, forcing extremists to compete for hearts and minds with others.
In the end, in our post-9/11 world, there is no better way to defeat terrorism than by persuading people to reject the extremist ideologies that support it. Religious freedom is a powerful and effective tool to counter violent religious extremism and prevent the rise of future bin Ladens.
Katrina Lantos Swett serves as the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Please contact USCRIFat (202) 523-3258 or [email protected] to interview a USCIRF Commissioner.
Jun 3, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2013 | By USCIRF
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) deeply mourns the loss of Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), a longtime advocate of human rights, including the right to freedom of religion, who passed away this morning from viral pneumonia. He was 89 years old.
"Throughout his public career, Senator Lautenberg fought for oppressed people whose fundamental rights, including religious freedom, were being denied,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. "For more than two decades he has championed a measure, appropriately called the Lautenberg Amendment, which provides a vital lifeline to freedom for persecuted religious minorities. Congress now has the opportunity to make this measure permanent, and we urge Members of Congress to do so.”
Senator Lautenberg was born the son of immigrants in Paterson, New Jersey. He served in Congress from 1982 to 2001, and then again from 2003 to the time of his death. Senator Lautenberg was the last World War II veteran serving in the Senate.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contactUSCRIFat (202) 523-3258 or [email protected]
May 30, 2013
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
May 30, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett
Editor"s note: Katrina Lantos Swett is the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The views expressed reflect those of USCIRF and not CNN.
With Iran"s presidential election looming next month, ongoing uncertainty about the status of its nuclear program, and questions about the degree of its involvement in Syria"s civil war, it"s easy to forget the domestic repression some groups face under its theocratic regime. But as Baha"i communities across the globe mark a disturbing anniversary in Iran, the birthplace of their faith, they are determined that the rest of the world should also know about the hardship and discrimination they are faced with every single day.
Throughout the month, Baha"is have engaged in a global campaign titled simply "Five Years Too Many,” on behalf of the so-called Baha"is - the Baha"i leaders imprisoned in Iran for the past five years on account of their faith. I was honored to have the opportunity to address gathered supporters earlier this month when the campaign came to Washington, D.C.
To read the entire op-ed please visit CNN World, Global Public Square section.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner please contact USCRIFat (202) 523-3258 or [email protected]