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Remarks by USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett, 2013 Annual Report, National Endowment for Democracy
May 07, 2013
USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett gave the following remarks at a conference, cosponsored by USCIRF and the National Endowment for Democracy on May 7, 2013Introduction Thank you for that kind introduction. It truly is a pleasure to join you today at the National Endowment for Democracy as we discuss USCIRF's findings and recommendations in our 2013 Annual Report, which we released just last week. For most of us who currently serve as USCIRF commissioners, the reporting year actually was our first year on the Commission.   It also coincided with my time as USCIR Chair, which is about to end since it is a one-year position.   While I no longer will be USCIRF's Chair, I look forward to continuing as a USCIRF Commissioner.    The past year has been both a joy and a challenge, as my esteemed colleagues and I have labored together with our able staff in confronting the realities of a changing global landscape and its implications for freedom.  In recent years, our staff has had the pleasure of working with NED's World Movement of Democracy to help build vibrant, open, and law- abiding societies.   Today's event is further evidence of the blossoming relationship between our two organizations. And let me commend your organization for doing a splendid job supporting freedom for the past three decades.  During this time, we have all seen wondrous changes that have touched the lives of hundreds of millions of people.  When the Berlin Wall came down, when the Iron Curtain was rent, when the Soviet Union dissolved, we witnessed a historic triumph of freedom. But since that amazing time, the fight for liberty has become a bit more challenging.  This is especially the case regarding freedom of religion or belief. Indeed, most of the world's people live in countries where religious freedom is protected poorly -- if at all.  And as we see in our annual report, the state of religious freedom abroad has not improved over the past year, but remains problematic. Today, I'm going to talk about the findings in our report. I will also talk about the role of violent religious extremism in perpetrating and triggering much of the religious freedom abuses we see today. And I will discuss solutions - concrete recommendations on how our country can help others to counter extremism by expanding freedom.   Tier 1 and Tier 2 Countries As part of our report, we recommend that the State Department re-designate the following eight nations as "countries of particular concern” or CPCs, marking them as among the worst religious freedom violators:
  1. Burma
  2. China
  3. Eritrea
  4. Iran
  5. North Korea
  6. Saudi Arabia
  7. Sudan
  8. Uzbekistan 
We find that seven other states also meet the CPC threshold and should be designated:  
  1. Egypt
  2. Iraq
  3. Nigeria
  4. Pakistan
  5. Tajikistan
  6. Turkmenistan
  7. Vietnam
This year, we've placed eight countries on our Tier 2 List, which replaces our Watch List designation:
  1. Afghanistan
  2. Azerbaijan
  3. Cuba
  4. India
  5. Indonesia
  6. Kazakhstan
  7. Laos
  8. Russia 
We found that the abuses are serious enough to meet at least one of three criteria, but not all, of the "systematic, ongoing, and egregious” CPC benchmark language as specified by the IRFA Act of 1998.  These abuses are affecting billions of our fellow human beings. From Rohingya Muslims in Burma to Coptic Christians in Egypt; from Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, Protestant house church members and Falun Gong in China to Baha'is in Iran; from Ahmadis and Christians in Pakistan to Muslims in Muslim-majority nations like Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan and in non-Muslim nations like Russia, when the right of religious freedom is violated, real people suffer. And this suffering is occurring in far too many countries. In Burma, despite political reforms, sectarian violence and severe abuses against ethnic minority Christians and Muslims continue with impunity. In Egypt, despite some progress after Mubarak, the government has repeatedly failed to protect religious minorities, including Coptic Christians, from violence, while prosecuting and jailing people for "defamation” of religion.   In addition, Egypt's new constitution includes problematic provisions relating to religious freedom. In China, conditions continue to deteriorate, particularly for Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims.  To stem the growth of independent Catholic and Protestant groups, the government arrested leaders and shut churches down.  Members of Falun Gong, as well as those of other groups deemed "evil cults,” face long jail terms, forced renunciations of faith, and torture in detention.     In Nigeria, protection of religious freedom continued to falter, as the terrorist group Boko Haram attacked Christians, as well as fellow Muslims opposing them, and inflamed tensions between Christians and Muslims.  Nigeria's government has repeatedly failed to prosecute perpetrators of religiously-related violence that has killed more than 14,000 Nigerians, both Christian and Muslim, fostering a climate of impunity. In Pakistan, as historic elections approach, religious freedom abuses have risen dramatically due to chronic sectarian violence targeting Shi'i Muslims.  The government's continued failure to protect Christians, Ahmadis, and Hindus, along with its repressive blasphemy law and anti-Ahmadi laws, have fueled religious freedom abuses and vigilante violence. In Russia, conditions continue to worsen, as the government uses extremism laws against certain Muslim groups and so-called "non-traditional” religious communities, particularly Jehovah's Witnesses, through raids, detentions, and imprisonment. In addition, massive violations continue in Chechnya.  Outside of Russia, similar repression occurs across Central Asia as well. In Indonesia, extremist violence coupled by government arrests of individuals considered religiously deviant threatens its tradition of tolerance and pluralism. Spotlighting Other Countries and Themes Besides documenting abuses and formulating recommendations for Tier 1 and Tier 2 countries, our Annual Report also spotlights countries and regions in which current trends are worth monitoring - Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Ethiopia, Turkey, Venezuela and Western Europe. And this year's report also addresses several themes relating to religious freedom.   These themes range from legal retreat from religious freedom in post-communist countries to severe religious freedom violations by non-state actors. And let me add that recently, USCIRF released a separate report on religious freedom conditions in Syria, including how our government can help Christian and Alawite minorities, as well as members of the Sunni majority. Violent Religious Extremism and Governmental Failur Among the themes I've just cited, the role of non-state actors leads us to the phenomenon known as violent religious extremism, in which religion is hijacked to advance radical agendas by force. This extremism not only violates the rights of others, but contributes to the destabilizing of countries.   Since our USCIRF mandate includes encouraging Washington to hold other governments accountable for religious freedom abuses, the Commission looks at religious extremism from the lens of government actions or inactions. When it comes to such extremism, we focus on how governments either perpetrate or tolerate religious freedom abuses. Governments perpetrate these abuses in at least three ways.  First, some governments actually embody the extremism itself.   Both the Iranian and Sudanese governments, for example, are run by religious extremists who violently impose their worldview on others.  As for Iran, it remains a world-class religious-freedom violator.  As for Sudan, USCIRF deemed it the world's most violent religious-freedom abuser due to its conduct during the North-South civil war of 1983-2005 when it called for jihad against the south.  Since South Sudan became independent, conditions in Sudan have deteriorated, as its leaders continue to repress their people.  While Iran and Sudan repress freedom on behalf of extremism, other governments engage in repression in the name of opposing it.  Both China and Russia, for example, repress Muslims in the name of fighting extremism in Muslim communities. And finally, by their actions, other governments embolden extremists to commit abuses.   One example is Pakistan with its anti-Ahmadi and blasphemy laws which encourage extremists to commit violence against those they perceive as transgressing them.   These are examples of how governments can harm religious freedom in connection with their stance on extremism.   But it is also true that governments are responsible for extremist-driven violations through their toleration of them -- that is, by their failure to prevent violence or bring justice to the responsible parties.   Such failures create and perpetuate a climate of impunity.  Egypt's failure to protect Coptic Christians and Nigeria's failure to protect both Christians and Muslims from sectarian violence are two examples of this problem. Religious Freedom = Antidote to Religious Extremism Thus, through sins of commission and omission, governments are responsible for religious freedom abuses within their borders, including those driven by violent religious extremism.    Such abuses are harmful not only to human rights, but also to the stability of their societies and other countries.  Indeed, studies show how countries that honor religious freedom enjoy greater stability, harmony, and prosperity, while those whose governments perpetrate or tolerate violations create the conditions for failed societies. There are at least three reasons for this correlation.  First, governments that persecute or fail to protect people against religious persecution can drive them into extremist hands.  When our Commission visited Ethiopia last year, we saw disturbing signs of this danger.  Ethiopia's recent efforts to combat extremism by forcing its Muslim community to embrace a foreign form of Islam run the risk of producing exactly what it fears - the radicalization of individuals within that community. Second, as I noted with Pakistan, governments that enforce laws which violate religious freedom unwittingly encourage people to monitor others for signs of trespass and take violent actions against perceived transgressors.   And third, governments that restrict religious freedom in the name of fighting religious extremist groups end up strengthening these groups by weakening their more moderate but less resilient competition.   In Egypt, for example, President Mubarak's restrictions weakened the hand of pro-freedom movements, making it easier for the Salafists to emerge in the post-Mubarak era on a much stronger footing than their more democratic competition. Clearly, during times of severe governmental repression, extremists are driven by their fanaticism to cut corners and break rules in order to survive.   Unlike their more democratic opponents, their fanaticism drives them to believe that all things are permissible in service to their cause. U.S. Leadership Needed So when it comes to violent religious extremism, it is clear that religious freedom abuses not only offend human rights, but pose a grave threat to the security and stability of countries.   And unfortunately, this instability and violence often spills beyond national borders into neighboring countries, threatening entire regions.  As Americans living in a post-9/11 world, we of all people know what happens when violent religious extremism is exported globally as terrorism. This is why the U.S. government must prioritize religious freedom not just as a core human right, but a global security imperative, and a vital part of any counter-extremism strategy.  Our government must recognize the pivotal role of religion in countries that top our foreign policy agenda and how limitations on religious liberty can harm entire societies. Religious freedom has national security relevance.  Conditions favoring it can help counter extremism by undercutting the message of extremists and fostering religious diversity and minority rights.  As a fundamental right, religious freedom is a core component of a healthy society, as it encompasses other freedoms - including those of expression, association, and assembly.  To further the religious freedom agenda, our Commission recommends the following:
  • The Obama administration should issue a National Security Strategy on supporting religious freedom abroad, combining all U.S. government activities in a "whole-of- government” effort to confront this challenge. 
  • Congress should hold hearings and embrace legislation that prioritizes religious freedom and reflects its critical importance to national security and global stability.  
  • The State Department should prioritize this pivotal freedom by pressing countries to implement reforms that will confront extremism and protect liberty. 
  • And the State Department should also make CPC designations soon, before previously designated actions expire later this year. 
Naming countries as CPCs isn't the end of engagement, but rather the beginning of a high-level process to encourage governments to improve. When combined with the prospect of sanctions, the CPC designation can create political will where none existed, moving repressive governments to undertake needed changes.  Conclusion And so, as I conclude, let me stress to all of you that despite the bleak picture we see of religious freedom abroad, progress remains possible. If we as a country reaffirm our commitment to religious freedom by making it a permanent and integral part of our foreign policy, it can be a game-changer - both for us and for the world.   Change will not happen overnight, but if Washington supports a truly free and vibrant marketplace of ideas, including religious ideas, I believe that in spite of many obstacles, the desire for a better life on the part of hundreds of millions of our fellow human beings is going to prevail. I believe that if truly given the chance, a critical mass of humanity will say "no” to more repression, "no” to more extremism, and "yes” to more freedom. In accordance with our mandate, we who serve on the Commission will do our part.   It is our deepest hope that in the coming months and years, Washington will fully do its part on behalf of religious freedom. Thank you.
Christian Science Monitor -- Obama must hold Myanmar's Thein Sein accountable for human rights violations
May 20, 2013
May 20, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATION May 20, 2013| By William Shaw and M. Zuhdi Jasser , and Azizah al-Hibri When President Obama meets with President Thein Sein of Myanmar (Burma) today, he should emphasize Washington"s commitment to Myanmar"s progress, while stressing the importance of preventing discrimination and violence against ethnic minority Muslims and Christians. WASHINGTON When the president of Myanmar (Burma), Thein Sein , meets with President Obama at the White House today, he will undoubtedly stress how his government has taken steps toward democratic reform. Indeed, in recent years, Myanmar has released hundreds of religious and political prisoners. It has eased Internet and media controls. It has held limited parliamentary elections. To read the entire op-ed please visit The Christian Science Monitor .
Inter Press Service: After Two Years of Horrors in Burma, the U.S. Is Still Doing Too Little, Too Late
August 23, 2019
Aug 23, 2019 This op-ed was originally published by Inter Press Service, on August 26, 2019. By Nadine Maenza and Anurima Bhargava Monsoon season is currently wreaking havoc on the more than 911,000 Rohingya refugees displaced from their homeland in Burma to the ramshackle camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Two years ago, in August 2017, a brutal military crackdown pushed more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities from Burma’s Rakhine State to flee for safety. The Burmese military has shamefully denied and tried to hide its barbarism, which includes arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, displacement, rape, torture and arbitrary killings. And, Burma’s government has repudiated the international community’s attempts to document the crimes committed under international law, all while denying Rohingya basic rights like freedom of movement, access to health care and basic necessities, and citizenship. Shockingly, those responsible for these heinous crimes—either by the explicit actions of Burma’s military or the complicit indifference of Burma’s government—have thus far faced no serious consequences. Where is the U.S. government’s admonition and strong policy response? First, it is imperative that the U.S. government decide whether the atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims, Christians and others in Burma constitute more than ethnic cleansing. When the U.S. Department of State last year issued its report documenting atrocities in northern Rakhine State, it created an expectation that a more serious determination—either crimes against humanity or genocide—would be forthcoming. The label “ethnic cleansing” unequivocally fails to capture the full extent of crimes that religious and ethnic communities in Burma have suffered at the hands of the military. Second, the U.S. government must sanction Burmese military officials and the companies under the military’s control so that those who perpetrated these atrocities are held accountable for their crimes. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed economic sanctions on five military officials and two military units under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and the State Department placed travel bans on four other senior military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. As commissioners on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) who recently travelled to Burma, we welcome these first steps. But banning the ability to travel to the United States is paltry compared to the monstrous acts the military has undertaken against religious and ethnic minorities. Targeted tools like economic sanctions must also be imposed on military officials and other responsible parties. Thanks to a recent report issued by the United Nations’ Independent International Fact-Finding Mission, the international community now has a comprehensive list of the military’s businesses to consider for sanctions. The entities on the list—including two major holding companies: Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC)—are owned or influenced by Burma’s military and use the ill-gotten gains from their business ventures to commit human rights violations. There may be legitimate concerns about the impact that sanctions or other bans will have on Burma’s economy and the overall bilateral relationship; for example, some fear that sanctions will push Burma into China’s arms. These two countries are fair-weather friends: chummy when it’s advantageous and oppositional when it’s not. Sanctions by the United States and others will not change this calculus. Tragically, Rohingya Muslims are not the only victims. Burma’s military and security forces have used the same playbook of ruthless tactics in Rakhine State as they have been using for decades against ethnic minorities—many of whom are Christians—in Kachin and northern Shan states and elsewhere. For two decades, USCIRF has tracked, monitored and raised these abuses with the U.S. government. For these and other systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom, we call on the State Department to redesignate Burma as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act. This designation acknowledges that Burma is not living up to its commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protects the fundamental right to thought, conscience and religion. Accountability is paramount, and the U.S. government must lead the way with a strong and substantive response. Yet for Rohingya Muslims and other religious and ethnic minorities, their future also is about justice and the ability to safely and voluntarily return home with dignity. Rohingya Muslims need to know that they can return—either from refugee camps in Bangladesh or from the internally displaced persons camps in Rakhine State—to their homelands. Plans by the governments of Bangladesh and Burma to repatriate Rohingya refugees should not move forward until conditions are independently verified as safe and Rohingya are consulted about their return, neither of which has happened. Other religious and ethnic minorities that face ongoing threats from the military and ethnic armed organizations require similar safe returns. But first, the impunity and cycle of violence in Burma must end, and that starts when the U.S. government—including both the Administration and the U.S. Congress—steps up and leads the way for the international community to take a stand against such horrific human rights abuses.   Nadine Maenza is vice chair at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the founding Executive Director of Patriot Voices. Anurima Bhargava is a USCIRF commissioner, a civil rights lawyer who served in the Justice Department under the Obama Administration, and the president of Anthem of Us.   ### 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 Media@USCIRF.gov or Kellie Boyle at kboyle@uscirf.gov or +1-703-898-6554.    
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs -- They Are Not Alone: Supporting Prisoners of Conscience
January 15, 2013
Jan 15, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONJanuary 14, 2013 | By Katrina Lantos Swett The following appeared in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs on January 14, 2013. Former Soviet prisoner and refusenik Natan Sharansky, Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, and Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani are some of the many people across the globe who were unjustly imprisoned for their beliefs. Fortunately, these three men and women of conscience are now free. We applaud their lives and the work they have done to advance the cause of freedom and dignity for all. Unfortunately, many people today are not free but languish in jail cells around the world. They are imprisoned because of who they are, what they believe, and how they have chosen to express their convictions. These prisoners are prevented from enjoying the most fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other international standards. We must shine a light on these prisoners of conscience until they are free and the countries that keep them in bonds have released them and have implemented needed reforms. To that end, as Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), I join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives and Amnesty International, USA in support of our joint Defending Freedoms Project. Through this project, members of Congress will select prisoners across the globe to support, highlight their causes, stand in solidarity with them, and let them and the world community know that they are not alone. In addition, by training a spotlight on the laws and policies that have led to their incarceration, members of Congress will be working both for their release and to hold offending governments accountable. This new initiative will rely not on laws or customs that are specific to any one country, including our own, but on universal human rights benchmarks to which nearly every nation has assented. It will use the same internationally approved standards, freely agreed upon by most of the same countries which violate them in practice, to hold those states responsible for abusing the innocent. Representatives Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va), who have taken the lead in this project, are longtime champions of human rights worldwide. My late father, Tom Lantos, was proud to call them colleagues and friends, and worked closely with them on Capitol Hill for many years. Sadly, as we survey the global landscape, it is clear that there are walls of tyranny in far too many places, and compared to these barriers, our words and deeds might appear humble indeed. But as the late congressman Jack Kemp once said, "there is a kind of victory in good work, no matter how humble.” And in the words of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, "each time…[we]…strike out against injustice, [we] send forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other….those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Let these memorable words stir our hearts, deepen our commitment, and strengthen our resolve as we open a new chapter in the cause of human rights and universal dignity. Katrina Lantos Swett is the Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). This article is adapted from her December 6, 2012 speech on Capitol Hill at the announcement of the Defending Freedoms Project. To intervew a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact Samantha Schnitzer at sschnitzer@uscirf.gov or (202) 786-0613.
Christian Post: Long-Awaited US Report on Burma Lacks Teeth
October 09, 2018
Oct 9, 2018 This op-ed originally appeared in The Christian Post on September 18, 2018. By Tenzin Dorjee and Nadine Maenza It has been more than a year since Burmese authorities began a brutal campaign terrorizing, sexually assaulting, and killing mainly Rohingya Muslims, leaving burned villages and corpses in their wake; more than a year since more than 700,000 fled across the border to Bangladesh. Despised for being both ethnically and religiously different, Rohingya Muslims are considered by Burma's military and many of the majority Buddhist population as outsiders illegally residing in the country with the goal of spreading Islam across the land. What is even more alarming is that this kind of violent campaign had happened before, most recently in October 2016. Then, too, Burma's military launched attacks against Rohingya Muslims and others. Their stated reason? That small groups of Rohingya insurgents, in both instances, attacked and killed Burmese security forces in retribution for increased harassment and discrimination. In so doing, the insurgents handed the government, the military, and some nonstate actors justification—in the name of combatting terrorism—to exterminate and forcibly evict Rohingya Muslims from Burma. A new report from the State Department revealed that the military's campaign against Rohingya Muslims was planned well in advance, using the insurgent attacks as justification. In fact, the military had intensified its crackdown in the months leading up to the attacks. The report states "the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents." While the State Department did not label the abuses against Rohingya Muslims as genocide or crimes against humanity despite robust supporting evidence, the United States and the international community nevertheless must swiftly seek justice against the perpetrators under the appropriate international instruments. A recently released UN-commissioned report concluded that Burma's top military leaders should be investigated and prosecuted for genocide, noting circumstances suggesting their "genocidal intent." We should not be surprised. Burma's military and security forces—and even nonstate actors—have perpetrated these and similar abuses against several religious and ethnic minority communities in Burma for decades. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and many of the ethnic groups in Burma have long felt the military's wrath and society's disdain. In the case of Rohingya Muslims, there is no denying that they have been targeted, at least in part, because of their faith. Earlier this year, a delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), where we serve as Commissioners, spoke with Rohingya refugees now residing in Bangladesh. They described how Burma's government and others often interfered with Ramadan and Eid festivals; locked and burned down madrassas and mosques; desecrated and burned Qur'ans; prevented burials according to Muslim tradition; and targeted imams for detention, torture, and killings. Last November, a USCIRF delegation met with Burma's government, including the Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture, religious leaders, interfaith youth groups, and civil society and to advocate for the religious freedom of Rohingya and other Muslims, Christians, and all religious and ethnic communities. In USCIRF's 2018 Annual Report, we recommended that the State Department should redesignate Burma as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for its systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom against Rohingya Muslims and others. This designation should have been made by the end of August, and USCIRF urges the State Department to make CPC designations as soon as possible. The United States must continue to impose targeted sanctions on specific abusers, through IRFA and the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, as the Treasury Department did in August 2018 and December 2017. Such sanctions include visa bans and asset freezes. It is imperative that the United States make human rights in Burma a priority not just in its bilateral relations, but also as part of its overall foreign policy strategy. The White House National Security Strategy prioritized religious freedom and protecting religious minorities, a policy exemplified by the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom held by the State Department in July 2018. The administration and Congress now must work together to respond strongly and to reinforce U.S. foreign policy priorities in Burma. Burma's government can no longer deny the abuses perpetrated by the military and nonstate actors. The world can no longer stand by with only words and no action. Our collective conscience can no longer accept these violations of human rights. Dr. Tenzin Dorjee serves as the current chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and was reappointed by Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2018. Nadine Maenza serves as a Commissioner at USCIRF. She was appointed by President Trump in 2018.  
Religion News Service: Empower women by standing for religious freedom
December 09, 2016
Dec 9, 2016 The following op-ed appeared in Religion New Service on December 9, 2016 By former USCIRF Commissioners Kristina Arriaga and John Ruskay   Pwint Phyu Latt is a Muslim peace activist in Burma who sought to promote interfaith relations with Buddhists, the nation’s religious majority. She was sentenced this year to two years in prison and two more years of hard labor. Gulmira Imin is a Uighur Muslim in China who led the 2009 Uighur protests against its communist government. She has been in prison ever since. Maryam Naghash Zargaran is a Christian in Iran who converted from Islam and worked with pastor Saeed Abedini prior to his incarceration and release. She was released briefly and returned to prison this year after serving three years of a four-year sentence. Mahvash Sabet, a school principal, and Fariba Kamalabadi, a developmental psychologist, are Baha’is in Iran. Arrested in 2008, they and five other leaders known as the Baha’i Seven were given 20-year sentences based on false charges such as espionage. Mehrinisso Hamdamova was a teacher of Islam to women in Uzbekistan. She was sentenced in 2010 to a seven-year prison term in a labor camp for the “crime” of private teaching about religion and reportedly suffers from cancer. As members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, we stand in solidarity with these and other religious prisoners of conscience. We reaffirm our stand Saturday (Dec. 10) — Human Rights Day — as we commemorate the U.N. General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We stand for the inalienable human right, affirmed in Article 18 of the declaration, of these prisoners, and indeed all people, to freedom of conscience and religion. And we invite others in the human rights community to stand with us, join with us and call for their release. In highlighting these six prisoners today, our aim is twofold. We want to spotlight their plight and their countries’ appalling religious freedom abuses. And by focusing on these women, we seek to provide real-life examples of how in many parts of the world, the lack of religious freedom disempowers women. Clearly, all of their countries are serious religious freedom violators. In Burma, Buddhist state and nonstate actors target ethnic and religious minorities, from Rohingya and other Muslims to Christians. China’s regime has cracked down on Uighur Muslims observing Ramadan, torn down churches and crosses, targeted the Falun Gong, repressed Tibetan Buddhists and jailed, tortured and harvested organs from prisoners. Iran’s government has detained, tortured and even executed opponents of its interpretation of Shiite Islam and has targeted religious minorities, from Baha’is to Christians to Sunni Muslims. And Uzbekistan severely restricts all independent religious activity and imprisons many thousands of individuals it claims to be religious extremists. USCIRF has recommended and the U.S. State Department has designated all of these nations as “countries of particular concern,” marking them as among the world’s worst religious freedom violators. It is no secret that these nations reserve their worst abuses not just for the religious groups they harass, but for individuals who either lead these groups or who boldly and publicly live out their teachings as their conscience dictates. Pwint Phyu Latt, Gulmira Imin, Maryam Naghash Zargaran, Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mehrinisso Hamdamova are such individuals. These women were acting on their convictions and pursuing their aspirations as human beings. Once authorities intervened, denying them their full exercise of freedom of conscience and religion, that process was abruptly halted. Human rights supporters, particularly advocates for the rights of women, can advance their cause when they join with supporters of religious liberty. Indeed, religious freedom, rightly understood, affirms women precisely by affirming their right to choose what to believe and how to live. To protect religious freedom is allow women to pursue a path toward fulfilling their deepest potential. As we mark Human Rights Day, we call on supporters of freedom of religion or belief and advocates for the empowerment of women to recognize the ties that bind us. Let us call for the release of these six female prisoners of conscience and others, and for governments to honor religious freedom and the full panoply of related human rights for the benefit of their people.
The Hill: The List No One Wants to Be On
November 16, 2017
Nov 16, 2017 The following originally op-ed appeared in The Hill on November 16, 2017   By former USCIRF Commissioners Daniel Mark and Sandra Jolley   People love lists. And when those lists are in the news, people generally want to be on them: The Top Ten. Who’s Who. Best Dressed. But no one wants to be on our lists.  That is because our job, as members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), is to list the countries responsible for perpetrating or tolerating the world’s worst violations of religious freedom.  These lists, mandated by Congress, are the centerpiece of our annual recommendations for promoting religious freedom abroad through U.S. foreign policy. From there, our lists go to the State Department, which must determine whether to adopt our recommendations for designating the world’s worst violators as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs). Thanks to new legislation, the designation of CPCs by the State Department — which did not occur every year and which has not happened since October 2016 — is expected in November. And we, as chairman and vice chairwoman of USCIRF, very much hope that the Trump administration’s list of CPCs will look a lot like ours. Unfortunately, the State Department designations, which were required by law no later than Nov. 13, still have not been made. Failing to designate CPCs tells the violators of religious freedom around the world that the United States is looking away. The State Department should make such designations without delay. In our annual report, released in April, USCIRF recommended that 16 countries be designated CPCs: Burma, Central African Republic, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Unfortunately, since that time, there has been plenty more bad news to confirm the judgments on our list: Russia’s Supreme Court outlawed the Jehovah’s Witnesses, wiping out the legal existence of an entire religion; Rohingya Muslims are fleeing Burma in the hundreds of thousands as that country’s military leaders conduct what United Nations officials have described as ethnic cleansing; and Pakistan continues its persecution of the Ahmadiyya community, particularly through the use and abuse of blasphemy laws (including death sentences) that have no place in the 21st century. Meanwhile, USCIRF commends the Trump administration’s nomination of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. If confirmed before the CPC designations are made, Gov. Brownback’s first priority should be to see all 16 countries designated as CPCs by the State Department. For now, let us look at just three.  Russia: This year is the first time USCIRF ever recommended that Russia be designated as a CPC — one of the worst of the worst when it comes to religious freedom violations. We did not come to this conclusion lightly, and Russian actions since have only reinforced our position.  In outlawing the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Russia absurdly claimed that this pacifist, non-political group was a threat under Russia’s anti-extremism laws. The Witnesses can no longer proselytize, their organization’s property is subject to seizure, they face sanction for gathering to worship, and they now occupy a category of “extremists” with neo-Nazis and jihadists. Another target of Russia’s attacks is Scientologists. After the Supreme Court ruling against the Witnesses, Russia’s Federal Security Bureau arrested, detained and interrogated five Scientologist leaders in St. Petersburg: Anastasiya Terentyeva, Sakhib Aliev, Ivan Matsytski, Galina Shurinova, and Konstantia Esaulkova. Alleging crimes related to “commercial activity,” these arrests make it clear the Supreme Court ruling against the Witnesses simply cleared the way for more harassment of minority groups. Moreover, Russia has the dubious distinction of being a country that not only oppresses its religious minorities — it also exports such oppression, as is evidenced by the treatment of religious minorities in Russian-occupied Ukraine and Crimea.  Burma: Burma’s Rohingya Muslim population has been called the most persecuted religious minority in the world. Now that truth is being underlined — in ink throughout the world’s headlines and in blood on the earth, as more than half a million have fled for their lives. They flee burned villages and slaughtered families. They flee barefoot over barbed wire and landmines. Now is surely not the time for the U.S. to reverse its longstanding designation of Burma as a CPC. Pakistan: A U.S. ally in counterterrorism yet also a supporter of extremism in many forms, Pakistan is a conundrum for U.S. policymakers. On religious freedom grounds, however, the issue is clear: Pakistan is among the world’s worst violators. Its blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws are indefensible, and, through acts of commission and omission, the government deserves blame for the virulence and violence against the Ahmadiyya community throughout Pakistani society.  And the Ahmadis are but one notable example of religious persecution in Pakistan. For years, the State Department has declined to take up our recommendation, but we believe that the new Trump administration will take a principled stand and finally designate Pakistan a CPC. Also thanks, to new legislation, USCIRF recommended this year for the first time three non-state actors for designation as “entities of particular concern” (EPCs): the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria; the Taliban in Afghanistan; and al-Shabaab in Somalia. The administration does not need to make its designations of EPCs in November, but there is no time to waste. We look forward to working with the White House and the State Department on identifying EPCs and the tools to use against them. For now, the administration can make a strong start in advancing international religious freedom by naming those 16 countries as countries of particular concern.  Daniel Mark and Sandra Jolley are, respectively, the chairman and vice chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The Philadelphia Inquirer -- Threats to religious freedom
September 28, 2015
Sep 28, 2015 FOR YOUR INFORMATION September 28, 2015 | Daniel I. Mark and Katrina Lantos Swett The following op-ed appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 27, 2015 Washington hosted two dramatically different dignitaries last week - Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both had meetings with President Obama, and the pope became the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress. These two leaders are on exactly opposite paths: Pope Francis is a stalwart champion of human rights and witness for religious freedom while President Xi heads a regime that is one of the world's most notorious violators of human rights, including religious freedom. Pope Francis embodies religious freedom's universal message and promise, as cited in Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance." In contrast, President Xi symbolizes a world in which more than 75 percent of people live in countries that perpetrate or tolerate serious violations of this liberty. Despite this global crisis for religious freedom, people who cherish this right are found across the globe. Now, people around the world must speak for the persecuted with one powerful, united voice. Last weekend in New York, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) took its latest step in promoting that aim, bringing together like-minded people from nearly 50 countries for an unprecedented meeting. Cosponsored by the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPP), the gathering included more than 100 parliamentarians as well as diplomats and civil society and religious leaders. They met next to the United Nations, where the General Assembly is now in its 70th annual session. Since its launch last November, the IPP has focused on threats to religious freedom from both governments and nonstate actors. Some governments, including China's and North Korea's, are secular tyrannies that suppress religious groups across the board. Other countries, such as Iran and Sudan, elevate a single religion or religious interpretation while persecuting those who embrace alternatives. These state actors abuse religious freedom in many ways, including by imprisoning people due to their beliefs and actions. In China, for example, Ilham Tohti, a respected Uighur Muslim scholar, is serving a life sentence for alleged "separatism." Iran holds hundreds of religious prisoners, from Baha'is to Christians, from Sufis and Sunnis to Shiite reformers and clerics. At least one electoral democracy is also a major abuser of religious freedom. Pakistan, which a USCIRF delegation visited for the first time in March, has more people on death row or serving life sentences for blasphemy than any other country. Pakistan's blasphemy law not only violates freedom of religion but also emboldens nonstate actors, including extremist religious groups, to assault and murder perceived transgressors. In addition, over the last year, nonstate religious actors have fueled some of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. In both Iraq and Syria, ISIS and other violent religious groups have kidnapped and enslaved Yazidi and Christian women and girls, beheaded or crucified men and boys, driven families from their homes, and uprooted 2,000-year-old faith communities that are now threatened with extinction. In Nigeria, Boko Haram has perpetrated mass killings at churches and mass kidnappings of children. In Burma, Buddhist extremists have assaulted Rohingya Muslims. In the Central African Republic, fighting between Christians and Muslims has destroyed nearly all the country's mosques. And these conflicts have forced millions of people to flee for their lives. The IPP has written over the last nine months to the heads of state of Myanmar, Pakistan, and Indonesia, to the Sudanese foreign minister, and to the North Korean ambassador to the United Nations. Citing international pressure, Pakistan's government introduced reforms to its blasphemy law; Sudan released two jailed Christian pastors; and the North Koreans invited Brazilian members of IPP to Pyongyang to discuss religious freedom concerns. Last weekend, the IPP's 100 parliamentarians signed the New York Resolution on Freedom of Religion or Belief. We applaud them for standing for Pope Francis' way of freedom, not President Xi's path of repression. To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@uscirf.gov or at 202-786-0615.  
The Providence Journal -- Thanksgiving and Hanukkah spell re-dedication to religious freedom
December 03, 2013
Dec 3, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONDecember 2, 2013 | By Robert P. George The following op-ed appeared in the Providence Journal on November 30, 2013. Washington - As the nation celebrates Thanksgiving, Jewish Americans are also commemorating Hanukkah, the eight-day Feast of Dedication. Interestingly, this year these holidays overlap. Much more importantly, however, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah share a common theme: religious freedom. Thanksgiving reminds us of the Pilgrims' arduous and risky journey to the New World to practice their religion in accordance with their consciences. Hanukkah celebrates ancient Israel's Maccabees who, by defeating the foreign despot Antiochus, gained the freedom to practice their religion as they rededicated their Temple. Yet another commemoration harkens to this freedom. On Monday, Hanukkah's fifth full day, America will mark the 250th anniversary of the dedication of its oldest temple, Touro Synagogue, in Newport. Decades later, in 1790, George Washington addressed to its congregants his historic letter on freedom of conscience. Writing that all Americans, Jews no less than Christians, "possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship,” Washington reaffirmed that the U.S. government "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” True to Washington's words and the spirit of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, America has been a refuge throughout its history for people fleeing religious persecution. Unfortunately, such persecution continues today across the world. Religious-freedom abuses affect an alarming range of people: Rohingya Muslims in Burma; Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, Protestant house church members, Falun Gong and others in China; Coptic Christians in Egypt and other Christians elsewhere in the Middle East; Baha'is and Jews in Iran; Ahmadis, Christians and Hindus in Pakistan; and Muslims of minority sects in Muslim-majority nations such as Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan and non-Muslim nations such as Russia. Indeed, according to a Pew study, 75 percent of the world's people live in countries which perpetrate or tolerate serious violations, ranging from restrictions on worship to the commission of torture and murder. In 1998, in response to such violations, Congress passed, and President Clinton signed into law, the International Religious Freedom Act. The law created a new international religious freedom office in the State Department, headed by an ambassador-at-large. The law also created the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. USCIRF was founded as an independent, bipartisan federal body to monitor freedom of religion abroad and make policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state and Congress. One of USCIRF"s key responsibilities is to recommend to the State Department nations that should be designated as "countries of particular concern,” marking them as the world's worst religious-freedom abusers, as well as actions that should be taken given this designation. This year, USCIRF recommended that eight nations be re-designated: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. We found that seven other states deserved the same status: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. In our work, we are aided by the fact that this fundamental right is not only a foundational part of America's heritage, but is enshrined in international law and covenants, including Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims the following: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” As USCIRF's chairman, I am committed, along with my colleagues and commission staff, to do all I can to make religious freedom a central issue in the foreign policy of our nation - one that cannot be pushed aside or ignored. It is my hope that during this holiday season, we will gain a renewed appreciation for this bedrock freedom and the importance of proclaiming it to the world. Robert P. George is Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at 202-786-0613 or media@uscirf.gov.
The Detroit News -- Two holy days, observed in freedom
October 06, 2014
Oct 6, 2014 FOR YOUR INFORMATIONOctober 6, 2014 | By M. Zuhdi Jasser and Hannah Rosenthal The following op-ed appeared in The Detroit News on October 4, 2014. On Saturday we will witness a confluence of two holy days of Judaism and Islam, offering a unique moment to reflect on the imperative of religious freedom. On that day, Jews will observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is marked by a call to repent of sins, while Muslims will commemorate Eid al-Adha (Holiday of the Sacrifice), marking Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God. For both communities, prayer, reflection, atonement and reverence for God are central to the commemoration of each holy day. That both fall on the same day this year is a rare occurrence partly resulting from the shared use of a lunar month in our calendars, a symbolic reminder of common origins. The fact that both will be observed by our communities here on the same day in liberty and peace is remarkable. It is a tribute to the religious freedom that many Americans take for granted and is lacking across much of the globe. As commissioners appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and as adherents of Judaism and Islam preparing to separately commemorate our holiest of days, we must reflect on the religious freedom conditions for Jews and Muslims abroad, while working for a future where all religious believers will enjoy the universal right of freedom of religion or belief. According to the Pew Research Center’s January 2014 report, “Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High,” Jews were harassed in 71 countries and Muslims in 109 nations in 2012. Jews in Iran often have been targets of anti-Semitic campaigns by government officials, including statements denying the Holocaust. Elsewhere in the Middle East, government media continue to promote anti-Semitic propaganda. The plight of Rohingya Muslims in Burma remains especially dire, given relentless official discrimination and countless numbers being persecuted and made homeless and stateless. In China, the government persecutes Uighur Muslims, shutting down religious sites, conducting raids and restricting the study of the Quran. What is true of Muslims and Jews is the case with members of nearly every religious group, as well as those who reject religious belief altogether. Nearly all suffer persecution somewhere in the world, despite the fact that most nations are signatories to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights guaranteeing freedom of religion. It is time to reaffirm the universal human right to follow the dictates of conscience on matters of religion or belief, peacefully and without fear. M. Zuhdi Jasser and Hannah Rosenthal are commissioners at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at media@uscirf.gov or 202-786-0613.