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August 31, 2020
Aug 05
WHEN:
Aug 5th 10:30am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIRF Update with USAID: The President’s Executive Order on International Religious Freedom
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET
Virtual Event
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual event about President Trump’s recent Executive Order to advance international religious freedom across the federal government and its implementation at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
This discussion will highlight key aspects of this Executive Order, USAID’s current plans underway to implement it, and the impact it will have on USAID’s programming in the future. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins will discuss these issues with USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa. USCIRF Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir will moderate the discussion, which will be followed by questions and answers from attendees.
Panelists
- Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Tony Perkins, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- John Barsa, Acting Administrator, USAID Written Remarks
- Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
August 28, 2020
Nov 06
WHEN:
Nov 6th 2:00pm
Host: Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair
Subject Experts: Zack Udin and Kirsten Lavery
For more information, please contact Henry Young at hyoung@uscirf.gov.
September 30, 2020
Click here to see the Factsheet on Fulani Communities.
This factsheet explores the role that religion plays in escalating violence committed by and against Fulani communities in west and central Africa. Predominantly Muslim and historically associated with cattle herding and livestock rearing, Fulani communities – one of the largest ethnic groups in the world – stretch across the African continent from Senegal to Sudan and have been both the victims and perpetrators of violence against civilians in many countries in recent years. Although the extent to which religious ideology contributes to driving this violence remains a subject of debate, the trend of increasing violence by and against Fulani groups is clearly aggravating religious tensions in countries such as Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
October 01, 2020
Oct 1, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Releases New Report about Religious Tensions and Fulani Communities in West and Central Africa
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious tensions and Fulani communities in west and central Africa:
West and Central Africa Factsheet – This factsheet explores the role that religion plays in escalating violence committed by and against Fulani communities in west and central Africa. Predominantly Muslim and historically associated with cattle herding and livestock rearing, Fulani communities – one of the largest ethnic groups in the world – stretch across the African continent from Senegal to Sudan and have been both the victims and perpetrators of violence against civilians in many countries in recent years. Although the extent to which religious ideology contributes to driving this violence remains a subject of debate, the trend of increasing violence by and against Fulani groups is clearly aggravating religious tensions in countries such as Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S State Department designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations. USCIRF also recommended that the State Department place the Central African Republic on its Special Watch List (SWL).
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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 media@uscirf.gov.
September 17, 2020
Sep 17, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie Adopts Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu of Nigeria through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
Washington, DC – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner Frederick A. Davie announced today his adoptions of Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, both of whom he will advocate for as part of USCIRF’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project.
Mubarak Bala is a prominent atheist activist and President of the Nigerian Humanist Association. He was arrested on April 28, 2020 and transferred to Kano state police custody, reportedly for insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. He allegedly posted: “Fact is, you have no life after this one. You have been dead before, long before you were born, billions of years of death.” Bala remains detained without charge, and has not been allowed to communicate with his lawyers or his family. His whereabouts and well-being remain unknown.
“There is absolutely no reason why Mubarak Bala should continue to be held in detention without charge, seemingly for nothing more than exercising his right to freedom of belief and expression,” Commissioner Davie said. “His incommunicado status is particularly alarming. The Nigerian government must take all steps necessary to confirm his whereabouts and safety, and ensure that he is afforded a fair trial in a secular court. If his only alleged crime is blasphemy, he must immediately be released and allowed to return home to his family.”
Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is a 22-year-old Islamic gospel singer belonging to the minority Tijaniyya Sufi Islamic sect. On August 10, 2020, he was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death by a Kano state Shari’a court for reportedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a private WhatsApp message. He was accused of praising an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood to the extent it “elevated him above the Prophet Muhammed.”
“Sharif-Aminu’s blasphemy conviction and death sentence are a violation of international human rights law and Article 38 of the Nigerian Constitution,” Commissioner Davie added. “Authorities must overturn this sentence and ensure that Sharif-Aminu’s right to religious freedom is protected.”
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF has also expressed concern about blasphemy laws in Africa and state enforcement of Shari’a laws in northern Nigeria. To learn more, read the reports: Blasphemy, Apostasy, and Hate Speech Laws in Africa and Shari’ah Criminal Law in Northern Nigeria.
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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 media@uscirf.gov.
October 13, 2020
Oct 21
WHEN:
Oct 21st 10:00am
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Oct 21st 11:30am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Combatting Online Hate Speech and Disinformation
Targeting Religious Communities
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
10:00 – 11:30 AM
Virtual Hearing
Hearing Transcript
Hearing Summary
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing about how some governments use and enable others to use social media platforms to sow disinformation and hate speech that target religious communities and incite violence against them.
During the past two decades, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms have emerged as invaluable tools for connecting people around the world. However, we have also witnessed the use of social media to spread false and discriminatory information that dehumanizes specific groups of people, including faith communities and religious minorities. Online hate speech and misinformation has been used to target and mobilize violence against the Rohingya in Burma, Jews in Iran, Shi’a Muslims in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, to name only a few.
The U.S. government and the international community must do more to understand how social media technologies are used to mobilize religious freedom violations, and work together to address this phenomenon. Witnesses will give analysis on these topics and present policy recommendations to the U.S. government.
Opening Remarks
- Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Tony Perkins, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- David Kaye, Clinical Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine; former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Written Testimony
- Susan Benesch, Executive Director, Dangerous Speech Project Written Testimony
- Shakuntala Banaji, Professor of Media, Culture and Social Change, London School of Economics Written Testimony
- Waris Husain, Adjunct Professor, Howard University; former USCIRF Policy Analyst Written Testimony
December 07, 2020
Dec 7, 2020
USCIRF Welcomes the State Department’s Designation of Nigeria among World’s Worst Violators of Religious Freedom
Encouraged to See Positive Movement in Some Countries
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) praised the State Department’s announcement that it has named 10 “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs), including Nigeria for the first time, and placed four countries on its “Special Watch List” (SWL) for severe violations, pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
“We are gratified that the State Department has named 10 countries as CPCs. We particularly welcome Nigeria’s designation for the first time as a CPC for tolerating egregious violations of religious freedom, which USCIRF had been recommending since 2009. Nigeria is the first secular democracy that has been named a CPC, which demonstrates that we must be vigilant that all forms of governments respect religious freedom,” said Chair Gayle Manchin.
“We are encouraged to see that the designation this year also reflects significant advancements in religious freedom in Uzbekistan and Sudan, which were both removed from the SWL. While USCIRF recommended earlier in 2020 that these two countries stay on the SWL, it is undeniable the historic progress that has been made in these two countries. We hope that their progress encourages positive change in other places around the world," said Vice Chair Tony Perkins.
The countries the State Department designated as CPCs are Burma, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, all of which, besides Nigeria, it had previously so designated. USCIRF recommended CPC designation for all 10 in its 2020 Annual Report and also recommended that India, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam also be designated as CPCs.
The State Department again placed on its SWL Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Russia. USCIRF recommended in its 2020 Annual Report that Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Central African Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Sudan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan also be placed on the SWL.
USCIRF also welcomed the designation for the first time of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as an Entity of Particular Concern (EPC), which are nonstate actors that engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to IRFA. USCIRF recommended the designation of HTS in its 2020 Annual Report.
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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 Media@USCIRF.gov.
December 16, 2020
Nigeria Country Update – This country update examines religious freedom conditions in Nigeria, which remained poor in 2020. Ongoing state violations include harsh convictions for blasphemy, and discrimination against religious minorities. Non-state actors have been responsible for abductions and executions of individuals based on their religious affiliation, as well as attacks on houses of worship and religious ceremonies. The report provides background demographic and political context, explores Nigeria’s legal framework as it pertains to religious freedom, highlights the impact of religiosity across the country, examines recent incidents of violations of religious freedom committed by state and nonstate actors, and concludes with recommendations for U.S. policy.
December 16, 2020
Dec 16, 2020
USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Nigeria
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious freedom conditions in Nigeria:
Nigeria Country Update – This country update examines religious freedom conditions in Nigeria, which remained poor in 2020. Ongoing state violations include harsh convictions for blasphemy, and discrimination against religious minorities. Non-state actors have been responsible for abductions and executions of individuals based on their religious affiliation, as well as attacks on houses of worship and religious ceremonies. The report provides background demographic and political context, explores Nigeria’s legal framework as it pertains to religious freedom, highlights the impact of religiosity across the country, examines recent incidents of violations of religious freedom committed by state and nonstate actors, and concludes with recommendations for U.S. policy.
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S State Department designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its ongoing, systematic, and egregious religious freedom violations. Earlier this month, the State Department designated Nigeria as a CPC for the first time ever.
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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 media@uscirf.gov.
October 16, 2020
Oct 16, 2020
Welcome to USCIRF's new series! In USCIRF Spotlight, we discuss major topics in the news and explore how they impact religious freedom around the globe. For this week's episode, listen to what our research team has to say about Fulani communities in West and Central Africa.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Madeline Vellturo, Policy Analyst, USCIRF