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August 28, 2020
Oct 23
WHEN:
Oct 23rd 3:00pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Protecting Houses of Worship and Holy Sites
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
3:00 – 4:30 PM
106 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Hearing Summary
Hearing Transcript
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a hearing about the global targeting of houses of worship and holy sites around the world and how to protect them.
Houses of worship and other religious sites should be sanctuaries where worshippers feel safe to practice their faith. Tragically, as the 2019 incidents in New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Burkina Faso attest, attacks on houses of worship are increasingly occurring around the globe. These attacks aim to destroy the place of worship precisely for its religious significance, cause harm to a unique religious group, and instill fear in those that worship there.
Alongside these horrific attacks, places of worship are often harmed more subtly through the misuse of registration procedures to prevent their construction or renovation, the malicious surveillance of holy sites to intimidate worshippers, or acts of vandalism that aim to send a threatening message and harm property. Different types of buildings and properties that are significant to religious communities, such as cemeteries, monasteries, or community centers, also have been targeted. While violent attacks on such places are typically committed by non-state actors, less overt forms of harms and restrictions are often imposed by state authorities as well. This includes the failure of states to ensure the preservation of sacred places, places of worship, and cultural property that constitutes the cultural or spiritual heritage of people.
How can the international community better work together to stem the global violent targeting of houses of worship? Witnesses will highlight U.S. programs, intergovernmental initiatives, interfaith efforts, and other policy recommendations that aim to ensure that holy places remain safe havens and not sites of bloodshed.
Opening Remarks
- Tony Perkins, Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Honorable Sam Brownback, Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State Written Testimony
- H.E. Miguel Moratinos, High Representative, U.N. Alliance of Civilizations Written Testimony
- Hassan Abbas, Distinguished Professor of International Relations at Near East South Asia Strategic Studies Center, National Defense University Written Testimony
- Sharon Rosen, Global Director for Religious Engagement, Search for Common Ground Written Testimony
February 11, 2020
Feb 11
WHEN:
Feb 11th 10:30am
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Briefing
Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security:
New Policy Guidance from the OSCE
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Senate Visitors Center (SVC) 203-02
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a briefing on the nexus of freedom of religion or belief and security, including findings from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ (ODIHR) recent publication, Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security: Policy Guidance.
In the OSCE region, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is violated by some governments who use the pretext of national security to justify repression. For example, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, cameras are installed in mosques to transmit videos of worshippers during their prayers to state security services. In Uzbekistan, thousands of religious prisoners remain incarcerated for “extremism” or the possession of “extremist” religious literature. In Azerbaijan, authorities continue to deny legal registration to Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses residing outside the capital. Although these actions aim to improve security, failure to balance security with freedom of religion or belief can actually undermine it.
Freedom of Religion or Belief: Policy Guidance clarifies the interrelationship between FoRB and security as mutually reinforcing objectives, in line with the OSCE’s comprehensive framework for peace and security. The document includes guiding principles, practical guidance, and recommendations to address pertinent issues at the intersection of the freedom of religion and security, including the registration of religious communities, religious literature deemed “extremist”, the monitoring of places of worship, and restrictions on conversion.
Panelists will present the policy guidance document, discuss its findings and recommendations, further explore the intersection of security and FoRB, and consider tools and strategies for governments and other relevant stakeholders to advance both objectives simultaneously. There will be an interactive question and answer period with audience members after the panelist presentations.
Remarks
- Tony Perkins, Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Kishan Manocha, Senior Advisor on Freedom of Religion or Belief, OSCE/ODIHR
- Douglas Padgett, U.S. Department of State, Office of International Religious Freedom
- Elizabeth Clark, Professor of Law, Brigham Young University School of Law
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.
October 13, 2020
Oct 21
WHEN:
Oct 21st 10:00am
-
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
January 07, 2021
Jan 7, 2021
USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr Adopts Ramzan Bibi in Pakistan through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
Washington, DC – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Commissioner James W. Carr today announced his adoption of Ramzan Bibi through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project.
On April 30, 2020, Ramzan Bibi, a 55-year-old Ahmadi woman, was detained and accused of making blasphemous remarks during a personal dispute over the return of her charitable donation to a local mosque in Cheleki village in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Bibi was charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, an offence that carries the death penalty. She is currently imprisoned at Central Jail Lahore.
“The Pakistani government must immediately release Ramzan Bibi, and all others detained for blasphemy,” said Commissioner Carr. “Authorities allowing these laws to be used for personal gain or vendetta are only enabling systematic discrimination based on religious belief. This is clear in Bibi’s case, as she is facing imprisonment simply because of her Ahmadi faith. The Pakistani government needs to repeal blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws and until this is accomplished, enact comprehensive reform.”
A village committee formed in Cheleki to investigate the case concluded that there was no evidence to prove the accusations of blasphemy against Bibi. However, hardline Muslim clerics compelled a non-Ahmadi resident of the village, who was not present during the dispute, falsely testify against Bibi resulting in her incarceration.
Bibi’s bail application was rejected by the judge on November 18. An appeal has been filed for the mother of six, who has been waiting in jail throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State continue to designate Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern, a recommendation USCIRF has made since 2002 due to Pakistan’s systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief.
In December 2020, USCIRF published a report on Violating Rights: Enforcing the World's Blasphemy Laws, which examines the enforcement of blasphemy laws worldwide. This report found that the country with the most cases of state enforced blasphemy laws was Pakistan, with 184 cases identified between 2014-2018. In June, USCIRF released a Policy Update on Pakistan that outlines the path for reforming and eventually repealing its blasphemy law.
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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.
July 20, 2020
Jul 20, 2020
This op-ed was originally published by The Washington Examiner, on July 20, 2020.
By USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins
In Iraq, the 50th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces has been involved in extortion, illegal arrests, kidnappings, and detention of individuals without warrants, often targeting Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities returning to the Nineveh Plains and Sinjar. Rayan al-Kildani, the ruthless leader of this militia who operates under the guidance of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was videotaped brutally cutting off the ear of a detainee.
In Burma, over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled northern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after Myanmar launched a brutal crackdown in August 2017 that included mass killings, gang rape, and wide spread arson. The United Nations has called for the Burmese Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing to be prosecuted for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes for leading the military to commit such horrendous crimes.
Besides both being responsible for abhorrent bloodshed, a commonality between al-Kildani and Hlaing is that they were both sanctioned under the 2016 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the related 2017 executive order, E.O. 13818.
The Global Magnitsky Act allows financial sanctions and visa restrictions to be imposed on a designated individual for corruption or human rights abuses. As of December 2019, 198 individuals had been sanctioned under Global Magnitsky, but only 16 – less than 10% – of these sanctions have directly related to religious freedom abuses.
Alongside Global Magnitsky, the U.S. government has used other tools to impose consequences on violators of religious freedom.
The State Department increasingly uses Section 7031(c) of the annual appropriations law, which requires the secretary of state to make foreign officials and their immediate family members ineligible for U.S. entry if there is credible evidence that such individuals have been involved in “a gross violation of human rights.” Over 100 of these designations were announced publicly last year, although, only a small number were related to religious freedom. Notable designations for gross violations of human rights connected to the freedom of religion or belief included the former director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) for alleged torture and two Russian officials for their involvement in the arrest and torture of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), where we serve as chair and vice chair, respectively, details in its 2020 Annual Report religious freedom conditions globally and provides recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress. We note the imposition of sanctions and visa restrictions in response to attacks on religious freedom and commend the U.S. government for its strong action in those cases. However, the number of sanctions imposed in 2019 are few in comparison to the scale of serious religious violations that occurred globally. Our report alone cites 29 countries where governments or societal actors severely violate religious freedom.
President Trump has stated that “protecting religious freedom is one of [his] highest priorities.” To match this commitment, we urge the U.S. government to more vigorously use the targeted accountability tools available to punish individuals and agencies directly responsible for the severe religious freedom violations detailed in our report.
In our report, we note contexts where asset freezes and visa bans on individual officials, agencies, and military units can stem continued religious persecution, including in India, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, and Russia.
We also name specific individuals that should held accountable, such as Caridad Diego, the head of Cuba’s Office of Religious Affairs who has personally led her office’s campaign of harassment against religious life on the island, as well as Chen Quanguo, China’s Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary who created the blueprint for the dystopian surveillance state that has led to 1.8 million Uighur and other Muslims being placed in concertation camps.
The Administration has a wide range of tools to impose consequences for human rights violators. This is why we call on Congress to evaluate the policy tools available for targeted human rights-related sanctions and consider giving the State Department authority to impose individual visa bans for gross human rights violations through new legislation. Congress should also define the authority’s relationship to Global Magnitsky sanctions to aid the Administration in implementing the most appropriate and impactful tool among a menu of options. These options help ensure that each targeted sanction imposes a consequential punishment on the individual violator, who may personally benefit from their access to the U.S. financial system or send their children to school in the United States.
We hope that in 2020 others will join al-Kildani and Hlaing on the list of individuals and entities sanctioned for severe religious freedom violations. The imposition of a more aggressive targeted sanctions regime would go a long way in deterring religious freedom violators, bringing accountability to the perpetrators, and ultimately creating a world where all are free to practice their faith.
January 08, 2021
Read Article
Jan 8, 2021
November 30, 2020
Dec 09
WHEN:
Dec 9th 10:30am
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Dec 9th 12:00pm
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing
Blasphemy Laws and the Violation of International Religious Freedom
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Virtual Hearing
Hearing Transcript
Hearing Summary
Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual hearing about new findings from USCIRF’s report on the enforcement of global blasphemy laws and the multiple ways they mobilize violence against religious communities.
Blasphemy laws often criminalize any form of expression that allegedly insults or offends religious doctrines, making it essentially illegal to express religious views different from the majority, including the right not to believe. They are often misused to target faith communities. For example, in Indonesia, where Ahmadi Muslims and Chinese Indonesians are targeted for allegedly committing blasphemy, enforcement is used as a political tool along religious and ethnic lines.
The enforcement of blasphemy laws often sparks incidents or threats of mob violence. In 2019, the government of Mauritania’s inability to protect its citizens from the threat of mob violence was used as justification to continue detaining blogger, Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, who was accused of blasphemy. In Pakistan, vigilantes violently target not only the alleged blasphemer, but also attack lawyers, family members, and the surrounding faith community. The public statements of support for Asia Bibi resulted in the two high-profile murders of Shahbaz Bhatti, a cabinet member, and Salman Taseer, then Governor of Punjab.
Witnesses will provide an overview of blasphemy laws around the world, along with the trends in their enforcement, and present policy recommendations to the U.S. government.
Opening Remarks
- Senator James Lankford, R-OK Written remarks
- Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF Written remarks
- Tony Perkins, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written remarks
- Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair, USCIRF Written Remarks
- Joelle Fiss, Member of the Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief, ODIHR, OSCE; and co-author of USCIRF’s new report on blasphemy laws Written Testimony
- Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Associate Professor of Clinical Law, Cardozo School of Law; and co-author of USCIRF’s new report on blasphemy laws Written Testimony
- Amjad Mahmood Khan, Lecturer in Law, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law Written Testimony
- Shaan Taseer, son of Salmaan Taseer, the former governor of Punjab province killed for blasphemy; co-founder of Pakistan for All Written Testimony
- Elizabeth O’Casey, Director of Advocacy, Humanists International Written Testimony
November 16, 2020
Nov 16, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USCIRF Gravely Concerned about the Rise in Blasphemy Cases Leading to Mob Violence in Pakistan
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is troubled by the sharp rise in blasphemy cases and mob violence in recent months targeting Shi’a Muslims in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Province.
“Firm action needs to be taken against mob violence and vigilantism targeting the Shiite communities,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava. “The Pakistani government is responsible for ensuring the rights, safety, and security of all its citizens, including religious minorities who are particularly vulnerable to the country’s rigid blasphemy laws.”
Last week, vigilante students at Kohat University of Science and Technology, in Kohat district, attempted to lynch an unnamed Shi’a student for allegedly posting blasphemous remarks on Facebook. The angry mob beat the student and charged the vice-chancellors office, demanding that the student be expelled from the university or they would kill him. The accused student was expelled, taken into police custody, and charged with blasphemy under Pakistan’s Penal Code.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported that in August alone more than 40 blasphemy cases were registered against members of the Shi’a community. The following month in September, in another incident in Charsada district, 61-year old Maruf Gul and his family home were attacked by an angry mob. Gul, who identifies as Sunni Muslim, was accused of questioning the story of Abraham’s offering to sacrifice his son Ismail to God with his Shi’a Muslim landlord. The accused was charged with blasphemy and arrested by police, who advised his family to move out of the neighborhood.
“It is imperative that the Pakistani government repeal its blasphemy law,” added USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie Moore. “Until this happens, we call on the Pakistani government to enact reforms, including making blasphemy a bailable offense, requiring evidence by accusers, ensuring proper investigation by senior police officials, allowing authorities to dismiss unfounded accusations, and enforcing existing Penal Code articles criminalizing perjury and false accusations.”
In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended Pakistan as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom since 2002. In June 2020, USCIRF released a Policy Update on Pakistan, which provides recommendations for a binding agreement between the United States and Pakistan pursuant to Section 405(c) of IRFA to address religious freedom violations in Pakistan, including the reform and ultimate repeal of the blasphemy law.
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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.