Displaying results 51 - 60 of 111

2021 Update on Religious Freedom Conditions
January 22, 2021
Jan 22, 2021       Targeting of religious minorities in Russia, mass atrocities in China, Nigeria as a country of particular concern, and Antisemitism on the rise worldwide. The events of 2020 cast a long shadow over religious freedom conditions as we enter into a new year. There are, however, some areas of progress such as Sudan and Uzbekistan. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin joins us to discuss the state of religious freedom worldwide. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Gayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF
Engaging State and Local Government in Nigeria to Protect Religious Freedom
February 02, 2021
Feb 16 WHEN: Feb 16th 2:00pm - Feb 16th 3:00pm USCIRF Conversation: Engaging State and Local Government in Nigeria to Protect Religious Freedom February 16, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (EST) Virtual Event Register Here   Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual event about engaging state and local government in Nigeria to protect and promote religious freedom.  The event will highlight the recent decision by the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Panelists will explore the regions of the country experiencing the most severe violations, the role of state and local authorities in engaging in and/or tolerating these violations, and opportunities for the U.S. government to assist local actors to protect and promote religious freedom for all Nigerians. USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins and Commissioner Frederick A. Davie will host the discussion with guest panelists Oge Onubogu of the U.S. Institute of Peace and Nnamdi Obasi of International Crisis Group. USCIRF Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir will moderate the conversation followed by questions and answers from attendees.    Panelists
  • Tony Perkins, Vice Chair, USCIRF
  • Frederick A. Davie, Commissioner, USCIRF
  • Oge Onubogu, Director of West Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Nnamdi Obasi, Senior Adviser, International Crisis Group
  Moderator
  • Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
  This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording will be posted on USCIRF’s website. For any additional questions, please contact media@uscirf.gov.
Religion News Service: Nigeria’s blasphemy laws are the religious freedom crisis no one is talking about
February 05, 2021
Feb 5, 2021 This op-ed was originally published by Religion News Service, on February 5, 2021.  By USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins and Commissioner Frederick A. Davie.    Last year, a Shariah court in northern Nigeria condemned Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a 22-year-old Muslim gospel musician, to death for committing blasphemy in a series of private WhatsApp messages. The same court found a 16-year-old boy, Umar Farouk, guilty of blasphemy for reportedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad while arguing with a friend and sentenced him to 10 years in prison with manual labor. Farouk’s sentence has been overturned, and Sharif-Aminu’s case has been sent for retrial. But these harsh sentences are only the latest examples of the problematic application of Shariah law in some states in northern Nigeria, and they remain sources of concern. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians. Despite its religious diversity, many Nigerians face systematic threats to their right to freedom of belief. Boko Haram jihadists and other armed insurgents frequently attack houses of worship and religious ceremonies and regularly abduct and execute civilians based on their beliefs. But nonstate actors like Boko Haram are not the only threat. Since 1999, 12 states in northern Nigeria have adopted Shariah penal codes that operate parallel to secular and customary courts. In deference to the country’s constitution, which protects Nigerians’ right to freedom of religion and belief, the penal codes do not apply to non-Muslims and exclude provisions against apostasy, which is typically punishable by death. Yet many Shariah laws in northern Nigeria continue to criminalize blasphemy and result in harsh punishments for blasphemers. Additionally, the Nigerian criminal code includes a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment for insulting a person’s religion. Blasphemy laws promote intolerance, discrimination and violence against religious communities around the globe. Even before Sharif-Aminu had his day in court, a mob burned down his family home in retaliation for his comments and forced him into hiding. Lawyers filing appeals on behalf of Sharif-Aminu and Farouk have had to do so in secret for fear of violent retaliation. Recent blasphemy convictions in Kano State are particularly concerning in the context of the continued detention of prominent atheist activist Mubarak Bala. In April 2020, police arrested Bala for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. He remains in detention without charge despite a Dec. 21 court order for his release. During Bala’s detention, Nigerian authorities restricted his access to his legal team and family. In July, his wife, who had recently given birth to a son, had to plead with the government for proof of life and for information on her husband’s whereabouts and wellbeing. Through the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project, USCIRF is advocating on behalf of both Bala and Sharif-Aminu, urging their immediate and unconditional release. Blasphemy laws and harsh sentences cannot stand if Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom is to be realized. In December, the U.S. Department of State designated Nigeria for the first time as a country of particular concern for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of international religious freedom. Nigeria is the first secular democracy to be labeled a country of particular concern. Repealing the blasphemy laws, which have deep local support in northern Nigeria, will not be easy. Efforts to repeal them, in fact, may backfire if they are perceived as “outsider” Christian or secular actors meddling in local affairs. Consequently, the U.S. government should incentivize the government of Nigeria to engage state and local actors in a political dialogue designed to align local justice mechanisms with the rights and protections provided by international law and the Nigerian Constitution. The United States should also urge the Nigerian government to provide stronger security for the lawyers working on blasphemy cases in areas where they are experiencing harassment and physical threats. Ultimately, every Nigerian citizen has the right to believe and worship as they choose, and that right should be protected equally for all Nigerians, regardless of their faith or creed.
Factsheet: Violent Islamist Groups in Northern Nigeria
February 12, 2021
Northern Nigeria Factsheet – Violent Islamist groups based in northern Nigeria remain some of the deadliest and most formidable jihadist groups operating in the world today. Estimates suggest that conflict with groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province has resulted in the deaths of more than 37,500 people since 2011, and there is a reasonable basis to believe that these groups have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. This factsheet explores the current array of violent Islamist groups operating in northern Nigeria, the religious freedom violations they have committed in the past year, and the state of counterterrorism efforts in the country. Northern Nigeria Factsheet
Mubarak Bala
September 29, 2020
USCIRF ADVOCATE: Frederick A. Davie Advocacy: USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie Adopts Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu of Nigeria through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project FoRB Victims List and Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project Update Country: Nigeria Key Fact: self-identified atheist from Kano State in northeast Nigeria Detained Since: Apr 28, 2020 Biography: Mubarak Bala is a self-identified atheist from Kano State in northeast Nigeria. He became well known in 2014 when the media reported that he had been forcibly drugged and committed to a psychiatric unit by his family members after telling them he was atheist. He was released shortly thereafter and became an outspoken advocate for Nigerian atheist rights and freedoms. Until his arrest, Bala resided in Kaduna State, about 130 miles south of Kano, and served as the President of the Nigerian Humanist Association. Alleged Crime: Mubarak Bala was arrested on April 28, 2020, reportedly for a Facebook post in which he allegedly insulted Prophet Muhammad. The post reportedly read, “Fact is, you have no life after this one. You have been dead before, long before you were born, billions of years of death.” The arrest followed a petition by a group of lawyers to the Kano State Police Commissioner to prosecute Bala for posting things on Facebook that are “provocative and annoying to Muslims,” and a Change.org petition to close Bala’s Facebook account. Mubarak Bala has not yet been formally charged. Advocates believe he may be charged with blasphemy under Section 210 of the Penal Code of Kano State, and/or with violating Section 26(1)(c) of the Cyber-crimes Act, which criminalizes insult of any persons due to their belonging to a group distinguished by their religion, among other characteristics. A blasphemy conviction under Kano’s Shari’a court could lead to a death sentence, and if found guilty of violating the Cybercrimes Act he could face a fine and up to five years in prison. Arrest and Detention: Kaduna State police, in response to a request from Kano State police, arrested Bala in his home in Kaduna State. He was then transferred to Kano State police custody. His whereabouts remain unknown, reportedly for his own safety – civil society activists angered by Bala’s comments online have threatened to burn down the Kano police station should he be held there. They have also reportedly threatened to attack him at the courthouse when he is brought to be arraigned, which has been given as one of the reasons for why he has not been formally charged in a court of law (Kano state courts were also reportedly closed due to a severe Covid-19 outbreak there in the spring). Bala has also been denied access to communication with his lawyer and his wife, who had given birth to a boy six weeks before his arrest. His lawyers fear for his safety and well-being since they have not heard from him for a long time.
Yahaya Sharif-Aminu
September 29, 2020
USCIRF ADVOCATE: Frederick A. Davie Advocacy: USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie Adopts Mubarak Bala and Yahaya Sharif-Aminu of Nigeria through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project FoRB Victims List and Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project Update Country: Nigeria Key Fact: Islamic gospel musician from Kano State Detained Since: Mar 1, 2020 Biography: Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is a little-known Islamic gospel musician from Kano State, northern Nigeria. He belongs to the Tijaniyya order, a popular Sufi Islamic order across North and West Africa. Within the Tijaniyya, he belongs to what is sometimes called the Niassene Tijaniyya after a Senegalese shaykh named Ibrahim Niasse (1900-1975), who played a pivotal role in spreading and reviving the Tijaniyya from Senegal to Sudan. Sharif-Aminu was accused of one count of insulting the religious creed, contrary to Section 382 (6) of the Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law of 2000, for a series of audio messages circulated via WhatsApp which became public in March. The messages are said to have “praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood (Ibrahim Niasse) to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammed.” Sharif-Aminu went into hiding following backlash for his recording, when protestors burned down his family home. On August 10, the Hausawa Filin Hockey upper-Sharia court found Sharif-Aminu guilty of blasphemy and sentenced him to death by hanging. He reportedly did not immediately deny the charges, although he has 90 days to repeal the conviction. It is reported that Sharif-Aminu had access to his lawyer, but that the trial was closed to the public. Since his conviction, it has been reported that Mr. Sharif is being held in incommunicado detention with no access to legal representation and to his immediate family.
Leah Sharibu
August 12, 2020
USCIRF ADVOCATE: Tony Perkins Advocacy: Press Release: Tony Perkins Elected Chair of Bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (June 17, 2019) Related Reports and Briefs: 2019 Annual Report Chapter on Nigeria Country: Nigeria Key Fact: The only remaining student abducted by ISIS-WA from the 2018 Dapchi school kidnapping who has not been released. Detained Since: Feb 19, 2018 Biography: On February 19, 2018, the Boko Haram faction ISIS-WA attacked the Government Girls Science and Technical School in Dapchi, Yobe State, Nigeria. ISIS-WA abducted 110 girls, five of whom were reported killed in the abduction. In March, ISIS-WA returned 104 girls to their families, all the students they had abducted from the school except for Leah Sharibu. ISIS-WA reportedly kept Leah Sharibu because she refused to comply with their demands and convert to Islam. Born on May 14, 2003, Leah Sharibu has had her 15th and 16th birthday while in ISIS-WA captivity. ISIS-WA threatened to kill Leah Sharibu if their demands were not met. The Nigerian government has said it “will not relent in efforts to bring Leah Sharibu safely back home.” In September 2018, ISIS-WA executed Saifura Ahmed, one of three humanitarian aid workers linked with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) they had abducted in March, threatening to do the same to the two others and to Leah Sharibu. In October, ISIS-WA killed the second, Hauwa Mohammad Liman. Alice Loksha, the third aid worker remains in captivity. ISIS-WA’s most recent threat has been to keep Leah Sharibu as a “slave for life.” According to estimates, Boko Haram, including ISIS-WA, continues to detain  hundreds of individuals in northeast Nigeria.
USCIRF Releases New Report about Shari’a and LGBTI Persons
March 16, 2021
Mar 16, 2021 USCIRF Releases New Report about Shari’a and LGBTI Persons Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on governments’ use of Shari’a law as religious justification for capital punishment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons. Factsheet on Shari’a and LGBTI Persons – In some countries around the world, criminal laws provide for the death penalty based on religious interpretations. This factsheet highlights countries with death penalty laws that target the LGBTI community. All of the 10 countries where consensual same-sex relationships are formally punishable by death justify denial of rights and personhood based on official interpretations of Shari’a. This factsheet provides an overview of the international human rights standards relevant to the official enforcement of religion-based laws imposing capital punishment on LGBTI persons. It also explains how laws that make same-sex relationships subject to the death penalty violate the human dignity and rights of LGBTI persons and embolden societal hostility, discrimination, and violence against them. In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate four countries that impose the death penalty for consensual same-sex relations based on religious interpretations—Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia—as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) for engaging in or tolerating particularly severe violations of religious freedom, which the State Department did in December 2020. USCIRF also recommended that the State Department place Afghanistan, which also penalizes same-sex relations with the death penalty, on its Special Watch List (SWL) for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations. In December 2020, USCIRF released a factsheet on Brunei and the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013, which came into effect in 2019 and includes death by stoning as a penalty for LGBTI activity. ### 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 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 Danielle Ashbahian at dashbahian@uscirf.gov.
USCIRF Releases New Report about Violent Islamist Groups in Northern Nigeria
February 12, 2021
Feb 12, 2021 USCIRF Releases New Report about Violent Islamist Groups in Northern Nigeria Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious freedom violations committed by violent Islamist groups in northern Nigeria: Northern Nigeria Factsheet – Violent Islamist groups based in northern Nigeria remain some of the deadliest and most formidable jihadist groups operating in the world today. Estimates suggest that conflict with groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province has resulted in the deaths of more than 37,500 people since 2011, and there is a reasonable basis to believe that these groups have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. This factsheet explores the current array of violent Islamist groups operating in northern Nigeria, the religious freedom violations they have committed in the past year, and the state of counterterrorism efforts in the country. In its 2020 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Boko Haram as an “entity of particular concern,” or EPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In December 2020, USCIRF released a country update on religious freedom conditions in Nigeria. ### 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.
The Globe Post: Attacks on Religious Leaders in West and Central Africa Must Be Addressed
September 29, 2020
Sep 29, 2020 This op-ed was originally published in The Globe Post, on September 29, 2020. By Vice Chair Tony Perkins and Commissioner Frederick A. Davie In the west African country of Burkina Faso, the Grand Imam of Djibo Souaisou Cisse was found dead last month, just days after armed assailants abducted him from a public transport bus. Imam Cisse was a powerful voice calling for peace and interfaith tolerance in Burkina Faso, a country where violent jihadists have been making gains in recent years. He brought together Christians and Muslims in the country, and was seen as a moderate religious figure who refused to leave his town despite repeated terrorist threats. This is one of many recent attacks against religious leaders across conflict zones in west and central Africa in the past few years. Throughout west and central Africa, both religiously and politically motivated armed groups have committed atrocities against civilians, escalating humanitarian crises and triggering catastrophic levels of displacement and food insecurity. In many of these conflict zones, religious leaders have been facing particularly grave threats. In August 2020 alone, armed actors attacked religious leaders of both Muslim and Christian congregations in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon. Religious leaders are often important voices calling for peace, nonviolence, and tolerance in some of the most vulnerable areas of west and central Africa. Attacks on these pivotal figures in civil society threaten not only their rights as individuals to freedom of belief and expression, but also broader efforts to promote peace and mutual trust across different religious groups. These attacks devastate religious communities, as worshippers lose their revered religious leaders and also fear that they could be targeted next. Armed assailants in these countries target religious leaders for several reasons. Some attackers seek to enforce their religious beliefs and ideology on others. Earlier this year, Boko Haram fighters abducted and beheaded Rev. Lawan Andimi, chair of a local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria, reportedly because he would not renounce his faith. Last month in northern Cameroon, Boko Haram insurgents attacked community leaders during a prayer service in a mosque in retaliation for those leaders having utilized the Quran to encourage villagers not to support jihadist groups. In other instances, armed actors target religious leaders as symbols of authority who support a political or social status quo that the armed groups oppose. For example, analysts believe that jihadists targeted Imam Cisse because they perceived his efforts to promote interfaith tolerance as supportive of a secular Burkinabe state. In Nigeria, gunmen abducted the chief imam of Taraba Police Command in July after he had preached against increasing rates of crime and kidnapping during a Jummat sermon. USCIRF’s 2020 Annual Report highlighted trends of armed non-state actors targeting religious leaders as a result of their political advocacy in Cameroon, where armed Cameroonian separatists have attacked Catholic priests reportedly because the Catholic church called for nonviolence and an end to separatist-enforced school boycotts. Leaders of faith communities have also fallen victim to the growing kidnap-for-ransom industry in many of these volatile regions. Armed actors and insurgents seeking to raise funds for their campaigns equate religious figures with wealth and believe abducting them will fetch a high ransom price. When ransom negotiations go wrong, the captors often execute these individuals. The increase of violent attacks on religious leaders is unacceptable and the trend is particularly concerning since it is occurring alongside attacks on houses of worship and worshippers. Religious leaders have a vital role to play in promoting religious freedom and interfaith harmony in west and central Africa. The U.S. government can help by investing more to help protect religious institutions in these varied contexts. Policymakers should prioritize and expand efforts to enhance local security forces’ capacity to protect leaders of faith communities. This should include increasing funding for equipping and training authorities to prevent and respond to attacks against houses of worship as well as specifically to prevent and respond to attacks targeting religious leaders. Support to local courts and judicial systems will also deter future assailants and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Leaders of faith communities play an integral role in promoting religious freedom and interfaith harmony in west and central Africa – they must be protected in carrying out this important work in such a fragile region of the world.