The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent federal advisory body created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). Its purpose is to monitor and analyze the state of religious freedom around the world, but not in the USA. On April 30 the commission released its 2013 Annual Report. This document is widely read and commented on by those who are interested in religious freedom.
I would like to first congratulate the commission on the work they do every year to research and publish this report. It annually attracts the attention of the media and of governments to the subject of religious freedom. Countries which persecute, or allow persecution, of believers should not be ignored. What they are doing is wrong, and it is important for them to know that the world knows what they are doing. According to the report, “The state of international religious freedom is increasingly dire due to the presence of forces that fuel instability.”
It is difficult today to list countries where religious freedom improved in 2012. Those who hoped things would change for the better in North Africa and the Middle East following the Arab Spring have reasons to be disappointed. For instance, the Coptic Christians in Egypt are no more protected now than they were before.
The Commission recommends to the United States Secretary of State that eight nations be classified as “Countries of particular concern” or CPC. We may discuss whether eight is the right number or if different countries should have been included.
As someone who travels around the world, I would make a distinction between China and North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, and Iran. There are many temples and churches in China. We can visit them and meet religious leaders. It is true that we need special authorization to speak in public in China, as we do in several other countries; but there is no comparison between China and Turkmenistan. It is true that some minorities are strongly persecuted in China, but religions have more presence and are more active in China than in several other countries not recommended for classification as CPC. This is not a critique about the list, but just a comment.
The report also shows that religious persecution does not spare any religion. Coptic Christians and other Christians are discriminated against and persecuted in several predominantly Muslim countries, but Muslims are persecuted in Myanmar. Sunni Muslims are persecuted in Iran like the Bahá'í, and the Shiite Muslims are persecuted in Pakistan like the Ahmadiyya Muslims. Muslims and some new religious movements have their freedom restricted and are sometimes discriminated against in Western Europe. Of course, we could also say that non-religious people and Atheists are discriminated against in some parts of the world. In fact, respecting religious freedom for all would contribute greatly to the cause of justice and peace in the world.
Laws on Blasphemy and Apostasy should be strongly opposed as one of the priorities of the United States. The defender of freedom and human rights should ask that religious minorities be protected from violent mobs and that a fair investigation should take place before someone is arrested, so they are not kept in prison for years based on rumors alone.
Thanks again to the Commission for their work and for the opportunity they offer to take a close look at the state of religious freedom in the world today. Thanks for not keeping silent when innocent people are treated like criminals just because they have a different religion or no religion at all.
--Dr. John Graz, Secretary General, International Religious Liberty Association
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Looking at someone’s picture can be much different than sitting next to him for two and a half hours. Several weeks ago I saw the picture of the new Canadian Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Andrew P W Bennett. I was interviewed by the “Voice of America” for Africa regarding this new position soon after Ambassador Bennett was appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on February 19, 2013.
PASTOR ANTONIO MONTEIRO, ALONG WITH MR. BRUNO AMAH, WAS ARRESTED because an ex-convict, when interrogated by the police, said both of them were involved in human blood trafficking and in the murder of several young women.
IS CANADA DOING RIGHT IN HAVING AN OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM? WHAT ABOUT ATHEISTS WHO ARE PERSECUTED?
YOU HAVE HEARD THAT SOME COUNTRIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED BLASPHEMY LAWS; others are planning to pass such laws. Some countries have already implemented a law against apostasy.
The year A.D. 313 is an important date in the history of religious freedom. That date brought into a positive focus some very significant developments in “Christendom” and the Roman world of that time.
“I wish you a happy New Year!” We sometimes use these words without thinking—they’ve become a formulaic greeting; a cliché we use at the beginning of each year. But what do these words really mean for someone who promotes and defends religious freedom?
WILL THE LITTLE BIRD SUFFOCATE? ... Religious minorities in Egypt celebrated as revolution brought new hope for equality and justice. Today, the voices of Christians and other minorities in Egypt are filled with dread. What does the future hold for Egypt's “second-class citizens”?
IS SECULARISM THE ENEMY? ... Is the rise of the secular worldview a threat to religious freedom? It's a question that grows more pressing every day, but it's also a question that defies simple answers.
COULD "REST-DAY" IDEA THREATEN FREEDOM IN EUROPE?...Who can argue with the idea that everyone would benefit from a weekly day of rest and relaxation? Yet a new proposal to declare Sunday a work-free day across Europe raises significant religious freedom concerns.
Karel Nowak, Secretary General of the Association Internationale de Défense de la Liberté Religieuse, would have been looking forward to the IRLA Meeting of Experts in Sydney. He would have been anxious to see old friends and to meet new friends. But, tragically, he was not there.
A new "code of good missionary conduct" lays out some common-sense principles: don't attack other religions or desecrate their symbols; treat everyone with love and courtesy. Who could argue with this? But does this consensus document go far enough in affirming religious freedom?
COULD "REST-DAY" IDEA THREATEN FREEDOM IN EUROPE?...Who can argue with the idea that everyone would benefit from a weekly day of rest and relaxation? Yet a new proposal to declare Sunday a work-free day across Europe raises significant religious freedom concerns.
IS FRANCE GOING TOO FAR?... The so-called "burqa ban" which went into effect April 11 has prompted protests from human rights advocates. But it enjoys widespread popular support—not just in France, but across Europe. What's driving this trend?
March 25, 2011 ... Does protecting the religious freedom of students mean that crucifixes must be removed from the walls of public classrooms across Europe? The European Court of Human Rights has grappled with this question, which is more complex than it may seem at first.
March 2, 2011 ... The headlines out of Libya are relentless, and as I read them I wonder, “Why?” Why have so many thousands of people been killed? Why have families been torn apart?" The answer is tragically simple: Because the people of Libya have dared to speak out for freedom.
February 21, 2011: As I sat last week in meetings of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, I wondered: “Couldn’t the world’s largest Christian ecumenical body have spent a little more time talking about the relentless religious persecution of Christians around the world?”
February 11, 2011: Today we have witnessed a moment that history will long remember. After the upheaval of the past few weeks, the Egyptian people will now begin an even more difficult struggle—to remake their political structures and to create a more democratic and tolerant society.
The year 2010 is now over. I hope all of you had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and a good beginning to the New Year. I wish all of you a great and beautiful year 2011. Thank you again for your support. Looking at my calendar, I can say that 2011 will be a very active year for the IRLA.
It is time for me to share with you some information about the IRLA's activities, and I want to thank you for your support and encouragement.
Before 2009 is over, I would like to report on some of the activities our association has participated in during the past few months. With the return of James Standish, we have a new team and we have made significant progress in several areas.
It is always with great pleasure that I share with you the major events of the past few months. My last letter, dated December 2008, covered the IRLA events for the last six months of 2008. This one will cover what we have done since January of 2009.
It is already the end of 2008, and I would like to share with you a report of the IRLA activities that I have been personally involved with. I would also like to send all of you my best wishes for 2009 and my thanks for your support and encouragement.
Before summer goes by, it is time to share with you a few events and activities we have organized or been directly involved in. You will see that the IRLA is alive and well.
Before I say anything
else, I would like to thank you very much for your support and wish you,
on behalf of our staff and officers, a great and happy New Year in 2008.
It has been a long
time since I have sent you a report. Of course, you always have the possibility
of visiting the IRLA website which my Associate, Dr Jonathan Gallagher,
maintains for us.
When you receive this letter, summer will be in its final weeks, and we will be preparing for our next IRLA Meeting of Experts in Aix-en-Provence, France. This report will inform you of our activities of the last five months.
Weeks and months are
passing on so fast that we have just time to jump from one event to another.
Thank you again for your cooperation and your support. Our entire team
wishes you a great and happy New Year! I will try to briefly share with
you our activities for the last six months.
There are so many
things to share with you that I must take time to write to you before
the summer is over. Thank you for your cooperation and your support. Because
of you, our association does a great work defending and promoting religious
freedom around the world.
First I would like
to wish you a very good and happy new year 2005! It has been a great privilege
for me to work with you, and I want to thank you again for your support.
Let me begin with
some good news. Imam Ilgar Ibragimoglu has been released after several
months in jail in Baku. We met Ilgar in Kiev, Ukraine, where he was one
of the guest speakers at the IRLA Congress on Religious Freedom.
It has been several months since my last letter. I hope you have been able to visit our website in order to stay in touch with the work of your association.
The year 2003 was a great year for the IRLA. We were
involved in many important events which are becoming
customary and have the potential to bring recognition and
visibility to our association.
We are already in July and I need to share with you some information about the past six
months. I hope you are all well and I want to thank you for your support.
I can
imagine you now in a beautiful resort with your family for a wonderful
summer vacation. I wish you a great time!
The International
Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) is becoming one of the major non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in the field of religious freedom. The United Nations
invited members from the IRLA to the Consultative Conference of Madrid
on Religious Tolerance and Education.
I hope all of you have had wonderful holidays and a most Happy New Year!
May God bless you and your family.
On Tuesday, September 11 at
9:00 am, my associate, Attorney James Standish, came into my office and exclaimed,
"A plane just hit the World Trade Center!" I immediately imagined that
it was a small private plane involved in an accident. I joined the
Liberty
Magazine group in the office across the hall and watched as the horrific
tragedy unfolded on a small television screen.
The first portion
of 2001 has been rich with events and meetings for the IRLA. As we look
forward to the upcoming Congress and symposiums, I want to share with
you a short report about what has been done since the beginning of 2001.
Thank you for
being so helpful and supportive of our action in favor of religious freedom.
2000 was a great year for the IRLA but 2001 will be still greater with
your cooperation. I wish you and your family a blessed New Year, and best
wishes for your work. Let me share with you some information...
A few weeks ago,
we had our Legal Meeting followed by the Board of Directors meeting. I
am very pleased to share with you some information and to keep your interest
in IRLA alive!
I do not want to disturb your vacations, but I am simply sending you some information about our Association. Pastor Anthony Alexander is Free!
The good news is Pastor Alexander has been found "not guilty" and was released after two years of imprisonment. A special thanks to
I hope that all
of you are well and also your families. Below are some things that have been
happening with IRLA recently.
Y2K has passed and I assume
that all of you have survived. I hope that your Year 2000 will be a good
and happy year for you!
I hope all of you are well and that you
have been receiving the minutes from our meetings. We have several working
groups. Every year we have the Legal Meeting, otherwise known as the Assembly
of Members; three or four times per year we have Board of Directors meetings;
and we also have IRLA ADCOM meetings. Working on special issues, we have
working groups such as the India World Conference working group and the
Sri Lanka working group. These last few weeks were very active for IRLA
and we have been having several meetings one after the other.
As the Meeting of Experts in Madrid has ended, I want to share with you some follow up.
This is the time to share with you some information about IRLA for the first quarter of 1999. I will not be reporting on the minutes you recently received, but I want to underline a few activities.
Because you will receive this letter near the beginning of the New Year, I have the opportunity to wish you a beautiful and blessed New Year. 1998 was a great year for IRLA and we look forward to 1999 to achieve several projects. Pondering our 1998 year, a few things stand out in my mind.
As I was writing this letter, I received a telephone call from Dr. Rosa Maria Martinez, Assistant Director of the Department of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Justice of Spain. She asked me to give a briefing during the Congress of Toledo organized by her department. It is an important meeting with representatives of the three religions of the books of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Thanks to Maria and Professor de la Hera, IRLA will be represented in Toledo.
This past quarter was very interesting and rich in events. I will share some
of these events with you, hoping that everyone of you are well and enjoying
your summer.