Thursday, July 05, 2007

Elections at U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has announced that it elected Michael Cromartie to serve as its chairman for a one-year term, starting July 1. Michael Cromartie is Vice President at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and he directs both the Evangelicals in Civic Life and Religion & the Media programs.

The Reverend Richard Land, who heads the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and Preeta Bansal , a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, were elected to serve as vice-chairs.

According to the Commission, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments, and to give independent policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.