USCIRF Writes Clinton Urging Her To Raise Religious Freedom Issues In Africa

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will begin a ten-day trip to seven African countries beginning August 4. (State Department briefing.) The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has written Clinton asking her to raise religious freedom issues when she visits Nigeria, and when she meets with Somalian officials at the AGOA Forum in Kenya. The letter (full text) points to sectarian violence in Nigeria and the introduction of Sharia law in some Nigerian states. In Somalia, USCIRF is concerned about infringements of religious freedom and issues relating to the implementation of Sharia law.