White House Promotes Its International Human Rights Agenda

The NGO Human Rights First convened its second-annual "Human Rights Summit: American Ideals. Universal Values" on Dec. 4 and 5. Among the speakers at the event held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. was President Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan E. Rice. Her wide-ranging speech (full text) included only two specific references to U.S. concerns about religious freedom or religious conflict.  She condemned the Chinese for denying fundamental freedoms to ethnic and religious minorities such as Tibetans and Uighurs.  She also called for national reconciliation in Bahrain, discouraging actions that sharpen religious divisions there.

On Wednesday, the White House issued a Fact Sheet providing further details on the Administration's international human rights agenda, including a section on religious freedom initiatives:

The Department of State manages approximately $10 million in foreign assistance programs to promote religious freedom, which includes current efforts to remove discriminatory and hateful material from Middle Eastern textbooks, promote greater awareness of intolerance and the plight of religious minorities globally, and hold discussions with the Pakistan government, civil society, and the religious community on issues such as curriculum reform in the public and madrassa education systems.  The State Department also implements programs to support the Human Rights Council resolution on combatting discrimination and religious intolerance, while protecting the freedoms of religion and expression.  The program assists governments in training local officials on cultural awareness regarding religious minorities and on enforcing non-discrimination laws.....  

... U.S. officials press foreign governments at all levels to advance religious freedom, including through advocacy on specific cases, such as the case of Saeed Abedini - an Iranian-American pastor imprisoned in Iran - and Rimsha Masih - a Christian child accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. 

...[T]he United States has developed a strategy that encourages U.S. government officials to develop and deepen their relationships with religious leaders and faith communities as they carry out their foreign policy responsibilities....