The report identifies five categories of infringements upon religious freedom prevalent in various parts of the world:
First, the most severe abuses take place in certain totalitarian and authoritarian regimes that seek to control religious thought and expression.... Second, serious abuses occur in contexts of state hostility toward minority or nonapproved religious groups.... A third category of abuse stems from a state's failure to address forces of intolerance against certain religious groups.... Fourth, abuses occur when governments have enacted discriminatory legislation or taken concrete action to favor majority religions.... A fifth category involves the practice of discriminating against certain religions by identifying them as dangerous "cults" or "sects."The report was sent to Congress as required by Sec. 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
UPDATE: The remarks of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the remarks and lengthy Q&A of Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom John V. Hanford III at the press conference releasing the Report are available from the State Department's website. Both included in their remarks criticism of proposals at the UN by the Organization of the Islamic Conference to promote the concept of defamation of religion.
