Showing posts with label USCIRF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USCIRF. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

USCIRF Ends Saudi Visit After Its Jewish Chairman Was Told to Remove His Kippah in Public Places

In a press release issued Monday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said that last week it ended an official visit to Saudi Arabia early after the delegation was told to leave the Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage Site in Riyadh because USCIRF Chairman Rabbi Abraham Cooper would not remove his kippah (head covering). The press release says in part:

The Saudi government had invited the delegation, led by Chair Cooper and Vice Chair Reverend Frederick A. Davie, to tour the site on March 5, as part of their official visit to the country that had started on March 3. After several delays to the tour, officials requested that Cooper, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, remove his kippah while at the site and anytime he was to be in public, even though the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs had approved the site visit. U.S. Embassy staff accompanying the USCIRF delegation supported and conveyed to Saudi officials Chair Cooper’s polite but resolute refusal to remove the kippah. Despite their efforts, site officials escorted the delegation off the premises after Chair Cooper indicated he sought no confrontation or provocation but as an observant Jew could not comply with a request to remove his kippah.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. issued a statement (full text) saying in part:

This unfortunate incident was the result of a misunderstanding of internal protocols.... We look forward to welcoming him back to the Kingdom.

Monday, January 15, 2024

State Department Issues Updated List of Religious Freedom Violators; USCIRF Reacts

On January 4, the State Department, pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act, released its annual list of countries and entities that have engaged in or tolerated serious violations of religious freedom.  Secretary of State Blinken's announcement (full text) said in part:

I have designated Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, the DPRK, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.  In addition, I have designated Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as Special Watch List countries for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.  Finally, I have designated al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, al-Qa’ida affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Taliban as Entities of Particular Concern.

Reacting to the State Department's designations, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a press release stating in part:

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls for a congressional hearing after reiterating its extreme disappointment that the U.S. Department of State yet again failed to designate Nigeria and India as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), despite both countries repeatedly meeting the legal standard. Despite this disappointment, USCIRF welcomed the State Department’s decision to include Azerbaijan on its Special Watch List (SWL) for committing or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Biden Appoints New Member of USCIRF

Last week, President Biden announced his appointment of Susie Gelman as a Commissioner on the U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom. From 2016-2023, Gelman served as Board Chair of Israel Policy Forum. She previously served, among other positions, as President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. JNS reports on the appointment.

Tuesday, June 06, 2023

Abraham Cooper Elected USCIRF Chair

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom announced yesterday that it has elected Abraham Cooper as its Chair for 2023-24, saying in part:

... Cooper was appointed to the Commission by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He is the Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action for the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a leading Jewish human rights organization .... He is also a founder of the Global Forum on Anti-Semitism. An acknowledged expert on online hate and terrorism, he regularly meets with world leaders to defend the rights of the Jewish people, combat terrorism, and promote multi-faith relations worldwide.

Frederick A. Davie, advisor to the president of Union Theological Seminary, was elected Vice-Chair.

Wednesday, May 03, 2023

USCIRF Releases 2023 Annual Report

 On May 1, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 2023 Annual Report (full text). A press release from the Commission summarizes the 98-page Report. It says in part:

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released its 2023 Annual Report documenting developments during 2022, including significant regression in countries such as Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, and Russia....

USCIRF recommends 17 countries to the State Department for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) because their governments engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations” of the right to freedom of religion or belief. These include 12 that the State Department designated as CPCs in November 2022: Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—as well as five additional recommendations: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam....

The 2023 Annual Report also recommends 11 countries for placement on the State Department’s SWL [Special Watch List] based on their governments’ perpetration or toleration of severe religious freedom violations. These include two that the State Department placed on that list in November 2022: Algeria and Central African Republic (CAR)—as well as nine additional recommendations: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Uzbekistan....

USCIRF further recommends to the State Department seven non-state actors for redesignation as “entities of particular concern” (EPCs) for systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. The State Department designated all seven of these groups as EPCs in November 2022: al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP or ISIS-West Africa), and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM)....

In addition to chapters with key findings and U.S. policy recommendations for these 28 countries, the 2023 Annual Report describes and assesses U.S. international religious freedom policy overall. The report also highlights important global developments and trends.... 

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

USCIRF Holds Hearing on Russian Violation of Religious Freedom Through Its Invasion of Ukraine

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held a virtual hearing on Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Implications for Religious Freedom. (Video of full Hearing and transcripts of written presentations.) USCIRF described the hearings:

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Russian forces have committed numerous religious freedom and other related human rights violations in Ukraine, including the killing and torture of religious leaders and the destruction of countless houses of worship. Russian officials have repeatedly turned to antisemitic rhetoric and Holocaust distortion in an effort to justify the country’s groundless invasion. In the areas of Ukraine that Russia has occupied since 2014, its de facto authorities and proxies have imposed draconian laws to suppress religious communities such as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, predominantly Muslim Crimean Tatars and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Meanwhile, in Russia, the state has continued to prosecute an ever-growing list of religious groups as so-called “extremists” for their peaceful religious activities and launched a ruthless campaign to silence civil society and independent media.

Wednesday, December 07, 2022

State Department Updates List of Countries Violating Religious Freedom; USCIRF Reacts

Last week (Dec. 2) the U.S. State Department, as required by the International Religious Freedom Act, announced its annual list of countries and entities that violate or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.  In a press statement, Secretary Blinken said in part:

Today, I am announcing designations against Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.  I am also placing Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam on the Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.  Finally, I am designating al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, the Taliban, and the Wagner Group based on its actions in the Central African Republic as Entities of Particular Concern.

Responding to the State Department's action, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a press release stating in part:

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) finds it inexplicable that the U.S. Department of State did not include Nigeria or India in its latest designations of “Countries of Particular Concern”....

Religion News Service has posted an opinion piece on the State Department's actions by a former State Department adviser.

Friday, November 18, 2022

USCIRF Issues Report on State-Favored Religions and Religious Freedom

Yesterday the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report (full text) titled Implications of Laws Promoting State-Favored Religions. The report identified 78 countries with official or favored religions, 57 of which maintain laws or policies that lead to religious discrimination or repression, or that have the potential to do so.  The Report says in part:

[C]ontrary to popular misconception, there is no inevitable contradiction between freedom of religion or belief and a country’s adoption of an official or favored religion. As such, there are examples of countries that maintain an official or favored religion and protect FoRB as an essential human right.... 

Conversely, the absence of an official or favored religion is no guarantee of a country’s protection or promotion of FoRB. USCIRF has recommended CPC or SWL designation for a range of avowedly secular countries where the government consistently perpetrates or tolerates severe or particularly severe religious freedom violations as defined in IRFA....

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

Biden Appoints Imam To USCIRF

Last Friday, President Biden appointed Mohamed Hag Magid to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Imam Magid, among other things, is Executive Religious Director of All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, is Chairman of International Interfaith Peace Corps and is the former President of the Islamic Society of North America. USCIRF is comprised of 9 commissioners, 3 of whom are appointed by the President.

Monday, June 20, 2022

7 USCIRF Commissioners Appointed In Recent Weeks

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is comprised of 9 voting members-- 3 appointed by the President, 3 by the Senate and 3 by the House, under a formula that gives the President's political party 5 commissioners and the other party 4 commissioners. Commissioners are appointed for 2-year terms.  In recent weeks, seven Commissioners have been appointed or reappointed: Frederick A. Davie (April 27 press release); Nury Turkel, Frank R. Wolf and David G. Curry (May 13 press release);  Abraham Cooper and Eric Ueland (June 10 press release); Stephen Schneck (June 15 press release).

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

USCIRF Issues 2022 Annual Report

Yesterday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 2022 Annual Report (full text) which documents developments during 2021.  USCIRF issued a press release summarizing the 100-page report, saying in part:

USCIRF recommends 15 countries to the State Department for designation as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) because their governments engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations.” These include 10 that the State Department designated as CPCs in November 2021: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan—as well as five others: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam. For the first time ever, the State Department designated Russia as a CPC in 2021, which USCIRF had been recommending since 2017. Regrettably, the State Department removed Nigeria as a CPC....

The ... Report also recommends 12 countries for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL) based on their governments’ perpetration or toleration of severe violations. These include three that the State Department placed on that list in November 2021: Algeria, Cuba, and Nicaragua—as well as nine others: Azerbaijan, CAR [Central African Republic], Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan....

The 2022 Annual Report further recommends to the State Department seven non-state actors for redesignation as “entities of particular concern” ... for systematic, ongoing, egregious violations...: al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham ..., Islamic State in the Greater Sahara ..., Islamic State in West Africa Province ..., and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin....

... The report also highlights [other] important global developments and trends related to religious freedom.... These include: the COVID-19 pandemic and religious freedom, blasphemy and hate speech law enforcement, transnational repression, religious intolerance in Europe, deteriorating religious freedom conditions in South Asia, and political upheaval that raises religious freedom concerns.

Monday, March 21, 2022

USCIRF Warns of Religious Oppression By Russians In Ukraine

Last week, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a press release warning that Russia will likely target religious communities across Ukraine with violence and oppression. The release reads in part:

The Russian government uses distortions of religious history to support its claim that Ukrainians have no independent ethno-religious identity or state tradition,” said USCIRF Commissioner James W. Carr. “In 2019, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople recognized an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, allowing many parishes previously under the jurisdiction of Moscow to sever those ties in a move that infuriated Russian nationalist sentiments. These parishes and their leadership are in jeopardy if Russian control expands.”...

“In the areas of Ukraine already occupied by Russia in 2014, we have seen the Russian government use baseless charges of religious extremism and terrorism to silence dissent, justify endless raids and mass arrests, and close religious institutions that do not conform to its narrow interpretation of ‘traditional’ religion,” said USCIRF Commissioner Khizr Khan. “Indigenous Crimean Tatar Muslims—who oppose the Russian occupation of their homeland—are routinely charged with terrorism based on their ethno-religious identity rather than any substantive evidence. Many of these individuals receive prison sentences of up to 20 years. 

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

China Imposes Sanctions On USCIRF Commissioners

Radio Free Asia reports that yesterday China imposed sanctions on the chair, vice-chair and two commissioners of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. They will be barred from entering China, and any assets they hold in China will be frozen.  The move comes in response to recent sanctions imposed on Chinese officials by the U.S. Treasury Department because of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang Region. USCIRF issued a press release condemning the Chinese government's action.

Friday, July 30, 2021

Biden Announces Religious Freedom and Anti-Semitism Nominations

President Biden today announced the names of four individuals who he intends to nominate to key positions involving religious affairs. Two of the nominations are for positions at the ambassadorial level:

Rashad Hussain, Nominee for Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom

Deborah Lipstadt, Nominee for Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism with the Rank of Ambassador

Two others are nominations to USCIRF: 

Khizr Khan, Appointee for Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

Sharon Kleinbaum, Appointee for Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

The White House announcement sets out extensive biographical facts on each nominee.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

USCIRF Issues Annual Report On International Religious Freedom

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom yesterday announced the release of its 2021 Annual Report (full text).  The 108-page Report focuses on religious freedom violations in 26 countries. Summarizing it findings, the Report said in part:

For 2021, based on religious freedom conditions in 2020, USCIRF recommends that the State Department:

• Redesignate as CPCs [Countries of Particular Concern] the following ten countries: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan;

• Designate as additional CPCs the following four countries: India, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam; 

• Maintain on the SWL [Special Watch List] the following two countries: Cuba and Nicaragua;

• Include on the SWL the following 10 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan; and

• Redesignate as EPCs [Entities of Particular Concern] the following seven nonstate actors: al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), and the Taliban.

The Report also makes numerous policy recommendations to the U.S. government, including the prompt nomination of the ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom (IRF), special adviser for IRF on the National Security Council staff, special coordinator for Tibetan issues, and special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. It also recommends changes in U.S. handling of refugees and asylum seekers.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

USCIRF Issues Report On Antisemitism In Europe

Yesterday the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a 58-page report (full text) on Antisemitism In Europe. The Report says in part:

Measured against their own long-standing and common political commitments, governments of the 11 states covered in this report have responded differently to the challenges of antisemitism in their countries. In some countries, antisemitic attitudes are a greater challenge than antisemitic incidents. In others the reverse holds true.

In 10 of the 11 countries, though, efforts seem insufficient to meet the antisemitism challenges that present themselves....

The Report includes recommendations for United States policies to fight antisemitism in Europe.

Friday, April 02, 2021

USCIRF Focuses On Financial Regulation of Religious Organizations

Earlier this week, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a Fact Sheet titled Controlling Civil Society's Pursestrings. The Fact Sheet focuses on the impact of financial regulation on religious organizations and religious freedom. It concludes:  

Around the globe, governments rely on excessive financial restrictions to hamper civil society actors.... Efforts to restrict foreign funding, or label civil society organizations as “foreign agents,” often reflect broader xenophobic policies under which religious minorities are targeted as dangerous foreign influences or potential fifth columns.

Financial harassment can take many forms, from attempts to delegitimize the work of foreign-funded civil society by enacting requirements to register as “foreign agents,” to imposing excessive and intrusive reporting requirements, as well as exorbitant fees and fines for religious activity, to seizing assets or religious property.... [T]he ability to solicit and receive financial contributions is an integral component of the freedom of religion or belief....

Thursday, December 10, 2020

USCIRF Hearing On Blasphemy Laws

 The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held a hearing yesterday on Blasphemy Laws and the Violation of International Religious Freedom. Transcripts of remarks by several USCIRF commissioners at the hearing, and transcripts of the written testimony of several witnesses are available at the USCIRF website.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

USCIRF Hearing On Hate Speech Targeting Religious Groups

Yesterday the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held a hearing on Combatting Online Hate Speech and Disinformation Targeting Religious Communities.  The USCIRF website has a video of the full hearing and transcripts of witnesses' testimony.