WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department’s first list under the Obama administration of the worst violators of overseas religious freedom received disappointing reviews from some advocates on the issue.
A bipartisan panel and a veteran congressman expressed displeasure with the State Department’s designation of the same eight “countries of particular concern” (CPCs) last cited more than two and a half years ago. The secretary of state is expected under federal law to name CPCs each year, but the list announced Sept. 13 was the first since the Bush administration’s final designations only days before President Obama took office in January 2009.
The CPC list, which was released with the State Department’s annual report on global religious liberty, continues to consist of Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom had urged the State Department in May to redesignate those eight regimes as CPCs and to add six others: Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.
In introducing the latest report, Hillary Clinton said the State Department reaffirmed the vital role religious liberty and tolerance have in establishing strong and peaceful societies.
The United States “will speak out against efforts to curtail religious freedom, because it is our core conviction that religious tolerance is one of the essential elements not only of a sustainable democracy but of a peaceful society that respects the rights and dignity of each individual,” Clinton said. “People who have a voice in how they are governed — no matter what their identity or ethnicity or religion — are more likely to have a stake in both their government’s and their society’s success. That is good for stability, for American national security and for global security.”
Clinton cited a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution approved in March as an advance for religious liberty. Unlike “defamation of religions” measures approved by U.N. bodies since 1999, the latest resolution protects individuals from discrimination or violence based on their beliefs. The “defamation of religions” resolutions have focused on protecting religion, primarily Islam.
Among types of religious freedom violations cited in the State Department report:
• Government repression of religion or refusal to stop societal acts against religious adherents, with Eritrea, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan as examples.
• Extremist violence against religious minorities in such countries as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Pakistan.
• Pro-Islam apostasy and blasphemy laws in such countries as Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
• Harassment of religious minorities in such countries as Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Sudan and Vietnam.
The State Department report may be accessed online at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/index.htm.
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