Human Rights

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14 July 2008
U.S. Law Promotes Religious Freedom Around the World

Washington -- Even though many countries have become more tolerant in recent years of individuals worshiping as they choose, there are still governments abusing religious freedom, President Bush said on the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act.

The act was built on “a tradition that defined our nation,” Bush said at the White House July 14, noting the right to worship freely was guaranteed by framers of the U.S. Constitution and continues to be a fundamental principle in the United States today.

The 1998 law established “vital diplomatic tools” that enable the U.S. government to promote religious freedom around the globe by empowering the secretary of state, under the president’s authority, to designate nations severely violating religious freedoms as “countries of particular concern.”

Once designated, countries can face economic sanctions or other U.S. actions deemed appropriate by the president in consultation with other governments and humanitarian organizations. The United States tries to work with designated countries to improve religious tolerance and provides funding for overseas programs that promote the freedom of worship.

“HOPEFUL PROGRESS”

In the act’s 10-year history, there has been “hopeful progress” in many countries, Bush said. Among these accomplishments:

• In Turkmenistan, the United States pressed for the release of Mufti Ibadullah, imprisoned for refusing to teach state propaganda as a religious text. The mufti has since become an adviser to the country’s religious affairs council.

• Vietnam’s government has taken “promising first steps toward religious freedom” by releasing dozens of religious prisoners and re-opening churches that had been shut down by the government.

Bush said the anniversary should serve as a reminder that many people still do not have the freedom to worship as they choose. He specifically cited:

• Eritrea, where 3,000 are imprisoned for their religious belief.

• Burma, where Buddhist monasteries have been raided and monks have been attacked during peaceful protests.

• China, where a dissident was barred from visiting the United States and meeting with members of Congress when Chinese authorities detained him.

• Uzbekistan, where members of religious minorities have been beaten and jailed, but where “recent agreements give us hope that these abuses will not be repeated,” according to the president.

“Today we urge the leaders of all these countries to immediately end their abuses of religious freedom,” Bush said.

Referencing the Chinese incident, the president said, “So long as there are those who want to fight for their liberty, the United States stands with them.”

The act also established the State Department’s International Religious Freedom office and created the position of ambassador-at-large “to ensure that religious liberty remains a priority of every administration,” Bush said.

The office promotes religious freedom, monitors discrimination worldwide and recommends and implements policies designed to promote religious tolerance. It issues the annual International Religious Freedom Report, a detailed review of the status of religious freedom in more than 190 countries. (See “Executive Summary of the International Religious Freedom Report.”)

Additional information is available on the Web site of the Office of International Religious Freedom’s Web site.

A transcript of the president’s remarks on the 10th anniversary is available on the White House Web site.

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