|
Washington: An annual list of countries that names
the worst violators of religious freedom expanded to
include two new countries Iraq and Nigeria announced a
U.S. government body on May 1, 2009.
This year, the U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended to the Obama
administration a total of 13 countries that it should
designate as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs).
Iraq was added in December because of the ongoing,
severe abuses against mi norities and the government's
tolerance of the violence, particularly against Iraq's
“smallest and most vulnerable” religious minorities,
including Chaldo Assyrians and other Christian groups.
Nigeria, meanwhile, which has been on the commission's
watch list for seven years, was recommended to be a CPC
because of evidence found by USCIRF during a recent trip
to the country of the government's toleration of
“systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of
religious freedom and beliefs.”
Thousands of people have been killed, displaced or
somehow affected by ongoing sectarian violence in
Nigeria, reported Commissioner Leonard Leo. The Nigerian
government has also allowed destruction of churches and
mosques to go with impunity.
Though noteworthy, the addition of Iraq and Nigeria to
USCIRF's annual report was not what drew the most att
Ention during the press conference announcing this
year's list. Instead, the commission highlighted the
dangerous situation in Pakistan, where Taliban
extremists are strengthening and expanding its grip.
The Taliban's growth in strength coupled with continuous
persecution of religious minorities caused the
commission to renew its call for the State Department to
designate Pakistan as a CPC.
“We are releasing this report at a critical time,” said
Felice D. Gaer, chair of USCIRF, at the opening of the
press conference on Friday. “With Taliban associated
extremists advancing to within 60 miles of Pakistani
capital Islamabad, the relevance of our work is crystal
clear.
“In fact, a key focus of the commission during this
reporting period is the threat that religious extremists
poses to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and
belief worldwide, and to global and regional security,”
she said.
Commissioner Elizabeth Prodromou, who reported on
Pakistan, highlighted how the Pakistani government does
not provide adequate protection to religious minorities,
and how perpetrators of religious violence are seldom
brought to justice.
She also noted how antiblasphemy laws have been abused
and can be used by extremists against minorities because
allegations can be made without evidence.
And Prodromou noted how women and girls in Taliban
controlled areas are denied equal rights and education.
Since 2002, USCIRF has recommended for the State
Department to designate Pakistan as a CPC. But the State
Department has not followed the commission's
recommendation.
Aside from comments on Pakistan, the commission also
reported how 2008 marked the worst year of religious
tolerance in China since USCIRF was created in 1998.
USCIRF is a bipartisan federal government commission
that is in charge of advising the U.S. Administration
and Congress on policies designed to protect and promote
religious freedom in the world. It was created by the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA).
Included in this year's report, which covers the period
from May 2008 through April, are: Burma, North Korea,
Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
On the commission's Watch List, meanwhile, are
Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos,
Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela.
The commission will travel to India next month to study
how the world's largest democracy is promoting religious
freedom in light of the massive antiChristian campaign
affecting tens of thousands of people in its Orissa
state. The group plans to release the chapter on India
this summer after the trip.
|
