USCIRF Spotlight Podcast

In May 2023, violent clashes between two communities erupted in India’s Manipur state, leaving entire villages burned and displacing tens of thousands. The ongoing conflict is between the state’s majority Hindu Meitei community and the Christian Kuki population and has seen the direct targeting of religious symbols and places of worship and refuge. More than 250 churches of different denominations have been burned or damaged across the state. Religious freedom in India has declined in recent years, marked by the promotion and enforcement of discriminatory laws and practices that negatively impact the country’s minority Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Adivasis populations. In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department designate India as a Country of Particular Concern for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.USCIRF Policy Analyst Sema Hasan joins Supervisory Policy Advisor Jamie Staley to discuss the current conflict in Manipur and religious freedom conditions in India. Read USCIRF’s 2023 Annual Report Chapter on India (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/India%202023.pdf)With Contributions from:Jamie Staley, Supervisory Policy Advisor, USCIRFSema Hasan, Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

In recent years USCIRF has reported that religious freedom conditions in Algeria have continued to deteriorate with the government increasingly enforcing blasphemy laws and restricting worship. These laws particularly impact religious minorities, such as Protestant Christians and Ahmadiyya Muslims. In 2022, the U.S. Department of State placed Algeria on its Special Watch List (SWL), following USCIRF’s recommendation. USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst, Madeline Vellturo, joins Researcher, Hilary Miller, to discuss the continued decline of religious freedom in Algeria.Read USCIRF’s Law and Religion in Algeria Factsheet (https://www.uscirf.gov/publications/law-and-religion-algeria)With Contributions from:Madeline Vellturo, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRFHilary Miller, Researcher, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

In 2016, Congress passed the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act which mandated that USCIRF maintain a list of individuals targeted for their religion or belief. In 2019, USCIRF launched its Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List – an online database that catalogues persons detained, imprisoned, placed under house arrest, disappeared, forced to renounce their faith, and tortured for their religious belief, religious activity, and religious freedom advocacy. Since then, the FoRB Victims List has documented almost 2,000 victims with that number unfortunately continuing to grow.USCIRF Researcher, Dylan Schexnaydre, joins Research Analyst, Zack Udin, to discuss the database’s background, recent upgrades, and data for 2022.Read USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Factsheet (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/2022%20Factsheet%20-%20FoRB%20Victims%20List.pdf)View USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List (https://www.uscirf.gov/victims-list/) or complete the Victims List Intake Form (https://www.uscirf.gov/form/uscirf-victims-list-intake-form). With Contributions from:Dylan Schexnaydre, Researcher, USCIRFZachary Udin, Research Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Governments around the world use many different strategies to control or repress religion, but a common tactic is for the state to elevate a particular religion to a special status in ways that can marginalize different faiths or belief systems. USCIRF’s recently released report, “A Global Overview of Official and Favored Religions and Global Implications for Religious Freedom,” looks at 78 countries that identify an official or favored religion and subsequently enforce that religion, or a particular interpretation of that religion, through the law. While several countries that maintain these relevant laws do not enforce them or even have a legal framework to enforce them, some countries take these laws seriously and are, in fact, some of the worst violators of freedom of religion or belief. Kurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst and author of this report, joins us today to discuss the findings of this report.Read the full report on “A Global Overview of Official and Favored Religions and Global Implications for Religious Freedom” (https://www.uscirf.gov/publications/implications-laws-promoting-state-favored-religions)With Contributions from:Kurt Wertmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFJamie Staley, Supervisory Policy Advisor, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Authoritarian states promote religious tolerance without necessarily ensuring freedom of religion or belief. Last month, USCIRF released a report distinguishing between these two concepts and explains the origins of religious tolerance promotion as a tool of statecraft. The report presents case studies of countries engaged in religious tolerance promotion, such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Russia, and Uzbekistan. Dr. David Warren, the author of the report and lecturer in the Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, join us to today to discuss the important findings and ways the U.S. government can utilize discussions of religious tolerance to set a groundwork for broader rights protections.Read the full report on “Tolerance, Religious Freedom, and Authoritarianism (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-12/2022%20Religious%20Freedom%20Tolerance%20Report.pdf)”With Contributions from:Scott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the U.S. Department of State designates Countries of Particular Concern, places countries on its Special Watch List, and designates Entities of Particular Concern. As part of this mandate, USCIRF makes recommendations to the administration, including the State Department, regarding which countries and entities deserve designation on these three lists based on systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.On today’s 100th episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel joins us to discuss the State Department’s most recent designations and assess how they match up with USCIRF’s recommendations.With Contributions from:Nury Turkel, Chair, USCIRFElizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research & Policy, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

In November 2022, USCIRF visited Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, to assess the current conditions and issues that Burmese Rohingya refugees are facing. The Rohingya community, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Burma, have long fled religious persecution to neighboring Bangladesh. However, the most recent waves of refugees came in August 2017 following wide-scale atrocities that the Burmese authorities and military, known as the Tatmadaw, committed against them. These atrocities forced over a million Rohingya to flee the country, with a majority now temporarily residing in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In March 2022, the Biden administration designated these atrocities as genocide and crimes against humanity, which USCIRF had been calling for since 2017.USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck, who led this delegation, joins us today to discuss his first-hand account of the Rohingya’s current conditions at the Bangladeshi refugee camps. On this trip, the delegation met with refugees, international organization officials, and members of the government of Bangladesh.With Contributions from:Stephen Schneck, Commissioner, USCIRFElizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research & Policy, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

The third annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit will be held in Washington, DC on January 31-February 1, 2023. The IRF Summit is an annual civil society conference that seeks to create a coalition of organizations to work together to advance international religious freedom, raise public awareness about IRF issues, and increase the political strength of the IRF movement. This year’s IRF Summit will coincide with the National Prayer Breakfast and highlight four distinctive tracks: defending, documenting, developing, and denying. The defending track will focus on the legal, justice, and accountability aspects of freedom of religion or belief; the documenting track will highlight the importance of journalism and gathering evidence; the developing track will examine and develop advocacy efforts and highlight country-level achievements; lastly, the denying track will highlight victims who have been persecuted on the basis of their religion or belief. Peter Burns, Executive Director of the IRF Summit since its inception in 2021, joins us today to provide some insight into the upcoming IRF Summit. With Contributions from:Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research & Policy, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Alevis constitute the largest religious minority in Turkey and have faced persistent obstacles to the exercise of their religious freedom. In October 2022, the Turkish government announced its plan to create a new state-run Alevi institution—the Alevi Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Directorate—which officials say will oversee and address issues faced by Turkey’s Alevi community. The decision, however, has sparked controversy as the government itself has long refused to grant Alevis the recognition and rights that it has granted to other communities. Many observers view the decision as a politically motivated move intended to win over voters ahead of 2023 elections.In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department place Turkey on its Special Watch List for the Turkish government’s severe violations of religious freedom. In March 2022, USCIRF staff visited Turkey and met with several religious and nonbelief communities, including Alevis, to learn more about ongoing challenges for religious freedom.Aykan Erdemir, the Anti-Defamation League’s Director for International Affairs Research and a former member of the Turkish parliament, joins us today to discuss the Turkish government’s creation of an official Alevi agency, the range of issues Alevis continue to face, and broader challenges for religious minorities throughout the country.With Contributions from:Keely Bakken, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

More than a decade after the onset of Syria’s civil war, the conflict continues with multiple state and non-state actors vying for power. Today, one of the most notable non-state actors is the militant Islamist rebel group and former al-Qaeda affiliate Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Although President Bashar al-Assad has regained control of about 70% of Syrian territory, HTS has maintained a strong resistance in the northwest, setting itself up as the civic authority in areas including the strategically important province of Idlib. Despite HTS’s recent efforts to rehabilitate its militant jihadist image and rebrand itself as a legitimate governing force, it continues to pose serious threats to religious freedom. USCIRF recommended in its 2022 Annual Report that the U.S. Department of State redesignate HTS—a U.S. designated terrorist group since 2018—as an “entity of particular concern,” or “EPC,” for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act.Dr. Aaron Zelin, the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a visiting research scholar at Brandeis University, joins us today to analyze religious freedom conditions in 2022 under the governance of HTS. With Contributions from:Susan Bishai, Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Tajikistan’s population is majority Sunni Muslim, with a small Shi’a Muslim community which primarily consists of ethnic Pamiris located in the mountainous eastern part of the country known as the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). The latest crackdown on civil society in the GBAO followed protests initially sparked in mid-May of this year. Since then, over 200 residents in the GBAO have been arrested and detained, including at least 90 activists. Journalists have been rounded up and Pamiris have been forcibly repatriated from Russia and given lengthy prison sentences.Religious freedom has declined in Tajikistan since 2009 after the adoption of several highly restrictive laws. In 2011 and 2012, administrative and penal code amendments set new penalties, including large fines and prison terms, for religion-related charges such as organizing or participating in “unapproved” religious meetings. A 2011 law on parental responsibility banned minors from any organized religious activity except for funerals. Since 2012, USCIRF has recommended that the State Department designate Tajikistan as a “Country of Particular Concern,” or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, which the State Department has done every year since 2016.Visiting Scholar at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University and retired Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, Suzanne Levi-Sanchez, joins us today to discuss the persecution of Muslims in Tajikistan and specifically highlights the increasing crackdown on Shi’a Muslims.With Contributions from:Jamie Staley, Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Since 2014, when ISIS launched its genocidal campaign against the Yazidis—a minority ethno-religious group within the Kurdish-majority areas of Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey, as well as in Armenia–hundreds of thousands of Yazidis have been displaced from their native home in the Sinjar region of Iraq.The U.S. government remains deeply invested in helping stabilize the Sinjar region and making it a viable home again for the displaced Yazidis. As USCIRF has consistently reported, Sinjar is not yet a hospitable environment for the Yazidi people. The United States and wider international community have a role to play in encouraging all stakeholders—including Yazidis and authorities in both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi federal government—to help this vulnerable religious minority to safely return to Sinjar.Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Zovighian Partnership, Lynn Zovighian, joins us today to discuss the challenges the Yazidi community and the Sinjar region continue to face as new stages of the genocide unfold.With Contributions from:Susan Bishai, Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

To commemorate this year’s International Religious Freedom Day and the 24th Anniversary of the enactment of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, USCIRF reflects on the important role civil society plays in promoting freedom of religion or belief abroad. Greg Mitchell, Co-Chair of the IRF Roundtable, joins Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy at USCIRF, to assess the U.S. government’s efforts to promote freedom of religion or belief abroad over the past 24 years, and to discuss the IRF Roundtable’s establishment and civil society advocacy.Read the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/authorizing-legislation-amendments).With Contributions from:Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Seven out of ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations have blasphemy laws currently enshrined in their legal codes. USCIRF’s recent issue update reviews these blasphemy laws and their enforcement within this region and highlights recent cases and provides analysis on related laws. Blasphemy is defined as “the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or sacred things.” In particular, blasphemy laws remain an ongoing religious freedom violation in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as a potent tool for authoritarian and right-wing forces in Burma and Thailand. While many such laws are a legacy of colonialism, some countries in the region have expanded their legal restrictions in the subsequent decades since independence.USCIRF Policy Analyst, Patrick Greenwalt, joins Director of Research and Policy, Elizabeth Cassidy, to discuss this recent report and take a deeper dive into the background and present context of these blasphemy laws.Read USCIRF's report on Blasphemy and Related Laws in ASEAN Member Countries. (https://www.uscirf.gov/publications/blasphemy-and-related-laws-asean-member-countries)With Contributions from:Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy, USCIRFPatrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

In April 2017, the Russian Federation banned Jehovah’s Witnesses as an “extremist” organization. In the five years since that designation, law enforcement authorities across Russia have made it a regular practice to raid, detain, and arrest Jehovah’s Witnesses on “extremism” charges directly related to their peaceful religious activities. According to statistics published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, approximately 643 Witnesses have been charged with “organizing the activities of an extremist organization,” and nearly 350 individuals have been detained or arrested at some point in time. As of early October, 100 Witnesses are imprisoned in Russia for their beliefs.David Williams, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Information, and Jarrod Lopes, Senior Communications Officer, from the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York join us today to discuss the ongoing persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. Read USCIRF's 2022 Backgrounder on Russia (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/2022%20Russia%20Backgrounder.pdf) and Issue Update on The Global Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses (https://www.uscirf.gov/publication/issue-update-global-persecution-jehovahs-witnesses).Listen USCIRF's Spotlight Podcast on Abuses of Traditional Religion in Russia (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight/abuses-traditional-religion-russia).With Contributions from:Keely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

On September 16th, Iran’s morality police arrested 22-year old Mahsa Amini for wearing improper hijab. The morality police reportedly beat Amini until she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and a stroke. Upon learning of her death days later at a hospital in Tehran, Iranians across the country took to the streets in protest of the government’s brutal repression. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has mandated the hijab in public spaces for women on religious grounds. These laws have been met since that time by peaceful protests, often led by women. Iran’s government has put down these protests by force and is actively doing so now.Marjan Keypour Greenblatt, founder of the ARAM Alliance, joins us today to discuss the interconnection between religious freedom and women’s rights in Iran.Read USCIRF’s (USCIRF%E2%80%99s%202022%20Country%20Update%20on%20Iran)2022 Country Update on Iran (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/2022%20Iran%20Country%20Update_0.pdf)With Contributions from:Scott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has designated Turkmenistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. After Turkmenistan’s President stepped down in March of 2022, his son, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, came to power. Despite hopes of a loosening of these highly restrictive regulations on religious practice, they have remained in place. The Government of Turkmenistan continues to appoint Muslim clerics while also surveilling and dictating all religious practice, and punishing nonconformity through imprisonment, torture, and administrative harassment. Forum 18 News Service editor, Felix Corley, joins us today to discuss Turkmenistan’s highly restrictive religious freedom conditions and its imprisonment of religious prisoners of conscience.Read (Read%20USCIRF%E2%80%99s%202022%20Annual%20Report%20Chapter%20on%20Kazakhstan)USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on (Read%20USCIRF%E2%80%99s%202022%20Annual%20Report%20Chapter%20on%20Kazakhstan)Turkmenistan (Read%20USCIRF%E2%80%99s%202022%20Annual%20Report%20Chapter%20on%20Kazakhstan)With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

In 2018, Kazakhstan arrested a group of men for participating in a WhatsApp group chat about Islam and sentenced them to multiple years in prison on fictitious terrorism and incitement-related charges. Last fall, the UN Working Group issued an opinion that their detention was arbitrary and that they should be released. Although the government of Kazakhstan has released a few individuals related to this case, five men still remain imprisoned.Kazakhstan has regularly engaged with the U.S. government about possible religious freedom reforms, but it continues to severely limit this right through its 2011 religion law. USCIRF recommended in its 2022 Annual Report that the State Department place Kazakhstan on its Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom.Freedom Now’s Legal Officer, Adam Lhedmat, and Advocacy Director, Matthew Schaaf join us today to discuss the case of the 5 Sunni Muslims who remain imprisoned for discussing their religious beliefs over WhatsApp.Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Kazakhstan (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Kazakhstan.pdf)With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFVeronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that Nicaragua be included on the State Department’s Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom. In 2022, the Nicaraguan government has greatly intensified its oppression of the Catholic Church. Last month, USCIRF released a Country Update on Nicaragua, which highlighted the persecution of the clergy and the elimination of Church-affiliated organizations.USCIRF Researcher, Zack Udin, the author of the new report, joins us today to discuss the deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua.Read USCIRF's 2022 Country Update on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/2022%20Nicaragua%20Country%20Update%20%5BUPDATED%5D.pdf)With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFZack Udin, Researcher, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. While the U.S. government designated the Chinese government’s ongoing atrocities against Uyghurs as genocide, China continues to severely persecute many different religious groups throughout the country, including Catholic and Protestant Christians. Founder and President of the ChinaAid Association, Dr. Bob Fu, joins us today to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s sinicization policy, its treatment of various Christian communities, and other political and social developments within the country. Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on China’s 2021 Measures on the Management of Religious Clergy (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20China%20Factsheet.pdf) With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFMingzhi Chen, Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

August 25 marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Burmese military’s genocidal campaign against the Rohingya people. The violence resulted in thousands of Rohingya dead, hundreds of thousands internally displaced, and millions dispersed throughout the region. On March 21, 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the U.S. government had determined that the atrocities committed against the Rohingya by Burmese authorities constituted genocide. USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to discuss the beginnings of the genocide, the situation of Rohingya inside and outside of Burma, and the steps the international community could take going forward. Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Factsheet%20-%20Next%20Steps%20in%20Pursuing%20Accountability%20for%20the%20Rohingya%20of%20Burma.pdf) (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Factsheet%20-%20Next%20Steps%20in%20Pursuing%20Accountability%20for%20the%20Rohingya%20of%20Burma.pdf)Pursuing Justice and Accountability for the Rohingya Community of Burma (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Factsheet%20-%20Next%20Steps%20in%20Pursuing%20Accountability%20for%20the%20Rohingya%20of%20Burma.pdf) With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFPatrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Sri Lanka is an ethnically and religiously diverse country but has had a history of intercommunal violence, most recently heightened in the decade following the end of a civil war in 2009. Conflict among the various ethnic and religious groups has remained at a heightened level in recent years impacting political, social, and economic life in the country, including freedom of religion or belief. Although Sri Lanka is not currently among the countries designated as a Country of Particular Concern or included on the State Department’s Special Watch List, USCIRF has documented a number of the country’s deteriorating religious freedom conditions. Associate Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University Sharika Thiranagama joins us today to provide background on Sri Lanka’s religious communities and to discuss the impact recent political and economic developments have had on religious freedom in the country. Read USCIRF’s 2021 Country Update on Sri Lanka (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Sri%20Lanka%20Country%20Update_0.pdf) With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFZack Udin, Researcher, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Malaysia maintains a unique dual legal system divided into civil and religious courts. In recent decades, the influence of these religious courts, which are based on the Shaf’i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, have grown, adversely impacting religious freedom. Since 2014, USCIRF has been reporting on Malaysia and most recently in 2022 recommended that the U.S. State Department place Malaysia on its Special Watch List (SWL) for religious freedom violations. USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to provide an overview of Malaysia’s legal system and discuss some high-profile cases directly related to freedom of religion or belief.Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Malaysia (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Malaysia.pdf)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFPatrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale and unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine, falsely claiming that it aimed to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country. While many people are broadly aware of the terrible toll that Russia’s war has wrought on civilians, there is less awareness about the religious ramifications of the Russian invasion.Ruslan Khalikov and Liliia Pidgorna, two scholars with the Workshop for the Academic Study of Religion in Ukraine, join us today to discuss the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on religious freedom.Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Russia (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20Russia.pdf)Read USCIRF’s Backgrounder: Russia (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-03/2022%20Russia%20Backgrounder.pdf)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKeely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

USCIRF is mandated by Congress to make independent policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress that would help improve religious freedom around the globe. Each year, USCIRF proposes these recommendations in its annual report, highlighting country conditions and thematic challenges. How often are these recommendations acted upon by the U.S. government? USCIRF Supervisory Policy Advisor Jamie Staley joins us today to discuss some of USCIRF’s policy recommendations that the U.S. government has implemented over the last year.Check out USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022%20Annual%20Report.pdf)  With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFJamie Staley, Supervisory Policy Advisor, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Several major political events occurred in South Asia over the last year. The Taliban, whom USCIRF has recommended for years as an “Entity of Particular Concern” (EPC), took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. In April 2022, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office following political turmoil. And religious nationalist policies at both the state and national level in India continue to impact religious communities. Senior Policy Analyst Niala Mohammad joins us today to discuss recent developments in South Asia, their impact on religious freedom conditions, and USCIRF’s policy recommendations.Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Afghanistan (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20Afghanistan.pdf)Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Pakistan (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20Pakistan.pdf)Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on India (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20India.pdf)Read USCIRF’s Afghanistan Factsheet (https://www.uscirf.gov/publication/afghanistan-factsheet) Read USCIRF’s Ahmadiyya Muslims Factsheet (https://www.uscirf.gov/publication/ahmadiyya-persecution-factsheet)Check out USCIRF’s FoRB Victims List (https://www.uscirf.gov/victims-list/)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNiala Mohammad, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Last month, USCIRF traveled to Abuja, Nigeria and met with Nigerian and U.S. government officials, religious communities, civil society representatives, and human rights defenders to assess religious freedom conditions and discuss threats facing Nigerians of a range of faiths and worldviews. The trip came following the U.S. State Department’s November 2021 decision to remove Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of international religious freedom after designating it as a CPC for the first time in 2020. Commissioner Fred Davie, who led that that USCIRF delegation, joins us today to discuss his key takeaways from the trip and insight into USCIRF’s continued recommendation of Nigeria as a CPC.  Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Nigeria (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20Nigeria.pdf) With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFMadeline Vellturo, Policy AnalystDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

This past spring, USCIRF staff traveled to Turkey and met with religious and nonbelief communities across the country. Numerous issues continue to negatively impact their freedom of religion or belief, including an inability to train clergy, mandatory religion classes, the threat of blasphemy charges, and other forms of discrimination. USCIRF has monitored and reported on Turkey since the late 2000s, recommending it for placement on the Special Watch List (previously known as Tier 2) every year since 2014 and most recently again in USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report. Senior Policy Analyst Keely Bakken, who was part of that USCIRF delegation to Turkey, joins us today to discuss some of the findings of that trip as well as USCIRF’s recent policy recommendations.Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Turkey (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Turkey.pdf)Listen to USCIRF’s Spotlight Podcast Episode Sivas Massacre and Turkey’s Persecution of the Alevi Community (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight/sivas-massacre-and-turkeys-persecution-alevi-community)Listen to USCIRF’s Spotlight Podcast Episode 50 Years and Counting: The Continued Closure of Halki Seminary in Turkey (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight/50-years-and-counting-continued-closure-halki-seminary-turkey)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKeely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

On July 5 and 6, the British government will be hosting the 2022 International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in London. The conference will bring together government, civil society, faith, and belief groups to agree on action to prevent FoRB violations and abuses and offer ways to protect and promote religious freedom around the world. British Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief Fiona Bruce joins us today to preview the activities at this year’s ministerial and discusses her work with the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA) in advancing religious freedom globally.  Learn more about the 2022 International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/international-ministerial-conference-on-freedom-of-religion-or-belief-london-2022/about)Learn more about IRFBA (https://www.state.gov/international-religious-freedom-or-belief-alliance/) With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Next week, from June 28 to June 30, the second annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit will be held in Washington, DC. The IRF Summit brings together a diverse coalition of NGOs and individuals from all over the world committed to the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief and aims to increase public awareness and political support for the international religious freedom movement. Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, co-chair of the IRF Summit, joins us today to preview this year’s activities and the Summit’s importance for promoting freedom of religion or belief.Check out the IRF Summit website (https://irfsummit.org/)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

USCIRF began monitoring religious freedom conditions in Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013 when the country descended into civil conflict. After seven years of recommending that CAR be designated a country of particular concern, in 2020 USCIRF recommended CAR for Special Watchlist status due to improvements in the situation on the ground—and the next year, in 2021, we no longer recommended CAR for even the Special Watchlist. However, religious freedom conditions in CAR deteriorated in 2021, especially for Muslim minorities, causing USCIRF to return CAR to the list of countries it recommends for Special Watchlist status.John Lechner, an expert in geopolitics and human rights in Africa who recently returned from CAR, joins us today to discuss religious freedom conditions in the country.With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFJohn Lechner, Expert on security, geopolitics, and human rights in AfricaGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Iran has gone to great lengths to arrest and detain religious minorities, including Christians, Baha’is, Sunni Muslims, Sufis, and spiritualists. The Iranian government has taken it a step further and also targeted those who peacefully dissent from the government’s preferred religious views, particularly women, nontheists, and members of the LGBTI community. Amid country-wide protests in Iran over the past several weeks over food subsidies, as well as ongoing multilateral talks in Vienna, Iran is once again in the foreign policy spotlight.USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Scott Weiner with Victims List and Outreach Specialist Dylan Schexnaydre join us today to discuss religious prisoners of conscience in Iran and USCIRF’s Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List.Check out the Freedom of Religion or Belief Victim’s List (https://www.uscirf.gov/victims-list/)Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on Global Overview of Refugees Fleeing Religious Persecution (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022%20Factsheet%20-%20Refugees%20Fleeing%20Religious%20Persecution%20Globally.pdf)Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Iran (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20Iran.pdf)With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFScott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFDylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Uzbekistan is one of a handful of countries that has seen dramatic improvements for religious freedom in recent years; however, religious communities are still experiencing high levels of government regulation and repression that is continuing to impact their ability to exercise their freedom of religion or belief.In April 2022, USCIRF sent a delegation to Uzbekistan. Senior Policy Analyst Keely Bakken, who was part of that USCIRF delegation to Uzbekistan, joins us today to discuss the outcome of the trip, recent developments since then, and other areas of possible reform in Uzbekistan. Read USCIRF’s report on Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Uzbekistan%20Report_0.pdf)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKeely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Expedited Removal is the U.S. immigration law process that allows officers in the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, to quickly deport noncitizens who arrive at U.S. ports of entry or cross the border without proper documents, unless the noncitizen can establish a “credible fear” of persecution or torture. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government has expelled most migrants and asylum seekers who try to enter the United States under a public health authority, referred to as Title 42, rather than under Expedited Removal. Beginning in mid-2021, the Biden administration resumed using Expedited Removal in some cases. It is planning to lift the Title 42 order soon and return to using Expedited Removal more broadly. Elizabeth Cassidy, USCIRF’s Director of Research and Policy, joins us today to discuss concerns and recommendations about the treatment of asylum seekers in the Expedited Removal process and its relevance to international religious freedom.With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFElizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

To combat the human rights and religious freedom violations that have occurred as a result of online hate speech, some social media companies now regulate speech on their platforms. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media platforms often have rules that ban certain types of speech—including hate speech directed at religious communities. However, the excess removal of speech can also impact the right to religious freedom and religious expression of users.Lou Ann Sabatier, Principal at Sabatier Consulting, joins us today to discuss content moderation and its impact on freedom of religion or belief globally.See USCIRF’s factsheet Protecting Religious Freedom Online (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Protecting%20Religious%20Freedom%20Online.pdf)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFLou Ann Sabatier, Principal, Sabatier Consulting Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that India be designated a Country of Particular of Concern, or CPC, due to the Indian government’s promotion of Hindu nationalism, and engagement and facilitation of systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. The othering of those that are non-Hindu through the misuse of national and state-level legislation has turned India’s diverse and pluralistic society into more of a hostile state for many religious communities, particularly Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Adivasis, and Dalits.Today USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava joins us to discuss the growing climate of intolerance toward non-Hindus in India.Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on India (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20India.pdf)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFAnurima Bhargava, Commissioner, USCIRF Gabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRFNiala Mohammad, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF

On April 25, 2022, USCIRF released its 2022 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20USCIRF%20Annual%20Report_1.pdf), which documents developments in international religious freedom from 2021. The report provides recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad. This year’s report highlights significant regress in countries such as Afghanistan and the Central African Republic (CAR). The report also notes USCIRF recommendations implemented by the U.S. government—including the designation of Russia as a country of particular concern, the imposition of targeted sanctions on religious freedom violators, and genocide determinations for atrocities perpetrated by the Chinese government against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims and by the Burmese military against Rohingya Muslims.Today we are joined by USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza to discuss this year’s Annual Report as well as some of her most memorable experiences as a Commissioner as her tenure on the Commission comes to an end. With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNadine Maenza, Chair, USCIRF Kurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

According to the Pew Research Center’s most recent global data (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/), Christianity’s diverse set of traditions comprise the single largest religious group on earth, of some 2.3 billion people—or nearly a third of the world’s population. Yet, it has been plainly evident throughout our reporting at USCIRF that many Christian communities around the world face a wide range of hardships for practicing their faith: from social marginalization to governmental harassment to imprisonment to mob violence and even death.Isaac Six, Director of Advocacy for Open Doors USA—an NGO that advocates on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world—joins us today to explain where Christians face the most severe persecution, and the conditions these believers endure. Read USCIRF’s latest op-ed on Global Christian Persecution in USA Today (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/op-eds/usa-today-easter-dont-forget-about-persecuted-christians-around-world)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFIsaac Six, Director of Advocacy, Open Doors USAKurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Article 18 of both the United Nations Human Rights Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects not only the right to believe in and practice a religion and to change religion, but also the right to hold nontheistic beliefs. Despite these protections, many members of nonreligious communities’ face government repression, social intolerance, restrictions on freedom of thought, belief and expression, and pervasive discrimination because of their lack of religion or absence of belief in a God.Rachel Deitch, Director of Policy and Social Justice with the American Humanist Association joins us to discuss conditions of non-religious communities around the world.Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on Nonbelievers in Africa (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-07/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Nonbelievers.pdf)With Contributions from: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFRachel Deitch, Director of Policy and Social Justice, American Humanist AssociationKirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

The Rohingya community in Burma have been targeted by the Burmese military (known as the Tatmadaw) with mass killings and rape since 2017, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the country. Since the military coup in February 2021, the Tatmadaw have employed similar tactics used on the Rohingya against all ethnic and religious communities, as we have noted in past Spotlight episodes (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight-podcast). The coup has increased concern among the international community to pursue efforts of justice and accountability for the ongoing abuses against the Rohingya, which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially determined as genocide and crimes against humanity on March 21, 2022.USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava joins us today to elaborate on what the genocide determination means going forward, and on ongoing accountability processes.With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFAnurima Bhargava, Commissioner, USCIRFKirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRFPatrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRFGabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF

Founded in 19th century Persia—present day Iran—the Baha’i faith is the second most widespread religion in the world and has communities in most territories and countries across the globe. However, several governments in the Middle East and North Africa region engage in systematic oppression of Baha’is. Iran, Yemen, Qatar, and Tunisia are some of the countries where the situation for the Baha’i community is particularly challenging.Anthony Vance, Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, joins us today to tell us about the core beliefs of the Baha’is faith and elaborate on religious freedom conditions for Baha’is in the Middle East.With Contributions from:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF (writer and host)Anthony Vance, Director of the Office of Public Affairs, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais (guest)Scott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF (contributing writer)Gabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF (sound design and audio production)

*Special note: This podcast was recorded on March 8, 2022 and only reflects the events that have occurred up to this date* The Russian government has long used religious freedom violations in its efforts to discourage non-conformity and facilitate its brutal occupation of Crimea and the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. In 2016, the government adopted a series of legal reforms that enhanced the scope and penalties of religion and anti-extremism laws. These legal reforms also increased State jurisdiction over monitoring private electronic communications for the purpose of rooting out extremists and missionaries in Russia.Russia’s religious regulation framework has been used to target Jehovah’s Witnesses, Crimean Tatar Muslims, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and other groups that are seen as posing a threat to the State’s authority. What does this mean for the rest of Ukraine now that it’s under attack from Russia? USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Jason Morton joins us to explain.Check out our other podcast on this topic: “Implications of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Part 1: The ‘Denazification’ Narrative (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight/religious-implications-russias-invasion-ukraine-part-1-denazification)”Read USCIRF's report on The Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Issue%20Update%20-%20Jehovahs%20Witnesses.pdf)Read USCIRF report on The Anti-cult Movement and Religious Regulation in Russia and the Former Soviet Union (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Anti-Cult%20Update%20-%20Religious%20Regulation%20in%20Russia.pdf)Read USCIRF's report on Religious Freedom Violations in the Republic of Chechnya (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Chechnya%20Issue%20Update.pdf)

*Special note: This podcast was recorded on March 3, 2022 and only reflects the events that have occurred up to this date*  The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and created a humanitarian crisis with profound effects for the region and beyond. Among the reasons Russian President Vladimir Putin has listed to justify this invasion is that the operation will “seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.” Putin’s accusation that there is evidence of modern Nazism in the form of antisemitism in Ukraine is not only patently false, but also has religious implications that pose grave concerns.USCIRF has documented the decline of religious freedom in Russia and warned about Russia’s use of religious freedom violations to suppress dissent and terrorize the population in occupied-Crimea and the Donbas.Bernard-Henri Levy, noted French philosopher, commentator, and writer has spent decades reporting on human rights abuses and conflict around the globe. He joins us today to discuss the intersection of religious freedom with this ongoing, brutal invasion. Read USCIRF report on The Anti-cult Movement and Religious Regulation in Russia and the Former Soviet UnionRead USCIRF's report on Religious Freedom Violations in the Republic of Chechnya

Many of the religious communities that call Iraq home have suffered from conflict and displacement in recent decades. The civil war in Iraq in the 2000s led large numbers of Christians and other small religious groups to flee the country. Between 2014 and 2019, many religious communities in the north suffered horrifying atrocities under ISIS—including what the United States in 2016 formally declared as a genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims.Today we are joined by USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza and Jeremy Barker, Senior Program Officer and Director of the Middle East Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute. Our discussion focuses on the current state of religious freedom in Iraq; in particular, for Iraq’s beleaguered religious minority communities.

Several Western governments joined the U.S. in diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics amid the outcry over China’s human rights and religious freedom abuses. Nevertheless, the lack of international solidarity on this issue is apparent. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has been noticeably muted on the issue. Several U.S. companies like Coca-Cola, Airbnb, Visa, and Procter & Gamble that are major sponsors of the Winter Games have refused to acknowledge the atrocities against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.In today’s conversation, we explore the disconnect between the severity of China’s human rights and religious freedom abuses, and the international action to address them. We are joined by USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel and Naomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The government of Nicaragua, under the leadership of President Daniel Ortega, has a history of persecuting Catholic clergy, worshipers, and organizations as well as Protestant institutions especially since religious leaders provided sanctuary and support to civic protesters in 2018. The runup to Nicaragua’s general elections in November 2021 provided yet another backdrop for religious freedom violations committed by the government. The State Department has placed Nicaragua on its Special Watch List of severe religious freedom violators since 2019, which USCIRF has also recommended and highlighted in its 2021 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/Nicaragua%20Chapter%20AR2021.pdf) (also available in Spanish (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/Nicaragua%202021_SWL_Spanish.pdf)).Christopher Ljungquist, Adviser for Latin America in the Office of International Justice and Peace at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, joins us today to discuss religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua.

The situation for the Christian community in Afghanistan has grown ever more perilous since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021. There have been accounts of the Taliban going door to door seeking out Afghans who practice other faiths and beliefs than the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Sunni Islam. Christian converts in Afghanistan also report receiving threatening phone calls. Now forced to practice their faith in hiding, Christians in Afghanistan face regular threats from the Taliban and from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). The leader of the Afghan House Church Network who is living in exile joins us to shed light on the chilling reality that Afghan Christians are facing today. Read more in USCIRF’s Factsheet on Afghanistan (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Religious%20Minorities%20in%20Afghanistan.pdf)

Across central and eastern Africa there are many dynamics at play, including political crises and violent insurgencies, both of which pose challenges to freedom of religion or belief. These trends and developments are especially concerning in countries such as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Kenya. USCIRF Policy Analysts Mohy Omer and Madeline Vellturo join us to elaborate on increasing problematic government actions towards religious leaders and several religious communities in these and other countries in the region.

The continued systematic enforcement of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws have resulted in the discrimination and persecution of religious minority communities. In 2021 alone, there have been several examples of mob violence, targeted killings, and the desecration of graves and houses of worship. These laws have enabled and encouraged Islamist extremists to operate with impunity, easily targeting religious minorities or those with differing beliefs.USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst and South Asia specialist Niala Mohammad joins us to elaborate upon the most pressing concerns impacting religious freedom conditions in Pakistan.Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on Ahmadiyya Persecution (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Ahmadiyya%20Persecution%20Factsheet.pdf)Read USCCIRF’s Factsheet on the Destruction of Cemeteries (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Destruction%20of%20Cemeteries_0.pdf)Check out our other podcast episodes on Pakistan (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight-podcast)

Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), the State Department is required to issue annual designations for the most egregious violators of religious freedom. In advance of these designations, USCIRF recommends in its Annual Report each year the countries the State Department should designate as such.The State Department issued its latest list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and countries placed on its Special Watch List (SWL) on November 17, 2021—which included some USCIRF recommendations, but with notable exclusions. USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza joins us today to discuss the State Department’s designations, how they differ from USCIRF’s recommendations, and consider the role of these designations in promoting and protecting religious freedom around the world.Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on State Department Designations (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20USCIRF%20country%20recommendations.pdf)Read USCIRF’s press release responding to the State Department designations (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-appalled-administrations-removal-nigeria-list-violators)

Religious freedom conditions in Turkey continue to follow a disappointing, negative trajectory. The Hagia Sophia conversion, the continued closure of the Halki Seminary, government meddling in the internal affairs of religious minority communities, concerns about the education curriculum, hate speech, and Turkey’s intervention in northern Syria and Iraq are just some of the major threats to religious freedom that have occurred in the past year.USCIRF Policy Analyst John Lechner joins us today to discuss recent developments for religious freedom in Turkey.Read the 2021 Turkey Country Update (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/2021%20Turkey%20Country%20Update.pdf)USCIRF Spotlight episode “Sivas Massacre and Turkey’s Persecution of the Alevi Community (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight/sivas-massacre-and-turkeys-persecution-alevi-community)”USCIRF Spotlight episode “50 Years and Counting: The Continued Closure of Halki Seminary in Turkey (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/uscirf-spotlight/50-years-and-counting-continued-closure-halki-seminary-turkey)”

From 1992-1995, Bosnia endured a brutal ethno-religious war, as Bosnian Serbs ethnically cleansed their Muslim neighbors in the east of the country. The 1995 Dayton Accords, brokered by the United States, ended the conflict, and created a unique power-sharing arrangement between predominantly Orthodox Christian Serbs, Muslim Bosniaks, and Catholic Croats. This fragile arrangement now appears to be in crisis and USCIRF remains very concerned about the prospect of renewed violence and religious freedom violations.USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Jason Morton joins us today to provide some background on Bosnia and discuss the religious freedom situation in more detail.

Last month, we released a new report titled “Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners: Addressing a Legacy of Repression.” The report estimates that more than 2,000 individuals remain imprisoned by the Uzbekistan government for peacefully practicing their religious beliefs, and documents the cases of 81 specific prisoners, many of whom are serving some of the longest politically-motivated jail sentences in the world.Steve Swerdlow, the author of the report, and Babur Yusupov, the son of one of the 81 prisoners of conscience listed in the report, join us today to discuss these important findings. Read the full report on “Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners: Addressing a Legacy of Repression (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Uzbekistan%20Report_0.pdf).”

The United Nations marks November 16 each year as the International Day for Tolerance. Religious tolerance is one key component of tolerance overall. Governments in the Middle East have increasingly espoused a doctrine of religious tolerance, especially after September 11, 2001. Along the same lines, the U.S. government has encouraged greater tolerance abroad as an antidote to extremism, especially violent extremism. Many countries in the Middle East showcase their churches, synagogues, and mosques as evidence of tolerance. The recently signed Abraham Accords have also reignited the conversation on religious tolerance. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Scott Weiner joins us today to discuss the potential pitfalls of promoting religious tolerance rather than freedom of religion or belief as defined in the international human rights standards. He also discusses the difference between the two, and how the U.S. government can support religious tolerance in a way that most effectively advances the national interest in promoting religious freedom.

Malaysia has experienced unprecedented political instability in recent years. During this time, Malaysian authorities from various political parties in several states and the federal government have continued to pursue policies to further restrict religious freedom. Furthermore, while Malaysia’s dual justice system supposedly places the civil court above Shari’a law, it also devolves the ability to develop religious laws to each state and the Federal Territories. These laws are obligatory for Muslims, which results in legal restrictions to their religious practices.USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to elaborate on how the freedom of religion or belief is being threatened in Malaysia, and ways that the U.S. government can help improve religious freedom conditions there. Read USCIRF’s newest Country Update on Malaysia (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/2021%20Malaysia%20Country%20Update.pdf)

In recent years, Algerian authorities have shown more hostility towards religious minorities, forcibly closing dozens of Protestant churches and prosecuting Ahmadiyya Muslims for gathering without authorization for the purposes of worship. Algerian courts are also increasingly enforcing Algeria’s blasphemy and anti-proselytization laws, targeting Christians, Muslims, and free thinkers. USCIRF recommends that the U.S. Department of State include Algeria on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. The State Department is scheduled to release its list of designations in November.  Miles Windsor, who covers North Africa and the Middle East for the Religious Freedom Institute, joins us today to expand upon the religious freedom situation in Algeria.

USCIRF is deeply concerned about religious freedom conditions in the Russian Federation, which have rapidly deteriorated in recent years as the government increasingly mistreats “traditional” religious communities, and targets Jehovah’s Witnesses, with baseless ‘extremism’ charges, and uses unsubstantiated accusations of ‘terrorism’ to imprison Crimean Muslim activists opposed to its illegal annexation of their homeland. USCIRF has covered these violations in numerous publications and hearings, including a report released this week on religious freedom abuses in Chechnya.USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Jason Morton joins us today to elaborate on the myriad of religious freedom concerns in Russia and Chechnya in particular. Read USCIRF’s Issue Update on Religious Freedom Violations in the Republic of Chechnya (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Chechnya%20Issue%20Update.pdf)

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community was founded in 1889 in Punjab, India and today has an estimated tens of millions of members globally. Because of the differences between Ahmadiyya beliefs and beliefs in Sunni and Shi’a Islam, many Muslims consider Ahmadiyya Muslims to be heretics. Some governments that regulate the practice of Islam deem Ahmadiyya Muslims as “non-Muslims” and place legal restrictions on Ahmadiyya Muslim practice. Ahmadiyya Muslims have also faced repression and societal discrimination in both Muslim and non-Muslim majority countries.  Amjad Khan, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, joins us today to shed light on some of the challenges faced by the Ahmadiyya community globally.  Click here to read USCIRF’s Ahmadiyya Persecution Factsheet (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-10/2021%20Ahmadiyya%20Persecution%20Factsheet.pdf) for further information

Cemeteries are sacred sites that are of great spiritual, cultural, and historical significance to many religious and ethnic groups. These holy sites are governed by religious laws and customs that dictate the location of, the appearance of, and the activities and behaviors allowed on the burial grounds. Despite laws aimed to protect these sites, cemeteries around the world catering to a variety of religious groups are targets for defilement, which includes vandalism such as spray paint, theft, or smashed headstones. In other cases, whole graveyards are exhumed or razed in preplanned operations.Last month USCIRF published a new factsheet on this topic that outlines international human rights law that defines the obligations of countries to protect these sites. USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel joins us on today’s episode to discuss the targeted destruction by non-state actors and state-sponsored entities of religious communities’ cemeteries in several countries around the world, including his native China.Click here to read USCIRF’s Factsheet on the Destruction of Cemeteries (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Destruction%20of%20Cemeteries_0.pdf)

Saudi Arabia has made some reforms to select polices impacting religious freedom, including improvements to its textbooks. Nevertheless, there are still several deeply rooted issues that undermine the credibility of its claims to be undertaking serious reform: non-Muslim communities may not construct houses of worship; Shi’a Muslims in Saudi Arabia still face systematic discrimination; religious dissidents continue to languish in prison; and the guardianship system limits a woman’s ability to exercise her religious freedom.It goes without saying that Saudi Arabia has a long way to go in terms of improving religious freedom conditions on the ground. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Scott Weiner joins us today to highlight the areas in which they have made reforms, and elaborate on the conditions as they currently stand. Read USCIRF’s latest Country Update on Saudi Arabia (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/2021%20Saudi%20Arabia%20Country%20Update.pdf)Learn more about religious prisoner of conscience Raif Badawi (https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/current-rpocs/raif-badawi) mentioned in this episode.

For many years, USCIRF has been deeply concerned about religious freedom conditions in Central Asia, and more recently the impact of the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan on the surrounding region. Since 2012, USCIRF has recommended that the State Department designate Tajikistan a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to the government’s increasing repression following the passage of a strict religion law in 2009. The State Department followed this recommendation in 2016 and has designated Tajikistan a CPC every year since.USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Jason Morton joins us to discuss religious freedom conditions in Tajikistan as well as how recent developments in neighboring Afghanistan potentially complicate these conditions. He also explores the danger of using security challenges to curb religious freedom.Click here (https://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/uscirf-hearing-religious-freedom-russia-and-central-asia) to view USCIRF’s hearing on religious regulation in Russia and Central AsiaClick here (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/pictures/optimized/2020%20Issue%20Update%20-%20Tajikistan.pdf) to read USCIRF’s report on the abuse of extremism and terrorism laws in Tajikistan

Since 2009, USCIRF has recommended that the U.S. State Department designate Nigeria a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations. In December 2020, the State Department designated Nigeria for the first time, making Nigeria the first secular democracy to be added to the CPC list. As we approach the end of 2021 and anticipate the State Department’s upcoming CPC designations, today’s discussion with USCIRF Commissioner Frederick A. Davie will demonstrate why CPC re-designation is warranted, correct some common misconceptions, and explore how the U.S. government can adjust its policy in Nigeria to assist the government in improving its religious freedom record. Read more USCIRF reporting on religious freedom in Nigeria here (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/nigeria).

When Afghanistan was under Taliban control in 1996-2001, the Taliban discriminated against and violently persecuted the Hazara Shi’a community—which they labeled as “heretical.” Subsequently, the Hazara community continued to face targeted attacks over the last 20 years by the Taliban and ISIS-K. In the first half of 2021 alone, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented at least 20 violent incidents targeting Hazara.Religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan have drastically deteriorated since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan last month. This does not bode well for vulnerable minorities in Afghanistan such as the Hazara community.We discuss the current situation for the Hazara community in Afghanistan with Farkhondeh Akbari and Andrea Gittleman. Ms. Akbari is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University who is a member of the Hazara Shi’a community, and Ms. Gittleman is with the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.Read more USCIRF reporting on Afghanistan here (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/afghanistan).

Islam plays a significant role in Africa’s past and present, with at least 500 million Muslims living in Africa today. While many Muslims in Africa practice their faith in peace and harmony, across the region some Muslim communities have been denied their right to freedom of religion or belief by both governments and nonstate actors.Given the important role that Islamic traditions and practice play for many Africans, we examine some of the specific challenges facing Muslims on the African continent. USCIRF Policy Analyst Madeline Vellturo joins us today to discuss the range of violations in recent years that a diversity of Muslim traditions have and continue to encounter to this day.

For the past two years, USCIRF has recommended that India be designated a Country of Particular of Concern (CPC) by the State Department due the government’s promotion of Hindu nationalist policies resulting in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. One such policy is the 2019 passage of the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)—a fast track to citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan residing in India—which led to nationwide protests against the CAA in early 2020 and spurred state and nonstate violence, largely targeting Muslims. Today, USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza joins us to discuss a report on India that will be issued in the coming weeks by the Political Conflict, Gender and People’s Rights Initiative, Center for Race and Gender, at the University of California, Berkeley. The report, called “BREAKING WORLDS: Religion, Law and Citizenship in Majoritarian India: The Story of Assam,” is authored by a team of researchers led by Dr. Angana Chatterji. The report is a case study of the Indian government’s attempt to alter the basis of Indian citizenship through the pilot implementation of the CAA and accompanying National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the northeastern state of Assam. Read more of USCIRF’s reporting on India here (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/india).

On August 25, 2017, the Burmese military, known as the Tatmadaw, launched a genocidal campaign in Rakhine State against the largely Muslim Rohingya community. The United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has documented instances of Burmese military units involved in indiscriminate killings of civilians, mass rape, and arbitrary detentions. This year, the situation has only further deteriorated. On February 1, the Tatmadaw launched a coup installing the ruling military junta led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Six months later, on August 1, General Hlaing declared himself prime minister until at least 2023. In our 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department again designate Burma as a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, particularly against Rohingya Muslims. The U.S. government continues its investigation into whether a genocide and crimes against humanity have been committed by the Burmese military against the Rohingya people. USCIRF has urged a swift determination. USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza joins us today to discuss the ongoing situation in Burma and to commemorate the somber fourth anniversary of the genocide against the Rohingya community. She le a delegation to Burma most recently in 2019 and also visited Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands Rohingya people live to this day in refugee camps without knowing when and if they may be able to return to their homeland. Read all USCIRF policy recommendations regarding Burma in the the 2021 Annual Report Burma Chapter (https://www.uscirf.gov/annual-reports?country=57).

We have seen a significant deterioration in religious freedom conditions in South Asia in recent years. Blasphemy cases, forced conversions, attacks on houses of worship, hate speech, and violence targeting religious minorities are among the long list of religious freedom concerns in the region—particularly in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Farahnaz Ispahani joins us to expound upon the myriad of concerns in the region. She is a former member of Parliament in Pakistan, and is currently a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute. Read more about USCIRF’s policy recommendations for all countries mentioned in this episode in the 2021 USCIRF Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf)

The Kazakhstani (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/kazakhstan) government is implementing promising reforms that could make Kazakhstan Central Asia’s leading example of religious freedom. USCIRF has recommended the U.S. State Department place Kazakhstan on its Special Watch List, and previously USCIRF’s Tier 2 List, since 2013 in response to deteriorating religious freedom conditions stemming from the passage of its religion law in 2011. However, proposed amendments to that law could significantly improve the religious freedom landscape in Kazakhstan. USCIRF is deeply invested in Central Asian religious freedom reform and has engaged directly with the Kazakhstani government. In recent years, the Commission has traveled multiple times to Kazakhstan and other countries in the region, released numerous reports with policy recommendations, and held a hearing (https://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/uscirf-hearing-religious-freedom-russia-and-central-asia) on religious freedom conditions in Russia (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/russia) and Central Asia in September 2020. Today we are joined by USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Jason Morton to discuss recent reform efforts and the religious landscape in Kazakhstan more broadly. Read the 2021 Annual Report chapter on Kazakhstan (https://www.uscirf.gov/annual-reports?country=51) available in English, Kazakh, and Russian.

Cuba’s government has long been responsible for violating its citizens right to freedom of religion or belief. In its 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department again place Cuba on its Special Watch List for engaging in severe religious freedom violations and has been doing so for many years. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst Kirsten Lavery joins us today to discuss the historic and unprecedented protests in Cuba, how these protests have impacted religious communities in particular, and opportunities for the United States to support religious freedom on the island. The 2021 Annual Report Cuba chapter (https://www.uscirf.gov/annual-reports?country=38) is available in both English and Spanish.

Egypt is home to over 100 million people—of which the majority identify as Sunni Muslim with a significant Coptic Christian minority. A variety of smaller religious minorities also call Egypt home such as Baha’is, Jehovah’s Witnesses, non-theists, and Muslim minorities, which include Shi’a Muslims and the Qur’anist community. These smaller religious communities have long faced marginalization and repression from religious and governmental authorities. USCIRF has often acknowledged in recent years the ways in which Egypt has shown some marked signs of improvement, particularly in terms of the Egyptian government’s willingness to more openly acknowledge and discuss some of the country’s religious freedom challenges. However, that modest progress hasn’t necessarily trickled down to the smaller, marginalized communities. Today we are joined by Sherif Mansour, who is currently the Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. It has been nearly a year since Sherif’s cousin, Reda Abdel Rahman, has been held under pre-trial detention in Egypt for blogging about Qur’anist teachings. Our discussion today focuses on the Qur’anist Muslim community, whose adherents continue to face repression in Egypt. Read the Egypt chapter of the 2021 Annual Report here (https://www.uscirf.gov/annual-reports?country=41).

In 2015, USCIRF for the first time recommended the Central African Republic (CAR) be designated by the State Department a Country of Particular Concern for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom following years of sectarian violence that erupted after a 2013 coup. As the violence against religious minority communities subsided in subsequent years, in 2020, USCIRF recommended CAR be placed on the State Department’s Special Watchlist, a step in the right direction. While concerns for religious freedom in CAR remain, there has been further notable progress during the past year. In its most recent 2021 Annual Report, USCIRF did not recommend CAR be included on the State Department’s Special Watchlist or be designated a Country of Particular Concern. Today we will learn more about what prompted the decision to remove CAR from the Special Watchlist recommendation, what progress has been made, and what challenges remain for religious freedom and religious minorities in CAR. Joining us to provide insight into the situation is USCIRF Policy Analyst for West and Central Africa, Madeline Vellturo, and Dr. Gino Vlavonou, a Consulting Program Officer with the Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum at the Social Science Research Council. USCIRF Recently released a Country Update on CAR (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/2021%20Central%20African%20Region%20Country%20Update.pdf) Read our 2021 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf)

On July 2, 1993 a mob set fire to the Madimak Hotel in Sivas, Turkey—where a group of prominent Alevi writers, poets, and thinkers had gathered. Reports show 37 people died in what became known as the Sivas (or Madimak) Massacre. For Alevis, the incident reflected the prejudice and hate the community faced in their native homeland of Turkey, where today Alevis make up an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the population. Discrimination against the Alevi community is rampant and pervasive in Turkey’s government, society, and the education system. While this prejudice is hardly new, the situation under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his AKP party is only getting worse. USCIRF Policy Analyst John Lechner joins us on the anniversary of the Sivas Massacre as we discuss Turkey’s Alevis, their beliefs, and the challenging daily life as an Alevi in Erdogan’s Turkey.

Ethiopia has been going through a democratic transition amidst a civil war that broke out in Tigray at the end of 2020. In November of last year, a massacre took place in Tigray that was slow to be reported in major news outlets globally. USCIRF has been closely monitoring religious freedom violations in that region and in Ethiopia more broadly. The U.S. Department of State recently announced that it would impose sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights violations in the Tigray region, following a visit by U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman. USCIRF Policy Analyst Mohy Omer joins us today to discuss the situation in Tigray and how this impacts freedom of religion or belief in Ethiopia. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFMohy Omer, Policy Analyst, USCIRF

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) mandates USCIRF to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. In addition to making recommendations, USCIRF’s mandate was recently amended to include tracking the U.S. government’s implementation of our recommendations as well as to review the effectiveness of such implemented recommendations in advancing religious freedom internationally. Joining us today is USCIRF Commissioner Fred Davie to share with us some of these key recommendations that have been implemented by the administration and Congress over the last year or so. Read more on page 91 of the 2021 USCIRF Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf). Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFFrederick A. Davie, Commissioner, USCIRF

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. The Special Rapporteur identifies existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and presents recommendations to the Council on ways to overcome these obstacles. In recent years, the Special Rapporteur has produced several thematic reports on a range of issues, including on Islamophobia and anti-Semitism globally, the intersection of religious freedom with gender equality and freedom of expression, discrimination and violence against individuals in the name of religion, as well as the nexus between security and freedom of religion or belief. The current mandate holder, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, joins us today to discuss what he thinks are the most pressing challenges to freedom of religion or belief globally. Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on Shari'a and LGBTI Persons (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Sharia%20and%20LGBTI.pdf) Click here for Ahmed Shaheed’s report on Report on freedom of religion or belief and gender equality (https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomReligion/Pages/ReportGenderEquality.aspx)   Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, United Nations

For the first time in years, Bahrain was not included in the list of countries that USCIRF recommends for the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL). The government of Bahrain has made incremental improvements to religious freedom conditions within the country over the past several years—working to enhance the rights of religious communities including Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha’is.   Nevertheless, there are some lingering concerns about how Bahrain’s government treats the Shi’a Muslim majority population. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst, Scott Weiner, joins us to expound upon the religious freedom situation in Bahrain. Click here to read more USCIRF reporting on Bahrain (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/bahrain). Read USCIRF’s 2021 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report_0.pdf) for more information on our recommendations (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/2021-recommendations) for CPC and SWL designation. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFScott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Blasphemy laws criminalize expression that insults or offends religious doctrines. Such laws are often used to restrict freedom of religion or belief. As of 2020, 84 countries still had blasphemy laws. The severity of a blasphemy law on the books, however, is only the beginning of the story. The enforcement of such laws—either government enforcement or mob violence—undermines human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. Joelle Fiss and Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum are the authors of the USCIRF report “Violating Rights: Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Blasphemy%20Enforcement%20Report%20_final_0.pdf),” released in December 2020. They join us to discuss the findings of their report, and the impact of blasphemy laws on religious freedom. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Joelle Fiss, Member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Associate Professor of Clinical Law at Cardozo School of Law

It’s been 50 years since the Turkish government closed the Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki, also known as the Halki Seminary. The school continues to be unable to educate or train clergy in a country with a historical but dwindling Greek Orthodox community. The Halki Seminary’s continued closure poses an obstacle to the survival of that community within Turkey. The international community—including U.S. presidents and other high-ranking officials from the United States and Europe—have joined the Ecumenical Patriarchate in calling upon the Turkish government to reopen the Halki Seminary to no avail. Although Turkish officials have at times appeared inclined to support the reopening of the seminary, none have taken any concrete steps to do so. This week we are joined by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, to discuss the obstacles that the Ecumenical Patriarchate faces in Turkey today. Read the Turkey chapter of the 2021 Annual Report (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/Turkey%20Chapter%20AR2021.pdf) Also available in Turkish (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/Turkey%202021_SWL_Turkish_rev.pdf) and Kurdish (Kurmanji) (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/Turkey%202021_SWL_Kurdish%20(Kurmanji).pdf) Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Archbishop Elpidophoros, Head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

The central Sahel region of West Africa is currently home to an extremely complex and fluid landscape of Islamist insurgent actors that stem from both locally grown and foreign movements. Several violent insurgent actors have been gaining power in the Sahel region, and committing religious freedom violations in the areas they control. Security challenges in the Central Sahel, compounded by climate change, have yielded a devastating humanitarian crisis with over 15 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 5 million people facing food insecurity, and nearly 2 million people displaced. In one pocket of this region at the borders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, growing violent Islamist insurgencies represent one facet of this complex crisis. Groups there are now engaging in violence and targeting individuals based on their religion or belief. USCIRF recently published a factsheet on Islamists in the Central Sahel (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Sahel.pdf) region of West Africa. USCIRF Policy Analyst Madeline Vellturo, who authored the report, joins us on the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast to discuss these developments in the Sahel.

Since 1979 Iran’s government has shown a consistent disregard for the rights of religious minority communities who  run afoul of the government’s narrow interpretation of Shi’a Islam. Even the majority Shi’a Muslim population must adhere to the government’s religious doctrine of Leadership of the Jurist (vilayt e-faqih). Those with alternative or differing opinions have suffered harassment, surveillance, arrest, imprisonment, and even a death sentence for blasphemy, insulting religious sanctities, or identifying as gay. On top of its severe violations, Iran is approaching several key political junctures. The country’s leadership recently began engagement with the Biden administration over its nuclear program. It’s also set to hold presidential elections next month on June 18th. The government of Iran continues to deal with sustained widespread protests over a host of political and social issues that have been ongoing since December 2017. USCIRF Commissioner Gary Bauer joins us to discuss why we have recommended Iran be designated a Country of Particular Concern. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFGary Bauer, Commissioner, USCIRF

The program to resettle refugees to the United States has existed since 1980, with strong bipartisan support. Earlier this month, President Biden signed an emergency declaration to speed up refugee admissions into the United States, but did not raise the ceiling from the current 15,000 person low. After receiving pushback from advocacy groups, the administration later stated that President Biden is expected to increase the refugee ceiling for this fiscal year by May 15. USCIRF is concerned about the historically low refugee ceiling, and has long advocated for a robust resettlement program as a way for the United States to provide safe haven to some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees.  Refugee resettlement is a separate program from the process through which individuals apply for asylum at the U.S. border. USCIRF has reviewed and made recommendations relevant to that process as well as refugee resettlement. USCIRF Director of Research and Policy, Elizabeth Cassidy, joins us to discuss both of these issues.   Check out our Feb 10, 2021 hearing on Refugees Fleeing Religious Persecution (https://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/uscirf-hearing-refugees-fleeing-religious-persecution) Read USCIRF’s statement (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-reiterates-its-call-urgently-increase-refugee-ceiling) calling on the President to increase the refugee ceiling.   Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Elizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy, USCIRF

USCIRF released its 2021 Annual Report documenting developments over the past year, and providing policy recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad. In its report, USCIRF also monitored public health measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and their impact on religious freedom. USCIRF’s independence and bipartisanship enables it to unflinchingly identify threats to religious freedom around the world. The 2021 Annual Report recommends 26 countries for designation as either a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) or to be placed on the State Department’s Special Watch List (SWL). The report also highlights important global developments and trends related to religious freedom including political unrest leading to religious freedom violations, blasphemy laws, and global antisemitism. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin joins us to elaborate on some of the key elements of the 2021 Annual Report. You can find the full report here (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Annual%20Report.pdf). Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFGayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF

Bilateral relations between the United States and Vietnam (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/vietnam) has grown increasingly cooperative since 1995. The two countries have built strong economic, political, and security partnerships. Despite this relationship, the US government continues to pay particular attention to the overall human rights situation in there, including freedom of religion or belief. USCIRF traveled to Vietnam in 2019 to observe religious freedom conditions on the ground, and has maintained that Vietnam should be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Vietnam.pdf). While there has been some progress regarding religious freedom conditions in Vietnam in recent years, the situation for certain groups remains concerning. The Christian community, in particular, faces persecution. Policy Analyst Mingzhi Chen joins us to discuss the state of religious freedom in Vietnam. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFMingzhi Chen,  Policy Analyst, USCIRF Don’t miss our 2021 Annual Report, which will be released April 21, 2021. Register for the virtual launch: https://www.uscirf.gov/events/uscirf-2021-annual-report-virtual-launch (https://www.uscirf.gov/events/uscirf-2021-annual-report-virtual-launch)

Pancasila is a founding concept of Indonesia (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/indonesia), comprising of five principles: monotheism, civilized humanity, national unity, deliberative democracy, and social justice. This concept came about at the onset of Indonesia’s independence from the Netherlands in 1945 to unify the population and emphasize moderation and tolerance. As Indonesia has witnessed the rise of Islamist extremist activities and sentiment in recent decades, President Joko Widodo’s administration has prioritized emphasizing Pancasila and Indonesia’s historically moderate version of Islam to confront this trend. USCIRF Policy Analyst, Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to discuss the impact this has on religious freedom. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Patrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRF Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on Indonesia's Pancasila (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Indonesias%20Pancasila.pdf)

In a public statement on March 27, 2021, the Chinese government imposed a travel ban on USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins and prohibited any Chinese citizens or institutions from doing business with them. The statement issued by China asserts that USCIRF should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and refrain from “going further down the wrong path” otherwise “they will get their fingers burnt.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned China for imposing the “baseless” sanctions. This is the first time in USCIRF’s more than 20-year history that a foreign government has taken action against individual Commissioners in this way. Meanwhile, USCIRF has been sounding the alarm about a genocide taking place in Xinjiang against Uyghurs and has recommended for two decades that the U.S. Department of State designate China (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/china) as a Country of Particular Concern (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/2020-recommendations) for its egregious violations. This begs the question, why now? USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins join us today to respond to the news about the sanctions, and to discuss what this means for the United States government and the international community moving forward. Featuring: Dwight Bashir (https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/staff/dwight-bashir), Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Gayle Manchin (https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/commissioners/gayle-manchin), Chair, USCIRFTony Perkins (https://www.uscirf.gov/about-uscirf/commissioners/tony-perkins), Vice Chair, USCIRF Read USCIRF’s official press statement (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-condemns-chinese-governments-sanctions-uscirf-commissioners) responding to the sanctions.

In some countries around the world, religion-based laws are used by governments to impose capital punishment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons. All of the 10 countries where consensual same-sex relationships are punishable by death (Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) justify denial of rights and personhood based on official interpretations of Shari’a (Islamic law). International standards are clear that governments should not desecrate the rights of LGBTI persons through the imposition of the death penalty under interpretations of Shari’a or any other religion-based laws. Laws that make same-sex relationships subject to the death penalty violate the human dignity and rights of LGBTI persons and embolden societal hostility, discrimination, and violence against them. This week, USCIRF Vice Chair Anurima Bhargava joins us to discuss USCIRF’s recently-released factsheet on Shari'a and LGBTI Persons (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Sharia%20and%20LGBTI.pdf). Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFAnurima Bhargava, Vice Chair, USCIRF

Egypt has historically faced many challenges to religious freedom. There has been recurring violence and discrimination against Coptic Christians, who represent 10-15% of the population, as well as other communities who face religious freedom challenges. Furthermore, Egypt is one of the world’s leading enforcers of blasphemy laws. The United States joined 30 other countries at the UN Human Rights Council just last week in condemning a range of human rights abuses in Egypt, which has not been done since 2014. However, in spite of its shortcomings, there have been some improvements to religious freedom conditions in recent years that are noteworthy. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst, Kurt Werthmuller, joins us this week to discuss the situation for religious freedom in Egypt. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF To learn more about Egypt’s blasphemy regulations, read USCIRF’s 2020 report on Global Blasphemy Laws (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Blasphemy%20Enforcement%20Report%20_final_0.pdf). USCIRF’s 2021 Annual Report which will detail religious freedom in Egypt will be released in April.

There have been notable improvements to religious freedom conditions in Uzbekistan in recent years. The government’s ongoing effort to revise the restrictive 1998 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations demonstrates progress. Nevertheless, significant challenges to religious freedom in the country still remain. Even in revised draft legislation, religious communities are still required to register through the government and any unregistered religious activity is considered criminal. Many non-Muslim religious minority communities, such as Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Protestants, have been unable to be officially registered by the state. In addition, some thousands of individuals remain incarcerated for the peaceful practice of their religion or beliefs, and the government has yet to review and reopen the cases of many prisoners charged on vague or spurious allegations of “religious extremism.” This week, USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Keely Bakken joins us to discuss progress that the government of Uzbekistan has made, and the challenges that remain. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKeely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF Read USCIRF’s 2020 Annual Report Chapter on UzbekistanRead USCIRF’s report on Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-releases-new-report-about-global-persecution-jehovahs)

Santería is a syncretic religion that incorporates elements of Catholicism with the religion of the Yoruba people, who were brought as slaves to Cuba from the Congo basin and West Africa in the 16th century. While many Cubans can freely observe Santería practices, some practitioners and religious leaders have experienced ongoing violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief. These violations are emblematic of the tactics used by the Cuban government to control faith and suppress independent religious communities. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF Read USCIRF’s recent Factsheet on the Santería Tradition in Cuba (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021%20Factsheet%20-%20Santeria%20in%20Cuba.pdf)

On February 1, 2021, the Burmese military declared the results of the November 2020 democratic elections to be invalid, enacted a one-year state of emergency, and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Myint Swe along with other state officials. This coup d’état is especially concerning for religious and ethnic communities already facing violence in Burma.   The military has been accused by the international community of conducting a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim population by targeting them with killings, sexual violence, forced starvation, and arbitrary arrests, among other atrocities. This same military is now in control of the country. Ongoing violence against the Rohingya people in Rakhine state has led many to flee to neighboring Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries for refuge. Naomi Kikoler with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) joins us today to discuss the implications of the military coup on religious minorities in Burma and what the United States and international community can do in response.   Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNaomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, USHMM Read USCIRF's 2020 Factsheet on Rohingya Refugees (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Legislation%20Factsheet%20-%20Rohingya%20Refugee%5B5481%5D.pdf) Watch USCIRF’s Aug. 2020 event on Rohingya (https://www.uscirf.gov/events/webinars/uscirf-conversation-update-rohingya-refugees) Read USCIRF’s response to the Feb. 2020 Coup D’état (https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-worried-about-violence-against-rohingya-and-other-religious)

In recent years, northern Iraq has become a battleground for Turkish armed forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). In June 2020, Turkey escalated their attacks in the region, announcing military operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger that included airstrikes near Sinjar. These attacks have been particularly damaging to the traumatized Yazidi community, who are victims of genocide by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Reports indicate that Turkey is planning military operations in Sinjar, instilling fear in the already vulnerable Yazidi community. Joining us today to discuss these developments is USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza, who recently traveled to the region to get a deeper understanding of conditions on the ground. She is concerned that what is happening in Sinjar will mirror conditions in Afrin, a city in northern Syria that was occupied by the Turkish military in 2018. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNadine Maenza, Commissioner, USCIRF USCIRF's hearing on "Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Northeast Syria" from June 2020, is referenced in this episode and is available here (https://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/uscirf-virtual-hearing-safeguarding-religious-freedom-northeast-syria).

Russia is currently experiencing ongoing, widespread anti-corruption protests. These protests demonstrate the largest challenge to government control in almost a decade. Meanwhile, the State Duma recently put forth legislation which has significant implications for religious freedom.   Religious freedom conditions in Russia have deteriorated rapidly in recent years. In fact, USCIRF has released several reports over the past year detailing why Russia should be designated a country of particular concern for its egregious violations of religious freedom. This week’s discussion explains why USCIRF makes this recommendation, and how recent events there impact religious freedom conditions. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFJason Morton, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF Read the report: The Global Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Issue%20Update%20-%20Jehovahs%20Witnesses.pdf) Read the report: The Anti-Cult Movement and Religious Regulation in Russia and the Former Soviet Union (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Anti-Cult%20Update%20-%20Religious%20Regulation%20in%20Russia.pdf)

As the Biden administration begins to formulate its broader human rights policy, USCIRF highlights several priority countries when it comes to international religious freedom. Condemning and preventing religious freedom violations around the globe continues to be a top priority for the United States. While some are critical of the role the U.S. government plays in championing religious freedom globally, there are also others who say, “If not the United States., then who?” In recent years, there have been an emergence of new multilateral entities dedicated to promoting and protecting religious freedom worldwide. Do these entities have the potential to foster a more effective approach to addressing religious freedom challenges around the world? Knox Thames, an expert on global religious freedom issues who worked at the State Department under both the Obama and Trump administrations, joins Dwight Bashir to discuss the top religious freedom issues facing the Biden administration and offers recommendations for U.S. policy. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKnox Thames, Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Engagement & Visiting Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace

China’s mistreatment and abuse of Uyghurs and other religious minorities have been well-documented for years by USCIRF, the United Nations, and human rights organizations around the world. In spite of this documentation, the Chinese government has continued the operation of Uyghur forced labor camps—products of which are circulating in international markets, including in the United States. On January 19, the U.S. State Department designated China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims as genocide and crimes against humanity. Find out what implications this action has for the incoming Biden administration and American companies in this week’s USCIRF Spotlight. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNury Turkel, Commissioner, USCIRF For more information, visit www.uscirf.gov

Targeting of religious minorities in Russia, mass atrocities in China, Nigeria as a country of particular concern, and Antisemitism on the rise worldwide. The events of 2020 cast a long shadow over religious freedom conditions as we enter into a new year. There are, however, some areas of progress such as Sudan and Uzbekistan. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin joins us to discuss the state of religious freedom worldwide. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFGayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF For more information, visit www.uscirf.gov

In December 2020, the U.S. Department of State designated Nigeria (https://www.uscirf.gov/countries/nigeria)as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for the first time ever due to systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Violent attacks by Boko Haram and ethno-religious conflict have become more frequent, and are exacerbated by the judiciary system. In this week's episode of USCIRF Spotlight, we discuss why the situation in Nigeria merits CPC designation, and what role the US could play in addressing religious freedom concerns there. Featuring: Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFJohn Campbell, Former Ambassador to Nigeria, currently Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations Read USCIRF's 2020 report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Nigeria (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Nigeria%20Country%20Update.pdf)

Since it's independence in 1984, Brunei has operated with a dual legal system: one secular and one Shari’a, the latter only enforceable for Bruneian Muslims. However, the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 blurs those lines. The country started fully implementing this new penal code in 2019. It is the end result of decades of pushing by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah for a hardline interpretation of Shari’a to be incorporated in the penal code.Listen to our discussion about the religious freedom implications of Brunei's legal system in USCIRF Spotlight.Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Policy and Outreach, USCIRFPatrick Greenwalt, Researcher, USCIRF

Several religious groups, including followers of Judaism and Islam, mandate that animals are uninjured (unstunned) prior to killing. However, nearly a third of European countries limit this practice through ritual slaughter laws. Ritual slaughter is required for meat to be classified as kosher or halal. Therefore, laws preventing ritual slaughter cause individuals to abandon deeply held religious practices and imply a message of exclusion to all those who seek to follow their religion’s dietary laws. During the Hanukkah season, USCIRF highlights the impact that ritual slaughter laws have on religious communities in select countries, such as those where it is necessary to import kosher meat. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFZachary Udin, Researcher, USCIRF

There are 84 countries across the globe with criminal blasphemy laws on the books as of 2020. While only a handful of countries enforce these laws, there are still 84 countries in which a person could face criminal charges for insulting or offending religious doctrines in regions that include Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and others. There are a plethora of ways that governments’ enforcement of blasphemy laws undermines human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFElizabeth Cassidy, Director of Research and Policy, USCIRF Read the report: Violating Rights: Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws (https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Blasphemy%20Enforcement%20Report%20_final_0.pdf)