US Annual Report Says Religious Freedom Under Threat From Authoritarian Regimes

In Pakistan, against the backdrop of continued extremist violence against civilian targets, the number and severity of reported cases against religious minorities increased. For example, in May, extremist attacks on two Ahmadi congregations in Lahore killed at least 86 people.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: RTT | News
By RTT Staff writer | November 18, 2010

(RTTNews) - United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has released the government's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

In her remarks after releasing the report in Washington on Wednesday, Clinton noted that religious freedom is under threat from "authoritarian regimes that abuse their own citizens, violent extremist groups that exploit and inflame sectarian tensions, and from the quiet but persistent harm caused by intolerance and mistrust which can leave minority religious groups vulnerable and marginalized."

She noted that during the past year, al-Qaida issued calls for further violence against religious minorities in the Middle East. Sufi, Shia, and Ahmadiyya holy sites in Pakistan have been attacked. So was a Syriac Catholic church in Baghdad just a few weeks ago. "We received reports from China of government harassment of Tibetan Buddhists, house church Christians, and Uighur Muslims. And several European countries have placed harsh restrictions on religious expression," she added.


She made it clear that while the United States joins in all nations coming together to condemn hateful speech, "we do not support the banning of that speech."

About her own country, Clinton claimed that the government worked hard to enforce religious freedom.

Clinton vowed that U.S. Embassies would continue to support inter-faith dialogue and work with religious groups across a full range of issues, and would continue to speak out against the curtailing of religious liberty wherever and whenever it occurred.

Every year, the State Department prepares a comprehensive review of the status of religious freedom in countries and territories around the world.

This year's report, touching on 198 countries, was compiled by Office of International Religious Freedom and U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world.

The report says violence by terrorists, extremists, and criminal gangs restricted the free exercise of religion and posed a significant threat to Iraq's vulnerable religious minorities.

In Iran, government respect for religious freedom continues to deteriorate, especially for groups like the Baha'i. In Burma, the government continues its tight control of the activities of the Buddhist clergy and discriminates against minority religious communities.

In Pakistan, against the backdrop of continued extremist violence against civilian targets, the number and severity of reported cases against religious minorities increased. For example, in May, extremist attacks on two Ahmadi congregations in Lahore killed at least 86 people.



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