Only the fireworks never came. Yes, the two antagonists were excited. Yes, they shouted, accused and ranted. But not at each other. They were both shocked and aghast that a minority religious community should endure such unanswered abuse. Their passion was palpable, their urgency undeniable. They were adamant that we, the United States, should take immediate action—and do it right now. They finished each other’s sentences; they shouted, “Yes! Yes!” at each other’s statements. They vowed to work together to end these crimes against humanity, leaving no room for doubt about the importance and urgency of the cause.
After the Zoom call came the profound realization: Despite the divisive climate of our era, despite the almost audible sound of our unity ripping apart at the seams, there remains a force that solders Americans together like no other: religious freedom. It’s not just a concept; it’s a part of our collective identity, woven into the fabric of our nation by the diverse ancestors who sought refuge on these shores to practice their faith in peace.
In the words of the late Senator Joe Lieberman, religious freedom is “what America is all about.”
After all, that’s what started the whole experiment—from the Pilgrims, Catholics, Quakers, Jews and the rest down to the present day—people coming to our shores so they could think and believe freely without some menace breathing down their necks going, “Stop!”
There’s nary a soul in America today who can’t claim an ancestor who came here seeking a place to pray in peace; religious freedom is not only built into our genes—it is our genes. And while some have called religious freedom the key component of human rights, others insist it’s the other way around: that human rights begin with freedom of faith and belief.
In the words of the late Senator Joe Lieberman, religious freedom is “what America is all about.”
Joe should know. He was one of the sponsors of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the landmark 1998 bill that married American foreign policy with the requirement that, if you’re going to trade with us, swap intelligence with us and play nice, you better have your religious freedom bona fides polished and up to snuff. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a nonpartisan government agency created by IRFA, is charged with sniffing out and bird-dogging instances of religious violations across the globe—from minor to unconscionable—reporting on them and making suggestions to the US Secretary of State, Congress and the President as to what to do with the offending nations—trade sanctions, diplomatic sanctions, whatever is most appropriate to pressure them into doing the right thing.
Senator Lieberman made his statement on the occasion of IRFA’s—and therefore USCIRF’s—25th anniversary this past October. He recalled that at the time he conceived of the bill, legislation to enforce accountability regarding religious freedom globally was just too obvious to even surface as an original thought. “The idea of having an international religious freedom commission was so fundamental to what America is about that we didn’t know why it had not already happened,” he said.
But now, a quarter of a century—and 25 annual state-of-international-religious-freedom reports later—religious freedom abroad has not only become a central part of American foreign policy, but America is no longer the only nation demanding accountability for those who abuse that freedom. As of this writing, at least eight countries and the European Union now have their own ambassador or envoy charged with monitoring freedom of religion or belief abroad. There is now an International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance 37 member-nations strong, each of which has made the issue their foreign policy priority. These groups network, cooperate and exchange information with nongovernmental organizations like the International Religious Freedom Roundtable.
So when USCIRF’s 102-page Annual Report was released in May, it was the product of a global network of on-the-ground observers, NGOs, allied governments and concerned religious and community leaders, all working in tandem with USCIRF commissioners to single out violations of religious freedom. Violations like those in China, a nation that, once again, USCIRF recommended be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)—USCIRF’s label for nations with particularly egregious abuses of religious freedom. According to USCIRF’s report, China continues subjecting its Uyghur Muslims and other minority faith groups to forced sterilization, forced abortions and forced intermarriage in a continuing campaign of genocide. China also represses its people far beyond its borders, abusing, seizing and repatriating those who have fled from China to other countries.
Another frequent abuser of religious liberty is India, which USCIRF likewise recommended be designated a CPC. There, over 500 churches and two synagogues have been destroyed, and state and local-level restrictions are levied on Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. Then this past November, the US Justice Department alleged that the Indian government was involved in an assassination attempt on a Sikh activist and American citizen in New York.
The list goes on. Mass violence, killings and enforcement of blasphemy laws in Nigeria, along with arbitrary arrests and the imprisonment of religious leaders. Repressive laws in France that now target newer religions as “sects” and “cults.” The straight-up spikes in antisemitism and Islamophobia globally.
In total, USCIRF’s report redlines 28 countries that have fallen far short of acceptable standards in fostering religious freedom. The outlook is grim indeed when one considers IRFA co-sponsor, former congressman and former USCIRF commissioner Frank R. Wolf, and his observation that “80 percent of the world’s population lives in a religiously repressive nation.”
With so much happening on the minus side of the ledger, it is easy to forget that, thanks to USCIRF standing at the ready, global religious freedom concerns are part of the definition of US diplomacy—along with human rights, refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid. Abusers of religious freedom can no longer hide in the shadows. Their crimes have been documented and exposed, and violators have been sanctioned. Some governments have changed laws and policies and have released prisoners of faith. International religious freedom issues now receive major media and public attention, whereas a quarter of a century ago they did not. Most importantly, in USCIRF’s words, “The United States no longer stands alone in recognizing the significance, for global peace and prosperity, of freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere.”
