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State Department Issues 2008 Report On International Religious Freedom

By Howard M. Friedman

The U.S. State Department this afternoon issued its 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom. The Report discusses separately the status of religious freedom in almost every country around the world, including the 8 that have been designated as "countries of particular concern": Burma, China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan. Sixteen other countries are singled out in the Executive Summary as ones "where religious freedom is of significant interest." These are Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel and Occupied Territories, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The report identifies five categories of infringements upon religious freedom prevalent in various parts of the world:

First, the most severe abuses take place in certain totalitarian and authoritarian regimes that seek to control religious thought and expression.... Second, serious abuses occur in contexts of state hostility toward minority or nonapproved religious groups.... A third category of abuse stems from a state's failure to address forces of intolerance against certain religious groups.... Fourth, abuses occur when governments have enacted discriminatory legislation or taken concrete action to favor majority religions.... A fifth category involves the practice of discriminating against certain religions by identifying them as dangerous "cults" or "sects."

The report was sent to Congress as required by Sec. 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on September 19, 2008 (boomark / email).