Five Key Takeaways about the State of Religious Freedom Worldwide
The USCIRF has issued its report on the state of religious freedom in 2021
Overall, it appears that religious freedom continues to flounder across the world.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report this April on the state of religious freedom worldwide. This organization keeps tabs on trends, legislation, and events affecting the ability of people to freely practice their religion.
The number of countries designated as “concerning” has increased. The governments of these countries have engaged in behavior against certain believers, violating their human rights through draconian legislation, imprisonment, torture, or even disappearance.
USCIRF has kept three countries on its “special watch list” (SWL). Countries with this designation (such as Algeria and Cuba) have enacted sever measures against religious freedom. The organization has also added nine countries to this list, including Egypt, Turkey, and Iraq.
Furthermore, ten countries have been retained on its list of“countries of particular concern” (CPC). Countries under this label have violated religious freedoms in a “particularly severe” manner. On the list are countries such as China, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. USCIRF has also added five more countries to this list, including Afghanistan, India, and Syria.
What happens to countries with these designations? USCIRF reports these countries to the State Department for further consideration. The organization also hopes to influence US policy through diplomacy, foreign aid, sanctions, and refugee status for those who have faced discrimination on religious grounds.
As for the countries on these lists, many come as no surprise, a sign that little has improved in recent years. Muslims still face genocide in Myanmar and China. Hindu nationalism in India has generated increasing discrimination against Muslims and Christians.
More countries have been singled out for concern. Most notably, Afghanistan is now a CPC due to the Taliban takeover after the US withdrawal in August 2021. Although the Taliban stated it would respect the rights of religious minorities, its actions have revealed quite the opposite. Many Hindus and Sikhs — as well as the one known Afghani Jew — have fled the country. Christians, Baha’is, and non-Sunni Muslims have reported worshiping in private to avoid scrutiny. Police have harassed Afghanis for “un-Islamic” practices such as not being dressed appropriately or having a western haircut.
There is a lot to unpack in this report, but below are five key takeaways.
The Geography of Threatened Religious Freedom
Most of the countries of concern are located in the Middle East and Asia. It is safe to say that religious freedom is tenuous across the continent. Although many of the designated countries have a Muslim-majority population, this should not be misconstrued as Islam being somehow less tolerant. Hindu India, Christian Orthodox Russia, and Atheist China have all made the list, specifically for discriminating against Muslims.
Additionally, a few of these Muslim-majority countries have curtailed the religious freedoms of their vast Muslim population. Muslims make up 90 percent of the population of Tajikistan, yet the government there has passed increasingly stringent legislation against Islamic worship in the name of fighting extremism and protecting secularism. Men have been denied passports unless they shave their beards. Women have been targeted for wearing hijabs. Minors are barred from public religious ceremonies except funerals. The government has arrested and imprisoned many on spurious charges of radicalization. In April 2021, 117 were sentenced to varying prison sentences on the grounds that they had joined the Muslim Brotherhood, regarded as a radical Islamic organization by the government.
Finally, although no European country bar Russia made the list, USCIRF has noted that harassment against Jews, Muslims, and even Christians have increased across the continent. Reports of attacks on religious houses and cemeteries have increased in recent years. Some Muslim women have reported being denied jobs for wearing headscarves. Worship has been interrupted: some Christians processing through Paris were threatened and splashed with water. Some governments have taken more stringent measures in the name of fighting religious extremism. The French government now has the ability to close down religious houses, without a court order, if they promote “unrepublican” values. While not singling out any European country, USCIRF has noted that these developments are concerning to say the least.
Muslims have Faced the Most Discrimination
The USCIRF has compiled a list of those known to be imprisoned on religious grounds. Obviously, not all those imprisoned can be identified, but the statistics below are still instructive.
Of the 1,301 imprisoned, 542 (or 42%) are Muslim and 464 (36%) are Christian. China’s campaign against the Uyghurs accounts for many of those (likely undercounted) Muslims arrested: incarcerations in China account for half of all known imprisonments. Russia stands as the next country that has imprisoned the most on religious grounds, having locked up 191 (15%) of identifiable prisoners.
For these incarcerations, governments have cited national security concerns as the prime reason for 712 (55%) of the sentences. The next identifiable category is blasphemy and hate speech, accounting for 86 (7%) of internments.
Social Media Influences Harassment
We are accustomed to debates about the role of social media in political extremism in the West. And it appears that social media has played a role in targeting religious minorities for discrimination. Most notably, the army of Myanmar created troll accounts on Facebook to target the Rohingya Muslims minority. Rohingya refugees in the United States have recently launched a $150 billion lawsuit against Facebook for contributing to the genocide.
Social media companies, wishing to retain customers in these countries, are willing to censor posts from accounts that these governments deem a threat. The most notable example of this censorship comes from the Chinese government, which refuses to permit any posts on the incarceration of Uyghurs.
Additionally, governments can monitor social media accounts and punish those who engage in blasphemy or hate speech. Although it did not make the list, Finland investigated a member of parliament and a bishop for sharing a tweet critical of homosexuality; a court has cleared both of hate speech, but a higher court will render the final decision.
The Good and the Bad of COVID-19’s Influence on Religious Freedom
Restrictions on gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the numbers of those going out to worship, which made some religious groups harder to target for discrimination. In this minuscule sense, the pandemic may have benefited religious freedom.
Additionally, some imprisoned on religious grounds were released to weaken the spread of COVID-19 within jail walls. Of the roughly 1,000 imprisoned in Eritrea for advocating for religious freedom, the government released 130, although this was only conditional and came with bail.
But overall, it appears the pandemic has not been friendly to religious freedom.
Now that the pandemic has waned, some religious groups still face restrictions. In Algeria, mosques have reopened, but churches remain closed. Some religious minorities — such as Muslims in India — have reported facing discrimination when trying to seek medical care.
Governments Go Global to Stop Dissidents
Finally, some countries have gone beyond their borders to target dissidents that have escaped. Iran tried to kidnap an Iranian activist in the USA who protested head coverings. China has used economic and diplomatic pressure to have Uyghurs extradited from Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
This last example is quite alarming. Religious persecution increasing due to diplomatic nudging can further entrench discrimination, making it harder to alleviate down the road.
Hence the impetus of this report and the recommendation that the US and its allies seek to support religious freedom though its own diplomatic maneuvering.
The USCIRF entire report can be found here.
