July 2012 Action Item

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. State Department has omitted coverage of religious freedom from its Country Reports on Human Rights. The result of this is that much of the upheaval related to the Arab Spring and the subsequent human rights abuses is documented, without mention of the pervasive persecution and murder of Christians inside these countries. While the State Department has been required since 1998 to also file a separate report on religious freedom, the intentional purging of religiously motivated human rights violations from the Country Reports on Human Rights sends a wrong signal about how these atrocities are perceived by the current administration of the United States, as well as by governments around the world. Additionally, while ambassadors-at-large for other human rights issues, such as the plight of women globally, were appointed within months of President Obama coming into office, the appointment of an ambassador-at-large for Religious Freedom did not occur until two-and-a-half years into President Obama's tenure.

Act!

Send a succinct but clear message that this handling of religious freedom is unacceptable!


WRITE TO:

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Suggested points:

  • Express how concerned/disturbed/troubled you were to learn that sections related to religious freedom were omitted from the recent Country Reports on Human Rights.
  • Indicate that this sends a wrong message about how religious freedom relates to human rights, and about the administration's commitment to promoting religious freedom at home and abroad. Further mention that the long, two-and-a-half-year delay in appointing an ambassador-at-large for Religious Freedom also communicates that religious freedom is not enough of a priority for this administration.
  • Assure the president that as a citizen and a voter, you believe religious freedom to be a basic and important human right to be extended to all people.
  • Urge the president to use the power and privilege of his office to promote religious freedom internationally, and to demonstrate his commitment to this by ensuring the religious freedom sections of the Country Reports on Human Rights be restored in future.