Face of Freedom provides a weekly analysis of the status of religious freedom around the world. This newsletter also informs readers of sensitive events and brewing crises that affect fundamental rights across the globe.
We hope that we will be able to simultaneously raise awareness of critical issues pertaining to religious freedom as well as engage more members of the community in our important work and mission.
The Institute in the News
U.S Based Human Rights Groups Blast Talibanization of Pakistan's Swat Valley
Washington, D.C., April 22, 2009 -- Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari authorized Islamic law, Shariah, in that country's Swat Valley last week opening the door to direct rule by the Taliban. The Pakistan government's surrender to Taliban leaders in the region has already forced a rollback in women's rights, murders of local officials and levy of a jaziya, a type of penalty or tax, on Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities residing in the valley. Two prominent Washington, D.C. based human rights groups, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (IRPP), took the unusual step of a joint press release today once the extent of ongoing human rights crisis in the Swat Valley became apparent.
HAF's annual human rights report has long highlighted religious and social persecution of a dwindling Hindu minority in Pakistan, and the foundation is concerned that recent events will exacerbate these abuses. After at least 200 Sikhs fled from the restive Taliban-dominated region to various Sikh temples in Pakistan according to a several reports last week, HAF and the IRPP reacted with their release today.
"The decision of the Pakistan government to impose Sharia law on entire regions of Pakistan in concessions aimed at pacifying a spreading Taliban insurgency has brought about the unfortunate and expected results of greater persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan," said Joseph Grieboski, President of IRPP. "Hindus and Sikhs are fleeing the Swat region with no help whatsoever from Islamabad."
The Taliban's Islamic scholars purport to issue rulings based on a combination of their interpretatons of the Qur'an (the Muslim holy book) and the Hadith (reports of statements and actions of the prophet Muhammad), and their laws are to cover all aspects of life from personal acts of worship and commercial dealings to marriage, divorce, crime and punishment.
"Wherever Sharia has been imposed as the basis of controlling any society--as is the case in Saudi Arabia and Iran--adherents of non-Muslim traditions and women have been the immediate casualties," said Ishani Chowdhury, Director of Public Policy at HAF. "We join with the IRPP and many other human rights advocates in condemning the events in the Swat Valley that testify to the perverse nature of Taliban justice and Pakistan's inept central government."
Over the last two years as Taliban leaders strengthened their hold in the Swat Valley, residents have witnessed the demolition of approximately 200 all-girl schools, the beheadings of dozens of local officials and paramilitary troops and very recently, the flogging of a 17-year-old girl for allegedly refusing to marry a militant commander, according to press reports.
"By their imposition of Islamic Shariah in Swat, Zardari and the Pakistani Parliament are undermining and destroying any hope for a liberal democracy in Pakistan and protection of fundamental rights in the entire country," Grieboski added.
Institute Begins New Fundraising Campaign
Washington, DC - The Institute has begun a new fundraising campaign for the summer of 2009 with the goal of raising $50,000 - and we need your help!
We believe that the foundation of every human liberty is the right to worship freely. Yet, at this very moment people are suffering intense religious persecution across the globe. The fight against that intolerance and injustice is what drives the Institute on Religion and Public Policy - and right now we need your help MORE THAN EVER!
We are more engaged in the struggle for religious freedom now than at any time in our history. For instance, just since the beginning of 2009, the Institute on Religion and Public Policy has:
Pressed the US Government and the governments of European countries to assist the 1,000,000 Catholics in Saudi Arabia with no access to a priest, to the Blessed Sacrament, or even to a church
Worked with Catholics in Vietnam to help secure the return of the papal embassy in Ho Chi Minh City to the Church
Worked closely with the new Turkish government on reforms that will grant legal status to the Church and its institutions, allowing the Church to own property, raise seminaries, and carry out the Sacraments with little interference from the Turkish government
As you can see, there is no one else having this kind of an international impact advancing the cause of religious freedom. But we cannot do it alone.
Your support is helping secure the right to worship without government intervention or intimidation for millions around the world!
Your donation today will not only help our critical research and diplomacy efforts, but also some of our logistical needs including:
New computers for our office
Guest lectures here in DC by prominent scholars and analysts, and
Hiring new staff, including a new business manager.
Your gift of $25, $35, $50, $100, or even $500 will enable us to continue the struggle for religious liberty.
Your generosity will help us meet our obligations and maintain the fight for freedom of worship in countries where people of faith face suffer because of that faith. Thank you for your gift. Thank you for standing with us in support of religious liberty at this crucial time.
Joseph K. Grieboski
Founder and President, Institute on Religion and Public Policy
Secretary General, Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom
PS: Please make the most generous contribution possible. A gift of $25, $35, $50, $100 or even $500 can make all of the difference for that family in Asia, the Middle East, or Eastern Europe, who simply wants to worship without fear of reprisal or retribution.
The Grieboski Report on Radio
Join Institute President Joseph K. Grieboski and guest experts each week on BlogTalkRadio as they discuss a variety of religious freedom issues. Last week's show on April 15th was part of our current events series and was entitled, "The Heart of a Crisis - AIDS/HIV in Washington, DC."
The show interviewed Dr. David Hilfiker on the connection between poverty and AIDS/HIV in our nation's capital. He discussed the impact government programs have had on poverty, and reasons for increased infection rates among specific segments of the population. He also discusses the moral and spiritual crux of the issue, and how we might, as a community, begin to address this crisis.
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy would like to extend its sincerest appreciation for your continued support. Your contributions allow us to continue the fight of promoting religious freedom throughout the world. It is because of supporters such as you that the Institute was nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize -- its second nomination.
As you see every day in the news, religious persecution is still rampant around the world and being a small non-profit it is becoming increasingly difficult for organizations such as ours to fully implement our programs and combat it effectively. We ask that you allow us to continue the fight of promoting religious freedom by providing us with an investment. Your investment goes a long way to supporting the efforts of the Institute.
For more information please contact Sarah Bishop at telephone number (202) 835-8760 or email her at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Face of Freedom, February 9, 2009
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Face of Freedom
February 9, 2009
Welcome to Face of Freedom!
Face of Freedom provides a weekly analysis of the status of religious freedom around the world. This newsletter also informs readers of sensitive events and brewing crises that affect fundamental rights across the globe.
We hope that we will be able to simultaneously raise awareness of critical issues pertaining to religious freedom as well as engage more members of the community in our important work and mission.
First steps for U.S. President: Institute sends Obama recommendations on religious freedom
The Institute has sent President Barack Obama more than a dozen recommendations on ways to advance religious freedom during his term.
The recommendations largely deal with ways to improve the implementation of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act. For example, according to the intent and scope of the law, the Institute recommends appointing a religious freedom advisor to the National Security Council.
The Institute further recommends allocating $4 million to the U.S. Department of State for religious freedom program funding around the world; allowing the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to terminate as scheduled in 2011; and giving the U.S. religious freedom ambassador more scope in the making of foreign policy and access to one cabinet meeting a year.
For the full slate of recommendations and explanations for each, click here.
The Institute in the News Commenting on the religious violence against Christians in Orissa state, India, Director of Communications Priya Abraham wrote a Feb. 8 op-ed in the Washington Times on how some U.S. charities are fueling Hindu extremism in the country.
Uncharitable giving By Priya Abraham
Before the terrorist attacks in Mumbai rattled the world last December, the state of Orissa in eastern India was enduring its own gruesome and drawn-out version of religious violence.
Following the murder of a hard-line Hindu swami on Aug. 23, extremist Hindus went on a rampage against Orissa's minority Christians, burning homes and churches; battering people; and raping women, including a nun. The violence has left about 70 people dead and displaced 50,000 into refugee camps.
As of last month, thousands remained in such camps. The All India Christian Council, an advocacy and relief group, was still distributing emergency items such as blankets and clothing even as its workers tried to help families earn a living again.
While the four months of violence have finally died down, Orissa's history of Hindu-on-Christian violence means it may easily revive. And while it might be easy to chalk up the latest attacks to India's occasional convulsions in communal strife, Americans are missing a crucial piece of the Orissa puzzle: Much of the funding for Hindu extremism comes from the United States.
Institute's work cited in report assessing last decade of religious freedom
The Pew Charitable Trusts has just released a "Report on International Religious Freedom," written by University of Oklahoma professor and expert Allen D. Hertzke. The report canvassed the analysis and expertise of numerous organizations, including the Institute.
Dr. Hertzke, citing Pew Research, says six out of 10 people in the world live in countries with "elevated or high government restrictions on religious liberty." He recommends a wide range of government and society measures that can improve the situation, including legal advocacy and harnessing the relationships and clout that businesses enjoy. It's a long-term strategy the Institute has long advocated, one that goes beyond giving immediate aid to the victims of persecution.
Besides referencing the Institute's legal analysis of the Maldives' restrictive constitution, Hertzke also cited Institute President Joseph K. Grieboski's finding of the "dearth of U.S. college coursework on religious freedom." The report says: "Since the long-term prospects for religious freedom hinge on the training of future leaders, expanded support for curriculum development, original scholarship, research fellows, and endowed chairs is a valuable investment."
The full report is not yet available online, but we will keep you posted.
Institute urges release of Afghans facing death for translating Quran
Washington, DC--The Institute on Religion and Public Policy urges Afghan authorities immediately to drop charges against two Afghans facing the death penalty for distributing a translation of the Quran around Kabul. The men, along with four others, were due to stand at a Feb. 8 appeals court hearing that could decide their fate.
Ahmad Ghaws Zalmai and cleric Qari Mushtaq AhmadIn 2007, Ahmad Ghaws Zalmai (pictured left), a spokesman for the attorney general, helped print 1,000 copies of an Afghan language translation of the Quran. Because the translation did not have the original Arabic verses of the Quran, Islamic clerics accused Zalmai of breaking Shariah law by modifying the holy book. He has been in prison for more than a year, along with cleric Qari Mushtaq Ahmad of the Kabul mosque, who asked him to reprint the translation (pictured right).
Zalmai's case shows Afghan courts reverting to Islamic law in the absence of secular statutes, and underscores the country's legal and constitutional ambiguities that end in harming its religious freedom. Islam is Afghanistan's official state religion and the constitution states that "no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam." While Afghanistan has made commitments to observe international human rights standards, the law currently has gaps or is vague on points such as blasphemy or conversion, leaving them open to strict Islamic interpretation.
The Institute on Religion and Public Policy would like to extend its sincerest appreciation for your continued support. Your contributions allow us to continue the fight of promoting religious freedom throughout the world. It is because of supporters such as you that the Institute was nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize -- its second nomination.
As you see every day in the news, religious persecution is still rampant around the world and being a small non-profit it is becoming increasingly difficult for organizations such as ours to fully implement our programs and combat it effectively. We ask that you allow us to continue the fight of promoting religious freedom by providing us with an investment. Your investment goes a long way to supporting the efforts of the Institute.
For more information please contact Sarah Bishop at telephone number (202) 835-8760 or email her at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
The recommendations largely deal with ways to improve the implementation of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act. For example, according to the intent and scope of the law, the Institute recommends appointing a religious freedom advisor to the National Security Council. 
Dr. Hertzke, citing Pew Research, says six out of 10 people in the world live in countries with "elevated or high government restrictions on religious liberty." He recommends a wide range of government and society measures that can improve the situation, including legal advocacy and harnessing the relationships and clout that businesses enjoy. It's a long-term strategy the Institute has long advocated, one that goes beyond giving immediate aid to the victims of persecution.
Ahmad Ghaws Zalmai and cleric Qari Mushtaq AhmadIn 2007, Ahmad Ghaws Zalmai (pictured left), a spokesman for the attorney general, helped print 1,000 copies of an Afghan language translation of the Quran. Because the translation did not have the original Arabic verses of the Quran, Islamic clerics accused Zalmai of breaking Shariah law by modifying the holy book. He has been in prison for more than a year, along with cleric Qari Mushtaq Ahmad of the Kabul mosque, who asked him to reprint the translation (pictured right).
