United States Commission on International Religious Freedom

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress. It is funded entirely by the federal government on an annual basis and its staff members are government employees.

As of March 2016, the Commissioners are:[1]

  1. Dr. Robert P. George, (chair). Also, Professor at Princeton University.[2]
  2. Dean Eric P. Schwartz, (vice chair). Also, Dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.[3]
  3. Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, (vice chair). Also, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.[4]
  4. Prof. Mary Ann Glendon, (commissioner). Also, Professor at Harvard Law School.[5]
  5. Dr. Daniel I. Mark, (commissioner). Also, Professor at Villanova University.[6]
  6. Rev. Thomas J. Reese, (commissioner). Also, Senior Analyst for the National Catholic Reporter.[7]
  7. Hannah Rosenthal, (commissioner). Also, President of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.[8]
  8. Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, (commissioner). Also, President of Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.[9]
  9. Dr. James J. Zogby, (commissioner). Also, President of Arab American Institute.[10]

The State Department's Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom serves as an ex officio, non-voting member of the Commission. Past Commissioners include Preeta D. Bansal, John Hanford, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Charles J. Chaput, Michael K. Young, Firuz Kazemzadeh, Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli, John R. Bolton, Elliot Abrams, Felice D. Gaer, Azizah Y. al-Hibri, Leonard Leo, and Richard Land of Southern Baptist Convention. [11]

The legislation authorizing the USCIRF had stated that the Commission would terminate on September 30, 2011, unless it was reauthorized or given a temporary extension. It was given several extensions by the Congress, but would have expired at 5:00 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011 had it not been reauthorized for a seven-year term (until 2018), on the morning of the 16th. This happened after a new reauthorization bill passed both Houses containing two amendments were made to it that Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL (the Senate Majority Whip) had wanted as a condition of releasing a hold he had secretly placed on the former version of the bill; he released it December 13, after the revisions were made. They stipulate that there will be a two-year limit on terms for commissioners, and that they will be under the same travel restrictions as employees of the Department of State.[12][13]

History

In the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, Congress created mechanisms in order to advance universal human rights and religious freedom:[14]

On May 9, 2014, Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R, VA-10) introduced the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4653; 113th Congress) that would amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as an independent federal government advisory body through FY2019.[16]

Duties and responsibilities

USCIRF researches and monitors international religious freedom issues. The Commission is authorized to travel on fact-finding missions to other countries; Consult and meet various entities like officials of foreign governments, religious groups, human rights group, policy experts etc.; Hold public hearings, and issue reports as well other public statements; Participate in U.S. delegations to international meetings and conferences as well as train Foreign Service Officers and other U.S. officials.

The Commission on International Religious Freedom issues an annual report every May 1. The annual report describes conditions for freedom of religious or belief in countries of concern to the Commission and provides policy recommendations to ensure that the promotion of freedom of religious belief becomes a more integral part of U.S. foreign policy. The report contains chapters on countries the Commission had recommended for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) for severe violations of religious freedom; countries the Commission has placed on a "watch list" for violations of religious freedom that do not meet the CPC threshold but require attention; and other countries USCIRF is monitoring closely. The annual report also includes chapters on U.S. policy on expedited removal and multilateral organizations.

Commissioners

The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 provides for the Commission to be composed of ten members:

IRFA provides that "Members of the Commission shall be selected among distinguished individuals noted for their knowledge and experience in fields relevant to the issue of international religious freedom, including foreign affairs, direct experience abroad, human rights, and international law." Commissioners are not paid for their work on the Commission (Stanke, 48). Appointments last for two years, and Commissioners are eligible for reappointment.

The effect of the various appointing authorities is for the Commission to be bipartisan in character. The position of the Chair rotates from year to year from an appointee of one party to the appointee of the other.

Criticism

India

A not entirely unbiased analysis of USCIRF 2014 report criticizes USCIRF for promoting religious discord between Hindus and Buddhist, white-wash terror acts, and falsely blaming a Monk for Bodh Gaya bombings [17]

Christian leaders in Odisha defended India: Archbishop Raphael Cheenath stated that India remained of a secular character, the president of the Odisha Minority Forum that, despite a small hate campaign against minorities, the majority of society had been "cordial and supportive", and the Orissa Secular Front that, despite the 2002 and 2008 riots, India had a strong secular foundation.[18]

Egypt

During the 2001 visit to Egypt, USCIRF was able to meet the Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III and Mohammed Sayed Tantawi of Al-Azhar University, but others refused to meet the delegation. Hisham Kassem, chairman of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, felt that insisting on the rights of Christians in Egypt might antagonize Muslims and thus be counterproductive.[19]

Laos

First-ever U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Robert Seiple, criticized the USCIRF’s emphasis on the punishment of religious persecution over the promotion of religious freedom. In his view, the USCIRF was "only cursing the darkness". As an example, he highlights the Commission’s decision to designate Laos a Country of Particular Concern in 2002 despite release of religious prisoners. Of the USCIRF he further stated “...that which was conceived in error and delivered in chaos has now been consigned to irrelevancy. Unless the Commission finds some candles soon, Congress ought to turn out the lights."[20]

The Commission responded that despite the releases, the Marxist, Pathet Lao government in Laos still had systemic impediments to religious freedom, such as laws allowing religious activities only with the consent of Pathet Lao government officials, and laws allowing the government to determine whether a religious community is in accord with its own teaching.[21]

Other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), religious freedom and human rights advocates, policy experts and Members of Congress, have defended the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's research work, and various reports on the Pathet Lao government's increased and serious religious persecution in Laos, from Seiple's controversial criticism. They have pointed out potential conflicts of interest involving reported grant monies Seiple, or a non-profit organization connected to Seiple, reportedly received from officials at the U.S. Department of State to apparently seek to minimize grossly increased religious persecution and widespread human rights violations by the Lao government and the Lao People's Army.[22]

Other issues

A former policy analyst, Safiya Ghori-Ahmad, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that she was fired because she was a Muslim and a member of an advocacy group, the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Current commissioners and some other religious-freedom advocates deny the claims of bias. The commission has also been accused of in-fighting and ineffectiveness.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Commissioners, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Accessed online March 14, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dr. Robert P. George, Chairman". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  3. ↑ "Eric P. Schwartz, Vice Chair". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  4. ↑ "Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, Vice Chair". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  5. ↑ "Professor Mary Ann Glendon, Commissioner". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  6. ↑ "Dr. Daniel I. Mark, Commissioner". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  7. ↑ "Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J.". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  8. ↑ "Hannah Rosenthal, Commissioner". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  9. ↑ "Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, Commissioner". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  10. ↑ "Dr. James J. Zogby, Commissioner". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  11. ↑ "Former Commissioners". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  12. ↑ Authorizing Legislation & Amendments, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Accessed on-line June 4, 2010.
  13. ↑ "US religious freedom commission reauthorized at last minute". Catholic News Agency.
  14. ↑ "H.R.2431 - International Religious Freedom Act of 1998". Congress.gov.
  15. ↑ "Authorizing Legislation & Amendments". United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  16. ↑ "H.R. 4653 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Analysis of the USCIRF India Chapter report, 2014".
  18. ↑ "Orissa: Christian leaders disagree with US panel's report". Rediff. August 14, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2010. Babu Thomas (August 17, 2009). "Orissa Christians reject USCIRF report, defends 'secular' India". Christianity Today. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Egypt: Religious Freedom Delegation Gets Cold Shoulder", Kees Hulsman, Christianity Today, May 21, 2001. Accessed on line June 12, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Speaking Out: The USCIRF Is Only Cursing the Darkness". Christianity Today. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Speaking Out: USCIRF's Concern Is To Help All Religious Freedom Victims". Christianity Today. November 1, 2002. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  22. ↑ Smith, Philip, Center for Public Policy Analysis (or Centre for Public Policy Analysis), (10 December 2004), Washington, D.C. http://www.centreforpublicpolicyanalyis.org
  23. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (February 17, 2010). "Agency that monitors religious freedom abroad accused of bias". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2010.

External links

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