When President Obama signed the International Religious Freedom Act into law today, religious freedom received a significant boost in U.S. Government policy with impact around the world.
“The freedom to practice a religion without persecution is a precious right for everyone, of whatever race, sex, or location on Earth. This human right is enshrined in our own founding documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries.” U.S. Congressman Chris Smith
Named for retired Virginia Congressman Frank R. Wolf who sponsored the original International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, the law signed by the President today gives the U.S. Government and State Department new tools, resources and training to help counter extremism and violations of religious freedom.
The measure requires, for the first time, international religious freedom training for all U.S. Foreign Service officers. It also establishes a “Special Watch List” of countries violating the religious liberty of their citizens, and enables creation of a list of individuals who are detained, imprisoned, tortured and subject to “forced remission of faith.”
Passed through the House in May and sent by the Senate to the President this week, the measure, supporters emphasize, will address the rise in persecution of Christians worldwide in addition to a broad range of other international freedom of religion and belief issues.
Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, chair of the Global Human Rights Subcommittee and author of the bill, spoke of the law’s significance: “The freedom to practice a religion without persecution is a precious right for everyone, of whatever race, sex, or location on Earth. This human right is enshrined in our own founding documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries.”
Coming soon: Analysis of the amended International Religious Freedom Act by a member of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable.
