The United States is often viewed across the globe as an example of a nation that safeguards religious freedom. Nonetheless, a federal government commission has urged American leaders to step up their efforts to ensure that residents in other countries around the world will get to experience the same freedom to practice their faith.
Fr. Thomas Reese, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), commended the State Department for recently releasing a report on the status of religious freedom around the world.
"We at USCIRF applaud the State Department for the excellent work that went into this report and its efforts to encourage countries around the world to adopt policies that respect this fundamental right," Fr. Reese said, as quoted by The Catholic News Agency.
The commission likewise praised the State Department for bringing "additional attention to the pernicious consequences of blasphemy laws."
According to the US State Department's religious freedom report covering 200 countries and territories across the globe, anti-blasphemy laws are among the top concerns for religious freedom.
These laws are often abused by authorities and trigger persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, the report stated.
"In many other Islamic societies, societal passions associated with blasphemy – deadly enough in and of themselves – are abetted by a legal code that harshly penalises blasphemy and apostasy," the U.S. State Department's report read.
"False accusations, often lodged in pursuit of personal vendettas or for the personal gain of the accuser, are not uncommon. Mob violence as a result of such accusations is disturbingly common," it added.
The report further named these nations as "countries of particular concern": China, Burma, Eritrea, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Reese, however, encouraged the U.S. government to go beyond this report and not to "miss this opportunity to strengthen our commitments with effective actions."
Republican Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey, who chairs the House subcommittee on global human rights, meanwhile proposed imposing sanctions on countries that suppress their citizens' religious freedoms.
"They must use targeted sanctions, visa denials, and other measures to address a global crisis and hold responsible individuals accountable for religious persecution," Smith also told The Catholic News Agency.
