Category: Citizenship/Politics

By Erin Rodewald // December 13, 2018

In the fall of 1998, members of Congress made a deliberate and unanimous choice to stand as beacons for the most fundamental of all human rights — freedom of religion or belief. Passage of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) came after months of debate and resulted in a law that has driven considerable human rights initiatives around the world for the past two decades while also codifying the first freedom as a top priority within U.S. foreign policy.

In this 20^th anniversary year, human rights organization  21Wilberforce embarked on a legacy project that would commemorate and capture the achievements of this landmark legislation. The result is The 20^th Anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act: A Retrospective, introduced this week at an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

For the first time, valuable IRFA source documents, personal recollections, and scholarly materials from the past 20 years have been collected and thoughtfully archived in a singular place with a succinct timeline. Included are candid conversations and observations culled from more than 55 interviews with prominent international religious freedom stakeholders, from elected officials and foreign policy experts to human rights advocates and academics. Continue reading “BLOG POST: Rich History of IRF Act Captured in a Single Volume”

By Erin Rodewald // July 31, 2018

(This article was originally written for and posted to 21Wilberforce)

Nadia Murad had dreams of being a teacher, not a sabia — not a slave. In one horrific August afternoon in 2014, ISIS terrorists invaded her village in Northern Iraq and shattered those dreams. The militants slaughtered hundreds of Nadia’s neighbors in a single hour, including six of her brothers and stepbrothers. She and the other young women who remained were rounded up and sold as slaves to ISIS fighters. Nadia endured months of brutality before escaping her captors.

Nadia is a victim of the devastating Yezidi genocide. She is also a survivor. Last week Vice President Mike Pence recognized her and several other survivors of religious persecution at the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C.

“We are honored by your presence. We are inspired by your courage,” said Pence, speaking directly to Nadia. “The people of the United States are inspired by your testimony and your strength and your faith. And it steels our resolve to stand for your religious liberty in the years ahead.” Continue reading “ARTICLE: Survivors of persecution breathe new life into religious freedom movement”

By Erin Rodewald // July 27, 2018

Twenty years ago, the U.S. Congress codified religious freedom as a priority for U.S. foreign policy by passing the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). This week, leadership at the highest levels of U.S. government re-affirmed a commitment to that first freedom, hosting the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.

“The United States of America stands for religious freedom yesterday, today, and always,” said Vice President Mike Pence at the closing session of the Ministerial. “We do this because it is right. But we also do this because religious freedom is in the interest of the peace and security of the world.”

To that end, the Ministerial has issued the Potomac Declaration, an official statement that underscores U.S. commitment to the advancement of religious liberty and the protection of those persecuted for their beliefs. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Declaration at the conclusion of the Ministerial, saying it “is a formal affirmation that says right up front that the U.S. takes religious freedom seriously, that we will work with others around the world to help those under attack for their beliefs, and that we expect leaders around the world to make it their priority as well.”

Among the principles elevated by the Declaration: Continue reading “BLOG POST: U.S. Leadership Puts First Freedom in First Position”

By Erin Rodewald || July 21, 2018

Fundamental to the American character is an embrace of religious freedom. It is our first freedom, enshrined in our founding documents:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. —Declaration of Independence

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. —U.S. Constitution, First Amendment

Religious freedom has not been gifted to Americans alone, of course. It is a universal value — worth protecting, but often abused. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, restrictions on religion around the world are on the rise, with one-third of the population surveyed living in places with high or very high levels of persecution.

A quick glance at the headlines affirms the statistics: Rohingya Muslims massacred and driven from their homeland; Yezidi women brutalized and enslaved by ISIS; thousands of Christians slaughtered in Nigeria; faithful Baha’i members routinely persecuted in Iran and Yemen; anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe.

Time to sound a clarion call for religious freedom around the world.

In the coming week, the U.S. Department of State will host the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C. The three-day summit (July 24-26) will bring together ministerial-level officials from more than 40 nations, as well as religious leaders, NGO representatives, civil society organizations, and human rights advocates. The goal: reaffirm international commitments to promote religious freedom and identify concrete initiatives to raise religious freedom as a global priority.

“Every human by nature of their dignity as a human being deserves the capacity to worship in the way that they want to worship, or if they choose not to worship at all, so be it,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a recent interview with VOA News. “No one should be punished by their government for their religious beliefs or their religious activities connected to those beliefs.”

The Ministerial represents the largest and highest-level gathering ever on the issue of international religious freedom and comes on the 20^th anniversary of the passage of the landmark International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. IRFA established the framework that elevated religious freedom as a priority within U.S. foreign policy.

In addition to formal plenary sessions and testimony from survivors of religious persecution, a number of side events are planned around the city. Topics for side events (many of which are open to the public) include lectures on the status of religious freedom in places like China, Nigeria, Syria, and Russia; screening of the film, Letter from Masanji; a multi-faith prayer service; an exhibit called The People of the Cross that highlights the persecution millions of people experience as daily followers of Jesus Christ; and a discussion about technology and religious freedom.

A full list of Ministerial events can be viewed at www.irfroundtable.org. Follow me at @EDRodewald for live coverage of Ministerial events throughout the week.