{"id":324,"date":"2011-06-10T09:45:52","date_gmt":"2011-06-10T13:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=324"},"modified":"2011-06-09T18:18:16","modified_gmt":"2011-06-09T22:18:16","slug":"an-international-push-for-religious-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/an-international-push-for-religious-freedom.html","title":{"rendered":"An International Push for Religious Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>One of our top priorities at the ACLJ is to\u00a0ensure that religious freedom is protected here and around the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We work on this issue daily through our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).\u00a0 We report<\/a> regularly about the dangers facing Christians who are often persecuted – even put to death in some circumstances – because of their faith – Christians who live in countries where Christianity is a minority religion.<\/p>\n

That’s exactly why we’re focused on an important new bill before Congress, H.R. 1856<\/a>, that protects freedom of religion.<\/p>\n

In 1998, Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act, which created the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).\u00a0 For the last 12 years, USCIRF has been dedicated to revealing religious persecution around the world and reporting to the U.S. Department of State and the President those countries of particular concern.<\/p>\n

But without congressional action, the law creating USCIRF expires on September 30, 2011.\u00a0 H.R. 1856 reauthorizes USCIRF for an additional seven years and corrects some of the provisions of the original Act that experience has revealed are ineffective in protecting religious liberties.<\/p>\n

In a letter<\/a> urging Congress to support this measure, we underscore exactly why these protections are needed:\u00a0 “Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of any vibrant democratic society. Recent events around the world demonstrate that this cornerstone is under an ever-increasing threat.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

We cite problems in Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Nigeria, and the Middle East.\u00a0 It’s estimated that 70 percent of the world’s population live in countries with high or very high restrictions on religion.<\/p>\n

Here’s the problem.\u00a0 Although USCIRF has recommended to the State Department several Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), those countries that are the worst violators of religious liberties, inaction by the State Department has been a persistent problem.<\/p>\n

Under the Obama Administration, the State Department has failed to designate a single<\/em> CPC. Likewise, the Obama Administration has failed to take specific actions against countries that continually violate religious freedoms.\u00a0 H.R. 1856 addresses these problems by requiring the State Department to respond to USCIRF\u2019s recommendations and requiring the President to report to Congress if he fails to take specific action against countries designated as CPCs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This accountability between the State Department, the President, and Congress reinforces the United States’ commitment to religious liberties for all individuals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has been looking into this issue and we’ve submitted a letter backing H.R. 1856.\u00a0 Our letter urging Congress to approve this measure is posted here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s time for Congress to act and for the Obama Administration to identify the world’s worst offenders and take specific actions against these countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of our top priorities at the ACLJ is to\u00a0ensure that religious freedom is protected here and around the globe.\u00a0 We work on this issue daily through our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).\u00a0 We report regularly about the dangers facing Christians who are often persecuted – even put to death…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,54],"tags":[743,772,766,103,773,758,100,102,104],"class_list":["post-324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-justice","category-religious-freedom","tag-aclj","tag-christianity","tag-congress","tag-international-religious-freedom-act","tag-obama-administration","tag-religious-freedom","tag-religious-persecution","tag-u-s-commission-on-international-religious-freedom","tag-u-s-state-department"],"yoast_head":"\nAn International Push for Religious Freedom - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/an-international-push-for-religious-freedom.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An International Push for Religious Freedom - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of our top priorities at the ACLJ is to\u00a0ensure that religious freedom is protected here and around the globe.\u00a0 We work on this issue daily through our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ).\u00a0 We report regularly about the dangers facing Christians who are often persecuted – even put to death…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/an-international-push-for-religious-freedom.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-06-10T13:45:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-06-09T22:18:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/06\/200px-USCIRF-Logo_svg.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An International Push for Religious Freedom - 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ACLJ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4","name":"Jay Sekulow","description":"Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on constitutional law. He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":333,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions\/333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}