October 28, 2019 Washington, D.C. — Yesterday was International Religious Freedom Day, which this year marks the 21st anniversary of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). IRFA was a landmark piece of legislation that expressly recognized international religious freedom as a key component of U.S. foreign policy.

“The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act was one of America’s major acts of global leadership,” said Eric Patterson, Executive Vice President of RFI. “It initiated new foreign policy institutions and actions that have inspired several other countries to follow our lead. They include the creation of the position of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, mandating an annual International Religious Freedom Report by the Department of State, and establishing a U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.”

Last year, RFI held a major event commemorating the 20th Anniversary of IRFA.

RFI recently published a report, “Surveying the Landscape of International Religious Freedom,” which documents relevant policy, advocacy, and programming activities of 18 countries and 5 multilateral bodies that have been launched since the passage or IRFA.

Religious freedom was recognized as a fundamental human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966). Unfortunately, this fundamental right is routinely abused by many of the signatories to these documents.

Despite many gains, the world continues to experience a global crisis of religious freedom. Violent religious persecution, severe government restrictions, and social hostilities toward religion and religious freedom are rampant, with no region left unaffected. The plight of Yazidis and Christians in Iraq, the egregious blasphemy laws in Pakistan, the suffering of the Rohingyas in Burma, and the persistence of militant secularism in Latin America provide a sampling of the enormous challenges that remain.

“International Religious Freedom Day is a time to commemorate the vital work that has been accomplished in advancing religious freedom, but it also invites us to look soberly at the terrible violations of religious freedom that persist all over the world, and to rededicate ourselves to addressing them,” said Thomas Farr, President of RFI.

Media Contact:
Nathan Berkeley
media@religiousfreedominstitute.org
202-838-7734
www.religiousfreedominstitute.org

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The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) works to secure religious freedom for everyone, everywhere. RFI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.