The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said recently that Egypt’s recent focus on conducting reconciliation sessions between Muslims and Christians is ineffective and promotes further assaults against Christians with impunity.

The Voice of the Copts said that in recent years the Egyptian government has tried to resolve tensions between Christians and Muslims through reconciliation sessions. However, this has taken away focus from bringing perpetrators of abuse of Christians to the courts.

In its recent yearly report on religious human rights in Egypt which the USCIRF submitted to the U.S. Department of State, they said that reconciliation sessions have “prevented the prosecution of perpetrators of crimes against Copts,” according to Voice of the Copts.

The sessions have also ruled out the option of seeking restitution from the judiciary. Because they know they will not be penalized, this has added to further assaults against Christians, Voice of the Copts said.

The USCIRF has urged the U.S. to pressure the Egyptian government to take legal action against those responsible for violence and human rights violations. They also would like to take away supervision of religious affairs from the state security services, except when cases involve violence or its advocacy, Voice of the Copts reported.

For example, they cite the case of three Muslim men who were charged with the murder last January 6 of six Christians and one Muslim security guard during Coptic Christmas eve in Naga Hammadi, southern Egypt, Voice of the Copts said.

The trial of the three Muslim men began in February in a state security court but up until now, court hearings have been delayed and postponed continually and there is no clear view that there will be an ending, and that the guilty will be brought to justice, according to Voice of the Copts.

The trial is expected to resume tomorrow at the Qena governorate. The USCIRF has asked that the trial definitely push through tomorrow, voicing concern that parliamentary elections which are slated in November may shift government’s focus away from the trial, Voice of the Copts reported.

Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair said, “The government knows well that accountability could serve as a deterrent, and would demonstrate that the government is interested in addressing the issue through application of the rule of law and not just reconciliation sessions,” according to Voice of the Copts.

He added, “Justice delayed is justice denied. Is it possible for Coptic Orthodox Christians to get justice in the Egyptian court system?” Leo noted that initially they were encouraged that Egypt would bring the case to trial quickly but eight months have passed with no convictions, and no indication that an end is near, Voice of the Copts reported.

Leo said, “this only encourages further violence and is reminiscent of so many past trials where justice was never served.” Egypt has been on USCIRF’s Watch List since 2002 because of continual and serious violations of religious freedom, Voice of the Copts said.

Leaders from over a dozen international human rights organizations joined forces recently in the Pakistan Christian Congress held at Reeves Center, Washington DC to seek the repeal of the much abused blasphemy law, and to fight for the rights of Christians in Pakistan.

A high point in the conference was when Commissioner Nina Shea of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom made an outright call for the law’s repeal. Shea said despite existing legal rights of minorities, the blasphemy law practically renders them meaningless noting, “They are constantly vulnerable to accusations that are likely to be false under the blasphemy laws,” The Pakistan Christian Post said.

She also said it is important that the Pakistan government repeal the law noting, “These kinds of laws are not only repressive, but they also create social turmoil,” The Pakistan Christian Post said.

Noting that the U.S. is one of Pakistan’s largest donors, Shea said it is important that they stress upon Islamabad the importance of repealing the law.

In a joint press conference where several organization leaders were present Shea said, “I expect the US to bilateral and multilateral engagements with Pakistan to press for the repeal of the blasphemy law,” The Pakistan Christian Post said.

Despite the presence of a new regime in Pakistan, the number of Christians arrested under the blasphemy law has doubled. Two Christians were even killed in court during a blasphemy case hearing at the District Court of Faisalabad.

There are some 20 million Christians in Pakistan and although there are seats reserved for minorities these Christians cannot elect them. Instead, minority representatives are chosen by Muslims, and these minority seats seem to be mere window dressing for the international community.

Also noted during the congress was the first year anniversary of Gorja Town Christian colony, when thousands of Muslims set over 50 homes on fire and burned to death seven Christian children and women. No one was punished for the crimes.

As the local police watched, the Muslims also destroyed hundreds of homes in Korjan and Bahminwala villages in Punjab. Recalling this, Pakistan Christian Congress Chief Dr. Nazir S Bhatti said the pending “Minority Day” which the Pakistan government created should instead be called “Black Day” to honor the dead.

Bhatti said, “How we can celebrate Minority Day in Pakistan when our innocent brothers are being killed by Islamic militants and our women are being gang raped and enforcedly converted to Islam.”

Ahmar Mustikhan, who founded American Friends of Baluchistan, said minorities have no rights at all adding, “I have not seen any case so far where the perpetrators of crimes against Christians, Hindus and Kadiayanis are brought to justice.”

Jeffery Imm of REAL called for an online campaign for the Pakistan government to respect diverse religious views and protect their freedoms, which are inherent universal rights.

Bhatti said Wedenesday that rallies will be held in all cities in Pakistan to mark “Black Day” instead of Minority Day as announced by the government, The Pakistan Christian Post said.

Others who attended the conference were Andrew Eiva (Director, Freedom for Sudan Committee), Ashraf Ramelah (Voice of the Copts), Manzoor Alam (Chairman, Pakistani American Christian Coalition), Mujeeb Ijaz (Ahamdayya Muslims in USA), Shaharyar Gill (International Center of Justice and Law),  Ahmar Mustikhan (founder, American Friends of Balochistan), Senge H. Sering, (director, Gilgit Baltistan National Congress), and a representative of ICC, The Pakistan Christian Post said.

Read more about the Pakistan’s blasphemy law here.

Some international religious freedom advocates are doubtful of the credentials of President Obama’s nominee of ambassador for international religious freedom, the Associated Baptist Press said.

Obama nominated Suzan Johnson Cook, President and CEO of Wisdom Worldwide Center and a widely known motivational speaker.

Cook was a former presidential adviser and White House fellow on the Domestic Policy Council, according to her website.

However questions are being raised regarding her experience in foreign policy. Cook is widely distinguished as a motivational speaker and has, according to her website, delivered some 1,500 speeches in Africa, the Caribbean and the United States, her website says.

While her background as a pastor is undisputable, the field of foreign policy is complex and a firm grounding in the area is called for as ambassador for international religious freedom, the ABP said.

Robert Seiple, who first held the post in 1998, described the job as “delicate…even for experts,” the ABP said.

Religion Dispatches magazine said the nomination showed Obama’s “…proclivity for flash rather than substance in religious matters.”

In a statement Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said “Dr. Johnson Cook is an experienced religious leader with a passion for human rights and an impressive record of public service. President Obama could not have found a more fitting choice for this important position,” the ABP said.

According to her website, Cook’s other experience includes working as a producer at NBC, ABC and CBS. She has appeared in Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN’s Faith Forum and Fox among others, as a political and faith analyst. She is a bestselling author and faith advisor to political and celebrity leaders.

Obama also named two appointees to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, namely Felice Gaer, currently with the commission, to be given another term, and William Shaw, former president of the National Baptist Convention, CNN said.

The appointments come weeks after the USCIRF expressed concern in their annual report that the position has not been filled. They feared that under Obama’s watch the position, which Congress had intended to serve as a principal adviser to the President and Secretary of State, could be reduced in the ranking of the State Department, CNN said.

Ethnic cleansing in Iraq has caused half of 1.4 million Christians who lived there to leave the country.

Quoting the Assyrian International News Agency, the report said that these Assyrian Christians compose less than 4 percent of Iraq’s population.

They speak Aramaic, a dialect close to what Jesus spoke 2000 years ago, and are descendants of the first converts to Christianity.

Indyposted said that post Sadaam Husssein, many traditional protections that were given to non Muslims are no longer enforced due to various Muslim factions in Iraq.

Ethnic cleansing has taken place through bomb attacks, assassinations, rapes and kidnappings, Indyposted reported.

The report adds that Iraqi Christians who have fled are oftentimes denied asylum in other countries.

Many are living underground in Sweden.   According to AINA, Iraqi Assyrians in Sweden are arrested, put in a plane, then flown back to Baghdad.

According to Indypost, instability for Iraq’s Christians has been an outgrowth of the war in Iraq.

The London Telegraphnoted that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has branded Iraq’s religious persecution “of particular concern” and called on the Obama administration to intervene before the ancient religious communities are exterminated.

So far their appeal has not moved Hillary Clinton according to the London Telegraph, adding that “In these paranoid times, to defend Iraqi Christians from their Muslim fellow-citizens could be misinterpreted as an attack on Islam.”

The U.S. Commision on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) noted in its recent 2010 annual report that President Obama has fallen short of doing what he can to lobby for the protection of religious freedom in the world.

The report noted that until now, President Obama has failed to appoint an Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom, a request that was made to him last month in a petition signed by lawmakers, scholars and human rights groups.

The same petition requested that the position be given equal level to other Ambassadors-At-Large who report directly to the Secretary of State, according to The Christian Post.

The USCIRF also noted that under Obama’s watch, no countries have been rated CPC, or “countries of particular concern” for having the worst religious violations.

Such a rating can prompt government action including trade restrictions, sanctions, embargoes, and withholding of military or financial aid, among others, The Christian Post said.

The same report said that the USCIRF, an independent US government commission, made these observations even as it said that with every year the issue becomes less and less important to the White House and the State Department.

The position of Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom, for example, was created in 1998, but it had only been filled in its initial year, and has remained vacant since 1999.

The commission warned Obama that failure to fill the position sent a message to the international community that religious freedom is not an important issue to the American government, the Christian Post said.

The same report noted that USCIRF took issue with the fact that Obama rarely mentioned religious freedom when he visited Ankara and Cairo last year.

Furthermore, Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton replaced the words religious freedom with “freedom of worship.”

The commission said authoritarian governments could skirt the issue by noting that faiths that are okay with them can freely worship.

Credit:svilen001/sxc.hu

They could also permit only token houses of worship for minority faiths.

According to CNN, the USCIRF also reported that:

* Over 24 countries are religious freedom offenders and practice religious persecution.

* Forms of religious persecution may include imprisonment, murder, being fired from jobs, and being kicked out of universities; being forbidden to have bank accounts, driver’s licenses and even birth certificates, among others.

* 13 countries should be rated CPC or “countries of particular concern” because they have the worst religious violations. These countries include Myanmar (Burma), China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Suda, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.

* 12 countries on the watch list are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Venezuela.

* The report has five more countries under CPC rating than does the State Department’s 2009 report, which did not include Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan or Vietnam.

* 3 countries, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka, should be closely monitored.

Specific Countries

* Egypt. Members of the Baha’I faith and minority Muslim sects are imprisoned, fired from jobs, kicked out of universities, and barred from having bank accounts, birth certificates and driver’s licenses.

* Nigeria. A decade of violence between Muslims and Christians in the Jos state recently culminated in 500 men, women and children hacked to death with machetes and dumped into wells.

* China. Cracked down on Uyghur Muslims in the west.

* Iran. Labeled domestic political opponents “enemies of God” which is a capital offense and can merit severing of the head.

* Eritrea. Harassment of Orthodox Church members and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

* Vietnam. Imprisonment of Buddhists and Protestants.

The USCIRF report urged the government to double its efforts to protect international religious freedom and to raise issues of abuse to the highest levels of the world community, the Christian Post said.

“Anything less betrays our history and values, and fails to leverage the extraordinary capacity we have as a nation to promote religious freedom and related human rights for all,” the report said.