Religious freedom

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Washington, DC -- October 26, 2009 -- ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: Thank you, Madame Secretary, for your remarks and for your leadership on this issue of religious freedom. I have recently been confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. In this position, I’m charged with leading the bureau in which the Office of International Religious Freedom is a part.    » read more »

Harsh Crackdown on Followers of Buddhist Peace Activist Thich Nhat Hanh

October 18, 2009 -- (New York) - The violent forced expulsion of more than 300 followers of the world-renowned Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh from Bat Nha monastery in late September highlights the Vietnamese government's suppression of religious freedom, Human Rights Watch said today.

In 2005, the Vietnamese government welcomed Thich Nhat Hanh during his first return to his homeland after 39 years in exile abroad. Government and religious officials subsequently invited him to open a Buddhist meditation center at Bat Nha monastery in Lam Dong province, which soon began to draw large numbers of followers.    » read more »

12 November 2007 -- Human rights groups are urging the Egyptian government to lift restrictions on religious freedom that discriminate against those who do not belong to one of three recognized religions.

Basma Moussa has not had a national ID card since 2004, when Egypt's Interior Ministry refused to issue her one unless she changed her religion. Moussa is an Egyptian member of the Baha'i faith, a monotheistic religion that developed in Iran in the 19th century.    » read more »

14 August 2007 -- A court in western Germany has ruled that a teacher who converted to Islam must stop wearing a headscarf at her school.

The court in Dusseldorf ruled Tuesday that wearing the garment at schools violates state law prohibiting religious headwear.

The teacher who challenged the ban, Maryam Brigitte Weiss, started wearing a headscarf last year.

She argued her scarf was permissible because she wore it pushed back with hair showing at the front, in the style of American actress Grace Kelly. The court rejected her argument.    » read more »

Aug. 14, 2007 -- SUGAR LAND – Texas Governor Rick Perry today, joined by state legislators and Texas families, ceremonially signed House Bill 3678, the Religious Viewpoint Anti-Discrimination Act. The bill, authored by Rep. Charlie Howard, does not expand religious expression in schools, but rather reiterates a student’s existing right to expression.    » read more »

August 10, 2007 -- Efforts by the Chinese government to limit the succession of Tibetan spiritual leaders, part of a comprehensive campaign to control the Tibetan people, is a fundamental violation of freedom of religion and belief, Freedom House said today.    » read more »

11 July 2007 -- Six African countries – Botswana, Mali, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, and Kenya – rank among the world’s most tolerant societies in terms of religious freedoms. That’s according to the latest study by the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom. It measured the amount of government regulation, government favoritism toward a particular religion, and the amount of social pressures and constraints imposed by other faiths and organized groups in the country.    » read more »