The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report on Monday noting which countries around the world are violating the human right of religious freedom on a systematic scale. According to CBN News, the report revealed that those violating religious freedom are doing so more menacingly as threats and detentions have increased within already rogue nations. Just as concerning is the increase in the amount of countries that are guilty of violating religious freedom.
According to the report, there are twelve countries that are of serious concern regarding the attacks on religious freedom. CBN News reports that “they include repeat offenders such as Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Five new countries were also put on notice: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam.” The USCIRF claims that communist North Korea is likely the most dangerous country for Christians around the world.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the USCIRF’s vice chair told CBN News that God is the greatest threat to any system that “demands a total fealty to the dictators and the regimes that are there,” adding that many governments around the world are guilty of attacking religious freedom.
Some Democrats and Republicans have found unity on the topic of defending religious freedom worldwide. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) shared in response to the report that “these violations do not go unnoticed.” Former Speaker of the House and Democrat Nancy Pelosi agreed stating, “make no mistake, the freedom of worship is a bedrock human right…Indeed it is a liberty that transcends borders and when it comes under threat the United States has a sacred duty to speak out.”
The USCIRF hopes that the United States will take action to help those suffering from religious persecution around the world. They believe that these rogue nations are watching to see how the United States will respond to their attacks on religious freedom.