(Washington, D.C., 6/3/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the State Department’s newly released 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom.
CAIR praised Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain’s accompanying remarks condemning the genocide of Muslims in China and Burma and the rise in attacks targeting religious minorities and their houses of worship in India – and the need for democracies and tech companies to do more to combat rising nationalism and the threat of hate speech targeting religious minorities.
CAIR also used the publication of the report as an opportunity to challenge the Biden Administration to step up its response to countries that violate their minority citizens’ religious freedom.
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“This year’s international religious freedom report is an important reminder of the persecution and violence Muslims and other religious minorities face at the hands of the governments of China, Burma, India, Israel, and France.
“With two active genocides targeting Muslim minorities in China and Burma, the looming threat of genocide in India, mosques and Islamic organizations being closed by the government of France, and Palestinian Muslims and Christians being displaced by the Israeli government, the Biden administration must take stronger actions based on the facts documented in this report.
“It is time for the United States to ramp up sanctions and restrictions on China and Burma – while finally designating India and France as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and applying related sanctions. Finally, the U.S. must stop funding the Israeli apartheid government’s bigoted oppression of Palestinian Muslims and Christians.”
Note: CPCs are countries where the government engages in or tolerates “particularly severe” violations of religious freedom.
SEE: 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom
SEE: 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: France
SEE: 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Burma
SEE: 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: India
SEE: 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Israel, West Bank and Gaza
Upon releasing its annual report, Secretary Blinken and Ambassador Hussain provided a wide range of remarks addressing the United States’ international religious freedom concerns.
Highlighted Remarks of Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain on the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom:
SECRETARY BLINKEN ON INDIA
“The report documents how religious freedom and rights of religious minorities are under threat around the world. In India, the world’s largest democracy and home to great diversity of faiths, we have seen a rise in attacks on people and places of worship.”
SECRETARY BLINKEN ON BURMA
“To highlight a few examples, in March, based on extensive legal review of the evidence, I made the determination that Burma’s military committed genocide and crimes against humanity with the intent to destroy predominantly Muslim Rohingya in 2017 – intent that was evidenced by, among other things, attacks on mosques, the use of religious and ethnic slurs, the desecration of Korans, among, again, many other actions.”
SECRETARY BLINKEN ON CHINA
“China continues its genocide and repression of predominately Muslim Uyghurs and other religious minority groups. Since April 2017, more than 1 million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and others have been detained in internment camps in Xinjiang. The PRC continues to harass adherents of other religions that it deems out of line with Chinese Community Party doctrine, including by destroying Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Taoist houses of worship and by erecting barriers to employment and housing for Christians, Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Falun Gong practitioners.”
AMBASSADOR HUSSAIN ON CHINA
“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] Government continue[s] to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs who are predominantly Muslim and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups. The PRC uses sophisticated emerging technologies such as AI and facial recognition to surveil and maintain control of its open-air prison in Xinjiang. Behind all the evidence and data, the many reports of deaths in custody, torture, and physical abuse, there are thousands of Uyghur family members – daughters and sons are desperate to know where their parents are, but are terrified of what news they could discover and are wondering whether they will ever be safely reunited.”
SECRETARY BLINKEN ON EUROPE:
“And all societies, including our own and across Europe, must do more to combat rising forms of hate, including anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment.”
SECRETARY BLINKEN ON DEMOCRACIES & SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Governments must speak out and protect the vulnerable and marginalized. Anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and xenophobia are on the rise in many countries. Democratic backsliding and the rise of nationalism and nativist rhetoric and policies have been used to justify violence towards members of ethnic or religious minority groups and historically marginalized peoples. Social media platforms are used to spread hate speech and to incite violence by vilifying and threatening members of religious minorities.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR’s Email List
https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters
Subscribe to CAIR’s Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR’s YouTube Channel
Follow CAIR on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cair_national/
Donate to CAIR
https://action.cair.com/a/donate
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
If you would like to join CAIR’s media list, please sign up here: https://action.cair.com/a/newsletters — For more information, email: info@cair.com, CC ihooper@cair.com
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com