Blinken Reaffirms US Religious Freedom Commitment But Ignored Christians Say Critics
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to protecting religious freedom at home and abroad in a statement marking National Religious Freedom Day on January 16.
But, as critics point out, Christian communities around the world have largely been ignored.
“The United States remains steadfast in its centuries-long commitment to protect the freedom of religion or belief for all, both at home and around the globe,” he said in remarks from the State Department.
Since 1993, U.S. presidents have annually proclaimed Jan. 16 as Religious Freedom Day to commemorate the passage of Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom law on Jan. 16, 1786. The commemoration continues a tradition of protecting religious liberties that remains central to American values.
In his statement, Blinken said that “the United States’ dedication to the freedom of religion or belief continues uninterrupted.”
The secretary of state also said the Biden administration has “worked tirelessly to secure this right for everyone around the world” over the past four years, as religious freedom faces new challenges globally.
Blinken referred to the administration’s determination of the actions of Burmese military members against the Rohingya people as “genocide and crimes against humanity,” which was announced in March 2022.
He also said the administration has expanded the International Freedom of Religion or Belief Alliance, an alliance of 38 countries, five friends, and three observers; protected “thousands of human rights defenders and individuals persecuted for their religious beliefs or affiliations”; released the first National Strategy to Combat Anti-Semitism and the first National Strategy to Combat Islamophobia and anti-Arab Hate; prosecuted hate crimes targeting religious minorities; and protected places of worship globally.
According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), their 2024 report documents systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom that occurred in the last year.
In USCIRF’s 2024 report, the commission designated 17 countries as Countries of Particular Concern, including China, Russia, Burma, Iran, and India, and it listed 11 countries on its Special Watch List.
But, according to reporting by Metro Voice, the Biden administration has met severe criticism from religious freedom groups for how it has acknowledged, or not acknowledged, persecution of Christians around the globe.
The administration has been “largely silent regarding religious persecution globally” of Christian believers, states a House Oversight Committee finding.
This comes as incidents against Christians have increased 20% since 2014, more than any other religious group with the exception of Jews. The report says almost 400 million Christians, 1 in 6 of the world’s total, face persecution.
They also point to the administration’s controversial decision to omit certain nations with documented cases of Christian persecution eliciting a the charge from religious freedom experts it reflects a “broader agenda” in the administration’s approach to religious liberty.
By Lily Zhou | The Epoch Times with additional reporting from Dwight Widaman at Metro Voice.
