The State Department issued
its annual human rights report March 11, noting religious freedom violations in
countries ranging from China to Iraq to Saudi Arabia.
The report on 194 countries
called 2009 “a year in which ethnic, racial, and religious tensions led to
violent conflicts and serious human rights violations.”
The State Department said “no
genuine freedom of religion” exists in North Korea and Cuban law permits
punishment of “any unauthorized assembly of more than three persons, including
those for private religious services in private homes.”
The report said religious
minorities continue to face “escalating discrimination and persecution.” In
Iraq, for example, despite the government’s public calls for tolerance, attacks
on places of worship by extremist and insurgent groups limited their ability to
practice their faith.
In China, repression of
Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uighurs increased, the report said. Non-Muslims
are prohibited from expressing their religion publicly in Saudi Arabia.
The department noted that
several countries with “generally strong” human rights records had been home to
religious freedom violations in 2009, citing the recent ban on construction of
minarets in Switzerland as an example.
“Discrimination against
Muslims in Europe has been an increasing concern,” the report said.