Clinton: Authoritarian Regimes, Violent Extremists Threaten Religious Freedom

The United States has released its annual report on religious freedom worldwide, noting with concern the situation in eight countries — Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says reports from China say authorities have harassed Buddhist monks, house Christians , and Uighur Muslims. She said authoritarian regimes and violent extremist groups in various parts of the world are threatening religious freedom.

Among the countries of concern, the report says there was no change in North Korea’s “extremely poor level” of respect for religious freedom. It says the Iranian government’s respect for religious freedom continued to deteriorate.

The report says radical Islamic elements in Iraq exerted “tremendous pressure” on individuals and groups to conform to extremist interpretations of Islam, and that sectarian violence has affected the ability of people to practice religion freely.

Elsewhere, it says the record of the Egyptian government on religious freedom remains “poor,” with Christians and members of the Baha’i faith facing discrimination. It noted that in January in the city of Nag Hammadi, six Copts and one Muslim were killed in an attack on worshippers after a Coptic Christmas mass. But among positive steps taken, it says the government did arrest and began prosecuting four alleged perpetrators of that attack.

The State Department says relations between religious communities in Pakistan remained tense and discrimination in society was widespread. It says extremists targeted religious congregations and demanded that citizens follow a strict interpretation of Islam. But it notes the government has taken some steps to respect religious freedom, such as allocating four reserved seats for religious minorities in the Senate.

The report to the U.S. Congress, which is required by law, covers the period from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.