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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks on the 2016
International Religious Freedom Annual report at the State Department in
Washington, U.S. August 15, 2017. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. allies including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
did not uphold principles of religious freedom in 2016, while Islamic
State has carried out “genocide” against religious minorities, Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday.
Tillerson made the comments at the State Department while introducing
the agency’s annual report on religious freedom, required by a 1998 act
of Congress. The report is the first to be released during the Trump
administration and covers 2016.
Saudi Arabia, Tillerson said, ought to “embrace greater degrees of
religious freedom for all of its citizens.” He cited criminal penalties
for apostasy, atheism, blasphemy, and insulting the Saudi state’s
interpretation of Islam, as well as attacks and discrimination targeting
Shi’ite Muslims.
The kingdom follows the strict Sunni Muslim Wahhabi school of Islam.
The report said Saudi Arabia has used counter-terrorism laws to
target atheists and Shi’ite Muslims. The United States and Saudi Arabia
have long been close partners in counter-terrorism efforts and the
kingdom was the first stop on U.S. President Donald Trump’s maiden
international visit.
Tillerson singled out another Gulf Arab state, Bahrain, saying it “must stop discriminating against the Shia communities.”
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said Tillerson’s remarks were
“inappropriate” and showed “a deep misunderstanding of the facts.” It
called on the State Department to discuss such matters directly with the
kingdom before making statements.
“The history of the Kingdom of Bahrain is characterized by
coexistence and religious harmony,” the ministry said in a statement. It
said Bahrainis of different sects, including Shi’ites, served as
government officials, judges, diplomats and other professions.
Tillerson said that in Turkey, a NATO ally, “authorities continued to
limit the human rights of members of some religious minority groups.”
American pastor Andrew Brunson has been jailed in Turkey since October
on charges of being part of a terrorist organization, according to news
reports.
Tillerson said religious freedom is “under attack” in Pakistan,
citing the marginalization of Ahmadiyya Muslims, a minority sect which
Pakistan considers non-Muslim.
Tillerson said Islamic State, the Sunni extremist group that has
controlled parts of Iraq and Syria, “is clearly responsible for genocide
against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims in areas it controls or
has controlled.”
Tillerson said Iran targeted religious minorities including Baha’is
and Christians, and in 2016 executed 20 people on charges including
“waging war against God.” He also called out China and Sudan in his
remarks.
The Chinese government tortures and imprisons thousands for
practicing their religious beliefs, Tillerson said, citing the targeting
of Falun Gong members, Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. And in
Sudan, the government arrests and intimidates clergy and blocks the
construction of churches while tearing down existing ones, he said.
Tillerson’s decision to introduce the report contrasted with how he
handled the State Department’s annual human rights report in March. He
declined to unveil it in person, breaking with precedent, and drew
criticism he was not giving rights issues adequate attention.
The report did not address Trump’s attempt this year to temporarily
suspend refugee admissions and his decision to impose a lower cap on the
number of those admissions. The report states that resettlement is a
“vital tool for providing refugees protection.”
Many refugees admitted to the United States in 2016 were fleeing religious intolerance and persecution, it said.