Institute for Global Engagement delegation returns from Viet Nam

The Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) and an accompanying delegation recently visited Hanoi and the Northwest province of Lao Cai as a part of its 2006 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnamese government, according to an IGE press release issued Wednesday. The MOU works to promote religious freedom in Viet Nam.

Highlights from the visit included: the second “Religion and Rule of Law” conference to be held in Southeast Asia; the signing of a protocol which provides guidance for further implementing the socio-economic policies of an NGO working in Lao Cai; meetings with members of Viet Nam’s National Assembly, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Security to deepen religious dialogue; and a personal meeting with President Triet.

The IGE delegation gathered information about the religious freedom climate in Viet Nam, and learned of Hanoi’s program to educate governmental and religious leaders about ordinances, decrees and guidelines dealing with religious freedom.

For the full press release, click here.

Mennonite church slated for official recognition in Viet Nam

The Vietnam Mennonite Church will be granted a “Certificate for Religious Activities” in early October 2007, Ekklesia.co.uk reported today. The move comes after church president Pastor Nguyen Quang Trung first began pursuing recognition two decades ago.

According to the terms of the certification, the Mennonite Church will now be able to function throughout the country and organize a national conference within the year. Additionally, if the entire process of holding a conference, and if a constitution and statement of faith are adopted, and officers elected, the church may be granted legal status. With this status, the church will be able to purchase property, open an official training school, and publish materials.

The recognition, however, does not cover all Mennonite churches in Viet Nam. The certificate only recognizes churches associated with Pastor Trung, who has a relationship with about 80 congregations with 5,000 members. The Mennonite church in Viet Nam split in 2004 after some religious leaders were arrested, and, more recently, some congregations have considered themselves independent of either group.

Although authorities have made registration easier in the past year, some rural ethnic minority churches continue to be harassed.

For the full story, click here.

Billboard raises issues of human rights in Viet Nam

A billboard campaign by a Houston-based Vietnamese human rights group condemns human rights violations occurring in Viet Nam, the Houston Chronicle reported on September 22. The image shows Father Nguyen Van Ly, a former “prisoner of conscience,” being muzzled by a plainclothes Vietnamese guard for speaking out against the Communist Party during a government trial on March 30.

The billboard campaign emerged because of concern that Viet Nam’s growing economy and new international standing is overshadowing human rights conditions. The country joined the World Trade Organization earlier this year.

Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, says that since Viet Nam joined the WTO, human rights violations have become worse in the country. The U.S. House of Representatives has condemned the recent repression in Viet Nam, and passed a bill to promote human rights there, although it remains to be seen if the Senate will pass it.

On the contrary, Cuong The Nguyen, press attaché for the Vietnam Embassy, says there have been talks about human rights between the United States and Viet Nam, and that “progression in human rights, freedom of religions, freedom of speech in Vietnam is an undeniable fact.”

For the full article, click here.

Iran restricts Baha'is chances of going to University

Human Rights Watch is pushing for the Iranian government to end restrictions that keep Baha’is in the country from attending universities, AHN reported on September 21.

International Baha’i organizations as well as students within Iran have told HRW that authorities at the National Education Measurement and Evaluation Organization have denied 800 students their entrance examination scores based on religious affiliation. Because the Baha’i students have been denied access to their scores, it has made it almost impossible for them to attend university.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW, said that “as universities begin the new academic year, hundreds of Iranian students will be absent from campuses because of blatant religious discrimination.”

For the full article, click here.

New U.S. ambassador vows to pressure Viet Nam to release political dissidents

U.S. Ambassador to Viet Nam Michael Michalak has said that the United States will continue to put pressure on Viet Nam to release dissidents convicted of spreading anti-state propaganda, Agence-France Presse reported Saturday.

Western governments and human rights organizations have been criticizing Viet Nam recently for the number of arrests it has had for activists speaking out against the government. The propaganda charge is found under article 88 of Viet Nam’s penal code, and Michalak said that: “We would like to talk about ways to change this particular article.”

He added: “We don’t believe people should be put in jail just for expressing their opinion.” He also asserted that he will “continue to encourage the government of Viet Nam to make progress on human rights, including religious freedom, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression.”

For the full article, click here.

In Egypt, debate over religious affiliation on ID cards continues

Identity cards in Egypt currently feature a section which indicates religious affiliation; citizens can choose either Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. Wataninet.com reported last week that the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) suggested that the religion box should be deleted from the visible portion of the card and that the information should only be seen while accessing the card’s magnetic strip. Only specialized staff should be able to access this information.

Fouad Riyad, NCHR member and professor of international law, said that “people like Bahai’s were deprived of having birth certificates or IDs unless they agreed to be cited as belonging to one of the three heavenly religions since the State did not recognize any other religion”.

According to the article, Hossam Baghat, the director of the NGO Egyptian initiative for personal rights, highlighted another side of the issue. According to the article, Baghat stated that the ID cards must be discussed within the current political context, “taking into consideration the current rise in sectarian tension”. He went on to say that “many see that rights granted to non-Muslims represent a discount of Muslim rights, with the government ‘spoiling’ non-Muslims in response to international pressure”. He suggested the religion box should be optional.

To read the full story, click here

Viet Nam commended in U.S. Religion Report, while Iraq is at fault

The State Department’s 2007 report on international religious freedom, which was introduced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on September 14, cites faults in Iraq, China and other countries, but improvements in Viet Nam and Saudi Arabia, Voice of America reported. The report, required by an act of Congress, this year covers 198 countries and territories.

In her remarks, Rice said that religious liberty is deeply rooted in American history and is integral to U.S. efforts to combat what she calls the ideology of hatred and religious intolerance that fuels global terrorism.

The state of religious freedom has deteriorated in Iraq, but according to U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom John Hanford, this is due to insurgency-related violence rather than any government policy: “The real problem we’re dealing with is that with the sectarian violence, not necessarily focused upon religious practice, that at the same time religious practice winds up being affected,” Hanford said.

China was taken to task for continuing to repress Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighar Muslims, and members of the Falon Gong spiritual group.

Viet Nam, on the other hand, was commended for continuing to make progress in expanding religious freedom. The country was taken off the “Countries of Particular Concern” list last year for actions it has taken, including the official recognition of Protestant congregations.

Saudi Arabia has also bolstered religious freedom by allowing the private observance of non-sanctioned religions and curbing incitement against other faiths, the report says.

Nations deemed “Countries of Particular Concern” for egregious abuses are subject to U.S. sanctions. The revised list will not be issued until November in order to give countries facing the designation and possible sanctions a chance to make reforms.

For the full article, click here.

IRPP Fellow's Family in Egypt Threatened

LCHR has received the following news update from the Institute of Religion and Public Policy:

PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Kevin Fahey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHONE: 202-835-8760
EMAIL: Fahey@religionandpolicy.org

Institute Fellow Threatened for Defending Democracy, Religious Freedom

Washington, D.C. – Institute on Religion and Public Policy Islamic Thought Fellow Sheikh Ahmed Subhy Mansour has reported receiving numerous threats against his family and colleagues in Egypt as a result of his work to advance religious freedom and promote democracy in Egypt.

One message states, "Basically, you escaped to America, but your family and your people are still here in Egypt. We know them one by one. We know their whereabouts and everything about them. What happened lately is just a beginning. We will do them good." The threat was signed by "Abu Hurayrah Al Asiuty."

In May, the Egyptian Security Service unlawfully arrested, detained, and have to date not charged Abdellatif Mohamed Saied, Ahmed Dahmash, Abdelhamed Abdelrahman and Amr Tharwat. The security services also confiscated Quaranist books, research papers, and computers. The Quranists have been targeted for their dedication to the promotion of human rights and democracy in Egypt and for their belief that Islam should be modernized in a peaceful way based on ideologies of democracy and human rights.

Another threat to Dr. Mansour says, "We will make you, the enemy of God, taste the horrible torment….You, the infidel and heretic, you should know that we are watching and awaiting you. Your alliance with the countries of infidelity will not save you, your followers, or all of those who followed you from us. The war has begun, we will exterminate your family and all your people; the people of infidelity. We know about them more than they know about themselves. We know where they live and where they work. We will make them taste the retribution of the agony as they are the enemies of Sunna who despise the companions of the Messenger of God, Peace of God be upon him and his family. What is happening now to your family is just a beginning. Await what is coming." This message was signed "Yousef son of Katada."

In June the Egyptian government continued its series of arrests of members of the Quranist movement in Egypt as Ahmed Sobhy Mansour, leader of Ahl Al-Quran group, was added to the list of Quranists charged with contempt for religion.

An Egyptian national now living in the U.S., Dr. Mansour is a distinguished scholar of Islam with expertise in Islamic history, culture, theology and politics. He was an advocate for democracy and human rights in Egypt for many years, during which time he was isolated and persecuted by religious extremists and by the regime, including having served time in prison for his liberal political, religious and social views.

Having graduated with honors from Al Azhar University of Cairo, one of the oldest and most well respected centers of Islamic thought in the world, he later received his PhD with highest honors from Al Azhar as well. In May 1985, Dr. Mansour was discharged from his teaching and research position there due to his liberal views that were not acceptable to the ultra-conservative religious authorities who controlled much of university policies and programs.

In 1987 and 1988 he was imprisoned by the Egyptian government for his "progressive" views, including the advocacy of religious harmony and tolerance between Egyptian Muslims, Christian Copts, and Jews, his own freedom was greatly restricted. In 1996 Dr. Mansour established a weekly conference at the Ibn Khaldoun Center – headed by Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim – in order to discuss Islamist dogma, religion-based terror and other issues. It functioned until 2000, when the Center was closed down by the Egyptian regime.

Sheikh Mansour sought and was granted political asylum in the United States in 2002. Recently he has served as a visiting fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy and at the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School.

Dr. Mansour has authored 24 books and some 500 articles in Arabic, dealing with many aspects of Islamic history, culture, and religion. They include a history of Wahabism in Saudi Arabia; a critique of the concept of Jihad, bigotry and dictatorship in Muslim thought; women’s rights in the Muslim world; the reform of Egyptian education; and various pieces of prose fiction and screen plays.