USCIRF Spotlight Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Uzbekistan: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

There have been notable improvements to religious freedom conditions in Uzbekistan in recent years. The government’s ongoing effort to revise the restrictive 1998 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations demonstrates progress. Nevertheless, significant challenges to religious freedom in the country still remain.

Even in revised draft legislation, religious communities are still required to register through the government and any unregistered religious activity is considered criminal. Many non-Muslim religious minority communities, such as Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Protestants, have been unable to be officially registered by the state. In addition, some thousands of individuals remain incarcerated for the peaceful practice of their religion or beliefs, and the government has yet to review and reopen the cases of many prisoners charged on vague or spurious allegations of “religious extremism.”

This week, USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Keely Bakken joins us to discuss progress that the government of Uzbekistan has made, and the challenges that remain.

Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKeely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Read USCIRF’s 2020 Annual Report Chapter on Uzbekistan

Read USCIRF’s report on Global Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Santería in Cuba Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

Santería is a syncretic religion that incorporates elements of Catholicism with the religion of the Yoruba people, who were brought as slaves to Cuba from the Congo basin and West Africa in the 16th century.

While many Cubans can freely observe Santería practices, some practitioners and religious leaders have experienced ongoing violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief. These violations are emblematic of the tactics used by the Cuban government to control faith and suppress independent religious communities.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Read USCIRF’s recent Factsheet on the Santería Tradition in Cuba

Repercussions of the Burma Coup for Rohingya Muslims Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

On February 1, 2021, the Burmese military declared the results of the November 2020 democratic elections to be invalid, enacted a one-year state of emergency, and detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Myint Swe along with other state officials. This coup d’état is especially concerning for religious and ethnic communities already facing violence in Burma.

The military has been accused by the international community of conducting a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya Muslim population by targeting them with killings, sexual violence, forced starvation, and arbitrary arrests, among other atrocities. This same military is now in control of the country. Ongoing violence against the Rohingya people in Rakhine state has led many to flee to neighboring Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries for refuge.

Naomi Kikoler with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) joins us today to discuss the implications of the military coup on religious minorities in Burma and what the United States and international community can do in response.

Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNaomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, USHMM

Read USCIRF's 2020 Factsheet on Rohingya Refugees

Watch USCIRF’s Aug. 2020 event on Rohingya

Read USCIRF’s response to the Feb. 2020 Coup D’état

The Situation in Sinjar Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

In recent years, northern Iraq has become a battleground for Turkish armed forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). In June 2020, Turkey escalated their attacks in the region, announcing military operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger that included airstrikes near Sinjar. These attacks have been particularly damaging to the traumatized Yazidi community, who are victims of genocide by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Reports indicate that Turkey is planning military operations in Sinjar, instilling fear in the already vulnerable Yazidi community.

Joining us today to discuss these developments is USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza, who recently traveled to the region to get a deeper understanding of conditions on the ground. She is concerned that what is happening in Sinjar will mirror conditions in Afrin, a city in northern Syria that was occupied by the Turkish military in 2018.

Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNadine Maenza, Commissioner, USCIRF

USCIRF's hearing on "Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Northeast Syria" from June 2020, is referenced in this episode and is available here.

Unrest in Russia Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Russia is currently experiencing ongoing, widespread anti-corruption protests. These protests demonstrate the largest challenge to government control in almost a decade. Meanwhile, the State Duma recently put forth legislation which has significant implications for religious freedom.

Religious freedom conditions in Russia have deteriorated rapidly in recent years. In fact, USCIRF has released several reports over the past year detailing why Russia should be designated a country of particular concern for its egregious violations of religious freedom. This week’s discussion explains why USCIRF makes this recommendation, and how recent events there impact religious freedom conditions.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Jason Morton, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Read the report: The Global Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

Read the report: The Anti-Cult Movement and Religious Regulation in Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Religious Freedom Priorities for the Biden Administration Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

As the Biden administration begins to formulate its broader human rights policy, USCIRF highlights several priority countries when it comes to international religious freedom. Condemning and preventing religious freedom violations around the globe continues to be a top priority for the United States. While some are critical of the role the U.S. government plays in championing religious freedom globally, there are also others who say, “If not the United States., then who?” In recent years, there have been an emergence of new multilateral entities dedicated to promoting and protecting religious freedom worldwide. Do these entities have the potential to foster a more effective approach to addressing religious freedom challenges around the world?

Knox Thames, an expert on global religious freedom issues who worked at the State Department under both the Obama and Trump administrations, joins Dwight Bashir to discuss the top religious freedom issues facing the Biden administration and offers recommendations for U.S. policy.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFKnox Thames, Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Engagement & Visiting Expert, U.S. Institute of Peace

Uyghur Genocide Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

China’s mistreatment and abuse of Uyghurs and other religious minorities have been well-documented for years by USCIRF, the United Nations, and human rights organizations around the world. In spite of this documentation, the Chinese government has continued the operation of Uyghur forced labor camps—products of which are circulating in international markets, including in the United States.

On January 19, the U.S. State Department designated China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims as genocide and crimes against humanity. Find out what implications this action has for the incoming Biden administration and American companies in this week’s USCIRF Spotlight.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFNury Turkel, Commissioner, USCIRF

2021 Update on Religious Freedom Conditions Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Targeting of religious minorities in Russia, mass atrocities in China, Nigeria as a country of particular concern, and Antisemitism on the rise worldwide. The events of 2020 cast a long shadow over religious freedom conditions as we enter into a new year. There are, however, some areas of progress such as Sudan and Uzbekistan. USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin joins us to discuss the state of religious freedom worldwide.

Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFGayle Manchin, Chair, USCIRF

Nigeria: A Country of Particular Concern Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

In December 2020, the U.S. Department of State designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for the first time ever due to systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. Violent attacks by Boko Haram and ethno-religious conflict have become more frequent, and are exacerbated by the judiciary system.

In this week's episode of USCIRF Spotlight, we discuss why the situation in Nigeria merits CPC designation, and what role the US could play in addressing religious freedom concerns there.

Featuring:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRFJohn Campbell, Former Ambassador to Nigeria, currently Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Read USCIRF's 2020 report on Religious Freedom Conditions in Nigeria

Legal Restrictions to Religious Freedom in Brunei Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

Since it's independence in 1984, Brunei has operated with a dual legal system: one secular and one Shari’a, the latter only enforceable for Bruneian Muslims. However, the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 blurs those lines. The country started fully implementing this new penal code in 2019. It is the end result of decades of pushing by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah for a hardline interpretation of Shari’a to be incorporated in the penal code.Listen to our discussion about the religious freedom implications of Brunei's legal system in USCIRF Spotlight.Featuring:Dwight Bashir, Director of Policy and Outreach, USCIRFPatrick Greenwalt, Researcher, USCIRF

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected