USCIRF Spotlight Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Religious Prisoners of Conscience in Kazakhstan Sep 16, 2022

Show notes

In 2018, Kazakhstan arrested a group of men for participating in a WhatsApp group chat about Islam and sentenced them to multiple years in prison on fictitious terrorism and incitement-related charges. Last fall, the UN Working Group issued an opinion that their detention was arbitrary and that they should be released. Although the government of Kazakhstan has released a few individuals related to this case, five men still remain imprisoned.

Kazakhstan has regularly engaged with the U.S. government about possible religious freedom reforms, but it continues to severely limit this right through its 2011 religion law. USCIRF recommended in its 2022 Annual Report that the State Department place Kazakhstan on its Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom.

Freedom Now’s Legal Officer, Adam Lhedmat, and Advocacy Director, Matthew Schaaf join us today to discuss the case of the 5 Sunni Muslims who remain imprisoned for discussing their religious beliefs over WhatsApp.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Kazakhstan

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Veronica McCarthy, Public Affairs Associate, USCIRF

Deteriorating Religious Freedom Conditions in Nicaragua Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Since 2020, USCIRF has recommended that Nicaragua be included on the State Department’s Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom. In 2022, the Nicaraguan government has greatly intensified its oppression of the Catholic Church. Last month, USCIRF released a Country Update on Nicaragua, which highlighted the persecution of the clergy and the elimination of Church-affiliated organizations.

USCIRF Researcher, Zack Udin, the author of the new report, joins us today to discuss the deteriorating religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua.

Read USCIRF's 2022 Country Update on Religious Freedom in Nicaragua

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Zack Udin, Researcher, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

The Plight of Christians in China Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. While the U.S. government designated the Chinese government’s ongoing atrocities against Uyghurs as genocide, China continues to severely persecute many different religious groups throughout the country, including Catholic and Protestant Christians.

Founder and President of the ChinaAid Association, Dr. Bob Fu, joins us today to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s sinicization policy, its treatment of various Christian communities, and other political and social developments within the country.

Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on China’s 2021 Measures on the Management of Religious Clergy

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Mingzhi Chen, Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

The 5th Anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

August 25 marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Burmese military’s genocidal campaign against the Rohingya people. The violence resulted in thousands of Rohingya dead, hundreds of thousands internally displaced, and millions dispersed throughout the region. On March 21, 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the U.S. government had determined that the atrocities committed against the Rohingya by Burmese authorities constituted genocide.

USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to discuss the beginnings of the genocide, the situation of Rohingya inside and outside of Burma, and the steps the international community could take going forward.

Read USCIRF’s Factsheet on Pursuing Justice and Accountability for the Rohingya Community of Burma

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Patrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Troubling Signs of Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

Sri Lanka is an ethnically and religiously diverse country but has had a history of intercommunal violence, most recently heightened in the decade following the end of a civil war in 2009. Conflict among the various ethnic and religious groups has remained at a heightened level in recent years impacting political, social, and economic life in the country, including freedom of religion or belief. Although Sri Lanka is not currently among the countries designated as a Country of Particular Concern or included on the State Department’s Special Watch List, USCIRF has documented a number of the country’s deteriorating religious freedom conditions.

Associate Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University Sharika Thiranagama joins us today to provide background on Sri Lanka’s religious communities and to discuss the impact recent political and economic developments have had on religious freedom in the country.

Read USCIRF’s 2021 Country Update on Sri Lanka

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Zack Udin, Researcher, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

The Impact of Malaysia’s Dual Legal System on Religious Freedom Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Malaysia maintains a unique dual legal system divided into civil and religious courts. In recent decades, the influence of these religious courts, which are based on the Shaf’i school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, have grown, adversely impacting religious freedom. Since 2014, USCIRF has been reporting on Malaysia and most recently in 2022 recommended that the U.S. State Department place Malaysia on its Special Watch List (SWL) for religious freedom violations.

USCIRF Policy Analyst Patrick Greenwalt joins us today to provide an overview of Malaysia’s legal system and discuss some high-profile cases directly related to freedom of religion or belief.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Malaysia

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Patrick Greenwalt, Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Russia’s Religious Freedom Violations in Ukraine Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale and unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine, falsely claiming that it aimed to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country. While many people are broadly aware of the terrible toll that Russia’s war has wrought on civilians, there is less awareness about the religious ramifications of the Russian invasion.

Ruslan Khalikov and Liliia Pidgorna, two scholars with the Workshop for the Academic Study of Religion in Ukraine, join us today to discuss the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on religious freedom.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Russia

Read USCIRF’s Backgrounder: Russia

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Keely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

U.S. Policy Advances for International Religious Freedom Over the Past Year Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

USCIRF is mandated by Congress to make independent policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress that would help improve religious freedom around the globe. Each year, USCIRF proposes these recommendations in its annual report, highlighting country conditions and thematic challenges. How often are these recommendations acted upon by the U.S. government?

USCIRF Supervisory Policy Advisor Jamie Staley joins us today to discuss some of USCIRF’s policy recommendations that the U.S. government has implemented over the last year.

Check out USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Jamie Staley, Supervisory Policy Advisor, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Deteriorating Religious Freedom Conditions in South Asia Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

Several major political events occurred in South Asia over the last year. The Taliban, whom USCIRF has recommended for years as an “Entity of Particular Concern” (EPC), took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. In April 2022, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office following political turmoil. And religious nationalist policies at both the state and national level in India continue to impact religious communities.

Senior Policy Analyst Niala Mohammad joins us today to discuss recent developments in South Asia, their impact on religious freedom conditions, and USCIRF’s policy recommendations.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Afghanistan

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Pakistan

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on India

Read USCIRF’s Afghanistan Factsheet

Read USCIRF’s Ahmadiyya Muslims Factsheet

Check out USCIRF’s FoRB Victims List

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Niala Mohammad, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF

Religious Freedom Takeaways on the Ground in Nigeria Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

Last month, USCIRF traveled to Abuja, Nigeria and met with Nigerian and U.S. government officials, religious communities, civil society representatives, and human rights defenders to assess religious freedom conditions and discuss threats facing Nigerians of a range of faiths and worldviews. The trip came following the U.S. State Department’s November 2021 decision to remove Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of international religious freedom after designating it as a CPC for the first time in 2020.

Commissioner Fred Davie, who led that that USCIRF delegation, joins us today to discuss his key takeaways from the trip and insight into USCIRF’s continued recommendation of Nigeria as a CPC.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Nigeria

With Contributions from:

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

Madeline Vellturo, Policy Analyst

Dylan Schexnaydre, Victims List and Outreach Specialist, USCIRF