Half of the world's population not able to practice faith freely, say US lawmakers

Details of "The Dire State of Religious Freedom Around the World" hearing of the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations

U.S. House legislators described the situation as "dire" and cited problems in nations as diverse as India, Nigeria and Nicaragua at a hearing where religious liberty supporters briefed members of Congress on the condition of religious freedom throughout the world.

The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations hosted the July 18 hearing titled, "The Dire State of Religious Freedom Around the World" and lawmakers identified several countries where religious freedom is "under serious assault." The hearing was chaired by Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, and a Catholic.

"Tragically, billions of people around the world -- half of the world's population -- are not able to practice their faith freely," Smith said at the hearing. "Many are persecuted by oppressive governments or extremist groups -- brutally attacked, tortured, jailed, and even slaughtered for their beliefs."

Nigeria 

Some of the countries identified by lawmakers on the panel include Nigeria, where Smith said he has "seen firsthand the aftermath of Boko Haram's destruction of churches and mosques." "While on paper Nigeria has robust protections for all religions, violations of religious freedom are escalating," he said. "Extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa commit indiscriminate violence against those they consider to be infidels. In the Middle Belt, Fulani Muslim extremists target and kill predominantly Christian farmers in brutal raids," Smith said.

According to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) "In Nigeria, religious freedom conditions remain abysmal, with state and nonstate actors committing particularly severe violations against both Christians and Muslims," he said.

"While some officials have worked to address widespread religious freedom violations, others actively infringe on the religious freedom rights of Nigerians, including by enforcing 'blasphemy laws,'" Cooper said. ""Criminal activity and violent armed group incidents impacting religious freedom have continued to worsen. Sadly, Nigeria has become a country steeped in religious freedom violations where people of faith and those of no faith at all increasingly live in fear of harassment, intimidation, and violence." 

India 

Cooper also spoke of India, the most populous country in the world.  "India, the world's largest democracy and long one of its most vibrant, has continued its descent into discriminatory religious nationalism and worsening religious freedom," Cooper said.

"Government actions including the passage and enforcement of discriminatory policies such as hijab bans, anti-conversion laws, and anti-cow-slaughter laws have created a culture of impunity for threats and violence by vigilante groups, especially against Muslims and Christians," Cooper told the subcommittee. 

"Meanwhile the government has increasingly repressed critical voices, especially religious minorities and those advocating for them through surveillance, harassment, and prosecution," Cooper said.

Indians who voluntarily convert from Hinduism to other religions are subject to fines and jail time under anti-conversion legislation across the nation. The government is oblivious to the ongoing mob violence against Christians and Muslims, the USCIRF's 2023 report claims, as well as the destruction of their houses, churches, and other property.

Nicaragua 

Florida Republican Rep. Maria Salazar pointed out that "there have been over 400 attacks on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua in the last four years." She was  focused primarily on the imprisonment of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, arbitrarily condemned to more than 26 years in prison on treason charges.

Smith, also spoke of "the Ortega regime's brutal persecution of the church in Nicaragua," and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's anti-Catholic persecution. "I remain deeply concerned for Bishop Álvarez, who was recently released only to be rearrested for bravely refusing to leave his country," Smith said. "The Ortega regime is attempting to silence the Catholic Church as the single most important independent institution remaining in Nicaragua, but it will not succeed," Smith said. "I am committed to doing everything possible to urge the release of all Nicaraguans imprisoned for their faith."

Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa said, "The challenge we face today is clear: to protect and expand freedom of conscience, the ability to freely believe or not to believe, in the face of the forces of authoritarianism and exclusion." "When authoritarian forces attempt to use religion as a weapon to target specific groups of people, or to target our multiracial, multicultural democracy itself," she said, "let us reject those forces with one voice across religious, political and social lines."