Obama Administration Has Not Designated a Single Violator Under Int’l Religious Freedom Act

Thursday, April 28, 2011
By Patrick Goodenough
Pakistani Christians protest after hundreds of Muslims burned and looted Christian homes in the city of Gorja in an August 2009 rampage sparked by allegations that a Quran had been defaced (AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) –Despite the strong urging of Washington’s religious rights watchdog, the Obama administration has not designated a single “country of particular concern” (CPC) for religious freedom violations since taking office 27 months ago.

The last time any country was designated as a CPC was on January 16, 2009 – four days before President Bush left office. On that day, then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named as CPCs eight countries – Burma, China,, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. All had been designated previously.

Despite the Obama administration’s inaction, those eight still stand, although some actions resulting from the designations have expired. the rest