(RNS) — The State Department recently released its report on international religious freedom, inviting advocates from across the religious spectrum to attend. I was fortunate to be included. Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally released the report June 26 from the ornate treaty room on Mahogany Row, sending a strong message of solidarity to the group in attendance.
By speaking for the United States, the report encourages the oppressed and lets oppressors know their dark deeds have not gone unnoticed. Such gestures are positive. However, deeds will make these words truly matter to the activists who attended and the besieged communities they represent.
As the International Religious Freedom Act declared over 25 years ago, the United States shall protect and promote religious freedom abroad. This mandate, passed by Congress and signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1998, ensures that every administration, Republican and Democratic, includes considerations about religious freedom in foreign affairs. It is an exceptional part of American diplomacy and an excellent reflection on our nation.
Every year, as mandated by the Religious Freedom Act, the State Department writes the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, tracking religious persecution in almost 200 countries. The report, an incredible endeavor made possible by the hard work of American diplomats and civil servants around the world, has become the authoritative review of religious freedom globally. Importantly, the data within it becomes the baseline for subsequent U.S. foreign policy decisions relating to this fundamental human right.
In his speech, Secretary Blinken recommitted the United States to protecting and promoting religious freedom abroad. He made a point to single out concerns in Pakistan, Hungary and India, as well as repression in Iran and China. He decried rising antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred. Blinken praised Chechia (formerly the Czech Republic) for convening an international meeting last November to combat religious persecution; Germany for prosecuting ISIS fighters for crimes against Yazidis, Christians and others; and Saudi Arabia for its ongoing reforms to expunge hateful themes from its school textbooks. He also highlighted the release of 47 religious prisoners of conscience.
He closed his speech saying, “This work is about protecting an essential part of what it means to be human: the ability to explore something bigger than ourselves, to decide on our own what we believe or don’t believe without fear of repression.” Afterward, I spoke briefly with Secretary Blinken, thanking him for raising specific countries. In response, he said specifics matter because international religious freedom matters to the United States. But also because human rights matter to him personally.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain discuss the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom at the Department of State, June 26, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Video screen grab)
Secretary Blinken has spoken publicly about how his stepfather survived the Holocaust. And from my time at the State Department during the Obama administration, he was known as a sympathetic ally in a building often hostile to values-based diplomacy. Since becoming secretary of state, Blinken has overseen the release of more religious freedom reports than anyone else in his position. He has presented the report every year during his tenure as secretary (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) and also during the Obama administration as deputy secretary when John Kerry wasn’t available (2016). He has been similarly committed to rolling out the human rights report and the trafficking in persons report, among others.
The secretary of state is a busy person. Someone in his position would not consistently make time if it didn’t matter personally. While the administration has been criticized for its policies regarding Gaza and elsewhere, the corps of diplomats Blinken leads know human rights matter to their boss.
Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain spoke after the secretary and also named names. Hussain highlighted Burmese attacks on Rohingya Muslims and the jailing of Baptist Pastor Hkalam Samson. He also condemned anti-conversion laws in India and blasphemy laws in Pakistan and Nigeria, noting blasphemy-related murders in both over the past week.
Ambassador Hussain also noted grim anniversaries of the persecution of Falun Gong in China that started 25 years ago and the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide in Iraq. To mark these anniversaries, survivors were in attendance. A Falun Gong member shared with me about how CCP officials jailed her and persecuted her family, who remain in China. Uighur activist Jewher Ilham, also in attendance, had a similar story about her father. Pari Ibrahim from the Yazidi community spoke of her community’s resilience.
I was impressed with and appreciated the strong comments by Secretary Blinken and Ambassador Hussain. But in the two weeks since, I can’t help but wonder, what’s next? Year after year, how does this become more than a photo op?
Certainly, having America’s top diplomat, along with his ambassador for religious freedom, speak in concrete terms about specific country situations is welcomed. While criticism of Iran and China is expected, his discussion of India and Pakistan is noteworthy. Foreign capitals will take note. Too often, the temptation to make general critiques less disruptive to bilateral relations wins out, but vague comments have little impact on conditions on the ground. Seeing these diplomats address individual situations where religious freedom abuses occur is a crucial starting point and powerful expression of U.S. concern.
But, for the event to have lasting impact, new diplomatic efforts must follow to press countries to reform. Not just words “expressing concern,” but consequential diplomacy willing to extract a cost if egregious abuses continue. Congress has given tools to the State Department, like the “country of particular concern” designation or Global Magnitsky Act, to back up words with consequences to end persecution. However, they often go underutilized or are forgotten.
For the United States to credibly pronounce human rights to matter, then it must matter in all our relationships, friend and foe alike. Promoting these values will cause bilateral complications, and some will argue that the United States cannot afford to waste precious diplomatic capital on human rights in our increasingly complicated world. Yet, if the State Department ignores core American values in conducting American diplomacy, we do a disservice to our country and the world we want to lead. And millions will continue to suffer.
Seeing high-level commitment from key policymakers was an encouraging sign. To ensure their words matter, however, the State Department must follow through with action.
(Knox Thames served in a State Department special envoy role during the Obama and Trump administrations, focusing on religious minorities in the Middle East and South/Central Asia. His book “ENDING PERSECUTION” will be released on Sept. 1. A similar version of this article was published originally on his blog. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
