Source: www.persecution.org
Date: June 25, 2024
United States (International Christian Concern) — On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State released its annual International Religious Freedom report, which outlines the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries.
This year, International Christian Concern (ICC) is honored to have been cited 13 times in the report’s sections covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, and Nepal.
The report exists because of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which requires the State Department to compile statistics and testimonies of the status of religious freedom in the existing countries and territories worldwide.
Each section of the report includes information regarding a country or territory’s religious demographics, constitutional framework for religious freedom, and stories of persecution. The report is a vital resource for nonprofits and individuals as it compiles data from hundreds of organizations to provide the most robust report for each country.
The report’s inclusion of numerous attacks on Christians in 2023 demonstrates the State Department’s commitment to exposing the religious persecution that occurs around the globe.
“If anyone wonders whether religious persecution in any part of the world has escaped our attention, your answer is in this report,” International Religious Freedom Ambassador Rashad Hussain said during a ceremony for the report’s release.
In its report, the State Department recognized areas for improvement in religious freedom by discussing training programs with foreign diplomats focused on addressing religious freedom issues. It also stood firm on its resolution to promote religious freedom as a top goal for the United States.