The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a factsheet on December 3rd on safeguarding the freedom of religion or belief on social media platforms. Protecting Religious Freedom Online Factsheet – This report outlines the international human rights standards relevant to the regulation of speech on social media platforms—focusing specifically on the impact to the freedom of religion …
The Burma Act of 2021 Introduced in the House of Representatives
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), House Foreign Affairs Asia-Pacific Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) introduced the “Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2021” or BURMA Act. The legislation condemns the actions taken by the Burmese military during its February 1 coup d’état and its aftermath. By authorizing targeted sanctions against the Burmese military, the State Administrative …
Egyptian Coptic Christian Activist Ramy Kamel’s Detention Extended
According to recent information acquired by Coptic Solidarity, we understand that Ramy Kamel was rather optimistic about being released at his next hearing and that his ordeal would soon come to an end. Paradoxically, the prosecutor extended Mr. Kamel’s detention, yet again for 45 days. Coptic Solidarity and 21Wilberforce urges the immediate release of Mr. Kamel, who has suffered unjust …
Support Freedom for the People of Myanmar
On February 1st of 2021, the military of Burma launched a coup to overthrow the country’s democratically elected government. People have taken to the streets across Burma, also known as Myanmar, to protest against the coup. Myanmar’s elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained along with members of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). The coup threatens …
Chinese Government is Profiting From Their Brutal Repression of Religious Freedom
The Uyghur people of the Xinjiang region in China are facing a brutal government campaign to destroy their core religious and cultural identity. China has turned the Xinjiang region into a massive prison where Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities face intrusive technological surveillance, modern day slavery, forced sterilizations and abortions, and imprisonment in concentration camps. The government also uses many Uyghurs …
The Great Firewall of China
CITIZENS IN CHINA ARE DESPERATE TO ACCESS ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET THAT IS NOT CENSORED BY CHINA’S COMMUNIST PARTY. China’s persecution of religious groups and the ensuing cover up both rely on its strict internet censorship, whether the targeted group is Falun Gong, Christians, Uyghurs, or Tibetans. They are locked in an internet prison. The Chinese government’s “Great Firewall” …
Stand with Coptic Christian Ramy Kamel
Ramy Kamel is a Coptic Christian that the Egyptian government has tortured and imprisoned simply because he is a religious freedom leader. 21Wilberforce and Coptic Solidarity launched a multi-faith campaign on his behalf. We encouraged scholars, religious and secular leaders, human rights advocates and practitioners to respectfully urge you to speak out for Kamel. He has been the primary source …
Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China Suffering from Gross Human Rights Violations
The Senate passed the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 (S.178) on September 11, 2019, by unanimous consent. The House passed the Uyghur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Urgent Response Act of 2019 (UIGHUR Act) (S.178) on December 3. These two bills contained slightly different provisions in some Sections. This bill mandates targeted sanctions on the perpetrators of gross …
Future Ready: Global Human Rights Movement Centered on Religious Freedom
80 percent of people in the world live in a religiously restricted environment. Future ready is about asking the right questions. Relative to international religious freedom, the United States is leading and partners are answering the call. Last month Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C. (Ministerial derives from the Latin …
A Voice for Iraq’s Persecuted
Iraqi Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities living in the path of ISIS have suffered incredible persecution and hardship. From the start, 21Wilberforce has come alongside these beleaguered communities to listen, support, and amplify the voices of the oppressed. In early 2015, shortly after ISIS troops overran the Sinjar region, 21Wilberforce traveled to Iraq where staff interviewed close to 75 …