he congress calls on governments, the institutions of civil society, and individuals to address grave situations that threaten peace,
justice, and security because of encroachments on freedom of religion or belief. During the course of the congress, attention of participants
was focused in particular on the following situations, among others, deserving urgent attention:
1. In Turkmenistan the government continues to violate religious freedom of all religious minorities by burning and destroying
churches, temples, and other places of worship, and by failing to prevent such actions by others; by depriving people of their dwellings
because of worship conducted on the premises; by harassing, intimidating, and imprisoning people of faith; and by denying legal protection
of the religious rights of its inhabitants.
2. [This item omitted for extreme sensitivity.]
3. Of great concern, particularly for this congress held in the Philippines, are the many reports of mistreatment and judicial penalties
enforced against guest workers of religious minorities in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. The frequent incidents resulting in the jailing
and deporting of individuals on the basis of their religious practice have been brought to the attention of this congress by representatives
of the host country.
4. In Belarus the government is considering passing a law which would disallow nonregistered religious communities from meeting or
carrying out religious activities; establish censorship of religious literature, and other forms of media used by religious communities; and
allow other discriminatory treatment of religious groups. Should such a law be adopted it would severely restrict religious liberty in Belarus.
5. The congress remains troubled by the ongoing tense situation in nearby Indonesia, with reports of continuing sporadic incidents of
violence between the Christian and Muslim communities. Recognizing the recent tragic events that have led to the death of many thousands,
and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more as internal refugees within Indonesia, the congress supports the contributions
of the relevant Indonesian authorities to end the violence, to mediate in areas of conflict, and to promote reconciliation to develop
a culture of peace and harmony among the different religious communities.
6. Continuing incidents of violence and intimidation against religious minorities in Chiapas, Mexico, are of considerable concern to
the congress. Expulsions of religious believers from their homes and villages, mob violence, and extrajudicial punishment reflect a situation
of local intolerance and discrimination. The desire of federal, state and municipal authorities to resolve such religious freedom and
human rights violations is welcomed by the congress. However, these efforts need to be intensified in order to protect and defend
against such violations.
The congress recognizes that this is, unfortunately, only a small sampling of the types of religious freedom infractions that are occurring
around the world.
The participants in the congress express their sympathy, compassion, and solidarity with the victims of religious discrimination, intolerance
and persecution, such as those mentioned above. The congress reaffirms the International Religious Liberty Association’s commitment
to cooperate with the foregoing governments in finding solutions to these lamentable problems.
*Abbreviated. For the full text, see www.irla.org/Manila2002/statementofconcern.htm
