Oct. 27 is International Religious Freedom Day, an opportunity for the United States to remember the millions persecuted for their faith around the world and recommit to advancing religious freedom for all. This year’s anniversary is especially noteworthy, falling just before our presidential election. Despite Americans from all political backgrounds wanting our leaders to stand for human rights, neither candidate has shared a vision for how the United States can defend human rights globally. It is crucial that the next administration recommit to advancing religious freedom worldwide.
International Religious Freedom Day marks the passage of a groundbreaking piece of legislation that established protecting and promoting religious freedom as a foreign policy priority. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 enjoyed bipartisan support, as it was introduced by Republicans with Democratic support and was signed into law by a Democratic president. Now, more than a quarter of a century since its passage, we should remember the groundbreaking significance of this law. It created a special ambassador at the State Department, special reports, designations with potential sanctions and an independent commission to ensure fidelity to the law. It enabled the United States to lead the world in advancing religious freedom internationally.
Over my 20 years in government, I worked in each of these offices, representing the United States in our efforts to advance religious freedom. Promoting international religious freedom represents the best of American values of protecting civil rights and religious liberty at home while also promoting American interests of a more peaceful and stable world where everyone is free to pursue truth without fear of discrimination or violence. All Americans should be proud of this diplomatic distinctive, as our commitment is unmatched by any other nation.
American leadership is needed, as a pandemic of persecution impacts every faith community somewhere. The Pew Research Center reports that roughly two out of every three people on Earth live in countries that restrict the free practice of faith. And any review of the headlines will show how religious persecution is a daily reality for millions of people around the world — Communist China attacking Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and underground Christians; extremists attacking Christians, Ahmadi Muslims and Hindus in Pakistan; terrorists like ISIS murdering and enslaving Yazidis in Iraq while targeting other minorities wherever they can. The list goes on.
From my two decades of diplomatic work, I know that American leadership is crucial to stemming this rising tide of hate and violence. While some Americans grow tired of the responsibilities of global leadership, we cannot rest. We are an indispensable nation on so many issues, and even more so on defending religious freedom and human rights. If we do not show up, our adversaries will fill the void, rolling back human rights standards and gaslighting about abuses being welcomed by the victims.
American leadership makes a difference. However, we should not pat ourselves on the back too quickly in the face of these ongoing challenges. Being good is not good enough when millions suffer for their beliefs. We can and should do more to defend freedom of religion or belief for all.
As I highlight in my new book, “Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom,” the United States must recommit to meeting the challenge of global persecution. Tools and mechanisms created in the last century will not solve this vexing problem without innovation and new resources. In my book, I define the various types of religious persecution. While seemingly monolithic, we must understand how persecution impacts people differently in different situations. I don’t just admire the problem — I put forward ideas for how the United States and our allies can respond more effectively. The various types of persecution require specific solutions, much like different diseases require different medicines.
Of the various policy ideas, the overriding recommendation is to ensure that human rights matter. If the United States says religious freedom is a priority, then relationships with other nations cannot stay the same if persecution continues. While I welcome the U.S. government criticizing countries for abuses, it doesn’t happen consistently enough. And most troubling, there is a bipartisan tradition of dodging tough decisions when it comes to penalizing other nations for religious persecution. Without consequences for misdeeds, the result is a loss of credibility that undermines deterrence and weakens the impact of our words.
Whoever wins next month will face enormous challenges on numerous issues. In this complicated setting, religious persecution risks falling into the background, especially considering how little attention it has garnered during the campaign. Yet we must encourage our next president to steadfastly promote religious freedom for all. Millions of suffering people are praying for our help.
Knox Thames served in the Obama and Trump administrations at the State Department in a special envoy role focused on religious minorities in the Middle East and South Asia. His new book, “Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom,” was released on Sept. 1.