[JPRT 107-77]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                ERRATA
107th Congress                                                  S. Prt.
                         JOINT COMMITTEE PRINT                  
 2d Session                                                      107-77
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     
 
                            ANNUAL REPORT ON
                  INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2002

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                            SUBMITTED TO THE

                     COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

                                 OF THE

                              U.S. SENATE

                                AND THE

                              COMMITTEE ON
                        INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

                                 OF THE

                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                 BY THE

                          DEPARTMENT OF STATE

 IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 102 OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
                              ACT OF 1998

                                     


                               NOVEMBER 2002

Printed for the use of the Committees on Foreign Relations of the U.S.
  Senate and International Relations of the U.S. House of Representative.
  respectively.

                                -------
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                            WASHINGTON : 2003
_______________________________________________________________________
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                                 ERRATA

    The nations of East Timor and The Federal Republic of 
Yugoslavia were inadvertently omitted from the Annual Report on 
International Religious Freedom 2002. This errata contains the 
reports for those nations.

_______________________________________________________________________



                                  (ii)

                                     




                                CONTENTS

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                                                                   Page
    East Timor...................................................     1

    Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of..............................     4


                                 (iii)

  
                       EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

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                               EAST TIMOR

    During the period covered by this report, the country was governed 
by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor 
(UNTAET) from October 25, 1999 up until independence on May 20, 2002. 
During the UNTAET administration, regulations provided for freedom of 
religion, a right that was generally respected in practice. Since 
independence the new Government has continued to adhere to the UNTAET 
policy of freedom of religion. There were no arrests in cases related 
to societal religious violence or attacks against churches and mosques 
(see Section III).
    The Catholic Church is the dominant religious institution. 
Attitudes toward the small Protestant and Muslim communities vary, 
given the past association of these groups with the occupying 
Indonesian military forces. Since the early months of independence, 
public attitudes toward religious minorities have not changed.
    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
UNTAET in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting 
human rights. The U.S. Government regularly expresses support to the 
leaders of the new Government for independence and for the 
consolidation of constitutional democracy, including respect for basic 
human rights such as religious freedom. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri 
has publicly stated that it is understandable for minority groups to 
preserve unique religious and cultural traditions, and that there 
should be no discrimination or favoritism as that would prove to be a 
dangerous policy.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 5,406 square miles, and 
shares the island of Timor with Indonesia's bordering Nusa Tenggara 
province. Based on the civil registration carried out by the UNTAET 
from March to June 2001, the population of the territory is 739,652. 
According to the U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), as many as 
60,000 East Timorese remained across the border in West Timor by the 
end of the period covered by this report. The majority of the 
population is Catholic. According to statistics issued by the former 
Indonesian administration in 1992, approximately 90 percent of the 
population was registered officially as Catholic, approximately 4.0 
percent as Muslim, 3.0 percent as Protestant, and approximately 0.5 
percent as Hindu. There is no information available on the number of 
Buddhists in the country. However, the above statistics may not be 
completely accurate because under the Indonesian administration, every 
resident was required to register as an adherent to one of Indonesia's 
five recognized religions (Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, 
and Hinduism). A significant percentage of those registered as 
Catholics probably were better described as animists, a category not 
recognized by the Indonesian Government.
    It is likely that the number of Protestants, Muslims, and Hindus 
has declined markedly since September 1999, right after the vote to 
begin the process leading toward independence, as these groups were 
associated strongly with the groups that sought integration with 
Indonesia. The Indonesian military forces formerly stationed in the 
country included a significant number of Protestants among their ranks, 
who played a major role in establishing Protestant churches in the 
territory. Less than half of those congregations still existed after 
September 1999, and many Protestants remained in West Timor at the end 
of the period covered by this report. There had been a significant 
Muslim community during the Indonesian occupation, mostly made up of 
ethnic Malay immigrants from Indonesian islands. There also were a 
small number of Muslims of Arabic Descent who had lived in the country 
when it was under Portuguese authority. This group was well integrated 
into society, but ethnic Malay Muslims often were not. Only a few 
hundred of ethnic Malay Muslims remained in the country following the 
1999 vote to begin the process towards independence (see Section III).
    A small number of Christian missionary groups operate in the 
country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The new Constitution formally replaced the UNTAET regulations and 
administration of the country on May 20, 2002. The Constitution was 
ratified in March 2002 and went into effect in the first hour of the 
date of independence, May 20, 2002. Indonesian legal requirements that 
each citizen be a member of one of Indonesia's officially recognized 
religions no longer apply under the independent Government. Police 
cadets receive training in equal enforcement of the law and non-
discrimination, including religious non-discrimination. The UNTAET 
regulations provided for freedom of religion and the UNTAET generally 
respected this right in practice. The administration at all levels 
generally protected this right, and there were no arrests in cases 
related to societal religious violence or attacks against churches and 
mosques (see Section III). The Constitution was ratified in March 2002, 
and requires the State to recognize and to respect different religious 
denominations, which are free to organize and carry out their 
activities, as long as such activities are conducted in accordance with 
the Constitution and the law. Under the Constitution, the Government 
also is responsible for promoting cooperation among the different 
religious denominations. In addition, the Constitution provides for 
freedom of conscience, religion, and worship for all persons, and 
stipulates that no one shall be persecuted or discriminated against on 
the basis of his or her religious convictions.
    The Constitution provides for the separation of church and state; 
however, during the popular consultations for the Constitution, many 
members of the public expressed their desire for the Constitution to 
declare Roman Catholicism as the official religion. Earlier, Bishop 
Belo, the senior Catholic prelate and a Nobel laureate, had requested 
that the Constituent Assembly not establish a national religion.
    There have been allegations that Muslims were unfairly denied the 
right to vote in the presidential election of April 2002. The voter 
eligibility rules were clear prior to the election just as they were 
for the Constituent Assembly election of 2001 and the independence 
referendum of August 1999. The criteria are: (a) individuals had to be 
born in the country; or (b) individuals born abroad needed at least one 
parent born in the country; or (c) an individual had to have a spouse 
who met either the conditions of (a) or (b). Religion was never a 
criterion. If any prospective voters were denied eligibility, it was 
because they could not meet any of the three clearly and publicly 
stated criteria.
    Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion and the list of 
designated public holidays reflects this, including Good Friday, 
Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Day of the Immaculate Conception, and 
Christmas Day.

Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The UNTAET's policy and practice have contributed to the generally 
unrestricted practice of religion; however, there have been incidents 
of violence between religious groups. There were no arrests in cases 
related to societal religious violence or attacks against churches and 
mosques (see Section III). The UNTAET's ability to respond to such 
attacks was hindered by insufficient prison space and judicial and 
police resources. In addition the UNTAET's tendency to encourage local 
reconciliation rather than punish offenders was an additional factor 
behind its decision not to charge perpetrators of religious attacks.
    The strong and pervasive influence of the Catholic Church can have 
an effect on government officials. Representatives of Protestant 
churches and the Islamic community also have some political influence. 
In the district of Maliana, a Protestant ministry pastor reported that 
he applied to the district government in the last year of the UNTAET 
Administration to rent abandoned property for the purpose of engaging 
in humanitarian, educational, and religious work. The official in 
charge, a Catholic, warned that the Catholic Church in the area would 
oppose such a rental to a Protestant organization, and that it might 
cause trouble with rank-and-file Catholics. The pastor subsequently 
withdrew the request to set up a facility in Maliana, choosing instead 
to file another request after the new Government was installed. At the 
end of the period covered by this report, the pastor still had not 
filed another request to set up a facility in Maliana. The pastor has 
reported good relations with local Catholic priests and the public and 
has felt more comfortable moving about the district.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.

Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the 
United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned 
to the United States.

                    Section III. Societal Attitudes

    The Catholic Church is the dominant religious institution in the 
country and its priests and bishops are accorded the highest respect in 
local society. Attitudes toward the small Protestant and Muslim 
communities vary, given the past association of these groups with the 
occupying Indonesian forces. In the months since independence, 
attitudes have not changed.
    Some Muslim groups at times have been victims of harassment. The 
Dili mosque remains inhabited by approximately 250-300 ethnic Malay 
Muslim migrants, according to the Government and private community 
workers' best estimates, who initially fled during the violence of 
September 1999. Some of the migrants returned in the 3 months after the 
International Force in East Timor (INTERFET) took control, but fear 
returning to their homes. Their occupation of the Dili mosque has 
created tensions with Muslims of Arabic descent, some of whom want the 
Government to remove the ethnic Malay Muslims from the mosque. However, 
the Arabic Muslim community has been reluctant to seek the necessary 
court order required for eviction. The ethnic Malay Muslims claim that 
they might face hostility if required to reenter the community at 
large. However, there is no evidence that they would not be able to 
practice their faith, or that religion is at the core of the dispute; 
rather, the dispute appears to stem more from property rights issues 
and the eligibility of citizenship for long-time Indonesian citizens 
who are residents rather than from religion.
    In March 2001, a mob burned the mosque in Baucau during a wave of 
general unrest and destruction in that city. It was believed that 
residents might have targeted the mosque as a result of local animosity 
toward a UN Rapid Reaction Unit from Jordan that was based nearby. The 
mosque was rebuilt by the community with the financial assistance of 
foreign donors. On December 31, 2000, local gangs attacked and 
vandalized the area around the mosque that harbors Dili's small Malay 
Muslim community, injuring 3 persons. The mosque members' resistance to 
the gang's demand for a car apparently precipitated the violence.
    At times Protestants also have been harassed; the Catholic Bishop 
of the region around Baucau instructed local Catholics to avoid 
association with a Protestant evangelical group in Baucau, after which 
there were some reports of stone throwing and other acts of sporadic 
harassment. The evangelicals subsequently moved into more rural areas 
of the Baucau district, where they experienced no further incidents, 
and apparently have been able to practice their faith. During the 
period covered by this report, there were no further attacks on 
Protestant churches such as those that occurred in June 2000 in Aileu 
district.
    A lack of prison space, inadequate judicial and police resources, 
and a tendency to encourage local reconciliation rather than punishment 
of offenders were factors behind the decision of the UNTAET authorities 
not to charge perpetrators of violence or attacks on churches and 
mosques (see Section II). In the case of the June 2000 Aileu incidents, 
the authorities and local church leaders promoted reconciliation 
between the local Protestant and Catholic communities, and the local 
Catholic Church took the lead in a project to rebuild 3 destroyed 
Protestant churches.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
UNTAET in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting 
human rights. The U.S. Government regularly expresses support to the 
leaders of the new Government for independence and consolidation of 
constitutional democracy, including respect for basic human rights such 
as religious freedom. Additionally, the U.S. Government maintained a 
steady dialog with Constituent Assembly members during enactment of the 
various articles of the Constitution, allowing for a clear enunciation 
of U.S. support for religious freedom. Organizations funded by the U.S. 
Agency for International Development worked closely with the 
Constituent Assembly to ensure protections for basic rights, such as 
freedom of religion, in the Constitution.





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                                 EUROPE

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                     FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA

    The laws of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as its 
constituent republics Serbia and Montenegro, provide for freedom of 
religion, and Federal and Republican governments generally respected 
this right in practice. There is no state religion; however, the 
majority Serbian Orthodox Church receives some preferential 
consideration. The Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-
Government in Kosovo (the Constitutional Framework), adopted in May 
2001, provides for freedom of religion, as does U.N. Interim 
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Regulation 1999/24 on 
applicable law in Kosovo, and UNMIK and the newly established 
provisional Kosovo Government generally respected this right in 
practice.
    The status of respect for religious freedom by both the Federal and 
Republican governments improved somewhat during the period covered by 
this report. Police response to crimes against religious minorities 
improved, and the Belgrade Municipal Court agreed to try a case of the 
publishing of anti-Semitic hate speech. The status of religious freedom 
improved somewhat during the reporting period in Kosovo as well. Some 
members of the newly elected Provisional Institutions of Kosovo 
attended services of the Serbian Orthodox minority and offered to work 
together to rebuild churches.
    There were some instances of discrimination against representatives 
of religious minorities. Jewish leaders reported some increase in anti-
Semitism. Tensions between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the 
Montenegrin Orthodox Church continued. Although there has been a 
reduction of tensions in some areas of Kosovo, societal intolerance 
continued to cause security concerns in other localities.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting 
human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (including Kosovo) has a total 
area of approximately 39,500 square miles, and its population is 
approximately 10,662,000. Outside of Kosovo, the predominant faith in 
the country is Serbian Orthodoxy. Religion plays a small but growing 
role in public life. Approximately 65 percent of the population is 
Serbian Orthodox, including most ethnic Serbs and Montenegrins who 
profess a religion. The Muslim faith is the second largest in the 
country, with an estimated 19 percent of the population, including 
Slavic Muslims in the Sandzak, and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and 
Southern Serbia. Like Serbs and Montenegrins, many Muslims in the 
country do not participate in organized religious practice regularly, 
and the term ``Muslim'' often is more a reference to ethnic identity 
than to religious belief. Roman Catholics make up approximately four 
percent of the Yugoslav population, mostly Hungarians in Vojvodina, 
ethnic Albanians, and Croats in Vojvodina and Montenegro. Protestants 
make up approximately one percent of the population and include 
Baptists, Adventists, Reformed Christians, Evangelical Christians, 
Evangelical Methodists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Christ, and 
Pentecostals. A small Jewish community is present in the country. The 
remaining 11 percent of the population profess other faiths or are 
atheists.
    Kosovo has a total area of 4,211 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 2 million. The predominant faith, professed by most of 
the majority ethnic Albanian population; Bosniac, Gorani, and Turkish 
communities, and some in the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities is 
Islam, although religion is not a significant factor in public life. 
The ethnic Serb population, of whom approximately 100,000 reside in 
Kosovo and approximately 170,000 are displaced to Serbia, largely is 
Serbian Orthodox. Approximately 3 percent of ethnic Albanians are Roman 
Catholic. Protestants make up less than 1 percent of the population, 
but have small populations in most of Kosovo's cities.
    Missionaries from a number of different groups are present in the 
country, including members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and a range of 
evangelical Protestant Christians.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution and laws of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and 
its constituent republics of Serbia and Montenegro provide for the 
freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right 
in practice. There is no state religion; however, the Serbian Orthodox 
Church receives some preferential treatment. The Montenegrin Republic's 
Constitution recognizes the existence of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
    Since assuming office in 2000, Federal President Kostunica has 
increased the profile of the Serbian Orthodox Church in public life and 
has made high-profile visits to major Serbian Orthodox religious sites. 
He also has expressed his support for introducing religious education 
in schools, instituting religious services in the Yugoslav army (VJ), 
and returning confiscated property to the Serbian Orthodox Church. 
State-run television broadcasts religious coverage on major Serbian 
Orthodox holidays.
    Some Protestant communities and nongovernmental organizations 
(NGO's) have objected to the recognition by name of some churches and 
not others in the preamble of a new draft Federal Law on Religious 
Freedom. They claim that this would represent state sponsorship or 
support of some religions over others and thus constitute a violation 
of the separation of Church and State principle in the law. Some 
Protestant religious leaders have expressed concern that listing some 
churches by name in a Religious Freedom Law could lead to the 
identification of churches not listed in the law as ``sects'' or 
``cults.'' Authors of the Draft Federal Law on Religious Freedom have 
attempted to address such concerns by inserting a clause into the law's 
preamble noting the contributions made by ``other churches and 
religious communities.''
    Religious groups were required to apply to the Federal Ministry of 
Religious Affairs for registration. The Federal Ministry of Religious 
Affairs denied recognition to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church as a 
religion on the basis that no Orthodox body has granted recognition to 
the organization. However, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church was 
registered as an NGO in the former capital of Cetinje. There were no 
other reports of applications that were denied during the period 
covered by this report.
    The new draft Federal Law on Religious Freedom would require that 
religious groups register with a yet unnamed Federal Administrative 
Body, presumably the Federal Secretariat for Religious Affairs or the 
Federal Ministry of Interior. Under the proposed registration law, 
groups of 10 or more could register by submitting their name, a list of 
members, the name and address of the group's leader, a description of 
organizational structure, by-laws, doctrine and ritual, and a 
description of financial means. Any negative decision on registration 
would be subject to court review. The seven traditional religious 
communities are not required to reregister under the new law.
    During the period covered by this report, religious education began 
in Serbian primary and secondary schools based on a July 2001 
regulation. According to the regulation, students are required to 
attend classes on one of the seven ``traditional religious 
communities:'' Serbian Orthodoxy, Islam, Roman Catholicism, the Slovak 
Evangelical Church, Judaism, the Reform Christian Church, and 
Evangelical Christian Church. As an alternative to the requirement, 
students may substitute a class in civic education. The vast majority 
of students have opted to enroll in the secular course. According to 
sources from the faiths that participated in organizing the religious 
education classes, religious leaders drafted curriculum that they then 
shared with representatives of other faiths to ensure that the courses 
would not contain objectionable material. The curriculum then were 
approved by the Serbian Ministry of Education and Sport. The draft Law 
on Religious Freedom would give religious education in schools the 
force of law. Some Protestant communities and NGO's have objected to 
the teaching of religion in schools, fearing that children whose 
parents opt for civic education will be stigmatized.
    The draft Law on Religious Freedom states the need ``to rectify the 
consequences of nationalization . . . aimed against the property of 
religious communities in compliance with the law,'' and a draft law of 
the Serbian Republic on Restitution of Religious Property was 
circulating among religious leaders for comment at the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    In Montenegro the Constitution specifically recognizes the 
existence of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but not other faiths. The 
Montenegrin Orthodox Church is registered with the Government of 
Montenegro Ministry of Interior in Cetinje, the former capital, as an 
NGO. The Government of Montenegro has remained officially neutral in 
the dispute between followers of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the 
Montenegrin Orthodox Church. Political parties have used this issue in 
pursuit of their own agendas. Pro-Serbian parties strongly support the 
establishment of the Serbian Orthodox Church as an official state 
religion, while pro-independence parties have supported the official 
recognition of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. Members of the 
Montenegrin Orthodox Church worship freely, and generally worship in 
those churches whose memberships have elected to align themselves with 
the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.
    Kosovo's Constitutional Framework provides for freedom of religion 
and prohibits discrimination based on religion and ethnicity, and UNMIK 
and the newly established provisional Kosovo Government generally 
respected this right in practice. Both UNMIK and the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) officially promote respect 
for religious freedom and tolerance in administering Kosovo and in 
carrying out programs for its reconstruction and development. There are 
no specific licensing regulations for religious groups; however, the 
requirement that NGO's register affects some religiously-based 
organizations. There have been some claims by Kosovar Muslim leaders 
that they were not consulted prior to the registration of foreign 
Islamic NGO's.
    Protestants and foreign clergy actively practice and proselytize. 
There are Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant missionaries 
present in Kosovo. Some members of these groups, particularly 
Protestants, have reported societal discrimination (see Section III).
    UNMIK recognizes as official holidays some, but not all, religious 
holidays of both the Muslim and Orthodox faiths. In May 2002, the Prime 
Minister of Kosovo attended Serbian Orthodox services for Easter and 
also met with a prominent ethnic Albanian political leader and Orthodox 
Bishop Artemije Radosavljevic to select three destroyed Orthodox 
churches for reconstruction.

Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In March 2001, VJ announced its intention to introduce Serbian 
Orthodox chaplains into its military units. The VJ had not yet decided 
whether Catholic priests and Muslim imams also would be represented in 
the Army Chaplaincy. According to the Keston Institute, some 
representatives of minority religious groups and NGO's expressed 
concern that by favoring the majority religion the VJ is not protecting 
equal religious rights for all soldiers. The new draft law requires 
chaplains be provided for public institutions from different religious 
communities, and discussions with the Roman Catholic Church for 
Catholic VJ Chaplains were ongoing at the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    During the period covered by this report, Jehovah's Witnesses and 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) reported 
difficulties in obtaining long-term visas for missionaries. Jehovah's 
Witnesses reported that authorities were limiting the amount of 
literature that they were allowed to import into the country. They 
argued that the amount they were permitted to import was insufficient 
for the needs of the 8,000 members and friends of the community.
    Several groups reported difficulties in obtaining land for 
religious purposes during the period covered by this report. Jehovah's 
Witnesses reported difficulties in acquiring land and approval for 
church construction, and representatives of Belgrade's Islamic 
Community reported difficulty in acquiring land and government approval 
for an Islamic cemetery near the city. Representatives of the Church of 
Christ claimed that Protestants had experienced difficulty in 
purchasing a building to be used for a soup kitchen.
    Despite public statements made by Federal President Kostunica 
supporting the restitution of confiscated property, no formerly-seized 
property was restituted during the period covered by this report.

Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Jehovah's Witnesses reported that one of its members, Sahiti 
Mirsad, is serving a 5-month sentence for conscientious objection to 
the draft. While there are non-lethal options in which conscripts can 
serve in the VJ, there is no civilian option for fulfilling one's 
military service requirement. There were no reports of religious 
prisoners or detainees in Kosovo.

Forced Religious Conversions
    There were no reports either in Yugoslavia or in U.N.-administered 
Kosovo of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens 
who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or 
of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United 
States.

Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    While religious leaders often have criticized the lack of police 
response to crimes against religious minorities, leaders of Jehovah's 
Witnesses reported police had contacted the group proactively and met 
with its leaders to plan the 2002 Jehovah's Witness convention in 
Belgrade.
    The Federation of Jewish Communities reported that Belgrade 
Municipal Court agreed to try a case of the publishing of anti-Semitic 
hate speech. In addition the Serbian Orthodox Church took action 
against anti-Semitic claims made by one of its retired clergy, 
Archpriest Dr. Zarko Gavrilovic. The Holy Synod, the highest body of 
the Serbian Orthodox Church, ``energetically rejected and condemned'' 
Gavrilovic's anti-Semitic statements, and Gavrilovic subsequently was 
suspended from his priestly duties.
    Under the Milosevic regime, Bosniak Muslims in the Sandzak region 
alleged discrimination in housing, employment, health care, commerce, 
and education. However, Muamer Zukorlic, Mufti of Sandzak, stated that 
the situation has improved as a result of new laws on national 
minorities and local self-government, as well as the decision to allow 
religious education in schools. Yugoslav Minister of National 
Minorities Rasim Ljajic, Novi Pazar-based ``List for Sandzak'' Party 
leader Suleiman Ugljanin, and Sandzak head of the Helsinki Committee 
Sefko Alomerovic also noted that the situation has improved for 
Muslims, and that they were not subject to systematic discrimination in 
the Sandzak.
    The withdrawal of Serbian troops from Kosovo in 1999 and 
establishment of UNMIK resulted in an improved situation for the 
majority, largely Muslim, ethnic Albanian population, and a cessation 
of attacks on their mosques and religious sites. KFOR and UNMIK 
international police, with the increasing participation of the Kosovo 
Police Service, were able to reduce significantly crimes against 
Orthodox persons and sites during the period covered by this report. 
The newly appointed Prime Minister and some political leaders have 
reached out to Serbian Orthodox officials and have expressed a public 
commitment to assist in the reconstruction of some damaged or destroyed 
churches. Catholic leaders reported that Muslim Albanian Kosovars had 
assisted them to rebuild Catholic churches damaged by time or by the 
former Serb regime prior to 1999, in places such as Malisevo/Malisheve, 
Pristina, Prizren, Gnjilane/Gjilan, and the Rugova gorge, near Pec/
Peje.

                    Section III. Societal Attitudes

    While relations between members of different religious groups, 
particularly in Serbia, are good, there were some instances of 
discrimination against representatives of religious minorities in the 
country. Religion and ethnicity are entwined closely throughout the 
country. In many cases, it is difficult to identify discriminatory acts 
as primarily religious or primarily ethnic in origin. However, many of 
the incidents of religious discrimination or harassment that occurred 
in the period covered in this report appear to have been based more on 
ethnicity than on religion.
    There were no developments in the 2001 case of assailants who 
attacked a Jewish community lawyer in Vojvodina or the 2000 case of 
young men who attacked three members of a Romani Pentecostal Church in 
Leskovac; however, neither attack appeared to be based on religious 
beliefs.
    There continued to be reports of societal harassment and 
discrimination against the Catholic minority in Vojvodina.
    Minority religious communities, including Jews, Roman Catholics, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Christ, reported that incidents 
of vandalism continued, such as the throwing of rocks at places of 
worship and spray-painting of nationalist or anti-Semitic slogans in 
Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sremska Mitrovica, and other cities in Serbia. The 
human rights organization Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) 
reported a number of such attacks in the period covered by this report, 
including the July 2001 stoning of an Evangelical-Methodist Church in 
Vrbas, Vojvodina; the October 2001 stoning of the home of a Adventist 
preacher in Cacak; and the October 2001 attacks in Backa Palanka, 
Vojvodina directed at the home of a Pentecostal pastor and at the 
facade of an Adventist Church. The HRWF also reported that in August 
2001, nationalists disrupted a forum on anti-Semitism in Cacak. In 
addition to acts of vandalism, representatives of the Church of Christ 
and Jehovah's Witnesses reported the harassment of believers in Serbia 
and Montenegro. Church of Christ leaders noted that acts of vandalism 
often took place soon after television programs reported on the work of 
``sects,'' in which minority Protestant faiths often are grouped 
together with satanic cults. For example, one newspaper from the 
southern city of Nis published an article that described religious 
sects as a threat to Orthodox clergy and stated, ``The godless know 
what we think about them, all the same whether we are talking about 
Transcendental Meditationists, Jehovah's Witnesses, or Satanists.''
    Jewish leaders reported some increase in anti-Semitism, both in the 
media and in acts of vandalism, such as the use of anti-Semitic 
stickers with swastikas. Jewish leaders were pleased that Belgrade 
Municipal Court agreed to try a case of the publishing of anti-Semitic 
hate speech, and that the Orthodox Church had repudiated publicly the 
anti-Semitic statements of one of its priests (see Section II). In 
early 2002, a Catholic Church in the Vojvodina town of Sremska 
Mitrovica was pelted with stones and spray painted with nationalist 
slogans and swastikas.
    Relations between religious communities generally are peaceful in 
Montenegro. Catholic, Muslim, and Orthodox Communities coexist within 
the same towns and often use the same municipally-owned properties to 
conduct worship services. However, tensions continued between the 
Serbian Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, which has 
not been recognized by the Constantinople Patriarchate and therefore 
remains schismatic.
    In early 2002, there were a few incidents between the Serbian 
Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. In one incident, 
Serbian Orthodox Church followers clashed with Montenegrin Orthodox at 
the latter's Yule Log ceremony in Berane. While the two churches 
contend for adherents and make conflicting property claims, such 
contention was not marked by the level of violence that has occurred in 
the past. However, NGO representatives reported concern at the level of 
nationalism and hate-speech that they encountered in Montenegro.
    Seventh-day Adventists and members of Jehovah's Witnesses 
officially are registered religions in Montenegro, and Jehovah's 
Witnesses regularly proselytize without incident. Unlike the period 
covered by the previous report, there were no reported problems with 
the Serbian Orthodox Church regarding the construction and renovation 
of Jehovah's Witnesses' or Seventh-day Adventists' church buildings.
    On November 5, 2001, vandals threw rocks and broke the windows of a 
historic mosque in Pljevlja. This is the first such incident reported 
in this Muslim inhabited area of Montenegro.
    Ethnicity and religion also are entwined closely in Kosovo. Muslim 
Kosovars generally are not religious. Kosovars Serbs identify 
themselves with the Serbian Orthodox Church, which defines not only 
their religious but also their cultural and historical perspectives. 
During and after the conflict, some Serbian Orthodox leaders played a 
moderating political role, but most since have withdrawn from political 
life while secular Serb leaders have stepped forward, especially 
following the November 2001 elections and subsequent establishment of 
Kosovo's Provisional Institutions.
    Societal violence against Serbs in Kosovo continued to decrease 
over the period covered by this report, although this trend was marred 
periodically by incidents of ethnically motivated violence, harassment, 
and intimidation. Serbian Orthodox clergy sometimes have encountered 
rock-throwing while traveling and in the vicinity of some religious 
sites. Monks and nuns at some monasteries also reportedly were unable 
to use parts of the monasteries' properties due to safety concerns. 
Security concerns had a chilling effect on the Serb community and their 
freedom of movement, which also affected their freedom to worship. Serb 
families with relatives living in both Kosovo and Serbia are restricted 
by security concerns from traveling to join their relatives for 
religious holidays or ceremonies, including weddings and funerals. 
UNMIK police and KFOR have designed several mechanisms to provide 
security to improve mobility.
    Attacks on Serbian Orthodox religious sites in Kosovo, presumably 
by ethnic Albanian extremists, continued during the period covered by 
this report, although such incidents decreased significantly. In August 
2001, unknown persons threw a hand grenade into the yard of a Serb 
couple living just behind the local church; damage to the church may 
have been intended. In November 2001, a chapel in the cemetery in Staro 
Gracko, near Lipljan/Lipjan, was bombed; the chapel was damaged, as 
were nearby gravestones. In May 2002, unknown persons desecrated a Serb 
cemetery in Gjakova/Djakovica.
    Propaganda and anti-Orthodox expressions continued during the 
period covered by this report. In early September 2001, more than one 
newspaper published a letter from an alleged local human rights 
activist in Decani/Decan, falsely asserting that the monks at the Decan 
Monastery had assisted in Serb paramilitary activities during the 
conflict. In the absence of a formal complaint, Kosovo's Temporary 
Media Commissioner took no action. The letter may have been the result 
of local tensions over land title.
    In light of societal violence in Kosovo against Serbian Orthodox 
religious symbols and properties owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church, 
UNMIK authorities continued to provide special security measures to 
protect religious sites and to ensure that members of all religious 
groups could worship safely. KFOR deployed security contingents at 
religious sites throughout the province to protect them from further 
destruction, such as that which had occurred immediately after KFOR's 
intervention in June 1999. However, Bishop Artemije Radosavljevic, the 
leading cleric of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, remained at a 
monastery in Gracanica, near Pristina, rather than at his diocesan seat 
in Prizren.
    Due to improving security conditions and decreasing interethnic 
tensions in some areas, KFOR removed static checkpoints from some 
churches and religious sites during the period covered by this report, 
instead relying on patrols by the indigenous Kosovo Police Service 
(KPS). In most cases, such relaxations in security measures did not 
result in a change in the level of safety of, or access to, the 
religious sites. However, religious leaders claim that the Gjakova/
Djakovica desecration took place shortly after a fixed checkpoint near 
the cemetery had been removed.
    Protestants also have suffered some violence and discrimination in 
Kosovo. Some Protestant leaders have been threatened and even attacked; 
in one incident in south Mitrovica, a Protestant leader left Kosovo 
after unknown perpetrators fired shots at his house. Some Protestants 
have suggested that non-Kosovar Muslims either were responsible or 
incited the attack. In another incident, masked persons held an ethnic 
Albanian Protestant pastor at gunpoint and robbed him before releasing 
him.
    Protestants report acceptance by the majority Muslim community. 
However, some have observed that they were not included in some 
interfaith initiatives by Islamic leadership on the grounds that they 
do not comprise a ``traditional'' religion in Kosovo. On one occasion, 
a local mufti interrupted Protestant services in Malisheve/Malisevo.
    Islamic, Orthodox, and Catholic religious leaders have attempted to 
encourage tolerance and peace in Kosovo, in both the religious and 
political spheres. During the period covered by this report, Kosovar 
political leaders, including Kosovo Government officials and political 
party leaders, increasingly have been active in publicly calling for 
tolerance.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting 
human rights. U.S. Embassy officials meet regularly with the leaders of 
religious and ethnic minorities, as well as with representatives of the 
Federal and Republican Governments and the Serbian Orthodox Church, to 
promote the respect of religious freedom and human rights.
    U.S. officials in Pristina have maintained close contacts with 
religious leaders to promote ethnic and religious tolerance in Kosovo.
    Since 2000 the U.S. has provided significant funding to Radio KIM 
(Radio Caglavica), based at Gracanica Monastery. Serbian Orthodox 
Bishop Artemije's clerical staff runs the station, which broadcasts 
news, music, interviews, and cultural programs.
    U.S. KFOR peacekeeping troops have worked to prevent ethnic and 
religious violence in Kosovo and have guarded religious sites. The 
United States is involved actively in UNMIK, the interim administration 
mission in Kosovo, which is aimed at securing peace, facilitating 
refugee return and reconstruction, laying the foundations for 
democratic self-government in the province, and fostering respect for 
human rights regardless of ethnicity or religion.

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