[JPRT 110-32]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



 
   110th Congress 1st 
         Session         JOINT COMMITTEE PRINT         S. Prt.
                                                        110-32
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     


                            ANNUAL REPORT ON
                  INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2006


                               ----------                              


                              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

Available via World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate

                                     




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                     COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

                JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr., Delaware, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut     RICHARD G. LUGAR, Indiana
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts         CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin       NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota
BARBARA BOXER, California            BOB CORKER, Tennessee
BILL NELSON, Florida                 JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire
BARACK OBAMA, Illinois               GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey          LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland         JIM DeMINT, South Carolina
ROBERT P. CASEY, Jr., Pennsylvania   JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia
JIM WEBB, Virginia                   DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
                   Antony J. Blinken, Staff Director
            Kenneth A. Myers, Jr., Republican Staff Director



                      COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

                    TOM LANTOS, California, Chairman
HOWARD L. BERMAN, California         ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida
GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York           CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey
ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American      DAN BURTON, Indiana
    Samoa                            ELTON GALLEGLY, California
DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey          DANA ROHRABACHER, California
BRAD SHERMAN, California             DONALD A. MANZULLO, Illinois
ROBERT WEXLER, Florida               EDWARD R. ROYCE, California
ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York             STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
BILL DELAHUNT, Massachusetts         THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado
GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York           RON PAUL, Texas
DIANE E. WATSON, California          JEFF FLAKE, Arizona
ADAM SMITH, Washington               JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia
RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri              MIKE PENCE, Indiana
JOHN S. TANNER, Tennessee            THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan
GENE GREEN, Texas                    JOE WILSON, South Carolina
LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California          JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas            J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina
RUBEN HINOJOSA, Texas                CONNIE MACK, Florida
JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York             JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska
DAVID WU, Oregon                     MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas
BRAD MILLER, North Carolina          TED POE, Texas
LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California         BOB INGLIS, South Carolina
DAVID SCOTT, Georgia                 LUIS G. FORTUNO, Puerto Rico
JIM COSTA, California
ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona
RON KLEIN, Florida
                     Robert R. King, Staff Director
                Yleem Poblete, Republican Staff Director

                                  (ii)




                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

Letter of Transmittal............................................   vii

Preface..........................................................    ix

Introduction.....................................................    xi

Executive Summary................................................  xiii

             REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2006
                             country index

Africa:

    Angola.......................................................     1
    Benin........................................................     3
    Botswana.....................................................     5
    Burkina Faso.................................................     6
    Burundi......................................................     9
    Cameroon.....................................................    10
    Cape Verde...................................................    14
    Central African Republic.....................................    15
    Chad.........................................................    18
    Comoros, Union of............................................    22
    Congo, Democratic Republic of the............................    24
    Congo, Republic of...........................................    26
    Cote d'Ivoire................................................    27
    Djibouti.....................................................    33
    Equatorial Guinea............................................    34
    Eritrea......................................................    37
    Ethiopia.....................................................    42
    Gabon........................................................    47
    Gambia, The..................................................    49
    Ghana........................................................    50
    Guinea.......................................................    56
    Guinea-Bissau................................................    59
    Kenya........................................................    60
    Lesotho......................................................    63
    Liberia......................................................    65
    Madagascar...................................................    67
    Malawi.......................................................    69
    Mali.........................................................    71
    Mauritania...................................................    73
    Mauritius....................................................    75
    Mozambique...................................................    77
    Namibia......................................................    81
    Niger........................................................    82
    Nigeria......................................................    84
    Rwanda.......................................................    90
    Sao Tome and Principe........................................    94
    Senegal......................................................    95
    Seychelles...................................................    97
    Sierra Leone.................................................    98
    Somalia......................................................   100
    South Africa.................................................   102
    Sudan........................................................   105
    Swaziland....................................................   113
    Tanzania.....................................................   115
    Togo.........................................................   121
    Uganda.......................................................   123
    Zambia.......................................................   126
    Zimbabwe.....................................................   128

East Asia and the Pacific:

    Australia....................................................   133
    Brunei.......................................................   135
    Burma........................................................   139
    Cambodia.....................................................   148
    China (includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet).................   150
        Hong Kong................................................   165
        Macau....................................................   168
        Tibet....................................................   170
    China (includes Taiwan only).................................   177
    East Timor...................................................   179
    Fiji.........................................................   182
    Indonesia....................................................   183
    Japan........................................................   195
    Kiribati.....................................................   196
    Korea, Democratic People's Republic of.......................   197
    Korea, Republic of...........................................   203
    Laos.........................................................   204
    Malaysia.....................................................   213
    Marshall Islands.............................................   217
    Micronesia, Federated States of..............................   218
    Mongolia.....................................................   219
    Nauru........................................................   221
    New Zealand..................................................   223
    Palau........................................................   225
    Papua New Guinea.............................................   226
    Philippines..................................................   228
    Samoa........................................................   232
    Singapore....................................................   234
    Solomon Islands..............................................   237
    Thailand.....................................................   238
    Tonga........................................................   243
    Tuvalu.......................................................   244
    Vanuatu......................................................   246
    Vietnam......................................................   247

Europe and Eurasia:

    Albania......................................................   265
    Andorra......................................................   269
    Armenia......................................................   270
    Austria......................................................   274
    Azerbaijan...................................................   279
    Belarus......................................................   284
    Belgium......................................................   297
    Bosnia and Herzegovina.......................................   302
    Bulgaria.....................................................   310
    Croatia......................................................   314
    Cyprus.......................................................   322
    Czech Republic...............................................   326
    Denmark......................................................   331
    Estonia......................................................   334
    Finland......................................................   337
    France.......................................................   340
    Georgia......................................................   351
    Germany......................................................   357
    Greece.......................................................   363
    Hungary......................................................   371
    Iceland......................................................   375
    Ireland......................................................   379
    Italy........................................................   381
    Latvia.......................................................   385
    Liechtenstein................................................   389
    Lithuania....................................................   391
    Luxembourg...................................................   399
    Macedonia....................................................   400
    Malta........................................................   405
    Moldova......................................................   407
    Monaco.......................................................   412
    Netherlands, The.............................................   413
    Norway.......................................................   418
    Poland.......................................................   421
    Portugal.....................................................   426
    Romania......................................................   429
    Russia.......................................................   448
    San Marino...................................................   478
    Serbia and Montenegro........................................   480
        Kosovo...................................................   485
    Slovak Republic..............................................   493
    Slovenia.....................................................   499
    Spain........................................................   501
    Sweden.......................................................   506
    Switzerland..................................................   510
    Turkey.......................................................   518
    Ukraine......................................................   526
    United Kingdom...............................................   535

Near East and North Africa:

    Algeria......................................................   543
    Bahrain......................................................   548
    Egypt........................................................   552
    Iran.........................................................   564
    Iraq.........................................................   575
    Israel.......................................................   584
        Occupied Territories, the................................   597
    Jordan.......................................................   605
    Kuwait.......................................................   611
    Lebanon......................................................   619
    Libya........................................................   623
    Morocco......................................................   626
        Western Sahara...........................................   630
    Oman.........................................................   630
    Qatar........................................................   633
    Saudi Arabia.................................................   635
    Syria........................................................   646
    Tunisia......................................................   650
    United Arab Emirates.........................................   655
    Yemen........................................................   660

South Asia:

    Afghanistan..................................................   665
    Bangladesh...................................................   673
    Bhutan.......................................................   681
    India........................................................   685
    Kazakhstan...................................................   711
    Kyrgyz Republic..............................................   718
    Maldives.....................................................   723
    Nepal........................................................   726
    Pakistan.....................................................   730
    Sri Lanka....................................................   749
    Tajikistan...................................................   757
    Turkmenistan.................................................   762
    Uzbekistan...................................................   772

Western Hemisphere:

    Antigua and Barbuda..........................................   789
    Argentina....................................................   790
    Bahamas......................................................   792
    Barbados.....................................................   793
    Belize.......................................................   795
    Bolivia......................................................   796
    Brazil.......................................................   798
    Canada.......................................................   800
    Chile........................................................   804
    Colombia.....................................................   806
    Costa Rica...................................................   811
    Cuba.........................................................   813
    Dominica.....................................................   818
    Dominican Republic...........................................   819
    Ecuador......................................................   821
    El Salvador..................................................   822
    Grenada......................................................   824
    Guatemala....................................................   825
    Guyana.......................................................   827
    Haiti........................................................   828
    Honduras.....................................................   831
    Jamaica......................................................   832
    Mexico.......................................................   834
    Nicaragua....................................................   838
    Panama.......................................................   840
    Paraguay.....................................................   842
    Peru.........................................................   843
    Saint Kitts and Nevis........................................   847
    Saint Lucia..................................................   848
    Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.............................   849
    Suriname.....................................................   850
    Trinidad and Tobago..........................................   852
    Uruguay......................................................   854
    Venezuela....................................................   855

                               Appendices

A. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.....................   859

B. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and 
  The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance 
  and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.................   863

C. Training at the Foreign Service Institute Related to the 
  International Religious Freedom Act............................   877

D. Department of Homeland Security and the International 
  Religious Freedom Act..........................................   881

E. Overview of U.S. Refugee Policy...............................   883
?



                         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

                              ----------                              

                                  U.S. Department of State,
                                                    Washington, DC.
Hon. Richard G. Lugar,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of Secretary Rice, we are 
pleased to transmit the 2006 Annual Report on International 
Religious Freedom. This report is submitted in compliance with 
Sec. 102 of P.L. 105-292, the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998, which calls for a report to describe and assess 
the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom in 
each country, to describe U.S. actions and policies in support 
of religious freedom, and to provide specified information on a 
variety of topics related to religious freedom.
    The report reviews the status of religious freedom in 197 
countries or areas, and provides an overview of U.S. policy on 
religious freedom and information about U.S. actions taken to 
address religious freedom issues in each country. The report is 
available on the Department of State web page at www.state.gov.
    We hope you find this information helpful. Please let us 
know if we can be of further assistance.
            Sincerely,
                                        Jeffrey T. Bergner,
                          Assistant Secretary, Legislative Affairs.


                                 (vii)

                                     
                                PREFACE

                              ----------                              


             2006 REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

                      Why the Reports are Prepared

    This report is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State 
in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious 
Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. The law provides that the secretary of 
state, with the assistance of the ambassador at large for international 
religious freedom, shall transmit to Congress ``an Annual Report on 
International Religious Freedom supplementing the most recent Human 
Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with 
respect to matters involving international religious freedom.''

                      How the Reports are Prepared

    U.S. embassies prepare the initial drafts of these reports, 
gathering information from a variety of sources, including government 
and religious officials, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, 
human rights monitors, religious groups, and academics. This 
information-gathering can be hazardous, and U.S. foreign service 
officers regularly go to great lengths, under trying and sometimes 
dangerous conditions, to investigate reports of human rights abuse, to 
monitor elections, and to come to the aid of individuals at risk 
because of their religious beliefs.
    The Office of International Religious Freedom collaborated in 
collecting and analyzing information for the country reports, drawing 
on the expertise of other Department of State offices, religious 
organizations, other non-governmental organizations, foreign government 
officials, representatives from the United Nations and other 
international and regional organizations and institutions, and experts 
from academia and the media. In compiling and editing the country 
reports, the Office of International Religious Freedom consulted with 
experts on issues of religious discrimination and persecution, 
religious leaders from a wide variety of faiths, and experts on legal 
matters. The office's guiding principle was to ensure that all relevant 
information was assessed as objectively, thoroughly, and fairly as 
possible.
    The report will be used by a wide range of U.S. government 
departments, agencies, and offices to shape policy; conduct diplomacy; 
inform assistance, training, and other resource allocations; and help 
determine which countries have engaged in or tolerated ``particularly 
severe violations'' of religious freedom, otherwise known as Countries 
of Particular Concern.
    This document, like several other State Department reports, uses 
the Chicago Manual of Style format. For that reason, it uses a style of 
capitalization in which, in general, only full proper names are 
capitalized. In this style, for example, ``Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice'' is capitalized, but ``secretary of state'' is not. 
No disrespect is meant to foreign or domestic leaders through this 
style of capitalization.

                            A Word on Usage

    When the International Religious Freedom Report states that a 
country ``generally respected'' the right of religious freedom over the 
reporting period, this phrase signifies that the country attempted to 
protect religious freedom in the fullest sense. ``Generally respected'' 
is thus the highest level of respect for religious freedom assigned by 
this report. The phrase ``generally respected'' is used because the 
protection and promotion of religious freedom is a dynamic endeavor; it 
cannot be stated categorically that any government fully respected this 
right over the reporting year, even in the best of circumstances.

                            Acknowledgements

    The 2006 report covers the period from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 
2006, and reflects a year of dedicated effort by hundreds of foreign 
service and civil service officers in the Department of State and U.S. 
missions abroad. We thank the many foreign service officers at our 
embassies and consulates abroad for monitoring and promoting religious 
freedom, and for chronicling in detail the status of religious liberty. 
In addition to their efforts, we acknowledge the diligent labor and 
tireless commitment to religious freedom of those within the Office of 
International Religious Freedom whose work made this report possible: 
Clarissa Adamson, Patricia Aguilo, Philip Barth, Donna Brutkoski, 
Warren Cofsky, Doug Dearborn, Karen DeBolt, Lisa DeBolt, Sarah Drake, 
Kenneth Durkin, Maureen Gaffney, Nancy Hewett, Jeremy Howard, Victor 
Huser, Shellette Jackson, Anthony Jones, Emilie Kao, Patrick Kelly, 
Stephen Liston, Kathryn Lurie, Mary Maher, Michael Mates, Safia 
Mohamoud, Joannella Morales, Aaron Pina, and Deborah Schneider. The 
work of all of these individuals advances the cause of freedom, ensures 
accuracy in our reporting, and brings hope to repressed people around 
the world.
                              INTRODUCTION

                              ----------                              

    Faith as a personal choice and an essential freedom is a 
cornerstone of the American character, rooted in the vision of our 
founding fathers. Freedom of religion has been one of our foremost 
liberties from the birth of our nation to this day, and the resolve of 
Americans to champion that freedom--not only at home, but also around 
the world--has remained steadfast. As Secretary of State Condoleezza 
Rice has stated, ``There is no more fundamental issue for the United 
States than freedom of religion and religious conscience. This country 
was founded on that basis, and it is at the heart of democracy.''
    Religious liberty is America's ``first freedom,'' enshrined in the 
First Amendment of our Bill of Rights. In the same way, freedom of 
religion is a cornerstone of universal human rights, for it encompasses 
freedom of speech, assembly, and conscience, which together form the 
foundation for democratic governance and respect for the individual. 
For this reason the growth of democracy we are witnessing today has 
gone hand in hand with a growth in religious freedom and other human 
rights. Freedom House, which annually categorizes each nation as 
``free,'' ``partly free,'' or ``not free'' based on a wide range of 
criteria, including religious freedom, estimated that 44 countries were 
``free'' in 1972, the first year that it released its country ratings. 
By last year, that number had risen to 89 countries. The number of 
``not free'' countries, in turn, has fallen from 68 in 1972 to 45 
today.
    Yet, while democracy and respect for basic freedoms have gained 
ground throughout the world, many governments still pay no more than 
lip service to their responsibilities under the Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights and other international agreements. In too many 
countries, governments refuse to recognize and protect religious 
freedom. A number of governments actively work against this 
foundational right. And in some nations today, violent extremists, 
exploiting religion in the service of an ideology of intolerance and 
hate, direct their attacks against those who seek only to worship 
according to the dictates of their conscience. Even as we stand 
together with those who rightly demand religious freedom, we stand 
firmly against those who, whether acting on behalf of governments or on 
behalf of organizations that manipulate faith for violent purposes, 
impede human liberty and democracy.
    The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom was 
established as a means to help promote and protect this universal 
right. The report seeks to shed light in those parts of the world where 
religious persecution is perpetrated, and by that light to impede its 
progress. The very process underlying the report, of investigating, 
documenting, and protesting abuses, can help mitigate the violations. 
That so many endure beatings, torture, and imprisonment, yet remain 
committed to their beliefs, sometimes even to the point of death, is a 
testament to the strength and resilience of their faith. The Annual 
Report on International Religious Freedom testifies to this strength, 
speaking for the many millions who continue to suffer on the basis of 
their religious identity, belief, or practice.
    This report is a natural outgrowth of our country's history. That 
which is precious to us, we urge others to protect and preserve as 
well. Our own record as a nation on this and other freedoms is not 
perfect. However, our imperfections cannot serve as an excuse to 
retreat from the challenge of working to make this universal right a 
reality for all humankind.
    As the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, 
with responsibility to both the President and the Secretary of State as 
principal advisor on advancing religious freedom worldwide, it is my 
mission and that of my office to stand with those who seek and promote 
religious freedom, and against those who would stifle it. Under my 
direction, the Office of International Religious Freedom undertakes a 
wide range of activities aimed at implementing U.S. policy on religious 
freedom, working closely with colleagues in the Department of State and 
U.S. embassies overseas in order to bring the full set of diplomatic 
tools to bear on the issue. Through formal and informal bilateral 
negotiations with foreign governments, participation in multilateral 
fora such as the United Nations and the Organization for Security and 
Cooperation in Europe, cooperation with human rights and faith-based 
NGOs, and meetings with victims of abuse, we develop and carry out 
strategies to address persecution wherever it is found.
    As we present to Congress and the public this eighth edition of the 
Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, I wish to express my 
gratitude for the strong and vigilant leadership of President Bush and 
Secretary of State Rice on this issue, as well as for the bipartisan 
support which Congress has provided. We all owe a debt of gratitude, as 
well, to so many who work in non-governmental organizations on behalf 
of the oppressed.
    The good news, as the Freedom House ranking of countries shows, is 
that together we are making progress. But clearly, enormous challenges 
remain. ``As the United States advances the cause of liberty,'' 
President Bush has said, ``we remember that freedom is not America's 
gift to the world, but God's gift to each man and woman in this world. 
This truth drives our efforts to help people everywhere achieve freedom 
of religion and establish a better, brighter and more peaceful future 
for all.''
    It is to the courageous men, women, and children around the world 
who suffer because of their faith that we dedicate this annual report. 
May it provide some measure of encouragement to their aspirations and 
some hope that their story is not untold, nor their plight forgotten in 
the press of world affairs.
                                       John V. Hanford III,
           Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
                           EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

                              ----------                              


                           The Annual Report

    The purpose of this report is to document the actions of 
governments--those that repress religious expression, persecute 
innocent believers, or tolerate violence against religious minorities, 
as well as those that respect, protect, and promote religious freedom. 
We strive to report equally on abuses against adherents of all 
religious traditions and beliefs. The governments we report on range 
from those that provided a high level of protection for religious 
freedom in the broadest sense (those that ``generally respected'' 
religious freedom) to totalitarian regimes that sought to control 
religious thought and expression and regarded some or all religious 
groups as threats.
    The promotion of religious freedom is a core objective of U.S. 
foreign policy and is part of the U.S. Department of State's mission. 
The commitment of the United States to religious freedom and to 
international human rights standards is also articulated in such 
documents as Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 
which clearly states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, 
conscience and religion. As an expression of our deep national 
commitment to these freedoms, the department monitors religious 
persecution and discrimination worldwide, recommends and implements 
policies directed toward regions and countries, and develops programs 
to promote religious freedom. Through transformational diplomacy, the 
United States seeks to promote freedom of religion and conscience 
throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of 
stability for all countries. In so doing, it strives to assist newly 
formed democracies in implementing freedom of religion and conscience, 
assist religious and human rights NGOs in promoting religious freedom, 
and identify and promote changes in the policies and actions of regimes 
that severely persecute their citizens or others on the basis of 
religious belief.
    The large majority of the world's people have religious beliefs, 
which they hold dear. It is because religion is viewed by people as 
having such a central place in their lives that many regard religious 
freedom as the most important right. At the same time, global trends, 
regional distinctions, local preferences, and personal histories often 
lead to significant overlap between religious identity and ethnicity, 
class, language group, or political affiliation. The right to religious 
freedom can be abused in many ways both blatant and subtle. The 
following typology, although far from exhaustive, represents the major 
types of abuses identified in this report, and may serve as a helpful 
guide to assessing trends in religious freedom: totalitarian/
authoritarian regimes, state hostility toward minority religions, state 
neglect of societal discrimination, discriminatory legislation that 
favors majority religions, and denunciation of certain religions as 
cults.
    The first and most stark category of abuses is seen in totalitarian 
and authoritarian regimes, which seek to control religious thought and 
expression. Such regimes regard some or all religious groups as enemies 
of the state because of their religious beliefs or their independence 
from central authority. Some governments are hostile and repressive 
towards particular groups, often identifying them as ``security 
threats.'' It is important to distinguish between groups of religious 
believers who express legitimate political grievances, and those that 
misuse religion to advocate violence against other religious groups or 
the state. This report documents it as an abuse when a government 
broadly represses religious expression among a peacefully practicing 
population on the grounds of security concerns. For example, the war on 
terror must not be used as an excuse to repress peaceful worship. The 
report also notes those countries and situations in which authorities' 
over-zealous actions taken against observant believers suspected of 
extremism have had the principal effect of restricting religious 
freedom. In some countries, for example, many are afraid to attend 
mosque frequently lest the government characterize them as religious 
extremists.
    A second category of abuses occurs with state hostility toward 
minority or non-approved religions. These governments implement 
policies designed to demand that adherents recant their faith, cause 
religious group members to flee the country, or intimidate and harass 
certain religious groups. This report notes, for example, when state 
repression of religious groups was linked to ethnic identity because a 
government dominated by a majority ethnic group suppressed the faith of 
a minority group. Also detailed in this report are instances where 
governments used an individual's religious devotion as a proxy for 
determining his or her political ideology, which resulted in the 
intimidation and harassment of certain religious groups.
    Yet a third kind of abuse stems from a state's failure to address 
either societal discrimination or societal abuses against religious 
groups. In these countries, legislation may discourage religious 
discrimination and persecution, but officials fail to prevent 
conflicts, harassment, or other harmful acts against minority religious 
groups. Protecting religious freedom is not just a matter of having 
good laws in writing. It requires active work by a government at all 
levels to prevent abuses by governmental or private actors, to bring 
abusers to justice, and to provide redress to victims, when 
appropriate. Governments have the responsibility to ensure that their 
agents do not commit abuses of religious freedom, and to protect 
religious freedom by rule of law in a way that ensures that private 
actors obey. In addition, governments must foster an environment of 
respect and tolerance for all people. This report documents cases in 
which a government has failed to prevent violations of religious 
freedom, or has not responded with consistency and vigor to violations 
of religious freedom by private actors, nongovernmental entities, or 
local law enforcement officials.
    In a fourth category are abuses that occur when governments have 
enacted discriminatory legislation or policies that favor majority 
religions and disadvantage minority religions. This often results from 
historical dominance by the majority religion and a bias against new or 
minority religions. In a number of these countries, governments have 
acted on a widely held ideology that links national identity with a 
particular religion by enacting legislation that favors the majority 
religion and discriminates against minority religions. Though the 
majority of the population in such a country may worship without 
harassment, such a situation cannot be characterized as true freedom to 
choose one's faith and worship freely. Furthermore, government backing 
of a religion can result in restrictions even on worshippers in the 
majority when the state enforces only one interpretation of that 
religion.
    Finally, the practice of discriminating against certain religions 
by identifying them as dangerous cults or sects is a common type of 
abuse, even in countries where religious freedom is otherwise 
respected. For example, this report discusses denunciations against 
Shi'ite Muslims in Sunni-majority countries, and vice versa, especially 
where governments have taken it upon themselves to regulate religious 
belief and practice according to one of these faith traditions.
    Between July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, the period covered by this 
report, wide-ranging events had implications for religious freedom. One 
trend was a significant increase in international media attention to 
religious freedom issues and controversies. Such events included an 
international backlash in February 2006 against the republication of a 
series of twelve cartoons depicting satirical images of Mohammed, 
originally published in September 2005 by the Danish newspaper 
Jyllands-Posten. In choosing to publish them, the European media cited 
freedom of expression. However, many observers, especially in Europe's 
minority Muslim communities, interpreted this as a direct attack on or 
demonstration of intolerance toward the Islamic faith.
    The remainder of this Executive Summary consists of two parts. Part 
I summarizes, on a country-by-country basis, actions the U.S. 
Government has taken to advance international religious freedom in the 
nations designated ``Countries of Particular Concern'' for particularly 
severe violations of religious freedom. Part II provides a summary of 
conditions in those countries where religious freedom is of significant 
interest, including in Countries of Particular Concern. For each 
country, this section notes the legal situation and relevant policies, 
and gives examples of particular government abuses or positive steps 
governments have taken to promote or protect religious freedom. In most 
cases, these countries exhibit one or more of the abuses outlined 
above.

        Part I: U.S. Actions in Countries of Particular Concern

    The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRF Act) requires 
an annual review of the status of religious freedom worldwide and the 
designation of countries that have ``engaged in or tolerated 
particularly severe violations of religious freedom'' during the 
reporting period as ``Countries of Particular Concern'' (CPCs). 
Following the designation, a period of negotiation may ensue, in which 
the United States seeks to work with a designated country to bring 
about change. Subsequently, depending upon the results of these 
discussions, one or more actions are chosen by the secretary of state, 
as required by the IRF Act. These actions range from sanctions to an 
agreement to a waiver. In countries where U.S. sanctions are currently 
in force, the Secretary may designate one or more of these sanctions 
jointly to fulfill the requirements of the IRF Act and other U.S. law. 
The ambassador at large for international religious freedom and his 
office take actions to promote religious freedom in each CPC throughout 
the year. This section highlights actions by other U.S. Government 
officials to promote religious freedom and to encourage the governments 
to take positive steps to increase religious freedom. In November 2005, 
the Secretary re-designated Burma, China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, 
Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam as CPCs. Further details on U.S. 
actions in CPCs and other countries may be found in each individual 
country report.
Burma
    Every year since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated Burma 
as a CPC. In 2005 the Secretary continued the designation of a 
sanction, consisting of a prohibition on exports or other transfers of 
defense articles and defense services pursuant to the Arms Export 
Control Act, as the action under the IRF Act. The U.S. Government has a 
wide array of financial and trade sanctions in place against Burma for 
its violations of human rights. The U.S. Government advocated religious 
freedom with all facets of society, including with government 
officials, religious leaders, private citizens, and scholars, foreign 
diplomats, and international business and media representatives. 
Through outreach and travel, when not blocked by regime officials, 
embassy representatives offered support to and exchanged information 
with many otherwise isolated local nongovernmental organizations and 
religious leaders.
China
    The Secretary of State has designated the People's Republic of 
China a CPC every year since 1999. In 2005, the secretary continued the 
designation of a sanction, consisting of the restriction of exports of 
crime control and detection instruments and equipment pursuant to the 
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, as the action under the IRF Act. 
The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the 
Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang made a 
concerted effort to encourage greater religious freedom in China, 
condemning abuses while supporting positive trends. In public and in 
private, U.S. officials repeatedly urged the P.R.C. Government to 
respect citizens' constitutional and internationally recognized rights 
to exercise religious freedom and to release all those serving prison 
sentences for religious activities. President Bush regularly raised 
religious freedom in his meetings with government leaders, including in 
his April 2006 and November and September 2005 meetings with President 
Hu Jintao. Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor 
Barry Lowenkron held talks on religious freedom during a February 2006 
visit to Beijing. The U.S. ambassador to China highlighted problems of 
religious freedom and cases of individual religious prisoners of 
conscience in his public speeches and in his private diplomacy with 
Chinese officials.
Eritrea
    The Secretary of State first designated Eritrea as a CPC in 2004. 
As the action under the IRF Act, in 2005 the Secretary of State ordered 
the denial of commercial export to Eritrea of any defense articles and 
services controlled under the Arms Export Control Act, excluding 
certain items such as those used for peacekeeping and anti-terrorism 
efforts. U.S. embassy officials meet regularly with leaders of the 
religious community. The U.S. ambassador and other embassy officers 
have raised the cases of detention and restrictions on unregistered 
religious groups with officials in the President's Office, the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the leaders of the 
sole legal political party, the People's Front for Democracy and 
Justice.
Iran
    Every year since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated Iran 
as a CPC. In 2005, the Secretary continued the designation of a 
sanction, consisting of restrictions on U.S. security assistance 
pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act, as the action under the IRF 
Act. The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran, and thus 
it cannot raise directly the restrictions that the Iranian Government 
places on religious freedom and other abuses the government commits 
against adherents of minority religious groups. The U.S. Government has 
expressed strongly its objections to the government's harsh and 
oppressive treatment of religious minorities through public statements, 
support for relevant UN and nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts, 
and diplomatic initiatives toward states concerned about religious 
freedom in Iran. The United States calls on other countries with 
bilateral relations with Iran to use those ties to press Iran on 
religious freedoms and human rights. For example, at the fall 2005 
session of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, the United 
States co-sponsored a successful resolution against Iran, which 
specifically addressed religious freedom issues among other violations 
of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The United States has 
publicly condemned the treatment of the Baha'is in UN resolutions. On 
numerous occasions, the U.S. State Department has addressed publicly 
the situation of the Baha'i and Jewish communities in the country, and 
the U.S. Government has encouraged other governments to make similar 
statements.
North Korea
    Every year since 2001, the Secretary of State has designated the 
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) as a CPC. In 2005, the 
Secretary continued the designation of a sanction, consisting of 
restrictions on normal trade relations and other trade benefits 
pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974 and the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, as 
the action under the IRF Act. The U.S. Government does not have 
diplomatic relations with the D.P.R.K., and raises its concerns about 
the deplorable state of human rights in the country with other 
countries and in multilateral fora. For example, the U.S. cosponsored a 
successful resolution that addressed restrictions on religious freedom 
at the UN General Assembly in fall 2005. Assistant Secretary of State 
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill has publicly stated 
that dialogue on the D.P.R.K.'s human rights record will be a part of 
any future normalization process between the D.P.R.K. and the United 
States. In April 2005, several State Department officials testified 
before the House International Relations Committee on the D.P.R.K.'s 
human rights record and U.S. Government efforts to implement the 2004 
North Korean Human Rights Act (NKHRA). They and the U.S. ambassador at 
large for international religious freedom have repeatedly raised 
awareness of the deplorable human rights conditions in the D.P.R.K. 
through speeches before U.S. audiences. In August 2005, the president 
appointed Jay Lefkowitz as Special Envoy for Human Rights in North 
Korea, in keeping with one provision of the NKHRA. Since his 
appointment, Special Envoy Lefkowitz has urged other countries, 
including the Republic of Korea and Japan, to join the growing 
international campaign urging the D.P.R.K. to address its human rights 
conditions and abuses of religious freedom. Also in 2005, the U.S. 
Department of State provided a grant of $496,000 to the National 
Endowment for Democracy to improve and expand monitoring and reporting 
on human rights conditions in the D.P.R.K., as well as a grant to 
Freedom House for a series of conferences and other activities 
dedicated to urging the regime to end its abuses. Radio Free Asia and 
Voice of America also provide regular Korean-language broadcasting. 
U.S. Government policy allows U.S. citizens to travel to the country, 
and a number of churches and religious groups have organized efforts to 
alleviate suffering caused by shortages of food and medicine.
Saudi Arabia
    The Secretary of State first designated Saudi Arabia as a CPC in 
2004. Senior U.S. officials and embassy officers met with senior Saudi 
Government and religious leaders regarding religious freedom, and the 
U.S. ambassador also raised specific cases of violations with senior 
officials. U.S. Government officials also met with the Saudi Government 
to raise their concerns over the dissemination of intolerant literature 
and an extremist ideology, and discussed the need for the Saudi 
Government to honor consistently its public commitment to permit 
private religious worship by non-Muslims, eliminate discrimination 
against minorities, promote tolerance toward non-Muslims, and respect 
the rights of Muslims who do not follow the conservative Hanbali 
tradition of Sunni Islam. These discussions made it possible to 
identify and confirm a number of key policies that the government is 
pursuing and will continue to pursue for the purposes of promoting 
greater freedom for religious practice and increased tolerance for 
religious groups. These include policies designed to halt the 
dissemination of intolerant literature and extremist ideology, both 
within Saudi Arabia and around the world, to protect the right to 
private worship, and to curb harassment of religious practice. For 
example, the Saudi Government is conducting a comprehensive revision of 
textbooks and educational curricula to weed out disparaging remarks 
toward religious groups, a process that will take one to two more 
years. The Saudi Government is also retraining teachers and the 
religious police to ensure that the rights of Muslims and non-Muslims 
are protected and to promote tolerance and combat extremism. The Saudi 
Government has also created a Human Rights Commission to address the 
full range of human rights complaints. In view of these developments, 
the Secretary issued a waiver of sanctions ``to further the purposes of 
the Act.''
Sudan
    Every year since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated Sudan 
a CPC. Among the numerous U.S. sanctions against Sudan, in 2005 the 
Secretary continued the designation of one sanction consisting of the 
use of the voice and vote of the U.S. to abstain on or oppose loans or 
other uses of the funds of the international financial institutions to 
or for Sudan, pursuant to the International Financial Institutions Act, 
as the action under the IRF Act. The U.S. Government encouraged the 
Government of National Unity (GNU) to fulfill the promises of religious 
freedom made in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Interim 
National Constitution, and made clear that restrictions on religious 
freedom impede improved relations between the United States and Sudan. 
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick hosted an interfaith forum 
with Christian and Muslim leaders in Khartoum during his November 2005 
visit. Embassy officials frequently met with leaders of different 
religious groups. The U.S. embassy has developed working relationships 
with a number of Muslim and Christian leaders, and U.S. officials met 
on a regular basis with such leaders in Khartoum, Juba, and on trips 
outside the capital.
Vietnam
    During the period covered by this report, significant improvements 
occurred in the status of religious freedom in Vietnam (see Part II). 
First designated a CPC in 2004, the United States and Vietnam worked 
closely together in the months that ensued, resulting in an exchange of 
letters in May 2005 that covered the following issues: full 
implementation of the new laws on religious activities; instruction of 
local authorities to strictly and completely adhere to the new 
legislation and ensure their compliance; facilitation of the process by 
which religious congregations are able to open houses of worship; and 
special consideration to prisoners and cases of concern raised by the 
United States during the granting of prisoner amnesties. This exchange 
of letters mitigated other actions under the IRF Act. The U.S. Embassy 
in Hanoi and the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City maintain an 
active and regular dialogue with senior and working-level government 
officials to advocate greater religious freedom. U.S. officials also 
meet and communicate regularly with religious leaders of the Buddhist, 
Catholic, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and Muslim communities, 
including religious activists under government scrutiny. When traveling 
outside of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, embassy and consulate general 
officers regularly met with provincial Religious Affairs Committees, 
village elders, local clergy, and believers. The U.S. ambassador and 
other U.S. officials, including the ambassador at large for 
international religious freedom, raised concerns about the registration 
and recognition difficulties faced by religious organizations; the 
detention and arrest of religious figures; the difficulties Protestants 
face in the Central Highlands and northern Vietnam, including the 
Northwest Highlands; and other restrictions on religious freedom with 
the prime minister, deputy prime minister, government cabinet 
ministers, Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) leaders, provincial 
officials, and others. The ambassador at large for international 
religious freedom and his staff traveled to various regions of the 
country on six occasions between 2003 and 2006 to meet religious 
leaders and government authorities. The U.S. Government has regularly 
worked for the release of prisoners deemed to be detained primarily for 
religious reasons. The government during the period covered by this 
report freed four individuals viewed by various sources as having been 
imprisoned in connection with religious activities.

Part II: Country-Specific Conditions of International Religious Freedom

    This section provides a summary of conditions in a number of 
countries where religious freedom is of significant interest. For each 
country, this section notes the legal situation and relevant policies, 
and gives examples of particular government abuses or positive steps 
governments have taken in the reporting period to promote or protect 
religious freedom.
Afghanistan
    The Afghan constitution states that ``followers of other religions 
are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites 
within the limits of the provisions of law.'' However, it also states 
that Islam is the ``religion of the state'' and that ``no law can be 
contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of 
Islam.'' While the government generally respected the right to 
religious freedom, decades of war and years of Taliban rule and weak 
democratic institutions, including an unreformed judiciary, have 
contributed to a conservative culture of intolerance, which at times 
manifested in acts of harassment and violence against reform-minded 
Muslims and religious minorities. Widespread condemnations that arose 
during a case of conversion, and a case of censorship, increased 
concerns about the ability of Afghans to freely practice their 
religion. Due to societal pressure, some minority religious believers 
hide their religion and the Afghan Sikh and Hindu populations faced a 
number of problems. Relations among the different sects of Islam in the 
country continued to be difficult. Historically, the minority Shi'a 
have faced discrimination from the majority Sunni population. Despite 
these problems, the government took some positive steps during the 
reporting period to increase religious freedom. The Ministries of 
Women's Affairs and Religious Affairs worked together to provide women 
with greater access to mosques. The government also responded 
positively to international approaches on religious freedom and worked 
effectively on high-profile legal cases such as the blasphemy charges 
against journalist Mohaqeq Nasab and the apostasy charges against 
Christian convert Abdul Rahman.
Brunei
    Despite constitutional provisions providing for the full and 
unconstrained exercise of religious freedom, the Government of Brunei 
used a range of laws to restrict the expansion of religions other than 
official Islam. Brunei's various religious groups coexist peacefully, 
but ecumenical interaction is hampered by the dominant Islamic 
religious ethos, which discourages Muslims from learning about other 
faiths and forbids persons of other faiths from proselytizing. At the 
same time, Islamic authorities organize a range of activities to 
explain and propagate Islam, and they also offer financial incentives, 
housing, and new mosques for converts to Islam.
Burma
    The Burmese Government's repressive, authoritarian military regime 
imposed restrictions on certain religious activities and frequently 
committed abuses of the right to freedom of religion. Most adherents of 
registered religions were permitted to worship as they chose, but the 
government continued to infiltrate and monitor activities of virtually 
all organizations, including religious organizations. It also 
systematically restricted efforts by Buddhist clergy to promote human 
rights and political freedom. The government actively promoted 
Theravada Buddhism, particularly among minority ethnic groups, and 
adherence to Buddhism remains generally a prerequisite for promotion to 
senior government and military ranks. Anti-Muslim violence continued, 
as did the close monitoring of Muslims' activities. Restrictions on 
worship of other non-Buddhist minority groups also continued throughout 
the country.
China
    The Chinese constitution provides for freedom of religious belief; 
however, the government's respect for freedom of religion and freedom 
of conscience remained poor. There was little evidence that new 
regulations on religious affairs, which took effect in 2005, improved 
the situation of religious freedom; they continued to define only 
government-approved practices and faiths as normal or legitimate. In 
most areas of the country, religious believers could worship without 
difficulty in officially approved venues. However, in some areas there 
were significant restrictions. Officials in the Xinjiang Uighur 
Autonomous Region tightly controlled religious activity. In one case in 
August 2005, Uighur teacher Aminan Momixi and 30 students were detained 
after Momixi held Qur'an study sessions in her home during summer 
vacation. In apparent retaliation for the international human rights 
and religious freedom activism of Uighur Muslim Rebiya Kadeer, the 
Chinese Government detained and reportedly abused her three adult sons, 
charging them with financial crimes related to her business ventures in 
Xinjiang. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism, including in the Inner 
Mongolian Autonomous Region and Tibetan areas of China, faced 
restrictions on their religious practice and ability to organize. 
Repression of unregistered Protestant church networks and ``house'' 
churches continued to be widely reported. House church leaders 
sometimes faced detention, formal arrest and sentences of reeducation 
or imprisonment. Government officials continued to scrutinize closely 
contacts between citizens and foreigners involved in religion, 
detaining some citizens for providing religious information to 
foreigners and preventing some religious figures from traveling abroad, 
including church historian Zhang Yinan, whom authorities placed under 
house arrest and refused to issue a passport. In June 2006, Henan 
Province Christian pastor Zhang Rongliang, was sentenced to 7 \1/2\ 
years in prison for obtaining a passport through fraud and illegal 
border crossing. ``Underground'' Catholic bishops also faced 
repression, in large part due to their loyalty to the Vatican, which 
the government accused of interfering in China's internal affairs. The 
government showed some signs of willingness to improve relations with 
the Vatican after the appointment of Pope Benedict XVI but Beijing and 
the Vatican clashed in April 2006 over control of the process of 
ordaining bishops. The government continued its repression of groups 
that it categorized as ``cults'' in general and of small Christian-
based groups and the Falun Gong in particular. In June 2006 Pastor Xu 
Shuangfu and five other members of the ``Three Grades of Servants'' 
church, which China considers a cult, were sentenced to death in a 
murder case involving conflict between the church and the Eastern 
Lightning group, which China also considers a cult. Scores of Three 
Grades of Servants church members were tried during the period covered 
by this report. Falun Gong practitioners continued to face arrest, 
detention, and imprisonment, and there have been credible reports of 
deaths due to torture and abuse. Practitioners who refuse to recant 
their beliefs are sometimes subjected to harsh treatment in prisons, 
and reeducation through labor camps and extra-judicial ``legal 
education'' centers.
Cuba
    The Cuban constitution recognizes the right of citizens to profess 
and practice any religious belief within the framework of respect for 
the law; however, in law and in practice the government continued to 
place restrictions on freedom of religion.
    Some religious figures who criticized the Cuban Government's 
totalitarian system in sermons were subjected to intense harassment. In 
general, unregistered religious groups continued to experience varying 
degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression. The 
government maintained its policy of permitting apolitical religious 
activity to take place in government-approved sites. However, citizens 
worshipping in officially sanctioned churches were subject to 
surveillance by state security forces, and the government's efforts to 
maintain a strong degree of control over religion continued. The Cuban 
Government implemented new regulations that restricted the operation of 
house churches but eased its policy on issuing work permits to foreign 
Catholic clergy.
Egypt
    The Egyptian constitution provides for freedom of belief and the 
practice of religious rites, although the government places 
restrictions on these rights in practice. Religious practices that 
conflict with the government's interpretation of Shari'a, or Islamic 
law, are prohibited. Members of the non-Muslim religious minorities 
officially recognized by the Egyptian Government generally worship 
without harassment; however, tradition and some aspects of the law 
discriminated against religious minorities, including Christians and 
particularly Baha'is, which are not recognized legally. The government 
continued to deny civil documents, including identity cards, birth 
certificates, and marriage licenses, to members of the Baha'i 
community, which numbers 500 to 2,000 persons. It appealed an April 4 
decision by the administrative court, that supported the right of 
Baha'i citizens to receive ID cards and birth certificates with 
religion noted on the documents. Many churches continued to encounter 
difficulty with obtaining permits for church repair and rebuilding, 
despite a presidential decree in December 2005 stating that such 
permits, previously requiring his approval, could be granted by 
provincial governors. In the past, the government did not provide a 
legal means for converts from Islam to Christianity to amend their 
civil records to reflect their new religious status. Over the past 2 
years, approximately 32 Muslims who had converted from Christianity 
have been issued verdicts allowing them to recover their original 
Christian identities. Metwalli Ibrahim Metwalli Saleh, arrested by the 
State Security Intelligence Service (SSIS) in May 2003, apparently for 
his views on Islam, including support of the right to convert, was 
released on April 23 after receiving eight separate rulings from the 
Supreme State Security Emergency Court in his favor and an official 
statement from the state security prosecutor ordering his release.
Eritrea
    Religious freedom did not improve overall, and in some areas 
deteriorated further. The Eritrean Government severely restricts 
freedom of religion for groups that it has not registered, and 
infringes upon the independence of some registered groups. Following a 
2002 decree that religious groups must register, the Government closed 
all religious facilities not belonging to the country's four principal 
religious institutions: the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman 
Catholic Church, the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of Eritrea, and 
Islam. The government continued to harass, arrest, and detain members 
of independent Evangelical groups (including Pentecostals), Jehovah's 
Witnesses, and a reform movement within the Eritrean Orthodox Church. 
The government also intervened in procedural and administrative 
decisions of the Eritrean Orthodox Church by displacing the patriarch 
in favor of its own candidate. The government failed to register any of 
the four religious groups who applied in 2002 for registration, and it 
restricted religious meetings and arrested individuals during religious 
ceremonies, gatherings, and prayer meetings. There were also reports of 
forced recantations. Some religious detainees were held in harsh 
conditions that included extreme temperature fluctuations with limited 
or no access to family.
India
    The Indian constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
government generally respects this right in practice. While the 
national government took positive steps in key areas to improve 
religious freedom, the status of religious freedom generally remained 
the same during the period covered by this report. The United 
Progressive Alliance government continued to implement a platform based 
on respect for secular government and religious tolerance. The vast 
majority of Indians of every religious faith lived in peaceful 
coexistence. However, some extremists continued to perceive ineffective 
prosecution of attacks on religious minorities, particularly at the 
state and local level, as a signal that they could commit such violence 
with impunity. Religious conversion remained a highly contentious issue 
and terrorists continued deadly violence against religious targets. The 
national government reacted in a swift manner to rein in Hindu 
extremists, prevent revenge attacks and reprisal, and assure the Muslim 
community of its safety. In March 2006, the government of Rajasthan 
passed an anti-conversion bill, but it had not been approved by the 
governor by the end of the period covered by this report, and awaited 
presidential review. In August 2005, the Nanavati commission, tasked 
with conducting a re-inquiry into the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, released 
its report, citing several prominent Congress Party leaders for 
complicity in the violence, implicating law enforcement personnel in 
the deaths, and setting up committees to dispense compensation for 
victims' families. In response to a supreme court mandate, in February 
2006, the Gujarat police stated that it would reinvestigate 1600 of the 
approximately 2,000 cases that were filed and closed in 2002.
Iran
    There was a further deterioration of the extremely poor status of 
respect for religious freedom during the reporting period. Government 
actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all 
who do not practice Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'a Islam. Government-
controlled media, including broadcasting and print, intensified 
negative campaigns against religious minorities, particularly the 
Baha'is, following the June 2005 election of President Mahmoud 
Ahmadinejad. There were reports of imprisonment, harassment, 
intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs. 
Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians are the only legally recognized 
religious minorities; however, even members of these groups have 
reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination 
based on their religious beliefs. On November 22, 2005, unidentified 
persons killed a man who had converted to Christianity more than 10 
years earlier. Reportedly, his death was followed by repression of and 
threats to other Christians, including arrests of 10 Christians. The 
Iranian Government regards the Baha'i faith as a heretical Islamic 
group with a political orientation that is antagonistic to the 
country's Islamic revolution, and continued to prohibit Baha'is from 
teaching and practicing their faith. (Baha'is view themselves not as 
Muslims, but as an independent religion with origins in the Shi'a 
Islamic tradition.) Government restrictions on Sufi Muslim groups and 
houses of worship also became more pronounced during the year covered 
by this report, and Sufis reported the constant harassment and 
intimidation of prominent Sufi leaders by the intelligence and security 
services. Although laws governing Sufi practice are ambiguous, there 
are reports that the government called for a full ban on the practice 
of Sufism.
Israel and Occupied Territories
    Israeli law provides for freedom of worship, and the Israeli 
Government generally respects this right. In response to terrorist 
attacks in the Occupied Territories, Israel's strict closure policies 
frequently had the effect of restricting the ability of Palestinians to 
reach places of worship and practice their religions. The violence that 
has persisted since the beginning of the second Intifada, or uprising, 
in 2000 has significantly curtailed religious practice in many areas of 
the Occupied Territories and caused damage to places of worship and 
religious shrines there. The construction of a separation barrier by 
the Government of Israel also limited access to sacred sites, and 
seriously impeded the work of religious organizations that provide 
humanitarian relief and social services to Palestinians. Such 
impediments were not exclusive to religious believers or to religious 
organizations, and at times the government made efforts to lessen the 
impact on religious communities. The Government of Israel confiscated 
land (usually offering limited compensation, which churches did not 
accept) belonging to several religious institutions to build the 
barrier. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), 
took steps to eliminate religious incitement, although incidents of 
such incitement still occurred. The Basic Law approved by the PA states 
that the principles of Shari'a (Islamic law) are ``the main source of 
legislation.'' The strong correlation between religion, ethnicity, and 
politics in the Occupied Territories at times imbues the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict with a religious dimension. Rhetoric by 
Palestinian terrorist groups included expressions of anti-Semitism. 
Some Muslim religious leaders preached sermons on the official PA 
television station that also included expressions of anti-Semitism. 
However, on October 28, 2005, Israeli media quoted PLO Chief Negotiator 
Sa'eb Erekat's statement that the Iranian president's declaration that 
Israel should be wiped off the map was ``unacceptable.'' In the midst 
of growing chaos and lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, there 
were credible reports in previous years that PA security forces and 
judicial officials colluded with members of gangs to seize land from 
Christians. While there were no reports of Christians being targeted 
for extortion or abuse during the period covered by this report, the PA 
did not take action to investigate past injustices allegedly 
perpetrated by PA officials. Within Israel, problems continued to exist 
stemming primarily from the unequal treatment of religious minorities, 
and from the state's recognition of only Orthodox Jewish religious 
authorities in personal and some civil status matters concerning Jews. 
Relations among religious groups--between Jews and non-Jews, Muslims 
and Christians, secular and religious Jews, and among the different 
streams of Judaism--often were strained, and institutional, legal, and 
societal discrimination persisted against the country's Arab citizens.
Laos
    In some areas, authorities continued to display intolerance for 
minority religious practice, especially by evangelical Christians. 
Christians were detained and arrested, or told to renounce their faith 
on threat of arrest or forceful eviction from their villages. In early 
2006, a village chief in Oudomsai Province confiscated the land of 
several Christian families. A Christian in Salavan Province has been 
under house arrest since April 1, 2006, for refusing to renounce his 
faith. A group of displaced ethnic Hmong minors, sent over the border 
by Thai authorities, has been detained in Bolikhamsai Province since 
December 2005; some sources indicated that the Hmong were Christians 
and may have been detained in Laos in part due to their religious 
affiliation. Also in late 2005, village officials burned a Lao 
Evangelical Church (LEC) in Bokeo Province and six church leaders were 
arrested; five of the six were later released, but the other died after 
being transferred from jail to a military hospital. Conflicts between 
ethnic groups sometimes exacerbated religious tensions.
North Korea
    Although the constitution provides for ``freedom of religious 
belief,'' genuine religious freedom does not exist, and there was no 
change in the extremely poor level of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period. The government severely restricts 
religious freedom, including organized religious activity, except that 
which is supervised tightly by officially recognized groups linked to 
the government. Some foreigners who have visited the country stated 
that church services appeared staged and contained political content 
supportive of the regime. Outsiders have limited ability to ascertain 
the level of government control over these groups, but it is generally 
assumed they are monitored closely. Defector reports continued to 
allege that they witnessed the arrests and execution of members of 
underground Christian churches by the regime in prior years. There is 
no reliable information on the number of religious detainees or 
prisoners, but there are unconfirmed reports that many people are 
detained for their religious beliefs and activities. Prison conditions 
are harsh; starvation and forced labor are common.
Pakistan
    The country is an Islamic Republic. Islam is the state religion and 
the constitution requires that laws be consistent with it. The 
government took some steps to improve the treatment of religious 
minorities during the period covered by this report, but serious 
problems remained. Discriminatory legislation and the government's 
failure to take action against societal forces hostile to those who 
practice a different faith fostered religious intolerance and acts of 
violence and intimidation against religious minorities. The Ahmadiyya 
community continued to face legal bars to the practice of its faith. 
Anti-blasphemy laws provide the death penalty for defiling Islam or its 
prophets; life imprisonment for defiling, damaging, or desecrating the 
Qur'an; and 10 years' imprisonment for insulting the religious feelings 
of any citizen. These laws are often used to intimidate reform-minded 
Muslims, sectarian opponents and religious minorities, or to settle 
personal scores. ``Hudood Ordinances'' impose elements of Qur'anic law 
on both Muslims and non-Muslims and different legal standards for men 
and women. Religious leaders, representing the country's six major 
Shi'a and Sunni groups, issued a religious injunction in May 2005 
banning sectarian violence and the killing of non-Muslims. However, 
except for the Federally Administered Northern Areas, the sectarian 
violence situation remained unchanged, which led to more than 110 
deaths during the reporting period. Under government pressure, many of 
the leaders of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, a coalition of Islamist 
political parties that leads the opposition in the national assembly, 
joined various interfaith efforts to promote religious tolerance. Anti-
Ahmadi and anti-Semitic rhetoric continued unabated, although rhetoric 
against Ismaili followers of the Aga Khan was largely abandoned. The 
government worked with moderate religious leaders to organize programs 
on sectarian harmony and inter-faith understanding, maintained its ban 
on and actively attempted to curb the activities of sectarian and 
terrorist organizations, implemented a registration program for Islamic 
religious schools known as madrassahs, and continued with reform of the 
public education curriculum designed to end the teaching of religious 
intolerance. On July 1, 2006, President Musharraf instructed the 
Council on Islamic Ideology (CII) to prepare a revised Hudood Ordinance 
that eliminates discriminatory treatment of women and minorities not 
later than August 2006. In addition, the president ordered the release 
of all women detained under the current ordinance; according to local 
NGOs, approximately 700 women have been released.
Russia
    The practice of religion was generally free for a significant 
majority of the population. However, some federal officials have taken 
actions that raise concerns about the Russian Government's consistency 
and vigilance in protecting religious freedom. In addition, some local 
and regional authorities have relied on provisions of the complex 1997 
Law on Religion to restrict several minority religious groups. A 2004 
court decision banning Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow continued to have 
significant negative ramifications for the activities of Jehovah's 
Witnesses during the reporting period. There were indications that the 
security services, including the Federal Security Service (FSB), 
increasingly treated the leadership of some minority religious groups 
as security threats. Popular attitudes toward traditionally Muslim 
ethnic groups are negative in many regions, and there are 
manifestations of anti-Semitism as well as hostility toward Roman 
Catholics and other non-Orthodox Christian denominations. Some 
observant Muslims claimed harassment because of their faith. Instances 
of religiously motivated violence continued, although it often was 
difficult to determine whether xenophobic, religious, or ethnic 
prejudices were the primary motivation behind violent attacks. Some 
Russian Orthodox Church clergy have stated publicly their opposition to 
any expansion of the presence of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and 
other non-Orthodox denominations. The Russian president and Government 
reacted quickly in condemning a January 2006 attack on a Moscow 
synagogue.
Saudi Arabia
    Islam is the official religion, and the law requires that all 
citizens be Muslims. The government does not provide legal recognition 
or protection for freedom of religion, and it is severely restricted in 
practice. The public practice of non-Muslim religions is prohibited. As 
a matter of policy, the government confirmed that it guarantees and 
protects the right to private worship for all, including non-Muslims 
who gather in homes for religious practice; however, this right is not 
always respected in practice and is not defined in law. During the 
reporting period, the government identified and confirmed its policies 
with regard to religious practice and tolerance in a number of key 
areas. The government continued a campaign against religious extremism, 
and top officials, including the king, continued to call for the 
promotion of tolerance. There were reports that some imams in their 
Friday sermons called for all citizens to show respect for other 
religious faiths, but denunciations from government-sanctioned pulpits 
of non-Muslim religions and the Shi'a branch of Islam were also 
reported. The government enforces a strictly conservative 
interpretation of Sunni Islam, and Muslims who do not adhere to it can 
face significant societal discrimination and serious repercussions at 
the hands of mutawwa'in (religious police, officially known as the 
Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice). Reports of harassment 
of non-Muslims and non-Sunni Muslims by mutawwa'in continued, including 
raids of private residences and detentions of non-Muslims for religious 
violations, such as possession of non-Muslim literature or holding non-
Muslim worship services; however, there were fewer reports than last 
year. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there was a decrease in both 
long-term and short-term detentions, and in arrests and deportations, 
of non-Muslims. However, there were also reports that mutawwa'in 
targeted several non-Muslim religious leaders and active members of 
non-Muslim religious groups for arrest and deportation. Many non-
Muslims continued to worship in fear of harassment and in such a manner 
as to avoid discovery by police or mutawwa'in. Members of the Shi'a 
minority continued to face political, economic, legal, social, and 
religious discrimination, including discrimination in employment, 
little representation in official institutions, and restrictions on the 
practice of their faith and on the building of mosques and community 
centers. However, the government made efforts to improve the climate of 
tolerance toward other religions and within Islam. In December 2005, 
King Abdullah hosted a ministerial summit of the Organization of the 
Islamic Conference (OIC), inaugurating it with a call for moderation, 
tolerance, rejection of extremist violence, and reform of educational 
programs (including textbooks and curricula). The government clarified 
that it will continue to revise educational materials to remove 
disparaging references to other religious traditions, and to retrain or 
remove imams whose preaching promotes extremist religious thought.
Sri Lanka
    The constitution accords Buddhism the ``foremost place,'' but it is 
not recognized as the state religion. While the government publicly 
endorses the right of members of other faiths to freely practice their 
religion, in practice, there were problems in some areas. Anti-
conversion legislation first introduced in 2004 remained under 
consideration. Despite generally amicable relations among persons of 
different faiths, there has been ongoing violent resistance by some 
Buddhists to Christian church activity, in particular that conducted by 
evangelical groups. There were sporadic attacks on Christian churches 
by Buddhist extremists and some societal tension due to ongoing 
allegations of forced conversions and debate on anti-conversion 
legislation.
Sudan
    The 2005 Interim National Constitution provides for freedom of 
religion throughout the entire country, and there was some improvement 
in the status of respect for religious freedom in the period covered by 
this report. However, regional distinctions in the constitution, 
negotiated as part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), have 
resulted in disparities in the treatment of religious minorities in the 
North and the South. The Interim National Constitution preserved 
Shari'a as a source of legislation in states outside southern Sudan, 
but recognized ``popular consensus'' and ``the values and the customs 
of the people of Sudan, including their traditions and religious 
beliefs,'' as sources of legislation in the South. The Government of 
Southern Sudan generally respected the rights of Christians and Muslims 
in the 10 states of the south as provided for in its separate interim 
constitution, signed on December 5, 2005, but the new Government of 
National Unity (GNU) continued to place restrictions on Christians in 
the North, particularly by denying building permits for new churches. 
The national government required that all students in the North study 
Islam in school, regardless of whether they were Muslim, and even if 
enrolled in private, Christian schools. The Interim National 
Constitution calls for the establishment of a Commission for the Rights 
of Non-Muslims in the capital, Khartoum, to ensure that non-Muslims are 
not adversely affected by the application of Shari'a law there, but 
that had not taken place by the end of the period covered by this 
report. Relations among religious groups improved during the reporting 
period. Dialogue between Christian and Muslim groups continued under 
the auspices of the Sudan Inter-Religious Council (SIRC), a 
nongovernmental organization supported by the Government of National 
Unity, and the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), comprising Catholic, 
Orthodox, and Protestant groups. The SIRC supported peace and 
reconciliation efforts between Christians and Muslims, sponsoring a 
conference on the role of religious leaders in peace building with the 
U.S. Institute of Peace in July 2005.
Turkmenistan
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion and does not 
establish a state religion, but in practice the government continued to 
monitor all forms of religious expression. However, the status of 
government respect for religious freedom improved during the period 
covered by this report. The government's Council for Religious Affairs 
(CRA) was more willing to assist minority religious groups in resolving 
conflicts with other government agencies. On October 20, 2005, several 
government agencies hosted a roundtable discussion with leaders of 
registered religious groups to discuss registration procedures for 
branch religious groups and other related concerns. During the 
reporting period, the Government of Turkmenistan introduced a temporary 
procedure for registering branches of registered religious groups 
located outside of the capital, Ashgabat. However, the procedure was 
not clear and the implementation by government officials was not 
consistent. The Government of Turkmenistan limited the activities of 
unregistered religious congregations by prohibiting them from gathering 
publicly, proselytizing, and disseminating religious materials. 
Government officials outside the capital often interpreted the law more 
strictly than those in Ashgabat. Although the level of harassment 
continued to decrease for registered religious groups, most 
unregistered groups continued to experience official harassment, 
including detention, arrest, confiscation of religious literature and 
materials, pressure to abandon religious beliefs, and threats of 
eviction and job loss. There were reports of abuse for religious belief 
or observance, and there were several accounts of persons being 
detained for questioning in connection with practicing their faith. To 
better facilitate government control of mosques, the Turkmen Government 
replaced a number of Sunni Muslim imams with individuals believed to be 
less independent in their interpretations of Islam.
Uzbekistan
    There was a decline in the status of religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report. The constitution provides for freedom of 
religion; however, the government continued to restrict these rights in 
practice. The government permits the operation of approved Muslim 
groups, Jewish groups, the Russian Orthodox Church, and various other 
Christian denominations, such as Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and 
Baptists. The law prohibits or severely restricts activities such as 
proselytizing, importing and disseminating religious literature, and 
offering private religious instruction. A number of minority religious 
groups, including congregations of a variety of Christian 
denominations, had difficulty satisfying the strict registration 
requirements set out by the law. There were several reports that 
Christian congregations were denied registration on spurious technical 
grounds. As in previous years, Protestant groups with ethnic Uzbek 
members reported operating in a climate of harassment and fear. Law 
enforcement officials raided and harassed some registered groups, 
several of which were de-registered and closed. The government 
continued its campaign against unauthorized Islamic groups suspected of 
extremist sentiments or activities, arresting numerous alleged members 
of these groups and sentencing them to lengthy jail terms. Many of 
these were suspected members of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), a banned extremist 
Islamic political movement. Many others were conservative Muslims whose 
beliefs or teachings differed from those of state-sanctioned clerics. 
The government pressured the banned Islamic group Akromiya 
(Akromiylar), especially in Tashkent and Andijon, with those actions 
spilling over into violence and deaths in Andijon in May 2005. A small 
but growing number of ``underground'' mosques operated under the close 
scrutiny of religious authorities and the security services. Mosques 
operating without registration are technically illegal and only operate 
with the indulgence of the local government.
Vietnam
    Overall, respect for religious freedom in Vietnam improved during 
the period covered by this report. Both the constitution and law 
provide for freedom of worship; however, the government continued to 
restrict organized activities of religious groups that it declared to 
be at variance with State laws and policies. The government attempts to 
regulate religious practice through a legal framework, the foundation 
of which is the 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief, which requires 
that the government officially sanction the organization and activities 
of all religious denominations. A number of positive legal reforms 
adopted in recent years remained in the early stages of implementation. 
The 2005 implementation decree for the Ordinance delineates established 
guidelines for religious denominations to register their activities and 
seek official recognition. The 2005 ``Instruction on Protestantism'' 
promulgated by the prime minister directs officials to assist 
unrecognized Protestant denominations in registering their activities 
so that they can practice openly. The Instruction also calls on the 
Vietnamese Government to facilitate gathering for worship during the 
registration process. Protestant believers in the Central Highlands 
reported significant improvements in their situation. Furthermore, the 
government began to promote registration of Protestant house churches 
in northern Vietnam and the Northwest Highlands region, but progress 
was slow and the Vietnamese Government stated that only six previously 
unregistered northern congregations were allowed to legally register 
their activities during the reporting period. Despite several confirmed 
reports of police harassment and beatings of unregistered believers, 
Protestants across the north reported improvement in most officials' 
attitudes towards religious practice, and in general Protestants were 
allowed to gather for worship without significant harassment. 
Restrictions on the hierarchies and clergy of some religious groups 
remained in place, and the Vietnamese Government maintained a prominent 
role in supervising recognized religions. Religious leaders encountered 
greatest restrictions when they engaged in activities that the 
government perceived as political activism or a challenge to its rule. 
The Government of Vietnam continued to ban and actively discourage 
participation in one unrecognized faction of the Hoa Hao Buddhists. The 
government also actively restricted the leadership of the unrecognized 
United Buddhist Church of Vietnam and maintained that it will not 
recognize this organization under its current leadership. The Catholic 
Church reported that the government continued to ease restrictions on 
church assignment of new clergy but indicated that it would like to 
open additional seminaries in the North. During the period covered by 
this report, the government released four prominent prisoners viewed by 
various sources as having been imprisoned in connection with religious 
activities.
                                 AFRICA

                              ----------                              



                                 ANGOLA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 481,351 square miles, and its 
population was approximately 13 million. Christianity was the religion 
of the vast majority of the population, with Roman Catholicism as the 
largest single denomination. The Catholic Church claimed five million 
adherents, but this figure could not be verified. The major Protestant 
denominations also were present, along with a number of Brazilian and 
indigenous African Christian denominations. The largest Protestant 
denominations, which included Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists 
(United Church of Christ), and Assemblies of God, claimed to have three 
to five million adherents. The largest syncretic religious group was 
the Kimbanguist Church, whose followers believe that mid-twentieth 
century Congolese pastor Joseph Kimbangu was a prophet. A small portion 
of the rural population practiced animism or traditional indigenous 
religions. There was also a small Islamic community, less than 1 
percent of the population, mainly composed of migrants from West Africa 
and families of Lebanese extraction. There were few declared atheists 
in the country.
    Foreign-based missionaries operated freely throughout the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Government requires religious groups to petition for legal 
status with the Ministries of Justice and Culture. Legal status gives 
religious groups the right to act as juridical persons in the court 
system and secures their standing as officially registered 
denominations. Groups must provide general background information to 
register. In March 2004 the national assembly unanimously approved a 
law establishing stricter criteria for the registration of religious 
organizations. According to the new law, a religious group must have at 
least 100,000 adult adherents to qualify for registration. All eighty-
five previously registered groups retained their registration and legal 
status, regardless of the number of members. At the end of the period 
covered by this report, more than 800 groups had pending applications. 
The Government did not shut down any religious groups with legal status 
during the period covered by this report, and no adverse action had 
been taken against groups with pending applications.
    The Ministries of Justice and Culture recognize eighty-five 
denominations. There reportedly were more than 800 other religious 
organizations, many of which are Congolese- or Brazilian-based 
Christian evangelical groups that have not had action taken on their 
registration applications and were unlikely to meet the membership 
requirement of at least 100,000 members to receive legal status. 
Colonial-era statutes banned all non-Christian religious groups from 
the country; although those statutes have not been repealed, they are 
no longer enforced. Religious groups have the right to civil 
registration.
    The Christian holy days of Christmas and Good Friday are national 
holidays with no negative impact on other religious groups.
    Public schools in Angola do not require religious instruction. The 
Government permits religious organizations and missions to establish 
and operate schools. In 2004 some members of the small Lebanese Muslim 
community in Luanda complained that they had been thwarted in efforts 
to establish an Islamic community school.
    The country's religious leaders have taken an active role in 
promoting the peace and national reconciliation process, and President 
dos Santos has consulted with them on constitutional and electoral 
issues as well as social and development issues. In June 2005 the 
ecumenical Inter-Church Committee for Peace in Angola and the Ministry 
of External Relations cosponsored a conference on peace and 
reconciliation. This conference was widely attended by government, 
religious, and civil society leaders and was an important interfaith 
effort between the Government and religious leaders to support national 
reconciliation.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. In March 2004 the Minister of Justice again 
publicly warned that the colonial-era law banning non-Christian 
religions, while not regularly enforced, remained the law and could be 
enforced against any radical religious groups advocating terrorism or 
public disturbances.
    Members of the clergy regularly use their pulpits to criticize 
government policies. In 2003 government officials sharply criticized 
Catholic Church-owned Radio Ecclesia's call-in programs in which 
participants criticized the Government. However, Radio Ecclesia 
continued to broadcast these programs. In May 2004 President dos Santos 
stated publicly that Radio Ecclesia could operate nationwide. In April 
2005 Radio Ecclesia's operators began taking steps to broadcast from 
five provincial capitals in addition to Luanda in order to meet the 
requirements of the new press law. The law, promulgated in May 2006, 
requires nonpublic radio networks to have provincial radio stations in 
order to broadcast nation-wide.
    Seventeen religious groups remained banned in Cabinda on charges of 
practicing harmful exorcism rituals on adults and children accused of 
witchcraft, illegally holding religious services in residences, and not 
being registered. Members of these groups were not harassed, but two 
leaders were arrested for child abuse.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There is a vibrant ecumenical 
movement, particularly in support of post-conflict peace and 
reconciliation efforts. Groups involved include the ecumenical Inter-
Church Committee for Peace in Angola, the Council of Christian Churches 
in Angola, and the Catholic Pro-Peace movement.
    In March 2005 several lay members of the Catholic Church in Cabinda 
displayed banners protesting the nomination of a non-Cabindan as bishop 
during an Easter season Mass celebrated by the archbishop of Luanda. 
Police did not interfere with the protest but stepped in to protect the 
archbishop when protesters threw rocks at him as he left the cathedral 
in Cabinda. In August 2005 individuals in Cabinda continuing protests 
against the nomination of the new bishop assaulted a priest who had 
recently been appointed apostolic administrator for Cabinda. Following 
the detention of two priests in connection with the assault, Catholic 
priests in Cabinda stopped holding mass throughout the province. 
Services resumed in December 2005, and the new bishop of Cabinda 
peacefully assumed office in June 2006.
    In February 2006 three mosques were closed for holding services 
that authorities claimed disrupted public order by impeding the flow of 
traffic. By the end of the reporting period, one of the three mosques 
had been reopened. Public attitudes toward Islam were generally 
negative, and these sentiments were evident in statements by government 
officials that opposed Muslim proselytizing and in public commentaries 
by citizens in the media. While religious intolerance could have been 
an aspect of these attitudes, many citizens cited cultural differences 
as the basis for their negative views toward Islam. Muslim leaders 
submitted a second request for legal status in March 2006, since the 
first application submitted in 2004 was improperly prepared.
    Governmental agencies and civil society organizations continued 
campaigns against traditional religions that involve shamans, employ 
animal sacrifices, or are identified as practicing witchcraft. There 
have been periodic reports of children being accused of witchcraft in 
some poor, rural areas and smaller cities. In some instances these 
accusations led to exorcism rituals that included willful neglect and 
physical abuse. In some cases deaths have been reported. Established 
church groups have organized education campaigns to combat these 
practices. Current cases remained under investigation; however, in the 
past authorities have arrested and prosecuted those who have abused, 
injured, or reportedly killed others accused of witchcraft.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials and official visitors from the United States 
routinely meet with the country's religious leaders in the context of 
peacekeeping, democratization, development, and humanitarian relief 
efforts. Church groups are key members of the country's civil society. 
Embassy officials, including the ambassador, maintained an ongoing 
dialogue with the leadership of the country's religious denominations. 
The ambassador gave interviews to newspapers and radio in which she 
specifically called for recognition of Muslims' right to worship in the 
country.
    The U.S. government provided financial support to Radio Ecclesia to 
increase its public affairs and news programming as an independent 
alternative source of information for citizens. In addition, the 
embassy funded dissemination of human and civil rights information 
through an ecumenical newsletter network.
                               __________

                                 BENIN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 43,483 square miles and a population of 
approximately 6.8 million. According to the 2002 census, 27.1 percent 
of the population was Roman Catholic, 24.4 percent Muslim, 17.3 percent 
Vodun, 5 percent Celestial Christian, 3.2 percent Methodist, 7.5 
percent other Christian, 6 percent other traditional religions, 1.9 
percent other religions, and 6.5 percent claimed no religious 
affiliation.
    Many individuals who nominally identified themselves as Christian 
or Muslim also practiced traditional indigenous religions. Among the 
most commonly practiced was the animist Vodun system of belief, also 
commonly known as voodoo, which originated in this area of Africa. 
There were few atheists.
    More than half of all Christians were Roman Catholic. Other 
religious groups, both Christian and non-Christian, included Baptists, 
Methodists, Assemblies of God, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's 
Witnesses, Celestial Christians, Rosicrucians, the Unification Church, 
Eckankar, and Baha'is. Nearly all Muslims adhered to the Sunni branch 
of Islam. The few Shi'a Muslims were primarily Middle Eastern 
expatriates.
    There were Christians, Muslims, and adherents of traditional 
indigenous religions throughout the country. However, most adherents of 
the traditional Yoruba religion were in the south, while other 
indigenous faiths were followed in the north. Muslims were represented 
most heavily in the north and in the southeast. Christians were 
prevalent in the south, particularly in Cotonou, the economic capital. 
It was not unusual for members of the same family to practice 
Christianity, Islam, traditional indigenous religions, or a combination 
of all of these.
    Foreign missionary groups known to be operating in the country 
included the Watchtower Society, Mormons, Assemblies of God, 
Mennonites, Church of the Nazarene, Seventh-day Adventists, Society in 
Mission, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and Baptists.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state-
sponsored religion.
    The constitutional court has ruled in several cases that it is 
unconstitutional to block the access of any group to its religious 
services. In November 2004, the court ruled that religious groups could 
not deny access to public properties or facilities to other groups 
because such denial of access violated the constitutional principle of 
secularism. In this case, the chief priest of a Vodun group had tried 
to claim possession of a lake as religious property and refused other 
groups, including evangelical Christians, access to it.
    In 2003, the constitutional court upheld a Defense Ministry 
decision permitting its gendarmes to intervene in conflicts between 
religious groups only as a neutral peacekeeping force. Any intervention 
needed to be neutral to comply with the principle of state neutrality 
in the management of religious affairs while ensuring public order and 
social peace.
    In 2003, the constitutional court ruled that simple discussions on 
religion, even when they turn into mockery, cannot be deemed to be 
violations of religious freedom, because of the right to free speech.
    Persons who wish to form a religious group must register with the 
Ministry of the Interior. Registration requirements are the same for 
all religious groups, and there were no reports that any group was 
refused permission to register or subjected to unusual delays or 
obstacles in the registration process. Religious groups are free from 
taxation.
    Government officials accorded respect to prominent religious 
leaders of all faiths by attending their induction ceremonies, 
funerals, and other religious celebrations. The president regularly 
received religious leaders of all faiths, and police forces were 
assigned to provide security to any religious event upon request.
    Missionary groups operated freely throughout the country.
    In accordance with Article 2 of the constitution, which provides 
for a secular state, public schools are not authorized to provide 
religious instruction. Religious groups are permitted to establish 
private schools.
    National holidays include the Christian holy days of Easter Monday, 
Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, and 
Christmas; the Islamic holy days of Ramadan, Tabaski, and the Birth of 
the Prophet Muhammad; and the indigenous celebration of Traditional 
Religions holiday. State-operated television features coverage of the 
celebration of religious holidays and special events in the lives of 
prominent religious leaders, including ordination anniversaries and 
funerals.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor United States 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Due to the diversity of 
religious affiliations within families and communities, religious 
tolerance was widespread at all levels of society and in all regions. 
Interfaith dialogue occurred regularly, and citizens respected 
different religious traditions and practices, including syncretistic 
beliefs. Many Vodun followers also were Christian and Muslim and 
tolerant of other religions.
    Ecumenical Day has been celebrated every first Wednesday of May for 
the past thirty-seven years and traditionally includes a large 
celebration of interreligious cooperation in the historic town of 
Ouidah. Individual religious leaders make an effort to bridge the 
divide between Christians and Muslims and preach a message of 
tolerance.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. ambassador and other embassy representatives regularly attend 
ceremonies associated with various faiths, often attended by government 
representatives as well, and stress in their public remarks the value 
and importance of interfaith dialogue and cooperation. The embassy sent 
two religious scholars to the United States as participants in the 
International Visitor's Program ``United States Political Process for 
Emerging Muslim Leaders.''
                               __________

                                BOTSWANA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 224,710 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 1.76 million. An estimated 70 percent of the country's 
citizens identified themselves as Christians. Anglicans, Methodists, 
and the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, formerly the 
London Missionary Society, claimed the majority of Christians. There 
were also congregations of Lutherans, Roman Catholics, the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Seventh-day Adventists, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, the Dutch Reformed Church, Mennonites, 
and other Christian denominations. In recent years, the number of new 
religious groups, some of West African origin, increased; these 
churches have begun holding services and drawing substantial crowds 
with a charismatic blend of Christianity and traditional indigenous 
religions. According to the most recent census (2001), the country's 
Muslim community, primarily of South Asian origin, numbered just over 
5,000. The 2001 census also listed approximately 3,000 Hindus and 700 
Baha'is. Members of each community estimated that these figures 
significantly understated their respective numbers. Approximately 20 
percent of citizens espoused no religion.
    Religious services were well attended in both rural and urban 
areas.
    Foreign missionary groups operated in the country, including 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Quakers, Baptists, Lutherans, Roman 
Catholics, Mennonites, and a number of independent evangelical and 
charismatic Christian groups.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion. Although it is common for government meetings to begin with a 
Christian prayer, members of other religions are not excluded from 
leading non-Christian prayers at such occasions. The constitution also 
provides for the protection of the rights and freedoms of other 
persons, including the right to observe and practice any religion 
without the unsolicited intervention of members of any other religion.
    All organizations, including religious groups, must register with 
the Government. To register, a group submits its constitution to the 
Registrar of Societies within the Ministry of Labor and Home Affairs. 
After a generally simple but slow bureaucratic process, the 
organization is registered. There are no legal benefits for registered 
organizations, although an organization must be registered before it 
can conduct business, sign contracts, or open an account in a local 
bank. Any person who holds an official position in, manages, or assists 
in the management of an unregistered organization is liable to a fine 
of up to $188 (P1,000) and/or up to seven years in prison. Any member 
of an unregistered society is liable to penalties including fines up to 
$94 (P500) and/or up to three years in prison. Ninety-four religious 
organizations registered from July 2005 to May 2006. No religious 
organization was deregistered during that period. In this time frame, 
114 religious groups started the process of registration, but their 
applications were terminated after they failed to submit the required 
application forms, constitution, and fees within ninety days.
    Religious education, with a primary emphasis on Christianity but 
that also addresses other religions in the country, is part of the 
curriculum in public schools. The constitution provides that every 
religious community may establish places for religious instruction at 
the community's expense. The constitution prohibits forced religious 
instruction, forced participation in religious ceremonies, or taking 
oaths that run counter to an individual's religious beliefs.
    There are no laws against proselytizism.
    Only Christian holy days are recognized as public holidays. These 
include Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, and Christmas Day. 
However, members of other religious groups are allowed to commemorate 
their religious holidays without government interference.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The constitution provides for the suspension of religious freedom 
in the interests of national defense, public safety, public order, 
public morality, or public health. However, any suspension of religious 
freedom by the Government must be deemed ``reasonably justifiable in a 
democratic society.''
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. An interfaith council exists, 
which includes representatives of Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Baha'i 
organizations.
    Unlike in the previous reporting period, there were no indications 
of tension between Muslim and other religious communities.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives maintain regular contact with leaders and 
members of all religious communities in the country.
                               __________

                              BURKINA FASO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 105,689 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 13.1 million. While exact statistics on religious 
affiliation were not available and varied widely according to a source, 
the Government estimated in its most recent census (1996) that 
approximately 60 percent of the population practiced Islam, the 
majority of whom belonged to the Sunni branch of Islam, while remaining 
minorities adhered to the Shi'a, Tidjania, or Wahhabi branches. The 
Government also estimated that 16.6 percent of the population practiced 
Roman Catholicism, approximately 3 percent were members of various 
Protestant denominations, and 23.7 percent exclusively or principally 
maintained traditional indigenous beliefs.
    Statistics on religious affiliation were approximate because 
syncretistic beliefs and practices were widespread among both 
Christians and Muslims, many of whom incorporated indigenous beliefs 
and traditions into their practices. Additionally, the majority of 
citizens practiced traditional indigenous religions to varying degrees, 
and strict adherence to Christian and Muslim beliefs was often nominal. 
Almost all citizens were believers in a supernatural order, making 
atheism virtually nonexistent.
    Muslims were concentrated largely around the northern, eastern, and 
western borders, while Christians were concentrated in the center of 
the country. Traditional religious practices were commonly found 
throughout the country, especially in rural communities. Ouagadougou, 
the capital, had a mixed Muslim and Christian population; however, 
Bobo-Dioulasso, the country's second largest city, was mostly Muslim. 
Small Syrian and Lebanese immigrant communities, found in the two main 
cities of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, were overwhelmingly (more 
than 90 percent) Christian.
    There were more than sixty different ethnicities in the country. 
Members of the dominant ethnic group, the Mossi, belonged to all three 
major religious groups (Christian, Muslim, and animist), while Fulani 
and Dioula communities were overwhelmingly Muslim. Smaller groups, such 
as the Lobi, were religiously heterogeneous as well.
    Generally, there was little correlation between religion and 
political affiliation or economic status. Government officials belonged 
to all of the major religions, and religious affiliation appeared 
unrelated to membership in the ruling party, the Congress for Democracy 
and Progress, or any other political party.
    Christian missionary groups were active in the country and included 
the Assemblies of God, Campus Crusade for Christ, the Christian and 
Missionary Alliance, Baptists, the Wycliffe Bible Translators, the 
Mennonite Central Committee, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Pentecostal Church of 
Canada, the World Evangelical Crusade, the Society for International 
Missions, Seventh-day Adventists, and numerous Catholic organizations. 
Islamic missionary groups were also active in the country and included 
the African Muslim Agency, the World Movement for the Call to Islam, 
the World Islamic League, and Ahmadiyya.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. Islam, 
Christianity, and traditional indigenous religions were practiced 
freely without government interference.
    There is no official state religion, and the Government neither 
subsidized nor favored any particular religion. The practice of a 
particular faith was not known to confer any advantage or disadvantage 
in the political arena, the civil service, the military, or the private 
sector.
    The Government has established the following religious holy days as 
national holidays: Eid al-Adha, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, the Birth 
of the Prophet Muhammad, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Ramadan, and 
Christmas Day. There was no evidence that these holidays had a negative 
effect on any religious group.
    All organizations, religious or otherwise, were required to 
register with the Ministry of Territorial Administration. Registration 
confers legal status, but it entails no specific controls or benefits. 
According to article 45 of the Freedom of Association Code, failure to 
register may result in a fine of approximately $97 to $292 (50,000 CFA 
to 150,000 CFA). All religious groups were given equal access to 
registration, which the Government routinely approved. Religious groups 
are taxed only if they engage in commercial activities, such as farming 
and dairy production.
    The constitution provides freedom of expression in publications and 
broadcasts, including those by religious groups, unless the judicial 
system determines that such expression is harming public order or 
committing slander; this has never occurred. The Government did not 
deny a publishing or broadcasting license to any religious group that 
requested one during the period covered by this report.
    Religious organizations operated under the same regulatory 
framework for publishing and broadcasting rights as other entities. 
Once a broadcast license is granted, for example, the Government 
regulates the operation of religious radio stations in accordance with 
the same rules that apply to commercial and state-run stations. The 
Ministry of Security has the right to request samples of proposed 
publications and broadcasts to verify that they are in accordance with 
the stated nature of the religious group; however, there were no 
reports that religious broadcasters experienced difficulties with this 
regulation. Additionally, there were no special tax preferences granted 
to religious organizations operating print or broadcast media.
    Foreign missionary groups also operated freely and faced few, if 
any, restrictions. The Government neither forbade missionaries from 
entering the country nor restricted their activities; however, 
missionary groups occasionally faced complicated bureaucratic 
procedures in pursuit of particular activities.
    Religious instruction was not offered in public schools; rather, it 
was limited to private schools and to the home. Muslim, Catholic, and 
Protestant groups operated primary and secondary schools. A total of 18 
percent of elementary school students attended religious schools in the 
2005-06 academic year, while 13 percent of secondary school students 
attended religious schools during the same period. Although school 
officials had to submit the names of their directors to the Government 
and register their schools, religious or otherwise, the Government was 
never involved in appointing or approving these officials.
    The Government did not fund any religious schools. Unlike other 
private schools, religious schools were not required to pay taxes 
unless they conducted for-profit activities. The Government reviewed 
the curriculum of such schools to ensure that religiously oriented 
schools offered the full standard academic curriculum found in all 
other schools. The Government, however, did not interfere with the 
curriculum of supplemental classes offered by private schools, such as 
classes on the Bible or the Qur'an.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. In contrast with the previous report, there were 
no new reports that individuals were imprisoned or detained for 
refusing to allow their children to be inoculated against polio and 
measles on the grounds of religion. Residents of the village of Dar el 
Assane who had been arrested for resisting a national vaccination 
campaign in 2004 were released in early 2005 by law enforcement 
authorities. The Government did not follow through on the threat to 
charge them with child endangerment.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religious tolerance is 
widespread as members of the same family often practice different 
religions.
    The Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity maintained a 
shelter in Ouagadougou for women forced to flee their villages because 
they were accused of being witches. Similar shelters financed by 
nongovernmental and religious organizations were also located in 
Ouagadougou.
    During the period covered by this report, the World Health 
Organization and the National Committee for the Fight Against Excision 
reported that some persons in the country were performing female 
genital mutilation (FGM) on young girls in violation of the 1996 anti-
FGM law forbidding the practice, which was considered by some Muslims 
to be a religious activity. Sometimes those persons used baptismal 
ceremonies as a cover for the mutilation because the baby was expected 
to cry during the ceremony.
    Tensions existed between and within some Muslims groups due to 
leadership disputes; however, unlike in previous years, those tensions 
did not result in violent clashes within sectors of the Muslim 
community during the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy and different Islamic organizations co-sponsored a 
number of workshops and public events discussing religious tolerance in 
the United States and promoting its continued practice locally. 
Activities also included a summer camp focusing on tolerance for 
children attending Qur'anic schools and discussions between Muslim-
American employees of the embassy and local Muslim groups on the topic 
of religious diversity in the United States. The embassy also sent two 
young Muslim leaders to the United States on an International Visitor 
Program focusing on Muslim life in a democracy and provided 
scholarships to sixty Muslims students to learn English at the American 
Language Center. The embassy maintained contacts with representatives 
of all the major religious organizations.
                               __________

                                BURUNDI

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 10,747 square miles and its population 
is approximately 7.2 million. Although reliable statistics on the 
number of followers of various religions were not available, a Roman 
Catholic official estimated that 60 percent of the population was 
Catholic, with the largest concentration of adherents located in the 
center and south of the country. A Muslim leader estimated that up to 
10 percent of the population was Muslim, the majority of whom lived in 
urban areas. The remainder of the population belonged to other 
Christian churches, practiced traditional indigenous religions, or had 
no religious affiliation. There were a number of small indigenous 
groups not affiliated with any major religion, some of which have won 
adherents by promising miracle cures for HIV/AIDS and other ailments.
    Foreign missionary groups of many faiths were active in the 
country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution, promulgated on March 18, 2005, provides for 
freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right 
in practice. The Government at all levels sought to protect this right 
in full and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or 
private actors. Discrimination on the basis of religious conviction is 
prohibited. A 1992 law covering nonprofit organizations, including 
religious groups, is the basis for the recognition and registration of 
religious bodies.
    There is no state religion. The Catholic Church, which represents 
approximately 60 percent of the population, is predominant.
    The Government requires religious groups to register with the 
Ministry of the Interior. Each association with a religious nature must 
file the following with the ministry: the denomination or affiliation 
of the religious institution, a copy of its statutes, the address of 
its headquarters in the country, an address abroad if the local 
religious institution is a subsidiary, and information about the 
association's governing body and legal representative. If an 
association with a religious character fails to register with the 
ministry, its representative is reminded of the requirement to do so. 
If the representative does not comply, the place of worship or 
association is instructed to close down. If it does not close down when 
ordered to do so, the representative of the religious institution or 
association can be jailed for six months to five years.
    The Government requires that religious groups maintain a 
headquarters in the country.
    While there is no law that accords tax exemptions to religious 
groups, the Government often waives taxes on imported religious 
articles used by religious institutions and also often waives taxes on 
the importation by religious institutions of goods destined for social 
development purposes. These exemptions are negotiated with the Finance 
Ministry on a case-by-case basis, and there is no indication of 
religious bias in the awarding of such exemptions.
    The heads of major religious organizations are accorded diplomatic 
status. Foreign missionary groups openly promote their religious 
beliefs. The Government has welcomed their development assistance.
    The Government recognizes Catholic holy days, including the 
Assumption, the Ascension, All Saints' Day, and Christmas. In 2005 the 
Government also officially recognized the Muslim holy day Eid al-Fitr.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    There were no known abuses of religious freedom by the Government 
during the period covered by this report.
    On June 16, 2005 members of the PALIPEHUTU-FNL killed five 
civilians taking part in a religious service in Bujumbura Rural 
Province, and at least ten persons were wounded by grenades and 
gunfire.
    In October 2004 in Makamba Province, armed assailants shot and 
killed Catholic priest Gerard Nzeyimana. According to press reports, 
Nzeyimana was specifically targeted; the killers reportedly verified 
his identity before killing him. Catholic World News reported that 
Nzeyimana was killed for his stance against human rights abuses; a news 
report from the Fides Agency quoted sources that identified the killers 
as PALIPEHUTU-FNL rebels.
    In August 2004 the PALIPEHUTU-FNL rebels reportedly captured a 
twenty-member delegation headed by Anglican Bishop Pie Ntukamazina in 
Kabezi Commune, Bujumbura Rural Province. Government forces rescued the 
delegation the same day. The motive for the capture was not known.
    In July 2004 Dieudonne Hakizimana, a Party for the Liberation of 
the Hutu People-National Liberation Force (PALIPEHUTU-FNL) rebel who 
reportedly admitted to taking part in the December 2003 killing of 
Papal Nuncio Michael Courtney, died in government custody, reportedly 
from wounds sustained prior to his capture on February 1, 2004.
    In December 2003 unknown assailants killed Papal Nuncio Michael 
Courtney near Minago, Bujumbura Rural Province. The motive for the 
attack is unknown; there is no indication that the attack was motivated 
by the religious affiliation of the victim.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials also maintain regular contact with leaders and 
members of various religious communities. The embassy has supported 
Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant groups in the fields of health, 
education, and conflict resolution. It appears that the program has 
been instrumental in resolving disputes within religious communities, 
the latest illustration being elections to choose the Burundian Muslim 
spiritual leader. In addition, the embassy funded a range of human 
rights and democracy programs supporting religious and civil society 
organizations.
                               __________

                                CAMEROON

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The overall amicable relationship among religious groups in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, there were a few incidents 
of religious discrimination by private actors. In addition, some 
religious groups face societal pressure and discrimination within their 
regions. This reflects ethnic more than religious differences. In 
general, persons of different religions cohabitate peacefully in the 
country. The country is characterized by a high degree of religious 
tolerance.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 183,568 square miles, and its 
population is approximately 16.5 million. Muslim centers and Christian 
churches of various denominations operated freely throughout the 
country. Approximately 40 percent of the population was at least 
nominally Christian, approximately 20 percent was at least nominally 
Muslim, and approximately 40 percent practiced traditional indigenous 
religions or no religion. The Christian population was divided 
approximately equally between Catholic and Protestant denominations.
    Christians were concentrated chiefly in the southern and western 
provinces; however, Muslims were found in large numbers in every 
province, and there was significant internal migration within the 
country. Large cities had significant populations of every religion, 
with mosques and churches often located near each other. The two 
Anglophone provinces of the western region largely were Protestant; the 
francophone provinces of the southern and western regions largely were 
Catholic. In the northern provinces, the locally dominant Fulani (or 
Peuhl) ethnic group was mostly Muslim, but the overall population was 
fairly evenly mixed between Muslims, Christians, and animists, each 
often living in their own communities. The Bamoun ethnic group of the 
West Province was largely Muslim. Traditional indigenous religions were 
practiced in rural areas throughout the country but rarely were 
practiced publicly in cities, in part because many indigenous religions 
were intrinsically local in character.
    Missionary groups were present throughout the country, including 
Roman Catholic, Muslim, the Baha'i Faith, Baptist, Presbyterian, 
evangelical Protestants, Methodist, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unification 
Church, Seventh-day Adventists, New Church of God, Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Pentecostal groups.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no 
official state religion.
    Christian and Muslim religious holidays are celebrated as national 
holidays. These include Good Friday (Christian), Ascension Day 
(Christian), Assumption Day (Christian), Christmas Day (Christian), the 
Feast of the Lamb (Muslim), and the End of Ramadan (Muslim).
    The Law on Religious Congregations governs relations between the 
Government and religious groups. Religious groups must be approved by 
and registered with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and 
Decentralization (MINAT) to function legally. There were no reports 
that the Government refused to register any group; however, the process 
can take a number of years. It is illegal for a religious group to 
operate without official recognition, but the law prescribes no 
specific penalties. This is evidenced by the proliferation within the 
major cities of what persons call sects, but which their leaders claim 
are subgroups of some Protestant denominations. Few of those are 
registered, and all of them operate freely. Although official 
recognition confers no general tax benefits, it allows religious groups 
to receive real estate as tax-free gifts and legacies for the conduct 
of their activities.
    To register, a religious denomination must fulfill the legal 
requirement to qualify as a religious congregation. This definition 
includes ``any group of natural persons or corporate bodies whose 
vocation is divine worship'' or ``any group of persons living in 
community in accordance with a religious doctrine.'' The denomination 
then submits a file to the MINAT. The file must include a request for 
authorization, a copy of the group's charter describing planned 
activities, and the names and respective functions of the group's 
officials. The minister reviews the file and sends it to the presidency 
with a recommendation for a positive or negative decision. The 
president generally follows the recommendation of the minister, and 
authorization is granted by a presidential decree. The approval process 
may take up to several years, due primarily to administrative delays.
    The only religious groups known to be registered are Christian and 
Muslim groups and the Baha'i Faith. According to MINAT statistics 
released in 2002, there are 38 officially registered denominations, 
most of which are Christian. There also are numerous unregistered small 
religious groups that operate illegally but freely. The Government does 
not register traditional religious groups, stating that the practice of 
traditional religion is a private concern observed by members of a 
particular ethnic or kinship group or the residents of a particular 
locality.
    Disputes between or within registered religious groups about 
control of places of worship, schools, real estate, or financial assets 
are resolved primarily by the MINAT rather than by the judiciary.
    Missionary groups are present in the country and operate without 
impediment. The licensing requirements for foreign groups are the same 
as those for domestic religious denominations.
    Several religious denominations operate primary and secondary 
schools. Although post-secondary education continues to be dominated by 
state institutions, private schools affiliated with religious 
denominations, including Catholic, Protestant, and Qur'anic schools, 
have been among the country's best schools at the primary and secondary 
levels for many years. The Ministry of Education is charged by law with 
ensuring that private schools run by religious groups meet the same 
standards as state-operated schools in terms of curriculum, 
infrastructure, and teacher training. For schools affiliated with 
religious groups, the Sub-Department of Confessional Education of the 
Ministry's Department of Private Education performs this oversight 
function. School attendance--public, private, or parochial--is 
mandatory through junior high school. The campuses of the Central 
Africa Catholic University and the International Adventist University 
are located in the country.
    The Catholic Church operates two of the country's few modern 
private printing presses (one in Yaounde and one in Douala) and 
publishes a weekly newspaper, L'Effort Camerounais.
    A 2000 government decree requires potential commercial radio 
broadcasters to submit a licensing application, pay a fee when the 
application is approved, and pay an annual licensing fee. The 
Government has been slow in granting authorization; consequently, there 
are many illegal radio stations operating in the country. Two private 
religious radio stations that had been broadcasting illegally--the 
Pentecostal Radio Bonne Nouvelle and Radio Reine, the latter managed by 
a Catholic priest although not officially sponsored by the Catholic 
Church--continued to broadcast while awaiting official authorization. 
Radio Veritas has temporary authorization to broadcast and has been 
broadcasting without incident.
    The state-sponsored television station, CRTV, carries two hours of 
Christian programming on Sunday mornings, normally an hour of Catholic 
Mass and an hour from a Protestant church. There is also one broadcast 
hour dedicated to Islam on Friday evenings. State-sponsored radio 
broadcasts Christian and Muslim religious services on a regular basis, 
and both the radio and television stations periodically broadcast 
religious ceremonies on national holidays or during other national 
events.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In the past government officials have disapproved of and questioned 
criticism of the Government by religious institutions and leaders; 
however, there were no reports that government officials used force to 
suppress such criticism.
    The practice of witchcraft is a criminal offense under the national 
penal code; however, persons generally are prosecuted for this offense 
only in conjunction with some other offense, such as murder. Witchcraft 
traditionally has been a common explanation for diseases of unknown 
origin.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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. In addition, the Government responded promptly to 
assist the U.S. embassy in the case of the forced conversion of 
American citizens by a private actor. In January 2004 the embassy 
assisted an American citizen in securing physical custody over her two 
American citizen children, who were being held by their Cameroonian-
born father on a family compound and forced to worship a family elder 
and perform invasive purification rituals. Following the embassy's 
intervention in cooperation with law enforcement officials, the mother 
and children were repatriated to the United States. The religious 
leader of the group was detained pending formal charges but later 
released for lack of sufficient evidence. At the end of the period 
covered by this report, the compound was locked and no outside 
observers were admitted.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some religious 
groups faced societal pressures within their regions. In the northern 
provinces, especially in rural areas, societal discrimination by 
Muslims against Christians and persons who practice traditional 
indigenous religions continued.
    In May 2004 a group of Muslim radicals circulated anti-Christian 
tracts in the North, Far North, and Adamaoua provinces. Both Muslim and 
Christian religious leaders in the area reacted quickly to identify the 
source of the tracts and encourage their congregations to respect 
religious diversity and promote religious tolerance. In April 2005 the 
Garoua assistant subdivisional officer reported that a meeting with all 
the religious groups had been held the week before to discuss extremism 
in the area. The group reiterated their previous statement, asserting 
that it was nonresidents who circulated the extremist pamphlets. In 
early 2006 the Garoua subdivisional officer stated that the Government 
could not identify the source of the pamphlets, thus confirming primary 
perception that it was nonresident activists who disseminated them.
    In 2003 a Catholic Church official in the Far North Province 
reported that Muslim ``fundamentalists'' who trained in Pakistan and 
Sudan were jeopardizing the usually good relationship between Muslims 
and Christians in the region. According to the official, these 
fundamentalists were gaining support, particularly among the youth, 
because of the high levels of poverty and unemployment in the northern 
provinces. While the official did not believe that fundamentalism had 
caused serious problems in the region, he recognized that relations 
between religious groups could deteriorate if the economic situation 
remains poor. The official also mentioned that some Christian groups 
were aggressively working to convert Muslims in the region. There was 
no reported deterioration of relations between religious groups.
    In May 2004 Pastor Alombah Godlove was reportedly beaten and fined 
by the traditional ruler, or Fon, of his village for providing a 
Christian burial for a village elder in accordance with the deceased's 
will. The Fon believed that the elder, who was also a member of a 
traditional religious secret society, should have been buried with 
traditional rites. At the end of the period covered by this report, the 
case was under investigation by the National Commission on Human 
Rights. There was no further development in this case, as Pastor 
Alombah Godlove did not sue his traditional ruler.
    Michel Atanga Effa and Gervais Balla, charged with the 2003 killing 
of German missionary Anton Probst, remained under preventive detention, 
pending trial, at the end of the period covered by this report.
    From time to time, the northern region suffers from ethnic tensions 
between the Fulani, an ethnic (or multiethnic) Muslim group that 
conquered most of the region 200 years ago, and the Kirdi, the 
descendents of groups that practiced traditional indigenous religions. 
The Fulani conquered or displaced many Kirdi as part of a westward 
expansion of Islam in Africa. Although some Kirdi subsequently adopted 
Islam, the Kirdi have remained socially, educationally, and 
economically disadvantaged relative to the Fulani. The slavery still 
practiced in parts of the north is reported to be largely enslavement 
of Kirdi (both Muslim and non-Muslim) by Fulani.
    The multiplication of new unaffiliated religious groups, most of 
which are Protestant, has led established churches to vigorously 
denounce what they label ``sects'' or ``cults.'' Leaders of established 
religious organizations characterize and denounce these ``sects'' as 
detrimental to societal peace and harmony. Some religious leaders 
reportedly warn congregations during major celebrations to beware of 
such groups.
    Religious affiliation may influence political choice. In April 2005 
an administration official from the North (Garoua) declared that some 
members of one of the leading political parties of the region openly 
stated that they could not vote for a Christian.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
2004 the U.S. embassy organized a panel discussion on ``Islam and 
Religious Tolerance,'' excerpts of which were aired during two editions 
of the weekly television program ``Understanding Islam.'' Approximately 
500 copies of the pamphlet ``Muslim Life in America'' were distributed 
to Muslim leaders throughout the country. The embassy also provided 
regular assistance to the American missionary community and consular 
repatriation services to American citizens in a case of forced 
religious conversion. Additionally, the ambassador and other staff 
members reached out to the Rain Forest International School (RFIS), a 
Yaounde school predominately serving the Protestant missionary 
community.
    Another grant was given to support the creation of the Federation 
of Muslim Women in Cameroon that enabled the organization to host a 
nation-wide conference that brought together Muslim women from all ten 
of the provinces. The embassy worked closely with the local imams to 
ensure they had an opportunity to take advantage of Voice of America's 
new Islamic channel.
    Embassy officials met on several occasions with the Catholic 
archbishop of Douala, Christian Cardinal Tumi, to discuss various 
issues including religious freedom, human rights, freedom of the press, 
and the democratization process. Embassy officials also met with the 
imam of the Central Mosque in Yaounde, the bishop of Maroua, the 
archbishop of Yaounde, and various missionary groups active throughout 
the country to discuss religious freedom and human rights. In addition, 
during their regular trips within the ten provinces, embassy officials 
continued to meet with local religious officials to discuss any 
problems with government officials or individuals belonging to other 
faiths and denominations.
                               __________

                               CAPE VERDE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Cape Verde is an archipelago consisting of ten islands, nine of 
which are inhabited. It has an area of 1,557 square miles, and its 
population is approximately 458,000, according to the National 
Statistics Institute. More than 85 percent of the population was at 
least nominally Roman Catholic, according to an informal poll taken by 
local churches. The largest Protestant denomination was the Church of 
the Nazarene. Other groups included the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the 
Assemblies of God, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and 
various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups. There also were small 
Muslim and Baha'i communities. The number of atheists in the country 
was estimated at less than 1 percent of the population.
    There was no association between religious differences and ethnic 
or political affiliations; however, the Roman Catholic hierarchy was 
sympathetic to the Movement for Democracy (MPD) party, which ruled the 
country from 1991 to 2001. While many Catholics once were hostile 
toward the MPD party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), which 
again became the governing party in 2001, some have become supporters 
of the PAICV due to conflict within the MPD party and dissatisfaction 
over the latter's performance.
    There were foreign missionary groups operating in the country, 
including evangelical groups from Brazil and the United States.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The new penal code, which entered into force in July 2004, states 
that violations of religious freedom are a crime subject to a penalty 
of between three months' and three years' imprisonment.
    There is no state religion. The constitution provides for the 
separation of church and state and prohibits the state from imposing 
any religious beliefs and practices.
    The Catholic Church enjoys a privileged status in national life. 
For example, the Government provides the Catholic Church with free 
television broadcast time for religious services. Also, the Government 
observes the Christian holy days, of Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, 
Easter, All Saints' Day, and Christmas, as official holidays. 
Furthermore, each municipality has a holiday to honor its patron saint. 
The Government does not observe any other religious holidays.
    The constitution provides for freedom of association. All 
associations, whether religious or secular, must register with the 
Ministry of Justice to be recognized as legal entities.
    Registration is mandatory under the constitution and the law of 
associations. There are no special incentives for registering and 
failure to do so has not resulted in penalty or prosecution. One 
disadvantage of not registering is the inability of unregistered groups 
to apply for government or private loans and benefits as an 
association.
    To register, a religious group must submit a copy of its charter 
and statutes, signed by the members of the group, to the minister of 
justice. The constitution sets forth the criteria for all associations, 
including religious ones, and states that the association may not be 
military or armed; may not be aimed at promoting violence, racism, 
xenophobia, or dictatorship; and may not be in violation of the penal 
law. Failure to register with the Ministry of Justice does not result 
in any restriction on religious belief or practice.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The case before the Supreme Court of four Seventh-day Adventists 
who were accused of desecrating a Catholic church on Boa Vista Island 
was pending at the end of the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. This 
dialogue focused on the importance of religious freedom in an open 
society and the need to maintain the present levels of religious 
tolerance.
                               __________

                        CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, although it 
prohibits what the Government considers to be religious fundamentalism 
or intolerance and establishes fixed legal conditions based on group 
registration with the Ministry of Interior. The Government generally 
respected the right to religious freedom in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, certain groups 
adhering to traditional practices continued to be targets for societal 
violence.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 242,000 square miles and a 
population of approximately 4 million, of which an estimated 690,000 
live in the capital, Bangui. An estimated 50 percent of the population 
was Christian, and approximately 20 percent was Muslim. The remainder 
of the population, approximately 30 percent, practiced traditional 
indigenous religions or no religion at all.
    The Government does not keep data on the number of nontraditional 
religious groups in the country, and there was no data available on 
active participation in formal religious services or rituals; however, 
most Christians were believed to practice some aspects of traditional 
indigenous religions. Additionally, there was anecdotal evidence which 
suggested an increase in conversions to Islam by younger persons.
    In general, immigrants and foreign nationals in the country who 
practiced a particular religion characterized themselves as Catholic, 
Protestant, or Muslim.
    There were many missionary groups operating in the country, 
including the Lutherans, Baptists, Catholics, Grace Brethren, and 
Jehovah's Witnesses. While these missionaries were predominantly from 
the Unites States, France, Italy, and Spain, many also came from 
Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other African 
countries. Many missionaries who left the country due to fighting 
between rebel and government forces in 2002 and 2003 returned to the 
country and resumed their activities during the reporting period.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The November 2004 constitution provides for freedom of religion, 
and the Government generally permitted adherents of all religions to 
worship without interference; however, the constitution prohibits what 
the Government considers to be religious fundamentalism or intolerance. 
The constitutional provision prohibiting religious fundamentalism was 
widely perceived as targeting Muslims however, it was not supported by 
any additional legislation.
    There is no state religion, and there was no indication that the 
Government favored any particular religion. Religious organizations and 
missionary groups were free to proselytize and worship throughout the 
country; however, the practice of witchcraft or sorcery continued to be 
a criminal offense.
    Witchcraft or sorcery is a criminal offense under the penal code, 
punishable by execution. Although no one accused of witchcraft received 
the death penalty during the reporting period, numerous individuals 
were arrested for these practices throughout the year--often in 
conjunction with some other offense, such as murder. Authorities stated 
that police often arrested and detained persons accused of witchcraft 
or sorcery to protect them from societal violence aimed against them 
within their communities.
    Most individuals convicted of sorcery received sentences of one to 
five years in prison; they can also be fined up to $1,500 (817,836 CFA 
francs). During a typical trial of someone accused of sorcery, 
traditional doctors were called to give their opinion of the suspect's 
ties to sorcery. ``Truth herbs'' were used to make a suspect 
``confess.'' Neighbors were called as witnesses, and because spells 
were believed to involve burying bits of clothing, sample cuttings of 
clothes were brought before the jury as evidence. Police and gendarmes 
conducted investigations into witchcraft, and according to the minister 
of justice, investigations into allegations of sorcery were difficult.
    Bangui prison officials estimated that 50 to 60 percent of women 
detainees were arrested in connection with charges of sorcery or 
witchcraft. On September 20, 2005, for example, Bangui's Bimbo prison 
for women held forty-four women. The general prosecutor later reported 
that approximately twenty-three of the women, in addition to fourteen 
men in the Ngaragba men's prison, were arrested and detained for 
offenses in connection to witchcraft; of these, five men and four women 
were sentenced, and the others were liberated for lack of evidence of 
their crime.
    In 2005 a sixty-year old man was arrested for the killing of a 
twenty-four-year old man, whom he accused of having an affair with his 
wife, after the victim's family pressed charges against him. According 
to the criminal court, the plaintiff used sorcery to commit the killing 
and consequently was found guilty of a criminal offense. He was 
sentenced to ten years in jail after pleading guilty to his crime.
    The Government celebrated several Christian holy days as national 
holidays including Christmas, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, the Monday 
after Pentecost, and All Saints' Day. The Government did not officially 
celebrate Islamic holy days; however, Muslims were allowed to take 
these days off from work.
    Religious groups (except for traditional indigenous religious 
groups) were required by law to register with the Ministry of Interior. 
Registration is free and confers official recognition and certain 
limited benefits such as customs duty exemption for the importation of 
vehicles or equipment. The administrative police of the Ministry of 
Interior monitored groups which failed to register; however, the police 
did not attempt to impose any penalty on such groups.
    Religious organizations and missionary groups were free to 
proselytize and worship throughout the country.
    According to the Government and nongovernmental organizations, 
participation in religious education was not forced or required of 
students and students were free to attend any religious program of 
their choosing. Although the Government did not explicitly prohibit 
religious instruction in public schools, such instruction was not part 
of the overall public school curriculum; nor was it common. Religious 
instruction was permitted without government interference in private 
schools. Private Catholic schools, of which there were twelve in 
Bangui, generally included one hour of religious education per week.
    The Government granted religious groups one day each week, of their 
choosing, to make free broadcasts on the official radio station. All 
religious representatives that wished to broadcast on public airwaves 
were required to pay a fee when covering certain activities or making 
religious advertisements. There were three religious broadcasting 
stations--two protestant and one Catholic.
    The Government continued to take positive steps to promote 
religious freedom, such as the organizing of interfaith services, for 
the purpose of promoting peace and interfaith dialogue. President 
Francois Bozize continued to be involved in religious activities and 
maintained close ties with a range of religious leaders in the country.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    While government policy and practice contributed to the generally 
free practice of religion, any religious or nonreligious group that the 
Government considered subversive, a term not specifically defined by 
the Government, was subject to sanctions by the Ministry of Interior.
    When imposing sanctions, the Ministry of Interior may decline to 
register, suspend the operations of, or ban any organization that it 
deems offensive to public morals or likely to disturb the peace. For 
example, the Government continued to ban the Unification Church, 
claiming that it is a subversive organization likely to disturb the 
peace because of its alleged training of younger church members as 
paramilitaries. The Ministry of Interior may also intervene in 
religious organizations to resolve internal conflicts about property, 
finances, or leadership within religious groups. Under this framework, 
the Ministry of the Interior indefinitely closed a Protestant church in 
Bangui at the end of March 2006 after authorities were notified that 
two factions within the church were planning to fight each other with 
knives. Government authorities declared the closure was necessary to 
prevent violence until tensions subsided. Police made no arrests, and 
the church remained closed at the end of the reporting period. The 
Government imposed no other sanctions on any religious groups during 
the period covered by this report.
    Unlike in previous years, the Government did not attempt to suspend 
or interfere with the activities of religious institutions operating 
within its legal framework; however, it maintained legal requirements 
which restricted the activities of some groups. According to the 
Ministry of Territorial Administration, several of the thirty-four 
Protestant churches whose activities were suspended by the Government 
in 2003 (for supposedly being created without regard for official rules 
and regulations) had fulfilled government requirements to reopen and 
had resumed their activities by the end of the reporting period. To 
reopen, these religious institutions had to prove they had a minimum of 
one thousand members. Additionally, church leaders had to present 
evidence that they graduated from what the Government considered high 
caliber religious schools and provide documentation proving that the 
church was created with respect to local law. A few of these churches 
did not reopen for failure to meet these requirements. Some observers 
perceived this decree as an attempt by the Government to regulate the 
proliferation of places of worship, which had become a trend in the 
country and a source of concern for the Government over recent years.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, the killing and injuring of 
suspected sorcerers or witches continued.
    Witchcraft is widely understood to encompass attempts to harm 
others not only by magic but also by covert means of established 
efficacy such as poisons. Although many traditional indigenous 
religions include or accommodate belief in the efficacy of witchcraft, 
they generally only approve of harmful witchcraft for defensive or 
retaliatory purposes. It has traditionally been used as a common 
explanation for diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, for which the causes were 
unknown.
    In June 2005 seven residents of Bangui's Miskine suburb killed a 
woman they accused of being a witch. No additional information 
regarding this case was available at the end of the reporting period. 
Although courts have tried, convicted, and sentenced some persons for 
crimes committed against suspected witches in the past, violence 
against these individuals continued.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
response to political and military unrest in the country, the embassy 
suspended its operations from November 2002 through December 2004. It 
partially reopened in January 2005 with the arrival of a charge 
d'affaires and resumed the monitoring of political and human rights 
developments in the country, despite having only a limited diplomatic 
presence in the country.
                               __________

                                  CHAD

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, at 
times, the Government limited this right for certain groups.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Government policy continued 
to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The different religious communities generally coexisted without 
problems, although some tensions across different Muslim groups and 
between Muslims and Christians were reported.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 495,755 square miles and a population of 
approximately 9 million. Of the total population, more than half were 
Muslim, approximately one-third were Christian, and the remainder 
practiced traditional indigenous religions or no religion at all. Most 
northerners practiced Islam, and many southerners practiced 
Christianity or a traditional indigenous religion; however, population 
patterns were becoming more complex, especially in urban areas, and 
anecdotal evidence indicated that Muslim conversion was on the rise in 
areas that were previously Christian or animist. Many citizens, despite 
having stated religious affiliations, did not practice their religion 
regularly.
    The vast majority of Muslims were adherents of a moderate branch of 
mystical Islam (Sufism) known locally as Tijaniyah, which incorporates 
some local African religious elements. A small minority of the 
country's Muslims (5 to 10 percent) held more fundamentalist practices, 
which, in some cases, may be associated with Saudi-oriented belief 
systems such as Wahhabism or Salafism.
    Roman Catholics represented the largest Christian denomination in 
the country. Most Protestants, including the Nigeria-based ``Winners 
Chapel,'' were affiliated with various evangelical Christian groups. 
Members of the Baha'i and Jehovah's Witnesses religious communities 
also were present in the country. Both faiths were introduced after 
independence in 1960 and therefore were considered to be ``new'' 
religions in the country.
    There were foreign missionaries representing both Christian and 
Islamic groups. Itinerant Muslim preachers primarily from Sudan, Saudi 
Arabia, and Pakistan, also visited. Saudi Arabian funding generally 
supported social and educational projects and extensive mosque 
construction.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for religious freedom; however, at times 
government practices limited this right. The constitution also provides 
that the country shall be a secular state; however, a large portion of 
senior government officials were Muslim, and some policies favor Islam 
in practice. For example, under a recent decree, a government 
commission was made responsible for organizing the Hajj and the Umra.
    The Hajj is organized by a committee composed of members of the 
High Council for Islamic Affairs, headed by the Grand Imam, and the 
Directorate of Religious Affairs, in the Ministry of the Interior. 
Through these channels, the Government and High Council for Islamic 
Affairs have direct and close contacts with Saudi officials throughout 
the organizing period each year. Additionally, government journalists 
are often sponsored by the Government to cover the event in Mecca.
    In addition to organizing the Hajj and the Umra, the Government 
annually sponsors Hajj trips to Mecca for certain officials. In 
February 2006 the Association of Evangelical Churches sent a memorandum 
to the Government criticizing this and other practices as eroding the 
traditionally secular stance of the country; however, the Government 
did not respond to the memorandum.
    While the Government is legally obligated to treat all faiths or 
denominations equally, Islamic congregations continued to be viewed as 
having preferential status, particularly when requesting official 
clearance or permission for certain activities.
    Non-Muslim religious leaders also claimed that Muslim officials and 
organizations received greater support from the Government. In the 
past, the Government reportedly accorded public lands to Muslim leaders 
for the purpose of building mosques, while representatives of other 
faiths were required to purchase land at market rates to build places 
of worship.
    Religious matters are overseen by the director of religious and 
traditional affairs. Working under the minister of the interior, the 
director of religious and traditional affairs is responsible for 
arbitrating inter-communal conflicts and ensuring religious freedom. 
The director also monitors religious practices within the secular 
state. An independent religious organization, the High Council for 
Islamic Affairs, oversees all Islamic religious activities in the 
country, including the supervision of Arabic language schools and 
higher institutions, the representation of the country in international 
Islamic meetings, and coordination of the Hajj.
    The High Council for Islamic Affairs, in coordination with the 
country's president, also has the responsibility of appointing the 
grand imam--a spiritual leader for all Muslims in the country who 
oversees each region's high imam (a regional Muslim leader) and serves 
as head of the council.
    When President Deby came to power in 1990, he dissolved the former 
High Council for Islamic Affairs, formed a new council, and appointed 
the current grand imam, Sheikh Hassan Hissein Abakar, a representative 
of the generally moderate Sufi (Tijaniyah) branch of Islam. In 
principle, the grand imam has the authority to restrict proselytizing 
by other Islamic groups throughout the country, regulate the content of 
mosque sermons, and exert control over activities of Islamic charities 
operating in the country. Viewed as a generally moderate, pro-Western 
religious figure, Grand Imam Abakar has had his authority challenged by 
followers of other sects of Islam who adhere to more fundamentalist 
teachings derived from eastern and northern Africa and the Middle East.
    In addition to religious matters, religious leaders are also 
involved in managing the country's wealth. A representative of the 
religious community sits on the Revenue Management College, the body 
that oversees the allocation of oil revenues. The seat rotates between 
Muslim and Christian leaders every three years. In 2004 the Muslim 
representative handed responsibilities over to a Catholic priest 
designated by the Christian community.
    The Government requires religious groups, including both foreign 
missionary groups and domestic religious groups, to register with the 
Ministry of the Interior's Department of Religious Affairs. Since 2004 
registration has taken place without discrimination and been 
interpreted as official recognition. Despite popular perceptions to the 
contrary, registration is not intended to confer tax preferences or 
other benefits to religious groups.
    Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant missionaries continued to 
proselytize in the country. Generally, foreign missionaries did not 
face restrictions; however, they must register and receive 
authorization from the Ministry of Interior to circulate within the 
country, as do other foreigners traveling and operating throughout the 
country. There were no reports that authorization was withheld from any 
group.
    Religious instruction is prohibited in public schools; however, all 
religious groups were permitted to operate private schools without 
restriction. The poor quality of Chad's educational system has prompted 
many Muslim families to look to Islamic schools as an opportunity for 
educating children who would otherwise have little or no access to 
formal schooling. Most large towns have at least one or two private 
religious schools. Although the Government does not publish official 
records on school funding, many Islamic schools were commonly believed 
to be financed by Arab donors (governments, NGOs, and individuals), 
particularly from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia. Egypt 
also provided a number of Egyptian teachers for Islamic educational 
institutions operating at the high school and university level in 
N'djamena and Abeche. Libya was also known to financially support 
teachers at Qur'anic and Arab-language schools throughout the country.
    Among the numerous private radio stations, several stations 
broadcasting throughout the country were owned by religious 
organizations (six Christian and two Islamic). Radio stations run by 
both nonprofit and commercial groups were subject to close official 
scrutiny.
    The Government celebrates both Christian and Islamic holy days as 
national holidays. Islamic national holidays include Eid al-Adha, the 
Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Eid al-Fitr. Christian holidays 
include Easter Monday, All Saints' Day, and Christmas Day.
    While most interfaith dialogue takes place on a voluntary basis and 
not through government intervention, the Government was generally 
supportive of these initiatives.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Al Faid al-Djaria (also spelled Al Faydal Djaria), a Sufi group 
that adheres to a mystical form of Islam and is found in the Kanem, 
Lake Chad, and Chari Baguirimi areas, continued to be banned during the 
period covered by this report. The group arrived in the country from 
Nigeria and Senegal and incorporates singing and dancing into its 
religious ceremonies and activities. Male and female members of the 
group freely interact with one another during religious gatherings. The 
director of religious and traditional affairs, the High Council for 
Islamic Affairs, and certain Ulema (Muslim religious authorities) 
objected to some of Al Faid al-Djaria's customs, such as the 
incorporation of singing, dancing, and the intermixing of sexes during 
religious ceremonies, which they deemed un-Islamic. The minister of 
interior banned the group in 1998 and again in 2001. The 2001 ban 
(which was implemented on the technical grounds that the group did not 
have by-laws or basic statutes) denied the group's registration request 
and led to Al Faid al-Djaria's filing of a case against the Government. 
During this reporting period, the ban on Al Faid al-Djaria continued as 
the group's case continued in court, and the group carried out 
activities in the Chari Baguirmi region of the country.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Several human rights organizations reported on the problem of the 
mahadjirin children. Qur'anic teachers force these children, who 
attended certain Islamic schools, to beg for food and money. There were 
no credible estimates as to the number of mahadjirin children; however, 
UNICEF included these children in its child protection efforts. In 
September 2005 French television broadcast a program on the situation 
of the mahadjirin children, who testified in one case that they were 
chained and beaten. After this broadcast, the High Council for Islamic 
Affairs appealed for an immediate end to such practices, and the 
Government called for the closure of such schools. Despite these 
attempted reforms, the schools remained open during the reporting 
period.
    The Government also remained concerned about some Islamic 
organizations, such as the Wahhabist group Ansar al Sunna, which were 
well funded by Arab donors and able to use money and other material 
incentives to encourage adherence to their more austere interpretation 
of Islam.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Although the different religious communities generally coexisted 
without problems, there was occasional tension between Christians and 
Muslims as well as between more fundamentalist and more moderate 
Muslims. During the year there were regular meetings between key 
religious leaders to discuss peaceful collaboration among their groups.
    The publication of Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad had a 
particularly negative impact on Muslim-Christian relations in the 
country. On February 11, 2006, the president of the High Council for 
Islamic Affairs led a demonstration of several thousand Muslims to 
protest the publication, by a Danish newspaper, of caricatures of 
Muhammad perceived as derogatory and blasphemous. While the 
demonstration was intended to be peaceful, some demonstrators damaged a 
school and bookstore belonging to a Catholic Church, attacked an 
expatriate evangelical missionary, and burned her vehicle. The Catholic 
Church and Association of Evangelical Churches sent official protests 
to the Government for their failure to respond to the situation; 
however, they received no official response.
    Muslim citizens appealed to the Government, asking it to ban all 
newspapers and press releases insulting Islam and Mohammed. Some 
Muslims also recommended sanctions against Denmark. By the end of the 
reporting period, the Government had not offered a response to Muslims' 
requests or made a public statement regarding its stance on the issue.
    The marketplace violence in the southern town of Bebedja between 
Christians and Muslims that resulted in twelve dead and twenty-one 
wounded in 2004 remained a source of tension among the local populace. 
At the end of the reporting period, some of the twenty suspects 
originally detained were still in prison awaiting trial. Some victims 
contacted by human rights groups have accused the Government of failing 
to investigate the cases thoroughly and conduct proper trials.
    There were reports of tensions within the Muslim community between 
the High Council for Islamic Affairs and radical elements within the 
community. Such tensions arose from differences between the leading 
Tijaniyahs and more fundamentalist groups regarding interpretations of 
proper practices, preaching, and the leading of prayers. Each group 
considered its interpretation of the Qur'an to be correct in terms of 
Islamic practices and teachings and contested other interpretations of 
Islam.
    Most interfaith dialogues that attempted to address Christian-
Muslim and Muslim-Muslim tensions were facilitated by the groups 
themselves and not through government intervention. During the 
reporting period, religious groups met regularly to try and resolve 
sources of tension and promote greater collaboration. During these 
encounters, leaders discussed problems of peaceful cohabitation, 
tolerance, and respect for religious freedom. While these dialogues 
were usually initiated by the Commission for Peace and Justice, a 
Catholic organization, both Christian and non-Christian groups 
participated.
    During the reporting period, there were no reports of tension 
between Christians and Muslims in reaction to proselytizing by 
evangelical Christians.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
the period covered by this report, the ambassador met regularly with 
senior representatives of the Muslim and Christian faiths. In May 2006, 
for example, the ambassador traveled to Eastern Chad where he visited 
the high imam of Abeche and the sultan of Ouaddai, two of the most 
prominent and recently vested Muslim leaders in the country. During his 
visit, the ambassador described the embassy's outreach programs to the 
country's Muslims as a means for facilitating greater collaboration 
with the Muslim community. Additionally, the ambassador discussed the 
ongoing political instability in the region and requested the leaders' 
interpretation of the situation while emphasizing the U.S. government's 
desire to find a lasting peace for Sudan and its neighbors.
    Embassy officers also meet with various religious leaders and 
groups during travel outside of the capital. Embassy officials, for 
example, attended the closing ceremony of a five-day training seminar 
on human rights for local imams and marabouts, personal spiritual 
leaders who often preside over small-scale religious ceremonies. Funded 
by the embassy, the seminar was organized by the Islamic Association 
for Justice, a local nongovernmental organization, and trained 
approximately thirty religious leaders on topics such as religious 
freedom, women's rights, educational equality, and the rule of law.
    In addition to meeting with religious and community leaders, the 
embassy also sponsored the visit of an U.S. Muslim leader who met with 
numerous religious, civil society, and academic groups. His visit gave 
an appreciation of the role religious freedom plays in providing peace 
and stability in diverse communities such as the United States.
    Embassy relations with Muslim communities were also strengthened by 
the participation of Muslim leaders in the U.S. government's 
International Visitor Program. While focused on understanding U.S. 
societal, cultural, and political processes, this program also 
highlights the role of religion and religious tolerance in U.S. 
politics and society. Participants in the program included prominent 
Muslims such as the sultan of Abeche, the director of Radio Al Qur'an 
(a Muslim radio station owned by the High Council of Islamic affairs), 
and the principal of Ibnu Cina High School, a well-known Muslim school 
in the country.
                               __________

                            UNION OF COMOROS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government continued to infringe upon this right.
    There was no change in the status of the respect for religious 
freedom, which is sometimes limited, during the period covered by this 
report. Approximately 99 percent of the population was Muslim, and an 
overwhelming majority were Sunni. There was no sharp divide between 
Sunni and Shi'a, and most Muslims respected the doctrinal differences 
between the two branches of Islam. Government authorities continued to 
prohibit Christians from proselytizing; however, there were no known 
instances where the local authorities and population restricted the 
right of Christians to practice other aspects of their faith.
    There is widespread societal discrimination against Christians in 
all sectors of society.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 838 square miles, and its population is 
approximately 635,000. An overwhelming majority--approximately 99 
percent--of the population was Sunni Muslim. Foreigners living on the 
islands numbered several hundred, and included Hindus, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, or members of various Christian, Catholics, and Protestants. 
A few foreign religious groups maintained humanitarian programs in the 
country, but by agreement with the Government, they did not engage in 
proselytizing.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The 2002 constitution, reincorporates Ndzuwani (Anjouan), Ngazidja 
(Grand Comore), and Moheli into a new federation that grants the 
islands greater autonomy. It specifically provides for freedom of 
religion; however, the constitution states that citizens will draw 
principles and rules that will govern the country from Muslim religious 
tenets. While the constitution does not proclaim Islam as the official 
religion, government authorities continued to prohibit Christians from 
proselytizing.
    A law dating from the early 1980s states ``whoever divulges, 
promotes, or teaches Muslims a religion other than Islam will be 
punished with a three-month prison sentence and a fine of 50,000 to 
500,000 Comoran Francs.''
    The grand mufti is part of the Government and manages a department 
that handles issues concerning religion and religious administration. 
The grand mufti's position is attached to the Ministry of Islamic 
Affairs, and he counsels the Government on matters of Islamic faith and 
ensures that Islamic laws are respected. The grand mufti is nominated 
by the president. The grand mufti periodically consulted with a group 
of elders to assess whether the principles of Islam were respected, and 
he regularly addressed the nation on the radio regarding social and 
religious issues such as marriage, divorce, and education.
    The tenets of Islam are taught in conjunction with the Arabic 
language in public schools at the middle school level. There are no 
separate provisions made for religious minorities in public schools. 
There are at least two private schools on the island of Ngazidja (Grand 
Comore) that cost approximately $27 (15,000 Comorian francs) per month. 
Almost all children between the ages of four and seven also attend 
schools to learn to recite and understand the Qur'an, although 
attendance is not compulsory for religious minorities.
    Several Islamic holy days, including the Islamic New Year, the 
Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Eid al-Fitr, are national holidays.
    The Government does not require religious groups to be licensed, 
registered, or officially recognized.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    There are two Roman Catholic churches, one in Moroni, on the island 
of Ngazidja (Grand Comore), and one in Mutsamudu, on the island of 
Ndzuwani (Anjouan). There is a Protestant church in Moroni. Many 
Christians practiced their faith in private residences. Foreigners were 
allowed to practice their faith, but they were not allowed to 
proselytize. If caught proselytizing for religions other than Islam, 
foreigners are deported. Citizens who proselytize are afforded an open 
trial and are subject to imprisonment.
    On May 29, 2006, four men were convicted to three months in prison 
for ``evangelizing Muslims.'' One woman was also convicted but received 
a three-month suspended sentence. They had been arrested one week 
earlier for hosting Christian religious debates in a private residence.
    In February 2006 the International Church of Moroni received 
permission to distribute gift boxes of toys for Comoran children. After 
promising the boxes would not contain any Bibles or religious 
literature, the church distributed boxes in four villages, two schools, 
and two hospitals. On March 27, the minister of education demanded to 
meet with the pastor of the International Church. During the meeting 
the minister revealed that a children's Bible storybook and two 
necklaces with crosses were found during the toy distribution. The 
minister demanded that the church stop all gift distribution; the 
church complied. On April 1, one of the church leaders was arrested for 
his involvement in toy distribution. He spent one night in prison, and 
his house was searched. Other church leaders were similarly detained, 
and their houses were searched. On April 3, the ministers of interior 
and education met with the pastor and threatened to have him expelled 
from the country. The school directors that gave permission for the 
boxes to be distributed were suspended and village leaders were 
questioned.
    Unlike in previous years, there were no known cases where local 
authorities and religious leaders harassed Christians on Ndzuwani 
(Anjouan).
    Officials in Moheli reportedly stopped a group traveling from Grand 
Comore to Anjouan via Moheli to attend a Jehovah's Witnesses meeting.
    Bans on alcohol and immodest dress are enforced sporadically, 
usually during religious months, such as Ramadan. Alcohol can be 
imported and sold with a permit from the Government.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    In 2004 the island government of Ndzuwani (Anjouan) arrested and 
shaved the beards of several participants who had participated in an 
unauthorized gathering of several hundred followers of the Djawula 
interpretation of Islam. They were then released.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    There is widespread societal discrimination against Christians in 
some sectors of society. On Ngazidja (Grand Comore), there are no legal 
restrictions that prevent Christians from attending church, and 
noncitizen Christians are allowed to practice their faith without 
government intervention as long as they do not attempt to convert 
citizens. Societal pressure and intimidation continued to restrict the 
use of the country's three churches to noncitizens.
    There is concern that Islamic fundamentalism is increasing as young 
citizens return to the country after Islamic theological studies abroad 
and seek to impose a stricter adherence to Islamic religious law on 
their family members and associates. The Union Government has 
established a university, and government representatives stated that an 
important goal of the university is to give young citizens the option 
of pursuing university studies in the country instead of overseas where 
they might absorb more radical ideas. There were 2,450 students 
enrolled in the university, which provides classes in basic sciences 
and languages.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. An 
officer from the U.S. embassy in Madagascar met with religious leaders 
on the islands of Ndzuwani (Anjouan) and Ngazidja (Grand Comore) to 
discuss religious tolerance. A U.S. presidential delegation emphasized 
tolerance and nonviolence during a May 27, 2006, meeting with the newly 
elected president. In public and private, the new president professed 
moderate Islam and decried radicalism.
                               __________

                    DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

    The new constitution, approved in a national referendum in December 
2005 and formally adopted February 18, 2006, provides for freedom of 
religion, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice, provided that worshipers did not disturb public order or 
contradict commonly held morals.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there continued to 
be credible reports that a number of children and elderly persons were 
accused of witchcraft and abandoned or abused by their families.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 905,000 square miles, and its population 
is approximately sixty million. Approximately 55 percent of the 
population was Roman Catholic, 30 percent was Protestant, and less than 
5 percent each Kimbanguist and Muslim. The remainder largely practiced 
traditional indigenous religions. There were no statistics available on 
the percentage of atheists. Minority religious groups included, among 
others, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons), and Coptic (Orthodox) Christians.
    Most religious groups were scattered throughout the country and 
were widely represented in cities and large towns. Muslims were mainly 
concentrated in the provinces of Maniema and Kinshasa. Members of the 
syncretistic religion Bunda dia Kongo resided predominately in Bas 
Congo.
    Foreign missionaries operated freely within the country. Missionary 
groups included Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Evangelical 
Christians, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, and Coptic 
(Orthodox) Christians.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Article 26 of the transitional constitution provides for religious 
freedom, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. 
During the period covered by this report, a new constitution that 
provides for the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion 
was passed by national referendum. There is no state religion.
    The establishment and operation of religious institutions is 
provided for and regulated through a statutory order on the Regulation 
of Nonprofit Associations and Public Utility Institutions. Requirements 
for the establishment of a religious organization are simple and 
generally are not subject to abuse. Exemption from taxation is among 
the benefits granted to religious organizations. A law regulating 
religious organizations grants civil servants the power to recognize, 
suspend recognition of, or dissolve religious groups; however, this law 
was not invoked in the period covered by this report. Although the law 
restricts the process of recognition, officially recognized religions 
are free to establish places of worship and train clergy.
    A 2001 decree allows nonprofit organizations, including religious 
organizations, to operate without restriction provided they register 
with the Government by submitting a copy of their bylaws and 
constitution. The Government requires practicing religious groups to be 
registered; however, in practice unregistered religious groups operated 
unhindered.
    Although the Government requires foreign religious groups to obtain 
the approval of the president through the minister of justice, foreign 
religious groups generally operate without restriction once they 
receive approval from the Government. Many recognized churches have 
external ties, and foreign missionaries generally are allowed to 
proselytize. The Government generally did not interfere with foreign 
missionaries.
    Public schools permit religious instruction, and many public 
schools are operated by religious groups. Religious education is 
required for all students in religious schools. Parents may choose to 
send their children to any school, religious or nonreligious.
    The Government promoted interfaith understanding by supporting and 
consulting with the country's five major religious groups (Catholic, 
Protestant, Orthodox, Islamic, and Kimbanguist). The Consortium of 
Traditional Religious Leaders serves as an informal forum for religious 
leaders to gather and discuss issues of concern.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. While the Government generally did not interfere 
with foreign missionaries, they were not exempt from general 
restrictions on freedom of movement imposed on all persons by security 
force members who erected and manned roadblocks, at which they often 
solicited bribes. These groups were also not exempt from general 
restrictions or violent crimes committed by security forces. For 
example, on May 7, 2005, men in military uniform shot and killed a 
seventy-one-year-old Belgian Jesuit priest while robbing a grocery 
store. In early June 2005, police arrested and charged five Congolese 
Armed Forces deserters with the crime. During the period covered by 
this report, they were sentenced to lengthy jail terms. The victim was 
in a high crime area, and there was no evidence the man was targeted 
because he was a priest.
    Bundu Dia Kongo, an ethnically based spiritual and political 
movement that called for the establishment of an ``ethnically pure'' 
kingdom from the Bakongo tribe, remained outlawed for its separatist, 
political goals.
    During 2005, the Government banned all religious radio and 
television stations from broadcasting political and news programs.
    On April 27, 2005, the High Media Authority (HAM) suspended 
religious television station Radio Tele Message de Vie for one month. 
The suspension followed the station's refusal to give the Government 
tape recordings of a call-in program broadcast between April 9 and 11 
that allegedly ``incited violence and rebellion.'' This particular 
program edition featured a taped message by Reverend Fernand Kuthino, 
the station's owner, who stated that the transitional government should 
transfer power to the citizenry on June 30, 2005.
    This ban was revoked shortly after June 30, 2005, and religious 
radio and television stations operated normally. HAM may suspend 
stations, religious or secular, for hate speech and calls for ethnic 
violence.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    In eastern areas of the country, where significant numbers of armed 
groups remained active, religious freedom was not abused. However, as 
part of the general population, religious individuals and institutions 
were attacked by armed groups, as were nonreligious individuals and 
institutions. There was no evidence that religion was the motivating 
factor in any attacks during the reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, many children and 
elderly persons were accused of practicing witchcraft and driven from 
their homes by their families.
    During the period covered by this report, there continued to be 
reports of incidents in which persons suspected of witchcraft were 
attacked, tortured, killed, or driven from their homes. There is a 
common belief in the region that some persons have the power to cast 
spells on others; this fear sometimes rises to mass hysteria. During 
the period covered by this report, there was an increase in reports 
that certain leaders of revival churches, or small evangelical 
Protestant churches, exploited the people's fear of witchcraft by 
either encouraging families to drive accused witches from their homes 
or performing costly and painful exorcisms in which victims may be 
locked in boxes for long periods of time, starved for several days, or 
receive other harsh treatment. Reliable estimates by international 
nongovernmental organizations working in the country suggest that up to 
70 percent of homeless children were accused witches. No one was 
charged, prosecuted, or punished for such crimes reported in previous 
years or for crimes reported during the period covered by this report.
    Leaders of major religions consult with one another through the 
Consortium of Traditional Religious Leaders.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials regularly meet with religious leaders throughout the 
country.
                               __________

                         REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    While the generally amicable relations among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, the close link between 
certain self-proclaimed messianic groups and opposition political 
movements was a source of tension during the civil war period from 1997 
to 2001. In 2003 the Government and the last armed opposition group, 
the Ninjas, signed a peace accord that greatly reduced these tensions.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 132,000 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 4 million. Approximately half of its citizens were 
Christian; of these approximately 90 percent were Roman Catholic. Other 
denominations included Methodists, Seventh-day Adventists, the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Jehovah's 
Witnesses. There was a growing Muslim community in the country, 
estimated at 2 percent of the population. In fact, 2005 saw the 
construction of large new mosque in Brazzaville. Most workers in the 
urban centers were immigrants from West Africa and Lebanon, with some 
also from North Africa. The West African immigrants arrived mostly from 
Mali, Benin, Togo, Mauritania, and Senegal. The Lebanese were primarily 
Sunni Muslims. There was also a large Chadian Muslim population.
    The remainder of the population was made up of practitioners of 
traditional indigenous religions, those who belonged to various 
messianic groups, and those who practiced no religion at all. A small 
minority of the Christian community practiced Kimbanguism, a 
syncretistic movement that originated in the neighboring Democratic 
Republic of the Congo. While retaining many elements of Christianity, 
Kimbanguism also recognizes its founder (Simon Kimbangu) as a prophet 
and incorporates African traditional beliefs, such as ancestor worship.
    Mystical or messianic practices (particularly among the ethnic Lari 
population in the Pool region) have been associated with opposition 
political movements, including some elements of the armed insurrection 
in the southern part of the country from 1997 to 2001. While the 
association persisted, its influence has diminished considerably since 
2003.
    Several Western Christian missionary groups were active in the 
country, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Salvation Army, the 
Christian and Missionary Alliance, and several Catholic religious 
orders.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no 
official state religion, and the constitution specifically forbids 
discrimination on the basis of religion.
    All organizations, including religious organizations, businesses, 
unions, and charitable or nonprofit societies, are required to register 
with and be approved by the Government. There were no reports of 
discrimination against religious groups in this process, although all 
admit that it is time-consuming and lengthy. Penalties for failure to 
register involve fines and potential confiscation of goods, 
invalidation of contracts, and deportation for foreigners, but no 
criminal penalties are applicable.
    The Government recognizes the Christian holy days of Christmas, 
Easter Monday, Ascension, Pentecost, and All Saints' Day as national 
holidays. Muslim holy days are not nationally observed; however, they 
are respected. For example, employers grant leave for those who wish to 
observe holy days not on the national calendar.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In 2003 the Government and the Ninja rebel militia group, led by 
self-proclaimed prophet Frederic Bistangou (also known as Pasteur 
Ntumi), signed a peace accord. Subsequently, there have been no reports 
of abuse or desecration of churches as alleged in previous years.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relations among religious groups in society 
contributed to religious freedom. Although uncommon, interreligious 
marriage was generally socially acceptable. Children of majority and 
minority religions usually sat side-by-side in school. In practice, 
religion was generally kept separate from public education. Religious 
tolerance was greater in urban areas than in the rural areas. In some 
forest communities where there are pygmy populations, there is some 
discrimination against them in education and employment as well as 
intolerance for their social practices, including at times their 
animist religious practices.
    All organized religious groups are represented in a joint 
ecumenical council, which meets yearly during February.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. These 
discussions include highlighting the importance of religious freedom 
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the presidency, nongovernmental 
organizations, and members of the national assembly. The U.S. embassy 
also has implemented programs with key civil society groups that 
address these issues. The embassy supported four human rights 
organizations whose goals include strengthening recognition of 
religious diversity, including animism. U.S. government funding also 
assisted the local branch of CARITAS, which is affiliated with Catholic 
Relief Services and local church organizations, and implemented several 
grassroots projects.
                               __________

                             COTE D'IVOIRE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice, although ethnic 
discrimination paralleling differences in religious affiliation and 
resulting from the ongoing political conflict continued.
    The Government continued to experience political instability as a 
result of the failed coup attempt of 2002 that led to a de facto 
division between the northern and southern regions of the country. 
Since 2003 numerous peace accords, including the Linas-Marcoussis 
Accord, have been signed between the major parties involved in the 
conflict, but none has resulted in sustained peace or reconciliation.
    Although the country's political conflict lay along ethnic rather 
than religious lines, political and religious affiliations tended to 
follow ethnic lines; consequently, some religious groups have been 
especially impacted by the conflict. Many ethnic northerners, for 
example, were Muslim. As a result, many Muslims were assumed to be and 
were targeted as suspected rebels and rebel sympathizers by the 
Government during the reporting period.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion 
although, relations among the various religious groups were at times 
strained as a consequence of the continuing political crisis. Strong 
efforts by religious and civil society groups helped prevent the 
political crisis from turning into a religious conflict; however, there 
continued to be some societal discrimination against Muslims and 
followers of traditional indigenous religions.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
government officials also meet regularly with religious leaders, both 
individually and as a group, and have engaged them in projects to 
advance religious tolerance and conciliation.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 124,500 square miles and a population of 
approximately 18 million. An estimated 35 to 40 percent of the country 
was Christian or syncretistic, practicing a mixture of Christian and 
indigenous religions. Approximately 35 percent of the population was 
Muslim, while an estimated 25 to 30 percent of the population practiced 
traditional indigenous religions. Many persons who were nominally 
Christians or Muslims also practiced some aspects of traditional 
indigenous religions, particularly as economic or political conditions 
worsened.
    Christian sub groups found in the country included the Roman 
Catholic Church, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church, the Southern Baptist Church, the Coptics, and the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The largest Protestant 
church was the Protestant Methodist Church of Cote d'Ivoire. 
Evangelical groups such as the Shekinah Glory Ministries and the 
Assemblies of God also were active. Syncretistic churches included the 
Harrist Church (an African Protestant denomination founded in the 
country in 1913 by a Liberian preacher named William Wade Harris), the 
Primitive Protestant Church, God's Soldiers (founded by an Ivoirian 
woman), and the Messianic Church. Bossonism, a traditional religious 
practice from the Akan ethnic group, was also practiced.
    Other religions with a presence in the country included Buddhism, 
the Baha'i Faith, and the International Association for the Conscience 
of Krishna. Additionally, many religious groups in the country were 
associated with religious groups in the United States.
    Approximately 70 percent of foreigners living in the country were 
Muslim and 20 percent were Christian, with small percentages practicing 
other religions, including Judaism.
    There has been an increase in the membership of evangelical 
churches. Missionary work, urbanization, immigration, and higher 
education levels were also believed to have contributed to a decline in 
the percentage of practitioners of traditional religions. Generally, 
practitioners of traditional religions have followed a trend of 
conversion to Christianity and Islam.
    Muslims were found in the greatest numbers in the northern half of 
the country, however, they were becoming increasingly numerous in the 
cities throughout the country due to immigration, migration, and 
interethnic marriages. According to the most recent census (1998), 
Muslims composed 45.5 percent of the total urban population and 33.5 
percent of the total rural population.
    Both Catholics and Protestants were found in the southern and 
central regions. Additionally, Catholics were concentrated in the east, 
while Protestants were also found in the southwest. Practitioners of 
traditional indigenous religions were concentrated in rural areas of 
the country. Generally, the north was associated with Islam and the 
south with Christianity and other traditional religions.
    Political and religious affiliations tended to follow ethnic lines. 
For example, the Mende and Voltaic groups, which included the Malinke 
and Senufo people, were largely Muslim. The Akan ethnic group, which 
included the Baoule and Agni people, tended to be Catholic. There was 
also some correlation between religion and political affiliations and 
socio-economic class. For example, most Muslims favored the opposition 
Rally of Republicans (RDR) party; additionally, the merchant class was 
mostly Muslim.
    Immigrants from other parts of Africa were at least nominally 
Muslim or Christian.
    Missionaries were active in the country and were primarily from the 
United States and Europe--the most prevalent missionaries being from 
the Baptist Church.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. Although there 
is no state religion, the Government informally favors Christianity for 
historical and ethnic reasons.
    In the past, the Government informally favored the Roman Catholic 
Church and, consequently, gave Catholic Church leaders a much stronger 
voice in government affairs than their Islamic counterparts. Such 
preferential treatment led to feelings of disenfranchisement among some 
Muslims.
    Muslims continued to be underrepresented in the legislature, 
largely because the RDR political party, dominated by Muslims, 
boycotted the last legislative elections in 2000. During the reporting 
period, Muslims represented nine out of thirty-one ministers in the 
transitional government's cabinet. In the previous government of 
National Reconciliation, formed after the January 2003 Linas-Marcoussis 
peace accords, Muslims made up twelve of forty ministers.
    In addition to the legislature, Muslims continued to be 
disproportionately underrepresented in media outlets, such as radio and 
television, as well. Of the approximately eighty-eight radio 
frequencies in the government-controlled zone, for example, there were 
seven Catholic frequencies, one evangelical, and one Muslim. The Muslim 
community tried to apply for more radio frequencies in the early 1990s 
but were unsuccessful in their attempt.
    The armed forces were dominated by southerners, few of whom were 
Muslim. Christian members of the military are offered access to 
chaplains, and Muslim members are allowed time to pray. Since many of 
the leaders of the 2002 attempted coup were Muslim northerners, Muslims 
in the military generally kept a low profile. Although the position of 
Muslim military chaplain was created in 1967, it was only in 2003 that 
a Muslim military chaplain was designated. During the reporting period, 
seven active-duty Muslim soldiers went on pilgrimage to Mecca.
    The Government observes major Muslim and Christian religious 
holidays. The recognized Muslim holy days are Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha 
(Tabaski Day), Layla tul-Qadr (Night of Destiny), and Maulid al-Nabi 
(the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad) The recognized Christian holy days 
are Christmas, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Pentecost Monday, and All 
Saints' Day.
    In the past the Government paid for the construction of a Catholic 
cathedral. The Plateau Mosque in central Abidjan, a project started in 
1994 under the direction of the Government, remained unfinished. No 
progress on the mosque occurred since shortly after the outbreak of the 
rebellion in 2002, due to a withdrawal of financial support from 
Islamic Arab governments concerned over the country's decreased 
stability.
    The law requires religious groups to register with the Government. 
In accordance with the 1960 law governing associations, all religious 
groups wishing to operate in the country must submit a file including 
the group's by-laws, names of the founding members, date of founding 
(or the date on which the founder received the revelation of his or her 
calling), general assembly minutes, the names of members of the 
administrative board, and other information to the Ministry of 
Territorial Administration. The Ministry of Territorial Administration 
investigates through the Ministry of Security the backgrounds of the 
founding members to ensure that the group has no politically subversive 
members or purpose. Despite this thorough registration process, no 
religious group had complained of arbitrary registration procedures or 
problems with gaining government recognition. Traditional indigenous 
religious groups were less formally organized, and none had applied for 
registration or recognition. There is no evidence that indigenous 
groups would be denied if they were to apply.
    The Government grants no tax or other benefits to religious groups; 
however, some religious groups gained favors through individual 
negotiations. Examples include reductions in the cost of resident alien 
registration, customs exemptions on certain religious items, diplomatic 
passports for major religious chiefs, and, in some cases, privileges 
similar to those of diplomats. No particular religion has been favored 
consistently in this manner.
    Foreign missionaries must meet the same requirements for residency 
as any foreigner, including registering as resident aliens and 
obtaining national identification cards. There were no reports that 
foreign missionaries were denied such registration arbitrarily.
    The Government recognizes and oversees all schools, regardless of 
religion, that meet certain nationally established curriculum 
requirements. The national curriculum was the minimum standard of 
teaching in sciences and liberal arts; schools operated by religious 
groups were free to also teach and regulate their own religion courses.
    Religious instruction is permitted in public schools and is usually 
offered outside of normal class hours by established Islamic, Catholic, 
and Protestant groups, including evangelical churches. The Government 
did not interfere with Muslim, Catholic or Protestant groups that 
wished to provide religious instruction in public schools during 
students' vacation breaks.
    Religious instruction in private schools varied. Some private 
schools included religious instruction in their curriculum, some 
allowed religious groups to teach religion during students' vacation 
breaks, and some did not allow any religious instruction. In theory, 
the Government subsidizes private secondary schools, although arrears 
have been accumulating for several years. Some of these subsidized 
schools are run by Christian groups. Muslim groups operate only primary 
schools, although a Muslim school in Daloa is trying to build a 
secondary school.
    The Government recognized several Muslim schools as official 
schools whose curriculum would be overseen by the State for the first 
time. One such school, Iqra, was founded in 2003 by the Islamic 
National Council (CNI) for kindergarten and primary school children in 
Abidjan. The school is the largest of its kind and enrolled 
approximately 300 Muslim children in 2005. Students followed the 
state's official curriculum with the addition of prayer and instruction 
in traditional Muslim values. During the reporting period, Iqra 
received books, computers, and teaching materials from western 
embassies, including the U.S. and Canadian embassies. The school was 
built entirely with funds from the Islamic Development Bank received 
through the CNI.
    Unlike in the past, the Government did not give any money to 
religious associations other than schools during the reporting period. 
During the period covered by this report, the Government took positive 
steps to promote interfaith understanding. Government officials, 
including the president and his religious advisers, appeared at major 
religious celebrations and events organized by a wide variety of faiths 
and religious groups. The Government often invited leaders of various 
religious communities, including the Mediation Committee for National 
Reconciliation, the Forum of Religious Confessions, and the Collective 
of Religious Confessions for National Reconciliation and Peace to 
attend official ceremonies and to sit on deliberative and advisory 
committees. In July 2005 the minister of religion held a debate among 
various religious groups on the convergence of religion, civilization, 
and culture.
    During the period covered by this report, President Gbagbo 
continued to meet with Muslims leaders to discuss their particular 
concerns. For example, on March 17, 2006, the president received 
members of the Higher Council of Imams and the National Islamic Council 
(CNI), who presented a memorandum of their proposed solutions to the 
political crisis, which was rooted in questions of citizenship and 
which has negatively impacted many Muslims. These proposals condemned 
discrimination against Muslims on the basis of their ethnic origins and 
sought to promote tolerance. Despite their intentions, the discussions 
resulted in few changes and were, ultimately, unsuccessful in 
alleviating the country's deep political and ethnic divisions.
    As with Muslim groups, President Gbagbo continued to meet 
frequently with traditional chiefs to listen to their concerns; 
however, such meetings were also unsuccessful in bridging the deep 
political and ethnic divisions and promoting greater social inclusion 
of all religions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Unlike in previous years, there were no reports that the Government 
monitored minority religious groups for what it considered to be 
subversive political activity.
    Beginning with the 2001 Forum for National Reconciliation, the 
Government initiated several programs aimed at improving relations 
between the Government and religious groups; however, many Muslims 
continued to believe that they were targets of discrimination by the 
Government, since they were often perceived as being rebel 
sympathizers. The perception of discrimination amongst Muslims lessened 
with the creation of the power sharing Government of National 
Reconciliation in 2003 and appointment of Muslims to key government 
positions including the prime ministry, high chancellorship, national 
assembly presidency, and various ministerial positions; however, these 
appointments did not end the social or political exclusion of certain 
groups.
    Many northern Muslims continued to feel discriminated against when 
applying for identity cards which document their citizenship. As 
northern citizens, they complained that, when applying for passports, 
they were asked to provide more documents than applicants from southern 
ethnic groups which are predominantly non-Muslim. Additionally, there 
were reports that police officers confiscated or destroyed identity 
cards belonging to northern citizens, telling them they should apply as 
foreigners for a resident permit (carte de sejour). Government security 
forces were also reportedly more likely to extort payments at 
checkpoints from northerners and foreigners than from southern 
citizens. Although discrimination in the distribution of identity cards 
was based on regional and ethnic backgrounds rather than religious 
ones, the fact that many northerners were Muslims while many 
southerners were non-Muslim resulted in government actions that 
disadvantaged Muslims in this process. While lack of an identification 
card was not an obstacle to obtaining employment, those without the 
cards were unable to vote; consequently, many Muslims from the north 
who were denied identity cards were excluded politically.
    In contrast to their relationship with the Government, many 
northern Muslims believed that the rebel New Forces group supported 
their efforts against discrimination by making the issuance of 
identification cards, once again, a key demand in the peace process. 
The new prime minister, in place since December 2005, made the 
implementation of a national identification process one of his top 
priorities. While the prime minister's goal was to have this process 
completed in time for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary 
elections, which have been postponed since 2005 and were scheduled 
before the conclusion of 2006, this process had barely begun by the end 
of the period covered by this report.
    Another point of friction between the Government and Muslim groups 
were Hajj trips. Each year President Gbagbo used state funds to pay for 
a small, politically selected group of Muslims to make the Hajj 
pilgrimage. Private Islamic organizations also organized groups to make 
the Hajj, under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior to protect 
the pilgrims from problems that occurred in the past with fraudulent 
travel agencies. The Government's requirements were somewhat stricter 
than those of the Saudi government. For example, it required a minimum 
of one hundred pilgrims per group, whereas the Saudis require fifty 
pilgrims per incoming group, in addition to a doctor, nurse, and 
religious leader. The Government also required any group seeking to 
organize Hajj pilgrims to have been in existence for three to four 
years.
    Some Muslim organizations continued to view the Government's 
additional organizational requirements for Hajj pilgrimages to Saudi 
Arabia as unnecessary and unwarranted interference in religious 
affairs, considering that Christian churches organize several Christian 
pilgrimages throughout the year without government supervision. In 2003 
the Islamic Umma Front and the National Trade Union of Couriers asked 
the Government to liberalize the Hajj process so that pilgrims could 
organize the trips more easily without government involvement. A 
Ministry of Religion official responded to this request by stating that 
the Government must be involved in the organization of the Hajj since 
it involved 3,000 to 4,000 citizens leaving the country each year. 
During the reporting period, the prime minister's office supported Hajj 
travelers by chartering a plane to send 485 pilgrims to Mecca after 
they were defrauded by an unreliable travel agency.
    Like some Muslims, practitioners of traditional indigenous 
religions also experienced political exclusion. Although there is no 
generally accepted system for classifying the country's diverse 
traditional religious practices, which vary by ethnic group, village, 
family, gender, and age group, members of the country's largely 
Christian and Islamic urban elite that were heavily influence the 
state, generally appeared disinclined to allow traditional indigenous 
religions the social status accorded to Christianity and Islam. Despite 
the resistance to traditional religions, at the beginning of important 
ceremonies, traditional chiefs were often invited to participate in 
traditional libation ceremonies aimed at recognizing ancestors at the 
beginning of important ceremonies.
    There were no reports on restrictions of religious freedom in the 
rebel-controlled northern 60 percent of the country.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    There were no arrests in a 2004 incident in which someone shot at 
five imams of the executive committee of the High Council of Imams.
    In March 2006 officials from the district of Abidjan attempted to 
destroy a mosque built on public space in the area of Marcory, a mixed 
faith community, in order to allow a private citizen to build a 
supermarket. The local imam presented a document signed by the Marcory 
police superintendent in 1990 authorizing the construction of the 
mosque. The mayor of Marcory intervened, and although the imam's house 
was destroyed, the mosque itself was spared.
    Conditions for Christian religious groups in rebel-controlled areas 
of the north and west remained the same. Unlike in previous years, 
there were no reports of Christians being unable to practice as they 
wished.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations among the various religious groups became strained after 
the outbreak of the 2002 national crisis. Some societal discrimination 
against Muslims and followers of traditional indigenous religions 
continued during the reporting period.
    Northerners, many of whom are Muslim, frequently experienced 
discrimination on the basis of their ethnic or regional origin. Based 
on these factors, many were presumed to support the presidential 
candidacy of former prime minister Alassane Ouattara, a Muslim.
    Followers of traditional indigenous religions were also subject to 
societal discrimination. Some Christians and Muslims refused to 
associate with practitioners of traditional indigenous religions. Many 
Christian or Islamic leaders disparaged practitioners of traditional 
indigenous religions as ``pagans'' or practitioners of ``black magic,'' 
even though many indigenous religions discourage such practices. 
Despite these hostile attitudes towards indigenous religions, many 
practitioners of traditional indigenous religions were unaware of or 
did not consider themselves victims of societal discrimination, nor did 
they complain about their treatment.
    Prior to the 2002 crisis, there were examples of long-standing 
cooperation amongst religious groups, evidenced by interfaith prayer 
vigils, services, and events. Since the start of the conflict, 
religious leaders from diverse groups have assembled on their own 
initiative to mediate tensions. Interfaith activities saw a decrease in 
activity during the past year due to a lack of funding. While religious 
leaders continued to attend each other's main religious celebrations as 
symbolic acts of reconciliation, few if any, leaders of traditional 
indigenous religious groups have been included in these interfaith 
initiatives.
    The Forum of Religious Confessions (The Forum) is an interfaith 
organization that endeavors to promote dialogue, increase 
understanding, and improve relationships among religious leaders and 
groups. It is headed by the leader of the Celestial Christian Church. 
The Research Group in Democracy and Social and Economic Development of 
Cote d'Ivoire (GERDDES-CI) created the forum, which engages leaders of 
many of the country's religious groups, including Catholics, Muslims, 
various Protestant groups, several syncretist groups, the Association 
of Traditional Priests, and the Bossonists, an association of 
indigenous Akan religious priests. Previously the Ministry of Religion 
cooperated closely and regularly with the Forum; however, this ministry 
was absorbed into the Ministry of Interior when Prime Minister Banny's 
government was formed in January 2006. The new Department of Religion 
within the Ministry of Interior was less involved with the Forum.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. Since 
the onset of the political crisis in 2002, when rebel forces seized 
control of the northern 60 percent of the country, the U.S. embassy 
assisted efforts by the Government and nongovernmental organizations to 
mitigate religious tensions in the country. To assist in this way, the 
U.S. ambassador and other U.S. government officials regularly met with 
religious leaders. For example, on March 16, 2006, the embassy hosted 
an interfaith women's round-table discussion entitled ``Women of Faith: 
Agents of Peace, Reconciliation, and Tolerance.'' Fifty Muslim, 
Catholic, and Protestant women discussed ways to promote religious and 
political tolerance.
    This event followed an earlier roundtable discussion organized by 
the embassy on October 22, 2005. The discussion involved fifty Muslim 
women of various backgrounds, including journalists, politicians, 
professors, students, and professional women of various descriptions, 
and was entitled ``Muslim Women: What Is Their Role in the 
Reconciliation Process?'' The discussion was wide-ranging and 
emphasized the importance of promoting tolerance, educating communities 
about how to avoid discrimination and prejudice, making efforts to get 
to know women from other faith communities, and making peaceful 
overtures to all.
    During the reporting period, three religious leaders from Cote 
d'Ivoire--an imam, a priest, and a pastor--traveled to the United 
States on a program called ``Religion and the Community.'' Participants 
explored religious diversity by meeting with American Muslims, 
Catholics, and Protestants, in addition to adherents of smaller 
American religious groups, to discuss how their communities address 
tolerance and religious freedom issues. They also met with the largest 
faith-based cable network in the United States to learn more about 
religious diversity in the media.
    On February 27, 2006, the embassy hosted a digital videoconference 
entitled ``Martin Luther King: A Model of Religious Non-Violence and 
Reconciliation Efforts.'' The discussion focused on King's legacy as a 
role model for tolerance. Thirty-five guests, including imams, priests, 
pastors, a Muslim member of the National Assembly, leaders of women's 
religious groups, and faithful laypersons engaged in an exchange with 
the speaker, a former U.S. diplomat. The speaker highlighted America's 
efforts to promote ethnic and religious tolerance. Following the 
presentation, the participants discussed the tenets of King's teachings 
relevant to the country's crisis. Those in attendance agreed to work on 
strengthening the protection of minorities, renouncing violence, 
promoting interfaith cooperation, and teaching tolerance and acceptance 
from an early age, in each of their communities.
    Embassy officials met with a broad range of nongovernmental 
organizations that work on religious freedom and tolerance issues 
throughout the reporting period.
                               __________

                                DJIBOUTI

    The constitution, while declaring Islam to be the state religion, 
provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally 
respected this right in practice; however, proselytizing is 
discouraged.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in the 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 8,450 square miles and a 
population of approximately 700,000. More than 99 percent of the 
population was Sunni Muslim. There were a small number of Roman 
Catholics, Protestants, Copts, and followers of the Baha'i Faith, 
together accounting for less than 1 percent of the population. There 
were no known practitioners of traditional indigenous religions. 
Because all citizens officially are considered Muslims if they do not 
adhere to another faith, there were no figures available on the number 
of atheists in the country.
    The sizable foreign community supported Roman Catholic, Protestant, 
Greek Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches.
    A small number of foreign Christian missionary groups operated in 
the country, including the Eastern Mennonite Mission, Red Sea Team 
International, and Life International.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution, while declaring Islam to be the state religion, 
provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally 
respected this right in practice; however, proselytizing is 
discouraged. The Government at all levels sought to protect this right 
in full, and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or 
private actors.
    Although Islam is the state religion, the Government imposes no 
sanctions on those who choose to ignore Islamic teachings or to 
practice other faiths. The Government maintains diplomatic relations 
with the Vatican.
    The Shari'a Court has been replaced by the Family Court, which was 
almost completely implemented in February 2004. This court uses laws 
from both the Family Code and Shari'a to rule on matters related to the 
family such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
    The Government requires that religious groups register with the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs by submitting an application to the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, along with the Ministry of 
Interior, investigates the group. Once approved, the group signs an 
initial two-year bilateral agreement detailing the scope of the group's 
activities. Unlike in previous years, Baha'i members reported no 
incidents of discrimination but did not confirm whether the 
organization submitted a request for registration during the period 
covered by this report. In previous years, such requests have been 
refused.
    Foreign clergy and missionaries are permitted to perform charitable 
works and to sell religious books. These groups, which focus on 
humanitarian services in the education and health sectors, reportedly 
faced no harassment during the period covered by this report. Foreign 
missionary groups are licensed by the Government to operate schools. 
Religion is not taught in public schools.
    The country observes the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-
Adha, the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, the Islamic New Year, and the 
Ascension of the Prophet as national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    There is no legal prohibition against proselytizing; however, 
proselytizing is discouraged for non-Muslims.
    Islamic law based on the Qur'an is used only with regard to family 
matters and is administered by the family court judges. Civil marriage 
is permitted only for non-Muslim foreigners. Muslims are required to 
marry in a religious ceremony, and a non-Muslim man may marry a Muslim 
woman only after converting to Islam.
    The Ministry of Muslim Affairs monitors the activities of Muslims, 
but it does not restrict their religious practices. The ministry has 
authority in all Islamic matters, including mosques, private religious 
schools (along with the Ministry of Education), religious events, as 
well as general Islamic guidelines of the state. The High Islamic 
Council, officially established within the ministry in October 2004, is 
mandated to give advice on all religious issues and concerns. It also 
is in charge of coordinating all Islamic nongovernmental organizations 
(NGOs) in the country.
    The president is required to take a religious oath at inauguration; 
however, other Government employees are not required to do so.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, representatives of 
the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches as well 
as some NGOs noted an increase in animosity towards non-Muslims in 
recent years. Moderate Muslim clerics attribute the rise in Islamic 
fundamentalism in part to the international media, Saudi Wahhabi 
schools, the growing number of Islamic groups, and graduates of Saudi 
Arabian or Yemeni Islamic schools.
    French Catholics and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have been part 
of Djibouti society for almost a century and are an example of the 
considerable familiarity with and tolerance of other faiths by the 
Muslim majority. There are no legal repercussions for conversion from 
Islam to another religion or for marrying outside of Islam; however, 
converts may face negative societal, tribal, and familial attitudes 
towards their decision.
    Approximately 60 percent of the population is ethnically Somali. In 
the ethnic Somali community, clan membership has more influence over a 
person's life than does religion. Ethnic Somalis who are Christians 
often are buried according to Islamic traditions by relatives who do 
not recognize their non-Muslim faith.
    There is no formal interfaith dialogue. The Roman Catholic Church 
organizes an annual celebration with all the other Christian churches. 
The Qadi has received Ramadan greetings from the Pope. He meets with 
the heads of other faiths only at government-organized ceremonies.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives periodically meet with leaders and members of 
religious communities and with U.S. NGOs with a missionary component. 
The embassy has engaged several of its English Language Discussion 
Groups in discussions of religious freedom and tolerance. The 
ambassador uses representational events to promote discussions on 
religious tolerance and attitudes towards religious differences, with 
use of the Arabic language encouraged wherever appropriate.
                               __________

                           EQUATORIAL GUINEA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Because of perceived 
government sensitivity and possible repercussions, religious groups 
practice self-censorship regarding criticism of the Government.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 10,827 square miles, and the Government 
estimated the population is approximately one million (other sources 
estimate the population to be approximately 586,000). Christians 
accounted for approximately 93 percent of the population, and 5 percent 
of the population practiced traditional indigenous religions. Muslims, 
members of the Baha'i Faith, practitioners of other religions, and 
atheists each comprised less than 1 percent of the population. Roman 
Catholicism was the principal religion, dating to the Spanish colonial 
period when almost the entire population was baptized into the faith 
and until recently was the primary way to register a birth. Catholics 
comprised approximately 87 percent of the population, and an estimated 
6 percent belonged to Protestant and independent denominations. Many 
Catholics reportedly also followed traditional beliefs. Although in the 
past there was little organized Christian worship in remote rural 
areas, both Catholic and Protestant churches have expanded into 
interior regions, and new roads have made worship centers accessible to 
practically all areas.
    Foreign missionaries operated both on Bioko Island and the 
mainland. These included Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Seventh-
day Adventists, Assemblies of God, and Jehovah's Witnesses. 
Nondenominational evangelical Christian groups were also present, 
including those who translate the Bible into indigenous languages.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. However, the 
Government remains sensitive to any criticism, and church leaders 
usually avoid discussions that could be construed as critical of the 
Government or government officials.
    The Government generally allows preaching, religious teaching, 
education, and practice by believers. The Government requires 
permission for any activities outside the confines of places of 
worship; however, in practice this requirement does not appear to 
hinder organized religious groups from holding retreats and other 
meetings. Door-to-door evangelism was not observed.
    A 1992 presidential decree regulates the exercise of religious 
freedom. This decree maintains an official preference for the Roman 
Catholic Church and the Reform Church of Equatorial Guinea, due to 
their traditional roots and pervasive influence in the social and 
cultural life of the populace. While the decree does not hinder the 
practice of other religions, its effects can be observed in many events 
throughout the country; for example, Catholic Masses serve as a normal 
part of any major ceremonial function, such as the October 12 National 
Day. In addition, Catholic and Reform church officials are exempt from 
airport entry and exit taxes.
    The decree regulates the registration of religious groups. To 
register, churches must submit a written application to the Ministry of 
Justice, Worship, and Penitentiary Institutions. The director general 
in the Ministry of oversees compliance with the decree and the 
registration process. This application was not required of the Catholic 
and Reform churches.
    The application and approval process may take several years, but 
such delay appears to be the result of bureaucratic inefficiency and 
not of a policy designed to impede any religious group. Groups that 
include beneficial social programs, such as health projects or schools, 
reportedly are approved more quickly. Enforcement of registration 
requirements is inconsistent. Unregistered groups operating in the 
country can be fined. Such fines are rarely applied, but the Government 
announced over the radio that any unregistered church was subject to 
fines or closure and should regulate its status as soon as possible. No 
permanent closures were observed, although there were isolated 
instances of temporary closures on dubious legal grounds that some have 
linked to efforts at influence peddling.
    The exact number of registered denominations was not publicly 
available.
    Religious study is required in schools and is usually, but not 
exclusively, Catholic.
    Religious leaders indicated that they knew of no steps by the 
Government to promote an interfaith dialogue between different 
religious groups. However, Protestant churches reported a positive 
dialogue and generally good relations between the various Protestant 
denominations.
    Foreign missionaries worked throughout the country, generally 
without impediment.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In the past, the Government and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema 
Mbasogo's ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) reacted 
defensively to any criticism by the clergy. The Government continued 
unofficially to restrict freedom of expression of the clergy by 
emphasizing that the role of religion is spiritual, not political. 
Permission had been granted for a new radio station to operate, but 
only to broadcast religious programs.
    Government agents, including the president, occasionally make 
official and unofficial visits to observe church services or request a 
timetable of church activities. The Government requires permission for 
any religious or faith-based social assistance activity outside the 
confines of places of worship.
    The Government did not arrest and detain foreign missionaries, 
although one pastor received such serious threats that he felt 
compelled to return to his West African country. In another case, a 
major U.S. evangelical figure was brought to the country to conduct an 
outreach, and attendees were forced out as the church was locked up by 
a squad of armed police. The evangelist left the country and was told 
by security officers he should not return.
    While there was no reported workplace discrimination targeted 
against a particular faith, some non-Catholic pastors who also worked 
for the Government as civil servants maintained a low profile in the 
workplace with regard to their religious affiliation. Some reported 
that supervisors informed them of the requirement to participate in 
religious activities related to their government positions, including 
attending religious events such as Catholic Masses at government 
functions.
    In 2004, during legislative and municipal elections, security 
forces and the former mayor of Malabo threatened to jail a missionary 
pastor who had removed party campaign posters of the ruling party from 
the walls of his church. No action was taken against the missionary and 
the mayor was later replaced, reportedly for a pattern of decisions 
that did not reflect well on the Government.
    The country's fundamental law on religion states that each person 
is free to study his or her own religion and should not be forced to 
study another faith. Children of all faiths are allowed to enroll in 
schools where Catholicism is taught; however, they are expected to 
participate in daily Catholic religious lessons and prayers. In 
practice, for non-Catholics, access to study in one's own faith in 
these schools generally is not possible. Some Protestant denominations 
have their own schools and are allowed to operate freely.
    Catholic missionaries reportedly receive residence permits shortly 
after their arrival; other persons receive permits after a delay of two 
to three months.
    In 2003 religious leaders reported a positive relationship with the 
new supervising director general at the Ministry of Justice, Worship, 
and Penitentiary Institutions.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor U.S. citizens who were 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relations among religious groups in society 
contributed to religious freedom. However, some non-Catholic religious 
groups believed that they faced societal pressures within their 
regions. Such concerns may reflect ethnic or individual differences as 
much as religious differences.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy in Malabo reopened in late 2003. Together with the U.S. 
embassy based in Yaounde, Cameroon, and the U.S. consular agent based 
in the mainland city of Bata, the embassy in Malabo maintains contact 
with religious groups and monitors religious initiatives.
    During the period covered by this report, embassy representatives 
met with various church and missionary leaders, as well as with 
government officials in the Ministry of Justice, Worship, and 
Penitentiary Institutions.
                               __________

                                ERITREA

    The Government severely restricts freedom of religion for groups 
that it has not registered, and infringes upon the independence of some 
registered groups. The constitution, written in 1997, provides for 
religious freedom; however, the constitution has not been implemented. 
Following a 2002 government decree that religious groups must register, 
the Government closed all religious facilities not belonging to the 
country's four principal religious institutions--the Eritrean Orthodox 
Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of 
Eritrea, and Islam. The membership of these four religious groups 
comprises a significant majority of the population.
    During the reporting period, the Government's record on religious 
freedom did not improve overall, and in some areas deteriorated 
further. The Government continued to harass, arrest, and detain members 
of independent Evangelical groups (including Pentecostals), Jehovah's 
Witnesses, and a reform movement within the Eritrean Orthodox Church. 
The Government also intervened in procedural and administrative 
decisions of the Eritrean Orthodox Church by displacing the patriarch 
in favor of its own candidate. The Government failed to register any of 
the four religious groups who applied in 2002 for registration, and it 
restricted religious meetings and arrested individuals during religious 
ceremonies, gatherings, and prayer meetings. There were also reports of 
forced recantations. While there were no reports of torture of 
religious detainees during the reporting period, some religious 
detainees were held in harsh conditions that included extreme 
temperature fluctuations with limited or no access to family.
    Citizens generally were tolerant of one another in the practice of 
their religion, with the exception of societal attitudes toward 
Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostal groups. The Government requires 
citizens to perform national service in the military or face 
incarceration, but it had no programs for alternative national service 
that would permit Jehovah's Witnesses and others, whose faith precludes 
military service, to satisfy the requirement. Some individuals who 
viewed failure to perform military service as a sign of disloyalty 
encouraged harassment of these religious groups and reported their 
activities to the Government.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
Government regularly dismissed U.S. government concerns, citing the 
absence of conflict between Christians and Muslims within the country 
and its concerns about disruptive practices of some religious groups 
which it feared would disrupt the country's ``social harmony.'' The 
Government further maintained that upon demarcation of the border with 
Ethiopia, it would implement the constitution and fully respect human 
rights. In November 2005 the U.S. secretary of state again designated 
Eritrea as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' under the International 
Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 48,489 square miles, and a population of 
approximately 3.6 million. Although reliable statistics were not 
available, it was estimated that 60 percent of the population was Sunni 
and 30 percent was Orthodox Christian. The population also included a 
small number of Roman Catholics (about 5 percent), Protestants (about 2 
percent), smaller numbers of Seventh-day Adventists, and fewer than 
1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses. Approximately 2 percent practiced 
traditional indigenous religions. Also present in very small numbers 
were practicing Buddhists, Hindus, and Baha'is (less than 1 percent). 
The population in the eastern and western lowlands was predominantly 
Muslim and in the highlands was predominantly Christian. There were 
very few atheists. Religious participation was high among all ethnic 
groups.
    Within geographic and ethnic groups, the majority of the Tigrinya 
was Orthodox Christian, with the exception of the Djiberti Tigrinya, 
who were Muslim. Most members of the Tigre, Saho, Nara, Afar, Rashaida, 
Beja, and Blen ethnic groups were Muslim. Approximately 40 percent of 
the Blen are Christian, the majority being Roman Catholic. More than 
half of the Kunama were Catholic, with a large minority of Muslims and 
some who practiced traditional indigenous religions. The central and 
southern highlands, which were generally more developed than the 
lowlands, were populated predominantly by Christian Tigrinyas as well 
as some Muslim Djiberti Tigrinya and Saho. The Afar and Rashaida, as 
well as some Saho and Tigre, lived in the eastern lowlands. The Blen 
lived on the border between the western lowlands and the central 
highlands and are concentrated in the Keren area, which also included a 
significant minority of Tigre and Tigrinya speakers. The Beja, Kunama, 
Nara, and most Tigre lived in the western lowlands.
    Foreign missionaries operated, including representatives of the 
Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim faiths. Some missionaries and 
representatives of the restricted unregistered religious groups were 
present but kept an extremely low profile for fear of abuse of their 
congregations. In some instances, the Government restricted missionary 
visas, and in one case, imprisoned a foreign missionary. Several 
international faith-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) provide 
humanitarian aid, including Caritas, Norwegian Church Aid, Lutheran 
World Federation, Samaritan's Purse, Catholic Relief Services, and the 
Islamic Mufti's Relief Organization. The Government asked Mercy Corps 
and several secular NGOs to cease operations during the reporting 
period.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Government drafted and approved a constitution in 1997 that 
provides the freedom to practice any religion; however, the Government 
had not implemented its provisions by the end of the reporting period. 
The Government severely restricted this right in the case of numerous 
small Protestant churches, the Baha'is, and Jehovah's Witnesses.
    In 2002, the minister of information issued a decree that all 
religions except for the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Islam, the Roman 
Catholic Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church must fill out 
registration applications and cease religious activities and services 
until the applications were approved. Registration requirements include 
a description of the history of the religious group in the country, 
explanation of the ``uniqueness'' or benefit that the group offers 
compared with other religious groups already present, names and 
personal information of religious leaders, detailed information on 
assets and property owned by the group, and sources of funding from 
abroad. A government committee reviews the applications, which in 
theory are to be approved only if they conform to local culture.
    The Government approved no registrations during the period covered 
by this report, despite the fact that four religious groups fully 
complied with registration requirements more than four years ago and 
continued to inquire with the concerned government offices. Several 
religious groups have complied partially with the registration 
requirements, and some have chosen not to submit any documentation. In 
April 2005 the Government's representative at the U.N.'s Commission on 
Human Rights stated that the Seventh-day Adventist Church's 
registration application would be ``finalized in the near future''; 
however, to date the Church's application had not been approved.
    The four government-registered religious groups were not required 
to fill out the same registration forms as other groups, and their 
services and activities were allowed to continue. They have been 
requested to provide the Government with an accounting of their 
financial sources, as well as lists of personnel and real property, and 
have reportedly done so. However, the Government increased its 
involvement in the four major groups by appointing a lay administrator 
to run the Orthodox Church and instructing the Evangelical (Lutheran) 
Church to take over the administration and liturgy of the Evangelical 
Episcopalian congregation.
    A presidential decree declaring that Jehovah's Witnesses had 
``forsaken their nationality'' by refusing to vote or perform required 
military service continued to result in economic, employment, and 
travel difficulties for many members of the group, especially former 
civil servants and merchants.
    Any religious organization that seeks facilities for worship other 
than private homes must obtain government approval to build such 
facilities.
    Religious organizations, including faith-based NGOs, do not receive 
duty-free privileges, although they sometimes are allowed to import 
items under the reduced duty structure used for companies.
    The following holy days are recognized as official holidays by the 
Government: Christmas (both Orthodox and non-Orthodox), Epiphany 
(Christian), Eid al-Adha (Muslim), Good Friday (Christian), Easter 
(Christian), the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Muslim), New Year 
(Orthodox), Meskel (Orthodox), and Eid al-Fitr (Muslim).
    Education is predominantly secular.
    The Government made little effort to promote interfaith 
understanding or to coordinate interfaith dialogue.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Islam and Christianity were practiced widely and were for the most 
part tolerated, with persons allowed to worship freely. Christianity 
and Islam have a centuries-old history of tolerance and peaceful 
coexistence between them. Following the 2002 government decree that 
certain religious groups must register or cease all religious 
activities, religious facilities not belonging to the four government-
approved religious groups were forced to close. Authorities in the 
Office of Religious Affairs told religious groups that home prayer 
meetings would be permitted, but the Government did not fully respect 
this guidance. They were also informed that a standing law would be 
used to prevent unregistered religious groups from holding political or 
other gatherings in private homes of more than three to five persons. 
In practice, authorities arbitrarily enforced this law.
    Authorities generally have not hindered the four groups that filled 
out their registration applications in 2002--the Orthodox Presbyterian 
Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Faith Mission Church, and 
the Baha'i Faith--in holding home prayer or private study meetings, 
although like other unregistered groups their houses of worship remain 
closed and they are not permitted to meet in public settings. Religious 
groups such as the Kale Hiwot (Baptists), Full Gospel Church, and 
Meserete Kristos (Mennonite) Church have complied with some, but not 
all, of the registration requirements. Treatment of these and other 
unregistered religious groups often varied depending on the locale. 
Some local authorities allowed unregistered groups to worship in homes 
or rented spaces whereas others did not allow them to meet at all.
    The Government closely monitored the activities and movements of 
unregistered religious groups and members, including nonreligious 
social functions attended by members. In 2004 the Government also 
closed down an Orthodox congregation known as Medhane Alem, whose 
religious beliefs or services it did not approve of, and continued to 
harass its members, placing some in prolonged detention. In October 
2004 three men that the Government considered to be organizers were 
jailed without charges and remained in detention at the end of the 
reporting period. In early 2006 the Government threatened more than 
sixty members of this congregation if they did not withdraw support for 
a petition protesting the Government's intervention in the Orthodox 
Church.
    In 2003 the Government denied visa applications for representatives 
of Jehovah's Witnesses who applied to travel to the country to meet 
with their congregations or discuss religious freedom issues with 
government officials.
    A 1995 proclamation bans religious organizations from involvement 
in politics and restricts the right of religious media to comment on 
political matters. No religious groups--registered or unregistered--
were allowed to produce religious periodicals. The Office of Religious 
Affairs within the Office of the Presidency monitors compliance with 
these proscriptions.
    All religious entities must receive authorization from the Office 
of Religious Affairs to print and distribute documents. The Office of 
Religious Affairs routinely approved requests for authorization from 
registered groups and four unregistered churches; however, in the past 
other unregistered churches were unable to obtain authorization to 
print documents for distribution within their congregations.
    Faith-based organizations are permitted to fund, but not to 
initiate or implement, development projects; however, this proclamation 
was not enforced in practice. Several religious organizations executed 
small-scale development projects without government interference. The 
proclamation also set out rules governing relations between religious 
organizations and foreign sponsors.
    The military has no chaplains. Military personnel were free to 
worship at nearby houses of worship for the four registered religions. 
Military members reportedly were sometimes allowed to possess certain 
religious books to pray privately although not in groups. This rule is 
inconsistently enforced. Several members of unregistered religious 
groups reportedly were detained for violating this rule.
    The Government also forbids what it deems to be radical forms of 
Islam. Most foreign Muslim preachers were not allowed to proselytize, 
and funding of Islamic missionary or religious activities is 
controlled.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    There were numerous credible reports that several hundred members 
of unregistered religious groups were detained or imprisoned at various 
times since 2002. During the reporting period, there were reliable 
reports that authorities detained at least 450 members of unregistered 
religious groups without charges. Some were released after detentions 
of several days or less, while others spent longer periods in 
confinement without charges and without access to legal counsel. 
Government restrictions make it difficult to determine the precise 
number of religious prisoners at any one time, and releases sometimes 
go unreported; however, the number of long-term prisoners continued to 
grow. Some NGOs reported as many as 1,700 prisoners of conscience in 
detention.
    The Government reportedly holds individuals who are jailed for 
their religious affiliation at various locations, including facilities 
administered by the military, such as at Mai Serwa outside the capital 
and the more distant Sawa and Gelalo as well as police stations inside 
Asmara and other cities. Often, detainees were not formally charged, 
accorded due process, or allowed access to their families. While many 
were ostensibly jailed for evasion of military conscription, 
significant numbers were being held solely for their religious beliefs, 
and some were held in harsh conditions that include extreme temperature 
fluctuations. Many were asked to recant their religious beliefs as a 
precondition of release.
    The Government did not excuse individuals who objected to military 
conscription for religious reasons or reasons of conscience, nor did it 
provide for alternative national service. Based on their religious 
beliefs, most members of Jehovah's Witnesses refused to participate in 
national military service or to vote. Some Muslims also objected to 
universal national service because of the requirement that Muslim women 
must perform military duty. Some religious practitioners in the 
Catholic Church also objected.
    Although members of several religious groups, including Muslims, 
reportedly were imprisoned in past years for failure to participate in 
national military service, the Government singled out Jehovah's 
Witnesses for harsher treatment than that received by followers of 
other faiths for similar actions. Jehovah's Witnesses who did not 
participate in national military service were subject to dismissal from 
the civil service, revocation of their business licenses, eviction from 
government-owned housing, and denial of passports, identity cards, and 
exit visas. They were also prohibited from having their marriages 
legalized by the civil authorities.
    In conducting searches for national military service evaders, 
security forces targeted gatherings of unregistered religious groups 
with a frequency not characteristic of its treatment of other groups' 
social gatherings or religious services, including those of the four 
government-approved religions.
    Arrests of individuals, ostensibly for noncompliance with national 
service requirements, yet apparently targeting certain religious 
groups, continued throughout the year. Individuals arrested were often 
detained for extended periods of time without due process. On occasion, 
charges were levied; however, generally individuals were held without 
charges.
    Of the 218 individuals reported as detained during the previous 
reporting period, 122 remained incarcerated. Many of them were held in 
military prisons for not having performed required national military 
service, and many belonged to unregistered religious groups. Several 
pastors and dozens of women were among the imprisoned. Many have 
refused to recant their faith and continued to be detained in civilian 
and military detention facilities across the country. Several were 
released after recanting their faith. At least three received a legal 
sentence for violation of the government restriction on belonging to an 
unregistered religious group and were serving two-year prison terms. 
One was released after he was declared medically unfit for military 
service.
    The Government singled out Jehovah's Witnesses for particularly 
harsh treatment. According to credible sources, a total of thirty-one 
Jehovah's Witnesses were being held without charges or trial. More than 
a dozen were being detained at Sawa, eight for allegedly failing to 
perform national military service. Detainees above the cut-off age for 
national service eligibility (forty for men and twenty-seven for women) 
were reportedly held for attending religious meetings, preaching, or 
visiting families of escapees.
    Jehovah's Witnesses were jailed in harsh conditions for varying 
periods, at least three individuals were detained for more than eleven 
years, reportedly for evading compulsory military service. However, the 
maximum legal penalty for refusing to perform national service is two 
years. In the past, Ministry of Justice officials have denied that any 
Jehovah's Witnesses were in detention without charge, although they 
acknowledged that some of them and a number of Muslims were jailed for 
evading national service.
    There were no reports that the security forces tortured those 
detained for their religious beliefs during this reporting period; 
however, in June 2005 there were credible reports that nineteen members 
of unregistered churches died at the Wia military camp after 
authorities bound them by the hands and feet and left them outside in 
extremely hot conditions. Detention conditions continued to be harsh. 
In June 2006 there were reports that at least five of fifteen detainees 
died from exposure after escaping from a detention facility in the 
southern part of the country.
    There were credible reports that some detainees were required to 
sign statements as a condition of release renouncing or agreeing not to 
practice their faith or, in a small number of cases, to ``return to the 
faith of their fathers,'' which some detainees understood to mean 
becoming a member of the Orthodox Church. In some cases in which 
detainees refused to sign such documents, relatives were asked to do so 
on their behalf.
    On July 8, 2005, police arrested eighteen students and a professor 
from Halhale College, approximately twenty miles from Asmara, as they 
finished their exams. At the end of the reporting period their status 
remained unknown.
    On August 21, 2005, police arrested a bridal couple and eighteen 
wedding guests from an unregistered church at the private wedding 
ceremony at the bride's home. At the end of the reporting period their 
status remained unknown.
    During September 2005 there were reports of the arrest of more than 
200 evangelical Christians and members of unregistered churches, 
including 20 members of the Hallelujah and Philadelphia churches, for 
organizing a wedding party in Asmara. While the members of the 
Hallelujah and Philadelphia churches were reportedly released one month 
later, it was not known how many of the others were released or 
subjected to further detention.
    In October 2005 the Government ordered the long-time pastor of the 
Evangelical Episcopalian church to depart the country.
    Over the Christmas holiday, seventy-eight individuals were detained 
after raids on businesses owned by Evangelical Christians, Pentecostals 
and other members of unregistered churches. Two individuals were 
released after signing pledges not to practice their faith and paying a 
bail of $10,000 (150,000 nakfa). During the raid several church members 
managed to escape and depart the country or go into hiding. Authorities 
threatened the family members who remained in the country with arrest 
and detention if they did not turn in those who had escaped or gone 
into hiding.
    In January 2006 a member of one of the unregistered churches was 
arrested and detained in Asmara. Several weeks later his wife was also 
detained in a separate facility. Both reportedly were still being held 
at the end of the reporting period.
    In February 2006 thirteen members of the Kale Hiwot church were 
arrested in Mendefera in the home of a church member. They reportedly 
remained detained at the end of the reporting period.
    Also in February 2006 a canon of the Evangelical Episcopalian 
Church, who was on a temporary visit from the United Kingdom, was 
ordered to leave.
    While participating in short-term retraining at the Sawa military 
training facility, seventy-five Christians were detained and punished 
for reading the Bible. They continued to be held at Sawa.
    In spring 2006 the BBC reported that a British missionary was 
detained for several days, and subsequently expelled, for distributing 
Bibles.
    In May 2006 there were reports that fifty evangelical Christian 
students enrolled and boarding at Mai Nefhiy Educational Institution 
were allegedly subjected to severe punishment by authorities, 
ostensibly for refusing to participate in events surrounding Eritrean 
Liberation Day. At the end of the reporting period, they continued to 
be detained at Mai Nefhiy.
    There were reports that authorities detained three members of an 
unregistered church in Nefasit. One church member, who had been forced 
to leave behind an extremely sick child who later died, was released on 
bail.
    In June 2006 there were reports in the North Red Sea region that 
authorities detained six members of an unregistered church. They were 
held in a military camp and released after four days.
    Throughout the reporting period there were reports of the detention 
of Muslims who oppose the mufti appointed by the Government more than 
ten years ago. Sources reported that approximately seventy Muslims 
continued to be detained.
    During the reporting period there were significant changes 
orchestrated by the Government with the leadership of the Eritrean 
Orthodox Church that raised concerns regarding the independence and 
freedom of religious practice permitted within the Church by the 
Government. In August 2005 the Government appointed a lay administrator 
to manage and oversee church operations, in contravention to the 
Orthodox Church constitution. Shortly after this appointment, the Holy 
Synod voted to remove church Patriarch Abune Antonios on putative 
charges that he had committed heresy and was no longer following church 
doctrine. A new patriarch was selected by the synod. The deposed 
patriarch continued to be able to serve as a priest; however, he was 
forbidden to conduct church services. He remained essentially under 
house arrest. According to church officials, Dioscoros was the new 
patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church.
    Following the deposal of Patriarch Antonios by the Synod, more than 
sixty members of a fellowship of the Orthodox Church were told to 
withdraw their signatures from a petition protesting the closure of 
their fellowship and to confess that the church leaders, namely the 
deposed patriarch, were heretics. There were reports that these sixty 
members were excommunicated from the Church by the new patriarch and 
that at least three of them were arrested by authorities.
    In January 2005 the deposed patriarch objected to his removal 
through a letter sent, and made public, to the Holy Synod. In the 
letter, he denied the charges against him and excommunicated several 
synod members, as well as the lay administrator, stating that their 
actions, and those of the Government, violated the constitution and 
bylaws of the Eritrean Orthodox Church.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were reports that police forced some adherents of 
unregistered religious groups to sign statements to abandon their 
faiths as a precondition of their release.
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion 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 Abuse and Discrimination

    Citizens generally were tolerant of one another in the practice of 
their religion, particularly among the four government registered 
religious groups. Mosques and the principal Christian churches 
coexisted throughout the country, although Islam tended to predominate 
in the lowlands and Christianity in the highlands. In Asmara, Christian 
and Muslim holidays were respected by all religions. Some holidays were 
celebrated jointly.
    Societal attitudes toward Jehovah's Witnesses and some Pentecostal 
groups were an exception to this general tolerance. Jehovah's Witnesses 
generally were disliked and faced some societal discrimination because 
of their refusal to participate in the 1993 independence referendum and 
to perform national military service, a refusal that was widely judged 
as unpatriotic. There was also some social prejudice against other 
unregistered religious groups. Some persons reportedly cooperated with 
government authorities by reporting on and harassing members of those 
groups.
    Leaders of the four principal religions met routinely, enjoyed 
excellent interfaith relations, and engaged in efforts to foster 
cooperation and understanding among their followers. Few religious 
leaders in the country took a strong public stance in defense of 
freedom of conscience for all faiths.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials met regularly with leaders of the religious 
community.
    The U.S. Ambassador and other embassy officers raised the cases of 
detention and restrictions on unregistered religious groups with 
officials in the President's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
the Ministry of Justice, and the leaders of the sole legal political 
party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice.
    In September 2004 the U.S. secretary of state designated Eritrea as 
a ``Country of Particular Concern'' under the International Religious 
Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom. 
The secretary renewed the designation the following year and applied 
sanctions under the Arms Export Control Act that prohibited the 
commercial sale of certain defense articles and services.
                               __________

                                ETHIOPIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, on 
occasion local authorities infringed on this right.
    There was little change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report, although some 
Protestant and Muslim groups continued to complain that local officials 
discriminated against them when seeking land for churches, mosques, and 
cemeteries.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society continued to contribute to religious freedom. In general, there 
was a slight increase in interreligious conflict and clashes. 
Government criticism of some Muslim elements continued. There was 
reported tension between traditionalist Muslims and followers of the 
Wahhabi sect, an interpretation of Islam that reportedly receives 
support from Saudi Arabia.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 472,000 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 74 million. An estimated 40 to 45 percent of the 
population belonged to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC). The EOC was 
predominant in the northern regions of Tigray and Amhara.
    Approximately 45 percent of the population was Sunni Muslim. Islam 
was most prevalent in the eastern Somali and Afar regions, as well as 
in all the major parts of Oromia in the east and south.
    Christian evangelical and Pentecostal groups continued to be the 
fastest growing faiths and constituted an estimated 10 percent of the 
population. Established Protestant churches such as Mekane Yesus and 
the Kale Hiwot were strongest in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, 
and People's Regional State (SNNPR), western and central Oromia, and in 
urban areas. In Gambella in the west, Mekane Yesus followers 
represented 60 percent of the population. The Evangelical Church 
Fellowship claimed 23 denominations under its religious umbrella.
    Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Roman Catholics numbered more than 
500,000. There were reportedly more than 7,500 Jehovah's Witnesses 
adherents and 105 Kingdom Halls in the country. Jews, animists, and 
other practitioners of traditional indigenous religions made up most of 
the remaining population. In Addis Ababa and north Gondar, in the 
Amhara region, some claimed that their ancestors were forced to convert 
from Judaism to Ethiopian Orthodoxy (Feles Mora) many centuries ago. 
There were very few atheists. Although precise data was not available, 
active participation in religious services was generally high 
throughout the country.
    A large number of foreign missionary groups operated in the 
country. Protestant organizations that sponsored or supported 
missionary work included the Baptist Bible Fellowship, the New Covenant 
Baptist Church, the Baptist Evangelical Association, Mekane Yesus 
Church (associated with the Lutheran Church), Kale Hiwot Church 
(associated with Service in Mission), Hiwot Berhan Church (associated 
with the Swedish Philadelphia Church), Genet Church (associated with 
the Finnish Mission), Lutheran-Presbyterian Church of Ethiopia, Emnet 
Christos, Muluwongel (Full Gospel) Church, and Messerete Kristos 
(associated with the Mennonite Mission). Pentecostals, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons) also had active missionary operations.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, on 
occasion local government authorities infringed on this right. The 
constitution requires the separation of state and religion and 
prohibits a state religion, and the Government generally respected 
these provisions in practice. In 2003, the Federal Government 
interfered in the internal affairs of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs 
Supreme Council (EIASC) by orchestrating the installation of EIASC 
officials following an internal power struggle.
    The Government requires that religious groups be registered. 
Religious institutions and churches, as with nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs), must renew their registration with the Ministry 
of Justice every three years. The Ethiopian Human Rights Council 
(EHRCO) stated that this registration requirement reflects a lack of 
progress or improvement in the Government's treatment of ``newer 
religions,'' specifically Protestant churches.
    The EOC never registered with the Government and has never faced 
repercussions. The EIASC, after registering nine years ago, never re-
registered. Protests from other religious groups over these exceptions 
did not result in equal treatment from the Government. The Apostolic 
Nuncio in the country wrote repeatedly to the Prime Minister's Office 
seeking equal treatment before the law. Mekane Yesus, the Evangelical 
Fellowship, and Roman Catholic Church believed that churches should be 
placed in a ``different status than NGOs.'' However, there was no 
change in the government policy during the period covered by this 
report.
    Under the law, any religious organization that undertakes 
development activities must register its development wing separately as 
an NGO with the Ministry of Justice. To register, each religious 
organization must complete an application form and submit a copy of its 
bylaws, curriculum vitae of the organization's leader, and a copy of 
the leader's identity card. A group's failure to register resulted in a 
denial of legal standing, which would prevent it from opening a bank 
account or fully participating in any court proceeding.
    Religious groups are not accorded duty-free status. Religious 
groups are given the free use of government land for churches, schools, 
hospitals, and cemeteries; however, religious schools and hospitals, 
regardless of length of operation, are subject to government closure 
and land forfeiture at any time. Religious groups, like private 
individuals or businesses, must apply to regional and local governments 
for land allocation. An interfaith effort to promote revision of the 
law for religious organizations to obtain duty-free status continued.
    After complaints that mosques built by squatters had been 
demolished in 2003, the Addis Ababa Municipality suspended plans to 
demolish other mosques built illegally by squatters.
    In most interreligious disputes, the Government maintained 
neutrality and tried to be an impartial arbitrator. Some religious 
leaders requested the establishment of a federal institution to deal 
with religious groups; however, no action was taken to establish such a 
federal institution by the end of the period covered by this report.
    The Government interpreted the constitutional provision for 
separation of religion and state to mean that religious instruction was 
not permitted in schools, whether public or private. Schools owned and 
operated by Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical, and Muslim groups were not 
allowed to teach religion as a course of study. The Government 
Education Bureau in Addis Ababa complained that the morals courses most 
private schools taught as part of their curriculum were not free of 
religious influence. Churches were permitted to have Sunday schools, 
the Qur'an was taught at mosques, and public schools permitted the 
formation of clubs, including those of a religious nature.
    The Government officially recognizes both Christian and Muslim 
holidays and continues to mandate a two-hour lunch break on Fridays to 
allow Muslims to go to a mosque to pray. Recognized government holidays 
include the Christian holy days of Christmas, Epiphany, Good Friday, 
Easter, and Meskel, as well as the Muslim holy days of Eid al-Adha 
(Arefa), the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan). 
The Government also agreed to a request from Muslim students at Addis 
Ababa Commercial College to delay the start of afternoon classes until 
1:30 p.m., to permit them to perform afternoon prayers at a nearby 
mosque.
    The Government took steps to promote interfaith understanding by 
including religious leaders in major societal campaigns. All principal 
religious leaders were present at the launching of the National 
Partnership Forum against HIV/AIDS and at the 2004 national rollout of 
antiretroviral treatment. No interreligious exchanges were conducted 
during the period covered by this report.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government bans the formation of political parties based on 
religion. There were no religious political parties in the country, and 
the ban was not tested in practice.
    The Government did not issue work visas to foreign religious 
workers unless they are associated with the development wing of a 
religious organization licensed by the Government. However, this policy 
was not consistently enforced for Muslims or Orthodox Christians. The 
Government issued licenses for religious organizations' development 
activities in the period covered by this report but not for their 
religious activities. Licenses are required for all religious groups, 
domestic and foreign. The Ministry of Justice denied a license to at 
least one traditional Oromo religious organization, Wakafeta, for 
unspecified reasons.
    The EIASC oversees the activities of foreign imams and screens out 
perceived Wahhabi influence.
    Under the press law, it is a crime to incite one religion against 
another. The press law also allows defamation claims involving 
religious leaders to be prosecuted as criminal cases. There were no 
further developments nor were there likely to be any developments in 
the Government's defamation case against two journalists in 2001. The 
EHRCO reported that no journalists were detained or charged during the 
reporting period with inciting religious groups or with defamation of 
religious leaders.
    Evangelical leaders complained that, in general, regulations on the 
importation of Bibles were too strict and that customs duty on Bibles 
and other religious articles were excessive; however, Bibles and 
religious articles were subject to the same customs duties as all 
imported books, donated or otherwise. Continuing discussions between 
the Government and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus 
yielded progress on this issue. In 2005, parliament passed a 
proclamation lifting taxation on imported books and printed materials, 
effectively addressing this issue.
    In contrast to previous years, there were no reported incidents 
relating to wearing headscarves. However, the case of a Muslim nursing 
student who refused to change her hijab while attending patients 
required local religious leaders to successfully mediate the dispute, 
which resulted in the student wearing a headscarf instead.
    Minority religious groups complained of discrimination in the 
allocation of government land for religious sites. Protestant groups 
occasionally complained of discrimination by local officials when 
seeking land for churches and cemeteries. Evangelical leaders 
complained that because they are perceived as ``newcomers,'' they 
remained disadvantaged in the allocation of land compared with the EOC 
and the EIASC.
    The EIASC complained that it has more difficulty than the EOC 
obtaining land from the Government; others believed that the EIASC was 
favored for mosque locations. Local authorities in the northern town of 
Axum, a holy city for the EOC, continued to deny Muslim leaders' 
repeated requests to allocate land for the construction of a mosque, 
even though the constitution provides for freedom to establish 
institutions of religious education and administration. Tigray regional 
government officials chose not to interpret this provision liberally in 
the town of Axum, and the Federal Government did not overrule them. 
Muslims have had access to land since the country became a republic in 
1995. In 2003, a group of Muslims attempted to build a mosque in Axum, 
but it was torn down by a local mob because it was built without 
permission from the regional government. Local officials ordered the 
Muslim community not to resume construction.
    Providing adequate space for churches within Addis Ababa continued 
to be a major issue among Protestant groups. These groups noted that 
the Orthodox Church built at least twenty churches between September 
2003 and July 2005, but no other groups were authorized to construct 
new edifices.
    The EIASC also raised concerns about the equitable celebration of 
religious holidays in the country, noting Orthodox Christian holidays 
such as Meskel and Epiphany are celebrated in Meskel Square and Jan 
Meda, two large public squares in Addis Ababa, while the celebration of 
Eid al-Fitr had been relegated to the less prominent Addis Ababa 
stadium. The EIASC's request to the Addis Ababa City Council for land 
to build a venue for this celebration was pending at the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses continued to lease their own 
plots of land in the capital and throughout the country, due to lack of 
suitable properties available from the Government. However, in Oromia 
some plots were provided free of charge to some religious groups to 
build places of worship.
    The Meserte Kristos/Mennonite Church, Mekane Yesus Church, Seventh-
day Adventist Church, and the EIASC made little progress at securing 
the return of property confiscated by the Government under the Derg 
regime.
    Although the Meserte Kristos/Mennonite Church was able to reclaim 
its place of worship after the Derg fell from power, the Government 
seized it again in 2003. The Government defended its action under 
existing legal mechanisms for seizing property.
    The Government did not return properties to the Mekane Yesus Church 
that were also seized under the Derg regime, including three student 
hostels and two schools. The Mekane Yesus leadership stated that these 
issues were still unresolved.
    The Seventh-day Adventists also did not make progress in obtaining 
the properties taken by the Derg regime, including two hospitals. The 
Supreme Islamic Council continued to try to obtain properties outside 
of the capital that were similarly confiscated. In Addis Ababa and 
Oromia, structures have been returned under federal provisions; 
however, edifices under regional statutes have yet to be returned. 
There was a precedent and a perception that the Government favored the 
EOC, yet government officials stated that there was no discrimination.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Two men charged with the 2002 killing of Full Gospel Church leader 
Pastor Demtew remained in prison while their trials continued. The 
pastor was allegedly killed when a mob led by EOC priests forcibly 
entered his home. The case was pending at the conclusion of the 
reporting period.
    In another instance, while apparently not religiously motivated, 
the killing of a Muslim man by a Protestant, whom authorities have 
prosecuted for the murder, was reported as ``martyrdom'' on a few 
websites.
    In March 2006 an individual believed to be a Christian and mentally 
unstable drew demeaning cartoons of Muhammad in the town of Kemisse in 
the Amhara region. Local Muslims, allegedly considered to be Islamic 
extremists, organized a protest and caused a riot in Kemisse town, 
which injured several persons, destroyed four evangelical churches, and 
caused an estimated $160,000 (1.4 million Birr) in property damage. 
Perpetrators of the riot were detained and under investigation at the 
end of the reporting period.
    On April 15, 2006, unidentified groups of individuals suspected to 
be Muslims from the local community threw a hand grenade at Emanuel 
United Church of Ethiopia in Jijiga, injuring several worshippers. 
Police were searching for the perpetrators at the end of the reporting 
period.
    The desecration of the Qur'an by a Christian student at the 
Southern University on April 17, 2006, angered Muslims throughout the 
country. Police investigated the case and detained the alleged 
perpetrator. The case was pending at the end of the reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some minor conflicts 
between religious groups continued. These occurred most noticeably 
between Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and evangelical Protestants, 
between evangelical Protestants and Muslims, as well as between 
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and Muslims. In addition, there continued 
to be pockets of interreligious tension and criticism between other 
religious groups.
    Members of newer faiths, such as Pentecostals, requested police 
protection against overt public opposition. There were several reports 
of low-level physical and verbal harassment targeted at religious 
officials and church members that led victims to seek protection from 
the local authorities. Ethiopian Orthodox leaders reported that 
sometimes Protestants failed to respect Orthodox holy days and customs. 
Muslims reported that some Pentecostal preachers disparaged Islam in 
their services. Some Muslim and Protestant leaders complained that the 
EOC's desire to show its dominance caused irritation in the religious 
community.
    In most regions, Orthodox Christians and Muslims generally 
respected each other's religious observances, and there was tolerance 
for intermarriage and conversion in certain areas. In Addis Ababa, 
persons of different faiths lived side-by-side. Most urban areas 
reflected a mixture of all religious faiths. The Roman Catholic Church 
and evangelical Protestant denominations provided social services such 
as health care and education to nonmembers as well as to members.
    The EIASC continued to express concern over increasing external 
Wahhabi influence within the Muslim community. The EIASC alleged that 
money flowed into the country through Saudi-funded entities, raising 
concern over external non-Ethiopian Islamic influences.
    In 2004, the EIASC struggled with Wahhabist fundamentalism within 
its ranks and replaced all executive members with staunch anti-
Wahhabists. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative attended the 
election sessions to demonstrate the Government's interest in the 
issue. Additionally, the EIASC expressed concern over the prospect of 
Wahhabists gaining seats on the council.
    In May 2005, religious institutions deployed 1,554 members 
throughout the country to observe the national election. The EIASC 
deployed 558 observers, Protestant denominations deployed 607, the EOC 
deployed 359, and the Catholic Church deployed 30. On June 9, 2005, 
leaders of religious organizations, including the EOC, EIASC, 
Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus, and the Catholic Church, made a 
call for peace following demonstrations in Addis Ababa.
    Leaders of the EIASC in collaboration with local EOC leaders 
diffused tension created by the politically motivated killing of 
members of the community in Kofele District of Oromia region in July 
2005. Following a pair of religiously motivated killings and reports of 
harassment of Christians by the Muslim majority in this area, religious 
leaders worked closely together to bring an end to the increasing 
violence. Upon hearing reports that local imams provided shelter and 
protection for EOC priests after they were reportedly targeted by local 
renegade Muslim individuals, religious leaders of both faiths from 
Addis Ababa came to the region to broker a peace. They convinced local 
community leaders to work with the population to remind them of the 
long history of cohabitation that has occurred in the area and that 
through tolerance they would be building a better community.
    Evangelicals claimed that they were not able to bury their dead in 
cemeteries given to them by the Government because Muslims and Orthodox 
prevented it. In November 2003, in the Buta Jira area, a Protestant 
family buried a child in a local cemetery. Muslims reportedly dug up 
the body at night and dumped it in town. The family reported the 
incident to the local police and zonal administration, but reportedly 
authorities took little action to resolve the case. In Harar, 
evangelicals also were not able to bury their dead in the same 
cemeteries used by Orthodox and Muslims. Local and regional governments 
assign burial plots to various faiths. However, isolated incidents 
occur and in such instances, local government officials generally 
address the problem.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The U.S. embassy encouraged the Government to ensure that no 
religious groups were channeling funds through the country to finance 
terrorist goals. Embassy officials also made an active effort to visit 
all of the religious groups and faith-based NGOs during the period 
covered by this report. The embassy paid close attention to attempts by 
Wahhabist elements to exert their influence over the EIASC and 
discussed the matter with government officials. On the same day, the 
embassy invited twenty-eight members of local Muslim Youth Councils for 
a wide-ranging discussion with visiting American imam Daryl Wainwright.
    The Defense Department's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa 
(CJTF-HOA) projects sought to propagate positive images of the United 
States in the Muslim community in Somali Region.
    In December 2005, the embassy awarded a $26,500 grant for the 
preservation of the Sheikh Hussein shrine, a historic Muslim pilgrimage 
site located in Oromia and established in the thirteenth century. The 
ambassador continued to hold regular meetings with religious leaders 
around the country.
                               __________

                                 GABON

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 103,347 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 1.5 million. Major religions practiced in the country 
included Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, and 
traditional indigenous religions. Many persons practiced both elements 
of Christianity and elements of traditional indigenous religions. It 
was estimated that approximately 73 percent of the total population, 
including noncitizens, practiced at least some elements of 
Christianity; approximately 12 percent practiced Islam (of which 80 to 
90 percent are foreigners); approximately 10 percent practiced 
traditional indigenous religions exclusively; and approximately 5 
percent practiced no religion or were atheists. The country's president 
was a member of the Muslim minority.
    Foreign Christian missionaries were present and active in the 
country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. A 1970 decree 
banning Jehovah's Witnesses remained in effect; however, the Government 
did not enforce the ban.
    The Ministry of the Interior maintains an official registry of some 
religious groups; however, it does not register small, indigenous 
religious groups. The Government does not require religious groups to 
register but recommends that they do so to receive full constitutional 
protection. No financial or tax benefit is conferred by registration, 
but religious groups are not taxed, can import duty-free items, and are 
exempted from land use and construction permit fees.
    Islamic, Catholic, and Protestant denominations operate primary and 
secondary schools in the country. These schools are required to 
register with the Ministry of Education, which is charged with ensuring 
that these religious schools meet the same standards required for 
public schools. The Government does not contribute funds to private 
schools, whether religious or secular.
    Both Catholic and Protestant radio stations broadcast in the 
country.
    The Government promotes interfaith relations by facilitating 
meetings of leaders of major religions. Such meetings are held 
periodically, and informal discussions among religious leaders are 
routine.
    The Government celebrates some Christian and Muslim holy days as 
national holidays; these include Easter Sunday and Monday, Ascension 
Day, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Christmas, Eid al-Kebir, and Eid 
al-Fitr.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government has refused to register approximately ten religious 
groups, nine of which were small, indigenous groups. A government 
decision on the registration of Jehovah's Witnesses has been pending 
for several years without resolution. In practice, the Government 
allows Jehovah's Witnesses to assemble and practice their religion. In 
addition, the Government has permitted Jehovah's Witnesses to 
proselytize.
    The government television stations accorded free transmission time 
to the Catholic Church, some Protestant congregations, and Islamic 
mosques. Some Protestant denominations alleged that the government 
television station does not accord free airtime to minority religious 
groups. Protestants have alleged in the past that the armed forces 
favor Catholics and Muslims in hiring and promotion. Some Protestant 
pastors complain that local officials discriminated against them by 
making it difficult to obtain building permits to construct churches, 
charging visa fees on volunteer medical and religious workers not 
imposed on other denominations, and demanding customs fees for aid 
materials. Missionaries expressed concern that foreigners holding valid 
visas that describe their profession as ``pastor'' have been denied 
entry unless they have an additional entry permit issued in advance by 
immigration. However, there were no reports that any applicant was 
denied a permit.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. There were no reports of 
interreligious violence or intrareligious incidents during the period 
covered by this report.
    Practitioners of some traditional indigenous religions inflicted 
bodily harm on other persons during the period covered by the report. 
Two adolescent boys found murdered in February 2005 were widely 
believed to have been the victims of ritual killings. Parents and 
newspaper articles alleged that seven other males may have been the 
victims of ritual killings in 2005. Three were reported killed in 
March, one each in May and July, and two more in December. No 
information was made public on the investigation, if any, into the 
circumstances of these crimes or possible suspects. The Ministry of the 
Interior stated that violence and bodily harm to others in the practice 
of a traditional religion is a criminal offense and is prosecuted 
vigorously; however, no information about such prosecutions or their 
results was available.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials meet regularly with leaders of the Catholic Church, 
the Islamic Superior Council, and Protestant churches. The embassy 
maintains contacts with the Ministry of Interior and the minister of 
human rights to discuss the general state of religion in the country. 
The embassy also maintains close contacts with various Christian 
missionary groups in the country.
                               __________

                               THE GAMBIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 4,361 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 1,641,600. Sunni Muslims constituted more than 90 
percent of the population. The vast majority were Malikite Sufis, of 
which the main orders represented were Tijaniyah, Qadiriyah, Muridiyah, 
and Ahmadiyah. Except for the Ahmadiyah, all Sufi orders prayed 
together at common mosques. A small percentage of Muslims, 
predominantly immigrants from South Asia, did not ascribe to any 
traditional Islamic school of thought.
    An estimated 9 percent of the population was Christian, and less 
than 1 percent practiced indigenous animist religions. The Christian 
community, situated mostly in the west and south of the country, was 
predominantly Roman Catholic; there were also several Protestant 
denominations including Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day 
Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and various small Protestant 
evangelical denominations. There was a small group of followers of the 
Baha'i Faith and no significant Jewish population.
    Intermarriage between Muslims and Christians was common. In some 
areas, Islam and Christianity were syncretized with animism. There were 
few atheists in the country.
    Foreign missionary groups, representing mostly small denominations 
from Nigeria and Sierra Leone, operated in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion.
    The constitution establishes Cadi courts in such places as the 
chief justice determines. The two Cadi courts sit in Banjul and 
Kanifing. Their jurisdiction applies only to matters of marriage, 
divorce, and inheritance that involve Muslims. The Cadi courts apply 
classical Maliki fiqh (Islamic law).
    The Government considered the following religious holidays as 
national holidays: Tobaski (Eid al-Adha), Yaomul Ashura (the Muslim New 
Year), Maulid al-Nabi (the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad), Koriteh (Eid 
al-Fitr), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Assumption Day, and Christmas 
Day. Religious holidays did not affect negatively any religious group.
    The Government does not require religious groups to register. 
Religiously based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are subject to 
the same registration and licensing requirements as other NGOs.
    The Government permits and does not limit religious instruction in 
schools. Biblical and Qur'anic studies are provided in both public and 
private schools throughout the country without government restriction 
or interference. Religious instruction in public schools is provided at 
government expense but is not mandatory.
    Government meetings and events typically commenced with two 
prayers, one Islamic and one Christian. Senior officials of both 
religious groups were often invited to open major government events.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In several interviews, Catholic and Anglican bishops praised the 
Government and people of the country for the friendly protection and 
accommodation of the Christian minority. The Gambian Christian Council, 
an organization consisting of clerical leaders of the Catholic, 
Anglican, Methodist, and Baptist churches, discussed matters of 
importance to Christians in the country.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Intermarriage between members 
of different religious groups is legal and socially acceptable.
    The Inter-Faith Group for Dialogue and Peace, comprising 
representatives of the Christian, Muslim, and Baha'i communities, met 
regularly to discuss matters of mutual concern.
    Practitioners of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the country 
firmly believed that Islam mandates the practice and its surrounding 
rites. Although government programs to promote girls' education and 
development quietly worked to reduce the prevalence of FGM by changing 
societal attitudes, the Government's official stance was that female 
circumcision is a cultural issue that the Government cannot forbid. In 
June 2005 the National Assembly passed the Children's Bill, aimed at 
curbing violence against children, that outlaws ``social and cultural 
practices that affect the welfare, dignity, normal growth and 
development of the child and in particular, those customs and practices 
that are (1) prejudicial to the health and life of the child and; (2) 
discriminatory to the child on the grounds of sex or other status.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
particular, the U.S. embassy sought opportunities to send religious 
leaders to the United States on International Visitor Programs.
                               __________

                                 GHANA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, tensions sometimes 
arose between different branches of the same faith, as well as between 
Christian and traditional faiths. A number of governmental and 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) promoted interfaith and intrafaith 
understanding.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 238,538 square miles and 
an estimated population of approximately 21 million. According to the 
2000 government census approximately 69 percent of the population is 
Christian, 15.6 percent is Muslim, and 15.4 percent adheres to 
traditional indigenous religions or other faiths. The Muslim community 
has protested these figures, asserting that the Muslim population is 
closer to 30 percent. Pentecostal and charismatic churches are reported 
to be the fastest growing denominations in Ghana. Approximately 6.2 
percent of the population does not affiliate itself with a particular 
religion.
    Other religious groups included the Baha'i faith, Buddhism, 
Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Ninchiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, Sri Sathya 
Sai Baba Sera, Sat Sang, Eckankar, the Divine Light Mission, Hare 
Krishna, and Rastafarianism. There were also some separatist or 
spiritual churches that included elements of Christianity and 
traditional beliefs such as magic and divination. Zetahil, a practice 
unique to Ghana, combines elements of Christianity and Islam. There 
were no statistics available for the percentage of atheists.
    There was no significant tension between traditional and mainstream 
religion, rather, there was some degree of overlap in religious 
practice as traditional religion still had a strong hold on society and 
in many cases coexisted with formal religions. Many Christians and 
Muslims, for example, held traditional religious beliefs while also 
adhering to mainstream religious doctrine or practice. Similarly, many 
Catholics and Protestants also attended Pentecostal or charismatic 
church services.
    Christian subgroups include Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, 
Mennonite, Evangelical Presbyterian, Presbyterian, African Methodist 
Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, F'eden, 
numerous charismatic faiths, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons), Seventh-day Adventist, Pentecostals, Baptist, and the 
Society of Friends (Quakers). Christianity often includes an overlay of 
traditional beliefs.
    Traditional indigenous religions include a belief in a Supreme 
Being, referred to by the Akan ethnic group as Nyame or by the Ewe 
ethnic group as Mawu, and lesser gods who act as intermediaries between 
the Supreme Being and human beings. Veneration of ancestors also is 
characteristic of traditional indigenous religions, because ancestors 
provide a link between the Supreme Being and the living and at times 
may be reincarnated. Religious leaders of these traditional groups are 
commonly referred to as priests and are trained in the arts of healing 
and divination. The priests typically operate shrines to the Supreme 
Deity or to one of the lesser gods, and they rely upon the donations of 
the public to maintain the shrines and for their own maintenance. 
Afrikania, also known as the Afrikan Renaissance Mission, actively 
supports traditional religious practices. Afrikania often criticizes 
the Government, foreign diplomatic missions, and NGOs, contending that 
they corrupt traditional values and impose foreign religious beliefs. 
Afrikania leaders claimed the movement had more than four million 
followers; however, no independent confirmation of the claim was 
available.
    Three dominant Islamic traditions were present in the country: 
Tijanis (a Sufi sect found in West Africa), Wahhabi-oriented Ahlussuna 
(made up of the Ahlussuna Wal-Jam-A and the less conservative Ahlussuna 
Majilis), and the Ahmadis. A small number of Shi'a were also present.
    There was not a significant link between ethnicity and religion; 
however, geography was often associated with religious identity. The 
majority of the Muslim population was concentrated in northern areas as 
well as in the urban centers of Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, 
Tamale, and Wa, while the majority of the followers of traditional 
indigenous religions resided in rural areas. Christians lived 
throughout the country.
    Foreign missionaries, including Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, 
Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, Muslim, and Mormon groups, operated 
freely in the country. Catholic missionaries were most numerous 
followed by Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, Methodist and Presbyterian 
missionaries. In addition to proselytizing, missionaries were active in 
health, education, skills/vocational training and social activities.
    Of the foreign missionaries present in the country, Saudi Arabian 
missionaries were the most numerous. They were followed by Iranian, 
Kuwaiti and Algerian missionaries. They practiced Dawah or evangelism 
and were active in education, cultural, health and agricultural 
practices.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Government employees, including the president, are required to 
swear an oath upon taking office; however, this oath can be either 
religious or secular, depending on the preference of the individual. 
The Government recognizes Christian, Muslim, and secular holidays.
    There is no government body that regulates or oversees religious 
affairs as all religious bodies are independent institutions; however, 
religious institutions that wished to have formal government 
recognition were required to register with the Registrar General's 
Department. The registration requirement for religious bodies at the 
Office of the Registrar General was the same for any NGO. The 
organization paid approximately $0.56 (five thousand cedis) for the 
application form, approximately $4 (thirty five thousand cedis) for the 
registration form, and approximately $69 (610 thousand cedis) for the 
registration. Applicants were required to renew their registration 
annually for approximately $17 (150 thousand cedis) Registration was 
only a formality, and there were no reports that the Government denied 
registration to any group. Most traditional religions, with the 
exception of the Afrikania Mission, did not register.
    The Government did not provide financial support for any religious 
organization. Formally registered religions were exempt from paying 
taxes on ecclesiastical, charitable, and educational activities that do 
not generate income; however, religious organizations were required to 
pay progressive taxes, on a pay-as-you-earn basis, on business 
activities that generate income. No discriminatory tax treatment 
towards religious groups was reported during the reporting period.
    Schools in Ghana were first established by Christian and Muslim 
missionaries. When the Government became a stakeholder in education, 
mission-run schools partnered with the Government to establish a 
standard education. Missionaries relinquished some control of the 
schools through this partners; however, the head position of many 
schools continued to be reserved for a member of the same faith as the 
school. Additionally, the majority of a school's management team was 
usually comprised of members who adhere to the same faith as that of 
the school. All denominations designated education management units to 
monitor activities in each of their schools.
    Public schools could be either day schools or boarding schools and 
were supported by the Government through the disbursement of grants, 
paying salaries of employees of these schools and providing learning as 
well as teaching materials. Christian students attending government-
administered boarding schools were required to attend a 
nondenominational service on Sundays. Muslim students in these boarding 
schools were exempted from the service and were permitted to practice 
daily prayers. Most schools accommodated special meal arrangements for 
fasting Muslim students during Ramadan. Private schools were run by 
individuals, communities and, in some cases, NGOs.
    Religious and Moral Education is a compulsory subject for every 
child in both public and private schools at the basic or primary level. 
At this level, religious instruction was general and did not focus on 
any single religion. At the secondary level, religious studies was an 
optional subject and differed from the Religious and Moral education 
classes taken at the primary level. Students could choose between 
Christian Religious Studies, Islamic Religious Studies, or Traditional 
African Religion regardless of whether they attend a private or public 
school. Such options were not influenced by government funding as the 
Government did not discriminate in its allocation of resources for any 
of these courses. There were nine other private, secular schools and 
five public universities already functioning in the country. The 
country's first Catholic university opened in 2004.
    The Government often took steps to promote interfaith 
understanding. At government meetings and receptions, there was usually 
a multi-denominational invocation led by religious leaders from various 
faiths. In April 2006, President John A. Kufuor met with a visiting 
delegation from the International Religious Liberty Association, which 
held its second Pan-African, International Religious Liberty Congress 
(IRLC) in Accra during that time. The minister of fisheries opened the 
conference. President Kufuor met the delegation and expressed his 
government's commitment to ensuring religious freedom.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. Ministry of Education regulations prohibited 
authorities of public schools from compelling students of minority 
faiths to worship with the majority religious groups in school. The 
minister of education also continued to direct schools to respect the 
religious rights of all students. Religious freedom was generally 
respected in schools and was not seen as being a function of the type 
of school.
    Muslim students generally experienced significant religious freedom 
in public schools, in comparison to previous years. In a few cases 
reported by the Director of the Islamic Education Unit in the Greater 
Accra Region, some school authorities made special efforts to ensure 
the freedom of Muslim students to practice their religious beliefs by 
providing, for instance, areas for Muslim worship.
    Despite official policies promoting free religious practice in 
schools, Muslim and Seventh-day Adventist students complained of 
occasional insensitivity towards religious obligations by some school 
administrators. For example, some school administrations reportedly did 
not accommodate religious practices when regulating school attire or 
when scheduling examinations on their holy days of obligation (Fridays 
for Muslims and Saturdays for Seventh-day). Also, there were isolated 
instances in which bans on female head-scarves were introduced into 
some schools. Some Muslim students felt discriminated against by these 
policies, since they noted that the same restriction was not placed on 
Catholic nuns who dressed in accordance with their religious order.
    In November 2005, 149 students of The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) 
Church at the University of Ghana, Legon, took legal action in the 
Accra Fast Track High Court. The legal action was an attempt to 
restrain the university from requiring the students to take 
examinations on Saturdays. Although the SDA students noted that the 
university provided accommodations for student athletes scheduled to 
take exams on Saturdays, the High Court threw out their ex-parte motion 
on the grounds that, if granted, it could affect a larger number of 
other students beyond those requesting these accommodations. The court 
also highlighted that, in addition to the two-thirds of the student 
body who took exams on weekends, Muslims took exams on Fridays. 
Concluding that the university had not shown discrimination or 
favoritism to a particular group, and noting that SDA students had not 
established irreparable loss as a definitive consequence of taking 
Saturday exams, the court sided with the university and denied the 
students' request to reschedule Saturday exams. While various 
individuals and organizations, including the World Headquarters for 
Seventh-day Adventists, Ghana Union of Seventh-day Adventists, and the 
U.S embassy intervened on the students' behalf, the university has not 
yet agreed to make any additional accommodations or compromise and 
future action appears unlikely. At the end of the period covered by 
this report, school officials had the discretion regarding whether and 
how to accommodate holy days or obligation of any religious group when 
scheduling exams.
    Because of increasing concerns about vandalism and cheating in 
schools, school administrators attempted to target sources of 
``misbehavior'' among students during the reporting period. Some 
administrators attributed acts of misbehavior to occultism and 
attempted to regulate student behavior in this regard. By the end of 
the reporting period, there was no official government policy targeting 
students perceived as partaking in occultism.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations between the various religious communities were generally 
amicable and spokespersons for these communities often advocate 
tolerance towards different religions; however, there was occasional 
tension among some religious groups.
    Public discussion continued over religious worship versus 
traditional practices and respect for the rights and customs of others 
in a diverse society. While some religious leaders actively discouraged 
religiously motivated violence, discrimination, or harassment; others, 
particularly lay persons associated with evangelical groups, continued 
to preach intolerance for other religions such as Islam and traditional 
religions. In an address during the first quarter of 2006, the 
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, 
Reverend Dr. Yaw Frimpong-Manso, described the practice whereby 
Christian leaders who honor the programs and share the same platforms 
with non-Christians and practitioners of other religions as dangerous.
    In June 2006 the media reported physical tensions between the 
Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and Ga traditional authority, a 
chieftaincy group for ethnic Gas in the Accra area, when members from 
each group physically confronted each other. This incident developed 
when the CAC violated the annual monthly ban on drumming imposed by 
traditional authorities in Accra. For years CAC's use of drumming and 
other musical instruments in their services was a source of tension 
between this group and the Ga traditional authority and in 2001 
resulted in violence.
    In December 2005 the Volta Regional Police Command banned the 
annual convention of the Apostles Revelation Society at Tadzewu, the 
headquarters of the Apostles Revelation Society church. The police took 
this step to deter a possible outbreak of violence expected to erupt 
between factions within the group. After the natural death of its 
founder, the group has been beset by a series of conflicts between 
factions, leading to court suits, threats, and skirmishes. This is the 
second year the convention has been banned. In December 2004, the Volta 
Regional Security Council (REGSEC) banned the 2004 annual convention 
for the same reasons.
    Some Muslims continued to feel a sense of political and social 
exclusion as Christianity continued to pervade many aspects of society. 
Factors such as the token representation of Muslims in national 
leadership positions, the deferral to only Christian-oriented prayers 
in public settings, and the ubiquity of Christian slogans contributed 
to this perception of marginalization and discrimination within the 
Muslim community.
    In addition to Islam, some religious practices deriving from 
indigenous customs also faced discrimination. Trokosi, a religious 
practice indigenous to the southern Volta region, involves pledging 
family members, most commonly teenagers but sometimes children under 
the age of ten, to extended service at a shrine to atone for another 
family member's sins. Trokosis (the pledged family member) help with 
the upkeep of these shrines and pour libations during prayers. Trokosis 
sometimes live near shrines, often with extended family members, during 
their period of service, which lasts from a few months to three years.
    Reports on the number of women and girls bound to various Trokosi 
shrines varied; however, a shrine rarely had more than four Trokosis 
serving their atonements at any one time. According to credible reports 
from international observers and local leaders, there were no more than 
fifty girls serving at Trokosi shrines throughout the Volta Region. 
Reports by local leaders, district authorities, shrine priests, elders, 
and human rights activists indicated that the incidence of Trokosi was 
declining considerably.
    According to human rights groups, the practice decreased in recent 
years because other belief systems gained followers, and fetish priests 
who died were not replaced. Adherents of Trokosi described it as a 
practice based on traditional African religious beliefs; however, the 
Government did not recognize it as a religion.
    Although local officials portray Trokosis as a traditional practice 
that was not abusive, some NGOs maintained that Trokosis were subject 
to sexual exploitation and forced labor. Meanwhile, supporters of 
traditional African religions, such as the Afrikania Renaissance 
Mission, said that these NGOs misrepresent their beliefs and regarded 
their campaigns against Trokosi as religious persecution. Government 
agencies, such as CHRAJ, had at times actively campaigned against it.
    Belief in witchcraft remained strong in many areas. Rural women 
continued to be banished by traditional village authorities or their 
families for suspected witchcraft. Most accused witches were older 
women, often widows, who were identified by fellow villagers as the 
cause of difficulties, such as illness, crop failure, or financial 
misfortune. Many of these banished women were sent to live in ``witch 
camps,'' villages in the north of the country populated by suspected 
witches. The women did not face formal legal sanction if they return 
home; however, most feared that they would be beaten or lynched if they 
returned to their villages. Fearing violence against them, many women 
accused of being witches did not pursue legal action to challenge 
charges against them and return to their community.
    This practice was prevalent mainly in the Northern, Upper East, and 
Upper West regions of the country. While there were no official figures 
on the number of accused women living in ``witch camps,'' NGOs 
conducting sensitization workshops in the North, estimate this number 
to be near 3,000. Even though the number of named witches present in 
the camps was quite high, the numbers had stabilized over the past few 
years and were slowly decreasing. Outreach and community sensitization 
by various NGOs have made considerable progress in rehabilitating the 
accused women back into their communities and preventing acts of 
violence against them.
    There were several cases of lynching and assault of accused witches 
although the law provides protection for alleged witches. The 
Government, under the auspices of the Domestic Violence Victim Support 
Unit, continued to prosecute persons who committed acts of violence 
against suspected witches and also refrained from charging anyone 
solely on the basis of witchcraft. In September Yendi police arrested a 
Tamabo farmer for allegedly cudgeling to death a woman suspected of 
being a witch. In August 2004 the court sentenced a man to death for 
killing his wife, who he believed was a witch. Both cases remained 
opened at the end of the period covered by this reporting period.
    Human rights activists continued to express concerns about prayer 
camps in which individuals believed to be possessed by evil spirits are 
chained for weeks, physically assaulted, and denied food and water. In 
2003, Youth Alert Network found that 80 percent of the fifty Volta 
Region prayer camps it surveyed engaged in such practices. Among the 
victims were family members who were blamed for misfortunes and the 
mentally ill, some reportedly as young as six years old. Families sent 
these victims to be exorcised of evil spirits. The victims were held at 
the camps until they were considered healed. Media reports indicate 
that these abusive practices extend to the Greater Accra, Eastern, 
Central, Western, Ashanti, and Brong Ahafo regions. CHRAJ, the 
Department of Social Welfare, and the National Commission for Civic 
Education agreed to investigate, but were hindered by a lack of 
resources and staff. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
no investigations were initiated.
    As in the past, there were several cases of parents who denied 
minors medical treatment and polio immunization because medical 
assistance was incompatible with their religious beliefs. In April 
2005, health personnel and volunteers were unable to vaccinate children 
for polio whose parents belonged to the Jesus Christ Apostolic Faith 
Church, at Agona Asafo in the Central Region, a church which has 
persistently refused to allow its children to be immunized. During the 
same month, government authorities took a 14-year-old girl from parents 
who belonged to this denomination when they would not allow their 
daughter to have an operation to remove a potentially fatal tumor. 
Following a court order secured by the Department of Social Welfare for 
her custody, a successful surgery was performed on the girl. She was 
being cared for by the Shelter for Abused Children at Osu. The shelter 
is under the supervision of the Department of Social Welfare and 
receives funding from philanthropists.
    Unlike in previous years when anti-Semitic statements were 
expressed in two of the country's weekly newspapers, no anti-Semitic 
statements were known to be reported throughout the country.
    Relations across different Muslim groups continued to improve 
during the reporting period, particularly between the Tijanniya and 
Ahlussuna Muslim groups. In the past, relations between these two 
groups were contentious due to their doctrinal differences. Recently 
formed NGOs, such as the Coalition of Muslim Organizations and Ghana 
Congress of Religions and Peace, contributed to these improved 
relations by coordinating dialogues and collaborations amongst 
different Muslim groups.
    The Coalition of Muslim Organizations(COMOG), an umbrella group for 
various Muslim organizations, was formed in 2001 to help strengthen 
relations and coordination amongst different Muslim groups. In 2005 
COMOG held a National conference on public concerns regarding the 
handling of the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage. COMOG held two 
conferences during the reporting period on Muslim leadership and later 
held press events in connection with the Danish cartoon of Mohammed.
    Improved relations between religious groups were also aided by the 
creation of the Ghana Congress of Religions and Peace (GCRP) in July 
2005. Modeled after the World Congress of Religion and Peace, it is 
composed of Christian and Muslim leaders and aims to foster tolerance 
between these two religious groups. As part of its activities, the GCRP 
lobbied government on issues of religious freedom, family planning and 
anti-abortion laws, and campaigned for compassion for those afflicted 
with HIV/AIDS. As evidenced by the President's attendance of GCRP's 
inauguration ceremony, the GCRP is recognized by the Ghanaian 
government and enjoyed good relations with the Government during the 
reporting period.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    Embassy officers continued to meet regularly with government and 
NGO contacts. In addition to mediating the case of SDA students at the 
University of Ghana, embassy officials worked with these contacts to 
promote and monitor religious freedom throughout the country. In June 
2006, for example, an embassy official visited a ``witch camp'' in 
Gambaga in Northern Ghana as part of a religious freedom outreach 
effort.
    Outreach to the Muslim community, which suffers from poor economic 
and social conditions for reasons independent of their religion, has 
been a focal point of the U.S. embassy's activities since 2002.
    In late 2005, the embassy organized several iftar programs 
throughout the country, including dinners and food donations, in which 
embassy officials spoke about the importance of religious tolerance and 
encouraged collaboration between religious groups both within and 
across different denominations. Under this framework, the ambassador 
hosted a large Iftar at her residence to which representatives from all 
Muslim sects were invited. In a symbolic act of tolerance and 
acceptance, the Ambassador met with Muslim members of the mainstream 
Tijaniya group as well as with members of the Amadias, who are often 
shunned by Tijaniyas, during another iftar in Wa. In Tamale, a Catholic 
priest also spoke publicly about promoting good Muslim-Christian 
relations during another embassy-sponsored iftar.
    Since 2002, outreach to the Muslim community, which suffers from 
poor economic and social conditions for reasons independent of their 
religious beliefs and practice, has been a focal point of the embassy's 
activities. Under this framework, embassy officers attended Muslim 
functions and hosted several events with Muslims leaders in the Accra, 
Kumasi, and Tamale regions. These events served to promote interfaith 
dialogue and raise awareness of potential programming opportunities 
with the United States that would benefit Muslims in their communities. 
Among the programs discussed and implemented was the International 
Visitors program--a U.S State Department initiative which sponsored the 
travel of several Muslims to the United States. Through the program, 
participants were exposed to forms of promoting religious tolerance 
within diverse communities. Under its Democracy and Governance program, 
USAID also worked in collaboration with the embassy, Muslim leaders, 
and communities in Kumasi to improve their capacity to work effectively 
with local government officials on key development issues affecting 
local Muslim populations.
                               __________

                                 GUINEA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
However, the Government reportedly favored Muslims over non-Muslims.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 94,926 square miles, and its population 
is an estimated 9.2 million. Islam is demographically, socially, and 
culturally the dominant religion. According to credible estimates, 
approximately 85 percent of the population adhered to Islam, 10 percent 
followed various Christian faiths, and 5 percent held traditional 
indigenous beliefs. Muslims generally adhered to the Sunni branch of 
Islam; there were relatively few adherents of the Shi'a branch, 
although they were increasing in number. Among the Christian groups, 
there were Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, 
Seventh-day Adventists, and other Christian evangelical groups active 
in the country and recognized by the Government. There was a small 
Baha'i community. There were small numbers of Hindus, Buddhists, and 
practitioners of traditional Chinese religions among the expatriate 
community. Few citizens, if any, professed atheism.
    Although there were no known organized heterogeneous or 
syncretistic religious communities, followers of Islam and Christianity 
have incorporated syncretistic tendencies into the practice of both, 
reflecting the continuing influence and acceptability of traditional 
indigenous beliefs and rituals.
    Demographically, Muslims were a majority in all four major regions 
of the country. Christians were most numerous in Conakry, in the 
southern part of the country, and in the eastern forest region. 
Christians were also found in all large towns except those in the Fouta 
Djalon region in the middle of the country, where the deep cultural 
entrenchment of Islam in Pular (or Fulani or Peuhl) society made it 
difficult to establish other religious communities. Traditional 
indigenous religions were most prevalent in the forest region.
    No data were available regarding active participation in formal 
religious services or rituals, although involvement was high as 
traditional cultural rituals were often closely tied to religious 
practices. The Ministry of the National Islamic League estimated that 
more than 70 percent of Muslims practiced their faith regularly.
    The country's large immigrant and refugee populations generally 
practiced the same faiths as citizens, although those from neighboring 
Liberia and Sierra Leone had higher percentages of Christians and 
adherents of traditional indigenous religions.
    Foreign missionary groups were active in the country and included 
Catholic, Philafricaine, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, and many 
U.S. missionary societies.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion; however, some believed the Government 
favors Muslims over non-Muslims through its support of the Ministry of 
the National Islamic League.
    Both Muslim and Christian holy days are recognized by the 
Government and celebrated by the population. Holy days celebrated as 
national holidays include Easter, Assumption Day, Christmas, Tabaski, 
the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Ramadan.
    The Government-controlled official press, which includes the Horoya 
newspaper and the Guinean Radio and TV network, reports on religious 
events involving Islamic and Christian groups. On August 20, 2005, 
President Conte signed the decree authorizing private radio and 
television broadcasting but prohibiting ownership by religious groups 
or political parties. The Ministry of Information confirmed, however, 
that religious and political broadcasting would be permitted on 
privately owned, commercial radio. The Government allocated seventy-
five minutes per week for both Muslim and Christian programming on 
state-owned, national television.
    All religious groups newly operating in the country are required to 
register with the Ministry of Territorial Administration. Only one 
religious group, suspected to be linked to an extremist network, was 
denied recognition. Registration entitles religious organizations to 
value-added tax (VAT) exemptions on incoming shipments and some energy 
subsidies. Unregistered religious groups continued to operate in the 
country; however, they are not entitled to VAT exemptions and other 
benefits available to registered groups. Also, unregistered religious 
groups are subject to government expulsion, a penalty with limited 
opportunity for legal appeal. In practice, no groups have been 
expelled.
    Islamic organizations are also required to register with the 
Ministry of the National Islamic League. The ministry reported that it 
denied only one of the applications, from a U.K.-based group, 
prohibiting the organization to practice in the country. This was the 
same group denied recognition by the Ministry of Territorial 
Administration.
    The small Baha'i community practiced its faith openly and freely, 
although it was not officially recognized. It was unknown whether the 
community had asked for official recognition.
    Like other religious groups seeking government recognition, 
missionary groups are required to apply and declare their aims and 
activities to the Ministry of Territorial Administration. Most new 
missionary groups join the Association of Churches and Missions in 
Guinea (AEMEG) and receive assistance in fulfilling the administrative 
requirements of the recognition process.
    With rare exceptions, foreign missionary groups and church-
affiliated relief agencies operated freely in the country.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government continued 
to require foreign members of missionary and church groups, without 
diplomatic status, to pay a visa fee. The past policy of waiving visa 
fees for members of church groups no longer applied.
    All private schools are required to register with the Ministry of 
Pre-University and Civic Education. The Service for Statistics and 
Planning, which is part of the Ministry of Pre-University and Civic 
Education, officially monitors all secular and religious private 
schools to ensure they follow the standard national curriculum. Due to 
the high demand for education and the inadequate supply of teachers and 
schools in urban areas, the number of unregistered private schools 
grew. Because of limited government resources, unregistered schools 
were not closed but rather were either neglected or ignored by 
government authorities. However, students at unregistered schools may 
graduate without any recognized credentials or certificates. While 
there were some government-financed ``Franco-Arab'' schools, all of 
which included religious instruction in their curriculum, the vast 
majority of students attended secular public schools.
    There is a general tradition of Qur'anic schools throughout the 
country. Qur'anic schools are particularly strong in the Fouta Djalon 
region, which was ruled as an Islamic theocracy during the eighteenth 
century.
    There are a few scattered madrassahs across the country, schools 
usually associated with a mosque. Private radical Islamic groups 
sponsored some of these schools with foreign funds. The madrassahs were 
not formally linked with the public school system; however, some of 
these schools offered a comparable curriculum for primary education. In 
general, they were not recognized by the Government. As with other 
private schools, madrassahs may be closed arbitrarily, since they do 
not have official recognition.
    Missionaries also operate their own schools with no interference 
from the Government. Catholic and Protestant schools are located 
primarily in Conakry, but there are some throughout the rest of country 
as well. Christian missionary schools teach the national curriculum 
(which is not influenced by religion) and include a special education 
component for Christians.
    The Government did not have a specific program to promote 
interfaith understanding. The former government Inter-Religious 
Council, composed of members from Anglican, Catholic, and Protestant 
churches and the Ministry of the National Islamic League, suspended its 
activities. However, the Government invited all religious groups to 
participate in its civic education efforts and included different 
religious groups in its national prayers for peace.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Ministry of the National Islamic League represents the 
country's Sunni Muslim majority. The ministry's stated policy is to 
promote better relations with other religious denominations and 
dialogue aimed at ameliorating interethnic and interreligious tensions. 
The Government has spoken out against the proliferation of Shi'a 
fundamentalist groups on the grounds that they ``generate confusion and 
deviation'' within the country's Islamic family. At the end of the 
period covered by this report, the foreign-funded Shi'a Islamic school 
to which the Government denied permission to open in 2004 remained 
closed; otherwise, the religious activities of Shi'a groups were not 
restricted. There were Shi'a officials represented in the Ministry of 
the National Islamic League.
    Government support of Islam through the Ministry of the National 
Islamic League led some non-Muslims to claim the Government uses its 
influence to favor Muslims over non-Muslims. The Government sometimes 
provides assistance such as vehicles and lodging for events involving 
other faith groups, and it has approved funding for members of the 
Association of Churches and Evangelic Missions in Guinea. However, some 
were dissatisfied that no official governmental entity existed for non-
Muslim religions. Non-Muslims were represented in the cabinet, 
administrative bureaucracy, and armed forces; however, the Government 
refrained from appointing non-Muslims to important administrative 
positions in certain parts of the country, in deference to the strong 
social dominance of Islam in these regions.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations among the various religious groups generally were 
amicable; however, in some parts of the country, Islam's dominance was 
such that there was strong social pressure that discouraged conversion 
from Islam. There were reports that this pressure sometimes limited or 
retarded efforts to acquire land for religious use by other faiths.
    In October 2005 there was religiously motivated violence between 
the predominantly Muslim Koniankes and the predominantly Christian 
Guerzes in N'Zerekore in the Forest Region. During Ramadan, violence 
erupted after the Koniankes complained that music from a Guerze baptism 
disturbed prayers at a nearby mosque. Several persons were injured and 
property destroyed, and police detained approximately fifty persons. 
Some of the detainees were held for approximately two weeks and charged 
with disorderly conduct. All were released, some only after repair 
costs were reimbursed, and some had legal cases pending.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintains contact with clergy and religious leaders from 
all major religious communities and monitors developments affecting 
religious freedom. The mission initiated a partnership with the 
Ministry of the National Islamic League and representatives from both 
organizations meet regularly to discuss issues and develop programs of 
mutual concern.
    The embassy sponsored lectures and seminars that provided 
information on the religious diversity found in American society. The 
embassy regularly includes members of the Islamic League in public 
outreach programming because mosques play an important role in 
disseminating information in local communities. The embassy distributed 
remaining copies of the U.S. government-sponsored Arabic language 
magazine Hi to imams and mosques and a former International Visitor 
Program grantee moderated a program to introduce Hi Magazine to 
community leaders and students. The director of the Islamic Center in 
Kankan gave an interview to Rural Radio and a lecture in Malinke 
language about his very positive experience on an International Visitor 
program on leadership in the Muslim community. A particularly intense 
debate on ways to foster mutual understanding was launched within the 
forum of an embassy-sponsored book discussion.
    The ambassador and other U.S. officials raised religious freedom 
concerns with the Minister of the National Islamic League, the senior 
imam of Conakry, and religious leaders outside the capital.
                               __________

                             GUINEA-BISSAU

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was little change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
However, in March 2005, the Government prohibited Ahmadiyya activity in 
the country.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. In 2005 a dispute between 
local Muslims and Ahmadis in the city of Gabu resulted in injuries to 
four Ahmadis. There has been no violence since.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 13,948 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 1.5 million. An estimated 38 to 45 percent of the 
population was Muslim; and between 5 and 13 percent was Christian. The 
remainder of the population followed traditional indigenous or animist 
religious practices. There were few atheists.
    Christians belonged to a number of groups, including the Roman 
Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. Christians were 
concentrated in Bissau and other large towns. Islam was practiced most 
widely by the Fula and Mandinka ethnic groups, and Muslims generally 
lived in the north and northeast. Practitioners of traditional 
religions inhabited the remainder of the country. Virtually all Muslims 
were Sunni. The Ahmadiyya were not confined to any particular 
geographic region. Their numbers were extremely small; there were no 
reliable data on number of adherents. With the 2005 banning of 
Ahmadiyya activities, followers had mostly returned to practicing the 
same form of Sunni Islam that other Muslims in the country practice.
    Missionaries from numerous Christian denominations operated in the 
country without restriction.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion. Members of all major faiths were 
represented in the national assembly.
    Christmas is the only holy day considered a national holiday.
    The Government requires that religious groups be licensed and 
reportedly has not refused any applications. There were no reports that 
new applications were made during the period covered by this report.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, in March 2005, following a dispute in 
the previous month between Muslims and members of the Ahmadiyya faith 
in the eastern city of Gabu, the Government prohibited Ahmadi activity, 
contending that Ahmadi activities, including the group's practice of 
paying locals to attend services, were disruptive.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. Society was generally tolerant on 
religious matters; however, a high illiteracy rate leaves many easily 
susceptible to misinformation and manipulation by local leaders and 
others.
    In February 2005 a dispute between local Muslims and Ahmadis in the 
city of Gabu resulted in injuries to four Ahmadis before police 
intervened.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. Since 
there is no U.S. embassy in Bissau, the capital, the U.S. embassy in 
Dakar, Senegal, handled all official contact with the country.
    The embassy maintained relations with leaders of major religious 
organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and missionary groups in 
the country, including the National Islamic Council and the Catholic 
bishops. Two Qur'anic schoolteachers have participated in the embassy's 
English Language Program and a third was scheduled for the summer of 
2006. The embassy continued to seek opportunities to further the 
understanding of religious freedom in the United States through public 
diplomacy programs, such as the International Visitors Program and 
dissemination of publications promoting tolerance.
                               __________

                                 KENYA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion; 
however, some Muslim leaders continued to charge that the Government is 
hostile toward Muslims.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, although some Muslims 
perceived themselves to be treated as second-class citizens in a 
predominantly Christian country. There were some interfaith movements, 
but the Ufungamano Initiative, which previously grouped Muslims and 
Christians, included only Christians.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 225,000 square miles and a 
population of 34.7 million; approximately 88 percent lived in rural 
areas. Protestants were the largest religious group, representing 
approximately 45 percent of the population. Roman Catholics represented 
33 percent of the population. Ten percent of the population practiced 
Islam, 1 percent practiced Hinduism, and the remainder followed various 
traditional indigenous religions or offshoots of Christian religions. 
There were very few atheists. Some sources disputed these figures; 
Muslim groups often claimed to represent 15 to 20 percent of the 
population, sometimes even more. Other sources also considered the 10 
percent figure too low.
    Most religious groups were active throughout the country, but 
certain groups dominated particular regions. For example, North Eastern 
Province, where the population was chiefly Somali, was mostly Muslim. 
Muslims also predominated in Coast Province, except for its western 
areas, which mostly were Christian. Eastern Province was approximately 
50 percent Muslim (primarily in the north) and 50 percent Christian 
(primarily in the south). The rest of the country was largely 
Christian, with some persons practicing traditional indigenous 
religions.
    Many foreign missionary groups operated, the largest of which were 
the African Inland Mission (evangelical Protestant), the Southern 
Baptist Church, the Pentecostal Assembly of Kenya, and the Church 
Missionary Society of Britain (Anglican). The Government generally 
permitted these missionary groups to assist the poor and to operate 
schools and hospitals. Missionaries openly promoted their religious 
beliefs and encountered little resistance.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. However, Muslim 
and Christian groups remained engaged in a long-standing debate over 
whether special Islamic courts should be recognized in the country's 
constitution, which was under review at the end of the period covered 
by this report. Muslim groups have also voiced concerns regarding a 
proposed antiterrorism bill and government assistance to Islamic 
schools.
    The constitution and the Kadhis' Courts Act of 1967 established a 
venue to have certain types of civil cases adjudicated based on Islamic 
law. The constitution provides for the establishment of Kadhis' courts 
where ``all the parties profess the Muslim religion'' in suits 
addressing ``questions of Muslim law relating to personal status, 
marriage, divorce, or inheritance.'' Kadhis' courts, however, are 
``subordinate'' courts, meaning that the secular High Court has 
jurisdiction to supervise any civil or criminal proceedings, and any 
party involved in the proceedings may refer a question involving 
interpretation to the High Court.
    The Kadhis' courts issue continued to generate controversy. A 
proposed draft constitution, defeated during the November 2005 
referendum, retained Kadhis' courts as subordinate courts with 
essentially the same jurisdictions as are included in the current 
constitution. The referendum debate included heated discussion of this 
issue with the Anglican Church of Kenya in June 2005 specifically 
announcing its opposition to Kadhis' courts, arguing that including 
Kadhis' courts in the constitution would give preferential treatment to 
Muslims.
    Muslim groups argued that other religious groups could establish 
their own courts if necessary. They further contended that the 
recognition of Kadhis' courts was a condition for the integration of 
the coastal strip at the time of independence and question why 
opponents now object to this system. By the end of the period covered 
by this report, the effort to adopt a new constitution remained 
stalemated, but the controversy over the Kadhis' courts continued to 
reveal latent animosities between Christians and Muslims.
    In 2003 the Government published the Suppression of Terrorism Bill. 
Many observers, including the National Council of Churches of Kenya, 
found the bill objectionable on human rights grounds, arguing that it 
contained provisions that violate the constitution. Muslim leaders 
argued that the bill specifically targets their community. In June 2004 
the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, referring to the arrest of 
thirty Muslims on terrorism charges, accused the Government of 
targeting Muslims and applying the bill as if it were law. A new bill 
was drafted in May 2006, but Muslims and human rights activists 
continued to argue that the bill would inevitably discriminate against 
Muslims.
    The Government requires new religious organizations to register 
with the Registrar of Societies, which reports to the Office of the 
Attorney General. The Government allows traditional indigenous 
religious organizations to register, although many choose not to do so. 
Once registered, religious organizations may apply for tax-exempt 
status, including exemption from paying duty on imported goods. 
Although some religious organizations disagree, the Government does not 
use tax laws to favor one religious group over another. Religious 
organizations generally received equal treatment from the Government; 
however, some small splinter groups found it difficult to register when 
the Government viewed them as an offshoot of a larger religious 
organization.
    In areas that are largely Christian, there are morning prayers in 
public schools. All children participate in the assembly but are not 
punished if they remain silent during prayers. Often churches provide 
the land and the buildings for the schools, while the Government 
provides the teachers. This has led to disputes over school management 
and occasionally to the closing of schools. In its 2003 report on 
religious freedom in public schools, the Standing Committee on Human 
Rights found that the Africa Inland Church (AIC) infringed on students' 
freedom of worship. The AIC sponsors a number of schools, some of which 
are public. The report found that the AIC compelled all students 
admitted to its schools to adhere to its beliefs, which contradicts the 
constitution.
    Islamic and Hindu institutions sponsor a few public schools that 
the Government supports through payment of teachers' salaries and the 
provision of equipment. Some Muslims have expressed concern that the 
lack of a university in Coast Province, which has a large Muslim 
population, hinders educational opportunities for Muslims; however, 
higher education is available to Muslim students in other regions. In 
the past some Muslims voiced opposition to a government program, 
financed in part by the U.S. government, which works with Islamic 
schools to improve the quality and efficiency of primary education. 
They charged that the aim of this program is to dilute the teaching of 
``true'' Islam.
    The Ministry of Information and Communications has approved 
regional radio and television broadcast licenses for several Muslim and 
Christian groups. The petition of the Catholic Church for a national 
frequency was not resolved by the end of the period covered by this 
report. To date no media organization except the government-owned Kenya 
Broadcasting Corporation has been granted a national frequency; 
however, some organizations--both secular and religious--have been 
assigned a series of regional broadcasting frequencies to give their 
broadcasts national reach.
    The Government celebrates several holy days as national holidays, 
including Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid 
al-Adha.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, some Muslim leaders charged that the 
Government is hostile toward Muslims. The leaders claimed that, since 
the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, the 2002 terrorist 
attacks in Mombasa, and terrorist attacks elsewhere, government 
discrimination against their community has worsened, especially demands 
for identity documents. According to these leaders, authorities more 
rigorously scrutinize the identification cards of persons with Muslim 
surnames and sometimes require additional documentation of citizenship, 
such as birth certificates of parents and even grandparents. The 
Government stated that this heightened scrutiny is an attempt to deter 
illegal immigration rather than to discriminate against religious 
affiliation.
    Practicing witchcraft is a criminal offense under colonial-era 
laws; however, persons generally were prosecuted for this offense only 
in conjunction with some other charge, such as murder. The practice of 
witchcraft is understood widely to encompass attempts to harm others 
not only by magic but also by covert means such as poisons. Although 
many traditional indigenous religions include or accommodate belief in 
the efficacy of witchcraft, they generally approve of harmful 
witchcraft only for defensive or retaliatory purposes and purport to 
offer protection against it.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    A public opinion poll carried out in late 2004 asked respondents 
which human rights they thought were abused in the country. Only 7 
percent included freedom of worship as a problem, with this right 
ranking twenty-second out of the twenty-six rights listed. However, in 
the heavily Muslim Coast Province, 31 percent believed respect for 
freedom of religion was a problem.
    Prominent local Muslims continued to charge the Government with 
arbitrarily harassing Muslims in the guise of combating terrorism. In 
2004 a Somali-Kenyan Member of Parliament wrote a letter to a leading 
newspaper citing several cases of what he alleged were arbitrary 
arrests and deportation of Muslims.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    There generally is a great level of tolerance among religious 
groups, although some Muslims perceive themselves to be treated as 
second-class citizens in a predominantly Christian country. 
Intermarriage between members of Christian denominations is common, and 
interfaith prayer services occur frequently. Intermarriage between 
Muslims and Christians, although less frequent, also is socially 
acceptable.
    For years Muslims and Christians have held an open debate over 
their respective places in society, at times undermining mutual trust. 
Each group claims to have a larger number of adherents than is 
plausible, and some Muslim groups believe that the Government and 
business communities deliberately impede development in predominantly 
Muslim areas.
    On May 13, 2006, masked gunmen stormed Hope FM, a radio station 
headquartered at Nairobi Pentecostal Church, killing one person, 
shooting three others, and setting the property on fire. At the end of 
the period covered by this report, officials had not concluded whether 
the attack was motivated by religious intolerance. The investigation 
was ongoing.
    An April 7, 2006, media report indicated that three AIC 
missionaries had been expelled from Wajir, a predominantly Muslim area 
in the North Eastern Province, for proselytizing and allegedly 
converting thirty persons to Christianity. There were no further 
developments in this case at the end of the period covered by this 
report.
    In April 2004 a mob killed a man in Mt. Elgon whom they accused of 
practicing witchcraft. Villagers claimed they had found witchcraft 
paraphernalia in the man's house and blamed him for the death of 810 
persons. In June 2005 a couple was arrested in Western Kenya under the 
Witchcraft Act for allegedly possessing charms. Unlike similar cases in 
past years, no one alleged that these incidents were politically 
motivated. No further action was reported in either of these cases.
    In December 2005 two persons appeared in court for the alleged 
murder in early November of two family members whom they suspected of 
practicing witchcraft. The case was pending at the end of the reporting 
period.
    There were no further developments in the May 2004 case in which 
police arrested a Nigerian pastor, a prominent doctor, and six other 
members of Winners Chapel International in the Western Province town of 
Kitale and charged them with torturing a church member. Local 
newspapers alleged that the man was tortured to force him to give up 
his child as a human sacrifice.
    There have been reports of intolerance, sometimes degenerating into 
physical assaults, among refugee groups in the country. Some instances 
have been sparked by perceived violations of Somali traditions on 
marriage and dress.
    There have been efforts to bridge religious divides drawing 
supporters from a broad spectrum of Christian, Hindu, and Muslim 
groups. The focus of these programs has been to promote interfaith 
dialogue, reduce ethnic conflict, and mitigate other societal problems 
such as female genital mutilation.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy has made a concerted effort to bridge the gaps that exist 
between Muslims and Christians. Embassy officials maintain regular 
contact with all religious communities. Recognizing the key role of 
religious leaders and organizations during the constitutional 
referendum debate, the ambassador hosted a meeting with religious 
leaders to discuss issues affecting their communities.
    The ambassador and embassy officials routinely travel throughout 
the country to meet with religious and community leaders to facilitate 
dialogue on religious freedom. The U.S. government also provides grants 
to many communities that, for historical and religious reasons, 
perceive themselves to have been marginalized by previous governments. 
These grants include support for civic action programs that build and 
repair schools in Muslim and other marginalized areas.
                               __________

                                LESOTHO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 11,720 square miles, and the Government 
reported that its population was 1.8 million.
    Christianity was the dominant religion. The Christian Council of 
Lesotho, made up of representatives of all major Christian churches in 
the country, estimated that approximately 90 percent of the population 
was Christian. Roman Catholics represented 45 percent of the 
population, Lesotho Evangelical 26 percent, and Anglican and other 
Christian denominations an additional 19 percent. Muslims, Hindus, 
Buddhists, and members of traditional indigenous religions comprised 
the remaining 10 percent of the population.
    While Christians could be found throughout the country, Muslims 
lived mainly in the northeast. Most practitioners of Islam were of 
Asian origin, while the majority of Christians were the indigenous 
Basotho. Many Christians practiced their traditional cultural beliefs 
and rituals along with Christianity. The Catholic Church has fused some 
aspects of local culture into its services; for example, the singing of 
hymns during services has developed into a traditional call and 
response in Sesotho--the indigenous language--as well as English. In 
addition, priests dressed in traditional local attire during services. 
The pre-Christian indigenous religion, whose priesthood is called 
Songoma, influenced all religious practices.
    The Muslim community had seven small mosques. With the assistance 
of the Libyan embassy, the community tried to build a larger mosque, 
training center, and madrassah; however, the community claimed it was 
hindered by bureaucratic delays.
    Missionaries active in the country represented evangelical and 
traditional Protestant and Catholic churches from North America, 
Europe, and South Africa; Muslim groups from the subcontinent; and 
Buddhist groups from East Asia.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion and no evidence that the Government favors any particular 
religion.
    There are four religious holy days that are also national holidays: 
Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, and Christmas.
    The Government has no established requirements for religious group 
recognition. Generally, the Government does not provide benefits to 
religious groups. Any religious group may apply for a waiver of taxes 
on charitable donations from outside the country; however, in practice 
few, if any, waivers are given. Under the Societies Act, any group may 
register with the Government, regardless of the purpose of the 
organization. The only requirements are a constitution and a leadership 
committee. Unregistered groups are not eligible for any government 
benefits, such as duty-free import permits for donated items or tax 
relief on donated funds. There are no penalties for not registering, 
and it is common for informal church groups not to register.
    According to immigration and labor officials, they scrutinize visas 
for Nigerian missionaries coming to work in the country due to reports 
of past questionable business dealings by some Nigerian missionaries.
    The strong Catholic presence led to the establishment of Catholic 
schools in the last century, and to their influence over education 
policy. However, the influence of the Catholic Church has decreased in 
recent years, and it now owns less than 40 percent of all primary and 
secondary schools. The Ministry of Education pays and certifies all 
teachers, and it requires a standard curriculum for both secular and 
parochial schools. Parents are free to send their children to parochial 
schools of their choice; however, in practice this choice is 
constrained in many parts of the country by a lack of schools.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Mutual understanding and 
cooperation between Christians and Muslims is the norm. There were 
ecumenical efforts to promote tolerance and cooperation on social 
matters.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy and local religious leaders discussed their roles in 
maintaining political peace and assisting with the consolidation of 
democracy.
                               __________

                                LIBERIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The period of 
this report covers two governments: The National Transitional 
Government of Liberia (NTGL), an interim administration composed of 
members of previously warring factions that served from October 2003 to 
December 2006, and the democratically elected government installed on 
January 16, 2006.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Despite frequent interaction 
among religious groups, some tension remained evident. Some in the 
Muslim minority complained that Christian holy days are observed by the 
Government as public holidays but Muslim holy days are not. Some 
Muslims were dissatisfied with the Government's decision to keep shops 
and markets closed on Sundays. Land disputes between Mandingos and 
other ethnic groups in Lofa, Nimba, and Bong counties were being 
resolved; and no violence erupted surrounding any of these problems. 
The October 2004 three-day rioting, in which several mosques and 
churches were destroyed, was not repeated. A commission was established 
to investigate the October incident, and while the report was not made 
public, the proximate cause of the rioting was believed to be a land 
dispute, not a religiously motivated attack. No rioting since October 
2004 resulted in the destruction of churches or mosques.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. government promotes religious freedom by participating in and 
hosting interfaith events and by meeting regularly with prominent 
members of various religious communities.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 43,000 square miles, and its population 
is estimated at 3.4 million. As much as 40 percent of the population 
practiced either Christianity or Christianity combined with elements of 
traditional indigenous religions. Approximately 40 percent exclusively 
practiced traditional indigenous religions. Approximately 20 percent of 
the population practiced Islam, which continued to gain adherents. A 
small percentage was Baha'i, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, or atheist.
    Christian denominations included the Lutheran, Baptist, Episcopal, 
Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, African Methodist 
Episcopal (AME) and AME Zion denominations, Seventh-day Adventists, and 
a variety of Pentecostal churches. Some of the Pentecostal movements 
were affiliated with churches outside the country, while others were 
independent.
    The Muslim population was mainly from the Mandingo and Vai ethnic 
groups, which were found predominantly in the west. Ethnic groups 
throughout the country participated in the traditional religious 
practices of the Poro and Sande secret societies. Christians lived 
throughout the country.
    A large number of foreign missionary groups worked in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
sought at all levels to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion. Government ceremonies open and close 
with prayers and may include the singing of hymns. The prayers and 
hymns are usually Christian but occasionally are Islamic. There were 
several Muslim deputies and assistant ministers and approximately ten 
Muslim members in the legislature.
    Major Christian holy days, including Fast and Prayer Day, Easter, 
Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas, are observed as national holidays, 
while Islamic holy days are not. The Government mandates that public 
businesses and markets, including Muslim businesses and shops, remain 
closed on Sundays and major Christian holy days, an issue that Muslim 
leaders have brought to the Legislative Assembly and the Supreme Court. 
The Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional for the Government 
to allow market closures on Sundays on the grounds that markets needed 
to be cleaned once a week. There is no legal requirement to excuse 
Muslims from employment or classes for Friday prayers, although some 
employers do so.
    All organizations, including religious groups, must register their 
articles of incorporation with the Government, along with a statement 
of the purpose of the organization. Registration is routine, and there 
were no reports that the registration process was burdensome or 
discriminatory. Traditional indigenous religious groups are not 
required to register and generally do not.
    The Government permits, but does not require, religious instruction 
in public schools. Religious education, particularly Christian 
education, is taught in public schools but is not mandatory. Students 
can opt out of religious instruction, and parents may enroll their 
children in private schools for religious reasons.
    The Government has not specifically dedicated material resources to 
anti-bias and religious tolerance education. However, it is supportive 
of efforts to promote interfaith understanding.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Although some Muslims hold senior government positions, many 
Muslims believed that there is need for greater representation within 
the Government. Some Muslim leaders felt that certain Muslim holidays 
should be celebrated by the Government, since many Christian holidays 
are celebrated.
    High-level government officials were required to take oaths when 
assuming their new office. Christians kissed the Bible, and Muslims 
kissed the Qu'ran.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions contributed to 
religious freedom. The Inter-Religious Council promotes dialogue among 
various religious communities.
    In October 2004 a property dispute escalated into widespread 
violence between Mandingos, who are predominantly Muslim, and other 
predominantly Christian ethnic groups. The violence broke out in 
Monrovia and spread to Kakata and other nearby towns and villages. At 
least twenty-five persons were killed, and several mosques and churches 
were looted and burned. The United Nations Peacekeepers (UNMIL) brought 
the situation under control after three days. The violence was widely 
regarded as a reflection of a land dispute with ethnic overtones rather 
than religious tensions.
    The country's civil war, which ended in 2003, had a religious 
undertone in that the LURD rebels were mostly Muslim Mandingos while 
government troops were mostly animists and Christians. Ethnic tensions 
persisted between the Mandingo and several other ethnic groups.
    Ritual killings, in which killers remove body parts from their 
victims for use in traditional rituals, reportedly occurred during the 
reporting period. There was little reliable information available about 
traditional religions associated with ritual killings, and the number 
of such killings was difficult to ascertain. Many believe that 
practitioners of traditional indigenous religions among the Grebo and 
Krahn, who are concentrated in the southeast, engage in ritual 
killings. Body parts of a person believed to be powerful are considered 
the most effective for ritual purposes. In some cases, the rituals 
reportedly involve eating body parts to gain special powers. Fighters 
on all sides of the civil war reportedly engaged in such practices. 
Most reports of ritual killings came from Southeastern counties.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. ambassador and other embassy officers hosted events for Christian 
and Muslim leaders to discuss religious freedom issues. The ambassador 
and other embassy officers participated in religious ceremonies and 
spoke at interfaith meetings to show support for religious freedom and 
interfaith dialogue.
                               __________

                               MADAGASCAR

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 228,880 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 17.5 million. Although precise official figures were 
unavailable, approximately half of the population was Christian. There 
were four main Christian denominations. The Roman Catholic Church was 
the largest denomination, followed by the Reformed Protestant Church of 
Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM). President Ravalomanana was re-
elected to a second term as lay vice-president of the FJKM in August 
2004. The Lutheran and Anglican Churches accounted for most of the 
remainder of the country's Christians. Most other citizens followed 
traditional indigenous religions. Muslims constituted slightly less 
than 10 percent of the population, with strong concentrations in the 
north and the northwest. Aboriginal and ethnic Indians and Pakistanis 
who immigrated over the past century made up the majority of the 
Muslims in the country. There was a small number of Hindus among the 
ethnic Indians. The country had a very small Jewish population.
    There were several foreign missionary groups that operated freely. 
Most of these were Christian and include Catholics, Seventh-day 
Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Several faith-based organizations, some 
with international affiliations, were involved in health and social 
services, development projects, schools, and higher education.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion. President Ravalomanana has occasionally expressed a 
desire to transform the country into ``a Christian state''; however, 
there has been no attempt to establish a state religion, and most 
believe his comments indicated a desire to enshrine Christian 
principles in the day-to-day life of the country.
    The law mandates that religious organizations register with the 
Ministry of Interior. By registering, religious organizations acquire 
the legal status necessary to receive direct bequests and other gifts. 
To qualify as a religious association, groups must consist of at least 
one hundred members, with an elected administrative council of no more 
than nine members, each of whom must be a Malagasy citizen. If the 
group's leadership and faithful are foreign (as is the case with the 
majority of the country's Muslims), they have the right to form an 
association ``reputed to be foreign.'' Once the association's 
membership expands to one thousand members, the administrative council 
may apply to be recognized as a church. The state officially recognizes 
nine churches and 104 religious organizations.
    Religious organizations that fail to meet the Ministry of 
Interior's registration requirements are free to register as simple 
associations. Simple associations do not have the right to receive 
gifts or hold religious services. In 2004, ministry officials estimated 
there were more than one thousand religious organizations in the 
country operating without official state recognition, including both 
simple associations and unregistered organizations.
    The Malagasy Council of Christian Churches (FFKM) is the umbrella 
organization for the country's four principal Christian denominations. 
The FFKM is composed of the Roman Catholic, FJKM, Lutheran, and 
Anglican Churches, and is a key player in a broad range of issues. The 
FFKM is a traditional leader in education. Recently its role has 
expanded to include coordinating a national campaign against HIV/AIDS 
and monitoring elections. In the political arena, the FFKM has 
generally served as a mediator, bringing together antagonistic 
factions; however, it has occasionally taken an overt position on 
political issues. During the 2001 presidential campaign and the ensuing 
political crisis, it supported Marc Ravalomanana, then mayor of 
Antananarivo, in his ultimately successful bid for the presidency. 
President Ravalomanana's position as a lay vice-president of FJKM still 
generates some allegations that church and state interests are not kept 
entirely separate. In April 2005 President Ravalomanana was criticized 
on these grounds following his keynote speech at a three-day World 
Bank-sponsored FJKM colloquium on the role of church leaders in the 
country's development.
    Christian holy days such as Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, 
Assumption, All Saints' Day, and Christmas are celebrated as national 
holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Numerous religious organizations operate freely in all regions of 
the country, often disseminating their message through public and 
private media. Religious organizations are granted free access to 
state-run media provided that their use constitutes a public service. 
During the month of Ramadan, for example, the national television 
station broadcast a daily fifteen-minute program that included the call 
to prayer. During the period covered by this report, there were no 
reports of any religious organizations that were denied free access to 
state-run media.
    On September 16, 2005 the Government banned the New Protestant 
Church in Madagascar (FPVM), led by Pastor Randrianatoandro, for 
illegally occupying churches assigned to the mainstream Reformed 
Protestant Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM); the ban was 
implemented in November. The FPVM broke away from the FJKM church in 
2002 and took approximately 300,000 worshippers with it. The FPVM 
claimed the owners offered the buildings, most of which were wood and 
thatch huts, to the church. The FPVM challenged the ban in court, which 
refused to rule on the ban, charging that only President Ravalomanana 
could overturn the decision to ban a church. President Ravalomanana was 
a lay vice president in the FJKM, and some observers charged that the 
closure of the church was politically motivated. The FPVM appealed, and 
on April 19, 2006, the Supreme Court issued an order requiring the 
Government to provide proof of the basis for the ban by May 19, 2006. 
As of June 15, 2006, the Government had not replied to the Supreme 
Court's order.
    The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (EURD), banned on 
January 11, 2005, for failure to properly register, was not permitted 
to reopen. The Government expelled all foreign EURD pastors. Soon after 
the church was banned, the Ministry of Interior confirmed receipt of 
several petitions from former EURD congregations to form a new official 
religious organization. The ministry stated that as long as the 
applications fulfilled the legal requirement of having Malagasy 
leadership, they would likely be approved. Former members of banned 
organizations face higher scrutiny when petitioning for recognition as 
an official religious organization. Nonetheless, the ministry approved 
six new religious organizations since the abolition of the EURD in 
2005.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationships among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Ethnic Malagasy occasionally 
express resentment toward members of the predominantly Muslim Indo-
Pakistani (``Karana'') community. This attitude derives from the 
relative economic prosperity of the Karana and is not based on their 
religious affiliation. Some members of the Muslim community state that 
the President's failure to invite them to events featuring religious 
leaders marginalizes the community.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Representatives of the embassy regularly meet with leaders of religious 
communities, including minority groups. In April 2006 representatives 
of the embassy met with leaders of the Muslim community to discuss 
their concerns about inclusion in Malagasy political life. The embassy 
provided materials to a small library at a major mosque in 
Antananarivo.
                               __________

                                 MALAWI

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there was some 
tension between Christians and Muslims during the period covered by 
this report.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 45,747 square miles, and its population 
is approximately eleven million. More than 70 percent of the population 
was Christian. Among the Christian denominations, the largest were the 
Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian 
(CCAP), with smaller numbers of Anglicans, Baptists, evangelicals, and 
Seventh-day Adventists. There was a substantial Muslim minority 
totaling approximately 20 percent of the population. The vast majority 
of Muslims were Sunni, adhering to either the Qadriya or Sukkutu 
groups. There were also Hindus, Baha'is, a small number of 
Rastafarians, and followers of traditional indigenous religions. There 
were few atheists.
    Foreign missionary groups were present in the country, including 
Protestants, Catholics, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Islamic 
aid organizations.
    Regional voting trends and political affiliation sometimes 
reflected the concentration of faiths in certain regions of the 
country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect the constitutional right to freedom of 
religion and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or 
private actors. There is no state religion.
    There are no separate requirements for the recognition of 
religions, but religious groups must register with the Government. A 
religious group must submit documentation detailing the structure and 
mission of its organization along with a nominal fee for review by the 
Ministry of Justice. Once approved, a religious group registers 
formally with the Registrar General's Office in Blantyre. During the 
period covered by this report, there were no reports that the 
Government refused to register any religious groups.
    The Government observes both Christian and Muslim holy days. Public 
holidays in the country include Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Easter 
Monday, and Christmas.
    Foreign missionaries experienced occasional delays in renewing 
employment permits. This appeared to be the result of bureaucratic 
inefficiency rather than a deliberate government policy against foreign 
missionaries. Missionaries and charitable workers paid lower fees for 
employment permits than did other professionals.
    The president, Bingu wa Mutharika, is Catholic, and the vice 
president is Muslim. Several cabinet members and parliamentarians are 
Muslim. President Mutharika regularly sends official regards to members 
of all faiths in the country on appropriate religious holidays.
    As a result of previous debate, many public schools offer a course 
entitled ``Bible Knowledge,'' which is Christian oriented, and another 
entitled ``Moral and Religious Education,'' which includes Muslim, 
Hindu, Baha'i, and Christian material. Both courses are voluntary.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In May 2005 the Government and Rastafarian leaders came into 
conflict over an unofficial ban on long hair in public schools. 
Although there is no law relating to hair length, some schools 
prohibited long hair as part of their dress code. Students who do not 
comply risk suspension. The Rastafarian community, citing long 
dreadlocks as an expression of religion, called the ban discriminatory 
and threatened legal action. Government officials declared the 
prohibition was against long hair, not dreadlocks, and was not intended 
to infringe upon any religious rights.
    Religious leaders were free to speak publicly on political and 
social matters.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor United States 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were 
occasional tensions between Christians and Muslims that appeared to be 
fueled largely by politics. Although there were no significant 
conflicts, these minor tensions were especially evident following the 
presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2004 and again in 2006 
following an attempt by the country's Christian president to remove the 
Muslim vice president from office. Christians and Muslims generally 
coexisted peacefully, often participating in business or civil service 
organizations together. A small Hindu minority also participated in 
business and civil society.
    In November 2004 a dispute between Muslims and Christians erupted 
over the proper burial rites for mixed-religion families. Following the 
death of a child whose Christian parents hailed from a Muslim-dominated 
community, religious leaders and relatives on both sides advocated for 
their views on burial rites. The dispute allegedly resulted in violence 
and vandalism after a series of inflammatory remarks. A Christian 
preacher was allegedly assaulted in the incident, and in May 2005 
several suspects were in custody awaiting trial for assault and 
malicious damage. No further action was taken in the case. The trial 
had not been scheduled. The case remained unresolved at the end of the 
reporting period.
    During the 2004 presidential and parliamentary campaign, some 
prominent Christian religious leaders frequently spoke about 
corruption, the electoral process, and the candidates. The church 
leaders were often openly critical of the ruling political party, and 
candidates and officials took issue with the churches' statements. The 
Government did not attempt to restrict remarks of religious leaders; 
however, it declared that such statements deviated from the proper role 
of religious leaders. Churches continued to be a significant source of 
political influence, particularly in rural areas.
    In 2004 a group of Muslims in Blantyre allegedly beat a Christian 
preacher for refusing to hand over a copy of the Qur'an. The preacher 
did not suffer serious injuries. No arrests were reported, and no 
further action was taken.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, the key 
instigators of the 2003 riots following the deportation of five alleged 
Al-Qa'ida members had not gone to trial, although the cases were turned 
over to the Director of Public Prosecution. Tensions have since 
decreased and no further conflict has occurred, although some Muslim 
groups have continued to criticize publicly the Government's actions.
    Political and community leaders have made active efforts to foster 
cooperation among religious groups. For example, in 2004 presidential 
and parliamentary candidates of various religious backgrounds attended 
a series of ``Presidential Prayer Breakfasts'' organized by a Christian 
group. Other invited guests included Muslim leaders, the diplomatic 
community, and civil society leaders. In January 2006 the Government 
held a national symposium to promote religious tolerance and dialogue.
    The Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a nonprofit and politically 
unaligned local organization, was involved prominently in promoting 
religious tolerance, civic education, and human rights, and was also 
active in monitoring the 2004 electoral process. PAC included 
representatives of various churches and mosques. In 2005 PAC launched a 
national program to sensitize religious leaders on the importance of 
religious tolerance and unity among persons of all faiths.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials maintained frequent contact with leaders and members 
of all religious communities in the country.
    During the period covered by this report, the embassy continued to 
promote religious tolerance through grants, meetings, exchange 
programs, and the distribution of reading materials. In July 2005 USAID 
provided funding for an eighteen-month project to introduce and 
reinforce messages of interfaith tolerance and appreciation through 
radio dramas, talk shows, and associated listener clubs and journalism 
awards. This activity, which targeted divisions between Christian and 
Muslim communities, built on the experience of a previous successful 
USAID project focused on civic education. In 2004 the embassy sponsored 
a local Muslim group's project to encourage interfaith civic education 
and participation among rural persons of all faiths.
    On several occasions, embassy officials appeared on local radio 
programs, including a Radio Islam program, to discuss issues of 
religious freedom and tolerance. Two Muslim journalists from Radio 
Islam and The Daily Times newspaper traveled to the United States in 
2004 on a U.S. government-sponsored reporting tour concerning religious 
freedom in America. Upon returning to the country, the two published 
positive accounts of their experiences.
    American Imam Darryl Wainwright participated in a ten-day speaker 
program in October 2005 that reached a large portion of the Muslim 
community. He delivered important messages about religious tolerance, 
education, and self-reliance that were well received.
                               __________

                                  MALI

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 474,764 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 11.5 million. Muslims made up an estimated 90 percent 
of the population; the vast majority of Muslims were Sunni. 
Approximately 5 percent of the population was Christian, and the 
Christian community was roughly two-thirds Catholic and one-third 
Protestant. The remaining 5 percent practiced traditional indigenous 
religions or no religion. Atheism and agnosticism were rare. Most 
immigrants came from neighboring countries and either practiced the 
majority Muslim faith or belonged to a Christian denomination. The 
majority of citizens practiced their religion daily.
    Christian communities tended to be located in and around urban 
areas, generally in the southern regions. Groups that practiced 
traditional indigenous religions were located throughout the country, 
but they were most active in rural areas.
    Foreign Islamic preachers operated in the north, while mosques 
associated with Dawa (an Islamic fundamentalist group) were located in 
Kidal, Mopti, and Bamako. Dawa has gained some adherents among 
unemployed youth living in poorer neighborhoods. However, the Dawa 
group's influence in Kidal was less evident than in the previous years. 
The Wahhabi movement has grown in Timbuktu and Sikasso. In general, the 
country's traditional approach to Islam was peaceful and moderate.
    Foreign missionary groups operated in the country. The most 
numerous were Christian groups based in Europe that engaged in 
development work, primarily the provision of health care and education. 
A number of U.S.-based Christian missionary groups also were present.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
sought at all levels to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion. The constitution defines the country as a secular state and 
allows for religious practices that do not pose a threat to social 
stability and peace.
    The Government requires the registration of all public 
associations, including religious associations; however, registration 
confers no tax preference or other legal benefits, and failure to 
register is not penalized in practice. The registration process is 
routine and not burdensome. Traditional indigenous religions are not 
required to register.
    Foreign missionary groups operated without government interference, 
and they did not link the benefits of their development activities to 
conversion. Members of various religious groups were allowed to 
proselytize freely.
    Laws pertaining to marriage and divorce are based on French legal 
models. Inheritance laws reflect a mixture of local, French, and 
Islamic influences.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The minister of Territorial Administration and Local Collectivities 
may prohibit religious publications that defame another religion; 
however, there were no reports of instances of such prohibitions during 
the period covered by this report.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Adherents of different faiths 
may be found within the same family. Followers of one religion attend 
religious ceremonies of other religious groups, especially weddings, 
baptisms, and funerals.
    Prior to making important decisions on potentially controversial 
national issues, the Government consults with a ``Committee of Wise 
Men'' that includes the Catholic archbishop and Protestant and Muslim 
leaders.
    Non-Muslim missionary communities live and work in the country 
without difficulty. Christian missionaries, particularly rural-based 
development workers, enjoy good relations with their communities.
    Islam as practiced in the country is generally tolerant and adapted 
to local conditions.
    In May 2005 eleven Muslims were convicted of resisting authority, 
disobedience, and rebellion, and sentenced to jail terms ranging from 
six months to three years for refusing to allow their children to 
receive polio vaccinations. The group to which they belonged was 
gaining adherents in the region and was viewed as a serious threat to 
the polio eradication program since its members are taught to believe 
that matters pertaining to health should remain in God's hands.
    In August 2003 in the village of Yerere, traditional Sunni 
practitioners attacked Wahhabi Sunnis who were building an authorized 
mosque. Nine persons died and two were seriously wounded. The 
Government viewed the case as a serious breach of religious freedom. On 
April 11, 2005, a criminal court sentenced five of ninety-six 
defendants to death. Although courts can sentence individuals to death, 
the Government does not carry out death sentences in practice. Ten 
defendants were sentenced to life in prison, ten others received 
sentences ranging from two to ten years, and eighteen female defendants 
received eight months' to two years' imprisonment. Forty-one others 
received suspended sentences, and twelve persons were acquitted.
    In November 2003 an individual vandalized a statue of the Virgin 
Mary, shortly before the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the town of 
Kita. Local authorities quickly responded to the incident, and the 
responsible individual was arrested and prosecuted. Investigations 
revealed that he acted independently. The court sentenced him to three 
years in prison and ordered him to pay a fine.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officers meet regularly with religious authorities and 
government officials who deal with these issues. Embassy officials 
expanded dialogue with Muslim groups to promote religious freedom, 
mutual understanding, and the continued secularism of the Government. 
The embassy maintains contact with the foreign missionary community and 
works with government officials and societal leaders to promote 
religious freedom.
                               __________

                               MAURITANIA

    The constitution establishes the country as an Islamic republic and 
recognizes Islam as the religion of its citizens and the state. 
However, a military junta took power on August 3, 2005, overthrew the 
elected president, dissolved parliament, suspended parts of the 
constitution, and formed a transitional government. The transitional 
government maintained laws regarding human rights and religious freedom 
and made some advances in both areas. Both the former and transitional 
governments limited freedom of religion by prohibiting the distribution 
of non-Islamic religious materials and the proselytization of Muslims.
    There were some changes in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 419,212 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 3 million. Almost the entire population practiced 
Sunni Islam. There was a very small number of non-Muslims and Roman 
Catholic or denominational Christian churches in Nouakchott, Atar, 
Zouerate, Nouadhibou, and Rosso. Although there were no synagogues, a 
very small number of expatriates practiced Judaism.
    There were several foreign faith-based nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) active in humanitarian and developmental work in 
the country. The largest was World Vision, involved in food and other 
aid projects. Other NGOs included World Advocates and Caritas, each 
providing various services including the provision of medical care, 
feeding centers, micro-finance and water treatment.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution establishes the country as an Islamic republic and 
recognizes Islam as the religion of its citizens and the state. Both 
the former and transitional governments limited freedom of religion by 
prohibiting the distribution of non-Islamic religious materials and the 
proselytization of Muslims; however, non-Muslim resident expatriates 
and a few non-Muslim citizens generally practiced their religions 
openly and freely.
    Both the former and transitional governments and citizenry consider 
Islam to be the essential cohesive element unifying the country's 
various ethnic groups. There is a cabinet-level Ministry of Literacy 
Programs, Islamic Orientation, and Traditional Education. The High 
Council of Islam, consisting of six imams, advised the former and 
transitional governments on the conformance of legislation to Islamic 
precepts. Although the former and transitional governments provided a 
small stipend to the imam of the Central Mosque in the capital, mosques 
and Qur'anic schools were normally supported by their members and other 
donors.
    The former and transitional governments did not register religious 
groups; however, secular NGOs, including humanitarian and development 
NGOs affiliated with religious groups, must register with the Ministry 
of the Interior. Nonprofit organizations, including both religious 
groups and secular NGOs, generally are not subject to taxation. The 
judiciary consists of a single system of courts with a modernized legal 
system that conforms with the principles of Shari'a (Islamic law).
    The former and transitional governments observed Muslim holy days 
as national holidays, but this practice did not negatively affect other 
religious groups. A magistrate of Shari'a, who heads a separate 
government commission, determines the lunar dates for observing 
religious holidays and addresses the nation on these days.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The implementation of Islamic law has created some limited 
restrictions on religious freedom. Shari'a, proclaimed the law of the 
land under a previous government in 1983, includes the Qur'anic 
prohibition against apostasy or conversion to a religion other than 
Islam; however, this prohibition had never been codified in civil law 
or enforced. The small number of known converts from Islam suffered no 
social ostracism, and there were no reports of societal or governmental 
attempts to punish them during the period covered by this report.
    Although there is no specific legal prohibition against 
proselytizing by non-Muslims, in practice the former government 
prohibited such activity through the use of Article 11 of the Press 
Act. The act bans the publication of any material that is against, 
contradicts, or otherwise threatens Islamic principles. The former 
government viewed any attempts by practitioners of other religions to 
convert Muslims as undermining society. The transitional government 
effectively suspended Article 11 in April 2006 as part of its effort to 
liberalize the press. However, the article's suspension was not seen as 
a move to increase religious freedoms, and the transitional government 
continued to prohibit the distribution of non-Islamic religious 
materials and the proselytization of Muslims. Foreign faith-based NGOs 
limit their activities to humanitarian and development assistance.
    Under Article 11, the former government could restrict the 
importation, printing, or public distribution of Bibles or other non-
Islamic religious literature. In practice, Bibles were neither printed 
nor publicly sold in the country; however, the possession of Bibles and 
other non-Islamic religious materials in private homes was not illegal, 
and Bibles and other religious publications were available among the 
small non-Islamic communities.
    Except for the president, the members of the five-person 
Constitutional Council, and the ten-person High Council of Magistrates 
over which the president presides, government employees or members of 
the ruling political party are not required to take a religious oath. 
The Constitutional Council and the High Council of Magistrates advise 
the president in matters of law and the constitution. The oath of 
office includes a promise to God to uphold the law of the land in 
conformity with Islamic precepts. However, since the August 2005 coup, 
the country has not had a president or an active Constitutional 
Council. Instead, the Military Council for Justice and Democracy, 
headed by Colonel Ely Ould Mohammed Fal, has held power. In April 2006 
the council approved certain constitutional amendments that were 
overwhelmingly approved by voters in a national constitutional 
referendum held June 25. One amendment established a presidential oath 
of office taken in the name of God.
    Both the privately run Qur'anic schools and the Government's public 
schools include classes on religion. These classes teach the history 
and principles of Islam and the classical Arabic of the Qur'an. 
Although attendance at these religious classes is ostensibly required, 
many students, the great majority of whom were Muslims, decline to 
attend them for diverse ethnolinguistic and religious reasons. Since 
these classes determine a disproportionately small percentage of the 
overall grade, students are able to advance in school and graduate with 
diplomas, provided they compensate for their failure to attend the 
religion classes by their performance in other classes.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Following the 2003 crackdown on Islamic activists, the former 
government closed a number of Saudi-funded and Gulf-funded Islamic 
schools and charities. These organizations remained closed at the end 
of the period covered by this report. The former government also closed 
an Islamic charity association in 2003 for its alleged connections to 
local Islamic activists. The government-funded Institute for Islamic 
Science, Studies, and Research (ISERI), remained open and fully funded.
    From March to July of 2005, the former government detained 
approximately eighty Islamists, including Islamist leaders Cheikh 
Mohamed El Hacen Ould Dedew and Moctar Ould Mohamed Moussa, who it 
claimed were tied to terrorism. On May 28, 2005, the former government 
charged thirty-seven with membership in unrecognized groups or for 
inciting violence and making harmful political statements at mosques. 
The former government released fourteen others, leaving sixty-six in 
prison (thirty-seven of whom had been charged). A majority of the 
arrests appeared to be based on alleged political activities rather 
than religious beliefs. The transitional government released twenty-one 
of the sixty-six Islamists soon after assuming power, and on September 
2, 2005, released an additional twenty-four for lack of evidence, 
leaving twenty-one in prison. Three prisoners escaped April 27, 2006, 
leaving eighteen in prison. The transitional government stated that it 
had sufficient evidence to hold the remaining eighteen for terrorist 
activities and was preparing its case against them at the end of the 
reporting period.
    Unlike in the previous reporting period, there were no reports of 
former or transitional government officials searching mosques, seizing 
Qur'anic texts or arresting mosque officials. As in the previous 
reporting period, both the former and transitional governments 
restricted the use of mosque loudspeakers exclusively for the call to 
prayer and Friday service, in accordance with a 2003 law that prohibits 
the use of mosques for any form of political activity, including the 
distribution of propaganda and incitement to violence.
    In late 2005 a western citizen was arrested and detained for forty-
eight hours by transitional government authorities for distributing 
non-Islamic religious materials to citizens. Several weeks after his 
release the individual was rearrested for continued possession of non-
Islamic religious materials and was expelled from the country.
    As in the previous reporting period, after police told four small 
Protestant groups to stop meeting in members' homes until they received 
official recognition, the transitional government continued to restrict 
such meetings.
    There were some instances where persons were detained for 
questioning in connection with an investigation into proselytizing, but 
they were released within days without charges.
    No non-Islamic groups have ever been recognized, including the 
Catholic Church, which operates openly in its facility in Nouakchott.
    Shari'a law provides the legal principles upon which the country's 
law and legal procedure are based. The testimony of two women is 
necessary to equal that of one man. In addition, in awarding an 
indemnity to the family of a woman who has been killed, the courts 
grant only half the amount that they would award for a man's death. For 
commercial and other issues not addressed specifically by Shari'a, the 
law and courts treat women and men equally.
    Excluding the Islamists previously mentioned, there were no 
additional 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. There were no reported incidents of 
interreligious violence during this period. Unlike in the previous 
reporting period, there were no reports of public protests conducted 
against the Government's continued recognition of Israel. However, such 
protests were planned for July 2 and 4, 2006.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
former and transitional governments as part of its overall policy to 
promote human rights.
    The U.S. embassy monitors developments affecting religious freedom 
and maintains contact with imams and the leaders of other religious 
groups. These contacts include the Minister of Islamic Orientation, 
Literacy Programs, and Traditional Education.
    The U.S. ambassador actively engages prominent religious leaders in 
a dialogue to broaden mutual understanding of religious freedom 
principles and to explain the freedom with which Muslims practice their 
religion in America.
    As part of its continuing efforts to promote religious tolerance, 
the embassy brought an American imam to the country for a week-long 
visit in January and February 2006. During his visit the imam met with 
several civil and religious leaders to discuss how Islam is practiced 
freely in the United States. As part of his visit, the imam was invited 
to participate as a keynote speaker at a conference to promote dialogue 
and understanding within the Islamic community. The ambassador 
continues to meet frequently with many different Islamic leaders to 
promote dialogue. The embassy also has expanded its outreach efforts to 
Qur'anic schools.
                               __________

                               MAURITIUS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    Occasional tensions between the Hindu majority and Christian and 
Muslim minorities persisted; however, members of each group worshipped 
without hindrance.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 718 square miles, and its population was 
approximately 1.2 million. In the 2000 census, an estimated 50 percent 
of the population claimed to be Hindu, 32 percent Christian, and 17 
percent Muslim. Less than 1 percent claimed to be atheist, agnostic, or 
of another faith. There were no official figures for those who actively 
practiced their faith, but there were estimates that the figure was 
approximately 60 percent for all religious groups.
    Approximately 73 percent of Christians were Roman Catholic. The 
remaining 27 percent were members of the following subgroups: Seventh-
day Adventist, Assembly of God, Christian Tamil, Church of England, 
Pentecostal, Presbyterian, evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Sunnis accounted 
for more than 90 percent of Muslims; there were some Shi'a Muslims. 
Many Buddhists were also practicing Catholics, and many citizens of 
Chinese ancestry sent their children to the Loreto Convent primary 
schools in the major towns, which were managed by the Catholic diocese.
    The north was more Hindu, and the south was more Catholic. There 
also were large populations of Muslims and Catholics in the main cities 
of Port Louis, Quatre Bornes, and Curepipe. Most mosques and churches 
were concentrated in these areas. The offshore island of Rodrigues, 
with a population of approximately 36,000, was 92 percent Catholic.
    The country is a small island nation, and its ethnic groups, known 
as ``communal groups,'' are tightly knit. Intermarriage was not common, 
although the most recent census indicated that it was increasing. An 
individual's name usually identified his or her ethnic and religious 
background. There was a strong correlation between religious 
affiliation and ethnicity. Citizens of Indian ethnicity usually were 
Hindus or Muslims. Those of Chinese ancestry generally practiced both 
Buddhism and Catholicism. Creoles and citizens of European descent 
usually were Catholic.
    Foreign missionary groups, including the Baptist Church, the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and the International 
Society for Krishna Consciousness, operated in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion.
    Religious organizations that were present prior to independence, 
such as the Catholic Church, the Church of England, the Presbyterian 
Church, the Seventh-day Adventists, Hindus, and Muslims, are recognized 
in a parliamentary decree. These groups also receive an annual lump-sum 
payment from the Ministry of Finance based upon the number of adherents 
as determined by the census. Newer religious organizations (which must 
have a minimum of seven members) were registered by the Registrar of 
Associations and were recognized as legal entities with tax-exempt 
privileges. The Government was not known to have refused registration 
to any group.
    Foreign missionary groups were allowed to operate on a case-by-case 
basis. Although there are no government regulations restricting their 
presence or limiting their proselytizing activities, groups must obtain 
both a resident permit and a work permit for each missionary. The prime 
minister's office is the final authority on issuance of these required 
documents to missionaries. While there are no limits on the ability of 
missionaries to operate in the country, there are limits on the number 
of missionaries permitted to obtain the requisite visas and work 
permits. During the reporting period, the Government refused to grant 
work and residency permits to two Mormon missionaries. However, at 
least one other Mormon missionary received a work and residency permit.
    National holidays are representative of the country's 
multireligious, multiethnic population. Hindu (Maha Shivratree, Ganesh 
Chathurthi, and Divvali), Tamil (Thaipoosam Cavadee, and Ougadi), 
Christian (Christmas and All Saints' Day), and Muslim (Eid al-Fitr) 
holy days are national holidays.
    The Ministry of Arts and Culture is responsible for promoting 
cultural interaction among different cultural components within the 
country and sponsored daylong events aimed at fostering cultural 
programs that included religious components. For the third consecutive 
year, the Ministry held daylong activities for Divali and Eid al-Fitr. 
The ministry also held a daylong celebration of Christmas.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Due to the predominance of Hindu citizens in the upper echelons of 
the civil service, some minorities, usually Creoles and Muslims, 
alleged that they were prevented from reaching the highest levels of 
government. Despite this sentiment, a member of the Franco-Mauritian 
minority, Paul Raymond Berenger, became prime minister through a 
prearranged agreement between the parties of the governing coalition in 
2003, making him the first Christian prime minister of the country. 
Prime Minister Ramgoolam's first deputy prime minister was Muslim, the 
highest elected office ever held by a Muslim in the country.
    While some Creole political groups alleged that Christian Creoles 
received unjust treatment from the police, there was no evidence that 
this was based on religious differences. Observers believed that such 
incidents likely were a result largely of ethnic differences, since the 
police force was predominantly Indo-Mauritian and the fact that Creoles 
tended to live in poorer areas, where crime was more prevalent.
    Foreign missionaries sometimes were prohibited from residing in the 
country beyond five years (which would permit them to seek 
citizenship). Religious organizations were permitted to send new 
missionaries to replace them; however, groups sometimes encountered 
bureaucratic obstacles in obtaining work permits and residence visas 
for replacements. This occasionally prevented such organizations from 
replacing departing missionaries in a timely fashion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In 2004 the Supreme Court ruled that religious beliefs should not 
be taken into account when pupils were admitted to publicly funded 
Catholic schools. As a result, the Catholic diocese, which administers 
the schools, no longer had a seat allocation policy giving preference 
to Catholic students.
    The Council of Religions of Mauritius, consisting of religious 
leaders from each of the major religions, met several times during the 
period covered by this report to discuss interreligious harmony. The 
committee set as its goal the development of a greater understanding 
between religious groups. Following the July 2005 elections, the 
members of the council signed a document urging political parties to 
refrain from using religious platforms. In January 2005 the Council of 
Religions held a meeting to establish a plan of action against HIV/
AIDS.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Occasional tensions between the Hindu majority and Christian and 
Muslim minorities persisted; however, no violent confrontations 
occurred during the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During the reporting period, the U.S. embassy conducted programs with 
several Muslim communities, including a visit from an American imam on 
nonviolence and Muslim life in America.
                               __________

                               MOZAMBIQUE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion; 
however, the constitution bans religious faith-based political parties 
as threats to national unity.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 308,642 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 19.4 million. According to the most recent census 
conducted by the National Institute of Statistics in 1997, half of the 
population did not profess to practice a religion or creed; however, 
religious leaders believed that the census scheduled for 2007 would 
show that virtually all of these persons recognized or practiced some 
form of traditional indigenous religion. Of the approximately eight 
million persons who professed a recognized religion in the 1997 
national survey, 24 percent were Roman Catholic, 22 percent were 
Protestant, and 20 percent were Muslim. Many Muslim leaders disagreed 
with this statistic, claiming that since Islam is the major religion 
practiced in the most populous provinces of the country, at least 50 
percent of the country's population must be Muslim.
    Religious communities were dispersed throughout the country. The 
northern provinces were most strongly Muslim, particularly along the 
coastal strip, but some areas of the northern interior were strongly 
Protestant or Catholic. Protestants and Catholics were more numerous in 
the southern and central regions, but Muslim minority populations could 
be found in these areas as well. Government sources stated that 
evangelical Christians represented the fastest growing religious group. 
Generally, religious communities tended to draw members from across 
ethnic, political, economic, and racial lines; however, the increasing 
immigrant population of South Asian origin was predominantly Muslim and 
followed the Hanafi school of Islamic Jurisprudence.
    There were 722 religious denominations and 124 religious 
organizations registered with the Department of Religious Affairs of 
the Ministry of Justice. In the period covered by this report, fifty-
one denominations and three religious organizations were registered. 
Major Christian denominations included Roman Catholic, Anglican, 
Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Congregational, Seventh-day 
Adventist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Nazarene, and Jehovah's 
Witnesses, as well as many other evangelical, apostolic, and 
pentecostal churches. Many small, independent Protestant and Catholic 
churches that have split from mainstream denominations fuse African 
traditional beliefs and practices within a Christian framework. The 
Brazilian Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, established in 
Mozambique in 1993, has continued to make significant inroads in the 
expansion of its countrywide missionary network in addition to 
financial holdings. The Universal Church owns the Rede Miramar radio 
and television stations and various real estate holdings throughout the 
country.
    The Government reported that no subgroups were registered under 
Islam; however, the vast majority of Muslims were Sunni, with the small 
Shi'a minority being principally of South Asian origin. The three 
principal Islamic organizations were the Mohammedan Community, Islamic 
Congress, and Islamic Council. The Kuwaiti-funded and Sudanese-managed 
NGO African Muslim Agency conducted humanitarian work as did the Muslim 
development agency Aga Khan. Muslim journalists reported that the 
distinction between Sunni and Shi'a was not particularly important for 
many local Muslims, and Muslims were much more likely to identify 
themselves by the local religious leader they followed than as Sunni or 
Shi'a. The country's Muslim population represented the four schools of 
thought in Islamic Law: Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki, and Hanbali.
    Jewish, Hindu, and Baha'i groups were registered and constituted a 
very small percentage of the population.
    The country's leading mosques and the Roman Catholic Church have 
gradually eliminated many traditional indigenous practices from their 
places of worship, instituting practices that reflect a stricter 
interpretation of sacred texts; however, some Christian and Muslim 
adherents continue to incorporate traditional practices and rituals, 
and religious authorities have generally been permissive of such 
practices. For example, members of these faiths commonly travel to 
ancestors' graves to say special prayers for rain. Christians and 
Muslims continue to practice a ritual of preparation or inauguration at 
the time of important events (for example, before a first job, a school 
examination, or a swearing-in) by offering prayers and spilling 
beverages on the ground to please ancestors. Some Christians and 
Muslims consult curandeiros, traditional healers or spiritualists, some 
of whom themselves are nominal Christians or Muslims, in search of good 
luck, healing, and solutions to problems. Curandeiros are not 
recognized by the Ministry of Justice's Department of Religious Affairs 
as representing a distinct religious following.
    Dozens of foreign missionary groups operated freely. Most were 
Protestant evangelical groups, but Islamic and Catholic missionaries 
were strongly represented as well. Protestant missionary presence was 
strongest in the south, but missionary groups such as the Nampula-based 
Sociedade Internacional de Linguistica (International Linguistic 
Society), supported by the Christian Council of Mozambique, were 
expanding Bible translation projects in the north. Muslim missionaries 
from Egypt, Pakistan, and South Africa have established Islamic 
schools, known as madrassahs, in many cities and towns in the northern 
provinces, and provided scholarships for students from the south to 
study in their respective countries. Indian Muslim groups have also 
developed a significant missionary presence in recent years.
    Two prominent Christian figures, Reverend Jamisse Taimo and 
Reverend Arao Litsure, have chaired the last three National Elections 
Commissions, in 1999, 2003, and 2004. In 2004 religious leaders also 
served as chairmen of provincial election commissions in many areas. 
While President Guebuza is Presbyterian, most prominent figures in the 
Government are Catholic; only two members of President Guebuza's 
cabinet are Muslim. However, all major religions and denominations are 
strongly represented in the National Assembly and in various government 
ministries.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    In name and practice, the Government does not favor a particular 
religion, nor is there a state or dominant religion; however, Islamic 
leaders and journalists objected to what they say is silent 
discrimination against the Muslim community. They cite the example of 
the National Family Day, a holiday that is observed on December 25. 
Officially, there are no national holidays that are religious in 
nature, but some members of the Muslim community insist that Ide should 
be made a national holiday if Christmas is observed de facto under the 
guise of family unification. In December 2005 President Guebuza swore 
into office the members of the newly created Council of State, an 
advisory body comprising well-known citizens representing various 
professions and organizations. As prescribed by law, in addition to the 
standing members, the president appointed four ``personalities of 
recognized merit,'' and the Parliament elected seven more. The absence 
of any prominent Muslim leader on the council caused great controversy 
in the Islamic community, which believed that their contributions to 
the country's development warranted a place on the council. After the 
appointment of Catholic Cardinal Alexandre dos Santos, Muslim leaders 
complained that the Islamic community was being marginalized and 
favoritism was being demonstrated toward Christians.
    The 1989 Law on Religious Freedom requires religious institutions 
and missionary organizations to register with the Ministry of Justice, 
reveal their principal source of funding, and provide the names of at 
least 500 followers in good standing. No particular benefits or 
privileges are associated with the registration process, and there were 
no reports that the Government refused to register any religious group 
during the period covered by this report. The Christian Council 
reported that not all religious groups register, but unregistered 
groups worship unhindered by the Government.
    The Government routinely grants visas and residence permits to 
foreign missionaries. Like all foreign residents, missionaries face a 
somewhat burdensome process in obtaining legal residency; however, they 
generally conduct their activities without government interference.
    The constitution gives religious groups the right to acquire and 
own assets, and these institutions are allowed by law to own and 
operate schools, which are increasing in numbers. In 2003 and 2004, 
Islamic primary and secondary schools were established in the cities of 
Matola, Xai-Xai, Nampula, Nacala, and Pemba, many with financing from 
the African Muslim Agency or from prominent local Muslims, many of 
South Asian descent. Several other Islamic schools are under 
construction or rehabilitation in other cities. Many Protestant 
organizations have also opened primary and secondary schools in recent 
years, primarily in the central and northern provinces. On the 
university level, the Muslim community has financed the establishment 
of Mussa Bin Bique University in Nampula, which opened in 2002 and 
expanded in 2005. The Catholic University has educational facilities in 
Beira, Nampula, Cuamba, and Pemba. Religious instruction is a primary 
focus of the new primary and secondary schools, but the universities 
associated with religious denominations do not emphasize or even offer 
religious studies. In fact, many students at Catholic University 
branches are Muslim, particularly in Pemba. During this reporting 
period, the cardinal of Maputo inaugurated the new Sao Tomas 
University, and the Catholic Church reported that enrollment is not 
faith-based. Religious instruction in public schools is strictly 
prohibited.
    A conference of bishops meets regularly and sends pastoral letters 
documenting issues of national consequence to the president of the 
republic. Throughout the period covered by this report, Catholic and 
other Christian groups freely held seminars and participated in 
government health programs, such as vaccination and cholera awareness 
campaigns. In February 2006 President Guebuza presided over the four-
day launch of his Presidential Initiative on the Fight Against HIV/
AIDS. As part of the launch, he invited more than 100 religious leaders 
representing all faiths to talk about approaches to stem the growing 
pandemic. This marked the country's first government-initiated 
interfaith dialogue on an issue of national interest.
    Religious activities and positions were reported in the press 
without restriction; however, some Muslim journalists complained that 
the press gave more coverage to Christian holidays than Islamic days of 
cultural and religious importance.
    In August 2004 the Government enacted a new Family Law, which 
replaced the colonial-era civil code and brought the law into 
compliance with equality provisions of the constitution. The new law 
raised the marriage age to eighteen for males and females, eliminated 
the husband's de facto status as head of the family, and legalized 
civil, religious, and common-law unions. The passage of the law was of 
particular consequence to the country's major religious faiths as it 
provided for state recognition of religious weddings for the first time 
in more than eighty years.
    The law does not legally recognize polygyny; however, women in 
polygamous marriages are granted full marital and inheritance rights.
    In May 2006 the Mohammedan Community constructed 150 houses for 
donation to families displaced by the devastating floods of 2000 and 
2001. The $300,000 housing project based in Maputo province won 
widespread public praise for the scope of its charitable vision and did 
not exclude non-Muslims from receiving aid. The community planned to 
construct an additional 250 homes as well as a mosque, primary school, 
vocational school, orphanage, clinic, pharmacy, and well.
    The Catholic Church continues to encourage the evolution of the 
country's political system principally on the provincial level. The 
Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), established in 1948, plays a 
role in politics. After the Rome Peace Agreement that ended the 
country's sixteen-year civil war, the CCM's Peace and Reconciliation 
Committee began collecting and destroying hundreds of armaments and 
explosives in exchange for agricultural implements and construction 
materials. During the reporting period the CCM collected fifteen 
weapons and explosives in the southern region. The CCM also 
participates in the civil society organization Electoral Observatory, 
and takes part in key policy debates such as the National Poverty 
Alleviation Plan.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, the law governing political parties 
specifically forbids religious parties from organizing and any party 
from sponsoring religious propaganda.
    Most places of worship nationalized by the Government in 1977 have 
been returned to their respective religious organizations; however, the 
Catholic Church and a few Muslim communities maintain that other 
properties, including schools, health centers, and private residences, 
continue to remain unjustly in state hands. The groups continued to 
press for their return. The issue of restitution is complex, as many of 
these buildings continue to be used for government-administered schools 
and clinics; moreover, while the final responsibility for establishing 
a process for property restitution lies with the provincial government, 
it is the Directorate for Religious Affairs that is mandated to address 
the general issue of the restitution of church properties. Return of 
the properties often is delayed due to construction of new facilities, 
particularly schools and health clinics. The Papal Nunciature reported 
that the Government continued to occupy properties in Inhambane, 
Maputo, Niassa, and Zambezia provinces that were used for schools, 
seminaries, and residences, and that the Vatican had entered into 
negotiations with the Government for their restitution. Because of the 
complexity of the restitution issue and seeming contradictions within 
the law, the return of property is seen by the Catholic Church as less 
a recourse to the judicial system than a process of collaboration.
    In June 2004 fourteen American Protestant evangelical missionaries 
were expelled from the northern city of Montepuez; however, the reason 
for their expulsion was not religious, and they were able to 
reestablish missionary activities in other areas of the north.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations among religious groups generally are amicable, especially 
at the grassroots level. No religiously inspired altercations between 
members of different faiths were reported during this period. Within 
the Islamic community, the black and South Asian communities tend to 
remain separate, with each group generally attending different mosques 
and schools. While relations between blacks and established Mozambicans 
of South Asian origin are generally good, cultural conflict between 
black communities and South Asian immigrants has led to increasing 
tensions.
    In February 2006 a Maputo newspaper reprinted eight of the Danish 
cartoons that had sparked world controversy and widespread condemnation 
by Islamic groups. A protest staged largely by Muslims of South Asian 
ancestry turned violent in front of the newspaper's office building, 
and a Muslim journalist reported that the mob attacked black Muslims 
advocating for peaceful demonstrations and dialogue. While the Muslim 
community unified to boycott the paper for two months, black Muslims 
said that the facade of harmony hides the underlying tension and 
perception they were strong-armed into action. The Government issued a 
statement condemning the paper's decision to reprint the contentious 
cartoons and underscored the state's commitment to secular principles 
and religious freedom, but it did not comment on the violent protest.
    Some black Muslims said that the Government's perceived inaction 
was part of a pattern of political favors being purchased by the 
wealthy Muslim community mostly comprising South Asians. Black Muslims 
also see as an indication of favoritism the Government's official 
acknowledgement of the date of the Ide Muslim festival recognized by 
the South Asians over the date recognized by the black Muslim 
leadership.
    In October 2005 President Guebuza attended the inauguration 
ceremony of the country's second oldest mosque, the Mesquita Central da 
Baixa, originally constructed in 1903. Controversy surrounding the 
opening ceremony highlighted the growing rift between Muslims of South 
Asian ancestry, who generally frequent the mosque, and the black Muslim 
population, which boycotted the ceremony due to the perception that the 
financial backer of the rehabilitation project was using his wealth in 
exchange for political favors for South Asians.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                NAMIBIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 320,827 square miles, and its population 
was approximately two million. More than 90 percent of citizens 
identified themselves as Christian. The two largest denominations were 
the Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches, while smaller numbers were 
affiliated with the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, and the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). There were also 
a number of Zionist Churches (a mixture of traditional African beliefs 
and Pentecostal Christianity), especially in urban areas. The Afrikaner 
ethnic group was the predominant patron of the Dutch Reformed Church of 
Namibia. The Himba, an ethnic group that constitutes less than 1 
percent of the population, practiced a traditional indigenous religion 
oriented toward their natural environment in the desert northwest. The 
San people, who constitute less than 3 percent of the population, also 
practiced a traditional indigenous religion. Other religions included 
Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and the Baha'i Faith. Practitioners of these 
religions predominantly were immigrants, descendents of immigrants, or 
recent converts. They resided primarily in urban areas. There were few 
atheists in the country. Muslims, almost exclusively Sunni and 
comprising both citizens and foreign nationals, represented less than 1 
percent of the population.
    Foreign missionary groups, including Lutherans, Catholics, 
Baptists, Mormons, and Baha'is, operated in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion, nor does the Government subsidize any particular 
denomination.
    The Government does not formally recognize any religion. Unlike in 
the past, the Government and senior ruling party officials no longer 
emphasize the role of three Christian denominations--Anglican, 
Lutheran, and Roman Catholic--in mobilizing political support. Since 
his election, President Pohamba has conferred with religious leaders of 
all persuasions, including the predominantly Afrikaner Dutch Reformed 
Church.
    There are no registration requirements for religious organizations.
    The Government recognizes the holy days of Good Friday, Easter 
Monday, Ascension Day, and Christmas Day as national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Council of Churches has 
as its general secretary a member of the United Congregational Church 
of Southern Africa. There are two private religious radio stations and 
one free-to-air television channel. A widely available satellite 
television service offers four exclusively religious channels, 
including one serving the Muslim community. There were two reported 
cases of villagers in the north beating individuals suspected of 
witchcraft. Police arrested and charged five individuals, including one 
police officer, in one case; investigations continued in the second 
incident.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives had frequent contact with citizens and foreign 
visitors from a wide variety of religious faiths. The embassy continued 
to support activities that encourage respect for all aspects of human 
rights, including religious tolerance, through the Democracy and Human 
Rights Fund.
                               __________

                                 NIGER

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice, as long as 
persons respected public order, social peace, and national unity.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 490,000 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 13.95 million. Islam was the dominant religion and was 
practiced by more than 90 percent of the population. Approximately 95 
percent of the Muslim population was Sunni, while the remaining 5 
percent was Shi'a. There were also small communities of Christians and 
Baha'is. Christians, both Roman Catholics and Protestants, accounted 
for less than 5 percent of the population but were present particularly 
in the regions of Maradi, Dogondoutchi, Niamey, and other urban centers 
with expatriate populations. Christianity was the religion of French 
colonial institutions, and its followers included many local believers 
from the educated, the elite, and colonial families, as well as African 
immigrants from neighboring coastal countries, particularly Benin, 
Togo, and Ghana. Numbering only a few thousand, the Baha'i were located 
primarily in Niamey and in communities on the west side of the Niger 
River, bordering Burkina Faso. A small percentage of the population 
practiced traditional indigenous religions. There was no information 
available regarding the number of atheists.
    Active Christian missionary organizations included the Southern 
Baptists, evangelical Baptists, Catholics, Assemblies of God, Seventh-
day Adventists, Service in Mission (SIM), and Jehovah's Witnesses.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice, as long as 
persons respected public order, social peace, and national unity. The 
Government at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did 
not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    No religious group was subsidized; however, the Islamic 
Association, which acts as an official advisory committee on religious 
matters to the Government, conducted biweekly broadcasts on the 
government-controlled television station. Christian programming was 
broadcast on private and government radio stations, although the 
government stations would typically broadcast it only on Sundays and on 
special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter.
    Religious organizations must register with the Interior Ministry. 
This registration is a formality, and there is no evidence that the 
Government favors any religion over another or that it ever has refused 
to register a religious organization. Approval is based on submission 
of required legal documents and the vetting of organization leaders. 
The Government must also authorize construction of any place of 
worship; however, there were no reports that the Government refused 
construction permits during the period covered by this report.
    Foreign missionaries work freely, but their organizations must be 
registered officially as associations. In addition to proselytizing, 
most missionary groups generally offered development or humanitarian 
assistance. The Christian community in Galmi, Tahoua region, benefited 
from a hospital and health center run by SIM missionaries. The hospital 
and health center have been in operation for more than forty years.
    The Government does not permit religious instruction in public 
schools.
    Christmas, Easter Monday, Eid el-Adha, Muharram, Maulid al-Nabi 
(the Prophet Muhammad's birthday), Lailatoul-Quadr, and Eid al-Fitr are 
recognized as national holidays. It is not uncommon for Muslims and 
Christians to attend each other's festivities during these holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The constitution forbids political parties from having a doctrine 
based on any religious ideology.
    The Government does not impose religious speech restrictions as 
long as there is no intent to disrespect public order, social peace, 
and national unity. Some senior-level government employees are required 
to take religious oaths. The constitution specifies that the president 
of the republic, the prime minister, the president of the National 
Assembly, and the president of the Constitutional Court must take an 
oath on a holy book of their own choosing. Members of the 
Constitutional Court, Independent National Election Commission, and 
High Council for Communications must do the same.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor United States 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
    On February 10, 2006, the Government, in conjunction with the 
country's Islamic organizations, established the Niger Islamic Council. 
Composed of ten leaders drawn from various Islamic associations and 
NGOs and ten representatives of government agencies, the council would 
advise the Government on issues of concern to Muslims, including 
preaching, mosque construction, and zakat. The council was also charged 
with promoting a culture of tolerance and social peace. During the 
installation of the council, the prime minister noted that the 
organization was also intended ``to address behaviors and practices 
inspired by foreign countries.'' This remark was broadly interpreted to 
mean that the council would promote the practice of the moderate, 
tolerant Islam that the country has known for centuries, while 
countering extremist interpretations imported from, or influenced by, 
other Islamic countries. The minister of the interior also announced 
that a Christian council would be established in the near future.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There were no further 
developments in the March 2005 protest incident at an American 
missionary church compound in the city of Maradi. Of the sixty 
protestors arrested in this incident, the majority were minors who were 
released shortly thereafter. Fifteen adult protestors were held in 
custody for three days before being released as part of a general, 
nation-wide agreement between the Government and the civil society 
group that had organized the anti-tax protests. Likewise, there were no 
further reports of violence or tensions between mainstream Sunni Muslim 
youth and members of the Wahhabist Izalay sect.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy regularly emphasizes the importance of tolerance in its 
public statements and in meetings with government officials and members 
of civil society.
    Embassy officers maintained regular contact with Muslim religious 
leaders, community members, and students. The embassy maintains good 
relationships with evangelical Christian religious groups, most of 
which are staffed by long-term resident missionaries and well-known 
members of the American community. Embassy officials also have contact 
with the Catholic diocese, the Baha'i community, and Islamic 
organizations.
                               __________

                                NIGERIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, including 
freedom to change one's religion or belief, and freedom to manifest and 
propagate one's religion or belief through worship, teaching, practice, 
and observance. While the Federal Government generally respected 
religious freedom, there were some instances in which limits were 
placed on religious activity to address security and public safety 
concerns.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report.
    Interreligious tension between Christians and Muslims remained high 
in some areas, and there were several violent economic, ethnic, and 
political conflicts that took on religious overtones. A government 
census was held in March, the first since 1991. Census results were not 
scheduled to be released until at least November 2006. The census had 
been expected to settle the question of whether Christians or Muslims 
make up the majority in the country. However, the religious issue 
proved so divisive that questions related to it were eventually removed 
from the census form. While members of Jehovah's Witnesses freely 
practiced their religion and were generally accepted in society, there 
were isolated cases of societal abuse of Witnesses who chose not to 
participate in local age-grade associations for religious reasons.
    The U.S. government broached and actively pursued several religious 
freedom-related issues, and this was an important part of the U.S. 
embassy's program. The ambassador and the embassy have taken an active 
role in discussing and advocating these issues with government, 
religious and community leaders, and are involved in these issues 
countrywide. The embassy has also devoted substantial funding to 
projects and outreach with a religious freedom component.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 356,700 square miles, and its population 
is estimated at 140 to 150 million. There were no accepted figures for 
the proportion of citizens who practiced Islam or Christianity; it was 
generally assumed the numbers were roughly equal and that there were a 
substantial number who practiced traditional indigenous religions 
alongside Christianity or Islam. The predominant form of Islam in the 
country was Sunni. The Christian population included Roman Catholics, 
Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and a growing number of 
evangelical and Pentecostal Christians and members of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
    There was a strong correlation between religious differences and 
ethnic and regional diversity. The north, dominated by the large Hausa 
and Fulani ethnic groups, was predominantly Muslim with significant 
numbers of Christians. Both Muslims and Christians were found in large 
numbers in the Middle Belt. In the southwest, where the large Yoruba 
ethnic group was the majority, there was no dominant religion. Most 
Yorubas practiced either Christianity or Islam, while others continued 
to practice the traditional Yoruba religion, which includes a belief in 
a supreme deity and the worship of lesser deities that serve as the 
supreme deity's agents in aspects of daily life. In the east, where the 
large Igbo ethnic group was dominant, Catholics, Anglicans, and 
Methodists were the majority, although many Igbos continued to observe 
traditional rites and ceremonies in tandem with Christianity.
    The Government conducted a nationwide census in March 2006. There 
was a great deal of controversy over whether to count religion and 
ethnicity during the census exercise. The final decision was to leave 
questions of ethnicity and religion off the census form. Therefore, no 
precise data was gathered about the relative numbers of adherents to 
various faiths in the country.
    Christian missionaries from many denominations operated freely. 
Rough estimates put the number of foreign Christian missionaries at 
more than one thousand, with many residing in the area around Jos in 
the Middle Belt's Plateau State. Many Christian missionaries have been 
present for a decade or longer. There were fewer foreign Muslim 
missionaries, and they generally stayed for shorter periods of time 
than their Christian counterparts.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, including 
freedom to change one's religion or belief, and freedom to manifest and 
propagate one's religion or belief through worship, teaching, practice, 
and observance. While the Federal Government generally respected 
religious freedom, there were some instances in which limits were 
placed on religious activity to address security and public safety 
concerns.
    The Government remained a member of the Organization of the Islamic 
Conference during the period covered by this report. However, there is 
no state religion.
    Each year the Government observes the following Islamic and 
Christian holy days as national holidays: Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, 
Good Friday, Easter Monday, the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, 
Christmas, and Boxing Day.
    There are thirty-six states; governors have substantial autonomy in 
all decision making but derive the vast majority of their resources 
from the Federal Government. The constitution prohibits state and local 
governments from adopting an official religion; however, some 
Christians have alleged that Islam has been adopted as a de facto state 
religion in several northern states, citing the reintroduction of 
criminal law aspects of Shari'a (Islamic law) and the continued use of 
state resources to fund the construction of mosques, the teaching of 
Kadis (Shari'a judges), and pilgrimages to Mecca (Hajj). However, 
several states, including northern states, used government revenues to 
fund Christian activities, including pilgrimages to Jerusalem. In 
general, state governments, whether dominated by Christians or Muslims, 
tended to lean toward the faith practiced by the majority of residents.
    The constitution provides that states may elect to use Shari'a laws 
and courts. There are twelve northern states that have adopted at least 
parts of Shari'a--Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, 
Yobe, Bauchi, Borno, Zamfara, and Gombe. Adherence to Shari'a 
provisions is compulsory for Muslims in some states and optional in 
others. Non-Muslims are not required in any state to submit to Shari'a 
jurisdiction. In some states non-Muslims have the option of submitting 
to Shari'a jurisdiction when the penalty under Shari'a is less severe, 
such as paying a fine rather than a jail sentence under secular law. 
Defendants have the right to challenge the constitutionality of Shari'a 
criminal statutes through the secular courts. As in the previous 
reporting period, no challenges with adequate legal standing reached 
the secular appellate system. The constitution also provides for the 
Federal Government to establish a federal Shari'a court of appeal and a 
final court of appeal; however, the Government has not yet established 
such courts.
    Christian and Islamic groups planning to build new churches or 
mosques are required by law to register with the Corporate Affairs 
Commission (CAC). The CAC did not deny registration to any religious 
group during the period covered by this report. Many nascent churches 
and Islamic congregations ignored the registration requirement, and a 
small number, most notably those in Abuja, had their places of worship 
shut down or demolished when the zoning laws were enforced.
    Both federal and state governments were involved in the regulation 
of mandatory religious instruction in public schools.
    Some state governors actively encouraged interfaith and interethnic 
discussions and took steps to prevent further violence and tension. The 
Government encouraged the activities of nongovernmental organizations 
such as the Kano-based Inter-Ethnic Forum, the Kaduna-based Inter-Faith 
Mediation Center, and the Muslim/Christian Dialogue Forum. At the 
national level, the Government established an Inter-Religious Council, 
consisting of prominent Muslim and Christian leaders.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government requires permits for outdoor public functions; 
government authorities and those assembling often ignored this 
requirement. In June 2005 an Abuja High Court ruled that long-standing 
legal provisions of the Public Order Act banning gatherings whose 
political, ethnic, or religious content might lead to unrest were 
unconstitutional. While it is not specific to religious gatherings, the 
act has nonetheless allowed authorities wide latitude in dispersing 
gatherings in which they have a ``reasonable ground to fear a breach of 
the peace.''
    Despite the court ruling, several state governments continued to 
ban public mass-rally proselytizing to avoid ethno-religious violence. 
Some proselytizing groups remained active even before the court ruling, 
but since the ban was ruled unconstitutional in 2005, large outdoor 
religious gatherings were less likely to be restricted. Some state 
governments continued to impose bans inconsistent with the court 
ruling.
    In 2003 the National Broadcasting Commission ruled that 
televangelists who broadcast religious miracles would be required to 
provide evidence to prove the authenticity of the alleged miracles. The 
Lagos High Court ordered a suspension of the ruling pending its hearing 
of a lawsuit contesting the policy. The suit was not heard during the 
reporting period, and some evangelists continued to reference miracles 
in their broadcasts.
    Although distribution of religious publications was generally 
unrestricted, the Government sporadically enforced a ban against 
broadcasting religious advertisements on state-owned radio and 
television stations.
    In Zamfara State, all criminal cases involving Muslims must be 
heard by a Shari'a court. Other states utilizing Shari'a law permit 
Muslims to choose secular courts for criminal cases; however, societal 
pressure compelled most Muslims to use the Shari'a court system. Some 
kadis (Shari'a judges) apply harsher penalties in adultery and 
fornication cases against women than in such cases against men and 
require stronger evidence to convict men than to convict women. While 
this legal standard still existed, there was less controversy 
surrounding specific Shari'a cases in the reporting period than during 
previous periods. No specific cases of adultery or fornication were 
known to have been prosecuted during the reporting period.
    There are no laws barring women or any groups from testifying in 
secular court or that give less weight to their testimony; however, the 
testimony of women and non-Muslims usually is accorded less weight in 
Shari'a courts.
    In the north there is a long tradition of separating schoolchildren 
according to gender. Some form of gender segregation occurred in many 
secondary schools in the north. In December 2004 the Kano State 
Commissioner of Education announced that public and private school 
pupils should observe ``decent standards of dress,'' although non-
Muslim girls would not be required to wear the headscarf.
    The Government continued to ban religious organizations from 
primary school campuses, although individual students retained the 
right to practice their religions in registered places of worship. The 
constitution does not require students to receive instruction in a 
religion other than their own; however, the Ministry of Education 
requires public school students to undergo either Islamic or Christian 
religious instruction. State authorities claim that students are 
permitted not to attend classes taught in a religion other than their 
own and that students may request a teacher of their own religion to 
provide alternative instruction. However, there were often no teachers 
of ``Christian Religious Knowledge'' in many northern schools, and of 
``Muslim Religious Knowledge'' in some southern schools.
    Christians in the predominantly Muslim northern states continued to 
allege that local government officials used zoning regulations to stop 
or slow the establishment of new churches. Muslims continued to 
complain that they were denied permission to build mosques in 
predominantly Christian southern states. Officials responded that many 
of these proposed new churches and mosques were being planned for 
residential neighborhoods not zoned for religious purposes. State 
officials also stated that the certification boards were dealing with a 
large backlog of cases for all applicants regardless of religious 
faith.
    Although the expanded Shari'a laws technically do not apply to non-
Muslims, the non-Muslim minority has been affected by certain social 
provisions associated with Shari'a, such as the separation of the sexes 
in public schools, and health and transportation services. Many social 
provisions associated with Shari'a have roots in the country's pre-
Islamic societies and were in practice before the states adopted 
Shari'a. For example, schoolchildren were separated by sex in most 
northern states prior to the recent implementation of Shari'a law.
    Although most states have not criminalized alcohol consumption by 
non-Muslims, in May 2004 Kano State announced that non-Muslims would be 
fined approximately $380 (50,000 naira) or up to a year in prison for 
drinking or selling alcohol in certain public places; however there 
were no reports of non-Muslims being penalized during the reporting 
period. In some northern states, the sale and public consumption of 
alcohol have been restricted, except on federal government 
installations, such as military and police barracks. Additionally, 
alcohol was available in Kano in spite of the ban, and while 
restrictions against it were not enforced, it was generally available 
only in international hotels or within small communities of Christians.
    Kano State announced in May 2005 that commercial motorcycle taxis 
could no longer take women as passengers because, it claimed, the 
transport of women on motorcycles was contrary to Shari'a. The state 
government did not cite any specific Qur'anic references in announcing 
the ban. Both Muslim and non-Muslim women were affected by the ban. 
Zamfara State continued to enforce gender-segregated public 
transportation such as minibuses and motorcycle taxis. The bans on 
mixed gender transportation did not appear to extend to private 
vehicles.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The constitution permits capital punishment; although several 
Shari'a courts, as well as secular courts, sentenced persons to death, 
no Shari'a death sentences were implemented during the period covered 
by this report.
    In September 2004 in Bauchi State, Daso Adamu, a nursing mother, 
was sentenced to death by stoning when she initially admitted to having 
sex with her first husband after her second husband absconded. The man 
was freed for lack of evidence. In October 2004 she was released on 
bail on the grounds that she was breastfeeding. In December 2004 a 
Shari'a appeals court vacated the conviction and sentence, ruling that 
her pregnancy was insufficient evidence to convict her.
    In October 2004 in Bauchi State, Hajara Ibrahim was sentenced to 
death by stoning for adultery after becoming pregnant outside of 
wedlock. According to the Shari'a court that convicted her, she 
confessed to having sex with a man who had promised to marry her. The 
man denied meeting her and was released for lack of evidence. The 
defendant appealed the sentence, stating that she should have been 
charged with the lesser crime of fornication, rather than adultery. In 
November 2005 a Shari'a appeals court overturned the conviction and 
sentence, ruling that she had never consummated an arranged marriage 
and therefore should never have been charged with adultery. It appeared 
that the prosecution in the case had not pursued the fornication charge 
subsequent to the court's ruling.
    The Nigeria Legal Aid Council agreed to appeal thirty Shari'a 
convictions and death sentences in Bauchi State. In one case from 
September 2004, an eighteen-year-old man, Saleh Dabo, alleged that 
police told him he could plead guilty to rape and he would be released; 
instead, a court sentenced him to death by stoning for adultery, even 
though he was not married. At the end of the period covered by this 
report, the appeal had not been heard, and the sentence had not been 
carried out.
    Muslims convicted of crimes under Shari'a were sentenced to public 
caning for minor offenses, such as petty theft, public consumption of 
alcohol, and prostitution. Unlike in the past, there were no reports 
that states administered amputations or canings pursuant to Shari'a 
during the period covered by this report. There were numerous Shari'a 
cases pending appeal or implementation of sentence, including pending 
amputation and stoning sentences in Jigawa, Bauchi, Niger, Kano, and 
Zamfara States. Many of these cases were delayed continuously for 
various reasons.
    In May 2005 a Shari'a appeals court in Kaduna overturned amputation 
sentences that had been passed in 2003 against six Zaria men who had 
been accused of stealing a cow and a motorcycle. The appeals court 
ruled that the lower court had erred in convicting the men solely on 
the basis of police testimony, without allowing the men to defend 
themselves. The men also had not had access to legal representation, as 
required by the Kaduna State Shari'a code.
    Human rights groups reported that many indigent persons convicted 
of Shari'a offenses claimed they had not known they were entitled to 
legal representation.
    A number of states with expanded Shari'a laws have sanctioned 
private Shari'a enforcement vigilante groups (known as Hisbah). In some 
cases these groups had authority to make arrests, but generally the 
groups were empowered only to ``advise'' possible Shari'a offenders. 
The Hisbah groups were not very active during the period covered by 
this report.
    There was no further information on the imam detained by the 
Government in 2003, and who continued to be held despite a 2003 Kaduna 
state court order for his release.
    There were instances of violence by security forces. In October 
2004, during Ramadan, police killed two persons and injured three or 
four others in Gusau, the capital of mostly Muslim Zamfara State in the 
northwest. A crowd had approached the state government's building to 
demand traditional Ramadan alms from the Zamfara State governor. Police 
at the gates stopped the crowd from advancing, a scuffle ensued, and 
police opened fire. No further investigation was expected in the 
incident.
    The Adamawa state governor dethroned the ethnic Bachama traditional 
ruler for his role in inciting violence between ethnic Bachama 
Christians and ethnic Hausa Muslims in Numan in June 2004. Later the 
governor named a new traditional leader for the Bachama. In early 
February 2005 police killed at least two persons and arrested at least 
thirty others who were protesting the appointment of the new ruler, 
claiming that he had no mandate to rule over them. It was believed that 
those arrested were later released.
    There were no other reports of religious prisoners or detainees in 
the country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Interreligious tension between Christians and Muslims remained high 
in some areas, and there were several violent economic, ethnic, and 
political conflicts that took on religious overtones.
    Religious differences often mirror regional and ethnic differences. 
For example, persons in the North and in parts of the Middle Belt are 
overwhelmingly Muslim and from the large Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups 
that tend to dominate these areas. Many southern ethnic groups are 
predominantly Christian. In many areas of the Middle Belt, Muslim 
Fulani tend to be pastoralists, while the Muslim Hausa and most 
Christian ethnic groups tend to be farmers or work in urban areas. 
Consequently ethnic, regional, economic, and land use competition often 
correlate with religious differences between the competing groups.
    It is not unusual for different ethnic groups with a long history 
of conflict to have adopted different religions with the effect of 
exacerbating existing tensions. Communal conflicts in Plateau and Kano 
States in 2004 led to the deaths of thousands and a several-month-long 
states of emergency in Plateau State. There have been incidents of 
violence in Plateau State since, but not on the scale of the previous 
reporting period. For example, in April 2006 at least twenty-five 
persons were killed and hundreds fled their homes during fighting 
between the Pan and Gomai people of Plateau state over land ownership.
    There were also instances of violence primarily based on religious 
issues or because of their religious affiliations.
    As many as 50,000 persons were displaced and approximately 150 
killed in a wave of sectarian violence across various states at the end 
of February, sparked by protests over caricatures of the Prophet 
Muhammad, according to the Nigerian Red Cross. The majority of deaths 
occurred in the mainly Christian southeast city of Onitsha, where 
groups of armed youths attacked Muslim Hausa-speakers from the north in 
revenge for Christian Igbos killed some days earlier in the north of 
the country. Spiraling violence spread across at least six states, with 
thousands of persons taking refuge mainly in police and army barracks 
or churches, although many later returned to their homes. Widespread 
destruction of property took place, with numerous churches, mosques, 
and houses burned down. State governments in the affected areas 
dispatched police and army reinforcements and imposed curfews in an 
attempt to contain the situation. The curfews were later lifted.
    In September 2005 a student quarrel occurred at the University of 
Minna over respect for the generally observed Shari'a dress code in 
which two female non-Muslim students and several males were reportedly 
injured. Details of how the conflict started were not available.
    In February 2005 in Sokoto aState, at least three persons were 
killed and dozens injured in fighting between groups of Sunni and Shi'a 
Muslims during a public commemoration of Ashura. To restore order, a 
curfew was imposed for approximately one month.
    Also in February students at a secondary school in Bauchi Sate 
reportedly threatened a Christian teacher for handling the Qur'an, and 
in a subsequent demonstration that turned violent, two churches were 
burned and approximately twenty Christians were killed. The teacher 
came in contact with a copy of the Qur'an while taking it from a 
student who was reading it while class was in session. While 
approximately twenty-five arrests were believed to have been made, the 
case was being handled as a state security matter with little 
information publicly available. Some of the defendants may have been 
taken to Jos and were believed to have been granted bail, and some of 
the defendants were believed to have been taken to Abuja. Christian 
religious leaders in Bauchi were unable to make contact with the 
teacher, Florence Chuckwu.
    A Christian female student from a nursing school in Sokoto was 
threatened after she was accused of having made inappropriate remarks 
about Islam. The school was closed for a few weeks for security 
reasons. A police investigation did not locate the perpetrators. The 
case arose when the student's Christian mother converted to Islam and 
married a Muslim man. The student refused to convert, and her fellow 
students asked her why she had not done so while using inflammatory 
language denigrating Jesus Christ. The student responded with 
inflammatory language denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, and a riot 
ensued. She was spirited away from the scene by a Muslim instructor 
who, according to credible reports, later faced reprisals for helping. 
The student was given refuge at the local police station. Shortly 
before a crowd threatened the station, she was moved to a different 
town and then to another state for her safety. She reportedly planned 
to attend school elsewhere.
    In December 2004 at a major university in Bauchi state, a group of 
Muslim students abducted and killed the head of a Christian campus 
organization in retaliation for what they considered to be insults to 
Islam by Christian students. To alleviate tensions and escalating 
violence against property, authorities closed the university and 
another nearby school, but both later reopened after an interfaith 
dialogue had been established. No arrests or prosecutions in the case 
were reported.
    No further action was taken, nor was further action likely, in 
connection with the church and mosque burnings in Kebbi, Kaduna, 
Ebonyi, and Jigawa States in 2004. No one remained in detention from 
these incidents, nor was further action likely in relation to the 2003 
unrest in Jigawa and Plateau States.
    The law prohibits religious discrimination in employment and other 
practices; however, private businesses frequently discriminated on the 
basis of religion or ethnicity in their hiring practices and purchasing 
patterns. In nearly all states, ethnic rivalries between ``indigene'' 
groups and ``settlers'' led to some societal discrimination against 
minority ethnic and religious groups.
    Members of Jehovah's Witnesses were generally respected; however 
there were isolated instances of societal abuse and discrimination when 
a Witnesses chose not to join local age-grade associations or women's 
associations for religious reasons.
    On September 6, 2005, in Imo state, a female Witness was assaulted 
by a mob of women who pulled off her dress for refusing to be a member 
of their association. Several other Witnesses were assaulted in other 
incidents and had property looted for not paying a women's association 
levy. Although in some instances police were able to broker an 
agreement, no arrests were made.
    In Abia state, Witnesses who chose not to participate in local age-
grade associations for religious reasons were in some instances 
ostracized by the community, denied the right to sell goods in the 
public market, and denied water from the public tap.
    According to several eyewitnesses, on November 11, 2005, members of 
the Eleghawa Age-Grade Association of Asafa Ohafia looted the home of a 
Jehovah's Witnesses husband and wife, taking all their belongings. 
Although the perpetrators were identified, police made no arrests.
    On June 21, 2005, villagers in Isiugwu Ohafia Community in Abia 
state reportedly destroyed the Kingdom Hall, and attacked the homes of 
twenty-four Jehovah's Witnesses families. More than seventy persons 
remain displaced from their homes. Despite formal petitions by the 
families for an investigation and the prosecution of the perpetrators, 
police made no arrests.
    Although many non-Muslims feared that implementation of Shari'a 
would change their way of life, there has been little or no change in 
the daily lives of most non-Muslims. While some state and local 
governments interpreted the new Shari'a laws stringently, the majority 
of states and local governments interpreted and implemented their laws 
less stringently. There also was a trend developing among some segments 
of the Muslim community to shift focus away from the criminal law 
aspects of Shari'a law to its tenets of social justice and charity for 
the poor. Islamic scholars and many Muslim lawyers have begun educating 
the poor and the less well informed about their procedural rights under 
Shari'a. Several lawyers offered free services to the indigent in cases 
with potentially severe punishments.
    In many areas, girls are discriminated against in their access to 
education for social and economic reasons; religious beliefs sometimes 
are a factor. Girls living in the more traditional rural areas, both in 
the predominantly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south, 
are disadvantaged more than their urban counterparts.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. mission regularly raised religious freedom issues with 
various federal, state, and local officials, and with prominent 
citizens. The U.S. government, through the U.S. mission and in 
statements from officials in Washington, sought to encourage a peaceful 
resolution of the debate concerning Shari'a criminal penalties in a way 
that would be compatible with recognized international human rights 
norms and urged that human rights and religious freedom be respected in 
all instances.
    The U.S. mission made an especially strong effort to promote 
religious reconciliation between Christians and Muslims. Mission 
officers traveled extensively to the individual states to meet with 
Christian and Muslim leaders throughout the year and further that 
outreach.
    The U.S. mission reached out to Muslim communities in several 
programs, including the International Visitor Program, the American 
Speaker Program, the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program, and the Humphrey 
Fellowship Program. The U.S. mission also continued publishing its 
informational magazine in Hausa, the language of the predominantly 
Muslim north.
                               __________

                                 RWANDA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There were a 
small number of cases of local government officials reacting to belief-
based actions of Jehovah's Witnesses.
    There was an improvement in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report, and there were fewer 
reports of local authorities harassing and detaining members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses continued to experience 
difficulty in obtaining permission to build Kingdom Halls (places of 
worship) in some localities, and there were some cases of detention and 
expulsion of children from school. Relations between the Government and 
the Roman Catholic Church continued to improve, and Muslims continued 
to enjoy greater freedom of worship than under the previous government.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy officers met regularly with religious leaders.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 10,169 square miles and a population of 
approximately 8.3 million. A 2001 study conducted by a foreign 
university reported that 49.6 percent of the population was Roman 
Catholic, 43.9 percent Protestant, 4.6 percent Muslim, 1.7 claimed no 
religious affiliation, and 0.1 percent practiced traditional indigenous 
beliefs. This study indicated a 19.9 percent increase in the number of 
Protestants, a 7.6 percent drop in the number of Catholics, and a 3.5 
percent increase in the number of Muslims from the 1996 U.N. Population 
Fund survey. The figures for Protestants include the growing number of 
members of Jehovah's Witnesses and evangelical Protestant groups. There 
also was a small population of Baha'is. There has been a proliferation 
of small, usually Christian-linked schismatic religious groups since 
the 1994 genocide.
    Foreign missionaries and church-linked nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) of various faiths operated in the country, 
including Trocaire, Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World 
Federation, World Vision, World Relief, Adventist Development and 
Relief Agency, Norwegian Church Aid, Salvation Army, Direct Aid 
(formerly the African Muslim Agency), Jesuit Relief Society, Christian 
Aid, Christian Direct Outreach, Christian Reformed World Relief 
Committee, African Evangelical Enterprise, and Jesus Alive Ministries. 
Foreign missionaries openly promoted their religious beliefs, and the 
Government has welcomed their development assistance. There was no 
indication that religious belief is linked directly to membership in 
any political party.
    An Australian Christian church-based initiative called Hope Rwanda 
involved approximately 500 volunteers visiting the country in the 
spring and summer of 2006. The initiative, planned to coincide with the 
one-hundred-day national period of mourning genocide victims, included 
humanitarian assistance and religious services and training. Hope 
Rwanda received strong support from the Government, including a speech 
by President Kagame during the opening ceremony.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There were fewer 
reports of local authorities restricting religious freedom. The 
constitution prohibits the formation of political organizations that 
are based on race, ethnic group, tribe, clan, region, sex, religion, or 
any other division that may give rise to discrimination. There is no 
state religion; however, the constitution does include a provision for 
a ceremonial oath of office for high-level government officials that 
makes reference to God.
    The penal code, Articles 293 to 296, provides for small fines and 
imprisonment of up to six months for anyone who interferes with a 
religious ceremony or with a religious minister in the exercise of his 
or her professional duties. The law regulates public meetings and calls 
for fines or imprisonment for those who violate these regulations.
    In 2001 the Government promulgated a law giving it more influence 
over NGOs as well as religious institutions and organizations. 
Subsequently, after consulting with civil society and NGOs, the 
Government decided to draft separate laws governing local NGOs, 
international NGOs, and religious organizations. These laws were being 
developed in collaboration with church officials but have not been 
promulgated. The existing 2001 law requires NGOs to present their 
objectives and plan of action to local authorities for ``provisional 
agreement'' and then to apply to the Ministry of Justice for legal 
recognition. Since the law was implemented, the Ministry of Justice has 
registered 116 new religious groups; no new religious groups were 
registered during the period covered by this report. The ministry did 
not deny any new applications; however, the Government continued the 
2003 suspension of two local splinter organizations, the ``Eglise 
Methodiste Unie au Rwanda'' (the United Methodist Church of Rwanda) led 
by Jupa Kaberuka and the ``Communaute Methodiste Union Internationale'' 
(the International Union Methodist Community) led by Louis Bwanakweli. 
Both attempted to register as the primary Methodist group in the 
country and claimed to be the regional representative of the World 
Methodist Church, which includes the Rwandan, Kenyan, and Ugandan 
Methodist Churches.
    The dispute between the two organizations was before the High Court 
at the end of the reporting period. However, in general no group's 
religious activities were curtailed as a result of difficulties or 
delays in the registration process.
    There were reports that numerous religious organizations operated 
without legal recognition because the process was arduous, which 
government officials confirmed. Members of unregistered groups were 
vulnerable to censorship and possible detention.
    The Government permits religious instruction in public schools. In 
some cases, students were given a choice between instruction in 
``religion'' or ``morals.'' In the past, missionaries established 
schools that were operated by the Government. In those schools, 
religious instruction tended to reflect the denomination of the 
founders, either Catholic or Protestant. Muslim private schools 
operated as well.
    The Government observes six holy days as official holidays: 
Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Eid-al-Fitr, All Saints' Day, and 
Assumption. The Government's recognition of these holy days does not 
negatively affect any religious groups.
    Relations between the Government and the Catholic Church continued 
to improve because of collaboration and dialogue in the areas of 
education and reconciliation. In addition, Muslims continued to enjoy 
greater freedom of worship than under the previous government. Sheikh 
Abdoul Karim Harerimana, a key Muslim figure, publicly stated at a 
ceremony at the National University of Rwanda on May 10, 2005, that 
Muslims enjoy freedom of worship without oppression, unlike during 
previous regimes.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government requires religious groups to provide advance 
notification of religious meetings held at night. Religious leaders 
reportedly cooperated with the Government in limiting nighttime 
religious meetings and did not view this restriction as an infringement 
on their religious freedom. The Government continued to require 
religious groups to hold services at their established places of 
worship and to ban the use of private homes for this purpose. Some 
small religious groups that met in private homes were forced to move to 
new locations.
    In 2004 the Government suspended the registration of two 
Pentecostal churches led by American pastors, presumably for alleged 
irregularities in a pastor's visa application as well as an ongoing 
dispute over the naming of his church. Further action on the case was 
pending promulgation of a new law on religious organizations.
    According to the Jehovah's Witnesses' Office of General Counsel in 
New York, two Jehovah's Witnesses were detained, released, and forced 
to pay a fine for not participating in the national anthem. The Office 
of General Counsel also reported that between February and May 2006, 
forty-eight members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned in the 
Kibungo province for not participating in the armed night patrols. As 
of June 9, 2006, six remained in prison.
    All but eleven of the ninety-three Jehovah's Witnesses imprisoned 
or detained in 2005 for failure to participate in night patrols were 
released without charges in the same year. The eleven whose cases went 
to court were sentenced from three to six months in prison. Another 
member of the Jehovah's Witnesses who did not participate in the armed 
night patrols was accused of rebellion and sentenced in August 2005 to 
six months in prison. He was released from prison on January 14, 2006.
    During the reporting period, following the citing of religious 
figures and groups in the 2004 parliamentary report on genocide 
ideology, there were a few reports that religious groups had changed 
their location or tailored their activities to avoid confrontation with 
authorities.
    Government officials presiding over wedding ceremonies generally 
required couples to take an oath while touching the national flag, a 
practice that Jehovah's Witnesses object to on religious grounds. This 
practice made it difficult for church members to marry, since they had 
to find officials willing to perform the ceremony without the flag 
requirement. In 2006 two couples in Bugarsera District were denied 
marriage certificates due to their refusal to take the marriage oath 
while touching the national flag.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Local leadership of the Jehovah's Witnesses leadership reported a 
significantly better relationship between their church and the 
Government. During the period covered by this report, Jehovah's 
Witnesses officials successfully engaged the Government at the national 
and local levels on both specific cases and general issues of 
contention. They reported receiving greatly improved support from the 
national government and the majority of local government officials.
    On January 1, 2006, the Government consolidated the country's 
territorial administrative structure into 4 provinces, 30 districts, 
and 416 sectors. The subsequent change in leadership at the district 
and sector levels required the church leadership to address with new 
officials issues which were previously resolved with the outgoing 
leaders. While decisions regarding the church at the ministerial level 
have been positive, church leadership reported a lack of communication 
between the national government and some local leaders.
    However, there were problems with some local leaders at the sector 
and district level, including the continued policy of not allowing new 
Kingdom Halls to be built in Kigali and Muhanaga Districts, the 
expulsion of six primary students in Nyange District for refusing to 
attend Christian services in their school, and the detention of forty-
eight members in five districts for refusing to participate in 
community night patrols. In 2006 forty-seven were held for periods of 
one to six days and released. Two members, who were detained in Huye 
district, were reportedly beaten by prison guards and released without 
a trial on May 9, 2006. One member was still in detention at the end of 
the reporting period. Another member, detained on May 23, 2006, in 
Kibungo District, was severely beaten by the Executive Secretary of 
Kirehe-Kigarame Sector and released on May 30, 2006.
    In several other districts, local officials agreed to alternative 
services rather than night patrols for members of Jehovah's Witnesses, 
such as community-building projects. Local officials were not always 
aware of alternative services available; however, representatives of 
the Jehovah's Witnesses and government officials often mediated to 
resolve this issue successfully.
    In May 2005 two Jehovah's Witnesses in Ngoma District, Eastern 
Province, were charged with disrespect of public order for refusing to 
sing the national anthem during a public meeting. A sentence of two 
months imprisonment was recommended. The verdict was announced by the 
end of the reporting period and the sentence had not been carried out. 
A family of Jehovah's Witnesses was arrested and jailed in September 
for refusing to sing the national anthem during a gacaca proceeding. 
The mother and child were released after two days, the father after 
four days.
    Pastors Stanislas Ntawurikura and Denis Serugendo, who were 
arrested in March 2005 in Kibungo Province on charges of ``rebellion,'' 
were tried, found not guilty, and released in June 2005 along with the 
other sixteen prisoners.
    The eight members of a dissident Catholic congregation (``Mouvement 
Marial'') in Gisenyi Province accused of ``subversive activities'' and 
arrested in February 2004 were released without trial on April 13, 
2006.
    Pentecostal Church leaders detained in February 2003 for meeting at 
night and conducting a religious service outside their church were 
released in August 2005 without formal charge.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There were numerous 
associations and interfaith groups, such as the Ecumenical Council of 
Churches and the Protestant Council of Rwanda, that contribute to 
understanding and tolerance among the various religions.
    The Interfaith Commission for Rwanda (launched by Muslims, 
Protestant and Evangelical churches in 2003) promotes unity and 
reconciliation by supporting activities such as aid programs aimed at 
reconciling genocide survivors, released genocide prisoners, and 
genocide detainees' families. Under the leadership the Anglican 
Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini and Mufti Saleh Habimana, the leader of the 
country's Muslim community, the Interfaith Commission hosted the 
Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa (IAPA), an international event 
attended by a broad cross-section of the religious community, including 
representatives of Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and traditional 
African religious groups.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy officers maintain regular contact with leaders and members of 
religious communities.
    Embassy officers held numerous meetings with members of the 
Catholic and Anglican Churches, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, leaders of the Muslim community, and small, evangelical 
Protestant groups to promote interfaith dialogue and discuss religious 
freedom. In addition, embassy officers regularly met with local and 
international NGOs involved in peace, justice, and reconciliation 
efforts that focus on religious tolerance and freedom. As part of its 
ongoing dialogue with the Government, the U.S. government addressed and 
followed individual cases of concern.
                               __________

                         SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 386 square miles, and its population is 
approximately 160,400 (2004 estimate). The population was predominantly 
Roman Catholic. No official statistics were available; however, it was 
estimated that approximately 80 percent of the population was Roman 
Catholic, 15 percent was Protestant, 3 percent was Muslim, and 2 
percent was atheist. Protestantism has grown considerably in recent 
years due to the success of Protestant missionaries in the country. The 
number of Muslims has increased due to an influx of illegal immigrants 
from Nigeria and Cameroon, but no statistics were available. 
Traditional indigenous religions did not exist. Although witchcraft was 
practiced, it was not considered to be a religion. Practitioners of 
witchcraft most often were members of a major religion.
    There were Catholic and Protestant missionaries in the country. 
Missionaries of other religions also operated in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion.
    Religious organizations are required to register with the 
Government; however, there were no reports that any groups were denied 
registration or that the activities of unregistered groups were 
restricted.
    There are no restrictions on the activities of foreign clergy, and 
missionaries in the country operated unhindered.
    The Government celebrates some holy days as national holidays. 
These include Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, All Souls' Day, and 
Christmas.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy, based in Libreville, Gabon, discusses religious 
freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall policy 
to promote human rights. In addition, embassy officials regularly meet 
with the country's Catholic bishop, Protestant church leaders, and 
nongovernmental organizations. Following the 2003 coup attempt, the 
U.S. government also encouraged a formal process of national 
reconciliation that included leaders of various religious 
organizations. The final result of the process was the ``National 
Forum'' held in July 2004 that included the participation of most 
secular and religious leaders in Sao Tome and was chaired by an 
ordained Protestant minister.
                               __________

                                SENEGAL

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 76,000 square miles, and its population 
is estimated at ten million. According to current government 
demographic data, Islam was the predominant religion, practiced by 
approximately 94 percent of the country's population. Most citizens 
practiced a syncretic form of Islam, combining formal religious 
practices with traditional cultural beliefs and values. There also was 
an active Christian community (4 percent of the population) that 
included Roman Catholics, Protestant denominations, and syncretic 
Christian-animist groups. The remainder of the population, an estimated 
2 percent, practiced exclusively traditional indigenous religions or no 
religion.
    The country was ethnically and religiously diverse. Although there 
was significant integration of all groups, there were geographic 
concentrations of some religious groups. The Christian minority was 
concentrated in the western and southern regions, while groups that 
practiced traditional religions were mainly in the eastern and southern 
regions. Immigrants practiced the same faiths as native-born citizens.
    A wide variety of foreign missionary groups operated in the 
country, including Catholics, Protestants, independent missionaries, 
and Jehovah's Witnesses.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion; the constitution specifically defines 
the country as a secular state and provides for the free practice of 
religious beliefs, provided that public order is maintained.
    The importance of religion in the country often resulted in the 
Government giving direct financial and material assistance to religious 
organizations. There is no official system of distribution for these 
grants, which are often provided to assist religious groups to maintain 
or rehabilitate their places of worship or undertake special events. 
All religions have access to these funds, although there is often 
competition among religious groups to gain them. During the period 
covered by this report, the Government provided funds and technical 
assistance to rehabilitate churches throughout the country, including 
Dakar's national cathedral, for which the Government donated $1.2 
million (CFA 600 million) in 2005. The Government provided security 
personnel and enhanced public services to support national religious 
pilgrimages, both Christian and Muslim.
    The Government observes a number of Muslim and Christian holy days. 
Islamic holy days observed are Tabaski, Tamkharit, the Birth of the 
Prophet Muhammad, and Korite. Christian holy days observed are Easter 
Monday, Ascension, Pentecost, Feast of the Assumption, All Saints' Day, 
and Christmas.
    Religious organizations are independent of the Government and 
administer their affairs without government interference; however, the 
civil and commercial code requires any group, religious or otherwise, 
to register with the minister of the interior to acquire legal status 
as an association. Registration enabled an association to conduct 
business, own property, establish a bank account, and receive financial 
contributions from private sources. Registered religious groups, 
including all registered nonprofit organizations, are exempt from many 
forms of taxation. Registration generally is granted and the minister 
of interior must have a legal basis for refusing registration.
    Missionaries, like other long-term visitors, must obtain residence 
visas from the Ministry of Interior. Christian and Islamic groups often 
established a presence as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). 
Religious NGOs obtained permission to operate from the Ministry of 
Women, Family and Social Development. There were no reports that the 
Government refused visas or permission to operate to any group. 
Religious NGOs are very active in providing social services and 
administering economic development assistance programs.
    In 2002 the Government passed a law that allows public schools to 
offer two hours of religious education, both Islamic and Christian, per 
school week through a pilot program. Religious teaching is an optional 
part of the curriculum, and students are not required to participate. 
This program continues to prosper. In less than three years, sixty-six 
schools and 10,500 students, who follow studies in French, Arabic and 
Islamic religious studies, have joined the program, which is designed 
to attract children to public rather than Qur'anic schools that often 
teach only the Qur'an and Arabic. Privately owned schools are free to 
provide religious education. The Ministry of Education provides funds 
to schools operated by religious institutions that meet national 
education standards. Christian schools, which have a long and 
successful experience in education, receive the largest share of this 
government funding. The majority of students attending Christian 
schools are Muslims. Religious charities also received government 
support.
    The Government encourages and assists Muslim participation in the 
Hajj every year. It also provides similar assistance for an annual 
Catholic pilgrimage to the Vatican. During the period covered by this 
report, the Government provided hundreds of free plane tickets to 
Muslim and Christian citizens to undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca or 
to Rome and the Holy Land. After Pope John Paul II's death, the 
Government sent a delegation to attend his funeral that included senior 
government officials and leaders in the Christian community.
    While there is no specific government-sponsored institution to 
promote interfaith dialogue, the Government generally seeks to promote 
religious harmony by maintaining relations with the larger religious 
groups. Senior government officials regularly consulted with religious 
leaders, and the Government generally was represented at all major 
religious festivals or events. In April 2005 the Government held a 
summit to prepare for the Islamic-Christian Dialogue. President Wade, 
Prime Minister Macky Sall, and other government leaders attended the 
preparatory meeting, along with delegations from several foreign 
countries, including the United States. President Wade spoke about the 
peaceful coexistence of religions in the country, a source of national 
pride.
    The Government actively promoted religious tolerance among its 
citizens.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. Majority and minority religious leaders conducted 
their activities and spoke out on social and political issues, such as 
political violence and HIV/AIDS, without fear of government sanction. 
Religious groups, including both Muslims and Christians, had wide 
access to public media to promote religious activities, such as 
preaching and religious education. The Government monitored foreign 
missionary groups and religious NGOs to ensure that their activities 
coincide with their stated objectives.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Religion played an important role in the lives of most citizens, 
and society generally was very open to and tolerant of different 
religious faiths. The country had a long tradition of amicable and 
tolerant coexistence between the Muslim majority and Christian, 
traditional indigenous, and other religious minorities. Interfaith 
marriage was relatively common. Within certain families, other 
religious faiths, such as Christianity or a traditional indigenous 
religion, were practiced alongside Islam. There were a number of 
interfaith events throughout the year that celebrate the important role 
of religion in everyday life.
    Islamic communities generally were organized around one of several 
brotherhoods, headed by a Khalif, who was a direct descendant of the 
group's founder. The two largest and most prominent of these 
brotherhoods were the Tidjanes, based in the city of Tivaouane, and the 
Mourides, based in the city of Touba. At times there were disputes 
within the different brotherhoods over questions of succession or 
general authority; however, relations generally were peaceful and 
cooperative. In recent years, a National Committee to Coordinate 
Sightings of the Moon, and hence the designation of Islamic holy days, 
was formed at the suggestion of the Government and attempted to 
increase cooperation among the Islamic subgroups.
    While the brotherhoods were not involved directly in politics or 
government affairs, these groups exert considerable influence in 
society and maintain a dialogue with political leaders. Close 
association with a brotherhood, as with any influential community 
leader, religious or secular, could afford certain political and 
economic protections and advantages that were not conferred by law.
    Christian and Islamic leaders have long maintained a public 
dialogue with one another. During the period covered by this report, 
Protestant groups became more active throughout Senegal, a sign, 
according to one prominent local NGO, of the religious tolerance 
practiced in the country.
    When anonymous death threats were made against members of the 
Catholic clergy in early 2004, the Government quickly denounced the 
threats and assured the protection of Christian leaders. Although an 
investigation did not identify the perpetrators, there were no further 
threats against the clergy.
    Unlike in the past, there were no cases of interfaith violence 
during the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights and 
maintains relations with all major religious groups, including the 
Mouride, Tidiane, Layanne, and Qadriyya Islamic brotherhoods and 
Christian groups. During the period covered by this report, the U.S. 
ambassador and other embassy staff met with religious leaders or their 
representatives to discuss social and political issues and demonstrate 
American interest in forging positive relationships with Muslim 
communities. Embassy staff spent Ramadan engaged in outreach to the 
major Islamic brotherhoods. The embassy also invited religious leaders 
to attend its July Fourth celebration and other events. The embassy 
maintained contacts with several faith-based NGOs, foreign missionary 
groups, and human rights organizations and activists to monitor issues 
of religious freedom. The ambassador or his representative regularly 
attended major annual religious festivals or gatherings to promote an 
open dialogue with various religious groups.
    The embassy has an active program of presenting information about 
religious diversity and tolerance in the United States. The embassy has 
translated, published, and distributed the ``Muslim Life in America'' 
brochure in the two major national languages (Wolof and Pulaar). The 
embassy routinely released to the local press, posted on its website 
and published through a monthly magazine, information on Islam in the 
United States, including statements from the president and the 
secretary of state celebrating Ramadan and other Islamic holidays. The 
embassy trained Islamic English teachers and donated Arabic language 
books to Islamic institutes, schools, and libraries, as well as 
English-language books on language learning and American Studies.
                               __________

                               SEYCHELLES

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 444 square miles, and its population is 
approximately 82,500. According to a 2006 government estimate, about 90 
percent of the population is Roman Catholic and 7 percent is Anglican. 
There are other Christian churches, including Baptists, Seventh-day 
Adventists, the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Church, the 
Pentecostal Assembly, the Nazarites, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Hinduism, 
Islam, and the Baha'i Faith also are practiced.
    A few foreign missionary groups practice in the country, including 
the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious society.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. At all levels, 
the Government sought to protect this right in full and did not 
tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is 
no state religion.
    The Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Seventh-day Adventist churches, 
Islamic mosques, and Baha'i local spiritual assembly have individual 
acts of incorporation. Other churches that are not corporate bodies are 
registered as associations with the Registrar General and are entitled 
to tax-free privileges, similar to a charity. All religious 
organizations must register to be entitled to tax-free privileges. If 
an organization does not want tax-free privileges, it is not required 
to register.
    The Government tends to remain uninvolved with religious matters, 
but it provides program time to different religious organizations on 
the national radio broadcasting service. On alternate Sunday mornings, 
the national radio service airs Catholic Mass and Anglican services, 
which last from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. The 
Islam and Hindu faiths are allowed 15-minute broadcasts every Friday 
afternoon, and the Baha'i and Seventh-day Adventist faiths are allowed 
15-minute broadcasts every Saturday afternoon.
    Government employees of all faiths can request paid leave on any of 
their holy days, and such leave generally is granted. The Islamic 
Society of Seychelles generally submits requests to the Department of 
Public Administration for Muslim employees to receive leave on Islamic 
festival days. The majority of government ministers are Catholic.
    The Roman Catholic holy days of Good Friday, Easter, Corpus 
Christi, Assumption of Mary, All Saints' Day, Immaculate Conception 
Day, and Christmas are national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In the past, the Government did not demonstrate favoritism toward 
one religion over another; however, in 2004, the Baie Sainte Anne 
Church, a Catholic church, was awarded $200,000 (1 million Seychelles 
rupees) for major renovation works.
    According to the Government, a portion of the national budget is 
periodically allocated to provide assistance to faiths that request 
financial support at the beginning of each year. In the past, Baha'i 
and Hindu groups have benefited from these grants, which are awarded on 
a case-by-case basis and based on the availability of budgeted funds.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                              SIERRA LEONE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, there were two known 
incidents of religious intolerance during the period covered by this 
report.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 29,925 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 4.9 million. The Inter-Religious Council (IRC) 
estimated that the population was 60 to 70 percent Muslim, 20 to 30 
percent Christian, and 5 to 10 percent indigenous and other faiths. 
There were small numbers of Baha'is, Hindus, and Jews. There was no 
information concerning the number of atheists in the country.
    Many syncretistic practices reportedly existed, and many citizens 
practiced a mixture of Islam and traditional indigenous religions or 
Christianity and traditional indigenous religions.
    Historically, most Muslims have been concentrated in the northern 
areas of the country, and Christians have been located in the south; 
however, the eleven-year civil war, which officially was declared over 
in 2002, resulted in movement by major segments of the population.
    There were a number of foreign missionary groups operating in the 
country, including Roman Catholic, Ahmadiyya, Wesleyan, Mormon, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Orthodox Christian, and others.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion.
    Holy days celebrated as national holidays include the Muslim Eid 
al-Adha, the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, Eid al-Fitr holidays, and 
the Christian Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas holidays.
    The Government has no requirements for recognizing, registering, or 
regulating religious groups.
    The Government permits religious instruction in public schools. 
Students are allowed to choose whether to attend Muslim- or Christian-
oriented classes.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In January 2005 the Immigration Department revised its annual 
registration fees for businessmen, teachers, missionaries, and other 
groups of foreign residents. Fees for missionaries increased from 
approximately $3 (10,000 leones) to approximately $70 (200,000 leones). 
Some foreign missionaries complained that the increased immigration 
registration fee was a restriction.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
U.S. minor 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.
Anti-Semitism
    In February 2006 a self-proclaimed rabbi reported that a Muslim man 
threatened him while he was proselytizing near a mosque in Freetown. 
The rabbi said that he departed the area and did not report the 
incident to the police.
    Persons commonly use homes and schools as places of worship. 
Landlords often permit such activity even if they do not share the same 
religious beliefs as their tenants. In December 2005 a rabbi reported 
that he was evicted from his residence in Makeni because he was hosting 
religious services in his home for approximately 150 persons.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom, and interfaith marriage is common. 
The IRC, composed of Christian and Muslim leaders, plays a vital role 
in civil society and actively participates in efforts to further the 
peace process in the country and the subregion. Christian and Muslim 
leaders worked together with the National Accountability Group and the 
Anti-Corruption Commission to address the problem of corruption in 
society. The IRC reported that membership applications from Baha'i and 
Jewish representatives were pending.
    In April 2005 on a Muslim public holiday, a group of Muslims in 
Rokupr burned the igbala (hut or shrine) where the local hunting 
society stored its traditional hunting masks so that the group could 
not stage its traditional parade. A local newspaper reported and police 
confirmed that the Muslims burned the masks because they believed that 
the pagan tradition was a desecration of Muhammad's birthday. Police 
arrested several persons, but the local chief brought the two groups 
together and resolved the case out of court.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy continued to maintain frequent contact with the IRC and 
its individual members.
                               __________

                                SOMALIA

    There is no constitution and no legal provision for the protection 
of religious freedom; there were limits on religious freedom. There was 
no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report.
    The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which grew out of individual 
courts' efforts to establish a degree of order in Mogadishu, took 
control of the Somali capital on June 4, 2006, following a military 
confrontation with a loose coalition of Somali warlords. The UIC is 
heterogeneous and serves as an umbrella coordination mechanism between 
individual Shari'a courts, with individual courts reflecting a moderate 
interpretation of Islam and others espousing an extremist form of Islam 
that has proven intolerant to traditional Somali societal and cultural 
practices. The UIC was subsequently renamed the Supreme of Islamic 
Courts Council (SICC) on June 24.
    There is strong societal pressure to respect Islamic traditions, 
especially in enclaves still influenced, and in some instances 
controlled by, radical Islamists in the Lower Juba region.
    The U.S. government does not maintain an official presence in the 
country. The lack of diplomatic representation has limited the ability 
of the U.S. government to take action to promote religious freedom.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 246,200 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 8.3 million; however, population figures were 
difficult to estimate due to the instability of the country. Citizens 
were overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims of a Sufi tradition. There also was a 
small, extremely low-profile Christian community, in addition to small 
numbers of followers of other religions. The number of adherents to 
strains of conservative Islam and the number of Islamic schools funded 
by religiously conservative sources continued to grow.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    There is no constitution and no legal provision for the protection 
of religious freedom. There were limits on religious freedom imposed by 
self-appointed officials and authorities and through societal attitude.
    Somalia's nascent central government was able to exercise control 
over very limited territory. A Transitional Federal Government (TFG) 
was created in October 2004 following the Somalia National 
Reconciliation Conference in Mbagathi, Kenya. That government formally 
established temporary operations in Baidoa in February 2006. The TFG 
adopted a Transitional Federal Charter in 2004 but was able to begin 
implementation only in 2006. Deep divisions within the transitional 
institutions continued to hamper progress on governance, but regular 
meetings of parliament and a portion of the cabinet began to take 
place. Following the June takeover of Mogadishu by the UIC, the TFG met 
with representatives of the courts to discuss the current situation in 
the country. This meeting resulted in an agreement that included 
provisions to cease antagonistic propaganda and hostilities and to 
continue discussions on security, politics, and impediments to peace.
    The TFG charter establishes Islam as the national religion. Several 
sheikhs have announced that the TFG must reflect a commitment to 
Islamic governance and morals. Some local administrations, including 
the self-declared ``Republic of Somaliland'' and the semi-autonomous 
region of Puntland, have made Islam the official religion in their 
regions; however, regional authorities generally do not espouse 
rhetoric against non-Muslims. Puntland security forces monitored 
religious activities very closely.
    The judiciary in most regions relies on some combination of 
Shari'a, traditional and customary law (Xeer), and the penal code of 
the pre-1991 Siad Barre government. Shari'a courts throughout Mogadishu 
were asserting their authority, attracting support from businessmen, 
and sometimes, at least superficially, working across clan lines that 
traditionally form the primary basis for identity and loyalty.
    In Somaliland, religious schools and places of worship are required 
to obtain the Ministry of Religion's permission to operate. The 
ministry must approve entry visas for religious groups, and certain 
unspecified doctrines are prohibited. Religious schools and places of 
worship in Puntland must receive permission to operate from the 
Ministry of Justice and Religious Affairs.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Proselytizing for any religion except Islam is prohibited in 
Puntland and Somaliland and effectively blocked by informal social 
consensus elsewhere in the country. Christian-based international 
relief organizations generally operated without interference, provided 
that they refrain from proselytizing.
    In April 2004 thousands of citizens marched through the streets in 
Mogadishu and in the southern coastal town of Merca to protest what 
they believed was an attempt by aid agencies to spread Christianity. 
Muslim scholars organized the protest following reports that 
schoolchildren received gifts with Christian emblems alongside 
charitable aid. The protesters set ablaze hundreds of cartons 
containing goods, some marked only as gifts from the ``Swiss Church.'' 
The protesters warned the aid agencies against using relief items to 
evangelize.
    In March 2004 Mohamed Omar Habeb, also known as Mohamed Dheere, who 
controlled the Middle Shabbelle region, countered the general Islamic 
trend in the country by banning women from wearing veils. He 
subsequently jailed at least seventeen women who had violated his 
decree, claming that veils made it difficult to distinguish women from 
men who might be concealing weapons. Habeb was quoted as saying that he 
was committed to curbing violent attacks by extremists, but he later 
released the women following an outcry from many Islamic scholars 
throughout the country, particularly in Mogadishu.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Article 6.3 of the Puntland Charter prohibits torture ``unless 
sentenced by Islamic Shari'a Courts in accordance with Islamic Shari'a 
law.'' Islamic courts continued to operate throughout the country in 
the absence of a national judicial system operated by a central 
government. In May 2006 a sixteen-year-old boy stabbed to death his 
father's killer in a public execution ordered by an Islamic court. In 
June a court sentenced five suspected rapists to death by stoning.
    In January 2005 a group of violent extremists desecrated the 
Italian colonial cemetery in Mogadishu. While the excavation of the 
cemetery served a political and economic function, the act had 
religious overtones, as those in control of the site stated that they 
planned to build a mosque there and erected a makeshift sheet-metal 
shelter as a first step. The group, although espousing Islamist 
rhetoric, was widely condemned by mainstream Sufi Muslims and some 
Salafist groups.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
    In 2004 there were several fatal attacks against non-Muslim 
international relief and charity workers throughout the country and in 
the region of Somaliland. In addition, recent threats have targeted 
non-Muslim Westerners in the country, including in Somaliland.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Non-Sunni Muslims often were viewed with suspicion by members of 
the Sunni majority.
    The BBC reported that in March 2005, local Muslim cleric Sheikh 
Hassan Dahir Aweys, an influential figure in the UIC and former leader 
of Al-Ittihad al-Islami (AIAI), called for a violent jihad against any 
peacekeeping force that anticipated accompanying the TFG's return to 
the country that year.
    The activities of the Islamic courts appeared to be largely 
welcomed by Mogadishu because the courts have brought a degree of order 
to what was long a lawless city. Some, however, have objected to strict 
interpretations of Islamic law that forbid the viewing of movies or 
soccer matches. In one instance, a Shari'a court reportedly ordered 
that one group of youths have their heads shaved and be whipped for 
protesting a ban on public broadcasts of World Cup soccer matches.
    There is strong societal pressure to respect Islamic traditions, 
especially in enclaves still influenced but not controlled by Islamists 
espousing violent political agendas in Doble, Ras Kaambooni, and 
Kolbiyow in the Lower Juba region. Organized Islamic groups whose goal 
is the establishment of an Islamic state include Al-Islah, a generally 
nonviolent political movement that operates primarily in Mogadishu, and 
AIAI, a militant Islamic organization. AIAI committed terrorist acts in 
Somalia and Ethiopia in the mid-1990s and remains on the U.S. 
government's Terrorist Exclusion List. Although individuals continued 
to claim to be adherents to its precepts, AIAI remained heavily 
factionalized and its membership decentralized. Unlike AIAI, Al-Islah 
is a generally nonviolent and modernizing Islamic movement that 
emphasizes the reformation and revival of Islam to meet the challenges 
of the modern world.
    There are a significant number of externally funded Qur'anic 
schools throughout the country. These schools provide inexpensive basic 
education but may require young girls to wear veils and participate in 
other conservative Islamic practices not generally found in the local 
culture. Mogadishu University, the University of East Africa in 
Bosasso, Puntland, and many secondary schools in Mogadishu are 
externally funded and administered through organizations affiliated 
with the conservative Islamic organization Al-Islah.
    Christians, as well as other non-Muslims who proclaim their 
religion, faced occasional societal harassment.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government does not maintain a diplomatic presence, and 
travel to the country by U.S. government officials is seriously 
proscribed. The central government remains too weak to adequately 
engage on issues of religious freedom; regional and self-proclaimed 
authorities are unresponsive due to the lack of U.S. diplomatic 
recognition of or representation to them. These restraints have limited 
the U.S. government's ability to take action to promote religious 
freedom in the country.
                               __________

                              SOUTH AFRICA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 470,693 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 46.9 million. According to figures on religious 
demography from the 2001 census, approximately 80 percent of the 
population belonged to the Christian faith, and 4 percent to other 
religions, including Hinduism (1.2 percent), Islam (1.5 percent), 
Judaism (0.2 percent), and traditional African beliefs (0.3 percent). 
Approximately 15 percent of the population indicated that it belonged 
to no particular religion or declined to indicate an affiliation.
    The African Independent Churches were the largest group of 
Christian churches. There were more than 4,000 of these churches, with 
a total membership of more than ten million. Although these churches 
originally were founded as breakaways from various mission churches 
(the so-called Ethiopian churches), the African Independent Churches 
consisted mostly of Zionist or Apostolic churches and also included 
some Pentecostal branches. The Zionist Christian Church was the largest 
African Independent Church with 11.1 percent of the population. The 
African Independent Churches attracted persons in rural and urban 
areas.
    Other Christian churches included the Dutch Reformed family of 
churches, which consisted of approximately 6.7 percent of the 
population, and the Roman Catholic Church, which consisted of 
approximately 7.1 percent. Protestant denominations include the 
Methodist (6.8 percent), Anglican (3.8 percent), Lutheran (2.5 
percent), Presbyterian (1.9 percent), Baptist (1.5 percent), and 
Congregational (1.1 percent) churches. The largest traditional 
Pentecostal churches were the Apostolic Faith Mission, the Assemblies 
of God, and the Full Gospel Church. A number of charismatic churches 
have been established in recent years. Their subsidiary churches, 
together with those of the Hatfield Christian Church in Pretoria, were 
grouped in the International Fellowship of Christian Churches. The 
Greek Orthodox and Seventh-day Adventist churches also were active.
    Approximately 15 percent of the population claimed no affiliation 
with any formal religious organization. It was believed that many of 
these persons adhered to traditional indigenous religions. Followers of 
traditional indigenous religions believed that certain practitioners 
may manipulate the power of the spirits using herbs, therapeutic 
techniques, or supernatural powers. Some practitioners were considered 
witches and engender fear. Many persons combined Christian and 
traditional indigenous religious practices.
    According to the latest available statistics from the 2001 census, 
an estimated 80 percent of Black Africans, who constitute the majority 
of the population, were Christian. Approximately 87 percent of whites 
were Christian and almost 1.4 percent Jewish. Nearly half (47.3 
percent) of Indians were Hindu, 49 percent were either Muslim (24.6 
percent) or Christian (24.4 percent), and 3.7 percent fell into other 
categories. The majority of Muslims were either of Indian origin, 
largely located in KwaZulu-Natal, or belonged to the multiethnic 
community in the Western Cape.
    A number of Christian organizations, including the Salvation Army, 
Promise Keepers, Operation Mobilization, Campus Crusade, and the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), operated in the country 
doing missionary work, giving aid, and providing training. The Muslim 
World League also was active, as was the Zionist International 
Federation.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
government generally respected this right in practice. The government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Bill of Rights prohibits the government from unfairly 
discriminating directly or indirectly against anyone based on religion, 
and it states that persons belonging to a religious community may not 
be denied the right to practice their religion and to form, join, and 
maintain religious associations with other members of that community. 
Cases of discrimination against a person on the grounds of religious 
freedom may be taken to the constitutional court.
    While Christianity is the dominant religion, the law does not 
recognize a state religion. Leading government officials and ruling 
party members adhere to a variety of faiths, including various 
Christian denominations, Islam, and Judaism.
    Only Christian holy days, such as Christmas and Good Friday, are 
recognized as national religious holidays; however, members of other 
religious groups are allowed to celebrate their religious holidays 
without government interference. A proposed review of public holidays 
suggested by the former minister of home affairs did not take place.
    The government allows, but does not require, ``religion education'' 
in public schools; however, ``religious instruction,'' or the 
advocating of tenets of a particular faith, is not permitted in public 
schools.
    The government does not require religious groups to be licensed or 
registered.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There was no change in the 
status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by 
this report.
    There are many ecumenical contacts among the various churches. The 
largest of these is the South African Council of Churches, which 
represents the Methodist Church, the Church of the Province of South 
Africa (Anglican), various Lutheran and Presbyterian churches, and the 
Congregational Church, among others. The major traditional indigenous 
religions, most of the Afrikaans-language churches, and the Pentecostal 
and charismatic churches are not members of the SACC and usually have 
their own coordinating and liaison bodies. The Catholic Church's 
relationship with other churches continued to become more open, and it 
worked closely with other churches on the socio-political front.
    There were reports of killings allegedly linked to the continued 
targeting of purported practitioners of witchcraft, particularly in 
Limpopo Province. In August 2005 an elderly couple in Umlazi (KwaZulu-
Natal province) suspected of practicing witchcraft were beaten, 
stabbed, and burned to death. Six persons were arrested and charged 
with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and arson. The trial was 
ongoing at the end of the period covered by this report. Two men 
accused of the April 2005 killing of their grandmother in Ritavi, 
Limpopo, were convicted and sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment in 
April 2006.
    In February 2006 a mob of approximately ninety youths set alight 
thirty-nine houses in four villages in Limpopo, accusing the occupants 
of being witches. Thirteen suspected ringleaders were charged and were 
due to appear in court in August. In March 2006 a group of boys burned 
the house of a sixty-six-year-old woman accused of witchcraft. The 
investigation was ongoing at the end of the reporting period.
    There were no reports of killings linked to the practice of 
Satanism. The government does not keep records on cases of reported 
witchcraft and satanic killings. These cases are investigated and 
prosecuted as homicide by law enforcement officials.
    While there were occasional reports of desecration and vandalism or 
verbal or written abuse, no violent incidents were reported during the 
reporting period.
    Concerns about Islamic extremism have subsided since a 2002 bombing 
in the Western Cape that police attributed to the People Against 
Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD). PAGAD is an Islamic-oriented 
organization opposed to crime, gangsterism, and drugs, but it has been 
known for violent vigilantism and acts of terrorism. The case remained 
under investigation, but further progress was not likely. The police 
have not attributed any terrorist attacks to PAGAD since the 2002 
bombing.
    Qibla, which traditionally has espoused Iranian Shi'ite extremist 
philosophies and vowed a political Jihad, is an ally of PAGAD and has 
an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel stance. Qibla's Shi'ite radicalism sharply 
contrasts with the generally conservative and apolitical Muslim 
community (mainly Sunni) in Cape Town. No Qibla activities were 
reported in the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
government and civil society as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights.
    During the period covered by this report, the U.S. embassy 
sponsored several visitors to the United States on programs related to 
promoting religious tolerance. Two Fulbright scholars did Islamic 
Studies research in the United States. The Embassy's political 
counselor attended the seventh International Conference on Global 
Spirituality Today, held at the Muslim Rasooli Centre in Centurion. The 
U.S. consul general in Cape Town gave an hour-long interview to Channel 
Islam International, a Johannesburg-based, Islam-oriented radio service 
that reaches an audience of up to sixty million in Africa and the 
Islamic world, on the history of Islam and Muslims in the United 
States. The consul general hosted three iftars that targeted not only 
segments of Cape Town's Muslim community but also significant 
participation by the interfaith community. The consulate general also 
facilitated visiting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy 
Karen Hughes' interactions on matters of faith, tolerance, and U.S. 
policies with leaders of the Western Cape's Islamic community. In 
addition, the consul general met with a variety of local religious 
leaders throughout the reporting period to promote religious tolerance. 
The consulate general facilitated Western Cape Premier Rasool's visit 
with the Islamic Center during his visit to Washington, D.C. in May 
2006.
    Officers from the Consulate General in Durban visited the Orient 
Islamic Educational Institute, the largest of the seven private Islamic 
schools in Durban, and discussed a Fulbright Secondary Teacher Exchange 
program with a U.S. school. The Consulate General hosted Dr. Walter E. 
Fluker, Professor of Religion at Morehouse College, who addressed more 
than thirty leaders of various religious denominations at the Diakonia 
Council of Churches on ``Spirituality, Ethics and Morality.'' Consulate 
General officers also met with numerous religious leaders based in 
Durban throughout the year, including the Anglican bishop of Natal and 
the Catholic cardinal and archbishop of Natal.
    The Consulate General in Johannesburg sponsored an International 
Visitor's Program for a radio journalist with the Muslim Community 
Broadcasting Trust. The Consulate General also hosted two digital 
videoconferences on Muslim/Islamic life in the United States for local 
students, journalists, and Muslim organizations.
                               __________

                                 SUDAN

    The July 9, 2005, Interim National Constitution provides for 
freedom of religion throughout the entire country, and there was some 
improvement in the status of respect for religious freedom in the 
period covered by this report. However, regional distinctions in the 
constitution, negotiated as part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 
(CPA) have resulted in disparities in the treatment of religious 
minorities in the North and South. Whereas the Government of Southern 
Sudan generally respected the rights of Christians and Muslims in the 
ten states of the south as provided for in its separate constitution, 
signed on December 5, 2005, the new Government of National Unity (GNU) 
continued to place restrictions on Christians in the North.
    The National Congress Party (NCP) originally came to power in 1989 
as the National Islamic Front (NIF); it embraces Islam as the state 
religion and regards Shari'a as the basis for the country's laws, 
institutions, and policies. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement 
(SPLM) resisted these and earlier efforts to Islamicize the country as 
part of a broader war for southern autonomy through the Government of 
Southern Sudan, which includes several minority parties. Under the CPA, 
these two parties entered into a coalition Government of National Unity 
at the national level, with the SPLM acting as the main governing party 
in the South. The country remained in a state of political transition, 
with national elections scheduled for the July 2008 to July 2009 period 
and a referendum on independence for the South scheduled for 2011.
    The new Interim National Constitution preserved Shari'a as a source 
of legislation in states outside southern Sudan, and recognized 
``popular consensus'' and ``the values and the customs of the people of 
Sudan, including their traditions and religious beliefs,'' as sources 
of legislation in the south. The constitution also recognized the 
national capital of Khartoum as ``a symbol of national unity that 
reflects the diversity of Sudan.'' According to the constitution, the 
presidency shall establish the Commission for the Rights of Non-Muslims 
in the national capital to ensure that non-Muslims are not adversely 
affected by the application of Shari'a law in Khartoum. The 
constitution of Southern Sudan also establishes ``the traditional laws, 
religious beliefs, values, and customary practices of the people'' as a 
source of legislation in the south.
    The GNU continued to discriminate against Christians in the North, 
particularly by denying building permits for new churches. The national 
government required that all students in the North study Islam in 
school, whether or not they were Muslim, and even if enrolled in 
private, Christian schools. By the end of the period covered by this 
report, the presidency had not appointed the Commission for the Rights 
of Non-Muslims in the national capital.
    Relations among religious groups improved during the period covered 
by this report. Dialogue between Christian and Muslim groups continued 
under the auspices of the Sudan Inter-Religious Council (SIRC), a 
nongovernmental organization (NGO) supported by the Government of 
National Unity, and the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), comprising 
Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant groups. The SIRC supported peace and 
reconciliation efforts between Christians and Muslims, sponsoring a 
conference on the role of religious leaders in peace building with the 
U.S. Institute of Peace in July 2005 and hosting an interfaith prayer 
service during the archbishop of Canterbury's visit to the country in 
February 2006.
    The United States government promoted religious freedom and human 
rights in Sudan in its discussions with government officials and in its 
public diplomacy. The United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) also funded efforts to promote inter-religious 
dialogue and understanding. The United States government encouraged the 
GNU to fulfill the promises of religious freedom made in the CPA and 
the Interim National Constitution, and made clear that restrictions on 
religious freedom impede improved relations between the two countries. 
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick hosted an interfaith forum 
with Christian and Muslim leaders in Khartoum during his November 2005 
visit. Embassy officials frequently met with leaders of different 
religious groups.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Sudan has an estimated population of 41 million and an area of 
967,500 square miles. Exact population and demographic data were 
unavailable due to the long civil war, and there were no recent census 
figures. An estimated two-thirds to three-fourths of the population 
lived in the fifteen states of the North and were generally from 
Arabic-speaking Semitic groups. The remaining one-fourth to one-third 
of the population lived in the South and were mostly Nilotic peoples, 
some of whom have adopted English as a common language. More than four 
million internally displaced persons (IDPs) fled from the South to the 
North during the long civil war. Although several hundred thousand 
returned to the South after the CPA, many more still lived in and 
around northern cities.
    Precise religious data were not available; self-reported membership 
totals in particular religious groups could not be confirmed, and 
outdated census figures may not be accurate. In general Islam 
predominated in the North, while traditional indigenous beliefs 
(animism) and Christianity were prevalent in the South. Some Muslim 
leaders estimated the country's Muslim population to be more than 
thirty-two million, or above 80 percent of the total population; almost 
all Muslims in the country were Sunni, with a small Shi'a community, 
although there were significant distinctions between followers of 
different Islamic traditions. The most significant divisions within the 
Sunni community occurred along the lines of the Sufi brotherhoods. Two 
popular brotherhoods, the Ansar and the Khatmia, were associated with 
the opposition Umma and Democratic Unionist Parties, respectively.
    Traditionalists were believed to be the second largest religious 
group in the country, although there were reports that many had 
converted to Christianity or followed a syncretic form of these two 
faiths. Christians were generally considered the third largest group. 
The Roman Catholic Church estimated the number of baptized Catholics at 
six million, including small Melkite and Maronite communities in the 
north. Anglicans estimated five million followers in the Episcopal 
Church of Sudan and the dissident Reformed Episcopal Church. There were 
small but long established groups of Orthodox Christians in Khartoum 
and other northern cities, including several thousand Coptic Orthodox 
and a few hundred Greek Orthodox Christians. There were significant 
Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox communities in Khartoum and Eastern 
Sudan, largely drawn from refugees and migrants. Other Christian groups 
with smaller followings in the country included the Africa Inland 
Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Sudan Church of Christ, the 
Sudan Interior Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Sudan Pentecostal 
Church, the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church (in the North), the 
Presbyterian Church of the Sudan (in the South), and the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church of Sudan. The size of the country's Jewish community 
decreased drastically over the past twenty years, when mass emigration 
led to the closure of the synagogue in Khartoum; however, a small group 
of Jews still lived in the capital.
    The country's traditional division between the Muslim north and the 
Christian south reflected the social policies of the Anglo-Egyptian 
colonial administration (1898-1956), under which Christian missionary 
activity was encouraged in the South but restricted in the North, while 
the spread of Islam was tolerated in the North but prohibited in the 
South. Though these policies were no longer in effect, they continue to 
influence the country's religious demography. The GNU officially 
permits foreign missionary groups in both North and South, although in 
practice Christian missionaries were largely confined to the South or 
to existing Christian communities in the North, due to Shari'a (Islamic 
law), strong social pressure against proselytizing, and existing laws 
against apostasy.
    With the exception of displaced Southerners, most Christians in the 
North were descended from remnants of pre-Islamic era communities or 
trading families that immigrated from Egypt or the Near East before 
independence (1956); at the same time, many Muslims in the South were 
shopkeepers or small business owners who sought economic opportunities 
during the civil war. These tensions have created not only a sense of 
ethnic and religious marginalization among the minority religious group 
in each region but also a feeling among the majority that a minority 
group controlled a disproportionate share of the wealth.
    Religion also played a role in the country's political system. 
Northern Muslims have dominated the country's political and economic 
system since independence. The National Congress Party (NCP) drew much 
of its support from Islamists, Wahhabis, and other conservative Arab 
Muslims in the north; the Umma Party traditionally attracted Arab 
followers of the Ansar Sect of Sufism as well as non-Arab Muslims from 
Darfur and Kordofan. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) included both 
Arab and non-Arab Muslims in the North and East, especially those 
followers of the Khatmia Sect of Sufism, as well as some northern 
Arabic-speaking Christians. Southern Christians generally supported the 
SPLM or one of the smaller southern parties.
    The ongoing conflict in Darfur between the government-backed Arab 
Muslim militias (janjaweed) and non-Arab Muslim rebels did not center 
on religious differences but rather on political, economic, and ethnic 
issues.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Religious groups are required by law to register with the 
government as non-governmental organizations, although this requirement 
did not appear to be enforced. Religious organizations that do not 
register as non-governmental, non-profit organizations, cannot legally 
claim exemption from taxes and import duties. Some of the largest 
Christian religious groups have historically refused to register out of 
fear of government interference. Religious groups that have opted to 
register, such as the Coptic Church, have been exempt from property 
taxes.
    The April 2006 Humanitarian and Voluntary Work Act requires all 
foreign NGOs, including religious groups, to register with the 
Government. It ostensibly applies to both Christian and Muslim groups, 
but there has been insufficient time to see how it is applied in 
practice. In prior years, the SCC had complained that a similar act, 
which this one supersedes, was unfairly applied.
    The new Interim National Constitution that took effect on July 9, 
2005, provides for freedom of worship throughout the entire country; 
the constitution of Southern Sudan, signed on December 5, 2005, also 
provides for freedom of worship in the ten states of the South. 
Although the GNU did not directly interfere in the right of citizens to 
practice the religion of their choice, it restricted to some extent 
when, where, and how Christians in the North were permitted to worship. 
The Government of Southern Sudan generally respected the rights of 
southerners to practice the religion of their choice.
    The country's legal and policy framework affecting religious 
freedom changed dramatically following the CPA. Although the Interim 
National Constitution applies to the entire country, it has in effect 
created separate legal systems in the North and the South.
    Shari'a is a source of legislation in the fifteen states of the 
North. Conversion from Islam to another religion is considered 
apostasy. Under the CPA, non-Muslims in Khartoum are exempt from 
penalties prescribed by Shari'a but not from national and state laws 
based on Shari'a. In addition, the rights of non-Muslims in the capital 
are to be guaranteed by a special presidential commission, which is 
expected to assist the government in advising courts on how to apply 
Shari'a law to non-Muslims. On January 3, 2006, the president announced 
his intention to create the Commission for the Rights of Non-Muslims in 
the National Capital; however, by the end of the period covered by this 
report there had been no presidential decree to create this Commission.
    Shari'a is no longer a source of legislation in the ten states of 
the South under the Interim National Constitution and the constitution 
of Southern Sudan. The region's legal and regulatory framework remains 
a combination of inherited national law, laws adopted by the Government 
of Southern Sudan, traditional practice, and provisional decisions.
    The Government of Southern Sudan has established a special court in 
Juba, the Southern capital, for prosecuting crimes committed for 
religious reasons, particularly by Christians seeking revenge against 
Muslims. There were reports that the court has tried several cases, and 
the Muslim leaders in Juba stated that it appeared to offer adequate 
protection to Muslims. There was no equivalent institution in the 
North.
    Under the Interim National Constitution, Sudan is a ``multi-
religious state'' and ``an all embracing homeland wherein religions 
exist in harmony''; moreover, the constitution is based on the 
principle that the country's ``religions, beliefs, customs, and 
traditions are a source of moral strength and inspiration for the 
Sudanese people.'' However, because the constitution preserves the role 
of Shari'a in the north, it effectively establishes Islam as the state 
religion in that region. Neither the Interim National Constitution nor 
the constitution of Southern Sudan establish a state religion in the 
South, although traditionalism and Christianity are dominant. All 
courts in the South are secular.
    National government offices and businesses in the north follow the 
Islamic workweek, with Friday as a day of prayer. Employers are 
required by law to give their Christian employees two hours before 
10:00 a.m. on Sunday for religious purposes, but many employers did 
not, and there was no legal remedy. Public schools are in session on 
Sunday and Christian students are not excused from classes. Most 
Christians instead worship on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evenings.
    Government of Southern Sudan offices and businesses in the south 
follow the western workweek, with Sunday as a day of religious 
observance. Employers in the South generally do not give their Muslim 
employees two hours on Friday for religious purposes as required under 
national law practiced in the North. Schools in the South are in 
session on Friday, and Muslim students are not excused from class.
    The Government recognizes Eid al-Adha, Islamic New Year, the Birth 
of the Prophet Muhammad, Orthodox Easter, Sham El Naseem/Easter Monday, 
Israa Wal Mi'Raaj, Eid al-Fitr, and Christmas as public holidays 
throughout the country. In the South, Islamic holy days were generally 
not observed by government offices.
    There are no restrictions on religious groups' ability to acquire 
property, but all groups are required to obtain permits from the 
national Ministry of Guidance and Endowments, the state Ministry of 
Construction and Planning, and the local planning office before 
constructing new houses of worship. However, this requirement did not 
appear to be enforced in the South. Enforcement in the North was 
sporadic and not as strict as it was several years ago. Permits for new 
mosques in the North are generally issued, although Muslim leaders 
complained the process was cumbersome and time-consuming. Moreover, 
according to Christian leaders, permits for new churches have been 
either denied outright or delayed for years. However, according to the 
SIRC, the Khartoum State Ministry of Planning and Public Utilities 
issued a permit for a new Episcopal church at Al Hazari, Khartoum, on 
July 23, 2005, and a permit for a new Church of Christ place of worship 
at Al Thawra, Omdurman, on May 24, 2006; these appeared to be the first 
permits issued for a new church since 1975. The ministry was also 
reported to be in the process of approving other permits, including one 
for a Catholic church at Al Bakara, Khartoum. However, other obstacles 
remained, including a group of squatters preventing work on the new 
Episcopal church site at Al Hazari, and many Christian leaders remained 
skeptical that the Government would allow new churches to be built.
    Foreign missionary groups are required to register with the 
government, although Christian leaders charged that foreign Muslim 
groups are routinely exempt from this regulation.
    Under the state-mandated curriculum, all schools in the North--
including private schools operated by Christian groups--are required to 
teach Islamic education classes from preschool through university. In 
addition, all classes must be taught in Arabic, although English may be 
taught as a foreign language. Some public schools excuse non-Muslims 
from Islamic education classes, but others do not. Private schools must 
hire a special teacher for teaching Islamic education, although public 
schools are not required to provide any religious instruction to non-
Muslims.
    The educational system in the South suffered from the effects of 
the civil war. There were few public schools; most instruction was 
provided by Christian religious groups, although there were two Islamic 
colleges. The University of Juba, which relocated to Khartoum during 
the North-South Civil War, remained in the capital, although a majority 
of its students came from the South. The Government of National Unity 
has promised to return the University to Juba in time, although there 
has been little progress to date.
    The Government of National Unity has supported interfaith dialogue 
through the SIRC. Though the SIRC is officially an NGO, the government 
provides much of its funding. In July 2005 the SIRC together with the 
U.S. Institute of Peace sponsored a conference on the role of religious 
leaders in peacekeeping. It also hosted an interfaith prayer service in 
February 2006 in honor of the archbishop of Canterbury's visit to 
Khartoum, which was attended by senior government officials.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The GNU restricted where Christians in the North were permitted to 
worship and how they were permitted to practice. Obtaining permits to 
build new churches remained a long and tortuous process, despite recent 
improvements. There were still several outstanding requests from 
previous years, and it was not clear whether any new permits were 
requested during the reporting period. In addition, according to some 
Christian leaders, the GNU had pressured existing churches in central 
Khartoum to move to less conspicuous locations on the outskirts of the 
capital, and it preferred to keep new Christian facilities outside the 
city center. Some Christians believed this approach to be a less 
public, less confrontational alternative to the previous government's 
practice of confiscating church property.
    The GNU promoted the spread of Islam through mandatory Islamic 
education for all students in the North, even non-Muslims enrolled in 
private, Christian schools. Christian leaders believed that these 
requirements not only exacerbated problems in the relationship between 
the Muslim majority and the Christian minority but further marginalized 
the place of Christianity in northern society. The Catholic Church in 
particular faced a shortage of priests, which it attributed to a lack 
of Christian religious education. At the same time, the Government 
continued to restrict conversions from Islam to other faiths, which is 
officially considered apostasy. On May 14, 2006, an Episcopal priest 
and three other Christians were arrested after meeting with a Muslim 
woman who wanted to convert to Christianity. They were released after 
several days.
    The Government of Southern Sudan pursued policies that contributed 
to the free practice of religion during the period covered by this 
report, although some Muslims leaders in the south expressed concerns 
about the Government's treatment of Muslims. In January 2006 the 
government of Upper Nile State banned the use of public loudspeakers at 
mosques in Malakal and Nasir for announcing the call to prayer, 
claiming that they disturbed the public. The state government has 
reclaimed the property of the Nasir Islamic Qur'an Institute, which was 
seized by the national government several years ago from a Christian 
group; the government of Central Equatoria State took a similar action 
in March 2006 against Qur'an al-Kariim University, formerly Juba Girls' 
Secondary School. The Upper Nile State Ministry of Finance has closed 
Islamic banks in Malakal, citing the CPA's provisions for the 
establishment of a conventional banking system in the South.
    Although the GNU has not banned any specific religious group, it 
favored Islam over Christianity in the North. Many southern Christians 
living in the North suffered from social, educational, and job 
discrimination, although religion was only one of the many factors 
leading to discrimination. Muslim religious organizations affiliated 
with opposition political parties, such as the Al-Ansar and its 
political wing, the Umma National Party, also claimed to suffer 
discrimination by Islamists in the governing National Congress Party, 
although it was unclear whether the alleged discrimination was due to 
religious or political affiliation. Some Muslims in the North also 
complained that the GNU was attempting to curry favor with the West by 
placing Christian leaders, including a dissident Episcopal bishop and a 
prominent Coptic Orthodox priest, in high positions of power within the 
government. According to these allegations, these Christian officials 
used their power to reward their followers by directing government 
contracts and other business to their followers' companies.
    Muslims in the South complained of economic discrimination and 
boycotts by Christians, although such actions did not appear to be 
supported by the Government of Southern Sudan. During the August 1, 
2005, riots, after the death of First Vice President John Garang, 
Muslim-owned businesses were burned down in Juba. Muslims in Juba were 
intimated, threatened, and harassed to leave Juba. The SPLM issued 
statements against violence towards Muslims in Juba. Tensions remained 
in Juba with many Muslims believing they were unwanted there despite 
their long presence in the area that predated independence. The most 
common complaint from Muslims in the South was late-night threats and 
racial epithets from inebriated Christian southerners who equated Islam 
with northern oppression during the long civil war.
    The Government continued to refuse to act on many applications to 
build new churches in the North, although it issued two permits for new 
churches in suburban Khartoum during the period covered by this report. 
The need for new church facilities is particularly great in IDP camps 
on the outskirts of Khartoum, where southern Christians fled during the 
civil war. Most existing churches in the capital date from the colonial 
era and are located near the city center. As a result, relatively few 
Christians have the time or means to travel over twenty miles to church 
during their two hours of ``religious time'' on Sunday mornings. This 
policy not only discourages Christians from practicing their faith, but 
also enables the government to publicly claim that new churches are not 
needed because the existing ones are under-utilized.
    Some Christians living in IDP camps have established their own 
congregations and built ``prayer houses'' without obtaining permits, 
though these facilities have been subject to Government condemnation 
and destruction in the past. The Catholic Church routinely builds 
``activity centers'' near IDP camps which function as churches, though 
without official permits.
    Though the Government has issued two permits for new churches in 
suburban Khartoum, some Christian leaders believe the GNU has continued 
the previous regime's attempts to drive churches and other Christian 
institutions out of the capital's center. Previous governments 
routinely confiscated church property in the city, most notably the 
former All Saints Episcopal Cathedral (1971) and the Catholic Club 
(1998). Episcopal Church of Sudan officials alleged that the NCP 
government prompted the 2004 sale of the Church's Khartoum headquarters 
and guesthouse by a dissident Episcopal bishop. According to Episcopal 
and Catholic officials, the Government has yet to provide adequate 
compensation for all confiscated church property, though the Sudan 
Inter-Religious Council has helped both churches reclaim some 
properties in Omdurman and suburban Khartoum.
    In 2006, some churches in the South received appropriate 
compensation from the Government of Southern Sudan for property seized 
by earlier governments. In March 2006, the Archbishop of Canterbury 
consecrated a new Episcopal cathedral in Renk, replacing an earlier 
building that had been confiscated to build a new road. Other Christian 
groups in the South are expected to regain properties currently 
occupied by the Sudan Armed Forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, 
or various Islamic groups.
    Some Christian leaders have accused the GNU of pressuring churches 
to sell their older properties in central Khartoum by offering them a 
high sales price, but denying the churches permission to redevelop the 
properties themselves and take advantage of the booming real estate 
market. Other church officials allege that once a church has bought 
land in a particular residential area for possible future construction, 
the Government will re-zone the area for industrial or commercial use, 
or plan to build a road through the church's property. These officials 
see such tactics as the new government's less public, less 
confrontational alternative to confiscating church property.
    Although there is no penalty for converting from another religion 
to Islam, converting from Islam to another religion is considered 
apostasy under Shari'a, and is punishable by death in the North. In 
practice, however, this penalty was rarely carried out. The last case 
of apostasy was prosecuted in 1985, and involved a Muslim who 
questioned Muslim beliefs but did not attempt to convert to another 
religion. Muslims in the North who do attempt to convert to another 
faith, however, were generally regarded as outcasts by their families 
and face severe social pressure to recant.
    The Interim National Constitution and the constitution of Southern 
Sudan specifically prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion for 
candidates for the National Civil Service, though Muslims have 
traditionally been chosen for these positions over Christians. However, 
with the creation of the GNU in July 2005, Christians are represented 
in the Vice Presidential and Cabinet level of the national government 
for the first time since independence. There has also been a marked 
increase in the number of Christian members in the National Assembly 
and the Council of States. There are many Christian lawyers in the 
North, and several Christian judges for civil law cases involving non-
Muslims.
    The Interim National Constitution and the constitution of southern 
Sudan also deny recognition to any political party that discriminates 
on the basis of religion.
    The National Intelligence and Security Service routinely monitored 
religious activities at mosques and churches throughout the country, 
often posing as members of the congregations. Christian leaders 
acknowledge that they usually refrain from preaching on political or 
other sensitive topics to avoid harassment by the authorities. Some 
Muslim imams prefer to avoid political topics in their preaching as 
well though others seem to show less restraint.
    Proselytizing by any religious group in the country is not 
prohibited, though strong Muslim social pressures in the north against 
proselytizing and Shari'a penalties for apostasy that are part of the 
North's legal code, effectively limit Christian missionary activities 
in the region. Some foreign missionary groups operated in the North, 
though their work is officially limited to education or services to 
southern Christian IDPs. Missionaries also continued to operate in the 
South, running relief operations, medical clinics, and churches. Many 
Christian religious workers experienced delays in getting visas, though 
this is common for almost all visa applicants from Western countries. 
The government also controls travel to certain areas in the North by 
requiring all foreigners to have travel permits.
    There are no formal prohibitions on the local publication, 
importation, or dissemination of religious texts, and copies of the 
Qur'an and Bible are commonly available throughout the country, both 
North and South. Newspapers commonly print sermons and other articles 
religious, and the Episcopal Church of Sudan operates a religious 
bookstore in central Khartoum. However, newspaper editors admitted to 
self-censorship regarding articles on certain controversial topics.
    On May 4, 2005, Mohamed Taha, the Shi'a editor-in-chief of Al Wafaq 
daily newspaper, faced criminal charges of defaming religion when he 
republished an article with contentious assertions regarding the 
origins of the Prophet Muhammad. He was detained for a few hours, 
returned to his job, and was later acquitted. Al Wafaq, which was shut 
down for a few days, resumed operations.
    Public preaching and processions are allowed throughout the 
country. Muslim sermons are commonly broadcast over loudspeakers in the 
north, and can be heard well outside the walls of mosques. However, 
Christian leaders say that they were cautious about preaching outside 
of their churches, or leading public processions; they usually limit 
these activities to Christmas and Easter celebrations.
    There was little Christian programming in the North, and little 
local broadcasting of any kind in the South.
    Religious symbols are permitted throughout the country. Mosques may 
announce a call to prayer, though some mosques in the South were no 
longer allowed to use loudspeakers. Churches could erect crosses on 
their property and ring bells to announce the beginning of services.
    Public schools in the North officially permit Christian students to 
wear a cross. Although the social pressure for women to wear 
headscarves in public has decreased, pressure remained for women in 
universities, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to wear headscarves to 
classes.
    Wine was always used at Catholic Mass in the South; however, it was 
used infrequently at Mass in the North due to the prohibition on the 
consumption or sale of alcohol.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    In May 2006, there were reports that four Christian leaders, 
including an Episcopal priest and a Catholic priest, were arrested 
after meeting with a Muslim woman who wanted to convert to 
Christianity. All four were denied access to legal counsel for two 
days; three were beaten by officers of the National Intelligence and 
Security Service before being released. The woman was not charged with 
apostasy, but was returned to her family despite some concerns that 
they would beat her.
    Muslims in the North, who express an interest in Christianity, or 
convert to Christianity, face severe social pressure to recant. Muslim 
converts to Christianity are typically regarded as outcasts by their 
families, and are sometimes forced to flee the country. Some Christian 
converts fear their Muslim families will beat them or report them to 
authorities for prosecution, though others note that many Muslim 
families were too embarrassed to draw public attention to the matter.
Forced Religious Conversion
    Although there is no evidence of forced conversions in the period 
covered by this report, there is considerable social pressure for non-
Muslims in the North to convert to Islam. The President of the Republic 
frequently ended his public speeches with a call for victory over the 
``infidels,'' and state media outlets routinely referred to Christians 
as ``non-believers.'' Christian parents reported that their children 
enrolled in public school were commonly asked why they are not Muslims.
    There were reports that Sudanese Armed Forces in the South were 
rewarding Southerners who convert to Islam and inducing non-Muslims in 
the military to convert to Islam in advance of the 2011 referendum on 
Southern independence,
    Sudanese law makes a distinction between ``orphans'' and ``children 
of unknown parents.'' If a child's parents have died or are no longer 
able to take care of the child, the child is considered to be of the 
same religion as his parents. However, if a child's parents are 
unknown, the child is generally treated as a Muslim, at least in the 
North. There have been rare cases where Christian families were allowed 
to adopt Muslim children of unknown parentage, but Christian families 
must generally adopt children whose parents were known to be Christian.
    There were no reports of the forced religious conversion 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
    There was some improvement in respect for religious freedom in the 
period covered by this report. The adoption of the Interim National 
Constitution and the constitution of Southern Sudan removed Shari'a as 
a source of legislation in the South. The Interim National Constitution 
also stated that non-Muslims would not be adversely affected by the 
application of Shari'a law in the North.
    Some church property confiscated by previous governments has been 
returned to it original owners, though many claims remain outstanding. 
In 2005, the GNU, working through the Sudan Inter-Religious Council, 
returned St. Catherine's Hospital in Omdurman to the Episcopal Church 
of Sudan, and gave three plots of land in Khartoum to the Roman 
Catholic Church as partial compensation for the seizure of the Catholic 
Club in 1998. The Government has also issued two permits for new 
churches in suburban Khartoum during the period covered by this report, 
and is in the process of issuing a third.
    In 2006, the Government of Southern Sudan donated land to the 
Episcopal Church for a new cathedral in Renk, to replace a church that 
was demolished several years earlier to make way for a new road. The 
Government of Southern Sudan also prepared to return property seized 
and used as Islamic colleges in Nasir and Juba to their original 
Christian owners.
    The SPLM also announced in May 2006 that it would press the GNU to 
act on claims for all outstanding church property issues, including 
that of the former All Saints Episcopal Cathedral and the Catholic Club 
in Khartoum.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Religion is an important factor in society, though it often 
overlaps with other racial, ethnic, and linguistic factors. 
Nevertheless, relations between individuals of different religious 
backgrounds were often good on a personal level, though government 
policy in the past had frequently undermined an atmosphere of religious 
tolerance. The signing of the CPA and the adoption of the Interim 
National Constitution marked a change in these policies and contributed 
to improved relations between Muslims and Christians.
    The SIRC played an active role in promoting inter-religious 
dialogue and understanding. Though the SIRC was officially a NGO, it 
received much of its funding from the GNU. It includes a forty-six-
member General Assembly, with an equal number of Muslims and 
Christians, which in turn elects a twelve-member Executive Board, also 
with equal numbers of Muslims and Christians.
    The SCC includes twelve Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches 
in Northern and Southern Sudan. The SCC generally cooperated with the 
SIRC, though some SCC members have expressed concerns that the SIRC is 
too close to the government.
    Other Christian leaders have expressed reservations about the power 
of the SIRC to help regain church property, noting that it has had only 
limited success to date. Some have also expressed concerns with the 
SCC, complaining that it is prone to corruption and infighting.
    Some Muslim leaders are also skeptical that the SIRC truly 
represents the Muslims of the country, because most Muslim members of 
the SIRC avoid politics or refrain from criticizing the National 
Islamic Front and National Congress Party.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The United States government encouraged respect for religious 
freedom in is discussions with the GNU, and urged it to fulfill the 
promise of religious freedom made in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 
and the Interim National Constitution. The United States government 
made clear that continuing restrictions on religious freedom are an 
impediment to improved relations between the two countries.
    U.S. embassy officials met on a regular basis with leaders from 
many Muslim and Christian groups in Khartoum, Juba, and on trips 
outside the capital, noting the importance of religious tolerance and 
the extent of U.S. interest and concern. In addition to this report, 
the embassy also provided regular updates to the Department of State 
and other agencies on the state of religious groups in the country, and 
on the challenges they face.
    The embassy's Public Diplomacy section has developed working 
relationships with a number of Muslim and Christian leaders. A visiting 
``Islam in America'' speaker in late October 2005 expanded contacts 
with Muslim institutions, and the embassy sponsored a leading Sufi 
Muslim cleric for the International Visitor Program.
    On the occasion of the Deputy Secretary Zoellick's visit in 
November, the Public Diplomacy section organized a seminal roundtable 
that brought together leading Muslim and Christian leaders. The embassy 
also maintains contact with key figures in the country's religious 
communities through occasional individual meetings and mailings of 
articles and reports relating to religious freedom.
    USAID's Office of Transitional Issues (OTI) provided a grant to the 
SIRC in 2005 to assist with publication of a booklet on ``Religion and 
the CPA.'' OTI also provided funding for a dozen seminars that brought 
together Christian and Muslim leaders to discuss the CPA.
    From 1999-2005, the Secretary of State has designated Sudan a 
Country of Particular Concern annually under the International 
Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom. Economic measures in effect against Sudan under the 
International Religious Freedom Act relate to the use of the voice and 
vote of the United States to abstain on or oppose loans or other use of 
the funds of International Financial Institutions to or for Sudan 
(International Financial Institutions Act).
                               __________

                               SWAZILAND

    The country's first constitution in more than thirty years, which 
went into effect on February 8, 2006, provides for freedom of religion. 
The Government generally respected freedom of religion in practice, 
although authorities on occasion disrupted or cancelled prayer meetings 
that they believed to have political implications. The original draft 
of the constitution declared Christianity the country's official 
religion, but during final debates the provision was dropped.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 6,700 square miles and a 
population of 1.1 million. Christianity was the dominant religion. 
Zionism, a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship, was 
the predominant religion in rural areas. A large Roman Catholic 
presence, including churches, schools, and other infrastructure, 
continued to flourish. The population was approximately 35 percent 
Protestant, 30 percent Zionist, 25 percent Catholic, and 1 percent 
Muslim. The remaining 9 percent of the population was divided among the 
Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, the Baha'i Faith, the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Judaism, and other 
religious groups. Followers of Islam and the Baha'i Faith generally 
were located in urban areas. There were few atheists.
    Missionaries inspired much of the country's early development and 
continued to play a role in rural development. A majority of 
missionaries were western Christians, including Baptists, Mormons, 
evangelical groups, and other Christian faiths. The Baha'i Faith was 
one of the most active non-Christian groups in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Article 23 of the constitution states that individuals have a right 
to ``freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.'' The original draft 
of the constitution declared Christianity the country's official 
religion, but during the final debate that provision was dropped. The 
country had not had a constitution since 1973. Religious and other 
civil society groups have frequently denounced the drafting process for 
allowing input only from individuals and not from groups. The 
constitution protects the right to practice by guaranteeing ``[the] 
freedom [to] worship either alone or in community with others.''
    Apart from the constitution, there is no law, statute, or 
regulation that protects the right of religious freedom or provides 
effective remedies for the violation of that right.
    Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday, and Ascension Day 
are all national holidays. The monarchy (and by extension the 
Government) supports many Christian activities. The royal family 
occasionally attended various evangelical programs, including Good 
Friday and Ascension worship services at the national stadium in the 
Ezulwini Valley, hosted by participating churches of the local 
evangelical movement. King Mswati III used the Easter Weekend service 
to call for the construction of a national church and pledged $57,400 
(E350,000) of his own money towards its construction.
    There is no legislation in the country describing the 
organizational requirements of a religious group; however, new 
religious groups or churches are expected to register with the 
Government upon organizing. To be considered organized, a religious 
group must demonstrate possession of either substantial cash reserves 
or financial support from foreign religious groups with established 
ties to western or eastern religions. For indigenous religious groups, 
authorities consider demonstration of a proper building, a pastor or 
religious leader, and a congregation as sufficient to grant organized 
status. These organized religious groups are exempt from paying taxes, 
although they are not considered tax-deductible charities.
    Portions of the capital city are zoned specifically for places of 
worship of all denominations. Government permission is required for the 
construction of new religious buildings in urban areas, and permission 
is required from chiefs in rural areas. Those religious groups that 
wish to construct new buildings may purchase a plot of land and apply 
for the required building permits. The Government has not restricted 
any religion with financial means from building a place of worship; 
however, non-Christian groups sometimes experience minor delays in 
obtaining permits from the Government to build residences for clergy.
    The Government allows religious instruction, primarily Christian, 
in public schools. Voluntary school clubs conducted daily prayer 
services in many public schools.
    The Government neither restricts nor formally promotes interfaith 
dialogue, and it does not provide formal mechanisms for religions to 
reconcile differences. Religious groups have access to the courts as 
private entities.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. Followers of all religious faiths generally were 
free to worship without government interference or restriction, 
although there were exceptions.
    Authorities on occasion disrupted or cancelled prayer meetings that 
were considered to have political implications. In 2004 police and 
security forces disrupted a prayer vigil held by local residents 
commemorating the four year anniversary of the Macetjeni/KaMkhweli 
evictions. Residents of KaMkhweli and Macetjeni were evicted in 2000 
for refusing to transfer their allegiance from their traditional chiefs 
to Prince Maguga, a brother of the king.
    Local, traditional leaders sometimes discriminated against members 
of Jehovah's Witnesses, although such actions were often reversed by 
higher judicial institutions. On May 7, 2005, traditional leaders fined 
the family of a member of Jehovah's Witnesses one cow because the woman 
refused to wear mourning clothes after her husband's death.
    The three primary school children of Jehovah's Witnesses who were 
expelled in 2004 for refusing to pray during school assemblies were 
reinstated by court order on September 2, 2005. The court order has 
allowed members of Jehovah's Witnesses to refrain from praying during 
school assemblies, but no formal government policy exists. On November 
11, 2005, the Court of Appeal ordered a chief to return five cows 
seized in 2003 from a member of Jehovah's Witnesses who refused to 
allow his daughters to wear the virginity tassels as ordered by the 
king.
    On June 23, 2005, the Court of Appeal ruled that the University of 
Swaziland's failure to accommodate a student's religious obligation was 
an infringement of his freedom of religion. In May 2004 the first year 
university law student, a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 
failed his course because he refused to take his final exam because it 
was offered on a Saturday, and Seventh-day Adventists refrain from 
secular work, including academic activities, from sunset Friday to 
sunset Saturday, the day they observe as the Sabbath.
    The government-owned television and radio stations did not permit 
non-Christian religious groups to broadcast messages. Christian 
programming was available on both of the parastatal broadcast outlets, 
Swazi Broadcasting and Information Service and Swazi Television. The 
local satellite television service, DSTV (cable service is not 
available), carried at least one religious channel. Church groups owned 
several newsletters and magazines.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. For example, five different 
denominations peacefully maintain adjoining properties in Mbabane. 
There was no public conflict among religious groups during the period 
covered by this report.
    Christian churches were well organized and were divided into three 
groups: the Council of Churches, the League of Churches, and the 
Conference of Churches. Each group was open to members of all 
denominations. However, Zionists and all African traditional churches 
belonged to the League of Churches; most evangelical churches 
associated with the Conference of Churches; and Anglican, Catholic, 
United Christian, Mennonite, Episcopal, and Methodist churches 
generally belonged to the Council of Churches. These groups primarily 
produced common statements on political matters, facilitated the 
sharing of radio production facilities, or became involved with common 
rural development and missionary strategies. Although the groups 
sometimes strongly disagreed with one another, they have found common 
ground on topics of concern, such as support for a constitutional 
amendment to allow for freedom of religion.
    Several very conservative clergymen urged the Government to declare 
the country uniquely Christian.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintains contact and good relations with the various 
religious organizations.
                               __________

                                TANZANIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    The status of respect for religious freedom improved during the 
later half of the reporting period. Improvements in the respect for 
freedom of religion and the dissipation of religious tensions during 
the reporting period where facilitated by the appointment of Muslims to 
key administrative positions following the December 2005 general 
elections.
    Although the perception of discrimination shifted from some Muslims 
under the previous administration to some Christians under the new 
administration, the perceived favoritism towards certain religious 
groups did not negatively impact the practice of religion in either 
circumstance. Despite the increased representation of Muslims in the 
Government, the generally amicable relations among religions in society 
still experienced some tension between Muslims and Christians and, in a 
few cases, between secular and fundamentalist Muslims. In Zanzibar, 
some Muslims remained concerned that the 2001 Mufti Law, which allows 
the Zanzibari government to appoint a mufti for the purposes of 
overseeing Muslim organizations and acting as a liaison with the 
Government, continued to permit undue government control of religious 
affairs.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 364,900 square miles and a population of 
approximately 36 million, of which an estimated 35 million live on the 
mainland and 1 million on the Zanzibar archipelago. Current statistics 
on religious demography were unavailable, because the Government does 
not track the religious affiliation of its citizens, and religious 
surveys were eliminated from all government census reports after 1967. 
Religious leaders and sociologists generally estimated that the 
Christian and Muslim populations were approximately equal, each 
accounting for 30 to 40 percent of the population, with the remainder 
consisting of atheists and practitioners of other faiths and indigenous 
religions.
    The Muslim population was most heavily concentrated on the Zanzibar 
archipelago, which was estimated to be 99 percent Muslim. On the 
mainland, Muslim communities were concentrated in the coastal areas, 
with some large Muslim minorities in inland urban areas.
    Between 80 and 90 percent of the country's Muslim population was 
Sunni; the remainder consisted of several Shi'a groups, mostly of Asian 
descent. The Christian population was composed of Roman Catholics, 
Protestants, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, members of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses.
    Foreign missionaries, including Assemblies of God, Catholic, 
Lutheran, Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, Mormon, Anglican, and Muslim 
groups, operated in the country. Catholic groups primarily engaged in 
social services, while Muslim missionaries focused on teaching in 
mosques and local schools. Assemblies of God increasingly engaged in 
building churches, particularly in rural and remote areas.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution does not establish any official state religion and 
recognizes eight days as religious holidays, four Christian and four 
Muslim.
    Following the unwritten rule that the presidency would alternate 
between a Christian and a Muslim, on May 4, 2005, the ruling party 
nominated Foreign Minister Jakaya Kikwete, a Muslim, to succeed 
President Mkapa, who is Catholic. Although perceived religious 
favoritism was not a campaign issue, there was increasing public 
discussion of balancing government benefits among the country's 
religious communities. Despite these discussions, on April 23, 2006, a 
front-page newspaper article, prompted by the appointment of a Muslim 
to the post of Inspector General, criticized the Government for 
allowing elements of religious bias to creep into the Government of 
President Kikwete.
    Historically, some urban Muslim groups have perceived 
discrimination in government hiring and law enforcement practices. This 
perceived discrimination amongst Muslims prompted the new Union 
administration, led by President Jakaya Kikwete, to appoint Muslims to 
sensitive government positions including the vice presidency, 
ambassadorships, and ministerial positions in the Ministries of 
Defense, Finance, and Foreign Affairs. These appointments were met with 
approval by Muslims and with resentment by some Christians. A June 28, 
2006, article in the Guardian newspaper quoted the Catholic archbishop 
as urging President Kikwete to review the system used in recruiting 
civil servants in the public security organizations.
    A semi-autonomous archipelago, Zanzibar elects its own president to 
serve as the head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar, and a 
parliament that can approve legislation pertaining to local affairs. 
The 2001 Mufti Law authorizes the president of Zanzibar to appoint an 
Islamic leader, or mufti, to serve as a public employee of the 
Zanzibari Government. The mufti possesses the authority to settle all 
religious disputes involving Muslims, approve all Islamic activities 
and gatherings on Zanzibar, supervise all Zanzibari mosques, and 
approve religious lectures by foreign clergy and the importation of 
Islamic literature from outside of Zanzibar.
    The Mufti Law continued to be controversial during the reporting 
period because some Muslim groups viewed it as giving the Zanzibari 
government undue influence in religious affairs. The Zanzibari Ministry 
of Good Governance declared in 2004 that it would establish a review 
committee to consider possible revisions to the Mufti Law; however, no 
such committee had been formed by the close of this reporting period. 
According to Zanzibari authorities, the modalities of the committee's 
formation were still in the process of being developed during the 
period covered by this report. The Zanzibar Attorney General's Office 
reported that it was seeking input from various Muslim nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs), including some that have objected to the Mufti 
Law, before the review committee begins to function. For example, in a 
departure from previous policy, the Office of the Mufti quietly engaged 
in a dialogue with Saudi-line Muslim groups such as Uamsho, a 
fundamentalist organization that does not recognize Zanzibar's Mufti 
Law and serves as an umbrella for other Islamic groups. Following these 
discussions, Uamsho reported that they held twelve religious rallies, 
all without undue interference from government agencies.
    On the mainland, mosques belonging to the National Muslim Council 
of Tanzania (BAKWATA) elect a mufti of their own who, unlike in 
Zanzibar, is not a public servant. BAKWATA serves as an NGO; however, 
when it was first established in 1968, BAKWATA was widely considered to 
be an unofficial arm of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), and 
public opinion still associated BAKWATA with the ruling CCM party. 
During the reporting period, several Muslim organizations continued to 
criticize both Zanzibar's Mufti Law and the mainland's practice of 
selecting a mufti through BAKWATA, perceiving them as efforts by the 
Government to institutionalize government oversight of Islamic 
organizations.
    The Government requires religious organizations to register with 
the Registrar of Societies at the Ministry of Home Affairs on the 
mainland and with the Chief Government Registrar on Zanzibar. To 
register, religious organizations must have at least ten followers and 
provide a constitution, the resumes of their leaders, and a letter of 
recommendation from their district commissioner. In addition, groups 
registering on Zanzibar must provide a letter of approval from the 
mufti. Some Muslim groups on the mainland claimed that they were also 
required to submit a letter of recommendation from BAKWATA; however, 
such groups did not report any difficulties in obtaining one. There 
were no reports that the Government refused the registration of any 
group.
    The law requires all NGOs, including those that are religiously 
affiliated, to register with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The NGO law 
does not impose any new obligations on the parent organizations of 
religiously affiliated NGOs. Under the 2001 Mufti Law, Zanzibar's mufti 
is able to recommend that the Chief Government Registrar approve or 
deny the registration of any Islamic society. In 2006 the mufti 
recommended approval of at least one group (which sends Muslims to 
Mecca for the Hajj) and recommended denial of registration for two 
groups associated with the Baha'i faith and the Ahmadiyya, claiming 
that there were contradictions between the beliefs of these groups and 
the Islamic faith. The Ahmadiyya filed suit against the office of the 
mufti because of this recommendation; the case was pending at the end 
of the reporting period.
    Customary and statutory law governs Christians in both criminal and 
civil cases. Muslims are also governed by customary and statutory law 
in criminal cases; however, in civil cases involving family matters 
such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance, Islamic law 
is applied if both parties are Muslims.
    Some Christian judges on the mainland continued to administer 
Islamic law for civil cases involving family law where all the parties 
involved were Muslims. Some Muslim groups continued to consider this 
inappropriate and reported it as a grievance against the legal system.
    Zanzibar's court system generally parallels the mainland's legal 
system, and all cases tried in Zanzibari courts, except those involving 
constitutional issues and Islamic law, can be appealed to the Court of 
Appeals of the Union. There was occasional debate during the reporting 
period about the establishment of Shari'a (Islamic law) in Zanzibar, 
but the number of advocates remained small.
    Muslims held a number of influential positions in the legal and 
political systems. The majority of judges on Zanzibar were Muslim. On 
the mainland a Muslim continued to serve as Principal Judge and, in 
this capacity, oversaw the work of other judges. Another Muslim judge 
was appointed as permanent representative to the mission of the United 
Nations.
    Religious organizations occasionally appealed to the secular civil 
authorities for assistance in resolving quasi-religious disputes over 
the ownership of places of worship or the leadership of religious 
organizations. For example, in late 2004 the Tanzanian Lutheran 
Confederation (KKT) replaced its secretary general. The deposed 
secretary general brought a lawsuit seeking his reinstatement. During 
the reporting period, the court case concluded with the secretary 
general not being reinstated, and the plaintiff was ordered to pay 
damages to the defendants.
    Missionaries were permitted to enter the country freely. This was 
particularly true on Zanzibar if proselytizing was ancillary to other 
religious activities. Citizens were permitted to leave the country for 
pilgrimages and other religious practices.
    Many schools and universities were associated with missionaries, 
particularly since 2005 when the Government returned schools to the 
Catholic Church that were nationalized during the socialist era.
    The country's first Muslim university opened in Morogoro in April 
2006, two years after former president Benjamin Mkapa transferred 
government-owned office buildings to the Muslim Development Foundation 
for this purpose.
    Religion may be taught in public schools in the form of a class on 
religion, but it is not part of the national curriculum. Such classes 
are common, although they are generally taught on an ad hoc basis by 
parents or other volunteers. Classes must be approved by the school's 
administration and/or parent and teacher association. Unlike in public 
schools, some private schools make religious classes compulsory for all 
their students.
    In 2005 BAKWATA proposed that the Government pay the salaries of 
Islamic religion teachers and develop a curriculum that addressed 
sexual behavior, HIV/AIDS, and drug abuse. The Government initially 
agreed but said it would leave to BAKWATA the authority to approve 
Islamic religion teachers. Fundamental Islamic clerics opposed 
BAKWATA's authority over teacher selection and the development of the 
proposed curriculum. The Government then decided not to implement the 
policies proposed by BAKWATA, and the tension over religious education 
partially abated.
    The Government made some efforts to reduce the tensions between 
Muslim and Christian communities, which had been escalating in the 
lead-up to the elections in October 2005. Tensions stemmed from 
historical disparities between economic and educational opportunities 
available to Muslims and Christians and were exacerbated by some public 
rallies at which religious debate resulted in physical altercations.
    To promote religious tolerance, President Jakaya Kikwete and Vice 
President Ali Mohamed Shein, both Muslims, participated regularly in 
Christian events such as inaugurations and fundraising activities of 
churches. Government officials frequently participated in 
interdenominational events sponsored by NGOs. In an address to the 
Union parliament on December 30, 2005, President Kikwete also said that 
he wanted to see close cooperation between the Government and political 
and religious leaders.
    The president of Zanzibar, Amani Abeid Karume, also supported 
interfaith initiatives. On May 3, 2006, President Karume inaugurated a 
one-day seminar for Christian and Muslim religious leaders in Zanzibar, 
asking them to participate actively in peace-building programs. Two 
days later, a newspaper article reported the progress of these efforts, 
adding that religious leaders from forty-three Christian and Muslim 
groups had met for a joint prayer service and discussion of how 
religious institutions could work together for peace.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    All religious organizations are banned from involvement in 
politics, and politicians are restricted from using language intended 
to incite one religious group against another or to encourage religious 
groups to vote for certain political parties. The law imposes fines and 
jail time on political parties that campaign in houses of worship or 
educational facilities. None of these penalties were imposed during the 
reporting period, including during the general election period between 
October and December 2005, although laws may have been infringed. The 
lack of enforcement was a result of the Government and politicians not 
wanting to create additional tension between religious groups and 
political parties during an election year.
    The law also prohibits preaching or distributing material that is 
considered inflammatory and represents a threat to public order. 
Government officials occasionally denied permits to religious 
organizations requesting to hold public gatherings if they believed 
that that the gathering could become confrontational or inflame 
religious tensions. For example, in May 2005 district authorities in 
Mbeya denied a permit to the Salvation Pentecost of Tanzania 
International after they claimed that the group's recent evangelical 
public meetings had turned into abusive campaigns against Islam.
    In May 2005 Zanzibar authorities also prevented Islamic activist 
Sheikh Kurwa Shauri, a mainlander, from entering Zanzibar on the 
grounds that his preaching was considered a threat to the peace. Shauri 
had previously been arrested, released, and forced to return to Dar Es 
Salaam in 2004 after being charged with violating a 1993 order on 
disrupting the peace and fomenting interreligious conflict. These 
charges came after Shauri had advocated the use of violence against 
Zanzibar officials and tourists to the islands and distributed tapes of 
his teachings that were considered seditious material. As no one on 
Zanzibar would testify against Shauri, the authorities deported him to 
the mainland.
    The Government does not designate religion on passports or records 
of vital statistics; however, it requires an individual's religion to 
be stated on police reports, school registration forms, and 
applications for medical care. The Government reportedly requires 
individuals to indicate their religion in police reports in case 
individuals are later asked to give sworn testimony for which they 
would need to swear in court according to their religion. The 
Government requires children to indicate their religion on school 
registration forms so that children can be assigned to the appropriate 
religion class if the school offers religious instruction.
    Government policy forbids discrimination against individuals on the 
basis of religious beliefs or practices; however, individual government 
and business officials were believed to favor conducting business with 
persons who shared the same religion. Such favoritism was based on the 
perceived loyalty that a shared religion was believed to bring to a 
professional setting.
    Unlike in the previous year, the Muslim community did not claim to 
be disadvantaged in terms of its representation in the government, 
civil service, or other parastatal institutions.
    Despite improvements in their political representation, Muslim 
leaders continued to complain that the number of Muslim students chosen 
to enroll in government-run schools was not equal to the number of 
Christians. Christian leaders continued to agree that the Muslim 
student population in institutions of higher learning was 
disproportionately low; however, they attributed this condition to 
historical circumstances (the legacy of colonial and early post-
independence government policies that did not recognize the credentials 
of traditional Muslim schools) and low daily school attendance rates by 
Muslims, rather than discrimination. Many Christians and Muslims also 
attributed the educational disparity between Muslim and Christians to 
the disproportional emphasis that Islamic schools continued to place on 
religion at the expense of other academic subjects.
    Some Christian groups accused the current administration of 
religious bias against Christians during the reporting period, citing 
the rapid appointment of Muslims to many important positions. For 
example, Christian pastors complained that it was sometimes difficult 
to get permits for outdoor rallies because most local government 
leaders in Dar Es Salaam were Muslims. Some Christians also attributed 
religious discrimination against Christians to what they understood to 
be the lingering effects of undue favoritism accorded to Muslims in 
appointments, jobs, and scholarships by former president Ali Hassan 
Mwinyi, a Muslim.
    On Zanzibar, the 2001 Mufti Act gives the mufti the authority to 
determine the date of major religious observances. The Saudi-oriented 
group, Answaru Sunna, has been involved in a long-running dispute with 
the Zanzibar government over which Muslim leaders had the authority to 
determine annual religious observances. In past years, Zanzibari police 
have broken up public gatherings of Answaru Sunna and arrested the 
participants because they were observing Muslim holidays on the 
``wrong'' day. In November 2005, however, Answaru Sunna publicly 
observed Eid al-Fitr on a day other than that designated by the mufti 
without incident and without interference.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    On February 12, 2006, a newspaper reported that a church in the 
Kigamboni Temeke district of Dar Es Salaam was burnt to the ground a 
few days after robbers had ransacked it. A week later, BAKWATA 
officials issued a statement denouncing the church's petrol bombing, 
which was being attributed to certain sections of the Muslim community. 
The March 12 edition of the same paper reported that a government 
official working at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism was 
behind the petrol-bomb destruction of the church in February. On May 7, 
another weekly newspaper reported that the local government told the 
church to stop its services pending investigations. On May 14, a third 
newspaper reported that the church had appealed to the State House, 
accusing the Temeke Municipal Council of interfering with their right 
to worship and alleging that certain government officials wanted to 
make Temeke district a Muslim bastion. The Government did not provide a 
response to these allegations, and no arrests were made in connection 
with these incidents.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination Muslim-Christian 
relations remained stable in rural areas; however, some tension 
persisted in urban centers due to perceptions by some Muslim or 
Christian groups that the Government favored the other community in its 
hiring or law enforcement practices. Tensions between moderate Muslims 
and Muslim fundamentalists were eased following the October 2005 
elections as the latter expressed satisfaction with appointments of 
Muslims to key government positions. During the elections, 
interdenominational dialogues and initiatives existing at the national 
and community levels without formal government sponsorship helped to 
prevent religion from becoming a political fault line on which to 
justify societal violence. Muslim-Christian relations, in particular, 
benefited from these initiatives. An interdenominational religious 
council, composed of Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim representatives, 
continued to meet periodically, on an ad-hoc basis, to discuss issues 
of mutual concern. Between January and June 2006 the council met three 
times and discussed topics including: factors that contributed or could 
contribute to societal breaches of the peace, how political parties 
behaved during the 2005 elections, and whether political parties could 
have contributed to the disruption of national unity. These discussions 
followed an earlier meeting in Tanga on May 10, 2005, during which the 
council issued a five-point statement urging religious and political 
leaders to behave ethically and take concrete steps to promote social 
peace during the October election campaign. Early in 2006 the council 
also formed a committee to develop a framework for promoting a 
religious union between Muslim groups and the three major Christian 
denominations (Protestant, Catholic, and Pentecostal). Multifaith 
collaborations were also evidenced by a news report on January 8, 2006, 
which stated that BAKWATA met with Catholic and Lutheran churches to 
discuss how best to create vocational training institutes, schools, and 
higher learning institutions for the good of the community.
    Unlike in previous years, there were no reports of fundamentalists 
criticizing moderate Muslim organizations, such as BAKWATA, for 
reaching out to other religions. In 2006, for example, the Mufti's 
Office sponsored three seminars for Christian and Muslim clerics, the 
theme of which was tolerance. In March representatives from 43 Muslim 
and Christian denominations met to have a special thanksgiving prayer 
service to celebrate and give thanks for the peaceful beginning of the 
first 200 days of the administration of President Kikwete.
    Despite generally improved relations between religious groups, 
there were sporadic reports of religious-based violence and unease. 
Tensions between different Muslim groups reemerged on May 12, 2006, 
when Muslim sheikhs were quoted in a newspaper as strongly criticizing 
the office of the Zanzibar mufti for remaining silent when both Mufti 
officials and local Muslims were viewed as compromising the Islamic 
faith by being more concerned with secular pursuits, such as monetary 
gain, rather than the promotion of Islam. The sheikhs also criticized 
the Mufti's Office for not making a statement condemning Danish 
cartoons that were perceived as mocking Mohammed.
    There was a significant increase in reported killings of elderly 
individuals suspected of being witches. On February 27, 2006, the 
brutal axing of a woman suspected of being a witch was reported in a 
newspaper. On May 11, 2006, a newspaper reported that a man was killed 
after he was accused of being a witch. There was no additional 
information regarding the status of investigations into these cases 
available at the close of the reporting period; however, the Government 
strongly condemned the killing of witches and prosecuted offenders. The 
Government held seminars for local government officials and attended 
workshops run by NGOs in an effort to sensitize the public on the evils 
of killing suspected witches. During the reporting period, there were 
articles in newspapers and the electronic media condemning the 
practice.
    Investigations into the September 2005 beatings of a Christian 
pastor and deacon, and the attack by Muslim youths on a group of 
primary school religion teachers for teaching Muslim students about 
Christianity, both in Dar Es Salaam, were pending at the close of the 
reporting period. Also pending at the end of the reporting period was 
an investigation into the burning of a Catholic church in Morogoro 
region in April 2005.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. As 
part of this strategy, the U.S. government encouraged continued 
economic reform as a means to alleviate poverty, which has been 
identified as a contributing factor in the growth of religious 
intolerance.
    Embassy representatives often extended their contacts and 
encouraged dialogue among a wide range of religious leaders during the 
reporting period. For example, in April 2006 embassy representatives 
attended the opening of a Muslim university in Morogoro. The embassy 
established an American Corner at the Zanzibar State University.
    In addition to its outreach outside of the embassy, the embassy 
hosted several groups of Muslim high school students at the Information 
Resource Center as part of a series of outreach programs to Muslim 
groups living on the Swahili Coast. Students engaged with speakers, 
watched a film on Islam in America, and were given materials that 
explained the role of religious freedom and diversity in America.
    The embassy organized a speaker program in Dar Es Salaam and 
Zanzibar on Islam in the United States that featured a renowned female 
Islamic scholar. At these events, U.S. State Department-produced 
posters and pamphlets highlighting the role of religious freedom in the 
United States were distributed.
    In March 2006 the embassy organized a youth leadership speaker 
program that featured an American imam who spoke to youth at locations 
in Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar on the importance of sound leadership and 
the role of the youths in national development. He noted self-reliance, 
problem solving, and networking as key aspects of progress, and he 
highlighted the country as an example of the harmonious relationships 
that can exist between different faiths. He added that the youth needed 
to ensure that this harmony continued so that the country continued to 
be a model for other nations in this respect.
    In 2005 the embassy sponsored a series of civic education seminars 
for Christian and Muslim clergy and young persons who were active in 
their churches and mosques. One seminar, conducted in April by the 
interdenominational Global Network for Religions and Children, brought 
together religious activists from throughout Dar Es Salaam for 
discussions on the need for the peaceful and democratic conduct of the 
upcoming elections. During that year, the Global Network for Religions 
and Children also organized two major peace camps, one of which was 
held in conjunction with the Zanzibar Film Festival.
    In the months leading up to the general election, embassy officials 
were especially proactive in encouraging dialogue among religious 
groups on Zanzibar.
    On December 22, 2005, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary 
for African Affairs Dr. Jendayi Frazer met with Muslim leaders on the 
Zanzibar island of Pemba. This was the first visit in memory of an 
assistant secretary-level U.S. official to this remote, predominantly 
Muslim island. The round table, organized in coordination with the 
Mufti's Office of Zanzibar, brought together eighteen Muslim leaders 
representing youth groups, NGOs, and mosques to discuss issues of their 
choosing with the assistant secretary. Issues discussed included job 
creation and a request of Muslim clerics for industries to be 
established in Pemba, new economic projects and funding for existing 
projects, help to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria on 
Zanzibar, and access to education for the majority of Zanzibaris and 
their children. On the same visit, Assistant Secretary Frazer 
officially opened the Pemba Museum, which was funded ($23,500) through 
the State Department's Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.
    On September 28, 2005, the embassy hosted a digital videoconference 
with senior U.S. government officials for Muslim leaders, primarily 
from Zanzibar.
    In June 2005 the embassy sent two key community leaders to the 
United States on an International Visitor program entitled 
``Multiculturalism in U.S. Society,'' which exposed the participants to 
issues of religious freedom and tolerance. One participant was an 
editor for one of the largest Kiswahili daily newspapers, whose 
readership is predominantly Muslim. The other participant was the 
secretary general of a large Christian organization that publishes a 
daily newspaper and has its own radio station.
                               __________

                                  TOGO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 21,925 square miles, and its population 
is estimated officially at 5.2 million. The most recent available 
statistics, published by the Demographic Research Unit of the 
University of Lome in 2004, stated that the population was 
approximately 33 percent traditional animist, 27.8 percent Catholic, 
13.7 percent Sunni Muslim, and 9.5 percent Protestant. The remaining 16 
percent of the population consisted of various Christian (9.8 percent) 
and non-Christian groups (1.2 percent), and persons not affiliated with 
any religious group (4.9 percent). Many converts to the more widespread 
faiths continued to perform rituals that originated in traditional 
indigenous religions. The number of atheists in the country was unknown 
but estimated to be small.
    Most Muslims lived in the central and northern regions of the 
country. Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other Christians lived 
mostly in the southern regions.
    Missionaries were active in the country and represent Assembly of 
God, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormon), and Muslim groups.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. For instance, the 
Government voted in favor of the 2004 UN General Assembly Resolution on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Religious Intolerance, which reaffirmed 
that freedom of religion is an inherent human right. There is no state 
religion.
    The Government recognizes seven Christian and two Islamic holy days 
as national holidays, including New Year, Easter Monday, Ascension, 
Pentecost Monday, Assumption, All Saints' Day, Christmas, Tabaski, and 
Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan).
    The Government recognizes three main faiths as state religions: 
Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam. Other religions were 
required to register as associations. Official recognition as an 
association affords a group the same rights as the official religions. 
Officially recognized religious groups that conduct humanitarian and 
development projects receive tax benefits on imports but must request 
such benefits through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    Applications for registration must be submitted to the Ministry of 
Interior's Division of Civil Security. A religious organization must 
submit its statutes, a statement of doctrine, bylaws, the names and 
addresses of executive board members, the pastor's diploma, a contract, 
a site map, and a description of its financial situation. The criteria 
for recognition are the authenticity of the pastor's diploma and, most 
importantly, the ethical behavior of the group, which must not cause a 
breach of public order.
    The Government rejected the applications of a few religious groups 
based on activities deemed illegal or immoral. For example, the 
Government rejected the application of one Muslim group that it said 
was involved in supplying arms to northern Ghana. In another instance, 
the Government rejected the application of a Christian organization 
whose founders were accused of sexual harassment and embezzlement. 
Members of groups that were not officially recognized could practice 
their religion but did not have legal standing.
    The Civil Security Division also has enforcement responsibilities 
when there are problems or complaints associated with a religious 
organization. For example, the Civil Security Division handles noise 
complaints made against religious organizations, particularly noise 
complaints related to religious celebrations at night. The Ministry of 
Interior sends security forces to address the complaints.
    The Government has recognized more than 685 religious groups over 
the past fifteen years; although it is unknown how many of them still 
exist. Most new groups are small Protestant and Muslim congregations. 
The Ministry of Interior issues a receipt that serves as temporary 
recognition to applicant religious groups and associations and allows 
them to practice their religion, pending investigations and issuance of 
written authorization, which usually takes several years.
    The Muslim Union of Togo reported that since 1991, sixty-four 
Islamic groups had registered with the Ministry of Interior and the 
Muslim Union of Togo, including Islamic development nongovernmental 
organizations and Islamic radio and television enterprises.
    Foreign missionary groups are subject to the same registration 
requirements as other groups.
    Religion classes are not part of the curriculum at public schools. 
Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic schools are common; however, they do 
not receive funding from the Government.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The constitution 
prohibits the establishment of political parties based on religion and 
states explicitly that ``no political party should identify itself with 
a region, an ethnic group, or a religion.'' There were no other laws or 
statutes that specifically restrict religious freedoms. Catholics, 
Protestants, and Muslims occupy positions of authority in the local and 
national Governments.
    Religious organizations must request permission to conduct large 
nighttime celebrations, particularly those involving loud ceremonies in 
residential areas or that block off city streets. The requests were 
granted routinely during the period covered by this report.
    Religious groups are generally left alone if they refrain from 
political activities and human rights issues, unless their opinions 
support the regime. Radio Maria, a popular station operated by a 
Catholic priest, has run afoul of the Government several times for 
airing criticism of the Government. The Government prevented Radio 
Maria from broadcasting for one month beginning April 25 because it 
erroneously reported the institution of a citywide curfew in Lome. 
Apparently in response to Radio Maria's repeated political commentary, 
the government-controlled media regulatory body, High Authority for 
Radio-Television and Communication, or HAAC (l'Haute Autorite de 
l'Audio-Visuel et de la Communication) issued a decree at the end of 
2005 banning all political programs on community and religious radio 
and television stations. HAAC shut down the broadcast of a Radio Maria 
show featuring live political debate, and commission officials 
periodically warn the station when its programs stray too close to 
criticism of the regime.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Members of different faiths 
regularly invited one another to their respective ceremonies. 
Intermarriage between persons of different religions was common.
    The Christian Council addressed common issues among Protestant 
denominations. The council comprises the Assemblies of God, Protestant 
Methodist, the Baptist Convention, Pentecostal churches, Seventh-day 
Adventist, Lutheran, and Evangelical Presbyterian denominations. The 
council continued to debate whether to expand its membership to include 
other Protestant organizations. Catholics and Protestants frequently 
collaborated through the Biblical Alliance.
    Unlike his predecessor, the Catholic archbishop of Lome continued 
to refrain from delivering political sermons in praise of President 
Eyadema. In January 2006 the archbishop presided over a government-
sponsored service to honor the country's first president, overthrown by 
Eyadema. The holiday, falling for the first time after Eyadema's death, 
marks the date of the coup that began the Eyadema regime. During the 
service, the archbishop promoted reconciliation and peace, urging both 
sides to move toward a new chapter.
    Since 2002 the Catholic Bishops' Conference has spoken on the need 
for credible, transparent elections, and it has criticized the 
Government for amending the constitution and electoral code and 
manipulating the National Election Commission. On April 17, 2005, just 
before the presidential election, the interim president met with 
several religious leaders. Among them was the archbishop of Lome, who 
said in a press conference after the meeting that he and his colleagues 
had urged the Government to ensure a fair and transparent electoral 
process.
    The former archbishop of Lome was the chairman of a panel designed 
to rewrite the country's rocky political history. Following its release 
in late 2005, the public generally praised the final report, and it 
survived dissent from progovernment members of the panel.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy organized activities to inform the public about religious 
diversity, values, and culture in the United States. The embassy also 
hosted a dinner for Muslim leaders and distributed thousands of 
publications on U.S. society that included key portions on religious 
freedom.
    The embassy included religious leaders, particularly Muslim 
leaders, in the International Visitor's Program and continued an 
English language study scholarship program for eighty underprivileged 
students, whose main beneficiaries were students of the Muslim faith. 
The two-year English language program contains regular segments on 
aspects of life in the United States, including religious tolerance.
                               __________

                                 UGANDA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, in 
practice the Government imposed some minor restrictions.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion; 
however, bans imposed by local authorities against nighttime religious 
meetings for security and noise abatement reasons were still in effect 
in residential areas of several districts.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some members of the 
more traditional denominations accused certain evangelical groups of 
practicing ``witchcraft.''
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights; it is 
also active in sponsoring efforts to promote dialogue and harmony among 
religious groups.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 93,070 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 26.7 million. Christians constituted approximately 85 
percent of the population. Muslims comprised approximately 12 percent 
of the population. A variety of other religions, including traditional 
indigenous religions, Hinduism, the Baha'i Faith, and Judaism, were 
practiced freely and combined represented an estimated 2 percent of the 
population. Among Christian groups, the Roman Catholic Church had the 
largest number of followers with 42 percent; the Anglican Church 
claimed 36 percent. Evangelical and Pentecostal churches were active, 
and their membership was growing. Muslims were mainly Sunni, although 
there are Shi'a followers of the Aga Khan among the Asian community. 
Several branches of Hinduism also were represented among the Asian 
community. There were few atheists.
    In many areas, particularly in rural settings, some religions 
tended to be syncretistic. Deeply held indigenous beliefs were blended 
into or observed alongside the rites of other religions, particularly 
in areas that were predominantly Christian.
    Missionary groups of several denominations were active, including 
the Pentecostal Church, the Baptist Church, the Church of Uganda (part 
of the Anglican Communion), the Church of Christ, and the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, in 
practice the Government imposed some minor restrictions.
    All new nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), including religious 
organizations, must register with the NGO Board, a division of the 
Ministry of Internal Affairs that regulates and oversees NGO services. 
The law governing NGO registration was amended by Parliament on April 
7, 2006. The amendments include updating fines imposed on violators and 
providing the NGO board with discretion over the duration and 
conditions of the permit. A broad coalition of NGOs pushed for more 
liberalizing reforms and petitioned the president to reject 
Parliament's amendment act. The NGO coalition argued that the continued 
presence of security agencies on the NGO board and the powers to limit 
the duration of permits provide the executive too much power to control 
NGO operations.
    In practice, most religious organizations were granted permits. 
Unlike in the previous year, the Government did not refuse registration 
to any religious groups.
    Community-based organizations that operate in only one subcounty 
were not required to register with the NGO board. Instead, they must 
register with the district government. Some local governments closed 
down community churches for failure to register. For example, on March 
29, 2006, police in Wakiso District closed Entebbe Holy Fire Ministries 
Church for failure to register.
    Missionary groups faced no restrictions on their activities. 
Foreign missionary groups, like foreign NGOs, must register with the 
Government. There were no reports that the Government refused to grant 
registration to any foreign missionary groups.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, the Uganda Revenue 
Authority had not implemented its decision to tax religious 
institutions' surplus income that were not put to the common use of 
their congregations or to the good of society. Religious organizations 
are required by law to pay taxes on any properties that earn income.
    Permits were necessary for the construction of facilities, 
including those of a religious nature. Religious facilities were also 
required to meet building safety codes. On April 20, 2006, Kampala City 
Council sued the Cavalry Temple Church for failing to secure building 
approval and because its structure built largely of papyrus did not 
meet the building code.
    Private Qur'anic and Christian schools were common. In public 
schools, religious instruction was optional, and the curriculum covered 
academic study of world religions rather than instruction in one 
particular faith. There were also many private schools sponsored by 
religious groups that offer religious instruction. These schools were 
open to students of other faiths, but they usually did not offer 
minority religious instruction.
    Prisoners were given the opportunity to pray on days devoted to 
their faith. Muslim prisoners usually were released from work duties 
during the month of Ramadan.
    Religious holy days celebrated as national holidays include Eid al-
Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Unlike in the previous year, there were no reports that local 
government took any new actions to restrict operation of religious 
organizations for reasons of security; however, bans against nighttime 
prayers in some local communities for noise abatement reasons remained 
in effect. National government policy did not include restrictions.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    There were no reports that authorities arrested persons due to 
their membership in religious groups during the period covered by this 
report. In 2005, however, police in Gulu arrested Severino Lukoya, the 
father of former rebel leader Alice Lakwena, and three other pastors 
for operating the unregistered New Melta Jerusalem Church. The 
Government refused to register the organization for security reasons. 
On February 28, 2005, police released the four pastors with a warning. 
Also, on May 1, 2005, police in Mubende District arrested Prophet Ssali 
Kilimba Mwaka for conducting an illegal society, practicing witchcraft, 
and being in possession of articles used in witchcraft; Mwaka was later 
released on bail. On September 21, 2005, a court acquitted Mwaka on all 
charges.
    In March 2004 armed gunmen at the Evangelical School of Technology 
in Yumbe District killed an American missionary couple, Donna and 
Warren Pett, and a Ugandan student, Isaac Juruga. Police initially 
arrested five persons suspected of participation in the killings. The 
motive for the killings was unknown but may have been related to theft, 
local hostility to evangelical activity in a predominantly Muslim area, 
or a rivalry between two local clans. In 2005 six suspects were charged 
with murder and imprisoned in Arua District. On February 25, 2006, the 
six suspects escaped from prison and were suspected by police to have 
crossed into the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eleven prison warders in 
charge of the prison were arrested and charged by the Arua Magistrate's 
Court with negligence. At the end of this reporting period, the warders 
had been released on bond and were awaiting trial; the suspects 
remained at large.
    There were no new developments in the case of eight Tabliq Muslims 
arrested in 2004 for attacking an evangelical Christian outreach in 
Masaka District and for assaulting antiriot police that resulted in one 
civilian death and several injuries.
    The rebel organization Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) was responsible 
for killing tens of thousands of persons in the past twenty years, 
kidnapping more than 20,000 children, attacking religious leaders and 
property, and causing more than 1.5 million persons to flee their homes 
and move to makeshift camps. During the period covered by this report, 
the Government continued its efforts to stop the LRA insurgency through 
a combination of military action against the LRA, attempted 
negotiations for a peace settlement, and provision of amnesty for 
rebels wishing to surrender.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    During the period covered by this report, several religious 
alliances, including the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, 
Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, Religious Efforts for Teso and 
Karamoja, and the Inter-Religious Program, continued efforts to ease 
religious tensions and find lasting solutions to civil unrest and the 
insurgency in the northern part of the country.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights; it is 
also active in sponsoring efforts to promote dialogue and harmony among 
religious groups.
    During the period covered by this report, the ambassador and other 
U.S. government and embassy officials met with leaders of various 
religious institutions, including representatives from the Uganda 
Muslim Supreme Council; the Church of Uganda; the Roman Catholic 
Church; the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches of Uganda; the 
Inter-Religious Council of Uganda; and the Uganda Joint Christian 
Council.
    The U.S. embassy sponsored several events to promote interfaith 
dialogue, forge interfaith coalitions to support peace building in 
conflict areas, and allow the Muslim population to voice its opinions 
on issues of bilateral interest. International visitor grants allowed 
influential Muslim leaders to travel to the United States, where they 
shared their experiences with fellow Muslims. The U.S. government 
worked with and through faith-based organizations to promote peace and 
reconciliation in conflict areas.
                               __________

                                 ZAMBIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 290,586 square miles, and its population 
is approximately ten million. According to a 2000 census, approximately 
87 percent of the population was Christian; 1 percent was Muslim or 
Hindu; 7 percent adhered to other faiths, including indigenous faiths; 
and 5 percent did not report their religion.
    The majority of indigenous persons were either Roman Catholic or 
Protestant; however, many Christians held some traditional beliefs as 
well. In recent years, there has been an upsurge of new Pentecostal 
churches, commonly known as evangelical churches, which have attracted 
many young persons into their ranks.
    Muslims were concentrated in areas where citizens of Asian origin 
have settled, primarily along the railroad line from Lusaka to 
Livingstone, in Chipata, and in other parts of Eastern Province. Many 
Asian-origin citizens were Muslim, although Hindus constituted a 
sizable percentage of this group as well. A small minority of 
indigenous persons was also Muslim.
    Foreign missionary groups present included Catholic, Anglican, 
other mainstream and evangelical churches, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. Article 19 of the 
constitution provides freedom of thought and religion to all citizens, 
freedom to change religion or belief, and freedom to manifest and 
propagate religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice, and 
observance. Statutes provide effective remedies for the violation of 
religious freedom. These provisions are enforced in a rigorous and 
nondiscriminatory fashion.
    The Oasis Forum--composed of the Law Association of Zambia, the 
Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) Coordinating Committee, the Zambia 
Episcopal Conference, the Christian Council of Zambia, and the 
Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia--continued to be active during the 
period covered by this report. The Government criticized the Oasis 
Forum over its stance on the constitutional review process and the mode 
of adoption of a new constitution. In spite of rebukes by government 
officials of church leaders for taking a stand on political issues, 
churches continued to freely and vocally criticize the Government, 
organize activities, and mobilize public opinion.
    Although a 1996 amendment to the constitution declared the country 
a Christian nation, the Government generally respects the right of all 
faiths to worship freely. In its final report on constitutional reform 
released on December 29, 2005, the Constitution Review Commission 
recommended that the constitution retain the declaration that Zambia is 
a Christian nation, subject to approval by a constituent assembly and 
national referendum. Religious instruction is provided for Christians 
in public schools but not for Muslims.
    The following holy days are considered national holidays: Good 
Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas.
    There are governmental controls that require the registration of 
religious groups. The Government approves without discrimination all 
applications for registration from religious groups. There were no 
reports that the Government rejected any religious groups that 
attempted to register. To be eligible for registration, groups must 
have a unique name, possess a constitution consistent with the 
country's laws, and display compatibility with the peace, welfare, and 
good order of the country. Unregistered religious groups are not 
allowed to operate. Violators can face a fine and imprisonment for up 
to seven years.
    Although the Government routinely allows religious groups to 
register, in March 2006, Foreign Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha stated 
publicly that the Government would begin the practice of consulting 
with the Council of Churches in Zambia before it registers church 
groups. The foreign minister's statement came in the wake of a 
controversy involving the Universal Church of God, which the Government 
deregistered in December after Lusaka residents rioted in response to 
allegations that church members were engaged in satanic practices. In 
January 2006 the High Court overturned the Government's deregistration 
order, allowing the Church to continue operations pending judicial 
review. The Government nevertheless deported the Church's two Brazilian 
pastors in February, citing security concerns. The Church continues to 
operate in the country and has petitioned the High Court to find the 
Government in contempt for violating the order staying proceedings 
against the church. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
the High Court had not ruled on the Church's petition.
    There were no reports that foreign missionary groups faced any 
special requirements or restrictions beyond those imposed on other 
foreigners.
    The Government requires religious instruction in public schools. 
Such instruction is conducted in both the Catholic and Protestant 
traditions, and students from other faiths are usually excused from 
religious instruction. Instruction in Islam and other faiths is not 
available in public schools; however, it is conducted in private 
schools owned and controlled by those faiths. Parents can also 
homeschool their children.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    Leaders of various ecumenical movements, such as the Zambia 
Episcopal Conference, the Christian Council of Zambia, and the 
Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, hold regular meetings to promote 
mutual understanding and interfaith dialogue and to discuss national 
issues.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    Embassy officials met with a wide spectrum of religious 
representatives to promote interreligious dialogue and collaboration on 
several issues. The mission supported interdenominational efforts to 
increase HIV/AIDS awareness. The U.S. government hosted a religious 
pastor for a three-week International Visitor program on religion and 
the community. The mission focused on outreach to the Muslim community, 
meeting with groups of Muslim women, providing Internet training, and 
hosting interactive discussions between American and Zambian Muslims, 
including a digital video conference between Zambian Muslim women and a 
well-known American Muslim woman writer and speaker. Mission staff also 
visited a Muslim girls orphanage and school to conduct outreach and 
discuss future programs.
                               __________

                                ZIMBABWE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    While the Government has historically had good relations with the 
majority of religious groups (primarily Christian), it continued to 
criticize, harass, and intimidate religious leaders who were critical 
of government policies or who spoke out against human rights abuses 
committed by the government. Unlike in previous years, there were no 
reported instances of violence against religious leaders who were 
critical of government policies; however, church leaders and members 
who criticized the Government faced arrest, temporary detention, and, 
in the case of foreigners, possible deportation.
    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. An interfaith council, formed in 
2004, continued to work towards creating closer ties between different 
religious groups.
    The U.S. government expressed its position on religious freedom 
through its publication and dissemination of various human rights 
documents, including the annual reports on International Religious 
Freedom, the Human Rights Report and various other statements. It 
continued to condemn the Government's generally poor human rights 
record and expressed its position on religious freedom publicly.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 150,760 square miles and a population of 
approximately 12.2 million. It is estimated that between 70 and 80 
percent of the population belonged to the mainstream Christian 
denominations such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist 
churches; however, over the years a variety of local churches and 
groups have emerged from these mainstream denominations. Evangelical 
denominations, primarily Pentecostal churches and apostolic groups, 
were the fastest growing during the reporting period.
    While the country is overwhelmingly Christian, the majority of 
persons continued to believe, to varying degrees, in traditional 
indigenous religions as well. For example, individuals may have 
worshiped in a westernized Christian church but also consulted with 
traditional healers.
    Traditional healers were very common in both rural and urban areas. 
They are licensed and regulated by the Zimbabwe National African 
Traditional Healers' Association (ZINATHA), which has approximately 
55,000 members. ZINATHA officials estimated that 80 percent of the 
population consulted traditional healers during the year. Religious 
leaders also reported an increase in adherence to traditional religion 
and healers as the economic situation worsened in the country.
    Islam accounted for 1 percent of the population and also continued 
to see growth, particularly in rural areas where Muslim-led 
humanitarian efforts were often organized. The remainder of the 
population included practitioners of Greek Orthodoxy, Judaism, and 
traditional indigenous religions. There were also a small number of 
Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'is, and atheists.
    While political elites tended to be associated with one of the 
established Christian churches, there was no correlation between 
membership in any religious group and political or ethnic affiliation.
    Although there were no official statistics on the prevalence of 
foreign missionaries in the country, Christian and Muslim missionaries 
from other parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, and the United States were 
generally known to operate in the country. Most often, these 
missionaries ran schools, hospitals, and humanitarian aid 
organizations. As with humanitarian groups in general, some 
missionaries were considered by the Government as being potentially 
political and, consequently, viewed with some suspicion. Missions 
generally operated without government interference, although they 
occasionally experienced delays in having their work permits issued.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right.
    There is no state religion, and the Government showed no favoritism 
to any group based on religious affiliation although the majority of 
political elites adhered to mainstream Christian denominations. 
Generally, the practice of a particular faith was not known to confer 
any advantage or disadvantage in the political arena, the civil 
service, the military, or the private sector.
    Christmas and Easter are national holidays. There were no reports 
of non-Christians experiencing discrimination when celebrating other 
religious holidays.
    Unlike in previous years, the Government recognized all religious 
groups and reached out more to religious leaders, including indigenous 
ones which it had previously excluded. For example, President Mugabe 
and other government officials met with indigenous religious leaders 
throughout the reporting period and included these leaders in the 
planning for a 2006 National Day of Prayer.
    The Government also appeared to be more inclusive of indigenous 
religions, of which it has traditionally been suspicious, and tolerant 
of supposed witchcraft practices, which it had previously attempted to 
restrict. Unlike in previous years, President Mugabe made no negative 
statements about evangelical or indigenous churches, and he also met 
with leaders from these groups.
    In April 2006 President Mugabe signed an amendment to the 
previously criticized Witchcraft Suppression Act (WSA). The amendment, 
which was to take effect on July 1, 2006, identifies witchcraft 
practices as ``those commonly associated with witchcraft'' and 
criminalizes those practices only if intended to cause harm. Under this 
new framework, spoken words alone would no longer be considered a 
witchcraft practice or evidence of illegal activity. The amendment 
would also criminalize witch hunts, impose criminal penalties for 
falsely accusing others of witchcraft, and reject killing of a witch as 
a defense for murder.
    Proponents of the WSA amendment applauded it for recognizing 
certain elements of witchcraft as a part of traditional culture and 
regarded it as a positive step in recognizing indigenous religions. 
ZINATHA, for example, welcomed the amendment for differentiating 
negative witchcraft from traditional beliefs and enabling traditional 
healers to operate more openly, without fear of either witch hunters or 
prosecution. ZINATHA also stated that the amendment would facilitate 
the prosecution of unlicensed traditional healers.
    The Government does not require religious groups to be registered; 
however, religious organizations that operate schools or medical 
facilities were required to register those specific institutions with 
the appropriate ministry regulating their activities. Religious 
institutions were allowed to apply for tax-exempt status and duty-free 
privileges with the Customs Department. These requests were generally 
granted.
    Curricula at public primary and secondary schools are set by the 
Ministry of Education. In public institutions of higher education, they 
are set by curriculum boards that usually include Ministry of Education 
officials. Many public secondary schools also included a religious 
education course that focuses on Christian religions but also covers 
other religions and emphasizes the need for religious tolerance. Most 
public universities included degrees in religious education which 
primarily focus on Christian doctrine.
    The country has a long history of Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist 
primary and secondary schools. The Government permitted, and did not 
regulate, religious education in these private schools. Since 
independence, there has been a proliferation of evangelical basic 
education schools. Christian schools, the majority of which are 
Catholic, constitute one-third of the schools in the country. Islamic, 
Hindu, and Hebrew primary and secondary schools were also found in the 
major urban areas such as Harare and Bulawayo. Additionally, several 
private institutions of higher education included religious studies as 
a core component of the curriculum.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government maintained a monopoly on television broadcasting 
through the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). As in recent 
years, the Government permitted limited religious radio and television 
broadcasting on ZBC and advertising in the Government-controlled press 
by all, rather than selected religious groups. The Government generally 
followed the recommendations of the Religious Advisory Board, an 
umbrella group of Christian denominations, on appropriate religious 
material to broadcast. Although only Christian groups were represented 
on this board, religious programming, which included statements by 
religious leaders, radio broadcasts of prayers, and a regular 
television show about religion, was representative of non-Christian 
groups and was not exclusive in this regard. The television show 
``Traditional Voices,'' for example, included a religious program aimed 
at Muslims. It was directed by a local Muslim leader, who was invited 
by the Government to put on the program twice a month.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, church leaders and 
members who criticized the Government continued to face intimidation, 
arrest, and detention by government officials. President Mugabe made 
speeches denouncing church leaders who purportedly ``support the 
opposition'' and frequently called on these leaders to avoid political 
activity. Church leaders who participated in demonstrations or public 
events criticizing the Government sometimes faced harassment and 
temporary detention under the Public Order and Security Act. Under this 
act police notification is required to hold public gatherings.
    On June 25, 2006, President Mugabe spoke for the first time at the 
annual National Day of Prayer ceremonies. The ceremony was reportedly 
rescheduled twice to allow Mugabe to attend. Buses from the state-owned 
bus company transported individuals from gathering spots where ruling 
party supporters often congregated to the ceremonies. The Zimbabwe 
Council of Churches (ZCC), which has publicly criticized the regime's 
human rights abuses and organized past National Days of Prayer, 
cooperated with the Government in planning the event. The ZCC reported 
that Mugabe was reaching out more to religious groups. The Evangelical 
Fellowship of Zimbabwe, which has also been critical of the Government, 
also participated in the organization of the 2006 event. In contrast to 
these collaborations, the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) criticized 
the Government for taking over the event and other church groups for 
collaborating. Despite official government support, turnout for the 
event was poor.
    Religious groups continued to be challenged by the Government's 
restrictive laws regarding freedoms of assembly, expression, and 
association. Although not specifically aimed at religious activities, 
the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) continued to be used to 
interfere with groups organizing public prayers. In May 2006, for 
example, the ZCA planned a prayer procession in the city of Bulawayo to 
commemorate the anniversary of the Government's 2005 ``Operation 
Restore Order.'' The group applied for and received police clearance 
for the march; however, police revoked the clearance days before the 
march was to take place. The group held the march, as originally 
scheduled, on May 20 after successfully challenging the police in 
court. Police directed the marchers down a different, less populated 
route than the one planned but otherwise did not interfere. There were 
no reports that police disturbed any of the other commemoration events 
planned at churches. According to the ZCA, other religious and secular 
nongovernmental organizations cancelled or postponed their 
commemorations of Operation Restore Order under ``official pressure.'' 
In 2004 POSA was also used to detain nine women belonging to WOZA on 
charges of ``praying in public,'' an act that allegedly violated 
Section 19 of the act. According to Amnesty International, some of the 
women were assaulted during their interrogations; all were eventually 
released in October of that year.
    Operation Restore Order mandated the destruction of purportedly 
illegal structures. During the reporting period, some places of worship 
and charities run by religious organizations continued to be destroyed. 
On July 26, 2005, for example, police destroyed a church and a mosque 
at the high-density settlement of Porta Farm. In late June, news 
sources also reported that two church buildings belonging to the 
Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (Zaoga) in Chitungwiza were 
demolished in late June 2005 for the alleged illegal occupation of 
land. Several church leaders, particularly Zimbabwean Catholic bishops, 
criticized the Government's actions. There were no updates to any of 
these or other cases involving the destruction of places of worship 
covered in the previous reporting period.
    The Government also limited religious groups' activities when it 
attempted to block efforts by religious and humanitarian organizations 
that provided relief to the victims of Operation Restore Order. In July 
2005, for example, police raided churches in Bulawayo and forcibly 
removed displaced persons who were taking shelter at the churches. On 
July 20 of that same year, police detained three clergymen when they 
went to a police station to inquire about the forced removals. Police 
arrested a fourth clergyman the same day while he was filming forced 
removals. Police released all four men without charges the next day. 
One of the clergymen, Reverend Ray Motsi, claimed that the arrests had 
been retribution against the churches for assisting victims. The 
Zimbabwean National Pastor's Conference (ZNPC) released a statement 
three days later criticizing the Government's actions during the 
operations and harassment of church groups attempting to provide 
humanitarian assistance to the victims.
    During the period covered by this report, there were no further 
developments in the cases involving members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise! 
who were detained during a prayer vigil in April 2005 while awaiting 
election results. Additionally, no investigation into the burning of a 
church building by supporters of a ruling party parliamentary candidate 
in March 2005 was begun. Rev. Noel Scott, who went to trial in November 
2004 for holding a street prayer in 2002, was no longer in detention. 
The magistrate responsible for the case failed to issue a judgment 
scheduled for January 2006, and further action appeared unlikely.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor United States 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relations among religious groups in society 
contributed to religious freedom, although divisions between mainstream 
Christian religions and practitioners of traditional religions 
continued. Unlike in previous years, there were no reported cases of 
discrimination against Muslims in private work places, although embassy 
contacts in the religious community believed isolated incidents of this 
type continued to occur. The Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Baha'i, and 
Buddhist religious communities were relatively small and, generally, 
were not in open competition with Christian denominations for converts.
    The interfaith council formed in 2004 continued to work towards 
bringing together practitioners of various faiths and establishing 
points of collaboration.
    At least five umbrella religious organizations continued to operate 
during the reporting period. These groups included: The ZCC, the Heads 
of Denominations, an association of Christian denominations created to 
enable collaboration among Christian groups and the Government in the 
operation of religious schools and hospitals, Fambidzano, a group of 
indigenous churches, ZINATHA, an organization that represents 
traditional healers, and the Islamic Council, an umbrella organization 
for Muslim groups in the country.
    The ZCC served as the umbrella organization of all Protestant 
ecumenical Christian missionary churches, except for evangelical 
organizations. A total of seventy-two evangelical churches applied for 
membership to the Council during the previous reporting period; 
however, the ZCC turned down all the applications because the applicant 
churches allow polygamy.
    While practitioners of traditional indigenous religions experienced 
improved relations with the Government, there were continuing reports 
of tensions between these groups and mainstream Christian churches. 
Some indigenous churches' acceptance of polygamy and avoidance of 
modern medicine were common sources of these tensions. In addition, 
some Christian church leaders' opposition to the previously mentioned 
WSA amendment also strained relations between the two communities. 
Leaders discussed these issues productively in meetings of the 
interfaith council and suggested possible areas of cooperation, such as 
HIV/AIDS; notably; however, the head of the Apostolic church renounced 
polygamy--a practice it previously considered to be legitimate.
    Reports of possible ritual killings and mutilations continued to be 
cited by newspapers and women and children's rights groups throughout 
the period covered by this report. Police usually investigated these 
killings; however, limited resources prevented police from conducting 
many investigations or identifying perpetrators.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. government had regular dialogue with and supported civil 
society organizations that advocated and monitored respect for human 
rights, including freedom of religion.
    In support of religious freedom, the U.S. embassy widely 
disseminated relevant reports on religious rights, and U.S. government 
officials privately and publicly emphasized concern regarding 
intimidation and harassment of religious officials who criticized the 
Government. The embassy supported efforts by religious leaders to 
highlight the Government's human rights abuses and flawed economic 
policies. It also encouraged these leaders' attempts to initiate and 
sustain a dialogue with government officials on approaches to improving 
the political situation.
                       EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

                              ----------                              


                               AUSTRALIA

    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 2.9 million square miles and a 
population of 20.5 million. According to the 2001 census, 67 percent of 
citizens considered themselves to be Christian, including 26 percent 
Roman Catholic and 20 percent Anglican. Buddhists constituted 1.9 
percent of the population, Muslims 1.5 percent, Hindus 0.5 percent, 
Jews 0.4 percent, and all others professing a religion 0.5 percent.
    At the time of European settlement, aboriginal inhabitants followed 
religions that were animistic, involving belief in spirits behind the 
forces of nature and the influence of ancestral spirit beings. 
According to the 2001 census, 5,244 persons or less than 0.03 percent 
of respondents reported practicing aboriginal traditional religions, 
down from 7,359 in 1996. The 1996 census reported that almost 72 
percent of Aborigines practiced some form of Christianity, and 16 
percent listed no religion. The 2001 census contained no comparable 
updated data.
    During the first census, in 1911, 96 percent of citizens identified 
themselves as Christian. Since the 1950s traditional Christian 
denominations have seen their total number and proportion of affiliates 
stagnate or decrease significantly, although from 1996 to 2001 the 
total number of Christians increased 1.5 percent. Over the past decade, 
increased immigration from Southeast Asia and the Middle East 
considerably expanded the numbers of citizens who identified themselves 
as Buddhists and Muslims, and it expanded the ethnic diversity of 
existing Christian denominations. Between 1996 and 2001, the number of 
Buddhists increased from 199,812 to 357,813 persons, Muslims from 
200,885 to 281,578, Jews from 79,800 to 84,000, and Hindus from 67,300 
to 95,500. In 2001 approximately 15 percent of citizens considered 
themselves to have no religion, a 1.5 percent decrease from 1996. 
According to a 2002 survey, 23 percent of adults participated in church 
or religious activities during the three months prior to these 
interviews. A 2001 report listed 810 foreign Protestant, Anglican, and 
Independent Christian missionaries to the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice. The Government at all 
levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its 
abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution bars the Federal Government from making a law that 
imposes a state religion or religious observance, prohibits the free 
exercise of religion, or sets a religious test for a federal public 
office. However, these federal constitutional prohibitions do not 
restrict the legislative powers of the states.
    Public holidays include the Christian holy days of Good Friday, 
Easter Monday, and Christmas Day. Although the Government is secular, 
each session of Parliament begins with a joint recitation of the Lord's 
Prayer.
    Religious adherents who have suffered religious discrimination may 
have recourse under federal discrimination laws or through the court 
system. However, a 1998 review by the independent federal Human Rights 
and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) found that federal laws did 
not adequately meet the country's obligations under the International 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and recommended that the 
Government enact a federal religious freedom act. In 2002 the 
Government stated that it would not do so.
    During the period covered by this report, the HREOC did not report 
to Parliament on any religious discrimination cases involving a 
government agency. Under the provisions of the Federal Racial 
Discrimination Act, the HREOC mediates a complaint when a plaintiff's 
religious affiliation is considered tantamount to membership in an 
ethnic group. During the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2005, the 
commission received sixteen employment-related complaints alleging 
discrimination on religious grounds. Another federal law, the Workplace 
Relations Act, prohibits termination of employment on the basis of 
religion.
    The State of Tasmania is the only state or territory whose 
constitution specifically provides citizens with the right to profess 
and practice their religion. However, seven of the eight states and 
territories have laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of a 
person's religion or ethno-religious background. South Australia is the 
only jurisdiction that does not explicitly prohibit discrimination on 
the grounds of religion. All jurisdictions, apart from South Australia, 
have established independent agencies to mediate allegations of 
religious discrimination.
    Minority religious groups and communities were generally given 
equal rights to land, status, and the building of places of worship. 
However, in the past a number of small city councils refused their 
local Muslim and Buddhist communities planning permits to construct 
places of worship. Those religious communities successfully appealed 
the councils' decisions to the courts. For instance, in November 2004 
more than 200 Muslims gathered to celebrate the opening of a western 
Sydney Islamic prayer center, which had been subject to a construction 
delay because the local council in 2003 had refused the developers a 
planning permit, reportedly deeming the center to be incompatible with 
local community beliefs.
    In June 2005 the Victoria Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered 
two Christian pastors to make a public apology, via newspaper 
statements, for comments that the court held had vilified Muslims. It 
was estimated that the newspaper advertisements would cost $52,900 
(A$68,690). The tribunal also ordered the pastors not to repeat the 
comments anywhere in the country. In August 2005 the court of appeal 
granted a stay on the order for an apology but left in place the order 
that the pastors not repeat the comments. The pastors appealed the 
court of appeal's decision to the Victoria Supreme Court; the appeal 
was scheduled to be heard on August 21-22, 2006. In 2003 the Islamic 
Council of Victoria (ICV) had filed a complaint under Victoria's Racial 
and Religious Tolerance Act against the pastors and their ministry 
organization. The act makes illegal ``conduct that incites hatred 
against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, that 
other person or class of persons'' on the grounds of religious belief. 
In August 2005 a coalition of international religious freedom 
organizations wrote to the attorney general alleging that the act 
violates Article 18 of the ICCPR, which protects religious speech.
    Religious groups are not required to register.
    The Government permits religious education in public schools, 
generally taught by volunteers using approved curriculum, with the 
option for parents to have their child not attend.
    The Government has put in place extensive programs to promote 
public acceptance of diversity and cultural pluralism, as well as 
funding for a variety of interfaith forums, including sponsorship of 
the International Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Several nongovernmental 
organizations promoted tolerance and better understanding among 
religions in the country, both indigenous and nonindigenous. These 
groups included the Columbian Center for Christian-Muslim Relations, 
the National Council of Churches in Australia and its affiliated 
Aboriginal and Islander Commission, and the Australian Council of 
Christians and Jews.
    In 2003, in response to an increase in anti-Islamic sentiment, the 
HREOC undertook a project involving national consultations on 
eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim citizens. As part of the 
consultations, the commission considered whether Muslim citizens shared 
an ethnic origin or race, as well as a religion, which would entitle 
them to comprehensive protection under the Federal Race Discrimination 
Act. The commission's report, made public in June 2004, contained no 
findings on the racial status of Arab and Muslim citizens. However, it 
called on the Government to extend the coverage of antidiscrimination 
legislation to encompass religion.
    In the 12 month period ending September 30, 2005, the Executive 
Council of Australian Jewry recorded 332 anti-Semitic incidents, which 
ranged from physical violence and property damage (11 reports) to 
harassment and offensive written and electronic media messages, 
compared to a total of 425 incidents in 2004. Although this was a 
significant decrease, it was still higher than the annual average of 
301 incidents since reports were first compiled in 1989. (Such 
incidents increased from September 1990 to a high in September 2002; 
since then, they have decreased each year.)
    In January 2005 the leader of the neo-Nazi Australian Nationalist 
Movement pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage and 
conspiracy to cause arson in connection with incidents in 2004 in which 
several Asian-owned businesses and a synagogue in Perth were firebombed 
or sprayed with racist graffiti. His trial, scheduled for March 2006, 
was cancelled when he skipped bail in February 2006, and the case was 
adjourned. He was rearrested in April 2006. At a status conference on 
June 20, 2006, his trial was scheduled for February 5, 2007.
    On December 11, 2005, there was a riot in the Sydney suburb of 
Cronulla, sparked by suspicions that a group of Lebanese-Australian 
youths had assaulted two lifeguards. Demonstrators against the assault 
displayed anti-Arab and anti-Muslim slogans. When the gathering turned 
violent, bystanders perceived to be of Middle Eastern origin or Muslim 
were attacked. At least thirty persons were injured in the fighting. 
The following day, retaliatory vandalism and other assaults were 
reported around Sydney.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                 BRUNEI

    The constitution states, ``The religion of Brunei Darussalam shall 
be the Muslim religion according to the Shafeite sect of that religion: 
Provided that all other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony 
by the person professing them in any part of Brunei Darussalam.'' 
However, the Government imposed many restrictions on non-Shafeite and 
non-Islamic religious practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Practitioners of non-Muslim 
faiths are not allowed to proselytize. Christian schools are required 
under the Education Order of 2003 to give Islamic instruction to Muslim 
students, and all post-secondary students are required to attend 
courses on the national religious ideology. Schools are not allowed to 
teach Christianity. The Government uses a range of municipal and 
planning laws and other legislation to restrict the expansion of 
religions other than official Islam.
    The Government sponsored a multi-faith delegation to the 
International Conference on Faith and Service, in Manila in March 2006, 
and to the East Asian Religious Leaders Forum held in Jakarta in 
February 2006 with officials from various religions.
    The country's various religious groups coexisted peacefully. The 
law discouraged Muslims from learning about other faiths and forbid 
persons of other faiths from proselytizing. At the same time, Islamic 
authorities organize a range of activities to explain and propagate 
Islam, and they also offer financial incentives, housing, and new 
mosques for converts to Islam.
    During the period covered by this report, the U.S. embassy 
supported religious freedom through a number of programs, including the 
Fulbright exchange program, visits to places of worship, and dialogue 
with government officials.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 2,200 square miles, and a population of 
380,000. According to Government statistics of Bruneian citizens, there 
were 162,542 Muslims; 8543 Buddhists; 3703 Christians; 124 Hindus; 20 
Atheists; 19 Taoists; and 18 Sikhs; as well as 69 individuals of other 
faiths and 10,392 who did not state their faith. Among permanent 
residents, according to the same statistics, there were 12,941 Muslims; 
8801 Buddhists; 3204 Christians; 91 Hindus; 18 Taoists; 15 Sikhs; 10 
Atheists; 70 of other faiths and 7,615 who did not state their faith. 
These statistics did not cover a large expatriate population of 
temporary residents that included Muslims, Christians, and Hindus.
    There were 107 mosques and prayer halls, 7 Christian churches, 
several Chinese temples, and 2 Hindu temples in the country.
    Proselytizing by faiths other than the officially sanctioned branch 
of Islam is not permitted. There were no missionaries working in the 
country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution states, ``The religion of Brunei Darussalam shall 
be the Muslim religion according to the Shafeite sect of that religion: 
Provided that all other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony 
by the person professing them in any part of Brunei Darussalam.'' 
However, the Government imposes many restrictions on non-Islamic 
religions and non-Shafeite practitioners.
    The Government describes the country as a Malay Islamic monarchy, 
and actively promotes adherence by its Muslim residents to Islamic 
values and traditions. The Ministry of Religious Affairs deals solely 
with Islam and Islamic laws, which exist alongside secular laws and 
apply only to Muslims.
    In January 2005 the Government introduced legislation under the 
Societies Order that replaced the Societies Act. As did the act, the 
order compels all organizations, including religious groups not 
specifically mentioned in the constitution to register. The order also 
requires organizations to name all members. An organization that fails 
to register can face charges of unlawful assembly and be fined. 
Individuals who participate in or influence others to join unregistered 
organizations can be fined, arrested, and imprisoned. Approval to 
register is at the discretion of the Registrar of Societies or 
Commissioner of Police and may be refused for any reason.
    The Government continued to use zoning laws that prohibit the use 
of private homes as places of worship. While the country had several 
Chinese temples, only the temple in the capital was registered 
officially. The other temples did not face charges for failing to 
register, but they were not allowed to organize functions and 
celebrations.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Since the early 1990s, the Government has reinforced the legitimacy 
of the hereditary monarchy and the observance of traditional and Muslim 
values by asserting a national ideology known as the Melayu Islam 
Beraja (MIB), or Malay Islamic Monarchy, the genesis of which 
reportedly dates from the fifteenth century. MIB principles have been 
adopted as the basis for government, and all meetings and ceremonies 
commence with a Muslim prayer. At citizenship ceremonies, non-Muslims 
must wear national dress, which includes Muslim head coverings for men 
and women.
    Despite constitutional provisions providing for the full and 
unconstrained exercise of religious freedom, the Government restricted 
the practice of non-Muslim religions by prohibiting proselytizing of 
Muslims. The Government has also in previous years occasionally denied 
entry to foreign clergy or particular priests, bishops, or ministers; 
banned the importation of religious teaching materials or scriptures 
such as the Bible; and refused permission to establish, expand, repair, 
or build churches, temples, or shrines. The Government allows only the 
practice of the official Shafeite school of Islam. It has banned 
several other religious groups that it considers deviant, including the 
radical Islamic Al-Arqam movement and the Baha'i Faith; however, the 
Government did not ban any new groups during the period covered by this 
report. Citizens deemed to have been influenced by the teachings of 
such groups (usually students returning from overseas study) have been 
``shown the error of their ways'' in study seminars organized by 
mainstream Islamic religious leaders. The Government readily 
investigated and took proscriptive action against purveyors of radical 
Islam or ``deviationist'' Islamic groups. The Government periodically 
warned the population about ``outsiders'' preaching radical Islamic 
fundamentalist or unorthodox beliefs and warned Muslims against 
Christian evangelists, most recently in May 2005 during a sermon at the 
national mosque.
    A 1964 fatwa issued by the State Mufti strongly discourages Muslims 
from assisting non-Muslim organizations in perpetuating their faiths, 
and it reportedly has been used by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to 
influence other government authorities either to deny non-Muslim 
religious organizations permission for a range of religious and 
administration activities or to fail to respond to applications from 
these groups. Nonetheless, Christian churches and their associated 
schools have been allowed for safety reasons, to repair, expand, and 
renovate buildings on their sites and to carry out minor building 
works. In 2006 the Government approved a request from Anglican St. 
Andrews Church to undertake a major refurbishment of its buildings, a 
significant development.
    The sole official Chinese temple must obtain permission for 
seasonal religious events and could not organize processions outside 
the bounds of its half-acre site. However, in 2005 the Government 
permitted Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations outside the grounds of 
the Chinese temple. The Government does not impose any restriction for 
the Chinese temple to celebrate seasonal religious events provided that 
the committee obtains permission from relevant authorities. Christian 
organizations are subjected to the same restrictions on processions.
    The Government routinely censors magazine articles on other faiths, 
blacking out or removing photographs of crucifixes and other Christian 
religious symbols. Government officials also guard against the 
distribution and sale of items that feature photographs of undesirable 
or religious symbols.
    The Government requires residents to carry an identity card that 
states the bearer's religion. The Government also asks visitors to 
identify their religion on their landing cards, although many people do 
not comply and have not been challenged.
    Authorities continued to arrest persons for offenses under Shari'a, 
such as ``khalwat'' (close proximity between the sexes) and consumption 
of alcohol. According to statistics released by religious authorities, 
389 ``khalwat'' cases were reported during the period of July 2005 to 
April 2006. The arresting forces in these crackdowns were comprised of 
civilian and religious police. Most of those arrested or detained for a 
first offense were fined and released, although in the past, some 
persons were imprisoned for up to four months for repeated offenses of 
khalwat. Under Bruneian law, men are liable to a $634 (B$1000) and 
women to a $317 (B$500) fine if convicted of khalwat.
    Religious authorities regularly participated in raids to confiscate 
alcoholic beverages and nonhalal meats. They also monitored restaurants 
and supermarkets to ensure conformity with halal practice. Restaurants 
and service employees that served a Muslim in daylight hours during the 
fasting month were subjected to fines.
    The Ministry of Education requires courses on Islam and the MIB in 
all schools. Most school textbooks were illustrated to promote Islam as 
the norm, with all women and girls shown wearing the Muslim head 
covering. There were no depictions of practices of other religions in 
textbooks. The ministry prohibits the teaching of other religions and 
comparative religious studies. Private mission schools are required to 
give instruction about Islam to Muslim students and are not allowed to 
give Christian instruction, although at one such school Christian 
students have been allowed to attend church during those periods when 
Muslim students receive instruction about Islam. The ministry requires 
that all students learn the Jawi (Arabic script in Malay language). The 
International School of Brunei, the Jerudong International School, and 
the Panaga School are the only schools exempt from this regulation; 
however, these private institutions are required to teach MIB. In 
January 2004, under its integrated education plan to combine religious 
and academic education, the ministry introduced a pilot program in 
thirty-eight government primary schools that requires the compulsory 
study of Arabic by all students; this plan was abolished in January 
2006. In December 2005 the Institute of Tahfiz al-Quran, previously run 
by His Majesty the Sultan's Foundation, was handed over to the Ministry 
of Religious Affairs where the institute's education, curriculum and 
courses would come under the ministry's jurisdiction.
    The Government did not prohibit or restrict parents from giving 
religious instruction to children in their own homes.
    Religious authorities encouraged Muslim women to wear the tudong, a 
traditional head covering, and many women did so. In government schools 
and at higher institutes of learning, Muslim and non-Muslim female 
students must wear Muslim attire, including a head covering as a part 
of their ``uniform.'' Muslim male students are expected to wear the 
songkok (hat). There also were reports that non-Muslim women teachers 
at public schools are sometimes pressured by government officials or 
colleagues to wear Muslim attire. In March 2006 a Government-approved 
Friday sermon called for women to cease playing soccer. According to 
the sermon, ``it is a grievous sin for women to behave like men on the 
playing field. They should not resemble males in terms of their garb, 
conversation or action.'' The Government took no action along the line 
of this Friday sermon, and women continued to play soccer.
    In accordance with the Government's interpretation of Qur'anic 
precepts, women are denied equal status with men in a number of 
important areas such as divorce, inheritance, and custody of children. 
A 2002 amendment to the Brunei Nationality Act allows citizenship to be 
transmitted through the mother as well as through the father.
    Marriage between Muslims and those of other faiths is not 
permitted, and non-Muslims must convert to Islam if they wish to marry 
a Muslim. Muslims who wish to convert to another religion face such 
official and societal pressure not to leave Islam that conversion is 
extremely difficult if not impossible in practice. Permission from the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs must be obtained to convert from Islam, 
and there were no reports of anyone requesting such permission during 
the reporting period. There were instances during the period covered by 
this report of persons, often foreign women, who converted to Islam as 
a prelude to marrying Muslims. If the marriages took place, these women 
faced intense official pressure not to return to their former religions 
or faced extraordinary delays in obtaining permission to do so. There 
also were known cases of divorced Muslim converts who, because of 
official and societal pressure, remained Muslim although they preferred 
to revert to their former faiths.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Those adhering to faiths other than Islam are allowed to practice 
their beliefs, provided that they exercise restraint and do not 
proselytize. Non-Muslims who proselytized have in the past been 
arrested or detained and sometimes held without charges for extended 
periods of time; however, no such arrests or detentions occurred during 
the period covered by this report. There have been reports in the past 
that agents of the Internal Security Department monitored religious 
services at Christian churches and that senior church members believed 
that they were under intermittent surveillance.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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. However, it is an accepted practice for the 
children of parents converting to Islam to be converted to Islam as 
well. There were reports in the past of teenage children who refused 
such conversion despite family and official pressure.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In February 2006 the sultan attended a Chinese New Year's 
celebration sponsored by the Chinese community in. The Government 
sponsored a delegation to the International Conference on Faith and 
Service held in Manila in March 2006. This concession to interfaith 
dialogue was not reported on state-run television. The local press 
reported on officials attending the East Asian Religious Leaders Forum 
held in Jakarta in February 2006, with officials from various 
religions. A former ambassador represented the Government at the 
funeral of Pope John Paul II, and the then deputy minister of foreign 
affairs signed a condolence book at the Brunei Catholic diocese. In 
June 2005 Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, Secretary for the Holy See's 
Relations with States, traveled to the country where he met with senior 
Government officials.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The country's various religious groups coexist peacefully, but 
ecumenical interaction is hampered by the dominant Islamic religious 
ethos, which discourages Muslims from learning about other faiths. At 
the same time, Islamic authorities organize a range of ``dakwah'' or 
proselytizing activities and incentives to explain and propagate Islam. 
Among the incentives to converts, especially those from the indigenous 
communities in rural areas, are monthly financial assistance, new 
homes, electric generators, and water pumps. The religious authority 
also builds mosques and prayer halls for converts in these areas but 
will not allow the construction of churches or other non-Muslim houses 
of worship.
    The country's national philosophy, the MIB concept, discourages 
open-mindedness to religions other than Islam, and there are no 
programs to promote understanding of other religions. The country's 
indigenous people generally convert either to Islam or Christianity but 
rarely to Buddhism. Consequently, Muslim officials view Christianity as 
the main rival to Islam.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy has increased contacts and dialogue with 
Government officials and representatives of all religious 
organizations. In 2005 the embassy selected a Fulbright grant recipient 
to undertake a graduate program in Islamic Studies and Comparative 
Religions in the United States. In 2006, the embassy, as part of its 
outreach program, distributed ``Islam in America'' publications to 
higher educational institutes during a public exhibition. Embassy 
officials have met with members of minority faiths. Embassy 
representatives continued to press the Government to adhere to the 
spirit of its constitution and its declarations on human rights.
                               __________

                                 BURMA

    Highly repressive, authoritarian military regimes have ruled the 
country since 1962. Constitutional support for religious freedom has 
not existed since 1988 after the armed forces brutally suppressed 
massive prodemocracy demonstrations and abrogated the constitution. In 
1990 prodemocracy parties won a majority of seats in a free and fair 
election, but the junta of senior military officers refused to 
recognize the results and has ruled the country by decree and without a 
legislature ever since. The authorities generally permitted most 
adherents of registered religions to worship as they choose; however, 
the Government imposes restrictions on certain religious activities and 
frequently abuses the right to freedom of religion.
    There was no change in the limited respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. The Government continued to 
infiltrate and covertly and overtly monitor meetings and activities of 
virtually all organizations, including religious organizations. The 
Government systematically restricted efforts by Buddhist clergy to 
promote human rights and political freedom and discouraged and 
prohibited minority religions from constructing new places of worship. 
The Government also actively promoted Theravada Buddhism over other 
religions, particularly among members of minority ethnic groups. 
Christian and Islamic groups continued to have trouble obtaining 
permission to repair existing places of worship or build new ones in 
most regions. Anti-Muslim violence continued, as did the close 
monitoring of Muslims activities. Restrictions on worship of other non-
Buddhist minority groups also continued throughout the country. There 
were no reports of forced conversions of non-Buddhists. Adherence or 
conversion to Buddhism, however, is generally a prerequisite for 
promotion to senior government and military ranks.
    During the period covered by this report there were persistent 
social tensions between the Buddhist majority and the Christian and 
Muslim minorities. Widespread prejudice existed against citizens of 
South Asian origin, many of whom are Muslims.
    The U.S. Government advocated religious freedom with all facets of 
society, including with government officials, religious leaders, 
private citizens, and scholars, diplomats of other governments, and 
international business and media representatives. Embassy 
representatives offered support to local nongovernmental organizations 
(NGOs) and religious leaders, and acted as a conduit for information 
exchanges with otherwise isolated human rights NGOs and religious 
leaders. Since 1999, the U.S. Secretary of State has designated the 
country as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' under the International 
Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom. The U.S. Government has a wide array of sanctions in place 
against the country for its violations of human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 261,970 square miles and a 
population of more than 54 million. The majority followed Theravada 
Buddhism, although in practice popular Burmese Buddhism coexisted with 
astrology, numerology, fortune telling, and veneration of indigenous 
pre-Buddhist era deities called ``nats.'' Buddhist monks, including 
novices, numbered more than 400 thousand and depended on the laity for 
their material needs, including clothing and daily donations of food. 
The country had a much smaller number of Buddhist nuns. Christian 
groups (Catholics, Baptists, Anglicans, and an array of other 
Protestant denominations), Muslims (mostly Sunni), Hindus, and 
practitioners of traditional Chinese and indigenous religions 
represented the principal minority faiths. According to official 
statistics, almost 90 percent of the population practiced Buddhism, 6 
percent practiced Christianity, and 4 percent practiced Islam. These 
statistics almost certainly underestimated the non-Buddhist proportion 
of the population, which could be as high as 30 percent. Muslim leaders 
estimated that approximately 20 percent of the population was Muslim. A 
tiny Jewish community in Rangoon had a synagogue but no resident rabbi 
to conduct services.
    The country was ethnically diverse, with some correlation between 
ethnicity and religion. Theravada Buddhism was the dominant religion 
among the majority Burman ethnic group and among the Shan, Arakanese, 
and Mon ethnic minorities of the eastern, western, and southern 
regions. Christianity was the dominant religion among the Kachin ethnic 
group of the northern region and the Chin and Naga ethnic groups of the 
western region, some of whom continued to practice traditional 
indigenous religions. Protestant groups reported recent rapid growth 
among animist communities in Chin State. Christianity was also 
practiced widely among the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups of the 
southern and eastern regions, although many Karen and Karenni were 
Buddhist. In addition, some ethnic Indians were Christian. Hinduism was 
practiced chiefly by Burmese of Indian origin, who were concentrated in 
major cities and in the south-central region. Islam was practiced 
widely in Rakhine State, where it was the dominant religion of the 
Rohingya minority, and in Rangoon, Ayeyarwady, and Mandalay divisions. 
Some Burmans, Indians, and ethnic Bengalis also practiced Islam. 
Chinese ethnic minorities generally practiced traditional Chinese 
religions. Traditional indigenous religions were practiced widely among 
smaller ethnic groups in the highland regions. Practices drawn from 
those indigenous religions persisted widely in popular Buddhist 
rituals, especially in rural areas.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Highly authoritarian military regimes have ruled the country since 
1962. The current military government, the State Peace and Development 
Council (SPDC), has governed without a constitution or legislature 
since 1988. Most adherents of religions that registered with the 
authorities generally enjoyed the right to worship as they chose; 
however, the Government imposed restrictions on certain religious 
activities and frequently abused the right to religious freedom.
    Since independence in 1948, many of the ethnic minority areas have 
served as bases for armed resistance against the Government. Although 
the Government has negotiated cease-fire agreements with most armed 
ethnic groups since 1989, active Shan, Karen, and Karenni insurgencies 
continued during the period covered by this report. Periodic fighting 
between the army and the leading Karen insurgent group, the Karen 
National Union (KNU), and multiple army attacks on Karen villages 
occurred. Successive civilian and military governments have tended to 
view religious freedom in the context of whether it threatens national 
unity or central authority.
    Since independence, successive governments, civilian and military, 
have supported and associated themselves conspicuously with Buddhism. 
The country has no official state religion. In 1961, the Government's 
push to make Buddhism the state religion failed due to national 
protests by religious minorities. However, in practice the Government 
continued to show a preference for Theravada Buddhism through its 
official propaganda and state-sponsored activities, including 
government donations to monasteries and support for Buddhist missionary 
activities. Promotions within the military and the civil service were 
generally contingent on the candidates being followers of Buddhism. The 
Ministry of Religious Affairs included the powerful Department for the 
Promotion and Propagation of Sasana (Buddhist teaching).
    Virtually all organizations, religious or otherwise, must register 
with the Government. A government directive exempts ``genuine'' 
religious organizations from official registration; however, in 
practice only registered organizations can buy or sell property or open 
bank accounts. These requirements lead most religious organizations to 
seek registration. Religious organizations register with the Ministry 
of Home Affairs with the endorsement of the Ministry for Religious 
Affairs. Leaders of registered religious groups have more freedom to 
travel than leaders of unrecognized organizations and members of their 
congregations.
    Buddhist doctrine remained part of the state-mandated curriculum in 
all government-run elementary schools. Students could opt out of 
instruction in Buddhism and sometimes did. All students of government-
run schools are required to recite a Buddhist prayer daily. Some Muslim 
students are allowed to leave the room during this act, while at some 
schools non-Buddhists are forced to recite the prayer. The Government 
continued to fund two state Sangha universities in Rangoon and Mandalay 
to train Buddhist monks under the control of the state-sponsored State 
Monk Coordination Committee (``Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee'' or SMNC). 
The Government also funded one university intended to teach noncitizens 
about Theravada Buddhism.
    Official public holidays include numerous Buddhist holy days, as 
well as a few Christian, Hindu, and Islamic holy days.
    The Government made some nominal efforts to promote mutual 
understanding among practitioners of different religions and maintained 
multi-religion monuments in Rangoon and other major cities.
    In November 2005, the minister of religious affairs called a 
meeting of leaders of the four main religions in the country. The 
minister used the meeting to denounce the 2005 State Department 
International Religious Freedom Report and requested each leader write 
a letter stating that their religious communities may practice their 
faith freely in the country, which the ministry would display on its 
official website. During a discussion that followed, the representative 
of the Islamic Religious Affairs Council (IRAC) said that while there 
had been progress on some religious issues, there was room for further 
improvement. The minister reportedly stopped further discussion and 
adjourned the meeting abruptly.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government continued to show preference for Theravada Buddhism 
while controlling the organization and restricting the activities and 
expression of the Buddhist clergy (Sangha), although some monks have 
resisted such control. Based on the 1990 Sangha Organization Law, the 
Government banned any organization of Buddhist monks other than the 
nine state-recognized monastic orders. These nine orders submit to the 
authority of the SMNC, which monks indirectly elect. Violations of this 
law are punishable by immediate public defrocking, and often by 
criminal penalties.
    Authorities defrocked and arrested a group of twenty-six monks in 
2003 and sentenced them in 2004 to jail terms of seven years (eighteen 
years for the leader) for refusing to accept government donations of 
robes and other items. The authorities released these monks from prison 
on July 6, 2005. Monks serving sentences of life in prison reportedly 
included the Venerable U Thondara of Myingyan (arrested during the 1988 
antigovernment demonstrations). The exile-based Assistance Association 
for Political Prisoners (AAPP) estimated that there were eighty-four 
monks in prison for various charges. The AAPP estimate could not be 
verified. The number of non-Buddhists in prison for their religious 
beliefs was unknown.
    In 2004, the regime hosted a three-day World Buddhist Summit, 
despite international criticism and the last-minute withdrawal of the 
summit's original Japanese sponsors due to political and security 
concerns following the October 2004 ousting of Prime Minister Khin 
Nyunt. The summit drew approximately 1,600 attendees from around the 
world (although most were from within the country). The prime ministers 
of Thailand and Laos also attended.
    State-controlled news media frequently depicted or described 
government officials paying homage to Buddhist monks making donations 
at pagodas throughout the country, officiating at ceremonies to open, 
improve, restore, or maintain pagodas, and organizing ostensibly 
voluntary ``people's donations'' of money, food, and uncompensated 
labor to build or refurbish Buddhist religious shrines throughout the 
country. State-owned newspapers routinely featured front-page banner 
slogans quoting from Buddhist scriptures. The Government has published 
books of Buddhist religious instruction. The Union Solidarity and 
Development Association (USDA), a government-sponsored mass 
organization in which participation often is compulsory, organized 
courses in Buddhist culture attended by millions of persons, according 
to state-owned media reports. It was not possible to verify this claim 
independently.
    The Department for the Perpetuation and Propagation of the Sasana 
handles the Government's relations with Buddhist monks and Buddhist 
schools. The Government-funded International Theravada Buddhist 
Missionary University (ITBMU) in Rangoon, which opened in 1998, has as 
its stated purpose ``to share the country's knowledge of Buddhism with 
the people of the world.'' The main language of instruction is English. 
There are reports that the ITBMU, while in principle open to the 
public, accepted only candidates who were approved by government 
authorities or recommended by a senior, progovernment abbot.
    The Government infiltrated or monitored the meetings and activities 
of virtually all organizations, including religious organizations. 
Religious activities and organizations of all faiths also were subject 
to broad government restrictions on freedom of expression and 
association. The Government subjected all media, including religious 
publications, and on occasion sermons, to control and censorship.
    Authorities refused to approve requests for gatherings to celebrate 
traditional Christian and Islamic holidays and restricted the number of 
Muslims that could gather in one place. For instance, after repeatedly 
postponing the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Islamic 
Religious Affairs Council and its sixteenth Islam Religious Assembly in 
Myitkyina, Kachin State, local authorities agreed to allow the 
convocation from May 30 to 31. On May 29, the authorities asked IRAC 
leaders to postpone the meeting again, but later the Kachin PDC 
chairman agreed to allow the nearly 400 delegates who had gathered in 
Myitkyina after traveling from all over the country to meet for just 
one and a half hours on May 31. The Muslim delegates found this 
unacceptable and returned home without convening. In April 2006, 
Mandalay authorities refused permission for area churches to hold a 
joint Easter program. When permission was granted to hold a general 
meeting, Christian leaders reported that authorities often required 
them to submit details in advance of the meeting, including the name of 
the pianist and what songs they would play. Islamic groups reported 
that authorities authorized only remote sites for their annual Eid al-
Adha sacrifices within Rangoon. Muslims had to travel long distances to 
participate. Muslims also reported that the Eid al-Adha ceremonies were 
restricted to three hours in length. Some Buddhists complained that the 
animal sacrifices during Islamic religious festivals offended their 
sensitivities. In 2004, the Government revoked permission at the last 
moment for the Methodist Church of Lower Burma to hold its one hundred 
twenty-fifth anniversary gala event.
    In 1995, the Government prohibited any opposition political party 
member from being ordained as a monk or religious leader. Although this 
measure remained in effect, it was not strictly enforced.
    The Government continued to discriminate against members of 
minority religions, restricting their educational, proselytizing, and 
church-building activities.
    In June 2005, authorities forced a Muslim private tutor in Rangoon 
to close down his school. Although he was teaching only the public 
school curriculum, authorities accused him of trying to convert 
children to Islam because he was offering free courses.
    In June 2005, authorities in Shwepyitha Township, Rangoon Division, 
arrested eight Muslims, including the imam of the community, and 
charged them with holding group prayers at the imam's house. 
Authorities also arrested a Muslim cleric in South Dagon Township, 
Rangoon Division, for holding private Qur'an courses for Muslim 
children at his house.
    In October 2005, a proregime Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) 
group from Kawkareik District, Karen State, reportedly detained three 
members of the local IRAC, including the chairman, and kept them in an 
underground cell. A senior DKBA officer intervened and gained their 
release after three days. In December 2005, authorities at Three Pagoda 
Township in the same district reportedly ordered Muslim leaders to stop 
holding prayers at the local worship hall they had used for many years, 
located on land owned by the IRAC.
    Government authorities continued to prohibit Christian clergy from 
proselytizing in some areas. Christian groups reported that several 
times during the period covered by this report, local authorities 
denied applications for residency permits of known Christian ministers 
attempting to move into a new township. The groups indicated this was 
not a widespread practice, but depended on the individual community and 
local authority. In some instances, local authorities reportedly 
confiscated National Identity Cards of new converts to Christianity. 
Despite this, Christian groups reported that church membership grew, 
even in predominately Buddhist regions of the country.
    In general, the Government has not allowed permanent foreign 
religious missions to operate in the country since the mid-1960s, when 
it expelled nearly all foreign missionaries and nationalized all 
private schools and hospitals, which were extensive and affiliated 
mostly with Christian religious organizations. The Government is not 
known to have paid any compensation in connection with these extensive 
confiscations. Christian groups, including Catholics and Protestants, 
have brought in foreign clergy and religious workers for visits as 
tourists, but they have been careful to ensure that the Government did 
not perceive their activities as proselytizing. Some Christian 
theological seminaries also continued to operate, as did several Bible 
schools and madrassahs. The Government has allowed some members of 
foreign religious groups, such as the Mormons, to enter the country to 
provide humanitarian assistance or English language training to 
government officials. Some of these groups did not register with the 
Myanmar Council of Churches, but were able to conduct religious 
services without government interference.
    Christian groups continued to have trouble obtaining permission to 
buy land or build new churches in most regions. Sometimes the 
authorities refused because they claimed the churches did not possess 
proper property deeds, but access to official land titles was extremely 
difficult due to the country's complex land laws and government title 
to most land. In some areas, permission to repair existing places of 
worship was easier to acquire. During the period of this report, 
authorities in Mandalay arrested three pastors for building new 
churches and charged them with land law violations, not for violating 
any religious regulations. Muslims reported that they essentially were 
banned from constructing new mosques anywhere in the country, and they 
had great difficulty obtaining permission to repair or expand their 
existing structures. Some authorities reportedly destroyed informal 
houses of worship or unauthorized religious construction they 
discovered. Buddhist groups have not experienced similar difficulties 
in obtaining permission to build new pagodas, monasteries, or community 
religious halls.
    Some Christians in Chin State claimed that authorities have not 
authorized the construction of any new churches since 1997. In some 
parts of the state, however, recently built churches are evident. In 
March 2006, Lt. Col. Hla Maw Oo, director of the Border Trade 
Department, ordered Kachin Baptists to remove a church from its current 
location in Mong Yu in northeastern Shan State by April 20 to make way 
for an economic development zone along the Chinese border. The official 
reportedly offered $7,000 (8.7 million kyats) compensation for the 
church that Christian businessmen built for $12,070 (15 million kyats) 
in 2002. The official threatened to involve the military if the members 
did not comply. This case was still pending at the end of the reporting 
period. In Chin State, authorities jailed three persons for 
constructing new churches. In Rangoon, Mandalay, and elsewhere, 
authorities allowed construction of new community centers by various 
Christian groups if the groups agreed not to hold services there or 
erect any Christian signs.
    The Religious Affairs Ministry has stipulated in the past that 
permission to construct new religious buildings ``depends upon the 
population of the location.'' However, there appeared to be no 
correlation between the construction of pagodas and the demand for 
additional places of Buddhist worship. In most regions of the country, 
Christian and Islamic groups that sought to build small places of 
worship on side streets or other inconspicuous locations were able to 
do so only with informal approval from local authorities. However, 
informal approval from local authorities creates a tenuous legal 
situation. When local authorities or conditions have changed, informal 
approvals for construction have been rescinded abruptly and 
construction halted. In some cases, authorities demolished existing 
church buildings.
    Since the 1960s, Christian and Islamic groups have had difficulty 
importing religious literature into the country. All publications, 
religious and secular, remained subjected to control and censorship. It 
was illegal to import translations of the Bible in indigenous 
languages. Officials have occasionally allowed local printing or 
photocopying of limited copies of other religious material (with the 
notation that they were for internal use only) in indigenous languages 
without prior approval by government censors.
    During the period covered by this report, individuals continued to 
smuggle Bibles and Qur'ans into the country in small quantities. Some 
were intercepted at the border and confiscated, frequently ending up 
for sale on the black market.
    State censorship authorities continued to enforce special 
restrictions on local publication of the Bible, the Qur'an, and 
Christian and Islamic publications in general. The most onerous 
restriction was a list of over one hundred prohibited words that the 
censors would not allow in Christian or Islamic literature because they 
are ``indigenous terms'' or derived from the Pali language long used in 
Buddhist literature. Many of these words have been used and accepted by 
some of the country's Christian and Islamic groups since the colonial 
period. Organizations that translate and publish non-Buddhist religious 
texts were appealing these restrictions. In addition, censors have 
sometimes objected to passages of the Old Testament and the Qur'an that 
they believe approve the use of violence against nonbelievers. There 
have been no reports of arrests or prosecutions for possession of any 
traditional religious literature in recent years.
    The Government allowed members of all religious groups to establish 
and maintain links with coreligionists in other countries and to travel 
abroad for religious purposes, subject to the country's restrictive 
passport and visa-issuance practices, foreign exchange controls, and 
government monitoring, which extended to all international activities 
by all citizens regardless of religion. The Government sometimes 
expedited its burdensome passport issuance procedures for Muslims 
making the Hajj or Buddhists going on pilgrimage to Bodhgaya, India, 
although it limited the number of pilgrims. In 2005, authorities 
allowed only 300 Muslims to participate officially in the Hajj. 
Consequently, as many as 3 thousand Muslims made their own 
arrangements, and many more from Rakhine State reportedly crossed over 
to Bangladesh to obtain Bangladeshi passports in order to participate 
in the Hajj. During the period covered by this report, immigration and 
passport office officials continued to use the occasion of the Hajj to 
extort bribes from would-be travelers. As a result, the cost to 
official pilgrims was reportedly more expensive than for pilgrims who 
made their own private arrangements.
    Religious affiliation is indicated on government-issued 
identification cards that citizens and permanent residents of the 
country are required to carry at all times. Having the term ``Muslim'' 
on the cards often led to harassment by police or immigration 
authorities. Citizens were also required to indicate their religion on 
official application forms, such as passports.
    Non-Buddhists continued to experience employment discrimination at 
upper levels of the public sector. Few have ever been promoted to the 
level of director general or higher. There were no non-Buddhists who 
held flag rank in the armed forces, although a very few Christians 
reportedly achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. The Central 
Executive Committee of the largest opposition group--the National 
League for Democracy--included no non-Buddhists, although individual 
members from most religions in the country supported the party. The 
Government discouraged Muslims from enlisting in the military, and 
Christian or Muslim military officers who aspired for promotion beyond 
the rank of major were encouraged by their superiors to convert to 
Buddhism. Some Muslims who wished to join the military reportedly had 
to list ``Buddhist'' as their religion on their application, though 
they were required to convert. In one instance in 2005, superiors 
informed a Buddhist officer that his Christian wife must convert to 
Buddhism or else he would have to resign from the army.
    Religious discrimination also occurred in education and cultural 
activities. In 2005, a high school student named Alexander reached the 
division level in an intramural sports competition. Mandalay division 
authorities assumed by his name that he was a Christian and 
disqualified him. In addition, when a Christian tried to hold a 
birthday celebration in a Mandalay hotel in 2005, local authorities 
banned it, claiming it was a religious event that should be held in a 
church.
    Muslims in Rakhine State, on the western coast, and particularly 
those of the Rohingya minority group, continued to experience the 
severest forms of legal, economic, educational, and social 
discrimination. The Government denies citizenship status to Rohingyans 
because their ancestors allegedly did not reside in the country at the 
start of British colonial rule, as required by the country's 
citizenship law. The Muslims assert that their presence in the area 
predates the British arrival by several centuries. Rohingya Muslims, 
although essentially treated as illegal foreigners, were not issued 
Foreigner Registration Cards. Instead, the Government gave some of them 
``Temporary Registration Cards'' (TRC). UNHCR estimates that only 50 
percent of the approximately 700 thousand Rohingyas possessed TRCs. 
Authorities have insisted that Muslim men applying for TRCs submit 
photos without beards. The authorities did not allow government 
employees of the Islamic faith, including village headmen, to grow 
beards, and dismissed some who already had beards. The authorities also 
did not consider many non-Rohingya Muslims to be citizens. In order for 
these Muslims to receive National Registration Cards and passports, 
they must pay large bribes. Ethnic Burman Muslims pay less than Muslims 
from ethnic minority groups (primary those of Indian or Bengali 
descent).
    In 1988, the Government permitted only three marriages per year per 
village in the primarily Rohingya townships of Maungdaw and Buthidaung 
in northern Rakhine State, and required the approval of the Regional 
Military Commander. In 2005, the Government extended this edict to 
Kyauk Pyu and Ramree Townships in central Rakhine State. Following the 
ouster of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt in October 2004 and the demise of 
his military intelligence apparatus, marriage restrictions were 
temporarily lifted but were reportedly reinstated in 2005. After a 
backlog accumulated of nearly 3 thousand unapproved marriage 
applications, the Regional Military Commander reportedly agreed to 
allow some Rohingya Muslims who possessed TRCs to marry.
    Muslims in the country had difficulty obtaining birth certificates. 
A local official in Sittwe, Rakhine State, reportedly issued a verbal 
order in 2005 prohibiting the issuance of birth certificates to Muslim 
babies born in the area. In Rangoon, Muslims can usually obtain birth 
certificates for newborns, but local authorities refused to allow them 
to place the names of the babies on their household registers.
    Muslims across the country, as well as some other ethnic minority 
groups such as Chinese and Indians, were required to obtain advance 
permission from the township authorities whenever they wished to leave 
their hometowns. Authorities generally do not grant permission to 
Rohingya or Muslim Arakanese to travel from their hometowns for any 
purpose. However, permission sometimes can be obtained through bribery. 
Non-Arakanese Muslims are given more freedom to travel; however, they 
must also seek permission, which is usually granted after a bribe is 
paid. Muslims residing in Rangoon can visit beach resort areas in 
Ngapali, Rakhine State, but cannot return to Rangoon without the 
signature of the Regional Military Commander. Those with money are able 
to bribe local officials to return. Muslims residing outside of Rakhine 
State often are barred from return travel to their homes if they visit 
other parts of Rakhine State.
    The Government reserves secondary education for citizens only. 
Rohingyas do not have access to state-run schools beyond primary 
education and are unable to obtain employment in any civil service 
positions. Muslim students from Rakhine State who completed high school 
were not granted permits to travel outside the state to attend college 
or university.
    Many of the approximately 21,000 Rohingya Muslims remaining in 
refugee camps in Bangladesh refused to return because they fear human 
rights abuses, including religious persecution.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Military forces have killed religious figures on some occasions. 
However, during the period covered by this report, there were no 
reports of such killings. A Karen source reported that Burmese soldiers 
allowed a Christian pastor near Thandaung, Karen State, to hold a 
religious ceremony in his village on condition that there was no 
involvement by the KNU. When fighting broke out between KNU forces and 
the Burmese Army near the pastor's village, the Burmese soldiers 
arrested him and released him only after he paid $400 (500,000 kyats).
    Local civilian and military authorities continued to take actions 
against Christian groups: Arresting clergy, closing home churches, and 
prohibiting religious services. During the period covered by this 
report, authorities in the Rangoon area closed several house churches 
because they did not have proper authorization to hold religious 
meetings. Other Rangoon home churches remained operational only after 
paying bribes to local officials. At the same time, the authorities 
made it difficult, although not impossible, to obtain approval for the 
construction of ``authorized'' churches. In September 2005, officials 
in Kyauktada Township, Rangoon, ordered the Full Gospel Assembly church 
to cease its worship services, as it was located in a residential 
building. The church had been operating from that location for many 
years and was listed in the 1999 Rangoon Church Directory.
    In early 2005, local authorities in the Chin State capital of Haka 
notified Baptist leaders that they would be forced to relocate an 
active, historic cemetery from church property to a remote location 
outside of town. Religious leaders reported that authorities continued 
to forcefully relocate cemeteries in many parts of the country.
    In September 2005, local authorities of Pabedan Township, Rangoon, 
ordered Grace Baptist Church and Theology Seminary to close or face 
confiscation of their land. The church and seminary continued to 
operate throughout the period of this report. Evangelists in South 
Dagon and Hlaing Thayar townships near Rangoon were accused of 
proselytizing and were threatened in 2003 with arrest if they opened 
house churches and kindergartens.
    In November 2005, authorities in Insein Township, Rangoon, 
pressured evangelical Christians of the twenty-year-old Phawkkan 
Evangelical church to sign ``no worship'' agreements. Some signed the 
agreements out of fear, but others refused. In February 2006, the 
authorities issued an order banning worship at the church. In February 
2006, Insein Township authorities ordered a Chin evangelist to stop 
holding worship services in his house church in Aung San ward.
    In February 2006, police at Hpa-an, Karen State, arrested Yeh Zaw, 
a member of the Phawkkan Evangelical Church. Yeh Zaw had earlier 
written a letter to the regime leader urging him to end the persecution 
of his church which Rangoon authorities closed in early 2006, banning 
members from worshipping there. Police charged him with traveling 
without an identity card.
    During the period covered by this report, there were no reports of 
authorities destroying mosques or of Muslims constructing new mosques. 
It remained extremely difficult for Muslims to get permission to repair 
existing mosques, although internal renovations were allowed in some 
cases. In some parts of Rakhine State, authorities cordoned off mosques 
and forbade Muslims to worship in them. In 2004, local authorities 
confiscated a Muslim cemetery in Myeik Township, Tanintharyi Division, 
and closed the adjacent mosque. Three Muslims were reportedly 
imprisoned for a month for violating this closure order. In 2004, 
authorities in three suburbs of Rangoon ordered the closure of informal 
``religious community houses'' used by local Muslims in lieu of mosques 
(which have not been built in these townships). After Muslim leaders in 
Rangoon complained, community houses in two of the three suburbs were 
allowed to reopen.
    In August 2005, authorities in Sittwe, Rakhine State, ordered an 
Islamic madrassah to close. The school management complied with the 
order and sent all the students home.
    Authorities have attempted to prevent Chin Christians from 
practicing their religion. In January 2005, the military commander in 
Matupi Township, Chin State, ordered the destruction of a thirty-foot 
cross raised on a hillside with government permission in 1999. 
Reportedly, a more senior military official subsequently told local 
church authorities that they could get permission to reconstruct the 
cross. However, the local pastors have thus far refused to ask for such 
authorization. In the past, these crosses often have been replaced with 
pagodas, sometimes built with forced labor.
    In Kachin State, authorities have constructed Buddhist shrines in 
Christian communities where few or no Buddhists reside and have tried 
to coerce Christians into forced labor to carry bricks and other 
supplies for the shrine's construction. In northern Rakhine State, 
authorities frequently forced Rohingyas to help construct Buddhist 
shrines, even though Buddhists there account for approximately 2 
percent of the population.
    SPDC authorities continued to ``dilute'' ethnic minority 
populations by encouraging, or even forcing, Buddhist Burmans to 
relocate to ethnic areas. In predominantly Muslim northern Rakhine 
State, authorities established ``model villages'' to relocate released 
ethnic Burman criminals from other parts of the country. In January 
2006, Muslim Rohingyas from at least ten surrounding villages claimed 
the military forced them to carry building supplies for three model 
villages at Padauk Myin, Mala Myin and Thaza Myin in Rathidaung 
Township. Certain townships in the Rakhine State, such as Thandwe, Gwa, 
and Taung-gut, were declared ``Muslim-free zones'' by government decree 
in 1983. There were still original-resident Muslims living in Thandwe, 
but newcomers who are Muslim are not allowed to buy property or reside 
in the township. Muslims were no longer are permitted to live in Gwa 
and Taung-gut.
    In February 2006, violent clashes broke out between Muslims and 
Buddhists in Magway Division. Responding to rumors that Muslim men had 
raped a Burman woman near Sinbyukyun town, ethnic Burmans attacked and 
torched Muslim and ethnic Indian homes, shops, and mosques. Rioting and 
looting spread to surrounding towns, including Chauk and Salin. Local 
security forces did not intervene at first, but as violence spread 
authorities imposed a strict curfew in several towns to prevent the 
violence from spreading further. Reliable sources said the authorities 
arrested seventeen people in Sinbyukyun and another fifty-five persons 
in Chauk, mostly Muslims. Unofficial sources claimed that three people 
died and another ten were injured in the riots. Three mosques in 
Yenangyaung, Chauk, and Saku were reportedly destroyed in the violence. 
Authorities sealed off the mosques and did not permit Muslims to 
rebuild them by the end of the period of this report, nor did 
authorities conduct inquiries into the attacks. Christians reported 
that an entire Muslim village fled to the monastery of a trusted 
Buddhist abbot near Shwe Settaw to seek refuge during the riots.
    These recent attacks follow earlier communal violence in Kyauk Pyu, 
Arakan State, in January 2005. During several days of violence, two 
Muslims were killed and one Buddhist monk was severely injured. Some 
Islamic groups blamed the Government for trying to increase tensions 
between Buddhists and Muslims as part of a ``divide and rule'' 
strategy. In 2004, local Buddhist villagers in Kyun Su Township, 
Tanintharyi Division, attacked and destroyed the properties of fourteen 
Muslim families. Despite a complaint from Muslim leaders, the 
Government has taken no action.
    In 2003, there were several violent incidents involving Muslims and 
Buddhists. There were unverified reports that USDA members incited 
anti-Muslim violence in Ayeyarwady Division. Authorities had not 
investigated the incidents by the end of the reporting period.
    In the aftermath of these 2003 attacks, the authorities paid some 
compensation to the affected Muslims and gave permission to the Kyaukse 
Muslims to rebuild the two mosques destroyed in the violence. The 
reconstruction had not occurred because most Muslims had not returned 
to their previous neighborhoods. In addition, the Government arrested 
and defrocked forty-four monks and twenty-six other Buddhists suspected 
of participation in the Kyaukse and Rangoon violence. There were 
unverified reports that one senior monk received a death sentence; it 
was not known what sentences the other monks received. These measures 
caused some tension between the Government and the usually favored 
Buddhist monkhood, leading to some localized demonstrations inside 
Rangoon monasteries. Seventy Muslims were arrested and thirty-one 
Kyaukse Muslims were sentenced in December 2003 (one received the death 
penalty) for their involvement in the violence, including the alleged 
murder of a senior Buddhist monk. Muslim leaders called the trials a 
mockery of justice, but they did not address the veracity of the 
charges.
    There were no known arrests of Buddhist monks during the period 
covered by this report. A Buddhist nun, Daw Thissawarddy, got into a 
dispute with the SMNC when she tried to use the honorific title 
``bikku'' for nuns. Authorities detained her in May 2005, but 
reportedly released her when she agreed to exile in a foreign country. 
In 2003, troops reportedly fired on monks protesting the arrest of a 
local abbot and killed two of them.
    Muslim leaders reported that military intelligence officials 
arrested several Muslim religious teachers in Maungdaw Township, 
Rakhine State, in 2004 following a fatwa issued against individuals who 
had allegedly raped a Muslim girl. One of the teachers reportedly was 
tortured to death in detention. The others were subsequently released.
    There continued to be credible reports from diverse regions of the 
country that government officials compelled persons, Buddhists and non-
Buddhists alike, especially in rural areas, to contribute money, food, 
or materials to state-sponsored projects to build, renovate, or 
maintain Buddhist religious shrines or monuments. The Government denied 
that it used coercion and called these contributions ``voluntary 
donations'' consistent with Buddhist ideas of meritmaking. In April 
2006, authorities in Lashio reportedly tried to coerce merchants to 
contribute large sums to construct a Buddhist shrine. Christian 
merchants refused to participate and the funds raised were well below 
the authorities' target.
    In the past, pagodas or government buildings often have been built 
on confiscated Muslim land. In 2003, authorities in Kyun Su Township, 
Tanintharyi division, seized Muslim religious land on which they 
planned to build a pagoda. Despite complaints by Muslim leaders to the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs and the regional military commander, the 
Government took no action in this case.
    Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for 
Democracy (NLD), has been in prison or house arrest since forces allied 
with the Government attacked her and her convoy, which included several 
NLD-allied monks, while traveling in Sagaing Division in the 
northwestern region of the country in 2003. The Government reportedly 
used criminals dressed in monks' robes in the ambush.
Forced Religious Conversion
    Muslim and Christian community leaders reported that during the 
period covered by this report, authorities had moved away from a 
campaign of forced conversion to Buddhism and instead focused on 
enticing non-Buddhists to convert to Buddhism by offering charity or 
bribery. Conversion of non-Buddhists, coerced or otherwise, is part of 
a longstanding government campaign to ``Burmanize'' ethnic minority 
regions. This campaign has coincided with increased military presence 
and pressure. In 2004, in northwestern Shan State, a local government-
backed abbot reportedly pressured local Christians to convert to 
Buddhism, using threats and bribery. Also during the period, there was 
a single, unverified report of forced conversions at gunpoint in Chin 
State. However, Christian groups reported that these types of violent 
cases were less frequent than in earlier years.
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion 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 return to the 
United States.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Preferential treatment for Buddhists and widespread prejudice 
against ethnic Indians, particularly ethnic Rohingya Muslims were key 
sources of social tensions between the Buddhist majority and Christian 
and Muslim minorities.
    Since 1994, when Buddhist members split away from the KNU to 
organize the progovernment Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), there 
have been armed conflicts between the DKBA and the predominately 
Christian antigovernment KNU. Although the DKBA reportedly includes 
some Christians and there are some Buddhists in the KNU, the armed 
conflict between the two Karen groups has had strong religious 
overtones. In 2004, according to a reliable report, DKBA authorities 
forced villagers near Hpa-an, Karen State, to provide ``volunteer'' 
labor and money to build Buddhist pagodas. Despite a complaint by the 
local pastor, senior government authorities refused to take any action. 
There were also unverified reports that DKBA authorities continued to 
expel villagers who converted to Christianity. In 2003, there was an 
unverified report that local DKBA commanders forced the local Sangha 
council to order the demolition of six monasteries in Myawaddy whose 
abbots had been critical of the DKBA.
    According to Shan Herald Agency for News, in April 2006 a local 
warlord in the Wa Special Region of eastern Shan State detained thirty-
eight local Christians in the town of Mong Mai. He charged them with 
preaching sermons and distributing religious pamphlets without official 
permission. The Wa authorities sent them to work in labor camps. 
Subsequently, they released nineteen young people, but the rest 
reportedly remained in custody at the end of this reporting period.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    Government restrictions on speech, press, assembly, and movement, 
including diplomatic travel, made it difficult to obtain timely and 
accurate information on human rights in the country, including on 
freedom of religion. Information about abuses often becomes available 
only months or years after the events and frequently is difficult or 
impossible to verify. Officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, 
while criticizing the U.S. Government in 2004 for its ``lack of basic 
knowledge and misperceptions regarding the situation and concept of 
religions'' in the country, have declined to meet with U.S. embassy 
officials to discuss the content of the previous year's report.
    The U.S. Government continued to promote religious freedom in its 
contacts with all sectors of society, as part of its overall policy to 
promote human rights. During the period covered by this report, embassy 
officials discussed the importance of improved religious freedom with 
government and military officials, private citizens, scholars, 
representatives of other governments, and international business and 
media representatives. Embassy representatives met regularly with 
leaders of Buddhist, Christian, and Islamic religious groups, including 
ethnic minority religious leaders, members of the faculties of schools 
of theology, and other religiously-affiliated organizations and NGOs. 
The Charge d'Affaires hosted members of Catholic, Protestant, and 
Islamic organizations at her residence.
    Through outreach and traveling, when not blocked by regime 
officials, embassy representatives offered support to local NGOs and 
religious leaders and exchanged information with many otherwise 
isolated human rights NGOs and religious leaders. Representatives of 
the Rohingya minority participated in English language and current 
events studies at the embassy's American Center. The American Center 
regularly translated statements and reports by the U.S. Government and 
various NGOs on violations of religious freedom in the country and 
distributed them via its frequently visited library. In addition, the 
embassy worked closely with Islamic and Christian NGOs involved in 
teacher training.
    Since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated the country as a 
``Country of Particular Concern'' under the International Religious 
Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom. 
Because of the country's poor human rights situation, including its 
abuses of religious freedom, the United States imposed extensive 
sanctions on the regime. These sanctions include a ban on imports from 
the country, a ban on the export of financial services to the country, 
a ban on bilateral aid to the Government, a ban on the export of arms 
to the country, and a suspension of General System of Preferences (GSP) 
benefits and Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the 
U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) financial services in support of U.S. 
investment and exports to the country. The U.S. Government also ended 
active promotion of trade with the country, limited the issuance of 
visas to high-ranking government and military officials and their 
immediate family members, and froze SPDC assets in the United States. 
It also has opposed all assistance to the Government by international 
financial institutions and urged the Governments of other countries to 
take similar actions. New investment in the country by U.S. citizens 
has been prohibited since May 1997.
                               __________

                                CAMBODIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. Buddhism is the 
state religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 67,000 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 13.8 million. An estimated 93 percent of the 
population was Hinayana, or Theravada, Buddhist. The Hinayana Buddhist 
tradition was widespread and strong in all provinces, with an estimated 
4,100 pagodas found throughout the country. Since the vast majority of 
ethnic Khmer Cambodians were Buddhist, there is a close association 
between Buddhism, Khmer cultural traditions, and daily life. Adherence 
to Buddhism generally is considered intrinsic to the country's ethnic 
and cultural identity. The Mahayana branch of Buddhism is practiced by 
approximately 150,000 followers and had 63 temples throughout the 
country.
    There were approximately 500,000 to 700,000 Muslims (an estimated 4 
percent to 8 percent of the population), predominantly ethnic Chams, 
who generally were found in towns and rural fishing villages on the 
banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers and in Kampot Province. There 
were four branches of Islam represented: The Malay-influenced Shafi 
branch, practiced by 88 percent of Cham Muslims; the Saudi-Kuwaiti-
influenced Salafi (sometimes called ``Wahhabi'') branch, which claims 6 
percent of the Muslim population; the traditional Iman-San branch, 
practiced by 3 percent; and the Kadiani branch, which also contributed 
3 percent. There were 200 to 300 mosques of the 4 main branches and 200 
to 300 small Surav mosques, which had congregations of up to 40 persons 
and did not have a min-bar from which Friday sermons are given. The 
small, although growing, Christian community constituted approximately 
2 percent of the population. There were an estimated 100 Christian 
organizations or denominations that operated freely throughout the 
country and include approximately 2,400 churches. However, only 900 of 
these churches were officially registered. Other religious 
organizations with small followings included the Vietnamese Cao Dai 
religion and the Baha'i Faith, each with an estimated 2,000 practicing 
members.
    Foreign missionary groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses, operated freely. 
They faced no barriers, except for a ban on door-to-door proselytizing 
during the daily lunch hours of noon to 2:00 p.m.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
does not tolerate abuse of religious freedom, either by governmental or 
private actors. However, Buddhism is the state religion. The Government 
promotes national Buddhist holidays, provides Buddhist training and 
education to monks and others in pagodas, and modestly supports an 
institute that performs research and publishes materials on Khmer 
culture and Buddhist traditions. The constitution prohibits 
discrimination based on religion.
    The law requires all religious groups, including Buddhist ones, to 
submit applications to the Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs if 
they wish to construct places of worship and conduct religious 
activities. In their applications, groups must state clearly their 
religious purposes and activities, which must comply with provisions 
forbidding religious groups from insulting other religious groups, 
creating disputes, or undermining national security. However, there is 
no penalty for failing to register, and in practice some groups do not.
    In April 2005 an Islamic conference, which drew approximately 
twenty-thousand Muslims from throughout the country and from other 
countries, was held in Kampong Cham Province without obtaining 
permission from the Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs. Organizers 
obtained permission only from the district level for the conference. 
Local and national authorities did not interfere with or sanction the 
organizers. Religious groups have not encountered significant 
difficulties in obtaining approval for construction of places of 
worship. No significant constraints on religious assembly were reported 
during the period covered by this report.
    The Directive on Controlling External Religions requires 
registration of places of worship and religious schools, in addition to 
government approval prior to constructing new places of worship. Places 
of worship must be located at least two kilometers from each other and 
may not be used for political purposes or to house criminals or 
fugitives from the law. The distance limitation has begun to be 
enforced but applies only to new construction of places of worship and 
not to offices of religious organizations. The order requires that 
religious teachings respect other religions.
    Government officials continued to organize annual meetings for 
representatives of all religious groups to discuss religious 
developments and to address issues of concern.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. Foreign missionary groups generally operated 
freely throughout the country and did not encounter significant 
difficulties in performing their work. Government officials expressed 
appreciation for the work of many foreign religious groups in providing 
much needed assistance in education, rural development, and training. 
However, officials also expressed some concern that foreign groups used 
the guise of religion to become involved in illegal or political 
affairs. During the reporting period, the Government did not close any 
Islamic schools (madrasas) as it had in the past. On December 29, 2004, 
a court convicted three persons connected with the school of assisting 
in a planned terrorist attack on the embassy of a Western country.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Minority religious groups experienced little or no societal 
discrimination during the period covered by this report; however, 
Muslims and Christians reported a few minor conflicts.
    Occasional tensions were reported among the branches of Islam that 
receive monetary support from groups in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, 
or Indonesia, depending on the tenets of the branch. Some Buddhists 
also expressed concern about the Cham Muslim community receiving 
financial assistance from foreign countries. However, in general, Cham 
Muslims were well integrated into society, enjoyed positions of 
prominence in business and the Government, and faced no reported acts 
of discrimination or abuse during the period covered by this report.
    There are ecumenical and interfaith organizations, which often are 
supported by funding from foreign public or private groups.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy representatives met with religious leaders on these issues and 
contacted representatives of religious nongovernmental organizations 
and other groups representing the Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian 
faiths. In 2005 the embassy expanded its Muslim outreach program, which 
provides for additional channels of information on the status of 
religious freedom in the country among the Muslim population while also 
providing material assistance. Through this program, the U.S. 
Government gave assistance to four Islamic organizations that actively 
conducted human rights and democracy training in Phnom Penh, and the 
provinces of Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Kampot, Siem Riep, 
Kratie, and Kampong Cham to increase awareness of human rights within 
the Muslim community. In 2005 the embassy continued to provide 
financial support to an additional Muslim group for the Cham Muslim 
radio hour. The embassy's outreach program distributed Khmer-language 
versions of the booklet ``Muslim Life in America'' throughout ten 
provinces around the country, particularly during the embassy's Ramadan 
outreach programs and representation events.
    Similarly, the embassy has worked to maintain close contacts with 
the Buddhist religious community through visits to wats and pagodas. 
The highest profile visit of 2005 occurred in December when the 
ambassador and nearly 200 embassy personnel visited Phnom Penh's most 
venerated Buddhist shrine, Wat Phnom, located adjacent to the new 
embassy compound. Additionally, two Buddhist organizations received 
U.S. Government grants to support their human rights and cultural 
preservation activities. The first grant went to the Khmer Buddhist 
Society in Cambodia (KBSC) to fund a series of workshops entitled 
``Buddhist Response to Community Dispute Resolution'' in Preah Vihear 
Province. The second went to the Buddhist Institute to support the 
preservation of thirty oral folktales collected from elderly Buddhists 
throughout the country. These projects afforded embassy officers the 
opportunity to meet with Buddhist religious figures on numerous 
occasions and assess the operating environment for the dominant 
religion in the country.
                               __________

                                 CHINA

    Reports on Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibetan areas of China are 
appended at the end of this report.
    The constitution provides for freedom of religious belief and the 
freedom not to believe; however, the Government seeks to restrict 
religious practice to government-sanctioned organizations and 
registered places of worship and to control the growth and scope of 
activities of religious groups. The Government tries to control and 
regulate religion to prevent the rise of groups that could constitute 
sources of authority outside of the control of the Government and the 
Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Nonetheless, membership in many faiths 
is growing rapidly.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government's respect 
for freedom of religion and freedom of conscience remained poor, 
especially for religious groups and spiritual movements that are not 
registered with the Government. Unregistered religious groups continued 
to experience varying degrees of official interference and harassment. 
Members of some unregistered religious groups were subjected to 
restrictions, including intimidation, harassment, and detention. 
Unregistered religious groups were pressured to register with 
government organs and government-sanctioned ``patriotic'' religious 
associations linked to the five main religions--Buddhism, Islam, 
Taoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
    Religious practice and worship in officially sanctioned and 
unregistered places of worship continued to grow throughout the 
country, as did the number of religious believers. The extent of 
religious freedom varied widely within the country. For example, 
officials in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) tightly 
controlled religious activity, while elsewhere in the country, Muslims 
enjoyed greater religious freedom. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism, 
including in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Tibetan areas of 
the country (see separate appendix), also faced more restrictions on 
their religious practice and ability to organize than Buddhists in 
other parts of the country. In most areas of the country, religious 
believers could worship without difficulty in officially approved 
venues. The Government in some locations built new places of worship to 
accommodate increasing numbers of religious believers.
    Repression of unregistered Protestant church networks and ``house'' 
churches continued to be widely reported. Central Government officials 
stated that friends and family holding prayer meetings at home need not 
register with the Government, but China's regulations on religious 
affairs (RRA) state that formal worship should take place only in 
government-approved venues. Sources in many locations continued to 
report that police and officials of local Religious Affairs Bureaus 
(RABs) interfered with house church meetings, often accusing the house 
church of disturbing neighbors or disrupting social order. House church 
leaders asserted that police routinely used noise complaints as a 
pretext for raiding their meetings. When police disrupted meetings, 
they sometimes detained worshippers attending such services for hours 
or days and prevented further house worship in the venues. Leaders 
sometimes faced harsher treatment, including detention, formal arrest 
and sentencing to reeducation or imprisonment. Again, treatment of 
unregistered groups varied regionally. For example, some local 
officials in Henan Province often mistreated unregistered Protestants, 
and some local officials in Hebei Province tightly controlled Roman 
Catholics loyal to the Vatican. In many localities, however, officials 
worked closely with registered religious groups to accomplish religious 
and social goals.
    Government officials continued to scrutinize closely contacts 
between citizens and foreigners involved in religion. The Government 
detained some citizens for providing religious information to 
foreigners and prevented some religious figures from traveling abroad, 
including Henan Province Christian pastor Zhang Rongliang, who remained 
jailed, and Beijing church historian Zhang Yinan, whom authorities 
placed under house arrest and refused to issue a passport. In June 
2006, Pastor Zhang Rongliang was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in 
prison for obtaining a passport through fraud and illegal border 
crossing. ``Underground'' Catholic bishops also faced repression, in 
large part due to their loyalty to the Vatican, which the Government 
accused of interfering in the country's internal affairs. The 
Government showed some signs of willingness to improve relations with 
the Vatican after the appointment of Pope Benedict XVI, but Beijing and 
the Vatican clashed in April 2006 over control of the process of 
ordaining bishops.
    Despite government statements that minors are free to receive 
religious training that does not interfere with their secular 
education, there were ongoing reports of minors being prevented from 
receiving religious education. In August 2005 Uighur teacher Aminan 
Momixi and thirty students were detained after Momixi held Qur'an study 
sessions in her home during summer vacation.
    There was little evidence that the RRA, which took effect in 2005, 
improved the situation of religious freedom. While the regulations 
brought regulatory activities governing religious affairs within a 
legal framework, they continued to define only government-approved 
practices and faiths as normal or legitimate.
    The Government continued its repression of groups that it 
categorized as ``cults'' in general and of small Christian-based groups 
and the Falun Gong in particular. In June 2006 Pastor Xu Shuangfu and 
five other members of the Three Grades of Servants church, which the 
Government also considers a cult, were sentenced to death in a murder 
case involving conflict between the church and the Eastern Lightning 
group, which China also considers a cult. Scores of Three Grades of 
Servants church members were tried during the period covered by this 
report. Falun Gong practitioners continued to face arrest, detention, 
and imprisonment, and there have been credible reports of deaths due to 
torture and abuse. Practitioners who refuse to recant their beliefs are 
sometimes subjected to harsh treatment in prisons, reeducation through 
labor camps, and extra-judicial ``legal education'' centers, while some 
who recanted returned from detention. Reports of abuse were difficult 
to confirm within the country and the group engaged in almost no public 
activity within the country. Overseas Falun Gong practitioners claimed 
this was a result of the harsh government campaign, which began with 
the 1999 crackdown against the group. There were continuing revelations 
about the extra-legal activities of the Government's ``610 office'' 
including torture and forced confessions, a state security agency 
implicated in most alleged abuses of Falun Gong practitioners.
    Some social tension existed between religious believers and 
nonbelievers. Religious communities generally coexist without 
significant friction.
    The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the 
consulates general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang made a 
concerted effort to encourage greater religious freedom in the country. 
U.S. officials condemned abuses while supporting positive trends within 
the country. President Bush regularly raised religious freedom in his 
meetings with government leaders, including in his April 2006 and 
November and September 2005 meetings with President Hu Jintao. 
President Bush discussed religious freedom and attended a church 
service during his November 2005 visit to Beijing. At the White House 
in May 2006 President Bush met with three Christian intellectuals who 
are leaders in the house church movement: Yu Jie, Li Baiguang, and Wang 
Yi at the White House in May 2006. Senior U.S. officials called on the 
Government to halt the abusive treatment of religious adherents and to 
respect religious freedom. Assistant secretary for Democracy, Human 
Rights, and Labor Barry Lowenkron held talks on religious freedom 
during a February 2006 visit to Beijing. U.S. ambassador Clark T. 
Randt, Jr. highlighted problems of religious freedom and cases of 
individual religious prisoners of conscience in his public speeches and 
in his private diplomacy with Chinese officials. Since 1999, the 
Secretary of State has designated China a ``Country of Particular 
Concern'' under the International Religious Freedom Act for 
particularly severe violations of religious freedom. In Washington and 
in Beijing, in public and in private, U.S. officials repeatedly urged 
the Government to respect citizens' constitutional and internationally 
recognized rights to exercise religious freedom and to release all 
those serving sentences for religious activities. U.S. officials 
protested the imprisonment of and asked for further information about 
numerous individual religious prisoners.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 3.5 million square miles, and its 
population is approximately 1.3 billion. According to an April 2005 
Government White Paper, there were ``more than 100 million religious 
adherents,'' representing a great variety of beliefs and practices. 
According to this official publication, the country had more than 
85,000 sites for religious activities, 300,000 clergy, and more than 
3,000 religious organizations. These same official statistics have been 
used unchanged since 1997, when the State Council Information Office 
published a White Paper on Freedom of Religious Belief. Given the 
growth in religion since 1997, unpublished estimates suggest the 
country had over 200 million believers and 100,000 sites for religious 
activities.
    The country has five main religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, 
Catholicism, and Protestantism. While these are the primary religions, 
the 2005 religious affairs regulations did not identify ``official'' 
religions. The Russian Orthodox Church also operated in some regions, 
and other religions existed in the country's expatriate community. Most 
of the country's population did not formally practice any religion. 
Approximately 8 percent of the population was Buddhist, approximately 
1.5 percent was Muslim, an estimated 0.4 percent belonged to the 
official Catholic Church, an estimated 0.4 to 0.6 percent belonged to 
the unofficial Vatican-affiliated Catholic Church, an estimated 1.2 to 
1.5 percent was registered as Protestant, and perhaps 2.5 percent 
worshipped in Protestant house churches that were independent of 
government control.
    Religious officials offered no official estimate of the number of 
Taoists, but academics placed the number at several hundred thousand. 
According to the Taoist Association, there were more than 25,000 Taoist 
monks and nuns and more than 1,500 Taoist temples.
    Traditional folk religions (worship of local gods, heroes, and 
ancestors) have been revived, are practiced by hundreds of millions of 
citizens, and are tolerated to varying degrees as loose affiliates of 
Taoism, Buddhism, or ethnic minority cultural practices. During the 
year, the national religious affairs ministry known as SARA (the State 
Administration for Religious Affairs) set up a new unit to supervise 
folk religions as well as religions outside the main five, including 
religions practiced by foreigners.
    The Government estimated that there are more than 100 million 
Buddhists, making Buddhism the organized religion with the largest body 
of followers. However, it was difficult to estimate accurately the 
number of Buddhists because they did not have congregational 
memberships and often did not participate in public ceremonies. The 
Government reported that there were 16,000 Buddhist temples and 
monasteries and more than 200,000 nuns and monks. Most believers, 
including most ethnic Han Buddhists, practiced Mahayana Buddhism. Most 
Tibetans and ethnic Mongolians practiced Tibetan Buddhism, a Mahayana 
adaptation. Some ethnic minorities in southwest Yunnan Province 
practiced Theravada Buddhism, the dominant tradition in neighboring 
Southeast Asia.
    According to government figures, there were 20 million Muslims, 
more than 40,000 Islamic places of worship (more than half of which are 
in Xinjiang), and more than 45,000 imams nationwide. The country had 10 
predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, the largest of which were the Hui, 
estimated to number nearly 10 million. Hui are centered in Ningxia Hui 
Autonomous Region, but there were significant concentrations of Hui 
throughout the country, including in Gansu, Henan, Qinghai, Yunnan, 
Hebei, and Xinjiang Provinces. Hui slightly outnumbered Uighur Muslims, 
who lived primarily in Xinjiang. According to an official 2005 report, 
the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region had 23,788 mosques and 26,000 
clerics at the end of 2003, but observers noted that fewer than half of 
the mosques were authorized to hold Friday prayer and holiday services. 
The country also had more than 1 million Kazakh Muslims and thousands 
of Dongxiang, Kyrgyz, Salar, Tajik, Uzbek, Baoan, and Tatar Muslims.
    Approximately 8 to 10 million Catholics lived in the country, 
according to Chinese Catholics, although precise figures were difficult 
to determine. These included both the 4.5 million persons registered 
with the official Catholic Patriotic Association and an equal or 
greater number who worship in unregistered Catholic churches affiliated 
with the Vatican. According to official figures, the government-
approved Catholic Patriotic Association had 67 bishops, 5,000 priests 
and nuns, and more than 6,000 churches and meetinghouses. There were 
thought to be approximately forty bishops operating ``underground,'' 
some of who were likely in prison or under house arrest.
    The Government maintained that the country had more than 16 million 
Protestants, more than 55,000 registered churches and other places of 
worship, and 18 theological schools. Officials from the Three-Self 
Patriotic Movement (the state-approved Protestant religious 
organization) had estimated that at least 20 million Chinese worship in 
official churches. One local academic put the number of Protestants 
between 50 and 60 million, including both officially approved and 
unregistered churches. Foreign sources estimated that there were 
between 80-100 million Protestants worshipping in unregistered 
churches. A 2004 nongovernmental survey in Beijing tallied over 100,000 
unregistered Protestants, far more than the 30,000 registered with 
authorities. Domestic and foreign experts agreed that the number of 
Protestants was growing rapidly. According to state-run media reports 
in August 2004, the number of Protestants was increasing by up to 
600,000 annually. While it is difficult to arrive at an exact estimate, 
Christian groups outside China believe that the number of Chinese 
attending unregistered churches is expanding at a much faster rate.
    Falun Gong blends aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, and the meditation 
techniques and physical exercises of qigong (a traditional Chinese 
exercise discipline) with the teachings of Falun Gong leader Li 
Hongzhi. Despite the spiritual content of some of Li's teachings, Falun 
Gong does not consider itself a religion and has no clergy or places of 
worship. Estimates of the number of Falun Gong (or Wheel of the Law, 
also known as Falun Dafa) practitioners varied widely; the Government 
claimed that prior to its harsh crackdown on the Falun Gong beginning 
in 1999, there might have been as many as 2.1 million adherents of 
Falun Gong in the country. Some estimated that the true number of Falun 
Gong adherents in the country before the crackdown was much higher. The 
number has declined as a result of the crackdown, but there were still 
hundreds of thousands of practitioners in the country, according to 
reliable estimates.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religious belief and the 
freedom not to believe; however, the Government seeks to manage 
religious affairs by restricting religious practice to government-
sanctioned organizations and registered places of worship and to 
control the growth and scope of activities of religious groups to 
prevent the rise of possible competing sources of authority outside of 
the control of the Government.
    The criminal law states that government officials who deprive 
citizens of religious freedom may, in serious cases, be sentenced to up 
to two years in prison; however, there were no known cases of persons 
being punished under this statute.
    The state reserves itself the right to register and thus to allow 
particular religious groups and spiritual movements to operate. For 
each of the five main religions, there is a government-affiliated 
association that monitors and supervises its activities and with which 
religious groups must affiliate. SARA is responsible for monitoring and 
judging the legitimacy of religious activity. SARA and the CCP United 
Front Work Department (UFWD) provide policy ``guidance and 
supervision'' on the implementation of government regulations regarding 
religious activity, including the role of foreigners in religious 
activity. Employees of SARA and the UFWD are rarely religious adherents 
and often are party members. Communist Party members are directed by 
party doctrine to be atheists and their family members are discouraged 
from public participation in religious ceremonies.
    Public security forces maintain designated units charged with 
monitoring religious behavior that violates law or regulation. Such 
police monitor unregistered facilities, check to see that religious 
activities do not disrupt public order, and combat illegal cults.
    In March 2005 the Government enacted the RRA, replacing previous 
1994 regulations governing religious sites. The regulations regularize 
management of religious affairs within a legal framework and codify 
pre-existing administrative practice and regulation. Unlike the 1994 
regulations, the RRA protect the rights of registered religious groups, 
under certain conditions, to possess property, publish literature, 
train and approve clergy, and collect donations. Comprehensive 
implementing regulations had not been issued by the end of the period 
covered by this report. There was little evidence that the new 
regulations improved religious freedom.
    Like the 1994 law, the RRA require religious groups to register 
places of worship. Spiritual activities in places of worship that have 
not registered may be considered illegal, and participants can be 
punished. There are five requirements for the registration of ``sites 
for religious activities:'' First, establishment of the site must be 
consistent with the overall purpose of the RRA and must not be used to 
``disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens, or interfere 
with the educational system of the state'' and must not be ``subject to 
any foreign domination.'' Second, local religious citizens must have a 
need to carry out collective religious activities frequently. Third, 
there must be religious personnel qualified to preside over the 
activities. Fourth, the site must have ``necessary funds.'' Fifth, the 
site must be ``rationally located'' so as not to interfere with normal 
production and neighboring residents. Government officials claim that 
registration requirements are simple and places of worship are not 
required to affiliate with one of the five official ``patriotic'' 
religious organizations that correspond to the five main faiths. 
However, according to the Government's April 2005 policy statement 
Measures for the Approval of Religious Activities, only pre-existing 
local, provincial or national-level religious organizations are 
authorized to apply for approval of a new religious venue and approval 
is granted only after an inspection by the local Religious Affairs 
Bureau.
    Under the RRA, clergy need not be approved by the Government but 
must be reported to the Government after being selected pursuant to the 
rules of the relevant religious association.
    Nearly all local RAB officials require Protestant churches to 
affiliate with the (Protestant) Three-Self Patriotic Movement/Chinese 
Christian Council (TSPM/CCC). Credentialing procedures effectively 
required clergy to affiliate with the TSPM/CCC, a practice that 
appeared unchanged since adoption of the new regulations. Many 
unregistered evangelical Protestant groups refuse to affiliate with the 
TSPM/CCC because they have theological differences with the TSPM/CCC. 
Some groups disagree with the TSPM/CCC teachings that all Protestant 
beliefs are compatible and that differences between Protestant 
denominations are irrelevant. In a few regions, Protestant groups have 
registered without affiliating with the TSPM/CCC. These exceptions 
include the Local Assemblies Protestant churches in Zhejiang Province, 
where no significant TSPM/CCC community exists, and the (Korean) 
Chaoyang Church in Jilin Province, both of which operate openly without 
affiliating with the TSPM/CCC. Additionally, the (Russian) Orthodox 
Church has been able to operate without affiliating with a government 
organization in a few parts of the country. In other regions, 
officially ``post-denominational'' Protestant churches informally 
aligned themselves with Protestant denominations. Some pastors in 
official churches said that denominational affiliation was an important 
way of drawing parishioners.
    Some groups register voluntarily, some register under pressure, and 
authorities refuse to register others. Some religious groups have 
declined to register out of principled opposition to state control of 
religion. Others do not register due to fear of adverse consequences if 
they reveal, as required, the names and addresses of church leaders or 
members. Unregistered groups also frequently refuse to register for 
fear that doing so would require theological compromises, curtail 
doctrinal freedom, or allow government authorities to control sermon 
content. Some groups claimed that authorities refused them registration 
without explanation or detained group members who met with officials to 
attempt to register. The Government contended that these refusals 
mainly were the result of these groups' lack of adequate facilities or 
failure to meet other legal requirements.
    The Government has banned all groups that it has determined to be 
``cults,'' including the ``Shouters'' (founded in the United States in 
1962), Eastern Lightning, the Society of Disciples (Mentu Hui), the 
Full Scope Church, the Spirit Sect, the New Testament Church, the Guan 
Yin (also known as Guanyin Famin, or the Way of the Goddess of Mercy), 
the Three Grades of Servants (also known as San Ba Pu Ren), the 
Association of Disciples, the Lord God Sect, the Established King 
Church, the Unification Church, the Family of Love, the South China 
Church, the Falun Gong, and the Zhong Gong movements. (Zhong Gong is a 
qigong exercise discipline with some mystical tenets.)
    After the revised criminal law came into effect in 1997, offenses 
related to membership in unapproved cults and religious groups were 
classified as crimes of disturbing the social order. A ban on cults, 
including the Falun Gong spiritual movement, was enacted in 1999. Under 
Article 300 of the criminal law, ``cult'' members who ``disrupt public 
order'' or distribute publications may be sentenced to three to seven 
years in prison, while ``cult'' leaders and recruiters may be sentenced 
to seven years or more in prison. Under the new Public Security 
Administrative Punishment Law, which took effect March 1, 2006. Falun 
Gong adherents could face five to fifteen days of administrative 
detention and fines of up to $125 (1,000 RMB) for using superstitious 
cults or qigong activities to disrupt public order or harm public 
health. Public security officials said the law would be used against 
Falun Gong.
    Government sensitivity to Muslim communities varied widely. In some 
predominantly Muslim areas where ethnic unrest has occurred, especially 
in Xinjiang among the Uighurs, officials continued to restrict or 
tightly control religious expression and teaching. Police cracked down 
on Muslim religious activity and places of worship accused by the 
Government of supporting separatism. The Government permits, and in 
some cases subsidizes, Muslim citizens who make the Hajj to Mecca. More 
than 10 thousand Chinese Muslims made the Hajj journey in 2006, and 
some 6,900 traveled in groups sponsored by the China Islamic 
Association.
    In past years local officials destroyed several unregistered places 
of worship, although there were no reports of widespread razing of 
churches or shrines during the period covered by this report. The 
Government has restored or rebuilt churches, temples, mosques, and 
monasteries damaged or destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and 
allowed the reopening of some seminaries, although the pace and scope 
of restoration activity has varied from locality to locality. There is 
far greater interest in religion and a far greater number of religious 
adherents today than at any time since the 1949 establishment of the 
People's Republic. Nonetheless, there remained a shortage of temples, 
churches, and mosques and many of those that existed are overcrowded 
and in poor condition.
    In January 2005 the Government organized a national meeting on 
religion. The meeting addressed similar themes to a series of 
conferences on religion in January 2004 that advised officials to guard 
against Christian-influenced ``cults'' and avoid ``foreign infiltration 
under cover of religion.'' In early 2005 five government training 
sessions were held across the country for approximately 3,000 religious 
affairs officials to educate them about the RRA.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, the Government's respect 
for religious freedom and freedom of conscience remained poor, 
especially for members of many unregistered religious groups and for 
groups, such as the Falun Gong, which the Government considered 
``cults.'' The Government tends to perceive unregulated religious 
gatherings or groups as a potential challenge to its authority, and it 
attempts to control and regulate religious groups to prevent the rise 
of sources of authority outside the control of the Government and the 
CCP.
    Some local authorities continued a selective crackdown on 
unregistered religious groups, and the Central Government did not 
oppose this crackdown. Police closed unregistered mosques and temples, 
as well as some Catholic churches and Protestant ``house churches,'' 
many with significant memberships, properties, financial resources, and 
networks. Several unregistered church leaders reported continuing 
pressure from local authorities. Despite these efforts at control, 
official sources, religious professionals, and members of both 
officially sanctioned and unregistered places of worship all reported 
that the number of religious adherents in the country continued to 
grow.
    The Government makes political demands on the clergy or leadership 
of registered groups. For example, authorities have required clergy to 
publicly endorse government policies or denounce Falun Gong. In other 
areas, including Xinjiang and the Tibetan Autonomous Region, 
authorities require clergy to participate in patriotic education. The 
Government continued its harsh repression of the Falun Gong spiritual 
movement and of ``cults'' in general. As in past years, local 
authorities moved against houses of worship outside their control that 
grew too large or espoused beliefs considered threatening to ``state 
security.'' Overall, the basic policy of permitting religious activity 
to take place relatively unfettered in government-approved sites and 
under government control remained unchanged.
    Official tolerance for Buddhism and Taoism has been greater than 
that for Christianity, and these religions often face fewer 
restrictions. However, as these non-Western religions have grown 
rapidly in recent years, there were signs of greater government concern 
and new restrictions, especially on groups that blend tenets from a 
number of religious beliefs. The Government also sought to regulate 
closely the financial affairs of Buddhist and Taoist temples.
    During the period covered by this report, government repression of 
the Falun Gong spiritual movement continued. Membership in the Falun 
Gong and other groups considered cults was illegal. Distributing Falun 
Gong literature or encouraging others to join the spiritual movement 
was punishable by criminal and administrative sanctions, including 
reeducation. As in past years, foreigners who distributed Falun Gong 
materials were expelled from the country, including an Australian 
expelled in October 2005 after attempting to distribute the book Nine 
Commentaries on the Communist Party. In January 2006 the Government 
released U.S. citizen Charles Lee after three years of imprisonment for 
Falun Gong-related activities. The authorities also continued to oppose 
other groups the Government considered ``cults,'' such as the Xiang 
Gong, Guo Gong, and Zhong Gong qigong groups.
    The Government has labeled folk religions as ``feudal 
superstition,'' and followers sometimes were subject to harassment and 
repression.
    Despite the new religious affairs regulations, officials in many 
locations continued to pressure religious groups to register with 
government religious affairs authorities. There was a great deal of 
variation in how local authorities handled unregistered religious 
groups. In certain regions, government supervision of religious 
activity was minimal, and registered and unregistered churches existed 
openly side-by-side and were treated similarly by the authorities. In 
such areas, many congregants worshipped in both types of churches. In 
other regions, local officials supervise religion more strictly, and 
authorities cracked down on unregistered churches and their members. 
Local regulations, provincial work reports, and other government and 
party documents continued to exhort officials to enforce vigorously 
government policy regarding unregistered churches.
    In some areas, despite the rapidly growing religious population, it 
remained difficult to register new places of worship, even for 
officially recognized churches and mosques.
    Local officials have great discretion in determining whether 
``house churches'' violate regulations. The term ``house church'' is 
used to describe both unregistered churches and gatherings in homes or 
businesses of groups of Christians to conduct small, private worship 
services. SARA officials confirmed during the year that unregistered 
churches are illegal, but said prayer meetings and Bible study groups 
held among friends and family in homes are legal and need not register. 
In some parts of the country, unregistered house churches with hundreds 
of members meet openly with the full knowledge of local authorities, 
who characterize the meetings as informal gatherings to pray, sing, and 
study the Bible. In other areas, house church meetings of more than a 
handful of family members and friends are not permitted. House churches 
often encounter difficulties when their membership grows, when they 
arrange for the regular use of facilities for the specific purpose of 
conducting religious activities, or when they forge links with other 
unregistered groups or with coreligionists overseas. Urban house 
churches are generally limited to meetings of a few dozen members or 
less, while meetings of unregistered Protestants in small cities and 
rural areas may number in the hundreds.
    Both official and unofficial Christian churches have problems 
training adequate numbers of clergy to meet the needs of their growing 
congregations. Due to restrictions and prohibitions on religion between 
1955 and 1985, no priests or other clergy in the official churches were 
ordained during that period; most priests and pastors were trained 
either before 1955 or after 1985, resulting in a shortage of trained 
clerics between the ages of forty and seventy. Thus, as senior clerics 
retire, there are relatively few experienced clerics to replace them. 
The Government states that the official Catholic Church has trained 
more than 900 priests in the past 10 years. The Government permits 
registered religions to train clergy and allows limited numbers of 
Catholic and Protestant seminarians, Muslim clerics, and Buddhist 
clergy to go abroad for additional religious studies, but some 
religious students have had difficulty obtaining approval to study 
abroad. In most cases, foreign organizations provide funding for such 
training programs. In the past, some Catholic clerics had complained 
that they were forced to bribe local officials before being allowed to 
enter seminaries. Due to government prohibitions, unofficial or 
unregistered churches have particularly significant problems training 
clergy, and many clergy receive only limited and inadequate 
preparation.
    The law does not prohibit religious believers from holding public 
office; however, party membership is required for almost all high-level 
positions in Government, state-owned businesses, and many official 
organizations. Communist Party officials confirmed during the period 
covered by this report that party membership and religious belief were 
incompatible. The CCP reportedly has issued two circulars since 1995 
ordering party members not to hold religious beliefs and ordering the 
expulsion of party members who belong to religious organizations, 
whether open or clandestine. Muslims allegedly have been fired from 
government posts for praying during working hours. The ``Routine 
Service Regulations'' of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) state 
explicitly that servicemen ``may not take part in religious or 
superstitious activities.'' Party and PLA military personnel have been 
expelled for adhering to the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
    In past years, government sources reported that up to 25 percent of 
Communist Party officials in certain localities engage in some kind of 
religious activity. Most officials who practice a religion are 
Buddhists or practice a form of folk religion. Some religious figures, 
while not members of the CCP, are included in national and local 
government organizations, usually to represent their constituency on 
cultural and educational matters. The National People's Congress (NPC) 
includes several religious leaders. Two of the NPC Standing Committee's 
vice chairmen are Fu Tieshan, a bishop and vice-chairman of the Chinese 
Catholic Patriotic Association, and Phagpalha Geleg Namgyal, a Tibetan 
``living Buddha.'' Religious groups also are represented in the Chinese 
People's Political Consultative Conference, an advisory forum that is 
led by the CCP and consults with social groups outside the Party.
    The Roman Catholic Church forbids abortions and the use of 
artificial contraception. Some Chinese Catholics consider the 
Government's birth limitation laws and policies a violation of their 
religious freedom. In many parts of the country, women are required to 
use contraception and to have an abortion if the pregnancy violates 
government population control regulations.
    The Government does not allow the government-authorized Chinese 
Catholic Patriotic Association and its clergy to recognize the 
authority of the pope in some matters, which remained a significant 
reason for the persistence of a large unregistered Catholic church that 
remained unaffiliated with the Government and Patriotic Association. 
Pressure by the Patriotic Association on unregistered Catholic bishops 
to join the official Church continued, and unregistered priests and 
bishops were often detained. Despite some efforts toward rapprochement 
between the Government and the Vatican, the Government has not 
established diplomatic relations with the Holy See, and there was no 
Vatican representative on the Mainland. The Vatican's diplomatic 
recognition of Taiwan and differences over selection of bishops 
remained the primary obstacles to improved relations. After the death 
of Pope John Paul II in 2005, Government and religious officials made 
conciliatory statements and welcomed Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican 
invited four Chinese bishops, including one not recognized by the 
Government, to an October 2005 synod in Rome, but the Patriotic 
Association declined the invitations.
    In March 2006 a dispute erupted between the Patriotic Association 
and the Vatican after the Vatican elevated prodemocracy Hong Kong 
Bishop Joseph Zen to cardinal. In April and May, the Patriotic 
Association ignored a Vatican request to delay the ordinations of 
Bishops Ma Yingling of Kunming, Yunnan Province, and Liu Xinhong of 
Wuhu, Anhui Province. The Vatican criticized the ordinations as illicit 
and referred to the possibility of excommunication of those ordained or 
conducting an ordination without papal approval. The Patriotic 
Association and SARA responded that the bishops had been democratically 
elected by priests of their dioceses and that the Vatican was 
interfering in the country's internal affairs. The disagreement 
disrupted a period of more than two years during which several Bishops 
were appointed with both Government's and Vatican approval, including 
auxiliary bishops in Shanghai and Xian. Other bishops, however, were 
ordained with both government and Vatican approval before and after the 
dispute began. An increasing number of priests and bishops publicly 
acknowledged that the Vatican had approved their appointment. They 
suffered no punishment for this public stance, although the Government 
denied that the Vatican played any role in approving the country's 
clergy.
    In fact, most bishops recognized by the Patriotic Association have 
been recognized by the Vatican either before or after their appointment 
by the Government. In a few cases, the bishop named by the government-
affiliated church conflicted directly with the bishop recognized by the 
Vatican, a situation that contributed significantly to tension between 
the Patriotic Association and the unregistered Catholic church and to 
tension between the Vatican and the Government. The Patriotic 
Association said more than forty of China's nearly one hundred dioceses 
had no bishop in place.
    There were large Muslim populations in many areas, but government 
sensitivity to these communities varied widely. Generally speaking, the 
country's Hui Muslims, who were ethnically Han Chinese and lived in Han 
communities throughout the country had greater religious freedom than 
Turkic Muslims such as the Uighurs, who were concentrated in the 
western part of the country. In areas where ethnic unrest has occurred, 
especially among the Uighurs in Xinjiang, regulations restricting 
Muslims' religious activity, teaching, and places of worship continued 
to be implemented forcefully. In Xinjiang officials continued to 
restrict the building of mosques and the training of clergy and 
prohibited the teaching of Islam to children. In addition to the 
restrictions on practicing religion placed on party members and 
government officials throughout the country, Muslim teachers, 
professors, and university students in Xinjiang are not allowed to 
attend mosque services or practice religion openly. Female university 
students and professors are discouraged from wearing headscarves or 
skirts. Some ethnic Tajiks in Xinjiang cannot attend mosque until over 
age 30. However, in other areas, particularly in areas populated by the 
Hui ethnic group, there was substantial mosque construction and 
renovation and also apparent freedom to worship. Xinjiang authorities 
continued to use counter terrorism as a pretext for religious 
repression of Uighur Muslims, according to human rights nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs). Because the Xinjiang Government regularly fails 
to distinguish carefully among those involved in peaceful activities in 
support of independence, ``illegal'' religious activities, and violent 
terrorism, it is often difficult to determine whether particular raids, 
detentions, arrests, or judicial punishments targeted those seeking to 
worship, those peacefully seeking political goals, or those engaged in 
violence. As a result, Xinjiang authorities often charge religious 
believers with committing the ``three evils'' of terrorism, separatism, 
and Muslim extremism. While targeted at Muslims, this tight control of 
religion in Xinjiang affected followers of other religions as well. 
Xinjiang provincial-level Communist Party and government officials 
repeatedly called for stronger management of religious affairs and for 
the separation of religion from administrative matters.
    Xinjiang officials told foreign observers that children under 
eighteen are not permitted to attend religious services in mosques in 
Xinjiang. However, children were observed attending prayer services at 
mosques in Beijing and other parts of the country. Fundamentalist 
Muslim leaders received particularly harsh treatment. In 2000 the 
authorities began conducting monthly political study sessions for 
religious personnel; the program reportedly continued during the period 
covered by this report. In August 2005 the Government reportedly banned 
the Sala movement of Islam and detained more than 150 followers in 
Xinjiang. Moreover, security authorities were authorized to ``strike 
hard'' against groups believed to have plans to disrupt celebrations of 
the fiftieth anniversary of the Government's rule in Xinjiang in 
October 2005. This included restrictions on a movement of Islam called 
Salafism due to concerns followers supported extremism. No disruptions 
were reported, but scores were reportedly harassed and detained in the 
run-up to the anniversary. Because of government control of information 
coming from Xinjiang, many reported restrictions were difficult to 
confirm.
    In a growing number of areas, authorities have displayed increasing 
tolerance of religious practice by foreigners, provided their religious 
observance does not involve nationals. Weekly services of the foreign 
Jewish community in Beijing have been held uninterrupted since 1995, 
and High Holy Day observances have been allowed for more than fifteen 
years. Both Reform and Orthodox Jewish services were held weekly during 
the period covered by this report. The Shanghai Jewish community has 
received permission from authorities to hold a few services each year 
in a historic Shanghai synagogue that was converted into a government 
office. However, officials gave a former synagogue in Harbin to the 
Russian Orthodox community, causing some tension between the local 
Russian Orthodox and expatriate Jewish groups. Expatriate members of 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or Mormons) 
met regularly in a number of cities. The LDS Church had permission to 
hold services in a Beijing facility reserved for its use. A group 
consisting of citizens who joined the LDS Church while overseas also 
regularly used the same facility, although not at the same time as 
expatriates. Bah'ai representatives reportedly approached the 
Government about gaining greater freedom of religion as well. The 
Government stated it was willing to consider approving new religious 
organizations outside the five main faiths but had not yet done so at 
the end of the reporting period.
    Regulations enacted in 1994 and expanded in 2000 codified many 
existing rules involving foreigners, including a ban on proselytizing. 
However, for the most part, authorities allowed foreign nationals to 
preach to other foreigners, bring in religious materials for personal 
use, and preach to citizens at churches, mosques, and temples at the 
invitation of registered religious organizations. Foreigners could and 
often did attend worship services at registered churches, mosques, and 
temples in major cities, where many local houses of worship offered 
services in languages other than Chinese. Foreigners legally are barred 
from conducting missionary activities; however, foreign Christians 
teaching on college campuses openly profess their faith with minimum 
interference from the authorities, provided their proselytizing remains 
discreet. Many registered Christian groups throughout the country have 
developed close ties with local officials, in some cases operating 
schools and homes for the care of the aged. In addition Buddhist-run 
private schools and orphanages in the central part of the country also 
offer training to teenagers and young adults.
    Some foreign church organizations came under pressure to register 
with government authorities, and some foreign missionaries whose 
activities extended beyond the expatriate community were expelled or 
asked to leave the country. In 2003, the Government banned the 
documentary film ``The Cross'' and the book ``Jesus in Beijing.''
    The increase in the number of Christians in the country has 
resulted in a corresponding increase in the demand for Bibles. Bibles 
can be purchased at many bookstores and at most officially recognized 
churches. Many house church members buy their Bibles at such places 
without incident. A Bible is affordable for most citizens. The supply 
of Bibles is adequate in most parts of the country, but members of 
unregistered churches complained that the supply and distribution of 
Bibles in some places, especially rural locations, was inadequate. 
Individuals cannot order Bibles directly from publishing houses, and 
house church Christians reported that purchase of large numbers of 
Bibles could bring unfavorable attention to the purchaser. Customs 
officials continued to monitor for the ``smuggling'' of Bibles and 
other religious materials into the country. Authorities sometimes 
confiscate Bibles in raids on house churches.
    Bibles, like all other literature, can only be published by state-
approved publishing houses. The Amity Publishing House in Nanjing has 
printed more than forty million Bibles in the past twenty-five years. 
However, as part of a campaign against illegal publishing, religious 
texts published without authorization, including Bibles and Qur'ans, 
were often confiscated and the unauthorized publishing houses were 
often closed. Religious adherents were arrested and jailed on charges 
of illegal publishing.
    The Government teaches atheism in schools. However, university-
level study of religion is expanding. Some universities mandated a 
course on religion for students in certain disciplines during the 
period covered by this report.
    Senior government officials claim that the country has no 
restrictions against minors practicing religious beliefs. However, the 
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Education noted after her 2003 
visit that students lack basic internationally recognized rights to 
religious education. Moreover, some local officials, especially in 
Xinjiang, prevented children from attending worship services, and some 
places of worship have signs prohibiting persons younger than eighteen 
from entering. Nongovernmental organizations reported that Christian 
and Muslim children in Xinjiang were prevented from receiving religious 
education. In one case, local officials denied a Christian group 
permission to operate a Sunday school in Urumqi, Xinjiang. To support 
their rejection of the Sunday school, the officials claimed it would be 
unfair to local Muslims to allow Christians but not Muslims to educate 
their youth. In some Muslim areas, minors attend religious schools in 
addition to state-run schools. In some areas, large numbers of young 
persons attend religious services at both registered and unregistered 
places of worship.
    There were at least seventy-six Government-recognized training 
institutions for clergy in the five main religions, including fifty-
four Catholic and Protestant seminaries, ten institutes to train imams 
and Islamic scholars, and dozens of institutes to train Buddhist monks. 
Students who attend these institutes must demonstrate ``political 
reliability,'' and all graduates must pass an examination on their 
theological and political knowledge to qualify for the clergy. Official 
religious organizations also administered local Bible schools, 
monastery-run schools, and other types of training centers. The number 
of secular universities with a center for the study of theology doubled 
from seventeen in 2002 to thirty-four in 2005.
    The Government has stated that there are ten colleges conducting 
Islamic higher education and two other Islamic schools in Xinjiang 
operating with government support. In addition, provincial and local 
Islamic communities have established numerous Arabic schools and mosque 
schools. The former concentrates on Arabic language study, while the 
latter often serve as a stepping-stone to apprenticeship as an 
assistant to an imam or other Muslim religious worker. Some young 
Muslims study outside of the country in Muslim religious schools.
    Religious schools and training institutions for religious leaders 
other than the officially recognized ones also exist but cannot 
register as legal institutions. The quality of education at 
unregistered institutions varies. Some such institutions are closed 
when they come to the attention of local authorities.
    Officials sometimes refused to issue passports to religious 
figures, especially those from unregistered groups. Zhang Yinan, a 
house church historian released from reeducation in 2005, was denied a 
passport on such grounds during the period covered by this report.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, unapproved religious and 
spiritual groups remained under scrutiny, and in some cases officials 
harassed members of such groups. In some areas, unregistered Protestant 
and Catholic groups, Muslim Uighurs, Tibetan Buddhists, and members of 
groups that the Government determined to be ``cults,'' especially the 
Falun Gong spiritual movement, were subject to government pressure and 
sometimes suffered abuse.
    Offenses related to membership in unapproved religious groups are 
often classified as crimes of disturbing the social order. According to 
the Law Yearbook of China, 8,119 cases of disturbing the social order 
or cheating by the use of superstition were filed in 2004, of which 
7,751 resulted in formal charges, criminal, or administrative 
punishment. The number was approximately the same as in the previous 
year. Government officials said that no persons were prosecuted for 
their religious belief or activity. However, religious leaders and 
worshippers faced criminal and administrative punishment on a wide 
range of charges, including those related to the Government's refusal 
to allow members of unregistered groups to assemble, travel, and 
publish freely or in connection with its ban on proselytizing. The 
Government's restrictions on unregistered religious groups increased in 
1999 in response to large public protests by the Falun Gong in 
sensitive locations including Tiananmen Square and the Zhongnanhai 
Communist Party leadership compound.
    Religious adherents were beaten, and some died in police custody 
after being detained in connection with their religious belief or 
practice. In June 2004, the government-run Legal Daily newspaper 
reported that Jiang Zongxiu had died in police custody in Zunyi, 
Guizhou Province, after being arrested for distributing Bibles. A Legal 
Daily editorial comment condemned local officials for mistreating 
Jiang. In 2004, Gu Xianggao, allegedly a member of the Three Grades of 
Servants Church that the Goverrnment considers a cult (discussed 
below), was beaten to death in a Heilongjiang Province security 
facility. Public security officials paid compensation to Gu's family. 
In September 2005 government agents reportedly broke bones of Christian 
businessman Tong Qimiao at a police station in Kashgar, Xinjiang, while 
he was being interrogated about the activities of local house churches. 
In November 2005 hired thugs beat sixteen nuns, one of whom was blinded 
and another partially paralyzed, when the nuns protested demolition of 
a Catholic school in Xian. Hundreds of Catholics marched on Government 
offices in protest, and the Vatican publicly protested the incident.
    There were credible reports of torture and deaths in custody of 
Falun Gong practitioners in past years and overseas Falun Gong groups 
claimed that such incidents continued. In April 2006 overseas Falun 
Gong groups claimed that a hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang, had been the 
site of a ``concentration camp'' and of mass organ harvesting, 
including from live prisoners. In response to the allegations, the 
Government opened the facility in question to diplomatic observers and 
foreign journalists. Observers found nothing inconsistent with the 
operation of a hospital.
    In December 2005 a Beijing attorney sent an open letter to 
President Hu Jintao highlighting abuses of Falun Gong practitioners. 
The letter described the electric shock torture of Zhang Zhikui, a 
Falun Gong practitioner arrested for repeated petitioning in Beijing, 
and the October beating death in Changchun, Jilin Province of Liu 
Boyang and his mother Wang Shouhui. The letter, and a similar open 
letter sent by the attorney in 2004, referred to the extra-legal 
activities of the 610 office, reportedly involved in many of the abuses 
of Falun Gong. In 2005 the Government revoked the attorney's license to 
practice law, and the attorney has claimed repeated government 
harassment, including an automobile accident that he publicly described 
as an ``assassination attempt.'' Foreigners attempting to meet with the 
attorney have been detained and harassed.
    According to Falun Gong practitioners in the United States, since 
1999 more than 100,000 practitioners have been detained for engaging in 
Falun Gong practices, admitting that they adhere to the teachings of 
Falun Gong, or refusing to criticize the organization or its founder. 
The organization reported that its members have been subject to 
excessive force, abuse, rape, detention, and torture, and that some of 
its members, including children, have died in custody. NGOs not 
affiliated with the Falun Gong documented nearly 500 cases of Falun 
Gong members detained, prosecuted, or sentenced to reeducation during 
the period covered by this report. Credible estimates suggested the 
actual number was much higher. In November 2005 police at the 
Dongchengfang Police Station in Tunzhou City, Hebei Province, 
reportedly raped two Falun Gong practitioners. Reliable sources 
indicated that Zheng Ruihuan and Liu Yinglan were detained in Shandong 
Province in July 2005 for practicing Falun Gong. In May 2006, Yuan Yuju 
and Liang Jinhui, relatives of a Hong Kong journalist who works for a 
television station supportive of Falun Gong, were sentenced to 
reeducation for using an illegal cult to organize and obstruct justice, 
relating to their distribution of Falun Gong materials. Some foreign 
observers estimated that at least half of the 250,000 officially 
recorded inmates in the country's reeducation-through-labor camps were 
Falun Gong adherents. Falun Gong sources overseas placed the number 
even higher. Hundreds of Falun Gong adherents were also incarcerated in 
legal education centers, a form of administrative detention, upon 
completion of their reeducation-through-labor sentences. Government 
officials denied the existence of such ``legal education'' centers. 
According to the Falun Gong, hundreds of its practitioners have been 
confined to psychiatric institutions and forced to take medications or 
undergo electric shock treatment against their will.
    In July 2005 six members of the group Way of the Goddess of Mercy 
(Guanyin Famen), which the Government considers a ``cult,'' were 
sentenced to two to four years in prison for using a cult organization 
resulting in the first criminal conviction of members of the group in 
Xinjiang. According to state-run media, Liu Shuming, Yang Huiqin, Li 
Yanxin, Liu Wangpeng, Wang Cahojun, and Wang Dexiu, all of Urumqi, 
Xinjiang, produced material about Guanyin Famen that they intended to 
circulate.
    Many religious leaders and adherents, including those in official 
churches, have been detained, arrested, or sentenced to prison terms 
for activities they claimed related to their religious practice, 
although the Government denied jailing anyone solely because of his or 
her religion. Local authorities used an administrative process to 
punish members of unregistered religious groups. Citizens may be 
sentenced by a nonjudicial panel of police and local authorities to up 
to three years in reeducation-through-labor camps. Many religious 
detainees and prisoners were held in such facilities during the period 
covered by this report. In some areas, security authorities used 
threats, demolition of unregistered property, extortion, interrogation, 
detention, and at times beatings and torture to harass leaders of 
unauthorized groups and their followers. Unregistered religious groups 
that preach beliefs outside the bounds of officially approved doctrine 
(such as the imminent coming of the Apocalypse or holy war or groups 
that have charismatic leaders) often are singled out for particularly 
severe harassment. Some observers have attributed the unorthodox 
beliefs of some of these groups to poorly trained clergy and lack of 
access to religious texts.
    In Xinjiang, Uighur Muslim Aminan Momixi was detained in August 
2005 after teaching the Qur'an to more than thirty students in her 
home. Provincial officials stated that she was released after a period 
of education and training, but the Government refused to clarify her 
whereabouts.
    On May 28, 2006, Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur Muslim activist, was 
elected president of the Uyghur American Association, an NGO which 
advocates for the human rights, including religious freedom, of the 
Uighur people. The following day Xinjiang police arrested three of her 
adult sons and placed two of her other family members under house 
arrest. Government officials reportedly beat Kadeer's sons and charged 
them with financial crimes related to their mother's business ventures 
before she was released to the United States.
    Protestant Christians who worshipped outside of government-approved 
venues or in their homes continued to face detention and abuse, 
especially for attempting to meet in large groups, traveling within and 
outside of the country for religious meetings, and otherwise holding 
peaceful religious assemblies in unregistered venues. U.S. legal 
permanent resident Wu Hao was detained by security officials in 
February 2006 after filming house church services in Beijing for a 
documentary film. As of the end of the reporting period, he had not 
been charged, and the Government refused to clarify his whereabouts. 
Henan Province house Christian pastor Zhang Rongliang was convicted in 
June 2006 of obtaining a passport through fraud and illegal border 
crossing. He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison. In 
August 2004 in Zhejiang Province, the Government convicted Beijing-
based house church Christians Liu Fenggang, Xu Yonghai and Zhang 
Shengqi on charges of disclosing state secrets after they provided an 
overseas Chinese magazine information about abuse of Christians in the 
country. Xu and Zhang were released at the expiry of their sentences, 
but Liu's three-year sentence had not yet expired. In May 2006 after 
President Bush met with Christian intellectuals in the White House, 
security officials harassed relatives of at least one of the meeting's 
participants.
    Police and other security officials disrupted Protestant religious 
retreats and large meetings on many occasions. In July 2005 the 
Government reportedly detained one hundred Sunday school students in 
Hebei Province. In August 2005 police reportedly raided a training 
class in Jiangxi Province for Sunday school teachers. On Christmas Day 
2005, police reportedly raided an unregistered church in Manasu County, 
Xinjiang, destroying property and detained several worshippers. The 
U.S.-based China Aid Association said more than 200 were detained, 
including Pastor Guo Xianyao. In February 2006, Lou Yuanqi was 
reportedly detained for holding unauthorized church services in 
Xinjiang. In April Li Huimin was reportedly sentenced to reeducation in 
Henan Province for holding house church meetings at his home. In May 
several house church activists were detained in Henan Province's Fugou 
County. At least three remained detained at the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    The Government continued its tight monitoring of religious 
publications. In July 2005 several Uighur Muslims were reportedly 
detained for possession of an illegal religious book called the 
Mishkat-ul Misabih and other illegal religious activities in Xinjiang. 
In November 2005 the Government convicted Beijing-based house Christian 
pastor Cai Zhuohua and two relatives of operating an illegal business 
based on his work publishing Christian literature. More than 200,000 
copies of the Bible and other religious texts were reportedly 
confiscated from Cai. Despite international appeals on his behalf, he 
remained jailed on a three-year sentence. In April 2006 Shandong 
Province pastor Liu Yuhua was detained in Linchu County on similar 
charges of operating an illegal business after he was found 
distributing religious texts. In May Anhui Province house church pastor 
Wang Zaiqing was formally arrested. U.S.-based NGOs said the arrest was 
in connection with his work publishing Bibles and religious materials.
    Gong Shengliang and several other leaders of the unregistered South 
China Church, which the Government considered to be a cult, reportedly 
continued to suffer abuse in prison during the period covered by this 
report. Sentenced to death in 2001 on criminal charges including rape, 
arson, and assault, Gong Shengliang, Xiu Fuming, and Hu Yong had their 
sentences reduced to life in prison on retrial in 2002. Li Ying and 
Gong Bang Kun had their sentences reduced from death to fifteen years 
in prison. Four female church members who signed statements accusing 
Gong of sexual crimes were rearrested in 2002 and sentenced to three 
years' reeducation-through-labor, reportedly for recanting their 
accusations against Gong. There were reports that Gong suffered 
physical abuse in prison, in part for refusing to abandon his religious 
beliefs. Elderly church member Chen Jingmao reportedly was abused in a 
Chongqing prison for attempting to convert inmates to Christianity. 
Authorities prevented lawyers for both men from meeting with their 
clients in jail and from filing appeals on behalf of both men.
    Following a 2004 crackdown, more than seventeen members of the 
Three Grades of Servants Church, which the Government labels a 
``cult,'' went on trial for murder and other crimes in late 2005 and 
early 2006. The alleged murders resulted from a conflict between the 
church and the Eastern Lightning group, which the Government considers 
a cult. Xu Shuangfu, leader of the Three Grades of Servants, was 
convicted of murder in June and, along with church members Li Maoxing 
and Wang Jun, was sentenced to death. Zhang Min, Zhu Lixing, and Ben 
Zhonghai received suspended death sentences, and eleven other church 
members were sentenced to jail terms of three to fifteen years. Even 
before the verdict in Xu's case had been announced, Xu's conviction was 
introduced as evidence in the trials of several other group members, 
according to reliable reports. Many detained or charged with membership 
in the cult did not use the name Three Grades of Servants Church in 
describing what they viewed as their own unaffiliated house church.
    A number of Catholic priests and lay leaders were beaten or 
otherwise abused during the reporting period prompting Vatican 
officials to make formal protests. In some locations, local authorities 
reportedly have forced unregistered priests and believers to choose 
between joining the official Church and facing punishment such as 
fines, job loss, periodic detentions, and having their children barred 
from school. Some Catholic officials were forced into hiding. Ongoing 
harassment of unregistered bishops and priests was reported in recent 
years, including government surveillance and repeated short detentions. 
Many of those harassed and detained were more than seventy years old.
    Numerous detentions of unofficial Catholic clergy were reported, in 
particular in Hebei Province, traditionally home to many unregistered 
Catholics. The Government detained unregistered Bishop Jia Zhiguo of 
Zhengding, Hebei, for the eighth time since 2004 and held him for five 
months. Security authorities detained more than a dozen other priests 
and seminarians the same month in Zhengding, including Father Yang 
Jianwei, who remained detained. On September 2 2005, officials 
reportedly detained two priests from Qingyuan County, Hebei. In 
November more than a dozen unregistered priests and seminarians were 
detained across Hebei Province. In January 2006 Father Huo Junlong was 
reportedly released but kept under house arrest. There was no new 
information about unregistered Bishop Su Zhimin, who has been 
unaccounted for since his reported detention in 1997. Reliable reports 
suggested that he had been held in a government-run guesthouse or an 
old-age home near Baoding, Hebei Province. The Government continued to 
deny taking coercive measures against him. In June 2006, an unverified 
press report circulated that Bishop Su had died in custody. The 
Government had not responded to requests to clarify his status by the 
end of the reporting period. Reliable sources also reported that Bishop 
An Shuxin, Bishop Zhang Weizhu, Father Cui Xing, and Father Wang 
Quanjun remained detained in Hebei Province. According to reliable 
reports, Bishop An, Bishop Su's auxiliary bishop, was last seen four 
years ago. According to the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation, the 
whereabouts of Bishops Yao Liang and Zhao Zhendong, detained in past 
years, remained unknown, while Bishops Fan Zhongliang and Liu Guandong 
remained under strict surveillance.
    Some unregistered Catholic and Protestant leaders reported that the 
Government organized campaigns to compel them to register, resulting in 
continued and, in some cases, increased pressure to register their 
congregations. Officials organizing registration campaigns collected 
the names, addresses, and sometimes the fingerprints of church leaders 
and worshippers. On some occasions, church officials were detained when 
they arrived for meetings called by authorities to discuss 
registration.
    The whereabouts of Buddhist leader Yu Tianjian remained unknown 
after his August 2004 detention near Tongliao, Inner Mongolia.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were no reports of anti-Semitic acts against the few citizens 
who consider themselves Jewish or against the foreign Jewish community. 
The Government does not recognize Judaism as an ethnicity or religion. 
Past restrictions on public display of artifacts by the local Jewish 
community in Kaifeng have ended, and several academic institutes opened 
centers for Jewish study in the country.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, the number of believers 
of all religions continued to grow. The Government authorized funding 
to build new places of worship, and the first new churches built in 
Beijing since 1949 opened.
    The Government responded to many diplomatic requests for greater 
engagement with the international community on religious freedom 
issues. As noted above, in 2005, it made public statements that family 
and friends are free to hold prayer meetings in their own homes, 
although the Government stated that it would require that formal 
worship take place in a registered venue.
    In April 2006, the Government and the Patriotic Buddhist 
Association hosted the First World Buddhist Forum in Hangzhou, billed 
as the first international religious conference in the country since 
the 1949 Communist Revolution. More than 1,200 Buddhists, mostly ethnic 
Chinese, from 34 countries attended the session, which aimed to outline 
Buddhism's response to social challenges of modern society. The 
Government-approved Panchen Lama spoke, but the Dalai Lama and his 
chosen Panchen Lama were not invited to attend (see appendix on Tibetan 
areas). In 2006 the Government also supported an exhibition of the 
Government-approved Bible, which toured internationally, including to 
the United States.
    Tibetan nun Phuntsog Nyidrol, who had been detained in 1989 for 
marching in support of the Dalai Lama and had her sentence extended 
after recording pro-Dalai Lama songs in prison, was permitted to travel 
to the United States to receive medical care in March 2006. She had 
been released from prison in February 2004 and her parole expired in 
February 2005, but she was not permitted to travel freely, participate 
in religious life, or receive medical care (see appendix on Tibetan 
areas).
    On April 19 2006, unregistered Bishop Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, 
Hebei, was released from custody and allowed to return home, but 
remained under twenty-four hour police supervision.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The communities of the five main religions--Buddhism, Islam, 
Taoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism--coexisted without significant 
friction. The Government preached religious harmony as part of its 
efforts to build a ``harmonious society.'' However, in some parts of 
the country, there was a tense relationship between registered and 
unregistered Christian churches and, according to press reports, 
between some members of unregistered church groups. There were reports 
of divisions within both the official Protestant church and the house 
church movement over issues of doctrine; in both the registered and 
unregistered Protestant churches, there are conservative and more 
liberal groups. In other areas, the two groups coexisted without 
problems. In some provinces, including Hebei, unregistered and official 
Catholic communities sometimes had a tense relationship. Tensions also 
existed between domestic Muslim groups and groups following teachings 
imported from the Middle East. In the past, Muslims and Tibetan 
Buddhists have complained about the presence of Christian missionaries 
in their communities. Christian officials reported some friction in 
rural areas between adherents of folk religions and Christians who view 
some folk religion practices as idol worship. In general, the majority 
of the population shows little interest in religious activities beyond 
visiting temples during festivals or churches on Christmas Eve or 
Easter. Religious and ethnic minority groups, such as Tibetans and 
Uighurs, experienced societal discrimination not only because of their 
religious beliefs but also because of their status as ethnic minorities 
with languages and cultures different from the typically wealthier Han 
Chinese. There was also occasional tension between the Han and the Hui, 
a Muslim ethnic group.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and the 
consulates general in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang made a 
concerted effort to encourage greater religious freedom in the country, 
focusing attention on abuses and supporting positive trends within the 
country. President Bush regularly raised religious freedom in his 
meetings with leaders, including in his November 2005 visit to Beijing 
and his April 2006 meeting with President Hu Jintao in Washington. 
While in Beijing, President Bush attended a worship service at a 
registered church. In May 2006 President Bush met with three Christian 
intellectuals who are leaders in the house church movement. Secretary 
of State Rice discussed religious freedom and attended a worship 
service at a registered church during her March 2005 visit to Beijing. 
In exchanges with the Government, including with religious affairs 
officials, diplomatic personnel consistently urged both central and 
local authorities to respect citizens' rights to religious freedom and 
release all those serving prison sentences for religious activities. 
U.S. officials protested vigorously whenever there were credible 
reports of religious harassment or discrimination in violation of 
international laws and standards, and they requested information in 
cases of alleged mistreatment in which the facts were incomplete or 
contradictory. At the same time, U.S. officials argued to the country's 
leaders that freedom of religion would strengthen, not harm, the 
country.
    The U.S. embassy and consulates also collected information about 
abuses and maintained contacts with a wide spectrum of religious 
leaders within the country's religious communities, including bishops, 
priests, and ministers of the official Christian and Catholic churches, 
as well as Taoist, Muslim, and Buddhist leaders. U.S. officials also 
met with leaders and members of the unofficial Christian churches. The 
U.S. Department of State's nongovernmental contacts included experts on 
religion in the country, human rights organizations, and religious 
groups in the United States.
    The Department of State brought a number of religious leaders and 
scholars to the United States on international visitor programs to see 
firsthand the role that religion plays in U.S. society. The embassy 
also brought experts on religion from the United States to the country 
to speak about the role of religion in American life and public policy.
    During the period covered by this report, the official U.S.-China 
Human Rights Dialogue, which had included religious freedom as a major 
agenda item, remained suspended. The most recent dialogue session took 
place in December 2002.
    During the period covered by this report, Assistant Secretary of 
State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Barry Lowenkron traveled 
to the country to discuss human rights and religious freedom issues 
with the Government. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr. highlighted 
problems of religious freedom and cases of individual religious 
prisoners of conscience in his public speeches and in his private 
diplomacy with officials. East Asian and Pacific Affairs Assistant 
Secretary Christopher Hill also raised religious freedom issues, 
including cases of concern, with officials. Staff members of the Bureau 
of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, including of the Office for 
International Religious Freedom, also traveled to the country to 
discuss religious freedom issues. They met with government officials 
responsible for religion and with clergy or practitioners in official 
and unofficial religious groups.
    In June 2006 in Washington, Assistant Secretary Lowenkron met with 
Uighur Muslim activist Rebiya Kadeer, and Ambassador at large for 
International Religious Freedom John V. Hanford III met with Tibetan 
Buddhist nun Phuntsog Nyidrol.
    U.S. officials in Washington and Beijing continued to protest 
individual incidents of abuse. On numerous occasions, the U.S. 
Department of State, the embassy, and the four consulates in the 
country protested government actions to curb freedom of religion and 
freedom of conscience, including the arrests of Falun Gong followers, 
Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, and Catholic and 
Protestant clergy and believers. The embassy routinely raised reported 
cases of detention and abuse of religious practitioners with the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Administration of Religious 
Affairs.
    Since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated the country as a 
``Country of Particular Concern'' under the International Religious 
Freedom Act (IRFA) for particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom. Economic measures in effect against the country under the IRFA 
relate to restriction of exports of crime control and detection 
instruments and equipment (Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal 
Years 1990 and 1991, P.L. 101-246).


                               HONG KONG

    The Basic Law, Hong Kong's constitution, provides for freedom of 
religion, and its Ordinance prohibits religious discrimination. The 
Government generally respected these provisions in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to support the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Six of the largest religious 
groups have long collaborated in a collegium on community affairs and 
make up a joint conference of religious leaders.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Hong Kong Government as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) occupies 422 
square miles on more than 200 islands and the mainland and its 
population was an estimated 6.9 million. Approximately 43 percent of 
the population participated in some form of religious practice. The two 
largest religions were Buddhism and Taoism, which were often celebrated 
together in the same temple. Hong Kong was home to approximately 700 
thousand Buddhists or Taoists, 320 thousand Protestant Christians, 240 
thousand Roman Catholics, and 100 thousand Muslims. There were small 
numbers of Hindus, Sikhs, and approximately 4 thousand practicing Jews. 
Many persons also held Confucian beliefs, although few practiced it as 
a formal religion. Representatives of the spiritual movement Falun Gong 
stated that their practitioners numbered approximately 500; however, 
HKSAR government officials claimed the number was lower.
    Hong Kong's Protestants had 1,350 congregations representing 50 
denominations. The largest Protestant denomination was the Baptist 
Church, followed by the Lutheran Church. Other major denominations 
included Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans, Christian and Missionary 
Alliance groups, the Church of Christ in China, Methodists, and 
Pentecostals. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) 
was also present.
    There were approximately 600 Buddhist and Taoist temples, an 
estimated 800 Christian churches and chapels, 5 mosques, 1 Hindu 
temple, 1 Sikh temple, and 3 synagogues. Catholics were served by 1 
cardinal (appointed in 2006), 1 bishop, 299 priests, 66 monks, and 529 
nuns, all of whom maintained traditional links to the Vatican. The 
assistant secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' 
Conference had his office in Hong Kong. Along with its apostolic work, 
the Catholic Church was engaged in a broad array of social service 
activities. It operated 317 schools and kindergartens that enrolled 
more than 264 thousand children. In addition it operated six hospitals, 
fifteen clinics, twelve social centers, nineteen hostels, thirteen 
homes for the aged, and nineteen rehabilitation centers. Protestant 
churches were also deeply involved in education, health care, and 
social welfare. They ran 3 colleges, 703 schools and nurseries, 7 
hospitals, 18 clinics, 35 homes for the elderly, 47 centers for the 
disabled, and scores of youth and day care centers. Various Muslim 
organizations also offered medical care, education, and financial aid 
to the needy. Some religious leaders and communities maintained active 
contacts with their mainland and international counterparts. Catholic 
and Protestant clergy were invited to give seminars on the mainland, 
teach classes there, and develop two-way student exchanges on an 
ongoing basis. Numerous foreign missionary groups operated in and out 
of the HKSAR.
    A wide range of faiths was represented in the Government, the 
judiciary, and the civil service. A large number of influential non-
Christians have been educated in Christian schools.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Basic Law provides for freedom of religion, and the Bill of 
Rights Ordinance prohibits religious discrimination by the HKSAR 
Government. The Government does not tolerate the abuse of religious 
freedom, either by governmental or private actors. Hong Kong has been a 
part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since July 1, 1997, but 
according to the Basic Law, the HKSAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy 
in the area of religious freedom under the ``one country, two systems'' 
concept. The Government does not recognize a state religion, and a wide 
range of faiths are represented in the Government, the judiciary, and 
the civil service.
    Religious groups are not required to register with the Government 
and are exempted specifically from the Societies Ordinance, which 
requires the registration of nongovernmental organizations. Catholics 
in the HKSAR recognize the pope as the head of the Roman Catholic 
Church.
    Religious groups wishing to purchase a site to construct a school 
or hospital initiate their request with the Lands Department. Church-
affiliated schools make their request to the Education and Manpower 
Bureau. Church-affiliated hospitals do so with the Health and Welfare 
Bureau. For other matters, the Home Affairs Bureau functions as a 
liaison between religious groups and the Government. During the 
reporting period, a Muslim group comprised primarily of residents of 
South Asian ethnicity complained that the Government had unfairly 
levied a $1.3 million (HK$10 million) land use fee on the construction 
of a new mosque. They argued that a similar-sized project by an ethnic 
Chinese charity was charged a fee of only $130 (HK$1,000). The 
Government denied that it had acted unfairly and said the two projects 
fell into different zoning categories. The Government argued that 
zoning regulations did not discriminate based on religion or ethnicity. 
The Muslim group provided no further reaction following the 
Government's explanation. Although not alleging discrimination, a 
Jewish group complained that the Government was insensitive to its 
attempts to find a location in the expensive central district to build 
a new synagogue.
    The Election Committee Ordinance stipulates that the six largest 
religious groups in Hong Kong (Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, Roman 
Catholic, Muslim, and Anglican) hold forty seats on the eight hundred-
member Election Committee, which chooses the HKSAR's chief executive. 
These forty representatives are chosen by the leaders of the various 
religious groups.
    The Government grants public holidays to mark special religious 
days on the traditional Chinese and Christian calendars, including 
Christmas and Buddha's Birthday.
    Religious groups have a long history of cooperating with the 
Government on social welfare projects. For example, the Government 
often funds the operating costs of schools and hospitals built by 
religious groups. The Catholic Church complained that an education bill 
passed in 2004 limited its control over Catholic schools. The law 
requires each school that receives government funding to establish a 
management board and mandates that 40 percent of the board's members be 
elected by teacher and parent groups. The sponsoring body can appoint 
the remaining 60 percent. The Catholic Church argued that this 
interfered with its ability to manage the schools and set curriculum.
    The Falun Gong, which considers itself a spiritual movement and not 
a religion, is registered under the Societies Ordinance. Falun Gong 
practitioners were able to stage public demonstrations and practice 
freely. Falun Gong practitioners regularly conducted public protests 
against the crackdown on fellow practitioners in the PRC. In May 2005 
the Court of Final Appeal overturned convictions of eight Falun Gong 
practitioners who had been charged with obstructing and assaulting 
police officers during a sit-in protest in 2002. The ruling was widely 
viewed by observers as an important affirmation of Hong Kong's 
fundamental freedom of assembly, demonstration, and expression under 
the basic law. As of May 2006 the Court of Final Appeal had not issued 
a ruling on the complaint by four Falun Gong members (and the Falun 
Gong branch of Hong Kong) who were denied entry into the HKSAR for 
``security reasons'' in 2004. The four were trying to attend Falun 
Gong's annual conference. The HKSAR denied entry to 41 practitioners, 
but permitted approximately 350 other practitioners to enter the HKSAR 
and attend the conference. Other spiritual exercise groups, including 
Xiang Gong and Yan Xin Qigong, were also registered and practiced 
freely in the HKSAR.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Under the Basic Law, the PRC Government does not have jurisdiction 
over religious practices in the HKSAR.
    The Basic Law calls for ties between Hong Kong religious 
organizations and their mainland counterparts to be based on 
``nonsubordination, noninterference, and mutual respect.''
     In March 2006 the Vatican appointed then Bishop Joseph Zen, the 
head of Hong Kong's Catholic Diocese, to the post of cardinal. The PRC 
Government responded by warning Cardinal Zen to refrain from commenting 
on Hong Kong political matters. Despite this, Cardinal Zen remained an 
outspoken critic of both mainland and HKSAR policies and a strong 
advocate of religious freedom. When the Chinese Catholic Patriotic 
Association appointed two bishops on the mainland against the wishes of 
the Vatican in April and May 2006, Cardinal Zen responded that in 
``China there is only one Catholic Church, and everyone wants to be led 
by the pope.''
    Falun Gong is generally free to practice, organize, conduct public 
demonstrations, and attract public attention for its movement. The 
number of Falun Gong practitioners in the HKSAR was reported to have 
dropped from approximately 1,000 to an estimated 500 since the 
crackdown on the mainland began in mid-1999, although government 
officials claimed that the number was lower for both periods. During 
the period covered by this report, Falun Gong regularly conducted 
public protests against the repression of fellow practitioners in the 
PRC near the Hong Kong offices of the PRC Government.
    Unlike in previous years, during the reporting period there were no 
reports that Falun Gong members were denied entry into Hong Kong.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Two ecumenical bodies facilitate cooperative work among the 
Protestant churches and encourage local Christians to play an active 
part in society. Six of the largest religious groups (Buddhist, Taoist, 
Confucian, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Muslim) long have collaborated 
in a collegium on community affairs and make up the joint conference of 
religious leaders.
    While Falun Gong practitioners freely and openly practiced their 
beliefs, they were occasionally subjected to more subtle forms of 
discrimination from private businesses in Hong Kong. In September 2005 
the Falun Gong's daily newspaper Epoch Times reported that an 
international hotel chain canceled its conference room booking due to a 
water leak. The newspaper had booked the room for a forum on the future 
of China. A Falun Gong spokesperson said that once it became widely 
known that the Falun Gong had sponsored the conference, a replacement 
facility could not be found. The group later held the forum in a public 
park. This is the second time in three years that an international 
hotel chain canceled a Falun Gong conference room booking. In 2004 a 
private hotel canceled a Falun Gong banquet room booking because of the 
group's ``terrorist risk,'' according to Falun Gong representatives. 
Falun Gong successfully sued the hotel in small claims court.
    In February 2006 four men used sledgehammers to break into the Hong 
Kong office of the Falun Gong-owned newspaper Epoch Times and destroyed 
an expensive piece of machinery in the paper's print shop. Police 
investigated the incident but made no arrests. Falun Gong claimed the 
attack was part of a worldwide campaign against the group by the 
Chinese Communist Party. The Hong Kong Journalists Association, the 
International Federation of Journalists, and several Hong Kong 
legislators condemned the break-in. After brief initial reports in 
local daily newspapers, the incident received no follow-up media 
coverage.
    Falun Gong had opened the print shop only two weeks prior to the 
break-in after experiencing difficulties in finding a local company 
willing to print their paper. In May 2005 the private printing company 
the paper had been using refused to renew its contract. Falun Gong 
alleged the company feared business reprisals from its mainland 
clients. Falun Gong quickly found another printing company, although 
the company refused to sign a written contract, and orders had to be 
placed orally each day. According to Falun Gong representatives, at 
least ten other printing companies refused to print the paper. 
Following the February 2006 break-in, which disabled the print shop, 
Falun Gong was able to hire a printing company to continue publication 
of its paper, although orders again had to be placed on a day-to-day 
basis.
    On May 12, 2006, Yu Jie, Li Baiguang, and Wang Yi, three Christian 
intellectuals, met with President Bush at the White House. The 
following day, Yu and Li received e-mails from the China Graduate 
School of Theology (CGST) stating that their scheduled study program 
had become ``unsuitable'' due to a certain event that had attracted 
international attention. On May 15 the Government stated that it had no 
role in CGST's decision to rescind the invitation to Yu and Li. Yu Jie 
subsequently visited Hong Kong and participated in public activities 
while there.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
HKSAR Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Consulate general officers have made clear U.S. Government interest in 
the full protection and maintenance of freedom of religion, conscience, 
expression, and association. Consulate general officers at all levels, 
including the consul general, meet regularly with religious leaders and 
community representatives.


                                 MACAU

    The Basic Law, which is the constitution of the Macau Special 
Administrative Region (Macau SAR), and the Religious Freedom Ordinance 
provide for freedom of religion and prohibit discrimination on the 
basis of religious practice, and the Macau SAR Government generally 
respected these rights in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and Macau SAR Government 
policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of 
religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The Macau SAR has a total area of thirteen square miles, and its 
population is approximately 453 thousand. According to 1996 census 
figures on religious affiliation, which are the latest available, of 
the more than 355 thousand persons surveyed, 60.9 percent had no 
religious affiliation, 16.8 percent were Buddhist, 13.9 percent were 
``other'' (followers of combinations of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian 
beliefs), 6.7 percent were Roman Catholic, and 1.7 percent were 
Protestant. The number of active Falun Gong practitioners declined from 
approximately one hundred persons to an estimated twenty after the 
movement was banned in mainland China in 1999. There were approximately 
one hundred Muslims. The SAR had an estimated fifty Buddhist and Taoist 
temples, sixty Christian churches (of which sixteen are Catholic), and 
one mosque.
    Missionaries were active in Macau and represented a wide range of 
faiths, although the majority was Catholic.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Basic Law, the Macau SAR's constitution, provides for freedom 
of conscience, freedom of religious belief, freedom to preach, and 
freedom to conduct and participate in religious activities. The 
Religious Freedom Ordinance, which remained in effect after the 1999 
handover of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China (PRC), 
provides for freedom of religion, privacy of religious belief, freedom 
of religious assembly, freedom to hold religious processions, and 
freedom of religious education. The Government generally respected 
these rights in practice.
    There is no state religion.
    The Religious Freedom Ordinance requires religious organizations to 
register with the Identification Services Office. There were no reports 
of discrimination in the registration process.
    Missionaries were free to conduct missionary activities. Nearly 
forty thousand children are enrolled in Macau's thirty Catholic 
schools, and a large number of influential non-Christians have been 
educated in Christian schools. Religious entities can apply to use 
electronic media to preach, and such applications are generally 
approved.
    The Religious Freedom Ordinance stipulates that religious groups 
may maintain and develop relations with religious groups abroad. The 
Catholic Church in Macau recognizes the Pope as the head of the church. 
In 2003 the Holy See appointed the current coadjutor bishop for the 
Macau diocese.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Under the Basic Law, the PRC Government does not govern religious 
practices in the Macau SAR. The Basic Law states, ``The Government of 
the Macau Special Administrative Region, consistent with the principle 
of religious freedom, shall not interfere in the internal affairs of 
religious organizations or in the efforts of religious organizations 
and believers in Macau to maintain and develop relations with their 
counterparts outside Macau, or restrict religious activities which do 
not contravene the laws of the region.''
    Religious groups are not required to register with the Government 
and are exempt specifically from the Societies Ordinance, which 
requires the registration of all other nongovernmental organizations. 
However, the Falun Gong, although it considers itself a spiritual 
movement and not a religion, is not registered under the Societies 
Ordinance. Neither is Falun Gong registered with the Identification 
Services Office, which has issued no instructions regarding the Falun 
Gong. Nevertheless, senior SAR Government officials have stated that, 
despite this lack of registration under the Religious Freedom 
Ordinance, Falun Gong practitioners may continue their legal activities 
without government interference. Falun Gong practitioners continued 
their daily exercises in public parks, where the police observed them 
once or twice a month and checked identification, according to Falun 
Gong followers.
    Unlike in previous years, there were no reports during the 
reporting period of Falun Gong members being denied entry into the SAR. 
Falun Gong representatives had previously claimed that they were denied 
entry into Macau, especially during sensitive political periods. For 
example, in January 2005 Macau immigration officials refused to allow a 
prominent Falun Gong representative from Hong Kong to enter Macau 
following the death of former PRC Communist Party General Secretary 
Zhao Ziyang.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations among the various religious communities were very good. 
Citizens generally were very tolerant of others' religious views and 
practices. Public ceremonies and dedications often included prayers by 
both Christian and Buddhist groups.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Officers from the U.S. consulate general in Hong Kong met regularly 
with leaders of all religious groups and spiritual organizations in 
Macau.


                                 TIBET

    The United States recognizes the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and 
Tibetan autonomous counties and prefectures in other provinces to be a 
part of the People's Republic of China. The Department of State follows 
these designations in its reporting. The preservation and development 
of the Tibetan people's unique religious, cultural, and linguistic 
heritage and the protection of their fundamental human rights continue 
to be of concern.
    The constitution of the People's Republic of China provides for 
freedom of religious belief, and the Government's 2005 White Paper on 
``Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China'' states, ``Organs 
of self-government in autonomous areas, in accordance with the 
provisions of the Constitution and relevant laws, respect and guarantee 
the freedom of religious belief of ethnic minorities, and safeguard all 
legal and normal religious activities of people of ethnic minorities.'' 
However, the Government maintained tight controls on religious 
practices and places of worship in Tibetan areas. Although the 
authorities permitted many traditional religious practices and public 
manifestations of belief, they promptly and forcibly suppressed 
activities they viewed as vehicles for political dissent or advocacy of 
Tibetan independence, such as religious activities venerating the Dalai 
Lama (which the Government described as ``splittist'').
    Overall, the level of repression in Tibetan areas remained high and 
the Government's record of respect for religious freedom remained poor 
during the period covered by this report; however, the atmosphere for 
religious freedom varied from region to region. Conditions were 
generally more relaxed in Tibetan autonomous areas outside the TAR, 
with the exception of parts of Sichuan's Kardze Tibetan Autonomous 
Prefecture. Envoys of the Dalai Lama made visits to China for 
discussions with Government officials in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 
2006 and met with Government officials in Switzerland in 2005. There 
was a report of the death of a monk from Drepung Monastery in October 
2005 following a heated dispute with the monastery's ``work team'' over 
his refusal to denounce the Dalai Lama. Although in the past there were 
reports of the deaths of monks and nuns due to maltreatment in prison, 
there were no known reports during the period covered by this report. 
Buddhist leaders such as Gendun Choekyi Nyima and Tenzin Delek remained 
in detention or prison, and the most important figures in Tibetan 
Buddhism such as the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa Lama remained in exile. 
Dozens of monks and nuns continued to serve prison terms for their 
resistance to ``patriotic'' or political education. The Government 
refused free access to Tibetan areas for international observers, 
tightly controlled observers who were granted access, and tightly 
controlled publication of information about conditions in Tibet. These 
restrictions made it impossible to determine accurately the scope of 
religious freedom violations.
    While there was some friction between Tibetan Buddhists and the 
growing Muslim Hui population in cities of the Tibetan areas, it was 
attributable more to economic competition and cultural differences than 
to religious tensions. The Christian population in the TAR was 
extremely small. Some converts to Christianity may have encountered 
societal pressure.
    The U.S. Government continued to encourage greater religious 
freedom in Tibetan areas by urging the Central Government and local 
authorities to respect religious freedom and preserve religious 
traditions. The U.S. Government protested credible reports of religious 
persecution and discrimination, discussed specific cases with the 
authorities, and requested further information about specific 
incidents.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The Tibetan areas of China have an area of 871,649 square miles. 
According to the 2000 census, the Tibetan population of those areas was 
5,354,540; the Tibetan population within the TAR was 2.4 million, while 
in autonomous prefectures and counties outside the TAR the Tibetan 
population was 2.9 million. Most Tibetans practiced Tibetan Buddhism 
and, to a lesser extent, the traditional Tibetan Bon religion. This 
held true for many Tibetan Government officials and Communist Party 
members. Bon includes beliefs and ceremonies that practitioners believe 
predate the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet in the seventh century. Other 
residents of Tibetan areas who were religious believers included Han 
Chinese, who practiced Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and traditional 
folk religions; Hui Muslims; Tibetan Muslims; and Christians. There are 
four mosques in the TAR with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 Muslim 
adherents, as well as a Catholic church with 560 parishioners, which is 
located in the traditionally Catholic community of Yanjing in the 
eastern TAR. There were a small number of Falun Gong adherents in 
Tibet.
    The Government's 2005 White Paper stated that, by the end of 2003, 
there were 1,700 sites in the TAR for Buddhists to conduct religious 
activities, and approximately 46,000 resident monks and nuns. This 
figure has been cited since 1996, although the numbers of monks and 
nuns dropped at many sites as a result of the patriotic education and 
the expulsion from monasteries and nunneries of many monks and nuns who 
refused to denounce the Dalai Lama or who were found to be 
``politically unqualified.''
    These numbers represented only the TAR, where the number of monks 
and nuns was very strictly controlled. According to statistics 
collected by the China Center for Tibetan Studies, a government 
research institution, there were 1,535 monasteries in Tibetan areas 
outside the TAR. Informed observers estimated that a total of 60,000 
Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns lived in Tibetan areas outside the TAR.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution of the People's Republic of China provides for 
freedom of religious belief and the freedom not to believe; however, 
the Government sought to restrict religious practice to government-
sanctioned organizations and registered places of worship and to 
control the growth and scope of the activity of religious groups. The 
Government remained wary of Tibetan Buddhism in general and its links 
to the Dalai Lama, and it maintained tight controls on religious 
practices and places of worship in Tibetan areas. Although authorities 
permitted many traditional religious practices and public 
manifestations of belief, they promptly and forcibly suppressed any 
activities, which they viewed as vehicles for political dissent. This 
included religious activities that officials perceived as supporting 
the Dalai Lama or Tibetan independence.
    In 2005 the State Council introduced new religious affairs 
regulations that superseded the Government's 1994 regulations on the 
management of religious sites. The regulations' preamble stated that 
the provisions aim to protect freedom of religious belief, maintain 
harmony between different religions and society, and regulate religious 
affairs throughout the country. On January 17, 2005, according to a 
Chinese Government website, TAR Vice Chairman Jagra Lobsang Tenzin told 
a meeting of TAR officials that the regulations provided ``a legal 
weapon to resist foreign forces' taking advantage of religion to 
infiltrate our country.'' In January 2006 the official website of 
Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province announced that 
it would strengthen the management of religious work by inspecting 
monasteries to look for elements of instability, enforce controls and 
collect data on monks and nuns who illegally enter and exit the region, 
destroy 853 illegal houses and dismiss 1,100 monks and nuns from Yachen 
Monastery, and destroy 74 illegal houses in Serthar Larang Gar 
Monastery. An April 2006 report on the same website reiterated that 
people who illegally exit and reenter and the region would be required 
to register with the authorities.
    Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy, and several other 
representatives met with Chinese authorities in Bern, Switzerland, in 
June 2005 and visited Guilin City, China, in February 2006. On previous 
visits in 2002, 2003, and 2004, Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, the Dalai 
Lama's envoy, traveled to Beijing, Lhasa, Shanghai, and Tibetan areas 
of Yunnan Province. The Government asserted that the door to dialogue 
and negotiation was open, provided that the Dalai Lama publicly 
affirmed that Tibet and Taiwan were inseparable parts of China.
    Since the establishment of the TAR in 1965, the Government asserted 
that it has spent more than $74 million (RMB 600 million) for 
restoration of the TAR's Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, many of which 
were destroyed before and during the Cultural Revolution. In 2005-06, 
the Government largely completed projects it undertook in 2002 to 
restore the TAR's three most prominent cultural sites: The Potala 
Palace, the Norbulingka (another former residence of the Dalai Lama in 
Lhasa), and Sakya Monastery (the seat of the Sakya sect of Tibetan 
Buddhism in rural southern TAR).
    Despite these and other efforts, many monasteries destroyed during 
the Cultural Revolution have not been rebuilt or repaired, and others 
remained only partially repaired. The Government stated that funding 
restoration efforts was done to support the practice of religion, but 
it also was done in part to promote the development of tourism in 
Tibetan areas. Most recent restoration efforts were funded privately, 
although a few religious sites also were receiving government support 
for reconstruction projects at the end of the period covered by this 
report.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government officials closely associated Buddhist monasteries with 
proindependence activism in Tibetan areas of China. Spiritual leaders 
encountered difficulty re-establishing historical monasteries due to 
lack of funds, general limitations on monastic education, and denials 
of government permission to build and operate religious institutions, 
which officials in some areas contended were a drain on local resources 
and a conduit for political infiltration by the Tibetan exile 
community. The Government stated that there were no limits on the 
number of monks in major monasteries, and that each monastery's 
Democratic Management Committee (DMC) decided independently how many 
monks the monastery could support. Many of these committees were 
government-controlled, and in practice the Government imposed strict 
limits on the number of monks in major monasteries, particularly in the 
TAR. The Government had the right to disapprove any individual's 
application to take up religious orders; however, the Government did 
not necessarily exercise this right in practice during the year. 
Authorities curtailed the traditional practice of sending young boys to 
monasteries for religious training by means of regulations that forbade 
monasteries from accepting individuals under the age of eighteen. 
Nevertheless, some monasteries continued to admit younger boys, often 
delaying their formal registration until the age of eighteen.
    The Government continued to oversee the daily operations of major 
monasteries. The Government, which did not contribute to the 
monasteries' operating funds, retained management control of 
monasteries through the DMCs and local religious affairs bureaus. 
Regulations restricted leadership of many DMCs to ``patriotic and 
devoted'' monks and nuns and specified that the Government must approve 
all members of the committees. At some monasteries, government 
officials were members of the committees.
    The quality and availability of high-level religious teachers in 
the TAR and other Tibetan areas remained inadequate; many teachers were 
in exile, older teachers were not being replaced, and those remaining 
in Tibetan areas outside the TAR had difficulty securing permission to 
teach in the TAR. In recent years, DMCs at several large monasteries 
began to use funds generated by the sales of entrance tickets or 
donated by pilgrims for purposes other than the support of monks 
engaged in full-time religious study. As a result, some ``scholar 
monks'' who had formerly been fully supported had to engage in income-
generating activities. Some experts were concerned that, as a result, 
fewer monks would be qualified to serve as teachers in the future. 
While local government officials' attempts to attract tourists to 
religious sites provided some monasteries with extra income, they also 
deflected time and energy from religious instruction. There were 
reports of disagreements between monastic leaders and government 
officials over visitors, vehicle traffic, and culturally inappropriate 
construction near monastic sites. In July 2004 authorities permitted 
resumption of the Geshe Lharampa examinations, the highest religious 
examination in the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, at Lhasa's Jokhang 
Temple for the first time in sixteen years. According to officials in 
the TAR, six monks in the TAR passed the Geshe Lharampa exam in 2004 
and seven passed in 2005.
    Government officials have stated that the patriotic education 
campaign, which began in 1996 and often consisted of intensive, weeks-
long sessions conducted by outside work teams, ended in 2000. However, 
officials stated openly that monks and nuns undergo political education 
on a regular basis, generally less than four times a year, but 
occasionally more frequently, at their religious sites. Since primary 
responsibility for conducting political education shifted from 
government officials to monastery leaders, the form, content, and 
frequency of training at each monastery appeared to vary widely; 
however, conducting such training remained a requirement and had become 
a routine part of monastic management.
    The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 
reported that 3,395 Tibetan new arrivals approached UNHCR in Nepal 
during the year; 3,352 Tibetans departed for India, of whom 2,340 
received UNHCR transit assistance, and 1,012 Tibetans left for India by 
their own means. Many Tibetans, particularly those from rural areas, 
continued to report difficulties obtaining passports. The application 
process was not transparent, and residents of different Tibetan areas 
reported obstacles ranging from bureaucratic inefficiency and 
corruption to denials based on the applicant's political activities or 
beliefs. Police in China have stated that passport regulations permit 
them to deny passports to those whose travel will ``harm the national 
security and national interests.''
    Due in part to the difficulties faced by many Tibetans in obtaining 
passports, and in part to the difficulty many Chinese citizens of 
Tibetan ethnicity encountered obtaining entry visas for India, it was 
difficult for Tibetans to travel to India for religious purposes. The 
Government placed restrictions on the movement of Tibetans during 
sensitive anniversaries and events and increased controls over border 
areas at these times. There were reports of arbitrary detention that 
lasted several months, although in most cases no formal charges were 
brought. There were also reports of the torture of persons, 
particularly monks, returning from Nepal and India. There were also 
reports that Government officials asked family members for bribes in 
exchange for the release of tortured returnees. Returned exiles 
reported that authorities pressured them not to discuss issues that the 
Government characterized as politically sensitive, such as the Dalai 
Lama.
    In September 2005 Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that Chinese 
border forces opened fire on a group of fifty-one Tibetan asylum-
seekers trying to travel to Nepal by way of Dhingri, in Shigatse 
Prefecture. All but three were taken into custody and their whereabouts 
remained unknown. The group included six children between the ages of 
ten and eleven, two nuns, and one monk. In November 2005 the Tibet 
Information Network (TIN) reported the detention in the TAR of fourteen 
Tibetans from Amdo who were attempting to travel to India via Nepal. 
Nevertheless, many Tibetans, including monks and nuns, visited India 
via third countries and returned to China after temporary stays. In 
2006, there was a considerable increase in the number of Tibetans 
traveling from China to the Dalai Lama's Kolachakara ceremony in India. 
There were reports that Tibetans returning to China from the 
Kolachakara celebration were being monitored closely by authorities and 
indications that monks and nuns in some Tibetan areas in Sichuan were 
required to register upon their return.
    During the Kolachakara ceremony the Dalai Lama appealed to Tibetans 
to protect wildlife by giving up traditional animal-skin-lined 
clothing. In response to and as a show of support for the Dalai Lama, 
groups of Tibetans in Eastern Tibetan areas, including Sichuan, Qinghai 
and Gansu Provinces, held large ceremonies to burn animal pelts. 
Chinese authorities subsequently prohibited the public burnings and 
detained some participants, who were later released. Press reports 
noted that authorities in some areas pressured Tibetans in high-profile 
positions to continue wearing fur-trimmed traditional clothing.
    In June 2006 authorities in Sichuan's Ganzi Prefecture reportedly 
initiated a political reeducation campaign for school children. 
Soldiers in uniform entered a school and said that Tibetans were not 
permitted to burn animal skins. They reportedly asked students whether 
they supported the Dalai Lama. Those who said they did not were 
encouraged to trample a picture of the Dalai Lama. TIN reported that 
seventeen students were detained for showing respect to the Dalai Lama.
    The Karmapa Lama, leader of Tibetan Buddhism's Karma Kagyu sect and 
one of the most influential religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism, 
remained in exile following his 1999 flight to India. The Karmapa Lama 
stated that he fled because of the Government's controls on his 
movements and its refusal either to allow him to go to India to be 
trained by his spiritual mentors or to allow his teachers to come to 
him. Visitors to Tsurphu Monastery, the seat of the Karmapa Lama, noted 
that the population of monks remained small and the atmosphere was 
subdued.
    The Government routinely asserted control over the process of 
identifying and educating reincarnated lamas. For example, the 
Government authorities closely supervised the current Reting Rinpoche, 
who is seven years old, and his education differed significantly from 
that of his predecessors.
    The Government also strictly restricted contacts between 
reincarnate lamas and the outside world. For example, young incarnate 
lama Pawo Rinpoche, who was recognized by the Karmapa Lama in 1994, 
lived under government supervision at Nenang Monastery. Foreign 
delegations have been refused permission to visit him.
    Government officials maintained that possessing or displaying 
pictures of the Dalai Lama was not illegal and that most TAR residents 
chose not to display his picture. Nevertheless, authorities appeared to 
view possession of such photos as evidence of separatist sentiment when 
detaining individuals on political charges. Pictures of the Dalai Lama 
were not openly displayed in major monasteries and could not be 
purchased openly in the TAR. In Tibetan areas outside the TAR, visitors 
to several monasteries saw pictures of the Dalai Lama openly displayed. 
The Government continued to ban pictures of Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the 
boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama. Photos of the 
``official'' Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, were not publicly displayed 
in most places, most likely because most Tibetans refuse to recognize 
him as the Panchen Lama.
    Many Tibetan Buddhist religious figures held positions in local 
People's Congresses and committees of the Chinese People's Political 
Consultative Conference. Nevertheless, the Government continued to 
insist that Communist Party members and senior employees adhere to the 
Party's code of atheism, and routine political training for cadres 
continued to promote atheism. Government officials confirmed that some 
Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) officers were members of the Communist 
Party and that religious belief was incompatible with Party membership. 
This prohibition notwithstanding, some lower-level RAB officials 
practiced Buddhism.
    Security was intensified during the Dalai Lama's birthday, 
sensitive anniversaries, and festival days in the TAR and in some other 
Tibetan areas. The prohibition on celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday 
on July 6 continued. The Government reportedly altered traditional 
dates of Tibetan festivals such as the Drepunb Shodon Festival, and in 
June, there were press reports that authorities in Amdo (Gansu 
Province) cancelled the Kalachakara religious ceremony that was 
scheduled to be held there on July 6. Tibetans in Amdo had reportedly 
received permission in 2005 to hold the ceremony in 2006. In June, some 
Tibetans were ordered not to visit temples and monasteries during the 
Saka Dawa Festival. Some government employees were told that they would 
lose their jobs or have their wages reduced if they disobeyed this 
order.
    Travel restrictions for foreign visitors to and within the TAR were 
reported during the period covered by this report. The Government 
tightly controlled visits by foreign officials to religious sites in 
the TAR, and official foreign delegations had few opportunities to meet 
monks and nuns in Tibetan areas that were not previously approved by 
the local authorities.
    In 2004 the Government also restricted access to the Serthar 
Buddhist Study Institute in Western Sichuan after the death of 
charismatic Tibetan leader, Jigme Phuntsog. Authorities also pressured 
monastic leaders to delay the search for Jigme Phuntsog's 
reincarnation. Also in 2004, Tibetan and Chinese intellectuals 
successfully petitioned to stop Han Chinese sportsman Zhang Jian from 
swimming across Lake Namtso in the TAR, a lake believed by many Tibetan 
Buddhists to be sacred.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Government strictly controlled access to and information about 
Tibetan areas, particularly the TAR, and it was difficult to determine 
accurately the scope of religious freedom violations. While the 
atmosphere for lay religious practice was less restrictive than in the 
recent past, the level of repression in Tibetan areas remained high, 
and the Government's record of respect for religious freedom remained 
poor during the period covered by this report.
    In early October 2005 Ngawang Jangchub, a twenty-eight-year-old 
Tibetan monk, was found dead in his room at the Drepung Monastery in 
Lhasa. According to reports, Ngawang Jangchub's death followed a heated 
dispute with the monastery's ``work team'' over his refusal to denounce 
the Dalai Lama. Government officials claimed Ngawang Jangchub's death 
was due to natural causes.
    The Panchen Lama is Tibetan Buddhism's second most prominent 
figure, after the Dalai Lama. The Government continued to insist that 
Gyaltsen Norbu, sixteen, the boy it selected in 1995, was the Panchen 
Lama's eleventh reincarnation. The Government continued to refuse to 
allow access to Gendun Choekyi Nyima, seventeen, the boy recognized as 
the eleventh Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama in 1995 (when the boy was 
six years old), and his whereabouts were unknown. Government officials 
claimed that the boy was under government supervision, at an 
undisclosed location, for his own protection and attends classes as a 
``normal schoolboy.'' All requests from the international community for 
access to the boy to confirm his well-being have been refused.
    Gyaltsen Norbu traveled to Lhasa and Ganden Monastery in October 
2005 and gave head-touching blessings to monks. In December 2005, the 
Government celebrated the tenth anniversary of Gyaltsen Norbu's 
enthronement in his seat, the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse 
Prefecture in the TAR. During that ceremony, Gyaltsen Norbu performed a 
head-touching blessing for people in the monastery. Gyaltsen Norbu 
spoke before 1,000 international participants at the April 2006 World 
Buddhist Forum held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and called for 
national unity and patriotism, according to official press reports. 
Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of Tibetan Buddhists continued 
to recognize Gendun Choekyi Nyima as the Panchen Lama.
    Lama Chadrel Rinpoche, released in 2002 after six years and six 
months in prison for leaking information about the selection of the 
Panchen Lama, was reportedly still under house arrest near Lhasa. 
Government officials did not confirm his whereabouts and continued to 
refuse requests from the international community to meet with him.
    Authorities in Sichuan's Kardze Prefecture continued to ignore 
international calls for an inquiry into the death of monk Nyima Dragpa, 
who allegedly died from severe beatings while in government custody in 
October 2003. Officials did not provide any new information on Champa 
Chung, former assistant of Chadrel Rinpoche who was reportedly still 
held in custody after the expiration of his prison term in 1999.
    In March 2005 the World Tibet Network News (WTN) reported that 
local authorities extended Tibetan Buddhist monk Jigme Gyatso's prison 
term from fifteen to seventeen years. He was arrested in Lhasa in 1996 
for alleged ``political activities.''
    In May 2005 according to the London-based Free Tibet Campaign, 
authorities in the Gansu Province detained three Tibetan nuns and two 
monks. Nuns Yonten Drolma, Tadrin Tsomo, and Choekyi Drolma and monks 
Jamyang Samdrub and Dargye Gyatso were reportedly arrested for 
distributing letters calling for Tibetan independence at a local 
monastery, market, and other areas. The Congressional Executive 
Commission on China Political Prisoner Database (CECC PPD) also listed 
monk Sherab detained as part of this group.
    In mid-2005, Tibetan Buddhist monks Dzokar and Topden and layman 
Lobsang Tsering were reportedly released after serving a portion of a 
three-year jail term for putting up proindependence posters. They were 
arrested in September 2004 in Sichuan's Kardze Prefecture. Monks Dzokar 
and Topden reportedly returned to Chogri Monastery.
    RFA reported in June 2005 that local authorities detained Jigme 
Dasang, a Tibetan monk from Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai Province. No 
charges were reported during the period covered by this report.
    A number of former political prisoners and other suspected 
activists were reportedly detained in the period prior to the 40th 
anniversary of the founding of the TAR on September 1, 2005. According 
to Human Rights Watch, Sonam, a monk from the Potala Palace, was 
detained by security forces in August 2005; officials claimed no action 
had been taken against him. In another case of apparent preventative 
detention, state security detained a tailor, Sonam Gyalpo, in August 
2005 on suspicion of endangering national security. In September 2005 
Sonam Gyalpo was officially arrested on charges of separating the 
country and destroying national unity.
    According to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy 
(TCHRD), authorities arrested five monks who refused to take part in 
patriotic education that began in October 2005 at the Drepung Monastery 
in Lhasa. The monks, who were identified as Ngawang Namdrol, Ngawang 
Nyingpo, Ngawang Thupten, Ngawang Phelgey, and Phuntsok Thupwang 
reportedly refused to denounce the Dalai Lama and recognize Tibet as 
part of China. TAR officials said that the monks were not detained but 
rather expelled from the monastery. The officials acknowledged that 
hundreds of monks gathered to petition for their return.
    In June 2006 RFA reported that authorities detained five Tibetans, 
including two Buddhist nuns from Kardze Prefecture, for allegedly 
handing out leaflets promoting Tibetan independence. In Lhasa, Yiga, a 
nun and two other women, Sonam Choetso and Jampa Yangtso, were 
reportedly detained on the first day of the Saga Dawa religious period 
on May 28. Kayi Doega and Sonam Lhamo, a nun, were reportedly detained 
in Kardze Prefecture on June 1 and June 2, respectively, on suspicion 
of organizing the leafleting.
    Limited access to information about prisoners and prisons made it 
difficult to ascertain the number of Tibetan political prisoners or to 
assess the extent and severity of abuses. According to the 
Congressional Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database 
(CECC PPD), there were ninety-six Tibetan political prisoners and 
seventy-one of them monks and nuns. The CECC reported that the number 
of political prisoners declined to less than one-fifth the number ten 
years ago.
    Approximately fifteen political prisoners remained in TAR Prison 
(also known as Drapchi Prison) in Lhasa, most serving sentences on the 
charge of ``counterrevolution,'' which was dropped from the criminal 
law in 1997. Authorities have stated that acts previously prosecuted as 
counterrevolutionary crimes continue to be considered crimes under 
state security laws. According to the CECC PPD, almost half of Tibetan 
political prisoners were incarcerated in Lhasa and western Sichuan 
Province.
    Prison authorities continued to subject imprisoned monks and nuns 
to torture. After her release to the United States in March 2006 on 
medical parole, Tibetan Buddhist nun Phuntsog Nyidrol, who was detained 
at Gutsa detention center upon arrest 1989 and then imprisoned in TAR 
Prison until 2004, reported that she was tortured by government 
authorities. Phuntsog Nyidrol had received a nine-year sentence for 
taking part in peaceful demonstrations supporting the Dalai Lama in 
1989. In 1993 her sentence was extended to seventeen years after she 
and other nuns recorded songs about their devotion to Tibet and the 
Dalai Lama.
    Phuntsog Nyidrol also stated that religious prisoners are not 
allowed to meet with other religious prisoners, use their religious 
names in prison or recite prayers in prison. Nyidrol also stated that 
prison administrators deny family visits to religious prisoners as 
punishment.
    Although Tibetan Buddhists in Tibetan areas outside of the TAR 
enjoy relatively greater freedom of worship than their coreligionists 
within the TAR, religious expression by Tibetan Buddhists outside the 
TAR has also at times resulted in detention and arrest.
    In January 2005 the Government commuted the death sentence of 
Tenzin Delek to life in prison. In 2002 Tenzin Delek, a prominent lama 
from Kardze, was arrested for his alleged connection with a series of 
bombings in Sichuan Province. On January 26, 2003, Tenzin Delek and his 
associate, Lobsang Dondrub were sentenced to death for their alleged 
role in the bombings. The Government executed Lobsang Dondrub on the 
same day despite reportedly giving assurances to senior diplomatic 
officials that both would be afforded due process and that their 
sentences would be reviewed by the national-level Supreme People's 
Court. Tenzin Delek was being held in Tuandong Prison in Sichuan 
Province.
    TIN reported in April 2006 that Gendun, a Tibetan monk and teacher 
of traditional monastic dance from Yulung Monastery in Qinghai was 
sentenced in January 2006 to four years in prison after he gave talks 
about Tibetan culture and history. Charges are unknown. Twenty other 
monks, students, and teachers were reportedly detained with Gendun in 
February 2005, but they were released soon afterwards.
    The status of the following persons arrested from 2003 to 2005 
remained unconfirmed at year's end: Five monks who were arrested in 
2003 in Ngaba Prefecture in Sichuan Province and charged with alleged 
separatist activities; three monks from Kirti Monastery in Sichuan 
Province who were arrested in 2003 for posting pro-independence 
posters; two monks from Sichuan's Kardze Prefecture who were arrested 
in 2004 for displaying the Tibetan national flag; Choeden Rinzen, who 
was arrested in 2004 for possessing a Tibetan national flag and a 
picture of the Dalai Lama; Phutnsok Tsering in Magar Dhargyeling 
Monastery, who was arrested in 2005 for possessing a portrait of the 
Dalai Lama and writings on Tibetan nationalism; monk Sonam Phuntsog who 
was detained in 2004 in Sichuan Province on suspicion of being a Free 
Tibet activist; and five monks from Dakar Treldzong Monastery in 
Qinghai Province reportedly arrested in 2005 for publishing politically 
sensitive poems.
    The Government did not provide any new information on the following 
reports: The whereabouts of Seopa Nagur, chief patron of the Kirti 
Monastic School that authorities closed in July 2003; the report that 
police in Qinghai's Golog Prefecture shot and killed Tibetan Buddhist 
religious leader Shetsul in October 2004 after he and other monks 
demanded police pay for medical treatment for injuries suffered while 
in custody. The Government released some prisoners before the end of 
their sentences.
    In January 2005, authorities released Tibetan monk Tashi Phuntsog, 
who served two years and nine months of his seven-year sentence. Tashi 
Phuntsog was detained in 2002 following the arrest of Tenzin Delek.
    Lhasa orphanage owners Bangri Chogtrul Rinpoche (Jigme Tenzin 
Nyima) and Nyima Choedron, convicted in 2002 of ``espionage and 
endangering state security,'' were given sentence reductions in March 
2006. Bangri Chogrul's life sentence was commuted to a fixed term of 
nineteen years and then reduced by one year; his sentence was due to 
expire in 2021. Nyima Choedron's ten year sentence for splittism was 
reduced twice and was set to end in February 2007. She was released 
early on February 26, 2006.
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 Government's refusal to allow such citizens to 
be returned to the United States.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Most Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism. The Christian population 
in Tibetan areas of China is extremely small. Some converts to 
Christianity may have encountered societal pressure.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the 
U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu made a concerted effort to encourage 
greater religious freedom in Tibetan areas, using both focused external 
pressure regarding abuses and support for positive trends within the 
country. In regular exchanges with the Government, including with 
religious affairs officials, U.S. diplomatic personnel consistently 
urged both Central Government and local authorities to respect 
religious freedom in Tibetan areas.
    Prior to the March 2006 departure of nun Phuntsog Nyidrol, who was 
jailed for fifteen 15 years, numerous high-level U.S. officials 
including the ambassador and the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of 
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor raised concerns about her case in 
meetings with Chinese officials.
    In November 2005 the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Torture visited 
Lhasa to meet with officials and visit two prisons.
    Embassy and consulate officials protested and sought further 
information on cases whenever there were credible reports of religious 
persecution or discrimination. U.S. officials in Washington, Beijing, 
and Chengdu pressed for specific information on Ngawang Jangchub, a 
twenty-eight-year-old Tibetan monk who was found dead in his room at 
the Drepung Monastery in early October 2005; and Sonam, a monk from the 
Potala Palace in Lhasa who was taken from the palace on August 21, 2005 
in what NGOs alleged was a politically motivated detention. Officials 
asked for and were denied a meeting in Lhasa with Chadrel Rinpoche, 
reportedly under house arrest since 2002.
    Tibetan Buddhist prisoners advocated for international access to 
Gendun Choekyi Nyima and urged the Chinese Government to pursue 
dialogue with the Dalai Lama and his representatives.
    U.S. diplomatic personnel stationed in the country maintained 
contacts with a wide range of religious leaders and practitioners in 
the Tibetan areas, and they traveled regularly to the TAR and other 
Tibetan areas to monitor the status of religious freedom.
    U.S. development and exchange programs aim to strengthen Tibetan 
communities in China and preserve their environmental and cultural 
heritage. Both are inextricably linked to Tibet's Buddhist religious 
tradition. The U.S. diplomatic mission in China has also promoted 
religious dialogue through its exchange visitor program, which financed 
the travel of several prominent scholars of traditional Tibetan culture 
and religion to the United States.
                               __________

                                 TAIWAN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
authorities generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and official policy continued 
to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) discusses religious freedom 
issues with the authorities as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Taiwan has an area of approximately 13,800 square miles and an 
estimated population of twenty-three million. While the authorities do 
not collect or independently verify statistics on religious 
affiliation, they maintain registration statistics voluntarily reported 
by religious organizations.
    In April 2006 the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Religious Affairs 
Section reported that 35 percent of the people of Taiwan considered 
themselves Buddhist, 33 percent Taoist, 3.5 percent I Kuan Tao, 2.6 
percent Protestant, 1.3 percent Roman Catholic, 1 percent Mi Le Da Dao, 
and 0.2 percent Sunni Muslim. Approximately 4 percent of the population 
followed traditional Chinese religions such as Tien Te Chiao (Heaven 
Virtue Religion), Tien Ti Chiao (Heaven Emperor Religion), and Hsuan 
Yuan Chiao (Yellow Emperor Religion). There also was a small number of 
Jews.
    In addition, Confucian groups reported 26,700 members; Church of 
Scientology twenty thousand; Baha'i Faith 16 thousand; Hsuan Men Tsung 
5 thousand; Zhonghua Sheng Chiao (Chinese Holy Religion) 3,200; 
Maitreya Emperor Religion 3 thousand; Ta I Chiao (Great Changes 
Religion) 1 thousand; Mahikari Religion 1 thousand; and Huang Chung 
(Yellow Middle) 1 thousand. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons), Secret Sect of Tibetan Lamaism (Mizong Buddhism), and 
the Unification Church were also registered but did not provide 
membership statistics. No new religious groups registered during the 
reporting period. Other Christian denominations included: 
Presbyterians, True Jesus, Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, 
Episcopalians, and Jehovah's Witnesses. More than 70 percent of the 
nearly half-million indigenous persons (aborigines) were Christian.
    While the overwhelming majority of religious adherents were either 
Buddhist or Taoist, many people considered themselves to be both. 
Approximately 50 percent of the population regularly participated in 
some form of organized religious practice, and 81 percent adhered to 
some form of organized religion. According to the Religious Affairs 
Section of the MOI, an estimated 18 percent of the population was 
thought to be atheist.
    In addition to practicing organized religion, many persons also 
followed a collection of beliefs deeply ingrained in Chinese culture 
that can be termed ``traditional Chinese folk religion.'' These beliefs 
included, but were not limited to, shamanism, ancestor worship, magic, 
ghosts and other spirits, and aspects of animism. Researchers have 
estimated that as much as 80 percent of the population believed in some 
form of traditional folk religion. Such folk religions may overlap with 
an individual's belief in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or other 
traditional Chinese religions. The open, syncretistic nature of 
religion in Taiwan is such that many Buddhist and Taoist temples 
include Christian icons, including statues of Jesus and Mary, in the 
display of altar deities. There also may be an overlap between 
practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism with those of Falun 
Gong, which is registered as a civic rather than religious 
organization. Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa as it is sometimes called in 
Taiwan, is considered a spiritual movement and not a religion. The 
Chairman of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Society said membership in Taiwan had 
grown rapidly in recent years to approximately 500 thousand and 
continued to increase.
    Religious beliefs cross political and geographic lines. Members of 
the political leadership practice various faiths. Regardless of 
political affiliation, every year tens of thousands of Buddhists and 
Taoists from Taiwan go to the People's Republic of China (PRC) on 
temple pilgrimages. Their mainland Chinese counterparts were also 
invited to participate in religious activities held in Taiwan, such as 
the annual festival of the Goddess of the Sea held during the third 
month of the lunar calendar. However, the number of mainland Chinese 
participants remained small because of travel restrictions between 
Taiwan and the PRC. After The PRC passed the Anti-Secession Law in 
March 2005, Taiwan's Executive Yuan asked local government officials, 
such as mayors and magistrates, to refrain from leading religious 
pilgrimages to the PRC. There were frequent cross-Strait religious 
exchanges over the past year but no reports of local officials leading 
such pilgrimages to the PRC.
    Foreign missionary groups, including Mormons and Jehovah's 
Witnesses, were active in Taiwan.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
authorities generally respected this right in practice. Authorities at 
all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by official or private actors.
    Although registration is not mandatory, twenty-six religious 
organizations have registered with the MOI Religious Affairs Section. 
Religious organizations may register with the central authorities 
through their island-wide associations under the temple management law, 
the civic organizations law, or the chapter of the civil code that 
governs foundations and associations. While individual places of 
worship may register with local authorities, many choose not to do so 
and operate as the personal property of their leaders. Registered 
organizations operate on a tax-free basis and are required to submit 
annual reports of their financial operations. In the past, concern over 
abuse of tax-free privileges or other financial misdeeds occasionally 
prompted the authorities to deny registration to new religious groups 
whose doctrines were not clear; however, there were no reports that the 
authorities sought to deny registration to new groups during the period 
covered by this report. The only ramification for nonregistration is 
the forfeiture of the tax advantages that are available for registered 
religious organizations.
    In 2001 the cabinet submitted a bill to consolidate existing laws 
governing religious organizations. The bill has been pending in the 
Legislative Yuan for five years. It would enable religious groups to 
obtain official recognition if able to meet certain donation or 
membership thresholds. Some lawmakers have questioned whether a 
consolidated law is necessary and whether the proposed threshold 
requirements would hamper the interests of smaller religious groups.
    Religious instruction is not permitted in public or private 
elementary, middle, or high schools accredited by the Ministry of 
Education. Religious organizations are permitted to operate schools, 
but religious instruction is not permitted in those schools. Schools 
not accredited by the ministry may provide religious instruction. High 
schools may provide general courses in religious studies, and 
universities and research institutions have religious studies 
departments. Theological seminaries are operated by religious 
organizations.
    The MOI promotes interfaith understanding among religious groups by 
sponsoring symposiums or by helping to defray the expenses of privately 
sponsored symposiums on religious issues. The MOI also publishes and 
updates an introduction to major religious beliefs and groups based on 
material provided by the groups. This introduction is also available on 
the Internet. In addition, the MOI holds annual ceremonies to honor 
religious groups that have made contributions to public service, social 
welfare, and to other activities promoting social harmony and serving 
the underprivileged.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Official policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in 
Taiwan.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations among the various religious communities were generally 
amicable. The Taiwan Council for Religion and Peace, the China 
Religious Believers Association, and the Taiwan Religious Association 
are private organizations that promote greater understanding and 
tolerance among adherents of different religions. These associations 
and various religious groups occasionally sponsor symposiums to promote 
mutual understanding. The Taiwan Conference on Religion and Peace 
sponsors summer seminars every year to help college students understand 
the practice of major religions in Taiwan. The 2005 seminar was held at 
the I Kuan Tao temple in Kaohsiung County, and more than 200 college 
students attended. The 2006 seminar was planned for September at a Tian 
Di Jiao temple in Taichung County.
    Some religious groups had a tendency to take political positions. 
The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was active in politics, particularly 
in support of the pro-independence movement, and maintained contact 
with some elements of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) discusses religious freedom 
issues with the authorities as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights. AIT was in frequent contact with representatives of human 
rights organizations and regularly meets with leaders of various 
religious communities.
                               __________

                               EAST TIMOR

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 5,406 square miles and shares the island 
of Timor with Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara Timur Province. According to 
the most recent statistics available from the World Bank, the 
population of the territory was approximately 1,040,900. An 
overwhelming majority of the population was Catholic, and the Catholic 
Church was the dominant religious institution. Attitudes toward the 
small Protestant and Muslim communities were generally tolerant.
    In a United Nations-administered consultation vote in 1999, an 
overwhelming majority of East Timorese voted against autonomy and, in 
effect, for independence from Indonesia. As a result, Indonesian forces 
began a violent withdrawal from East Timor that forced approximately 
200 thousand persons to flee across the border to West Timor. The 
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) 
subsequently governed the country from October 1999 until independence 
in May 2002.
    According to a 2005 report from the World Bank, 98 percent of the 
population was Catholic, 1 percent Protestant, and 1 percent Muslim. 
Most citizens also retained some vestiges of animistic beliefs and 
practices, which they have come to regard as more cultural than 
religious. The number of Protestants and Muslims has declined 
significantly since September 1999 because these groups were 
disproportionately represented among supporters of integration with 
Indonesia and among the Indonesian civil servants assigned to work in 
the province from other parts of Indonesia, many of whom left the 
country in 1999.
    The Indonesian military forces formerly stationed in the country 
included a significant number of Protestants, who played a major role 
in establishing Protestant churches in the territory. Fewer than half 
of those congregations still existed after September 1999, and many 
Protestants were among those who remained in West Timor. The Assemblies 
of God was the largest and most active of the Protestant denominations. 
The country had a significant Muslim population during the Indonesian 
occupation, composed mostly of ethnic Malay immigrants from Indonesian 
islands. There also were a few ethnic Timorese converts to Islam, as 
well as a small number descended from Arab Muslims living in the 
country while it was under Portuguese authority. The latter group was 
well integrated into society, but ethnic Malay Muslims often were not. 
Only a few hundred of the latter remained in the country.
    Domestic and foreign Catholic and Protestant missionary groups 
operated freely. Missionaries and other religious officials of all 
religions who come for religious purposes are exempt from paying visa 
fees.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Although the constitution became effective in 2002, the Government 
continued to enforce some Indonesian laws and UNTAET regulations not 
yet superseded by the constitution or national legislation. 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 religious convictions. The 
government generally protected this right, although there were reports 
of cases where the police force and legal system were either 
unresponsive or slow to respond to allegations of criminal acts against 
members of minority religious groups. Police cadets receive training in 
equal enforcement of the law and nondiscrimination, including religious 
nondiscrimination.
    In October 2003 a law on immigration and asylum went into effect 
that includes two articles concerning religion. The first requires 
religious associations to register with the minister of interior if 
most or all members are foreigners; registration entails submitting 
documents setting forth objectives, statutes, or bylaws, and a 
membership list. The second provision states that ``foreigners cannot 
provide religious assistance to the Defense and Security Forces, except 
in cases of absolute need and urgency.'' Based in part upon this law, 
immigration authorities established residence and visa fees for 
foreigners residing in the country. Missionaries and religious figures 
have been exempted.
    There is no official state religion, although Catholicism remains 
dominant. Most designated public holidays are Catholic holy days, 
including Good Friday, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, the Feast of 
the Immaculate Conception, and Christmas.
    The question of religious education in public schools led to one of 
the most vigorous public debates since independence. In February 2005 
the Government shifted religious education from the core curriculum and 
made it an after-school elective without state funding. Two Catholic 
bishops issued a pastoral note in response, stating that religious 
education should be part of the core curriculum, although parents 
should be able to exempt their children from such instruction. The note 
also asked the Government not to make major decisions on issues 
important to the Catholic Church without prior consultation. Government 
leaders responded that they would engage in dialogue with the church on 
religious education only after the new curriculum had been implemented. 
The bishops responded by organizing a mass demonstration that lasted 
almost three weeks and had approximately ten thousand participants, the 
largest public protest since independence. The standoff ended when the 
church and the Government signed an accord reinserting religious 
education into the core curriculum. The agreement also established a 
consultative body consisting of members of the Government and religious 
organizations. In June 2005 the council held its first meeting to 
establish the framework for future consultations. Members of other 
religious groups were welcomed, and representatives of the Catholic, 
Protestant, and Muslim communities attended.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, incidents of violence against certain 
religious groups continued to occur during the period covered by this 
report.
    The strong and pervasive influence of the Catholic Church may 
sometimes affect the decisions of government officials. However, 
members of Protestant churches and the Islamic community also have some 
political influence and held high positions in the executive branch of 
government, the military, and the National Parliament.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversions
    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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The Catholic Church is the dominant religious institution, and its 
priests and bishops are accorded the highest respect in local society. 
Attitudes toward the small Protestant and Muslim communities generally 
are friendly in the capital of Dili, despite the past association of 
these groups with the occupying Indonesian forces. Outside of the 
capital, non-Catholic religious groups sometimes have been viewed with 
suspicion.
    Some Muslim groups at times have been victims of harassment. In 
November and December 2004 about 300 ethnic Malay Muslims, who had been 
residing in Dili's main mosque, were deported for violation of 
immigration laws. Members of this group had been given several 
opportunities to relocate and normalize their residency status, but 
mosque leaders refused. The group was deported to Indonesian West Timor 
and reports indicated that many of them returned to their traditional 
homes in Java and Sumatra. These ethnic Malay Muslims feared 
integration into the community at large. Their occupation of the Dili 
mosque created tensions with Muslims of Arab descent. Despite some 
press reports to the contrary, religion was not at the core of the 
dispute. Rather, it stemmed chiefly from disagreements within the 
Muslim community about property rights and from the disputed 
citizenship claims of ethnic Malay residents.
    At times non-Catholic Christian groups also have been harassed. 
According to Protestant leaders, individuals converting from 
Catholicism to Protestantism often were subject to harassment by family 
members and neighbors, and in some cases clergy and missionaries were 
threatened or assaulted. In several instances village leaders refused 
to allow missionaries to proselytize in their villages, and in at least 
one case a Protestant group was unable to build a chapel because of 
stiff opposition from neighbors and local officials. Most Protestant 
leaders reported that Catholic Church officials and government 
authorities have been helpful in resolving disputes and conflicts when 
they occur.
    During 2004, in the Maubara region, local residents reportedly 
became angry due to the number of persons Brazilian Protestant 
evangelists had converted from Catholicism. Individuals in the area 
complained that these evangelists had provided monetary loans and 
material goods to those who joined their church.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom with the Government 
as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. 
Government regularly expresses support to government leaders for 
consolidation of constitutional democracy, including respect for basic 
human rights such as religious freedom.
    In addition the U.S. Government maintained a dialogue with members 
of Parliament during their deliberations on legislation affecting 
religious freedom. The U.S. Government supported the justice sector to 
encourage the development of judicial institutions that would promote 
the rule of law and ensure respect for religious freedom as guaranteed 
in the constitution.
                               __________

                                  FIJI

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country consists of more than three hundred islands, 
approximately 110 of which were inhabited; most of the population is 
concentrated on the main island of Viti Levu. The country has an area 
of 6,800 miles, and a population of 840,000. Estimates of religious 
affiliation were as follows: 58 percent of the population was 
Christian, 30 percent Hindu, and 7 percent Muslim. The largest 
Christian denomination was the Methodist Church, which claimed 
approximately 218,000 members. Other Protestant denominations and the 
Roman Catholic Church also had significant followings. The Methodist 
Church was supported by the majority of the country's chiefs and 
remained influential in the ethnic Fijian community, particularly in 
rural areas. There also were a small number of active nondenominational 
Christian groups.
    Religion ran largely along ethnic lines. Most indigenous Fijians, 
who constituted approximately 54 percent of the population, were 
Christian. Most Indo-Fijians, who accounted for an estimated 38 
percent, practiced Hinduism, while approximately 20 percent of this 
community followed Islam. In addition an estimated 6 percent of Indo-
Fijians were Christian. Other ethnic communities include Chinese, 
Rotumans, Europeans, and other Pacific Islanders. Approximately 60 
percent of the Chinese community practiced Christianity, and 
approximately 4 percent adhered to Confucianism. The European community 
was predominantly Christian.
    Hindu and Muslim communities maintained a number of active 
religious and cultural organizations.
    Numerous Christian missionary organizations were nationally and 
regionally active in social welfare, health, and education. Many major 
Christian denominations, most notably the Methodist Church, had 
missionaries in the country. The missionaries operated numerous 
religious schools, including colleges, not subsidized by the 
Government.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Citizens have the right, either individually or collectively, both 
in public and private, to manifest their religion or beliefs in 
worship, observance, practice, or teaching. There is no state religion. 
Religious groups are not required to register. The Government did not 
restrict foreign clergy, domestic or foreign missionary activity, or 
other activities of religious organizations.
    Citizens celebrated major observances of the three predominant 
religions as national holidays, including Christmas, Easter, Diwali, 
and the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
    The Government partly sponsored an annual ecumenical prayer 
festival.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, the role of religion continued to be a 
political issue. Some Methodist Church authorities and allied political 
groups continued to advocate for the establishment of a Christian 
state, but the new leadership of the Methodist Church somewhat 
moderated the expression of strong nationalist sympathies endorsed by 
the previous leadership.
    In December 2005 the Government refused entry to the leader of the 
Unification Church, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, following opposition 
expressed by religious organizations including the Fiji Council of 
Churches, an umbrella organization of nine mainstream Christian 
denominations, and others. A Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration 
spokesperson said Moon's doctrines were ``misleading, repugnant, and 
divisive and would affect the peace, good order, public safety, and 
public morality of the Fiji Islands.'' The refusal to permit Moon's 
entry contrasted with the Government's welcoming attitude during the 
same period toward an American televangelist, over the protests of some 
religious denominations.
    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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. However, in 2005 incidents of 
sacrilege increased for the third year in a row. Of the fifty incidents 
reported, most (72 percent) consisted of unidentified persons robbing 
and desecrating Hindu temples. There were ten acts of desecration of 
churches and four of mosques. Police surmised that these attacks had 
more to do with theft than with religious intolerance. Several Hindu 
members of Parliament alleged that the increasing attacks on Hindu 
temples were examples of a lack of societal respect for the Hindu 
religion. They called on law enforcement authorities to take more 
stringent action to prevent attacks and to identify and punish 
perpetrators.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy disseminated materials related to political and religious 
freedom across a wide spectrum of society. The embassy continued to 
make religious freedom an important part of its effort to promote 
democracy and human rights.
                               __________

                               INDONESIA

    The constitution provides for ``all persons the right to worship 
according to his or her own religion or belief'' and states that ``the 
nation is based upon belief in one supreme God.'' While the Government 
generally respected freedom of religion, restrictions continued on some 
types of religious activity and on unrecognized religions. The 
Government sometimes tolerated discrimination against and the abuse of 
religious groups by private actors, and often failed to punish 
perpetrators.
    There was little change in respect for religious freedom during the 
period covered by the report. Most of the population enjoyed a high 
degree of religious freedom. Confucians enjoyed a higher degree of 
religious freedom after concerned government offices recognized 
Confucianism as an official religion in early 2006; however, with the 
addition of Confucianism, the Government recognizes only six major 
religions. Atheists or persons of nonrecognized faiths frequently 
experienced official discrimination, often in the context of civil 
registration of marriages and births or the issuance of identity cards.
    The public generally respected religious freedom; however, 
extremist groups used violence and intimidation to force thirty-four 
small unlicensed churches and at least seven Ahmadiyya complexes to 
close in separate incidents over the course of the reporting period. 
Some government officials and mass Muslim organizations rejected the 
Ahmadiyya interpretation of Islam resulting in the discrimination and 
abuse of its followers. Religiously-motivated violence and vigilante 
acts in Maluku and North Maluku declined significantly, although, as in 
past years, Central Sulawesi experienced sporadic bombings, shootings, 
and other violence despite efforts to restore security and promote 
reconciliation. Government officials worked with Muslim and Christian 
community leaders to diffuse tensions in conflict areas, particularly 
in Central Sulawesi and the Moluccas. While Aceh remained the only 
province authorized to implement Islamic law, or Shari'a, regencies 
(local districts) outside of Aceh promulgated local laws implementing 
elements of Shari'a.
    In July 2005 the Council of Ulemas (MUI) issued eleven new fatwas 
(religious decrees) including one that renewed a 1980 fatwa that banned 
Ahmadiyya. The Government formed the MUI in 1975 as the state's highest 
Islamic authority. Although the Government also funds and appoints 
MUI's members, MUI is not a government body. It's edicts, or fatwas, 
are designed to be moral guiding principles for Muslims and, although 
they are not legally binding, society and the Government seriously 
consider MUI opinions when making decisions or drafting legislation. 
The July 2005 fatwas influenced some societal discrimination during the 
reporting period.
    The U.S. government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy promoted religious freedom and tolerance through exchanges and 
civil society development.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    An archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, the country covers an 
area of approximately 1.8 million square miles (0.7 million square 
miles landmass) and had a population estimated at 241 million.
    The Indonesian Central Statistic Bureau (BPS) conducts a census 
every ten years. The latest data available, from 2000, drew on 
201,241,999 survey responses; the BPS estimated that the census missed 
4.6 million persons. According to the BPS report, 88.2 percent of the 
population described themselves as Muslim, 5.9 percent Protestant, 3.1 
percent Catholic, 1.8 percent Hindu, 0.8 percent Buddhist, and 0.2 
percent ``other,'' including traditional indigenous religions, other 
Christian groups, and Jewish. The country's religious composition 
remained a politically charged issue, and some Christians, Hindus, and 
members of other minority faiths argued that the census undercounted 
non-Muslims. The Government does not recognize atheism.
    Most Muslims in the country follow the Sunni interpretation of 
Islam: The Shi'a headquarters in Jakarta estimated there were one to 
three million Shi'a practitioners nationwide. In general the mainstream 
Muslim community follows two orientations: ``Modernists,'' who closely 
adhere to scriptural orthodox theology while embracing modern learning 
and modern concepts; and predominantly Javanese ``traditionalists,'' 
who often follow charismatic religious scholars and organize around 
Islamic boarding schools. The leading ``modernist'' social 
organization, Muhammadiyah, claimed approximately thirty million 
followers, while the largest ``traditionalist'' social organization, 
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), claimed forty million.
    Smaller Islamic organizations covered a broad range of doctrinal 
orientations. At one end of the ideological spectrum lay the Liberal 
Islam Network, which promotes an individual interpretation of doctrine. 
At the other end existed groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), 
which advocates a pan-Islamic caliphate, and the Indonesian Mujahidin 
Council (MMI), which advocates implementation of Shari'a as a precursor 
to an Islamic state. Many other organizations fell between these poles, 
including multimillion member Islamic organizations such as the 
Sulawesi-based al-Khairaat.
    Separate from the country's dominant Sunni Islam population, a 
small minority of people subscribed to the Ahmadiyya interpretation of 
Islam. There were 242 Ahmadiyya branches throughout the country.
    Small numbers of other messianic Islamic groups exist, including 
the Malaysian-affiliated Darul Arqam, the syncretist Indonesian Jamaah 
Salamulla (also called the Salamulla Congregation), and the Indonesian 
Islamic Propagation Institute (LDII).
    Internal migration altered the demographic makeup over the past 
three decades, increasing the percentage of Muslims in eastern parts of 
the country that were formerly predominantly Christian. Although in 
previous years the government-sponsored transmigration from heavily 
populated Java and Madura to less populated areas contributed to the 
increase in the Muslim population in resettlement areas, most recent 
Muslim migration was apparently spontaneous. The economic and political 
consequences of such migration contributed to religious conflicts in 
Maluku and Central Sulawesi and to a lesser extent in Papua.
    The Ministry of Religious Affairs estimated 6,501,680 Hindus lived 
in the country. The Hindu association Parishada Hindu Dharma Indonesia 
(PHDI) claimed the Hindu population is much larger. Hindus accounted 
for almost 90 percent of the population in Bali. Balinese Hinduism 
developed various local characteristics that distinguish it from 
Hinduism as practiced on the Indian subcontinent. Hindu minorities 
(called ``Keharingan'') also reside in Central and East Kalimantan, the 
city of Medan (North Sumatra), South and Central Sulawesi, and Lombok 
(West Nusa Tenggara). Some of these Hindus left Bali as part of the 
Government's transmigration program. Hindu groups such as Hare Krishna 
and followers of the Indian spiritual leader Sai Baba also are present, 
although in small numbers.
    Some indigenous faiths, including the ``Naurus'' on Seram Island in 
Maluku Province, incorporated Hindu beliefs. The Naurus combine Hindu 
and animist beliefs, and many also adopted some Protestant principles. 
The Tamil community in Medan represented another important 
concentration of Hindus. North Sumatra had a Sikh population of more 
than ten thousand, most residing in Pematang Siantar or Medan. The 
population formed part of the North Sumatra Punjabi community, 
otherwise primarily Hindu. Eight Sikh gurdwaras (temples) are located 
in North Sumatra. Sikhs, however, were not allowed to identify 
themselves as such on their identity cards or birth or marriage 
certificates, and therefore most registered as ``Hindu.''
    Among Buddhists, approximately 60 percent followed the Mahayana 
school, Theravada followers accounted for 30 percent, and the remaining 
10 percent belonged to the Tantrayana, Tridharma, Kasogatan, Nichiren, 
and Maitreya schools. According to the Young Generation of Indonesian 
Buddhists (GMBI), most adherents lived in Java, Bali, Lampung, West 
Kalimantan, the Riau islands, and Jakarta; ethnic Chinese made up an 
estimated 60 percent of the country's Buddhists. Two major Buddhist 
social organizations exist, the Indonesian Great Sangha Conference 
(KASI) and the Indonesian Buddhist Council (WALUBI), and many adherents 
associate themselves with one or the other.
    The number of adherents of Confucianism remained unclear because at 
the time of the national census in 2000 respondents were not allowed to 
identify themselves as Confucian. The percentage of practicing 
Confucians may have increased after the Government lifted restrictions 
related to the faith in 2000, such as the right to celebrate publicly 
the Chinese New Year. The Supreme Council for Confucian Religion in 
Indonesia (MATAKIN) estimated that ethnic Chinese made up 95 percent of 
Confucians with the balance mostly indigenous Javanese. Many Confucians 
also practiced Buddhism and Christianity. MATAKIN urged the Government 
to again include Confucian as a census category.
    An estimated twenty million people in Java, Kalimantan, and Papua 
practiced animism and other types of traditional belief systems termed 
``Aliran Kepercayaan.'' Many of those who practice Kepercayaan 
described it as more of a meditation-based spiritual path than a 
religion. Some animists combined their beliefs with one of the 
government-recognized religions.
    Descendants of Iraqi and Armenian Jews, who came to the country 
more than a century ago to trade spices, still practiced their faith in 
Surabaya. They have a small inactive synagogue. A small Jewish 
community also existed in Jakarta.
    The Baha'i community reported that it had thousands of members in 
the country, but there were no reliable figures available.
    Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) representatives claimed the 
group, which considers itself a spiritual organization instead of a 
religion, has two thousand to three thousand followers in the country, 
nearly half of whom lived in Yogyakarta, Bali, and Medan.
    No data existed on the religious affiliations of foreign nationals 
and immigrants.
    Approximately 175 foreign missionaries, primarily Christian, 
operated in the country. Many worked in Papua, Kalimantan, and other 
areas with large numbers of animists.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides ``all persons the right to worship 
according to their own religion or belief'' and states that ``the 
nation is based upon belief in one supreme God.'' Despite its 
overwhelming Muslim majority, Indonesia is not an Islamic state. Over 
the past fifty years, many Islamic groups sporadically sought to 
establish an Islamic state, but the country's mainstream Muslim 
community has rejected the idea. An Islamic state is also incompatible 
with the country's founding ideology, Pancasila. The Government 
generally respected religious freedom; however, some restrictions 
existed on certain types of religious activity and on unrecognized 
religions. The Government sometimes tolerated extremist groups that 
used violence and intimidation against religious groups, and it often 
failed to punish perpetrators of such violence.
    The Government requires officially recognized religions to comply 
with Ministry of Religious Affairs and other ministerial directives, 
such as the Revised Regulation on Building Houses of Worship (2006), 
Overseas Aid to Religious Institutions in Indonesia (1978), and the 
Guidelines for the Propagation of Religion (1978).
    The Government, in consultation with major religious groups, 
revised the 1969 Joint Ministerial Decree on the Construction of Houses 
of Worship in 2006 in response to militant groups' use of the 1969 
decree to force the closure of unregistered churches. The stated goal 
of the revision was to make it easier to open new houses of worship. 
The revised decree requires religious groups that want to build a new 
house of worship to obtain the signatures of at least ninety 
congregation members and sixty persons of other faiths in the community 
that support the establishment and approval from the local religious 
affairs office. Some religious groups complained that the revised 
decree made it too difficult to establish a house of worship, while 
others argued that the increased clarity of the new decree would 
improve the situation by diminishing conflicting interpretations of the 
1969 decree. The Guidelines for Overseas Aid to Religious Institutions 
requires domestic religious organizations to obtain approval from the 
Ministry of Religion for funding received from overseas donors. The 
Guidelines for Propagation of Religion ban proselytizing under most 
circumstances.
    The Child Protection Act of 2002 makes attempting to convert minors 
to a religion other than their own through ``tricks'' and/or ``lies'' a 
crime punishable by up to five years in prison. This act was used to 
convict three Christian women who were convicted of trying to convert 
Muslim children.
    Article 156 of the criminal code makes spreading hatred, heresy, 
and blasphemy punishable up to five years in jail. Although the law 
applies to all officially recognized religions, it is most often 
applied to cases involving Islam. This law was used in a number of 
cases during the reporting period.
    The question of implementing Shari'a generated controversy and 
concern during the period covered by this report. Aceh remained the 
only province within the country in which the central Government 
specifically authorized Shari'a; however, Parliament reviewed a highly 
controversial draft antipornography bill that would outlaw displaying 
``sensual body parts,'' kissing in public, and any writings, art, 
recordings, or broadcasts with sexually explicit content, all of which 
is broadly defined. The draft bill sparked a heated national debate and 
led to large demonstrations (both for and against).Opponents of the 
bill said that it was an attempt by proponents of Shari'a law to 
implement Shari'a through the ``back door.'' At the end of the 
reporting period, the bill was still under review.
    The Government's jurisdiction over religious matters did not 
prevent approximately thirty regencies and municipalities across the 
country from promulgating Shari'a-inspired regulations at the local 
level. Fifty-six parliament members signed a petition requesting a 
national review of Shari'a-based local laws to test their accordance 
with the constitution but later dropped their petition. Press reports 
quoted Muhammad Ma'ruf, minister of home affairs, as stating governors 
should be responsible for reviewing local laws; however, at the end of 
the reporting period, neither the central Government nor local 
governments had not reviewed any Shari'a-inspired regulations.
    In 2003 Presidential Decree 11/2003 formally established Shari'a 
courts in Aceh by renaming the existing religious courts while 
retaining their infrastructure, jurisdiction, and staff. The judges of 
these new Shari'a courts stated that they would focus on cases related 
to the ``performance of Islamic duties in daily life.'' Sofyan Saleh, 
head of the Islamic Law Supreme Court, reported that immediately after 
the December 2004 tsunami, Aceh's Shari'a courts had a docket of 
approximately six thousand cases, two-thirds of which dealt with 
inheritance or other property-related matters. Family law cases 
dramatically decreased, but the focus on property matters continued 
during the reporting period.
    According to press reports, during the reporting period, the 
Government caned at least eighty-four persons in Aceh for violation of 
Shari'a: Thirteen for being alone with persons of the opposite sex who 
were not blood relatives, seventeen for consuming alcohol, and fifty-
four for gambling. Public canings sometimes drew crowds in the 
thousands. The Government sentenced some persons to up to forty 
lashings; some persons subsequently required hospitalization. Unlike 
during the last reporting period, those the Government caned did not 
have to serve an additional common law sentence.
    Also in Aceh, efforts to educate the public about Shari'a included 
a high-profile public education campaign in the weeks leading up to the 
fasting month of Ramadan (October 2005). Shopkeepers faced the 
possibility of six lashes if they did not close their businesses for 
midday prayers during Ramadan. The program lasted only a few weeks and 
applied only to Muslims. Aceh Province deployed hundreds of Shari'a 
police to enforce Shari'a. They worked jointly with the civil police to 
investigate and prosecute cases of Shari'a law violation. At times the 
Shari'a police detained persons for ``public education'' if caught 
wearing improper Islamic dress or dating without an escort, but police 
generally did not arrest or charge them with crimes. The city of Banda 
Aceh no longer operated a ``Mosque Brigade'' to ensure appropriate 
Muslim dress. When popular bands Radja and Ratu played a joint concert 
in the city of Banda Aceh in March 2006, the Government erected 
partitions to separate male and female concertgoers but did not punish 
fans who ignored the barriers.
    Between 2002 and 2005 Bulukumba Regency in South Sulawesi 
promulgated four local laws implementing elements of Shari'a for all 
Muslims in the regency. The local laws enforced Islamic dress, 
antialcohol and narcotics measures, with caning as a form of 
punishment. The Bulukumba regent claimed that 100 percent of Muslim 
women wore headscarves. In Padang, West Sumatra, the mayor instructed 
all Muslim women to wear a headscarf; local authorities enforced this 
requirement. The regulations did not apply to non-Muslims, nor were 
they enforced in the beach area frequented by international tourists.
    The Madura Regency of Pamekasan established a local Shari'a 
implementation committee in 2003 calling for the wearing of Muslim 
attire by Muslim civil servants and the cessation of both public and 
work activities during the call to prayer. On December 31, 2005, Maros 
Regency in South Sulawesi, also passed three local laws similar to 
those in Bulukumba Regency. In 2006 the mayor of Tangerang in Banten 
Province passed a ban on public displays of affection, alcohol, and 
prostitution. These bans apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims. The 
controversial antiprostitution clause vaguely defines a prostitute as 
anyone drawing suspicion based on her attitude, behavior, or dress and 
places the burden on suspected women to prove their innocence. 
Tangerang tried thirty-one women as prostitutes, including a married 
mother of two found waiting at a bus stop during the early evening. 
Advocacy groups challenged the constitutionality of Tangerang's 
regulation.
    Divorce remained a legal option available to members of all 
religions, but Muslims who wished to seek divorce generally had to turn 
to the Islam-based family court system, while non-Muslims obtained a 
divorce through the national court system. Marriage law for Muslims 
draws from Shari'a and allows a man to have up to four wives, provided 
that he can provide equally for each of the wives. For a man to take a 
second, third, or fourth wife, he must obtain court permission and the 
consent of the first wife, conditions not always met in practice. Women 
reportedly found it difficult to refuse, and Islamic women's groups 
divided over whether the system needed revision. In divorce cases, 
women often bore a heavier evidentiary burden than men, especially in 
the Islam-based family court system. The law requires courts to oblige 
the former husband to provide alimony or its equivalent, but no 
enforcement mechanism existed, and divorced women rarely received such 
support. No discussion took place during the reporting period of an 
Islamic family law draft that aimed to enhance the legal rights of 
Muslim women in many aspects of marriage and divorce law. Minister of 
Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni shelved the draft in 2004.
    The Ministry of Religious Affairs extends official status to six 
faiths: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and as 
of January 2006, Confucianism. In previous years, the ministry did not 
offer services to Confucianism. Religious organizations other than the 
six recognized faiths can register with the Government, but only with 
the Ministry for Culture and Tourism and only as social organizations. 
This restricts certain religious activities. Unregistered religious 
groups do not have the right to establish a house of worship and have 
administrative difficulties with identity cards and registering 
marriages and births.
    The Government permits the practice of the indigenous belief system 
of Kepercayaan, as a cultural manifestation, not a religion. Followers 
of ``Aliran Kepercayaan'' must register with the Ministry of 
Education's Department of Education. Some religious minorities whose 
activities the Government had banned in the past, such as those of the 
Rosicrucians, were allowed to operate openly. The national Government 
did not formally ban Ahmadiyya activities, but some local governments 
did. Despite the central Government's jurisdiction over religious 
affairs, the administration did not take a clear position on the bans.
    Some Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist holy days are national 
holidays. Muslim holy days celebrated include the Ascension of the 
Prophet, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Muslim New Year, and the Birth 
of the Prophet Muhammad. National Christian holy days are Christmas, 
Good Friday, and the Ascension of Christ. Three other national holidays 
are the Hindu holiday Nyepi, the Buddhist holiday Waisak, and Chinese 
New Year, celebrated by Confucians and other Chinese. In Bali all Hindu 
holy days are regional holidays, and public servants and others do not 
work on Saraswati Day, Galungan, and Kuningan.
    As in previous years, during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, 
many local governments ordered either the closure or a reduction in 
operating hours of various types of entertainment establishments. A 
Jakarta decree ordered the month-long closure of nonhotel bars, discos, 
nightclubs, sauna spas, massage parlors, and venues for live music. 
Billiard parlors, karaoke bars, hotel bars, and discos operated for up 
to four hours per night. Some members of minority faiths, as well as 
some Muslims, felt these orders infringed on their rights. Enforcement 
varied.
    The Government did not take any steps to implement controversial 
provisions of the 2003 education law that required private elementary 
and secondary schools to provide students with religious instruction in 
their own faith. Under preceding laws, students had to choose religious 
instruction from five types of classes, representing only Islam, 
Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
    During the period covered by this report, a number of government 
officials and prominent religious and political leaders interacted with 
interfaith groups, including the Society for Inter-religious Dialog 
(MADIA), the Indonesian Anti-Discrimination Movement (GANDI), the 
Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP), the Indonesian 
Committee on Religion and Peace (also ICRP), the Institute for 
Interfaith Dialog (Interfidei), and National People's Solidarity 
(Solidaritas Nusa Bangsa).
    The Government of the province of North Sumatra sponsored an 
organization named FORKALA that united representatives of all 
recognized religious faiths. The organization sought interfaith 
dialogue as a way of avoiding antireligious conflict and violence. 
FORKALA sent out interfaith teams to speak to all parties when it 
received a complaint.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Certain policies, laws, and official actions restricted religious 
freedom, and the Government sometimes tolerated discrimination against 
and the abuse of religious groups by private actors.
    In 1980 the Indonesian Council of Ulamas (MUI) issued a ``fatwa'' 
(a nonlegal, nonbinding but influential opinion issued by Islamic 
religious leaders) declaring that Ahmadiyya did not form a legitimate 
part of Islam. Influenced by the fatwa, in 1984 the Religious Affairs 
Ministry issued a circular banning the Ahmadiyya from disseminating 
their teachings in Indonesia. In 2003 the Home Affairs Ministry 
affirmed Ahmadiyya's legal recognition. However, on July 28, 2005, the 
MUI renewed the 1980 fatwa. The press quoted the Minister of Religion 
M. Maftuh Basyuni in February as stating that Ahmadiyya members should 
either form a new religion or come back into the fold of mainstream 
Islam.
    Some local governments banned Ahmadiyya activities after militant 
groups attacked Ahmadiyya mosques, homes, and other private property. 
In July 2005 the Bogor regency issued a decree prohibiting Ahmadiyya's 
activities. In September, following mob attacks on an Ahmadiyya 
compound, the CirnjurCianjur Regency formally banned all Ahmadiyya 
activities. In October 2005 the regional representative office of the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs in West Nusa Tenggara issued a ban on 
Ahmadiyya. This action followed existing bans in West Lombok (2001) and 
East Lombok (1983). Local governments claimed such bans sought to keep 
the peace or protect Ahmadiyya from further violence, but Ahmadiyya and 
their supporters argued that the local governments punished the victims 
and rewarded the perpetrators. The central Government condemned the use 
of violence; however, despite its jurisdiction over religious matters, 
the central Government did not speak out against or formally review the 
bans.
    The civil registration system continued to restrict religious 
freedom of persons who did not belong to the six recognized faiths; 
animists, Baha'is, and members of other small minority faiths found it 
impossible to register marriages or births. Couples prevented from 
registering their marriage or the birth of their child in accordance 
with their faiths had to either convert to one of the recognized faiths 
or misrepresent themselves as belonging to one of the six. Those who 
chose not to register their marriages or births risked future 
difficulties: A child without a birth certificate cannot enroll in 
school and may not qualify for scholarships. Individuals without birth 
certificates do not qualify for government jobs.
    The first tenet of the country's national ideology, Pancasila, 
declares belief in one supreme God. The Government does not recognize 
atheism.
    Religious groups and social organizations must obtain permits to 
hold religious concerts or other public events. The Government usually 
granted the permits in an unbiased manner unless a concern existed that 
the activity could anger members of another faith in the area.
    The Government bans proselytizing, arguing that such activity, 
especially in areas heavily dominated by members of another religion, 
could prove disruptive. The Ministries of Religion and Home Affairs in 
1979 issued a joint decree prohibiting members of one religion from 
trying to convert members of other faiths. During this reporting 
period, the Child Protection Law was used to prosecute individuals 
accused of attempting to convert Muslim children to Christianity.
    Foreign religious organizations must obtain permission from the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs to provide any type of assistance (in-
kind, personnel, and financial) to religious groups in the country. 
Although the Government generally did not enforce this requirement, 
some Christian groups stated that the Government applied it more 
frequently to minority groups than to mainstream Muslim groups.
    Foreign missionaries must obtain religious worker visas, which some 
described as difficult to obtain or extend. The administrative 
requirements for religious worker visas prove more onerous than for 
other visa categories. They require not only approval from each office 
of the Department of Religion from the local to the national level but 
also statistical information on the number of followers of the religion 
in the community and a statement confirming that the applicant will 
work no more than two years in the country before replacement by a 
local citizen. Foreign missionaries granted such visas worked 
relatively unimpeded. Many missionaries with a primary focus on 
development work successfully registered for social visas with the 
Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education.
    Religious speeches can take place if delivered to coreligionists 
and are not intended to convert persons of other faiths. Televised 
religious programming remained unrestricted, and viewers could watch 
religious programs offered by any of the recognized faiths. At times, 
the Government restricted religious speech.
    No restrictions exist on the publication of religious materials or 
the use of religious symbols; however, the Government bans 
dissemination of these materials to persons of other faiths.
    The Government had a monopoly on organizing the Hajj pilgrimage to 
Mecca.
    The Government requires all adult citizens to carry a National 
Identity Card (KTP), which identifies, among other things, the holder's 
religion. Members of faiths not recognized by the Government generally 
cannot obtain KTPs unless they incorrectly identify themselves as a 
member of a recognized religion. During the period covered by this 
report, some Civil Registry officials rejected applications submitted 
by members of unrecognized faiths, while others accepted applications 
but issued KTPs that inaccurately reflected the applicants' religion. 
Some animists received KTPs that listed their religion as Islam. Many 
Sikhs register as Hindu because the Government does not officially 
recognize their religion. Until February 2006 when the Government began 
providing administrative services to Confucians, some Confucians 
received Buddhist KTPs. Even some Protestants and Catholics received 
KTPs listing them as Muslims. It appears that Civil Registry staff used 
Islam as the ``default'' category for many members of unrecognized 
faiths. Islam remained the only recognized religion that could be 
claimed without proof and was administratively the least burdensome.
    Some citizens without a KTP had difficulty finding work. Several 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and religious advocacy groups 
continued to urge the Government to delete the religion category from 
KTPs.
    Government employees must swear allegiance to the nation and to the 
national ideology, Pancasila, which includes belief in one supreme God.
    The law does not discriminate against any religious group in 
employment, education, housing, or health care; however, some 
Christians and members of other religious minority groups believed they 
often were excluded from prime civil service postings and graduate 
student positions at public universities.
    Men and women of different religions faced serious obstacles to 
marrying and officially registering their marriages. Such couples had 
difficulty finding a religious official willing to perform an 
interfaith marriage ceremony; a religious ceremony is required before a 
marriage can be registered. As a result, some persons converted in 
order to marry. Others traveled overseas, where they wed and then 
registered the marriage at an Indonesian embassy. Despite being among 
the officially recognized faiths, Hindus stated that they frequently 
had to travel long distances to have their marriages registered, 
because in many rural areas the local government could not or would not 
perform the registration.
    The armed forces provide religious facilities and programs, 
including services and prayer meetings, at all major housing complexes 
for servicemen and servicewomen who practice one of the major 
officially recognized religions. Although every military housing 
complex must provide a mosque, a Catholic church, a Protestant church, 
and worship centers or temples for Buddhists and Hindus, smaller 
compounds rarely offer facilities for all five religions.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    During this reporting period certain policies, laws, and official 
actions restricted the religious freedom of the Ahmadiyya community. 
While mass Islamic organizations condemned the use of violence, the 
Government implicitly tolerated discrimination and abuse by some 
societal members toward the Ahmadiyya by remaining silent on both their 
legal status and local bans.
    Despite a heavy police presence during two separate attacks on an 
Ahmadiyya Congregation in West Java in July 2005, police made no 
arrests. A local ban was subsequently passed against the Ahmadiyya, and 
they were prevented from using their complex. Following two separate 
incidents in February and March 2006 in which mobs burned or destroyed 
dozens of Ahmadiyya homes in Lombok, 182 residents began living in 
government-provided barracks with no viable plan for their return or 
resettlement.
    After the Government promulgated the Regulation on Building Houses 
of Worship in 2006, a revision of the 1969 decree, militant groups 
forcibly closed two churches without police intervention despite a two-
year grace period contained in the revised regulation for houses of 
worship to obtain permits per the new requirements. At the end of the 
reporting period, these churches remained closed. Another twenty 
churches, closed under pressure from militant groups the promulgation 
of the revised decree, also remain closed. Though often present, police 
almost never acted to prevent forced church closings and sometimes 
assisted militant groups in the closure.
    In early June 2006 the central Government announced its intentions 
to crack down on vigilantism by militant groups, but at the end of the 
reporting period, there were no specific reports of action.
    During this reporting period, the Government also continued to 
explicitly and implicitly restrict the religious freedom of groups 
associated with forms of Islam viewed as outside the mainstream.
    In October 2005 the regional representative office of the Ministry 
of Religious Affairs in West Nusa Tenggara issued a ban on thirteen 
religious sects, including Ahmadiyya, Jehovah's Witness, Hari Krishna, 
and nine forms of traditional beliefs (aliran kepercayaan), as being 
deviations of Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism.
    On December 28, 2005, police arrested Lia Eden, leader of Jamaah 
Alamulla, and evacuated twenty of her followers to avoid violence 
during a riot demanding closure of the small sect. On June 29, 2006, a 
Jakarta district court sentenced Eden to two years in prison for 
denigrating a religion. The few adherents of Jamaah Alamulla believe 
that the angel Gabriel speaks through Eden and combine elements of 
Christianity and Islam. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an 
edict in 1997, in which Lia Eden's sect was declared deviant.
    Followers of a small sect loosely based on Islam clashed with 
police in October 2005 in a remote village outside Palu, Central 
Sulawesi. Police made several attempts to negotiate with the 
charismatic leader of the group, known by his followers as ``Madi,'' to 
come to the police station and respond to complaints that he threatened 
local villagers and prevented some from fasting and praying during 
Ramadan. Three policemen and two sect members died in the clash; sect 
members reportedly held two police officers hostage but later released 
them. Prosecutors in January 2006 called for the death penalty for five 
sect members being tried by local courts.
    Police arrested three women from the Christian Church of Camp David 
(GKKD) in Indramayu, West Java, and in September 2005 the court 
sentenced them to three years in jail under the Child Protection Law 
for allegedly attempting to convert Muslim children to Christianity. 
Prosecutors charged the women after community members complained the 
women used Christian youth recreation programs to proselytize Muslim 
children. The women claimed that family members gave permission for 
their children to attend the event. Witnesses failed to support the 
women during the trial, however, because of alleged intimidation from 
the community. At the time of this report the defendants' case remained 
on appeal at the Supreme Court.
    In November 2005 local police detained a foreign citizen and an 
Indonesian associated with a Christian working on a humanitarian dam 
building project in a known conservative Muslim area on the island of 
Madura. Police acted after local religious leaders alleged that the two 
engaged in proselytizing. The allegations appeared to be sparked by ire 
on the part of leaders and their communities that had not received 
similar projects. Prosecutors charged the foreign citizen with 
immigration violations, and the court sentenced him to five months in 
prison; prosecutors charged the Indonesian citizen, who continued to 
publicly profess a nontraditional version of Islam, with denigrating a 
religion and the court sentenced him to two and a half years in prison.
    During this reporting period, there were incidents in which the 
Government arrested and charged individuals with heresy, blasphemy, and 
insulting Islam
    In August 2005 East Java's Malang District Court sentenced Muhammad 
Yusman Roy to two years in jail for reciting Muslim prayers in the 
Indonesian language, which MUI said tarnished the purity of Arabic-
based Islam.
    In September 2005 an East Java court sentenced each of six drug and 
cancer treatment counselors to five years in jail and another to three 
years in jail for violating key precepts of Islam. A local MUI edict 
characterized their rehabilitation center's teachings as heretical. 
Police arrested the counselors while they tried to defend themselves 
from hundreds of persons who raided the center's headquarters.
    In January 2006 the Government charged Sumardi Tappaya, a Muslim 
high school religious teacher on Sulawesi Island, for heresy, a crime 
punishable by up to five years in prison. Police jailed Tappay after a 
relative accussed him of whistling during prayers. The local MUI 
declared the whistling as deviant. On June 28 the Polewali State Court 
sentenced Sumardi to six months in jail.
    The Government restricted religious speech by arresting individuals 
accused of criticizing Islam or Muslims.
    In June 2005, 2,000 persons protested against an opinion article, 
entitled ``Islam, A Failed Religion,'' written by a lecturer at the 
Muhammadiyah University in Palu. The article, among other things, 
highlighted the spread of corruption in the country. Police criminally 
charged the writer for heresy and held him for 5 days before placing 
him on house arrest.
    In August 2005 police dropped the case against a cartoonist and a 
newspaper editor in Medan, North Sumatra, for lack of evidence. Police 
initially arrested them in October 2004 for running a caricature 
suggesting Muslims habitually support corrupt political candidates.
    On March 6 and 7, 2006, Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) 
members staged a two-day hunger strike in front of the Chinese embassy 
in protest of an attack against a Falun Dafa journalist. On April 12, 
2006, police in Banyuwangi, East Java, arrested five Falun Dafa 
activists, two of them foreigners, for distributing circulars to local 
residents. Police later claimed they arrested the five because the 
circulars contained information about the Chinese Communist party, not 
because the activists were Falun Dafa members; distribution of 
Communist literature remains illegal. On April 26, 2006, unknown 
persons physically attacked a Falun Dafa member in Jakarta who sought 
to start a demonstration together with a fellow member. Police did not 
investigate the attack.
    The press reported that in May 2006 the Banyuwangi Regional 
Legislature voted to oust Banyuwangi Regent Ratna Ani Lestari from 
office. Those in favor of the ouster accused Ratna, a Muslim by birth, 
of blaspheming Islam for allegedly practicing a different religion from 
the one stated on her identity card. They also accused her of 
underfunding Islamic boarding schools in the area, improperly using 
Quranic verses in election materials, and including the price of pork 
in the regional budget. Ratna's supporters said she was the target of a 
religiously motivated smear campaign because of her marriage to a 
Hindu.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor United States citizens abducted or illegally removed from the 
United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to return to 
the United States.
Anti-Semitism
    Sabili, a widely read Islamic magazine, published articles with 
anti-Semitic statements and themes. It made assertions suggesting the 
existence of covert conspiratorial ``Zionist'' activities ongoing in 
the country. A CD produced by Trustco Multimedia, a commercial entity, 
containing political material on the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), 
which holds 8 percent of the country's parliamentary seats, also 
contained an anti-Semitic game entitled ``Shoot the Jews.'' PKS 
subsequently asked Trustco Multimedia to pull the CD from consumer 
shelves.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    Religiously motivated terrorists active in the region carried out 
one major attack in the country during the period covered by this 
report. On October 1, 2005, three suicide bombers from the Jemaah 
Islamiyah (JI) terror group killed twenty-two persons and injured more 
than one hundred in the tourist areas of Kuta and Jimbaran in Bali. The 
death penalty trials of suspects Mohamad Cholili (alias Yahya), Abdul 
Aziz (alias Jafar), Dwi Widianto (alias Wiwid), and Anif Solchanudin 
(alias Pendek) were ongoing at the end of this reporting period.
    Some Muslims criticized the arrest and prosecution of Abu Bakar 
Ba'asyir, the head of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group, who 
was found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in jail for involvement 
in the 2002 Bali bombings and acquitted of more serious terrorism 
charges. During his imprisonment, the Government, in accordance with 
national law, granted Ba'asyir one remission for good behavior. On June 
14, 2006, he was released from prison after serving twenty-six months.
    The Government successfully prosecuted more than fifty-two 
religiously motivated terrorists and their associates during the period 
covered by this report. Those prosecuted not only included members of 
JI but also other groups of terrorists and religious extremists. The 
Government successfully prosecuted six persons for the September 2004 
suicide attack on the Australian Embassy that killed ten persons and 
injured more than one hundred. The court sentenced Rois and Ahmad Hasan 
to death, Saipul Bahri to ten years in jail, and the three other 
participants to between three and seven years in jail. Local courts in 
Maluku continued to aggressively try cases of those allegedly 
responsible for violence in the province. During the reporting period, 
the Maluku courts convicted thirty-two persons under the antiterrorism 
law for involvement in extremist violence in the province. Sentences 
ranged from five years to life in prison.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In a 2006 speech celebrating Chinese New Year, the President 
promised that the Government would now provide services to Confucians 
as a member of an officially recognized religion, and in early 2006 he 
instructed the Religious Affairs and Home Affairs ministries to carry 
out his promise. As a result, Confucians could obtain identity cards 
that reflected their religious affiliation and register Confucian 
marriages and births.
    The Government organized and facilitated an international and 
interfaith dialogue in the Philippines on March 14, 2006. 
Representatives from the ten member states of the Association of South 
East Asian Nations (ASEAN) attended as well as representatives from 
Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor.
    Local police in Central Sulawesi were more active in punishing 
those allegedly involved in violence that may be related to 
interreligious strife. In June 2005 police arrested eighteen suspects 
in the May 28, 2005, Tentena bombing. The head of Poso prison, Hasman, 
was also arrested, but police subsequently released Hasman and all 
other suspects for lack of evidence. In Central Sulawesi, police 
arrested Papa Siti, suspected in the 2004 shooting of prosecutor Ferry 
Silalahi, on July 17, 2005, in Malino village of Tojo Una-Una Regency. 
On March 15, 2006, Central Sulawesi police detained Andi Makasau, the 
alleged mastermind of a series of armed robberies, fatal shootings, and 
bombings in the province, along with six other persons allegedly 
involved in violence there. The case remained ongoing. On May 7, 2006, 
police arrested five men in connection with acts of terrorism and other 
violent crimes in Central Sulawesi.
    Local police in Central Sulawesi continued to protect local 
churches and other prayer houses during religious services.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    In general Muslims remained tolerant and had a pluralistic outlook; 
however, in January 2006 the Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) concluded 
that conservatism was on the rise. In a nationwide survey, 40 percent 
approved of stoning to death adulterers, 34 percent did not want 
another female president, and 40 percent found polygamy acceptable.
    Economic tensions between local or native peoples, predominantly 
non-Muslim, and more recent migrants, predominantly Muslim, played a 
significant role in incidents of interreligious and interethnic 
violence in Central Sulawesi, Papua, and Kalimantan.
    In Central Sulawesi, political and economic tensions between 
approximately equal populations of Christians and Muslims continued to 
cause sporadic violent episodes resulting in deaths during the 
reporting period. It remained unclear whether these incidents arose 
from interreligious conflict, criminal motives, or a combination of the 
two. On October 29, 2005, unidentified attackers ambushed and beheaded 
three Christian schoolgirls near Poso, Central Sulawesi; police 
investigation into the killings was ongoing. Days after the beheading, 
unidentified individuals shot and killed two teenage girls, one Muslim 
and one Christian, at a bus stop in Poso, in what may have been a 
revenge attack. That same week, attackers shot and injured a Palu-area 
university professor and his wife. On December 31, unknown perpetrators 
bombed a Palu Market selling pork, killing seven persons and injuring 
more than fifty. Police arrested one suspect but later released him due 
to lack of evidence. On May 7, 2006, the press reported that police 
arrested five men for alleged connections with terrorism and violence 
in the region, including the beheadings and the fatal 2004 shooting of 
Reverend Susianti.
    On October 21, 2005, in Central Sulawesi, a man on a motorcycle 
fired at a house used for prayer meetings by a Christian congregation, 
injuring the owner.
    A small bomb exploded outside a Hindu temple in a village near 
Poso, Central Sulawesi, in March 2006, seriously wounding a man who was 
guarding the compound.
    In Maluku Province the number of those killed in possibly sectarian 
incidents continued to fall significantly during the period covered by 
this report. Maluku remained relatively calm since riots surrounding 
the commemoration of a separatist group in April 2004 killed dozens of 
Ambon residents; however, on August 24, 2005, a homemade bomb exploded 
from inside a pedicab in the Mardika market in Ambon City, injuring 
nine persons and damaging motorcycles and cars parked nearby. Police 
made five arrests; but continued to search for the suspected mastermind 
of the bombing.
    A significant number of houses of worship were attacked, 
vandalized, forced to shut down, or prevented from being established as 
a result of militant groups and mobs throughout the country.
    According to the Indonesian Christian Communication Forum (FKKI), 
militant groups forced the closing of at least thirty-four churches: 
Twenty-five in West Java, six in Banten, two in Central Java, and 1 in 
South Sulawesi during the reporting period. Some churches were attacked 
while services were in session. The Islam Defenders Group (FPI) and the 
Alliance for Anti-Apostates (AGAP) backed by local Muslim communities 
orchestrated most of the church closings. Some church leaders reported 
those groups threatened them with sticks and similar weapons to close 
down their church, although there were no reports of actual physical 
injuries. AGAP and FPI said they targeted churches that operated 
without the required permission of the local government and the 
surrounding community as required by the 1969 Joint Ministerial Decree 
on Houses of Worship. Many of the targeted churches operated out of 
private homes and storefronts. Although often present, police almost 
never acted to prevent forced church closings and sometimes assisted 
militant groups in the closure.
    Muslims routinely reported difficulties in establishing mosques in 
Muslim-minority areas of Papua, North Sulawesi, and elsewhere.
    During the reporting period, police concluded that a mentally ill 
man, Mangku Laper, was responsible for the January 2005 vandalism of at 
least six Hindu temples in Legian, Tuban, Kuta, and Kedoganan, Bali.
    Conflict continued over the Sang Timur Catholic School near 
Jakarta. In 2004 a local Muslim community group, the Karang Tengah 
Islam Community Foundation (KTICF), with help from members of FPI, 
erected a wall that blocked access to the Sang Timur Catholic School. 
Local government workers later knocked the wall down, but in November 
2005 local residents again blocked the main access to the school to 
prevent the school from rebuilding the access road. The incident 
reportedly did not disrupt the daily activities of the school.
    On February 5, 2006, hundreds of persons closed down a luxurious 
house used as a Hindu temple called Guedwara Dharma Kalsa Temple in 
Karang Tengah District, Tangerang City, Banten Province. The residents 
in the neighborhood objected to the use of the house as a temple, 
arguing that no Hindus lived in the area.
    Mobs attacked and vandalized at least seven Ahmadiyya mosques in 
West Java and two Ahmadiyya mosques in South Sulawesi during the 
reporting period.
    On July 15, 2005, despite a heavy police presence, the Islam 
Defenders Group (FPI) led a mob in attacking the Ahmadiyya Indonesia 
Congregation (JAI) headquarters in Bogor, West Java. Armed with stones 
and batons, the assailants damaged Ahmadiyya buildings and set fire to 
a women's dormitory. The attack followed an aborted July 9 attack on 
the same Ahmadiyya property by individuals associated with the FPI. 
Police made no arrests in either attack. On July 20, 2005, the Bogor 
regency Consultative Leadership Council in West Java regency issued a 
decree prohibiting Ahmadiyya's activities in the area. The perpetrators 
of the attacks justified their actions by referring to the 1980 fatwa 
that declared Ahmadiyya to be ``deviant'' from Islam.
    On September 19, 2005, in Cianjur, West Java, a mob reportedly 
attacked and vandalized an Ahmadiyya mosque and private homes and cars 
belonging to Ahmadiyya members; however, unlike the July attacks, the 
police reportedly arrested forty-five suspects and pursued criminal 
charges against twelve alleged ringleaders. Cianjur Regency formally 
banned all Ahmadiyya activities on September 28, 2005, purportedly to 
protect Ahmadiyya members from further attacks. The Ahmadiyya compound 
remained closed through the Idul Fitri holiday, an event that 500 to 
700 followers normally attend, and remained closed at the end of this 
reporting period.
    In two separate incidents in February and March 2006, mobs 
attacked, burned, or otherwise destroyed dozens of homes in Lombok, 
forcing 182 residents to evacuate and live in government provided 
barracks. At the end of the reporting period there was no viable plan 
for their resettlement.
    On June 16, 2006, dozens of community members forced approximately 
fifty followers of Jamaah Salafi out of their village, Beroro, in West 
Nusa Tenggara. Attackers dragged the Salafi leader out of the village 
mosque to force him to sign an agreement stating the Salafi members 
would not return to their homes. Residents claimed they repeatedly 
warned Salafi members that the loud preaching emanating from the Jamaah 
Salafi's mosque on Fridays was offensive. Police were on the scene to 
prevent further physical violence but arrested no one in connection 
with the incident. After seeking shelter at the police station, members 
safely returned home after community dialogues.
    At times hard-line religious groups used pressure, intimidation, or 
violence against those whose message they found offensive. Despite 
continued criticism from Islamic hardliners, the Liberal Islam Network 
(JIL) maintained public appeals for individual interpretation of 
Islamic doctrine and religious tolerance. JIL confronted hardliners in 
public forums, including seminars. On August 5, 2005, approximately 200 
members of the FPI and the Islamic Umat Forum (FUI) gathered to attack 
JIL offices with the aim of forcing them out of Jakarta. Police blocked 
the access road to JIL, effectively forcing the mob to disband.
    Militants purporting to uphold public morality sometimes attacked 
cafes and nightclubs that they considered venues for prostitution or 
that had not made payments to extremist groups. On October 16, 2005, 
during the holy month of Ramadan, 200 members of FPI attacked a known 
area of prostitution, clashing with tens of local residents. Police 
broke up the fight but made no arrests.
    On some occasions, publications with controversial religious themes 
provoked outrage. In December 2005 the World Hindu Youth Organization 
(WHYO) protested the short film, ``Shinta Obong,'' a film based on a 
story in ``Ramayana,'' a holy Hindu book, for deviating from the 
original story. The filmmaker, Garin Nugroho, met with the Hindu 
community in Bali in January 2006 to apologize.
    Unforced conversions between faiths occurred, as allowed by law, 
but they remained a source of controversy. Some converted to marry a 
person of another faith; others converted in response to religious 
outreach or social activities organized by religious groups. Some 
Muslims accused Christian missionaries of using food and microcredit 
programs to lure poor Muslims to conversion. Some of those who 
converted felt compelled not to publicize the event for family and 
social reasons.
    Faith-based social organizations at times reportedly extracted 
financial contributions from non-Muslim merchants, particularly before 
major Islamic holidays. Most commonly, these actions relied on social 
pressure from Muslim-majority communities. Many of those targeted were 
ethnic Chinese, who generally practiced Buddhism, Christianity, or 
Confucianism.
    In late July 2005 MUI issued fatwas denouncing pluralism, 
secularism, and liberal forms of Islam, along with interfaith marriage 
and interfaith prayer. While the fatwas generated heated debates and 
served as a factor behind subsequent militant actions, it produced no 
perceptible substantive impact on the law.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. mission in Indonesia, including the U.S. embassy in 
Jakarta, the consulate general in Surabaya, and the Medan office, 
regularly engaged government officials on specific religious freedom 
issues and also encouraged officials from other embassies to discuss 
the subject with the Government. Embassy staff at all levels met 
frequently with religious leaders and human rights advocates to promote 
respect for religious freedom. Embassy staff met regularly with NU and 
Muhammadiyah officials to clarify U.S. policy and discuss religious 
tolerance and other issues.
    Mission outreach emphasized the importance of religious freedom and 
tolerance in a democratic society. During the period covered by this 
report, the mission promoted pluralism and tolerance through exchanges 
and civil society programs.
    More than 220 Indonesians visited the United States on short-term 
programs examining the role of religion in U.S. society and politics. 
The program allowed these persons to see first hand how religious 
pluralism, interfaith dialogue, and multiculturalism are integral to a 
democratic society. Ten Fulbright scholars from the country went to the 
United States to study degrees directly related to religion in a 
democratic society. Six U.S. scholars came to the country to teach and 
conduct research on similar topics.
    One notable visit during the period featured a speaking tour by 
Diana Eck in conjunction with the launch of the embassy-produced 
translation of her book, ``A New Religious America''; programs like 
this (twenty-five in all) contributed balance and academic rigor to 
current discourse in the country about the place of religion in 
society.
    The U.S. mission reached millions through the production of media 
programs critical to providing in-depth coverage on religious freedom 
issues from an American perspective. The mission cosponsored a radio 
show featuring perspectives on religious difference, tolerance, and 
pluralism from the perspective of the country's high school and college 
students living in the United States. A press tour and a jointly 
produced documentary series generated positive coverage of civic 
society and volunteerism in America, highlighting how faith-based 
groups are part of the diverse mix that define positive citizen action 
in America. The mission contributed a 1,000 sets of video compact discs 
based on another jointly produced television documentary series, ``The 
Colors of Democracy,'' highlighting the positive impact of religious 
pluralism and interfaith activities in schools and libraries.
    The mission supported the ``Religion and Tolerance'' call-in weekly 
talk show that is one of the most widely heard radio talk shows in 
Asia, promoting democracy, gender equality, and religious pluralism. 
Listeners from Aceh to Papua responded enthusiastically to the radio 
program.
    Beginning March 2006 the United States, through the Centre for 
Religious and Cultural Studies at Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, 
started a biweekly-televised talk show simultaneously broadcasted on 
fifty-eight radio stations throughout the country. The program provided 
an estimated three million listeners the opportunity to listen to and 
actively engage in public debates on religious tolerance, human rights, 
and democracy. The biweekly publication of talk-show transcripts and 
articles in the newspaper further ensured public access to the debates.
                               __________

                                 JAPAN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 145,884 square miles and a population of 
128 million. It was difficult to accurately determine the number of 
adherents of different religious groups. While academics estimated that 
20 to 30 percent of adults actively practiced a faith, the Agency for 
Cultural Affairs reported in 2004 that 213,826,661 citizens claimed a 
religion. That number, which is nearly twice Japan's population, 
reflected many citizens' affiliation with multiple religions, 
particularly Shintoism and Buddhism. Many citizens practiced both 
Buddhist and Shinto rites. Furthermore, membership statistics kept by 
the agency were based on self-reports from various religious 
organizations.
    Of citizens who claimed a faith, 51 percent were Shinto, 44 percent 
were Buddhist and 1 percent was Christian. Shintoism and Buddhism are 
not mutually exclusive and most Shinto and Buddhist believers follow 
both faiths. Approximately 5 percent of the population belonged to 
other religious groups, including the Unification Church, Tenrikyo, 
Seichounoie, Sekai Kyusei Kyo, and Perfect Liberty. According to the 
Japan Muslim Association, there were approximately one-hundred thousand 
Muslims in the country; an estimated 7 to 10 percent were Japanese 
citizens. There was also a small Jewish population. Most were foreign 
born.
    As of March 2004, under the 1951 Religious Corporation Law, the 
Government recognized 157 schools of Buddhism. The six major schools of 
Buddhism are Tendai, Shingon, Jodo, Zen (Soto and Rinzai sects), 
Nichiren, and Nara. In addition to traditional Buddhist schools, there 
are a number of Buddhist lay organizations; Soka Gakkai, which reported 
a membership of eight million, is the largest. The two main schools of 
Shintoism are Jinjashinto and Kyohashinto. Roman Catholic and 
Protestant denominations had modest followings.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution (law) provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    In the wake of the 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system 
by the cult Aum Shinrikyo, the Religious Corporation Law was amended in 
1996 to provide the Government with increased authority for oversight 
of religious groups. The amended law also required greater disclosure 
of financial assets by religious corporations.
    As of December 2004 there were 182,237 groups registered as 
religious corporations, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. 
The Government does not require religious groups to register or be 
licensed; however, registered religious corporations receive tax 
benefits and other advantages. In practice, almost all religious groups 
register.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Allegations by the Unification Church that the Government was 
unresponsive to claims that its members were being confined and 
deprogrammed decreased. Unification Church leadership reported that the 
number of abductions declined due to the Government's increasing 
willingness to prosecute deprogrammers. However, church leaders 
continued to express concern over the Government's unwillingness to 
prosecute abductors. According to church officials, police often 
refused to intercede because abductions often involved family members 
abducting other family members.
    According to a spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses, members were free 
to practice their religion without restriction. There was only one 
alleged forced confinement in January 2005, which was reported to the 
police. Since 2003 there have been no reported deprogramming cases 
involving members of Jehovah's Witnesses.
    There were no religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There is widespread respect 
for religious freedom in the society.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights, 
including the promotion of religious freedom internationally. The U.S. 
embassy maintains periodic contact with representatives of religious 
organizations.
                               __________

                                KIRIBATI

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country, an island state of 265 square miles, had a population 
of approximately ninety thousand. Missionaries introduced Christianity 
into the area in the mid-19th century. According to 2002 government 
statistics, major religious groups included: The Roman Catholic Church 
(55 percent); Kiribati Protestant Church (KPC), formerly the 
Congregational Church (37 percent); Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints (Mormons) (3 percent); Seventh-day Adventists (2 percent); 
and the Baha'i Faith (2 percent). Several of the smaller Christian 
churches claimed to have higher percentages of adherents now, but there 
was no independent confirmation. Persons with no religious preference 
accounted for an estimated 5 percent of the population. Members of the 
Catholic faith were concentrated in the northern islands of the Gilbert 
Islands group, while Protestants were the majority in the southern 
Gilbert Islands.
    The Mormons, Council of World Missions, Jehovah's Witnesses, and 
Seventh-day Adventists all had missionaries in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full, and did not 
tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion. The Government does not favor a 
particular religion, nor were there separate legal categories for 
different religions.
    Christmas, Easter, and National Gospel Day are official religious 
holidays.
    There are no provisions for registering religious groups, nor are 
there consequences for not registering.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Christianity, the religion of more than 90 percent of the 
population, remained a dominant social and cultural force, but 
relations were amicable among the country's religious groups.
    Nonbelievers, who constituted a small percentage of residents, did 
not suffer discrimination. Most governmental and social functions begin 
and end with an interdenominational Christian prayer delivered by an 
ordained minister, cleric, or other church official.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                 DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

    The constitution provides for ``freedom of religious belief''; 
however, in practice the Government severely restricted religious 
freedom, including organized religious activity, except that which is 
supervised tightly by officially recognized groups linked to the 
Government. Genuine religious freedom does not exist.
    There was no change in the extremely poor level of respect for 
religious freedom during the period covered by this report. The regime 
continued to repress unauthorized religious groups. Recent defector, 
missionary, and nongovernmental organization (NGO) reports indicate 
that religious persons engaging in proselytizing in the country, those 
who have ties to overseas evangelical groups operating across the 
border in the People's Republic of China (China), and specifically, 
those repatriated from China and found to have been in contact with 
foreigners or missionaries outside the country, have been arrested and 
subjected to harsh penalties. Defectors continued to allege that they 
witnessed the arrests and execution of members of underground Christian 
churches by the regime in prior years. Due to the inaccessibility and 
inability to gain timely information, the continuation of this activity 
during the time period covered by this report remained difficult to 
verify. The Government allowed foreigners to attend government-
sponsored religious services.
    No information was available on societal attitudes toward religious 
freedom.
    The U.S. Government did not have diplomatic relations with the 
country. Since 2001 the Secretary has designated the country a 
``Country of Particular Concern'' (CPC) under the International 
Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom. The U.S. Government raised its concerns about the deplorable 
state of human rights in the country with other countries and in 
multilateral fora.
    The Government does not allow representatives of foreign 
governments, journalists, or other invited guests freedom of movement 
that would enable them to fully assess human rights conditions or 
confirm reported abuses. This report is based on information from 
interviews, press reports, nongovernmental organization reports, 
missionary and refugee testimony obtained over the past decade, and 
supplemented where possible by information drawn from more recent 
reports from visitors to the country and representatives of 
nongovernmental organizations working on the Chinese border. Refugee 
testimony is often dated because of the time lapse between refugee 
departures from the country and contact with NGOs able to document 
human rights conditions. The report cites specific sources and time 
frames wherever possible, and reports are corroborated to the extent 
possible. While limited in detail, the information in this report is 
indicative of the situation with regard to religious freedom in the 
country in recent years.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 47,000 square miles, and 
its population is estimated at 22.7 million. The number of religious 
believers was unknown but was estimated by the Government to be ten 
thousand Protestants, ten thousand Buddhists, and four thousand 
Catholics. Estimates by South Korean church-related groups were 
considerably higher. In addition, the Chondogyo Young Friends Party, a 
government-approved group based on a traditional religious movement, 
had approximately forty thousand practitioners. According to a South 
Korean press report, in 2002 the chairman of the Association of North 
Korean Catholics stated that the Catholic community in the country had 
no priests but held weekly prayer services at the Changchung Catholic 
Church in Pyongyang. According to state-controlled media reports, 
following the death of Pope John Paul II in April 2005, a memorial 
service was held at this church, and services were also held at family 
worship places across the country.
    In Pyongyang, there were reportedly three Christian churches: Two 
Protestant churches under lay leadership--the Pongsu and Chilgok 
churches--and the Changchung Roman Catholic Church. The three churches 
have reportedly been open since 1988. However, these churches are 
tightly controlled by the state. One of the Protestant churches is 
dedicated to the memory of former leader Kim Il Sung's mother, Kang Pan 
Sok, who was a Presbyterian deaconess. The Korean Presbyterian Church, 
under an agreement with the North Korean Christian League, has 
reportedly been building a new church in Pyongyang.
    In its July 2002 report to the U.N. Human Rights Committee, the 
country reported the existence of 500 ``family worship centers.'' The 
country did not define the term; however, observers stated that 
``family worship centers'' were part of the state-controlled Korean 
Christian Federation, while ``underground churches'' were not part of 
the officially recognized church structure and were not recognized by 
the Government. NGOs estimated that there may be between 500 and 1,000 
underground churches. The regime has not allowed outsiders the access 
necessary to confirm such claims. Some older citizens who were 
religious believers before 1953 reportedly have maintained their faith 
in secret over the years.
    There were an estimated 300 Buddhist temples. Most were regarded as 
cultural relics, but religious activity was permitted in some. A few 
Buddhist temples and relics have been renovated or restored in recent 
years under a broad effort aimed at ``preserving the Korean nation's 
cultural heritage.'' In October 2005, tourists from the Republic of 
Korea and other international tourists were permitted to view the 
reconstruction of the Shingye or Singyesa (or Holy Valley) Temple, 
which was destroyed during the Korean War of 1950-53. The 
reconstruction was funded by the ROK Government and foreign tourists. 
It was expected to be completed in 2007. A South Korean monk, the first 
to permanently reside in North Korea, has lived at the temple since 
2004, but was expected to serve primarily as a guide for visiting 
tourists rather than a pastor caring for Buddhists living in the area. 
According to the country's media accounts, renovation of the Ryongthong 
temple in Kaesong was completed in early 2005. A restoration ceremony 
was held in October 2005 with participants from North and South Korea 
and Japan. Foreign diplomats resident in Pyongyang who visited the site 
and were told that the two monks living there may soon be joined by 
more. State-controlled press reported on several occasions that 
Buddhist ceremonies had been carried out in various locations. Official 
reporting also linked descriptions of such ceremonies with the broader 
theme of Korean unification.
    The Russian Orthodox Church continued to build an edifice in 
Pyongyang, reportedly commissioned by Kim Jong-Il after he visited an 
Orthodox cathedral in Russia in 2002. The building, the first of its 
kind in the country, is scheduled to open by August 2006. According to 
a Russian press report, a Russian priest served the cathedral.
    Several foreigners residing in Pyongyang attended Korean-language 
services at the Christian churches on a regular basis. Some foreigners 
who had visited the country stated that church services appeared staged 
and contained political content supportive of the regime, in addition 
to religious themes. Foreign legislators attending services in 
Pyongyang in previous years noted that congregations arrived at and 
departed services as groups on tour buses.
    Outsiders had limited ability to ascertain the level of government 
control over these groups, but was generally assumed they are monitored 
closely.
    According to the 2006 Korean Institute for National Unifications 
(KINU) White Paper, there was no evidence that any of the central 
religious organizations maintained branches in the provinces.
    Prior to 2003, many foreign religious leaders visited the country. 
However, after the Government expelled U.N. inspectors from the country 
in 2003, the number of religious visitors appeared to decrease.
    In April 2006, the Catholic archdiocese of Seoul sent a sixty-one 
member delegation to the country, led by Mgr. Thomas Aquinas Choi 
Chang-hwa, the director of the National Reconciliation Committee. 
During the visit, the Catholic Association of North Korea proposed a 
joint visit to the Vatican with the Seoul archdiocese, which the 
association said it hoped would lead to an audience with the pope.
    In spring 2006, Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik of the ROK Taejon 
diocese also visited the and established an agreement that all Catholic 
humanitarian aid to the North would be directed through South Korean 
Caritas and discussed through inter-Korean cooperation channels.
    In June 2005 Venerable Beop Jang, head of the largest ROK Buddhist 
group and at the time the chair of the national council on religious 
leaders in that country, traveled to Pyongyang to mark the fifth 
anniversary of the Inter-Korean summit.
    Evangelical Episcopal pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-
Driven Life, announced in July 2006 that he had been invited by the 
Government to preach to an audience of fifteen thousand Christians in 
the country in March 2007. Warren was to visit the country in July to 
plan the 2007 preaching trip, but the planning trip was postponed 
following the Government's July 4-5 missile launches.
    In October 2005, a delegation from the DPRK Christian Federation 
attended an international solidarity meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, 
sponsored by the German Evangelical Church, according to a Government 
media report.
    In December 2005 citizens who were expected to staff Pyongyang's 
Russian Orthodox Cathedral when it opens traveled to Vladivostok for 
training in ordination and other rituals.
    Foreign religious activity frequently is connected with 
humanitarian relief, and overseas religious relief organizations have 
been active in responding to the country's food crisis. An overseas 
Buddhist group, Join Together Society, continued to operate a factory 
in the Rajin-Sonbong Free Trade Zone to produce food for preschool 
children, which it has done since 1998. A noodle factory established by 
contributions from Catholics of the Seoul archdiocese opened in 2001. 
The Unification Church, which had business ventures in the country, was 
believed to be constructing an interfaith religious facility in 
Pyongyang.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for ``freedom of religious belief''; 
however, in practice the Government severely restricted religious 
freedom, including discouraging organized religious activities except 
those controlled by officially recognized groups. Genuine religious 
freedom does not exist. The constitution also stipulates that religion 
``should not be used for purposes of dragging in foreign powers or 
endangering public security.'' Ownership of Bibles or other religious 
materials is reportedly illegal and may be punished by imprisonment or 
execution.
    The cult of personality of Kim Jong Il and his father remained 
important ideological underpinnings of the regime, at times seeming to 
resemble tenets of a state religion. Faced with famine and the 
succession process in the mid-1990s, Kim Jong Il's regime increasingly 
emphasized a ``military first'' policy to gradually replace juche 
(often described as extreme self-reliance) as the de facto ruling 
logic. However, juche remained an important ideological concept. 
Indoctrination was intended to ensure loyalty to the system and the 
leadership, as well as conformity to the state's ideology and 
authority. Refusal on religious or other grounds to accept the leader 
as the supreme authority, exemplifying the state and society's needs, 
is regarded as opposition to the national interest and may result in 
severe punishment.
    Although the country's first constitution guaranteed freedom of 
religion, the Government identified large numbers of religiously active 
persons as ``counterrevolutionaries,'' both during and immediately 
after the Korean War. Many of these individuals were subsequently 
killed or imprisoned in concentration camps.
    The Government later codified the oppression of religion in the 
early 1970s through a constitutional revision on ``freedom of 
antireligious activity.'' The Government began to moderate its 
religious discrimination policies in the late 1980s, when it launched a 
campaign highlighting Kim Il Sung's ``benevolent politics.'' As part of 
this campaign, the regime allowed the formation of several government-
sponsored religious organizations. Foreigners who have met with 
representatives of these organizations believe that some members are 
genuinely religious but note that others appear to know little about 
religious dogma or teaching. According to NGOs, these religious 
organizations have been organized primarily as counterparts to foreign 
religious organizations or international aid agencies, rather than as 
instruments to guarantee and support free religious activities. A 
constitutional change in 1992 authorized religious gatherings, provided 
for ``the right to build buildings for religious use,'' and deleted the 
clause regarding freedom of antireligious propaganda.
    Civic groups and religious organizations in the ROK continued to be 
active in efforts to promote inter-Korean reconciliation. During the 
reporting period, Buddhist and Christian groups from the ROK traveled 
to the country for discussions and cultural exchanges with their 
counterparts in the country and ended the meetings in joint prayer 
sessions for unification. These exchanges generally received favorable 
coverage in the state-controlled media; however, their true effect on 
religious freedom in the country was unclear.
    Several schools for religious education exist in the country. There 
are three-year colleges for training Protestant and Buddhist clergy. A 
religious studies program also was established at Kim Il Sung 
University in 1989; its graduates usually worked in the foreign trade 
sector. In 2000 a Protestant seminary was reopened with assistance from 
foreign missionary groups. Critics, including at least one foreign 
sponsor, charged that the Government opened the seminary only to 
facilitate reception of assistance funds from foreign faith-based NGOs. 
The Federation of Chosun Christianity, a religious group believed to be 
controlled by the Government, contributed to the curriculum used by the 
seminary. In September 2003 construction reportedly was completed of 
the Pyongyang Theological Academy, a graduate institution that trains 
pastors and evangelists.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The KINU 2006 White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea indicated 
that the regime utilizes authorized religious entities for external 
propaganda and political purposes and that citizens are strictly barred 
from entering their places of worship. Ordinary citizens consider such 
sites to be primarily ``sightseeing spots for foreigners.'' KINU also 
concluded that the lack of churches or religious facilities in the 
provinces indicates that ordinary citizens still do not enjoy religious 
freedom.
    Little is known about the day-to-day life of religious persons in 
the country. Members of government-controlled religious groups did not 
appear to suffer discrimination. In fact, some reports claimed, and 
circumstantial evidence suggested, that many, if not most, have been 
organized by the regime for propaganda and political purposes, 
including meeting with foreign religious visitors. There have also been 
reports that funds and goods which are given to government-approved 
churches were channeled to the Korean Workers Party (the only party in 
the country). There are unconfirmed reports that nonreligious children 
of religious believers may be employed at midlevels of the Government. 
In the past, such individuals suffered broad discrimination with 
sometimes severe penalties or even imprisonment. Members of underground 
churches connected to border missionary activity were regarded as 
subversive elements.
    In 2001 the U.N. Human Rights Committee noted ``with regret'' that 
the Government was unable to provide up-to-date information about 
religious freedom in the country. The committee also noted its concern 
regarding the authorities' practices with respect to religious freedom, 
``in the light of information available to the committee that religious 
practice is repressed or strongly discouraged.'' The committee 
requested that the Government provide up-to-date information regarding 
the number of citizens belonging to religious communities and the 
number of places of worship, as well as ``practical measures taken by 
the authorities to guarantee freedom of exercise of religious 
practice'' by the religious communities in the country. In 2002, the 
country submitted a report to the U.N. Human Rights Committee. In the 
report, the country claimed that there were few religious adherents in 
the country because ``Many of them were killed during the three-year-
long Korean War. Old people died of age and young people seldom believe 
in religion.''
    The KINU 2006 White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea concluded, 
``North Korea utilizes religious activities only for political and 
economic goals; namely, to improve its international image, to secure 
humanitarian assistance from overseas, and to earn foreign currency.''
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Government deals harshly with all opponents, including those 
who engage in religious practices deemed unacceptable to the regime. 
Religious and human rights groups outside of the country have provided 
numerous, usually unconfirmed, reports that members of underground 
churches have been beaten, arrested, tortured, or killed because of 
their religious beliefs in prior years. In recent years, defectors who 
had been in prison stated that prisoners held on the basis of their 
religious beliefs generally were treated worse than other inmates. A 
refugee who arrived in South Korea in 2001 claimed that he was tortured 
for his Christian beliefs after a Bible was discovered in his 
belongings.
    Over the years, there have been unconfirmed reports from a few 
defectors alleging the testing on human subjects of a variety of 
chemical and biological agents up through the early 1990s. Some 
accounts have alleged that political or religious detainees were 
specifically selected for this testing. The Government effectively bars 
outside observers from investigating such reports.
    NGOs, defectors, and refugees have reported that the Government 
executed opponents of the regime in recent years. Executed individuals 
reportedly included some targeted for religious activities such as 
proselytism and contact with missionaries while in China.
    Defector reports indicated that the regime has increased repression 
and persecution of unauthorized religious groups in recent years, but 
access to information on current conditions was limited. Despite these 
restrictions, reports indicated that contacts with religious personnel 
both inside the country and across the border in China appeared to be 
increasing. Reports from NGOs, defectors, and missionaries indicated 
that persons engaging in religious proselytizing, those who had ties to 
overseas evangelical groups operating across the border in China, and, 
specifically, those repatriated and found to have contacted Christian 
missionaries outside the country have been arrested and subjected to 
harsh punishment.
    During the reporting period, ROK media reports, including testimony 
from a 2003 defector, indicated that citizens who received help from 
churches inside China were considered political criminals and received 
harsher treatment. This included imprisonment, prolonged detention 
without charge, torture, or execution. The Government reportedly was 
concerned that faith-based South Korean relief and refugee assistance 
efforts along the northeast border of China had both humanitarian and 
political goals, including overthrow of the regime, and alleged that 
these groups were involved in intelligence gathering. The official 
Korean Workers Party newspaper criticized ``imperialists and 
reactionaries'' for trying to use ideological and cultural 
infiltration, including religion, to destroy socialism from within.
    In March 2006, the Government reportedly sentenced Son Jong Nam to 
death for working as a spy for the ROK. However, NGOs claimed that the 
Government issued the sentence against Son Jong Nam on the basis of his 
contacts with Christian groups in China, his proselytizing activities 
in the country and alleged sharing of information with his brother in 
the ROK. Because the country effectively bars outside observers from 
investigating such reports, it was not possible to verify the country's 
claims about Son Jong Nam's activities or determine whether he had been 
executed.
    In April 2006 a ROK court sentenced alleged agent Yoo Young-hwa to 
ten years of imprisonment for his role in the abduction of Kim Dong 
Shik. Kim, a missionary who worked with North Korean refugees in China, 
disappeared from his home near the China-DPRK border in 2000. He 
allegedly was kidnapped by North Korean agents for assisting in the 
resettlement of DPRK refugees in the ROK. Because the country 
effectively bars outside observers from investigating such reports, it 
was not possible to determine Kim's whereabouts.
    NGOs reported as recently as 2001 that the Government conducts 
``education sessions'' to identify Christian leaders so that they could 
be apprehended in periodic crackdowns.
    News reports in recent years indicated that the Government has 
increased the reward for information on any person doing missionary 
work in the Chinese border region.
    There was no reliable information on the number of religious 
detainees or prisoners, but there were unconfirmed reports that many 
people were detained for their religious beliefs and activities. Prison 
conditions were harsh; starvation and forced labor were common. In the 
past, visitors to the country observed prisoners being marched in leg 
irons, metal collars, or shackles. Sanitation was poor, and prisoners 
reported having no change of clothing during months of detention.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    There was no information available on societal attitudes toward 
religious freedom. The regime does not allow representatives of foreign 
governments, journalists, or other visitors the freedom of movement 
that would enable them to assess fully religious freedom in the 
country.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government did not have diplomatic relations with the 
country and has no official presence there. Since 2001 the Secretary 
has designated the country a ``Country of Particular Concern'' under 
the International Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe 
violations of religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government regularly raises religious freedom concerns 
about the country in multilateral fora and bilaterally with other 
governments, particularly those with diplomatic relations with the 
country. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs Christopher Hill publicly stated that dialogue on the country's 
human rights record will be a part of any future normalization process 
between the country and the U.S. Government. In April 2005 several U.S. 
State Department officials testified before the House International 
Relations Committee on the country's human rights record and U.S. 
Government efforts to implement the 2004 North Korean Human Rights Act 
(NKHRA). They and the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International 
Religious Freedom have repeatedly raised awareness of the deplorable 
human rights conditions in the country through speeches before U.S. 
audiences.
    In response to serious concerns over the country's human rights 
record, Congress enacted the 2004 NKHRA. In August 2005 the president 
appointed Jay Lefkowitz as Special Envoy for Human Rights in North 
Korea in keeping with one provision of the NKHRA. Since his 
appointment, Special Envoy Lefkowitz has urged other countries, 
including the Republic of Korea and Japan, to join the growing 
international campaign urging the country to address its human rights 
conditions and abuses of religious freedom.
    In April 2005, for the third consecutive year, the U.S. Government 
worked with other concerned governments to win passage of a resolution 
condemning the country's deplorable human rights record at the 61st 
Session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. The resolution 
expressed ``deep concern about reports of systemic, widespread and 
grave violations of human rights'' and note(d) with regret that the 
authorities ``have not created the necessary conditions to permit the 
international community to verify these reports.'' The resolution also 
called on the Government to fulfill its obligations under human rights 
instruments to which it is a party and ensure that humanitarian 
organizations and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human 
Rights in the DPRK have free access to the country. In November 2005, 
the U.S. co-sponsored a similar resolution before the U.N. General 
Assembly that condemned the country's human rights record, marking the 
first time the General Assembly passed such a resolution.
    In 2005 the U.S. Department of State provided the National 
Endowment for Democracy with a $496,000 grant to improve and expand 
monitoring and reporting on human rights conditions in the country. The 
U.S. Department of State also provided a grant to Freedom House for a 
series of conferences and other activities dedicated to pressuring the 
regime to end its abuses. Radio Free Asia and Voice of America also 
provides regular Korean-language broadcasting. U.S. Government policy 
allows U.S. citizens to travel to the country, and a number of churches 
and religious groups have organized efforts to alleviate suffering 
caused by shortages of food and medicine.
    The country remains subject to the economic restrictions of the 
1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment on international trade. Following CPC 
designation in 2001, these restrictions were also tied to the country's 
status under the International Religious Freedom Act.
                               __________

                           REPUBLIC OF KOREA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 38,023 square miles, and its population 
is approximately forty-eight million. According to a 2005 government 
survey, when the population stood at 47,041,000, the number of 
adherents of the predominant religions were: Buddhism, 10,726,000; 
Protestantism, 8,616,000; Roman Catholicism, 5,146,000; Confucianism, 
105 thousand; Won Buddhism, 130 thousand; and other religions, 247 
thousand. A total of 22,071,000 citizens did not practice any religion. 
The percentage of adherents of each faith has remained approximately 
the same in recent years.
    No official figures were available on the membership of other 
religious groups in the country, which included Jehovah's Witnesses, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Seventh-day 
Adventist Church, Daesun Jinrihoe, and Islam.
    Buddhism has approximately twenty-seven orders. The Catholic Church 
had sixteen dioceses. The Christian Council of Korea reported that 
there were an estimated fifteen Protestant denominations, including the 
Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Anglican churches, and 
the Korean Gospel Church Assembly. Within these Protestant 
denominations there were approximately 121 Protestant subgroups, an 
estimated 80 percent of which were Presbyterian subdivisions.
    According to Gallup Korea's 2004 survey on the state of religion in 
the country, 36.0 percent of those who practiced a faith reported that 
they attended religious services or rituals at a church or temple more 
than once a week, 10.6 percent attended two to three times per month, 
20.6 percent attended once or twice a year, and 4.9 percent did not 
attend services.
    Of those who attended religious services more than once a week, 
Protestants had the highest attendance rate with 71 percent, Catholics 
42.9 percent, and Buddhists 3.5 percent.
    Foreign-based missionary groups operated freely. Protestant groups 
included: Overseas Mission; Overseas Missionary Fellowship; Campus 
Crusade for Christ, Youth Mission; Global Mission Bible Translator; 
World Wide Evangelization for Christ; and Serving in Mission for 
Christ. Catholic groups included: Missionaries of Guadeloupe; Maryknoll 
Fathers; Little Brothers of Jesus; Claretian Missionaries; Consolate 
Missionaries; Divine Word Missionaries; and Missionaries of Charity 
Brothers. In 2005 the country sent more than fourteen thousand 
missionaries abroad, making it the second largest source of 
missionaries after the United States.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion, and the Government does not subsidize 
or favor a particular religion.
    There are no government-established requirements for religious 
recognition. The Traditional Temples Preservation Law protects cultural 
properties including Buddhist temples, which receive some subsidies 
from the Government for their preservation and upkeep. Buddha's 
Birthday and Christmas are the only national holidays that are 
religious in nature. Recognition of these two days does not negatively 
impact other religious groups.
    The Government does not require or permit religious instruction in 
public schools. Private schools are free to conduct religious 
activities.
    The Religious Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism 
takes the lead in organizing groups such as the Korea Religious Council 
and the Council for Peaceful Religions to promote interfaith dialogue 
and understanding. The bureau also is responsible for planning regular 
events such as the Religion and Art Festival, the Seminar for Religious 
Leaders, and the Symposium for Religious Newspapers and Journalists.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The Government provides no exemption or alternative civilian 
service for those who have a religious objection to service in the 
armed forces. According to the Ministry of National Defense, in 2005 
Jehovah's Witnesses accounted for 818 of the 828 men who rejected 
military service. Of the total, 598 had pending trials. Of the 225 
convicted in 2005, 220 were given eighteen to twenty-four month prison 
sentences. They were allowed to conduct their own religious services in 
prison. During the period covered by this report, the issue of 
conscientious objectors continued to be discussed by the public, 
politicians, Government, and in the courts. The proposed revisions 
regarding conscientious objectors to the National Military Service Law 
were pending in the National Assembly's National Defense Committee. In 
December 2005 the National Human Rights Commission recommended the 
Government recognize an individual's right, based on religious 
conviction, to refuse compulsory military service, and called for an 
alternative form of service. In April 2006 the Ministry of National 
Defense established a seventeen-member committee, made up of scholars, 
lawyers, journalists, religious leaders, civic activists, and military 
officials, to study ways to introduce and to establish the standards 
for such alternative service.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. In June 2004 angry citizens 
demonstrated at the mosque in Seoul for about a month following the 
beheading of Korean hostage Kim Sun-il in Iraq. The Government provided 
security and protection to the mosque but did not interfere with the 
demonstrations, since they were legal assemblies. According to the 
Institute for Middle East Studies, once the anger over the beheading 
subsided, Muslims in the country returned to their normal routines and 
worshipped freely.
    Religious leaders regularly met both privately and under government 
auspices to promote mutual understanding and tolerance. These meetings 
were given wide and favorable coverage by the media.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials also met regularly with members of various religious 
communities to discuss issues related to human rights.
                               __________

                                  LAOS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in practice. Some government officials 
committed abuses of citizens' religious freedom.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. In most parts of the country, 
officials generally respected the constitutionally guaranteed rights of 
members of most faiths to worship, but within constraints imposed by 
the Government. Authorities in some areas continued to display 
intolerance for minority religious practice, especially by evangelical 
Christians. The Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC), the popular 
front organization for the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), was 
responsible for oversight of religious practice. The prime minister's 
decree on religious practice (Decree 92) was the principal legal 
instrument defining rules for religious practice. Although this decree 
has contributed to greater religious tolerance since it was 
promulgated, authorities used its many conditions to restrict some 
aspects of religious practice. Decree 92 institutionalized the 
Government's role as the final arbiter of permissible religious 
activities.
    During the period covered by this report, some local officials 
pressured minority Christians to renounce their faith on threat of 
arrest or forceful eviction from their villages. Such cases occurred in 
Bokeo, Oudomsai, and Salavan provinces. Arrests and detention of 
Christians occurred in Bokeo, Bolikhamsai, Salavan, and Vientiane 
Municipality. In December 2005 authorities in Bolikhamsai province 
detained a group of twenty-seven ethnic Hmong. The group--all minors 
but one--were residents at the Petchaboon displaced persons settlement 
in northern Thailand, and were irregularly sent into the country by 
Thai authorities who believed they were illegal immigrants. Some 
sources indicated that the group was Christian, and may have been 
detained in the country in part due to its religious affiliation. These 
twenty-seven Hmong were still in detention at the end of the reporting 
period. Additionally, a Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) in Bokeo Province 
was burned by village officials and six church leaders were arrested in 
late 2005. Five of the six leaders were later released, but one church 
leader died after being transferred from jail to a military hospital. 
In early 2006 a village chief in Oudomsai Province confiscated the land 
of several Christian families.
    Moreover, a Christian in Salavan Province has been under house 
arrest since April 1, 2006 for refusing to renounce his faith. At the 
end of the period covered by this report, there were thirty known 
religious prisoners, all members of the LEC, with the exception of the 
twenty-seven ethnic Hmong that were deported from Thailand.
    There were generally amicable relations among the various religious 
groups, although differences in religious beliefs among villagers led 
to tensions. Conflicts between ethnic groups sometimes exacerbated 
religious tensions. The efforts of some Protestant congregations to 
establish churches independent of the LEC continued to cause strains 
within the Protestant community.
    U.S. embassy officials and visiting U.S. Government representatives 
discussed the need for greater religious freedom at all levels of the 
Government. The embassy sought to encourage religious tolerance through 
dialogue. The embassy maintained frequent contact with religious 
leaders, and official visitors from the U.S. Government, including the 
Deputy Secretary of State, have repeatedly encouraged greater religious 
freedom in the country.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately eighty-five thousand 
square miles and an estimated population of 5.8 million. Almost all 
ethnic or ``lowland'' Lao are followers of Theravada Buddhism; however, 
lowland Lao constituted only about 40-50 percent of the population. The 
remainder of the population belonged to at least forty-seven distinct 
ethnic minority groups. Most of these ethnic minorities were 
practitioners of animism, with beliefs that varied greatly between 
groups. Animism predominated among some Sino-Thai groups, such as the 
Thai Dam and Thai Daeng, as well as among Mon-Khmer and Burmo-Tibetan 
groups. Even among lowland Lao, many pre-Buddhist animistic religious 
beliefs had been incorporated into Theravada Buddhist practice. 
Catholics and Protestants constituted approximately 2 percent of the 
population. Other minority religious groups included the Baha'i Faith, 
Islam, Mahayana Buddhism, and Confucianism. A very small number of 
citizens followed no religion.
    Theravada Buddhism was by far the most prominent organized religion 
in the country, with nearly five thousand temples serving as the focus 
of religious practice and faith as well as the center of community life 
in rural areas. In most lowland Lao villages, religious tradition 
remained strong. Most Buddhist men spend some part of their lives as 
monks in a temple, even if only for a few days. There were 
approximately twenty-two thousand monks in the country, nearly nine 
thousand of whom have attained the rank of ``senior monk,'' indicating 
years of study in a temple. In addition there were approximately 450 
nuns, generally older women who were widowed, residing in temples 
throughout the country. The Buddhist Church was under the direction of 
a supreme patriarch who resided in Vientiane and supervised the 
activities of the church's central office, the Ho Thammasapha.
    Although officially incorporated into the dominant Mahanikai school 
of Buddhist practice after 1975, the Thammayudh sect of Buddhism still 
maintained a following in the country. Abbots and monks of several 
temples, particularly in Vientiane, reportedly were followers of the 
Thammayudh School, which placed greater emphasis on meditation and 
discipline.
    In Vientiane there were four Mahayana Buddhist pagodas, two serving 
the ethnic Vietnamese community and two serving the ethnic Chinese 
community. Buddhist monks from Vietnam, China, and India have visited 
these pagodas freely to conduct services and minister to worshippers. 
There were at least four large Mahayana Buddhist pagodas in other urban 
centers and smaller Mahayana pagodas in villages near the borders of 
Vietnam and China.
    The Roman Catholic Church had approximately forty thousand 
adherents, many of whom were ethnic Vietnamese, concentrated in major 
urban centers and surrounding areas along the Mekong River in the 
central and southern regions of the country. The Catholic Church had an 
established presence in five of the most populous central and southern 
provinces, where Catholics were able to worship openly. The Catholic 
Church's activities were more circumscribed in the north, although 
there were signs the Government was permitting a revival of the 
Catholic community there. Three bishops, located in Vientiane, Thakhek, 
and Pakse, were able to visit Rome to confer with church officials. The 
Government did not permit a fourth bishop, assigned to the northern 
part of the country, to take up his post in Luang Prabang, but did 
permit him to travel to the north periodically to visit church 
congregations. The Church's property there was seized after 1975 and 
there was no longer a parsonage in that city; the bishop remains in 
residence in Vientiane. An informal Catholic training center in Thakhek 
prepared a small number of priests to serve the Catholic community. 
Several foreign nuns have served temporarily in the Vientiane diocese.
    Approximately 300 Protestant congregations conducted services 
throughout the country for a community that has grown rapidly in the 
past decade. Church officials estimated Protestants to number as many 
as one-hundred thousand, although actual numbers were probably closer 
to half this figure. The LFNC recognized two Protestant groups: The 
LEC, which is the umbrella Protestant church, and the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church. The LFNC required all Protestant groups except 
Adventists to operate under the LEC's overall direction. Many 
Protestants were members of ethnic Mon-Khmer groups, especially the 
Khmu in the north and the Brou in the central provinces. Protestants 
also have expanded rapidly in the Hmong and Yao communities. In urban 
areas, the LEC has attracted many lowland Lao followers. Most LEC 
members are concentrated in the Vientiane municipality, in the 
provinces of Vientiane, Sayaboury, Luang Prabang, Xieng Khouang, 
Bolikhamsai, Savannakhet, Champassak, Attapeu, and in the former 
Saisomboun Special Zone, but smaller congregations were found 
throughout the country.
    The Seventh-day Adventist congregation numbered fewer than one 
thousand followers in Vientiane City, Bokeo Province, and one small 
Hmong community in Xieng Khouang province.
    All approved Christian religious faiths owned properties in 
Vientiane City, although some of their properties have not been 
officially recognized by the Government. In addition the LEC maintained 
properties in Savannakhet and Pakse. Two informal churches, one 
English-speaking and one Korean-speaking, served Vientiane's foreign 
Protestant community.
    Within the LEC, some congregations have sought greater independence 
and have forged their own connections with Protestant groups abroad. As 
the LEC has grown, an increased diversity of views has emerged among 
adherents and pastors, and one or two groups quietly have sought to 
register with the LFNC as separate denominations. Two of the more 
active of these ``underground'' denominations are Methodists and 
Jehovah's Witnesses, both of which have unsuccessfully sought official 
government approval for their activities. Other denominations that have 
some following in the country include the Church of Christ, Assemblies 
of God, Lutherans, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), and Baptists. Although the prime minister's Decree on 
Religious Practice established procedures for new denominations to 
register, the Government's desire to consolidate religious practice for 
purposes of control has effectively blocked new registrations. In early 
2006 the Methodists once again requested to register with the 
Government as a religious group separate and apart from the LEC.
    New guidelines issued by the LFNC in early 2004 required all other 
Protestant denominations wishing to establish congregations in the 
country to do so under the aegis of the LEC. In theory denominations 
not registered with the LFNC were not allowed to practice their faith. 
These unregistered ``independent'' churches expressed concern about 
being forced to cease activities. Authorities in several provinces 
insisted that independent church congregations return to the LEC, but 
in other areas authorities allowed independent churches to conduct 
services without hindrance.
    There were approximately 400 adherents of Islam in the country, the 
vast majority of whom were foreign permanent residents of South Asian 
and Cambodian (Cham) origin. There were two active mosques in Vientiane 
that ministered to the Sunni branch of Islam, but both were open to 
visits by Shiite worshippers as well.
    The Baha'i Faith had approximately eight thousand adherents and 
four centers: Two in Vientiane Municipality, one in Vientiane Province, 
and one in Savannakhet. A small number of Baha'is also lived in 
Khammouane Province and in Pakse City. The land on which the four 
Baha'i centers were located was approved by the Lao Government this 
year for use by the Baha'is. Additionally, the Government has given 
official approval for Baha'is to use land where they already have a 
cemetery. The Baha'is were planning to construct new spiritual centers 
in Savannkhet's Dong Bang Village and in Lat Khouay Village in 
Vientiane Municipality. They have received both village and district 
level approval to use the land, but were awaiting the official land 
deeds from the District Land Offices. Small groups of followers of 
Confucianism and Taoism practiced their beliefs in the larger cities.
    Although the Government prohibited foreigners from proselytizing, 
some resident foreigners associated with private businesses or 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) quietly engage in missionary 
activity.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, local 
authorities in particular sometimes violated this right. Article 30 of 
the constitution provides for freedom of religion, a fact frequently 
cited by officials in reference to religious tolerance. Article 9 of 
the constitution, however, discouraged all acts that create divisions 
among religions and persons. The Government interpreted this clause 
restrictively, and cites it as a reason for placing constraints on 
religious practice, especially those of minority religions. Although 
official pronouncements accept the existence of different religions, 
they emphasize religion's potential to divide, distract, or 
destabilize. Local and central government officials widely referenced 
Article 9 as justification for prohibiting such religious activities as 
proselytizing.
    A person arrested or convicted for religious offenses had little 
protection under the law. Persons detained may be held for lengthy 
periods without trial. Court judges, not juries, decided guilt or 
innocence in court cases, and accused person's defense rights were 
limited. All religious groups, including Buddhists, practice their 
faith in an atmosphere in which application of the law was arbitrary. 
Certain actions interpreted by officials as threatening could bring 
harsh punishment. Religious practice is ``free'' only if practitioners 
stay within tacitly understood guidelines of what was acceptable to the 
Government.
    The Government typically refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing on 
the part of its officials, even in egregious cases of religious 
persecution. Blame was inevitably attributed to the victims rather than 
the persecuting officials. In some cases, officials concocted patently 
unbelievable explanations for events in order to exonerate local 
officials.
    In twenty articles, Decree 92 establishes guidelines for religious 
activities in a broad range of areas. While the decree provides that 
the Government ``respects and protects legitimate activities of 
believers,'' it also seeks to ensure that religious practice ``conforms 
to the laws and regulations.'' Decree 92 reserves for the LFNC the 
``right and duty to manage and promote'' religious practice, requiring 
that nearly all aspects of religious practice receive the approval of 
the LFNC office having responsibility for the village or district where 
the activity occurs.
    The rules legitimized many activities that were previously regarded 
as illegal, such as proselytizing, printing religious material, owning 
and building houses of worship, and maintaining contact with overseas 
religious groups. However, in practice the Government was able to 
impose restrictions on religious activities through the required LFNC 
approval. The Government required several religious groups, apparently 
with the exception of the Buddhists, to report periodically to the 
Religious Affairs Department of the LFNC. According to some religious 
leaders, the Government's request for such reports had recently become 
more frequent, indicating that in the past reports were due annually, 
then every six months, and recently requested after four months. There 
was also a restriction against publication of religious materials that 
applies to most religious groups, with the exception of Buddhists.
    Both the constitution and Decree 92 asserted that religious 
practice should serve national interests by promoting development and 
education and instructing believers to be good citizens. The Government 
presumes both a right and a duty to oversee religious practice at all 
levels to ensure such practice fills this role in society. In effect 
this has led the Government to intervene in the activities of minority 
religious groups, particularly Christians, on the grounds that their 
practices did not promote national interests, or demonstrated 
disloyalty to the Government.
    Although the state was secular in name and practice, members of 
governmental institutions are by and large followers of Theravada 
Buddhism, the religion of the majority of the ethnic Lao population. 
The Government's exemption of Buddhism from many of the Decree 92 
restrictions imposed on other organized religions and its promotion of 
Buddhism as an element of the country's cultural and spiritual identity 
give Theravada Buddhism the status of an unofficial national religion. 
Many persons regard Buddhism as both an integral part of the national 
culture and a way of life. The increasing incorporation of Buddhist 
ritual and ceremony in state functions reflected the elevated status of 
Buddhism in society.
    In some areas where animism predominates among ethnic minority 
groups, local authorities have actively encouraged those groups to 
adopt Buddhism and abandon their ``backward'' beliefs in magic and 
spirits. The Government discouraged animist practices that it regards 
as outdated, unhealthy, or illegal, such as the practice in some tribes 
of killing children born with defects or of burying the bodies of 
deceased relatives under one's home. Aspects of nontraditional 
religious beliefs have penetrated Protestant congregations in some 
areas. In Xieng Khouang Province, a Hmong Christian congregation 
adopted millenarian practices in its worship service. According to 
provincial authorities, these beliefs led a senior church member to 
kill his wife late in 2003, predicting her resurrection in three days. 
Officials from the LFNC later asked the Seventh-day Adventist Church to 
incorporate this Hmong congregation into its community to bring its 
doctrines into line with those of an approved denomination.
    Although the Government did not maintain diplomatic relations with 
the Holy See, the Papal Nuncio visits from Thailand and coordinates 
with the Government on assistance programs, especially for lepers and 
persons with disabilities.
    Muslims in the small Islamic community were able to practice their 
faith openly and attend the two active mosques. Daily prayers and the 
weekly Jumaat prayer on Fridays proceeded unobstructed, and all Islamic 
celebrations were allowed. Muslims were permitted to go on the Hajj. 
Groups that conduct Tabligh teachings for the faithful came from 
Thailand once or twice per year. Since 2001 the Government has more 
closely scrutinized the activities of the small Muslim population but 
has not interfered with the community's religious activities. In 2005 
and 2006 a local Muslim leader represented the Government, along with 
members of other religious groups, at an Interfaith Conference on 
Religion in Jakarta, Indonesia.
    The small Seventh-day Adventist Church, confined to a handful of 
congregations in Vientiane and in Bokeo Province, reported no 
government interference in its activities in recent years, and its 
members appeared to be free to practice their faith.
    The Baha'i spiritual assemblies in Vientiane and Savannakhet cities 
practiced freely, but smaller communities in Khammouane and Savannakhet 
provinces have periodically faced restrictions by local authorities. 
The Baha'i assembly previously encountered difficulties establishing 
its ownership of the Baha'i center in Vientiane; however, in 2005 
authorities granted approval for use of the property by the Baha'is. 
Baha'i local spiritual assemblies and the national spiritual assembly 
routinely held Baha'i nineteen-day feasts and celebrated all holy days. 
The National Spiritual Assembly in Vientiane met regularly and has sent 
delegations to the Universal House of Justice in Mount Carmel, in 
Haifa, Israel.
    The Government observes two religious holidays Boun That Luang (the 
end of Buddhist Lent) and the Buddhist New Year in April. It recognized 
the popularity and cultural significance of Buddhist festivals, and 
most senior officials openly attended them. The Government generally 
allowed major religious festivals of all established congregations 
without hindrance. In the past, local officials in some areas 
obstructed Christian congregations' observance of religious holidays 
such as Christmas. Some church officials indicated that Christmas 
activities in 2005 were more restricted than in past years, 
particularly in Vientiane Municipality.
    Authorities required new denominations to join other religious 
groups with similar historical antecedents despite clear differences 
between the groups' beliefs. In March 2004 the LFNC's Order Number 1 
required all Protestant groups to become a part of the LEC or the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church. The order states that no other 
denominations will be permitted to register, a measure to prevent 
``disharmony'' in the religious community.
    There was no religious instruction in public schools nor were there 
any parochial or religiously affiliated schools operating in the 
country. Several private pre-schools and English language schools 
received support from religious groups abroad, however. In practice 
many boys spent some time in Buddhist temples, where they received 
instruction in religion as well as in academics. Temples traditionally 
have filled the role of schools and continued to play this role in 
smaller communities where formal education was limited or unavailable. 
Christian denominations, particularly the LEC, Seventh-day Adventists, 
and the Catholic Church, operated Sunday schools for children and young 
persons. Baha'i spiritual assemblies conduct religious training for 
children as well as for adult members.
    The Government required and routinely granted permission for formal 
links with coreligionists in other countries. In practice the line 
between formal and informal links was blurred, and relations generally 
were established without much difficulty.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government's tolerance of religion varied by region and by 
religion; evangelical Protestants associated with the LEC, and other 
Protestant groups that would have liked to be recognized as separate 
from the LEC, continued to be the target of most restrictions. Although 
not subjected to harassment, the Government observed the Buddhist 
hierarchy closely. The Buddhist Supreme Patriarch, or Sangkarat, 
maintained close links to the Government. As a result of the 
Government's decentralization policy that diffused power to provinces 
and districts, central government control over the behavior of local 
officials was weak. Local officials were often unaware of government 
policies on issues such as religious tolerance due to the absence of 
rule of law, coupled with the incomplete dissemination and application 
of existing laws and regulations. The LFNC at times visited areas where 
religious persecution had taken place in order to instruct local 
officials on government policy and regulation. More often, the LFNC's 
Religious Affairs Department encouraged local or provincial governments 
to resolve conflicts on their own and in accordance with Decree 92.
    The larger urban areas such as Vientiane, Thakhek, Pakse, and 
Savannakhet cities experienced little or no overt religious abuse, 
according to religious leaders in those areas. The large Protestant and 
Catholic communities of several provinces, including Xieng Khouang, 
Khammouane, and Champassak, reported no difficulties with authorities. 
Relations between officials and Christians in these areas were 
generally cordial. Throughout the country, however, religious practice 
reportedly was restrained by official rules and policies that allowed 
properly registered religious groups to practice their faith only under 
circumscribed conditions.
    Between 1999 and 2001 local authorities closed approximately twenty 
of Vientiane Province's sixty LEC churches, primarily in Hin Hoep, 
Feuang, and Vang Vieng Districts, and approximately sixty-five LEC 
churches in Savannakhet and Luang Prabang provinces. With a more 
relaxed policy of religious tolerance beginning in 2002, most of these 
churches were allowed to reopen, particularly in Vientiane and Luang 
Prabang provinces. However, officials in several districts of 
Savannakhet Province did not allow local congregations to reopen five 
or six of Savannakhet's approximately forty churches and they remained 
closed at the end of the reporting period. Officials in Khamsan Village 
continued to refuse permission to the village's LEC congregation to 
reopen its church, which was closed in 2003. Officials in Muang Feuang 
district of Vientiane Province granted permission for LEC members to 
reconstruct a destroyed church in Phone Ngam village in 2005 and the 
church has since reopened.
    During the reporting period, there were no reported LEC church 
closures apart from one church that was burned by village officials in 
Houaysay Noi Village in Bokeo Province. Six church leaders were 
subsequently arrested and imprisoned in late 2005. One of the church 
leaders, Som Sack, a former district governor, became ill while in 
prison and was moved to a military hospital where he died in November. 
Some religious figures noted that the Government had stopped paying Som 
Sack his retirement pay after he had converted to Christianity a few 
years earlier. Two arrestees were reportedly released in early December 
2005 and the remaining three in late December.
    In 2004 the Government quietly allowed a handful of new churches to 
be constructed, including the first Catholic Church built in northern 
Laos since 1975, a Catholic church in Bolikhamsai Province, and four 
new LEC churches in the former Saisomboun Special Zone and Bolikhamsai 
Province. Vientiane Province authorities also permitted LEC Christians 
to rebuild a destroyed church in Phone Ngam Village. In contrast to the 
past policy of denying all such requests, several provinces also 
permitted some Christian congregations to expand or renovate long-
standing churches.
    As many as 200 of the LEC's nearly 400 congregations do not have 
permanent church structures and conduct worship services in members' 
homes. Since the promulgation of Decree 92, officials from the LFNC's 
Religious Affairs Department have said that home churches should be 
replaced with designated church structures whenever possible. At the 
same time, village and district-level LFNC offices often refused 
permission to construct new churches, and home churches remained the 
only viable place of worship for many LEC congregations. The LEC 
encountered difficulties registering new congregations and receiving 
permission to establish new places of worship or repair existing 
facilities, particularly in Luang Prabang City, Attapeu, Luang Namtha, 
and Savannakhet provinces.
    In addition authorities required new denominations to join other 
religious groups with similar historical antecedents despite clear 
differences between the groups' beliefs. In at least two provinces, 
Xieng Khouang and Luang Prabang, authorities used threats of arrest of 
senior church leaders to force ``independent'' churches loosely 
affiliated with the U.S.-based United Methodist Church to return to the 
LEC. In other areas of the country, however, independent churches have 
generally been allowed to conduct services without hindrance by local 
authorities. As of early 2006, however, some village and district 
officials appear to be taking a stronger stance against unauthorized 
Methodist congregations.
    The authorities remained suspicious of patrons of religious 
communities other than Buddhism, especially evangelical Christian 
groups, in part because these faiths do not share the high degree of 
direction and incorporation into the Government structure that 
Theravada Buddhism does. Some authorities criticized Christianity as a 
Western or imperialist ``import'' into the country. In the past decade, 
the LEC suffered the brunt of local-level efforts to close churches, 
arrest church leaders, and force members to renounce their faith. The 
LEC's rapid growth over the last decade, its contacts with religious 
groups abroad, the active proselytizing on the part of some of its 
members, and its independence of government control contributed to 
government suspicion of the church's activities. Some authorities also 
interpreted Christian teachings of obedience to God as signifying 
disloyalty to the Government and ruling party. There was also strong 
evidence that the Communist Party leadership viewed Christianity as a 
tool of western countries to undermine the Communist political system. 
In view of this, the Government's hostility to organized Christianity 
can be seen as the defensive measure of a regime bent on securing its 
power against all potential threats. The LEC membership was comprised 
mostly of ethnic Mon-Khmer tribes and the Hmong, two groups that 
historically have resisted central Government control, which 
contributed to the Government's distrust of the LEC.
    During the period covered by this report there were no reports of 
official interference with or denial of permission to hold religious 
celebrations in churches, but there were reports that Christians in 
villages were not allowed to hold Christian celebrations in their 
homes, thus restricting Christian activities to church buildings only. 
There were no reports of security forces stopping vehicles during 
Sunday worship hours to prevent villagers from traveling to attend 
worship services.
    Longstanding restrictions on the Catholic Church's operations in 
the north left only a handful of small congregations in Sayaboury, 
Bokeo, and Luang Namtha; however, there were signs during the reporting 
period that the Government was easing its control over the Catholic 
community in the north. The Government permitted more frequent visits 
by the Bishop of Luang Prabang to the north to conduct services for the 
scattered Catholic community there, but it continued to restrict his 
travel. There were no ordained Catholic priests operating in the north. 
Several church properties, including a school in Vientiane, were seized 
by the Government after 1975 and have not been returned, nor has the 
Government provided restitution. In early 2005 authorities allowed 
Catholics in Ban Pong Vang of Sayaboury Province to construct a new 
church with assistance from the Papal Nuncio Office in Bangkok. This 
was the first Catholic Church built in the north since the creation of 
the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975. In the central and 
southern parts of the country, Catholic congregations practiced their 
religion relatively freely.
    In late 2005 the Catholic Church planned to conduct an ordination 
in Bolilkhamsai Province. The Government initially blocked the 
ordination, which would have been the first Catholic ordination in the 
country since 1975; however, in June 2006 the ordination was allowed to 
proceed in Vientiane Municipality along with the ordination of a deacon 
in Champassak Province.
    The Government prohibited foreigners from proselytizing, although 
it permitted foreign NGOs with religious affiliations to work in the 
country. Foreigners caught distributing religious materials could have 
been arrested or deported. Decree 92 specifically authorized 
proselytizing by local citizens, providing the LFNC approves the 
activity. In practice the authorities interpreted proselytizing as an 
illegal activity that creates divisiveness in society. Authorities 
sometimes seized religious tracts and teaching materials from local 
Christians entering the country from abroad and arrested and expelled 
foreigners attempting to proselytize. In early 2006 two South Koreans 
were reportedly arrested for proselytizing in Bokeo Province and were 
expelled.
    Although Decree 92 authorized the printing of non-Buddhist 
religious texts and allowed religious materials to be imported from 
abroad, it also required permission for such activities from the LFNC. 
The LFNC did not authorize Christian or Baha'i denominations to print 
their own religious materials, although both groups had been seeking 
permission to do so for several years. Some believers bring religious 
materials into the country; however, these persons face possible 
arrest. Because of these restrictions, some approved Christian 
congregations complained of difficulties in obtaining Bibles and other 
religious materials. During the reporting period, several Christians 
were arrested at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge for attempting to bring 
Bibles into the country. They were generally detained for a few days. 
Several non-Christian groups indicated that they have not been 
restricted in bringing religious materials into the country.
    The Government generally did not interfere with citizens wishing to 
travel abroad for short-term religious training; however, it required 
that such travelers notify authorities of the purpose of their travel 
and obtain permission in advance. In practice many persons of all 
faiths traveled abroad informally for religious training without 
obtaining advance permission or without informing authorities of the 
purpose of their travel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually 
granted exit visas, but on occasion it refused travel permission to 
persons going abroad for what it regarded as suspect activities.
    Identity cards did not specify religion, nor did family ``household 
registers'' or passports, two other important forms of identification. 
On occasion authorities withheld new ID cards or household registers 
from Christians because of their religious beliefs or threatened to 
withhold official documentation unless they renounced their faith.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Authorities continued to arrest or detain persons for their 
religious activities. Most detentions that occurred during the period 
covered by this report were short, varying from a few days to a few 
weeks. At least five Christians were detained for several days after 
attempting to bring Bibles into the country at the Lao-Thai Friendship 
Bridge. At the end of the period covered by this report, there were 
thirty religious prisoners: Two in Oudomsai Province, one under house 
arrest in Salavan Province, and twenty-seven in Bolikhamsai Province. 
Conditions in prisons were harsh; like other prisoners, religious 
detainees suffered from inadequate food rations, lack of medical care, 
and cramped quarters.
    In 1999 authorities arrested two members of the Lao Evangelical 
Church in Oudomsai Province, Nyoht and Thongchanh, and charged them 
with treason and sedition, although their arrests appeared to have been 
for proselytizing. Nyoht was sentenced to twelve years in prison and 
Thongchanh to fifteen years. The men remained in detention at the end 
of the period covered by this report despite appeals that their case be 
reviewed.
    In July and August 2004 authorities in Kasi District, Vientiane 
Province, detained four LEC Christians for several months. The LEC 
maintained that they were detained because of their religious 
activities. In late 2004 authorities arrested two ethnic Yao Christians 
in Long San District of Vientiane Province for proselytizing, according 
to LEC sources.
    In early 2005 authorities in Muang Phin District of Savannakhet 
Province detained twenty-four ethnic Brou Christians associated with 
the LEC at the district police office for several days in order to 
force their renunciation of faith. All but two of the men recanted 
their faith. These two men were imprisoned for approximately one year, 
but were reportedly released in early 2006. Officials in Sayaboury 
arrested an LEC pastor in June 2005, claiming that he had criticized 
members of the provincial administration. According to the LEC, he was 
released in late 2005.
    In December 2005 authorities in Bolikhamsai Province detained a 
group of twenty-seven ethnic Hmong. The group--all minors but one--were 
residents at the Petchaboon displaced persons settlement in northern 
Thailand, and were irregularly sent into the country by Thai 
authorities who believed they were illegal immigrants. Some sources 
indicated that the group was Christian, and may have been detained in 
Laos in part due to its religious affiliation. These twenty-seven Hmong 
were still in detention at the end of the reporting period. 
Complicating this case, the Government refused to acknowledge it was 
holding the group.
Forced Religious Conversion
    Efforts by local officials to force Christians to renounce their 
faith continued in some areas. In some cases, officials threatened 
religious minorities with arrest or expulsion from their villages if 
they did not comply, and on a number of occasions acted on these 
threats.
    In October 2004 officials in Ban Phiengsavat Village of the former 
Saisomboun Special Zone reportedly expelled a group of nearly seventy 
Khmu Christians after the Christians refused to give up their beliefs. 
In February 2005 a second expulsion took place in Ban Kok Pho Village 
of Bolikhamsai Province only a short distance from Ban Phiengsavat.
    In April 2006 district officials in Salavan Province reportedly 
arrested an LEC member, Mr. Adern, who refused the village chief's 
order to recant his faith. His was reportedly one of four Christian 
families that had lived in the village, two of which had been forced to 
leave by the time of his arrest. Mr. Adern was under house arrest at 
the end of the reporting period. During the first ten days of house 
arrest he was reportedly bound with wrist and ankle shackles, but was 
then unshackled and allowed to move freely in his home.
    Lands belonging to several Christian families in Ban Huang Village 
of Oudomsai Province were reportedly confiscated by the village chief 
and redistributed to other villagers in early 2006. Some other 
Christians who previously lived in the village were said to have moved 
to Phongsaly Province after being pressured by the village chief. 
According to Lao officials and the LEC, the land confiscation issue was 
resolved, but there was no clear explanation regarding what was done to 
resolve the situation.
    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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government's record of respect for religious freedom, 
particularly that of Christian minorities, continued to be marred by 
problems at the local level, with incidents of persecution occurring in 
many provinces.
    In its official pronouncements in recent years, the Government 
called for conciliation and equality between religious faiths. The LFNC 
continued to instruct local officials on religious tolerance. Officials 
from the LFNC traveled with representatives of the LEC to several 
provinces to promote better understanding between LEC congregations and 
local officials.
    The LEC continued to conduct an active program of public service 
during this reporting period, providing developmental assistance and 
organizing social welfare projects in several areas that had previously 
experienced religious intolerance. In conjunction with the LFNC, the 
LEC conducted meetings with officials and Christians in some villages 
where there had been religious tensions.
    Although initially delayed by several months, the fact that the 
Government allowed Catholics to ordain a priest and a deacon in June 
2006 was a positive development.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    For the most part, the various religious communities coexist 
amicably. Society places importance on harmonious relations, and the 
dominant Buddhist faith generally is tolerant of other religious 
practices. There was no ecumenical movement to date. Local cultural 
mores generally instill respect for longstanding, well-known 
differences in belief. However, interreligious tensions arose on rare 
occasions within some minority ethnic groups, particularly in response 
to proselytizing or disagreements over rights to village resources. 
Efforts of some congregations to establish churches independent of the 
LEC or associated with denominations based abroad led to some tensions 
within the Protestant community. Frictions also have arisen over the 
refusal of some members of minority religious groups, particularly 
evangelical Christians, to participate in Buddhist or animist religious 
ceremonies.
    In December 2005 an LEC pastor, Mr. Aroun Varaphong, was murdered 
in Bolikhamsai Province after preaching at a pre-Christmas service. At 
the time of this report, there was reportedly no progress in the murder 
investigation.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. ambassador cited the promotion of religious freedom as one 
of her priorities after her arrival in Vientiane. She raised the issue 
of religious freedom in calls on all major figures in the Government. 
The ambassador also spoke directly about religious freedom with 
provincial governors in her visits to the provinces. Other embassy 
officers discussed religious freedom with a range of central and 
provincial officials.
    The embassy maintained an ongoing dialogue with the Department of 
Religious Affairs in the LFNC. The embassy informed the LFNC of 
specific cases of arrest or harassment. The LFNC in turn used this 
information to intercede with local officials. Embassy representatives 
met with all major religious leaders in the country during the period 
covered by this report. Embassy officials actively encouraged religious 
freedom despite an environment restricted by government-owned and 
controlled media.
    The embassy actively encouraged high-level visits as the most 
effective tool for eliciting greater respect for religious freedom from 
the Government. The embassy also posted on its website material 
relevant to religious freedom in the country. In March 2006 a foreign 
affairs officer from the Department of State's Office of International 
Religious Freedom visited the country and met with the LFNC to 
encourage greater religious freedom, registration of the Methodists as 
a recognized religious group, permission for the Catholic Church to 
proceed with a planned ordination, and the release of five religious 
prisoners. Moreover, both Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs 
Eric John visited the country during the reporting period and 
encouraged greater religious freedom during their meetings with the 
prime minister and foreign minister. John also discussed religious 
freedom issues with the foreign minister during another visit in April 
2006.
                               __________

                                MALAYSIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government places some restrictions on this right. Islam is recognized 
in the constitution as ``the religion of the Federation,'' but the 
practice of non-Sunni Islamic beliefs was significantly restricted, and 
those deviating from accepted Sunni beliefs could be subjected to 
``rehabilitation.'' Non-Muslims were free to practice their religious 
beliefs with few restrictions.
    There was no material change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report.
    The generally tolerant relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 127 thousand square miles, 
and its population was estimated at 25.6 million. According to 2000 
census figures, approximately 60 percent of the population practiced 
Islam; 19 percent Buddhism; 9 percent Christianity; 6 percent Hinduism; 
and 3 percent Confucianism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese 
religions. The remainder was accounted for by other faiths, including 
animism, Sikhism, and the Baha'i Faith. Ethnic Malays, accounting for 
approximately 55 percent of the population, are legally classified as 
Muslims at birth.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, but it also 
recognizes Islam as the country's religion. In practice the Government 
significantly restricts the observance of Islamic beliefs other than 
Sunni Islam. The Government provides financial support to an Islamic 
religious establishment composed of a variety of governmental, quasi-
governmental, and other institutions, and it indirectly provides more 
limited funds to non-Islamic communities. State governments impose 
Islamic religious law on Muslims in some cultural and social matters 
but generally do not interfere with the religious practices of non-
Muslim communities. Prime Minister Abdullah is a proponent of moderate, 
progressive ``Islam Hadhari'' (literally ``civilizational Islam''). 
Some observers believe support for this policy contributed to his 2004 
election victory over the opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), 
which advocated a stricter Islamic agenda.
    Several holy days are recognized as official holidays, including 
Hari Raya Puasa (Muslim), Hari Raya Qurban (Muslim), the Birth of the 
Prophet Muhammad (Muslim), Wesak Day (Buddhist), Deepavali (Hindu), 
Christmas (Christian), and, in East Malaysia, Good Friday (Christian).
    The Registrar of Societies, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, 
determines whether a religious organization may be registered and 
thereby qualify for government grants and other benefits. Various 
religious groups were not recognized as such by the Government, and 
they sometimes registered themselves under the Companies Act to operate 
legally. In June 2005 nine Falun Gong practitioners were fined for 
committing technical violations of the Companies Act, such as failure 
to provide minutes of the organization's meetings within the required 
time frame.
    Public schools generally offered Islamic religious instruction, 
which is compulsory for Muslim children. Non-Muslim students are 
required to take nonreligious morals/ethics courses. Private schools 
are free to offer a non-Islamic religious curriculum as an option for 
non-Muslims. There are no restrictions on home instruction. The 
Government offered grants only to privately run Muslim religious 
schools that agreed to allow government supervision and adopted a 
government-approved curriculum.
    In February 2005 the Malaysian Bar Council organized a forum to 
discuss the creation of an interfaith commission aimed at promoting 
better understanding and mutual respect among the country's religious 
groups. Several groups claiming to represent mainstream Islam refused 
to participate in the forum on the grounds that an interfaith 
commission would ``weaken Islam.'' The Government subsequently 
announced that an interfaith commission was not necessary but stated 
that interfaith dialogue should be encouraged.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In practice Muslims are not permitted to convert to another 
religion. In several recent rulings secular courts ceded jurisdiction 
to Shari'a courts in matters involving conversion to or from Islam. In 
July 2004 the Federal Court, the country's highest court, upheld a 2002 
lower court ruling that only the Shari'a courts were qualified to 
determine whether a Muslim has become an apostate. In September 2005 
the country's second-highest court, the Court of Appeal, denied the 
request of a Muslim who had converted to Christianity to change the 
religion designated on her national identity card. The Court of Appeal 
ruled that a Shari'a court must first approve a request by a Muslim 
citizen to convert to another religion. In practice Shari'a courts 
routinely denied such requests. Citing the case as ``a matter of 
general public interest,'' the Federal Court agreed in April 2006 to 
hear the woman's appeal and address the degree to which Shari'a courts 
have jurisdiction over determinations of Muslim apostasy.
    In December 2005 a trial court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction 
over Shari'a court decisions on matters that concerned Islamic family 
law. The case involved the disposition of the remains of a Hindu man 
who was alleged to have converted to Islam before his death. The man's 
Hindu wife, claiming that there was no clear evidence that he had 
converted to Islam, struggled with Islamic authorities over which 
religion's rites should govern his burial. A Shari'a court ruled that 
the Hindu man was a Muslim and ordered his burial according to Muslim 
rites. As a non-Muslim, the wife took her case to the secular High 
Court, but the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to hear the case 
because it involved a Muslim. She then filed an appeal, which was 
pending as of June 30, 2006. In January 2006, following the death of an 
eighty-nine-year-old ethnic Malay woman who had practiced Buddhism her 
entire adult life, Islamic religious authorities requested a Shari'a 
court to rule whether the woman's Buddhist family could be allowed to 
bury her according to Buddhist rites. The Shari'a court ruled in favor 
of the woman's family.
    In January 2006 the non-Muslim members of the cabinet presented a 
memorandum to the prime minister calling for a review of constitutional 
provisions affecting the legal rights of non-Muslims. Following 
protests from several Muslim leaders within the governing coalition and 
a commitment by the prime minister to address the non-Muslim ministers' 
concerns in future cabinet meetings, the ministers withdrew their 
memorandum. The prime minister stated publicly that the country's 
constitution provides sufficient protection of religious freedom and 
should therefore not be reviewed or amended in that regard.
    Control of mosques is exercised at the state level rather than by 
the federal government; state religious authorities appoint imams to 
mosques and provide guidance on the content of sermons. While practices 
vary from state to state, both the Government and the opposition PAS 
have attempted to use mosques in the states they control to deliver 
politically oriented messages. In recent years, several states 
controlled by the governing coalition announced measures including 
banning opposition-affiliated imams from speaking at mosques, more 
vigorously enforcing existing restrictions on the content of sermons, 
replacing mosque leaders and governing committees thought to be 
sympathetic to the opposition, and threatening to close down 
unauthorized mosques with ties to the opposition. Similarly the state 
government of Kelantan, controlled by the PAS, reportedly restricts 
imams affiliated with the Barisan Nasional (the ruling coalition) from 
speaking in mosques.
    The Government opposed what it considered ``deviant'' 
interpretations of Islam, maintaining that allegedly deviant groups' 
views endanger national security. According to the Government's Islamic 
Development Department's (IDD) website, fifty-six deviant teachings had 
been identified and prohibited to Muslims as of June 2006. They 
included Shi'a, transcendental meditation, and Baha'i teachings, among 
others. The Government asserted that ``deviationist'' teachings could 
cause divisions among Muslims. The IDD has established written 
guidelines concerning what constitutes ``deviationist'' behavior or 
belief. State religious authorities, in making their determinations on 
these matters, have generally followed the federal guidelines. Members 
of groups deemed ``deviationist'' may be arrested and detained, with 
the consent of a Shari'a court, in order to be ``rehabilitated'' and 
returned to the ``true path of Islam.'' In June 2005 the religious 
affairs minister told parliament that 22 ``deviant'' religious groups 
with an estimated 2,820 followers had been identified in the country. 
Neither the Government nor religious authorities provided data on the 
number of such persons who have been subjected to ``rehabilitation.''
    The Government continued to monitor the activities of the Shi'a 
minority.
    Proselytizing of Muslims by members of other religions is strictly 
prohibited, although proselytizing of non-Muslims faces no similar 
obstacles. In April 2005 two foreign Christian missionaries were 
arrested after distributing religious materials in front of a mosque. 
They were charged with ``disturbing the peace in a religious manner.'' 
After ten days the Government dismissed the charges against the two men 
and released them.
    The Government restricts the distribution in peninsular Malaysia of 
Malay-language translations of the Bible, Christian tapes, and other 
printed materials. In April 2005 the prime minister declared that 
copies of the Malay-language Bible must have the words ``Not for 
Muslims'' printed on the front and could be distributed only in 
churches and Christian bookshops. The distribution of Malay-language 
Christian materials faces few restrictions in East Malaysia. According 
to the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, 
and Sikhs (MCCBCHS), the Government restricted visas for foreign clergy 
under the age of forty to inhibit ``militant clergy'' from entering the 
country. While representatives of non-Muslim groups did not sit on the 
immigration committee that approved visa requests, the MCCBCHS was 
asked for its recommendations. In August 2005 the Selangor state 
religious authorities announced their decision to withhold support for 
visa applications by foreign Muslim imams and religious teachers. Local 
media reported that the decision was largely targeted at the ethnic 
Indian Muslim community, in an effort to increase the number of 
``homegrown'' imams. Ethnic Indian religious leaders expressed concern 
that some mosques and religious schools might need to be closed.
    The Government prohibits publications that it alleges might incite 
racial or religious disharmony. In 2004 it prohibited Muslims from 
viewing the movie ``The Passion of the Christ'' but allowed non-Muslims 
to view the film at private screenings.
    The Government continued to require all Muslim civil servants to 
attend government-approved religion classes.
    State governments have authority over the building of non-Muslim 
places of worship and the allocation of land for non-Muslim cemeteries. 
Approvals for building permits sometimes were granted very slowly. Some 
religious groups complained that state policies and local decisions 
restrict the construction of non-Muslim places of worship. Muslim 
residents of a neighborhood in Kajang objected to the building of a 
church in a residential area that was predominantly Muslim. In May 2005 
the local municipal council determined that the proposed site was 
designated for residential building and rejected the church's 
application. A Roman Catholic church delayed for more than fourteen 
years by the state government of Selangor was officially opened in 
September 2005. Church officials publicly accused state and local 
officials of intentionally delaying construction of the church by 
demanding relocation of proposed building sites and revoking previously 
approved building plans and designs.
    Unregistered religious statues and houses of worship may be 
demolished by the state. Several nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) 
complained about the demolition of unregistered Hindu temples and 
shrines located on state and local lands. These structures were often 
constructed on privately owned plantations prior to the country's 
independence in 1957. Around that time, plantation lands containing 
many Hindu shrines and temples were transferred to government 
ownership. In March 2006 state officials in Negeri Sembilan announced 
their intention to demolish an unregistered Hindu temple believed to be 
150 years old. The temple sits on state-owned land that was zoned for 
road construction in 1956. Approximately 300 worshippers regularly use 
the temple. In May 2006 the temple sought a court injunction against 
the pending demolition. The court case remained open as of June 30, 
2006.
    In family and religious matters, all Muslims are subject to Shari'a 
law. Some women's rights advocates asserted that women faced 
discriminatory treatment in Shari'a courts due to prejudicial 
interpretation of Islamic family law and the lack of uniformity in the 
implementation of such laws among the various states.
    Government-controlled bodies exerted pressure upon non-Muslim women 
to wear headscarves. In November 2005 the minister of higher education 
stated that non-Muslim women students at the International Islamic 
University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur must wear headscarves when 
attending lectures and during graduation ceremonies. In March 2006 the 
leader of the Royal Malaysian Police stated that all female police 
officers, including non-Muslims, should wear headscarves during public 
ceremonies.
    Since the defeat of the PAS in Terengganu in March 2004 elections, 
state and local officials in that state have significantly reduced 
enforcement of dress codes for women. In Kelantan, the PAS also lost 
ground in 2004 but remained in control of the state legislature by a 
narrow margin. Many observers interpreted the result as a rejection by 
voters of the call by the PAS for the establishment of an Islamic state 
and of the strict form of Islam that it promoted. The PAS-led state 
government in Kelantan continued its ban on traditional Malay dance 
theaters, prohibited advertisements depicting women not fully covered 
by clothing, enforced wearing of headscarves by Muslim women, and 
imposed fines for violators during the reporting period. However, state 
authorities reversed several previously enacted Islamic law-related 
prohibitions. The PAS-led government allowed operation of gender 
segregated cinemas and concert venues, fashion shows limited to female 
attendees, and billiard/snooker centers for men only.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    According to the Government, no individuals were detained under the 
Internal Security Act (ISA) for religious reasons during the period 
covered by this report.
    The Government is concerned that ``deviationist'' teachings could 
cause divisions among Muslims. Members of ``deviationist'' groups can 
be arrested and detained, with the consent of a Shari'a court, to be 
``rehabilitated'' and returned to the ``true path of Islam.'' In July 
2004 the Federal Court dismissed an appeal by four followers of Ayah 
Pin, leader of a nonviolent religious group in Terengganu known as the 
Sky Kingdom. The appeal by the four former Muslims sought a statutory 
declaration that Sky Kingdom followers have the right to practice the 
religion of their choice. The Federal Court held that their attempt to 
renounce Islam did not free them from the jurisdiction of the state 
Shari'a court. In July 2005 seventy Sky Kingdom members were arrested 
at the sect's main compound in Terengganu. In August 2005 all 
nonresidential buildings on the compound were destroyed on the 
instruction of state officials, who asserted that nonfarming structures 
had been built on property zoned exclusively for agricultural use. The 
remaining individuals living on the compound were ordered to vacate 
their residences. No Shari'a law-qualified attorneys initially agreed 
to defend the Sky Kingdom followers, forcing postponement of their 
hearings. Ayah Pin and one of his four wives remained at large as of 
June 30, 2006, and were sought by religious authorities for supporting 
``deviant'' religious practices. One of the seventy arrested Sky 
Kingdom followers agreed to undergo religious rehabilitation; the cases 
against the other Ayah Pin followers were pending at the end of the 
reporting period.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally tolerant relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Non-Muslim ecumenical and interfaith organizations in the country 
include the MCCBCHS, the Malaysian Council of Churches, and the 
Christian Federation of Malaysia. Muslim organizations generally do not 
participate in ecumenical bodies. In 2005 several Muslim NGOs boycotted 
and condemned the proposed formation of an interfaith council on the 
claimed grounds that ``matters concerning Islam could only be discussed 
by Muslims.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    Embassy representatives maintained an active dialogue with leaders 
and representatives of various religious groups, including those not 
officially recognized by the Government. The embassy coordinated 
funding for a Fulbright scholar who addressed interfaith issues while 
in residence as a lecturer at a public university. The embassy 
sponsored visits by American Islamic scholars; it also funded civil 
society grants and exchange grants for representatives of NGOs working 
to promote greater religious tolerance, respect for diversity, and 
human rights and openness in the country.
                               __________

                            MARSHALL ISLANDS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 70 square miles, and the 
estimated population in 2005 was 56,417. Major religious groups 
included the United Church of Christ (formerly Congregational), with 
54.8 percent of the population; the Assemblies of God, 25.8 percent; 
and the Roman Catholic Church, 8.4 percent. Bukot Non Jesus (known as 
Assembly of God Part Two), 2.8 percent; the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 2.1 percent; Seventh-day Adventists, 0.9 
percent; Full Gospel, 0.7 percent; and the Baha'i Faith, 0.6 percent. 
Persons without any religious affiliation accounted for 1.5 percent of 
the population, and another 1.4 percent belonged to religious groups 
not named in the 1999 census, but which local religious leaders 
believed to consist of Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, and the 
Salvation Army.
    There were foreign missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints, Roman Catholic Church, Seventh-day Adventists, the 
Baptist Church, and other groups. Only Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses 
proselytized through home visits. Religious schools were operated by 
the Roman Catholic Church, United Church of Christ, Assemblies of God, 
Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Baptist Church.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion.
    Good Friday, Gospel Day, and Christmas are official religious 
holidays.
    There are no prerequisites for registering religious groups and 
there are no penalties for not registering. Missionary groups are 
allowed to operate freely.
    There is no religious education in public schools, and there are no 
opening or closing prayers during the school day. However, most 
extracurricular school events begin and end with a nondenominational 
Christian prayer.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Christianity was a dominant 
social and cultural force. Governmental and social functions typically 
opened and closed with an interdenominational Christian prayer 
delivered by an ordained minister, cleric, or church official.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                     FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately two hundred and sixty 
square miles, and its population is an estimated one hundred thousand, 
according to the 2000 census. The country consists of 607 islands 
spread over a two thousand mile long swath of ocean; diverse languages 
and cultures exist within each of the country's four states. Several 
Protestant denominations, as well as the Roman Catholic Church, were 
present in every state. Most Protestant groups trace their roots to 
American Congregationalist missionaries. On the island of Kosrae, the 
population was approximately 7,800; 95 percent were Protestants. On 
Pohnpei, the population of thirty-five thousand was evenly divided 
between Protestants and Catholics. On Chuuk and Yap, an estimated 60 
percent were Catholic and 40 percent were Protestant. Baptists, 
Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Salvation Army, Assemblies 
of God, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and 
the Baha'i Faith also were represented. There was a small group of 
Buddhists on Pohnpei. Attendance at religious services was generally 
high; churches were well supported by their congregations and played a 
significant role in civil society.
    Most immigrants were Filipino Catholics who have joined local 
Catholic churches. The Filipino Iglesia Ni Cristo also had a church in 
Pohnpei.
    In the 1890s, on the island of Pohnpei, intermissionary conflicts 
and the conversion of clan leaders resulted in religious divisions 
along clan lines, which persist today. More Protestants live on the 
western side of the island, while more Catholics live on the eastern 
side.
    Missionaries of many faiths worked within the country, including 
Catholics, Baptists, and Mormons.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The Bill of Rights 
forbids the establishment of a state religion and governmental 
restrictions on freedom of religion. There is no state religion.
    Christmas and Good Friday are national religious days.
    Foreign missionary groups operated without hindrance in all four 
states. There were numerous church-sponsored schools, and religious 
groups operated radio stations broadcasting religious programming on 
Pohnpei and Yap.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relations among religious groups in society 
contributed to religious freedom. Churches have formed an Inter-
Denominational Council to address social problems within the country.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its policy to promote human rights. 
Representatives of the U.S. embassy regularly meet with the leaders of 
religious communities. The embassy also worked closely with church-
related nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in its efforts to promote 
good governance.
    In 2005 church-related NGOs implemented two Pacific Island Fund 
grants. In addition a church-owned radio station was installing a Voice 
of America-provided satellite receiver so that it could relay VOA 
programming. An embassy nomination enabled a local cleric to visit the 
United States as part of an educational exchange that focused on the 
relationship between religion and community.
                               __________

                                MONGOLIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the law 
limits proselytizing, and some religious groups faced bureaucratic 
harassment or were denied registration.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 604,247 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 2.83 million. Buddhism and the country's traditions 
are tied closely, and almost all ethnic Mongolians (93 percent of the 
population) practiced some form of Buddhism. Lamaist Buddhism of the 
Tibetan variety is the traditional and dominant religion.
    When socialist controls on religion and on the country's traditions 
ended in 1990, active interest in the practice of Buddhism grew. The 
Buddhist community was not homogeneous, and there were several 
competing schools.
    Kazakhs, most of whom are Muslim, were the largest ethnic minority, 
constituting approximately 4 percent of the population nationwide and 
85 percent in the western province, Bayan-Olgiy. Kazakhs operated 
Islamic schools for their children. They sometimes received financial 
assistance from religious organizations in Kazakhstan and Turkey.
    Although nationwide statistics were lacking, there was a small 
number of Christians, including Roman Catholics, Russian Orthodox, and 
Protestants. In the capital, Ulaanbaatar, approximately thirty thousand 
citizens, or 3 percent of the registered population of the city, 
practiced Christianity.
    Some citizens practiced shamanism, but there were no reliable 
statistics on their number.
    Foreign missionary groups included Roman Catholics, Lutherans, 
Presbyterians, evangelical Protestants, Mormons (the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints), Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day 
Adventists, and Baha'is.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the law 
limits proselytizing, and some religious groups that seek to register 
faced burdensome bureaucratic requirements and lengthy delays. The 
constitution explicitly recognizes the separation of church and state.
    Although there is no state religion, ethnic Mongolian 
traditionalists believe that Buddhism is the ``natural religion'' of 
the country. The Government contributed to the restoration of several 
Buddhist sites that are important religious, historical, and cultural 
centers. The Government otherwise did not subsidize Buddhist or any 
other religious groups.
    A religious group must register with the Ministry of Justice and 
Home Affairs, a decentralized and bureaucratic process, in order to 
legally function as an organization. Religious institutions must 
reregister annually. The law allows the Government to supervise and 
limit the number of places of worship and number of clergy. The 
Government used the registration process as a mechanism to limit the 
number of places for religious worship; however, there were no reports 
that it limited the number of clergy during the reporting period.
    Groups must provide the following documentation when registering: A 
letter to the ministry requesting registration, a letter from the city 
council or other local authority granting approval to conduct religious 
services, a brief description of the organization, its charter, 
documentation of the founding of the local group, a list of leaders or 
officers, brief biographic information on the person wishing to conduct 
religious services, and the expected number of worshippers. The 
Ulaanbaatar City Council and other local legislative bodies require 
similar documentation prior to granting approval to conduct religious 
services. While the ministry possesses the ultimate authority to 
approve an organization's application, this appears to be largely pro 
forma. In practice local assemblies assess the applications.
    The registration process is decentralized with several layers of 
bureaucracy and, under the best of circumstances, can take months to 
complete. Registration with the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in 
the capital may not be sufficient if a group intends to work in the 
countryside where local registration is also necessary. There were 357 
registered places of worship, including 206 Buddhist, 127 Christian, 5 
Baha'i, and 5 Muslim. During the period covered by this report, twelve 
new Christian churches and two Buddhist temples were registered in 
Ulaanbaatar.
    Contacts with coreligionists outside the country are allowed. In 
1993 the Government abolished legal restrictions on such contacts, and 
human rights sources stated that there were no de facto efforts to 
restrict normal contacts and interchange.
    Religious instruction is not permitted in public schools. There is 
a school to train Buddhist lamas in Ulaanbaatar.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    While the law does not prohibit proselytizing by registered 
religious groups, it limits such activity by forbidding the use of 
material incentives, pressure, or deceptive methods to introduce 
religion. A Ministry of Education directive bans mixing foreign 
language or other training with religious teaching or instruction. 
Monitoring of the ban, particularly in the capital area, is strict. 
There were no reported violations of the ban in recent years. Religious 
groups that violate the law may not receive an extension of their 
registration. If individuals violate the law, the Government may ask 
their employers to terminate their employment.
    Registration and reregistration are burdensome for all religious 
groups. The length and documentation requirements of the process 
discourage some organizations from applying. Others can take years to 
win approval. Some Christian groups stated that local officials 
believed there were ``too many'' churches, or that there should at 
least be parity in the registration of new Buddhist temples and new 
Christian churches. One church, approved in May 2006, had been pursuing 
registration since 2003. City authorities approved twelve churches in 
May 2006. No churches were known to have been refused registration in 
Ulaanbaatar during the reporting period. Although a nongovernmental 
organization (NGO) previously reported that government officials had 
stated that sixty Christian churches registered in Ulaanbaatar were 
sufficient, there were no similar reported statements during the 
reporting period.
    Christian groups previously reported that authorities in Tov aimag 
(province), near Ulaanbaatar, routinely denied registration to 
churches. In December 2005 the aimag legislative body denied 
registration to eight churches on the same day it approved two Buddhist 
temples. No churches were registered in the aimag.
    Unregistered religious institutions are often able to function in 
practice but potentially face difficulties with authorities and are 
unable to sponsor foreign clergy for visas. In March 2006 government 
officials warned three unregistered churches in Tov aimag and one in 
Selenge aimag to cease their activities. Visa problems especially 
affect Christian churches, many of which depend on foreign clergy. 
During the registration process in Ulaanbaatar, in past years some 
groups encountered demands by midlevel city officials for money or 
charitable activities in their district; however, no such demands were 
reported in recent years.
    Ulaanbaatar authorities were reportedly helpful in assisting the 
Muslim community in the capital in its efforts to construct a mosque, 
including donating a piece of land for the site.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Citizens generally were 
tolerant of the beliefs of others, and there were no reports of 
religiously motivated violence; however, because in the past 
humanitarian assistance was accompanied by proselytizing activity, 
there was some friction between Christian missionary groups and 
citizens. Some conservatives have criticized foreign influences on 
youth and children, including foreign religions and the alleged use of 
material incentives to attract believers.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials discussed with authorities registration difficulties 
encountered by Christian groups. These discussions focused attention on 
U.S. concern for religious freedom and opposition to corruption; the 
discussions resulted in a clarification of the requirements for 
registration. Embassy officials also continued to discuss registration 
requirements with faith-based NGOs.
    The U.S. embassy maintains regular contact with Buddhist, Muslim, 
Protestant, Catholic, and Mormon religious groups. In addition the 
embassy met with representatives of U.S.-based religious and 
humanitarian organizations. The embassy maintains contact with the 
local offices of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the 
U.N. Development Program to discuss religious freedom and other human 
rights issues.
                               __________

                                 NAURU

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in some circumstances.
    There was no significant change in the status of respect for 
religious freedom during the period covered by this report. The 
Government placed some restrictions on the practice of religious and 
missionary work by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses. Most adherents of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were foreign workers previously 
employed by the government-owned Nauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC) and 
were stranded in the country awaiting repatriation. The Jehovah's 
Witnesses say that most of their few followers are native Nauruans.
    There were no indications of general societal discrimination 
against particular religious denominations; however, there has been 
resistance by some elements of the Nauru Protestant Church (the 
country's dominant religious group) to denominations perceived as 
foreign, in particular to the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately eight square miles, and 
its population is an estimated ten thousand, including the unemployed 
foreign workers. Christianity was the primary religion. According to 
the 2002 census, approximately two-thirds of Christians are Protestant, 
and the remainder was Roman Catholic. Some of the ethnic Chinese on the 
island, approximately 8 percent of the population, may be Confucian, 
Buddhist or Taoist.
    Foreign missionaries introduced Christianity in the late nineteenth 
and early twentieth centuries. There were a few active Christian 
missionary organizations, including representatives of the Anglican, 
Methodist, and Catholic faiths.
    Approximately two-thirds of the foreign workers formerly employed 
in the phosphate industry practiced different faiths from those of 
native-born citizens, although the majority was thought to be 
Christian. Both the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses have won converts 
among such workers, some of whom held religious services in their 
company-supplied housing. The Jehovah's Witnesses said they also had 
followers among the native population. Both faiths had only small 
numbers of adherents on the Island, and there was no missionary work in 
recent years.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in some circumstances. Under the 
constitution, the rights to freedom of conscience, expression, 
assembly, and association may be restricted by any law that ``makes 
provision which is reasonably required...in the interests of defense, 
public safety, public order, public morality or public health.'' The 
Government has cited this provision as a basis for preventing foreign 
churches from proselytizing native-born citizens.
    There is no state religion.
    Officials of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons have been informed 
that, under the provisions of the Birth, Death, and Marriage Ordinance, 
their churches must register with the Government to operate in an 
official capacity, which includes proselytizing, building churches, 
holding religious services in the NPC housing facilities, and otherwise 
practicing their religion. Only two long-standing Protestant 
denominations and the Roman Catholic Church are officially registered 
to operate. A third, small, breakaway Protestant congregation, catering 
principally to expatriate workers, is not registered. The legal counsel 
for the Mormons asserted that, while the ordinance in question permits 
the Government to recognize a religious denomination, it only requires 
such recognition if a denomination's ministers wish to solemnize 
marriages. The Church reported that it submitted a registration request 
in 1999; however, the Government has not responded either to the 
original request or to follow-up inquiries. Officials of Jehovah's 
Witnesses have not submitted a request for registration.
    Christmas and Easter are official religious holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government prevented Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon officials 
from visiting in their official capacities and on occasion prevented 
them from visiting at all. Although adherents could practice their 
religious beliefs privately, they were discouraged from any form of 
missionary work among native-born citizens. As a justification for such 
restrictions, the Government cited concerns that outside churches might 
break up families through their proselytizing activities.
    Since 2000, visiting ministers or missionaries from the Jehovah's 
Witnesses have not been permitted to enter the country. Mormon 
officials were similarly refused entry. The president of the Suva Fiji 
Mission, who is responsible for ministering to the Nauru community, 
said the Government discouraged him from applying for a visa. A Mormon 
missionary in Kiribati formally applied for a visa to enter the country 
to minister to the community but received no response.
    There was a multidenominational religious facility for foreign 
phosphate workers in the NPC housing area; however, Mormons and 
Jehovah's Witnesses were not permitted to use this facility for 
religious services or meetings.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    No evidence existed of general societal discrimination against 
specific religious denominations. Mormons who visited the country said 
they experienced no social hostility. However, economic problems 
resulting from sharply declining income from the country's phosphate 
mining industry have led to some social strains, and there has been 
resistance by some elements of the Nauru Protestant Church to religions 
perceived as foreign, in particular to the Mormons and Jehovah's 
Witnesses.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    Although the U.S. Government does not maintain an embassy in the 
country, the U.S. ambassador to Fiji is also accredited to the 
Government of Nauru. Representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji, 
discussed religious freedom issues, including restrictions on religious 
freedom, with representatives of the Government in Suva.
    The embassy actively supports efforts to improve and expand 
governmental and societal awareness and protection of human rights, 
including the right to freedom of religion. Embassy officials have 
discussed the importance of religious freedom with ministers in the 
reformist Scotty Government since its return to office in 2004.
                               __________

                              NEW ZEALAND

    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country is an island nation with an area of approximately 
99,000 thousand square miles, and its population is an estimated 
4,140,000. The country is predominantly Christian but was becoming more 
religiously diverse. According to the 2001 census, approximately 55 
percent of citizens identified themselves as Christian or members of 
individual Christian denominations. Three major Christian 
denominations: Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist experienced a 
decline in membership between 1996 and 2001, while the Roman Catholic 
Church showed a slight increase. The Maori Christian churches, which 
integrate Christian tenets with precolonial Maori beliefs and include 
Ratana and Ringatu, experienced significant growth. The number of 
Pentecostals declined by an estimated 19 percent between 1996 and 2001 
to less than 1 percent of the population. During the same period non-
Christian religions continued to show strong growth rates, driven 
primarily by immigration.
    According to 2001 census data, percentages of religious affiliation 
were: Anglican, 15.2 percent; Roman Catholic, 12.7 percent; 
Presbyterian, 10.9 percent; Christian (no more specific 
identification), 5 percent; Methodist, 3.1 percent; Baptist, 1.3 
percent; Ratana (a Maori/Christian group with services in the Maori 
language), 1.3 percent; Buddhist, 1.1 percent; Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 1 percent; and Hindu, 1 percent. There 
were also more than ninety religious groups that each constituted less 
than 1 percent of the population. In addition 26.8 percent stated that 
they had no religious affiliation, 6.2 percent objected to answering 
the survey question, and 5.5 percent did not state affiliation.
    The indigenous Maori (estimated at 15 percent of the population) 
tended to be followers of Presbyterianism, the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), or Maori Christian faiths such as 
Ratana and Ringatu. The Auckland statistical area, which accounts for 
approximately 30 percent of the country's population, exhibited the 
greatest religious diversity. Farther south on the North Island, and on 
the South Island, the percentage of citizens who identified themselves 
with Christian faiths increased, while those affiliated with non-
Christian religions decreased.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice. The Government at all 
levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its 
abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Education Act of 1964 specifies in its ``secular clause'' that 
teaching within public primary schools ``shall be entirely of a secular 
character''; however, it also permits religious instruction and 
observances in state primary schools within certain parameters. If the 
school committee in consultation with the principal or head teacher so 
determines, any class may be closed at any time of the school day 
within specified limits for the purposes of religious instruction given 
by voluntary instructors. However, attendance at religious instruction 
or observances is not compulsory. According to the Legal Division of 
the Ministry of Education, public secondary schools also may permit 
religious instruction at the discretion of individual school boards. 
The ministry does not keep centralized data on how many schools permit 
religious instruction or observances; however, the curriculum division 
stated that religious instruction, if provided at a school, usually was 
scheduled after normal school hours.
    Under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act of 1975, the 
Government, in response to its burgeoning general primary school role 
and to financial difficulties experienced by a large group of Catholic 
parochial schools, permitted the incorporation of private schools into 
the public school system. Designated as ``integrated schools,'' they 
were deemed to be of a ``unique character'' and were permitted to 
receive public funding provided that they also enrolled nonpreference 
students (students who did not fit within the ``unique character'' of 
the school; for example, non-Catholic students who attended a Catholic 
school). A total of 326 of the 2,607 schools of all levels were 
integrated schools with this designation. As of July 2005 there were 
238 Catholic schools, 75 schools with other religious affiliation, and 
13 schools with no religious affiliation integrated into the public 
school system. A student cannot be required to attend an integrated 
school; admission to such a school is based on a student's request.
    In 2003, the Office of Human Rights Proceedings (an independent 
component of the Human Rights Commission) settled a case in which the 
employer of a complainant (a member of the Seventh-day Adventist 
Church) breached the Human Rights Act of 1993 by requiring the latter 
to work on his Saturday Sabbath. The employer acknowledged breaching 
the act, paid a fine of $25,000 (NZD 40,000), awarded a one-time six-
week leave benefit, and agreed to an alternative roster so that the 
complainant would not be required to work on Saturdays.
    For the year ended June 30, 2005, the Human Rights Commission 
received 1,862 complaints having an element of unlawful discrimination 
under the Human Rights Act. 4.3 percent of these complaints were 
classified as unlawful discrimination on grounds of religious belief.
    Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter are official holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, some businesses were fined if they 
attempted to operate on the official holidays of Christmas Day, Good 
Friday, or Easter Sunday. (Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) day 
is the only nonreligious holiday that carries similar fines.) The small 
but growing non-Christian communities have called for the Government to 
take into account the country's increasingly diverse religious makeup 
and offer greater holiday flexibility. In response the Government 
removed some constraints on trade associated with the Christian faith. 
In 2001, it enacted legislation that permits several types of 
businesses to remain open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. These 
businesses included those providing essential supplies, convenience 
items, and food and drink.
    The Government does not require licensing or registration before it 
will recognize a religious group. However, if a religious group desires 
to collect money for the promotion of religion or charitable causes and 
wishes to be recognized by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to 
obtain tax benefits, then it must register with the IRD as a charitable 
trust. There is no fee for this registration.
    The country has two registered Christian-associated political 
parties. There are no other religiously affiliated parties, although 
the law does not prevent the registration of parties based on other 
religions.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Incidents of religiously 
motivated violence were extremely rare. Due to the infrequency of their 
occurrence and difficulty in establishing such motivation, the police 
do not attempt to maintain data on crimes that may have been motivated 
by religion.
    In November 2005, a man was convicted and sentenced to fifteen 
months' imprisonment for abuse directed at Muslims at a bus stop and on 
a bus in South Dunedin. Also in November 2005, a court sentenced two 
former members of the National Front, a white supremacist group, to 
twelve months' imprisonment for vandalizing mosques in Auckland 
following the July 2005 subway bombings in London. In July 2005, the 
person charged in 2004 for sending racist letters to members of 
Wellington's Somali community and other Muslims was convicted of 
harassment, and in September 2005 he was sentenced to six months' 
imprisonment.
    The government-funded Human Rights Commission actively promoted 
tolerance on the issue of religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintains contacts with representatives of the country's 
various religious communities, and includes them at its sponsored 
events.
                               __________

                                 PALAU

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    An archipelago of more than three hundred islands in the western 
Pacific Ocean, the country has an area of 188 square miles, and its 
population is approximately twenty-thousand persons; 70 percent live in 
the temporary capital, Koror. There were nineteen Christian 
denominations. Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion; 
approximately 65 percent of the population was members. Estimates of 
other religious groups with a sizable membership included the 
Evangelical Church, two thousand; Seventh-day Adventists, one thousand; 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), three hundred; 
and Jehovah's Witnesses, ninety. Modekngei, which embraces both animist 
and Christian beliefs and is unique to the country, had approximately 
eight-hundred adherents. There also was a small group of Bangladeshi 
Muslims and a primarily Catholic Filipino labor force (approximately 
five-thousand persons). A large percentage of citizens did not actively 
practice their faith.
    Since the arrival of Jesuit priests in the early nineteenth 
century, foreign missionaries have been active; some have been in the 
country for many years. A number of groups had missionaries in the 
country on proselytizing or teaching assignments, including the 
Apostolic Foundation, Baha'i Faith, Roman Catholic Church, Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Evangelical Church, High Adventure 
Ministries, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, Korean Church, 
Korea Presbyterian Church, Pacific Missionary Aviation, Palau Assembly 
of God, and Seventh-day Adventists. The Seventh-day Adventist and 
Evangelical churches had missionaries teaching in their respective 
elementary and high schools.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and does not 
tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Government does not promote or restrain religious activities; 
however, the Government regulates the establishment of religious 
organizations by requiring them to obtain charters as nonprofit 
organizations from the Office of the Attorney General. This 
registration process is not protracted, and the Government did not deny 
registration to any group during the period covered by this report. As 
nonprofit organizations, churches and missions are exempt from paying 
taxes.
    Foreign missionaries are required to obtain a missionary permit at 
the Office of Immigration; however, there were no reports that the 
Government denied these permits to any persons during the period 
covered by this report.
    The Government does not permit religious instruction in public 
schools. There is government financial support for religious schools 
that may be requested by representatives of any religion. The 
Government also provides small-scale financial assistance to cultural 
organizations.
    The Government recognizes Christmas as a national religious 
holiday. There is active participation by the majority of the country's 
religious groups in Easter and Christmas services. Even though the 
Government does not sponsor religious groups or promote religious 
activities, activities such as national and state events or public and 
private graduations are always conducted with a prayer to open the 
ceremonies.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, there is a ban on work permits for 
citizens of Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka. The ban stemmed from a 
1998 decision by the Division of Labor to deny work permits to 
Bangladeshi citizens following complaints from employers that workers' 
religious practices interfered with activities in the workplace and in 
living arrangements of employing families. A similar ban went into 
effect in 2001 for citizens of India and Sri Lanka. Workers from these 
countries present in the country at the time of the decision were not 
expelled, and there were no impediments to their practice of religion
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The various religious 
organizations maintained cordial relations with each other.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials also maintain regular contacts with the various 
religious communities.
                               __________

                            PAPUA NEW GUINEA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country is an island nation with an area of 280,773 square 
miles, and its population is approximately 5,930,400. According to the 
2000 census, the churches with the largest number of members were Roman 
Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, United, and Seventh-day Adventist 
churches. At that time, 96 percent of citizens identified themselves as 
members of a Christian church. Minority religions included the Baha'i 
Faith and Islam; there were approximately forty thousand Baha'is, 
according to Baha'i leadership, and one to two thousand Muslims. Many 
citizens combined their Christian faith with some traditional 
indigenous practices.
    Traditional Christian churches proselytized on the island in the 
nineteenth century. Colonial governments initially assigned different 
missions to different geographic areas. Since territory in the country 
is aligned strongly with language group and ethnicity, this colonial 
policy led to the identification of certain churches with certain 
ethnic groups. However, churches of all denominations are now found in 
all parts of the country. The Muslim community has a mosque in the 
capital of Port Moresby.
    Nontraditional Christian and non-Christian religious groups were 
active throughout the country. According to the Papua New Guinea 
Council of Churches, both Muslim and Confucian missionaries have become 
active, and foreign missionary activity in general was high. 
Pentecostal churches in particular have found converts within the 
congregations of the more established churches, and many movements and 
faiths that proselytize had representatives in the country. New Tribes 
Mission was the largest single missionary group, with approximately 450 
missionaries in the country. The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) 
celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in the country during the reporting 
period. SIL partnered with the Department of Education and communities 
in linguistic research, literacy, Bible translation, Scripture use, and 
training. SIL has produced New Testaments and one complete Bible in 157 
of the languages of the country.
    The Roman Catholic Church was the only traditional church that 
still relied to a large extent on foreign clergy.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full, and did not 
tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution's provisions for freedom of conscience, thought, 
and religion consistently have been interpreted to mean that any 
religion may be practiced or propagated as long as it does not 
interfere with the freedom of others. The predominance of Christianity 
is recognized in the preamble of the constitution, which refers to 
``our noble traditions and the Christian principles that are ours''; 
however, there is no state religion.
    During the period covered by this report, government officials, 
including the governor-general and the prime minister, attended rallies 
held by visiting Christian evangelists.
    In general, the Government does not subsidize the practice of 
religion. The Department of Family and Church Affairs has a nominal 
policymaking role that largely has been confined to reiterating the 
Government's respect for church autonomy.
    Churches continue to run most of the country's schools and many of 
its health services, and the Government provides support for those 
institutions. At independence, the Government recognized that it had 
neither the funds nor the personnel with which to take over these 
institutions and agreed to subsidize their operations on a per pupil or 
per patient basis. The Government also pays the salaries of national 
teachers and health staff. Although the education and health 
infrastructures continue to rely heavily on church-run institutions, 
some schools and clinics have closed periodically because they did not 
receive the promised government support. These problems are due in part 
to endemic financial management issues in the Government.
    Immigrants and noncitizens are free to practice their religion, and 
foreign missionary groups are permitted to proselytize and engage in 
other missionary activities.
    Religious holidays include Good Friday, Easter Monday, and 
Christmas Day.
    It is the policy of the Department of Education to set aside one 
hour per week for religious instruction in the public schools. 
Representatives of Christian churches teach the lessons and the 
students attend the class that is operated by the church of their 
parents' choice. Children whose parents do not wish them to attend the 
classes are excused. Members of non-Christian religious groups were not 
prevalent in the country, and it was not known if non-Christian 
religious groups had representatives to teach lessons.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    As new missionary movements proliferated, representatives and 
individuals of some established churches questioned publicly whether 
such activity was desirable. However, the courts and government 
practice have upheld the constitutional right to freedom of speech, 
thought, and belief, and no legislation to curb those rights has been 
adopted.
    In the past there were incidents of discrimination against recently 
arrived Muslim immigrants, but there were no reports of such incidents 
during the period covered by this report.
    The Council of Churches made the only known effort at interfaith 
dialogue. The council members included the Anglican, Gutnius and Union 
Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, and United churches, and the Salvation 
Army. In addition fifteen parareligious organizations, including the 
Young Women's Christian Association, participated in its activities; 
however, the self-financing council has only Christian affiliates. The 
ecumenical work of the Council of Churches is confined primarily to 
cooperation among churches on social welfare projects.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. ambassador continued discussions with the Council of Churches and 
individual church leaders. The ambassador and embassy officials met 
with religious leaders to discuss their role in social issues and 
continued to meet regularly with U.S. citizen missionaries of many 
denominations.
                               __________

                              PHILIPPINES

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The 
armed insurgent Muslim group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 
continued to seek greater autonomy. At the end of the period covered by 
this report, the Government and the MILF maintained a cease-fire and 
continued their peace dialogue, brokered by the Government of Malaysia. 
An eventual settlement could include special recognition of Islamic 
education and expanded recognition of Islamic law, among other 
provisions sought by some Muslims.
    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, there is some ethnic, 
religious, and cultural discrimination against Muslims by Christians. 
This, combined with economic disparities, contributed to persistent 
conflict in certain provinces.
    The U.S. embassy discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy actively encouraged the peace process between the Government 
and MILF, while the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) provided some 
technical assistance.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 115,831 square miles, and its population 
is approximately eighty-five million.
    Roman Catholics, the largest religious group, were estimated to 
comprise 80 to 85 percent of the total population. El Shaddai, a local 
charismatic lay movement affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, was 
headquartered in Manila and claims a domestic membership of six 
million.
    The largest minority religion was Islam. The most recent census, 
conducted in 2000, estimated that the Muslim population was between 5 
percent and 9 percent of the total population. Muslims resided 
principally on Mindanao and nearby islands. Most belonged to the Sunni 
branch of Islam. A very small number of Shi'a believers lived in the 
provinces of Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur on Mindanao.
    Among the numerous Protestant and other Christian denominations 
were Seventh-day Adventists, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, 
the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Assemblies of God, the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Philippine 
(Southern) Baptist denominations. In addition there were three churches 
established by local religious leaders: The Philippine Independent 
Church or ``Aglipayan,'' the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), and 
the Ang Dating Daan (an offshoot of Iglesia ni Cristo).
    A majority of indigenous peoples, estimated to number between 
twelve million and sixteen million, reportedly were Christian (Roman 
Catholic and Protestant). However, many indigenous groups mixed 
elements of their native religions with Christian beliefs and 
practices.
    Christian missionaries worked actively throughout the country, 
including within Muslim communities in most parts of western Mindanao. 
Conversion of Christians to Islam was most typical among workers who 
have lived and worked in an Islamic country, largely because converting 
brings social and economic benefits while abroad. Many of these 
``converts of convenience'' remained Muslims upon their return to the 
country and are known collectively as ``Balik Islam'' (``return to 
Islam'').

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion, and the constitution provides for the separation of 
church and state. The Government does not restrict adherents of other 
religions in practicing their faith.
    The law requires organized religions to register with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and with the Bureau of 
Internal Revenue (BIR) to establish tax-exempt status. The law does not 
specify penalties for failure to register with the SEC. There were no 
reports of discrimination in the registration system during the period 
covered by this report.
    The Government does not provide direct subsidies to institutions 
for religious purposes, even for the extensive school systems 
maintained by religious orders and church groups.
    The Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) generally limits its activities 
to fostering Islamic religious practices, although it also has the 
authority to coordinate economic growth and livelihood projects in 
predominantly Muslim areas. The OMA's Bureau of Pilgrimage and 
Endowment helps coordinate the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi 
Arabia; supervises endowment (auqaf) properties and institutions; and 
conducts activities for the establishment and maintenance of Islamic 
centers and auqaf projects. The presidential assistant for Muslim 
affairs helps coordinate relations with countries that have large 
Islamic populations and that have contributed to Mindanao's economic 
development and to the peace process.
    The Government worked with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) 
leaders on a variety of development programs to reintegrate former MNLF 
fighters through jobs and business opportunities. The integration of 
approximately 7,500 ex-MNLF fighters into the armed forces and police 
has helped reduce suspicion between Christians and Muslims.
    In March 2004 peace advocates, military troops, and government 
officials declared Jolo Municipality in Sulu Province a zone of peace 
under the UN Multi-Donor Program (UNMDP). In addition to Jolo, other 
towns in North Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Zamboanga del Norte provinces 
have been declared peace zones. During the reporting period, the peace 
zones in these areas--with the exception of Sulu--have experienced a 
dramatic decline in the number of armed encounters between government 
forces and Muslim insurgents. The reduction of hostilities reduced 
tensions between Christians and Muslims in these areas.
    The Government permits religious instruction in public schools with 
the written consent of parents, provided there is no cost to the 
Government. Based on a traditional policy of promoting moral education, 
local public schools give church groups the opportunity to teach moral 
values during school hours. Attendance is not mandatory, and various 
churches share classroom space. The Government also allows interested 
groups to distribute religious literature in public schools.
    By law, public schools must ensure that the religious rights of 
students are protected. Muslim students are allowed to wear their head 
coverings (hijab), and Muslim girls are not required to wear shorts 
during physical education classes.
    In many parts of Mindanao, Muslim students routinely attend 
Catholic schools from elementary to university level; however, these 
students are not required to receive Catholic religious instruction.
    In November 2005 the University of the Philippines (UP) agreed to 
the construction of a mussalah (prayer room) and a dormitory for Muslim 
students inside the campus.
    Approximately 14 percent of the school population in Mindanao 
attended Islamic schools. Estimates of the number of madrassahs 
(Islamic schools) across the country varied widely; government 
officials estimated the number at more than two thousand. Of these, 
more than half were located in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao 
(ARMM). A total of 1,140 madrassahs seeking financial assistance from 
local and foreign donors were registered with the OMA, while only 40 
are registered with the Department of Education. Most madrassahs did 
not meet the department's accreditation standards for curricula and 
adequate facilities. The Madrasa Development Coordinating Committee 
manages financial assistance to the madrassah system from local and 
international sources.
    In September 2005, the Government began implementation of its 
unified curriculum, designed to integrate madrassahs into the national 
education system. Several private madrassahs began training educators 
to teach math, science, English, and Filipino, in addition to sectarian 
subjects. The Government hoped to certify Islamic schools that offer a 
full range of courses in the coming years, allowing their graduates to 
enter public high schools or colleges. In addition, public elementary 
schools that had at least twenty-five Muslim students were ordered to 
begin offering Arabic language instruction and classes on Islamic 
values.
    In line with the Government's antiterrorism campaign, in April 2004 
the president ordered the creation of a special Muslim police unit 
tasked to handle cases involving the arrest and investigation of 
Muslims. Some Muslims disagreed with the creation of the police group 
and branded it as a ploy to pit Muslims against Muslims, but the 
Government claimed it would ensure that the rights of Muslims are 
protected.
    The Government's National Ecumenical Consultative Committee 
(NECCOM) fosters interfaith dialogue among major religious groups, 
including the Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Iglesia ni Cristo, the 
Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan), and Protestant 
denominations. The Protestant organizations represented in the NECCOM 
are the National Council of Churches of the Philippines and the 
Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches. Members of the NECCOM meet 
periodically with the president to discuss social and political issues.
    Officially recognized holy days include Maundy Thursday, Good 
Friday, Easter, All Saints' Day, and Christmas Day. Each year since 
2002, the President has issued a proclamation declaring the feast of 
the end of Ramadan, known as Eid al-Fitr, a special nonworking holiday 
nationwide.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government does not ban or discourage specific religions or 
religious factions. However, Muslims--who are concentrated in many of 
the most impoverished provinces--complain that the Government has not 
made sufficient efforts to promote their economic development. Some 
Muslim religious leaders asserted that Muslims suffered from economic 
discrimination. Predominantly Muslim provinces in Mindanao lagged far 
behind the rest of the country in most aspects of socioeconomic 
development. Poverty levels in the ARMM were almost twice as high as 
the national average, with per capita income of $285 (P15,760) per 
year.
    Intermittent government efforts to better integrate Muslims into 
the political and economic mainstream have achieved limited success. 
Many Muslims claimed that they continued to be underrepresented in 
senior civilian and military positions, and they cited the lack of 
proportional Muslim representation in national government institutions. 
There were currently 10 Muslim district representatives and 2 Muslim 
party list representatives in the House of Representatives out of a 
total of 236 members.
    The Code of Muslim Personal Laws recognizes the Shari'a (Islamic 
law) civil law system as part of national law; however, it does not 
apply in criminal matters, and it applies only to Muslims. Some Muslim 
community leaders (ulamas) argued that the Government should allow 
Islamic courts to extend their jurisdiction to criminal law cases, and 
some supported the MILF's goal of forming an autonomous region governed 
in accordance with Islamic law. As in other parts of the judicial 
system, the Shari'a courts suffered from a large number of unfilled 
positions.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    On February 2, 2006, gunmen attacked Christian families on the 
southern island of Jolo, leaving six dead. One of the injured reported 
that men had knocked on their door in the early morning hours to 
inquire if the family was Christian or Muslim. Shortly thereafter, the 
men returned and opened fire on three homes. No arrests were made.
    On February 13, 2006, Muslim residents of Isabela City, Basilan, 
staged a rally protesting a government order to demolish a mosque in 
the city and replace it with a commercial center. The mayor who ordered 
the demolition was shot and killed less than a month later, but it 
remained unclear if his death was connected to the destruction of the 
mosque.
    On May 7, 2006, eleven inmates--including four Abu Sayyaf Group 
(ASG) members--were injured at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig during a riot 
sparked by an argument between a Muslim and a Christian inmate. Two 
prisoners were critically wounded.
    Some progress was made since the last reporting period. On February 
28, 2006, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) released the results of 
the investigation into the March 2005 Camp Bagong Diwa jailbreak 
attempt, which ended in the deaths of twenty-two inmates, including 
several notorious regional commanders of the ASG. The CHR found the 
prison authorities used excessive force against the inmates. Some 
inmates who did not participate in the hostage-taking were summarily 
executed, and inmates were maltreated after the police assault. The CHR 
recommended that the Department of Justice create a committee to 
investigate the criminal liability of the assaulting police units.
    On January 7, 2005, following the creation in 2004 of special 
Muslim police units, members of the unit in the Western Police District 
raided the Islamic Information Center in Manila and detained seventeen 
suspected militants, including three women. However, police released 
fifteen of the suspects shortly after their arrest.
    In April 2004, following a series of illegal raids on Muslim 
communities and arrests reportedly made without warrants, an estimated 
four thousand Muslims held a prayer vigil and protested in Metro Manila 
and accused the Government of targeting Muslim communities in its hunt 
for terrorists.
    According to March 2004 press reports, the national security 
adviser claimed that Christians who had converted to Islam were the 
vanguard of terrorist activities in Metro Manila, Mindanao, and other 
areas and had links with the ASG and Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesia-
based terrorist group. Afterwards, the president issued a statement 
that the campaign against terrorism should be carried out without any 
ethnic or religious bias.
    Perceived religious discrimination sometimes leads to violence. In 
February 2005 a Moro rights advocate, his wife, and their son were 
killed in Sulu, allegedly by members of the AFP conducting counter-
insurgency operations. Afterwards, the MNLF attacked the military camp 
in Sulu in retaliation for the deaths, setting off several weeks of 
intense fighting in the region, which displaced at least twenty-six 
thousand civilians.
    There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversions
    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.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    The ASG claimed to seek the immediate establishment of an 
independent Islamic state in the southwestern region. This terrorist 
group is primarily a loose collection of criminal-terrorist and kidnap-
for-ransom gangs, and mainstream Muslim leaders rejected its claimed 
religious affiliation, strongly criticizing its actions as ``un-
Islamic.'' Most Muslims denounced terrorism as a means of achieving a 
satisfactory level of autonomy.
    Attacks attributed to the ASG (estimated to have between 300 and 
400 members) were numerous:
    In August 10, 2005, two bombings wounded twenty-four persons in 
Zamboanga City, Mindanao. A third bomb was disarmed by police before it 
could detonate. In August 28, 2005, the bombing of a ferry at Lamitan, 
Basilan, left at least thirty wounded, including children.
    In February 18, 2006, an explosion in a karaoke bar near an army 
camp in Jolo City, Sulu, killed one person and wounded twenty.
    In March 27, 2006, the Sulu Consumers Cooperative store in Jolo 
City, Sulu, was bombed, leaving nine dead and more than twenty wounded.
    In February 7, 2005, approximately 500 followers of jailed former 
MNLF leader Nur Misuari, reportedly in coordination with elements of 
ASG, attacked government forces in Jolo and other towns of Sulu.
    The Government made some progress in response to the attacks. On 
October 28, 2005, a Makati City trial court sentenced to death an 
Indonesian and two other ASG members for their involvement in the 
February 14, 2005, Makati bus bombing, which killed 4 persons and 
injured 103.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there was some 
ethnic, religious, and cultural discrimination against Muslims by 
Christians.
    Historically, Muslims have been alienated socially from the 
Christian majority, and some ethnic and cultural discrimination against 
Muslims has been recorded. The national culture often creates informal 
barriers whereby access to jobs or resources is provided first to those 
of one's own family or group. Some employers have a biased expectation 
that Muslims will have lower education levels. Muslims reported that 
they had difficulty renting rooms in boarding houses or being hired for 
retail work if they use their real names or wear distinctive Muslim 
dress, and thus resorted to the use of Christian pseudonyms and Western 
clothing.
    Over the past sixty years, efforts by the dominant Christian 
population to resettle in traditionally Muslim areas such as Mindanao 
have fostered resentment among many Muslim residents. Many Muslims 
viewed Christian proselytizing as another form of resettlement, with 
the intention of depriving Muslims of their homeland and cultural 
identity, including their religion.
    A Social Weather Station survey conducted from August to September 
2005 found that such attitudes may be shifting. The survey showed that 
63 percent of Filipinos viewed Islam and Muslims favorably, an increase 
from past years. The survey also found that 67 percent of Filipinos 
believe Islam was a peaceful religion, and 44 percent agreed that 
Muslims were as trustworthy as any other Filipinos.
    Amicable ties among religious communities are common, and many 
participate in interdenominational efforts to alleviate poverty. The 
Interfaith Group, which is registered as a nongovernmental organization 
(NGO), includes Roman Catholic, Islamic, and Protestant representatives 
joined together in an effort to support the Mindanao peace process. 
Leadership of human rights groups, trade union confederations, and 
industry associations typically represents many religious persuasions.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officers met with representatives of all major faiths to 
discuss their concerns. In addition, the U.S. Government actively 
supported the Government's peace process with Muslim insurgents in 
Mindanao, which has the potential to contribute to peace and a better 
climate for interfaith cooperation.
    The embassy also maintained active outreach with NGOs. The embassy 
hosted meetings of political and opinion leaders from the Muslim 
community to discuss the U.S. role in Mindanao. The Embassy continued 
to engage communities outside Manila.
    For fiscal year 2005, 60 percent of United States Agency for 
International Development's (USAID) $85 million budget for the country 
went to programs in Mindanao, mostly to the ARMM. USAID programs were 
instrumental in supporting the peace process, and helped foster an 
environment for greater religious tolerance. One example of such an 
effort was when a USAID program helped twenty-eight thousand former 
MNLF members make the transition from fighters to productive farmers.
    In an effort to promote religious education choices, the U.S 
Government funded a September 2005 NGO program that sent twenty-seven 
educators from private madrassahs in Mindanao to the United States to 
learn school administration and teaching methods for academic classes. 
Upon their return to Mindanao, these educators were given minigrants to 
implement small development projects in their respective madrassahs.
    The embassy also sought to help religious leaders broaden their 
horizons. During the period covered in this report, the embassy sent 
both Muslim and Christian leaders to the United States on International 
Visitor Program grants.
                               __________

                                 SAMOA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country, which is comprised of two relatively large islands, 
has a land area of 2,935 square kilometers, and its population was 
approximately 184,955. Most persons lived on the island of Upolu, where 
the capital, Apia, is located. Nearly 100 percent of the population was 
Christian. The 2001 population and housing census revealed the 
following religious distribution: Congregational Christian, 34.8 
percent; Roman Catholic, 19.6 percent; Methodist, 15 percent; the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 12.7 percent; 
Assemblies of God, 6.6 percent; and Seventh-day Adventist, 3.5 percent. 
These statistics reflected continual growth in the number and size of 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Assemblies of God 
congregations and a relative decline in the membership of the 
historically larger denominations. There were small congregations of 
other Protestant denominations such as Nazarene and Baptist. There were 
also members of the Baha'i Faith--the country hosts one of only seven 
Baha'i Houses of Worship in the world--and a few adherents of Islam. 
There were small congregations such as Jehovah's Witness with 0.8 
percent of the population, Worship Centre 1.3 percent, Voice of Christ 
0.4 percent, Full Gospel 0.8 percent, and Baptist Church 0.2 percent of 
the population. There were four theological colleges and Rhema, a Bible 
study school that was also growing in popularity. There were no reports 
of avowed atheists. The distribution of church membership was reflected 
throughout the country, but individual villages, particularly small 
ones, were only one or two of the major churches represented.
    Foreign nationals and immigrants practice the same religions as 
native-born (Western) Samoans. There were no sizable foreign national 
or immigrant groups, with the exception of U.S. nationals from American 
Samoa. The major denominations that were present all had missionaries, 
as did the Baha'i Faith.
    There was little or no correlation between religious differences 
and ethnic or political differences. Religious groups included citizens 
of various social and economic strata.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
provides for the right to practice the religion of one's choice, and 
the Government observes and enforces these provisions. Legal 
protections cover discrimination or persecution by private as well as 
government actors, and laws are applied and enforced in a 
nondiscriminatory manner. Judicial remedies are accessible and 
effective.
    The preamble to the constitution describes the country as, ``An 
independent State based on Christian principles and Samoan custom and 
traditions.'' Although Christianity is favored constitutionally, there 
is no official state religion.
    There are no requirements for the recognition of a religious group 
or for licenses or registration. Missionaries operate freely, either as 
part of one of the established churches, or in conducting independent 
revival meetings.
    The constitution provides freedom from unwanted religious 
indoctrination in schools but gives each denomination or religion the 
right to establish its own schools; these provisions are adhered to in 
practice. There are both religious and public schools; the latter do 
not have religious instruction as part of their curriculum. Pastoral 
schools in most villages provide religious instruction following school 
hours.
    Good Friday, Easter Monday, White Monday, and Christmas are 
considered national religious holidays.
    The Government takes steps to promote interfaith understanding by 
rotating ministers from various denominations who assist at government 
functions. Most government functions include a prayer at the opening.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The constitution grants each person the right to change religion or 
belief and to worship or teach religion alone or with others; however, 
in practice the matai (village chiefs) often choose the religious 
denomination of the aiga (extended family). Since 2000 there have been 
no reports that villages banished persons due to their practicing a 
religion different from that practiced by the village majority.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    There is strong societal pressure at the village and local level to 
attend church, participate in church services and other activities, and 
financially support church leaders and projects. In some denominations, 
such financial contributions often total more than 30 percent of family 
income.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy also maintains contacts with representatives of the 
country's various religious communities.
                               __________

                               SINGAPORE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in some circumstances.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. The Government has banned the 
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Unification Church. The Government does not 
tolerate speech or actions that it deems could adversely affect racial 
or religious harmony.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 270 square miles, and its total 
population is approximately 4.2 million, of whom 3.5 million are 
citizens or permanent residents. According to a 2000 government survey, 
85 percent of citizens and permanent residents professed some religious 
faith or belief. Of this group, 51 percent practiced Buddhism, Taoism, 
ancestor worship, or other faiths traditionally associated with the 
ethnic Chinese population. Approximately 15 percent of the population 
was Muslim, an estimated 15 percent Christian, and an estimated 4 
percent Hindu. The remainder was composed of adherents of other 
religions, agnostics, and atheists. Among Christians, the majority of 
whom were ethnic Chinese; Protestants outnumbered Roman Catholics by 
slightly more than a two-to-one ratio. There were also small Sikh, 
Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Jain communities.
    Approximately 77 percent of the population was ethnic Chinese, 14 
percent ethnic Malay, and 8 percent ethnic Indian. Nearly all ethnic 
Malays were Muslim, and most ethnic Indians Hindu. The ethnic Chinese 
population was divided among Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity, or was 
agnostic or atheist.
    Foreign missionaries were active in the country and include Roman 
Catholics, Mormons, and Baptists.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in some circumstances. The 
constitution provides that every citizen or person in the country has a 
constitutional right to profess, practice, or propagate his or her 
religious belief so long as such activities do not breach any other 
laws relating to public order, public health, or morality. There is no 
state religion.
    All religious groups are subject to government scrutiny and must be 
registered legally under the Societies Act. The Government deregistered 
the Singapore congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1972 and the 
Unification Church in 1982, making them unlawful societies. Such a 
designation makes it impossible to maintain a legal identity as a 
religious group, with consequences relating to owning property, 
conducting financial transactions, or holding public meetings.
    The Government plays an active but limited role in religious 
affairs. For example, the Government seeks to ensure that citizens, 
most of whom live in publicly subsidized housing, have ready access to 
religious organizations traditionally associated with their ethnic 
groups by helping such institutions find space in these housing 
complexes. The Government maintains a semiofficial relationship with 
the Muslim community through the Islamic Religious Council (MUIS), 
which was set up under the Administration of Muslim Law Act. The MUIS 
advises the Government on concerns of the Muslim community, drafts the 
approved weekly sermon, regulates some Muslim religious matters, and 
oversees a mosque-building fund financed by voluntary payroll 
deductions. The constitution acknowledges Malay/Muslims to be ``the 
indigenous people of Singapore'' and charges the Government 
specifically to promote their political, educational, religious, 
economic, social, cultural, and language interests.
    The 1961 Women's Charter gives women, among other rights, the right 
to own property, conduct trade, and receive divorce settlements. Muslim 
women enjoy most of the rights and protections of the Women's Charter; 
however, for the most part, Muslim marriage law falls under the 
administration of the Muslim Law Act, which empowers the Shari'a court 
to oversee such matters. The act also allows Muslim men to practice 
polygamy. Requests to take additional wives may be refused by the 
Registry of Muslim Marriages, which solicits the views of existing 
wives and reviews the financial capability of the husband. From 2003 to 
2005, there were 142 applications for polygamous marriage, and 50 
applications were approved.
    The Presidential Council on Minority Rights examines all pending 
bills to ensure that they do not disadvantage a particular group. It 
also reports to the Government on matters affecting any racial or 
religious community and investigates complaints.
    The Government does not permit religious instruction in public 
schools.
    There are one or more official religious holy days for each major 
religion in the country: Hari Raya Haji and Hari Raya Puasa for 
Muslims, Christmas and Good Friday for Christians, Deepavali for 
Hindus, and Vesak Day for Buddhists.
    The Government generally promotes interfaith understanding 
indirectly by sponsoring activities to promote interethnic harmony. 
Because the primary ethnic minorities each are predominantly of one 
faith, government programs to promote ethnic harmony have implications 
for interfaith relations. On February 9, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong 
unveiled plans for a Community Engagement Program (CEP). The CEP's 
purpose would be to promote multiracial and interreligious harmony so 
that a strong foundation would be in place should a terrorist attack 
occur in Singapore. The CEP planned to include not only racial and 
religious groups, but also schools, businesses, and unions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government restricts certain religious groups by application of 
the Societies Act. In 1982 the minister for home affairs dissolved the 
Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, also 
known as the Unification Church. In 1972 the Government deregistered 
and banned the Singapore Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses on the 
grounds that its existence was prejudicial to public welfare and order 
because its members refuse to perform military service (obligatory for 
all male citizens), salute the flag, or swear oaths of allegiance to 
the state. At the time, there were approximately 200 Jehovah's 
Witnesses in the country; at the end of the period covered by this 
report there were approximately two thousand. Although the Court of 
Appeals in 1996 upheld the rights of members of Jehovah's Witnesses to 
profess, practice, and propagate their religious belief, and the 
Government does not arrest members for being believers, the result of 
deregistration has been to make public meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses 
illegal. Nevertheless, since the 1996 ruling, no charges have been 
brought against persons attending or holding Jehovah's Witness meetings 
in private homes.
    The Government can also influence religious practice through the 
Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. The act was passed in 1990 and 
revised in 2001, in response to actions that the Government viewed as 
threats to religious harmony. This includes aggressive and 
``insensitive'' proselytizing and ``the mixing of religion and 
politics.'' The act established the Presidential Council on Religious 
Harmony, which reports to the minister of home affairs and is empowered 
to issue restraining orders against leaders and members of religious 
groups to prevent them from carrying out political activities, 
``exciting disaffection against'' the Government, creating ``ill will'' 
between religious groups, or carrying out subversive activities. These 
orders place individuals on notice that they should not repeat such 
acts; contravening a restraining order can result in fines of up to 
$5,984 (S ten thousand) and up to two years' imprisonment for a first 
offense. The act also prohibits judicial review of its enforcement or 
of any possible denial of rights arising from it.
    In April 2005 two Falun Gong adherents were found guilty of illegal 
assembly and distribution of video compact disks that had not been 
certified by the Board of Film Censors, and in October 2005 the High 
Court upheld their convictions, dismissing their appeals. The two women 
chose to serve prison sentences rather than pay fines of $12,092 (S 
twenty thousand) and $14,510 (S twenty-four thousand), respectively. 
They were released after a week once their families had paid the fines. 
The offenses were alleged to have taken place between November 2002 and 
March 2003. The law mandates police permits for outdoor assemblies of 
five or more persons and prohibits the distribution of films, including 
videodiscs, without a license.
    Missionaries, with the exception of members of Jehovah's Witnesses 
and representatives of the Unification Church, are permitted to work 
and to publish and distribute religious texts. However, while the 
Government does not prohibit evangelical activities, in practice it 
discourages activities that might upset the balance of intercommunal 
relations. Authorities did not detain any Jehovah's Witnesses for 
proselytizing during the period covered by this report or the previous 
twelve-month period.
    The Government has banned all written materials published by the 
International Bible Students Association and the Watchtower Bible and 
Tract Society, both publishing arms of the Jehovah's Witnesses. In 
practice this has led to confiscation of Bibles published by the 
groups, although the Bible itself has not been outlawed. A person in 
possession of banned literature can be fined up to $1,176 (S two 
thousand) and jailed up to twelve months for a first conviction.
    There were two government seizures of Jehovah's Witnesses 
literature during the period covered by this report. Four individuals 
were questioned by police and their literature was confiscated, but no 
charges were filed. There were no government seizures of Jehovah's 
Witnesses literature during the previous twelve-month period. In 2004 
eleven individuals were detained briefly for attempting to bring 
Jehovah's Witnesses publications into the country from Malaysia. In 
each instance, the literature was confiscated but no charges were 
filed.
    Three Jehovah's Witnesses students were suspended from school for 
refusing to sing the national anthem or participate in the flag 
ceremony during the period covered by this report. There were no such 
suspensions during the previous twelve-month period.
    In response to concern from the Malay/Muslim community regarding 
the fate of madrassahs (Islamic religious schools), the Government 
temporarily exempted madrassah students from compulsory school 
attendance. If a madrassah does not meet minimum academic standards by 
2008, its students would have to transfer either to a madrassah that 
does or to a national school, according to local press reports.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, there were fifteen 
members of Jehovah's Witnesses incarcerated in the armed forces 
detention barracks because they refused to carry out the legal 
obligation for all male citizens to serve in the armed forces. Of 
these, four began their sentence during the period covered by this 
report. There were no known conscientious objectors other than members 
of Jehovah's Witnesses during the period covered by this report. The 
initial sentence for failure to comply with the military service 
requirement is fifteen months' imprisonment, to which twenty-four 
months are added upon a second refusal. Failure to perform annual 
military reserve duty, which is required of all those who have 
completed their initial two-year obligation, results in forty-day 
sentences; a twelve-month sentence is usual after four such refusals. 
All of the Jehovah's Witnesses in detention were incarcerated for 
failing to perform their initial National Service obligations and 
expect to serve a total of thirty-nine months.
    There were no religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. Nearly all ethnic Malay citizens are 
Muslim, and ethnic Malays constituted the great majority of the 
country's Muslim community. Attitudes held by the Malay and non-Malay 
communities regarding one another are based on both ethnicity and 
religion, which in effect are impossible to separate.
    The Government enforced ethnic ratios for publicly subsidized 
housing, where the majority of citizens live and own their own units. 
The policy was designed to prevent ethnic/racial ghettos. When a 
housing development is at or near the limit for a particular ethnic 
group, the policy sometimes compels owners to sell their apartments to 
persons of underrepresented groups. This limits the number of potential 
buyers and affects the price of the property.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintains contacts with the various religious communities 
in the country.
                               __________

                            SOLOMON ISLANDS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respects this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 10,985 square miles and its population 
was approximately 538 thousand. Most citizens were members of the 
following Christian churches: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, 
Methodist, and Seventh-day Adventist. Traditional indigenous religious 
believers, consisting primarily of the Kwaio community on the island of 
Malaita, accounted for an estimated 5 percent of the population. Other 
groups, such as the Baha'i Faith, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Unification Church, and 
indigenous churches that have broken away from traditional Christian 
churches, comprised 2 percent. There were believed to be members of 
other religious groups within the foreign community who were free to 
practice their religions, but they were not known to proselytize or 
hold public religious ceremonies. According to the most recent reports, 
there were over 200 Muslims in the country.
    Christianity was brought to the country in the 19th and early 20th 
centuries by missionaries representing several Western churches: The 
Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the South Seas Evangelical 
Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the London Missionary 
Society (which became the United Church). Some foreign missionaries 
continued to work in the country. Except for the Roman Catholic Church, 
whose clergy was approximately 50 percent foreign, the clergy of the 
traditional churches was nearly entirely indigenous, including the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church, United Church (Methodist), South Seas 
Evangelical Church, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    The Department of Home and Cultural Affairs has a nominal 
policymaking role concerning religion. It characterized this role, on 
one hand, as keeping a balance between constitutionally protected 
rights of religious freedom, free speech, and free expression and, on 
the other hand, maintaining public order. All religious institutions 
were required to register with the Government; however, there were no 
reports that registration was denied to any group.
    In general the Government did not subsidize religion. However, 
several schools and health services in the country were built and 
continue to be operated by religious organizations. There were schools 
sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Melanesia, the 
United Church (Methodist), the South Seas Evangelical Church, and the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church. Upon independence, the Government 
recognized that it had neither the funds nor the personnel to take over 
these institutions and agreed instead to subsidize their operations.
    The public school curriculum included thirty minutes of daily 
religious instruction, the content of which is agreed upon by the 
Christian churches; students whose parents do not wish them to attend 
the class are excused. The Government subsidized church schools only if 
they aligned their curriculums with governmental criteria. Although 
non-Christian religions may be taught in the schools, there was no such 
instruction at present. However, the administrations of the Government 
primary and secondary schools in Auki, the provincial capital of 
Malaita, recently requested multifaith instruction from the Baha'i 
community. Customarily, government oaths of office were taken on the 
Bible; however, religious oaths were forbidden by the constitution and 
cannot be required.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Joint religious activities, 
such as religious representation at national events, were organized 
through the Solomon Islands Christian Association, which is composed of 
the five traditional churches of the country. Occasionally individual 
citizens object to the activities of nontraditional denominations and 
suggest that they be curtailed. However, society in general was 
tolerant of different religious beliefs and activities.
    During 2003, Guadalcanal militants abducted a number of members of 
an Anglican religious order and killed seven of them. In June 2003 
militant leader Harold Keke was arrested for these and other killings. 
In March 2005 Keke was convicted of the murder of Father Augustine Geve 
and sentenced to life imprisonment.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The United States Government does not have a permanent presence in 
the country; however, the U.S. embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New 
Guinea, discusses religious freedom issues with the Government as part 
of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                THAILAND

    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice; however, it does not 
register new religious groups that have not been accepted into one of 
the existing religious governing bodies on doctrinal or other grounds. 
In practice, unregistered religious organizations operated freely, and 
the Government's practice of not recognizing any new religious faiths 
has not restricted the activities of unregistered religious groups. The 
Government officially limits the number of foreign missionaries that 
may work in the country, although unregistered missionaries were 
present in large numbers and were allowed to live and work freely.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. While separatist violence in 
the southernmost provinces continued to result in localized tensions 
between Buddhist and Muslim communities, religious practices were not 
significantly inhibited.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 198 thousand square miles, 
and its population is an estimated 64 million. According to the 
Government's National Statistics Office, approximately 94 percent of 
the population was Buddhist and 5 percent was Muslim; however, 
estimates by nongovernmental organizations, academics, and religious 
groups stated that approximately 85 to 90 percent of the population was 
Theravada Buddhist and up to 10 percent of the population was Muslim. 
There were small animist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, 
and Taoist populations. According to the Religious Affairs Department 
(RAD), the numbers of atheists or persons who did not profess a 
religious faith made up less than 1 percent of the population.
    The dominant religion was Theravada Buddhism. The Buddhist clergy, 
or Sangha, consists of two main schools, which are governed by the same 
ecclesiastical hierarchy. Monks belonging to the older Mahanikaya 
school far outnumbered those of the Dhammayuttika school, an order that 
grew out of a nineteenth-century reform movement led by King Mongkut 
(Rama IV).
    Islam was the dominant religion in four of the five southernmost 
provinces, which border Malaysia. The majority of Muslims were ethnic 
Malay, but the Muslim population encompassed groups of diverse ethnic 
and national origin, including descendants of immigrants from South 
Asia, China, Cambodia, and Indonesia. The RAD reported that there were 
3,524 registered mosques in 64 provinces, of which 2,255 were located 
in the 5 southernmost provinces. According to the RAD, 99 percent of 
these mosques were associated with the Sunni branch of Islam. Shi'a 
mosques made up the remaining 1 percent.
    According to RAD statistics, there are an estimated 438,600 
Christians in the country, constituting 0.7 percent of the population. 
There were several Protestant denominations, and most belong to one of 
four umbrella organizations. The oldest of these groupings, the Church 
of Christ in Thailand, was formed in the mid-1930s. The largest was the 
Evangelical Foundation of Thailand. Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists 
were recognized by authorities as separate Protestant denominations and 
were organized under similar umbrella groups.
    There were nine tribal groups (chao khao) recognized by the 
Government, with an estimated population of approximately 920 thousand 
persons. Syncretistic practices drawn from Buddhism, Christianity, 
Taoism, and spirit worship were common. The Sikh Council of Thailand 
estimated the Sikh community to have a population of approximately 70 
thousand persons, most of which resided in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon 
Ratchasima, Pattaya, and Phuket. There were currently nineteen Sikh 
temples in the country. According to government statistics, there were 
an estimated 2,900 Hindus in the country, although Hindu organizations 
estimated the population to be closer to 10 thousand persons.
    The ethnic Chinese minority (Sino-Thai) has retained some popular 
religious traditions from China, including adherence to popular Taoist 
beliefs. Members of the Mien hill tribe followed a form of Taoism.
    Mahayana Buddhism was practiced primarily by small groups of 
Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants. There were more than 675 Chinese and 
Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist shrines and temples throughout the 
country.
    Citizens proselytized freely. Monks working as Buddhist 
missionaries (Dhammaduta) have been active since the end of World War 
II, particularly in border areas among the country's tribal 
populations. As of May 2006, there were 8,079 Dhammaduta working in the 
country. In addition, during the period covered by this report, the 
Government sponsored the international travel of another 1,038 Buddhist 
monks sent by their temples to disseminate religious information to 27 
countries. Muslim organizations reported having small numbers of 
citizens working as missionaries in the country and abroad. Christian 
organizations reported much larger numbers of missionaries, both 
foreign and Thai, operating in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice; however, it restricted the 
activities of some groups. The constitution requires that the monarch 
be a Buddhist. The state religion in effect is Theravada Buddhism; 
however, it is not officially designated as such.
    The constitution states that discrimination against a person on the 
grounds of ``a difference in religious belief'' shall not be permitted. 
There was no significant pattern of religious discrimination during the 
period covered by this report. The Government maintained longstanding 
policies designed to integrate southern Muslim communities into society 
through developmental efforts and expanded educational opportunities, 
as well as policies designed to increase the number of appointments to 
local and provincial positions where Muslims traditionally have been 
underrepresented.
    The constitution provides for, and citizens generally enjoyed, a 
large measure of freedom of speech; however, laws prohibiting speech 
likely to insult Buddhism remain in place. The 1962 Sangha Act 
specifically prohibits the defamation or insult of Buddhism and the 
Buddhist clergy. The Penal Code prohibits the insult or disturbance of 
religious places or services of all officially recognized religions. 
The Government plays an active role in religious affairs. The RAD, 
which is located in the Ministry of Culture, registers religious 
organizations. Under the provisions of the Religious Organizations Act, 
the RAD recognizes a new religion if a national census shows that it 
has at least five thousand adherents, has a uniquely recognizable 
theology, and is not politically active. A religious organization also 
must be accepted into an officially recognized ecclesiastical group 
before the RAD will grant registration. During the period covered by 
this report, there were five such groups: The Buddhist community, the 
Muslim community, the Brahmin-Hindu community, the Sikh community, and 
the Catholic community, which includes four Protestant subgroups. 
Government registration confers some benefits, including access to 
state subsidies, tax-exempt status, and preferential allocation of 
resident visas for organization officials. However, since 1984 the 
Government has not recognized any new religious faiths. In practice, 
unregistered religious organizations operate freely, and the 
Government's practice of not recognizing any new religious faiths has 
not restricted the activities of unregistered religious groups.
    The constitution requires the Government ``to patronize and protect 
Buddhism and other religions.'' The State subsidizes activities of the 
three largest religious communities (Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian). 
The Government allocated approximately $56.5 million (2.2 billion baht) 
during fiscal year 2006 to support the National Buddhism Bureau, which 
was established in 2002 as an independent state agency. The office 
oversees the Buddhist clergy and approved the curricula of Buddhist 
teachings for all Buddhist temples of educational institutions. In 
addition, the bureau promotes the Buddhist faith by sponsoring 
educational and public relations materials on the faith and practice in 
daily life.
    For fiscal year 2005, the Government, through the RAD, allocated 
$1.03 million for Islamic organizations, $56,600 for Christian, 
Brahman-Hindu, and Sikh organizations. Also in 2006 RAD received, for 
the first time, a rotating budget of approximately $51.3 million (200 
million baht) to be used to offer loans for Hajj-related travel.
    The budgets for Buddhist and Muslim organizations included funds to 
support Buddhist and Muslim institutes of higher education, fund 
religious education programs in public and private schools, provide 
daily allowances for monks and Muslim clerics who hold administrative 
and senior ecclesiastical posts, and subsidize travel and health care 
for monks and Muslim clerics. This figure also included an annual 
budget for the renovation and repair of Buddhist temples and Muslim 
mosques, the maintenance of historic Buddhist sites, and the daily 
upkeep of the central mosque in Pattani. Catholic and Protestant groups 
can request government support for renovation and repair work but do 
not receive a regular budget to maintain church buildings, nor do they 
receive government assistance to support their clergy. In 2006 the 
Government provided approximately $36,000 for restoration of Christian 
churches. Private donations to registered religious organizations are 
tax deductible.
    Religious instruction is required in public schools at both the 
primary, (grades one through six, and secondary, grades seven through 
twelve, education levels. The Ministry of Education has formulated a 
course called ``Social, Religion, and Culture Studies,'' which students 
in each grade study for one to two hours each week. The course contains 
information about all of the recognized religions in the country. 
Students who wish to pursue in-depth studies of other religions or of 
their belief may study at the religious schools and can transfer 
credits to the public school. Schools, working in conjunction with 
their local school administrative board, are authorized to arrange 
additional religious studies courses. The Supreme Sangha Council and 
the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand have created special 
curriculums for Buddhist and Islamic studies.
    There are a variety of Islamic education opportunities for 
children. Tadika is an after-school religious course for children in 
grades one through six, which is under the supervision of the RAD and 
generally takes place in a mosque. There are currently 1,612 registered 
Islamic Religious and Moral Education centers teaching Tadika, with 
approximately 173 thousand students and more than 4 thousand teachers. 
For secondary school children, the Ministry of Education allows two 
separate curricula for private Islamic studies schools. The first type 
teaches only Islamic religious courses. As of April 2006, there were 92 
schools nationwide with 5,684 students and 423 teachers using this 
curriculum. The government registers but does not certify these 
schools, and students from these schools cannot continue to any higher 
education within the country. The number of this type of school was in 
decline as students opted to attend schools that afford alternatives 
for higher education. The second curriculum teaches both Islamic 
religious courses and traditional state education coursework. 
Approximately 132 schools nationwide with 100,684 students use this 
curriculum. The Government recognizes these private schools, and 
graduating students can continue to higher education within the 
country. A third type of Islamic education available, mostly in the 
southern part of the country, is traditional pondok schools. During the 
period covered by this report, there were 372 registered pondok schools 
primarily in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces. Previously, these 
religious schools were not required to register with the Government and 
received no Government oversight or funding. The registration effort 
began in April 2004 following an attack on a military post and arms 
depot in Narathiwat in January 2004. Government investigations into 
that incident led the authorities to pursue suspects associated with 
pondok schools. The total number of pondoks is still unknown. Sources 
believed that there could be as many as one thousand.
    The Government actively sponsors interfaith dialogue in accordance 
with the constitution, which requires the State to ``promote good 
understanding and harmony among followers of all religions.'' The 
Government funds regular meetings and public education programs. These 
programs included the RAD annual interfaith meeting for representatives 
and members of all religious groups certified by RAD. The programs also 
included monthly meetings of the seventeen-member Subcommittee on 
Religious Relations, located within the prime minister's National 
Identity Promotion Office (the subcommittee is composed of one 
representative from the Buddhist, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and 
Sikh communities in addition to civil servants from several government 
agencies). In March 2006 the RAD organized an interfaith convention in 
Bangkok, which had 1,600 participants and a major international 
interfaith event is planned for June 2006 during the sixtieth 
anniversary celebration of the king's coronation. The RAD sponsored a 
public relations campaign promoting interreligious understanding and 
harmony, including prime-time television announcements. However, a 
continuing separatist insurgency by militant ethnic Malay Muslims in 
the southernmost provinces led to concerns that the violence may be 
contributing to increased tensions between the local Buddhist and 
Muslim communities.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In the past, government officials, at the request of Chinese 
Government officials, have reportedly monitored Falun Gong members. 
During the period covered by this report, the Government denied the 
application submitted by the local Falun Gong to register as an 
association with the Office of the National Cultural Commission. The 
organization was currently challenging this decision through the court 
system. No action was announced on a second petition submitted to the 
police department to print and distribute a weekly Falun Gong magazine. 
The group was able to print and distribute religious materials both in 
Thai and Chinese on a small, informal basis for free distribution. 
Falun Gong maintained a website that advertises daily gatherings in 
Bangkok and periodic gatherings in Songkhla.
    The Government does not recognize religious faiths other than the 
five existing groupings. However, unregistered religious organizations 
operated freely.
    Although unregistered missionaries were present in large numbers, 
the number of foreign missionaries registered with the Government is 
limited to a quota that originally was established by the RAD in 1982. 
The quota is divided along both religious and denominational lines. 
During the period covered by this report, there were close to 1,500 
registered foreign missionaries in the country, most of them Christian. 
In addition to these formal quotas, far more missionaries, while not 
registered were able to live and work in the country without government 
interference. While registration conferred some benefits, such as 
longer terms for visa stays, being unregistered was not a significant 
barrier to foreign missionary activity. Many foreign missionaries 
entered the country using tourist visas and proselytized or 
disseminated religious literature without the acknowledgment of the 
RAD. There were no reports that foreign missionaries were deported or 
harassed for working without registration. Muslim professors and 
clerics, particularly in the far south, continue to face additional 
scrutiny because of continued government concern about the resurgence 
of Muslim separatist activities. However, this did not appear to 
interfere with their activities or their ability to practice their 
faith.
    Muslim female civil servants were not permitted to wear headscarves 
when dressed in civil servant uniforms. However, in practice most 
female civil servants were permitted by their superiors to wear 
headscarves if they wished, particularly in the country's southernmost 
provinces. Muslim female civil servants not required to wear uniforms 
were allowed to wear headscarves.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Violent acts committed by suspected Islamic militants in the 
provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, and Yala affected the 
ability of some Buddhists in this predominantly Muslim region to 
undertake the full range of their traditional religious practices. 
During the period covered by this report, one Buddhist monk and two 
novices were killed in an attack on a Buddhist temple in Pattani 
Province. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of October 
16, 2005, when approximately twenty assailants attacked a temple in 
Ponare District, Pattani. The attackers fired guns into temple 
dwellings, killing two teenage novices, and stabbed a seventy-six year 
old monk to death, nearly severing his head. The attackers then set 
fire to several structures and destroyed Buddha images. At the end of 
the period covered by this report, no one had been arrested or charged 
in these attacks.
    On September 2, 2005, a monk was injured by a bomb in Narathiwat 
Province. Four others were injured in separate incidents between March 
and June 2005 in Yala Province. The monks were performing the morning 
ritual of receiving donations of food and were guarded by armed 
soldiers. In June 2005, eight civilians were beheaded in six separate 
incidents. Some observers in the south, including some Muslim leaders, 
described these incidents as reprisal killings for the arrest and/or 
killing of suspected Muslim militants by authorities. At the end of the 
period covered by this report, no one had been arrested for the 2004 
murder of three Buddhist monks and the beheading of one civilian 
Buddhist rubber tapper or for the 2004 attacks on Buddhist temples and 
one Chinese shrine in the southern provinces of the country. The 
Government continued to investigate these incidents in the context of 
security operations involving the ongoing separatist violence in the 
South. Buddhist monks continued to report that they were fearful and 
thus no longer able to travel freely through southern communities to 
receive alms. They also claimed that laypersons sometimes declined to 
assist them in their daily activities out of fear of being targeted by 
militants.
    There were almost daily attacks by suspected separatist militants 
in Thailand's southernmost provinces on both government officials and 
Buddhists and Muslim civilians. The violence contributed to an 
atmosphere of fear and suspicion in the southern provinces. However, 
while the level of tension between local Islamic and Buddhist 
communities was heightened, it did not result in open communal 
conflict.
    In response to the killings, the Government stationed troops to 
protect the religious practitioners and structures of all faiths in 
communities where the potential for violence existed, and provided 
armed escort for Buddhist monks, where necessary, for their daily 
rounds to receive alms. The Government offered compensation to the 
families of 106 Islamic militants slain while attacking security forces 
on April 28, 2004, and many of the families accepted. The Government 
allocated $218,000 for the restoration of the Krue Se Mosque, which 
soldiers damaged during the fighting. During the period covered by this 
report, the restoration was completed and an additional $40,000 was 
allocated for supplementary improvements.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversions, 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religious groups closely 
associated with ethnic minorities, such as Muslims, experienced some 
societal economic discrimination; however, such discrimination appeared 
to be linked more to ethnicity than to religion. Continued violence in 
the far southern regions of the country contributed to negative 
stereotypes of Muslims held by persons from other geographic areas of 
the country. Murders clearly targeted at Buddhists increased ethnic 
tensions between Muslim and Buddhist communities in the far south.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officers regularly visit Muslim religious leaders, academics, 
and elected officials as part of the embassy's goal of understanding 
the complex ethnic and religious issues at play in society.
    During the fiscal year 2005, five Muslims from a broad range of 
professions participated in the International Visitor Leadership 
Program, which is the flagship professional exchange program of the 
Department of State and serves to introduce young professionals from a 
wide variety of fields to the United States at an early stage in their 
professional development.
                               __________

                                 TONGA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 288 square miles and its population is 
approximately 112,400. According to the last official census, in 1996, 
membership by percentage of population of major denominations was: Free 
Wesleyan Church of Tonga, 41 percent; Roman Catholic, 16 percent; 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 14 percent; and 
Free Church of Tonga, 12 percent. More recently, many faiths have said 
the figures were no longer accurate. The Mormon Church claimed its 
members comprised at least 32 percent of the population, while the 
Baha'is stated they accounted for nearly 5 percent. The Free Wesleyan 
Church stated its community numbered an estimated 30,000. None of these 
newer estimates could be independently confirmed. Members of the 
Tokaikolo (a local offshoot of the Methodist Church), Seventh-day 
Adventist, Assemblies of God, and Anglican churches were present in 
much smaller numbers. There were also Muslim and Hindu communities, 
each comprising negligible numbers. There were no reports of 
acknowledged atheists.
    Western missionaries, particularly Mormons and other Christian 
denominations and organizations, were active in the country and 
reported being welcomed and respected in local society.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion. Registration of religious groups is 
recommended by the Government for tax purposes, but it is not required. 
All religious groups are permitted duty-free entry of goods intended 
for religious purposes, but no religious group is subsidized or granted 
tax-exempt status.
    Missionaries operated without special restrictions. There were a 
number of schools operated by Mormons, the Wesleyan Free Church, and 
Roman Catholics. The Baha'i Faith, Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies 
of God, and the Anglican Church also reported supporting their own 
schools.
    Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day are 
official holy days.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The constitution states that Sunday, the Sabbath day, is to be 
``kept holy'' and that no business can be conducted ``except according 
to law.'' Although an exception is made for hotels and resorts that are 
part of the tourism industry, the Sabbath day business prohibition is 
enforced strictly for all businesses, regardless of the business 
owners' religion.
    The Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC) maintained policy 
guidelines regarding the broadcast of religious programming on Radio 
Tonga. The TBC guidelines stated that in view of ``the character of the 
listening public,'' those who preach on Radio Tonga must confine their 
preaching ``within the limits of the mainstream Christian tradition.'' 
This policy applied to all faiths. Religious leaders from all faiths 
were permitted to host programs, but the TBC policy did not, for 
example, permit the Baha'is to discuss the tenets of their religion or 
mention its founder, Baha'u'llah, by name. Similarly, the TBC did not 
allow Mormons to discuss their founder, Joseph Smith, or the Book of 
Mormon by name. Mormons used Radio Tonga for the announcement of church 
activities. Other faiths also utilized Radio Tonga. Members of the 
Baha'i Faith used a privately owned radio station for program 
activities and the announcement of functions. The TBC insisted its 
guidelines were nondiscriminatory, but it was considering revising them 
to avoid the appearance of discrimination.
    A government-owned newspaper occasionally carried news articles 
about Baha'i activities or events, as well as about those of other 
faiths.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Tonga National Council of 
Churches (TNCC) is a nongovernment organization of seven member 
churches and engages various Christian denominations in ecumenical 
dialogue. The most active members are the Free Wesleyan, Roman 
Catholic, and Anglican churches. The Mormons do not participate. The 
TNCC has no formal relationship with the Government, and there were no 
reports of any government interference with the TNCC's mission.
    Religious leaders contacted did not report any overt or latent 
discriminatory treatment. All religious organizations contacted said 
religion plays an important part in local society, and there were no 
reports of religious differences resulting in societal or political 
hostilities.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government does not maintain an embassy in the country; 
the U.S. ambassador in Suva, Fiji, was accredited to the Government of 
Tonga. The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Officials from the U.S. embassy in Fiji met with religious officials 
and nongovernmental organizations during visits to the country.
                               __________

                                 TUVALU

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    National government policy continued to contribute to the generally 
free practice of religion. However, in the case of a charismatic 
Christian church banned by an island council of elders, the country's 
chief justice upheld the right of such traditional island councils to 
restrict the constitutional right to freedom of religion in cases where 
they contended it could threaten traditional mores and practices. In 
January 2006 a second traditional island council, on the main island of 
Funafuti, issued a resolution aimed at the same church that prohibited 
the establishment or practice of ``any new religion.'' The High Court 
issued temporary injunctions prohibiting any further action against the 
church and its missionary work on both islands.
    The success of some new Christian churches in winning followers 
away from the predominant Church of Tuvalu weakened the generally 
amicable relationship among religions in society. The High Court's 
decision to uphold the rights of traditional councils to restrict the 
activities of new faiths presented a challenge to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country is composed of nine island groups with an area of 
approximately ten square miles and an estimated population of 9,500. 
The Church of Tuvalu, which has historic ties to the Congregational 
Church and other churches in Samoa, had the largest number of 
followers. Government estimates of religious affiliation as a 
percentage of population included: Church of Tuvalu, 91 percent; 
Seventh-day Adventist, 3 percent; Baha'i, 3 percent; Jehovah's 
Witnesses, 2 percent; and Catholic, 1 percent. There were also smaller 
numbers of Muslims, Baptists, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and atheists. The Brethren Church, subject 
of the high court case on religious freedom, was said to have as many 
as three hundred adherents, some 3 percent of the population, but this 
could not be confirmed by independent sources.
    All nine island groups had traditional chiefs who were members of 
the Church of Tuvalu. Most followers of other religions or 
denominations were found in Funafuti, the capital, with the exception 
of the relatively large proportion of followers of the Baha'i Faith on 
Nanumea Island.
    There were active Christian missionary organizations in the country 
representing some of the above-mentioned religious faiths.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion, and the constitution provides for separation of church 
and state. However, in practice government ceremonies at the national 
and island council levels, such as the opening of Parliament, often 
include Christian prayers, clergy, and perspectives. By law, any new 
religious group with more than fifty members must register; failure to 
register could result in prosecution. The preamble of the constitution 
states: ``And whereas the people of Tuvalu desire to constitute 
themselves as an independent State based on Christian principles, the 
Rule of Law, and Tuvaluan custom and tradition.''
    Missionaries practiced without restriction.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, in 2003 the island council of Nanumanga 
banned the newly formed Tuvalu Brethren Church. In May 2005 the head of 
the Tuvalu Brethren Church filed a complaint against the island 
council, and the case was heard. In October 2005, the country's chief 
justice, citing the constitution, upheld the right of traditional 
island councils of elders to restrict the right to freedom of religion 
in cases where they contend it may threaten traditional mores and 
practices. The Brethren Church immediately appealed the verdict. In 
April the Nanumanga council of elders passed another resolution that 
banned all other new churches and threatened local civil servants with 
dismissal if they worshipped with the Brethren Church. Despite a High 
Court injunction against such action, in June the council dismissed 
without proper notice five council workers who were members of the 
Brethren Church.
    In January 2006 the council of elders on the main island of 
Funafuti issued a similar resolution prohibiting the establishment or 
practice of ``any new religion.'' The ban was aimed at the Brethren 
Church, which was reported to be approximately 300-strong on Funafuti. 
The ban forbids meetings and worshipping by members of the Brethren 
Church and specifically prohibits the construction of a new Brethren 
church. It also extends to all religions not already established on the 
island. However, the country's high court has issued a temporary 
injunction prohibiting any further actions against the Brethren Church 
and its missionary work. The matter was expected to come to trial in 
late 2006.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, there was a degree of social 
intolerance for non-Church of Tuvalu activities, particularly on some 
outer islands.
    Members of the Church of Tuvalu dominated most aspects of social 
and political life in the country, in view of the fact that they 
comprised approximately 90 percent of the population.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    Although the U.S. Government does not maintain a resident embassy 
in the country, the U.S. ambassador to Fiji is also accredited to the 
Government. Representatives of the U.S. embassy in Fiji visited the 
country periodically and discussed religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of the overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy officials spoke with the chief justice and expressed their 
concern about his October decision upholding the right of traditional 
authorities to restrict freedom of religion in certain circumstances. 
Embassy officials also met with representatives of religious 
communities and nongovernmental organizations that have an interest in 
religious freedom. The embassy actively supported efforts to improve 
and expand governmental and societal awareness of and protection for 
human rights, including the right to freedom of religion.
                               __________

                                VANUATU

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by the report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some churches and 
individuals objected to the missionary activities of nontraditional 
denominations and continued to suggest that they be curtailed.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country is an island nation, covering 4,707 square miles, and 
its population is approximately 208,900. The great majority belonged to 
Christian churches, although many combined their Christian faith with 
cultural practices in place prior to the arrival of Christianity. 
Church membership primarily was Presbyterian (approximately 32 
percent), Roman Catholic (13 percent), Anglican (13 percent), and 
Seventh-day Adventist (11 percent). Another 14 percent were members of 
the Church of Christ, the Apostolic Church, the Assemblies of God, and 
other Christian denominations. The John Frum Movement, a political 
party that also is an indigenous religious movement, was centered on 
the island of Tanna and included about 5 percent of the population. The 
Bahai Faith, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) also were active. There were 
believed to be members of other religions within the foreign community; 
they were free to practice their religions, but they were not known to 
proselytize or hold public religious ceremonies.
    Missionaries representing several western churches brought 
Christianity to the country in the nineteenth and early twentieth 
centuries. Some foreign missionaries continue this work; however, the 
clergy of the established churches are now primarily indigenous. 
Missionaries represented the Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Seventh-
day Adventist, Anglican, and Roman Catholic churches. The Summer 
Institute of Linguistics, which translates the New Testament into 
indigenous languages, also was present.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The preamble of the constitution refers to a commitment to 
traditional values and Christian principles; however, the constitution 
also provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally 
respected this right in practice. The Government did not tolerate the 
abuse of religious freedom, either by governmental or private actors.
    Religious organizations are required to register with the 
Government; however, this law is not enforced.
    The Government interacts with churches through the Ministry of Home 
Affairs and the Vanuatu Christian Council. Customarily, government 
oaths of office are taken on the Bible. The Government provides some 
financial help for the construction of churches for Vanuatu Christian 
Council members, provides grants to church-operated schools, and pays 
teachers' salaries at church-operated schools that have been in 
existence since the country's independence in 1980. These benefits are 
not available to non-Christian religious organizations. Government 
schools also schedule time each week for religious education conducted 
by representatives of council churches, using materials designed by 
those churches. Students whose parents do not wish them to attend the 
classes are excused. Non-Christian groups are not permitted to teach 
their religions in public schools.
    Aside from the activities of the Ministry of Home Affairs, use of 
government resources to support religious activities is not condoned 
(although there is no law prohibiting such support). If a formal 
request is given to the Government and permission is granted, 
governmental resources may be used.
    The Government does not attempt to control missionary activity.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some churches and 
individuals objected to the missionary activities of nontraditional 
denominations and continued to suggest that they be curtailed.
    In rural areas, traditional Melanesian communal decision-making 
predominates. If a member of a community proposes to introduce a 
significant change within the community, such as the establishment of a 
new church, the chief and the rest of the community must agree. If a 
new church is established without approval, the community views the 
action as a gesture of defiance by those who join the new church, and 
as a threat to community solidarity. However, subsequent friction 
generally has been resolved through appeals from traditional leaders to 
uphold individual rights.
    Religious representation at national events is organized through 
the Vanuatu Christian Council. Ecumenical activities of the council are 
limited to the interaction of its members.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                VIETNAM

    Both the Constitution and law provide for freedom of worship; 
however, the Government continued to restrict organized activities of 
religious groups that it declared to be at variance with State laws and 
policies. The Government attempts to regulate religious practice 
through a legal framework, which requires that the Government 
officially sanction the organization and activities of all religious 
denominations.
    Overall respect for religious freedom improved during the period 
covered by this report as Vietnam continues its transition from a 
socialist command economy to an open, market-oriented society; however, 
a number of positive legal reforms adopted in previous years remained 
in the early stages of implementation. The 2004 Ordinance on Religion 
and Belief serves as the primary legal framework governing religious 
practice. The 2005 implementation decree (number 22) for the ordinance 
delineates established guidelines for religious denominations to 
register their activities and seek official recognition. The 2005 
``Instruction on Protestantism'' promulgated by the prime minister 
directs officials to assist unrecognized Protestant denominations in 
registering their activities so that they can practice openly. Under 
the 2004 ordinance, participation in religious activities throughout 
the country continued to grow, and Protestant believers in the Central 
Highlands reported significant improvements in their situation. 
Furthermore, the Government began to promote registration of Protestant 
house churches in the Northwest Highlands region, but progress was slow 
and the Government stated that only six previously unregistered 
northern congregations were allowed to register their activities during 
the reporting period.
    Despite several confirmed reports of police harassment and beatings 
of unregistered believers belonging to unrecognized religions, 
Protestants across the north reported improvement in most officials' 
attitude towards their religion, and in general Protestants were 
allowed to gather for worship without significant harassment. 
Restrictions on the hierarchies and clergy of religious groups also 
remained in place, and the Government maintained a prominent role 
supervising recognized religions. Religious leaders encountered 
greatest restrictions when they engaged in activities that the 
Government perceived as political activism or a challenge to its rule. 
The Government continued to ban and actively discourage participation 
in one unrecognized faction of the Hoa Hao Buddhists. The Government 
also actively restricted the leadership of the unrecognized United 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam and maintained that it will not recognize 
this organization under its current leadership. The Catholic Church 
reported that the Government continued to ease restrictions on church 
assignment of new clergy but indicated that it would like to open 
additional seminaries in the North.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government released 
four prominent religious prisoners.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. consulate general in Ho Chi 
Minh City maintain an active and regular dialogue with senior and 
working-level government officials to advocate greater religious 
freedom. U.S. officials also meet and communicate regularly with 
religious leaders, including religious activists under government 
scrutiny. The U.S. ambassador and other U.S. officials, including the 
ambassador at large for international religious freedom, raise concerns 
about the registration and recognition difficulties faced by religious 
organizations, the detention and arrest of religious figures, the 
difficulties Protestants face in the Central and Northwest Highlands, 
and other restrictions on religious freedom with the prime minister, 
deputy prime minister, government cabinet ministers, Communist Party of 
Vietnam (CPV) leaders, provincial officials, and others.
    In September 2004, then Secretary of State Colin Powell designated 
Vietnam a ``Country of Particular Concern'' (CPC) under the 
International Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations 
of religious freedom. In November 2005 Secretary of State Rice renewed 
Vietnam's CPC status but noted significant positive changes in 
religious freedom during the year. Changes included a May 2005 exchange 
of letters with the United States in which the Government set forth a 
number of commitments to advance and protect religious freedom.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 127,000 square miles, and 
its population is approximately 83.5 million. The Government officially 
recognizes one Buddhist organization (Buddhists made up approximately 
50 percent of the population), the Roman Catholic Church (8 to 10 
percent of the population), several Cao Dai organizations (1.5 to 3 
percent of the population), one Hoa Hao organization (1.5 to 4 percent 
of the population), two Protestant organizations (.5 to 2 percent of 
the population), and one Muslim organization (less than 0.1 percent of 
the population). Other believers belonged to organizations that are not 
officially recognized by the Government. Most other Vietnamese citizens 
considered themselves non-religious, although many practiced 
traditional beliefs such as veneration of ancestors and national 
heroes.
    Buddhism is the dominant religious belief. Many Buddhists practiced 
an amalgam of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucian traditions that 
sometimes is called the country's ``triple religion.'' Some estimates 
suggested that more than half of the population was at least nominally 
Buddhist. The Committee for Religious Affairs used a much lower 
estimate of 12 percent (10 million) practicing Buddhists Mahayana 
Buddhists, most of whom were part of the ethnic Kinh majority and found 
throughout the country, especially in the populous areas of the 
northern and southern delta regions. There were proportionately fewer 
Buddhists in certain highland areas, although migration of Kinh to 
these areas was changing this distribution. A Khmer ethnic minority in 
the south practices Theravada Buddhism. Numbering just over 1 million 
persons, they lived almost exclusively in the Mekong Delta.
    There were an estimated 6 to 8 million Roman Catholics in the 
country, although official government statistics put the number at 
5,570,000. Catholics lived throughout the country, but the largest 
concentrations remained in the southern provinces around Ho Chi Minh 
City, in parts of the Central Highlands and in the provinces southeast 
of Hanoi. Catholicism has revived in many areas, with newly rebuilt or 
renovated churches in recent years and growing numbers of persons who 
want to be religious workers.
    The Cao Dai religion was founded in 1926 in the southern part of 
the country. Official government statistics put the number of Cao Dai 
at 2.4 million, although Cao Dai officials routinely claimed as many as 
four million adherents. Cao Dai groups are most active in Tay Ninh 
Province, where the Cao Dai ``Holy See'' is located, and in Ho Chi Minh 
City and the Mekong Delta. There were thirteen separate groups within 
the Cao Dai religion; the largest was the Tay Ninh sect, which 
represented more than half of all Cao Dai believers. The Cao Dai 
religion is syncretistic, combining elements of many faiths. A small 
Cao Dai organization, the Thien Tien branch, was formally recognized in 
1995. The Tay Ninh Cao Dai branch was granted legal recognition in 
1997.
    The Hoa Hao branch of Buddhism was founded in the southern part of 
the country in 1939. According to the Government, there were 1.6 
million Hoa Hao followers; affiliated expatriate groups estimated that 
there may be up to three million followers. Hoa Hao followers were 
concentrated in the Mekong Delta, particularly in provinces such as An 
Giang and Dong Thap, where the Hoa Hao were dominant as a social, 
political and military force before 1975. The government-recognized Hoa 
Hao Administrative Committee was organized in 1999. Some Hoa Hao 
followed other sects that do not have official recognition.
    Estimates of the number of Protestants in the country ranged from 
the official government figure of 500,000 to claims by churches of 
1,600,000 or more. The two officially recognized Protestant churches 
are the Southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (SECV), recognized in 
2001, and the smaller Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN), 
recognized since 1963. The SECV had affiliated churches in all of the 
southern provinces of the country. There were estimates that the growth 
of Protestant believers has been as much as 600 percent over the past 
decade, despite government restrictions on proselytizing activities. 
Some of these new converts belonged to unregistered evangelical house 
churches. Based on believers' estimates, two-thirds of Protestants were 
members of ethnic minorities, including H'mong, Dzao, Thai, and other 
minority groups in the Northwest Highlands, and members of ethnic 
minority groups of the Central Highlands (Ede, Jarai, Bahnar, and Koho, 
among others).
    Mosques serving the country's small Muslim population, estimated at 
between 50,000 to 80,000 persons, operated in western An Giang 
Province, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and provinces in the southern 
coastal part of the country. The Muslim community was composed mainly 
of ethnic Cham, although in Ho Chi Minh City and An Giang Province it 
included some ethnic Vietnamese and migrants originally from Malaysia, 
Indonesia, and India. Approximately half of the Muslims in the country 
were Sunnis. Sunni Muslims are concentrated in five locations around 
the country. An estimated 15,000 live in Tan Chau district of western 
An Giang Province, which borders Cambodia. Nearly 3,000 live in western 
Tay Ninh Province, which also borders Cambodia. More than 5,000 reside 
in Ho Chi Minh City, with 2,000 residing in neighboring Dong Nai 
Province. Another 5,000 live in the south central coastal provinces of 
Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. The other half of Muslims practices Bani 
Islam, a type of Islam unique to the ethnic Cham who live on the 
central coast of the country. Both groups appear to be on cordial terms 
with the Government and are able to practice their faith freely. They 
have limited contact with Muslims in foreign countries.
    There were several smaller religious communities not recognized by 
the Government, the largest of which is the Hindu community. 
Approximately 50,000 ethnic Cham in the south-central coastal area 
practiced a devotional form of Hinduism. Another 4,000 Hindus lived in 
Ho Chi Minh City; some were ethnic Cham but most were Indian or of 
mixed Indian-Vietnamese descent.
    There were an estimated 6,000 members of the Baha'i Faith, largely 
concentrated in the south. Prior to 1975, there were an estimated 
200,000 believers, according to Baha'i officials. Open Baha'i practice 
was banned from 1975 to 1992, and the number of believers dropped 
sharply during this time. Since 1992, the Baha'i have met in unofficial 
meeting halls. Community leaders said they had good relations with 
authorities and appeared to be able to practice their faith without 
significant harassment. At the end of the reporting period, the Baha'i 
were preparing to apply for registration and recognition under the new 
legal framework.
    There are several hundred members of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who were spread throughout the country but 
lived primarily in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The Mormon Church HCMC 
was also preparing to apply for registration under the new legal 
framework on religion at the end of the reporting period.
    At least ten active but unofficially unrecognized congregations of 
Jehovah's Witnesses were present in the country, each with several 
hundred members. Most of the congregations were in the south, with five 
in Ho Chi Minh City. Congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Hanoi and 
Ho Chi Minh City also applied for registration under the new legal 
framework during the reporting period.
    Fourteen million citizens comprising seventeen percent or more of 
the population reportedly did not practice any organized religion. Some 
sources strictly define citizens who are considered to be practicing 
Buddhists, excluding those whose activities are limited to visiting 
pagodas on ceremonial holidays. Using this definition, the number of 
nonreligious persons would be much higher, perhaps reaching as many as 
fifty million. No statistics were available on the level of 
participation in formal religious services, but it was generally 
acknowledged that this number continued to increase from the early 
1990s.
    Ethnic minorities constituted approximately 14 percent of the 
overall population. Ethnic minorities historically have practiced 
different traditional beliefs than those of the ethnic majority Kinh. 
Many ethnic minorities, particularly the H'mong, Dzao and Jarai groups, 
have converted to Catholicism or Protestantism.
    Foreign missionaries legally are not permitted to proselytize or 
perform religious activities. Undeclared missionaries from several 
countries were active in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution, legal code, and a 2003 Communist Party Central 
Committee resolution on religion provide for freedom of belief and 
worship, as well as nonbelief; however, the Government required the 
registration of all activities by religious groups and used this 
requirement to restrict activities in certain cases. Further, the 
Government continued to restrict significantly the organized activities 
of independent religious groups and those individuals who were regarded 
as a threat to party authority.
    The new Ordinance on Religion and Belief came into effect on 
November 15, 2004. The Ordinance serves as the primary document 
governing religious practice. It reiterates citizens' rights to freedom 
of belief, religion, and freedom not to follow a religion, and it 
states that violations of these freedoms are prohibited. However, it 
advises that ``abuse'' of freedom of belief or religion ``to undermine 
the country's peace, independence, and unity'' is illegal and warns 
that religious activities must be suspended if they negatively affect 
the cultural traditions of the nation. The ordinance continues the 
practice of government control and oversight of religious 
organizations. Under its provisions, religious denominations must be 
officially recognized or registered, and the activities and leadership 
of individual religious congregations must be approved by the 
appropriate lower-level authorities. The establishment of seminaries 
and the organization of and enrollment in classes must also be approved 
by appropriate authorities. The naming of priests or other religious 
officials requires the approval of authorities only when a ``foreign 
element,'' such as the Vatican, is involved. The ordinance also 
liberalizes government oversight of religion to some extent. For 
example, religious organizations are only required to inform 
appropriate authorities of their annual activities or the investiture 
and transfer of clerics, while in the past this required explicit 
official approval. Further, the ordinance encourages religious groups 
to carry out charitable activities in healthcare and education, which 
was limited in the past.
    In February 2005 the prime minister issued the ``Instruction on 
Some Tasks Regarding Protestantism.'' The instruction calls upon 
authorities to facilitate the requests of recognized Protestant 
denominations to construct churches and train and appoint pastors. 
Further, the instruction directs authorities to help unrecognized 
denominations register their congregations so that they can worship 
openly and move towards fulfilling the criteria required for full 
recognition. Addressing the Central and Northwest Highlands, the 
instruction directs authorities to help groups of Protestant believers 
register their religious activities and practice in homes or ``suitable 
locations,'' even if they do not meet the criteria to establish an 
official congregation. The instruction also directs local officials to 
allow unregistered ``house churches'' to operate so long as they are 
``committed to follow regulations'' and are not affiliated with 
separatist political movements.
    In March 2005 the Government issued an implementing decree (Decree 
22) that provided further guidance on the Ordinance on Religion and 
Belief. As in the ordinance, the decree explicitly bans forced 
renunciations of faith. It also delineates specific procedures by which 
an unrecognized religious organization can register its places of 
worship, its clerics, and its activities and thus operate openly. It 
further provides procedures for these groups to apply for official 
recognition from the Government to gain additional rights. The decree 
specifies that a religious organization must have twenty years of 
``stable religious operation'' in the country in order to be recognized 
by the Government. It also states that past operation in the country, 
even prior to registration, can be counted toward the twenty-year 
requirement. The decree further sets out specific time periods for the 
Government to consider requests from religious organizations and 
requires officials to give organizations an explanation in writing for 
any application that is rejected.
    The national-level Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA) is charged 
with disseminating information about the new legal framework to 
provincial-, district-, commune-, and village-level authorities and 
assuring its uniform compliance. Implementation of the new legal 
framework at lowermost levels of the Government continued to be mixed. 
However, during the reporting period, national- and provincial-level 
authorities held a number of training courses for lower-level officials 
about the new laws to ensure their understanding and compliance with 
the legal framework. Authorities in some areas actively engaged 
religious leaders in efforts to implement the changes, particularly the 
registration of Protestant groups and the reopening of closed churches 
in the Central Highlands region. Authorities in other areas, 
particularly in the Northwest Highlands provinces, were less proactive 
in enforcing the legal changes mandated by the Central Government, 
although conditions for Protestants in the region generally improved 
during the reporting period.
    The constitutional right of freedom of belief and religion 
continued to be interpreted and enforced unevenly. In some areas, local 
officials allowed relatively wide latitude to believers; in other 
provinces, members of unrecognized religious groups sometimes underwent 
significant harassment. This was true particularly for Protestants in 
the Northwest Highlands and in certain rural communities in southern 
and central regions, including parts of the Central Highlands. During 
the reporting period, local and provincial authorities in the Northwest 
Highlands were engaged in discussions with religious leaders and with 
the central government about registering house churches or recognizing 
new official congregations; however, only six new Protestant 
congregations were registered according to the Government, and no new 
religions were recognized during this reporting cycle.
    National security and national solidarity provisions in the 
constitution override many laws providing for religious freedom, and 
these provisions reportedly have been used to impede religious 
gatherings and the spread of religion to certain ethnic groups. The 
penal code, as amended in 1997, established penalties for offenses that 
are defined only vaguely, including ``attempting to undermine national 
unity'' by promoting ``division between religious believers and 
nonbelievers.'' In some cases authorities used Article 258 of the penal 
code to charge persons with practicing religion illegally. This article 
allowed for jail terms of up to three years for ``abus[ing] the rights 
to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of belief, religion, 
assembly, association and other democratic freedoms to infringe upon 
the interests of the State.'' Examples of such cases were found among 
the H'mong Protestants in the Northwest Highlands, ethnic minority 
Protestants in the Central Highlands (sometimes referred to as 
Montagnard Protestants), and Hoa Hao adherents. In the case of the 
Central Highlands, officials continued to be concerned that groups 
inside and outside the country were encouraging the spread of a form of 
Protestantism that promotes ethnic minority exclusivism and separatism.
    Decree 31, a 1997 directive on administrative probation, gives 
national and local security officials broad powers to detain and 
monitor citizens and control where they live and work for up to two 
years if they are believed to be threatening ``national security.'' The 
authorities in some instances have used administrative probation to 
impose significant restrictions on the freedom of movement as a means 
of controlling persons whom they believe hold independent and 
potentially subversive opinions. In October 2003 at least four United 
Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) leaders apparently were placed under 
administrative probation for two-year terms. During the current 
reporting period, their movement was restricted. For example, in 2006 
UBCV General Secretary Thich Quang Do was prevented from traveling from 
Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Dinh province to visit the ailing UBCV 
Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang.
    The Government does not favor a particular religion, and virtually 
all senior government and CPV officials, as well as the vast majority 
of national assembly delegates, are formally ``without religion.'' 
However, many openly practice traditional ancestor worship, and some 
visit Buddhist pagodas. The prominent traditional position of Buddhism 
does not affect religious freedom for others adversely, including those 
who wish not to practice a religion.
    The Government requires all religious groups to register. It uses 
this process to monitor and sometimes attempt to control religious 
organizations, as it does with all social organizations.
    The Government officially recognizes Buddhist, Roman Catholic, 
Protestant, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, and Muslim religious organizations. 
Individual congregations within each of these religious groups must be 
registered as well. Some leaders of alternative Buddhist, Protestant, 
Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai organizations and believers of these religions do 
not participate in the government-approved associations.
    Implementing Decree 22 clarifies the procedures through which 
religious organizations and individual religious congregations can seek 
official recognition. The decree further specifies that the appropriate 
authorities provide a written response to such request within HCMC: 
Thirty, forty-five, sixty, or ninety days, depending on the scope of 
the request. In the case of a refusal, a specific reason must be 
included in the written response. However, there is no specific 
mechanism for appeal given in the ordinance, nor are the reasons for 
denying a request delimited in any way.
    Early in the reporting period, some unrecognized Protestant 
denominations sought registration under the new legal system governing 
religion. According to Decree 22, however, a one-year period was 
required after November 15, 2004 (the effective date of the ordinance) 
before any new denomination that otherwise fulfills the appropriate 
criteria could be recognized and these applications were delayed. To 
obtain official recognition, a denomination must receive government 
approval of its leadership, its structure, and the overall scope of its 
activities. Recognized religious denominations, in principle, are 
allowed to open, operate, and refurbish places of worship, train 
religious leaders, and obtain permission for the publication of 
materials.
    Registration requires a congregation to file with relevant 
provincial authorities information about its structure, leadership, and 
activities. Authorities then have forty-five days to raise questions or 
concerns. National-level registrations have a sixty-day consideration 
period. The CRA must issue a license before an organization is 
considered registered. The Seventh-day Adventists, Grace Baptist 
Church, and Mennonite Church of Pastor Nguyen Trung have registered in 
Ho Chi Minh City under these legal provisions. Additional registrations 
for the United World Mission Church, the Mormon Church, the Jehovah's 
Witnesses, the Vietnam Pentecostal Church, and the Presbyterian Relief 
Organization were pending. More than 500 ECVN congregations out of a 
reported total of 1,072 unrecognized congregations in the Northwest 
Highlands applied to register during the reporting period, but only six 
were granted permission to do so by the end of the reporting period, 
according to the Government. These six were part of a CRA pilot project 
to begin registrations in the border provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai and 
Ha Giang. The CRA claimed limited resources forced them to focus on 
only these three provinces in the initial round of registrations.
    Except in limited parts of the Central Highlands and the Northwest 
Highlands, officially recognized religious organizations were able to 
operate openly, and followers of these religions were able to worship 
without harassment. Officially registered and recognized organizations 
must register their annual activities and the transfer and promotion of 
clerics with authorities. Holding religious conferences or congresses, 
opening seminaries, enrolling classes in seminaries, collecting 
donations from believers, constructing or renovating religious 
facilities, and participating in religious training courses abroad 
require the explicit approval of authorities. The naming of new clerics 
and the promotion of religious dignitaries, such as bishops, require 
registration with authorities. However when a ``foreign element'' like 
the Vatican is involved, official approval is required in advance.
    Because of the lack of due process in the legal system and 
inconsistent high-level oversight, the actions of religious adherents 
can be subject to the discretion of local officials in their respective 
jurisdictions. For example, in certain cases recognized and 
unrecognized Protestant groups have been able to overcome local 
harassment or overturn negative local decisions when they have appealed 
to higher-level authorities. In other cases, this informal appeals 
process has proven ineffective. In some cases local officials 
reportedly have told church leaders that national-level laws do not 
apply to their jurisdictions. There were no reports of punishment of 
government officials who do not follow laws protecting religious 
practice, although a resolution on the victims of miscarriages of 
justice, issued by the National Assembly in 2003, provides channels for 
citizens to seek official compensation for some abuses.
    There are no religious national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government practices placed restrictions on religious freedom, 
although in many areas Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Hoa Hao, Cao 
Dai, and the Government itself reported an increase in religious 
activity and observance. Officially recognized religious groups faced 
limitations in obtaining teaching materials, expanding training 
facilities, publishing religious materials, and expanding the number of 
clergy in religious training in response to increased demand from 
congregations. However, the Government continued to ease limitations 
compared to previous years.
    The Government continued to ban and actively discourage 
participation in certain unrecognized religious groups, including the 
Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) and some Protestant, Hoa Hao, 
and Cao Dai groups. Organizational activities by many of these groups 
are illegal although enforcement of this ban varied widely.
    The Government requires all Buddhist monks to be approved by and 
work under the officially recognized Buddhist organization, the Vietnam 
Buddhist Sangha (VBS). The Government influenced the selection of the 
leadership of the VBS, excluding some leaders of the pre-1981 UBCV 
organization. The number of Buddhist seminarians is controlled and 
limited by the Office of Religious Affairs, although the number of 
Buddhist academies at the local and provincial levels has increased in 
recent years in addition to several university-equivalent academies.
    The Government continued to oppose efforts by the unrecognized UBCV 
to operate independently. In 2003 senior monks of the UBCV held an 
organizational meeting without government permission at a monastery in 
Binh Dinh Province. Subsequent to the meeting, four leading monks of 
the church were detained and sentenced without trial to two years' 
``administrative detention'' in their respective pagodas. Authorities 
have not provided them with a written decision of their administrative 
detention, despite the legal requirement to do so. Many other leading 
UBCV members have been placed under conditions similar to 
administrative probation and, in some cases, effectively under ``house 
arrest,'' despite the lack of any charges against them. Patriarch Thich 
Huyen Quang and deputy leader Thich Quang Do have been placed under 
similar restrictions, although the Government did not appear to be 
investigating its allegations of ``possession of state secrets'' 
against them. Since October 2003 Thich Quang Do has repeatedly 
attempted to travel to Quy Nhon Province to visit Thich Huyen Quang. 
Using various pretexts, government authorities physically prevented 
Thich Quang Do from doing so and returned him to his pagoda in Ho Chi 
Minh City under police escort. However, Thich Quang Do and Thich Huyen 
Quang were able to receive visits from foreign diplomats. Thich Quang 
Do was able to see other UBCV members on occasion during the period 
covered by this report. Thich Quang Do and some other UBCV leaders also 
have been able to maintain contact with associates overseas.
    The Government technically maintains veto power over Vatican 
appointments of bishops; however, in practice it has cooperated with 
the Catholic Church in nominations for appointment. The Church operates 
six seminaries in the country with more than 800 students enrolled, as 
well as a new special training program for ``older'' students. All 
students must be approved by local authorities for enrolling in 
seminary and again prior to their ordination as priests. The Church 
believed that the number of students being ordained was insufficient to 
support the growing Catholic population and has indicated it would like 
to open additional seminaries and enroll new classes more frequently. 
The Church has had an application pending for five years to open a new 
seminary in Dong Nai Province, but approval remained pending.
    The practice of Protestantism remained a sensitive issue in the 
Central Highlands provinces. The Government is concerned that some 
ethnic minority groups operating in this region have been operating a 
self-styled ``Dega Church,'' which reportedly mixes religious practice 
with political activism and calls for ethnic minority separatism.
    Despite improved conditions over the reporting period, SECV and 
house churches in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, 
Kon Tum, and Dak Nong continue to be under close government scrutiny. 
In 2001 the Government ordered all Protestant congregations affiliated 
with the SECV--numbering at least one thousand--to close. Most of these 
have been allowed to reopen and operate. However, at least one third of 
SECV congregations closed in 2001 in the province of Dak Lak were 
unable to operate and worshipers ordered to pray at home in private. A 
number of unrecognized Protestant house church organizations including 
the Baptists, Presbyterians, and United World Mission Church also 
operated in the Central Highlands. These groups reported substantially 
improved conditions for their congregations, although some incidents of 
local police harassment continued to occur.
    The Government continued its close oversight and with varying 
degrees of success, exerted control over religious hierarchies, 
organized religious activities, and other activities of religious 
groups through Committees for Religious Affairs at the national and 
provincial levels. While the committees are tasked with protecting the 
rights of recognized religious bodies, in practice there are few 
effective legal remedies for violations of religious freedom committed 
by government officials.
    There are more than 120,000 Protestants in the northern part of the 
country and the Northwest Highlands region. The prime minister's 
Instruction on Protestantism noted the existence of believers in the 
Northwest Highlands and instructed officials to guide them in finding 
``suitable places'' to practice their religion. More than 500 ECVN 
congregations applied to register during the reporting period; however, 
most applications were either rejected outright, ignored or returned 
unopened. The Government asserts that six pilot registrations were 
allowed in June and July in Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and Ha Giang Provinces, 
but this could not be independently confirmed.
    The Hoa Hao have faced some restrictions on their religious and 
political activities since 1975, in part because of their previous 
armed opposition to the communist forces dating back to French colonial 
rule. After 1975 all administrative offices, places of worship, and 
social and cultural institutions connected to the Hoa Hao faith were 
closed. Believers continued to practice their religion at home, but the 
lack of access to public gathering places contributed to the Hoa Hao 
community's isolation and fragmentation. In 1999 a new official Hoa Hao 
body, the Hoa Hao Administrative Council, was formed. In the spring of 
2005, the Hoa Hao Administrative Council was expanded and renamed the 
Executive Committee of Hoa Hao Buddhism. Several leaders of the Hoa Hao 
community, including several pre-1975 leaders, openly criticized the 
Committee. They claimed that the committee was subservient to the 
Government and demanded official recognition instead of their own Hoa 
Hao body, the Hoa Hao Central Buddhist Church (HHCBC). Although still 
unregistered, on May 4, 2005, the HHCBC held an organizational meeting 
that was attended by 126 delegates from across the southern part of the 
country. However, its members faced significant official pressure. Two 
members of the HHCBC, Tran Van Thang and Tran Van Hoang, were arrested 
on February 25, 2005, and sentenced to six and nine months' 
imprisonment respectively for unauthorized distribution of audio 
cassettes and DVDs containing teachings of HHCBC leaders. A June 2005 
commemoration of Foundation Day led to clashes between police and 
activists who were protesting Government control of the Hoa Hao faith. 
Some Hoa Hao activists continued to encourage self-immolation of their 
followers to protest government repression. In September 2005 two Hoa 
Hao activists self-immolated when police attempted to arrest them for 
their involvement in the June clashes, resulting in the death of one 
activist. Seven activists were arrested, tried, and given prison terms 
ranging from four to seven years. In August 2005 a Hoa Hao activist 
attempted to self-immolate in front of the U.S. consulate general in Ho 
Chi Minh City but was stopped by consulate guards and local police. 
Frictions between some Hoa Hao activists and government officials in 
the Mekong Delta continued to flare throughout the reporting period.
    There are six different officially recognized branches of the Cao 
Dai Church in the southern part of the country, as well as several 
others that remain unrecognized. These sects generally divide along 
geographic lines. The largest Cao Dai sect is based in Tay Ninh 
Province, where the religion was founded in 1926 and where the seat of 
Cao Dai authority is located. The Executive Council of the Tay Ninh 
Province Cao Dai received official government recognition in 1997. 
Independent Cao Dai groups allege that government interference has 
undermined the independence of the Tay Ninh group, and it no longer 
faithfully upholds Cao Dai principles and traditions. Religious 
training takes place at individual Cao Dai temples rather than at 
centralized schools; Cao Dai officials have indicated that they do not 
wish to open a seminary.
    There are no formal prohibitions on changing one's religion. Many 
converts may find the procedures overly cumbersome or fear government 
retribution. Formal conversions appear to be relatively rare, apart 
from non-Catholics marrying Catholics. There have been some reports 
that some local officials in rural communities continue to discourage 
conversion to Protestantism by threatening converts that they will lose 
education and social welfare allowances.
    The Government controls and monitors all forms of public assembly, 
including assembly for religious activities; however, during the 
reporting period, some large religious gatherings were allowed.
    Article 35 of Decree 22 requires government approval for foreign 
missionary groups to proselytize. Such activities should take place 
under the sponsorship of a national or local religious organization. It 
discourages public proselytizing outside of recognized worship centers, 
including by citizens. Some missionaries visited the country despite 
this official prohibition and carried on informal proselytizing 
activities.
    The HCMC-based New Life Fellowship Church (NLF), which catered to 
both foreigners and citizens and is headed by a foreign missionary, was 
prevented from gathering in HCMC hotels in August 2005 after it 
launched a separate service for local citizens in contravention to the 
law. Since then, foreigners in the NLF have been able to gather in 
small groups at home. In April 2006 the NLF was able to hold its first 
large prayer meeting for foreigners on the grounds of a HCMC hotel for 
foreigners since August 2005. The NLF remained in discussion with city- 
and national-level officials to find a permanent, legal solution to its 
status.
    Government policy does not permit persons who belong to unofficial 
religious groups to speak publicly about their beliefs, but some 
continued to conduct religious training and services without 
harassment. Members of registered religious organizations in theory are 
permitted to speak about their beliefs and attempt to persuade others 
to adopt their religions, at least in recognized places of worship, but 
are discouraged from doing so elsewhere. For example, Baptists in Bac 
Giang Province near Hanoi were prevented from proselytizing within 
their community by local officials during the reporting period, despite 
the apparent legality of their organization, because the religion was 
introduced to the province by pastors from the south.
    The Government requires all religious publishing to be done by the 
Religious Publishing House, which is a part of the Office of Religious 
Affairs, or by other government-approved publishing houses after the 
Government first approves the proposed items. A range of Buddhist 
sacred scriptures, Bibles, and other religious texts and publications 
are printed by these organizations and are distributed openly. The 
Religious Publishing House has printed 250,000 copies of parts of the 
Hoa Hao sacred scriptures, along with 100,000 volumes featuring the 
founder's teachings and prophesies; however, Hoa Hao believers reported 
that the Government continued to restrict the distribution of the full 
scriptures, specifically the poetry of the founder. The official Hoa 
Hao Representative Committee cited a lack of funds, not government 
restrictions, as the reason why the Hoa Hao scriptures had not been 
published in full. The Muslim Association reportedly was able to print 
enough copies of the Qur'an in 2000 to distribute one to each Muslim 
believer in the country. The Christian Bible is printed in Vietnamese, 
Chinese, and English, but not in ethnic minority languages. Some 
Protestant house church groups have had Bibles or other religious 
materials that were printed abroad seized by authorities on the grounds 
that any ``foreign language'' material that has not been explicitly 
authorized by the Government is illegal. CRA officials could not 
confirm if any ethnic minority texts published abroad have been so 
authorized. Seizures of ethnic language bibles are particularly acute 
among ethnic minority church groups in some Northwest Highlands 
provinces.
    The Government allows travel for religious purposes, but the 
approval of authorities is required for participation in religious 
conferences and training courses abroad. Muslims are able to undertake 
the Hajj, and Buddhist, Catholic, and Protestant officials have 
generally been able to travel abroad for study and for conferences. 
Some Protestant house church leaders have alleged that they are unable 
to obtain passports for international travel. For example, one 
Protestant house church leader had his passport seized by government 
authorities in 2004. However, other unofficial leaders travel 
internationally on a regular basis. Religious persons who traveled 
abroad in the past were sometimes questioned about their activities 
upon their return and required to surrender their passports; however, 
this practice appeared to be becoming more infrequent.
    Religious affiliation is indicated on citizens' national 
identification cards and in ``family books,'' which are household 
identification documents. In practice, many citizens who consider 
themselves religious do not indicate this on their identification 
cards, and government statistics list them as nonreligious. While it is 
possible to change the entry for religion on national identification 
cards, many converts may find the procedures overly cumbersome or fear 
government retribution. The Government does not designate persons' 
religions on passports.
    The Government allows, and in some cases encourages, links between 
officially recognized religious bodies and coreligionists in other 
countries; however, the Government actively discourages contacts 
between the UBCV and its foreign Buddhist supporters.
    Contacts between some unregistered Protestant organizations and 
their foreign supporters are discouraged but occur regularly, including 
training and the provision of financial support and religious 
materials. The Government is particularly concerned about contact 
between separatist ``Dega'' Protestants in the Central Highlands and 
overseas supporters. The Government regards Dega Protestants as a group 
that uses religion as a rallying point to encourage ethnic minority 
separatism, political unrest, and the establishment of an independent 
ethnic minority state.
    Adherence to a religious faith generally does not disadvantage 
persons in nongovernment civil, economic, and secular life, although it 
likely would prevent advancement to higher CPV, government, and 
military ranks. The military does not have a chaplaincy. Avowed 
religious practice was formerly a bar to membership in the CPV, but now 
the CPV claims that tens of thousands of the 3.1 million Communist 
Party members are religious believers. A 2003 CPV Central Committee 
resolution on religion called for recruiting and advancing more 
religious believers into the CPV's ranks. Clergy and believers of 
various faiths serve in local and provincial government positions and 
are represented on the National Assembly. CPV and Government officials 
routinely visit pagodas, temples, and churches, making a special point 
to visit Protestant churches in the Central Highlands over Christmas.
    The Implementing Decree for the Ordinance on Religion and Belief 
stipulates that local religious affairs committees must approve the 
construction of new religious facilities. The renovation of religious 
facilities requires notification of authorities, a relaxation on 
previous regulations.
    The Government does not permit religious instruction in public 
schools; however, it permits clergy to teach at universities in 
subjects in which they are qualified. Buddhist monks have lectured at 
the Ho Chi Minh Political Academy, the main CPV school. Several 
Catholic nuns and at least one Catholic priest teach at Ho Chi Minh 
City universities. They are not allowed to wear religious dress when 
they teach or to identify themselves as clergy. Catholic, Protestant, 
Muslim, and Buddhist groups are allowed to provide religious education 
to children. Catholic religious education, on weekends or evenings, is 
permitted in most areas and has increased in recent years in churches 
throughout the country. Khmer Theravada Buddhists and Cham Muslims 
regularly hold religious and language classes outside of normal 
classroom hours in their respective pagodas and mosques. Religious 
groups are not permitted to operate independent schools beyond 
preschool and kindergarten.
    Religious organizations have no legal claim to lands or properties 
taken over by the state following the end of the 1954 war against 
French rule and following the reunification of the country in 1975. 
Despite this blanket prohibition, authorities, mostly at the provincial 
level, have returned a limited number of confiscated church properties 
and remain in discussion on other properties. One of the vice-chairmen 
of the Government-recognized VBS has stated that approximately 30 
percent of Buddhist properties confiscated in Ho Chi Minh City have 
been returned, and from 5 to 10 percent of all Buddhist properties 
confiscated in the south have been returned. The Catholic and 
recognized Protestant organizations have obtained a small number of 
previously confiscated properties but had ongoing disputes with 
officials over others. Some properties have been returned to the Hoa 
Hao Administrative Council, but few Cao Dai properties have been 
returned, according to church leaders. Many of the properties seized in 
the past were religious schools and hospitals that were incorporated 
into the state system.
    Although the new Ordinance on Religion and Belief encourages 
religious organizations to conduct charitable activities in education 
and healthcare, the degree of government oversight of these activities 
varied greatly among localities. In some areas, especially in the 
south, Catholic priests and nuns operated kindergartens, orphanages, 
vocational training centers, and clinics and engaged in a variety of 
other humanitarian projects. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hue, the Catholic 
Church was involved in supporting HIV/AIDS hospices and treatment 
centers and providing counseling to young persons. Buddhist groups also 
were involved in HIV/AIDS and other charitable work across the country. 
The Ho Chi Minh City archdiocese ran the HIV/AIDS clinic at the Trong 
Diem drug rehabilitation center on behalf of the city government. The 
city government and the Catholic Church were in discussion about how to 
officially sanction new initiatives, such as a walk-in clinic for 
possible HIV/AIDS victims, although it allowed the Church to pursue 
these initiatives quietly. Charitable activities by the Catholic Church 
were much more restricted in northern Vietnam.
    The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha engaged in humanitarian activities, 
including antidrug programs, in many parts of the country. The 
officially recognized Hoa Hao organization reported that it engaged in 
numerous charitable activities and local development projects.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Reports of abuses of religious freedom diminished during the period 
covered by this report; however, some religious believers continued to 
experience harassment or repression because they operated without legal 
sanction. Local officials repressed Protestant believers in some parts 
of the Central and Northwest Highlands and other areas by forcing 
church gatherings to cease, closing house churches, and pressuring 
individuals to renounce their religious beliefs, often unsuccessfully. 
In one instance, in June 2006 in Thanh Hoa Province two Protestants 
were beaten by local police. However, the number of credible reports of 
such incidents was lower compared with previous years and largely 
seemed to reflect individual bias at the local level rather than 
official policy in most cases. Restrictions on UBCV leaders remained in 
place, with much of the leadership's freedom of movement, expression, 
and assembly limited. There were fewer credible reports that officials 
arbitrarily detained, physically intimidated, and harassed some persons 
based, at least in part, on their religious beliefs and practice, 
particularly in mountainous ethnic minority areas.
    The international nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch 
reported that security forces in Kontum Province demolished the chapel 
of Mennonite Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh in January and September 2004. 
Pastor Chinh is affiliated with the Mennonite church of Pastor Quang. 
Authorities reportedly based their actions on the fact that Chinh had 
purchased under a false name the land on which the chapel was built. 
Some observers noted that another unregistered Protestant church 
operated a short distance away from Chinh's but suffered no harassment. 
Chinh has reportedly complained that he has been refused issuance of an 
identity card, which is required for household registration and 
ownership of property.
    Pastor and house church leader Nguyen Hong Quang imprisoned in 2004 
and sentenced to a three-year prison term, was released in September 
2005 in an amnesty. Five of his followers were sentenced to between 
nine months and two years in prison. Quang and his followers were 
convicted as a result of an incident in March 2004 in which he and 
several of his followers confronted and scuffled with two individuals 
believed to be plain clothed police officers monitoring his residence; 
however, some observers connected Quang's arrest to his broader social 
activism. Ho Chi Minh City police regularly targeted Pastor Quang's 
Mennonite house church for harassment when the church was led by his 
wife Le Thi Phu Dzung during the period of Pastor Quang's imprisonment. 
Police called Mrs. Dzung in for questioning on several occasions, 
disrupted church services, and detained groups of followers for short 
periods. In May 2006, Pastor Quang and some followers were detained for 
nearly twenty-four hours following a confrontation with local police 
over new construction at Pastor Quang's house, which also served as a 
local house church. However, the Government's claim that Pastor Quang 
willfully ignored zoning regulations and local officials' orders to 
comply with zoning regulations was supported by some evidence.
    Baptist pastor Than Van Truong was released in September 2005 after 
spending one year involuntarily committed to a mental asylum by 
authorities in Dong Nai Province as punishment for his religious and 
political beliefs. He was reportedly released on the condition that he 
sign a document certifying his mental illness, making him subject to 
readmission to a mental institution should he ``relapse.'' Pastor 
Truong continued to be closely monitored by local officials. There were 
confirmed reports that he continued to be harassed and his religious 
activities curtailed in Dong Nai and in his home village in Bac Giang 
Province in northern Vietnam where he has helped organize a small 
church. In June 2006 diplomats were permitted by the Government to 
visit the Bac Giang church and to investigate allegations of harassment 
with local officials.
    In May 2005, Protestant House Church preacher Nguyen Van Cam told a 
reporter that local authorities in Dong Lam Commune of Tien Hai 
District, Thai Binh Province, had tried on several occasions to 
convince him to sign documents committing him to stop holding house 
church services. There were unconfirmed reports that a Methodist church 
in Xuan Lanh Commune, Dong Xuan District, Phu Yen Province, and a 
Nazarene Church in Phu Ly Commune, Vinh Cuu District, Dong Nai 
Province, were harassed by local authorities for holding ``illegal 
gatherings.'' According to religious leaders, a house church in Tra 
Vinh Province in the Mekong Delta was prevented from holding Easter 
services in 2006. Bibles and other religious materials were 
confiscated. In December 2005 police interrupted Christmas services of 
some house churches in Can Tho, Long An and Vinh Long provinces, also 
in the Mekong Delta. In Kien Giang in January 2006, police banned the 
gathering of a house church affiliated with the Methodist community and 
confiscated the identification of a visiting pastor.
    In August 2005 there were credible reports that local officials 
attempted to force an SECV lay preacher to renounce his faith and stop 
his ministry in the ethnic minority Hre village in Quang Ngai Province. 
Unidentified parties reportedly burned his house down in retaliation. 
The small Protestant community continued to face harassment through May 
2006.
    During the reporting period there were fewer reports of leaders of 
nonregistered churches in the Northwest Highlands being harassed or 
detained and pressured to renounce their faith.
    House churches are frequently tolerated in some places, although 
their unofficial status often leaves them at the whim of local 
authorities. For example, in February 2005, government border guards in 
Gap Trung village, Hoang Su Phi District, Ha Giang Province, reportedly 
intimidated local Protestants and blocked them from gathering to hold 
services in an unofficial house church. At least four house churches in 
Muong Nha Commune and Pu Nhi Commune of Dien Bien Province were 
reportedly unable to meet and hold religious services.
    The dissemination of laws regarding the Ordinance on Religion and 
Belief, the Implementing Decree for the Ordinance on Religion and 
Belief, and the prime minister's Instruction on Protestantism have 
remained a slow process, and through the end of the period covered by 
this report, many leaders of places of worship reported that police and 
other authorities had not implemented fully these legal codes. However, 
central- and provincial-level authorities have conducted at least some 
training sessions to educate local officials on the legal framework. 
Implementation of the new legal framework has been particularly slow in 
the Northern and Northwest Highlands provinces, particularly with 
regard to Protestants, and local officials often used legal pretexts to 
harass church members and leaders. This harassment diminished somewhat 
over the course of the reporting period, particularly after January 
2006.
    Protestants in Bao Thang District of Lao Cai Province have not been 
allowed to celebrate Christmas since 1990. In 2005 they were required 
to seek permission from local authorities for their Christmas 
celebrations, but just before the holiday, local authorities ordered 
the congregation to take down all decorations. Around the same time, 
two deacons in Bat Xat District of Lao Cai who traveled to Hanoi were 
given significant fines as were two deacons from Phung Phong Hai Town 
in the same district who acquired application forms from the ECVN. The 
two were arrested on their return from Hanoi and held for sixteen days.
    Credible reports indicated that officials in Bac Ha District of Lao 
Cai Province refused to forward the local congregation's registration 
application to higher officials. The officials have also encouraged 
non-Protestant relatives to harass believers until they give up their 
religion. In one case, police refused to intervene when the brother of 
a Protestant woman repeatedly beat her husband, hinting that, ``since 
you are Protestant, it is okay for him to beat your husband until he 
and you renounce your faith.'' A house church deacon in Muon Nghe 
District in Dien Bien was arrested in November 2005 after he returned 
to the district from Hanoi carrying ECVN documents. Officials of the 
Border Protection Force (BPF) justified his arrest by saying that ``he 
was not allowed to travel that far to get documents from the ECVN'' 
even if he asked permission first. Since this event, a special task 
force of BPF personnel has been living in Protestant villages to watch 
villager activities and to confiscate all H'mong language bibles they 
find. In August 2005, district-level government in the province of Phu 
Yen turned down the registration application of a Baptist congregation, 
claiming that the house church is ``Vietnamese-American'' and did not 
meet legal requirements. It was unclear whether the decision was 
appealed.
    In January 2006 in Xin Man District of Ha Giang, district-level 
authorities told an unregistered congregation that, ``if five or more 
of your members gather together, we will prosecute you.'' The group 
submitted an application to register but has not received any official 
response to their request. In March 2006 in Vi Xuyen District of Ha 
Giang Province, local authorities fined a house church pastor $32 (VND 
500,000), or more than half of his monthly salary, for traveling to 
Hanoi to pick up registration forms from the ECVN. In addition, lay 
deacons of the church were fined VND $6 (VND 100,000) each for ``being 
Protestant'' and for signing documents requesting registration for 
their group.
    There were reports from parts of the Northwest Highlands that local 
officials told believers the new laws did not apply to the Northwest. 
Although reportedly 535 house churches in the Northwest Highlands 
applied to register, only 6 were allowed to do so by the end of the 
reporting period according to the Government.
    Despite significant improvements in the Central Highlands, at least 
one third of SECV congregations in Dak Lak faced significant 
restrictions on operations. Conditions appeared even more restrictive 
in Sa Thay district in Kontum Province, where senior district-level 
officials in early 2006 argued that there was ``no religion'' in the 
area. There were some anecdotal reports that in some areas local police 
officials were rebuked for harassing house churches in contravention of 
the prime minister's Instruction on Protestantism. In a few incidents 
in the Mekong Delta and in central regions, local authorities 
reportedly increased harassment of groups that submitted applications 
to register.
    The repression of Protestantism in the Central Highlands is 
complicated by the presence of ``Dega'' separatists, who advocate an 
autonomous or independent homeland for the indigenous persons who live 
in the area, particularly in Gia Lai, Dak Nong and Dak Lak provinces. 
These separatists reportedly have links to political advocacy groups 
residing in the United States. The relationship between the Dega 
movement and Protestant believers belonging to the SECV is tense in 
some parts of the Central Highlands. Dega activists reportedly have 
threatened that SECV pastors would not be allowed to serve in a ``Dega 
State'' unless they abandon the SECV. Other Protestant pastors have 
accused the Dega movement of manipulating religion for political 
purposes. We cannot estimate the extent of support in the Central 
Highlands for the Dega Church, but it remained an issue of significant 
concern for central and provincial governments.
    On April 10, 2004, several thousand ethnic minority citizens 
protested against authorities in several districts in the Central 
Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Dak Nong. Authorities 
suppressed the protests, including beating or killing some of the 
protestors. A number of the protestors reportedly resorted to violence 
as well. Individuals supporting the Dega movement from abroad claimed 
that restrictions on religious freedom were a significant factor in the 
protests. The Government, as well as many official and unofficial 
religious leaders, depicted the protests as being motivated by disputes 
over land or other socio-economic grievances. Since April 2004 there 
have been no new large-scale protests in the Central Highlands and the 
Government has taken some additional steps in an attempt to improve 
socioeconomic and religious freedom conditions for the ethnic minority 
community.
    It was difficult to determine the exact number of religious 
detainees and religious prisoners because there was little transparency 
in the justice system, and it was very difficult to obtain confirmation 
of when persons were detained, imprisoned, tried, or released. The 
Government claimed that it did not hold any religious prisoners; such 
persons were usually convicted of violating national security laws or 
general criminal laws. Some observers estimate a high number of 
religious prisoners, generally as a result of including individuals 
arrested for participation in ``Dega'' groups or in the clashes between 
police and ethnic minority protestors in February 2001 and April 2004.
    In August 2005 Vo Van Thanh Liem, Nguyen Phi Long, Nguyen Van Dien, 
Mai Thi Dung, Vo Van Buu, Tran Thanh Phong, Nguyen Thi Ha, Mai Van 
Thung and To Van Man were arrested in coordinated raids across the 
Mekong Delta. Vo Van Buu attempted self-immolation but survived. His 
colleague Tan Van Ut committed self-immolation and died during the 
police raid. Police accused the ten individuals of playing key roles in 
a June 2005 protest and clash with police following a religious event 
organized by the HHCBC. In trials in the Mekong Delta, seven of the 
nine received sentences ranging from four to seven years. It appeared 
that Nguyen Phi Long and Mai Van Thung were not tried or convicted.
    Ma Van Bay, a Protestant church leader, was sentenced to six years 
imprisonment in April 2004. He was charged with theft after collecting 
voluntary donations for church use.
    In February 2005 police in An Giang Province detained Hoa Hao 
believers Tran Van Hoang and Tran Van Thanh for distributing 
unauthorized audio cassettes and DVDs with religious teachings on them. 
On April 27, authorities sentenced them to nine and six months' 
imprisonment, respectively. While the two were convicted of illegal 
distribution of recordings, the extreme rarity with which this 
regulation is enforced in Vietnam led observers to believe they were 
targeted as a result of their adherence to the unrecognized HHCBC. The 
two individuals reportedly were released at the expiry of their prison 
terms.
    In August 2004 authorities arrested Hong Thien Hanh, leader of the 
small To Dinh Tan Chieu Minh Cao Dai sect in Tien Giang Province. The 
Government claimed that Hanh had engaged in illegal religious 
activities, printed and distributed religious information without 
permission, and defrauded believers. Some independent Cao Dai confirmed 
the Government's allegations against Hanh.
    At least fifteen individuals, including UBCV monks Thich Huyen 
Quang, Thich Quang Do and Catholic priest Pham Van Loi, were held in 
conditions resembling house arrest for reasons related to the 
expression of their religious beliefs or attempts to form nonauthorized 
religious organizations, despite the apparent lack of any official 
charges against them. A number of other UBCV, Cao Dai, Catholic, Hoa 
Hao, and Protestant dignitaries and believers had their movements 
restricted or were watched and followed by police.
Forced Religious Conversion
    The Implementing Decree of the Ordinance on Religion and Belief, 
states that, ``Acts to force citizens to follow a religion or renounce 
their faith...are not allowed.'' The Prime Minister's Instruction on 
Some Tasks Regarding Protestantism contains a similarly worded 
statement. While government officials said that forced conversions or 
renunciation of faith had always been illegal, these were the first 
legal documents to state so explicitly. Religious contacts from the 
Central and Northwest Highlands reported that attempted forced 
renunciations continued to decrease. Nonetheless, several incidents 
were reported during the period covered by this report.
    According to a number of credible sources, on several occasions, 
local officials in several northwestern villages attempted to convince 
or force H'mong Protestants to recant their faith. Local authorities 
also encouraged clan elders to pressure members of their extended 
families to cease practicing Christianity and to return to traditional 
practices. For example, in July and August 2004, authorities reportedly 
detained without charge more than 100 H'mong Protestants--choosing 1 
member from each Protestant family--in at least 5 different communes in 
Sapa District, Lao Cai Province. The authorities attempted to force the 
detainees to renounce Protestantism, releasing them only when they 
promised to do so. During the reporting period there were no credible 
reports of such attempted forced renunciations in the Sapa area, 
although some believers claimed that local authorities attempted to 
revoke land title from Protestants who refused to renounce their faith. 
Four H'mong Protestants from Gap Trung Village, Hoang Su Phi District, 
Ha Giang Province, were reportedly pressured unsuccessfully by 
Government border guards to sign documents renouncing their faith in 
April 2005. Similarly, in May 2006, authorities in Cha Cang Commune, 
Muong Lay District, Dien Bien Province, reportedly pressured believers 
from several Protestant house churches to construct traditional altars 
in their homes, and to sign documents renouncing Protestantism.
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion 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
    The status of respect for religious freedom improved during the 
period covered by this report. The Government continued to ease 
limitations on restrictions placed upon Buddhists, Catholics, 
Protestants, Hoa Hoa, and Cao Dai compared to previous years. Much of 
the change came from implementation of significant revisions to the 
legal framework governing religion instituted in 2004 and 2005 and a 
lessening of government pressure on Protestant groups. At the end of 
this reporting period, the legal reforms remained in the early stages 
of implementation. Nevertheless, many recognized and unrecognized 
religious groups, especially Protestant groups in the Central and 
Northwest Highlands regions, reported that they believed the situation 
for their practitioners continued to improve overall.
    The Prime Minister's Instruction on Protestantism also instructed 
officials in the Central Highlands to continue to recognize new 
chapters of the SECV. During the period covered by this report, the 
SECV and house churches generally reported improved conditions in the 
Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Dak Nong. 
At least fifteen new Protestant SECV congregations in the Central 
Highlands have been recognized in the period covered by this report.
    Most SECV congregations and meeting places in the Central Highlands 
were able to register their activities with local officials and allowed 
to operate without significant harassment. For example, hundreds of 
places of worship were allowed to operate in Gia Lai, effectively 
legalizing operations for 75,000 believers in the province. The SECV 
also opened a number of new churches in Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong 
Provinces. In addition, the SECV continued to conduct Bible classes in 
these provinces to provide training to some house church preachers in 
the region, allowing them to receive formal recognition as pastors. 
Ordination of new pastors is a key step in the formal recognition of 
additional SECV churches. During the reporting period, Gia Lai Province 
also permitted the SECV to open a Bible training school for 
unrecognized preachers, which could potentially lead to an even more 
rapid expansion of the number of new pastors in that province and hence 
open the way for further registrations. Gia Lai authorities also 
facilitated the construction of a new SECV church in Chu Se District. 
In May 2006, 266 leaders attended a session in Hue conducted by the CRA 
that explained the registration process, and another 300 attended a 
similar conference in Ho Chi Minh City.
    Unlike in previous years, officials in most of the northern 
provinces acknowledged the presence of Protestants, and said that, in 
keeping with the Government's instructions, they planned to expedite 
registration of some congregations. ECVN contacts in the Northwest 
confirmed that most unregistered congregations were generally allowed 
to worship in their homes and to meet openly and during the daytime, 
with the full knowledge of authorities. In general, provincial 
authorities suggested that Protestants would be allowed to organize and 
gather in small groups for the time being without receiving legal 
registration. For example, in Quang Ninh Province, officials tolerated 
the activities of local Protestants so long as they did not gather in 
large groups and indicated that if the local congregation ``continues 
to behave'' for one year's time, the provincial authorities would grant 
them permission to register.
    Police and other government officials in the Northwest Highlands 
worked with house church leaders in some areas to inform them of the 
new regulations and six previously unregistered ECVN house churches--
two in Lai Chau Province and four in Lao Cai province--were officially 
registered according to the CRA. The CRA conducted training sessions 
across the north to educate provincial and district officials about the 
new religious regulations so that they would ``implement these policies 
in an orderly fashion.'' More than 300 local officials attended these 
training classes in Hanoi and Hue. The CRA also conducted training 
seminars for religious leaders. In April 2006, 247 clergy participants 
from various religious groups attended a seminar in Hanoi conducted by 
the CRA that explained the registration process.
    Many pastors of Protestant denominations such as the Seventh-day 
Adventists, Mennonites, Baptists, and Assemblies of God do not wish to 
join the SECV or ECVN because of doctrinal differences. In many parts 
of Vietnam, particularly in urban areas, these and other unrecognized 
Protestant organizations reported that they were able to practice 
openly and with the knowledge of local officials. While there were 
notable exceptions, such as with the Ho Chi Minh City Mennonite church 
led by Pastor Le Hong Quang, as a rule the level of official harassment 
of unrecognized house churches from non-SECV and ECVN denominations 
continued to decline across the country. The Government held 
discussions about registration and recognition with leaders of at least 
four Protestant denominations and the Jehovah's Witnesses. At the end 
of the reporting period, one subgroup each of the Mennonite church, the 
Seventh-day Adventists, and the Grace Baptist Church had been 
registered in Ho Chi Minh City. National registration for these groups, 
as well as the United World Mission Church based in Danang, has been 
pending since September 2005.
    Attendance at religious services continued to increase during the 
period covered by this report. The number of Buddhist monks and 
Catholic priests also continued to increase, and restrictions on church 
services for Protestants continued to diminish. Catholics across 
Vietnam were allowed to celebrate Christmas and Easter without 
significant difficulties. Some Protestants in the Central Highlands and 
in the north had difficulty celebrating at Christmastime but reported 
that they were allowed to celebrate Easter without much difficulty.
    The Catholic Church reported continued easing of government control 
over church assignment of new clergy, and, during the reporting period, 
many new priests were ordained, including fifty-seven ordained in a 
ceremony conducted by a visiting Vatican Cardinal in November 2005. 
Most of these new priests took up their assignments in provincial 
benefices by the end of the reporting period. All bishoprics remained 
filled, and in late 2005, the Government facilitated a request to 
create a new diocese in the South and to consecrate a new bishop. 
Contact between Vatican authorities and the country's Catholics 
remained routine, and the Government maintained its regular, active 
dialogue with the Vatican on a range of issues, including Church 
leadership, organizational activities, and the prospect of establishing 
diplomatic relations. Negotiations on the establishment of diplomatic 
ties between the Vatican and the Government continued to increase in 
intensity during the reporting period.
    Official harassment against Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang's Mennonite 
church in Ho Chu Minh City subsided substantially following the 
pastor's amnesty and release from prison in September 2005. In late May 
2006 Pastor Quang was invited to a first-ever government seminar for 
house church organizations on the new legal framework on religion.
    The HCMC-based New Life Fellowship Church, which catered to both 
foreigners and local Vietnamese, was prevented from gathering in HCMC 
hotels in August 2005 after it launched a separate service for citizens 
in contravention to the law. Since then, foreigners in the NLF have 
been able to gather in small groups at home. In April 2006 the NLF was 
able to hold its first large prayer meeting for foreigners on the 
grounds of a HCMC hotel for foreigners since August 2005. The NLF 
remains in discussion with city- and national-level officials to find a 
permanent, legal solution to its status.
    Adherents of the Muslim Association of Vietnam continued to be able 
to practice their faith, including reciting daily prayers, fasting 
during the month of Ramadan, and teaching the Qur'an. Several Muslims 
undertake the Hajj every year, most of them using assistance provided 
by foreign sponsors. During the period covered by this report, several 
Muslim students were studying abroad at the invitation of foreign 
governments. The Muslim community did not report any problems or 
difficulties with the Government.
    France-based Buddhist leader Thich Nhat Hanh was permitted to 
return to the country in January 2005 for a ten-week trip, his first 
after thirty-nine years of exile. Thich Nhat Hanh traveled widely 
through the country, met with large groups of Buddhist adherents, and 
spoke to intellectuals and political leaders, including Prime Minister 
Phan Van Khai. Many of Thich Nhat Hanh's comments were critical of the 
situation for Buddhist believers, and he called for an end to the 
practice of Buddhist monks holding public offices and for 
reconciliation between Buddhist groups. Thich Nhat Hanh was able to 
meet with UBCV leaders in Hue but not in Ho Chi Minh City.
    During the reporting period, some religious groups were also 
allowed to convene large religious gatherings, such as the Catholic 
celebrations at La Vang, traditional pilgrimage events such as the Hung 
Kings' Festival, and the Hoa Hao Founding Day and commemoration of the 
founder's death, each with attendance estimated in the hundreds of 
thousands. House church Protestants were able to gather in large groups 
for special worship services in Ho Chi Minh City and elsewhere. In 
April 2006 the HCMC Government officially sanctioned the first large 
revival meeting for the Baptist house church community since 1975. 
Other house church leaders and government officials also attended the 
revival.
    A number of religious prisoners were amnestied or otherwise 
released from prison during the period covered by this report. For 
instance, Brother Nguyen Thien Phung, a member of the Order of the 
Mother Co-Redemptrix, Tran Van Hoang, Tran Van Thanh, and Than Van 
Truong were amnestied September 2, 2005.
    Catholic and Protestant groups reported that the Government 
continued to restore some previously owned properties, although 
progress on outstanding claims was generally very slow. For example, in 
January 2006 an ECVN congregation (one of fifteen legal congregations 
in the North registered since the mid-1960s) was given title to a 
church property in Thanh Hoa that had stood derelict for several 
decades. The congregation was also given permission to remodel the 
church and build a house for their pastor.
    The Government continued to publicize its new policy of religious 
tolerance through the organs of the state. For example, in May 2006 the 
CRA trained more than 600 provincial propaganda cadres from Northwest 
Highlands provinces to disseminate information on religion to the 
common people to reduce societal tensions arising between followers of 
traditional ethnic minority beliefs and Protestant converts.
    In all, during the reporting period, the Government continued to 
address many concerns raised by the United States and other nations 
concerning religious freedom. Uneven approaches to implementation at 
the local level appeared to be the largest difficulty faced by the 
Government in enforcing its new religious regulations, though the CRA 
took steps to improve local officials' understanding of the laws on 
Protestant registration and other new policies.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    In general, there are amicable relations among the various 
religious groups and there were no known instances of societal 
discrimination or violence based on religion during the period covered 
by this report. In Ho Chi Minh City and Hue, there were some ecumenical 
dialogues among leaders of disparate religious communities. Buddhists, 
Hoa Hao, and Cao Dai reportedly sometimes cooperate on some social and 
charitable projects.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    In September 2004 the Secretary of State designated Vietnam a 
``Country of Particular Concern'' (CPC) for the first time for 
particularly severe violations of religious freedom. Subsequent to 
this, the ambassador at large for international religious freedom, 
together with the United States diplomatic mission in Vietnam, 
conducted multiple discussions with the Government to urge improvements 
in religious freedom. Senior U.S. officials and the Government worked 
closely together, resulting in an exchange of letters in May 2005 that 
covered the following issues: Full implementation of the new laws on 
religious activities; instruction of local authorities to strictly and 
completely adhere to the new legislation and ensure it compliance; 
facilitation of the process by which religious congregations are able 
to open houses of worship; and special consideration to prisoners and 
cases of concern raised by the United States during the granting of 
prisoner amnesties.
    On June 21, 2005, the president of the United States and the prime 
minister of Vietnam discussed the status of religious freedom in the 
country.
    In November 2005 the Secretary of State renewed Vietnam's CPC 
status but noted significant improvement in religious freedom during 
the year.
    In February 2006 the U.S. Department of State's Assistant Secretary 
of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and the Ambassador at 
Large for International Religious Freedom traveled to Hanoi to resume 
the bilateral U.S./Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue.
    The embassy in Hanoi and the consulate general in Ho Chi Minh City 
actively and regularly raised U.S. concerns about religious freedom 
with a wide variety of CPV leaders and government officials, including 
authorities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Religious 
Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and other offices in Hanoi, 
Ho Chi Minh City, and the provinces. The mission also maintained 
regular contact with religious leaders and dissidents.
    The ambassador at large for international religious freedom and 
staff traveled to various regions of the country on six occasions 
between 2003 and 2006 to meet religious leaders and government 
authorities. During an extended visit to Hanoi in February 2006 on the 
margins of the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue, the ambassador at large 
for international religious freedom, together with officials of the 
United States Mission in Vietnam, met with senior government officials 
from four ministries for continued discussions on a variety of 
religious freedom issues.
    The U.S. ambassador, the consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, and 
other embassy and consulate officers have raised religious freedom 
issues with senior cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, the 
two deputy prime ministers, the foreign minister, other senior 
government officials, the head of the Office of Religious Affairs, 
deputy ministers of foreign affairs and public security, officials of 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' External Relations Office in Ho Chi 
Minh City, chairpersons of Provincial People's Committees around the 
country, and other officials, particularly in the Central and Northwest 
Highlands. Embassy and consulate general officials maintained regular 
contact with the key government offices responsible for respect for 
human rights. Embassy and consulate general officers repeatedly 
informed government officials that a lack of progress on religious 
freedom and human rights was a significant impediment to an improved 
bilateral relationship.
    The ambassador and other mission officers urged recognition of a 
broad spectrum of religious groups, including members of the UBCV, the 
Protestant house churches, and dissenting Hoa Hao and Cao Dai groups. 
They urged greater freedom for recognized religious groups. The 
ambassador and other mission officers repeatedly advocated ending 
restrictions on Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do, among others. The 
ambassador also requested that the Government investigate alleged 
abuses of religious believers and punish any officials found to be 
responsible. They, along with the Ambassador at Large for International 
Religious Freedom and the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, 
Human Rights and Labor, continued to urge an end to forced 
renunciations and the punishment of officials involved, ask for the 
release of religious and political prisoners, and call for the 
registration and re-opening of house churches that had been closed.
    Representatives of the embassy and the consulate general have 
frequent contact with leaders of major religious communities, including 
Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and Muslims. In 
November 2004 the ambassador met with UBCV Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang 
and in December, he met with UBCV monk Thich Quang Do. Consulate 
general officers maintained regular contact with these and other UBCV 
Buddhist monks. Embassy and consulate general officers met with the 
cardinal of Ho Chi Minh City, the Catholic archbishops of Hue and 
Hanoi, and the bishops of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kontum, Can Tho, Lang 
Son, Buon Ma Thuot, and Haiphong as well as other members of the 
Episcopal Conference. Embassy and consulate general officers also met 
repeatedly with leaders of various Protestant house churches and with 
leaders of the Muslim community. When traveling outside of Hanoi and Ho 
Chi Minh City, Embassy and consulate general officers regularly met 
with provincial religious affairs committees, village elders, local 
clergy, and believers.
                           EUROPE AND EURASIA

                              ----------                              


                                ALBANIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 11,100 square miles, and a population of 
approximately 3.6 million. It had a largely homogeneous ethnic 
population, consisting of Ghegs in the north and Tosks in the south. 
The ethnic Greek communities, the largest minority group in the 
country, were located in the south. Other minorities included the Roma, 
the Egyptian community (an ethnic group similar to the Roma that does 
not speak the Roma language), Vlachs, and Macedonians.
    The majority of citizens were secular in orientation after decades 
of rigidly enforced atheism under the communist regime, which ended in 
1990. No reliable data were available on active participation in formal 
religious services, but estimates ranged from 25 to 40 percent. Despite 
such secularism, most citizens associated themselves with a traditional 
religious group. Citizens of Muslim background made up the largest 
traditional religious group (estimated at 65 to 70 percent of the 
population) and were divided into two major communities: Those 
associated with a moderate form of Sunni Islam and those associated 
with the Bektashi school (a particularly liberal form of Shi'a Sufism). 
Bektashis were estimated to represent approximately one-quarter of the 
country's Muslim population. In 1925, after the revolution of Ataturk 
and the Bektashis' expulsion from Turkey, the country became the world 
center of Bektashism, although it has not been recognized as such by 
the Government. In 2005, the Muslim community, historically known as 
the Albanian Muslim Community, resumed using the name ``Albanian 
Islamic Community.''
    The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania (referred to as 
Orthodox) and the Roman Catholic Church were the other large 
denominations. An estimated 20 to 25 percent of the population belonged 
to communities that are traditionally Albanian Orthodox and 
approximately 10 percent to the Roman Catholic communities. The 
Orthodox Church became independent from Constantinople's authority in 
1929 but was not recognized as autocephalous (independent) until 1937.
    Muslims were found throughout the country but were concentrated 
mostly in the middle of the country and to a lesser extent in the 
south. The Orthodox lived mainly in the south and Roman Catholics in 
the north of the country; this division was not strict, however, 
particularly in the case of many urban centers, which had mixed 
populations. The Greek minority, concentrated in the south, belonged 
almost exclusively to the Orthodox Church. In addition to the four 
traditional religious groups, the country had substantial numbers of 
Protestants, Baha'is, members of Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and other 
smaller religions. All reported that they freely carried out their 
religious activities.
    According to the State Committee on Cults, during the period 
covered by this report, there were a total of 245 religious groups, 
organizations, and foundations other than the 4 traditional faiths 
active in the country. This number included 34 different Islamic 
organizations and 189 Protestant (Christian) organizations. The largest 
foreign missionary groups were American, Western European, and Middle 
Eastern.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. According to the 
1998 Constitution, there is no official religion and all religions are 
equal; however, the predominant religious communities (Sunni Muslim, 
Bektashi, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic) enjoy a greater degree of 
official recognition (e.g., national holidays) and social status based 
on their historical presence in the country. All registered religious 
groups have the right to hold bank accounts and to own property and 
buildings. Official holidays include religious holy days from all four 
predominant faiths. Religious movements may acquire the official status 
of a juridical person by registering with the Tirana District Court 
under the Law on Nonprofit Organizations, which recognizes the status 
of a nonprofit association regardless of whether the organization has a 
cultural, recreational, religious, or humanitarian character. The 
Government does not require registration or licensing of religious 
groups; however, the State Committee on Cults maintains records and 
statistics on foreign religious organizations that contact it for 
assistance. No groups reported difficulties registering during the 
period covered by this report. All religious communities have 
criticized the Government for its unwillingness to grant them tax-
exempt status. Since 2003, foreign religious missionaries have been 
exempted from the residence permit tax.
    The State Committee on Cults is charged with regulating the 
relations between the Government and all religious communities, large 
and small. Following parliamentary elections in July 2005, a new 
government came to power in September 2005. In the previous government 
the chairman of the Cults Committee had the status of a deputy minister 
and reported directly to the prime minister. In the current government, 
the Cults Committee has been moved within the jurisdiction of the 
Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. The Cults Committee 
recognizes the equality of religious communities and respects their 
independence. The Cults Committee is charged with working to protect 
freedom of religion and to promote inter-religious cooperation and 
understanding. The Cults Committee claims that its records on religious 
organizations facilitate the granting of residence permits by police to 
foreign employees of various religious organizations. No organization 
claimed any difficulty in obtaining residency permits during the period 
covered by this report. However, as a general rule, foreign religious 
missionaries were issued only one-year residency permits and not five-
year permits, as allowed under law for residents who have been in the 
country more than two years. The new government promised to issue 
longer period permits but had not yet begun to do so. No single 
religious organization has been singled out; all have been treated 
equally. In 2004, the State Committee on Cults assisted 1,084 foreign 
missionaries in obtaining residency permits.
    There is no law or regulation forcing religious organizations to 
notify the Cults Committee of their activities; however, Article 10 of 
the constitution calls for separate bilateral agreements to regulate 
relations between the Government and religious communities. At the end 
of the period covered by this report, only the Roman Catholic Church 
has finalized such an agreement with the Government; this agreement 
entered into force in March 2005. The State Committee on Cults had a 
clear mandate to negotiate agreements with the three remaining groups 
by the end of August 2006 and convened a working group in late May for 
this purpose. The Albanian Evangelical Alliance (VUSH), a Protestant 
umbrella organization, approached the Cults Committee and also asked to 
negotiate a bilateral agreement, but had not received a response to its 
request by the end of the period covered by this report.
    Additionally, the State Committee on Cults drafted a law on 
religion to deal with all religious communities according to a common 
standard; however, no action had been taken on the draft by the end of 
the period covered by this report.
    According to official figures, religious communities, organizations 
and foundations managed 101 educational institutions, out of which 15 
were officially religious-affiliated schools, with more than 2,600 
students. Under law, the Ministry of Education must license such 
schools, and the curricula must comply with national education 
standards. Both the Roman Catholic and Muslim groups operated numerous 
state-licensed schools and have reported no problems in obtaining new 
licenses for new schools. During the reporting period, VUSH reported 
that it was unable to obtain the necessary licenses, despite guarantees 
that they would teach the state curricula and employ only state-
accredited instructors. The Orthodox Church and the Bektashis operate 
only strictly religious educational centers for the training of 
clerics.
    The Orthodox Church's 1954 statute states that its archbishop must 
have Albanian citizenship; however, the archbishop during the reporting 
period was a Greek citizen who was still seeking Albanian citizenship. 
The Government had not taken action on his citizenship application by 
the end of the period covered by this report.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. The Government is secular. The Ministry of 
Education states that public schools in the country are secular and 
that the law prohibits ideological and religious indoctrination. 
Religion is not taught in public schools. No restriction is imposed on 
families regarding the way they raise their children with respect to 
religious practices.
    In 1967, the former communist government banned all religious 
practices and expropriated the property of the established Islamic, 
Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other churches. The Government has not 
returned all the properties and religious objects under its control 
that were confiscated during the communist regime. Property restitution 
remained one of the greatest challenges facing the religious 
communities. All four major traditional communities had substantial 
property claims that remained unresolved. In cases in which religious 
buildings were returned, the Government often failed to return the land 
that surrounds the buildings, sometimes because of redevelopment claims 
by private individuals who began farming it or using it for other 
purposes.
    In July 2004, Parliament approved a law on the restitution and 
compensation of properties confiscated during the communist regime. 
According to this law, religious communities have the same rights as 
private individuals in matters of property restitution or compensation. 
However, the religious communities question the law's limitation on 
property restitution to 150 acres. The Cults Committee recently 
announced that the new government intended to establish a fund for 
monetary compensation. Moreover, the Government announced plans to 
remove bureaucratic and legalistic hurdles that have hindered the 
return of confiscated properties. Specifically, the Government will no 
longer require that religious organizations produce titles and deeds 
proving original ownership before making restitution.
    The Orthodox Church began construction of a new cathedral on a 
parcel of land that it was given as compensation for other land seized 
by the communist government. Despite this progress, the Orthodox Church 
claimed a lack of action on a number of other property claims 
throughout the country, as well as difficulty in recovering some 
religious icons and precious manuscripts. Additionally, both the 
Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were still trying to 
regain possession of their archives that were seized by the communist 
government and continued to be held in the national archives.
    Although the Roman Catholic Church had substantial outstanding 
property claims, it indicated that it was not actively pursuing these 
and had decided to focus its efforts in other areas. Nevertheless, if 
compensation is eventually paid out it expects to receive compensation 
as well. The Islamic Community and the Bektashis also requested that 
the Government return a number of properties. The Islamic Community 
succeeded in obtaining the title to a large parcel of land located 
across from the parliament building in the center of Tirana on which a 
mosque once stood. However, it was not issued the necessary building 
permit to allow construction of a new mosque. Under the new Urban 
Regulatory Plan for Tirana, another parcel of land in central Tirana, 
also owned by the Islamic Community, has been set aside for this 
purpose. The Islamic Community has rejected this location, however, in 
favor of the other site. The Bektashi community is also seeking 
compensation from the Government for victims of religious maltreatment 
during the communist regime.
    Over the reporting period, VUSH has continued its efforts to expand 
its relationship with the country's various public institutions, 
including the Cults Committee, state-controlled media, and 
universities.
    Media coverage of the Jehovah's Witnesses improved since the 
previous reporting period, during which the organization was the 
subject of false media accounts of youth members committing suicide. 
Over the reporting period there was only one such article published. 
The organization reported that in this instance the Government acted 
cooperatively and responsibly in helping to quell false rumors. The 
organization reported that they have faced no other hindrance in their 
ability to carry out their programs in the country.
    There were approximately six hundred Jews in the country before 
World War II. During the war, many Jews from other countries found 
shelter in the country, but almost all remaining Jews immigrated to 
Israel after 1991. There were believed to be fewer than one hundred 
Jews left in the country, and there were no reports of synagogues or 
Jewish community centers functioning in the country. The Archaeology 
Institute of the Albanian Academy of Sciences, together with 
archaeologists from the Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology, was 
excavating an ancient synagogue in the southern city of Saranda during 
the reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Society is largely secular. 
Intermarriage among members of different religions is extremely common. 
Citizens take pride in the tolerance and understanding that prevail 
among them.
    In contrast to past years, representatives of the Orthodox Church 
reported that there were no acts of vandalism carried out against its 
churches or property. The Catholic Church, however, reported that there 
were two cases in which public crosses were destroyed, both in the 
Shkodra region. That city was also the location of a controversy 
regarding the public placement of a statue of Mother Theresa (an ethnic 
Albanian born in Macedonia). A leader of the Islamic community of 
Shkodra initially objected, claiming that Mother Theresa was a Catholic 
figure and therefore her statue should not be placed on public 
property. The national leadership of the Albanian Islamic Community, 
however, announced that it supported erection of the statue on the 
ground that Mother Theresa was a national figure. Ultimately the 
Shkodra Islamic community rescinded its objections, stating that it, 
too, recognized that Mother Theresa was a national symbol.
    The investigation into the 2003 killing of Sali Tivari, the former 
General Secretary of the Islamic Community, remained open at the end of 
the reporting period.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Government has employed numerous initiatives to further religious 
freedom and tolerance. The U.S. Embassy continues to urge the 
Government to address outstanding religious property claims and to 
return buildings, land, and other property to the denominations that 
lost them under communist rule. Embassy officers, including the chief 
of mission, meet frequently (both in formal office calls and at 
representational events) with the heads of the major religious 
communities in the country.
    The embassy has been active in urging tolerance and moderation as a 
continued hallmark of society. The embassy has provided grants to local 
organizations to promote interfaith tolerance and understanding and to 
support the teaching of civic affairs and religious tolerance in 
secondary schools, including schools operated by faith-based 
organizations. The embassy has also sponsored events at its American 
Corners geared towards high school and university students to promote 
interfaith understanding, including a photo exhibit and discussion on 
``Muslim Life in America.'' The embassy supported other projects that 
support and strengthen civic education in religious-affiliated schools 
to help ensure that tradition is preserved as new forms of religious 
practice appear in the country.
    During the reporting period, using an embassy grant, the Civic and 
Faith-based Education Project expanded its activities throughout the 
country, bringing together local authorities, teachers, students, 
religious leaders, and civil society representatives to discuss ways of 
cultivating values that can contribute to a more democratic, diverse 
and tolerant society.
    The project also extended cooperation with the Education Department 
of the Albanian Islamic Community, which, as a result, introduced 
constructive, cooperative civic education curricula into Muslim-
affiliated schools in Tirana. The project replicated this experience in 
other Muslim-affiliated schools throughout the country.
    This project also provided in-service training for teachers in 
faith-based nonpublic schools, which have agreed to teach civic 
education. The training offered knowledge and skills for effective 
civic education in their schools, which could help to further 
strengthen the relations between civic and faith-based education, 
provide students in such schools with civic knowledge and skills, and 
also improve the climate for further cooperation between public schools 
and faith-based nonpublic schools.
    Through a USAID project entitled ``Fostering Religious Harmony in 
Albania,'' the U.S. Government supported the peaceful coexistence of 
different religious groups and fostered greater understanding among 
persons of different faiths. This project seeks to establish dialogue 
and cooperation among members of the different religions present in the 
country at all levels of the organizations.
                               __________

                                ANDORRA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion; however, the constitution acknowledges a special 
relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, which receives some 
privileges not available to other religious groups.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 180.7 square miles and a population of 
78,549 (December 2005 figure). Very few official statistics were 
available relative to religion; however, traditionally, approximately 
90 percent of the population is Catholic. The population consisted 
largely of immigrants from Spain, Portugal, and France, with full 
citizens representing less than 30 percent of the total. The immigrants 
were also generally Catholic. It was estimated that, of the Catholic 
population, approximately half were active church attendees. Other 
religious groups included Muslims (who primarily were represented among 
the approximately two thousand North African immigrants and were split 
between two groups, one more fundamentalist); Hinduism; the New 
Apostolic Church; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons); several Protestant denominations, including the Anglican 
Church; the Reunification Church; Jehovah's Witnesses, and Jews.
    An estimated one hundred Jews lived in the country. Eight years 
ago, the Jewish community opened a synagogue and a cultural center. The 
group suffered no discrimination and was well integrated into the 
overall society.
    Foreign missionaries were active and operated without restriction. 
For example, the Mormons and members of Jehovah's Witnesses 
proselytized from door to door.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution acknowledges a special relationship with the 
Catholic Church ``in accordance with Andorran tradition'' and 
recognizes the ``full legal capacity'' of the bodies of the Catholic 
Church, granting them legal status ``in accordance with their own 
rules.'' One of the two constitutionally designated princes of the 
country (who serves equally as joint head of state with the president 
of France) is Bishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicilia of the Spanish town of 
La Seu d'Urgell. The Catholic religious celebration on September 8 of 
the ``Verge de Meritxell'' (Virgin of Meritxell) is also a national 
holiday. The celebration does not negatively affect any religious 
group.
    There is no law that clearly requires legal registration and 
approval of religious groups and religious worship. The law of 
associations is very general and does not mention specifically 
religious affairs. A consolidated register of associations records all 
types of associations, including religious groups. Registration is not 
compulsory; however, groups must register or reregister in order to be 
considered for the support that the Government provides to 
nongovernmental organizations. To register or reregister, groups must 
provide the association statutes, the foundation agreement, a statement 
certifying the names of persons appointed to official or board 
positions in the organization, and a patrimony declaration that 
identifies the inheritance or endowment of the organization. There were 
no known reports of rejected applications.
    The authorities reportedly expressed some concern as to what 
treatment groups, whose actions may be considered injurious to public 
health, safety, morals, or order, should receive. The law does not 
limit any such groups, although it does contain a provision that no one 
may be ``forced to join or remain in an association against his/her 
will.''
    In spite of negotiations between the Muslim community and the 
Government, no mosque had been built. However, the Muslim community 
practiced its religion without restriction in places of worship 
scattered throughout the country.
    Instruction in the tenets of the Catholic faith is available in 
public schools on an optional basis, outside of both regular school 
hours and the time frame set aside for elective school activities, such 
as civics or ethics. The Catholic Church provides teachers for religion 
classes, and the Government pays their salaries. The Islamic Cultural 
Center provided approximately fifty students with Arabic lessons. The 
Government and the Moroccan community had not yet agreed upon a system 
that would allow children to receive Arabic classes in school outside 
of the regular school day.
    The Government has been responsive to certain needs of the Muslim 
community. On occasion the Government has made public facilities 
available to various religious organizations for religious activities.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 persons to be returned 
to the United States.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In early 2005, under the sponsorship of the foreign minister, a 
group of persons attended a meeting organized for the first time among 
Catholics, Buddhist, Hindus, and Muslims which was presided over by the 
Bishop of Seu d'Urgell Joan Enric Vives i Sicilia.
    In 2004, UNESCO opened an interreligious dialogue in the country. 
The project consisted of various meetings to promote peace and 
reconciliation among members of different religious groups.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Societal attitudes between 
and among different religious groups appeared to be amicable and 
tolerant. For example, the Catholic Church of la Massana lends its 
sanctuary twice per month to the Anglican community, so that visiting 
Anglican clergy can conduct services for the English-speaking 
community. Although those who practiced religions other than 
Catholicism tended to be immigrants and otherwise not integrated fully 
into the local community, there appeared to be little or no obstacle to 
their practicing their own religions.
    There were no significant ecumenical movements or activities to 
promote greater mutual understanding among adherents of different 
religions.
    According to a report of the European Commission on Andorra, the 
country had no problems related to discrimination but the society had 
racial prejudices, an issue that could be exacerbated if the economic 
situation worsens.
    An opinion poll published in 2003 by the Institute of Andorran 
Studies on the ``values and traditions of the Andorran Society'' 
indicated that 52 percent saw themselves as ``very religious people.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights and 
religious freedom. Both the U.S. Ambassador, resident in Madrid, and 
the Consul General, resident in Barcelona, have met with Bishop Joan 
Enric Vives i Sicilia, the leader of the Catholic community, to discuss 
religious toleration. The U.S. Consul General specifically discussed 
with and urged the foreign minister to take a more proactive stance in 
integrating the Muslim community into society.
                               __________

                                ARMENIA

    The constitution, as amended December 8, 2005, provides for freedom 
of religion; however, the law places some restrictions on the religious 
freedom of adherents of minority faiths, and there were some 
restrictions in practice. The Armenian Apostolic Church, which has 
formal legal status as the national church, enjoys some privileges not 
available to other religious groups.
    There was no overall change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report. Some denominations 
reported occasional acts of discrimination by mid- or low-level 
government officials and isolated incidents of police harassment. An 
amendment to the 2004 law on alternative military service took effect 
on January 26, 2006, criminalizing evasion of alternative labor 
service. Conscientious objectors maintained, however, that military 
control of the alternative labor service amounted to unacceptable 
military service.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, societal attitudes 
toward some minority religious groups were ambivalent.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During these discussions, the U.S. Government emphasizes to authorities 
that continued eligibility for the $235 million Millennium Challenge 
Compact remains contingent upon the Government's performance in meeting 
good governance indicators, which include standards of respect for 
religious freedom.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 11,500 square miles and a population of 
3 million.
    The country is ethnically homogeneous; approximately 98 percent of 
the population was ethnically Armenian. Many Azeris left the country 
during the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh from 1988 to 1994, increasing 
the country's religious and ethnic homogeneity. Religious observance 
was strongly discouraged in the Soviet era, leading to a sharp decline 
in the number of active churches and priests, the closure of virtually 
all monasteries, and the nearly complete absence of religious 
education. As a result, the number of active religious practitioners 
was relatively low. For many citizens, Christian identity was an ethnic 
trait, with only a loose connection to religious belief. An estimated 
90 percent of citizens nominally belonged to the Armenian Apostolic 
Church, an Eastern Christian denomination with its spiritual center at 
the Etchmiadzin cathedral and monastery. The head of the church, 
Catholicos Garegin II (alternate spelling Karekin), was elected in 1999 
at Etchmiadzin with the participation of Armenian delegates from around 
the world.
    There were comparatively small communities of other religious 
groups. There was no reliable census data on religious minorities, and 
reports from congregants themselves varied significantly. The 
Government does not provide official figures for numbers of religious 
adherents, but congregants offered the following unconfirmed estimates: 
Catholic, both Roman and Mekhitarist (Armenian Uniate) (120,000); 
Yezidi, an ethnically Kurdish cultural group whose religion includes 
elements derived from Zoroastrianism, Islam, and animism (40,000 
nominal adherents); unspecified ``charismatic'' Christian (10,000); 
Jehovah's Witnesses (8,750); Armenian Evangelical Church (8,000); 
Molokan, an ethnically Russian pacifist Christian group that split from 
the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century (5,000); Baptist 
(2,000); the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) 
(2,000); Greek Orthodox (1,200); Seventh-day Adventist (950); 
Pentecostal (700); Jewish (600); and Baha'i (200). There was no 
estimate of the number of atheists.
    Yezidis were concentrated primarily in agricultural areas around 
Mount Aragats, northwest of the capital, Yerevan. Armenian Catholic and 
Greek Orthodox Christians were concentrated in the northern region, 
while most Jews, Mormons, and Baha'is were located in Yerevan. In 
Yerevan there was also a small community of Muslims, including Kurds, 
Iranians, Indians, and temporary residents from the Middle East.
    Several minority religious groups sponsor missionary programs in 
the country, including both expatriate and local participants. Levels 
of membership in minority religious groups remained relatively 
unchanged.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution, as amended on December 8, 2005, provides for 
freedom of religion and ``the exclusive mission of the Armenian 
Apostolic Holy Church as a national church in the spiritual life, 
development of the national culture and preservation of the national 
identity of the people of Armenia.'' The law stipulates some 
restrictions on the religious freedom of adherents of faiths other than 
the Armenian Apostolic Church. The constitution also provides for 
freedom of conscience, including the right either to believe or to 
adhere to atheism. The 1991 Law on Freedom of Conscience, amended in 
1997 and again in 2001, establishes the separation of church and state 
but grants the Armenian Apostolic Church official status as the 
national church.
    Extended negotiations between the Government and the Armenian 
Apostolic Church resulted in a 2000 memorandum providing a framework 
for the two sides to negotiate a concordat. Although they had not 
concluded negotiations by the end of the period covered by this report, 
the Government and the church used the memorandum as a basis for 
dispute resolution and policy agreements.
    The law requires all religious denominations and organizations to 
register in order to operate without restrictions. There were no 
reports of the Government refusing registration to religious groups 
that were qualified for registration under the law. The Department of 
Religious Affairs and National Minorities, which replaced the former 
Council on Religious Affairs (CRA), oversees religious affairs and 
coordinates activities with the cabinet's chief of staff. A high-
ranking official from the former CRA serves as the prime minister's 
advisor on religious affairs. The Office of the State Registrar 
registers religious entities, and the Department of Religious Affairs 
and National Minorities performs a consultative role in the 
registration process. To qualify for registration, petitioning 
organizations must ``be free from materialism and of a purely spiritual 
nature,'' and must subscribe to a doctrine based on ``historically 
recognized holy scriptures.'' A religious organization must have at 
least 200 adult members. Religious groups are not required to register, 
but unregistered religious organizations may not publish newspapers or 
magazines, rent meeting places, broadcast programs on television or 
radio, or officially sponsor the visas of visitors. By the end of the 
period covered by this report, the Government had registered fifty-six 
religious organizations, some of which were individual congregations 
within the same denomination.
    Yerevan's one surviving eighteenth-century mosque, which was 
restored with Iranian funding, was open for regular Friday prayers. 
Although not registered as a religious facility, the Government did not 
restrict Muslims from praying there.
    The law permits religious education in state schools. Only 
personnel authorized and trained by the Government may teach in 
schools. The history of the Armenian Apostolic Church forms the basis 
of this curriculum; many schools cover global religions in elementary 
school and the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church in middle 
school. Students may choose not to attend religious education classes. 
Religious groups are not allowed to provide religious instruction in 
schools, although registered groups may do so in private homes to 
children of their members. On occasion, priests from the Armenian 
Apostolic Church teach classes in religious history; however, the use 
of public school buildings for religious ``indoctrination'' is illegal.
    The military employs Armenian Apostolic chaplains for each 
division, but no other religious groups are represented in the 
chaplaincy.
    The Government's human rights ombudsman and the head of the 
Department of Religious Affairs and National Minorities met with many 
minority religious organizations during the period covered by this 
report.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, most registered religious 
groups reported no serious legal impediments to their activities. 
However, the 1991 freedom of conscience law prohibits ``proselytizing'' 
(undefined in the law) and restricts unregistered groups from 
publishing, broadcasting, or inviting official visitors to the country. 
The prohibition on proselytizing applies to all groups, including the 
Armenian Apostolic Church; however, the term used for proselytizing 
implies that someone has been taken away from a ``true'' faith, and the 
prohibition effectively restricts only minority religious groups.
    According to the head of the Department of Religious Affairs and 
National Minorities, some minority religious groups, including the 
Molokans and some Yezidi groups, have not sought registration.
    Although the law prohibits foreign funding of foreign-based 
denominations, the Government has not enforced the ban and considers it 
unenforceable. A 1991 law required all religious organizations, except 
the Armenian Apostolic Church, to obtain prior permission to engage in 
public religious activities, travel abroad, or invite foreign guests to 
the country. In 2001 this law was rescinded by presidential order and, 
in practice, no travel restrictions were imposed on any religious 
denomination.
    On July 13, 2005, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormon) officials reported that police officers briefly detained, 
harassed, and threatened two foreign missionaries. The missionaries 
said that one of the officers, after warning them to leave the country, 
placed the barrel of his unloaded gun against one missionary's head and 
pulled the trigger. Church officials filed a police report, and the 
Government opened an investigation. According to the Department of 
Religious Affairs and National Minorities, Armenian Apostolic Church 
officials filed a counter-complaint against the Mormons within a week 
of the incident, alleging the missionaries were illegally proselytizing 
on church grounds. Police officials claimed the officers questioned the 
missionaries and asked them to stay away from the church but denied 
that the questioning constituted harassment. On October 4, 2005, a 
police inspector sent Mormon representatives a letter informing members 
that the national police intended to drop the investigation and leave 
the incident unresolved. Other religious groups reported isolated 
events involving police officials questioning missionaries and their 
acquaintances about their activities.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The law on alternative military service took effect in 2004 and 
allowed conscientious objectors, subject to government panel approval, 
to perform either noncombatant military or civil service duties rather 
than serve as conscripted military personnel. The law was applied to 
subsequent draftees and those serving prison terms for draft evasion. 
Conscientious objectors maintained, however, that military control of 
the alternative labor service amounted to unacceptable military 
service. An amendment to the law, which took effect on January 26, 
2006, criminalized evasion of alternative labor service.
    According to leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses in Yerevan, twenty-five 
members of their religious group remained in prison for refusal, on 
conscientious and religious grounds, to perform military service or 
alternative labor service. An additional eighteen members signed 
statements saying they would not leave the country pending the 
completion of preliminary investigations, and six more were assigned 
conditional punishment ranging from one to three years. Representatives 
of the Jehovah's Witnesses stated that all of the prisoners were given 
the opportunity to serve an alternative to military service rather than 
prison time, but that all refused because the military retained 
administrative control of alternative service. Twelve of those in 
prison reportedly received two-year sentences.
    There were reports that hazing of new conscripts was more severe 
for minority group members such as Yezidis and Jehovah's Witnesses. 
Some Yezidi leaders reported that police and local authorities 
subjected their religious community to discrimination. Other Yezidi 
leaders denied the allegations.
    There was no officially sponsored violence reported against 
minority religious groups during the period covered by this report. 
Other than Jehovah's Witnesses who were conscientious objectors, 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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, societal attitudes 
toward some minority religious groups were ambivalent.
    The Armenian Apostolic Church is a member of the World Council of 
Churches and, despite doctrinal differences, has friendly official 
relations with major Christian denominations, including the Eastern 
Orthodox churches, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and 
some Protestant churches.
    Suppressed through seventy years of Soviet rule, the Armenian 
Apostolic Church has trained priests and committed material resources 
to fill the spiritual void created by the demise of communist ideology. 
Nontraditional religious organizations are viewed with suspicion. 
Representatives of foreignbased denominations frequently cited 
as evidence statements including ``one God, one country, one church,'' 
noting they had been warned against ``stealing souls'' from the 
Armenian Apostolic Church.
    Societal attitudes toward most minority religious groups were 
ambivalent. Many citizens were not religiously observant, but the link 
between religion and Armenian ethnicity is strong.
    According to some observers, the general population expressed 
negative attitudes about Jehovah's Witnesses, because the latter 
refused to serve in the military, engaged in little understood 
proselytizing practices, and because of a widespread but 
unsubstantiated belief that they pay the desperately poor to convert. 
Jehovah's Witnesses continued to be targets of hostile sermons by some 
Armenian Apostolic Church clerics and experienced occasional societal 
discrimination. The press reported a number of complaints for allegedly 
illegal proselytizing lodged by citizens against members of Jehovah's 
Witnesses.
    Some members of the press stoked suspicion of nontraditional 
religious organizations. On April 4, 2006, an opposition newspaper 
published a short editorial alleging that ``a top police official'' had 
information that ``religious sects'' including Mormons and Pentecostals 
had enlisted well-known criminals to protect the ``sects''' interests 
against the Government. The paper's publishers claimed the unnamed 
source of the article was ``credible'' and that the allegations were 
factual, but despite repeated requests, they declined to elaborate on 
them.
    On April 5, 2006, a pro-government tabloid published a short 
editorial entitled, ``Is the American University of Armenia being 
Mormonized?'' The writer claimed that the newspaper had learned from 
sources that ``a Mormon'' would be appointed vice rector of the 
American University. According to the authors, if the rumors were true, 
the country would have taken a serious step, negative in the tabloid's 
view, toward ``Mormonization.''
    Flanked by Armenian Apostolic priests during an April 19, 2006, 
press conference, Armenian Center for Rehabilitation and Assistance to 
Victims of Destructive Cults Director Alexander Amaryan continued his 
public assertions that the presence of nontraditional religious 
institutions ``threatens the spiritual life of Armenia.'' Armenian 
Apostolic priests alleged ``religious sects,'' which they identified as 
Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, ``conquered members of our flock'' by 
``abducting children and church members, and criticizing national 
traditions.''
    Unlike in previous years, the Jewish community reported no 
incidents of verbal harassment during the period covered by this 
report. On March 18, 2005, a court issued a three-year suspended 
sentence to the leader of the Union of Armenian Aryans, in response to 
his conviction on charges of public hostility for calling for the 
country to be ``purified'' of Jews and Yezidis.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. ambassador and embassy officials maintain close contact with the 
Catholicos at Etchmiadzin and with leaders of other religious and 
ecumenical groups in the country. During the period covered by this 
report, U.S. officials consistently raised the issue of alternatives to 
military service with government officials. The embassy also maintained 
regular contact with resident and visiting regional representatives of 
foreign-based religious groups such as the Mormons and raised their 
concerns with the Government. Embassy officials closely monitor trials 
related to issues of religious freedom and take an active role in 
policy fora and nongovernmental organization roundtables regarding 
religious freedom.
    The U.S. embassy hosted several roundtable meetings and receptions 
in honor of U.S. representatives of religious organizations. Leaders of 
local minority religious groups were regularly welcomed at these 
events.
                               __________

                                AUSTRIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there was some 
societal mistrust and discrimination against members of some 
nonrecognized religious groups, particularly those referred to as 
``sects.'' There was no marked deterioration in the atmosphere of 
religious tolerance in the country during the period covered by this 
report.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 32,369 square miles, and its population 
was an estimated 8.2 million. The largest minority groups were 
Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and Roma. In the past 
several years, the country experienced a rise in immigration from 
countries such as Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which increased the 
number of Muslims in the country.
    According to the 2001 census, membership in major religions was as 
follows: Roman Catholic Church, 74.0 percent; Lutheran and Presbyterian 
churches (Evangelical Church--Augsburger and Helvetic confessions), 4.7 
percent; Islamic community, 4.2 percent; Jewish community, 0.1 percent; 
Eastern Orthodox (Russian, Greek, Serbian, Romanian, and Bulgarian), 
2.2 percent; other Christian churches, 0.9 percent; and other non-
Christian religious groups, 0.2 percent. Atheists accounted for 12 
percent, and 2 percent did not indicate a religious affiliation.
    The vast majority of groups termed ``sects'' by the Government were 
small organizations with fewer than 100 members. Among the larger 
groups was the Church of Scientology, with between 5,000 and 6,000 
members, and the Unification Church, with approximately 700 adherents 
throughout the country. Other groups found in the country included 
Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Hare Krishna, the Holosophic community, 
the Osho movement, Sahaja Yoga, Sai Baba, Sri Chinmoy, Transcendental 
Meditation, the Center for Experimental Society Formation, Fiat Lux, 
Universal Life, and The Family.
    The provinces of Carinthia and Burgenland had somewhat higher 
percentages of Protestants than the national average. The number of 
Muslims was higher than the national average in Vienna and the province 
of Vorarlberg, where industry drew a disproportionately higher number 
of guest workers from Turkey and the former Yugoslavia.
    According to a poll by FESSEL-GfK, 78 percent of respondents said 
that they belonged to a church or religious group. Of that number, 2 
percent attended services more than once a week, 15 percent attended 
weekly, 17 percent attended a minimum of once a month, 34 percent 
attended several times a year (on special occasions), and 32 percent 
never attended.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    The Government is secular. The Roman Catholic Church is the 
predominant religion; many Roman Catholic holidays are also government 
holidays.
    The status of religious organizations is governed by the 1874 Law 
on Recognition of Churches and by the 1998 Law on the Status of 
Religious Confessional Communities, which establishes the status of 
``confessional communities.'' Religious organizations are divided into 
three legal categories (listed in descending order of status): 
Officially recognized religious societies, religious confessional 
communities, and associations. Each category of organizations possesses 
a distinct set of rights, privileges, and responsibilities.
    Recognition as a religious society under the 1874 law has wide-
ranging implications, such as the authority to participate in the 
mandatory church contributions program, to provide religious 
instruction in public schools, and to bring religious workers into the 
country to act as ministers, missionaries, or teachers. Under the 1874 
law, religious societies have ``public corporation'' status. This 
status permits religious societies to engage in a number of public or 
quasi-public activities that are denied to confessional communities and 
associations. The Government provides financial support for religious 
teachers at both public and private schools to religious societies but 
not to other religious organizations. The Government provides financial 
support to private schools run by any of the thirteen officially 
recognized religious societies.
    The Government recognizes thirteen religious bodies as religious 
societies: The Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant churches (Lutheran 
and Presbyterian, called ``Augsburger'' and ``Helvetic'' confessions), 
the Islamic community, the Old Catholic Church, the Jewish community, 
the Eastern Orthodox Church (Russian, Greek, Serbian, Romanian, and 
Bulgarian), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
the New Apostolic Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Armenian 
Apostolic Church, the Methodist Church of Austria, the Buddhist 
community, and the Coptic Orthodox Church.
    The 1998 Law on the Status of Religious Confessional Communities 
imposed new criteria on religious groups to achieve religious society 
status, although it allowed previously recognized societies to retain 
their status. New criteria included a twenty-year period of existence 
(at least ten of which must be as a group organized as a confessional 
community under the 1998 law) and membership equaling at least two one-
thousandths of the country's population (approximately 16,000 persons). 
Only four of the thirteen recognized religious (Catholic, Protestant, 
Islamic Community, and Eastern Orthodox) groups would meet this 
membership requirement. Of the unrecognized religious groups, only the 
Jehovah's Witnesses would meet this latter membership requirement.
    The 1998 law allows nonrecognized religious groups to seek official 
status as ``confessional communities'' without the fiscal and 
educational privileges available to recognized religions. To apply, 
groups must have at least 300 members and submit to the Government 
their written statutes describing the goals, rights, and obligations of 
members, as well as membership regulations, officials, and financing. 
Groups also must submit a written version of their religious doctrine, 
which must differ from that of any religious society recognized under 
the 1874 law or any confessional community established under the 1998 
law. The Ministry of Education then examines the doctrine for a 
determination that the group's basic beliefs do not violate public 
security, public order, health and morals, or the rights and freedoms 
of citizens.
    Once the Government recognizes them, religious confessional 
communities have juridical standing, which permits them to engage in 
such activities as purchasing real estate in their own names and 
contracting for goods and services. A religious group that seeks to 
obtain this new status is subject to a six-month waiting period from 
the time of application to the Ministry of Education and Culture. 
According to the ministry, as of May 2006, thirteen groups had applied 
for the status of religious confessional community, and ten were 
granted the new status. The Church of Scientology and the Hindu Mandir 
Association withdrew their applications. The Hindu Mandir Association 
reapplied under the name Hindu Religious Community and was granted the 
new status. The ministry rejected the application of the Sahaja Yoga 
group in 1998. Since then, its decision has been upheld in the 
Constitutional Court and Administrative Court.
    The ten religious groups that constitute confessional communities 
according to the law are the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Baha'i Faith, the 
Baptists, the Evangelical Alliance, the Movement for Religious Renewal, 
the Free Christian Community (Pentecostalists), the Pentecostal 
Community of God, the Seventh-day Adventists, the Hindu Religious 
Community, and the Mennonites.
    Religious groups that do not qualify for either religious society 
or confessional community status may apply to become associations under 
the Law of Associations. Associations are corporations under law and 
have many of the same rights as confessional communities, including the 
right to own real estate. Some groups have organized as associations, 
even while applying for recognition as religious societies.
    There are no restrictions on missionary activities. Historically, 
unrecognized religious groups had problems obtaining resident permits 
for foreign religious workers. Unlike visas for religious workers of 
recognized religions, religious workers who are members of unrecognized 
religions are subject to a numerical cap. Administrative procedures 
adopted in 1997 for certain unrecognized groups, which exempted these 
workers from having to obtain governmental permission to work, helped 
to address this problem in part. These procedures allowed for 
application under an immigrant visa category that is neither employment 
or family-based. New visa laws that became effective in January 2006 
will change the implementation of these procedures, possibly resulting 
in an increased difficulty for members of this group to obtain resident 
permits.
    In 2003, the Government opened the first Buddhist cemetery in 
Europe within Vienna's Central Cemetery. As of May 2006, construction 
continued on the new Islamic Cemetery in Vienna's Liesing district. 
This construction site was the target of an arson attack in April 2006. 
Despite the attack, the Islamic Community hoped that the cemetery would 
be in operation by the end of 2006.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, several religious groups that the 
Government did not recognize under the 1998 law, as well as some 
religious law experts, dismiss the benefits of obtaining status under 
the 1998 law and have complained that the law's additional criteria for 
recognition as a religious society obstruct claims to recognition, and 
formalize a second-class status for nonrecognized groups. Some experts 
have questioned the 1998 law's constitutionality.
    Although the Ministry of Education granted Jehovah's Witnesses the 
status of a confessional community in 1998, they were denied 
recognition as a religious society under the 1874 law in 1997. A 
complaint filed by the Jehovah's Witnesses with the European Court for 
Human Rights (ECHR) in 1998, arguing that the group had not yet been 
granted full status as a religious entity in the country under the law 
despite a two-decade struggle, remained pending at the end of the 
period covered by this report. On July 5, 2005, the ECHR ruled that the 
case was admissible. This was one of three applications that the 
Religious Community of Jehovah's Witnesses filed against the Government 
at the ECHR. Three other applications were filed by individuals and 
dealt with the denial of exemption for the ministers of Jehovah's 
Witnesses from both military and alternative service. On February 1, 
2005, the ECHR ruled that two of the cases dealing with military 
exemption were admissible as possible violations of the European 
Convention on Human Rights regarding freedom of religion and 
discrimination.
    The State of Lower Austria and the City of Vienna funded a 
counseling center of a controversial nongovernmental organization 
(NGO), GSK, which actively works against sects and cults. GSK 
distributes information to schools and the general public and runs a 
counseling center for those who believe they have been negatively 
affected by cults or sects. Several provinces funded offices that 
provided information on sects and cults.
    The Federal Office of Sect Issues continued to function as a 
counseling center for those who have questions about sects and cults. 
Under the law, this office has independent status, but the minister for 
social security and generations appoints and supervises its head.
    The conservative People's Party (OVP) position regarding membership 
in a ``sect'' remained in force during the period covered by this 
report. The Party's stated position is that party membership is 
incompatible with membership in a ``sect'' if the sect holds a 
fundamentally different view of man from what the Party believes, 
advocates opinions irreconcilable with the ethical principles of the 
party, or rejects the basic rights granted by progressively minded 
constitutional states and an open society. In 1998, the OVP passed a 
resolution banning members of ``sects'' from being members of the 
party. This resolution was passed to target a native Scientologist who 
was at the time a respected member of his local party organization and 
his local community. There were no known reports of members of other 
sects being denied membership in the party.
    Prisoners who belong to nonrecognized religious groups are entitled 
to pastoral care. Some groups have reported experiencing problems with 
access to pastoral care in isolated instances; however, there were no 
allegations of widespread problems.
    The Government provides funding for religious instruction in public 
schools and places of worship for children belonging to any of the 
thirteen officially recognized religious societies. The Government does 
not offer such funding to nonrecognized religious groups. A minimum of 
three children is required to form a class. In some cases, religious 
societies decide that the administrative cost of providing religious 
instruction is too great to warrant providing such courses in all 
schools. Attendance in religious instruction is mandatory unless 
students formally withdraw at the beginning of the academic year; 
students under the age of fourteen need parental permission to withdraw 
from instruction.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    The NGO Forum against Anti-Semitism reported 143 anti-Semitic 
incidents in 2005, including 4 physical attacks. The incidents included 
name-calling, graffiti/defacement, threatening letters, anti-Semitic 
Internet postings, property damage, vilifying letters and telephone 
calls, and physical attacks. The European Union's Monitoring Center on 
Racism and Xenophobia has declared in the past that anti-Semitism in 
the country was typically characterized by diffuse and traditional 
anti-Semitic stereotypes rather than by acts of physical aggression.
    The Anti-Defamation League's May 2005 report measured attitudes and 
opinions toward Jews in twelve European countries, including Austria. 
More than a third of Austrian respondents believed that Jews were more 
loyal to Israel than to Austria, and 46 percent of Austrian respondents 
believed that Jews talked too much about what happened to them in the 
Holocaust. However, these figures were down from the 2004 survey in 
which 46 percent answered affirmatively to the first question, and 54 
percent to the second.
    The Government strictly enforces its anti-neo-Nazi legislation, 
which prohibits neo-Nazi acts, including incitement to neo-Nazi 
activity and the glorification of National Socialism. In November 2005, 
British historian David Irving was arrested on a 1989 warrant in which 
he was charged with denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz. 
On February 20, 2006, he was found guilty and sentenced to three years 
in prison.
    The Government also provides police protection for Jewish community 
institutions.
    On April 26, 2005, the Vienna Criminal Court convicted a former 
member of the Upper House of Parliament to a suspended one-year prison 
sentence on grounds of violating neo-Nazi law. In public interviews in 
2005, the former parliamentarian had said that the questions on whether 
gas chambers existed during the Third Reich should be ``examined.''

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Relations among the thirteen 
officially recognized religious societies were generally amicable. 
Fourteen Christian churches, among them the Roman Catholic Church, 
various Protestant confessions, and eight Orthodox and old-oriental 
churches, were engaged in a dialogue in the framework of the Ecumenical 
Council of Austrian Churches. The Baptists and the Salvation Army had 
observer status in the Council. The international Catholic organization 
Pro Oriente, which promotes a dialogue with the Orthodox churches, was 
also active in the country. In early 2006, a new interreligious 
platform for tolerance was founded. Billed as an ``initiative for a 
cooperative future in Austria,'' the group ``Christian and Muslim'' 
seeks to promote tolerance and respect by encouraging Christians and 
Muslims to learn more about each other's faiths and each other. 
Subsequently, Jewish representatives also joined the platform.
    Holocaust education was generally taught as part of history 
instruction, but also was featured in other subjects under the heading 
``political education (civics).'' Religious education classes were 
another forum for teaching the tenets of different religions and 
overall tolerance. Special teacher training seminars were available on 
the subject of Holocaust education. The Education Ministry also ran a 
program through which Holocaust survivors talked to school classes 
about National Socialism and the Holocaust.
    There were no reports of violence or vigilante action against 
members of religious minorities. However, some societal mistrust and 
discrimination continued against members of some nonrecognized 
religious groups, particularly against those considered to be members 
of sects. A large portion of the public perceived such groups as 
exploiting the vulnerable for monetary gain, recruiting and 
brainwashing youth, promoting antidemocratic ideologies, and denying 
the legitimacy of government authority. Some observers believed the 
existence of and the activities of the Federal Office of Sect Issues 
and similar offices at the state level fostered societal discrimination 
against minority religious groups.
    Members of sects continued to complain that the Government lacks an 
objective stance when dealing with or representing groups they consider 
to be ``sects.'' The sects claimed that the Government relies too 
heavily on isolated cases of persons who have had negative experiences 
with a group, rather than speaking directly to the vast majority of 
members who make no complaint.
    The Church of Scientology has reported that individual 
Scientologists have experienced discrimination in hiring.
    Muslims complained about incidents of societal discrimination and 
verbal harassment. Muslim women reported difficulties in the job market 
when potential employers learned they wear a headscarf. Victims can 
benefit from the Equal Treatment Bill, which implemented the EU Anti-
Discrimination and Anti-Racism Guidelines and took effect on July 1, 
2004, to take action in court. Women who wear the headscarf also 
reported that they experienced harassment in public areas. From March 
to December 2005, there were eleven cases of discrimination based on 
religion brought before the Equal Rights Commissioner.
    The Muslim cemetery being constructed in Vienna's Liesing district 
was the target of an arson attack in April 2006.
    Compulsory school curricula provide for anti-bias and tolerance 
education as part of the civics education and as a focus across various 
subjects, including history and German classes. The Ministry of 
Education also conducts training projects with the Anti-Defamation 
League in this context.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The U.S. Embassy monitors the Government's adherence to religious 
tolerance and freedom of expression as part of its evaluation of the 
Government's policies and commitments to freedom of expression. The 
ambassador and other embassy officers regularly met with religious and 
political leaders to reinforce the U.S. Government's commitment to 
religious freedom and tolerance, and discussed the concerns of NGOs and 
religious communities regarding the Government's policies towards 
religion.
    Embassy officials regularly met with government officials, NGOs, 
and leaders of religious organizations to discuss the status of 
religious freedom in the country. American representatives repeatedly 
voiced their concerns to the Government on the strict requirements for 
religious recognition in the country.
    During the period covered by this report, the embassy maintained an 
active dialogue with members of the Jewish and Muslim Communities, the 
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Scientology, and other religious 
groups.
    The embassy highlighted religious freedom and tolerance in its 
programs. In 2006, two Muslims participated in the International 
Visitor Program: One in an individual program on women's issues, 
immigration, and religion, and the other in a group program entitled 
``Project for Young Muslim Leaders on U.S. Political, Social and 
Educational Issues.''
                               __________

                               AZERBAIJAN

    The constitution provides that persons of all faiths may choose and 
practice their religion without restrictions; however, there were some 
abuses and restrictions.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period. Some religious groups reported delays in 
and denials of registration while others indicated that they either 
received or expect to receive their registration. There continued to be 
some limitations upon the ability of groups to import religious 
literature than in previous years. Most religious groups met without 
government interference. However, local authorities monitored religious 
services, and officials at times harassed nontraditional religious 
groups.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there was popular 
prejudice against Muslims who convert to non-Islamic faiths and 
hostility towards groups that proselytize, particularly evangelical 
Christian and missionary groups.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy is engaged actively in monitoring religious freedom and 
maintains contact with the Government and a wide range of religious 
groups.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    According to official figures, the country has a total area of 
33,774 square miles, and its population was approximately 7.9 million. 
There were no reliable statistics on memberships in various religious 
groups; however, according to official figures approximately 96 percent 
of the population was Muslim. The rest of the population adhered to 
other faiths or consisted of nonbelievers. Among the Muslim majority, 
religious observance was relatively low, and Muslim identity tended to 
be based more on culture and ethnicity than religion. According to the 
State Committee on Work with Religious Associations (SCWRA), the Muslim 
population was approximately 65 percent Shi'a and 35 percent Sunni; 
differences traditionally have not been defined sharply.
    The vast majority of Christians were Russian Orthodox whose 
identity, like that of Muslims, tended to be based as much on culture 
and ethnicity as religion. Christians were concentrated in the urban 
areas of Baku and Sumgayit.
    An estimated 15,000 Jews, constituting the vast majority of the 
country's Jewish community, lived in Baku. Smaller communities also 
existed in and around Guba and elsewhere. Most of the country's Jews 
belonged to one of two groups: The ``Mountain Jews,'' descendents of 
Jews who sought refuge in the northern part of the country more than 
two thousand years ago, and a smaller group of ``Ashkenazi'' Jews, 
descendents of European Jews who migrated to the country during Russian 
and Soviet rule.
    These four groups (Shi'a, Sunni, Russian Orthodoxy, and Jews) were 
considered traditional religious groups. There also have been small 
congregations of Evangelical Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Baptists, 
Molokans (Russian Orthodox Old-Believers), Seventh-day Adventists, and 
Baha'is in the country for more than one hundred years. In the last ten 
years, a number of new religious groups considered foreign or 
nontraditional have been established, including ``Wahhabi'' Muslims, 
Pentecostal and evangelical Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Hare 
Krishnas.
    There were fairly sizeable expatriate Christian and Muslim 
communities in the capital city of Baku; authorities generally 
permitted these groups to worship freely.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides that persons of all faiths may choose and 
practice their religion without restriction; however, there were some 
abuses and restrictions. Under the constitution, each person has the 
right to choose and change his or her own religious affiliation and 
belief including atheism, to join or form the religious group of his or 
her choice, and to practice his or her religion. The law on religious 
freedom expressly prohibits the Government from interfering in the 
religious activities of any individual or group; however, there are 
exceptions, including cases where the activity of a religious group 
``threatens public order and stability.'' In January 2006 the 
Government announced its intention to amend the law on religious 
freedom to restrict the political activities of religious groups.
    A number of legal provisions enable the Government to regulate 
religious groups, including a requirement in the law on religious 
freedom that religious organizations be registered by the Government. 
The State Committee for Work with Religious Associations (SCWRA), which 
replaced the Department of Religious Affairs in 2001, assumed 
responsibility for the registration of religious groups from the 
Ministry of Justice (MOJ). Government authorities gave the SCWRA and 
its chairman broad powers over registration; control over the 
publication, import, and distribution of religious literature; and the 
ability to suspend the activities of religious groups violating the 
law. In addition, Muslim religious groups must receive a letter of 
approval from the Caucasus Muslim Board (CMB) before they can be 
registered by the SCWRA. On June 27, 2006, the president of the country 
dismissed the chairman of the SCWRA. No public reason was given for the 
dismissal; at the end of the reporting period the Government had not 
announced a new SCWRA chairman.
    Registration enables a religious organization to maintain a bank 
account, rent property, and generally act as a legal entity. 
Unregistered organizations are exposed to allegations that they are 
illegal and find it difficult, but not impossible, to function. 
Unregistered groups were more vulnerable to attacks and closures by 
local authorities. In 2001 religious groups were called upon to re-
register with the SCWRA; however, the registration process is 
burdensome, and there are frequent, sometimes lengthy delays in 
obtaining registration
    To register, religious groups must complete a seven-step 
application process that is arbitrary and restrictive. In 2004 groups 
reported that SCWRA employees charged with handling registration-
related paperwork repeatedly argued over the language in statutes and 
also instructed some groups on how to organize themselves. Religious 
groups are permitted to appeal registration denials to the courts. 
However, appellate court records for the period of this report cannot 
verify whether any appeals were adjudicated.
    During the reporting period, the Government registered twenty-seven 
religious groups and rejected the applications of six religious groups, 
five of which the SCWRA identified as non-Muslim applicant groups. 
Since the call for re-registration, 347 groups have successfully 
registered, compared with 406 that were registered under the previous 
law. The majority of the registered groups were Muslim. The SCWRA 
estimated that two thousand religious groups are in operation; many 
have not filed for registration or re-registration. One of the minority 
religious communities that has faced re-registration problems in the 
past is the Baptist denomination. Of its five main churches, three have 
successfully re-registered; however, in 2005 the SCWRA again rejected 
the applications of the Baptist churches in Aliabad and Neftchala, 
which remained unregistered.
    Under the law on religious freedom, political parties cannot engage 
in religious activity, and religious leaders are forbidden from seeking 
public office. Religious facilities may not be used for political 
purposes. In the aftermath of the November 2005 parliamentary 
elections, the SCWRA announced plans to amend the law on religious 
freedom to further tighten restrictions the political activities of 
religious leaders. The drafting of the amendments remained in its 
preliminary stage as of the end of the reporting period.
    The law on religious freedom, which the Government enforces, 
prohibits foreigners from proselytizing. In July 2005 the Government 
did not renew the visa of the Swedish pastor of the Cathedral of Praise 
church in Baku, although there were no other reported visa denials 
during the reporting period. The law permits the production and 
dissemination of religious literature with the approval of the SCWRA; 
however, the authorities also appeared to selectively restrict 
individuals from importing and distributing religious materials. The 
procedure for obtaining permission to import religious literature 
remained burdensome, but religious organizations reported that the 
process had improved in the past year and that the SCWRA appeared to be 
handling requests more effectively.
    Registered Muslim organizations are subordinate to the CMB, a 
Soviet-era Muftiate, which appoints Muslim clerics to mosques, 
periodically monitors sermons, and organizes annual pilgrimages to 
Mecca for the Hajj. Although it remains the first point of control for 
Muslim groups wanting to register with the SCWRA according to the law 
on religious freedom, it also has been subject to interference by the 
SCWRA. It has attempted to share control with the CMB over the 
appointment and certification of clerics and internal financial control 
of the country's mosques. Some Muslim religious leaders objected to 
interference from both the CMB and SCWRA.
    Religious instruction is not mandatory in public schools. State 
education is separate from religion, but there is no restriction on 
teaching religion in schools
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government restricted some religious freedoms during the 
reporting period. The SCWRA continued to delay or deny registration to 
a number of Protestant Christian groups but registered one Baptist 
church whose application was previously denied or delayed.
    In addition, in 2005 the Justice Ministry denied registration to a 
religious nongovernmental organization (NGO), the Azerbaijan Centre for 
Religion and Democracy. Human rights activists alleged that the 
ministry denied the registration of this group because of its criticism 
of the official religious structures and to obstruct its activities.
    Unregistered religious groups continued to function, and there were 
fewer incidents than in previous years of official harassment, break-
ups of religious services, or police intimidation and fines. Unlike in 
previous years, there were no reports of beatings during police raids.
    For example, on April 16, 2006, Baku police interrupted the Easter 
services of the Protestant Community of Greater Grace purportedly to 
ascertain the legality of the group's religious activities. However, 
when the group complained to the Government, local officials apologized 
for the incident.
    Members of Jehovah's Witnesses reported that local authorities, 
particularly outside of Baku, occasionally interfered with their 
ability to rent public halls for religious assemblies and fined or 
detained overnight some of the group's members for meeting in private 
homes. For example, on June 12, 2005, police raided a gathering of 
approximately 200 Jehovah's Witnesses in Baku, detaining 29 members of 
the group and then releasing them after several hours in police 
custody.
    Authorities raided Baku's Mehebet Baptist Church summer camp in 
July 2005 in the town of Gakh, and in November 2005 they raided the 
Baptist congregation in Ali-Bayramli.
    In 2004, police reportedly harassed and occasionally raided the 
meetings of other religious minorities including Seventh day Adventists 
in Ganja.
    MOJ officials and police forcibly evicted the Juma Mosque community 
from its premises in 2004, following protracted litigation. The mosque 
remained closed as of the end of the reporting period.
    Government officials cited the political activity of the mosque's 
imam, Ilgar Ibrahimoglu as one reason for seeking the eviction of the 
Juma Mosque community. Ibrahimoglu supported the opposition political 
party leader Isa Gambar's 2003 election movement, and in 2005 he 
campaigned on behalf of opposition party parliamentary candidates in 
the November parliamentary election.
    Since his 2004 conviction for participating in post election 
demonstrations in 2003, Ibrahimoglu has not been allowed to travel 
outside the country, including to several meetings of the UN and the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, where he was to be 
an official NGO participant.
    On June 30, 2005, the first anniversary of the Juma community's 
eviction from the mosque, police briefly detained and released 
Ibrahimoglu for leading a group of worshippers into the Juma Mosque to 
conduct prayers, although the mosque remained officially closed.
    Local law enforcement authorities occasionally monitored religious 
services, and some observant Christians and Muslims were penalized for 
their religious affiliations. The law on religious freedom expressly 
prohibits religious proselytizing by foreigners, and this was enforced 
strictly. Government authorities have deported several Iranian and 
other foreign clerics operating independently of the organized Muslim 
community for alleged violations of the law. The Government was 
concerned about Islamic missionary groups (predominately Iranian and 
Wahhabis) that operated in the country, whose activities have been 
restricted in recent years. In May 2005 the Government closed a Saudi 
Arabian-sponsored Sunni mosque in the city of Sumgayit.
    Various religious groups previously reported some restrictions and 
delays in the import of religious literature by some government 
ministries. However, the SCWRA has also facilitated the import of such 
literature, and few religious groups reported difficulty importing 
literature through the SCWRA.
    The Government regulates travel for the purpose of religious 
training. Prospective travelers must obtain permission from, or 
register with the SCWRA or the Ministry of Education in order to go 
abroad for religious studies.
    No religious identification is required in passports or other 
identity documents. In 1999 a court decided in favor of a group of 
Muslim women who sued for the right to wear headscarves in passport 
photos; however, the Center for Protection of Conscience and Religious 
Persuasion Freedom (DEVAMM) reported that authorities prohibited Muslim 
women from wearing headscarves in passport photos. In 2004 a group of 
women appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to protest 
the ban.
    Some local officials continued to discourage Muslim women from 
wearing headscarves in schools. However, in June 2005, a court in 
Sumgayit upheld a school teacher's right to wear a headscarf while 
teaching and ordered the school to pay her back wages for the two 
months she was not allowed to teach.
    Following months of repeated refusals, local officials in the 
Zaqatala region finally issued a birth certificate to Baptist parents 
who wished to give their son a Christian name. Members of the ethnic 
Georgian minority reported that difficulty in registering children with 
non-Azeri names was particularly acute in this region.
    On April 28, 2006, police arrested Mushfiq Mammedov, a member of 
Jehovah's Witnesses, for refusing to fulfill the country's mandatory 
military service requirement, due to his religious beliefs. Mammedov 
appealed his arrest in court on grounds that he had a constitutional 
right to alternative military service as a conscientious objector. 
Mammedov remained in pretrial detention. In a previous case, the 
Supreme Court ruled that a member of a religious minority must fulfill 
compulsory military service despite his constitutional entitlement to 
alternative military service because of his religious beliefs. After 
seven months of litigation in the lower courts, the Supreme Court held 
that while the country remained in a ``state of war'' with Armenia, the 
military's service requirement superseded the individual's alternative 
service right. The court further agreed with the military's argument 
that absent implementing regulations, the military was not obligated to 
provide any alternative service option. The individual and his family 
subsequently left the country.
    The Baptist community reported that the authorities have not 
returned a building of historic significance previously confiscated 
under the Soviet regime that is used as a central Baku cinema. The 
Baha'i community reported that the Government has not responded to its 
August 2005 request that the authorities return a Baku house of 
historic value to the community. The Government claimed that the 
country does not have a law on the restitution of seized property, 
rendering it impossible to return the buildings.
    Press reports indicate that in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh 
region, a predominantly ethnic Armenian area over which the authorities 
have no control, the Armenian Apostolic Church enjoys a special status. 
The largely Muslim ethnic Azeri population in Nagorno-Karabakh and the 
seven occupied territories, which fled the region during the conflict 
with Armenia in the 1990s, was not able to return to these areas.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Sporadic violations of religious freedom by some officials 
continued. In many instances, abuses reflected the popular antipathy 
towards ethnic Azeri converts to non-Russian Orthodox Christianity and 
other nontraditional religious groups.
    In March 2005 the head of the CMB appeared in a television expose 
describing nontraditional religious groups as subversive sects. The 
chairman of the SCWRA spoke on television claiming that Adventists used 
financial bribes to recruit new adherents. On June 21, 2006, a 
representative of the SCWRA criticized Adventists and other 
nontraditional religious groups in an expose aired on a leading 
television channel. In the same broadcast representatives of the Ganja 
orthodox church described nontraditional religious groups as 
``brainwashing'' their members.
    Nontraditional religious groups faced particularly acute problems 
operating in remote regions of the country, including the exclave of 
Nakhchivan. For example, in December 2004 the leader of the small 
Baha'i community in Nakhchivan was briefly detained and released, 
reportedly because of his religious activity and teachings.
    Government authorities took various actions to restrict what they 
claimed were political and terrorist activities by Iranian and other 
clerics operating independently of the organized Muslim community. The 
Government outlawed several Islamic humanitarian organizations because 
of credible reports about connections to terrorist activities. The 
Government also deported foreign Muslim clerics it suspected of 
engaging in political activities. There also were reports that the 
Government harassed Muslim groups due to security concerns. For 
example, the Human Rights Resource Center in Khachmaz reported that 
Wahhabis in Khachmaz were harassed because the authorities suspect that 
all Wahhabists have links to terrorism. On April 18, 2006, the 
authorities announced the conviction of a Wahabbist group called the 
Jammat-al-Mujahiddin on charges of plotting terrorist actions.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country. Sunni Imam Kazim Aliyev, who appealed his 2002 arrest in Ganja 
to the ECHR, was released from prison in January 2006 by presidential 
pardon. In the northern city of Khachmaz, community members reported 
that on several occasions, police harassed and detained some Muslims 
who had disrupted public order. The police allegedly shaved the 
detainee's' beards; however, police officials denied detaining anyone 
for religious reasons.
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.
Improvements in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Some religious groups in the country report improvements in their 
ability to function freely. Several churches indicated that they either 
received or expected to receive their registration, they were able to 
import religious literature, and they met without government 
interference.
    When minority religious communities outside of Baku reported that 
local authorities illegally denied their registration, the SCWRA 
intervened on their behalf and rectified the situation. In previous 
years, the SCWRA had taken a particularly strict approach to the 
registration of minority religious communities and had failed to 
prevent local authorities from banning such communities.
    During the reporting period, the Government worked actively to 
promote interfaith understanding. SCWRA convened leaders of various 
religious communities on several occasions to resolve disputes in 
private, and has provided forums for visiting officials to discuss 
religious issues with religious figures. During the reporting period 
the SCWRA organized several seminars, conferences, and regional 
meetings on religious freedom and tolerance.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there is popular 
prejudice against Muslims who convert to non-Islamic faiths and 
hostility towards groups that proselytize, particularly evangelical 
Christian and missionary groups. This has been accentuated by the 
unresolved conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
    As in previous reporting periods, newspapers and television 
broadcasts depicted small, vulnerable religious groups as a threat to 
the identity of the nation and undermining the country's traditions of 
interfaith harmony, which led to local harassment. In addition, the 
head of the SCWRA has made remarks at times during these broadcasts, 
which contributed to the climate of hostility these broadcasts 
generate.
    During the reporting period, articles critical of Wahhabism and 
Christian missionaries appeared in many newspapers and one television 
channel aired ``exposes'' of Christian church services. Religious 
proselytizing by foreigners is against the law, and there is vocal 
opposition to it.
    Hostility also existed toward foreign (mostly Iranian and 
Wahhabist) Muslim missionary activity, which was viewed in part as 
seeking to spread political Islam, and therefore as a threat to 
stability and peace. The media targeted some Muslim communities that 
the Government claimed were involved in illegal activities.
    Hostility between Armenians and Azeris, intensified by the 
unresolved conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, remained strong. In those 
areas of the country controlled by Armenians, all ethnic Azeris have 
fled, and the mosques that have not been destroyed are not functioning. 
Animosity toward ethnic Armenians elsewhere in the country forced most 
of them to depart between 1988 and 1990, and all Armenian churches, 
many of which were damaged in ethnic riots that took place more than a 
decade ago, remained closed. As a consequence, the estimated ten 
thousand to thirty thousand ethnic Armenians who remained were unable 
to attend services in their traditional places of worship.
    There were few cases of prejudice and discrimination against Jews 
in the country, and in the few instances of anti-Semitic activity, the 
Government was quick to respond. Jewish community leaders consistently 
remarked on the positive relationship they have with the Government and 
leaders of other religious communities. In 2004, a new Jewish community 
center was opened in Baku with high-level government participation. 
Authorities also reserved one wing of a Baku school for secular and 
religious classes for 200 Jewish students.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During the reporting period, embassy officers conveyed U.S. concerns 
about the registration process and the overall attitude towards 
nontraditional religious groups to the chairman of the SCWRA. Embassy 
officers also expressed concerns about the Government's commitment to 
religious freedom with other members of the Government and publicly in 
the press. The U.S. embassy repeatedly conveyed objections to the 
censorship of religious literature, and concern that proposed 
amendments to the law on religious freedom respect the rights of 
religious believers.
    The ambassador and embassy officers maintain close contacts with 
leading Muslim, Russian Orthodox, and Jewish religious officials, and 
regularly meet with members of nonofficial religious groups in order to 
monitor religious freedom. The ambassador and embassy officers also 
maintain close contact with NGOs that address issues of religious 
freedom.
                               __________

                                BELARUS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in practice.
    Respect for religious freedom continued to be uneven during the 
period covered by this report, although some improvements occurred. The 
Government continued to restrict religious freedom in accordance with 
the provisions of a 2002 law on religion and a 2003 concordat with the 
Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC), a branch of the Russian Orthodox 
Church (ROC) and the only officially recognized Orthodox denomination. 
Although there is no state religion, the concordat grants the BOC 
privileged status. Authorities imprisoned a clergyman and a lay 
activist and harassed and fined members of certain religious groups, 
especially those that the authorities appeared to regard as bearers of 
foreign cultural influence or as having a political agenda. Protestants 
in particular attracted negative attention, presumably for their 
perceived links with the United States. A 2002 law requiring all 
religious groups to reregister continued to cause problems for some 
minority religious groups that the authorities refused to reregister. 
Nevertheless, the situation improved somewhat during the period covered 
by this report for a few minority religious groups, including Roman 
Catholics.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups and a 
widely held ethic of tolerance in society contributed to religious 
freedom; however, several acts of vandalism of religious sites and 
memorials occurred during the period covered by this report. 
Additionally, hostile or intolerant attitudes in some parts of the 
press encouraged negative attitudes toward some minority religious 
groups. However, the BOC took some steps to counter propaganda that 
discriminated against other religious groups.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights; 
however, officials turned down requests by U.S. Government 
representatives to discuss religious issues.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 80,154 square miles and a population of 
9,750,200.
    The country historically has been an area of both interaction and 
conflict between Belarusian Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, although 
relations between the two groups improved during the period covered by 
this report. According to polls, approximately 50 percent of 
Belarusians considered themselves religious. The Government claimed 
that of all persons who profess a religious faith, approximately 80 
percent belonged to the BOC, 14 percent were either practicing Roman 
Catholics or identified themselves with the Roman Catholic Church, 4 
percent were members of eastern religious groups, including Hare 
Krishnas, Muslims and Baha'i, and 2 percent were Protestant. Government 
census polling placed the Jewish community at 0.4 percent of the 
population (approximately forty thousand persons), but Jewish groups 
claimed that between fifty thousand and seventy thousand persons 
identified themselves as Jewish. There were also adherents of the Greek 
Catholic Church and of Orthodox religions other than the BOC. Minority 
religious groups included Hare Krishnas, Hindus, Baha'is, Seventh-day 
Adventists, Old Believers, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Apostolic 
Christians, Calvinists, and Lutherans.
    According to the Committee of Religious and Nationality Affairs 
(CRNA), as of January 1, 2006, there were 3,030 religious 
organizations, including 2,886 registered religious communities, 144 
confessional organizations (monasteries, brotherhoods, missionairies, 
etc.), and 25 religious confessions and denominations. This included 
1,349 Belarusian Orthodox parishes; 972 Protestant, 438 Roman Catholic, 
45 Jewish, 24 Muslim, and 33 Old Believer, 13 Greek Catholic, 5 Hare 
Krishnas, and 5 Baha'i communities; and one Armenian Apostolic and one 
Latin Catholic Church. Exact numbers for registered evangelical 
Christian, Baptist, and Seventh-day Adventist communities were not 
available.
    The country was designated an Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox 
Church in 1989, creating the BOC under Patriarchal Exarch Metropolitan 
Filaret. The number of parishes throughout the country was 
approximately 1,349 at the end of the period covered by this report. 
Other Orthodox confessions also existed but suffered strong 
discrimination. Unable to register without the consent of the BOC, they 
were effectively banned. These included the Belarusian Autonomous 
Orthodox Church (BAOC), the Catacomb Orthodox Church, the True Orthodox 
Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.
    There were 438 Roman Catholic parishes, and the Church's situation 
has improved in recent years. On February 8, 2005, President Aleksandr 
Lukashenko and Cardinal Swiatek met and committed themselves to 
improving the relationship between the Government and the Catholic 
Church. After a second meeting in December 2005, Lukashenko 
acknowledged the significant role of the Catholic Church in the country 
and vowed to support it.
    There were approximately 120 thousand citizens who identified 
themselves as Jewish near the end of the Soviet period in 1989, 
compared to between 40 thousand and 70 thousand at the end of the 
period covered by this report. At least half of the present Jewish 
population was thought to live in or near Minsk. The vast majority of 
the Jewish population was not religiously active. Of those Jews who 
were religiously active, most were believed to be either Reform or 
Conservative. There were also small but active Chabad Lubavitch 
communities.
    Protestant groups, while relatively few in number, continued to 
increase. Since 1990, the number of Protestant congregations, 
registered and unregistered, more than doubled. The two largest 
Protestant groups were registered under separate Pentecostal and 
Baptist unions.
    There were a number of congregations of the Greek Catholic Church, 
which once comprised approximately three quarters of the population but 
suffered severe persecution under tsarist and Soviet rule. Following 
the 1991 reestablishment of independence, the attempt to revive the 
Church, which maintains Orthodox rituals but is in communion with the 
Vatican, has had only limited success due to determined opposition by 
the BOC.
    The Belarusian Muslim Religious Association was the main 
organizational body of the estimated thirty thousand Muslims in the 
country. The Spiritual Board of Muslims, which split from the 
association in 2002, claimed an estimated 200 members. Some members of 
a community of approximately ten thousand ethnic Tatars, with roots 
dating back to the eleventh century, practiced Sunni Islam.
    Foreign missionaries and clergy representing western and eastern 
religious groups operated in the country, but lack of standardized 
guidance for government officials on how to properly implement recent 
changes in the visa laws resulted in officials issuing visas based on 
their discretion, rather than on uniform regulations.

               Section II. Status of Freedom of Religion

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted this right in practice. Although the 1996 amended 
constitution reaffirms the equality of religions and denominations 
before the law, it also contains restrictive language that stipulates 
that cooperation between the state and religious organizations ``is 
regulated with regard for their influence on the formation of 
spiritual, cultural, and state traditions of the Belarusian people.'' 
The CRNA regulates all religious matters in the country.
    In 2002, President Lukashenko signed a religion law, despite 
protests from human rights organizations, the European Union, and 
domestic religious groups. The law recognizes the ``determining role of 
the Orthodox Church in the historical formation and development of 
spiritual, cultural, and state traditions of the Belarusian people'' as 
well as the historical importance of Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, and 
Evangelical Lutheranism, groups commonly referred to as ``traditional 
faiths'' in society. However, key omissions indicate present interests 
influenced the list. The ``traditional faiths'' mentioned by the law do 
not include religious groups such as the Priestless Old Believers and 
Calvinist churches that have historical roots in the country dating to 
the seventeenth century.
    Despite the law's stated intention to guarantee religious freedom, 
it contains a number of restrictive elements that increase the 
Government's control of the activities of religious groups. The law 
requires all religious groups to receive prior governmental approval to 
import and distribute literature, prevents foreigners from leading 
religious organizations, and denies religious communities the right to 
establish schools to train their own clergy. In addition, the law 
confines the activity of religious communities to areas where they 
register and establishes complex registration requirements that some 
religious communities, both traditional and nontraditional, have 
difficulty fulfilling. The law also required all previously registered 
groups to reregister by November 17, 2004, and bans all religious 
activity by unregistered religious groups.
    Domestic religious groups continued to call for revocation of at 
least part of the 2002 law. In 2004, Protestant groups sent petitions 
to President Lukashenko, the National Assembly, the council of 
ministers, and the constitutional court calling for revision of the 
most restrictive elements of the law. They declared that the law was 
inconsistent with the constitution and international standards. They 
criticized parts restricting activity to the area where a group was 
registered, the difficulty of obtaining permission to worship in a 
public place, and the preamble identifying the BOC as having a defining 
role and influence in the country. The authorities provided ambiguous 
replies to these petitions but did not revise the law.
    The 2002 law established three tiers of religious groups: Religious 
communities, religious associations, and republican religious 
associations. Religious communities, or local individual religious 
organizations, must include at least twenty persons over the age of 
eighteen who live in neighboring areas. Religious associations must 
include at least ten communities, one of which must have been active in 
the country for at least twenty years, and may be constituted only by a 
republican (national level) religious association. Republican religious 
associations are formed only when there are active religious 
communities in the majority of the country's six regions. All 
applications to establish associations and republican associations must 
be submitted to the CRNA.
    The CRNA allowed reregistration of some religious associations that 
existed before the 2002 law was passed but that could not meet the 
twenty-year rule. To register, associations must provide a list of 
members of the managing body with biographical information, proof of 
permission for the association to be at its designated location, and 
minutes from its founding congress. By law, associations have the 
exclusive right to establish religious educational institutions, invite 
foreigners to work with religious groups, and organize cloistered and 
monastic communities.
    Previously registered religious communities were able to reregister 
with the former minimum requirement of ten members, instead of the 
twenty stipulated in the 2002 law. To register, a community must submit 
a list of founders' names, places of residence, citizenship, 
signatures, copies of its founding statutes, minutes of its founding 
meeting, and permission confirming the community's right to occupy or 
use any property indicated in its founding statutes. For those 
communities practicing religions not previously known to the 
Government, information about their faith must also be submitted. The 
regional executive committees (for those groups outside of Minsk) or 
the Minsk City Executive Committee handle all applications from 
religious communities.
    While the law denies communities the right to establish 
institutions to train religious clergy, it permits them to operate 
Sunday schools. Furthermore, authorities generally accommodate members 
with special requirements for observing holy days.
    On December 1, 2005, the president issued an edict exempting all 
registered religious groups from taxes on land allotted for buildings 
and property used for worship.
    The 2003 concordat between the BOC and the Government guarantees 
the BOC autonomy in its internal affairs, freedom to perform religious 
rites and other activities, and a special relationship with the state. 
The concordat recognizes the BOC's ``influence on the formulation of 
spiritual, cultural, and national traditions of the Belarusian 
people.'' The concordat calls for the Government and the BOC to 
cooperate in implementing policy in various fields, including 
education, development and protection of cultural legacies, and 
security. Although it states that the agreement would not limit the 
religious freedoms of other religious groups, the concordat calls for 
the Government and the BOC to combat unnamed ``pseudoreligious 
structures that present a danger to individuals and society.'' Despite 
a series of cooperation agreements signed over the past few years by 
the BOC and various government ministries, BOC involvement in state 
institutions was reportedly minimal. Nevertheless, in 2004 President 
Lukashenko emphasized the continued importance of the BOC: ``I very 
much want the Orthodox Church to stay within the framework of our 
state. I want the Orthodox Church to be an institution of our state and 
one of its main supporters.''
    In 2004 the National Intellectual Property Center granted the BOC 
the exclusive right to use the word ``Orthodox'' in its title and to 
use the image of the Cross of Euphrosynia, the patroness saint of the 
country, as its symbol. These moves were seen as further actions to 
solidify the standing of the BOC as the only permitted Orthodox faith.
    The Government refers to groups that it does not consider to be 
traditional religious groups as ``nontraditional,'' and government 
officials and state media also widely use the term ``sect'' when 
referring to nontraditional religious groups, although it is not an 
official designation.
    Western and Orthodox Easter and Christmas are all national 
holidays; however they do not appear to negatively impact any religious 
groups.
    In 2004 the CRNA reported that of the 2,780 religious communities 
subject to the reregistration requirement, 2,676 had successfully 
reregistered. Of the 140 religious associations and republican 
religious associations required to reregister, 128 had done so. The 
CRNA stated that the twelve religious associations not reregistered 
self-liquidated for lack of members and activity. Of the 104 religious 
communities not reregistered, 83 self-liquidated. Several religious 
groups reported that the CRNA offered significant assistance throughout 
the process. The remaining twenty ``did not manage to complete 
reregistration due to irregularities of critical importance,'' 
according to the CRNA. The twenty denied reregistration were all 
religious groups the Government considered ``nontraditional.''
    Contrary to the expectations of many, the CRNA reported that 
regional executive committees and the Minsk executive committee 
reregistered 99.3 percent of those religious communities that did not 
self-liquidate, and the Government did not use reregistration for 
massive religious repression as had been expected. Even so, 
reregistration alone did not guarantee religious freedom, and the CRNA 
continued to deny reregistration to certain groups. The reasons for 
denial were based on the law, but its apparently arbitrary application 
resulted in the restriction of religious freedom.
    On September 21, 2005, Minsk city court judge Alla Karpikova 
annulled the registration of the Belarusian Evangelical Church's only 
community in the country for lack of a legal address and for having 
less than the mandatory twenty members necessary for registration. 
Pastor Ernest Sabilo appealed the decision and refused to take steps to 
close the church, including paying the necessary legal fees for its 
closing. In addition on August 22, 2005, and June 27, 2006, the Minsk 
City Court deregistered the Belarusian Evangelical Reformed Union 
Church and Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, respectively, for 
lack of legal addresses.
    On November 9, 2005, authorities refused to register a Russian 
Orthodox Church Abroad village parish after its recent conflict with 
the local Moscow patriarchate diocese. Orthodox communities not based 
in Moscow can receive state registration only with the approval of the 
local Moscow patriarchate bishop, who told the village parish to 
worship instead at the local Moscow patriarchate church. The village 
parish refused and in 2005 was fined for conducting worship in private 
homes.
    In 2004 the Jewish human rights nongovernmental organization (NGO) 
Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry (UCSJ) was denied reregistration for 
submitting some documents late. UCSJ appealed the denial to the Supreme 
Court, but for technical reasons the Court declined to take the case. 
This left UCSJ with no option but to close. However, government actions 
prevented UCSJ from being able to do so. Following the reregistration 
denial, the authorities blocked UCSJ's bank account, preventing the 
organization from paying its lease and taxes or providing severance pay 
to employees. In mid-June 2005 UCSJ was able to access its bank 
accounts and pay its rent and salaries. UCSJ did not reapply for 
registration following its closure and remained unregistered at the end 
of the period covered by this report.
    Under regulations issued in 2001, the Government requires an 
organization inviting foreign clergy to make a written request to CRNA, 
including the dates and reason for the visit. Even if the visit is for 
nonreligious purposes such as charitable activities, representatives 
must obtain a visa and permission from the CRNA. The CRNA has twenty 
days in which to respond, and there is no provision for appeal of its 
decision. Legislation prohibits ``subversive activities'' by foreign 
organizations and prohibits the establishment of offices of foreign 
organizations whose activities incite ``national, religious, and racial 
enmity'' or could ``have negative effects on the physical and mental 
health of the people.''
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Religious freedom was restricted both actively and passively by the 
Government. The Government passed laws that limit freedom of worship, 
speech, and assembly. The Government also failed to regularly condemn 
acts of religious insensitivity or intolerance. Some of the 2,886 
registered religious communities were registered only on a local basis, 
which provided limited rights. With or without official registration, 
some religious groups encountered difficulty renting or purchasing 
property to establish places of worship, building churches (e.g., the 
Greek Catholics and Protestant groups), or openly training clergy.
    Many religious groups encountered problems converting residential 
property for religious use. According to the Government, the law 
permits residential property to be used for religious services only 
after it has been converted from residential use. The housing code 
permits the use of such property for nonresidential purposes with the 
permission of local executive and administrative bodies. As a result, 
several Protestant churches and other nontraditional groups were caught 
in a closed loop: Denied permission to convert their properties for 
religious uses because they were not registered religious groups, but 
unable to register due to the lack of a legal address. Such groups 
often were forced to meet illegally or in the homes of individual 
members.
    The New Life Church in Minsk, a member of the Union of Full Gospel 
Churches, faced closure because authorities refused to register the 
congregation at the cow barn it owned and wisheed to use for worship. 
Known as the ``cowshed church,'' the New Life Church bought the barn 
and surrounding property four years ago. The church began to meet there 
after being denied permission to rent elsewhere. Local authorities, 
however, refused to allow New Life to convert the building, change how 
the cowshed was registered, or allow the church to meet in the building 
as is. Therefore, the church had no legal place to worship and no place 
to register, making all its activities illegal. The pastor and other 
leaders received large fines for holding illegal services, technically 
violating laws on assembly. At the same time, authorities permitted a 
BOC community to meet without hindrance in a converted railcar less 
than a mile away.
    On August 30, 2005, authorities ordered the New Life Church to 
vacate the barn and sell it to the local government. New Life appealed 
the decision, but the courts rejected the appeal and issued the church 
two more official warnings. On November 17, 2005, New Life filed its 
third application for registration at the address of the former cow 
barn using a new ``technical passport'' (registration document) that it 
received from local authorities reclassifying the cow barn as a 
``building specializing in religious purposes.'' One week later, 
however, local authorities rejected New Life's application, annulled 
the new passport, and subsequently fired the employee who issued it to 
New Life ``for issuing the passport illegally.'' On June 22, 2006, the 
New Life Church appealed the city authorities' case to force the sale 
of its cow barn. At the end of the period covered by this report, the 
case was pending.
    The one thousand-member Minsk Community of Krishna Consciousness 
(the Hare Krishnas) also faced closure for meeting at, and attempting 
to register, a property it already owned. Local authorities refused to 
register the Hare Krishnas at a building they purchased in 1990 and had 
used as a place of worship since that time, claiming the building was 
zoned only for residential use. Since 2004 the Hare Krishnas had 
received six warnings from local authorities for meeting at a building 
where it was not registered. The Minsk community appealed to the UN 
Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), thus hindering the local 
government's ability to close the community. In August 2005 UNCHR 
recommended that the authorities ``restore rights'' to the community 
within ninety days. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
the authorities had not complied with UNCHR's recommendation.
    Although the New Generation Church in Baranovichi managed to 
reregister, it experienced problems finding a place to worship, 
according to the Forum 18 online news source. In 1997 the church bought 
a warehouse to turn into a church, but the authorities refused to allow 
it to convert the building, change how the warehouse was registered, or 
give the church the rights to the land under the building.
    During the period covered by this report, many traditional and 
nontraditional religious groups continued to experience problems 
obtaining property or registering property they already own, due to 
apparent government efforts to restrict the ability of these groups to 
establish houses of worship.
    The Minsk Community of Krishna Consciousness found several legal 
addresses to rent, but the landlords rescinded their offers after they 
were pressured by authorities. The community found another legal 
address and submitted the registration documents, but the authorities 
denied registration.
    The Protestant Light to the World Church, which reregistered in 
2004, continued to experience difficulty finding a state-approved 
nonresidential place to worship. It had lost its premises four times 
since 2002. After its lease expired in October 2005, the church rented 
a room in another office building. A few days later the owner annulled 
the lease due to pressure from the authorities.
    A government decree specifies measures to ensure public order and 
safety during general public gatherings. Some meeting hall officials 
have cited the decree as a basis for canceling or refusing to extend 
agreements with religious groups for the use of their facilities. 
During the period covered by this report, it was practically impossible 
for a religious group to rent and meet in a public facility.
    On March 31, 2006, the Minsk city administration refused to allow 
the local Hassidic Jewish community to hold its Passover celebration at 
the state-owned Palace for Children and Youth, according to Forum 18. 
The administration claimed that a religious event could not be allowed 
at a venue frequented by children. The community was forced to hold the 
celebration at its cafeteria, which could only accommodate 
approximately 10 percent of the invited guests.
    According to Forum 18, in 2004 Minsk authorities rejected a request 
by the Calvinist Reformed Church to conduct an international conference 
devoted to the 450th anniversary of the Church's founding in the 
country. Officials reportedly informed the Church that it had no right 
to conduct an international conference, since the organization was not 
registered as a republican religious association, despite the fact that 
the religion law allows religious organizations to invite foreigners to 
participate in meetings, pilgrimages, and other activities.
    During the period covered by this report, there were no reports of 
fines on Protestant groups for failure to pay taxes on the assistance 
provided to destitute families and individuals.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government monitored 
peaceful minority religious groups, with particular attention to those 
that could be perceived as ``foreign'' or ``cults.'' On June 27, 2005, 
the chairman of the Gomel regional CRNA informed the press that 
district authorities had formed commissions to monitor religious 
communities. The commissions, made up of local executive government, 
law enforcement, tax officials, and public representatives, were to 
enforce laws on religion, assist traditional denominations, and counter 
illegal missionary activity. The primary objective was to ensure that 
all denominations, including the BOC, followed the laws on religion.
    According to online news source Interfax, the Iosif Volotski 
Orthodox Center had been gathering information for the past five years 
on various ``sects'' operating in the country. The center had a library 
of sect literature, recordings of sermons, a collection of films on 
sects, and a list of mass media that regularly disseminated sect 
literature.
    According to Forum 18, in 2003 Vladimir Lameko, vice chairman of 
CRNA, ordered local officials to increase monitoring of religious 
organizations, carry out regular visits during worship services and 
meetings with religious leaders, and conduct regular checks on 
unregistered religious groups with the aim of terminating their 
activities. Lameko cited ``crude violations'' of the law in Nesvizh 
``predominantly by Protestant communities'' and the need to improve 
local officials' ability to ``regulate the ethnic-confessional 
situation.'' In addition, Lameko ordered local officials to prevent the 
country's main Polish minority organization from using property owned 
by the Catholic Church. He also ordered officials to conduct 
``systematic work'' with local Catholic leaders to ensure that foreign 
Catholic religious workers used Belarusian or Russian in their sermons. 
Following Lameko's order, representatives from the Union Evangelical 
Faith Christians and Baptist communities reported that teachers 
questioned children who belonged to these churches about their 
attendance at religious ceremonies to determine which students were 
attending Protestant ceremonies. During the period covered by this 
report, this questioning reportedly continued, although to a lesser 
degree.
    In 2004 President Lukashenko made a statement that encouraged 
protection of the status quo against ``foreign'' religions: ``Some 
members of the opposition, instigated by foreign minions, make 
provocative suggestions about narrowing the sphere of activities of 
traditional religions, primarily the Orthodox Church, for the benefit 
of various sects and religions that are nontraditional in this 
country.''
    Forum 18 reported that on May 19, 2006, authorities pressured 
Pentecostal pastor Oksana Gavrilenko to resign from her job as a school 
teacher after she complained about a lecture given to students by an 
Orthodox priest on the dangers of ``sects,'' including Baptists and 
Pentecostals. According to the report, authorities did not reinstate 
Gavrilenko but asked the priest to refrain from slandering Protestant 
churches.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government took steps 
to advise the public on new religious groups that might be perceived as 
``foreign'' or ``cults'' and discouraged their growth. On November 9, 
2005, CRNA chairman Stanislav Buko announced that authorities would not 
register destructive religious sects banned by law. He affirmed there 
were no such sects operating in the country during the period covered 
by this report, but persons who were participating in activities 
possessing characteristics of such sects were closely monitored. This 
announcement followed a November 3, 2005, meeting between the BOC, the 
Ministry of Education, and the CRNA to discuss safeguarding youth 
against the influence of ``those destructive pseudo-religions.'' In 
March 2005 Vladimir Makarov, chief of the Defense Ministry's 
Information Directorate, called on Belarusian Orthodox clergy to fight 
the spread of ``destructive sects'' and to spread Orthodoxy.
    On May 20, 2005, authorities claimed that the number of sects and 
separatists was decreasing as citizens lost interest in nontraditional 
faiths. Authorities, including law enforcement bodies, took measures to 
prevent the spread of the many ``destructive cults'' that began work in 
the country from 1992 to 1996. The Ministry of Justice outlawed twenty-
four religious organizations operating under the status of public 
associations, but groups such as the Moon Church and Scientologists 
were still functioning in the country. Authorities claimed these 
groups, especially the Scientologists, spread religious propaganda via 
workshops and lectures, used manipulative methods similar to those 
employed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists, and were to be regarded 
as ``commercial'' cults or profit-driven marketing systems.
    Citizens theoretically are not prohibited from proselytizing and 
may speak freely about their religious beliefs; however, authorities 
often interfered with or punished individuals who proselytized on 
behalf of some registered and unregistered religious groups. 
Authorities regulated every aspect of proselytizing and literature 
distribution: Who may participate, what may be done, when groups may 
participate, and where groups may be active. The Government continued 
to enforce a 1995 Council of Ministers decree that regulates the 
activities of religious workers, as well as a 1997 council of ministers 
directive that permits the teaching of religion at youth camps held by 
registered religious groups.
    Authorities previously harassed, fined, and detained Hare Krishnas 
for illegally distributing religious literature. Since Minsk city 
authorities repeatedly denied requests by Hare Krishnas for permission 
to distribute religious materials in the city, the group decided to 
stop distribution during the period covered by this report. On November 
15, 2005, authorities seized religious literature, including copies of 
the New Testament, from a street library run by unregistered Council of 
Churches Baptists in Bobruisk.
    Foreign missionaries are not permitted to engage in religious 
activities outside of the institutions that invited them. The law 
requires one-year, multiple-entry ``spiritual activities'' visas for 
foreign missionaries. Religious workers continued to experience 
difficulties in obtaining visas, even those that had a long history in 
the country. Often, even missionaries operating legitimately with a 
missionary visa experienced harassment from authorities, particularly 
if they came from the West. Observers expressed concern that lack of 
standardized government guidance for officials on how to properly 
implement recent changes to visa laws could affect the ability of these 
missionaries to be present and work in the country.
    Although there were no reports of visa denials or revocations for 
western missionaries, authorities reportedly made some wait until the 
last minute for their visa renewals or forced them to incur the 
additional expense of going to Lithuania for short-term visas while 
waiting for their missionary visa renewals. At least one Protestant 
missionary and the local citizens who worked with him were repeatedly 
summoned and questioned about the sources and use of his funding, 
despite the fact that he had been in the country for more than five 
years and had not been charged with visa violations or other legal 
problems.
    Approval for visits by foreign religious workers often involves a 
lengthy bureaucratic process. Internal affairs agencies may compel the 
departure of foreign clergymen by not extending their registrations or 
by denying them temporary stay permits. These authorities may make 
decisions on expulsion on their own or based on recommendations from 
religious affairs councils, regional executive committees, or the 
religious affairs department of the executive committee of the city of 
Minsk.
    On December 22, 2005, authorities refused to renew the visas of two 
Catholic priests from Poland and demanded that they leave the country. 
Father Robert Krzywicki, who had worked in Borisov for more than ten 
years, was expelled for participation in ``nonreligious'' activities. 
Appeals to CRNA resulted in a statement from the agency head that the 
Catholic Church assigns priests to parishes and the ``state does not 
interfere in the activity of religious organizations.''
    An article in a 2004 issue of Znamya Novosti stated that the 
Unification Church, the ``Church of Christ,'' and the Church of 
Scientology were among the most dangerous ``sects'' in the country. A 
2004 article in the state-owned newspaper Minski Kurie criticized 
adherents of the Unification Church and Hare Krishnas. The article 
claimed that in 1997 Hare Krishnas were designated a ``destructive 
totalitarian sect.'' According to a representative of the Hare Krishna 
community, authorities never made such a designation. After being 
confronted by the Hare Krishnas, the journalist responsible for the 
article admitted that this false information was provided by the State 
Committee for Security (BKGB), which the BKGB later confirmed.
    The Ministry of Education continued to use the textbook Man, 
Society, and State, which labels Protestants and Hare Krishnas as 
``sects,'' even after the protests of religious groups. After 
conducting an examination of the book, the CRNA and the Ministry of 
Education stated that the word ``sect'' was a ``scientific'' word and 
did not label Hare Krishnas or Protestants as antisocial.
    Leaders of Protestant communities criticized language in the 
textbook Basics on Home and Personal Security as deliberately 
discriminatory against Protestants, particularly the chapter entitled 
``Beware of the Sects.'' The chapter includes a paragraph informing 
students of such ``sects'' as Seventh-day Adventists, the Church of 
Maria, White Brotherhood, and the Jehovah's Witnesses. In January 2005 
Protestant leaders sent a letter of protest to the president, national 
assembly leaders, the CRNA, and the Ministry of Education. The CRNA 
reviewed the request and declared the section did not infringe upon the 
rights of Protestants.
    While the Government took no visible steps to stop the sale of 
xenophobic literature at Pravoslavnaya Kniga or other locations, it 
condemned an independent newspaper for reprinting cartoons depicting 
the prophet of Islam that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper in 
2005. The Government used this incident as grounds on which to close 
the opposition newspaper and to launch criminal charges against its 
editor.
    In 2004 BOC clergy reportedly made several anti-Catholic statements 
during a nationally televised religious ceremony marking Orthodox 
Easter. The Roman Catholic Church also expressed concern about the sale 
of anti-Catholic literature at events and stores linked with the BOC.
    Limited restitution of religious property occurred during the 
period covered by this report. There was no legal basis for restitution 
of property that was seized during the Soviet and Nazi occupations, and 
the law restricts the restitution of property being used for cultural 
or educational purposes. Furthermore, the Government did not return 
buildings if it had nowhere to move the current occupants. Many former 
synagogues in Minsk were used as theaters, museums, sports complexes, 
and a beer hall; most of the Jewish community's requests to have these 
synagogues returned were refused. During the period covered by this 
report, Jewish communities did not request the return of buildings or 
other real estate. Jewish communities sought the return of Jewish 
cultural artifacts, books, and particularly Torahs from museums but did 
not receive any items. Some officials privately expressed to Jewish 
leaders that they shared their concern and supported the initiative.
    A Catholic community requested the return of a centuries-old church 
and monastery in central Minsk. The building housed the state archives. 
The Government expressed its willingness to return the church and 
monastery, but only after a suitable new place and funds for moving the 
archives were found; according to independent news source Belapan, CRNA 
chairman Leonid Gulyako told the church members in February 2006 that 
since the Government did not have funds to construct new buildings to 
house the archives, the church and monastery could not be handed back 
to its members. In Grodno, authorities returned fourteen monastery 
buildings to the Roman Catholic Church.
    In 2004, by order of the Ministry of Education, Belarusian State 
University (BSU) closed the International Humanities Institute, which 
had been an independent educational entity affiliated with BSU and the 
only higher educational organization offering Judaica studies. The 
Judaica program continued to exist as an autonomous institute in BSU's 
curriculum until it was absorbed by the International Relations 
Department in September 2005.
    The CRNA reported that it regularly responded to all public 
expressions of xenophobia by notifying government agencies responsible 
for pursuing legal action against the perpetrators; however, no known 
prosecutions or convictions occurred during the period covered by this 
report.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, the Government frequently 
abused the religious freedom of several religious groups.
    Some abuses of freedom of religion arose from broader laws that 
circumscribe basic freedoms. The CRNA defended the Government's past 
measures against religious groups in its response to the U.S. State 
Department's 2005 International Religious Freedom Report: ``Sanctions 
against representatives of religious associations are applied for 
breaching the law and are not aimed at limiting religious freedom.''
    The most common charge against religious leaders was organizing or 
hosting an unauthorized meeting, a charge that arises from a law 
circumscribing freedom of assembly. According to Forum 18, however, for 
the first time in twenty years, authorities imprisoned a person for 
holding religious worship. On March 3, 2006, a Minsk district judge 
sentenced the pastor of Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church 
Gregory Vyazorsky to ten days in jail for having held unsanctioned 
services on February 5, 2006. On November 25, 2005, authorities had 
issued a warning to him for allegedly conducting illegal worship in a 
private Minsk residence. In addition the church received three warnings 
for failing to register a ``legal address.'' Pentecostal bishop Sergei 
Tsvor faced similar charges, but according to the pastor, the charges 
were dropped due to technical errors made by the police when filing 
them.
    On March 24, 2006, authorities sentenced human rights lawyer Sergey 
Shavtsov to ten days in prison for conducting an unsanctioned 
interdenominational seminar in a private cafe. On the last day of the 
three-day seminar, police stormed the cafe and detained him because the 
event allegedly violated the law.
    According to Forum 18, in June 2005 authorities warned Russian 
Orthodox Church Abroad priest Leonid Plyats that he would receive jail 
time or a heavy fine if he conducted ``illegal religious activity.'' 
Since the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was not registered, any 
activity other than a small gathering in a home would be construed as 
``illegal religious activity.''
    Protestant and non-BOC Orthodox religious communities were fined 
for illegally conducting and hosting religious services and carrying 
out unsanctioned religious activities. According to the CRNA, 
convictions for such offenses were based on charges of either 
disturbing public order or illegally gathering without prior 
permission. The law allows persons to gather to pray in private homes; 
however, it imposes restrictions on holding rituals, rites, or 
ceremonies in such locations and requires prior permission from local 
authorities.
    Forum 18 reported that on June 1, 2006, authorities warned three 
evangelical Christians for participating in a twenty-four-hour vigil of 
silently reading a Bible in Brest's central square to express 
solidarity with victims of political repression in the country. 
According to the authorities, the three protesters needed prior 
permission from the authorities for organizing and conducting religious 
events outside of designated worship areas.
    On May 19, 2006, local authorities fined Protestant pastor Illya 
Radkevich $70 (150 thousand Belarusian rubles) for failing to register 
his Full Gospel Christian community and leading an unsanctioned 
religious service.
    On April 6, 2006, authorities fined political opposition activist 
Boris Khamaida $2,600 (5.6 million Belarusian rubles) for demonstrating 
with a sign that contained the Gospel of Matthew quotation, ``The one 
who endures to the end will be saved.'' Police had detained Khamaida 
for three hours on March 20, 2006, for displaying the sign and accused 
him of breaking demonstration laws.
    According to Forum 18, authorities repeatedly fined members of a 
Baptist family for conducting unsanctioned religious meetings in their 
home. On November 21, 2005, a Bobruisk court fined pastor Yermalitsky 
$67 (145 thousand Belarusian rubles) for holding an unlawful religious 
service in his home. On November 25, 2005, however, the case was 
dismissed. Authorities repeatedly inspected the Yermalitsky home or 
summoned Yermalitsky to the local executive committee offices and 
reportedly warned him of serious consequences if he and his group did 
not stop holding such meetings. On December 12, 2005, Yermalitsky was 
fined $13 (28 thousand Belarusian rubles) for remodeling his home to be 
used as a place of worship without prior government approval. On 
December 27, 2005, authorities fined Yermalitsky's wife $270 (580 
thousand Belarusian rubles) for hosting an unsanctioned religious 
gathering.
    Between December 2004 and the end of the reporting period, 
authorities charged New Life Church administrator Vasily Yurevich with 
holding unsanctioned religious services three times and fined him a 
total of approximately $5,800 (12.5 million Belarusian rubles). On 
March 22, 2005, the court fined New Life Church's pastor, Vyacheslav 
Goncharenko, $334 (714 thousand Belarusian rubles), also for allegedly 
hosting an unsanctioned gathering. In 2005 the Minsk executive 
committee issued five warnings to the church. The law requires only two 
warnings before a church may be closed. In addition, on June 5, 2006, 
authorities filed a protocol against Goncharenko for holding 
unsanctioned religious services in a building they deemed unsuitable 
for worship.
    On June 9, 2005, authorities fined Council of Churches Baptist 
pastor Valery Ryzhuk $24 (fifty-one thousand Belarusian rubles) for 
leading an unlawful religious service. When he refused to pay, two 
court executors seized an oil heater from his house worth twice the 
amount of the fine.
    In the first half of 2005, authorities fined leaders of a village 
parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in the Brest region for 
organizing unsanctioned religious meetings and events in their homes. 
Father Ioann Grudnitsky, the head of the unregistered parish, received 
two fines totaling $1,835 (4.8 million Belarusian rubles). According to 
Forum 18, a Brest CRNA representative justified the local authorities 
``lawful measures to curtail the unsanctioned activities'' of 
Grudnitsky's parish and encouraged his parishioners to attend the 
Moscow Patriarchate church instead where ``normal conditions have been 
created for the performance of religious rites by all who wish.'' Local 
administrative authorities fined parishioner Liliya Yukhnovskaya $32 
(seventy-two thousand Belarusian rubles) for ``making her home 
available for an unsanctioned religious event.'' The Government 
harassed the BAOC, which has given up attempting to register.
    In 2005 authorities confiscated the former Orthodox church in the 
town of Semkov Gorodok that the local community had repaired for the 
BAOC on the grounds that the reconstruction had not been authorized. 
Authorities stated that they intended to rebuild the church and restore 
it to the BOC, which they claimed was its rightful owner. The BOC 
reportedly planned to relocate the BOC community that had been meeting 
in a converted railcar. BAOC head Leonid Akalovich, who had been fined 
by the court for unauthorized construction as well as for leading an 
unregistered religious organization, was fired in the fall of 2005 
under the pretext of ``redundancies.''
    In early December 2005 police in Vitebsk raided the homes of local 
Muslims on the pretext of looking for suspects connected to two 
September bombings, even though authorities had previously arrested two 
brothers, who had no known connection to Islam, for the bombings. 
Police detained several of the Muslims for questioning and seized 
religious literature.
    In 2004 the courts fined the pastor of the registered Light to the 
World Full Gospel Church for allegedly holding an unauthorized 
religious meeting in his home. They also fined three members of the 
unregistered International Union of Baptist Churches (IUBC) for an 
unauthorized hospital visit during a religious holiday. Earlier that 
year, an IUBC pastor was warned against conducting religious services 
in the town of Soligorsk, and his group was warned to cease all illegal 
religious activity.
    Following government pressure and harassment of their respective 
religious organizations, BAOC priest Yan Spasyuk and the Light of 
Kaylasa leaders Sergei Akadanav and Tatyana Akadanava left the country 
in 2003. Several other Light of Kaylasa members also left following 
continued government pressure, and the group remained inactive during 
the reporting period.
    In 2003 Yuri Denischik, a missionary of the Novogrudok Association 
of Baptists, was fined for illegally leading a prayer service in a 
private home registered to the association.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    While individual instances of anti-Semitism occurred during the 
period covered by this report, anti-Semitism was not officially 
encouraged by the state. State-owned periodicals continued to attack 
nontraditional and Jewish religious groups. In January 2006 Mogilev 
newspapers wrote a series of anti-Semitic articles after a new type of 
kosher bread was produced in the city. The state-owned Mogilev Register 
claimed that the blood of sacrificed animals was used in kosher rituals 
and warned Orthodox believers to ``keep away from kosher products in 
the same way they keep away from idol sacrifice.'' The Evening Mogilev 
reported that the act of making something kosher is ``sacrilegious and 
anti-Christian.''
    The sale and distribution of anti-Semitic literature through state 
press distributors, government agencies, and stores affiliated with the 
BOC continued. In past years anti-Semitic literature was openly sold 
during several Orthodox book fairs in Minsk and at the House of Mercy, 
a BOC-established hospice in the capital. The Roman Catholic Church 
reported that anti-Catholic literature was also sold at locations 
linked to the BOC.
    Anti-Semitic and Russian ultranationalist newspapers and literature 
continued to be sold at Pravoslavnaya Kniga (Orthodox Bookstore), which 
sells Orthodox literature and religious paraphernalia. The store was 
part of the company Pravoslavnaya Initsiativa, whose general director 
often wrote xenophobic articles. During the period covered by this 
report, anti-Semitic videocassettes and DVDs were available for 
purchase at Pravoslavnaya Kniga. In addition, the store gave away 
pamphlets alleging that sacrificial blood was used in the production of 
kosher food. Despite a 2003 order by the prosecutor general and the 
Ministry of Information to remove the anti-Semitic and xenophobic 
newspaper Russkiy Vestnik, distribution continued. Pravoslavnaya Kniga 
employees stated that they were only selling off current stock and not 
new copies. The book, The Enemies of Russia and the Slavic World Who 
are against Belarus and President Lukashenko, was also for sale. This 
ultranationalist and xenophobic book includes a chapter by Vladimir 
Chertovich, general director of Pravoslavnaya Initsiativa, the Minsk-
based company known for publishing hate literature directed at Jews, 
Muslims, and other minorities. It was published in Russia but was 
distributed in the country at Pravoslavnaya Kniga. According to 
Evangelical Bishop Ivan Pashkevich, Pravoslavnaya Initsiativa published 
the anti-Semitic book entitled, A Verdict to Those Killing Russia, 
aimed at inciting racial and ethnic hatred and discrimination based on 
religion.
    In response to an appeal by a Jewish group to prosecute 
Pravoslavnaya Kniga, in 2004 the prosecutor general launched an 
investigation into the incident to determine whether or not 
Pravoslavnaya Kniga had illegally distributed literature that promoted 
intolerance. The general prosecutor's office then transferred the case 
to the Minsk city prosecutor's office. The latter declared there was no 
basis for a criminal case. The CRNA asserted that the publication of 
such literature in the country was illegal, but that nothing could be 
done regarding privately imported Russian publications.
    On April 17, 2006, authorities issued an official warning to 
preschool teacher Lyudmila Izakson-Bolotovskaya for the ``intentional 
inculcation of religious doctrines in small children.'' Izakson-
Bolotovskaya and her children's Jewish musical group were shown on 
local television celebrating a Jewish holiday. Authorities claimed that 
she violated the law by holding a religious celebration in a government 
building and illegally propogated Judaism via the television coverage 
of the event. The authorities forced Izakson-Bolotovskaya to remove 
Jewish symbols from the classroom and threatened her with future 
prosecution if she continued these activities.
    During the period covered by this report, excavation and 
reconstruction work was finished at the site of a 1950s sports stadium 
in Grodno built on the site of a former Jewish cemetery. The excavation 
uncovered human remains, which authorities promised to remove from the 
site for future reburial. Instead, photographs taken by the Jewish 
community revealed human remains mixed with earth in dump trucks being 
used to resurface a road. A 2004 visit by U.S. embassy staff found 
skulls and other bones scattered around the area.
    After intense international pressure, regional authorities signed 
an agreement in 2003 with a national Jewish leader to cease excavation 
during construction and to rebury the uncovered remains in a different 
Jewish cemetery. In 2006 the Jewish community received permission from 
authorities to put up a plaque noting that the stadium sits on a former 
Jewish cemetery. Local Jewish leaders believed the situation reflected 
insensitivity more than anti-Semitism. The authorities were also known 
to have dug up portions of a veterans cemetery and an Orthodox cemetery 
during other construction projects.
    In contrast to previous reporting periods, officials did not make 
public anti-Semitic statements. In December 2005 author Eduard 
Skobelev, who edited the presidential administration's bulletin, 
released his book entitled Stalin's Will with a note that the book was 
published with support of the presidential administration. The book 
contained a number of anti-Semitic statements and far-fetched 
accusations. In a 2003 Associated Press article, Sergei Kostyan, deputy 
chairman of the international affairs committee of the lower house of 
parliament, rejected criticism of the installation of a gas pipeline 
near the site of a former Jewish cemetery in Mozyr, accusing Jews of 
sowing ``ethnic discord.'' During a 2003 press conference Information 
Minister Vladimir Rusakevich was quoted as stating that the country 
needed to live with Russia like brothers but to bargain with Russia 
``like a Yid.''
    Leaders in the Jewish community believed fewer cases of vandalism 
occurred than just a few years ago, due to international pressure as 
well as to stepped-up efforts by local authorities to protect religious 
sites. In addition, local authorities and citizens often restored 
damaged memorials and graves at personal expense. According to the 
CRNA, regional authorities nationwide continued to take measures to 
prevent vandalism, including erecting fences around cemeteries, 
conducting regular police patrols of cemeteries, and collecting and 
reporting incidents of vandalism.
    Several Jewish religious sites, however, were vandalized during the 
period covered by this report. In November 2005 a Jewish cemetery in 
the Gomel region was vandalized and a number of gravestones broken. On 
August 17, 2005, vandals defaced the ``Yama'' memorial to Jewish 
victims of the Nazi Holocaust, burning plastic flowers and scattering 
gravestones. Authorities did not apprehend those who were responsible 
in either case. In 2004, vandals set fire to wreaths, scattered 
flowers, and damaged the Star of David at a Holocaust memorial in 
central Brest. The memorial had been vandalized five times since it was 
unveiled. Police have not fined or jailed anyone for the crimes. On 
April 26, 2005, vandals again damaged a memorial erected in Lida to 
commemorate Jews who perished there during World War II. The Jewish 
community did not report the act to the police, since the Lida memorial 
had been vandalized every spring and no one had ever been arrested. At 
the beginning of May 2005, unidentified vandals smashed twenty 
gravestones in the town of Mikashevich. Local Jews criticized police 
for failing to respond to the crime or arrest any suspects, pointing 
out that the cemetery was located just a few meters from a police 
station.
    The Jewish community was concerned by the concept of a ``greater 
Slavic union'' popular among nationalist organizations active in the 
country, including the Russian National Union (RNU), which still 
existed despite officially dissolving in 2000, and the National 
Bolshevik Party, another pro-Russian Belarusian extremist organization. 
In 2004 RNU members in Gomel distributed anti-Semitic literature on 
city buses, and Jewish community centers in Gomel and Polotsk were 
vandalized with RNU graffiti. Investigations into these acts of 
vandalism did not result in the arrest of those responsible.
    While the website of the Jewish Orthodox Skinheads (JOSH), an 
organization supposedly made up of Jewish youths to combat anti-
Semitism and xenophobia, could still be accessed during the period 
covered by this report, it did not appear to have been updated. Despite 
the ``organization's'' stated goals, the website called upon Jews to 
commit provocative acts against the Government to support their cause 
and included language defaming non-Jewish citizens and prominent local 
Jewish leaders. Several Jewish leaders, all of whom considered the 
website to be offensive and provocative, denounced the website and 
expressed their concerns to authorities. The website included a link to 
another website purported to be run by Hare Krishna skinheads.
    The official BOC prayer calendar, printed in Minsk, continued to 
mark May 20 as the anniversary of the 1690 death of Gavriil 
Belostoksky, a young child who was alleged to have been murdered by 
Jews near Grodno. The May 20 prayer for Belostoksky made reference to 
Jewish persons as ``real beasts'' who allegedly kidnapped and murdered 
Belostoksky for religious purposes. Additionally, a link on the BOC 
website listed Belostoksky as one of its saints and martyrs.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    On December 1, 2005, the president issued an edict exempting all 
registered religious groups from taxes on land allotted for buildings 
and property used for worship.
    During the reporting period, the Government funded renovations of 
an Orthodox monastery in Slonim and the Catholic Blessed Virgin Mary 
Cathedral in Minsk. It also provided $14 thousand (30 million 
Belarusian rubles) and $258 thousand (554 million Belarusian rubles) to 
restore frescoes in an Orthodox church in Polotsk and in the Catholic 
arch-cathedral in Minsk, respectively. In May 2006, the president ruled 
to return a former cathedral and its property to a Roman Catholic 
parish in Minsk.
    In December 2005 the president acknowledged the important role the 
Roman Catholic Church played in the country and vowed to support it.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups and a 
widespread ethic of tolerance in society contributed to religious 
freedom; however, anti-Semitism and negative attitudes toward minority 
religious groups persisted. In April 2006 NOVAK, an independent polling 
organization, conducted a poll, which included the question, ``How much 
do you trust the state and social institutions and organizations?'' 
According to the poll, the BOC was the most trusted institution in the 
country, with 70 percent of respondents expressing trust, while 45.2 
percent trusted the Roman Catholic Church and 15.4 percent trusted 
Protestant churches. The level of distrust of Protestant churches 
jumped from 36 percent of respondents in 2005 to 58.5 percent, and the 
level of distrust of the Roman Catholic Church increased from 20 
percent in 2005 to 35 percent in 2006.
    As in previous years, unknown vandals destroyed crosses, both 
Orthodox and non-Orthodox, erected at Kurapaty, an area used by the 
People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) to murder more than 
300,000 persons in the 1930s. During the week of November 27, 2005, 
approximately twelve crosses at Kurapaty were damaged. Vandals also 
carved a swastika into the face of an icon on a cross near the 
entrance. Witnesses reported that a memorial plaque disappeared and a 
number of photographs of victims were destroyed. Police denied 
vandalism had occurred and blamed the damage on the weather. On the 
weekend of December 3, 2005, other memorials, including the Jewish 
memorial stone and a Russian Orthodox icon, had red swastikas and Nazi 
SS symbols painted on them. In response, authorities agreed to provide 
round the clock surveillance for the memorial site. It was not known if 
the authorities did so, but the graffiti was removed.
    On January 9, 2006, independent Internet news source BelaPan 
reported that several dozen skinheads marched through Grodno shouting 
obscenities and Nazi slogans and attacking pedestrians. One victim told 
reporters that thirty skinheads marched through the city's central 
square and beat him up after he tried to stop them. The marchers 
dispersed when police arrived. According to witnesses it was the first 
skinhead march Grodno had seen in five years. The authorities claimed 
they were not aware of any such march.
    On March 15, 2005, the head of the BOC announced that it withdrew 
its shares from the Minsk-based publishing company, Pravoslavnaya 
Initsiativa, which is notorious for selling anti-Semitic literature. 
The church head accused the company of disseminating ideas aimed at 
causing rifts in society, which is inconsistent with Orthodox values. 
The head of the church stated that further cooperation with the 
publisher violated Orthodox canons and ordered all Orthodox parishes to 
shun its books and to refrain from interacting with the company. In 
addition, on June 27, 2006, the BOC informed Pravoslavnaya Initsiativa 
(currently ``Khristianskaya Initsiativa''--Christian Initiative) that 
it could no longer use Orthodox symbols and language.
    There was no indication that the BOC had changed its view that it 
would cooperate only with religious groups that had ``historical 
roots'' in the country. On September 12, 2005, the head of the BOC 
praised the increased cooperation between the BOC and the Roman 
Catholic Church and proposed that ``Roman Catholics could help Orthodox 
Christians deal with new Western-style secularism.''
    On April 5, 2006, the BOC decided that political documentaries by 
Belarusian State Television Radio Company deputy head Yury Azaryonok 
should not be shown at the BOC's Easter festival. The original 
exhibition schedule included a meeting with Azaryonok, who is a 
notorious state propagandist, as well as a screening of his politicized 
documentaries, ``The Spiritual War.'' However, the BOC decided that the 
program should be changed after it received a letter of protest from 
young believers who opposed showing the films because they might 
discredit the BOC and its leadership.
    In 2004 thieves stole twelve icons and a bronze cross from a BOC 
church in the Brest region. Police opened an investigation. Earlier, 
Brest regional police and Minsk city police captured two icon thieves 
and recovered two of three icons they had stolen in 2001.
    On September 12, 2005, police charged a man with hooliganism after 
he smashed two statues at the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Minsk.
    In 2004 local authorities in Brest oblast refused to initiate a 
criminal investigation into the burglary of an evangelical Christian 
church in the town of Khotislav. The church had reportedly been 
vandalized six times prior to that incident. In 2004 the BAOC claimed 
that BOC clergy, accompanied by Minsk Oblast officials, visited several 
towns in Minsk oblast and called upon local villagers not to 
participate in BAOC religious services.
    In 2004 the Civil Initiative for Religious Freedom published the 
second installment of the White Book, a collection of documents that 
detailed the Government's many abuses of religious freedom, information 
about the religion law, and copies of various reports about the 
religious freedom situation in the country.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy staff maintained regular contact with representatives of 
religious groups and government officials responsible for religious 
affairs, and met with resident and visiting U.S. citizens of various 
religious groups to discuss religious freedom issues in the country.
    During meetings with government officials and ministers in the fall 
of 2005, embassy staff raised such concerns as the 2002 religion law 
and registration denials of certain religious communities. In 2006 
embassy officials attempted to discuss subsequent religious freedom 
matters with the new CRNA head, Leonid Gulyako, but requests for 
meetings were not granted. Embassy staff also requested a separate 
meeting to discuss the case of imprisoned Protestant pastor Georgy 
Vyazorsky, although the Government twice denied the request.
    The embassy monitored the continued sale of anti-Semitic and 
xenophobic literature at stores and events linked with the BOC and 
state media distributors. During the period covered by this report, 
embassy staff visited the site of the Jewish cemetery in Grodno and met 
with local officials and community leaders to discuss the situation. 
Embassy staff, including the ambassador, attended several events hosted 
by religious groups. Embassy officials also discussed religious issues 
with representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in the country.
                               __________

                                BELGIUM

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
However, the government organization mandated to act as a clearinghouse 
for nonrecognized religions and sectarian organizations continued to 
attract much attention from the groups they monitored and researched.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Some Muslim community leaders 
and spokespersons for nonrecognized religions cited instances of 
perceived discrimination by government organizations and officials. 
There were also isolated instances of discrimination by private 
individuals.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During the period covered by this report, the United States urged 
government officials to intensify their efforts to fight anti-Semitism 
and racism, and to promote religious freedom, and has cooperated with 
the Government on Muslim outreach programs.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 11,780 square miles and a population of 
approximately 10.3 million.
    The population was predominantly Roman Catholic. According to the 
2001 Survey and Study of Religion, jointly conducted by a number of the 
country's universities and based on self-identification, approximately 
47 percent of the population (4.8 million persons) identified 
themselves as belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. This survey 
described the Muslim population as approximately 400,000, with an 
estimated 328 mosques in the country. Protestants numbered between 
125,000 and 140,000. The Greek and Russian Orthodox churches had 
approximately 70,000 adherents. Jews numbered between 45,000 and 
55,000. The Anglican Church had 10,800 members. The larger 
nonrecognized religions included Jehovah's Witnesses (25,000 baptized, 
50,000 church goers). Estimates for other bodies included the 
independent Protestant congregations, 10,000; Buddhists, 10,000; 
members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
4,000; Seventh-day Adventists, 2,000; Hindus, 5,000; Sikhs, 3,000; Hare 
Krishna, 1,500; and the Church of Scientology, 1,000.
    Estimates indicated that approximately 18 percent of the population 
did not identify with any religion, approximately 7.4 percent of the 
population described itself as ``secular'' (members of nonconfessional 
philosophical organizations), and 1.1 percent belonged to organized 
laity that received funding for their programs.
    A 2005 Free University of Brussels (ULB) document estimated that 15 
percent of the Roman Catholic population attended weekly religious 
services, and 10 percent of the Muslim population was ``practicing 
Muslims.'' However, religion continued to play a role in major life 
events. Within the Catholic population, 65 percent of the children born 
in the country were baptized, 49.2 percent of couples opted for a 
religious marriage, and 76.6 percent of funerals included religious 
services.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    The Government accords ``recognized'' status to Roman Catholicism, 
Protestantism (including evangelicals and Pentecostals), Judaism, 
Anglicanism, Islam, and Orthodox Christianity (Greek and Russian). 
Representative bodies for these religions receive subsidies from 
government revenues. The Government also supports the freedom to 
participate in secular organizations. These secular humanist groups 
serve as a seventh recognized ``religion,'' and their organizing body, 
the Central Council of Non-Religious Philosophical Communities of 
Belgium, receives funds and benefits similar to those of the six 
recognized religions.
    The federal Government and Parliament have responsibility for 
recognizing faiths and paying the wages and pensions of ministers of 
those faiths.
    As a result of constitutional reforms enacted by Parliament in 
2001, religious instruction, financial accountability of religious 
groups, and religious buildings have become the jurisdiction of the 
regional governments. Secular organizations remain under the 
jurisdiction of the federal authorities.
    By law, each recognized religion has the right to provide teachers 
at government expense for religious instruction in public schools. The 
Government also pays the salaries, retirement benefits, and lodging 
costs of ministers and subsidizes the construction and renovation of 
religious buildings for recognized religions. The ecclesiastical 
administrations of recognized religions have legal rights and 
obligations, and the municipalities in which they are located must pay 
any debts that they incur. Some subsidies are the responsibility of the 
federal Government, while the regional and municipal governments pay 
others.
    In 2006, the Government paid $104 million (82 million euros) to 
recognized non-Muslim religious groups, $12.7 million (10 million 
euros) to secular organizations, and $7.7 million (6.1 million euros) 
to Islamic groups. For 2005, the budgetary outlays were $101 million 
(79.5 million euros) for the recognized faiths, $11.8 million, (9.3 
million euros) for the secular organizations and $7.6 million (6 
million euros) for the Muslim faith.
    The total outlays by all the governments (for faith education, and 
by municipal authorities for buildings) amounted to approximately $29.6 
billion (23.4 billion euros).
    The Government applies five criteria in deciding whether to grant 
recognition to a religious group: The religion must have a structure or 
hierarchy; the group must have a sufficient number of members; the 
religion must have existed in the country for a long period of time; it 
must offer a social value to the public; and it must abide by the laws 
of the state and respect public order. The five criteria are not listed 
in decrees or laws, and the Government does not formally define 
``sufficient,'' ``long period of time,'' or ``social value.'' A 
religious group seeking official recognition applies to the Ministry of 
Justice, which then conducts a thorough review before recommending 
approval or rejection. Final approval of recognized status is the 
responsibility of Parliament alone; however, Parliament generally 
accepts the decision of the Ministry of Justice. A group whose 
application is refused by the Ministry of Justice may appeal the 
decision to the Council of State. No minority religious group attempted 
and failed to be registered in the last three years. In 2005, 
representatives from both the Armenian Church and the Buddhist faith 
initiated informal talks to explore the possibility of recognition. The 
press quoted government officials as favorable to the Buddhist 
application. The lack of recognized status does not prevent a religious 
group from practicing its faith freely and openly. Nonrecognized groups 
do not qualify for government subsidies; however, they may qualify for 
tax-exempt status as nonprofit organizations.
    The Muslim faith was recognized in 1974. Since then, the Government 
has tried to find reliable interlocutors capable of speaking for the 
entire Muslim community. The Government pledged in 2004-2005 that, as 
soon as a new Council and Executive were formed, it could begin the 
process of paying approved clergy and teachers. However, at the end of 
the period covered by this report, regional governments were in the 
process of recognizing mosques eligible for funding. In October 2005, 
the Walloon regional government adopted a decree on recognition of 
mosques and local Muslim communities. A similar decree was enacted by 
the Flemish regional parliament in September 2005. The Flemish decree 
covered all recognized religions.
    On October 2, 2005, the Council elected seventeen members for the 
Muslim Executive, which is composed of separate Francophone and Flemish 
wings. A Turkish-origin Muslim was elected Chairman of the Executive, 
and the two linguistic wings each have a vice chair. As a result of new 
parliamentary legislation, which provided a legal basis for a wide 
range of security checks, candidates for the Muslim Executive were 
screened, triggering some complaints within the community. An imam born 
and living in Antwerp was excluded from consideration for membership on 
the Muslim Executive based on the results of these security checks.
    The transfer of power between the old and new executive caused 
tensions within the Muslim community. The outgoing executive refused to 
leave the headquarters, upon which the judicial authorities searched 
the premises and the two former executive chairpersons were charged 
with embezzlement. Once the new executive was put in place, the 
authorities closed the case. Continuing internal tensions hampered the 
ability of the executive to finalize its proposals for official 
support. The executive was cooperating with government educational and 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on proposals to begin training 
imams in the country.
    In 1993, the Government established by law the Center for Equal 
Opportunity and the Struggle against Racism. Commonly known as the 
Anti-Racism Center, it is an independent agency responsible for 
addressing all types of discrimination, including religious. Although 
formally part of the Office of the Prime Minister, it is under the 
guidance of the Ministry of Social Integration. Its head is appointed 
by the prime minister for six years, but the prime minister may not 
remove the individual once appointed. Several NGOs, such as the 
Movement against Racism, Anti-Semitism, and Xenophobia; the Ligue des 
Droits de l'Homme; Human Rights without Frontiers; and the Liga voor 
Mensenrechten were also active in promoting religious freedom.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, the Ministry of Justice and Parliament 
continued to research and monitor religious and quasi-religious groups 
that were not on the official list of recognized religions.
    As a result of a 1997 parliamentary commission committee report, 
Parliament passed a law establishing two bodies: A group monitoring 
harmful sects and an interagency coordinating group on harmful sects. 
The first body, the Center for Information and Advice on Harmful 
Sectarian Organizations (CIAOSN), collects publicly available 
information on a wide range of religious and philosophical groups and 
provides information and advice to the public upon request regarding 
the legal rights of freedom of association, privacy, and freedom of 
religion. There are eight board members who are allowed to serve a 
renewable six-year term. The Center's library is open to the public and 
contains information on religion in general, as well as on specific 
religious groups, including information provided by those groups. The 
Center has the authority to share with the public any information it 
collects on religious sects; however, it does not have the authority to 
provide assessments of individual sectarian organizations to the 
general public. Despite its name, regulations prohibit it from 
categorizing any particular group as harmful. Testifying behind closed 
doors for the House of Representatives working group on sects, the head 
of the Center told House members that in 2004 the Center had received 
more than 500 inquiries about sectarian organizations. Seventeen 
percent of the queries came from public institutions. Reportedly, there 
were a growing number of questions (8 percent) about evangelical and 
Pentecostal churches. Most queries (21 percent) concerned Jehovah's 
Witnesses. Some inquiries (12 percent) related to faith healing. Unlike 
the Anti-Racism Center, this body cannot initiate litigation.
    The second body established by Parliament, the Interagency 
Coordination Group, deals primarily with confidential material and 
works with the legal and security institutions of the Government to 
coordinate government policy. Through a December 2005 Royal Decree, the 
group's composition was changed to include representatives from the 
College of Prosecutors General; the Federal Prosecuting Office; the 
Federal Police; the State Security; Defense Intelligence; and the 
Justice, Interior, Foreign, and Finance Ministries. The Coordinating 
Group's executive board meets quarterly and reports to the full group. 
It produces no publicly available reports. The Government designated 
the federal prosecutor and a magistrate in each of the twenty-seven 
judicial districts to monitor cases involving sects.
    Regarding the Interagency Coordination Group, the parliamentary 
watchdog committee found that the Government had failed, together with 
the college of prosecutors general, to determine the official 
guidelines for prosecuting offenders. Created in 2002, the Federal 
Prosecution Office had not filed its first injunction against a 
``sectarian'' organization. Moreover, Parliament was undecided about 
amending the criminal code to include a special section on ``offenses 
committed by sectarian organizations.'' In the absence of such special 
legislation, sectarian organizations can be investigated on such 
grounds as embezzlement, money laundering, abuse of confidence, 
misappropriation of wills, illegal medical practice, and fraud.
    In June 2005, a Brussels appellate court judge ruled that the 
Church of the Kingdom of God had suffered damage by appearing in the 
parliamentary report of sectarian organizations. The president of the 
Chamber of Representatives argued that the judge's ruling undermined 
the legislative authority and independence of the lawmakers and filed 
an appeal with the country's highest court. The High Court overturned 
the ruling because the original court did not have the competence to 
rule on legislative matters.
    Since 1999, the CIAOSN had conducted research on 598 organizations. 
In its 2006 report, the parliamentary watchdog committee mentioned an 
increasing number of queries about organizations originating from 
Northern American Protestant and African evangelical movements.
    Most queries concerned Jehovah Witnesses (3.7 percent), other 
Protestant denominations (12.6 percent), Scientology (4.8 percent), 
Oriental faiths (11.2 percent), dissident Catholic organizations (5.5 
percent), esoteric religions (6.6 percent), physical welfare and 
therapeutical organizations (11.6 percent), and New Age and New 
Paganism (6.6 percent).
    The parliamentary committee noted that since it was established in 
1999, the queries coming from the public had shifted from sectarian 
organizations to those offering mental and physical healing, generated 
by a rapidly growing number of groupings and organizations, often hard 
to identify.
    In its recommendations, the committee also requested that 
brainwashing and mental manipulation be established as criminal 
offences.
    The Council of Ministers adopted proposed draft legislation aimed 
at including an additional chapter in the criminal code regarding 
``abuse of an individual's ignorance or weakness.'' The key provision 
reads: ``Anyone abusing the ignorance or weakness of a minor or a very 
vulnerable individual, either due to his/her age, sickness, disability, 
physical or mental deficiency, illegal residence or precarious living 
condition or pregnancy, so as to force the person to do an act or 
refrain from doing an act that would seriously endanger his/her 
physical or mental integrity, or affect his assets, will be sentenced 
to a prison term from three months to three years and a fine'' from 
$318 to $25,400 (250 to 20,000 euros.).
    The concept of abuse of vulnerability is not new, since the 
vulnerable position of the victim is an aggravating circumstance for 
such offences as rape, indecent assault, obscenity, human trafficking 
and smuggling, begging, and exploitation of slum dwellers. Similar 
draft legislation was submitted by members of the two houses of 
Parliament, but in light of the Government's own initiative, no further 
action on these individual initiatives was expected.
    The 1998 act concerning the country's intelligence services tasked 
the State Security with monitoring sectarian organizations. The 
judicial branch of the Federal Police had a special department dealing 
with terrorism and harmful sects. Within this department only one 
person dealt with sectarian organizations. Sects were also monitored by 
local police forces, in particular at the level of judicial districts. 
Without providing specific detail, the Federal Police identified 
thirteen sectarian organizations that had potential for threatening 
public order.
    According to the Federal Prosecuting Office, the 2004 criminal 
investigation into the Belgian Church of Scientology's operations was 
completed. Formal indictment and trial were scheduled for late 2006.
    In 2003, the International Church of Scientology (CSI) opened its 
European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights in Brussels. Press 
reports claimed the Church was planning to move its European 
Headquarters from Copenhagen to Brussels. Despite generally negative 
press reports and comments from city officials, CSI operated unhindered 
by government action and continued, albeit unsuccessfully, to engage 
the Government in a dialogue.
    As they were not one of the recognized religions, the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) expressed some concerns 
about the status of its local workers. The Government had not 
formalized in writing its 2003 agreement allowing Mormon missionaries 
to operate in the country, fearing such a written agreement would set a 
legal precedent that other nonreligious foreign workers could try to 
exploit.
    In February 2006, hearings began in the case of Minh Luong Dang, 
founder of the Spiritual Human Yoga (SHY), and Vo Hinh Hiep, his former 
representative in the country. The two faced charges of committing 
fraud and illegally practicing medicine. The movement was on the 
parliamentary list of sectarian organizations, but the trial concerned 
the two defendants personally. Since the opening of the litigation in 
1999, no SHY groups in the country had been banned or denied permission 
to teach and apply Dang's techniques.
    In April 2006, the Brussels Appellate Court ruled that the 
Francophone Community Government must cease circulating a flyer in 
which anthroposophism was labeled as a dangerous sect. The court 
awarded one euro symbolic damage to the plaintiffs.
    Some courts in the Flanders region have stipulated, in the context 
of child custody proceedings and as a condition of granting visitation 
rights, that a noncustodial parent who is a member of Jehovah's 
Witnesses may not expose his or her children to the teachings or 
lifestyle of that religious group during visits. These courts claimed 
that such exposure would be harmful to the child; however, other courts 
had not imposed this restriction, and other sources stated that custody 
issues rather than religion prompted the decisions.
    Religious or ``moral'' instruction was mandatory in public schools 
and was provided according to the student's religious or nonreligious 
preference. All public schools provided teachers for each of the six 
recognized religions, if a sufficient number of pupils wished to 
attend. Public school religion teachers were nominated by a committee 
from their religious group and appointed by the minister of education 
of the respective community governments. Private authorized religious 
schools that follow the same curriculum as public schools were known as 
``free'' schools. They received community government subsidies for 
operating expenses and buildings. Teachers, like other civil servants, 
were paid by their respective community governments.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    The Jewish Community registered forty-eight anti-Semitic incidents 
during 2005 and twelve incidents during the first two months of 2006. 
Most incidents took place in Antwerp, and to a lesser extent in 
Brussels. Verbal abuse was the most common complaint, together with the 
painting of anti-Jewish graffiti. As in the past, incidents appeared to 
have been generated from the Muslim immigrant community.
    In April 2005, a youth threatened a group of Jewish boys with a 
knife in Antwerp. The young assailant was arrested. Later that month in 
Antwerp a Jewish boy was knocked off his bicycle and sustained 
injuries. In November a Jewish elder was harassed by local youths. By 
the end of the reporting period, no court action had started in these 
cases.
    The Antwerp First Instance court handed down a six-month prison 
sentence and payment of a fine to a Moroccan immigrant for insulting 
and threatening a Jew. The same court sentenced a local inhabitant to a 
six-month suspended prison sentence for issuing threats against a Jew. 
The Brussels first instance court convicted a Brussels National Airport 
employee of tagging baggage coming from Israel with anti-Semitic 
slogans. The judge suspended his verdict, while imposing special 
working conditions on the defendant.
    Observers noted that courts in the country were becoming less 
lenient on anti-Semitic offences and that an increasing number of 
judges had taken such cases.
    In April 2006, the Brussels Chamber of Indictment ruled that 
Roeland Raes, a former far-right Vlaams Blok vice-chairman and former 
senator, would have to stand trial for denying the Holocaust during a 
television show in 2001.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, several religious 
groups reported incidents of private discrimination, particularly Jews 
and Muslims, as well as religious groups that have not been accorded 
official ``recognized'' status by the Government.
    Prejudice in the private sector against members of the Muslim 
community was not unknown, affecting housing, employment, and, in some 
cases, education. However, these prejudices affected primarily the 
North African communities (including both immigrant and first-
generation). Muslims of Turkish and other national origins appeared to 
be far less frequently the targets of such prejudice, which could be 
described as more ethnic than religious. At the same time, Muslim-
heritage immigrants were increasingly visible, particularly in the 
public and nonprofit sectors.
    The Center for Equal Opportunity and the Fight against Racism, an 
independent government agency, reported that 7.5 percent of the 
discrimination complaints filed with the Center during 2002 cited 
religion as the basis of the alleged discrimination. In June 2005, the 
Center released a report covering 2004, which provided, among other 
topics, information on anti-Semitism.
    At the national level, there is an annual general assembly of the 
National Ecumenical Commission to discuss various religious themes. The 
Catholic Church sponsors working groups at the national level to 
maintain dialogue and promote tolerance among all religious groups. At 
the local level, every Catholic diocese has established commissions for 
interfaith dialogue. The president of the National Ecumenical 
Commission maintains contacts with leaders of other faiths, including 
both recognized and unrecognized religious groups.
    In March 2005, the Center for Equal Opportunity issued a 
comprehensive report on public symbols of religious and philosophical 
convictions. The 2003 act made discrimination on religious and 
philosophical grounds unlawful. The report found that neither Flemish 
nor Francophone schools imposed restrictions given by the governing 
authorities, nor was it left to individual schoolmasters to decide 
which signs would be tolerated. Most schoolmasters in the country 
imposed a headscarf ban on both pupils and teachers. A survey released 
in 2004 showed that in Brussels, of 110 surveyed schools, only 8 
allowed headscarves. Schools on both sides of the country's linguistic 
border allow free days for attending religious festivals. The public 
educational system, from kindergarten to university, requires strict 
neutrality for teaching personnel, except for teachers of religion. The 
subsidized Catholic educational institution (which constitutes the 
largest number of educational establishments nationwide) allows the 
wearing of religious symbols. Schoolmasters also opposed the invoking 
of religious grounds for not attending certain courses, physical 
education classes in particular.
    The federal Government has no specific directives on wearing 
religious symbols. The same applies in regional and municipal services. 
Wearing religious symbols is prohibited for selected public service 
officials, such as judges, police, and other uniformed officials.
    In a June 2005 landmark case, the Antwerp Appellate Court, the 
highest court to address the issue, ruled that it was outside the 
jurisdiction of the state to determine whether the Muslim faith 
requires women to wear a headscarf. The Court ruled that, in principle, 
girls in public schools have the right to wear a headscarf. However, 
the school board also has the authority to restrict that right for 
organizational reasons, or for the good functioning of the school, but 
must justify any restrictions it seeks to impose.
    At the end of 2005, approximately twenty municipalities had issued 
a ban on walking the streets completely veiled. In a few cases women 
were fined $190 (150 euros) for ignoring the ban. Under a 1993 
executive order, persons in the streets must be identifiable, based on 
laws dating back to the Middle Ages.
    In 2005, an Antwerp initiative to further dialogue between the 
Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim faiths received the formal backing of the 
King. This was a local initiative.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government regularly discusses religious freedom issues 
with the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.
    U.S. Embassy representatives frequently discussed the issue of 
religious freedom with officials from the Prime Minister's Office; with 
the Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Social Integration, and 
Interior; with members of Parliament; and with regional and local 
officials.
    Embassy officials expressed concern regarding anti-Semitic 
incidents and urged the Government to intensify its efforts to counter 
this trend. Following embassy engagement with both federal and language 
community officials, and supporting the efforts of the U.S. Special 
Envoy for Holocaust Issues, the country formally applied to join the 
International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and 
Research. The application had been delayed because of the overlapping 
competencies on the issue among the federal, regional, and language 
community governments, but all eventually agreed to provide the needed 
funding.
    The embassy hosted individual interfaith events to encourage 
dialogue among citizens and with the U.S. Government. Embassy officials 
also met with representatives of both recognized and nonrecognized 
religions, particularly those that reported some form of discrimination 
during the period covered by this report.
                               __________

                         BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

    The State Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the 
entity constitutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the 
Federation) and the Republika Srpska (RS) provide for freedom of 
religion, and individuals generally enjoy this right in ethnically 
integrated areas or in areas where they are adherents of the majority 
religion; however, adherents of religions in largely ethnically 
homogenous areas where they are in a small minority have had their 
right to worship restricted, sometimes violently. The 2004 state-level 
Law on Religious Freedom also provides comprehensive rights to 
religious communities.
    Overall, government respect for religious freedom did not change 
during the reporting period. The Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Serb 
Orthodox religious communities reported a significant number of attacks 
on religious objects. A number of illegally constructed religious 
objects continued to cause ethnic/religious tension and conflict in a 
number of communities. Religious communities continued to support and 
advocate refugee returns for their respective constituencies; however, 
the number of returns significantly declined during the reporting 
period. The return process suffered from a lack of funding for 
reconstruction of housing and infrastructure, local governments' 
inability or unwillingness to provide necessary services to allow for 
sustainable returns, and a lack of employment opportunities. The State 
Law on Religious Freedom protecting the rights of religious communities 
and creating a government registry allowing them to establish legal 
status was being implemented at the end of the reporting period.
    Religious intolerance in the country directly reflected ethnic 
intolerance because of the virtually indistinguishable identification 
of ethnicity with one's religious background. Bosniaks generally were 
associated with Islam, Bosnian Croats with the Roman Catholic Church, 
and Bosnian Serbs with the Serb Orthodox Church. The Jewish community 
maintained a very small but important presence in Bosnian society. 
There were also several small Christian denominations throughout the 
country. Despite the constitutional and legal provisions protecting 
religious freedom, discrimination against religious minorities occurred 
in virtually all parts of the country. In some communities, local 
religious leaders and politicians contributed to intolerance and an 
increase in nationalist feeling through public statements and on 
occasion in sermons. Religious symbols were often misused for political 
purposes.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government and leaders from the four traditional religious communities 
in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights and reconciliation. The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo supported 
the religious communities in their efforts to receive restitution of 
property nationalized by the communist government of the former 
Yugoslavia after World War II. The embassy also assisted small 
Christian communities in obtaining legal registration of their churches 
in BiH.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country's territory is divided into two entities, the 
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Federation) and the Republika 
Srpska (RS), with a separate administrative district in Brcko (Brcko 
District). The country has an area of 31,816 square miles. In 2004, the 
World Bank estimated that the population was 3.9 million, although a 
reliable census has not been conducted since 1991. Reliable statistics 
on the precise membership of different religious groups remained 
unavailable.
    According to the U.N. Development Program's Human Development 
Report 2002, Muslims constituted 40 percent of the population, Serb 
Orthodox 31 percent, Roman Catholics 15 percent, Protestants 4 percent, 
and other groups 10 percent. Many persons who identified with a major 
ethnoreligious group were atheists or agnostics who did not regularly 
practice any religion. The small Jewish community had approximately 
1,000 believers and maintained a special place in society by virtue of 
its long history of coexistence with other religious communities and 
its active role in mediating among those communities. There were also 
foreign missionaries who preached fundamentalist forms of Islam that 
tended to be intolerant of other religions and other forms of Islam. 
There were some reports that Muslims were offered economic incentives 
to worship and/or dress in a way that was different from traditional 
Bosnian Muslim custom.
    The rate of religious observance remained relatively low among the 
traditional religious groups; however, some areas of significantly 
greater observance did exist, for example among Catholic Croats in the 
Herzegovina region. For many Bosnian Muslims, religion often served as 
a community or ethnic identifier, and religious practice was confined 
to occasional visits to the mosque or significant rites of passage such 
as birth, marriage, and death. Nevertheless, religious leaders from the 
Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox communities claimed that all forms of 
observance were increasing among young people as an expression of 
increased identification with their ethnic heritage, in large part due 
to the national religious revival that occurred as a result of the 
1992-1995 Bosnian war. Younger believers who grew up in the post-
communist period also had more freedom to practice their religions and 
more access to religious education. Leaders from the three main 
religious communities observed that they enjoyed greater support from 
their believers in rural areas of Bosnia than from those in urban 
centers such as Sarajevo or Banja Luka.
    Ethnic cleansing during the 1992-1995 war caused internal migration 
and refugee flows, which segregated the population into separate ethno-
religious areas. Increased levels of returns, which peaked in 2002, 
continued to slow significantly in 2005-2006, leaving the majority of 
Serb Orthodox adherents living in the RS and the majority of Muslims 
and Catholics in the Federation. Within the Federation, distinct Muslim 
and Catholic majority areas remained. However, returns of Serb Orthodox 
adherents and Muslims in recent years to their prewar homes in western 
Bosnia and Muslims to their prewar homes in eastern Bosnia shifted the 
ethno-religious composition in both areas. For example, the prewar 
population of the eastern RS town of Bratunac was 64 percent Bosniak. 
In 1995, the population was almost completely Serb. In 2006, after the 
return of 6,500 Bosniaks, the population was 38 percent Bosniak. 
Similarly, in Prijedor municipality in the RS, about half of the prewar 
Bosniak population of 49,500 returned, partially reversing the effects 
of ethnic cleansing. Returns of Catholics to central Bosnia also took 
place in smaller numbers.
    There were eight muftis located in major municipalities across the 
country: Sarajevo, Bihac, Travnik, Tuzla, Gorazde, Zenica, Mostar, and 
Banja Luka. The more conservative Islamic communities in Bosnia were 
located in the Federation in towns such as Travnik, Bocinja/Zavidovici, 
Tesanj, Maglaj, Bugojno, and Zenica. The Catholic community maintained 
its Bishops' Conference as an overarching organizational and regional 
structure, with bishops residing in Mostar, Banja Luka, and Sarajevo; 
the Franciscan order maintained its strongest presence in central 
Bosnia near Sarajevo and in Herzegovina. The Serb Orthodox Church 
maintained its greatest influence in the RS, with the most influential 
bishops residing in Banja Luka, Trebinje and Bijeljina. The small 
Jewish community, like most other small religious groups in Bosnia 
including Protestants, had its strongest support in Sarajevo.
    Missionary activity was limited but growing, and included a small 
number of representatives from the following organizations, some of 
which had their central offices for the region in Zagreb or another 
European city outside of the country: Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, Krishna Consciousness, and the Baptist Church.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The State Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and 
individuals generally enjoyed this right in ethnically integrated areas 
or in areas where they were adherents of the majority religion; 
however, adherents of minority religions in areas where one group 
represented an overwhelming majority had their right to worship 
restricted, sometimes violently. The constitutions of both entities 
also provide for freedom of religion.
    The State Constitution safeguards the rights of the three major 
ethnic groups (Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats), and by extension the three 
largest religious communities, by providing proportional representation 
for each group in the Government and in the military. As a result of 
the government structure created by the Dayton agreement, which ended 
the Bosnian conflict in 1995, parliamentary seats and most government 
positions are apportioned specifically to members of the three 
``constituent peoples.'' These stipulations often result in 
constitutional discrimination against ``others'' and sympathizers of 
certain faiths who do not fit neatly into these three groups. For 
example, the country has a three-member joint presidency composed of 
one representative chosen specifically from each of the three major 
ethnic groups, with a chairmanship that rotates every eight months. As 
an attempt to address this lack of opportunity for members of other 
religious faiths, the president of the Jewish community--again, by 
virtue of the Jewish community's general impartiality in the political 
arena--was by common consensus accorded the leadership of the important 
Civil Service Agency, which is tasked with selecting civil servants for 
government posts based on merit.
    Bosnia's state-level Government does not officially recognize any 
religious holidays. During the reporting period, Parliament failed to 
agree on a state law on national holidays. Entity and cantonal 
authorities routinely recognized religious holidays celebrated by 
members of the area's majority religion, with government and public 
offices closed on those days. Locally observed holy days included 
Orthodox Easter and Christmas in the RS, Catholic Easter and Christmas 
in Herzegovina, and Kurban Bajram and Ramadan Bajram in Sarajevo and 
central Bosnia.
    The State Law on Religious Freedom governs religion and the 
licensing of religious groups, and provides for the right to freedom of 
conscience and religion in Bosnia. It grants churches and religious 
communities legal status and allows them concessions that are 
characteristic of a nongovernmental organization (NGO). The law also 
creates a unified register for all religions within the Bosnian 
Ministry of Justice, while the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees is 
tasked with documenting every violation of religious freedom.
    According to the provisions of the law, any group of 300 adult 
citizens may form a new church or religious community with a written 
application to the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice will 
issue a decision within thirty days of the application, and an appeal 
may be made to the Bosnian Council of Ministers. The law, which came 
into force in March 2004, allows minority religions in the country to 
register legally and to operate without unwarranted restrictions. By 
the end of the reporting period, all small religious communities that 
applied to the Ministry of Justice were successfully registered.
    Political parties dominated by a single ethnic group remained 
powerful and continued to identify closely with the religion associated 
with their predominant ethnic group. Some political parties claimed to 
be multiethnic. Some clerics characterized hard-line nationalist 
political sympathies as part of ``true'' religious practice. Some 
religious leaders were also significantly involved in politics, 
becoming increasingly vocal during the pre-election campaign period and 
during the public debate over whether Parliament should adopt changes 
to the Bosnian constitution. For example, in June 2006, the Serb 
Orthodox bishop in Trebinje signed a petition calling for a referendum 
on whether the RS should be ``independent'' from BiH. Also in June, 
Cardinal Puljic made public statements in which he stated that the 
hostile attitude of local Muslims contributed to the low numbers of 
Bosnian Croat returns. In a lecture in June 2006, Reis Ceric compared 
recent meetings between Catholic and Orthodox officials without the 
presence of Muslim representatives to the 1991 meetings between former 
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and former Serbian President Slobodan 
Milosevic at which they discussed the potential partition of BiH. 
Bosnia was scheduled to hold general elections in October 2006.
    The lines dividing politics, ethnic identity, and religion were 
often blurred, particularly during pre-election periods, when religious 
sermons and services were sometimes misused for campaigning purposes. 
Many political party leaders were former communists who manipulated the 
core attributes of their particular ethnic group, including religion, 
to strengthen their credibility with voters. For example, offices of 
local Bosnian Serb mayors in the RS were often decorated with religious 
icons, although few officials practiced religion in any meaningful 
sense.
    During the reporting period, the entity, cantonal, and municipal 
governments gave varying levels of financial support to the four major 
religious communities. Religious communities tended to receive the most 
funding in areas where their adherents were in the majority. Religious 
education in Bosnia and Herzegovina is largely decentralized, as is the 
education system generally. In 2005, the international community 
encouraged the state-level Ministry for Civil Affairs (MCA) to take a 
coordinating role in developing education policy. However, the 
understaffed MCA education department failed to take an active role in 
creating a national education policy. Cantonal governments in the 
Federation, the entity Government in the RS, and Brcko District have 
responsibility for education policy. Public schools offer religious 
education classes, but with the exception of Brcko, schools generally 
offer religious instruction only in the area's majority religion. In 
theory, students (or their parents, in the case of primary school 
students) have the option to choose not to attend these classes. 
However, in practice, students of the majority religion and sometimes 
also of minority religions face pressure from teachers and peers to 
attend the classes. For example, the RS requires Serbs to attend 
Orthodox religion classes but does not require attendance for Bosniaks 
and Croats. However, Bosniak and Croat students often attend these 
classes anyway because they are reluctant to be singled out as 
different from their classmates. If a sufficient number of students of 
minority religion(s) attend a particular school (twenty in the RS, 
fifteen in the Federation), the school is required to organize religion 
classes on their behalf. However, in rural areas, there are usually no 
qualified religious representatives available to teach religious 
studies to the handful of minority students. Minority students are 
often widely scattered across remote areas, making it logistically 
difficult to provide classes even when a teacher is available. In the 
Federation's five cantons with Bosniak majorities, schools offer 
Islamic religious instruction as a two-hour per week elective course. 
In cantons with Croat majorities, all Croat students attend the 
``elective'' one-hour weekly Catholic religion course for primary and 
middle schools.
    Parents may enroll their children in private schools for religious 
reasons. In Sarajevo, Tuzla, Travnik, Mostar, and Bihac, Muslim 
students may attend madrassahs. These Islamic secondary schools provide 
training for students who want to become religious officials, as well 
as general education to prepare students for university studies. There 
is one Serb Orthodox secondary school in Foca. In Sarajevo, Tuzla, 
Travnik, Zepce, Banja Luka and Zenica, students may attend Catholic 
school centers. Although primarily Croat, these schools are open to 
students of other ethnicities and faiths. These centers have both 
primary and secondary schools, and although the principals are priests, 
the majority of teachers are not religious officials. The curriculum is 
identical to the curriculum applied in schools in areas with a majority 
Croat population.
    Facilities also existed for the three largest religious communities 
at the university level. The Faculty of Islamic Sciences was located in 
Sarajevo, the Serb Orthodox Seminary was in Foca in the RS, and two 
Catholic theology faculties (one run by the Franciscans and one run by 
the Diocese) were located in Sarajevo.
    The State Law on Religious Freedom reaffirms the right of every 
citizen to religious education. The law calls for an official 
representative of the various churches or religious communities to be 
responsible for teaching religious studies in all public and private 
preschools, primary schools, and universities throughout Bosnia. 
However, by the end of the reporting period, this provision of the Law 
on Religious Freedom had not been fully implemented. Its implementation 
is difficult in Bosnia's often-segregated school systems, particularly 
where there is political resistance from nationalist party officials at 
the municipal level.
    The country's four traditional religious communities all had 
extensive claims for restitution of property that the communist 
government of the former Yugoslavia nationalized after World War II. 
The State Law on Religious Freedom provides religious communities the 
right to restitution of expropriated property throughout the country 
``in accordance with the law.'' However, as of mid-2006, there was no 
state-level law on restitution, and both entity governments deferred 
any real attempt to resolve the issue. The State Commission for 
Restitution was working on drafting a state restitution law. In the 
absence of state legislation, return of former religious properties 
continued on an ad hoc basis at the discretion of municipal officials. 
For example, the municipal government of Banja Luka returned the 
building that housed the newly reopened Catholic school to the Catholic 
Church.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Weak administrative and judicial systems effectively restricted 
religious freedom and posed major obstacles to safeguarding the rights 
of religious minorities. In some cases, local governments and police 
made improvements in protecting religious freedoms, although serious 
problems remained, including an atmosphere in which abuses of religious 
freedom occurred. For example, local police rarely made arrests in 
cases of attacks against religious buildings, officials, or believers. 
Successful prosecutions were extremely rare. Local police frequently 
alleged that juveniles were responsible for these attacks.
    Deputies being sworn into the RS National Assembly could choose 
either a religious oath consistent with their religious tradition or a 
nonreligious civil oath. Deputies to the state and federation 
parliaments took nonreligious civil oaths.
    The State Constitution provides for proportional representation for 
each of the three major ethnic groups in the Government and the 
military. Because of the close identification of ethnicity with 
religious background, this principal of ethnic parity in effect 
reserved certain positions in Government and the military for adherents 
or sympathizers of certain faiths. The military in the RS was staffed 
overwhelmingly by ethnic Serbs and had only Serb Orthodox chaplains. 
The Federation military was composed of separate Bosniak and Croat 
units, as well as integrated units, and has both Muslim and Catholic 
chaplains. During the reporting period, both entities passed 
legislation that created a unified, state-level Ministry of Defense and 
Bosnian Army. The Ministry of Defense planned to develop an integrated 
professional chaplain corps.
    In early post-war years, RS authorities frequently did not 
intervene to prevent the violent obstruction of efforts to rebuild some 
of the 618 mosques and 129 churches in the RS that were destroyed or 
significantly damaged during the 1992-1995 war. The most recent such 
incident was in 2001 when a violent protest disrupted the laying of the 
cornerstone for the reconstruction of the historic Ferhadija mosque in 
Banja Luka. Local police also subsequently failed to conduct a serious 
investigation into most of these incidents. In Zvornik, a past source 
of conflict between the Islamic community and the local government was 
eliminated when the municipal assembly allocated land for a new mosque 
to be built. By the end of the reporting period, construction had not 
yet begun.
    During the reporting period, the municipality of Travnik in the 
Federation partially complied with a 2003 decision by the Human Rights 
Chamber (now the Human Rights Commission of the Constitutional Court) 
ordering the municipal government to relocate a public school housed in 
a building formerly owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The 
municipality returned half the building to the Archdiocese for use as 
part of its Catholic school center. However, the other half remained in 
use as a public school. The court ordered the public school to move out 
of the building by July 1, 2006, but this would not be possible as the 
local authorities had not constructed a new public school building. At 
the end of the reporting period, negotiations on a timeline for the 
full return of the building continued.
    In the absence of a law governing property restitution, municipal 
and cantonal authorities have broad discretion regarding disposition of 
contested property nationalized under the communist government of the 
former Yugoslavia. Many officials used property restitution cases as a 
tool of political patronage, rendering religious leaders dependent on 
politicians to regain property taken from religious communities. Other 
unresolved restitution claims were politically and legally complicated. 
For example, the Serb Orthodox Church was seeking the return of the 
building which housed the University of Sarajevo's Economic Faculty and 
compensation for the land on which the state parliament building was 
located. The Jewish and Muslim communities also had claims to 
substantial portions of what was prime Sarajevo commercial real estate. 
The Catholic community had a large number of potential claims in Banja 
Luka.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The RS and Federation Governments, local governments, and police 
forces frequently allowed an atmosphere in which abuses of religious 
freedom could take place. Reported attacks on religious buildings, 
officials, and minority believers remained frequent during the 
reporting period. The misuse of religious symbols and buildings for 
political purposes had a negative impact on interreligious dialogue and 
interethnic relations in many communities. The absence of a police 
force willing to protect religious minorities, and of a judicial system 
willing to prosecute crimes against those minorities, posed major 
obstacles to safeguarding minority rights. While new officers continued 
to be accepted into the police academies under strictly observed ethnic 
quotas, the goal of establishing effective, professional, multiethnic 
police forces throughout the country would take years of concentrated 
effort. Administrative and financial obstacles to rebuilding religious 
structures impeded the ability of religious minorities to worship 
freely and contributed to the slow return of minority refugees in many 
areas.
    A significant number of citizens remained internally displaced or 
refugees abroad following the 1992-1995 war. Virtually all had fled 
areas where their ethnoreligious community had been in the 
minority or had ended up in the minority as a result of the war. Both 
organized and spontaneous returns peaked in 2002, and they continued to 
fall sharply in 2005-2006.
    There were a number of controversial and highly politicized cases 
involving the illegal construction of religious buildings or monuments 
on private or government-owned land. In these cases, the buildings or 
monuments were built to send a political message to minority believers 
about the dominance of the majority ethno-religious group in that area, 
creating ethnic tensions and impeding the process of reconciliation. 
Three significant cases remained unresolved during the reporting 
period: The presence of a Serb Orthodox Church on the property of a 
Bosnian Muslim woman in the RS town of Konjevic Polje, despite the 
absence of local Serb residents; the presence of a Serb Orthodox 
church, again in the absence of Orthodox believers, in the middle of a 
majority Islamic community in the RS town of Divic; and the presence of 
a large stone cross and cement foundations for the stations of the 
cross in the ethnically divided town of Stolac in Herzegovina. In 
August 2005, local authorities in a Catholic-majority area ordered the 
destruction of the mosque in Jasenica on the grounds that the mosque 
had been built illegally. The Mostar mufti protested this decision, 
arguing that the mosque existed before the war and therefore the 
Islamic community was reconstructing a preexisting religious object. 
The issue remained unresolved at the end of the reporting period.
    Although former Foca Mayor Nedeljko Pavlovic and Gorazde Mufti 
Hamed Efendic agreed to the reconstruction of a Muslim religious 
facility in Foca in 2003, a notoriously hard-line Serb municipality in 
the RS, reconstruction had not begun by the end of the reporting 
period.
    In May 2004, the former Federation minister of spatial planning 
ordered the removal of the Stolac stone cross and cross foundations, 
and after a number of delays in response to political and religious 
sensitivities, a lawsuit was filed in April 2005 which prevented the 
implementation of the removal order pending a ruling by the 
Constitutional Court. The lawsuit remained unresolved during the 
reporting period.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Acts of anti-Semitism against the small Jewish community in the 
country were relatively infrequent. In December 2005, a local 
television station with limited viewership broadcast a program which 
denied the Holocaust. In January 2006, there was no official 
recognition of international Holocaust Memorial Day in BiH. In May 
2006, graffiti reading ``Kill Jews'' appeared on a wall in the Sarajevo 
suburb of Ilidza. Jewish leaders noted a tendency to mix anti-Israeli 
sentiment with anti-Semitism, as the general public and the media often 
failed to distinguish between criticism of Israeli policy and anti-
Semitic rhetoric.
    In January 2005, two anti-Semitic articles written by a local 
journalist were published in the Islamic extremist SAFF magazine and 
the tabloid magazine Walter. In addition to making general anti-Semitic 
statements (for example, denying the Holocaust), the articles accused 
the Jewish community and some of its individual members of corruption 
and conspiracy. One article included an altered photograph depicting 
the leader of the Jewish community wearing a yarmulke, a Hitler 
mustache, and an armband with Star of David insignia.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Catholic and Orthodox bishops of the country continued to meet 
regularly to discuss issues of mutual concern. In July 2005, more than 
2,000 Catholics attended the consecration of the newly reconstructed 
church in the RS town of Doboj. In September 2005, the Catholic school 
center in Banja Luka reopened for the first time since the end of World 
War II.
    In April 2006, the Government and the Holy See signed a basic 
agreement regulating the legal status of the Catholic Church in BiH. 
This agreement represented the culmination of six years of lobbying by 
church officials, who expressed satisfaction with its scope and 
provisions.
    The Islamic community continued to reconstruct mosques throughout 
the RS, including the Osman Pasha Mosque in Trebinje and mosques in 
Konjevic Polje and Visegrad. During the last half of 2005, eighteen 
reconstructed mosques in the RS were reopened. The Islamic community 
estimates that it has reconstructed 130 mosques in the RS since the end 
of the war.
    The leaders of BiH's four traditional religious communities 
participated in the Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 
which continued to operate despite occasional significant 
disagreements. Franciscan friar Ivo Markovic directed the ``Pontanima'' 
interfaith choir, which performed music from all four communities.
    In July 2005, the leaders of the four traditional religious 
communities attended the ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the 
Srebrenica massacre. In November 2005, the leaders of the Serb 
Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim communities attended an interfaith 
conference in the United States during the commemorations of the tenth 
anniversary of the signing of the Dayton peace accords. Cardinal Vinko 
Puljic, the head of the Catholic Church in BiH, declined to attend on 
the grounds that the Dayton agreement had harmed the interests of the 
Bosnian Croat people, and that it would therefore be wrong for him to 
attend events related to the anniversary.
    Beginning in September 2005, the Ministry of Education of Sarajevo 
Canton introduced an hour-long history lecture in the Jewish museum for 
all primary and secondary school students.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Until the nineteenth century, most of the country's residents 
identified themselves by religious affiliation. With the rise of Balkan 
nationalism in the nineteenth century, the country came to identify 
itself in ethnic as well as religious terms. This tendency increased 
during the communist era when the regime discouraged religious 
affiliation and targeted religious officials for harassment and 
persecution, including arrest and detention. Under the communists, most 
of the country's population identified themselves by ethnic group or 
simply as ``Yugoslavs.'' Bosniaks were not considered an official 
ethnic group. Only with the adoption of the 1974 Yugoslav constitution 
could Muslims identify themselves as such in the census. Following the 
country's independence, there continued to be persons who declined to 
accept either ethnic or religious identification and considered 
themselves simply Bosnians.
    Religious buildings, clerics, and individual believers in any area 
where they constituted a religious minority bore the brunt of 
retaliation for discrimination and violence perpetrated by other 
members of their religious/ethnic groups in areas where those groups 
constituted the majority. Because they were powerful symbols of 
religious identification and ethnicity, clerics and religious buildings 
were favored targets. Most religious leaders severely criticized 
violence and nationalism against their own group but could be less 
vocal in condemning acts against members of other groups.
    The 1992-1995 war was not a religious conflict. However, the 
association of ethnicity and religion is so close that the bitterness 
engendered by the war and the large-scale casualties it caused 
contributed to mutual suspicion and distrust among members of all three 
major religious groups.
    Despite the constitutional and legal provisions for religious 
freedom, some discrimination against religious minorities occurred in 
virtually all parts of the country. Discrimination remained a serious 
problem in the RS, particularly in the eastern RS, and in Croat-
dominated areas of the Federation; discrimination against non-Muslims 
appeared also to have worsened in some Bosniak-majority areas where 
more conservative Islamic communities resided. Some Muslim communities 
in areas where Wahhabis and other Islamic fundamentalist movements have 
gained adherents were deeply divided over how to worship, dress, and 
perform certain religious ceremonies, including funerals.
    While Sarajevo, the Bosniak-majority capital of the country, had 
preserved in part its traditional role as a multiethnic city, 
complaints of discrimination remained during the period covered by this 
report. Some non-Muslims reported feeling isolated and marginalized in 
the nation's capital. In February 2006, Muslims in Sarajevo protested 
the publication of a cartoon of Muhammad in a number of European 
countries. Although the protests were generally peaceful, protestors 
burned a Croatian flag during one demonstration because the cartoon was 
published in Croatian newspapers. This action provoked criticism from 
Bosnian Croats. Protestors also burned Norwegian and Danish flags.
    Numerous buildings belonging to the Islamic, Serbian Orthodox, and 
Roman Catholic communities were damaged or destroyed during the 1992-
1995 war, usually in a deliberate attempt at ethnic intimidation. 
Despite the increase in issuance of building permits for reconstruction 
of religious buildings by Federation and RS authorities, the religious 
communities lacked funds to rebuild these facilities.
    In the immediate postwar period, the major religious communities 
avoided reconstruction of the more symbolic religious facilities in the 
country, such as the Ferhadija mosque in Banja Luka, the Aladza mosque 
in Foca, and the monastery at Plehan near Derventa. The monastery at 
Plehan was partially reconstructed, and efforts were underway to 
rebuild the church in Plehan with financial support from the Bosnian 
Croat diaspora. Reconstruction of the historic Ferhadija Mosque in 
Banja Luka had not begun by the end of this reporting period, but the 
Islamic community had the necessary permits and was collecting money to 
fund the construction.
    Numerous incidents against religious targets in all three ethnic 
majority areas were reported throughout 2005 and the first half of 
2006. All the major religious communities in the country reported an 
increase in the number of incidents during the period covered by this 
report.
    There were a number of incidents directed at Bosniak Muslims during 
the period covered by this report. In June 2005, Muslim graves were 
desecrated near Prijedor in the RS. In July 2005, insulting graffiti 
were painted on the wall of the Zvornik mosque. In October 2005, during 
the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the mosque in Prijedor was 
vandalized on three separate occasions. In February 2006, the Islamic 
community building in Banja Luka was vandalized. Unknown persons wrote 
insulting or anti-Muslim graffiti on the walls of the Hadziosmanija 
mosque in Banja Luka in January 2005, on the house of an imam in 
Balinovac, near Mostar, in April 2005, and on the mosque in the RS town 
Zvornik in July. In December 2005, unknown persons vandalized Muslim 
gravestones in Banja Luka.
    There were also incidents directed at Bosnian Croats and the Roman 
Catholic Church during the period covered by this report. In January 
2006, unknown perpetrators placed a grenade launcher and a traffic sign 
on the bell tower of the Catholic church in Drvar, in the RS. In 
February 2006, the windows of the Church of Saint Mark in the Sarajevo 
suburb of Ilijas were broken by vandals. Two local men were 
subsequently arrested and the case was forwarded to the Sarajevo Canton 
prosecutor.
    There were incidents directed against members of the Bosnian Serb 
Orthodox community during the period covered by this report. Serb 
Orthodox priests working in the Tuzla area reported that funeral 
services were disrupted by local residents shouting anti-Serb slogans 
on several different occasions. The church in Puracic near Lukavac was 
vandalized in January 2006.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government and leaders from all four traditional religious communities 
in the context of its overall interfaith dialogue and policy of 
promoting human rights. The U.S. Government supports the return of 
refugees, democratization, and protection of human rights throughout 
the country. The U.S. Government also encourages leaders from all major 
religious communities to promote a multiethnic society that is 
conducive to religious freedom. The embassy publicly criticizes 
instances of religious discrimination and attacks against religious 
communities or buildings and encourages political leaders from all 
ethnic groups and members of the international community to respond 
equally strongly. Strong U.S. Government support for full 
implementation of the Dayton Accords and a politically moderate, 
multiethnic government is intended, over time, to improve respect for 
religious freedom in the country.
    When the local Seventh-day Adventist Church encountered 
difficulties in registering their religious community, the embassy 
intervened on their behalf with the responsible officials at the 
Ministry of Justice. The subsequent resolution of remaining problems 
with the Church's registration application allowed the Church to 
legally register and operate throughout the country.
    The embassy has also continued to lobby strongly for the drafting 
and adoption of a State Law on Restitution, which would assist 
religious communities in obtaining return of their former property. The 
embassy supported a number of specific initiatives by religious 
communities to get back their properties, including the efforts of the 
Serb Orthodox Church to reclaim its former theology faculty building in 
downtown Sarajevo.
    The ambassador frequently meets with the principal religious 
leaders, individually and collectively, to urge them to work toward 
moderation and a multiethnic society. Other embassy personnel regularly 
meet with representatives of all religious communities to discuss 
religious freedom concerns. The ambassador is a member of the Executive 
Board of the Srebrenica Foundation, which oversees the continued 
development of the memorial and cemetery dedicated to victims of the 
1995 massacre of Srebrenica-area Muslim men and boys in Potocari.
    The U.S. Government funded the development of the countrywide human 
rights and democracy courses currently being taught in all Bosnian 
secondary schools. In 2005, this project was expanded and the course 
was being taught in madrassahs and at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences.
    In addition, the embassy engages in an active outreach program with 
the religious communities at all levels, including hosting speaking 
engagements by visiting U.S. academics and lecturers, meeting with 
faith-based charities, and supporting a university affiliation program 
between the University of Sarajevo and the University of Arizona to 
create a department of comparative religious studies.
                               __________

                                BULGARIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the law 
prohibits the public practice of religion by unregistered groups. The 
constitution also designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the 
``traditional'' religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, discrimination, 
harassment, and general public intolerance, particularly in the media, 
of some religious groups remained an intermittent problem.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 42,855 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 7.76 million at the end of 2004, according to the 
National Statistical Institute. The majority of citizens, estimated at 
approximately 85 percent, identified themselves as Orthodox Christians. 
Muslims comprised the largest minority, estimated at approximately 13 
percent; other minorities included Catholics, Protestants, Jews, 
Gregorian-Armenian Christians, and others. Among the ethnic-Turkish 
minority, Islam was the predominant religion. While not officially 
enumerated, academic research estimated up to 40 percent of the 
population was atheist or agnostic. Official registration of religious 
organizations was handled by the Sofia City Court; it reported that 
twelve new denominations were registered between February 2005 and 
February 2006, bringing the total number of registered religious groups 
to seventy-three denominations in addition to the Bulgarian Orthodox 
Church (BOC), a nearly 20 percent increase.
    Some religious minorities were concentrated geographically. The 
Rhodope Mountains (along the country's southern border with Greece) 
were home to many Muslims, including ethnic Turks, Roma, and ``Pomaks'' 
(descendents of Slavic Bulgarians who converted to Islam under Ottoman 
rule). Ethnic-Turkish and Roma Muslims also lived in large numbers in 
the northeast of the country, primarily in and around the cities of 
Shumen and Razgrad, as well as along the Black Sea coast. More than 
half of the country's Roman Catholics were located in the region around 
Plovdiv. Many members of the country's small Jewish community lived in 
Sofia, Rousse, and along the Black Sea coast. Protestants were 
dispersed more widely throughout the country. While clear statistics 
were not available, evangelical Protestant groups had particular 
success in attracting converts from among the Roma minority, and areas 
with large Roma populations tended also to have some of the highest 
percentages of Protestants.
    According to a 2005 report of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 
only 50 percent of the 6 million Bulgarians who identified themselves 
as Orthodox Christians participated in formal religious services. The 
same survey found that 90 percent of the country's estimated 70,000 
Catholics regularly engaged in public worship. Approximately 30 percent 
of Catholics belonged to the Eastern Rite Uniate Church. The majority 
of Muslims, who were estimated at 750,000, were Sunni; 50,000 were 
classified as Shi'a. The Jewish community was estimated at 3,500, and 
approximately 50,000 were said to be evangelical Protestants. The 
report also noted that more than 100,000 Bulgarians practice 
``nontraditional'' beliefs. (Orthodox Christianity, Hanafi Sunni Islam, 
Judaism, and Catholicism were generally understood to be 
``traditional'' faiths.) Forty percent of these ``nontraditional'' 
practitioners were estimated to be Roma.
    Statistics reported by the Council of Ministers Religious' 
Confessions Directorate reported slightly different figures, listing 
nearly 1 million Muslims and 150,000 evangelical Protestants, as well 
as 20,000 to 30,000 Armenian Christians and approximately 3,000 Jews.
    Foreign missionaries from numerous denominations, including several 
Protestant churches, the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Jehovah's Witnesses, were active in 
the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the law 
prohibits the public practice of religion by unregistered groups. The 
constitution designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity, represented by 
the BOC, as the ``traditional'' religion; and the Government provided 
preferential financial support to it, as well as to several other 
religious communities perceived as holding historic places in society, 
such as the Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Jewish faiths.
    The 2002 Denominations Act allows only legally registered 
denominations to perform public activities outside their places of 
worship. The 2002 law transferred responsibility for registering 
religious groups to the Sofia City Court, which is responsible for 
maintaining the national register of religious denominations as well as 
the register of political parties. The Council of Ministers' Religious 
Confessions Directorate, which was formerly responsible for 
registration of religious groups, provides ``expert opinions'' on 
registration matters upon request of the Court. However, the 
Directorate's overall role remains ambiguous, particularly as it 
pertains to its administrative oversight and sanctioning functions. All 
applicants have the right to appeal negative registration decisions to 
the Court of Appeals. Denominations reported a general improvement in 
the registration process since the court took over this responsibility 
in 2003. Some local branches of nationally registered denominations 
continued to experience problems with local authorities who insisted 
that the branches be registered locally, despite the fact that the 2002 
Denominations Act does not require local formal registration of 
denominations. These complaints were less frequent than in previous 
years.
    Representatives of some evangelical Protestant churches reported 
problems in obtaining permits for public services from local 
authorities, particularly in the Dobrich and General Toshev 
municipalities.
    A Council of Europe review of the 2002 Denominations Act, prepared 
in early 2003, highlighted that the provisions dealing with the process 
of registration specify neither the criteria establishing the basis on 
which the court should grant registration nor the grounds on which such 
registration can be withheld. The act also fails to specify the 
consequences of failure to register as a religious community or 
outlines any recourse if a competent court refuses to grant 
registration.
    The three-year legal dispute surrounding leadership of the Muslim 
community remained unsettled, despite the Sofia City Court's May 11, 
2005, attempt to resolve the issue by formally registering Mustafa 
Alish Hadji as Chief Mufti. Rival Islamic leader Nedim Gendzhev filed 
an appeal, and in December 2005, the Sofia Appellate Court ordered 
Gendzhev's registration as leader. In January 2006, the City Court 
issued official certificates of registration to both parties in the 
dispute--to Gendzhev on January 25 and to Hadji on January 26. This 
allowed both sides to claim legal recognition and control of community 
funds. Accusations of embezzlement were traded, and many observers 
criticized the court procedure as opaque and politically influenced. 
The legal status of the case remained unclear at the time of this 
report.
    On November 5, 2004, the Pazardzhik District Court passed a three-
year suspended sentence on Ahmed Ahmed Musa for preaching radical Islam 
and instigating societal hatred along religious lines. He was also 
fined for disgracing the national flag. During the trial, Musa made a 
full confession and pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. 
Five doctors confirmed that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and 
as such was extremely susceptible to outside influence. Musa chose not 
to appeal the sentence.
    The 2002 Denominations Act designates the Metropolitan of Sofia, 
currently Patriarch Maxim, as the Patriarch of the BOC. The law 
prohibits any group or person who has broken off from a registered 
religious group from using the same name or claiming any properties 
belonging to that group.
    In 2004, prosecutors and police intervened to evict members of the 
Bulgarian Orthodox ``Alternate Synod'' from properties claimed by the 
BOC after a twelve-year schism in the BOC. Priests from the Alternative 
Synod, who oppose Patriarch Maxim's leadership, were forcibly evicted 
from approximately 250 churches and other properties, and several 
clerics were temporarily detained. Some nongovernmental organizations 
(NGOs) reported police beatings of clergy and lay persons. Alternative 
Synod representatives responded by filing a complaint before the 
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and were granted an accelerated 
hearing in June 2005. The case was pending before the ECHR at the end 
of the period covered by this report, as were several smaller cases in 
the country's courts involving property disputes between the Orthodox 
Church and the Alternative Synod.
    For most registered religious groups, there were no restrictions on 
attendance at religious services or on private religious instruction. 
Two BOC seminaries, a Jewish school, three Islamic schools, the 
university-level Islamic Higher Institute, a Muslim cultural center, a 
multi-denominational Protestant seminary, and university theological 
faculties operated freely. Bibles, Qur'ans, and other religious 
materials in the Bulgarian language were imported or printed freely, 
and religious publications were produced regularly.
    An optional religious education course was first introduced in 
state-run schools in 1997. The curriculum, developed by the Ministry of 
Education's Commission on Religion, initially focused on Christianity 
but was expanded in 1999 to cover Islam as well. The course examines 
the historical, philosophical, and cultural aspects of religion and 
introduces students to the moral values of different confessions. All 
officially registered religious confessions can request that their 
religious beliefs be included in the course's curriculum. According to 
the Ministry of Education, the course was offered to 13,209 primary and 
secondary school students in 199 schools during the 2004-2005 academic 
year. While the ministry provides the course material for free to 
students, the 166 religious education teachers participating in the 
program are funded directly from municipal budgets.
    The Chief Mufti's Office also supports summer Qur'anic education 
courses.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The law requires religious groups wishing to operate and be 
recognized as legal entities, as well as those wanting to engage in 
public activities outside of their places of worship, to formally 
register with the Sofia City Court. The number of groups registered 
with the court increased from thirty-six in 2003 when the Court took 
over this responsibility, to seventy-three in 2006.
    While the state of religious freedom has improved for some 
nontraditional groups, some groups continued to face limited 
discrimination and antipathy from some local authorities, despite 
successfully registering through the Sofia City Court. Article 21 of 
the 2002 Denominations Act states that nationally registered religious 
groups may have local branches according to their statute. The law does 
not require formal local registration of denominations, although some 
municipalities have claimed that it does.
    Some municipalities, such as Rousse, Shumen, Pleven, Stara Zagora, 
Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, and Kurdzhali, had local ordinances curtailing 
religious practices that have not been changed to conform to the 2002 
Denominations Act. In most cases, these ordinances were not strictly 
enforced. In March 2005, the Burgas Municipal Council adopted a new 
ordinance repealing previous limitations on the right of nontraditional 
religious groups to publicly practice their beliefs.
    Jehovah's Witnesses reported that police in several towns issued 
arrest warrants for members of the denomination who attempted to 
proselytize. On June 12, 2005, the deputy mayor of Plovdiv fined Hans 
Amon, a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, for violating a local decree on 
public order by distributing brochures with religious content. Despite 
previous hostility in Burgas toward nontraditional groups such as the 
Jehovah's Witnesses, the denomination's local branch was included in 
the mayor's list of local religious groups in January 2005. The 
Jehovah's Witnesses completed construction of a new place of worship in 
Burgas in 2005; however, the group also reported that the building was 
vandalized several times.
    A number of religious groups recognized that foreign missionaries 
and religious leaders experienced difficulties in obtaining and 
renewing residence visas in the country because the Law on Foreign 
Persons has no visa category that explicitly applies to missionaries or 
religious workers. The Jehovah's Witnesses reported that the Government 
twice refused residence visas to two missionaries from Germany, even 
though the denomination had received approval for their activities and 
stay in the country from the Religious Confessions Directorate. Some 
missionaries have resorted to staying in the country as ``tourists,'' 
forcing them to limit the length of their visits to no more than thirty 
days every six months.
    On October 26, 2005, the Government denied Unification Church 
leader Sun Myung Moon permission to enter the country. The Ministry of 
Interior cited its inability to provide security as the reason for 
canceling Moon's visit, which coincided with a nationwide security 
crackdown following the gangland killing of the country's wealthiest 
businessman. Moon's visit had sparked security concerns due to planned 
protests by nationalist groups and religious leaders opposed to his 
visit.
    There were no indications that the Government discriminated against 
members of any religious group in restitution of properties that were 
nationalized during the communist period. However, the BOC, the 
Catholic Church, the Muslim community, the Jewish community, and 
several Protestant denominations all complained that a number of their 
confiscated properties had not been returned. For example, the Catholic 
Church reported that only 60 percent of its confiscated properties had 
been restituted.
    A high-profile restitution case involving the Jewish community 
ended in defeat in July 2005, when the Supreme Cassation Court denied 
the community's claim to part of a high-value property in central Sofia 
which was once the site of a Jewish school. Previous court defeats had 
held that the petitioning organization was unable to establish its 
lineage back to the original owners of the property. In contrast, the 
July appellate ruling acknowledged the organization's lineage but held 
that the expropriation procedure was properly executed by the Communist 
government in the 1960s, and that the community was not legally 
entitled to any further compensation. Both foreign and domestic 
observers expressed concern about possible manipulation of the judicial 
process. The community's request for an extraordinary judicial review 
of the July decision was denied in March 2006, effectively exhausting 
all judicial remedies. In an attempt to find an equitable political 
solution to this and other outstanding restitution cases involving the 
Jewish community, the Government established an inter-ministerial 
commission in May 2006 to study alternate forms of compensation.
    The constitution prohibits the formation of political parties along 
religious lines.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    The constitution prohibits 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.
Anti-Semitism
    The country's small Jewish community became a target of the 
extremist political party Ataka, which employed anti-Semitic rhetoric 
during the June 2005 parliamentary election campaign. Both the 
newspaper launched by Ataka in October of that year and the group's 
website (www.ataka.bg) contain anti-Semitic material. Ataka is not a 
member of the governing coalition, and politicians from all sides of 
the political spectrum have spoken out against its extremist message.
    Police arrested three teenagers who had admitted desecrating more 
than one hundred Turkish graves in Haskovo on April 8, 2005. The three 
youths, who had acknowledged an interest in the skinhead movement, were 
reportedly intoxicated when they decided to vandalize the cemetery. The 
investigation was ongoing at the time of this report.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Despite initial fears that the 2002 Denominations Act would hamper 
religious organizations' ability to operate freely, thirty-seven new 
religious groups have registered with the Sofia City Court since 2003.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, discrimination, 
harassment, and general public intolerance of some religious groups 
remained an intermittent problem. While human rights groups reported 
that societal discrimination against nontraditional religious groups 
has continued to gradually lessen in recent years, it was not uncommon 
for the media to disseminate negative and derogatory stories about 
nontraditional denominations. For example, the Mormons and the 
Jehovah's Witnesses both reported numerous print and broadcast media 
stories with negative, derogatory, and sometimes slanderous information 
about their activities and beliefs.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy regularly monitors religious freedom in ongoing contacts 
with government officials, members of Parliament (MPs), clergy and lay 
leaders of religious communities, and NGOs. Embassy officers met with 
Orthodox leaders and clergy, senior and local Muslim leaders, religious 
and lay leaders of the Jewish community, and leaders of numerous 
Protestant and nontraditional denominations. During the period covered 
by this report, the embassy remained closely engaged with government 
officials, MPs, religious organizations, and NGOs concerning the 2002 
Denominations Act. The embassy also remained concerned with government 
interference in the BOC schism, and reports of discrimination against 
religious organizations; with various religious groups and government 
entities regarding the restitution of properties; and with Muslim 
leaders regarding Islamic extremism and the Muslim leadership dispute.
                               __________

                                CROATIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of conscience and religion 
and free public profession of religious conviction, and the Government 
generally respected these rights in practice. There is no official 
state religion; however, the Roman Catholic Church enjoyed a close 
relationship with the state not shared by other religious groups. The 
legal position of most major religious communities improved because of 
agreements with the state, which grant benefits similar to those 
enjoyed by the Catholic Church.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and the coalition Government 
that took power in 2003 continued to contribute to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Religion and ethnicity were linked closely in society. Following 
independence in 1991, religious institutions of all faiths were 
victimized by the ethnic conflicts that led to the breakup of the 
former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 2005, there were 
occasional reports of intimidation and vandalism, particularly in the 
war-affected areas, directed against Serbian Orthodox clergy and 
property, although those incidents remained sporadic.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
Embassy officials frequently met with representatives of religious and 
ethnic minority communities and with government officials.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 21,831 square miles and a 
population of approximately 4,437,000. The religious breakdown of the 
country was approximately: Roman Catholic, 85 percent; Orthodox 
Christian, 6 percent; Muslim, 1 percent; Jewish, less than 1 percent; 
other, 4 percent; and atheist, 2 percent. Before the emergence of the 
pro-Nazi Ustasha regime in Croatia during World War II, the Jewish 
community numbered some 35,000 to 40,000. An estimated 6,000 Jews were 
thought to have survived the war, and the community was thought to 
number about 2,000 during the period covered by this report.
    The statistics regarding religious affiliation correlated closely 
with the country's ethnic makeup. The Orthodox, predominantly ethnic 
Serbs associated with the Serbian Orthodox Church, primarily lived in 
cities and areas bordering on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and 
Montenegro. Members of other minority religions resided mostly in urban 
areas. Most immigrants were Roman Catholic ethnic Croats from Bosnia.
    Protestants from a number of denominations and foreign clergy 
actively practiced and proselytized, as did representatives of Asian 
religions. A variety of missionaries were present, including the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, 
Greek Catholics, Pentecostals, Hare Krishnas, and a wide range of 
evangelical Protestant Christians (including Baptists, Seventh-day 
Adventists, Church of Christ, and various nondenominational 
organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ).

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of conscience and religion 
and free public profession of religious conviction, and the Government 
generally respected these rights in practice. There is no official 
state religion; however, the Roman Catholic Church, Serbian Orthodox 
Church, Islamic community, and other smaller Christian denominations 
that have signed agreements with the state, receive some state support.
    The 2002 Law on Legal Status of Religious Communities broadly 
defines religious communities' legal positions and covers such issues 
as government funding, tax benefits, and religious education in 
schools. Other important issues, such as pensions for clergy, religious 
service in the military, penitentiaries and police, and recognition of 
religious marriages, were left to each religious community to negotiate 
separately with the Government. Most religious communities considered 
the law an improvement over the previous state of affairs. Restitution 
of nationalized or confiscated church property is regulated under the 
1996 Law on Return of Property Expropriated or Nationalized during the 
Yugoslav communist rule, which was amended in 2002. As of mid-2006, 
only persons who obtained citizenship by October 1996 may file claims 
under Croatia's restitution law. The Government plans to propose an 
amendment to the law that would allow foreigners to file claims on an 
equal basis with Croatian citizens. As of mid-2006, the Government had 
not yet submitted the proposed amendment to Parliament. With regard to 
the period covered by the 1996 restitution law, government officials 
stated that a 1999 Constitutional Court decision has the legislative 
effect of allowing claims relating to confiscations during the 
previously excluded period of World War II to be considered under the 
law's provisions.
    In 2003, the Government approved a regulation on the registration 
of religious communities, known as the Regulation on Forms and 
Maintaining Records of Religious Communities in Croatia, which required 
all religious communities to submit registration applications within 
six months. The regulation stipulates that, to register, a religious 
community must have at least 500 believers and must be registered as an 
association for five years. All religious communities in the country 
prior to passage of the law are being registered without conditions; 
religious communities that are new to the country since passage of the 
law must fulfill the requirements for the minimum number of believers 
and time registered as an association. By the end of the period covered 
by this report, approximately forty religious communities had been 
registered and seventeen additional communities applied for 
registration. Registered religious communities are granted the status 
of a ``legal person'' and enjoy tax and other benefits under the Law on 
Religious Communities. Religious communities that are based abroad must 
submit written permission for registration from their country of 
origin. The Helsinki Commission reported earlier in 2004 on 
requirements to register new religious communities, but prominent human 
rights organizations, including the Croatian Helsinki Committee, said 
in 2004 that the requirements were well within the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) standards. In December 2005, 
three churches--the Church of the Full Gospel, the Alliance of Churches 
``Word of Life,'' and the Protestant Reformed Christian Church--
challenged in the Constitutional Court the Government's refusal to 
conclude agreements that would provide them benefits similar to those 
provided by agreements with the Catholic, Serb Orthodox, Islamic, and 
other communities. The Government maintained that the churches did not 
meet its requirements of having a minimum number of members and of 
being continuously active in the country since 1941. The appeal was 
pending in the Constitutional Court at the end of the period covered by 
this report. No specific licensing is required for foreign 
missionaries.
    In line with the concordats signed with the Catholic Church and in 
an effort to define their rights and privileges within a legal 
framework, agreements have been signed with the following religious 
communities: The Serbian Orthodox Church and the Islamic Community 
(2002); the Evangelical Church, Reformed Christian Church, Pentecostal 
Church, Union of Pentecostal Churches of Christ, Christian Adventist 
Church, Union of Baptist Churches, Church of God, Church of Christ, and 
the Reformed Movement of Seventh-day Adventists (2003); and the 
Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Church, and Croatian Old 
Catholic Church (2003). The Jewish Community of Zagreb, which 
facilitates ``coordination'' with ten other Jewish communities, sought 
to sign an agreement with the state in November 2005. The text was 
similar to that offered by the Government in 2003, which was refused by 
the Community because of lack of progress on property restitution. 
Signing was once again delayed as another Jewish group contested the 
Community's membership requirements. That group, the Jewish Religious 
Community Beth Israel, requested state registration as a new and 
separate entity in September 2005, following a split in the Community 
after the decision not to renew the contract of the country's first 
Rabbi. As of May 2006, the Central State Office for Administration was 
considering these requests. The Government's general approach is to 
negotiate agreements with individual religious communities based on a 
common framework rather than set uniform, nondiscriminatory standards 
and practices. Leaders of non-Roman Catholic religions, with the 
exception of the Serb Orthodox Church, expressed general satisfaction 
with the communication they had with the Government.
    In July 2005, Croatian Radio Television (HRT) signed an agreement 
with eight minority religious communities guaranteeing equal 
representation in its programs. HRT agreed to live broadcasts of 
important annual celebrations and minimum weekly and monthly coverage. 
Under an agreement with the Roman Catholic Church, HRT provided up to 
10 hours per month of regular coverage of Roman Catholic events, while 
the other religious communities received 10 minutes of coverage or 
less.
    The Roman Catholic Church operates one of the country's private 
national radio stations, Catholic Radio, which is financed by private 
contributions. There are no restrictions on religious broadcasting. 
Topics of interest to major non-Roman Catholic religious groups are 
covered regularly on weekly religious programming on HRT.
    The Roman Catholic Church, on several occasions, reacted to its 
treatment in the media. In May 2005, the Catholic Radio Marija 
Association collected more than 40,000 signatures requesting that a 
satirical cartoon series critical of the Catholic Church be removed 
from national television. The Association also sent an open letter to 
the OSCE disagreeing with the organization's view that the program was 
an expression of civic and media freedoms. Political leaders reacted in 
February 2006 when the weekly Nacional printed the controversial Danish 
cartoon of Muhammad. President Mesic described this as an unwise move 
and said that ``...balance needed to be kept between the principle of 
freedom of speech and the need not to hurt anyone's religious 
sentiments.'' Prime Minister Sanader also considered this as ``a wrong 
editorial move,'' and the Government stated that, while advocating full 
freedom of media, it maintained that ``articles containing 
disparagements and mocking another's religion, nationality or world-
view should by no means be published in the media.'' Bosnian Muslims in 
Sarajevo burned a Croatian flag in front of the Croatian Embassy in 
protest against the publishing of the cartoons.
    The Islamic community's Bairam ceremony, usually attended by high-
level government officials, is telecast live annually from the Zagreb 
Mosque. The Islamic community credited the monthly TV broadcast Ekumena 
for contributing significantly to an atmosphere of greater tolerance.
    Muslims have the right to observe their religious holy days. They 
are granted a paid holiday for one Bairam and have the right to observe 
the other as well, although they are not paid for the second day. The 
Ministry of Education recognizes the diploma conferred by the Muslim 
community's secondary school in Zagreb.
    Missionaries did not operate registered schools, but the Mormon 
community provided free English lessons which were normally offered in 
conjunction with education on the Mormon religion.
    There was no government-sponsored ecumenical activity.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. The Government imposes no formal restrictions on 
religious groups, and all religious communities are free to conduct 
public services and to open and run social and charitable institutions.
    There is no official state religion; however, the Roman Catholic 
Church receives financial state support and other benefits established 
in concordats between the Government and the Vatican. The concordats 
and other agreements with non-Catholic religious communities allow 
state financing for some salaries and pensions for priests and nuns 
through government-managed pension and health funds.
    The concordats also regulate recognition of marriages, public 
school catechisms, and military chaplains. The Ministry of Defense 
employs fifteen full-time and four part-time Catholic priests and 
chaplains. After the Government signed an agreement with the Serbian 
Orthodox Church, five Orthodox priests began service in prisons and 
penitentiaries; the Islamic Community deployed one imam in the same 
service. In October 2005, the Government signed a protocol with the 
Islamic community that guarantees that members of the armed forces and 
recruits of the Muslim faith have regular access to chaplains, are 
provided with halal meals, and are excused from duty during major 
holidays. According to internal army polls in 2004, fifty-five 
conscripts and active members of the armed forces requested Muslim 
pastoral care.
    Marriages conducted by the fifteen religious communities that have 
agreements with the state are officially recognized, eliminating the 
need to register the marriages in the civil registry office.
    Facilitating the return of refugees (primarily ethnic Serbs) 
remained a challenge for the Government, which made progress in a 
number of areas relating to returns. However, some ethnic Serbs who 
wished to return to the country, including Serbian Orthodox clergy, 
continued to encounter difficulties or delays in resolving various 
administrative issues. Serbian Orthodox officials reported that the 
number of Serbian Orthodox clergy, which had been reduced to 30 after 
the 1991-1995 war, increased to 128. The increase was greatest in the 
Dalmatian and Karlovac eparchies. Orthodox Church sources ascribed the 
rising number of new priests, mostly from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 
Serbia and Montenegro, to the increase in Serb returnees. Orthodox 
Church sources complained that the new priests, particularly in Knin, 
continued to have difficulties with renewing their working permits and 
residency status at relatively short intervals. The lack of a more 
permanent status deprived them and their family members of health care 
benefits and pensions. While religion and ethnicity were closely linked 
in society, the majority of incidents of discrimination were motivated 
by ethnicity rather than religion or religious doctrine. Discrimination 
continued in some areas against ethnic Serbs and, at times, other 
minorities, including the administration of justice, employment, and 
housing.
    The Government requires that religious training be provided in 
public schools, although attendance is optional. Because 85 percent of 
the population is Roman Catholic, the Catholic catechism is the 
predominant religious teaching offered in public schools. Schools that 
meet the necessary quota of seven students of a minority faith per 
class allowed separate religion classes to be held for the students. In 
cases where there are not sufficient numbers of students of a minority 
faith to warrant separate classes, students may exercise the option to 
receive religious instruction through their religious community. In 
2003, government officials estimated that 4,500 primary and secondary 
school children in 37 schools attended Serbian Orthodox religion 
classes, the majority of which were in Eastern Slavonia, Rijeka, and 
Gorski Kotar. Orthodox Church sources reported that the number of 
students in 2005 rose to approximately 5,000, of which 4,050 were in 
Eastern Slavonia. Local Orthodox clergy commended the Ministry of 
Science, Education and Sports, the GOC Institute for Education, and the 
Catholic Church in Djakovo diocese for good cooperation. In 2005, after 
initial resistance, principals of two schools in Knin permitted Serbian 
Orthodox religion classes for the approximately 500 primary and 
secondary school children eligible to attend. However, Orthodox clergy 
complained that authorities in one of the primary schools allowed only 
half of the guaranteed number of classes, and, in the other school, 
pupils of Serb ethnicity were dispersed throughout the school so that 
the legally required minimum of seven students per class could not be 
reached. Similar resistance by local school boards to establishing 
Serbian Orthodox religion classes in schools continued in Imotski. In 
2005, Serbian Orthodox officials reported that many school children and 
their parents remained reluctant to identify themselves as Serbian 
Orthodox to avoid being singled out. Similarly, the Orthodox clergy 
noted that children in the Karlovac area were reluctant to openly 
attend their religious education for fear of being ostracized.
    In September 2003, the Jewish Community of Zagreb opened the first 
private Jewish elementary school in the country. The Government 
annually observes January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day with seminars 
and commemorative events.
    The secondary school operated by the Islamic Community for 
religious training was at full capacity (102 students); the community 
intended to gradually convert the school into a more general secondary 
school while at the same time developing an institution of higher 
education specifically for religious training. The community postponed 
its plans to open a Faculty of Islamic Studies at the Zagreb Mosque in 
order to meet academic requirements. It planned to open an Islamic 
institute for higher education in September 2006 that would educate 
both clergy and laity and provide training for religious teachers in 
the schools. The minister of culture, in charge of relations with 
religious communities, expressed support for the project. Authorities 
representing the Islamic community continued to report good cooperation 
and dialogue with the Government. The Orthodox Church opened a 
religious secondary school in September 2005 that had ten students 
during the period covered by this report, with plans to expand in the 
coming years. The Roman Catholic Church intended to establish a 
university in Zagreb in 2007. (See below.)
    Restitution of property nationalized or confiscated by the Yugoslav 
communist regime remained a problem. Many religious communities 
identified property return as their top priority and complained about 
the lack of progress. A 1998 concordat with the Vatican provided for 
the return of all Roman Catholic Church property confiscated by the 
communist regime after 1945. The agreement stipulated that the 
Government would return seized properties or compensate the Church 
where return was impossible. Some progress was made with some 
returnable properties being restituted, and there were instances of 
compensation for non-returnable properties. In 2003, the Roman Catholic 
Church submitted a list of priority properties for restitution to the 
Government that included large commercial buildings, recreational 
property, and several properties already in use by the Church, such as 
monasteries, dormitories, and residences for children with 
disabilities. Catholic Church officials reported the return of a few 
properties over the last year, while some claims ran into open 
opposition by local authorities. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader met with 
the Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic in May 2006 and agreed to sign a 
contract to hand over the King Tomislav army barracks complex as a 
compensation for other yet unspecified church property in Zagreb. The 
building will be used to house the Catholic University, which was 
scheduled to begin its program in the fall of 2007. The Government 
signed a letter of intent in July 2005 to hand over the property and 
expressed full support for the project. The press reported that the 
city of Zagreb returned the Komedija theatre in the city center to the 
Franciscan Monastery. The theatre would continue to use the building 
for the next fifteen years under a favorable rent agreement.
    In March 2006, the press reported that the Varazdin town and county 
authorities opposed restitution of the former monastery in the town's 
center in which the Computer Science College is located. The building 
is listed as one of the remaining fifteen capital objects in the 
country intended for restitution. City authorities disputed the legal 
basis of the claim and cited its substantial investment in the 
building. According to the Varazdin bishop, the town's mayor agreed in 
2002 to relocate the college, and the Church protested against 
widespread media reports perceived as pressure intended to influence 
the procedure. This was the only remaining claim made by the Church in 
Varazdin at the end of the period covered by this report, because a 
monastery, currently used as a medical school, was returned in February 
2006 to the Order of Ursuline nuns. Negotiations remained stalled on 
the Government's offer of a 25 percent stake in the Croatia Osiguranje 
insurance company that opened three years ago.
    Other than the Law on Return of Property Expropriated or 
Nationalized during Yugoslav communist rule, there were no specific 
property restitution agreements between the Government and non-Roman 
Catholic religious groups. The Serbian Orthodox community, the second 
largest claimant of property in the country, reported that its joint 
restitution subcommission with the Government had not convened during 
the year, despite repeated requests. It reported that restitution in 
2005 was minimal, and expressed particular concern over the lack of 
progress in restitution of several valuable business and residential 
buildings in downtown Zagreb. In 2005, reconstruction of a number of 
Orthodox churches began across the country. Most notably, the Ministry 
of Reconstruction funded and worked on the landmark St. Nicholas Church 
in the center of Karlovac, which was demolished during the war. 
Overall, sources in the Serbian Orthodox Church believed that the 
Government had been slow to follow through on its commitments but 
commended good relations with the president's cabinet. The Church 
continued with legal action initiated in 2004 against current owners of 
forty previously church-owned and then nationalized flats in Zagreb in 
order to prevent further sale. No progress was made in any of these 
cases or in the return of properties that belonged to monasteries, such 
as arable land and forests.
    Several Jewish properties, including some Zagreb buildings, were 
not returned. The Jewish community stated that the process of returning 
nationalized property in Zagreb was halted in 2005 and had made no 
progress since. The Jewish community of Osijek reported some progress 
on the return of property in Osijek and Vukovar; in 2004, the property 
on which the former synagogue of Vukovar stood was returned. Other 
claims remained stalled in court at the end of the reporting period.
    The Muslim community had no property claims. Its major issue 
concerned the construction of a mosque in Rijeka after several years of 
delays because of administrative obstacles and local community protests 
related to its location. An acceptable alternate site was found, and 
the community expected the construction to begin soon after the 
authorities adopted the city zoning plan in June 2006. Plans existed to 
build a mosque in Osijek. In 2005, city officials offered a favorable 
site that was connected to existing infrastructure.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Generally, acts of anti-Semitism were rare. In April 2005, the 
Jewish community and some international organizations received a 
threatening, anti-Semitic letter. Police investigated but identified no 
suspects. In June 2006, police pressed charges against a twenty-one-
year-old student for sending two threatening e-mails to the Zagreb 
Jewish Community. In the messages, the author insulted victims of the 
Holocaust, Jews, and the black race. He also expressed hope for ``the 
Iranians to complete a nuclear bomb as soon as possible and launch it 
on Haifa and Tel Aviv,'' after which celebrations would be held in 
Zagreb's streets.
    Also in June, two youths wearing shirts with Nazi insignia verbally 
and then physically assaulted the rabbi of the Jewish Community in 
Zagreb. Police continued an investigation at the end of the period 
covered by this report.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Religion and ethnicity were closely linked in society, and religion 
often was used historically to identify non-Croats and single them out 
for discriminatory practices. This link contributed to the ethnic 
conflicts of the 1990s and to the perpetration of violence and 
intimidation against religious persons, institutions, and symbols of 
all faiths. Such incidents continued to occur sporadically during the 
period covered by this report and were primarily directed against 
Serbian Orthodox clergy and property.
    During the period covered by this report, human rights 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and religious leaders noted that 
overall ethnic and religious relations remained stable. The exceptions 
were incidents involving harassment of clergy and desecration and 
vandalism of Serbian Orthodox Church property, which continued to occur 
sporadically. In Dalmatia, Serbian Orthodox officials reported an 
increased number of incidents of verbal threats and isolated physical 
attacks against clergy and property. Serbian Orthodox officials 
continued to complain that local police investigations rarely led to 
identification or legal action against perpetrators.
    The majority of reported incidents against both Orthodox Church 
property and clergy occurred at the end of 2005 prior to Orthodox 
Christmas.
    For example, in December 2005, the Orthodox Church and the NGO Serb 
Democratic Forum reported that a group of young men smashed the 
entrance to the St. Sava Church in Split and shouted threats such as 
``Kill the Serbs,'' and continued to cause damage on nearby streets. In 
Zadar, in December, offensive graffiti referring to a Serb Orthodox 
saint and Ustasha symbols were sprayed on the fence of the St. Ilija 
Church. Church sources reported that an unknown perpetrator lit a fire 
in front of the Orthodox Diocese building. The fire was contained 
before spreading to the adjacent park. Police investigated but did not 
identify perpetrators in any of these cases. Similarly, unknown persons 
damaged the shutters of the Orthodox residential and administrative 
building in Osijek and pasted the windows with threatening messages 
such as ``Serbs should hang.'' The perpetrators were not identified.
    In September 2005, the Serb Democratic Forum reported that a group 
of unknown attackers threw stones at the Church of the Assumption in 
Drnis in the Dalmatian hinterlands while the priest was inside the 
church. The men yelled, ``Do not toll the bell; this is not Serbia.'' 
The police arrived shortly afterwards but were not able to apprehend 
the perpetrators. In October 2005, a group of young men jumped over the 
wall of the Sibenik eparchy courtyard shouting anti-Serb slogans, and 
demolished garden furniture and window shutters. Police identified 
three perpetrators and indicated to the media that the incident had no 
political significance. Despite its low profile in Croatia, the foreign 
minister of Serbia and Montenegro (SaM) sent a protest note to his 
Croatian counterpart, and the SaM ambassador visited Sibenik and asked 
local authorities to guarantee the security of Serbs and their places 
of worship.
    Sporadic, small-scale incidents occurred elsewhere in the country. 
For example, in August, human rights NGOs reported that a group of 
young men rushed into the courtyard of the parish's Orthodox priest in 
Slatina in the early morning hours, yelling ethnically-based epithets. 
The police intervened quickly and filed a report against the 
perpetrators for disturbing public order. The priest did not file 
criminal charges for the ethnically-motivated abuse.
    The Muslim and Jewish communities reported no major incidents of 
violence or harassment toward religious persons or sites during the 
period covered by this report; however, during Bairam holidays in 
November 2005, a plaque on the Dubrovnik Mosque was burned and the fire 
partly damaged the entrance door. Similarly, a plaque was removed from 
the front wall of the Islamic community building in Split in February 
2006. In both cases the police investigated but did not identify any 
suspects. Local Islamic community leaders expressed concern about the 
incidents as they echoed similar cases of vandalism in 1993 and 1997.
    Relations between the Government and the Jewish community steadily 
improved over the past several years. However, President Stepan Mesic 
(who held a nonpartisan, partly ceremonial head-of-state position) 
spoke out publicly in support of one specific Jewish group after the 
Zagreb Jewish Community split in mid-2005 over the issue of whether to 
renew, for an eighth year, the contract of the rabbi. While generally 
supportive of ethnic and religious minority groups, the president 
criticized the decision not to renew the rabbi's contract and suggested 
that the rabbi was to be expelled ``according to the same principles by 
which the Nazis drove Jews into concentration camps.'' Community 
leaders criticized the president's perceived interference.
    In March 2005, President Mesic visited the Yad Vashem memorial in 
Jerusalem and acknowledged that inappropriate statements by prior 
leaders caused mistrust between Israel and Croatia. In June 2005, Prime 
Minister Sanader made his first official visit to Israel, where he met 
with then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and paid respect to the victims 
of the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem memorial. In April 2006, President 
Mesic spoke at the Holocaust commemoration ceremony at the Jasenovac 
concentration camp; the ceremony was attended by representatives of 
Parliament, Government, and national minorities, as well as 
representatives of the Orthodox, Jewish, and Catholic faiths. In 
November 2005, Croatia became a member of the Task Force for 
International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and 
Research. Preparations were under way to open a memorial museum and 
educational center by the end of 2006 at the Jasenovac Memorial Area.
    While the Roman Catholic Church officially seeks no role in 
political life, it campaigned through its most prominent institutions, 
including the largest Catholic Church charity, Caritas, on several 
topics of public interest. Along with the Center for Promotion of 
Social Teaching and the Franciscan Institute, Caritas campaigned for 
the law that would ban all stores from opening on Sundays, and, in 
March 2006, they approached the minister of economy for support. In 
late 2003, Caritas campaigned for legislation based on the church-state 
concordats that would ban most retail stores from opening on Sundays. A 
law restricting business activities on Sundays was enacted in January 
2004; however, the Constitutional Court overturned the law in April 
2004 after major retailers appealed the law citing financial losses. In 
March 2006, the same organizations challenged the proposed 
privatization of water resources on the grounds that access to spring 
water must be handled transparently and for the public good.
    In March 2006, authorities rescinded the license to a U.S. film 
crew that intended to film parts of horror movie Omen 4 in Split after 
the local Roman Catholic authorities campaigned against it. The 
Ministry of Culture issued all relevant permits in December 2005, but 
the Church in Split and authorities in the nearby town of Solin 
objected to the use of the Split city center and Solin cemetery, 
causing the annulment of the permits. The media reported that some film 
sets were vandalized and burned.
    The Roman Catholic Church continued to exercise influence over the 
Government's social policies. For example, in January 2005, the Church 
publicly criticized the international Global Fund's MEMOAIDS 
educational program, designed to raise AIDS awareness in secondary 
schools. The Church objected to the mention of the use of condoms in 
the program, stating that it encouraged promiscuity.
    In his interviews and sermons in April 2006, Cardinal Bozanic 
referred to internal and foreign policy topics. He called for precise 
laws to ban corruption, calling it one of the greatest evils of 
society. He also supported Croatia's EU aspirations, but called first 
for a definition of national interests and preservation of the 
country's identity. In May 2005, the Bishops' Conference invited Prime 
Minister Sanader to speak to the group about EU integration, Croatia's 
cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former 
Yugoslavia (ICTY), and the role of the Church in relation to these 
processes. In September 2005, the media reported that the country's 
representatives of the Catholic organization Iustitia et Pax criticized 
the work of the ICTY, stating that the Tribunal's practices did not 
guarantee justice and that arresting the then-fugitive general Gotovina 
should not be a condition for Croatia's negotiations with the EU. Senj-
Gospic Bishop Mile Bogovic made similar statements in September, 
criticizing the ICTY prosecutor as biased and suggesting that the ICTY 
is a political court. However, such statements were not echoed by 
Cardinal Bozanic, and the Church, in line with government policy, took 
a moderate position.
    Since Cardinal Bozanic took office as archbishop of Zagreb in 1997 
and became head of the Croatian Bishops' Conference (HBK), the Catholic 
Church's leadership sought a more proactive role in advocating ethnic 
and religious reconciliation. Ecumenical efforts among the religious 
communities developed in an atmosphere of mutual understanding. For 
example, religious leaders met frequently to discuss issues of mutual 
interest and to cooperate and coordinate with the Government Commission 
for Relations with Religious Communities.
    In the spring of 2005, Croatian dailies reported on repeated acts 
of violence and sexual abuse in the home for mentally incapacitated 
children in Brezovica run by the leading Catholic charity Caritas. 
Criminal charges were brought against the director, who was suspected 
of covering up the evidence and preventing criminal proceedings against 
the orphanage staff. One employee was arrested. In August 2005, the 
archbishop of Zagreb replaced the director. Approximately one year 
after press allegations about the abuse, Zagreb's Archdiocese 
Visitation inspected and found no irregularities or abuse. The head of 
the inspection team complained that their work was impeded by 
inappropriate, negative media coverage.
    According to surveys published in July 2005, the Catholic Church's 
traditional reputation as an institution that enjoys the most public 
trust was affected by these reports.
    In March 2006, the editor of the Catholic religious program at the 
national television station HRT received negative media attention when 
he dismissed the sign language interpreter on the grounds that she was 
going through a divorce. The editor argued that it was inappropriate 
for a divorced person to appear in a religious program and that he had 
received complaints from the viewers to that effect. The HBK distanced 
itself from the move. In April 2006, the HRT Program Council reinstated 
the interpreter and fined the editor.
    According to the results of a survey published in May 2005 by the 
international research agency GFK Marketing Research Center, citizens 
placed the most trust in the Catholic Church, the president, and 
persons close to them, as opposed to the Government, judiciary and 
political parties, which occupied the opposite end of the scale. 
According to the same survey, this high level of trust had remained 
unchanged over the past five years.
    In February 2006, the Muslim community in Zagreb hosted the Bosnian 
Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, who presented a Declaration of European 
Muslims. The Declaration, which received considerable media attention, 
invited Muslims to accept European democratic standards and appealed to 
EU countries to officially recognize Islam in order to make it less 
vulnerable to external influences. Croatian Mufti Sevko Omerbasic noted 
that Croatia was one of four countries in Europe that officially 
recognizes Islam and in which the indigenous Muslim community was 
successfully integrated into society.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
coalition Government as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights and actively works to encourage the Government to respect 
religious freedom in practice. U.S. Embassy officials met frequently at 
all levels with representatives of religious communities and minority 
groups and engaged in the promotion of human rights, including the 
religious rights of these groups. The embassy organized the visit of a 
U.S. author and expert on Islam in the Balkans. That visit generated 
significant media attention on the author's message of tolerance and 
religious freedom in Europe. In addition, the embassy supported the 
construction of an interethnic, interreligious seniors' home in an 
ethnically mixed community near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
The project was organized by the local Muslim community in cooperation 
with Caritas.
    During the period covered by this report, Phase II of the 
International Partnership among Museums (IPAM) was implemented between 
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and the Jasenovac Memorial 
Area. (IPAM is a U.S. State Department-administered international 
museum exchange program in collaboration with the American Association 
of Museums.) The partnership's previous work in Phase I concentrated on 
technical expertise exchange, such as preserving and managing 
collections, developing a joint web site, and conducting research. 
Phase II concentrated on efforts to educate the public about the 
Holocaust and the history of the Jasenovac concentration camp. 
Activities consisted primarily of personnel and expertise exchanges, 
both in person and electronically. The United States was supporting the 
development of a Holocaust Education Center at Jasenovac Memorial 
through the expertise of the USHMM. The education center would provide 
workshops for student tour groups.
    In January 2005, the USHMM participated in a Ministry of Education 
seminar for history teachers on studying and teaching the Holocaust. In 
the summer of 2005, four history and sociology teachers traveled to the 
United States, and five more history teachers participated in the same 
program in June 2006. In addition, the embassy was funding the 
translation and printing of a USHMM handbook on teaching the Holocaust. 
The project commenced in 2004 in cooperation with the Ministry of 
Education and with the Jasenovac memorial area. In November 2005, 700 
handbooks about the Holocaust were distributed to high schools, and 
plans existed to reprint and distribute approximately 2,000 brochures 
to primary schools in the fall of 2006.
    In cooperation with Yad Vashem and the Visual History Foundation, 
the Jewish Community prepared a brochure that analyzes history 
textbooks for primary and secondary schools; the brochure was scheduled 
to be publicized in September 2006. The authors--several prominent 
historians--cited a lack of information concerning Jewish ethnic 
identity and culture and on the genesis of anti-Semitism, which would 
provide the historical context for anti-Semitism in Croatia and the 
Holocaust. For example, historians observed that the existing textbooks 
implied that implementation of racist laws had no roots in the NDH 
(Independent State of Croatia) but occurred exclusively under the 
influence of Germany.
                               __________

                                 CYPRUS

    The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus provides for freedom of 
religion, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Cyprus has an area of 5,747 square miles, and the population in the 
Government-controlled areas was estimated at 766,600.
    Prior to 1974, the country experienced a long period of strife 
between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. In response, the 
U.N. Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) began peacekeeping operations in 1964. 
The island has been divided since the Turkish military intervention of 
1974, following a coup d'etat directed from Greece. The southern part 
of the island is under the control of the Government of the Republic of 
Cyprus, while the northern part is administered by Turkish Cypriots. In 
1983, their administration proclaimed itself the ``Turkish Republic of 
Northern Cyprus'' (``TRNC''). The United States does not recognize the 
``TRNC,'' nor does any other country except Turkey. A buffer zone, or 
``green line,'' patrolled by UNFICYP separates the two parts. In 2003, 
Turkish Cypriot authorities relaxed many restrictions on movement 
between the two communities, including abolishing all crossing fees. 
The new procedures led to relatively unimpeded contact between the 
communities and permitted Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to visit 
religious sites located in the other community; however, Cypriots, as 
well as foreigners, must show identification at the buffer zone 
checkpoints to cross from one side to the other.
    Approximately 96 percent of the population in the Government-
controlled areas belonged to the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. An 
estimated 0.7 percent of the remaining population was Maronite, 
slightly less than 0.4 percent was Armenian Orthodox, 0.1 percent was 
Latin (Roman Catholic), and 3.2 percent belonged to other groups. The 
latter category included small groups of Protestants and Jews and 
immigrants of various religious beliefs, including Muslims and 
Buddhists.
    In July 2005 the first Buddhist temple in Cyprus opened in Nicosia. 
In September, Cyprus's first new synagogue in at least twenty years 
opened in Larnaca.
    A 1998 opinion poll indicated that an estimated 48 percent of Greek 
Cypriots regularly attended church services, while 49 percent attended 
only for major religious holidays and ceremonies such as weddings and 
funerals. The remainder did not attend religious services at all.
    There was some Protestant missionary activity in the Government-
controlled area.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution of the Republic of Cyprus provides for freedom of 
religion, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice. The Government at all levels sought to protect this right in 
full and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private 
actors.
    The 1960 constitution specifies that the Greek Orthodox Church of 
Cyprus, which is not under the authority of the mainland Greek Orthodox 
Church, has the exclusive right to regulate and administer its internal 
affairs and property in accordance with its holy canons and charter. 
The Church of Cyprus is exempt from taxes with regard to religious 
activity, and according to law, is required to pay taxes only on 
strictly commercial activities. Under the 1960 constitution, the same 
applies to the Vakf, or Evkaf, the Muslim institution that regulates 
religious activity for Turkish Cypriots and which operates only in the 
area administered by Turkish Cypriots.
    Three other religious groups are recognized in the 1960 
constitution: Armenian Orthodox, Maronite Christians, and Latins (Roman 
Catholics). These groups also are exempt from taxes and are eligible, 
along with the Church of Cyprus and the Vakf, for government subsidies 
to their religious institutions.
    The Government of Cyprus has constitutional or legal bars against 
religious discrimination. The 1975 Vienna III Agreement remains the 
basic agreement covering treatment of Greek Cypriots and Maronites 
living in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots and Turkish 
Cypriots living in the Government-controlled area. Among other things, 
this agreement provides for facilities for religious worship.
    Religions other than the five recognized religions are not required 
to register with the authorities; however, if they desire to engage in 
financial transactions, such as maintaining a bank account, they must 
register as a nonprofit company. To register, a group must submit an 
application through an attorney that states the purpose of the 
nonprofit organization and provides the names of the organization's 
directors. Upon approval, nonprofit organizations are tax-exempt and 
are required to provide annual reports of their activities. 
Registration is granted promptly, and many religious groups are 
recognized. No religious groups were denied registration during the 
reporting period.
    There are no prohibitions against missionary activity or 
proselytizing in the Government-controlled areas. Foreign missionaries 
must obtain and periodically renew residence permits in order to live 
in the country; normally, renewal requests are not denied.
    The Government requires children in public primary and secondary 
schools to take instruction in the Greek Orthodox religion. Parents of 
other religions may request that their children be excused. These 
children are exempted from attending religious services and 
instruction. In the past, however, some Jehovah's Witnesses parents 
reported that their children were not excused from all religious 
instruction.
    In February 2006 the Ministry of Education announced that it was 
preparing a proposal to reduce the number of hours of religious 
instruction required in public schools from two hours to one hour per 
week. The Church of Cyprus and other religious organizations strongly 
objected. The ministry promised that no new regulations would be 
adopted without appropriate debate and discussion.
    The Government of Cyprus recognizes the following holy days as 
national holidays: Epiphany, Annunciation, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 
Holy Spirit Day, Assumption Day, and Christmas.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion in Cyprus. In 2001, however, the European Court of 
Human Rights ruled that the Government of Turkey was responsible for 
imposing restrictions on the movement of Greek Cypriots in the area 
administered by Turkish Cypriots, which limited their access to places 
of worship.
    Since 2003, when restrictions of movement were relaxed, Greek 
Cypriots have reported relatively easy access to Apostolos Andreas 
Monastery and other religious sites in the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots. Likewise, Turkish Cypriots enjoyed relatively easy access to 
religious sites, including Hala Sultan Tekke in the Government-
controlled area.
    Missionaries have the legal right to proselytize, but the 
Government closely monitors missionary activity. It is illegal for a 
missionary to use ``physical or moral compulsion'' to make religious 
conversions. The police may investigate missionary activity based on a 
citizen's complaint. They may also open an investigation if 
missionaries are suspected of being involved in illegal activities that 
threaten the security of the republic, constitutional or public order, 
or public health and morals. In the past there were occasional 
apprehensions but no arrests under these laws.
    Members of Jehovah's Witnesses are exempt from active military 
duty; however, they are legally required to complete an alternative 
military service and perform reservist duty in the Greek Cypriot 
National Guard.
    In May 2006 a nongovernmental organization (NGO) reported that it 
had filed complaints with the Ombudsman's Office and the independent 
body formed in April to investigate the police regarding police 
treatment of Muslim asylum seekers.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There were polite relations 
between the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus and the other religious 
communities in the Government-controlled area.
    In April 2005 a Turkish Cypriot cemetery in Larnaca, which had 
recently been rehabilitated as part of a U.S.-funded project aimed at 
improving bi-communal relations, was vandalized. In 2005, there were 
also reports of Turkish Cypriot cemeteries in the Government-controlled 
area being destroyed for the construction of roads and other 
development.
    Although Turkish Cypriots occasionally have reported that unused 
mosques in the Government-controlled area have been vandalized, the 
Government of Cyprus routinely maintains and repairs them.
    The Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is suspicious of any attempts 
to proselytize among Greek Cypriots and closely monitors such 
activities. Religion is a prominent component of Greek Cypriot society, 
with considerable long-standing cultural and political influence. 
During the 1950s, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, 
Archbishop Makarios III, led the Greek Cypriot campaign for 
independence and served as president from independence in 1960 until 
his death in 1977. While the preeminent position of the Church of 
Cyprus has been somewhat reduced in recent years, it remains an 
important power center in politics. As the largest owner of real estate 
in Cyprus and the operator of several large business enterprises, the 
Church of Cyprus is also a significant economic actor. Present-day 
influence of the Church can be seen in the political messages bishops 
and priests regularly include in their Sunday sermons. In February 
2005, an organization known as the Pancyprian Christian Orthodox 
Movement, with links to the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, issued a 
booklet alleging that clubs such as the Lions, Rotary, and Boy Scouts 
were ``recruiting grounds for Freemasonry'' and were thus a danger to 
Cypriot society.
    In March 2005 the Government requested that an additional Church of 
Cyprus priest be assigned to minister to the Greek Cypriots living in 
the Karpas region of the area administered by Turkish Cypriots. The 
enclaved community already had one full-time priest but decided it 
needed a second. Turkish Cypriot authorities agreed in principle to 
this request, but the first proposed individual could not go for 
personal reasons. Turkish Cypriot authorities objected to the second 
individual who was proposed, claiming he disliked Turkish Cypriots and 
had made inappropriate statements about their community. Turkish 
Cypriot authorities asked that the Government nominate a different 
priest. At the end of the reporting period, the position remained open 
and the Government had not nominated a new priest.
    In November 2005 press reports claimed that the police and the 
municipality had harassed the Buddhist temple in Strovolos. The 
municipality allegedly claimed that the temple did not have the proper 
license to operate as a temple, and police said they visited the site 
as required by law after receiving numerous anonymous and formal 
complaints about disturbances. There were also reports that police had 
visited the Jewish synagogue because of complaints of disturbances soon 
after its opening.
    In November 2005 the Ombudsman's Office issued a report on a 
complaint from Jehovah's Witnesses whose child was excused from 
religious instruction but who was subsequently harassed by fellow 
students and pressured by a religious instructor. The report concluded 
that the student's complaint was valid and that the instructor's 
remarks during a lesson on religious sects violated the student's 
religious freedom.
    In May 2006 an NGO reported complaints from recognized political 
asylees of Muslim origin who had difficulty securing employment because 
of their religion. Several women reported that potential employers did 
not like their headscarves. Another asylee alleged that he could not 
secure housing because he was a Muslim.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The ambassador and other embassy officers meet periodically with 
Greek Cypriot religious authorities regarding specific religious 
freedom concerns.

                 AREA ADMINISTERED BY TURKISH CYPRIOTS

    Since 1974, the northern part of Cyprus has been governed by a 
Turkish Cypriot administration that proclaimed itself the ``Turkish 
Republic of Northern Cyprus'' (``TRNC'') in 1983. The United States 
does not recognize the ``TRNC,'' nor does any other country except 
Turkey.
    The basic law in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots refers 
specifically to a ``secular republic'' and provides for freedom of 
religion, and Turkish Cypriot authorities generally respected this 
right in practice. The politically divisive environment of Cyprus, 
however, engendered some restrictions on religious freedom, 
particularly for Greek Cypriots and Maronites.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period, and Turkish Cypriot policies continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were a few 
reports of vandalism of religious sites and cemeteries.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with Turkish 
Cypriot authorities as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Approximately 250,000 persons lived in the area administered by 
Turkish Cypriots. An estimated 99 percent of Turkish Cypriots was at 
least nominally Muslim. There was a small Turkish Cypriot Baha'i 
community. Most other non-Muslims in the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots were foreigners from Western Europe who were generally members 
of the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches. Approximately 10 percent of 
the population in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots attended 
religious services regularly.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The ``TRNC Constitution'' provides for freedom of religion, and 
Turkish Cypriot authorities generally respected this right in practice.
    The ``TRNC Constitution'' does not recognize any specific religion. 
It does state, however, that the Vakf or Evkaf, the Muslim institution 
that regulates religious activity for Turkish Cypriots, has the 
exclusive right to regulate and administer its internal affairs and 
property in accordance with Vakf laws and principles. The Vakf is tax-
exempt in its religious activities, but its commercial operations are 
subject to the applicable taxes. The Vakf also receives official 
subsidies. No other religious organization is tax-exempt or receives 
subsidies. The Vakf is the largest landowner in the area administered 
by Turkish Cypriots.
    Turkish Cypriot authorities bar religious discrimination. The 1975 
Vienna III Agreement is the basic agreement covering treatment of Greek 
Cypriots and Maronites living in the area administered by Turkish 
Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots living in the Government-controlled area. 
Among other things, this agreement provides for facilities for 
religious worship.
    Religious organizations are not required to register with Turkish 
Cypriot authorities unless they wish to engage in commercial activity 
or apply for tax-exempt status. There are no legal restrictions on 
missionary activity; however, such activity was rare.
    There is instruction in religion, ethics, and comparative religions 
in two grades of the primary school system in the area administered by 
Turkish Cypriots. There is no formal Islamic religious instruction in 
public schools, and there are no state-supported religious schools.
    Turkish Cypriot authorities do not sponsor any interfaith activity.
    The following holy days are observed widely in the Turkish Cypriot 
community: Kurban Bairam, Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Ramadan 
Bairam.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Greek Cypriots and Maronites were prohibited from visiting 
religious sites located in military zones in the area administered by 
Turkish Cypriots. Greek Cypriots and Maronites were allowed to worship 
at only seven sites designated by the Turkish military in the area 
administered by Turkish Cypriots.
    Turkish Cypriot authorities once again gave permission for an 
Orthodox service to be held in Agias Mamas Church near the town of 
Guzelyurt/Morphou on September 1 and 2, 2005. In 2004, a bomb exploded 
in the doorway of the church during the service. During the September 
2005 service, two Greek Cypriots' cars were burned in the parking lot. 
Turkish Cypriots maintained the fire was due to an electrical problem, 
but Greek Cypriot forensic tests indicated arson.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
area administered by Turkish Cypriots.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    In the area administered by Turkish Cypriots there are few non-
Muslims, and no noticeable friction between them and the Muslim 
population.
    Greek Cypriots report that unused Orthodox Church of Cyprus 
churches and cemeteries in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots 
continued to be robbed and vandalized, and the Government maintained 
its claim that Orthodox Church of Cyprus icons had been smuggled out of 
the area administered by Turkish Cypriots. In February 2005, a Greek 
Cypriot cemetery near Lapta/Lapithos, which had recently been 
rehabilitated as part of a U.S.-funded project aimed at improving bi-
communal relations, was vandalized. In May 2005, Turkish Cypriot media 
alleged that a Greek Cypriot church committee had taken a religious 
icon across the buffer zone (or green line) into the Government-
controlled area.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
authorities as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The ambassador and other embassy officers meet periodically with 
Turkish Cypriot religious authorities regarding specific religious 
freedom concerns.
                               __________

                             CZECH REPUBLIC

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 30,442 square miles, and its population 
was estimated at 10.2 million. The country had a largely homogenous 
population with a dominant Christian tradition. However, in part as a 
result of forty years of communist rule between 1948 and 1989, the vast 
majority of citizens did not identify themselves as members of any 
organized religion. In a 2004 opinion poll sponsored by Cardinal Strich 
University, 32 percent of respondents claimed to believe in God, while 
49 percent identified themselves as atheists. There was a revival of 
interest in religion after the 1989 ``Velvet Revolution''; however, the 
number of those professing religious beliefs or participating in 
organized religion fell steadily since then in almost every region of 
the country.
    An estimated 5 percent of the population attended Catholic services 
weekly, and most of these lived in the southern Moravian dioceses of 
Olomouc and Brno. The number of practicing Protestants was 
approximately 1 percent of the population. Islam was registered as an 
officially recognized religion in 2004, and leaders of the local Muslim 
community estimated that there were an estimated 10,000 Muslims in the 
country. There was a mosque in Brno and another in Prague. The vast 
majority of the country's historic Jewish community, which numbered in 
the tens of thousands before the Nazi occupation of the area of today's 
Czech Republic, was killed during the Holocaust. There were 
approximately 3,000 persons officially registered as members of the 
Jewish community. Judaism is an officially registered religion because 
of its recognition by the state before 1989.
    Missionaries of various religious groups, including the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses, 
were present in the country. Missionaries of various religious groups 
generally proselytized without hindrance.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Religious affairs are the responsibility of the Department of 
Churches at the Ministry of Culture. All religious groups officially 
registered with the Ministry of Culture are eligible to receive 
subsidies from the state, although some decline to receive state 
financial support as a matter of principle and as an expression of 
their independence. There are twenty-six state-recognized religious 
organizations. In 2004, the Center of Muslim Communities was officially 
registered, the first such registration of a Muslim organization in the 
country. An appeal by the Unification Church to overturn their denial 
to register in 1999 was denied by the Constitutional Court in 2004.
    The 2002 law on Religious Freedom and the Position of Churches and 
Religious Associations created a two-tiered system of registration for 
religious organizations. To register at the first (lowest) tier, a 
religious group must have at least 300 adult members permanently 
residing in the country. First-tier registration conveys limited tax 
benefits and imposes annual reporting requirements, as well as a ten-
year waiting period before the organization may apply for full second-
tier registration. To register at the second tier, a religious group 
must have membership equal to at least 0.1 percent of the country's 
population (approximately 10,000 persons). Second-tier registration 
entitles the organization to a share of state funding. Only clergy of 
registered second-tier organizations may perform officially recognized 
marriage ceremonies and serve as chaplains in the military and prisons, 
although prisoners of other religious groups may receive visits from 
their respective clergy. Religious groups registered prior to 1989, 
such as the small Jewish community, are not required to meet these 
conditions for registration. Unregistered religious groups may not 
legally own community property but often form civic-interest 
associations for the purpose of managing their property and other 
holdings until they are able to meet the qualifications for 
registration. The Government does not interfere with or prevent this 
type of interim solution. Unregistered religious groups otherwise are 
free to assemble and worship in the manner of their choice.
    In November 2005, the lower house of parliament passed an amended 
Church Law that came into effect the following month. The new law 
governs the establishment and regulation of church-sponsored charities, 
schools, and other institutions. A group of twenty-five mainly 
Christian Democratic senators submitted a complaint against the new law 
before the Constitutional Court in January 2006. The complaint includes 
charges that the new law contradicts Article 16, Paragraph 2 of the 
Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms that stipulates that 
``...churches and religious associations...found [establish or create] 
religious orders and other church institutions, independent of state 
authorities.'' The senators' complaint focuses upon the 
constitutionality of the law's wording and the level of state 
regulation over church-sponsored institutions. The Constitutional Court 
case was pending at the end of the period covered by this report.
    Religious organizations receive approximately $90 million (1.93 
billion Czech crowns) annually from the Government. Funds are divided 
proportionally among the twenty-one religious organizations eligible 
for state assistance based on the number of clergy in each, with the 
exception of four religious organizations (Mormons, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, the New Apostolic Church, and Open Brethren) that do not 
accept state funding. Of this sum, approximately $32 million (818 
million Czech crowns) is used to pay salaries to clergymen. The rest of 
the funding goes to state grants for religious organizations' medical, 
charitable, and educational activities, as well as for the maintenance 
of religious memorials and buildings.
    A 2000 law outlaws Holocaust denial and provides for prison 
sentences of six months to three years for public denial, questioning, 
approval of, or attempts to justify the Nazi genocide. The law also 
outlaws the incitement of hatred based on religion.
    Missionaries must obtain a long-term residence and work permit if 
they intend to remain longer than ninety days. There were no reports of 
delays in processing visas for missionaries during the period covered 
by this report. There is no special visa category for religious 
workers; foreign missionaries and clergy are required to meet the 
relatively stringent conditions for a standard work permit even if 
their activity is strictly ecclesiastical or voluntary in nature.
    Of the twenty-six registered churches in the country, nine have 
obtained permission from the Ministry of Culture (under the 2002 Law on 
Religious Freedom and the Position of Churches and Religious 
Associations) to teach religion in state schools. According to the 
Education Ministry, although religious instruction is optional in 
public schools, school directors must introduce religious education 
choices if there are at least seven students in one class of the same 
confession who require and request classes in their faith.
    The Government continued its effort to resolve religious-based 
communal and personal property restitution problems, especially with 
regard to Jewish property. Jewish claims dated to the period of the 
Nazi occupation during World War II, while Catholic authorities pressed 
claims for properties that were seized under the former communist 
regime. While the majority of Jewish property claims were resolved, 
there was no progress in resolving the Catholic Church's claims during 
the period covered by this report.
    The 1991 Law on Restitution applied only to property seized after 
the communists took power in 1948. In 1994, Parliament amended the law 
to provide for restitution of or compensation for property wrongfully 
seized between 1938 and 1945. This amendment provided for the inclusion 
of Jewish private properties, primarily buildings, seized by the Nazi 
regime. Both the amendment and the original law required the claimants 
to be Czech citizens. This citizenship restriction unfairly impacted 
Czechs who obtained citizenship in the United States as these 
naturalized citizens were required to forfeit their Czech citizenship 
under the terms of a 1928 treaty between the two countries. The treaty 
was finally abrogated in August 1997, by which time the 1992 and 1995 
deadlines for filing claims had already passed. In 1994, the Federation 
of Jewish Communities identified 202 communal properties as its highest 
priorities for restitution, although it had unresolved claims for more 
than 1,000 properties. By decree, the Government returned most of the 
properties in its possession, as did the city of Prague; however, 
despite a government appeal, other cities have not been as responsive. 
A few outstanding cases remain, including two properties in Brno that 
were under the control of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of 
Labor and Social Affairs. Legal proceedings were under way between the 
Brno Jewish Community and the state at the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    A 2000 law authorized the Government to return more than sixty 
works of art in the National Gallery to the Jewish community and an 
estimated 7,000 works of art in the Government's possession to 
individual Jewish citizens and their descendants. Another provision of 
the law authorized the return of certain agricultural property in the 
Government's possession to its original owners. Under the 2000 law, 
stolen works of art must be claimed by December 2006. The Federation of 
Jewish Communities has been lobbying for an amendment to the law which 
would either dismiss the 2006 deadline or extend it by another five 
years.
    In 2001, the Federation of Jewish Communities established a 
Foundation for Holocaust Victims into which the Government invested 
approximately $11.7 million (300 million Czech crowns) from the 
Government's National Property Fund to pay for those properties that 
cannot be restituted physically. It was expected to provide partial 
compensation in cases where the Government needs to retain the property 
or is no longer in possession of it, to help meet the social needs of 
poor Jewish communities, and to support the restoration of synagogues 
and cemeteries.
    Approximately one-third of the funds were dedicated to communal 
property, one-third to individual claims, and one-third to social 
programs for approximately 2,500 Holocaust survivors. Applications for 
the fund were first accepted in 2001, and by March 2005, the Foundation 
for Holocaust Victims announced the conclusion of payments totaling 
more than four million to approximately 500 claimants residing in 
twenty-seven different countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
assisted the foundation in its efforts to locate and contact survivors 
in other countries.
    Certain properties of religious orders, including 175 monasteries 
and other institutions, were restituted under laws passed in 1990 and 
1991. The Catholic Church continued to claim large tracts of ``income-
generating properties.'' Some of these properties were farms and 
woodland that were in the hands of municipal governments or private 
owners. Other lands were forests that were administered by the state. 
When the Social Democratic government came to power in 1998, it halted 
further restitution of non-Jewish religious communal property. Efforts 
to resolve the final claims continued but were slowed by the Church's 
refusal to provide a list of specific properties and land to which it 
felt entitled and the Government's refusal to continue restitution 
discussions without this list. There was no progress in resolving the 
Catholic Church's claims during the period covered by this report.
    Members of unregistered religious groups may issue publications 
without interference.
    The Ministry of Culture sponsors religiously oriented cultural 
activities through a grant program. The ministry sponsored some 
interfaith activities during the period covered by this report, 
including partial funding of the Christian and Jewish Society.
    Easter Monday, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and St. Stephen's Day 
(December 26) are recognized as national holidays, although their 
recognition does not negatively affect any religious group.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Under the 2002 religious registration law, the Ministry of Culture 
has responsibility for registering religious charities and enterprises 
as legal entities. The Catholic Church has criticized the law on the 
grounds that it unduly restricts the manner in which the Church manages 
and finances many of its social projects. An October 2003 
Constitutional Court ruling that the Ministry of Culture improperly 
interpreted the registration law in failing to register a religious 
enterprise operated by the Catholic Church in the northern Moravian 
town of Lipnik nad Becvou was implemented by the ministry in 2003, and 
the enterprise in question was registered. The Catholic Church reported 
that religious charities and enterprises continue to experience 
difficulties and delays in registering as legal entities, although 
there has been some recent improvement in the speed of granting 
registrations.
    In 2006, the Armenian Apostolic Church asked the Ministry of 
Culture for registration. The registration is in the process of being 
finalized.
    In April 2006, the Center of Muslim Communities petitioned the 
Ministry of Culture for authorization to perform specific functions, 
such as providing Islamic religious instruction in state schools; 
establishing private religious schools; performing marriage ceremonies; 
and designating persons to perform clerical activities in the military, 
within prisons and detention facilities. These activities were to be 
financed by the state in accordance with existing law. The Culture 
Ministry recommended approval of the center's proposal and a final 
decision by the Government was expected in mid-2006.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In 2002, Parliament passed a measure to extend the deadline for 
filing art restitution claims by Holocaust victims to December 31, 
2006. In 2004, Parliament approved a law designating January 27 as 
Holocaust Remembrance Day in the country. Holocaust Remembrance Day was 
observed in January 2006 in public events in Prague and elsewhere 
throughout the country. The public and media response to these events 
was extremely positive.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The immigrant population was relatively small and included persons 
from Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, and Vietnam. Immigrants did not 
report any difficulties in practicing their respective faiths
    There were no new developments relating to the decision to halt 
plans to construct a mosque in Teplice.
    In general, public expressions of anti-Semitic sentiment were 
extremely rare, and Holocaust denial investigations and prosecutions 
were vigorously pursued by authorities. A small but persistent and 
fairly well-organized extreme right-wing movement with anti-Semitic 
views existed in the country. The Ministry of Interior continued its 
efforts to counter the neo-Nazis, which included monitoring of their 
activities, close cooperation with police units in neighboring 
countries, and concentrated efforts to shut down unauthorized concerts 
and gatherings of neo-Nazi groups. Police shut down such concerts in 
July and November of 2005 and were roundly criticized by 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), political leaders, and media 
outlets when they failed to intervene in a September 2005 concert in 
rural Bohemia in which participants allegedly shouted neo-Nazi slogans. 
Two police officials were later disciplined for failing to intervene 
and stop the concert.
    There were no reported violent anti-Semitic incidents against 
individuals in the country during the reporting period and only 
isolated reports of property damage or vandalism. In August 2005, a 
Holocaust memorial in Teplice was reportedly vandalized and, in 
September 2005, an NGO reported that several doors and windows were 
broken in a synagogue in Krnov and that several gravestones in a Jewish 
cemetery in Velky Pecin had been defaced with graffiti. In October 
2005, police reported that a commemorative stone dedicated to a Jewish 
artist in Jihlava was defaced. In each incident police responded with 
appropriate investigations. The incidents highlight the difficult task 
that authorities faced attempting to secure Jewish sites in rural areas 
that no longer served sizable Jewish communities.
    In April 2006, several hundred persons attended a rally and public 
meeting against anti-Semitism that was sponsored by Christian and 
Jewish groups and supported by Prague mayor Pavel Bem and Senate 
Speaker Premysl Sobotka. Also in April, President Vaclav Klaus publicly 
commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day in the United States with a 
speech to an audience of schoolchildren, diplomats, and Holocaust 
survivors in Los Angeles during a state visit. Similar events were also 
held in Prague in April. During the same time frame in April 2006, the 
Education Ministry also sponsored and hosted a two-day seminar on 
Holocaust education with other education ministers from across Europe. 
The guest of honor at the seminar was former President Vaclav Havel.
    The Jewish Museum of Prague, with the support of the Ministry of 
Culture, designated 2006 as the ``Year of Jewish Culture.'' This 
nationwide commemoration involved partnerships with other state and 
private institutions, and included film festivals, music festivals, 
educational and social events, theater productions and other cultural 
events across the country. The Jewish Museum and Prague's Jewish 
quarter remained the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall dialogue and policy of promoting 
human rights. U.S. Government efforts on religious issues have focused 
largely on encouraging the Government and religious groups to resolve 
religious property restitution claims and registration of religious 
organizations.
    During the reporting period, U.S. Government and embassy officials 
emphasized to the Government and religious groups the importance of 
restitution (or fair and adequate compensation when return is no longer 
possible) in cases pending regarding property wrongfully taken from 
Holocaust victims, the Jewish community, and churches.
    The embassy maintains close contact with the Office of the 
President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, 
representatives of various religious groups, and NGOs. Embassy 
officials met on several occasions with representatives of the Ministry 
of Culture to discuss the law on religious registration, as well as 
representatives of smaller religious groups affected by the law, 
including the Czech Muslim community. Several meetings were held with 
representatives from the Ministry of Culture, the Roman Catholic 
Church, and the Federation of Jewish Communities on restitution 
matters. Embassy officials also responded to individual requests for 
assistance from Czech-American Holocaust victims seeking compensation.
                               __________

                                DENMARK

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Evangelical 
Lutheran Church is the state church and enjoys some privileges not 
available to other faiths.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 16,639 square miles, and its 
population was approximately 5.4 million. As of January 2006, 83 
percent of the population belonged to the official Evangelical Lutheran 
Church. Although only approximately 3 percent of church members 
attended services regularly, most members utilized the church for 
weddings, funerals, baptisms, confirmations, and religious holidays.
    The second largest religious community was Muslim, constituting 
approximately 3.7 percent of the population (an estimated 210,000 
persons), followed by communities of Catholics (35,000), Jehovah's 
Witnesses (15,000), Jews (7,000), Baptists (5,500), Pentecostals 
(5,000), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) 
(4,500). There were also many communities with fewer than 3,000 
members, including Seventh-day Adventists, the Catholic Apostolic 
Church, the Salvation Army, Methodists, Anglicans, and Russian 
Orthodox. The German minority in southern Jutland and other non-Danish 
communities (particularly Scandinavian groups) had their own religious 
groups. Approximately 5.4 percent of the population described 
themselves as not religious, and an estimated 1.5 percent described 
themselves as atheist.
    Missionaries operated within the country, including representatives 
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and 
Jehovah's Witnesses. The European headquarters of the Church of 
Scientology was located in Copenhagen, although it is not officially 
approved as a religion.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution stipulates that the Evangelical Lutheran Church is 
the national church, the reigning monarch shall be a member of the 
church, and the state shall support it. The Evangelical Lutheran Church 
is the only religious organization that can receive state subsidies or 
funds directly through the tax system. Approximately 12 percent of the 
Church's revenue comes from state subsidies; most of the rest comes 
from the church tax that is paid only by members. No individual may be 
compelled to pay church tax or provide direct financial support to the 
national church or any other religious organization. Members of other 
faiths, notably Catholics, have argued that the system is unfair, and 
that the Government does not provide religious equality, despite 
providing religious freedom. Allowing other religious organizations to 
be given the same status and privileges as the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church would require changes to the constitution.
    Eleven Christian holy days are considered national holidays: Holy 
Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday, Common Prayer Day, 
Ascension, Pentecost, Whit Monday, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and 
Christmas Day 2 (December 26). The holidays do not have a negative 
impact on any religious groups.
    Aside from the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Government gives 
official status to religions in two ways: It recognizes religions by 
royal decree, and it approves religions under the 1969 Marriage Act. As 
of April 2005, 12 religious organizations were recognized by royal 
decree, including the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Russian 
Orthodox churches as well as Judaism; and 115 were approved, including 
several Islamic groups, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh-day 
Adventists, Sikhs, Buddhists, Christian Orthodox, Hindu, Baha'is, and 
Hare Krishnas, and the indigenous Norse belief system known as Forn 
Sidr. By approving religions under the 1969 Marriage Act, the 
Government allows individually named priests to conduct officially 
recognized marriage ceremonies, and thereby legally approves the 
religion.
    Both recognized and approved religions enjoy certain tax 
exemptions. Other religious communities are entitled to practice their 
faith without any sort of licensing, but their marriage ceremonies are 
not recognized by the state and they are not granted tax-exempt status.
    The 1999 Guidelines for approval of religious organizations 
established the following requirements for religious groups: A written 
text of the religion's central traditions, descriptions of its most 
important rituals, an organizational structure accessible to public 
control and approval, and constitutionally elected representatives who 
may be held responsible by the authorities. Additionally, the 
organization must ``not teach or perform actions inconsistent with 
public morality or order. ``Scientologists did not seek official 
approval as a religious organization during the period covered by this 
report. Their first application for approval was made in the early 
1970s and rejected; the second and third applications were made in 1976 
and 1982, and both were denied. In mid-1997, the Scientologists filed a 
fourth application, which was suspended at their request in 2000. In 
suspending their application, the Scientologists asked the Ministry of 
Ecclesiastical Affairs to clarify the approval procedure; however, the 
ministry told them they must first submit an application before the 
ministry could provide any feedback. Despite the Scientologists' 
unofficial status, the Church maintained its European headquarters in 
Copenhagen.
    There are no restrictions on proselytizing or missionary work as 
long as practitioners obey the law and do not act inconsistently with 
public morality or order. All schools, including religious schools, 
receive government financial support. While the Evangelical Lutheran 
faith is taught in the public schools, a student may withdraw from 
religious classes with parental consent. Section 76 of the constitution 
protects the rights of parents to home school or educate their children 
in private schools.
    During the period covered by the report, the Government continued 
to consider legislative and administrative proposals to promote further 
social integration of refugees and immigrants. The proposals emerged 
out of widespread political and social attitudes favoring the 
integration of immigrants and refugees. In June 2004, Parliament 
enacted a law directed at foreign religious leaders seeking residence 
visas. The ``Imam Law,'' which is applied by immigration authorities to 
all foreign religious leaders, requires that the number of religious 
residence visas be reasonably proportioned to the size of the 
corresponding religious community. Additionally, the visa applicant 
must prove association with a recognized or approved religious 
community and possess a relevant background or education as a religious 
preacher, missionary or member of a religious community.
    The law provides that ``Christian studies'' be taught in public 
schools. The course covers world religions and philosophy and promotes 
tolerance and respect for all religious beliefs; however, the course 
devotes the most time to Christianity. The course is compulsory, 
although students may be exempted from the course if a parent presents 
a request in writing. If the student is aged fifteen or older, the 
student and parent must jointly request the student's exemption from 
the course. According to the Ministry of Education, less than 2 percent 
of students in the greater Copenhagen area, the area with the highest 
concentration of other religious populations, ``opt out'' of the 
Christian studies course.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In April 2006, the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs officially 
approved the plans for the first cemetery completely dedicated to the 
Muslim community in the country. The Dansk Islamisk Begravelsefond 
(Danish Islamic Cemetery Fund) purchased property in the greater 
Copenhagen area to use for a Muslim cemetery in December 2004. The 
purchase was the culmination of a several-year effort by members of the 
Muslim community to establish the first Muslim cemetery in the country. 
The Danish Islamic Cemetery Fund overcame a publicized dispute with 
municipal authorities over the value of the land, which prolonged the 
purchase efforts. The cemetery was expected to open in 2007.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were isolated incidents of anti-Semitism, primarily by 
immigrants. Both the members of the Jewish community and police sources 
attested to the fact that the greatest friction was between the Jewish 
and Muslim communities. Ethnic Danes and non-Muslims had not been cited 
for anti-Semitic acts during the reporting period. Most acts involved 
vandalism, such as graffiti, or verbal assaults. Data were difficult to 
determine because such reports were generally entered via a police 
hotline, or came from the Jewish community, and were rarely followed by 
an arrest.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The country has a long 
history of welcoming religious minorities and affording them equal 
treatment. There are generally amicable relations between religious 
groups, although the influx of a substantial Muslim population over the 
last several years resulted in some tension between Muslims and the 
rest of the population. In May 2006, the International Helsinki 
Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the European Commission against 
Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published reports stating that the 
overall political climate for Muslims in the country had deteriorated. 
Both the IHF and ECRI noted that portions of the Danish media 
contributed to the general misperceptions of Islam and the negative 
sentiment toward the Muslim community.
    In September 2005, Jyllands-Posten, a widely read daily newspaper, 
published a series of twelve cartoons controversially depicting 
satirical images of Muhammad. While the editors, citing constitutional 
protections of freedom of expression, maintained the cartoons 
represented a national tradition of robust public discourse, many 
observers, especially in the minority Muslim community, interpreted 
them as a direct attack on the Islamic faith. In early 2006, as the 
cartoons were republished in other European countries, a widespread 
international backlash erupted, turning violent in several Islamic 
countries. Protests within the country were peaceful. Prime Minister 
Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his center-right coalition Government were 
criticized for failing to heed concerns expressed by representatives of 
the country's Muslim community and refusing to meet with ambassadors of 
Islamic countries before the cartoon crisis escalated. The prime 
minister expressed regret that the cartoons had offended the Muslim 
community but declined to reprimand the publisher or issue an official 
apology on behalf of the Government. The Government stated that the 
newspaper's publication of the drawings was a protected exercise of its 
constitutional right, even if the Government did not like or support 
the content of that expression. A broad majority of the public agreed 
with this position. The Government, seeking to improve dialogue with 
its Muslim communities and to repair its relations with the Islamic 
world, subsequently sponsored and participated in a number of Muslim 
events in and outside of the country aimed at fostering tolerance and 
mutual understanding.
    Minority group unemployment figures, crime rates (especially among 
young adults), and education dropout rates tended to be higher, and 
allegations sometimes were raised of discrimination on the basis of 
religion. However, it was difficult to separate religious differences 
from differences in language and ethnicity, and the latter may be 
equally important in explaining unequal access to well-paying jobs and 
social advancement. The integration of immigrant groups from Islamic 
countries was an important political and social topic of discussion.
    There were isolated incidents of anti-immigrant graffiti and low-
level assaults as well as some denial of service and hiring on racial 
grounds. The Government criticized the incidents, investigated several, 
and brought some cases to trial.
    The international Muslim organization Hizb ut-Tahrir continued to 
operate in the country despite periodic calls by the various political 
parties to ban the group. In March 2006, the Copenhagen public 
prosecutor brought charges against Fadi Abdullatif, the Hizb-ut-Tahrir 
spokesman, for making threats against Prime Minister Rasmussen and 
other members of the government administration. The case was ongoing at 
the end of the reporting period. Abdullatif served sixty days probation 
in 2002 for distributing pamphlets calling for the murder of all Jews.
    In March 2006, the Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs published a 
report regarding grave desecrations in the country. The report 
confirmed damage to 32 cemeteries and a total of 817 grave markers in 
2005, with an additional 83 graves in 4 churches during the first 
quarter of 2006. There was no sectarian breakdown of the numbers. In 
February 2006, more than twenty Muslim graves were desecrated in 
Esbjerg. Authorities believed the graves were damaged in retaliation to 
the cartoon controversy. The police identified three juvenile suspects 
who were interrogated and then released to the social authorities for 
reprimand.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy regularly engages in dialogue with religious leaders and 
community groups from the country's diverse religious backgrounds. 
Embassy officers engaged in an active Muslim outreach program, which 
included numerous meetings with religious and community leaders of 
leading Muslim organizations in the country. Embassy officers had wide-
ranging discussions with the Muslim leaders on topics such as religious 
and cultural diversity, democracy and freedom, and Muslim life in the 
United States. The U.S. Department of State sponsored Danish Muslim 
leaders to participate in established International Visitors Programs 
focusing on diversity and multiculturalism, and developed a special 
summer 2006 program for nine young leaders active in Danish Muslim 
community building. The Department also launched, in conjunction with 
the Ministry for Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, an 
initiative to reach out to young people in diverse communities through 
sports and a summer internship program with American companies in the 
country.
    In April 2006, the ambassador visited a mosque in Ishoj, an 
ethnically diverse suburb of Copenhagen, to discuss the political 
climate and economic outlook for Muslims in the country with the imam, 
the mayor of Ishoj, local council members and other community 
activists.
    In January 2005, the embassy participated in targeted Global Anti-
Semitism Report outreach by placing an article in the national daily 
Kristelig Dagblad (circulation 25,000), the country's largest-
circulation religious affairs newspaper. The article stressed the need 
for governments to take uncompromising steps to address the issue of 
increased anti-Semitic abuses in Europe and Russia. By reporting 
numerous instances of abuse targeted at the Jewish community, and by 
describing the nature of both Muslim-inspired and right-wing hostility 
to the worldwide Jewish community, the article clearly illustrated the 
contemporary nature of the problem and caused the newspaper's 
readership to reconsider their views on the issue.
                               __________

                                ESTONIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society continued to contribute to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 17,666 square miles and a population of 
1.35 million (68 percent ethnic Estonian, 26 percent Russian, 2 percent 
Ukrainian, 1 percent Belarusian, and 1 percent Finnish). The Estonian 
Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) was the largest denomination, with 
165 congregations and approximately 170,000 members. The Estonian 
Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC) had fifty-nine congregations with 
approximately 18,000 members and the Estonian Orthodox Church, 
subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate (EOCMP), had thirty 
congregations with approximately 150,000 members. There were smaller 
communities of Baptists, Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, 
Pentecostals, Old Believers, Methodists, and other denominations. There 
was a small Jewish community with 2,500 members, with a Jewish 
community center and a day school in operation. During a state visit to 
the country in September 2005, Israel's President Moshe Katsav 
participated in a ceremony to lay the cornerstone of a new synagogue. 
There were also communities of Muslims, Buddhists, and many other 
denominations and faiths; however, each of these religious groups had 
fewer than 6,000 adherents.
    Fifty years of Soviet occupation diminished the role of religion in 
society. Many neighborhoods built since World War II do not have 
religious centers, and many of the surviving churches require extensive 
renovations. In September 2005, the first resident Roman Catholic 
bishop since World War II was ordained in Tallinn. The renovation of 
two churches--St. John's Lutheran Church in Tartu and St. Simeon's and 
St. Anne's Orthodox Church in Tallinn--was completed during 2004-2005. 
St. John's Church, which had been in ruins since 1944, was inaugurated 
in December 2004. The City of Tallinn has its own ongoing project for 
renovation of churches in the city. In 2005, renovation work took place 
in eight churches, including Dome Church, St. Olaf's Church, St. 
George's Church, and others. Church attendance, which had seen a surge 
coinciding with the independence movement in the early 1990s, has since 
decreased significantly.
    Many groups have sent foreign missionaries into the country in 
recent years. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) 
had the largest number of missionaries.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full, and did not 
tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The 
constitution states that there is no state church.
    There are other laws and regulations that directly or indirectly 
regulate individual and collective freedom of religion. The activities 
of religious associations are regulated by the Churches and 
Congregations Act and the Non-Profit Associations and Unions Act. The 
statutes of churches, congregations, and unions of congregations are 
registered at the city courts.
    The Churches and Congregations Act decrees that the commanding 
officer of each military unit shall guarantee conscripts the 
opportunity to practice their religion. Military chaplain services 
extend to service members of all faiths. The Churches and Congregations 
Act decrees that prison directors shall ensure inmates the opportunity 
to practice their religion. Conscripts and prisoners exercised this 
right in practice.
    A church, congregation, and association of congregations must have 
a management board. A person who is a citizen or who has the right to 
vote in local government elections may be a member of a management 
board. In order to formally register with the city court, the 
management board of a religious association submits an application 
signed by all members of the board. A congregation must have at least 
twelve adult members. The minutes of the constitutive meeting, a copy 
of statutes, and a notarized copy of signatures of the members of the 
management board serve as supporting documents for the registration 
application.
    A program of basic ecumenical religious instruction was available 
in public schools. A school is under obligation to offer religious 
studies at the primary or secondary level if at least fifteen students 
request it. Comparative religious studies were available in public and 
private schools on an elective basis. There were no official statistics 
on how many students participated in these classes. There were two 
private church schools in Tartu that had a religious-based curriculum.
    The Government took steps to promote anti-bias and tolerance 
education. Since 2003, the Government observes the annual Holocaust and 
Other Crimes against Humanity Victims' Memorial Day on January 27. The 
country is a liaison member of the Task Force for International 
Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. A 
Holocaust education seminar for schoolteachers took place in August 
2004, in cooperation with a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) 
and Sweden's Living History Forum, and co-financed by the Ministry of 
Education. During the reporting period the Government provided more 
than two hundred schools with a thirty-minute film about Holocaust 
history. In August 2005, the Government, together with the Task Force, 
supported a seminar for history teachers to discuss best practices for 
teaching the Holocaust in schools. The International Commission for 
Investigation of Crimes against Humanity on issues related to the 
German and Soviet occupations of the country continued its work.
    The property restitution process, by which religious properties 
were transferred from the state back to religious associations, was 
carried out under the Principles of the Ownership Reform Act, passed in 
1991. The process has largely been completed. By the end of the period 
covered by this report, most Orthodox Church properties, including 
those being used by the EOCMP, were under the legal control of the 
Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC). The Government transferred 
seven properties to the Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchy 
during the period covered by this report, and further transfers are 
planned.
    According to local Jewish leaders, property restitution was not an 
issue for the community, as most prewar religious buildings were 
rented, not owned.
    Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas, and Pentecost are national 
holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations between the various religious communities were generally 
amicable. Although the majority of citizens were nominally Lutheran, 
ecumenical services during national days, Christian holidays, or at 
public events were common.
    Most of the religious adherents among the country's Russian-
speaking population are Orthodox, while the Estonian majority is mostly 
Lutheran. There is a deep-seated tradition of tolerance of other 
denominations and religions.
    In May 2005, two vandals knocked down thirty-nine stone crosses in 
a German war cemetery in Narva. The vandals were caught and pled 
guilty; prosecutors requested probation for one year. One church was 
vandalized during the reporting period. In July 2005, a drunken minor 
broke five stained glass windows of Viljandi St. Paul's Church and was 
fined. In April 2005, a fire was set at the library of Tartu St. Paul's 
Church. At first it was considered an accident, but in August 2005 it 
was established that it was an act of arson. As a result of the fire, 
many valuable volumes of church literature were destroyed. The police 
took a suspect into custody. A police investigation was ongoing at 
year's end. During the period covered by this report one graveyard was 
vandalized. A vandal damaged over twenty grave plaques as well as 
crosses, lanterns and benches in a Parnu cemetery. The police started a 
criminal proceeding. Earlier thefts of church property prompted the 
Estonian Council of Churches and the Board of Antiquities to initiate a 
database of items under protection. The database, which comprises 
digital photos and detailed descriptions, is shared as needed with law 
enforcement agencies.
    In June 2005, a person was found guilty by a district court for 
writing an essay that publicly incited social hatred on the basis of 
national origin, race, or religion. In his essay, he called for 
destroying all Christians, Jews, and churches. He appealed to the 
Supreme Court and was acquitted. In August 2005, a city court fined a 
person for making anti-Semitic comments over the Internet. In September 
2005, a district court let the decision stand and, in December 2005, 
the Supreme Court confirmed the opinion.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Officials of the U.S. Embassy met with the religious affairs department 
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, NGOs, and a wide range of figures 
in religious circles. During the period covered by this report, U.S. 
Embassy officials continued to engage the Government and 
nongovernmental actors to promote dialogue and education on Holocaust 
issues in the country.
    The U.S. Government funded a travel grant to two history and civics 
teachers to attend a one-week U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM)-
arranged training program at Appalachian State University and a two-day 
program at USHMM from June 26 to July 5, 2005. In the framework of the 
agreement between the Government and the United States on the 
Protection and Preservation of Certain Cultural Properties, two 
Holocaust memorials were opened on the sites of Nazi labor camps at 
Klooga and Kivioli in July 2005. In April 2006, the U.S. Embassy hosted 
a digital video conference between the Southern Poverty Law Center and 
representatives from the Government and civil society on the subject of 
promoting tolerance, including religious tolerance and Holocaust 
studies.
                               __________

                                FINLAND

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. According to 
law, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church are the 
established state churches.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 130,127 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 5.2 million. At the end of 2005, 83.1 percent of the 
population belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and 1 percent 
belonged to the Orthodox Church. The percentage for the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church was 83.6 percent a year earlier. A total of 33,043 
people left the Evangelical Lutheran Church, some 6,000 more than in 
2004. The number of those who joined the Church increased by 9,559. 
This figure did not include the 49,443 babies who were baptized, 
virtually the same number as in 2004.
    In the past several decades, as many as 400,000 have left the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church.
    The Research Center of the Lutheran Church asked people who left 
the Church to give reasons for their decision. The most common reason 
was that membership was of no significance to them. Younger respondents 
especially expressed this view. There were also some very religious 
people who left the Church, stating that the modern Church's message 
was too watered down and did not meet their deeper spiritual demands.
    Other respondents said religion was of such personal nature to them 
that they did not need the Church to take care of it. Only about 10 
percent gave the Church tax as the reason for leaving membership in the 
Lutheran Evangelical Church.
    Pentecostal Church communities that were registered as associations 
had approximately 45,000 members. However, only a fraction of 
Pentecostal churches were registered, and the actual number of 
Pentecostal worshippers was probably higher. Various other non-state 
religions had approximately 60,000 members. An estimated 10 percent of 
the population did not belong to any religious group. In the past 
decade, the number of Muslims increased from 1,000 to approximately 
20,000, most of whom were immigrants to the country. Of these, 
approximately 5,000 were Shiites and 15,000 Sunni. The largest single 
national group was Somali, but the communities also included North 
Africans, Bosnians, peninsula Arabs, Tartars, Turks, and Iraqis. There 
were four major Muslim communities in the country: The Muslim Community 
in Finland, the Tampere Muslim Community, Shi'a Muslims, and the 
Multicultural Dawa Center of Islam. There were seven Roman Catholic 
congregations with approximately 8,000 registered members, and two 
Jewish congregations with approximately 1,500 members.
    All public schools provide religious and/or philosophical 
instruction. Students who did not wish to receive religious instruction 
may choose to study philosophy instead. In certain Helsinki area 
schools, there were more Muslim students than members of the country's 
second religion, Orthodoxy. Therefore, in these schools, Islam became 
the third most popular ``philosophical subject'' after the Lutheran 
faith and general ``philosophy-of-life.'' The number of Muslim students 
increased countrywide by approximately 20 percent every year over the 
past three years. This trend was expected to continue for at least two 
to three years.
    In 2006, the Ministry of Education denied permits to five out of 
seven groups that wished to start or expand private Christian schools. 
The ministry stated that concern over academic standards, particularly 
in science, was a significant factor in its decision. The minister of 
education also stated that in his view it was not the proper function 
of schools to promote a single religious truth. The groups in question 
have appealed the ministry's decision.
    A 2003 Gallup poll showed that Finns held a more positive view 
toward Christian churches and religious groups than in a similar poll 
taken in 1999. Over one-half of those interviewed believed that one was 
accountable in an afterlife for one's deeds. Seventy-seven percent (69 
percent in 1999) held positive views about the Lutheran Church, 65 
percent (56 percent in 1999) held positive views of the Salvation Army, 
and 62 percent (51 percent in 1999) held positive views of the Orthodox 
Church. A majority of the population held negative views about 
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), Christian Science, and Islam. People were fairly evenly 
split on positive and negative perceptions of Judaism.
    The Evangelical Lutheran Church counted everyone who entered a 
church for any reason as an attendee. In 2004, an attendance of nearly 
18 million was registered at worship services, christenings, weddings, 
funerals, concerts, and other church meetings presented by the Church. 
The congregations had approximately 2,200 choirs and 600 musical bands, 
with a total membership of 44,000. The attraction of Sunday schools 
decreased by some 10 percent; only one child out of ten in the group of 
four- to ten-year-olds attended Sunday school. However, confirmation 
classes were the flagship of the Church's youth work, and in 2004 as 
many as 57,000 youngsters, i.e. some 90 percent of the age group 
(approximately fifteen years), attended.
    In the last few decades the Evangelical Lutheran Church has started 
to show far greater awareness of its international responsibilities. 
This was reflected in increased support for missionary work and 
development assistance, and in a greater interest in ecumenical work. 
Support for missionary work has doubled since the early 1980s, and the 
proceeds of church collections for foreign aid have increased many 
times over.
    Nontraditional religious groups freely professed and propagated 
their beliefs. Such groups as Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have been active in the 
country for decades. Other groups included the Catholic, Muslim, and 
Jewish communities.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There are two 
state churches: The Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Orthodox 
Church. All citizens who belong to either state church pay a church tax 
set at 1 to 2 percent of income, varying with the congregation, as part 
of their income tax. Those who do not want to pay the tax must inform 
the applicable state church that they are leaving it. These taxes are 
used to defray the costs of running the churches. State churches also 
handle services such as recording births, deaths, and marriages, which 
for citizens outside these churches are handled by official state 
registrars. Nontraditional religious groups are eligible for some tax 
relief (for example, they may receive tax-free donations), provided 
that they are registered with, and recognized by, the Government as 
religious communities.
    State subsidies were being planned for religious communities and 
were scheduled to be included in the 2007 state budget. The funds would 
have to be applied for separately from general tax revenues. The amount 
of the subsidy would be approximately $7 (5 euros) per person, although 
the smallest communities would not qualify for these subsidies. 
Although not of substantial financial significance, the subsidies would 
nonetheless mean a step toward greater religious equality.
    To be recognized, religious groups should have at least twenty 
members. The purpose of the group should be the public practice of 
religion, and the activities of the group should be guided by a set of 
rules. The Government recognizes fifty-five religious groups.
    The 2003 Religious Freedom Act includes regulations on registered 
religious communities. Their autonomy was increased, and the law on 
associations is extensively applied to them. As in the old law, a 
minimum of twenty members is required to form a religious organization. 
Furthermore, the new law no longer prevents a person from being a 
member of several religious communities simultaneously. The religious 
communities will decide independently whether or not their members can 
belong to other religious communities as well. The one-month 
reconsideration period and the personal notice of resignation have been 
abandoned. Resignation can be submitted by mail, and it takes effect 
immediately upon receipt.
    The new law further clarifies that the religious denomination of a 
child is not automatically determined by the faith of the parents: The 
child's membership in or resignation from a religious community is 
always based on a separate expression of the will of the parents/
guardians, such as baptizing the child. The independence of the child 
has been increased so that the denomination of any person older than 
twelve may be changed only by permission of the person.
    The constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion. 
Various government programs available through the Ministry of Education 
and the Ministry of Labor focus on ongoing discrimination, including 
discrimination based on religion. Studies and research, integration 
programs, and recommendations for further incorporation of immigrants 
into society have been the focal points of these programs. Religion has 
not been highlighted in particular, but remains a part of the 
Government's overall attempts to combat discrimination.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. There were no reports of verbal or physical 
violence against persons or property of any minority religious groups.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    Some citizens were not very receptive to proselytizing by adherents 
of nontraditional faiths, in part because of the tendency to regard 
religion as a private matter.
    Nontraditional religious groups were generally free from 
discrimination despite intolerant attitudes from some members of 
society.
    Immigrants did not encounter difficulties in practicing their 
faiths; however, they sometimes encountered random discrimination and 
xenophobia.
    There were a few reports of anti-Semitic graffiti; however, there 
were no reports of significant anti-Semitic activity.
    An issue raising some amount of discussion among the clergy was 
whether or not registered couples of the same sex should be given the 
blessings of the church. In 2003, the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church meeting decided to table two opposite proposals: One banning 
access to church ceremonies for those living in a registered same-sex 
relationship, and the other proposing church blessings for such 
couples. No decisions about this issue had been made by the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    The subject of gay marriage was discussed at an Episcopal 
conference in September 2005; however, after the meeting, the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church failed to adopt a policy on registered 
same-sex (de facto married) couples and homosexuality. The conference 
set up a working group to present findings within a year.
    Some registered same-sex couples may have received blessings in an 
unofficial capacity by some clergy. Two members of the clergy wrote in 
an article in a church weekly that they had given blessings to gay and 
lesbian couples. They said it was a matter of conscience and encouraged 
same-sex couples to seek church blessings. The Evangelical Lutheran 
Church had no official policy on the matter at the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Two cases served to illustrate the social liberalism among the 
general public on the one hand, and the more conservative view of the 
Church itself on the other. The Lutheran Bishop of Turku resigned in 
early 2005 following allegations of an extramarital affair. Although 
the Church hierarchy supported the resignation on moral grounds, the 
bishop received significant expressions of sympathy from many ordinary 
members, and a popular movement collected more than 5,000 signatures 
supporting him.
    Another ongoing case involved a doctoral thesis alleging that the 
female clergy in the Diocese of Oulu (a conservative area in the north) 
suffered from discrimination, psychological violence, and harassment by 
the previous bishop, who was opposed to female clergy in principle. 
Nearly all female ministers in the diocese met with opposition from 
certain male colleagues and superiors. The harassment reportedly 
occurred from the late 1980s to the beginning of the 2000s. Most 
citizens strongly supported female clergy.
    Another current issue of debate involves state-financed fertility 
treatments. Lutheran Archbishop Jukka Paarma, who occasionally 
expresses his views on certain political/moral issues that might also 
be debated in Parliament, commented on the fertility question in May 
2005 at a synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Turku. Paarma 
said that single women and lesbian couples should not receive state-
funded fertility treatment to facilitate conception. Paarma rejected 
the notion that childbearing was an inherent human right that should be 
supported by the state in all cases. The archbishop stressed that the 
focus should always be on the child's rights when considering in-vitro 
fertilization treatment. In his opinion, these include the right to 
have a mother and a father. He also clearly established that he did not 
condemn fertility treatment, calling it a blessing for many married 
couples.
    The organization for sexual equality in Finland (SETA) leveled 
harsh criticism at the Evangelical Lutheran Synod's stance on 
forthcoming legislation on fertility treatment. The Government proposed 
that lesbian couples be eligible for state-funded fertility treatment. 
The church opposed the plan.
    State churches often speak out in support of the Finnish/Nordic 
welfare state model, couching social welfare state values in religious 
or moral terms. Preaching at the opening of the synod of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in May 2004, the Bishop of Espoo expressed 
his position on the Kyoto Climate agreement, saying the country should 
not withdraw from it because of short-term national interests. A senior 
politician of the Greens immediately commended the Church for taking a 
stance on an issue that was not directly related to religion, but to 
the general welfare of people.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall dialogue and policy to promote human 
rights. Embassy representatives periodically met with representatives 
of various religious communities (both mainstream and nontraditional) 
to discuss religious freedom issues.
    The ambassador met with a delegation of American and Finnish 
Orthodox Church leaders to discuss issues of shared concern, including 
religious tolerance, ecumenical exchanges, trafficking-in-persons, and 
other transnational problems confronting modern societies.
    An embassy officer spoke to the Orthodox Seminary and several other 
religious gatherings on the relationship between church and state in 
the United States and on the role of American faith-based institutions 
in charitable assistance. This was part of an initiative by local 
Orthodox ecclesiastical leaders to promote tolerance and understanding.
    In March 2006, the embassy hosted an outreach reception for the 
country's Muslim community. The reception brought together a diverse 
group of Muslim immigrants representing many different ethnic and 
religious communities. The aim of the reception was to promote 
discussion and debate over the experience of Muslim immigrants in the 
country and their concerns over religious freedom and political issues 
both within the country and internationally.
                               __________

                                 FRANCE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, some 
religious groups remain concerned about legislation passed in 2001 and 
2004, which provided for the dissolution of groups under certain 
circumstances and banned the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols 
by public school employees and students. A 1905 law on the separation 
of religion and state prohibits discrimination on the basis of faith.
    Government policy continued to contribute to the generally free 
practice of religion. A law prohibiting the wearing of conspicuous 
religious symbols in public schools by employees and students entered 
into force in September 2004. Despite significant efforts by the 
Government to combat anti-Semitism and an overall decline in the number 
of incidents, anti-Semitic attacks persisted. The Government has a 
stated policy of monitoring potentially ``dangerous'' cult activity 
through the Inter-ministerial Monitoring Mission against Sectarian 
Abuses (MIVILUDES). Some groups expressed concern that MIVILUDES 
publications contributed to public mistrust of minority religions, and 
that public statements from the new president indicated the 
organization would take a harder line against minority religions. The 
UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief issued a report 
indicating that the Government generally respected the right to freedom 
of religion or belief, but expressed concern about the application of 
the 1905 law, the treatment of cult groups and certain new religious 
movements, and the 2004 legislation regarding religious symbols in 
schools.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to freedom of religion. Anti-Semitic incidents 
dropped by 48 percent in 2005, but incidents persisted, most notably 
the kidnapping, torture, and killing of a twenty-three-year-old Jewish 
man. Government leaders, religious representatives, and nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) continued to criticize strongly anti-Semitic and 
racist violence, and the Government provided increased security for 
Jewish institutions.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 211,209 square miles and a population of 
approximately 62.9 million.
    In accordance with its definition of separation of state and 
religion, the Government did not keep statistics on religious 
affiliation. According to press reports, only 12 percent of the 
population attended religious services of any faith more than once per 
month. In a poll released in December 2004, 64.3 percent of the 
respondents indicated they were Catholic, even if they never attended 
religious services. Another 27 percent polled stated they had no 
religious affiliation, while 8.7 percent cited another religious 
affiliation. Of those who identified themselves as something other than 
Catholic, 49.4 percent were Muslim, 21.8 percent were Protestant, 7 
percent were Jewish, and 21.8 percent indicated ``other.'' A February 
2004 poll indicated that 60 percent of those interviewed believed in 
God, and 12 percent attended religious services often. The vast 
majority of the population was nominally Roman Catholic, but according 
to one member of the Catholic hierarchy, only 8 percent of the 
population were practicing Catholics. Muslims constituted the second 
largest religious group. There were an estimated five to six million 
individuals of Muslim origin in the country (8 to 10 percent of the 
population), although estimates of how many of these were practicing 
Muslims varied widely. Protestants made up 2 percent of the population, 
the Jewish and Buddhist faiths each represented 1 percent, and those of 
the Sikh faith less than 1 percent. According to various estimates, 
approximately 6 percent of the country's citizens were unaffiliated 
with any religion.
    The Jewish community numbered approximately 600,000. According to 
press reports, at least 60 percent were not highly observant, 
celebrating at most only the High Holy Days. The large majority of 
observant Jews were Orthodox. There were small Conservative and Reform 
congregations as well.
    Jehovah's Witnesses claimed that 250,000 persons attended their 
services either regularly or periodically.
    Orthodox Christians numbered between 80,000 and 100,000; the vast 
majority was associated with the Greek or Russian Orthodox Church.
    Other religions present in the country included evangelicals, 
Christian Scientists, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons). Membership in evangelical churches was growing, in 
large part because of increased participation by African and Antillean 
immigrants. According to the press, there were approximately 31,000 
Mormons. The Church of Scientology had an estimated 5,000 to 20,000 
members.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. A long history 
of conflict between religious groups and between the Church and the 
French Republic led the state to break its ties to the Catholic Church 
early in the last century and adopt a strong commitment to maintaining 
a totally secular public sector. The 1905 law on the separation of 
religion and state, the foundation of existing legislation on religious 
freedom, prohibits discrimination on the basis of faith. Of the 
country's ten national holidays, five were Christian holy days.
    Religious organizations are not required to register, but may apply 
for tax-exempt status or to gain official recognition if they so wish. 
The Government defines two categories under which religious groups may 
register: associations cultuelles (associations of worship, which are 
exempt from taxes) and associations culturelles (cultural associations, 
which are normally not exempt from taxes). Associations in these two 
categories are subject to certain management and financial disclosure 
requirements. An association of worship may organize only religious 
activities, defined as liturgical services and practices. A cultural 
association may engage in profit-making activity. Although a cultural 
association is not exempt from taxes, it may receive government 
subsidies for its cultural and educational operations, such as schools. 
Religious groups normally register under both of these categories; the 
Mormons, for example, run strictly religious activities through their 
association of worship and operate a school under their cultural 
association.
    Under the 1905 statute, religious groups must apply to the local 
prefecture to be recognized as an association of worship and to receive 
tax-exempt status. The prefecture reviews the submitted documentation 
regarding the association's purpose for existence. To qualify, the 
group's purpose must be solely the practice of some form of religious 
ritual. Printing publications, employing a board president, or running 
a school may disqualify a group from tax-exempt status.
    According to the Ministry of the Interior, 109 of 1,138 Protestant 
associations, 15 of 147 Jewish associations, and approximately 30 of 
1,050 Muslim associations have tax-free status. Approximately one 
hundred Catholic associations are tax-exempt; a representative of the 
Ministry of Interior reports that the number of non-tax-exempt Catholic 
associations is too numerous to estimate accurately. More than fifty 
associations of the Jehovah's Witnesses have tax-free status.
    According to the 1905 law, associations of worship are not taxed on 
the donations that they receive. However, the prefecture may decide to 
review a group's status if the association receives a large donation or 
legacy that comes to the attention of the tax authorities. If the 
prefecture determines that the association is not in fact in conformity 
with the 1905 law, its status may be changed, and it may be required to 
pay taxes at a rate of 60 percent on present and past donations.
    The 2001 About-Picard Law tightened restrictions on associations 
and provided for the dissolution of groups, including religious groups, 
under certain conditions. These include: Endangering the life or the 
physical or psychological well-being of a person; placing minors at 
mortal risk; violation of another person's freedom, dignity, or 
identity; the illegal practice of medicine or pharmacology; false 
advertising; and fraud or falsification.
    For historical reasons, the Jewish, Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman 
Catholic groups in three departments of Alsace and Lorraine enjoy 
special legal status in terms of taxation of individuals donating to 
these religious groups. Adherents of these four religious groups may 
choose to have a portion of their income tax allocated to their 
religious organization in a system administered by the central 
Government.
    Central or local governments own and maintain religious buildings 
constructed before the 1905 law separating religion and state. In 
Alsace and Moselle, special laws allow the local governments to provide 
support for the building of religious edifices. The Government 
partially funded the establishment of the country's oldest Islamic 
house of worship, the Paris Grand Mosque, in 1926.
    Foreign missionaries from countries not exempted from visa 
requirements to enter the country must obtain a three-month tourist 
visa before leaving their own country. All missionaries who wish to 
remain in the country longer than ninety days must obtain visas before 
entering the country. Upon arrival, missionaries must apply with the 
local prefecture for a carte de sejour (a document that allows a 
foreigner to remain in the country for a given period of time) and must 
provide the prefecture a letter from their sponsoring religious 
organization.
    Public schools are secular. In March 2004, the Government passed 
legislation prohibiting public school employees and students from 
wearing conspicuous religious symbols, including the Muslim headscarf, 
the Jewish skullcap, and large crosses; the legislation took effect at 
the beginning of the school year in September 2004. Religious 
instruction is not given in public schools, but facts about religions 
are taught as part of the history curriculum. Parents may home-school 
children for religious reasons, but all schooling must conform to the 
standards established for public schools. Public schools make an effort 
to supply special meals for students with religious dietary 
restrictions. The Government subsidizes private schools, including 
those that are affiliated with religious organizations.
    The Government has made efforts to promote interfaith 
understanding. Strict anti-defamation laws prohibit racially or 
religiously motivated attacks. Denial of crimes against humanity is 
illegal. The Government has programs to combat racism and anti-Semitism 
through public awareness campaigns and through encouraging dialogue 
among local officials, police, and citizen groups. Government leaders, 
along with representatives from the Jewish community, the Paris and 
Marseille Grand Mosques, the Protestant Federation, and the French 
Conference of Bishops have publicly condemned racist and anti-Semitic 
violence. In 2003, a law was passed against crimes of a ``racist, anti-
Semitic, or xenophobic'' nature; the law classifies racist motivations 
for violent acts as aggravating circumstances and mandates harsher 
punishment for these crimes. March 2004 legislation further increased 
punishment for ``hate'' crimes. The Government regularly applies these 
laws in prosecuting anti-Semitic crimes.
    The Government consults with the major religious communities 
through various formal mechanisms. The Catholic community is 
represented by the Council of Bishops.
    The Protestant Federation of France, established in 1905, comprises 
sixteen churches and sixty associations. Its primary purpose is to 
contribute to the cohesion of the Protestant community. It also acts as 
an interlocutor with the Government.
    The Central Consistory of Jews of France, established in 1808, 
includes the Jewish ``worship associations'' from the entire country. 
It acts as a liaison with the Government, trains rabbis, and responds 
to other needs of the Jewish community. In 1943, Jewish members of the 
French Resistance formed the Representative Council of Jewish 
Institutions in France (CRIF). The CRIF's mission is to fight anti-
Semitism, preserve the memory of the Holocaust, affirm solidarity with 
Israel, and promote peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict.
    The national French Council of the Muslim Faith and twenty-five 
affiliated regional councils serve as interlocutors for the Muslim 
community with local and national officials on such civil-religious 
issues as mosque construction, providing chaplains for prisons and the 
military, and certification of halal butchers. In November 2004, then-
Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin announced the creation of a 
Foundation for French Islam to assist in the funding of mosques, 
provide a transparent vehicle for individual and foreign donations, and 
assist in the training of foreign imams in the French language, 
history, and civics; however, it suffers from a lack of foreign or 
private funding. The Government's goal was to establish the 
organization, with funding to come from the members. Government 
interest in the project could be flagging because of a change in 
ministers.
    The MIVILUDES is charged with observing and analyzing ``sect/cult'' 
movements that constitute a threat to public order or that violate law, 
coordinating the appropriate responses to abuses by ``cults,'' 
informing the public about potential risks, and helping victims to 
receive aid.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or 
Belief, Asma Jahangir, visited the country in September 2005 and issued 
a report on her findings in March 2006. While the special rapporteur 
indicated that the Government generally respected the right to freedom 
of religion or belief, she noted several areas of concern. Regarding 
the 1905 law separating church and state, the special rapporteur 
recognized that while the law guarantees in principle the fundamental 
right to freedom of religion or belief, she stated that ``in some 
circumstances, the selective interpretation and rigid application of 
this principle has operated at the expense'' of religious freedom. The 
special rapporteur considered that ``the policy of the Government may 
have contributed to a climate of general suspicion and intolerance'' 
towards religious groups listed in a 1995 parliamentary report as 
``cults.'' She noted that authorities had ``adopted a more balanced 
approach'' in recent years towards groups considered cults and judged 
that MIVILUDES was an improvement over the anti-cult organization it 
replaced in 2002. However, the special rapporteur added that because of 
staffing changes after she completed her visit, ``MIVILUDES was 
allegedly about to return to a more hard-line position'' regarding 
alternative and minority religions. The special rapporteur found that, 
while the March 2004 law banning the wearing of religions symbols in 
schools can ``protect the autonomy of minors who may be pressured or 
forced to wear a headscarf or other religious symbols,'' it also acted 
to deny the rights of ``minors who have freely chosen to wear a 
religious symbol to school as a part of their religious belief,'' and 
that ``the stigmatization of the headscarf has provoked acts of 
religious intolerance when women wear it outside school.''
    In March 2004, on the recommendation of an inter-ministerial 
commission established by the president to study secularism, 
integration, and the place of religion in the country, the Government 
passed a law prohibiting the wearing of ``conspicuous'' religious 
symbols--including Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps, and large 
crosses--by employees and students in public schools. In June 2004, the 
European Commission on Human Rights ruled that the law did not violate 
the freedom of religion; the law was implemented in September 2004. 
Some Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh leaders, human rights groups, 
and foreign governments voiced concerns about the law's potential to 
restrict religious freedom. Following the enactment of the law, media 
reports indicated that Muslim girls and Sikh boys had been expelled 
from public school for violating this law; all had reportedly enrolled 
in private schools, distance education courses, or schools abroad. One 
Muslim group, however, indicated that the law adversely affected many 
more Muslim girls, whether by causing them to seek alternative 
educational options or requiring them to remove their veil. Media 
reports estimated that, of the 13 million schoolchildren, approximately 
1,200 Muslim school-aged girls wore veils. The Sikh community reported 
that, of the roughly 200 school-aged Sikh boys, 84 percent were 
affected by the legislation.
    In 2005, the Paris Court of Appeals rejected a telemarketing firm's 
appeal of a 2003 ruling in favor of a young woman who sought 
reinstatement, damages, and interest after she was fired by the 
telemarketing firm for refusing to wear her headscarf in a manner 
deemed appropriate by her employer.
    Some Muslim and Sikh groups protested the government policy 
prohibiting the wearing of head coverings in national identity photos. 
A case brought before the country's highest court for administrative 
matters by a Sikh wishing to be permitted to wear his turban in 
driver's license and passport photos was ongoing at the end of the 
period covered by this report. The Sikhs, who lost the case in March 
2006, filed complaints with the French High Authority against 
Discrimination and for Equality, and with the European Commission, for 
indirect discrimination against individuals and a group of individuals 
in contravention of various European laws.
    In July 2004, Parliament passed a law permitting the expulsion of 
individuals for ``inciting discrimination, hatred or violence against a 
specific person or group of persons.'' Abdelkader Bouziane, an imam, 
was deported from the country in October 2004, accused of publicly 
justifying wife-beating in an article.
    The Government continued to encourage public caution toward some 
minority religions that it considers ``cults.'' Mass suicides in 1994 
by members of the Order of the Solar Temple led to heightened public 
concern about ``cult'' behavior. In 1996, a parliamentary commission 
studying so-called cults publicly released a report that identified 173 
groups as ``cults,'' including the Raelians, the Association of the 
Triumphant Vajra, the Order of the Solar Temple, Sukyo Mahikari, the 
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Theological Institute of Nimes (an evangelical 
Christian Bible college), and the Church of Scientology. The Government 
has not banned any of the groups on the list; however, members of some 
of the groups listed have alleged instances of intolerance because of 
the ensuing publicity. In May 2005, then-Prime Minister Jean-Pierre 
Raffarin issued a circular indicating that the parliamentary list 
should no longer be used to identify ``sects'' and directed authorities 
to focus their efforts instead on those sects that represent the 
greatest threat, notably those ``small, fluid'' groups that are ``less 
easily identifiable'' and that use the Internet for recruitment. Some 
religious groups hailed the move as a step forward but called for the 
Ministry of Justice to issue a circular to rescind repressive measures 
against minority religions.
    On April 16, 2006, MIVILUDES published its report for 2005, noting 
continued concern about the activities of groups it considers 
``cults.'' According to MIVILUDES President Jean-Michel Roulet, ``There 
are real and good reasons not to give up the fight against sectarian 
abuses on the fallacious grounds that this represents an attack on the 
freedom of religion.'' The 176-page report cited three primary areas of 
concern: Protecting children from cult influences, both from parents 
who may be involved in the groups and from attempts by groups to 
recruit young members; curing demand for ``alternative medicines'' and 
spiritual healers; and preventing sects' use of natural disasters and 
humanitarian aid to promote their public image and proselytize their 
beliefs. The report specifically cited the Church of Scientology as 
being present in France's suburbs following last fall's unrest there, 
distributing copies of their booklet ``The Path of Happiness'' and 
reaching out to youth. Minority religious groups indicated that the 
allegations in the report were unsubstantiated and often false, adding 
to public mistrust of the organizations involved. Groups also expressed 
concern about comments made by Roulet, often specifically citing the 
Church of Scientology, and promising to increase efforts against 
minority religions.
    In January 2005, MIVILUDES published a guide for public servants 
instructing them how to spot and combat ``dangerous'' sects. In several 
instances, the law regarding the right of patients to refuse medical 
treatment, as well as subsequent court decisions, was noted. The 
Jehovah's Witnesses were mentioned as an organization that refused 
blood transfusions, and there was mention of Health Ministry guidance 
to encourage treatment while respecting patient wishes. Some groups 
expressed concern that this guide would be misused by overzealous 
public servants against legitimate religious organizations.
    Some observers remained concerned about the 2001 About-Picard law, 
which permits the dissolution of religious groups, if it is established 
that group practices are believed to violate basic rights. In 2002, the 
Council of Europe passed a resolution critical of the law and invited 
the Government to reconsider it. The law remained in force. Although 
the provisions allowing for the dissolution of groups have never been 
applied, another aspect of the law was utilized for the first time 
against the leader of a ``cult.'' Arnaud Mussy, the founder and 
spiritual head of the group Neo-Phare, was convicted in November 2004 
of fraudulent abuse of the state of ignorance and the weakness of four 
followers. Mussy claimed to be the reincarnation of Christ and made 
several predictions in 2000 regarding the pending apocalypse; one of 
his adherents killed himself, and two other followers attempted suicide 
allegedly because of their states of mind brought on by Mussy's 
manipulation. He appealed the decision.
    On June 28, 2006, the National Assembly passed a law creating a 
Commission of Enquiry Regarding the Influence of Sects on Minors, the 
third parliamentary commission in eleven years set up to investigate 
sects. According to the sponsors of the bill, the committee would seek 
to investigate both the ``insidious means'' by which sects seek to 
proselytize youth, as well as any resultant negative effects on young 
people's physical and psychological well-being.
    Representatives of the Church of Scientology continued to report 
cases of societal discrimination, frivolous lawsuits, and prosecution 
for allegedly fraudulent activity. In 2003, the Court of Appeals of 
Paris fined the Paris-region Spiritual Association of the Church of 
Scientology approximately $6,100 (5,000 euros) for breaking a law on 
information privacy; the decision was appealed. Church of Scientology 
representatives reported that a case filed by a parent whose child 
attended an ``Applied Scholastics''-based school was resolved when the 
young woman, previously prevented by the Government from leaving the 
country to attend the school abroad, decided she would wait until she 
reached the age of eighteen and could legally make the decision 
herself. In March 2004, the police intelligence agency, Renseignements 
Generaux (RG), was instructed by the Administrative Tribunal of Paris 
to comply with a 2003 decision by the Council of State to provide the 
Church of Scientology with its files on the group, or be fined. The RG 
had refused to accede to the Church of Scientology's request since 
2000, citing ``public safety'' concerns.
    The Church of Scientology also argued that numerous remarks by 
Jean-Michel Roulet, since his October 2005 installation as the 
president of MIVILUDES, were ``rife with false and derogatory 
information...[which] makes it impossible for MIVILUDES to function in 
an objective and neutral manner.'' Scientology representatives 
characterized Mr. Roulet's statements as ``a return to discriminatory 
government policies...designed to...stigmatize and denigrate targeted 
minority faiths in France.'' In addition, they criticized his February 
2006 letter to France's Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA in French), 
which alerted CSA authorities that a public service announcement that 
had been broadcast on French television had in fact been provided by 
the Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI), which is affiliated 
with the Church of Scientology. After receipt of Roulet's letter, 
according to the Scientologists, the CSA acted to censor the public 
service announcements by warning stations of their origin (the link 
between YHRI and Scientology is clear on the website indicated on the 
website address provided on the box containing the DVD of the PSA). The 
Scientologist's attorney pointed out that this type of censorship had 
occurred only in France.
    Scientologists in the country reported many other cases of 
discrimination. In one, the spokesperson for the Church in the country, 
Danielle Gounord, was summoned to appear before the police on January 
31, 2006, and told that the magistrate who headed the ``Sect Mission'' 
within the Justice Ministry's Department of Criminal Affairs and Pardon 
had filed a report claiming harassment against her. The Magistrate, 
Marie-Jose Aube Lotte, based her claim of harassment on letters 
received from Gounord, on an article Gounord wrote, and on a question 
that Gounord posed to Lotte at a seminar in the Senate. According to 
the Scientologist's attorney, in no case had Gounord said, done, or 
written anything in contravention of any law.
    On December 14, 2005, a Paris court rejected a lawsuit brought by a 
collective of associations asking for the dissolution of the National 
Union of Associations for the Defense of the Family (UNADFI). The 
organizations accused UNADFI, a state-subsidized NGO ``specializing in 
information about sects,'' of regularly overstepping its informative 
role and acting against religious freedom. Instead, the court ruled 
that the suit constituted an ``abusive procedure'' and ordered the 
plaintiffs to pay UNADFI $18,000 (15,000 euros) in damage and court 
costs and ordered the plaintiffs to print the decision in eight 
newspapers. The plaintiffs planned to appeal the decision.
    Some observers voiced concerns about the tax authorities' scrutiny 
of the financial records of some religious groups. In October 2004, the 
Association of Jehovah's Witnesses lost their appeal to the Court of 
Cassation on a 2002 ruling that they must pay back taxes currently 
totaling nearly $51,135,000 (40,908,000 euros). The members claimed 
that they were discriminatorily and punitively audited because of their 
classification as a cult, because of their placement on the 1996 
parliamentary list, and that authorities adopted a new administrative 
regulation to retroactively tax ``manual donations'' offered by 
adherents. The association further alleged that this tax had not been 
applied to any other nonprofit or religious organization, and the 
amount of the tax exceeds the assets of the Association of Jehovah's 
Witnesses in the country. The Association of Jehovah's Witnesses has 
refused to pay what it considers an unjust tax. On February 25, 2005, 
the case was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights and was 
ongoing at the end of the reporting period.
    Jehovah's Witnesses in the Vosges Department reported difficulty 
gaining permission to build a house of worship in the town of 
Deyvilliers, and at the end of a reporting period a court case was 
pending before an administrative court. Jehovah's Witnesses also 
reported several acts of vandalism, including the burning of a car and 
the arson of a house of worship. On December 1, 2005, the Paris Court 
of Appeal overturned a 2001 decision and ordered the Ministry of 
Interior to turn over to the Jehovah's Witnesses documents relating to 
the 1996 parliamentary report and to pay $1,800 (1,500 euros) for 
costs. The Ministry of Interior's appeal of the decision was ongoing at 
the end of the reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    On February 13, 2005, the first death linked to anti-Semitism since 
1995 occurred when authorities discovered the beaten and burned body of 
Ilan Halimi, a twenty-three-year-old Jewish man who was kidnapped and 
tortured to death by a gang in the southern Paris suburb of Bagneux. 
Halimi was approached by a young woman at his place of work and 
kidnapped when he went to meet her on January 20. One of the suspects 
in custody for the crime admitted to authorities that Halimi had been 
targeted ``because he is Jewish, and because Jews are rich.'' The gang, 
which referred to themselves as ``The Barbarians,'' demanded as much as 
$600,000 (500,000 euros) for his release and reportedly told his family 
to ``ask synagogues for the money'' when told that the family did not 
have enough money. The gang leader and self-proclaimed ``Brain of the 
Barbarians,'' Youssef Fofana, fled to Cote d'Ivoire shortly after 
Halimi's body was discovered and was later extradited to France. At the 
end of the reporting period at least twenty-one persons, including 
Fofana and the woman who lured Halimi, were in custody or awaiting 
charges for the kidnapping and killing of Halimi, which was classified 
by the Justice Ministry as a hate crime bearing the ``aggravated 
circumstance of anti-Semitism.''
    Authorities reacted strongly to Halimi's killing, although some 
members of Halimi's family accused the police of moving too slowly and 
initially disregarding the anti-Semitic dimension of the crime. 
President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, 
opposition political figures, and Muslim and Christian religious 
leaders attended a memorial for Ilan Halimi February 24 at a Paris 
synagogue. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, Foreign Minister Philippe 
Douste-Blazy, and European Minister Catherine Colonna were among the 
estimated 33,000-200,000 people who attended a February 26 march 
organized by the CRIF and NGOs SOS-Racisme and the International League 
against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) to honor Halimi and show 
solidarity against racism and anti-Semitism.
    Following the Halimi killing there was a spate of anti-Semitic 
incidents in the Parisian suburb of Sarcelles, where Jews make up 
approximately 20 percent of the 58,000 residents. According to press 
reports, the perpetrators in these incidents were of sub-Saharan 
African and Maghreb origin. On March 3, 2006 a local rabbi's seventeen-
year-old son was attacked by two men of African origin near a 
synagogue, suffering a broken nose. That same day, an eighteen-year-old 
man was assaulted by a group of five men, who insulted him and stole 
his cell phone. On March 4, a twenty-eight-year-old man was attacked by 
four assailants, suffering a dislocated shoulder. The four responsible 
for the attack were arrested. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy met 
with the families of all three victims, calling anti-Semitism ``a stain 
on the national flag'' and announcing a reinforcement of local police 
forces and video surveillance in the area.
    In July 2005, three youths threw bottles of acid into the courtyard 
of a Jewish school in Paris. No injuries were reported. The three 
minors were released into judicial custody, and their trial remained 
ongoing at the end of the reporting period.
    In April 2005, the CRIF condemned the sale of anti-Semitic 
cassettes by the Committee for the Well-being and Rescue for 
Palestinians at the annual meeting of the Union of Islamic 
Organizations in France (UOIF). The president of the UOIF called the 
situation ``regrettable'' and lamented that the situation had not been 
brought to his attention earlier, so as to prevent the dissemination. 
He stated, ``We cannot tolerate the sale of such cassettes, this is an 
incitation to racial hatred, an incitation against religions. This is 
unacceptable.''
    In November 2004, a group of students visiting Auschwitz were 
accused of inappropriate behavior, including running, throwing 
snowballs, smiling next to pictures of deportees, and in the case of 
one student, making comments that approved of the Nazis' actions. In 
January 2005, an appeals court rejected the appeals of two of the 
disciplined students, upholding the permanent expulsion for the student 
who made the remarks, and confirming a fifteen-day suspension for 
another student.
    In October 2004, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called comments by 
Radio France International editor Alain Menargues ``unacceptable.'' 
Menargues called Israel a ``racist'' state while publicizing his book 
on the West Bank security barrier. As a result of the controversy 
surrounding his remarks, Menargues resigned.
    In October 2004, Bruno Gollnisch, a part-time university professor 
in Lyon, member of the European Parliament, and vice president of the 
extreme-right National Front, made several comments regarding the 
Holocaust to the media, questioning the use of gas chambers and 
stating, ``I'm not contesting the existence of concentration camps, but 
as for the number of dead, historians might want to debate on it.'' In 
March 2005, the disciplinary committee at the university where he was 
teaching banned him from teaching there for five years for contesting 
crimes against humanity; on May 22, the National Council of Higher 
Education's disciplinary committee confirmed the expulsion. On May 23, 
Gollnisch's trial on charges of contesting crimes against humanity was 
postponed until November 7. The European Parliament lifted Gollnisch's 
parliamentary immunity on December 13, 2005.
    On Sunday May 28, 2006, approximately thirty young men marched down 
a symbolically significant street in Paris' traditional Jewish quarter 
yelling ``death to the Jews'' and other anti-Semitic insults. The men, 
of African origin, were seeking a confrontation with members of the 
Betar youth movement and the Jewish Defense League. The incident lasted 
an estimated fifteen minutes. Although there was no violence, many 
Jewish residents and shopkeepers in the area complained of 
intimidation. The National Office of Vigilance against Anti-Semitism 
filed a complaint with police, who opened an investigation. The gang 
warned it would return every Sunday but had not returned again in the 
period covered by this report.
    The men were believed to belong to Tribu KA, a thirty-member group 
of extremist blacks, created in 2004 and known to police for their 
racist rhetoric against Jews and whites. Its leader, Stellio Gilles 
Robert, a former member of the Nation of Islam in Paris under the name 
Kemi Seba, was indicted in the past on charges of public slander and 
incitement to racial hatred. The day after the attack, Interior 
Minister Nicolas Sarkozy wrote a letter to the minister of justice 
seeking an order to ban the group's Internet site, and the site was 
down two days later. The day after the incidents, Sarkozy received the 
president of CRIF and some area shopkeepers. The Socialist Party 
condemned the intimidations of the Tribu KA and called on authorities 
to get to the bottom of the events.
    Sarkozy visited the area on May 31, 2006, proclaiming, ``I don't 
want a single Jew to be afraid here. The fear of a single Jew is a 
stain on the French flag.'' Sarkozy announced that police were 
undertaking two investigations into the incident. He also noted he had 
asked legal experts to study how Tribu KA could be dissolved and 
reinforced patrols in the neighborhood.
    Another interior ministry official stated during a June 4 interview 
that Sarkozy would seek to have the group sanctioned. However, a press 
report from mid-June suggested that investigators have were not able to 
find evidence (from videotapes and witnesses) that the gang members 
actually committed anti-Semitic acts or said anything that would be 
actionable under the law.
    Also in June, the administrative tribunal of Toulouse convicted the 
French state and the state railways, the SNCF, for its role in the 
deportation of Jews during World War II. The specific case was brought 
by the family of Georges Liepitz, whom the state railway transferred in 
spring 1944 from Pau to the transit camp of Drancy, north of Paris. 
(The family was ultimately liberated.) In its judgment, the court 
declared that ``The French administration could not manifestly ignore 
that their transfer...facilitated an operation that would normally have 
been the prelude to the deportation of the concerned persons.'' The 
SNCF, which was ordered to pay $74,400 (62,000 euros) to the Lipietz 
family, said it will appeal the decision.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government has taken a number of proactive steps to fight anti-
Semitic and anti-Islamic attacks, including instructing police 
commissioners to create monitoring units in each department and 
creating a department-level Council of Religions to raise public 
awareness of increased racial and sectarian assaults and other 
incidents. The number of racist and anti-Semitic incidents reported by 
the Government in 2005 was down 38 percent over those in 2004. In late 
2003, the Ministry of Education created a national commission to combat 
anti-Semitism in schools, and the Government continued efforts to 
promote tolerance and combat racism and anti-Semitism throughout the 
reporting period. In August 2004, the Mayor of Paris sent letters to 
all Paris-area principals calling for ``debates on anti-Semitism, 
racism and discrimination'' when classes resumed in September.
    Rabbi Michel Serfaty, co-president of the French Judeo-Muslim 
Friendship Association (AJMF), received positive responses to his June 
2005 tour of Jewish and Muslim leaders throughout the country to 
promote dialogue between the two communities. As a result, Rabbi 
Serfaty followed up with a tour of the Paris region in April and 
another country-wide tour in May.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were a number 
of anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic incidents during the period covered by 
this report. The Council of Christian Churches in France is composed of 
three Protestant, three Catholic, and three Orthodox Christian 
representatives. It serves as a forum for dialogue among the major 
Christian churches. There is also an organized interfaith dialogue 
among the Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish communities, which 
discusses and issues statements on various national and international 
themes.
    In 2004, the Government released the Rufin Report, which concluded 
that racism and anti-Semitism were a threat to French democracy and 
that anti-Semitic acts are not only carried out by elements of the 
extreme right and Muslim youth of North African descent, but also by 
``disaffected individuals'' whose anti-Semitic obsessions prompt their 
attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions. The Rufin Report also 
warned against radical anti-Zionists who question Israel's right to 
exist. The report recommended that a law be created to punish those 
publicly equating Israel with apartheid or Nazi Germany. Additionally, 
the report concluded that the press law of 1881, designed to guarantee 
freedom of the press, was too unwieldy to adequately address the issues 
of racism and anti-Semitism. It recommended removing from the press law 
all injunctions against incitement to racism and anti-Semitism and 
putting them into a new law written specifically to address these 
issues. The Rufin Report also called for countering intolerance in 
primary schools; educating new immigrants about the fight against 
racism and anti-Semitism; and creating an observation system to monitor 
racist and anti-Semitic websites and to work closely with authorities 
to prosecute offenders.
    In a March 2006 annual report to the prime minister, the National 
Consultative Commission on Human Rights (NCCHR) indicated that there 
were 974 racist and anti-Semitic incidents in 2005, a drop of 38 
percent from the 1,574 recorded in 2004. The number of anti-Semitic 
incidents--including physical assaults, attacks against property, 
cemetery desecrations, threats, and reported insults--decreased 48 
percent, from 974 in 2004 to 504 in 2005. The NCCHR also indicated that 
the decrease in anti-Semitic incidents extended into the schools, an 
area that has been of great concern in recent years. According to 
Ministry of Interior figures, the number of racist, anti-Semitic, and 
xenophobic incidents in schools dropped by 54 percent in 2005, with the 
number of anti-Semitic incidents seeing the greatest decrease. The 
Ministry of Education likewise reported a 30 percent reduction in 
incidents of intolerance.
    The NCCHR report noted that the number of anti-Semitic threats and 
insults committed by those of ``Arab-Muslim'' background dropped from 
429 in 2004 to 99 in 2005, a decrease of 77 percent, and comprised 24 
percent of the total. The number of threats and insults committed by 
the extreme right remained relatively stable (148 in 2005 as opposed to 
152 in 2004) and made up 36 percent of the incidents recorded. 
Authorities were unable to identify the perpetrators of anti-Semitic 
violence in 47 percent of the cases. Individuals of ``Arab-Muslim'' 
background were responsible for 41 percent of violent incidents while 
members of the extreme-right were culpable for 10 percent.
    The NCCHR report stated, ``despite the efforts deployed to fight 
racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia, there is still a long way to 
go.'' Specifically, the NCCHR noted a ``lifting of the taboo'' against 
racist attitudes, as evidenced by polls indicating that one in three 
citizens admits to being at least ``a little'' racist, up from 25 
percent in the 2004 report. In its list of recommendations, the NCCHR 
encouraged the Government to continue efforts to fight racism, anti-
Semitism, and xenophobia, particularly as they were disseminated on the 
Internet.
    Judging that French society historically had ``perhaps not been 
vigilant enough in the face of racism and anti-Semitism,'' Justice 
Minister Pascal Clement announced that French courts handed down 434 
convictions for racist and anti-Semitic crimes in 2005, a 43 percent 
increase over the 303 convictions recorded in 2004. The rise in 
convictions, the minister noted, was not due to a rise in incidents, 
but rather to ``better pursuit'' of the acts that did occur. 
Additionally, prosecutors were under orders to seek maximum punishments 
in hate crimes and to systematically appeal sentences not considered 
strong enough.
    CRIF operated a hotline to register allegations of threats in the 
greater Paris region. Additionally, CRIF contributed an analysis of 
anti-Semitic acts and threats in the NCCHR's 2005 annual report. Based 
on its own information and that of the Jewish Community Protection 
Service, CRIF registered 252 anti-Semitic incidents during the first 
ten months of 2005, as opposed to 484 during the same period of time in 
2004. CRIF stated in the NCCHR report that its figures do not always 
correspond to those of the Government, as victims do not always report 
their attacks to both the police and CRIF. CRIF also noted its concern 
about the availability of anti-Semitic diffusions via the Internet, the 
radio, and satellite television.
    Authorities met with international organizations to discuss efforts 
to fight anti-Semitism. Representatives of the American Jewish 
Committee made several trips during the reporting period to consult 
with officials and expressed support for government efforts. President 
Chirac declared his ``absolute determination'' to fight anti-Semitism 
in a May 2, 2006, meeting with members of the UJA-Federation of New 
York, who also discussed the issue with the ministers of justice and 
the interior.
    In 2003, after an arson attack destroyed a Jewish school in Gagny, 
President Chirac stated ``an attack on a Jew is an attack on France'' 
and ordered the formation of an interministerial committee charged with 
leading an effort to combat anti-Semitism. Since its first meeting in 
2003, the committee has worked to improve government coordination in 
the fight against anti-Semitism, including the timely publication of 
statistics and reinforced efforts to prosecute attackers.
    Authorities condemned anti-Semitic attacks, maintained heightened 
security at Jewish institutions, investigated the attacks, made 
arrests, and pursued prosecutions. More than thirteen mobile units, 
totaling more than 1,200 police officers, were assigned to those 
locales with the largest Jewish communities. Fixed or mobile police 
were present in the schools, particularly during the hours when 
children were entering or leaving school buildings. All of these 
measures were coordinated closely with leaders of the Jewish 
communities in the country, notably CRIF.
    The Government took other steps to combat anti-Semitism and other 
forms of intolerance, particularly among young people; however, some 
groups asserted that the judicial system was lax in its sentencing of 
anti-Semitic offenders. Schools emphasized the need for tolerance, and 
copies of the film ``Shoah'' were distributed to all high schools for 
use in history and civics classes.
    The Government has taken other proactive steps to fight anti-
Semitic and anti-Islamic attacks, including instructing police 
commissioners to create monitoring units in each national department 
and announcing in June 2004 the creation of a department-level Council 
of Religions to raise public awareness of increased racial and anti-
sectarian incidents. In September 2004, the mayor of Paris launched a 
campaign to fight all forms of intolerance that included 1,200 
municipal billboards and bulletins in major newspapers.
    Members of the Arab-Muslim community experienced incidents of 
harassment and vandalism. However, the situation improved in 2005, 
during which, according to the NCCHR, there were 470 racist acts 
recorded, a decrease of 22 percent from the 600 committed in 2004. Of 
these, the drop was most profoundly noted in the number of violent 
incidents (88 in 2005 as opposed to 169 in 2004). More than half of the 
racist incidents (257) were attributed to far-right extremists. 
However, violent racist incidents on the island of Corsica, which made 
up 48 percent of the attacks in 2004, comprised only 27 percent of the 
incidents in 2005.
    Attacks in Corsica were often blamed on elements of the island's 
nationalist movement, and many incidents involved graffiti with such 
slogans as ``Arabs Out'' and ``Corsica for the Corsicans'' written in 
the Corsican language. On January 18, 2006, a bomb exploded outside a 
Muslim-owned butcher shop in the Corsican capitol of Ajaccio, the 
fourth such attack against the same shop. No one claimed responsibility 
for the attack. In November 2004, assailants opened fire on an imam as 
he answered a knock at the door of the Muslim Cultural Association of 
Sartene, in southern Corsica. The imam was uninjured. In that same 
month, police placed fourteen members of the nationalist group 
Clandestini Corsi under investigation. In December 2004, there were two 
attacks against a building that houses immigrants. Also in that month, 
Corsican authorities held a week of events aimed at increasing 
awareness of the danger of racism and promoting co-existence between 
immigrant and native Corsican populations. The attacks caused some 
families to move to the mainland or return to their countries of 
origin.
    On November 11, 2005, a mosque near Lyon was attacked with little 
damage reported. On November 13 and 14, two firebomb attacks were 
attempted against the Grand Mosque of Lyon. On November 20, a mosque in 
the eastern town of Fougeres was hit with two firebombs, but no one was 
injured, and the main prayer room was not damaged. Political and 
religious leaders condemned the attacks, and authorities actively 
investigated the incidents. Many suspected the attacks might have been 
committed by right-wing militants in response to the unrest occurring 
nightly at the time.
    Negative societal attitudes regarding the wearing of Muslim 
headscarves might have led to incidents of discrimination against 
Muslim women. Members of the Muslim community alleged that, when 
wearing headscarves, they were refused service by private businesses. 
Media reports indicated that some companies discouraged women employees 
from wearing the headscarf or encouraged them to wear a bandanna in its 
place.
    Authorities cracked down on efforts by small groups linked to the 
extreme right responsible for distributing ``identity soup'' made with 
pork, which is forbidden to those observing kosher or halal diets, to 
the homeless. Police shut down efforts to distribute the soup once it 
was determined to contain pork, and in January the city of Strasbourg 
banned the practice as a threat to public order. ``Schemes with racial 
subtexts must be denounced,'' announced the mayor of Strasbourg.
    In 2004, a court handed down a four-month suspended sentence and a 
$13,624 (10,000 euros) fine to a woman who refused to sell property to 
an Arab couple.
    Cemeteries and religious sites were often targets of attack; the 
Interior Ministry announced desecrations and destructive acts at 
ninety-two Christian, thirty-one Jewish, and twenty-eight Muslim sites 
in 2004. Many of these incidents occurred in Alsace, where extreme-
right groups have ties to similar groups across the border in Germany. 
In January 2006, two individuals were arrested and charged with the 
April 29, 2004, desecration of 127 tombs in a Jewish cemetery in 
Herrlisheim, near the German border. An accomplice, a member of the 
extreme-right political party the National Front, was previously 
arrested in December 2004. Emmanuel Rist, one of the two arrested for 
the defamation, and another individual were also charged with a 
September 8, 2005, explosion that injured Benemar Lhabib, a sixty-five-
year-old Moroccan. A letter following the bombing claimed 
responsibility and called for a ``Nordic-Aryan'' Alsace. In May 2005, 
approximately sixty gravestones were smashed and a swastika drawn on a 
door of a Jewish cemetery in Sarreguemines (eastern France) shortly 
after the memorial service for the town's Holocaust victims had been 
held. Two young vandals, aged fourteen and twelve, were caught and 
confessed to having committed the act ``out of foolishness.''
    On May 18, 2006, the Government approved a ministry of interior 
decision to disband the neo-Nazi group Elsass Korps. The dissolution 
would prevent the group from meeting publicly and punish individuals 
found to be reconstituting the group under a different name.
    In May 2005, a Versailles court of appeals found the authors and 
publisher of a 2002 article titled ``Israel-Palestine: The Cancer'' 
guilty of ``racial defamation'' for anti-Semitic content. Journalists 
Edgar Morin, Daniele Sallenave, and Sami Nair, as well as editor Jean-
Marie Colombani were ordered to pay the legal fees of the prosecuting 
groups and $1.20 (1 euro) each in damages. The publishing newspaper, Le 
Monde, was ordered to print a retraction. The decision was 
controversial, particularly as one of the authors, Edgar Morin, was 
Jewish. A judge dismissed the initial complaint, ruling that any 
reasonable reader would not equate criticism of then-Israeli Prime 
Minister Sharon and his supporters as an attack on all Jews, but an 
appeals court found that three sentences in the article violated a 1990 
antiracism law.
    In June 2005, a Paris court ordered French Internet service 
providers (ISPs) to block the website of the French revisionist 
organization Association of Former Connoisseurs of War and Holocaust 
Stories (AAARGH) to French viewers. Two of three U.S. ISPs agreed to 
stop hosting AAARGH's website.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    Representatives from the embassy met several times with government 
officials responsible for religious freedom issues. These issues were 
raised regularly in meetings with other officials and members of 
Parliament. Embassy officers also met regularly with a variety of 
private citizens, religious organizations, and NGOs involved in the 
issue. The embassy maintained regular contact with the representative 
bodies that comprise the French Council of the Muslim Faith and visits 
mosques run by the various organizations as part of its promotion of 
religious freedom and Muslim outreach efforts. In December 2005, the 
embassy and the Paris-based representative of the American Jewish 
Committee organized a meeting between the ambassador and leading Jewish 
intellectuals and educators to examine the relationship between anti-
Americanism and anti-Semitism in France. In May, the ambassador co-
hosted with the ambassadors of Great Britain, the Czech Republic, and 
Slovakia a screening of the film ``The Power of Good,'' which detailed 
the efforts of Sir Nicolas Winton to save 669 children from Nazi 
extermination during World War II, as part of the embassy's efforts to 
promote religious tolerance. The embassy facilitated the visits of 
American Members of Congress and Congressional Commissions, as well as 
Congressional staff members and representatives from other government 
agencies, to discuss religious freedom issues with religious leaders 
and senior government officials.
                               __________

                                GEORGIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    During the period covered by this report, the status of religious 
freedom continued to improve. Beginning in July 2005 the Government 
approved the registration applications of previously unregistered 
religious groups, pursuant to a new law enabling religious groups to 
operate more freely. A total of fourteen organizations subsequently 
registered under the law. Police were generally more responsive to the 
needs of minority religious groups but failed at times to adequately 
protect them. In December 2005 numerous members of Parliament (MPs) 
objected strongly to a report by the government ombudsman calling for 
equal recognition under the law of all religious groups. The MPs stated 
that the historical role of the Georgian Orthodox Church justified its 
privileged position.
    Citizens generally did not interfere with religious groups 
considered to be ``traditional''; however, there was widespread 
suspicion of ``nontraditional'' ones. Attacks on religious minorities, 
including violence, verbal harassment, and disruption of services and 
meetings, continued to decrease. While the Prosecutor General's Office 
increasingly initiated investigations of religious-based violence, past 
complaints remained unresolved.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 25,900 square miles, and 
its population is an estimated 4.4 million. Most ethnic Georgians (who 
constituted more than 80 percent of the population, according to the 
2002 census) at least nominally associated themselves with the Georgian 
Orthodox Church (GOC). According to common Orthodox practice, Orthodox 
churches serving non-Georgian ethnic groups, such as Russians, 
Armenians, and Greeks, are under the territorial jurisdiction of the 
GOC. Non-Georgian Orthodox churches generally use the language of their 
communicants. There remained a small number of mostly ethnic Russian 
adherents from three dissident Orthodox schools--the Molokani, 
Staroveriy (Old Believers), and Dukhoboriy (Spirit Wrestlers). Under 
Soviet rule, the number of active churches and priests declined 
sharply, and religious education was nearly nonexistent. Membership in 
the GOC has continued to increase since independence in 1991. The 
Church maintained four theological seminaries, two academies, several 
schools, and twenty-seven dioceses; it had approximately 700 priests, 
250 monks, and 150 nuns. The Church was headed by Catholicos Patriarch 
Ilia II; the patriarchate was located in the capital, Tbilisi.
    The Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), Roman Catholicism, Judaism, 
and Islam traditionally coexisted with Georgian Orthodoxy. Some 
religious groups were correlated with ethnicity. Azeris comprised the 
second largest ethnic group (approximately 285 thousand, 7 percent of 
the population) and were largely Muslim; most lived in the southeastern 
region of Kvemo-Kartli, where they constituted a majority. Armenians 
were the third largest ethnic group (estimated at 249 thousand, 6 
percent of the population), comprising the majority in the southern 
Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Armenians largely belonged to the AAC.
    Approximately 9.9 percent of the population was at least nominally 
Muslim. There were three main Muslim populations: Ethnic Azeris, ethnic 
Georgian Muslims of Ajara, and ethnic Chechen Kists in the northeastern 
region. There were four large madrassahs (Muslim religious schools) 
attached to mosques in the eastern region, two of which were Shi'ite 
and financed by Iranian religious groups, and two of which, financed by 
Turkish religious groups, were Sunni. There were also several smaller 
madrassahs in Ajara that were financed by private groups in Turkey.
    The Armenian Apostolic Church comprised the third largest religious 
group, with members constituting an estimated 3.9 percent of the 
population. Each of the other religious groups constituted less than 1 
percent of the population.
    There were approximately thirty-five thousand Catholics, largely 
ethnic Georgians or Assyrians. A small number of Kurdish Yezidis--an 
estimated eighteen thousand--have lived in the country for centuries. 
The ethnic Greek Orthodox community used to number more than one 
hundred thousand, but emigration waves since independence reduced its 
numbers to approximately fifteen thousand.
    Judaism, which has been present since ancient times, was practiced 
in a number of communities throughout the country, particularly in the 
largest cities, Tbilisi and Kutaisi. Approximately ten thousand Jews 
remained in the country following two large waves of emigration, the 
first in the early 1970s and the second during perestroyka in the late 
1980s. Before then, officials estimate that there were approximately 
forty thousand Jews.
    Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Protestant and other 
nontraditional denominations have become more active and prominent. 
Local Jehovah's Witnesses' representatives stated that the group had 
approximately 16 thousand adherents locally and had been in the country 
since 1953. Pentecostals, both ethnic Georgian and Russian, were 
estimated to number nine thousand. Baptists--composed of ethnic 
Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Ossetian, and Kurdish groups--totaled an 
estimated eight thousand adherents.
    There were fewer than one thousand Lutherans, mostly descendents of 
German communities that settled in the country several hundred years 
ago. Seventh-day Adventists claimed approximately 350 members, and the 
New Apostolic Church was also present. Membership in the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was small. There also were a few 
Baha'is, Hare Krishnas, and Buddhists. The membership of all these 
groups combined was officially estimated at thirty-four thousand 
persons. The number of atheists who openly declare themselves as such 
was less than 1 percent of the population.

               Section II. Status of Freedom of Religion

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, local 
officials and police sometimes denied this right or protection to 
religious minorities. The constitution recognizes the special role of 
the GOC in the country's history but also stipulates the independence 
of the church from the state. In 2002 a constitutional agreement 
(concordat) between the Government and the GOC was signed and ratified 
by Parliament. The concordat recognizes the special role of the GOC and 
devolves authority over all religious matters to it, including matters 
outside the church including public education topics.
    The criminal code specifically prohibits interference with worship 
services, persecution of a person based on religious faith or belief, 
and interference with the establishment of a religious organization. 
Violations of these prohibitions are punishable by fine and/or 
imprisonment. Violations committed by a public officer or official are 
considered abuse of power and are punishable by higher fines and/or 
longer terms of imprisonment.
    The president and government ombudsman have been effective 
advocates for religious freedom and have made numerous public speeches 
and appearances in support of minority religious groups. The Ministry 
of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) have 
become more active in the protection of religious freedom but sometimes 
have failed to pursue criminal cases against Orthodox extremists for 
previous attacks against religious minorities. The human rights unit in 
the legal department of the PGO is charged with protecting human 
rights, including religious freedom. Since the beginning of 2005 the 
PGO has initiated twenty-eight investigations of religious-based 
violence, which have resulted in the trial and conviction of seven 
individuals.
    The GOC remains very active in the restoration of religious 
facilities, and it lobbies the Government for the return of properties 
that were held by the Church before the country's incorporation into 
the Soviet Union (church authorities have claimed that 20 to 30 percent 
of the country's land area at one time belonged to the church). In 
September 2005 the Government returned three additional properties to 
the GOC.
    In November 2005 President Saakashvili ordered the return of a 
mosque in the Kvemo-Kartli region, which had been seized earlier and 
converted into a community hall.
    The country celebrates all Orthodox holy days. In March 2006 
President Saakashvili attended the celebration of the Muslim holy day 
Navrus Bairam in Marneuli, and in November 2005 he participated in a 
celebration of the Muslim holy day Bairam at a mosque in Tbilisi.
    Before a registration process was established by Parliament in 
April 2005, religious groups were required to register as public 
entities, even though the law provided no mechanism to do so yet 
stipulated a fine for any unregistered religious group. Religious 
groups may now register as local associations or foundations. An 
association is based on membership (a minimum of five members is 
required), while a foundation involves one or more founders 
establishing a fund for furtherance of a certain cause for the benefit 
of the particular group or the general public. In both cases 
registration is a function of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). 
Registration must be granted or denied within fifteen days of 
application; a refusal may be appealed in court.
    In July 2005 the MOJ approved the first applications filed under 
the new registration process. Both the Foundation of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Georgia (Mormons) and the 
Representation of the International Agency of Adventist Development and 
Assistance in Georgia (which is affiliated with the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church) received approval in less time than the fifteen days 
allowed by law. An additional twelve organizations subsequently 
registered under the law. The MOJ suspended a notary public for one 
year after she refused to notarize documents of a Pentecostal church 
that the church needed for registration; the congregation was seeking 
registration at the end of the reporting period. Officials at the MOJ 
were responsive in providing advice to religious organizations on 
preparing registration applications and supporting documentation.
    Some religious communities expressed dissatisfaction with the 
status that registration provided. The Catholic Church (RCC) and the 
AAC opposed registering themselves as civil organizations. Other 
churches such as the Baptists expressed concern that transfers of 
property to their churches would then be taxable.
    In November 2005 Jehovah's Witnesses rented a hall in Rustavi to 
conduct meetings. On November 3, 2005, Paata Bluashvili, the leader of 
the Orthodox group Jvari, and members of the group threatened the owner 
of the meeting hall, who then cancelled the contract with the Jehovah's 
Witnesses. Bluashvili was convicted in 2004 of interfering with a 
religious service and given a two-year suspended sentence. Pending 
investigation of the November incident, Bluashvili was sentenced to 
pretrial detention. Upon Bluashvili's appeal of the three-month 
detention, a court of appeals overturned the sentence and released him, 
pending trial. In April 2006 a Rustavi court reinstated the three-month 
sentence. Bluashvili failed to appear at the April hearing and was 
wanted by the authorities.
    While Jehovah's Witnesses no longer believed it necessary to hold 
services in private homes for security reasons, they often continued to 
do so, due to delays in obtaining permits to build and occupy Kingdom 
Halls.
    Despite a law on education passed in April 2005 that forbids 
religious indoctrination, proselytizing, forced assimilation, or the 
teaching of theology in public schools during school hours, in practice 
students routinely received instruction in Orthodox Christian theology. 
Teachers often began most courses, including mathematics and science, 
by leading the class in a recitation of Orthodox prayers. Those 
students who did not participate were sometimes punished. The law also 
forbids the display of religious symbols on a public school's grounds 
unless the purpose is academic. In many classrooms, however, teachers 
hung orthodox icons or pictures of GOC religious figures. Some schools 
have Orthodox chapels where students were encouraged to pray.
    Public schools offered an elective course, ``Religion in Society.'' 
This course, however, dealt exclusively with the theology of Orthodox 
Christianity. Moreover, while the course was an elective, there was 
societal pressure for students to take it. The primary textbook 
approved for use in the course focused on Orthodox Christianity to the 
exclusion of other faiths. The Ministry of Education (MOE) continued to 
work on curriculum development for this course.
    Students are allowed to study religion and conduct religious 
rituals after school hours; neither a teacher nor any other outside 
party, such as a priest, may participate unless invited by the 
students. Prayers and other rituals may no longer be conducted during 
school hours.
    The GOC routinely reviews religious and other textbooks used in 
schools for consistency with Orthodox beliefs. By law the church has a 
consultative role in curriculum development but no veto power.
    Pursuant to a memorandum signed by the GOC patriarchate and the MOE 
in January 2005, a joint working group began reviewing options for the 
elective course on religion in society and other matters related to 
religion in the curriculum. In the memorandum, the ministry also agreed 
to financially assist the church in its education projects and 
institutions and to include the Church in the development of new 
material for religious education. No other religious groups were 
afforded these privileges.
    Senior government officials, including the speaker of Parliament, 
and opposition party leaders intervened when the public television 
station declined to broadcast live a Christmas Eve church service. The 
service was broadcast following the intervention.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The 2002 concordat between the GOC and the state defines relations 
between the two. The GOC enjoys tax-exempt status not available to 
other religious groups. The concordat contained several controversial 
articles: Giving the patriarch immunity, granting the Church the 
exclusive right to staff the military chaplaincy, exempting GOC 
clergymen from military service, and giving the Church a unique 
consultative role in government, especially in the sphere of education. 
Many of these controversial articles, however, required Parliament to 
adopt implementing legislation, which it had not done at the end of the 
reporting period. For example, despite the concordat granting the GOC 
the right to establish a military chaplaincy, no legislation had been 
adopted and there were no chaplains in military units.
    The Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, and Armenian Apostolic churches, 
as well as representatives of the Jewish and Muslim faiths, signed 
formal documents with the GOC patriarchate agreeing to the concordat 
but stated after the document was published that several of these 
controversial articles were not in the original that they had signed. 
Representatives of nontraditional minority religious groups, such as 
Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostals, were not included in the 
concordat process. The AAC raised concerns about the authority the GOC 
enjoys over decisions regarding the return of historically AAC church 
property.
    While most citizens practiced their religion without restriction, 
the worship of some, particularly adherents of nontraditional faiths, 
was restricted by threats and intimidation from some local Orthodox 
priests and congregations. On some occasions during the reporting 
period, local police were slow to prevent the harassment of non-
Orthodox religious groups, including Jehovah's Witnesses and 
Pentecostals.
    On February 14, 2006, members of Jehovah's Witnesses requested 
permission to use the privately owned sports palace in Tbilisi for a 
two-day religious convention for up to five thousand persons. On 
February 22, 2006, the management of the sports palace responded that 
they would be willing to accommodate such a convention only if 
Jehovah's Witnesses obtained a guarantee from the state to provide 
security. An identical request they made in April 2005 had received a 
similar response from the management. The 2005 incident prompted an 
investigation by the PGO; results were pending at the end of the 
reporting period.
    A 2001 Supreme Court ruling revoked the registration of Jehovah's 
Witnesses as a foreign branch of the U.S.-based Jehovah's Witnesses on 
the grounds that the law does not allow registration of religious 
organizations. The revocation resulted from a 1999 court case brought 
by a former MP seeking to ban the group on the grounds that it 
presented a threat to the state and the GOC. A case brought by 
Jehovah's Witnesses before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 
2001 challenging this annulment was pending at the end of the period 
covered by this report. It was unclear how the acknowledgement by the 
Government of the lawfulness of the Jehovah's Witnesses' registration 
and four subsequent registrations by other religious organizations as 
branches of foreign noncommercial legal entities would affect the case 
before the ECHR.
    The Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches have been unable to 
secure the return of churches and other facilities closed during the 
Soviet period, many of which later were given to the GOC by the state. 
The prominent AAC church in Tbilisi, Norashen, remained closed, as did 
four smaller AAC churches in Tbilisi and one in Akhaltsikhe. In 
addition, the RCC and AAC, like Protestant denominations, have had 
difficulty obtaining permission to construct new churches.
    De facto authorities in the separatist Abkhazia and South Ossetia 
regions remained outside the control of the central Government, and 
reliable information from those regions was difficult to obtain. A 1995 
decree issued by the de facto leader of Abkhazia banning Jehovah's 
Witnesses in the region remained in effect but was not enforced. During 
the reporting period Jehovah's Witnesses reported no problems in 
Abkhazia, where membership was approximately 1,500. Although Baptists, 
Lutherans, and Catholics also reported that they were allowed to 
operate in the region, the GOC reported it was unable to do so. The 
patriarch expressed concern over Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) support 
of separatism in the region, specifically subsidizing websites that 
encouraged secessionist sentiments. The GOC also complained that the 
ROC's Moscow Theological Seminary was training Abkhaz priests. Despite 
the fact that the ROC recognizes the country's territorial integrity, 
the GOC patriarchate claimed that the ROC was sending in priests loyal 
to the ROC patriarchate in Moscow, under the pretext of setting up 
indigenous Abkhaz churches.
    Orthodox believers were not able to conduct services in GOC 
churches located near the villages of Nuli, Eredvi, Monasteri, and Gera 
because these areas were under the control of Ossetian authorities.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    While there were fewer physical attacks on religious minority 
groups during the reporting period, harassment continued. Although 
police rarely facilitated harassment of religious minority groups, they 
sometimes failed to protect them.
    There was sporadic harassment of members of nontraditional 
religious groups. Occasionally local Orthodox priests and their 
congregation members verbally and physically threatened members of 
minority groups and prevented them from constructing places of worship 
and from holding worship services. Representatives of the affected 
groups regularly filed complaints with the PGO and the ombudsman.
    Within the PGO, the Human Rights Protection Unit monitors the 
progress of investigations and prosecution of cases involving abuses of 
religious freedom. During the reporting period, twenty instances of 
interference, threats, intimidation, or violence were investigated. In 
five instances, cases were awaiting trial; in eleven instances, the 
investigations were ongoing; and in four instances, the investigation 
did not find sufficient evidence to support charges. In October 2005 a 
case against J. Megenishvili, for interfering in the performance of a 
religious service, was forwarded to the Tbilisi city court for trial. 
In August 2005 the prosecutor general initiated an investigation 
related to an attack on two members of Jehovah's Witnesses, Lamara 
Tskhovrebadze and Guliko Palivashvili. That investigation was ongoing 
at the end of the reporting period.
    In Rustavi on August 28, September 1, and October 18, 2005, 
Jehovah's Witnesses alleged that thirty persons blocked the road 
leading to a home used for services. At the request of the public 
defender, an investigation was launched. The investigation found that 
the congregation had not been subjected to threats or violence.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Pursuant to a new registration law adopted in April 2005, religious 
groups can obtain legal status, which provides benefits such as the 
ability to enter into contracts, open bank accounts, and own property. 
While many religious groups praised the legislation, more traditional 
religious groups continued to push for special legal status that would 
set them apart from nontraditional religious groups. Some religious 
groups also complained that the amendment did not provide for 
registering property that they already owned under personal title. 
While the parliamentary legal committee agreed to hold consultations to 
help religious groups overcome this hurdle, the law was not amended 
before the end of the reporting period.
    Nontraditional religious groups reported that they were able to 
import literature without seizure or delay. The AAC stated, however, 
that imports of religious items such as candles were sometimes delayed 
due to ambiguities about the Church's legal status in the country.
    While Jehovah's Witnesses no longer believed it was necessary, for 
security reasons, to hold their services in private homes, due to 
delays in obtaining permits to build and occupy Kingdom Halls, 
congregations often continued to meet in private homes.
    In an effort to implement a 2001 Supreme Court ruling, the Jewish 
community reached an agreement with a theater group whereby the theater 
group vacated a hall in a Tbilisi building seized from the Jewish 
community during Soviet rule. While the Jewish community was able to 
use the hall, the situation was not fully resolved, because the 
community could not use the hall as a synagogue.
    In July 2005 the GOC patriarch and the ombudsman established 
religious councils as forums to discuss ecumenical approaches to 
addressing social problems such as poverty and drug addiction.
    On November 2, 2005, the appeals court upheld a trial court 
decision sentencing excommunicated Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili 
to six years' imprisonment for engaging in numerous attacks on 
nontraditional religious minorities including Baptists, Seventh-day 
Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses. The four-year sentence of his 
accomplice Petre Ivanidze was also upheld.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The public's attitude towards religion was ambivalent. Although 
many residents were not particularly observant, the link between the 
country's Orthodoxy and ethnic and national identity was strong.
    The Jewish communities reported that they encountered few societal 
problems. Anti-Semitism has not been a significant problem in recent 
years, and there were no reported incidents during the period covered 
by this report.
    Relations between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims were very good; Sunni 
and Shi'a worshipped together in Tbilisi's mosque. Relations between 
Muslims and Christians were also quite good. There were occasional 
media reports of minor incidents of violence between ethnic Azeris and 
ethnic Georgians or ethnic Armenians; however, these incidents did not 
appear to be motivated by religious differences.
    Despite their historical tolerance toward minority religious groups 
traditional to the country--including Catholics, Armenian Apostolic 
Christians, Jews, and Muslims--many citizens remained apprehensive 
about Protestants and other nontraditional religious groups, which they 
often viewed as taking advantage of the populace's economic hardship by 
gaining membership through economic assistance to converts. Many 
members of the GOC and the public viewed religious minorities, 
especially nontraditional groups of evangelical Protestants or so-
called ``sects,'' as a threat to the national church and the country's 
cultural values.
    Local Orthodox priests and public school teachers vocally 
criticized minority religious groups and interfaith marriages. Some 
also discouraged Orthodox followers from any interaction with students 
who belonged to Protestant churches. Sometimes teachers ridiculed 
students who had converted to Protestant faiths, claiming the students 
converted because they were offered financial benefits.
    In 1997 the GOC withdrew from the World Council of Churches to 
appease clerics strongly opposed to ecumenism. Some Orthodox Church 
officials had ties to the Jvari organization that was involved in 
physical attacks on nontraditional religious organizations and to two 
fundamentalist Orthodox groups, the Society of Saint David the Builder 
and the Union of Orthodox Parents, which denounced activities of non-
Orthodox churches or organizations.
    GOC authorities accused AAC believers of purposely altering some 
existing Georgian Orthodox churches so that they would be mistaken for 
AAC churches. AAC representatives accused GOC believers of similar 
activities. On July 14, 2005, in the village of Samsara in the 
Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, a group of ethnic Georgian students and GOC 
nuns were attacked by ethnic Armenian villagers as they were cleaning 
up a church whose ownership is in dispute. The villagers accused the 
students and nuns of trying to erase crosses symbolic of the AAC from 
the building and of placing Orthodox icons in the church. After the 
ombudsman intervened, representatives from both the GOC and the AAC 
issued a joint statement denouncing the violence and calling for 
forgiveness of those who had used force.
    Following a series of physical and verbal threats in April and May 
2005 against a group of Russian Pentecostals attempting to hold 
services in a private home in Tbilisi, the ombudsman helped the 
congregation obtain a plot of land on which to construct a new building 
for services. While plans for the building were being drawn up, the 
congregation conducted services in undisclosed private homes or in 
outdoor areas. Police routinely provided protection in the latter case. 
No charges were filed in connection with the April and May 2005 
incidents.
    Following a series of incidents which began in June 2005 in Kutaisi 
during which local residents repeatedly attacked members of Jehovah's 
Witnesses in an effort to stop renovations to a meeting house, numerous 
investigations were launched into the attacks as well as into reports 
that the police had been slow to respond to the violence and then 
themselves threatened the Jehovah's Witnesses. Two individuals who were 
detained in connection with the attack publicly apologized to the 
Jehovah's Witnesses. In April 2006, at the request of Jehovah's 
Witnesses, the criminal charges against the two persons were dropped. 
The meetinghouse in Kutaisi operated freely afterwards.
    In August 2005 a large and vocal protest continued for two days at 
the Nunciature of the Holy See in Tbilisi. A GOC parents group, 
objecting to perceived proselytizing by the Catholic Church, carried 
out the protest. The group also included Orthodox clergy. Police did 
not disperse the protesters even when objects were thrown at the 
Nunciature.
    In September 2005 an ecumenical memorial service was held for the 
victims of Hurricane Katrina and the September 11, 2001, terrorist 
attacks. Representatives from most Protestant denominations and of the 
Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish faiths participated.
    Between November 24 and 26, 2005, the Christian Research Center, a 
nongovernmental organization (NGO) affiliated with the GOC, held a 
symposium to promote dialogue and tolerance. Representatives from the 
AAC, the RCC, and other denominations participated. During a 
presentation by the bishop of the Lutheran Evangelical Church, however, 
hecklers verbally abused him.
    In December 2005 in the village of Tsinubani in the predominantly 
ethnic Armenian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, a local AAC priest 
denounced a local Pentecostal congregation and urged villagers to 
prevent the latter from burying its members in the local cemetery. The 
ombudsman called for an investigation which is still pending.
    Acts of religious violence between 2000 and 2004 went unpunished, 
sometimes despite the filing of numerous criminal complaints. For 
example, no criminal cases were expected to be opened for the following 
incidents: The October 2004 incident in the village of Velistsikhe, 
where local Orthodox priests and congregation members used verbal and 
physical threats to block Baptists from constructing a church; the June 
2003 arson attack on a Baptist church in Akhalsopheli; the July 2004 
incident in Ozurgeti during which an employee of the mayor's office 
verbally and physically threatened two members of Jehovah's Witnesses 
who were proselytizing door-to-door; the November 2004 incident during 
which a member of Jehovah's Witnesses was threatened several times for 
using his house in Kareli to hold worship services; or the November 
2004 assault by members of the conservative Orthodox group, ``The 
Society of Saint David the Builder,'' on several more liberal GOC 
seminary students.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Government repeatedly raised its concerns regarding harassment of 
and attacks against nontraditional religious minorities with senior 
government officials, including the president, speaker of Parliament, 
the ministers of internal affairs and justice, and the prosecutor 
general. Embassy officials, including the ambassador, frequently met 
with representatives of the Government, Parliament, various religious 
confessions, and NGOs concerned with religious freedom issues.
    An embassy official advocated with the Ministry of Justice on 
behalf of religious organizations seeking recognition under the 
registration law adopted in April 2005.
                               __________

                                GERMANY

    The Basic Law (constitution) provides for religious freedom, and 
the Government generally respected this right in practice; however, 
discrimination against certain religious minorities remained an issue.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    Although the country's religious demography grew increasingly 
complex, the generally amicable relationships among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Important religious concerns 
included the organization of Islamic religious instruction in schools; 
social and governmental (federal and state) treatment of certain 
religious minorities, notably Scientologists and Jehovah's Witnesses; 
and bans in certain states on the wearing of headscarves by female 
Muslim teachers in public schools.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Government placed particular emphasis on support for direct 
dialogue between representatives of minority religious groups and 
relevant government officials.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 137,847 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 82 million. There were no official statistics on 
religious groups; however, unofficial estimates and figures provided by 
religious organizations gave an approximate breakdown of the membership 
of the country's denominations. The data below were compiled from 
various sources and are for 2004, unless otherwise noted.
    The Roman Catholic Church had a membership of approximately 26.2 
million. The Evangelical Church, a confederation of the Lutheran, 
Uniate, and Reformed Protestant churches, had approximately 25.8 
million members. Together, these two churches accounted for nearly two-
thirds of the population.
    The following list consists of other religious communities 
comprising more than 0.1 percent of the population. Protestant 
Christian denominations include: New Apostolic Church, 380,000; Ethnic 
German Baptists from the Former Soviet Union (FSU), 300-380,000; and 
Baptist, 85,000. Muslims number 3.3 million (2003), including Sunnis, 
2.2 million (2001); Alawites, 340,000 (2000); and Shiites, 170,000 
(2000). Orthodox Christians number 1.4 million, including Greek 
Orthodox/Constantinople Patriarchate, 450,000; Serbian Orthodox, 
150,000; Romanian Orthodox, 80-100,000; and Russian Orthodox/Moscow 
Patriarchate, 50,000. Buddhists number 240,000, and Jehovah's Witnesses 
166,000. Jews number 189,000, including Central Council Affiliated, 
105,000; and nonaffiliated, 80,000. Hindus number 97,500.
    Under a liberal immigration policy from 1990 to 2005, more than 
199,000 Jews and their dependents from the countries of the former 
Soviet Union (FSU) came to the country. In mid-2005, the Government and 
Jewish organizations agreed to new, more restrictive procedures for 
Jewish immigration from the FSU, in order to better regulate the 
influx.
    An estimated twenty-one million persons, or one-quarter of the 
population, either had no religious affiliation or belonged to 
unrecorded religious organizations.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Basic Law (constitution) provides for freedom of religion, and 
the Government generally respected this right in practice; however, 
discrimination against and unequal treatment of some minority religious 
groups remained an issue, in part because of the legal/constitutional 
structure of church-state relations. The structure for managing church-
state relations, established in 1949, was gradually adapting to the 
country's increasingly diverse religious composition.
    Religious organizations are not required to register with the 
state, and groups may organize themselves for private religious 
purposes without constraint. However, most religious organizations are 
registered and treated as nonprofit associations, which enjoy a degree 
of tax-exempt status. State-level authorities review registration 
submissions and routinely grant tax-exempt status. Their decisions are 
subject to judicial review. Organizations must provide evidence, 
through their own statutes, history, and activities, that they are a 
religion. Local tax offices occasionally conduct reviews of tax-exempt 
status.
    Religion and state are separate, although a special partnership 
exists between the state and those religious communities that have the 
status of a ``corporation under public law.'' Any religious 
organization may request that it be granted ``public law corporation'' 
status, which, among other things, entitles it to name prison, hospital 
and military chaplains, and to levy a tithe (averaging 9 percent of 
income tax) on its members that the state collects. Public law 
corporations pay a fee to the Government for this tax service; not all 
avail themselves of it. The decision to grant public law corporation 
status is made at the state level based on certain requirements, 
including an assurance of permanence, the size of the organization, and 
an indication that the organization is not hostile to the 
constitutional order or fundamental rights. An estimated 180 religious 
groups have been granted public law corporation status, including the 
Evangelical and Catholic churches, the Jewish community, Mormons, 
Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Baptists, Methodists, Christian 
Scientists, and the Salvation Army.
    The Muslim communities remained an exception. Few Muslim 
organizations had applied for public law corporation status and no 
state had granted the status, in part because of intra-Muslim disputes 
over whether any Muslim organization was representative of the 
community and/or met the criteria for the status. In principle, the 
federal Government is in favor of the states' granting public law 
corporation status to Muslim communities but would like Muslims to 
agree upon a single organization with which the state and federal 
governments could deal. Efforts to bring together at least several of 
the Muslim organizations providing religious services were ongoing.
    The state provides subsidies to some religious organizations for 
historical and cultural reasons. In view of German culpability for the 
Holocaust, the states have accepted as a permanent duty the obligation 
to provide financial support to the Jewish community, including support 
for reconstruction of old and construction of new synagogues. Repairs 
to and restoration of some Christian churches and monasteries 
expropriated by the state in 1803 are financed by the Government. Newer 
church buildings and mosques do not generally receive subsidies for 
maintenance or construction. State governments also subsidize various 
institutions affiliated with public law corporations, such as religious 
schools and hospitals, which provide public services.
    The 2003 ``State Agreement on Cooperation'' between the federal 
Government and the Central Council of Jews agrees to supplement the 
funding received by the Jewish community from the states. Approximately 
$3.75 million (3 million euros) is provided annually to the Central 
Council to maintain Jewish cultural heritage, to build up the Jewish 
community, and to support integration and social work. The Central 
Council reports annually to the Government on the use of the funds. The 
agreement emphasizes that the Central Council of Jews is meant to 
support all branches of Judaism with the funds provided. In late 2005, 
the Central Council and the German branch of the World Union for 
Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) resolved differences over the role of the 
WUPJ and the use of Central Council funds to support WUPJ-affiliated 
communities and activities.
    Most public schools offer Protestant and Catholic religious 
instruction in cooperation with those churches, as well as instruction 
in Judaism if enough students express interest. Depending on the state, 
a nonreligious ethics course or study hall may be available for 
students not wishing to participate in religious instruction. In early 
2005, a dispute arose between the state of Berlin and the Evangelical 
and Catholic churches over proposals to establish a mandatory secular 
ethics course for all students in Berlin public schools. The state 
argued that, because of the low level of participation in religion 
classes and the relatively high proportion of Muslim students, such a 
course was needed. The churches argued that the state should not be 
responsible for transmitting ethical values and cannot properly teach 
about the ethical content of religions. Although confessional education 
would remain available in Berlin on a voluntary basis, the churches 
believed that their teaching would be undermined. As of April 2006, the 
state planned to introduce the new course into seventh grade classes in 
August 2006.
    How to provide Islamic education in public schools was a 
controversial topic nationally. Education is a state responsibility 
and, in part because no nationally recognized Islamic organization 
exists that could assist in developing a curriculum or providing 
services, the form and content of Islamic instruction varies from state 
to state. Organizations providing Islamic instruction do not have 
public law corporation status.
    Bavaria, in cooperation with the Turkish government, has offered 
Islamic religious instruction in Turkish in its public schools since 
the 1980s. Since 2001, in a separate state-initiated and much smaller 
program, Islamic instruction has been offered in German. In 2003-2004, 
a pilot Islamic education program in German in cooperation with the 
local Muslim community began at one public school.
    Baden-Wuerttemberg was scheduled to offer Islamic religious courses 
in select public schools in 2006-2007. Local Islamic organizations were 
expected to be responsible for the religious classes, using a 
curriculum developed by the state.
    Since 2001, the Islamic Federation of Berlin has provided Islamic 
instruction in several Berlin schools. The decision has drawn criticism 
from Muslim organizations not represented in the Federation, and from 
others concerned about the Federation's alleged links to a Turkish 
group classified as extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection 
of the Constitution (OPC). In June 2005, media reported that the state 
government was planning to establish a training program for teachers of 
Islam at the Free University to permit the development of a state-
sponsored alternative to the Islamic Federation's program; however, no 
action had been taken by the end of the period covered by this report.
    In 2003, Lower Saxony began a pilot Islamic instruction program in 
German in eight elementary schools. The program was developed by the 
state in collaboration with local Muslim communities and was expanded 
to seventeen elementary schools in 2005. In January 2006, the minister-
president announced his intention to further expand the program to meet 
a surge in demand from parents.
    In North Rhine-Westphalia, Islamic instruction began in Turkish in 
1999. As of 2004, Islam was taught, through a state-developed 
curriculum in German, to more than 6,000 students. By 2006, 130 schools 
offered this curriculum. However, these courses seek to provide 
objective information about Islam rather than educate students in their 
faith, as is the case in Protestant and Catholic classes. Efforts are 
underway to develop such a course in cooperation with Islamic 
organizations.
    One school in Bremen offers instruction in Islam. The government of 
Schleswig-Holstein has begun to consider how to introduce Islamic 
instruction in German. In March 2006, the Saarland Parliament resolved 
to consider the possibility of Islamic instruction, should Muslim 
organizations request it. The state education minister declared that he 
favored Muslim participation in nondenominational ethics courses. No 
Islamic instruction was provided in Hamburg during the period covered 
by this report, but, in February 2006, the minister-president proposed 
that independent Islamic studies be offered in schools. The proposal 
was before the Hamburg Parliament at the end of the period covered by 
this report. The state of Hesse has not introduced Islamic instruction 
because of disputes over the curriculum and Islamic community 
representation. In a number of eastern states (Mecklenburg-Western 
Pomerania, Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt), the number of Muslim 
students was too small and dispersed for Islamic instruction to be 
practicable.
    Ministry of Defense efforts to develop a Muslim chaplaincy have 
failed because of an inability to reach agreement on a plan with the 
multiple Muslim groups. Independently, the ministry has developed a 
code of conduct to facilitate the practice of Islam by an estimated 
3,000 Muslim soldiers.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. In May 2006, the Government sent a draft anti-
discrimination law to Parliament for consideration. The law is based 
on--but also goes beyond--European Union requirements and would ban 
discrimination on grounds of religion. Representatives of various 
minority religious groups believed the new law, once enacted and 
enforced, would improve their legal and civil standing.
    In 2002, the Federal Constitutional Court defined the Government's 
``warning'' function with respect to nontraditional religions, ruling 
that the Government could characterize nontraditional religions as 
``sects,'' ``youth religions,'' and ``youth sects,'' and is allowed to 
provide accurate information about them to the public. However, the 
Government may not defame these religious groups by using terms such as 
``destructive,'' ``pseudo-religion,'' or ``manipulative.''
    The Federal Interior Ministry's 1995 immigration exclusion (refusal 
to issue a visitor's visa) continued in force against the founder of 
the Unification Church, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, and his wife, Hak Ja 
Han Moon. The 1995 decision also placed Rev. and Mrs. Moon on the 
``Schengen'' list, which bars their entry into many other European 
states, and was based on the Government's characterization of Rev. Moon 
and his wife as leaders of a ``cult'' that endangers the personal and 
social development of young persons. The Unification Church was seeking 
to overturn the ban in the courts.
    A ten-year legal effort by Jehovah's Witnesses to overturn a 1995 
Berlin state government (Senate) decision to deny them public law 
corporation status was resolved in May 2006. The Senate had refused to 
grant the status because the Jehovah's Witnesses' bar on members voting 
raises questions about its loyalty to the democratic state, and because 
its use of corporal punishment and separation of members leaving the 
religion from their families raise human rights concerns. In mid-2005, 
the Senate accepted a March 2005 Berlin Administrative Court ruling in 
favor of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Following successful negotiations 
between the Senate and the Witnesses on implementation of the ruling, 
the Senate formally granted public law corporation status to the church 
in May 2006.
    The Church of Scientology, which operated eighteen churches and 
missions, remained under observation (as it has been since 1997) by the 
federal and seven state Offices for the Protection of the Constitution 
(OPCs), out of concern that the Church's teachings and practices are 
opposed to the democratic constitutional order or violate human rights. 
In deciding whether to observe an organization, OPC officials collect 
publicly available information, mostly from written materials and from 
public events, to assess whether a ``threat'' exists. In addition, OPC 
staff and law enforcement officials also directly approached 
Scientologists for information, a practice many find a form of 
intimidation and harassment. More intrusive observation methods are 
subject to legal checks and would require evidence of involvement in 
treasonous or terrorist activity.
    The Church of Scientology appeal of a November 2004 Cologne court 
ruling, which stated that OPC observation was justified and could 
continue, remained before the Higher Administrative Court in Muenster; 
a decision was not expected until 2007. In recent years, however, many 
state OPCs have opted to stop their observations of Scientology; 
exceptions included Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, and Hamburg, which 
remained particularly stringent. Despite this reduced observation, the 
federal OPC's 2006 annual report concluded that the original reasons 
for initiating observation of Scientology in 1997 remained valid, 
although it noted that Scientology had not been involved in any 
criminal activity. Scientologists contended that OPC observation was 
harmful to the Church's reputation and continued to seek redress 
through the courts.
    Several states published pamphlets about Scientology (and other 
religious groups) that detailed the Church's ideology and practices. 
States defended the practice by noting their responsibility to respond 
to citizens' requests for information about Scientology as well as 
other subjects. While many of the pamphlets were factual and relatively 
unbiased, some warned of alleged dangers posed by Scientology to the 
political order, to the free market economic system, and to the mental 
and financial well being of individuals.
    Beyond the Government's actions, the Catholic Church and, 
especially, the Evangelical Church have been public opponents of 
Scientology. Evangelical ``Commissioners for Religious and Ideological 
Issues'' have been particularly active in this regard.
    In response to concerns about Scientology's ideology and practices, 
government agencies at the federal and state level and private sector 
entities had established rules and procedures that discriminate against 
Scientology as an organization and/or against individual members of the 
Church. For example, in 2001, the federal Government had prohibited 
firms bidding on government training contracts from using the 
``technology of L. Ron Hubbard'' (a proprietary term used by the Church 
of Scientology) in executing contracts. Firms owned, managed by, or 
employing Scientologists could, however, bid on contracts. Some states 
and private business groups adopted variations, in some cases more 
stringent, of this rule. In addition, since 1996, government employment 
offices throughout the country had implemented an Economics and Labor 
Ministry administrative order directing them to enter an ``S'' notation 
next to the names of firms suspected of employing Scientologists. 
Employment counselors were supposed to warn their clients that they 
might encounter Scientologists in these workplaces. Some private job 
centers also adopted this practice. In late 2005, the federal Agency 
for Labor formally informed the Church of Scientology that this 
practice was no longer followed.
    In 2005, Scientologists continued to report instances of societal 
and official discrimination. A subcontractor to a Munich branch of a 
telecommunications company asserted that she had been fired in June 
2005 for being a Scientologist after her employer was asked whether she 
employed Scientologists. Since March 1, 2005, applicants for German 
citizenship in Bavaria have been required to fill out a questionnaire 
regarding their affiliation with organizations under observation by the 
state OPC, including Scientology. The Church documented two cases 
involving persons whose naturalization requests were denied, allegedly 
because of membership in the Church. However, in November 2005, the 
Bavarian Administrative Appeals Court affirmed the right of a 
Scientology ``Celebrity Center'' to call itself a ``registered 
association,'' as a nonprofit social group whose members share a common 
purpose. In December 2005, the Federal Supreme Administrative Court 
ruled, on the basis of freedom of religion, that the city-state of 
Hamburg could no longer distribute forms which companies used to obtain 
a statement from their business partners that the partner would not use 
``the technology of L. Ron Hubbard'' in its business. Scientology 
representatives, however, stated that the city-state has not 
implemented the ruling in good faith, leaving critical material on its 
website.
    Since the 1990s, four of the major political parties--the Christian 
Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, the Social Democratic 
Party (SPD), and the Free Democratic Party (FDP)--have banned 
Scientologists from party membership. Scientologists have 
unsuccessfully challenged these bans in courts.
    A large number of Muslim organizations, including some which 
profess to be engaged in specifically and solely peaceful religious, 
social and/or cultural activities, were under observation by state and 
federal OPCs. These included, for example, the Cologne-based 
Association of Islamic Cultural Centers and the Islamic Federation of 
Berlin. The Islamic Religious Community of Hesse (IRH), that state's 
largest Muslim umbrella organization, protested its listing in the 2005 
Hesse OPC Report. In reply, the Hesse Interior Ministry claimed that 
IRH activities, such as limiting female participation and promoting 
Shari'a, contradict basic principles of the constitution. IRH leaders 
expressed concern that the listing undermines the state's dialogue with 
the Muslim community and the group's leader announced that he would 
resign and leave the country in protest. In June 2006, the State 
Administrative Court ruled that, while OPC observation could continue, 
the IRH could not appear in the 2007 report unless the OPC presented 
new information.
    After 2003, the Federal Constitutional Court cleared the way for 
state legislation that would ban female Muslim teachers from wearing 
headscarves at work; several states indicated their intention to enact 
laws prohibiting Muslim public servants from wearing headscarves on 
duty. From April 2004 to June 2006, eight states had passed such 
legislation. New legislation generally used language that could be 
applied to wearing any symbol that could be taken as a rejection of 
constitutional values or as a symbol of oppression. In the case in 
Baden-Wuerttemberg, this legislation was under judicial review at the 
end of the reporting period. In October 2005, the state government 
proposed extending the ban to include kindergarten teachers, a proposal 
that generated much opposition but remained on the table as of May 
2006.
    In April 2006, a Bonn high school principal, backed by the regional 
school authority, suspended two eighteen-year old Muslim students who 
sought to wear burqas to class. The principal defended his decision on 
pedagogical grounds, and one student agreed not to wear the burqa; the 
other dropped out of the public school system.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    According to the 2006 report by the OPC, the total number of 
registered anti-Semitic crimes rose significantly from 1,316 in 2004 to 
1,658 in 2005. Among these, the number of violent crimes increased from 
thirty-seven to forty-nine. Desecration of Jewish cemeteries or other 
monuments was the most widespread anti-Semitic act. On April 18-19, 
2006, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe, located in Mainz, was 
desecrated. The police announced that the act was probably the work of 
right-wing extremists (although no epithets or political symbols were 
used), but the actual perpetrators remained unknown.
    In January 2005, following criticisms from a member of Parliament, 
the Hesse criminal office began investigating virulently 
antiSemitic reporting by the Istanbul-based newspaper Vakit. 
The interior minister banned the newspaper and its publisher. In 
August, prosecutors concluded they could not charge the editors since 
the articles were written abroad.
    On March 3, 2005, the radio station SWR Four withdrew its 
invitation to singer Christian Anders to perform at an event after 
Anders' Holocaust denial on his private Web site was publicized. Anders 
had also re-edited and published an anti-Semitic song.
    On August 15, 2005, the Electoral Alternative for Social Justice 
Party in Trier expelled its county chairman, Wolfgang Schmitt, for 
using anti-Semitic rhetoric.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    The country was simultaneously becoming increasingly secular and 
religiously diverse. Regular attendance at religious services 
decreased. Fifteen years after reunification, the eastern part of the 
country remained far more secular than the west. Only 5 to 10 percent 
of eastern citizens belonged to a religious organization.
    A degree of anti-Semitism based on religious doctrines and historic 
anti-Jewish prejudice continued to exist. Far-right political 
organizations added claims that Jews were behind modern social and 
economic trends, such as globalization, which some Germans found 
disorienting or dangerous. While most anti-Semitic acts were attributed 
to neo-Nazi or other right-wing extremist groups or persons, recent 
anti-Semitic incidents indicated that Arab youths were increasingly 
behind attacks on and harassment of Jews.
    Authorities strongly condemned all anti-Semitic acts and devoted 
significant resources to investigating incidents and prosecuting 
perpetrators. Authorities ran a variety of tolerance-education 
programs, many focusing on anti-Semitism and xenophobia. The programs 
received input and assistance from Jewish nongovernmental 
organizations. The state also provided twenty-four-hour police 
protection at synagogues and many other Jewish institutions.
    The rise of a substantial Muslim minority at times led to social 
conflict with religious, ethnic, and cultural overtones. Commonly, this 
included local resistance to the construction of mosques or 
disagreements over whether Muslims may use loudspeakers in residential 
neighborhoods to call its adherents to prayer. Authorities argued that 
many disputes also appeared to be related to compliance with 
construction and zoning laws; private groups (with some Interior 
Ministry financing) sought to better educate Muslim groups about these 
laws. Muslim groups, however, argued that such rules were often abused 
or that local opposition was motivated by anti-Muslim bias. 
Nonreligious (e.g., noise and traffic levels) and security concerns 
were also factors. Local opposition in Munich, for example, delayed 
plans to build a new mosque there and, in early 2006, efforts to build 
a new mosque in eastern Berlin prompted widespread community and 
political opposition, in part because of questions about the sponsoring 
groups' funding sources and socio-political orientation. Islamic 
instruction in Turkish or Arabic also came under criticism from 
politicians and others who were concerned that such classes may convey 
anti-constitutional or anti-Western messages.
    On several occasions, police raided mosques and other Muslim 
institutions in connection with counter-terrorism investigations. Some 
raids, such as the September 2005 large-scale raids in Hesse, triggered 
accusations of discrimination from members of the mosque. Muslim 
representatives criticized the Hesse raids as an excessive and 
arbitrary ``dragnet.'' There also remained areas where the law and 
Islamic practices conflicted with one another, for example, with regard 
to the call to prayer, Muslim ritual slaughtering, or the segregation 
of older boys and girls during sports classes. Muslim organizations 
also criticized various proposals from several states for 
naturalization tests in early 2006 as reflecting a generalized 
suspicion of Muslims and rejection of them as potential citizens.
    The Evangelical Church employed ``Commissioners for Religious and 
Ideological Issues'' (often referred to as ``sect commissioners'') to 
investigate ``sects, cults, and psycho-groups'' and to publicize what 
they considered to be the dangers of these groups to the public. 
Evangelical sect commissioners were especially active in their efforts 
to warn the public about alleged dangers posed by the Unification 
Church, Scientology, Bhagwan-Osho, and Transcendental Meditation. The 
print and internet literature of the sect commissioners portrayed these 
as ``totalitarian,'' ``pseudo-religious,'' and ``fraudulent.'' Mormons, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Christ, Christian Scientists, the 
New Apostolic Church, and the Johannish Church were characterized in 
less negative terms, but nevertheless were included in the Church's 
web-page on ``sects.'' The Catholic Church also employed similar 
commissioners, who generally restricted their activities to providing 
counsel to individuals with questions about ``sects.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses all aspects of religious freedom with 
the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights, 
including the status of Islamic education and attitudes toward the 
Muslim community. The U.S. Mission has extensive contact with all 
religious groups in the country and meets frequently at multiple levels 
with representatives of religious groups to discuss their situation and 
concerns.
    In response to anti-Semitic crimes, members of the U.S. Embassy 
closely followed the Government's responses and expressed the U.S. 
Government's opposition to anti-Semitism. Mission officers maintained 
contact with Jewish groups and continued to monitor closely the 
incidence of anti-Semitic activity.
    The U.S. Government expressed its concerns over infringement of 
individual rights because of religious affiliation with respect to 
Scientology and other minority religious groups.
                               __________

                                 GREECE

    The constitution establishes the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ 
as the prevailing religion, but also provides for the right of all 
citizens to practice the religion of their choice. However, while the 
Government generally respected this right, non-Orthodox groups 
sometimes faced administrative obstacles or encountered legal 
restrictions on religious practice. The constitution and law prohibit 
proselytizing and stipulate that no rite of worship may disturb public 
order or offend moral principles.
    There were some improvements in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report; the Government passed 
a law allowing cremation and amended a law abolishing the requirement 
to consult local Greek Orthodox bishops before granting house of prayer 
permits.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Some non-Orthodox citizens 
complained of being treated with suspicion by fellow citizens or told 
that they were not truly Greek when they revealed their religious 
affiliation.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 81,935 square miles and a population of 
approximately 10.9 million. An estimated 97 percent of Greek citizens 
identified themselves as Greek Orthodox. There were approximately 
500,000 to 800,000 Old Calendarist Orthodox who used the Julian 
calendar and adhered to traditional Greek Orthodox practice throughout 
the country. The Government did not keep statistics on religious 
groups; the census did not ask for religious affiliation. Officials 
estimated the size of the Thrace Muslim community at 98,000, although 
unofficial estimates ranged up to 140,000. The Jehovah's Witnesses 
reported having approximately 30,000 active members and 50,000 people 
affiliated with the faith; members of the Roman Catholic faith were 
estimated at 50,000; Protestants, including evangelicals, at 30,000; 
and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) at 420. 
Scientologists reported 500 active registered members. The longstanding 
Jewish community, which prior to the World War II occupation of Greece 
and deportation of thousands of Jews to Nazi death camps had numbered 
some 76,000, was estimated at approximately 5,500. There were 
approximately 300 members of the Baha'i Faith. Followers of the ancient 
polytheistic Hellenic religions reported 2,000 members. There was no 
official or unofficial estimate of atheists.
    The majority of non-citizen residents and immigrants were not Greek 
Orthodox. The largest group was Albanian (approximately 700,000, 
including legal and illegal residents); most Albanians were secular in 
orientation. Despite such secularism, Albanians traditionally 
associated themselves with the Muslim, Orthodox, or Roman Catholic 
faiths. Aside from the indigenous Muslim minority in Thrace, the Muslim 
immigrant population in the rest of the country was estimated at 
200,000 to 300,000.
    Roman Catholics resided primarily in Athens and on the islands of 
Syros, Tinos, Naxos, and Corfu, as well as in the cities of 
Thessaloniki and Patras. Immigrants from the Philippines, Poland, and 
Iraq also practiced Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholic immigrant 
population was estimated to be 200,000. The bishop of Athens headed the 
Roman Catholic Holy Synod.
    Some religious groups, such as evangelicals and Jehovah's 
Witnesses, consisted almost entirely of ethnic Greeks and some 
immigrants from former Soviet republics and Albania. Other groups, such 
as Mormons and Anglicans, consisted of an approximately equal number of 
ethnic Greeks and non-Greeks.
    The indigenous Muslim minority, concentrated in Thrace with small 
communities in Rhodes, Kos, and Athens, was composed mainly of 
Turcophones but also included Roma and Pomaks, a Slav-origin linguistic 
minority. A growing number of Muslim immigrants lived in Athens and in 
rural areas.
    Scientologists and followers of the ancient polytheistic Hellenic 
religions practiced their faith through registered nonprofit civil law 
organizations.
    Foreign missionary groups in the country, including Protestants and 
Mormons, were active; Mormons reported that there were approximately 
sixty missionaries in the country during the year.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution establishes the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ 
(Greek Orthodoxy) as the prevailing religion and provides for freedom 
of religion. However, while the Government generally respected this 
right in practice, non-Orthodox groups sometimes faced administrative 
obstacles or encounter legal restrictions on religious practice. The 
constitution and law prohibit proselytizing and stipulate that no rite 
of worship may disturb public order or offend moral principles. The 
Orthodox Church exercises significant political and economic influence. 
The Government financially supports the Greek Orthodox Church; for 
example, the Government pays for the salaries and religious training of 
clergy and finances the maintenance of Orthodox Church buildings. The 
Government also pays the salaries and some expenses of the two official 
Muslim religious leaders (muftis) in Thrace, and provides a small 
monthly allowance to imams in Thrace. In May 2006, representatives of 
the Central Board of the Jewish Communities of Greece formally objected 
in public statements, press releases, and in appeals to the Government 
to the fact that the Government pays the salaries of religious 
officials from the Greek Orthodox and Muslim faiths, but not to Jewish 
rabbis. The Jewish Community reported it has requested equal treatment 
on this issue from the Government. Government officials stated they 
have received no formal request on the issue.
    The Orthodox Church, Judaism, and Islam are the only religious 
groups considered to be ``legal persons of public law.'' Other 
religions are considered ``legal persons of private law.'' In practice, 
the primary distinction is that the Civil Code's provisions pertaining 
to corporations regulate the establishment of ``houses of prayer'' for 
religions other than the Orthodox Church, Judaism, or Islam. For 
example, other religions cannot own property as religious entities; the 
property must belong to a specifically created legal entity rather than 
to the religious body itself. Other religious communities also face 
additional legal and administrative burdens because they cannot 
function as legal entities. The Baha'i and other faiths have expressed 
their desire to operate within a legal framework as legally recognized 
religions, rather than as ``associations.'' Members of religious groups 
that are classified as private entities cannot be represented in court 
as religious entities and cannot bequeath or inherit property as a 
religious entity. The law extended legal recognition as a private 
entity to Roman Catholic churches and related entities established 
prior to 1946. By virtue of the Orthodox Church's status as the 
prevailing religion, the Government recognizes the Orthodox Church's 
canon law, both within the Church and in such areas of civil law as 
marriage. The Catholic Church unsuccessfully has sought government 
recognition of its canon law since 1999. In April 2006, the Ministry of 
Education and Religion established a committee to study the issue and 
propose a legislative arrangement.
    No formal mechanism exists to gain recognition as a ``known 
religion.'' Recognition is granted indirectly by applying for and 
receiving a ``house of prayer'' permit to open houses of worship from 
the Ministry of Education and Religion.
    Scientologists have not been able to register or build a house of 
prayer. Groups that follow the ancient polytheistic Hellenic tradition 
also applied for house of prayer permits, which the ministry announced 
in May 2006 were not approved despite advice from the ombudsman to the 
ministry to respond positively to the requests. The Jehovah's Witnesses 
have several pending house-of-prayer permit requests, but they have not 
taken the cases to the ombudsman because they received a verbal 
commitment from the Ministry of Education and Religion that it would 
approve their applications.
    Leaders of some non-Orthodox religious groups claimed that all 
taxes on religious organizations are discriminatory because the 
Government subsidizes the Orthodox Church, while other groups are self-
supporting. In 2004, the Government passed taxation legislation that 
gradually abolishes, by 2007, tax on property revenues received by 
Greek Orthodox churches and institutions. While such laws can be 
applied to all religions upon judicial examination, this practice 
presents administrative obstacles for non-Orthodox religions.
    Muslim religious leaders stated there were approximately 375 
mosques in Thrace. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne gives Muslims in Thrace 
the right to maintain social and charitable organizations called wakfs 
and allows muftis to render religious judicial services (under Shari'a) 
in the area of family law.
    The Lausanne Treaty provides the Muslim minority in Thrace the 
right to Turkish-language education and provides a reciprocal 
entitlement for the Greek minority in Istanbul (estimated at fewer than 
2,500 persons). Western Thrace has secular Turkish-language bilingual 
schools and two Qur'anic schools funded by the state. In 2005, 
approximately 6,800 Muslim students were enrolled in Turkish bilingual 
grammar schools, and 1,290 attended minority high schools. Another 350 
students attended the Islamic schools. The majority of Muslim minority 
students, approximately 4,110, attended public Greek-language secondary 
schools, which were deemed better preparation for Greek-language 
universities.
    Special consideration is given to Muslim minority students from 
Thrace for admission to technical institutes and universities that set 
aside 0.5 percent of the total number of places for them annually. 
Approximately 900 Muslim minority students took advantage of this 
affirmative action program; a small number chose to attend university 
in Turkey. In April 2005, the minister of education announced that ten 
full scholarships for the academic year 2005-2006 would be offered to 
Muslim minority students for postgraduate studies at universities. Only 
two students eventually benefited from the program; the other eight who 
were nominated did not qualify to receive the scholarships. Two 
students who did not qualify for the scholarships, because they had 
already exceeded the time permitted by the program for the conclusion 
of their postgraduate studies, filed complaints with the ombudsman's 
office. The Government planned to offer the scholarships again for the 
next school year.
    The Government maintains that Muslims outside Thrace are not 
covered by the Treaty of Lausanne and therefore do not enjoy those 
rights provided by the Treaty. Muslim parents complained that hundreds 
of Turkish speaking children in the Athens area did not receive 
remedial Greek instruction other than in one multicultural elementary 
education ``pilot school.''
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In 2000, the Ministry of Education and Religion rejected the 
application of the Scientologists for recognition and a house of prayer 
permit on the grounds that Scientology ``is not a religion.'' The 
Church of Scientology appealed the decision to the Council of State, 
and then withdrew the appeal in 2003. The Scientologists were 
registered as a nonprofit organization because the group's legal 
counsel advised that the Government would not recognize Scientology as 
a religion.
    Minority religious groups have requested that the Government 
abolish laws regulating house of prayer permits, which are required to 
open houses of worship. Local police have the authority to bring to 
court minority churches that operate or build places of worship without 
a permit. In practice, this happens rarely.
    In May 2004, Nikodim Tsarknias, a former Greek Orthodox priest who 
is now a priest of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, was sentenced to 
three months in prison, a sentence which was suspended by the Aridea 
Criminal Court of First Instance, on charges of establishing and 
operating a church without authorization after he held Macedonian 
language religious services without a house of prayer permit. 
Tsarknias's sentence could not be appealed in the country; he intended 
to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
    Several religious denominations reported difficulties in dealing 
with the authorities on a variety of administrative matters. Privileges 
and legal prerogatives granted to the Greek Orthodox Church are not 
extended routinely to other recognized religions. Non-Orthodox 
religious organizations must provide separate and lengthy applications 
to government authorities on such matters as gaining permission to move 
places of worship to larger facilities. In contrast, Greek Orthodox 
officials have an institutionalized link between the church hierarchy 
and the Ministry of Education and Religion to handle administrative 
matters.
    Although Jehovah's Witnesses are recognized as a ``known'' 
religion, members continued to face some harassment and administrative 
problems during the period covered by this report. This usually took 
the form of arbitrary identity checks (although this problem has 
abated) and local officials' resistance to construction of places of 
worship. A decision on an appeal by the Jehovah's Witnesses regarding a 
property dispute over taxation rates involving their officially 
recognized headquarters was scheduled to be heard at the Supreme 
Administrative Court in September 2006.
    New legislation providing for religious worker visas was passed in 
2005, remedying the difficulty reported in the past by some religious 
denominations in renewing the visas of non-EU citizen religious 
officials.
    Non-Orthodox citizens have claimed that they face career limits 
within the military, police, fire-fighting forces, and the civil 
service because of their religions. In the military, generally only 
members of the Orthodox faith become officers, leading some members of 
other faiths to declare themselves Orthodox. Few Muslim military 
personnel have advanced to the rank of reserve officer. There were 
reports of pressure exerted on Greek Orthodox military personnel, such 
as being passed over for promotion if they chose to marry in the 
religious ceremony of non-Orthodox partners.
    Muslim citizens in Thrace were underrepresented in public sector 
employment and in state-owned industries and corporations. While the 
under-representation was partly due to lower education level and Greek 
language ability of the available applicant pool, minority activists 
blamed lack of transparency in the civil service hiring process and 
endemic discrimination. Muslims claimed they were generally hired for 
lower level positions. One Muslim minority member from Thrace held a 
seat in Parliament. In Xanthi and Komotini, Muslims held seats on the 
prefectural and town councils and served as local mayors. Thrace 
municipalities hired Muslims as public liaisons in citizen service 
centers and provided Turkish lessons for other civil servants.
    Unlike in Thrace, the growing Muslim community in Athens (estimated 
by local press and experts to be between 200,000 and 300,000 mainly 
economic migrants from South Asia, the Middle East, and a small 
percentage of Muslims from Thrace) did not have an official mosque or 
any official cleric to officiate at religious functions, including 
funerals. Press reports in 2006 stated that the number of unofficial 
prayer rooms in Athens ranged from twenty-five to seventy. Members of 
the Muslim community used the official Muslim clerics in Thrace for 
official religious rites. Muslims in Athens and other cities traveled 
to Thrace or abroad for wedding ceremonies and some transported their 
deceased to Thrace or abroad for religious burials; those who could 
afford to travel to Thrace had unrecognized religious rites performed. 
Remains buried in Greek cemeteries were subject to exhumation after 
three years, a practice overseen by municipalities because of limited 
space in Greek cemeteries, especially in Attika. This practice has 
presented a problem for Muslims, as Islamic law does not permit 
exhumation of remains.
    Although Parliament approved a bill in 2000 allowing construction 
of the first Islamic cultural center and mosque in an Athens suburb, 
construction had not started by the end of the period covered by this 
report. In April 2006, the Government decided to fund a mosque in 
central Athens rather than an outlying suburb, but no decisions on 
location were made.
    Greek Orthodox Church leaders have publicly supported the building 
of a mosque in Athens, although they have stated their opposition to 
the cultural center. The Orthodox Church reportedly offered the Muslim 
community in Athens a piece of land for the creation of a Muslim 
cemetery.
    Differences remained within the Muslim minority community and 
between segments of the community and the Government regarding the 
means of selecting muftis. Under existing law, the Government appoints 
two muftis and one assistant mufti, all resident in Thrace. The 
Government maintained that it must appoint the muftis, as is the 
practice in Muslim countries, because, in addition to religious duties, 
they perform judicial functions under Muslim religious law for which 
the state pays them. The Government consults a committee of Muslim 
minority notables, which recommends candidates for the ten-year terms 
of office. Members of the Muslim minority objected to the fact that the 
Government was not legally obligated to follow the recommendation of 
the committee on the selection of the muftis.
    Additionally, while some Muslims have accepted the authority of the 
two government-appointed muftis, other Muslims have ``elected'' two 
muftis to serve their communities since they maintain that the 
government of a non-Muslim country cannot appoint muftis. There was no 
established procedure or practice for these nongovernmental elections, 
and the Government did not recognize the ``elected'' muftis. A portion 
of the Muslim minority continued to lobby the Government to allow for 
the direct election of muftis. In May 2006, the appointed Mufti of 
Komotini expressed his view that ``nowhere in the history of Islam has 
there been an elected mufti.''
    The Government recognizes Shari'a (the Muslim religious law) as the 
law regulating family and civic issues of the Muslim minority in 
Thrace. The First Instance Courts in Thrace routinely ratify decisions 
of the muftis who have judicial powers on civic and domestic matters. 
The National Human Rights Committee, an autonomous human rights body 
that is the Government's advisory organ on protection of human rights, 
has stated that the Government should limit the powers of the muftis to 
religious duties and should stop recognizing Shari'a, because it can 
restrict the civic rights of citizens it is applied to. There are 
arranged marriages among underage Roma and Muslims, although Greek 
civil law forbids marriages of children under age eighteen. A parent or 
legal guardian, however, may apply for a judicial permit for the 
marriage of an underage person from a First Instance Court in cases of 
``extraordinary circumstances,'' such as pregnancy.
    In November 2005, the appointed mufti of Komotini instructed all 
imams under his jurisdiction not to conduct underage marriages. In 
November 2005, the mufti refused permission for two minors (a twelve-
year-old girl and a fourteen-year-old boy) to marry. In January 2006, 
he advised the guardians of a thirteen-year-old girl, who insisted on 
marrying despite his prohibition, to turn to the First Instance Court. 
The court granted her permission to marry.
    Controversy between the Muslim community and the Government also 
continued over the management and self-government of the wakfs. This 
involved the Government's appointment of officials to serve on 
administrative boards that govern each wakf and the degree and type of 
administrative control, which prior to the 1960s was exercised by the 
Muslim community. In response to objections from some Muslims that the 
Government's appointment of these officials weakened the financial 
autonomy of the wakfs and violated the terms of the 1923 Treaty of 
Lausanne, a 1996 presidential decree placed the wakfs under the 
administration of an oversight committee appointed by the Government 
for three years as an interim measure pending resolution of outstanding 
problems. The interim period has been extended every two years by 
presidential decree.
    In the past, Muslim activists have complained that the Government 
regularly lodges tax liens against the wakfs, although they were tax-
free foundations in theory. Under a national land and property registry 
law that entered into full effect in 1999, the wakfs, along with all 
property holders, must register all of their property with the 
Government. The law permits the Government to seize any property that 
the owners are not able to document; there are built-in reporting and 
appeals procedures. The wakfs were established in 1560; however, 
because of the destruction of files during the two world wars, the 
wakfs are unable to document ownership of much of their property. 
Because they have not registered the property, they cannot pay assessed 
taxes. The Government had not sought to enforce either the assessments 
or the registration requirement by the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    Members of missionary faiths reported having difficulties with 
harassment and police detention because of anti-proselytizing laws, but 
continued to note an improvement during the reporting period because of 
increased training and instruction given to police officers. Church 
officials from missionary faiths expressed concern that anti-
proselytizing laws remained on the books, although such laws did not 
seriously hinder their activities.
    A law on alternative forms of mandatory national service for 
religious and ideological conscientious objectors was enacted in 1998 
and amended in 2004. In 2001, the Government added a conscientious 
objector provision in the constitution. The law provides that 
conscientious objectors may, in lieu of mandatory military service, 
work in state hospitals, or municipal and public services for two times 
the length of military service minus one month, typically twenty-three 
months. Conscientious objector groups and Amnesty International 
generally characterized the legislation as a positive step, but 
criticized the longer service term as punitive. They also reported that 
uneven administration of the civilian service in some cases led to poor 
working conditions and noted that it would be preferable for the 
civilian service to be under civilian administration rather than under 
the Ministry of Defense. Parents of three or more children are exempt 
from military service.
    Mandatory military service is three months for ``repatriated'' 
citizens, those who emigrated from the former Eastern bloc and are of 
Greek origin, and five months for repatriated conscientious objectors. 
Repatriated conscientious objectors who have in the past completed 
military service in their country of origin and became conscientious 
objectors later in their life are ineligible for alternative service 
and have taken their cases to the courts. For example, on August 26, 
2005, a military court in Xanthi sentenced Boris Sotiriadis, a Georgian 
national of Greek origin, to three and a half years in prison for 
refusing military service because of his religious beliefs. Sotiriadis 
had served previously in the Soviet army before becoming a Jehovah's 
Witness and immigrating to Greece.
    Problems also existed for those who became conscientious objectors 
after they performed their military service and were placed on 
reservist lists. These conscientious objectors are not recognized, as 
there is no legal provision covering those who change their status 
after having completed military service. Several cases involving such 
conscientious objectors were pending before the Council of State.
    Orthodox religious instruction in public, primary, and secondary 
schools is mandatory for all Orthodox students. Non-Orthodox students 
are exempt from this requirement. However, schools offer no alternative 
supervision for these children during the period of religious 
instruction; they sometimes attended Orthodox religious instruction. 
Members of the Muslim community in Athens were lobbying for Islamic 
religious instruction for their children.
    Some schoolbooks continued to carry negative references to Roman 
Catholicism, Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the ancient polytheistic 
Hellenic tradition.
    The intra-Orthodox doctrinal dispute between Esphigmenou monastery 
on Mt. Athos and the Ecumenical Patriarchate that administers the 
region under the 1924 Charter of Mt. Athos continued. Esphigmenou is an 
Old Calendarist monastery that does not recognize the authority of the 
Patriarchate. In March 2005, the Council of State declined to rule on 
the appeal of a 2002 eviction request by the Ecumenical Patriarchate 
against the abbot of Esphigmenou on the grounds that it was not 
competent, under the constitution, to judge the ecclesiastic and 
administrative jurisdiction of the Patriarchate over Mt. Athos, but the 
Government had not enforced the expulsion order. Approximately ninety 
similar appeals by other Esphigmenou monks were pending. In late 2005, 
the Holy Community governing Mt. Athos appointed a new Esphigmenou 
monastic order, recognized by the Patriarchate, to replace the existing 
order. An open dispute between the two monastic orders ensued in 
December. The Esphigmenou monastery complained about restrictions on 
access to supplies and medical care that it claimed threatened the 
survival of the monastery. Government and ecclesiastic representatives 
claimed they preferred to settle this dispute without eviction.
    The leader of the Greek Rumi faith, which teaches the theology of 
the thirteenth-century Persian poet Rumi, founder of the Mevlevi order 
or ``Whirling Dervishes,'' was sentenced on July 1, 2005, to twenty-
five months' imprisonment for defamatory actions related to his 
``controlling the consciousness'' of his followers. The Orthodox Church 
considers the Greek Rumi community a ``sect'' whose heresies ``threaten 
to corrupt Greece's religious and national identity.'' Local and 
international NGOs condemned the conviction, and the Greek Rumi leader 
was acquitted on appeal in March 2006.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees, apart 
from the problems of temporary police detention experienced by Mormons.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Most non-Orthodox religious leaders reported that their members 
(non-missionaries) did not encounter discriminatory treatment. However, 
police regularly detained Mormon missionaries (primarily from outside 
the EU who were undergoing the protracted residence permit process), on 
average once every three months, usually after receiving complaints 
that the individuals engaged in proselytizing. In most cases, these 
individuals were held for several hours at a police station and then 
released with no charges filed. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses 
reported that their interaction with the police improved during the 
reporting period because of increased training and instruction given to 
police officers. Two Jehovah's Witnesses were tried and acquitted in 
2004 on proselytism charges.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were no reports of anti-Semitic articles or cartoons in the 
media, contrary to previous years. The European Commission against 
Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Wiesenthal Center, the Anti-
Defamation League, and the Greek Helsinki Monitor had denounced the 
Greek press for anti-Semitic articles and cartoons on several occasions 
in 2004.
    There were no reports of vandalism of Jewish monuments or 
cemeteries during the reporting period, which had been a problem in 
previous years. Police remained unable to find perpetrators in the 2004 
cases of desecrations of Jewish memorials and plaques in Drama and 
Komotini.
    Anti-Semitic graffiti were repeatedly spray-painted at several 
spots along the busy Athens-Corinth and Athens-Tripoli highway during 
2005 and 2006. Anti-Semitic slogans also reportedly appeared close to 
the Athens Court complex in November 2005 and on the island of 
Keffalonia in September 2005. The Wiesenthal Center and a local NGO 
protested anti-Semitic graffiti on the country's highways and on other 
public buildings. The extreme right-wing group ``Golden Dawn'' 
regularly spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on bridges and other 
structures. In February 2006, the prosecutor filed a lawsuit against 
``Golden Dawn'' for defacing public property and painting anti-Semitic 
graffiti the last several years on the basis of allegations submitted 
by a local NGO, the Greek Helsinki Monitor. The Central Board of Jewish 
Communities of Greece and the Greek Helsinki Monitor submitted 
testimony. The preliminary investigation was underway.
    In April 2006, the Central Board of the Jewish Communities of 
Greece continued to protest the Easter tradition of the burning of a 
life-size effigy of Judas, sometimes referred to as the ``burning of 
the Jew,'' which they maintained propagated hatred and fanaticism 
against Jews. One Greek Orthodox bishop, a local NGO, and the 
Wiesenthal Center wrote formal objections to this tradition. The Jewish 
Community also protested anti-Semitic passages in the Holy Week 
liturgy. The Jewish community reported that it remained in dialogue 
with the Orthodox Church about the removal of these passages.
    The June 2004 ECRI report recommended that the Greek authorities 
closely monitor the situation regarding anti-Semitic acts and 
statements and take all necessary awareness-raising and punitive 
measures to put a stop to these acts. The report pointed out that Greek 
public opinion sometimes reflected the prejudices and stereotypes 
expressed against the Jewish Communities of Greece by the media or 
public figures. The report continued that, while in some cases judicial 
authorities took measures to counter expressions of anti-Semitism, in 
other cases the criminal law provisions against hate speech were not 
applied.
    There was no progress on negotiations between the Jewish community 
of Thessaloniki and the Government to find acceptable restitution for 
the community's cemetery, expropriated after its destruction during the 
Holocaust in 1944. Aristotle University, a public institution, was 
built on top of the expropriated cemetery.
    The Government co-sponsored commemorative events in Athens and 
Thessaloniki in January 2006 for Holocaust Remembrance Day, followed 
two weeks later by the visit of Israel's President Moshe Katsav, the 
first official visit of an Israeli head of state to Greece. The 
Ministry of Education distributed materials to schools on the history 
of the Holocaust to be read in all schools on Holocaust Remembrance 
Day, and teacher training seminars on the Holocaust were held in 2005. 
In 2005, the country became a full member of the Task Force for 
International Cooperation on Holocaust Education.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    On March 1, 2006, the Government passed a law allowing cremation. 
The Greek Orthodox Church forbids cremation of the Greek Orthodox 
believers (the vast majority of the population), and cremation 
facilities had not been established in the country by the end of the 
period covered by this report. Remains of those who wish to be cremated 
must be shipped at significant cost to countries where cremation is 
available. Buddhist citizens have claimed that the lack of cremation as 
an available means of burial infringes on their religious rights.
    In June 2006, an amendment to an existing law was accepted by 
Parliament abolishing the practice by which the ministry sought the 
opinion of the local Greek Orthodox bishop on whether to grant house of 
prayer permits for faiths other than Greek Orthodox. Non-Orthodox 
faiths had objected to this practice.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Religious affiliation was very closely linked to ethnicity. Many 
attributed the preservation of national identity to the actions of the 
Greek Orthodox Church during approximately 400 years of Ottoman rule 
and the subsequent nation-building period. The Church exercised 
significant social, political, and economic influence, and it owned a 
considerable, although undetermined, amount of property.
    Many Greeks assumed that any ethnic Greek was also an Orthodox 
Christian. Some non-Orthodox citizens complained of being treated with 
suspicion or told that they were not truly Greek when they revealed 
their religious affiliation.
    Members of minority faiths reported incidents of societal 
discrimination, such as local Orthodox bishops warning parishioners not 
to visit clergy or members of minority faiths and requesting that the 
police arrest missionaries for proselytizing. However, with the 
exception of the burgeoning Muslim population, most members of minority 
faiths considered themselves satisfactorily integrated into society. 
Organized official interaction between religious communities was 
infrequent.
    Some non-Orthodox religious communities encountered difficulty in 
communicating with officials of the Orthodox Church and claimed that 
the attitude of the Orthodox Church toward their faiths increased 
social intolerance toward their religions. The Orthodox Church 
maintained a list of practices and religious groups, including the 
Jehovah's Witnesses, evangelical Protestants, Scientologists, Mormons, 
Baha'is, and others, which it believed to be sacrilegious. Officials of 
the Orthodox Church have acknowledged that they refused to enter into 
dialogue with religious groups considered harmful to Orthodox 
worshipers; church leaders instructed Orthodox Greeks to shun members 
of these faiths.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy officers meet with working-level officials responsible for 
religious affairs in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education 
and Religion. The ambassador and other mission representatives 
discussed religious freedom with senior government officials and 
religious leaders. The U.S. Mission also regularly discusses religious 
freedom issues in contacts with other government officials, including 
mayors, regional leaders, and members of Parliament. Officers from the 
embassy and the consulate general in Thessaloniki meet regularly with 
representatives of various religious groups and solicit their 
participation in embassy social events. Embassy and consulate general 
officials investigated complaints of religious discrimination brought 
to their attention.
    The ambassador attended Holocaust commemorations in Athens and the 
consul general represented him at Thessaloniki events. He and other 
mission officers participated along with the Ministry of Education and 
the Jewish Museum of Greece in teacher-training conferences on the 
Holocaust in 2004 and 2005. Mission officers continued to monitor the 
issue of restitution of Jewish properties in Thessaloniki.
    The consular section actively followed issues relating to religious 
workers' visas and property taxes.
    The embassy and consulate general promoted and supported 
initiatives related to religious freedom. The embassy and consulate 
general used the International Visitor program to introduce Muslim 
community leaders to the United States and American counterparts.
    The ambassador and mission officials regularly visited religious 
sites and conducted outreach throughout the country.
                               __________

                                HUNGARY

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion; however, the four ``historic religions'' (Catholic, 
Lutheran, Reformed, Jewish) and certain other denominations, such as 
Unitarian and Orthodox churches, enjoy some privileges not extended to 
other religious groups.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
However, several points of friction between the Government and 
religious organizations developed during the period covered by this 
report concerning recent laws affecting church-run social institutions.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 35,919 square miles and a population of 
approximately 10 million.
    The 2001 national census, the latest demographic survey available, 
contained an optional question on religious affiliation, and 90 percent 
of the population provided a response. According to the census results, 
55 percent of citizens were Roman Catholic, 15 percent were members of 
the Reformed Church, 3 percent were members of the Lutheran Church, and 
less than 1 percent were Jewish. These four faiths comprised the 
country's historic religious groups. Three percent of respondents 
identified themselves as Greek Catholics, and 15 percent of respondents 
declared no religious affiliation. The remainder was divided among a 
number of other denominations. The largest of these was the 
Congregation of Faith, a local evangelical Christian movement. Other 
denominations included a broad range of Christian groups, including 
five Orthodox denominations. In addition, there were seven Buddhist 
groups and three Islamic communities. Citizens were able to donate 1.0 
percent of their income to the religious group of their choice. 
Statistics on tax revenue voluntarily directed by individual taxpayers 
for use by religious groups confirmed previous official estimates of 
religious affiliation.
    Foreign representatives from a variety of religious groups and 
missionary organizations, mainly Christian, were active in the country. 
These representatives were not subject to government regulation or 
interference.
    Strict enforcement of data protection regulations impeded the 
collection of official statistics on popular participation in religious 
life; however, surveys and other evidence suggested that the country's 
citizens were less devout than the average central European. According 
to a 2004 survey by the Economic Research Institute of Hungary (GFK), 
58 percent of respondents declared themselves to be ``believers,'' and 
55 percent responded that they believe in ``God or the supernatural.'' 
Only 15 percent of those believers declared that they attended 
religious services at least once a week, and 25 percent stated that 
they never did.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The 1990 Law on the Freedom of Conscience regulates the activities 
of and the benefits enjoyed by religious communities and establishes 
the criteria for legal designation. To register, religious groups must 
submit a statement to a county court declaring that they have at least 
one hundred followers. The court determines whether the registration of 
the new group complies with constitutional and legal requirements; 
these requirements were very loose and registration was essentially pro 
forma. While any group is free to practice its faith, formal 
registration makes available certain protections and privileges and 
grants access to several forms of state funding. In 2005, eight new 
religious groups were registered by the courts. As of May 2006, there 
were a total of 146 registered religious groups.
    Religious instruction is not part of the curriculum in public 
schools; however, the Government permits primary and secondary school 
students to enroll in extracurricular religious education classes. 
Optional religious instruction is usually held after the normal school 
day and is taught in school facilities by representatives of religious 
groups. While the Government makes provisions for minority religions to 
engage in religious education in public schools, the four historic 
religions provide the majority of after-hours religious instruction. 
During the 2005-2006 school year, 46 registered religious groups 
provided religious instruction to 492,065 students in public schools.
    In addition to taxpayer contributions, the Government allocates 
public funds to registered religions. The Government supplements 
taxpayer contributions to registered religions in proportion to 
individual contributions. In 2005, this supplementary funding amounted 
to $58 million (HUF 12.4 billion). Further funding is provided for a 
range of activities such as the maintenance of public art collections, 
the reconstruction and renovation of religious institutions, support 
for religious instruction, compensation for non-restituted religious 
property and assistance to church personnel serving the smallest 
villages. In 2005, this amounted to nearly $120 million (HUF 25.8 
billion). The Government also provided financial support for church-run 
social services and schools on the same level as it does for state-run 
institutions. This form of support amounted to an estimated $290 
million (HUF 62.4 billion) for 2005.
    Easter Monday, Whit Monday, All Saints' Day, and Christmas are 
celebrated as national holidays. These holidays did not negatively 
affect any religious groups.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. While there are several laws that grant rights 
and privileges to the historic religions, such as per-capita funding 
for church-run universities, the Government showed steady improvement 
over the last several years in extending these rights and privileges to 
every religious group.
    In June 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that a statement adopted by 
the Theology Faculty Council of a Reformed Church University did not 
violate the provisions of the law on equal treatment, despite the 
University's proscription on training homosexuals for the priesthood or 
for religious teaching positions. The judgment noted that since this 
form of instruction is inseparable from the Church's moral and 
religious beliefs, it falls within religious freedom of the Church, and 
the state can not pass legal judgment on it.
    In May 2006, the Data Protection Ombudsman published an open letter 
in which he expressed his concerns over the manner in which the 
Scientology Church handles the data it records about its members, 
particularly with the use of the so-called e-meter. Examples of the 
shortcomings the ombudsman observed were that the Church was not 
sufficiently concrete in stating to what end the information is 
collected and that the waiver signed by members forfeits for all time 
their right to access information collected on them. The ombudsman 
called upon the Church to fully conform to the country's data 
protection laws. In response, a church spokesperson stated that the 
ombudsman had overstepped his jurisdiction and interfered in the 
religious freedom of the Church.
    The issue of state financial allocation to the various churches for 
educational and social services continued to be a source of contention 
in church-state relations. (The Vatican Treaty and several 1997 
agreements obligate the Government to provide the same amount of per-
capita funding to church-run social institutions as it does to public 
institutions, such as schools and old-age homes.) In August 2005, a 
dispute arose between the Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and 
Equal Opportunity (ICSSZEM), and some of the historical Christian 
churches over state support of the churches' homes for the elderly. The 
ICSSZEM minister noted a growing trend among local governments to pass 
responsibility for retirement homes to the churches, which, according 
to an interpretation of the Hungarian-Vatican Concordat, are able to 
secure more funding for these homes from central funds. According to 
the ICSSZEM minister, these financially motivated actions place a huge 
burden on the ministry's budget and warrant consideration of modifying 
the Concordat.
    After a September 2005 meeting at the Vatican, the minister of 
foreign affairs stated that the Government had no intention of 
modifying the existing Concordat. However, he did recommend adding 
appendices to clarify the calculation of how much state financing is 
owed to the churches for various activities.
    In early December 2005, leaders of all four historic churches 
jointly called upon the Government to modify the draft 2006 budget to 
eliminate what they perceived as discriminatory per capita funding for 
the public service institutions they operate, particularly schools. On 
December 16, schools run by two of the historic Christian churches 
staged a protest demonstration, calling on the Government to fully 
equalize the funding. Although the called-for budget modification was 
not forthcoming, subsequent negotiations with the Government appeared 
to settle most of the churches' concerns. In April 2006, three 
opposition politicians submitted a complaint to the Constitutional 
Court alleging that the 2006 budget discriminated against church-run 
public services with respect to central budget financing and thus 
violated the 1997 Concordat. The court had not ruled on the case by the 
end of the period covered by this report.
    The military chaplain service has permanent pastoral representation 
by the four historic religions in the defense forces. The Government 
also requires the military to respect the rights of other religions by 
providing pastoral care for their members. The Ministry of Defense 
funds and maintains the chaplain service. There is no evidence that 
soldiers receive preferential treatment for either foregoing or using 
the service. The Ministry of Justice regulates a similar system for the 
provision of religious services to prisoners.
    Leaders of the Roman Catholic and Reformed churches also complained 
that state financing of the maintenance of public art collections and 
other public services for which the churches were responsible was being 
delayed. In August, the Government acknowledged the delays, attributed 
them to technical difficulties, and promised that all apportioned 
funding would be transferred by fall 2006.
    Religious groups and the Government agreed on a number of 
properties to be returned and an amount of monetary compensation to be 
paid for properties that could not be returned. These agreements were 
subsumed under the 1991 Compensation Law, which requires the Government 
to compensate religious groups for properties confiscated by the 
Government after January 1, 1946. Overall 7,572 claims were made by 
religious groups for property restitution under the 1991 Compensation 
Law: 2,695 cases were rejected as inapplicable under the law; the 
Government decided to return property in 1,897 cases and gave cash 
payments in another 1,953 cases; and 1,027 cases were resolved directly 
between former and present owners without government intervention. Real 
estate cases have involved twelve religious groups: Roman Catholic, 
Reformed, Lutheran, Unitarian, Baptist, Romanian Orthodox, Hungarian 
Orthodox, Budai Serb Orthodox, Hungarian Methodist, Seventh-day 
Adventist, the Salvation Army, and the Confederation of Hungarian 
Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz). While these agreements primarily 
address property issues and restitution, they also have provisions 
requiring the Government to support religious organizations that 
provide social services as well as support for the preservation of 
religious monuments.
    In 2005, the Government adopted a resolution making it possible to 
fast-track property restitution negotiations and close outstanding 
claims in 2006, instead of by 2011 as the original law set forth. Three 
churches made use of this new procedure, resulting in the settlement of 
a further 435 church properties by March 2006. The Catholic Church 
resolved 430 claims with a value of $112 million (HUF 24.1 billion), 
leaving only three property cases outstanding. Mazsihisz resolved its 
final three outstanding claims and the Budai Serb Orthodox Church also 
closed the restitution process by resolving its two outstanding claims. 
Members of the Jewish community viewed the restitution process as 
generally fair but wanted to see compensation paid for the estimated $2 
to $16 billion (HUF 430 to 3,440 billion) worth of heirless Jewish 
properties specifically excluded from the restitution process. Neither 
the Reformed nor the Lutheran churches opted for the fast-track 
procedure. Between them and the Catholic Church a total of 310 property 
claims remain to be settled by 2011.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    The Jewish community stated that there were fewer acts of vandalism 
in Jewish cemeteries than in previous years. Concerning those incidents 
of vandalism that did occur, Jewish community leaders attributed most 
of them to youths, and did not consider the incidents anti-Semitic.
    Representatives of the Jewish community expressed concern over 
anti-Semitism in some media outlets, in society, and in coded political 
speech. The weekly newspaper Magyar Demokrata continued to publish 
anti-Semitic articles as did the more radical weekly Magyar Forum. 
Anti-Semitism figured in the spring 2006 election campaign of the small 
but vocal far-right wing party MIEP-Jobbik.
    The Jewish community also expressed concerns that the Hungarian 
Soccer Federation was not doing enough to curb anti-Semitic outbursts 
among the core fans of a few of the country's soccer clubs.
    There were no developments in the police investigation of the June 
2005 vandalization of the largest Jewish cemetery in Budapest, and 
observers doubt that it will produce any concrete results.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government continued its strong efforts to combat anti-Semitism 
by clearly speaking out against the use of coded speech by right-wing 
extremists, and the prime minister publicly stated that Hungarians also 
bear responsibility for the Holocaust.
    On April 16, 2006, the speaker of Parliament attended the annual 
Hungarian Holocaust Remembrance Day gathering at Budapest's Holocaust 
Memorial Center.
    In March 2006, Hungary took over chairmanship of the Task Force for 
International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and 
Research. The minister of education represented the Government in the 
position of chairman.
    Responding in part to pressure from the Jewish community, in March 
2006, the minister of health ordered that the name of Bela Johan be 
removed from the title of the National Epidemiology Center and that the 
bust of Johan be taken down. Johan was a state secretary in the 
Ministry of Interior in the early 1940s, and although certain public 
health achievements are tied to his name, he was also actively 
complicit in the drafting and execution of a number of anti-Jewish 
measures. The Jewish community welcomed the move.
    On February 13, 2006, Parliament passed Act LXVII of 2006, which 
reopened the window for compensation claims from those individuals 
whose immediate relatives were killed in the Holocaust. Eligible 
individuals may apply for a lump sum or pension worth up to $1,860 (HUF 
400,000) for each parent, sibling, or child who was killed. The act 
took effect on March 31 and was scheduled to expire on July 31, 2006.
    After nearly two years of operation, Budapest's Holocaust Memorial 
Center, a state-financed institution, opened its permanent exhibition 
in February 2006.
    On January 27, 2006, the prime minister, president, and a host of 
public figures commemorated the UN-adopted Holocaust Remembrance Day, 
also the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration 
camp. In his speech, the prime minister drew attention to the fact that 
Hungarians were both victims of and accomplices in the Holocaust.
    During an October 2005 visit to the United States, Prime Minister 
Gyurcsany visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and attended 
Hungarian-Jewish community events in the United States.
    In an effort to strengthen ties with all religious groups, the 
minister of culture made regular visits to a host of smaller religious 
communities not included among the four historic churches. Since his 
inauguration in February 2005, the minister visited, among others, 
Buddhist, Krishna, Baptist, Methodist, and other nontraditional 
religious groups.
    During the period covered by this report, the Office of the Prime 
Minister worked directly with representatives of the U.S. Holocaust 
Memorial Museum to ensure access to Holocaust-era archives.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationships among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, and there was little friction 
between religions. During the reporting period, Christian churches and 
the Jewish community continued to organize regular events under the 
auspices of the Christian-Jewish Society, which brings together 
religious academics for discussions. Religious groups also demonstrated 
a great willingness to work together across a wide range of other areas 
in order to achieve common social or political goals.
    Overall, society welcomed the increasing religious activity that 
followed the transition from communism. However, lingering effects of 
the Communist Party's suppression of religion remain. Officials from 
Christian churches continued to contend that it will be another 
generation at least before a majority of citizens realize that religion 
has a vital role to play in the nation's public life.
    Church leaders report that the divisive political climate in the 
country affects societal attitudes toward religion, as church 
statements on important public issues tend to be seen as politically 
motivated. Politicians on the left have routinely criticized the 
churches for their perceived political support for the right ever since 
the regime change of 1989. This political tension was manifest in the 
present reporting period during the spring parliamentary elections, in 
which a few Christian parishes openly campaigned for the political 
right, although there were no directions from church leaders to do so. 
Furthermore, in the first months of 2006, historians reportedly found 
documents linking present and former leaders of the Catholic Church to 
the communist-era secret service. The Church, while not fully denying 
the charges, suggested that the timing of the revelations, which 
occurred before the elections, was politically motivated.
    Reports of vandalism or destruction of Christian and Jewish 
property exhibited a downward trend, as did burglaries involving places 
of worship. In 2005, the National Police reported 216 cases of 
vandalism to cemeteries, as compared to 339 in 2004, and 125 cases of 
burglary involving places of worship as compared to 148 in 2004. There 
was no information on which churches owned the cemeteries. Most police 
and religious authorities considered these incidents to be acts of 
youth vandalism and not indications of religious intolerance.
    In September 2005, an unknown person or persons placed a number of 
anti-Islamic posters around Budapest. Police did not initiate an 
investigation, citing freedom of speech. The incident received little 
attention in the media at the time. There was no measurable public 
reaction as the incident was minor and isolated and the Muslim 
community in the country is quite small.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom activities, 
maintaining regular contact with government officials, members of 
Parliament, leaders of large and small religious groups, and 
representatives of local and international nongovernmental 
organizations that address issues of religious freedom. Through these 
contacts, embassy officers tracked closely the dispute over parochial 
school funding and the possible effect on clergy that the country's 
proposed lustration legislation may have. Embassy officers also worked 
with Mazsihisz to identify Jewish cemeteries for possible restoration 
by the U.S. Commission to Preserve America's Cultural Heritage Abroad 
(USCPACHA). In September 2005, the embassy facilitated a visit from a 
USCPACHA official to survey three cemeteries for possible restoration.
    During the period covered by this report, the embassy facilitated 
the transfer of Holocaust-era records to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial 
Museum, and it lobbied the Government at the highest levels for greater 
archival access for the museum.
    The embassy also remained active on issues of compensation and 
property restitution for Holocaust victims. Embassy officers worked 
with Mazsihisz, the Hungarian Jewish Public Foundation, other local and 
international Jewish organizations, members of Parliament, and the 
Prime Minister's Office to maintain dialogue on restitution issues, and 
to promote fair compensation.
    The embassy continued to urge the Government to speak out against 
anti-Semitism and hate speech.
                               __________

                                ICELAND

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the 
state financially supports and promotes Lutheranism as the country's 
official religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The 
Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is the state church, enjoys some 
advantages not available to other faiths in the country and provides 
social services regardless of creed.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, and there have been no 
reports of religious persecution.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 39,600 square miles, and a population of 
approximately 300,000. Most residents lived on or near the coasts. The 
area surrounding the capital, Reykjavik, was home to approximately 60 
percent of the country's total population.
    According to the National Statistical Bureau, 251,728 persons (84.1 
percent of the total population) were members of the state Lutheran 
Church. During the reporting period, a total of 1,065 individuals 
resigned from the Church, as against 214 new registrants other than 
infants baptized. Many of those who resigned from the state Church 
joined one of the structurally and financially independent Lutheran 
Free Churches, which had a total membership of 13,816 persons (4.6 
percent of the population). The breakdown in membership was as follows: 
Reykjavik Free Church-6,597; Hafnarfjordur Free Church-4,566; and 
Reykjavik Independent Church-2,653. A total of 14,687 individuals (4.9 
percent) were members of 23 other small recognized and registered 
religious organizations ranging from the Roman Catholic Church (6,451 
members) to the First Baptist Church (14 members). There were 11,794 
individuals (3.9 percent) who belonged to other or nonspecified 
religious organizations and 7,379 (2.5 percent) who were not part of 
any religious organization. There were also religions, such as Judaism, 
that have been practiced in the country for years but have never 
requested official recognition. In official statistics, these religions 
are listed as ``other and unspecified.'' The National Statistical 
Bureau does not keep track of Jewish community numbers, and there is no 
synagogue or Jewish cultural center; however, up to sixty people 
attended occasional Jewish holiday parties and themed lectures and 
discussions organized by a few Jewish immigrants. A number of academic 
studies reported that between 16 and 23 percent of the population 
identified itself either as atheist or agnostic.
    Although the majority of citizens used traditional Lutheran rituals 
to mark events such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals, 
most Lutherans did not regularly attend Sunday services.
    A 2005 Gallup poll showed that about two-thirds of Icelanders 
believed in some kind of existence after death.
    According to statistics provided by the immigration authorities, 
the number of foreigners receiving a residence permit increased 
significantly during the past several years. In direct relation to the 
increase in foreigners (itinerant workers, immigrants, and refugees), 
the number of religious organizations significantly increased. 
Foreigners comprised more than half of the Roman Catholic population. 
The Reykjavik Catholic Church held one service each week in English, 
and many Filipinos attended. A growing number of Catholic Poles lived 
in the country, where they worked in the fishing and shipbuilding 
industries. Three Polish priests served the Polish Catholic community. 
The Catholic Church also employed priests from Argentina, France, 
Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovakia. Since there were few 
Catholic churches outside of Reykjavik, Lutheran ministers regularly 
lent their churches to Catholic priests so that they could conduct 
Masses for members in rural areas.
    The Association of Muslims in Iceland (Felag Muslima a Islandi), 
founded in 1997, had 341 members (out of approximately 800 to 1000 
Muslims living in the country, according to the Association). Muslims 
were mostly concentrated in the capital area, although there were a 
number of Kosovar Muslim refugees in the small northern town of Dalvik. 
Since 2002, the community has had its own house of worship, with daily 
prayer nights and weekly Friday prayers that attracted a core group of 
approximately thirty individuals. A 2000 application for land to build 
a mosque languished in Reykjavik's planning commission. The city cited 
competing claims for the land in question, but some observers expressed 
concern that prejudice was behind the delay.
    The Russian Orthodox Church applied for land to build a house of 
worship in Reykjavik and also experienced frustrating bureaucratic 
delays. City officials publicly expressed concern that tensions could 
arise if the Muslims and Orthodox Christians were to erect neighboring 
facilities, as they have been looking at the same site. While there 
were acknowledged tensions, occasionally leading to arguments, between 
Reykjavik's small Muslim Kosovar and Orthodox Serb communities, 
religious leaders told authorities they had no qualms about worshipping 
in close proximity.
    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) accounted 
for the only significant foreign missionary activity in the country. 
The U.S.-based First Baptist Church of Iceland in Keflavik, which 
primarily served U.S. military personnel at Naval Air Station Keflavik 
(NASKEF), was planning to strengthen its outreach to the broader 
Icelandic community when NASKEF closed in late 2006.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The official state 
religion is Lutheranism.
    The constitution provides all persons the right to form religious 
associations and to practice religion in accordance with their personal 
beliefs. It also bans teaching or practices harmful to good morals or 
public order. In addition, the General Penal Code protects religious 
practice by establishing fines and imprisonment for up to three months 
for those who publicly deride or belittle the religious doctrines or 
worship of a lawful religious association active in the country.
    Article 62 of the constitution establishes the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church as the state church and pledges the state's support and 
protection. Parliament has the power to pass a law to change this 
article. Although Gallup polls show that the majority of citizens favor 
the concept of separation of church and state, most probably would not 
support the change if it meant closing Lutheran churches because of 
lack of funding. According to the state church's website, ``9 out of 10 
children are baptized in their first year, more than 90 percent of 
adolescents are confirmed, 75 percent are married in the church and 99 
percent are buried in the church.'' Although few citizens regularly 
attend services, they see the Lutheran religion as part of their 
culture and view the closing of a church as losing a part of their 
heritage. In October 2004, the Alliance Party presented a parliamentary 
motion on constitutional amendments that included a clause calling for 
consideration of the separation of church and state. The initiative has 
not made it out of committee. Sidmennt, the 188-member Icelandic 
Ethical Humanist Association, strongly supports legislation to separate 
church and state. An October 2005 Gallup poll found two-thirds of the 
general population, led by men, capital-area residents, and younger, 
wealthier, better educated people, in favor of separation.
    The state directly pays the salaries of the 140 ministers in the 
state church, and these ministers are considered public servants under 
the Ministry of Judicial and Ecclesiastical Affairs. These ministers 
counsel persons of all faiths and offer ecumenical services for 
marriages and funerals. The state operates a network of Lutheran parish 
churches throughout the country. In new housing areas, land 
automatically is set aside for the construction of a parish church to 
serve the neighborhood. State radio broadcasts worship services every 
Sunday morning and daily devotions morning and night, contributing to 
state Lutheran domination of the public space.
    A 1999 law sets specific conditions and procedures that religious 
organizations must follow to gain state subsidies. All taxpayers 
sixteen years of age and older must pay a church tax amounting to 
approximately $121 (ISK 8,472) a year. Individuals are free to direct 
their church tax payments to any of the religious groups officially 
registered and recognized by the state. For persons who are not 
registered as belonging to a religious organization, or who belong to 
one that is not registered, the tax payment goes to the University of 
Iceland, a secular institution. Atheists have objected to having their 
fee go to the university, asserting that this is inconsistent with the 
constitutional right of freedom of association.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government gave the 
state church approximately $61.4 million (ISK 4.3 billion). Of that 
amount, the church tax funded $22.9 million (ISK 1.6 billion), the 
cemetery tax $10.7 million (ISK 749.5 million), and general revenues 
$27.1 million (ISK 1.9 billion). The state church operates all 
cemeteries in the country, and the $10.7 million from the cemetery tax 
must be used solely for this purpose. All recognized religious 
denominations have equal access to the country's cemeteries. The church 
tax also provided a total of $2.4 million (ISK 170 million) to the 
other recognized religions and a total of $1.5 million (ISK 108 
million) to the University of Iceland.
    In January 2006, the Icelandic Pagan Association (Asatuarfelagith) 
sued the Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs and the 
Ministry of Finance to receive funding proportional to its membership 
from monies currently made available only to the state church. These 
monies supplement the income that the National Church receives from 
church taxes, exclusively favoring state Lutheranism in violation of 
Article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights, according to the 
plaintiff. The case was scheduled to go to trial on September 18, 2006.
    The Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs handles 
applications for recognition and registration of religious 
organizations. The law provides for a three-member panel consisting of 
a theologian, a lawyer, and a social scientist to review the 
applications. To become registered, a religious organization must, 
according to Law Number 108/1999, ``practice a creed or religion that 
can be linked to the religions of humankind that have historical or 
cultural roots...be well established...be active and stable...have a 
core group of members who regularly practice the religion in compliance 
with its teachings and should pay church taxes....'' All registered 
religious organizations are required to submit an annual report to the 
Ministry of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs describing the 
organization's operations over the past year. The law also specifies 
that the leader of a religious organization must be at least twenty-
five years old and pay taxes in the country. No restrictions or 
requirements are placed on unregistered religious organizations, which 
have the same rights as other groups in society. Of three groups that 
applied to register as religious organizations during the reporting 
period, one, an offshoot of the Icelandic Pagan Association, gained 
official recognition. The Free Church of Iceland and the Baptist Church 
of Sudurnes had their applications denied on grounds of not being 
sufficiently well established.
    Law Number 108/1999 confirms that parents control the religious 
affiliation of their children until the children reach the age of 
sixteen. However, the Children's Act requires that parents consult 
their children about any changes in the children's affiliation after 
the age of twelve, and the National Registry confirms that such changes 
do take place with the requesting children's signatures. In the absence 
of specific instructions to the contrary, children at birth are assumed 
to have the same religious affiliation as their mother and are 
registered as such.
    Under Law Number 66/1995, which regulates public elementary 
schools, the Government requires instruction in Christianity, ethics, 
and theology during the period of compulsory education; that is, ages 
six through sixteen. Virtually all schools are public schools, with a 
few exceptions such as a Roman Catholic parochial school located in 
Reykjavik. All schools are subject to Law Number 66 with respect to the 
compulsory curriculum. However, the precise content of this instruction 
can vary, and some observers have claimed that religious indoctrination 
can take place, as the curriculum is not rigid and as teachers often 
are given wide latitude in the classroom. Some teachers place greater 
emphasis on ethical and philosophical issues rather than on 
specifically religious instruction. Lessons on non-Christian religions 
are part of the curriculum, but teachers ultimately teach mostly about 
Christianity. The rationale behind the focus on Christianity in 
religious instruction is based on the creed's historically strong 
influence on the country's society and culture.
    Students may be exempted from Christianity classes. The law 
provides the minister of education with the formal authority to exempt 
pupils from instruction in compulsory subjects such as Christianity. In 
practice, individual school authorities issue exemptions informally. 
There is no obligation for school authorities to offer other religious 
or secular instruction in place of Christianity classes.
    In December 2005, the Ministry of Education published proposals for 
a new curriculum for Christianity, ethics, and religious studies in 
primary schools. The proposals suggested a more multicultural and 
intellectual approach to religious education and a greater emphasis on 
teaching a variety of beliefs rather than a single faith. The Ministry 
of Education was expected to implement the proposals in late 2006. In 
secondary schools, theology would continue to be taught under the 
rubric of ``community studies'' along with sociology, philosophy, and 
history.
    In the 2005-2006 school year, some secondary schools adopted a new 
Icelandic textbook on world religions. Minority religious 
organizations, while praising the book's comprehensive coverage, 
criticized the volume for inaccuracies in its discussion of non-
Christian faiths and for describing atheism as a religion. Observers 
also criticized a secondary school history textbook for a number of 
errors regarding Islam. For example, a picture of the Dome of the Rock, 
the third holiest place in Islam, located in Jerusalem's Old City, is 
wrongly captioned as the second holiest place in Islam, located in 
downtown Jerusalem.
    The Government does not actively promote interfaith understanding. 
The Government does not sponsor programs or official church-government 
councils to coordinate interfaith dialogue, but many church groups 
sponsor meetings between the leaders of the various religious 
organizations. A Japanese-born minister of the state church has been 
designated to serve the immigrant community and help recent arrivals of 
all faiths integrate into society. Holocaust education is not a 
required element of the national school program, but the subject is 
taught in most schools as part of a mandatory history curriculum.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were no reports of physical violence against Jews or acts of 
violence against, or vandalism of, Jewish community institutions, of 
which there are none. Incidents of harassment were rare.
    When an Israeli border guard delayed and insulted First Lady Dorrit 
Moussaieff, of Jewish descent and born in Israel, on her departure from 
that country following a private visit, Moussaieff remarked that the 
border guard's behavior was the type that led to anti-Semitism. 
Subsequent broad coverage in the press focused on the First Lady's loss 
of composure but did not analyze or criticize the statement. A major 
daily newspaper caricatured the affair in a cartoon showing Moussaieff 
leading her husband, President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson (portrayed as 
preparing himself for a fistfight) toward a group of grim-faced Jews--
stereotypically rendered with hats, beards, and prominent noses--
waiting behind the Western (``Wailing'') Wall. The caption read, ``Give 
the damn Jews a good beating, dear Oli.'' The cartoonist's main aim 
appears to have been to mock the president--who has not publicly 
commented on the incident--for subservience to his wife.
    Harassment of the country's tiny, inconspicuous Jewish community is 
infrequent and not organized.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. If members of religious 
minorities face discrimination, it is indirect in nature, taking the 
form of prejudice and lack of interfaith or intercultural 
understanding. The country has a small, close-knit, homogenous society 
that closely guards its culture and is not accustomed to accommodating 
outsiders. Although most citizens are not active members of the state 
church, Lutheranism is still an important part of the country's 
cultural identity. There were reports of isolated incidents involving 
inebriated individuals verbally harassing veiled Muslim women on the 
streets of Reykjavik.
    Muslims in the country, seconded by independent observers, have 
expressed concern that Omega, a Christian television station, 
broadcasts distorted, negative coverage and commentary on Muslims and 
Islam. The station's broadcasting area includes Southwest and South 
Iceland, reaching approximately 75 percent of the country's population. 
Since June 2002, Omega also broadcast its programming via satellite to 
continental Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, claiming to 
reach approximately 45 million homes.
    During the last decade, there has been increased awareness of other 
religious groups, and informal interfaith meetings, seminars, and 
courses have been held. In May 2005, the National Church for the first 
time organized an interfaith meeting of the leaders of major registered 
religious groups (defined as those with 150 or more members). Attendees 
planned to establish a permanent Interfaith Forum in mid-2006 that 
would foster dialogue and strengthen links between religious groups. A 
position paper completed by participants in early 2006 stated that the 
forum is intended to encourage honest debate on issues of common 
interest; to fight prejudice and discrimination; to emphasize the 
social value of religion; and to encourage greater professionalism in 
the teaching of religion in public schools. The position paper was 
subject to the nascent organization's formal approval at the end of the 
period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy also maintains a regular dialogue on religious freedom issues 
with the leaders of various religious groups and nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs). In November 2005, the charge d'affaires invited 
members of the Muslim community, as well as state church officials, NGO 
immigrant service providers, journalists, and embassy staff with 
experience in the Muslim world to the ambassador's residence for an 
Iftar-style meal to celebrate religious diversity and demonstrate 
Americans' respect for Islam and religious freedom.
                               __________

                                IRELAND

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 27,136 square miles, and a population of 
approximately four million. The country is overwhelmingly Roman 
Catholic. According to official government statistics based on the 2002 
census, the religious affiliation of the population was 88.4 percent 
Catholic (3,462,606), 2.9 percent Church of Ireland (115,611), 0.55 
percent Christian (unspecified), 0.52 percent Presbyterian (20,582), 
0.25 percent Methodist (10,033), 0.49 percent Muslim (19,147), and less 
than 0.1 percent Jewish (1,790). Approximately 5.5 percent (217,358) of 
the population stated no preference or adherence to a particular 
religion.
    The number of immigrants increased, and they tended to be non-
Catholic. Muslim and Orthodox Christian communities in particular 
continued to grow, especially in Dublin. Immigrants and noncitizens 
encountered few difficulties in practicing their faiths.
    According to 2005 figures released by the Catholic Communications 
Office (CCO), approximately 60 percent of the 4,155,368 Irish and 
Northern Irish Catholics attended Mass once a week and 220,000 attended 
Mass once a day. The CCO reported that there was a noticeable increase 
in attendance during Christmas and Easter holidays and around the time 
of the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. A similar survey conducted 
in 2005 by the Evangelical Alliance Ireland (EAI) estimated that up to 
30,000 evangelicals (comprising Baptists, members of Assemblies of God, 
Pentecostals, charismatics, and former Catholics) attended services 
each week.

               Section II. Status of Freedom of Religion

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution prohibits promotion of one religion over another 
and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, and the 
Government does not restrict the teaching or practice of any faith. 
There is no state religion, and there was no discrimination against 
nontraditional religious groups. There is no legal requirement that 
religious groups or organizations register with the Government, nor is 
there any formal mechanism for government recognition of a religion or 
religious group.
    The Employment Equality Act prohibits discrimination in employment 
on nine grounds, including religion. The Equality Authority works 
toward continued progress in the elimination of discrimination and the 
promotion of equality in employment. The Equal Status Act prohibits 
discrimination outside of employment (such as in education or provision 
of goods) on the same grounds cited in the Employment Equality Act.
    While Catholicism is the dominant religion, it was not favored 
officially or in practice. Because of the country's history and 
tradition as a predominantly Catholic country and society, the majority 
of those in political office are Catholic, and some Catholic holy days 
are also national holidays.
    The following holy days are considered national holidays: St. 
Patrick's Day (the country's national day), Good Friday, Easter Monday, 
Christmas, and St. Stephen's Day. These holidays did not negatively 
affect any religious group.
    The Government does not require but does permit religious 
instruction in public schools. Most primary and secondary schools are 
denominational, and their boards of management were governed partially 
by trustees within the Catholic Church or, in some cases, the Church of 
Ireland. Under the terms of the constitution, the Department of 
Education must and does provide equal funding to schools of different 
religious denominations, including Islamic and Jewish schools. Although 
religious instruction is an integral part of the curriculum, parents 
may exempt their children from such instruction.
    In 2003, the Equality Authority published a booklet stating that 
church-linked schools are permitted legally to refuse to admit a 
student who is not of that religion, providing the school can prove 
that the refusal is essential to the maintenance of the ``ethos'' of 
the school (i.e., too many Catholics in a Muslim school could prevent 
the school from having a Muslim ``ethos''). However, there were no 
reports of any children being refused admission to any school for this 
reason.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    In 2005, there were reports of acts of vandalism against Jewish 
establishments in Dublin. The culprit was identified and, in February 
2006, sentenced to twenty months in jail for multiple counts of 
vandalism. He was scheduled to appeal this sentencing on June 26, 2006; 
however, his appeal was rescheduled to take place in October 2006. The 
individual was out on bail for these charges at the end of the period 
covered by this report. In another February 2006 case, the same 
individual was charged and placed on probation for six months for the 
2005 painting of swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti on the Dublin 
Jewish museum. On May 19, 2006, he was scheduled to face twenty-three 
further charges of sending offensive e-mails to Jewish community 
individuals; however, trials pertaining to these charges were 
rescheduled for September 2006. After his arrest, the attacks on Jewish 
establishments ceased.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In November 2004, in an effort to reach out across community and 
faith lines, the Government invited key religious leaders, including 
the imam from a prominent mosque, to take part in the country's 
presidential inauguration. In March 2005, government officials took 
part in a ``Muslims in Ireland Today'' conference held at a prominent 
mosque in the country. In addition, the Garda (the police) Racial and 
Intercultural Office placed 145 Ethnic Liaison Officers around the 
country to advise police and monitor policing activity in light of the 
increasing number of ethnic and religious groups that were immigrating 
to the country. In December 2005, the prime minister announced that the 
Government initiated contact with and decided to meet annually with 
leaders of the religious communities to institute regular interfaith 
dialogues.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Society largely was 
homogenous; as a result, religious differences were not tied to ethnic 
or political differences. Various religious groups, nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs), and academic institutions conducted activities or 
projects designed to promote greater mutual understanding and tolerance 
among adherents of different religions.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
September 2004 the U.S. Embassy began its Muslim Outreach program aimed 
at fostering greater understanding of political, social, cultural, and 
religious views prevalent among Muslims in the country, and embassy 
officials, including the ambassador, met regularly with Muslims. 
Embassy officials also met with the chief rabbi of the country, the 
head of the Egyptian Coptic Church, and prominent leaders from both 
Catholic and Protestant religious groups. The embassy's interfaith 
Thanksgiving reception facilitated dialogue and understanding of 
religious freedom among governmental, NGO, religious, and community 
leaders, and assisted government outreach to minority groups.
                               __________

                                 ITALY

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
There is no state religion; however, the Catholic Church enjoys some 
privileges, stemming from its sovereign status and its historical 
political authority, not available to other religious groups.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Catholic Church's 
influential role in society has led to controversy when church 
teachings have appeared to influence Catholic legislators on matters of 
public policy. Increasing immigration has led to some anti-immigrant 
sentiment; for the country's many Muslim immigrants, religion has 
served as an additional factor differentiating them from native-born 
citizens.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 116,347 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 58.5 million. An estimated 87 percent of native-born 
citizens were nominally Catholic, but only 20 percent regularly 
participated in worship services. According to numbers reported by the 
communities, members of Jehovah's Witnesses formed the second largest 
Christian denomination among native-born citizens, numbering 
approximately 231,000 adherents, followed by members of the Assembly of 
God (78,000), Methodists and Waldesians (27,000), and Mormons (22,000).
    However, immigration--both legal and illegal--continued to add 
large groups of non-Christian residents, mainly Muslims, from North 
Africa, South Asia, Albania, and the Middle East. Of 2.9 million legal 
immigrants, an estimated 1 million were Muslim, primarily Sunnis. There 
were approximately 75,000 Hindus. Buddhists included approximately 
40,000 adherents of European origin and 20,000 of Asian origin. 
According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, during the period of 
German occupation in World War II, Nazi officials deported 
approximately 8,000 Jews from the country to Auschwitz-Birkenau and 
other Nazi camps. Almost 2,000 Jews were deported from Rhodes, an 
Aegean Sea island that had been part of the country before the war. 
Approximately 7,600 of those deported were killed. Because Italian 
authorities obstructed the deportations and because many Italian Jews 
succeeded in hiding or escaped southward to Allied-occupied areas of 
the country, more than 40,000 Jews survived the Holocaust in the 
country. The country's Jewish community, during the period covered by 
this report, numbered approximately 30,000, and maintained synagogues 
in twenty-one cities. Other significant religious communities included 
Orthodox churches, small Protestant groups, the Baha'i Faith, and South 
Asian Hindus. Polls conducted in 2003 showed that approximately 14 
percent of the population considered themselves to be either atheists 
or agnostics.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Prior to the constitution's adoption in 1947, the country's 
relations with the Catholic Church were governed by a 1929 Concordat, 
which resolved longstanding disputes stemming from the dissolution of 
the Papal States and established Catholicism as the country's state 
religion. A 1984 revision of the Concordat formalized the principle of 
a secular state but maintained the practice of state support for 
religion--support that also could be extended, if requested, to non-
Catholic confessions. In such cases, state support is to be governed by 
legislation implementing the provisions of an accord (intesa) between 
the Government and the religious confession. An intesa grants ministers 
of religion automatic access to state hospitals, prisons, and military 
barracks; allows for civil registry of religious marriages; facilitates 
special religious practices regarding funerals; and exempts students 
from school attendance on religious holidays. If a religious community 
so requests, an intesa may provide for state routing of funds, through 
a voluntary check-off on taxpayer returns, to that community, a 
privilege that some communities initially declined but later requested. 
The absence of an intesa does not affect a religious group's ability to 
worship freely; however, the privileges granted by an intesa are not 
always granted automatically, and a religious community without an 
intesa does not benefit financially from the voluntary check-off on 
taxpayer returns.
    In 1984, the first such accord granted specific benefits to the 
Waldesian Church. Similar accords, which are negotiated by the Prime 
Minister's Office and require parliamentary approval, extended similar 
benefits to the Adventists and Assembly of God (1988), Jews (1989), and 
Baptists and Lutherans (1995). In 2000, the Government signed accords 
with the Buddhist Union and Jehovah's Witnesses; however, these intese 
did not receive parliamentary ratification before that government left 
office in 2001. The Government initiated negotiations with the Mormons 
(2000), the Orthodox Church of the Constantinople Patriarchate (2000), 
the Apostolic Church (2001), Hindus (2001), and Soka Gakkai, or 
Japanese Buddhists (2001). The Government chose to complete work on 
pending requests and submit all such accords--including those 
previously signed with the Buddhist Union and Jehovah's Witnesses--to 
Parliament as a single package. However, Parliament's term ended in 
April 2006 without considering either the pending intese or omnibus 
religious freedom legislation, which incorporated provisions contained 
in other laws. Divisions among the country's Muslim organizations, as 
well as multiple Muslim immigrant groups, have hindered that 
community's efforts to seek an intesa.
    The revised Concordat of 1984 accorded the Catholic Church certain 
privileges. For example, the Church is allowed to select Catholic 
teachers, paid by the state, to provide instruction in ``hour of 
religion'' courses taught in the public schools. This class is 
optional, and students who do not wish to attend are free to study 
other subjects or, in certain cases, to leave school early. While in 
the past this instruction involved Catholic priests teaching catechism, 
church-selected instructors now may be either lay or religious, and 
their instruction is intended to include material relevant to non-
Catholic religious groups. Problems may arise in small communities 
where information about other religious groups and numbers of non-
Catholic communicants is limited. The constitution prohibits state 
support for private schools; however, declining enrollment in Catholic 
schools has led Catholic Church officials, as operators of the 
country's most extensive network of private schools, to seek government 
aid.
    While Catholicism is no longer the state religion, its role as the 
dominant religion occasionally gives rise to problems. In 2004, 
Parliament passed legislation favored by the Vatican that equates an 
embryo with a human life, prohibits the use of donated sperm for 
artificial insemination, restricts the production of embryos, and 
limits scientific research on embryos. The legislation drew support 
from Catholic legislators across the political spectrum, while secular 
conservatives and Communists joined to oppose it. In January 2005, 
Camillo Ruini, president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, urged 
Catholics to abstain from voting for four referenda to abolish parts of 
the new fertility law; this sparked strong reactions from some leftist 
leaders who accused the Catholic Church of inappropriate interference 
in the political process. The June 2005 referenda failed when only 26 
of the required 50-plus percent of the population voted. The low 
turnout reflected a variety of factors, including Church opposition, 
the ambivalence of most secular politicians, and voter apathy on a 
summer weekend. In past years, Catholic politicians joined Pope John 
Paul II and other church officials (including Cardinal Joseph 
Ratzinger, who has since been elected Pope Benedict XVI) in asserting 
that the draft European Constitution should include language 
recognizing Europe's Christian heritage.
    The continuing presence of Catholic symbols, such as crucifixes, in 
courtrooms, schools, and other public buildings, has drawn criticism 
and has led to a number of lawsuits. Judicial decisions reflected 
public opinion; in a recent poll, 80 percent of Italians supported the 
presence of crucifixes in public buildings, and another nine percent 
supported them if they did not offend others. In January, a Muslim who 
threw a crucifix out of a window in his mother's room in a public 
hospital was sentenced to eight months in jail under a Fascist-era law 
that prohibits affronts to the Catholic religion; he was not expected 
to serve jail time as the courts suspend sentences of less than three 
years for first-time misdemeanors. In February, the Council of State, 
the national Appeals Court for administrative cases, rejected a request 
made by a mother to remove crucifixes from her children's classrooms; 
the Court determined that the presence of religious symbols in public 
buildings is not discriminatory as they epitomize high civil values. In 
April 2005, a court ruled that crucifixes do not have to be removed 
from polling stations, as requested by the president of a small Islamic 
association. In December 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled that, 
based on a technicality, a 1928 regulation that provides for the 
display of crucifixes in public classrooms is constitutional. A mother 
in Venice, who asked that the crucifixes be removed, brought the case. 
In March 2005, Interior Minister Pisanu argued publicly that the 
crucifix was a symbol of great value that represented two thousand 
years of civilization and culture.
    Muslim women are free to wear the veil in public offices and 
schools; however, there were occasional reports of objections to women 
wearing a burqa (a garment that completely covers the face and body). 
In August 2004, a woman in Drezzo was fined for wearing a burqa under a 
seldom-used 1931 law that forbids persons from hiding their identity.
    In view of the negative aspects of the country's fascist past, 
government leaders routinely acknowledge and pay tribute to Jews 
victimized by the country's 1938 racial laws.
    In January 2004, Prime Minister Berlusconi created a new ``Inter-
Ministerial Commission to Combat Anti-Semitism'' to ensure strong, 
uniform responses to any anti-Semitic acts by the police and local/
federal government officials. In December 2004, the Government hosted, 
with the Anti-Defamation League, an international conference on anti-
Semitism.
    National, regional, and local authorities organize annual 
educational initiatives and other events to support National Holocaust 
Remembrance Day on January 27. In 2004, the country acted as Chair of 
the International Task Force on Holocaust Education and the Ministry of 
Education organized an international conference to train teachers on 
the Shoah. In January 2005, Prime Minister Berlusconi attended 
ceremonies to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of 
Auschwitz, and the Speaker of the Italian Senate, Marcello Pera, 
addressed the special session of the UN General Assembly commemorating 
the liberation of Nazi death camps with remarks on the importance of 
acknowledging and combating continued anti-Semitism. In January 2006, 
the mayor of Rome announced approval of a plan for a museum dedicated 
to the Shoah; work is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2006. In 2003, 
Parliament approved the creation of a National Holocaust Memorial 
Museum in Ferrara; construction had not begun at the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Missionaries or religious workers do not encounter problems but 
must apply for appropriate visas prior to arriving in the country.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. In March 2006, Abdul Rahman, an Afghan citizen 
under threat of death because he converted to Christianity, arrived in 
the country to accept the Government's offer of asylum.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were no violent anti-Semitic attacks in the period covered by 
this report, but public opinion surveys indicated that anti-Semitism 
was growing in the country. According to pollsters, this trend was tied 
to, and in some cases fed by, widespread opposition to the Israeli 
government and popular support for the Palestinian cause. In 2005, 
there were some incidents of Israeli diplomats being heckled at public 
events. Small-scale graffiti (swastikas) were found in major cities. 
Following a display of anti-Semitic banners and Nazi symbols at a 
soccer match in January 2006, the offending fans' team was disciplined. 
The minister of interior called the incident ``an unbearable attack 
against the victims of Nazism and Fascism'' and declared that public 
authorities would enforce laws prohibiting the display of slogans or 
symbols exalting political violence, racism or xenophobia in sports 
stadiums. In April 2006, on the anniversary of the country's liberation 
from Nazism and Fascism, pro-Palestinian demonstrators took an Israeli 
flag from Jewish Brigade representatives and burned it.
    On May 16, 2006, forty Jewish graves (of approximately 6 thousand) 
in Milan were vandalized. The tombstones were knocked over and broken 
but there were no signs of anti-Semitic slogans or Nazi symbols. The 
attack was immediately condemned by leaders of both the center-left and 
center-right; Milan's chief rabbi called the incident serious and 
without precedent. The police opened an investigation and speculated in 
the press that the vandals might have been drunken revelers.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religious and government 
officials continued to encourage mutual respect for religious 
differences. In March 2006, Rome's Chief Rabbi paid a first-ever visit 
to Rome's main mosque; a reciprocal visit was being scheduled.
    Increasing immigration from Eastern Europe, Africa, China, and the 
Middle East was altering demographic and cultural patterns in 
communities across the country and led to some anti-immigrant 
sentiment. For the country's Muslim immigrants, religion serves as an 
additional factor differentiating them from native-born citizens. 
During the election campaign, some Catholic politicians and community 
leaders contributed to popular reaction by emphasizing the perceived 
threat posed by immigrants to the country's ``national identity.''
    Some members of the Northern League political party, a minority 
member of the governing coalition, asserted that practices present in 
many Islamic societies, notably polygamy, Islamic family law, the role 
of women, and the lack of separation between religion and state, 
rendered many Muslim immigrants incompatible for integration into 
society. In February 2006, Northern League Minister for Reform Roberto 
Calderoli went on television wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with 
controversial cartoons mocking Muhammad. Following violent reactions, 
including an attack on the country's consulate in Bengazhi, Libya, 
Prime Minister Berlusconi called for and received Calderoli's 
resignation.
    In November 2005, Interior Minister Pisanu established a sixteen-
member Islamic Consultative Council comprised of Italian and immigrant 
Muslims designed to open dialogue on how to improve the lives of 
moderate Muslims. The Council met three times in 2006 to offer advice 
to the Government on immigration, housing, education, employment, and 
related policies. At the same time, the Government continued a 
crackdown on illegal immigration and deportations of suspected Muslim 
extremists. During the reporting period, it expelled thirteen Muslims, 
including Turin-based Imam Bouchta Bouriki, on terrorism-related 
charges.
    In December 2004, the minister of equal opportunity created a new 
national Office to Combat Racial and Ethnic Discrimination to monitor 
and prevent discrimination and assist victims with legal assistance. 
The office established a hotline to receive complaints and began a 
public relations effort to discourage ethnic, racial and religious 
discrimination.
    Government units provide funds for the construction of places of 
worship as well as public land for their construction, and they help 
preserve and maintain historic places of worship that shelter much of 
the country's artistic and cultural heritage. In 2001, the Campania 
regional administration approved the request for approximately $3.1 
million (2.6 million euros) to build a mosque in Naples despite the 
absence of a formal intesa between the state and the Muslim confession. 
Construction had not yet begun at the end of the period covered by this 
report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                 LATVIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion; however, 
bureaucratic problems persisted for some minority religions.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, lingering suspicions 
remained toward newer, nontraditional faiths.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 25 thousand square miles, 
and an estimated population of approximately 2.3 million. The three 
largest faiths were Lutheranism, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodox 
Christianity. Denominational membership statistics were self-reported 
estimates and were not completely precise. Sizeable religious 
minorities included Baptists, Pentecostals, and various evangelical 
Protestant groups. The once large Jewish community was virtually 
destroyed in the Holocaust during the 1941-1944 German occupation; the 
community was an estimated 6,000 to 13,500 persons during the reporting 
period.
    As of April 2006, the Board of Religious Affairs had registered 
1,174 congregations. This total included: Lutheran (303), Roman 
Catholic (250), Orthodox (118), Baptist (93), Old Believer Orthodox 
(67), Seventh-day Adventist (50), Jehovah's Witnesses (13), Methodist 
(13), Jewish (13), Buddhist (4), Muslim (15), Hare Krishna (11), Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) (4), and more than 100 
other congregations.
    Interest in religion increased markedly since the restoration of 
independence; however, a large percentage of adherents did not 
regularly practice their faith. In 2005, religious groups provided the 
following estimates of membership to the Justice Ministry: Lutherans 
(458,424), Roman Catholics (500,000), Orthodox (350,000), Baptists 
(7,119), Old Believer Orthodox (2,843), Seventh-day Adventists (3,957), 
Jehovah's Witnesses (161), Methodists (1,002), Jews (638), Buddhists 
(87), Muslims (380), Hare Krishnas (127), and Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) (867). Although no precise statistics 
existed, it was widely acknowledged that a significant portion of the 
population was atheist. Orthodox Christians, many of whom were Russian-
speaking, non-citizen, permanent residents, were concentrated in the 
major cities, while many Catholics lived in the east.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. However, 
bureaucratic problems persisted for some minority religions. There is 
no state religion; however, the Government distinguishes between 
``traditional'' (Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Old Believers, 
Baptists, and Jewish) and ``new'' religions. In practice, this has not 
resulted in government discrimination against any particular religion.
    Jews are considered an ethnic group and can be listed as such in 
passports, rather than as Latvian or Russian. Prior to 2002, regardless 
of the bearer's wishes, all passports listed the bearer's ethnicity on 
the front bio-page as Latvian, Russian, or Jewish. In 2002, new 
passports were introduced that indicate ethnicity only when requested 
by the bearer. If the bearer requests that the ethnicity be listed, it 
is listed on the backside of the bio-page at the front of the passport.
    Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter Monday are national holidays. 
The Orthodox Church has been seeking recognition of Orthodox Christmas 
for several years, but the Government had not adopted this proposal by 
the end of this reporting period.
    The Latvian Lutheran Church established its own clergy education 
center, the Luther Academy in Riga, in 1998. The Roman Catholic Church 
and the Orthodox Church each have their own seminary. The University of 
Latvia's theological faculty is nondenominational.
    There are two councils that comment on religious issues for the 
Government: The New Religions Consultative Council (NRCC) and the 
Ecclesiastical Council (EC). The NRCC consists of doctors, academics, 
and an independent human rights ombudsman. It meets on an ad hoc basis 
and offers opinions on specific issues, but it does not have decision-
making authority. It has not published any information or warnings 
concerning ``cults.'' The Ecclesiastical Council is an advisory body 
organized in 2002 by the prime minister and is chaired by either the 
sitting prime minister or the deputy prime minister. It includes 
representatives from the major churches: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, 
Baptist, Orthodox, Jewish, Adventist, Methodist, and Old Believers. The 
Ecclesiastical Council met during the reporting period to discuss a new 
draft law on traditional confessions. The draft law outlines which 
religions are considered traditional religions (those that existed 
during the country's first period of independence), and further defines 
the relationship between church and state. Under current law, 
traditional religions enjoy certain rights and privileges that 
nontraditional religions do not. It is not clear at this point how the 
relationship between church and state will be defined and/or changed. 
The U.S. Embassy will continue to monitor this draft law and report 
further in the next reporting period.
    Although the Government does not require the registration of 
religious groups, the 1995 Law on Religious Organizations accords 
religious organizations certain rights and privileges when they 
register, such as status as a separate legal entity for owning property 
or other financial transactions, as well as tax benefits for donors. 
Registration also eases the rules for public gatherings.
    According to the 1995 Law on Religious Organizations, any twenty 
citizens or persons over the age of eighteen who have been registered 
in the Population Register may apply to register a church. Asylum 
seekers, foreign staff of diplomatic missions, and those in the country 
temporarily in a special status may not register a religious 
organization. Congregations that do not belong to a registered church 
association must reregister each year for ten years. Ten or more 
congregations of the same denomination and with permanent registration 
status may form a religious association. Only churches with religious 
association status may establish theological schools or monasteries. 
The decision to register a church is made by the Board of Religious 
Affairs, a semi-autonomous body within the Ministry of Justice. The 
director of the Board of Religious Affairs reports directly to the 
Minister of Justice. According to Board of Religious Affairs officials, 
most registration applications are approved eventually once proper 
documents are submitted. The Bureau of Human Rights has proposed to 
abolish the religious association membership requirement and reduce the 
new congregation registration requirement to three years. By the end of 
the reporting period, Parliament had not acted on this recommendation 
and no legislation has been introduced.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Law on Religious Organizations does not permit simultaneous 
registration of more than one religious association (church) in a 
single confession. During the reporting period, the Government had not 
registered or been requested to register any offshoots of established 
religious groups. According to the Board of Religious Affairs, they 
were not aware of any offshoot Jewish groups who were denied 
registration. A Chabad-Lubavich organization was registered in 1997. In 
the past, a group from the Latvian Free Orthodox Church, which was 
originally denied registration in 1997, was asked in 2005 by the Board 
to submit their registration request again, but the group had not done 
so during the reporting period. There were twenty nonassociated Old 
Believer groups registered with the Board during the reporting period.
    In 2005, the Religious Affairs Administration again proposed 
amendments to the Law on Religious Organizations that would abolish 
restrictions on single association registration. However, neither the 
Ecclesiastical Council nor the Government had acted on this 
recommendation by the end of the period covered by this report.
    Visa regulations effective since 1999 require foreign religious 
workers to present either an ordination certificate or evidence of 
religious education that corresponds to a local bachelor's degree in 
theology. The visa application process, requiring letters of invitation 
and proof of seminary training, remained cumbersome, although the 
Government generally was cooperative in helping resolve difficult visa 
cases in favor of missionary workers.
    Foreign evangelists and missionaries are permitted to hold meetings 
and to proselytize, but the law stipulates that only domestic religious 
organizations may invite them to conduct such activities. Foreign 
religious denominations criticized this provision.
    The Law on Religious Organizations stipulates that only 
representatives of the traditional Christian churches (i.e., 
Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Old Believer, and 
Baptist churches) may teach religion to public school students who 
volunteer to take the classes. The Government provides funds for this 
education. Students at state-supported national minority schools also 
may receive education on the religion ``characteristic of the national 
minority'' on a voluntary basis. Other denominations and religions that 
do not have their own state-supported minority schools, such as the 
Jewish community, may provide religious education only in private 
schools.
    Property restitution had been substantially completed, although 
most religious groups, including the Lutheran, Orthodox, and Jewish 
communities, continued to wait for the return of some properties. The 
status of these remaining properties was unclear and was the subject of 
complicated legal and bureaucratic processes concerning ambiguous 
ownership, competing claims, and the destruction of the Jewish 
communities to which properties belonged before World War II. The 
Office of the Prime Minister established a working group to address the 
restitution-related concerns of the country's religious communities. 
The Jewish community expressed concern about the terms under which some 
properties were restored.
    In early 2006, a law was proposed that would return approximately 
200 properties to the Jewish community. The proposal would create a 
centralized list of all the contested properties and the compensation 
requested for each item. The Jewish community and the Government 
continued productive discussions on this issue. By prenegotiating the 
properties, the community hoped to expedite the legislative process. 
The Jewish community was optimistic regarding a favorable outcome.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    In 2003, vandals overturned tombstones and sprayed anti-Semitic 
graffiti on the walls of Riga's New Jewish Cemetery. National leaders 
condemned the act and city authorities quickly repaired the damage. 
Similar desecrations, although on a much smaller scale, occurred in 
both 2004 and 2005, with similar reactions from leading local citizens. 
In the spring of 2005, the Orthodox rabbi of Riga was accosted, 
threatened, and subjected to violently anti-Semitic epithets in Old 
Town Riga. In late 2005, during the Jewish Hanukkah holiday, vandals 
deliberately knocked over and broke a large outdoor menorah in Riga.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In early 2006, Latvian police participated in a U.S. Government-
sponsored training course to address racial intolerance, which also 
included a component on anti-Semitism. The course was designed to 
educate police officers to identify criminal behavior based on 
intolerance and to explore best practices to combat intolerance on the 
streets. As a result of this initial course, the Latvian Police Academy 
incorporated a tolerance training segment into their overall course for 
new police recruits.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Ecumenism continued to be a 
new concept in the country, and traditional religions have adopted a 
distinctly reserved attitude toward the concept. Although government 
officials encouraged a broader understanding and acceptance of newer 
religions, many citizens continued to doubt the validity of newer, 
nontraditional faiths.
    The Latvian Historical Commission, under the sponsorship of 
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, continued to promote Holocaust 
awareness throughout society. A monument to Zanis Lipke, who saved 
forty Jews from the Riga ghetto, was planned for completion in 2006. In 
June 2004, the country was admitted as a permanent member of the 
International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and 
Research. In July 2006, the country will hold its first Holocaust 
Remembrance conference, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 
presided over by the president. The conference will address issues 
relating to the awareness and remembrance of the Holocaust. 
Participants will include Latvians and delegates from the United 
States, western Europe, and central and eastern Europe.
    Many government leaders--the president in particular--have reacted 
to a perceived increase in public anti-Semitism by speaking out against 
all forms of xenophobia and appearing prominently at Holocaust-related 
commemoration events. The Government actively discourages anti-
Semitism, although anti-Semitic sentiments persisted in some segments 
of society, manifested in occasional public comments and resistance to 
laws and memorials designed to address Holocaust remembrance. Books and 
other publications appearing in Latvia that address the World War II 
period generally dwelt on the effects of the Soviet and Nazi 
occupations on the state and on ethnic Latvians, sometimes at the 
expense of comment on the Holocaust or some Latvians' role in it.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    During the period covered by the report, the U.S. embassy worked to 
support the principle of religious freedom by engaging in regular 
exchanges with the president, the prime minister, and appropriate 
government bodies, including the director of the Office of Religious 
Affairs, human rights nongovernmental organizations, and 
representatives of various religious confessions, including 
missionaries. The embassy also held regular discussions with local 
immigration authorities and section meetings with the Department of 
Religious Affairs.
    The embassy actively supports the Latvian Historical Commission. It 
has funded the travel of scholars to the United States for education on 
ethnic and religious tolerance, and of U.S. experts to the country for 
Historical Commission activities. In addition, the embassy worked with 
the Government to develop a Holocaust education curriculum for all 
students in grades 9-12. The embassy funded the training of teachers in 
curriculum development, the production and publication of a Holocaust 
education curriculum, and the preparation of teachers to teach 
Holocaust history and awareness. The completed Holocaust curriculum was 
published in late spring 2005 and, following teacher training 
throughout the summer, was implemented in the 2005-2006 school year in 
some history and social studies classes.
    At the end of the summer of 2006, the U.S. Embassy will send two 
teachers on a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum study tour. The embassy, 
through a Democracy Commission Grant, also assisted with the production 
and publication of the book ``Jewish Cemeteries in Latvia,'' released 
in spring 2006.
    Embassy officials maintain an open and productive dialogue with the 
Government's director of the Board of Religious Affairs. Embassy 
officials also meet regularly with visiting missionary groups as well 
as representatives of different religious confessions, both local and 
foreign. Officials often discuss problems that certain minority 
religious groups had experienced at the Citizenship and Migration 
Department when seeking visas and residency permits.
                               __________

                             LIECHTENSTEIN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Roman 
Catholic Church is the official state church.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 61.7 square miles (160 square 
kilometers) and, as of 2002, a total population of 33,863, according to 
the Office of the National Economy. Membership in the different 
religious communities was as follows: 25,730 Roman Catholics, 2,354 
Protestants, 1,384 Muslims, 258 Eastern Orthodox, 72 Buddhists, 31 
Jehovah's Witnesses, 18 Jews, 14 Baha'is, 13 Anglicans, 9 New 
Apostolics, 8 other religions, and 329 with no formal affiliation to 
any religious community. For 3,643 residents, authorities had no 
indication of their religious affiliation. As of 2002, the Government 
discontinued statistics on religious affiliation.
    There were no significant foreign missionary groups in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The Criminal Code 
prohibits any form of discrimination or debasement of any religion or 
any of its adherents. The constitution makes the Roman Catholic Church 
the established church of the country, and as such it enjoys the full 
protection of the state.
    Church funding comes from the general budget, as decided by 
Parliament, and is not a direct ``tithe'' paid by the citizens. The 
Government gives money not only to the Roman Catholic Church but also 
to other denominations. Roman Catholic and Protestant churches receive 
regular annual contributions from the Government in proportion to 
membership size as determined in the census count of 2000; smaller 
religious groups are eligible to apply for grants for associations of 
foreigners or specific projects. In 2006, the Government made a 
contribution of $20,000 (25,000 Swiss francs) to the Muslim community. 
The Catholic and Protestant churches' finances are integrated directly 
into the budgets of the national and local governments. The Roman 
Catholic Church receives approximately $240,000 (300,000 Swiss francs) 
per year, plus additional sums from the eleven municipalities. The 
relationship between the state and the Roman Catholic Church is being 
redefined. In 2003, the Government reestablished a working group that 
discussed legislative reform, but the working group has not met since 
2004. In 2004, the Government contracted an independent study on church 
financing reform that is being discussed with local governments. All 
religious groups enjoy tax-exempt status.
    The Archdiocese of Vaduz is scheduled to receive a sum of $2.4 
million (3 million Swiss francs) over a total of five years as part of 
a financial settlement with the Diocese of Chur (Switzerland), to which 
it belonged until 1997. The transaction will permit the financial 
separation of the dioceses from one another. The first payment of $800 
thousand (1 million Swiss francs) was transferred in December 2003. 
Additional payments were being made in installments of $320 thousand 
(400 thousand Swiss francs). The Archdiocese of Vaduz intended to use 
the funds to pay back its property loan.
    In May 2005, the Council of Europe's (COE) Commissioner for Human 
Rights criticized the fact that standing policy favored the Catholic 
Church over other religious communities in the distribution of state 
subsidies and urged the Government to review its policies to ensure an 
equitable distribution of these funds. In 2004, the U.N. Human Rights 
Commission (UNHRC) also expressed concern about the unequal treatment 
of different religious denominations in the allocation of public funds. 
The issue of state subsidies to religious communities formed part of 
the government-sponsored discussions to reach consensus on the 
redefinition of the relationship between the state and the Roman 
Catholic Church.
    There were no significant foreign missionary groups in the country. 
To receive a religious-worker visa, an applicant must demonstrate that 
the host organization is important for the entire country. An applicant 
must have completed theological studies and be accredited with an 
acknowledged religious group. Visa requests normally were not denied 
and were processed in the same manner as requests from other 
individuals or workers.
    Since 2001, the Government has granted the Muslim community a 
residency permit for one imam, plus one short-term residency permit for 
an additional imam during Ramadan. The Government follows a policy of 
routinely granting visas to the imams in exchange for the agreement of 
both the Turkish Association and the Islamic community to prevent 
religious diatribes by the imams or the spread of religious extremism.
    Religious education is part of the curriculum at public schools. At 
the secondary school level, parents and pupils choose between 
traditional confessional religious education and the nonconfessional 
subject ``Religion and Culture.'' Since its introduction in 2003, more 
than 85 percent of Roman Catholic pupils have chosen the new subject, 
with the remainder following traditional confessional classes held by 
the Catholic Church. Representatives of the Protestant community have 
complained that the optional subject ``Religion and Culture'' de facto 
eliminated classes in Protestant doctrine because it made it virtually 
impossible for the minority community to meet the quorum of four pupils 
to hold confessional classes as part of the regular curriculum. As an 
alternative, the Protestant Church offers extra-curricular religious 
education classes with financial support from the Government. Regarding 
Roman Catholic confessional education at primary schools, a working 
group representing the local municipalities, religious teachers 
(catechists), and the Department of Education has worked out an 
agreement with the archbishop of Vaduz. The agreement retained the 
compulsory nature of confessional religious education and granted the 
Roman Catholic Church autonomy in setting the curriculum. With regard 
to oversight of religious education, the agreement gave the archbishop 
the final say on employment decisions of religious teachers, including 
dismissals, and provided for only a complementary supervisory role of 
the local municipalities. All municipalities except for Balzers, 
Triesen, and Planken, which decided to retain the old model of 
religious education, have implemented the agreement. By the end of the 
period covered by this report, the Protestants were the only other 
religious community allowed to offer religious education in primary 
schools. Members of other religious groups were not required to attend 
these classes. Groups other than the Roman Catholic Church and the 
Protestants were free to regulate their own religious education.
    The Government collaborates with religious institutions by 
supporting interfaith dialogue and providing adult education courses in 
religion, as well as other subjects.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In April 2006, a group of fifteen teachers from the country 
traveled to Israel for a study trip at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust 
memorial complex. The purpose of the trip was to learn about the 
Holocaust and methods of teaching its various aspects.
    In 2004, the Government established a working group for the better 
integration of members of the Muslim community into society. The 
working group consists of representatives of the Muslim community and 
government officials who deal with Islam as part of their duties. The 
working group's objectives are to counter mutual prejudices and promote 
respect and tolerance on the basis of dialogue and mutual 
understanding. At the working group's suggestion, the Government 
decided to issue a short-term residency permit for an additional imam 
during Ramadan and, in 2006, to make, for the first time, a 
contribution of $20,000 (25,000 Swiss francs) to the Muslim community. 
In cooperation with the national library, the working group has already 
made accessible to the public a selection of books in Turkish as well 
as books on Islam.
    The Government's Equal Opportunity Office is charged with handling 
complaints of religious discrimination, but the office has not yet been 
contacted concerning a case of discrimination based on religious 
belief. The Government has also established an interdepartmental 
Working Group against Racism, anti-Semitism, and Xenophobia whose 
purpose is to prevent racist and xenophobic attitudes through awareness 
raising and the promotion of mutual understanding and respect. The 
working group also coordinates the Government's measures to prevent and 
combat anti-Semitism.
    The Government supported or sponsored a variety of activities to 
promote the integration of immigrants and intercultural understanding, 
including a class on intercultural dialogue in the curriculum of the 
national administration's internal training program.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. Roman Catholics, Protestants, and 
members of other faiths work well together on an ecumenical basis. 
Differences among religious faiths are not a significant source of 
tension in society. There have been no reports of verbal or physical 
acts against Jewish persons or property. The Jewish community in the 
country is too small to sustain an organizational structure of its own.
    In 2004, the UNHRC expressed concern about the persistence of 
xenophobia and intolerance, especially against Muslims and persons of 
Turkish origin.
    On January 27, 2006, the Government held a special memorial hour to 
commemorate the Holocaust. President Otmar Hasler called on the 
population to commemorate the historic date and presented the day of 
remembrance as part of the Government's efforts to fight racism, 
xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination. Secondary schools in the 
country have held discussion fora on the Holocaust on this date since 
2003.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy and the foreign office conduct annual discussions of religious 
freedom issues in preparation for this report.
                               __________

                               LITHUANIA

    The constitution establishes the right to freedom of religion 
except where religious observance would violate the constitution or 
national law, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice. There is no state religion. Some religious groups enjoyed 
government benefits not available to others. Nontraditional religious 
groups faced some restrictions.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, although members of religious 
minorities occasionally were subject to acts of intolerance. The media 
reported instances of anti-Semitic acts, statements, and events. Select 
media outlets published expressions of intolerance towards religious or 
ethnic groups. The political leadership of the country publicly 
criticized anti-Semitic statements when they occurred.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights and 
tolerance and in discussions on the country's strategy for addressing 
its Holocaust legacy. The U.S. Government sponsored events to promote 
religious freedom, understanding, and tolerance in the country, 
including a September 11 commemoration that was the first interfaith 
service held in the country. The U.S. Government promoted religious 
freedom and tolerance in several media events throughout the reporting 
period and actively denounced the few acts of religious and ethnic 
intolerance.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 25,174 square miles and a population of 
approximately 3.4 million. Roman Catholicism, the dominant faith in the 
country prior to the Soviet era, survived years of occupation and 
remained both dominant and influential. According to the 2001 census, 
approximately 79 percent (2,686,000) of the inhabitants considered 
themselves to be Roman Catholics. In May 2006, there were 683 
registered Roman Catholic communities and associations (parishes, 
schools, monasteries, etc). Approximately 140,000 constituted the 
Eastern Orthodox Church, the country's second largest religious group, 
with 52 communities mainly along the border with Belarus. Old 
Believers, numbering 27,000, had 61 registered religious communities. 
An estimated 20,000 Lutherans belonged to 58 communities, primarily in 
the southwest. The Evangelical Reformed community had approximately 
7,000 members in seventeen communities. The seven Sunni Muslim 
communities counted approximately 2,700 members, while the Greek 
Catholic community had approximately 300 members. The Jewish community 
numbered approximately 4,000. The majority of local Jews were secular, 
and only about 1,200 belonged to one of the seven religious 
communities. The Chabad Lubavich, a Hassidic Jewish group, operated a 
school (kindergarten through twelfth grade), a social center, and a 
kosher kitchen in the capital of Vilnius.
    The Karaites have been in the country since 1397. Karaites, while 
not unique to the country, exist in few other locations in the world. 
Karaites speak a Turkic-based language and use the Hebrew alphabet. 
Some consider Karaites to be a branch of Judaism; the religion is based 
exclusively on the Old Testament. The Government recognizes the 
Karaites as a distinct ethnic group. Two houses of worship, one in 
Vilnius and one in nearby Trakai, serve the Karaite religious community 
of approximately 250 members. The Karaites' only religious leader is 
also their community president.
    Approximately 0.23 percent of the population belonged to what the 
Government refers to as ``nontraditional'' religious communities. The 
most numerous are the Full Gospel Word of Faith Movement, Pentecostals/
Charismatics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, 
and the New Apostolic Church. A total of 1,055 traditional and 173 
nontraditional religious associations, centers, and communities have 
officially registered with the State Register of Legal Entities.
    Foreign missionary groups, including Baptists, the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Jehovah's Witnesses, were 
active in the country.
    An estimated 9.4 percent of the population did not identify with 
any religious denomination. According to 1998 research data, 
approximately one-third of the country's Roman Catholics attended 
church services at least once a month. Data on religious participation 
for members of other faiths were not available.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Article 26 of the constitution provides for the right to religious 
freedom, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. 
The Government at all levels sought to protect this right in full and 
did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. 
The constitution provides that a person's freedom to profess and 
propagate his or her religion or faith ``may be subject only to those 
limitations prescribed by law and only when such restrictions are 
necessary to protect the safety of society, public order, a person's 
health or morals, or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.''
    The Criminal Code contains three provisions to protect religious 
freedom. The code prohibits discrimination based on religion and 
provides for punishment of up to two years' imprisonment. Interference 
with religious ceremonies is also punishable with imprisonment or 
community service. Inciting religious hatred is punishable by 
imprisonment of up to three years and legal entities can be prosecuted 
for violations under this article.
    It is unlawful to make use of the religious teachings of churches 
and other religious organizations, their religious activities, and 
their houses of prayer for purposes that contradict the constitution or 
the law. The Government may also temporarily restrict freedom of 
expression of religious conviction during a period of martial law or a 
state of emergency. The Government has never had occasion to invoke 
these laws.
    There is no state religion; however, under the 1995 Law on 
Religious Communities and Associations, some religious groups enjoy 
government benefits not available to others, including government 
funding, the right to teach religion in public schools, and the right 
to register marriages. The Law on Religious Communities and 
Associations enables all registered religious groups to own property 
for prayer houses, homes, and other buildings, and permits construction 
of facilities necessary for their activities.
    The constitution recognizes traditional churches and religious 
organizations, as well as other churches and religious organizations, 
provided that they have a basis in society and their teaching and 
rituals do not contravene morality or the law. In practice, there are 
four classifications of religious entities: Traditional, state-
recognized, registered, and unregistered religious communities and 
associations.
    Government authorities acknowledge as traditional only those 
religions that can trace their presence in the country back at least 
300 years. The law specifies nine traditional religious communities: 
Latin Rite Catholics, Greek Rite Catholics, Evangelical Lutherans, 
Evangelical Reformed Church, Orthodox Christians (Moscow Patriarchate), 
Old Believers, Jews, Sunni Muslims, and Karaites.
    Traditional religious communities and associations may register 
marriages; may establish subsidiary institutions; are eligible to 
receive government assistance; may establish joint private/public 
schools; and have the right to provide religious instruction in the 
public schools. Their highest religious leaders are eligible to apply 
for diplomatic passports, their clergy and theological students are 
exempt from military service, and they may provide military chaplains. 
The Ministry of Justice does not require traditional religious 
communities and associations to register their bylaws. Traditional 
religious communities do not have to pay social and health insurance 
for clergy and other employees, and they are not subject to a 
valueadded tax (VAT) on basic utilities, such as electricity, 
telephone, and heating.
    The law stipulates that the Government may grant state recognition 
to nontraditional religious communities that have societal support and 
have been registered in the country for at least twenty-five years. 
Nontraditional religious communities must apply to the Ministry of 
Justice and provide a description of their religious teachings and a 
founding statement signed by no fewer than fifteen members who are 
adult citizens of the country. The ministry must review the documents 
within six months and make a recommendation to Parliament for final 
approval.
    The Baptists were the only state-recognized religion. The Baptists 
do not receive annual subsidies, tax exemptions, or exemptions from 
military service enjoyed by traditional communities. In practice, 
state-recognized religions receive some additional privileges from the 
Government, but not to the extent that traditional religious groups do. 
They are entitled to perform marriages and do not have to pay social 
security and healthcare taxes for clergy and other employees.
    The Ministry of Justice's Religious Affairs Department is 
responsible for processing initial registration applications, but since 
January 2004 the new State Register of Legal Entities, under the 
national Registry Center, manages the database of registered religious 
communities. Religious communities, formerly able to register only in 
the capital, can now file applications at local registration centers 
throughout the country. Registration centers forward new applications 
to the Religious Affairs Department and process renewal registrations 
locally. New communities affiliated with traditional religions register 
for free, while nontraditional communities pay a registration fee of 
$32 (105 litas).
    Religious communities must register to obtain official status, 
which is a requisite for opening a bank account, owning property, or 
acting in a legal or official capacity as a community.
    Unregistered communities have no legal status or state privileges. 
However, there were no reports that the Government prevented any such 
groups from worshiping or seeking members.
    While only traditional religious communities receive annual state 
subsidies, nontraditional groups are eligible for government support 
for their cultural and social projects.
    Following the restoration of the country's independence, the 
Government returned property to religious communities that the Nazi and 
Soviet occupations had confiscated. The law granted all religious 
communities equal opportunity to reacquire control of property they 
once used for religious services. The Roman Catholic community has been 
more successful in regaining its property than many other religious 
communities. The Government returned some religious properties, 
including twenty-eight synagogues to the Jewish community, mostly 
between 1991 and 1996. The Government successfully resolved a number of 
claims for restitution; others were pending at the end of the reporting 
period.
    No single government agency addresses the concerns of religious 
groups. A small department in the Ministry of Justice adjudicates 
requests of religious groups for registration. The prime minister's 
advisor for Cultural and Jewish Affairs follows relevant issues within 
the Jewish community.
    Since January 2005, the Office of the Equal Opportunities (OEO) 
ombudsperson has had the authority to adjudicate complaints about state 
institutions, educational institutions, places of employment, and 
products and service sellers and producers that discriminate on a basis 
of religion (previously, the office heard complaints on sex-
discrimination issues only). The OEO ombudsperson has the authority to 
investigate complaints, recommend changes to parliamentary committees 
and ministries regarding legal acts, and recommend cases to the 
Prosecutor General's Office for pretrial investigation if warranted. 
The OEO ombudsperson reported no complaints of religious 
discrimination.
    The parliament ombudsperson examines whether state authorities 
perform their duty to properly serve the people. The law on the 
parliament ombudsperson specifically notes religious beliefs in 
defining the functions of the office. The ombudsperson has the 
authority to investigate complaints, recommend changes to parliamentary 
committees and ministries regarding legal acts, and recommend cases to 
the Prosecutor General's Office for pretrial investigation if 
warranted. The parliament ombudsperson reported no complaints on 
grounds of religious beliefs during the reporting period. While there 
is some overlap between the two bodies, the OEO ombudsperson appears to 
have greater authority to hear complaints of individual acts of 
religious discrimination.
    The Jounalist Ethics Inspectorate has the authority to investigate 
complaints under Article 20 of the Law on Provision of Information to 
the Public, as amended April 27, 2004, that bars publishing material 
that ``instigates war, national, racial, religious, social and gender 
hatred.'' It has the authority to issue administrative fines to 
newspapers under administrative law or refer cases to law enforcement 
authorities for criminal prosecution.
    In 2000, the Government and the Holy See agreed to establish a 
military Ordinariat to provide religious support to Roman Catholic 
members of the military service by means of military chaplains. In 
2002, the Ministry of Defense and the Catholic Church signed a 
regulation on military chaplains' activities. There were sixteen 
chaplains providing services to the military as of May 2005. The 
Ministry of Defense provides material support for the Ordinariat and 
its places of worship. Other traditional churches and religious groups 
also provide religious support to the military services. The Ordinariat 
may make requests to the Ministry of Defense to provide religious 
services for other faiths based on need or requests from service 
members.
    Conscientious objectors may petition for alternative military 
service within military structures, but there is no option for 
alternative nonmilitary service, despite requests by members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses. Persons enrolled in alternative military service 
must follow military regulations and reside on military installations. 
They receive assignments to work in nonviolent military roles, such as 
grounds maintenance, or can work as unskilled laborers in government 
health or social care institutions.
    The constitution establishes that public educational institutions 
are secular. The Law on Education permits and funds religious 
instruction only of traditional and state-recognized faiths in public 
schools. In practice, parents can choose either religious instruction 
or secular ethics classes for their children. Schools decide which of 
the traditional religions will be represented in their respective 
curricula on the basis of requests from parents for children up to age 
fourteen. (After age fourteen, the pupil decides.) The Ministry of 
Education and Science had not received any complaints about any school 
not providing requested religious instruction.
    The number of wholly private religious schools in the country is 
relatively low per capita. There were approximately twenty-five schools 
with ties to Catholic and Jewish groups, although people of different 
faiths often attend these schools. Since 2001, all accredited, private 
schools (religious and nonreligious) receive funding from the Ministry 
of Education and Science through a voucher system based on the number 
of pupils. The voucher system covers program but not capital costs of 
school operation. Founders generally bear responsibility for covering 
capital outlays; however, the Ministry of Education and Science does 
provide funding for capital costs of traditional religious private 
schools where an international agreement to do so exists. In 2000, the 
Government entered into agreement with the Holy See to fully fund 
private Roman Catholic Schools.
    In 2005, religious education in the public schools was provided to 
277,000 students (Roman Catholic); 378 (Greek Catholic); 802 
(Evangelical Lutheran); 117 (Evangelical Reformed Lutheran); 4,183 
(Russian Orthodox); 28 (Old Believer); 249 (Jewish); and 17 (Muslim). A 
total of 232,000 studied ethics.
    Religious holidays include Assumption Day (August 15), St. Mary's 
celebration (January 1), Easter Monday, All Saints' Day (November 1), 
Christmas, and Boxing Day (December 26). There were no reports of 
formal complaints that these agreements adversely affect religious 
freedom for the adherents of other religions.
    An interministerial commission coordinates investigations of 
religious groups. It seeks to ensure that activities of religious 
groups are in line with the principles of a democratic society, human 
rights, and fundamental freedoms. The Minister of Justice appoints the 
chairperson of the commission, which also comprises representatives of 
the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Education, Health, Foreign 
Affairs, the General Prosecutor's Office, and the State Security 
Department. The Government established the commission following some 
parliamentarians' calls for increased control of ``sects.'' In 2003, 
the commission investigated the conditions under which religious, 
esoteric, and spiritual groups may spread their faith via educational 
institutions. In particular, the commission looked at how many groups 
were renting premises from public educational institutions. The 
commission also investigated the alleged involvement of Satanists in 
the desecration of cemeteries. In 2004, the commission began an 
investigation of both ``magic and the occult on television'' and offers 
of ``magical services'' by, for example, psychics and astrologers. In 
May 2005, the local Council of Bishops also raised concerns about 
``shamanism,'' and objected also to the municipal government's funding 
of public Tai Chi classes in Vilnius.
    In March 2004, Parliament established a Working Group on Issues of 
Spiritual and Religious Groups in response to complaints from persons 
whose relatives had allegedly been harmed by religious ``sects.'' The 
group reviewed legislation regulating activities of religious groups 
and aired plans to introduce tougher registration requirements. 
Following parliamentary debates on ``destructive sects and cults,'' 
terms that encompass both recognized and unrecognized religious groups, 
Parliament approved changes to the Criminal Code in July 2004. The 
changes to the Criminal Code introduced fines and imprisonment of up to 
three years for religious groups, communities, and centers that use 
psychological violence to persuade a person or his/her relative to take 
illegal action or prevent him/her from pursuing legal action.
    The Government continued to engage in efforts that foster religious 
tolerance and understanding. In 2005, Parliament commemorated Holocaust 
Day by publicly acknowledging and apologizing for the killing of Jews 
and destruction of Jewish culture in the country during World War II. 
The Prime Minister attended the commemoration of the sixtieth 
anniversary of Holocaust Day in Auschwitz.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    While registered religious communities can act as legal entities, 
they do not receive regular subsidies, tax exemptions, social benefits, 
or exemptions from the military enjoyed by traditional communities. In 
April 2006, the Government allocated $1,171,000 (3,279,000 litas) to 
traditional religious communities for capital costs associated with 
houses of worship, schools, and other facilities. No other religious 
communities received this particular type of support, but funds from 
municipal or other government sources may be available for their use.
    Based on an April 27, 2005, decision, the state additionally funds 
social security and healthcare contributions for spiritual leaders of 
only traditional and state-recognized religious communities. Other 
religious communities must pay for these benefits on behalf of their 
spiritual leaders.
    For the fourth consecutive year, Parliament deferred granting 
``state-recognized religion'' status to the United Methodist Church of 
Lithuania. The Pentecostals (Evangelical Belief Christian Union) 
applied for state-recognized status in late 2004, and their application 
was pending parliamentary consideration. The Ministry of Justice 
recommended the application of the Seventh-day Adventists to Parliament 
to become a state-recognized religion. At the end of the period covered 
by the report, there were no final decisions in these three cases.
    The Ministry of Justice did not recommend the New Apostolic Church 
of Lithuania to Parliament for consideration as a state-recognized 
religion. The ministry argued that the community could not be 
considered a part of the country's historical, cultural, and social 
heritage, largely because of its small membership.
    Since 1995, the Ministry of Justice has turned down two initial 
registration applications, those of the Osho Ojas Meditation Center and 
the Lithuanian Pagans Community (Old Sorcerers). In February 2005, the 
Government issued a registration permit to the Osho Ojas Meditation 
Center following the Center's successful appeal of the Ministry's two 
previous denials.
    In early 2002, the Government established a commission on communal 
property restitution. The commission's task was to identify communal 
property eligible for restitution and to propose amendments to the law, 
enabling the secular Jewish community to benefit from the restitution 
process. The Ministry of Justice expected to submit the amendments to 
the Parliament in 2006, but progress was slowed by the collapse of the 
governing coalition and by disagreements among different Jewish groups 
within the country.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were a few incidents of anti-Semitic remarks by extremist 
politicians during the reporting period. The country's Jewish 
communities publicly expressed their concerns when anti-Semitic remarks 
occurred. The political leadership of the country and most media 
outlets generally criticized anti-Semitic statements when they 
occurred.
    The chairperson of the Jewish Community attributed public 
expressions of anti-Semitism to ignorance and the failure of society to 
recognize the extent of the destruction that occurred in the country.
    In April 2006, neo-Nazis marked the birthday of National Socialist 
leader Adolf Hitler by dressing up in SS-style uniforms. A member of 
Parliament and television commentators denounced the neo-Nazis' acts.
    An August 2005 ``bulletin'' stamped with the Lithuanian Liberty 
Union (LLU) party's seal urged people not to trust a bank in Lithuania 
because Latvian Jews allegedly established it. The bank brought suit 
against the LLU, alleging instigation of ethnic hatred towards Jews, 
and the State Security Department conducted an investigation. The 
nonparliamentary LLU has not pursued other such activities, and its 
leader, former mayor of Kaunas and former MP Vytautas Sustauskas, no 
longer held public office.
    In May 2005, four to six motorcyclists wearing Nazi-style uniforms 
drove past the Lithuanian Jewish Community headquarters in Vilnius. 
Members of the community were outside and heard the riders yell Nazi 
epithets as they drove by. This incident occurred the same day as the 
opening of the motorcycle season in the country, with more than 700 
bikers gathering in a nearby park. The mayor immediately asked the 
police to look into the incident. Police identified several suspects 
but did not apprehend anyone. The case remained open.
    Fringe and anti-Semitic groups gained attention through public 
anti-Semitic statements. In April 2005, a Siauliai City Council member 
founded a nationalist political party with anti-Semitic policies. A 
plank of the party's platform is to stop the Jewish communal property 
restitution process. In June 2005, several politicians and government 
officials immediately and publicly denounced the politician's 
statements, and the State Security Department recommended bringing 
charges. At the end of this reporting period, a pre-trial investigation 
was underway.
    Beginning in 2005, international Jewish groups expressed concern 
about the recent construction of a commercial/residential complex on or 
near (the matter is in dispute) the grounds of a historically 
significant Jewish cemetery in Vilnius. The Russian Czar closed the 
cemetery in 1831 and constructed fortifications on part of the land. 
The Soviets subsequently destroyed visible vestiges of the cemetery, 
disturbing graves and constructing a sports complex on the site. The 
Government has opened a dialogue with international Jewish groups to 
address concerns about development plans for the area.
    In April 2004, the police launched an investigation into the 
desecration of a Jewish cemetery in the Kaisiadorys region; they had 
not found any of the perpetrators at the end of the period covered by 
this report. The case remained open.
    In February 2004, the popular national daily Respublika carried a 
series of editorials with obvious anti-Semitic overtones, under the 
title ``Who Rules the World?'' Government officials at the highest 
levels condemned the publication of the series and the anti-Semitic 
sentiments therein, but the Jewish community and others criticized the 
Government for responding too slowly. Local nongovernmental 
organizations and representatives of other religious groups similarly 
denounced the anti-Semitic articles. The Prosecutor General's Office 
and the State Security Department launched pretrial investigations over 
incitement of ethnic and racial hatred by Respublika's editor-in-chief. 
In April 2004, Parliament formed a working group to strengthen 
legislation prohibiting incitement of discord, anti-Semitism, racism, 
and xenophobia. In January 2005, the Journalist Ethics Inspectorate 
fined Respublika $2,200 (6,000 litas) for ethical lapses. In February 
2005, the Prosecutor General's Office dropped the investigation, but 
then quickly resumed it at the urging of the president and senior 
government officials. In May 2005, a Vilnius administrative court fined 
the editor-in-chief of the Russian-language version of Respublika $370 
(1,000 litas) for dissemination of a publication that instigates 
national, racial or religious discord. Prosecutors also pursued the 
editor and owner of Respublika, but the Supreme Administrative Court in 
September 2005 terminated the case against the editor and cancelled a 
fine of $1,200 (3,000 litas). The Supreme Administrative Court annulled 
the ruling on a ``double-jeopardy'' principle as the prosecutors were 
simultaneously pursuing both administrative and criminal punishment for 
violation of the same law. In November, the Prosecutor General's Office 
petitioned the Supreme Administrative Court to reconsider the case 
against the paper's editor and owner. The case was pending at the end 
of the period covered by this report.
    Anti-Semitic comments also occurred on unscreened Internet blogs.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by the report, the state register of 
legal entities registered ten religious communities, one nontraditional 
and nine traditional religious communities. The state did not deny 
registration to any applicant religious group.
    Since early 2004, the Ministry of Justice had delayed registration 
of a Unification Church community in response to parental protests and 
the objections of a self-proclaimed ``anti-cult'' group. After 
reviewing the evidence against the Church, the Ministry determined that 
the protesters' claims of abuse on the part of the Unification Church 
in Lithuania were baseless and issued the registration permit in 
January 2005.
    In June 2005, the Jounalist Ethics Inspectorate established a new 
edition of the Code of Journalist Ethics barring journalists and public 
information producers from insulting a person on the basis of religious 
beliefs.
    In September 2005, the Constitutional Court upheld a decision of 
the Government to close a Chechen web site for inciting ethnic and 
religious hatred.
    In October 2005, Siauliai Prosecutors brought charges of inciting 
religious hatred against seven individuals for disrupting a menorah 
celebration in Siauliai in 2003. The court heard from witnesses in 
January 2006, and the case continued.
    In September 2004, the president awarded the Life Saving Cross to 
fifty-five persons who worked to save Jews during the Holocaust. He 
commended their selflessness and recognized the substantial number of 
people who perished during the Holocaust.
    The Government continued its efforts to support post-World War II 
restitution efforts. In February 2005, the Government reiterated its 
commitment to Jewish property restitution during meetings with the 
Jewish Community. In November 2004, the Vilnius city government 
participated in erecting a monument at the site of a former Jewish 
cemetery.
    Following a Klaipeda district court ruling overturning fines and 
one-year jail sentences for two members of Jehovah's Witnesses, the 
Government organized a working group to explore the possibility of 
introducing alternative service in nonmilitary structures for 
conscientious objectors. The working group found that twenty-three of 
the twenty-five recent conscientious objectors accepted service in 
noncombatant military positions. Rather than create a separate program 
of alternative nonmilitary service for the few conscientious objectors, 
the Government decided to waive their military service obligation.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relations among various religious 
communities in society contributed to religious freedom, although 
members of religious minorities occasionally were targets of acts of 
intolerance, such as insults.
    Disputing factions within some religious communities, for example 
within evangelical, Old Believer, and Jewish communities, periodically 
appealed to official authorities and courts to limit the activities of 
their rivals, sometimes by opposing a certain faction's registration as 
a religious community. The Government attempted not to involve itself 
in internal disputes of religious communities. In April and June 2003, 
however, Vilnius administrative courts ruled to create separate new Old 
Believer communities in response to a conflict within the Old Believer 
community. In May 2004, the Jewish community temporarily closed the 
Vilnius synagogue following a disorderly dispute in the synagogue 
between members of the Orthodox and the Chabad Lubavich Jewish groups. 
The community closed the synagogue again in August 2004, following 
another disturbance. The Government charged the leader of the Chabad 
Lubavich community with assault and trespassing in the second 
occurrence, but subsequently dropped the charges. The synagogue 
remained closed pending resolution of the community's internal 
disputes.
    Activities of some nontraditional religions raised concerns within 
segments of society. Since 2003, for example, some parents opposed 
their children's membership in the Unification Church and protested the 
registration of a second Unification Church community. (The first 
community was registered in 1993.) The ministry approved the 
registration in January 2005.
    An estimated 10 percent of the pre-World War II population was 
Jewish. More than 200,000 Jews (approximately 95 percent of the 
immediately prewar Jewish population) died as victims of the Holocaust. 
The country is still working to understand its past better and to make 
just recompense for its Holocaust legacy. In 1998, President Valdas 
Adamkus established a historical commission to investigate crimes of 
both the Holocaust and the subsequent Soviet occupation. The commission 
has held annual conferences and several seminars, published several 
reports, and co-sponsored a Holocaust education program.
    In February 2006, the newspaper Respublika reprinted caricatures of 
Muhammad, previously published in the Danish press, drawing sharp 
criticism from religious leaders of all faiths and from government 
leaders. The incident was under investigation as a violation of the 
Public Information Law but no charges were filed by the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    In September 2005, Respublika ran a series of articles attacking 
the work of the Soros-funded Open Society Institute. The London 
Economist noted the ``new attacks are also aimed at religious and 
political figures only indirectly connected with the Soros 
foundation.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintained a close and regular dialogue on religious 
issues with senior officials in the Government, members of Parliament, 
and presidential advisors, as well as continual contact with religious 
leaders. Religious groups used the embassy as a vehicle to voice their 
complaints, and the embassy encouraged religious leaders to share their 
views on the status of religious freedom and to raise complaints. The 
embassy was active in discussing the restitution of Jewish communal 
property with government officials and community leaders in the 
country. The embassy also maintained regular contact with U.S. 
missionary groups.
    The ambassador publicly criticized anti-Semitic statements in the 
media and encouraged a similar response from the highest officials of 
the Government. The embassy also maintained close relations with the 
Jewish community to monitor the situation.
    On September 11, 2005, the embassy organized an interfaith service 
to commemorate those who lost their lives as a result of ethnic and 
religious intolerance and terrorism. Roman Catholics, Evangelical 
Lutherans, Muslims, Jews, Orthodox adherents, and Mormons attended the 
service, as did the ambassador, his counterparts from Russia, Spain, 
Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and President Adamkus. The nationally 
televised event was the first public ecumenical service ever held in 
the country.
    On October 20, 2005, the embassy hosted a seminar ``Mainstreaming 
equality and diversity: Opening the debate with media,'' which aimed to 
promote better understanding between the media and national ethnic and 
religious minorities in the country. Attendees included religious 
community representatives, the media, and government officials. The 
ambassador opened the event, and the director general of the Department 
of National Minorities, the deputy chairman of Parliament, the 
inspector of journalist ethics, and other experts delivered remarks.
    The embassy funded a number of projects with the goal of promoting 
greater religious tolerance, particularly projects related to building 
broader understanding of the Holocaust. The ambassador regularly spoke 
on tolerance issues and hosted a roundtable focusing on tolerance and 
Holocaust issues at the American Center in May 2005, attended by high 
school students and members of various religious communities. In the 
summers of 2004 and 2005, two secondary school teachers participated in 
a teacher-training initiative in the U.S. that sought to promote and 
develop Holocaust education. Lithuanian participation is also 
anticipated in 2006.
    In April 2005, the embassy released a public statement condemning 
anti-Semitism after a politician announced the creation of a 
nationalist, anti-Semitic political party.
    The embassy continually engaged government officials at all levels 
on issues relating to religious freedom. In March 2004, in response to 
anti-Semitic articles published in Respublika, the ambassador raised 
his concerns with the vice-minister of foreign affairs. The embassy 
also released several public statements, and the ambassador gave 
interviews condemning the articles. Following such criticism from U.S. 
and European Union diplomatic representatives, high-level government 
officials stepped up their condemnation of the articles and of anti-
Semitism in general. The foreign minister and prime minister mentioned 
their concern for the country's international image in their censure of 
the articles and in calls for a criminal investigation of Respublika's 
editor-in-chief.
                               __________

                               LUXEMBOURG

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 999 square miles and a population of 
approximately 460 thousand. The country is historically Roman Catholic, 
and Catholicism remained the predominant faith. According to a 1979 
law, the Government may not collect or maintain statistics on religious 
affiliation; however, more than 90 percent of the population was 
estimated to be baptized Catholic. The Lutheran and Calvinist churches 
were the largest Protestant denominations. Muslims were estimated to 
number approximately 9,000 persons, including approximately 900 
refugees from Montenegro; Orthodox Christian (Greek, Serbian, Russian, 
and Romanian) adherents were estimated to number 5,000 persons; and 
there were approximately 1,000 Jews. The Baha'i Faith, the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Universal Church, and 
Jehovah's Witnesses were represented in smaller numbers. The number of 
professed atheists reportedly was growing.
    There were no significant foreign missionary groups. Many religious 
groups described as ``sects'' were represented in the country. They 
were expected to obey the law, but their activities did not produce 
significant political or social concerns.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion. The Government does not register religious groups. However, 
based on the Concordat of 1801, some churches receive financial support 
from the state. The constitution specifically provides for state 
payment of the salaries and pensions of clergy of those religious 
groups which sign conventions with the Government. Pursuant to 
negotiated agreements with the Government, the following religious 
groups receive such support: Catholic, Greek and Russian Orthodox, 
Jewish, and some other Protestant denominations. In 2003, the Romanian 
Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, and Anglican churches also concluded 
conventions with the Government.
    An application for financial support for the Muslim community has 
been under consideration for more than eight years. In late 2003, the 
Muslim community named a national representative and single 
interlocutor, which allowed discussions over the convention to proceed. 
Once signed, the convention would allow the Muslim community to receive 
government funding. Although the minister of religion set a goal for 
conclusion of the convention by the end of 2006, there was no agreement 
by the end of the reporting period. For the convention to be completed, 
the Government requires the Muslim community to fully respect the 
constitution, including the equal treatment of men and women.
    The following holy days are considered national holidays: Shrove 
Monday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Assumption Day, All 
Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, Christmas, and the second day of 
Christmas.
    There is a long tradition of religious education in public schools. 
A 1997 convention between the minister of national education and the 
Catholic Archbishop governs religious instruction. In accordance with 
this convention, religious instruction is a local matter, coordinated 
at the communal level between representatives of the Catholic Church 
and communal authorities. Government-paid lay teachers provide 
instruction (totaling two school hours per week) at the primary school 
level. Parents and pupils may choose between instruction in Catholicism 
or an ethics course; requests for exemption from religious instruction 
are addressed on an individual basis. Although approximately 81 percent 
of primary school students choose religious instruction, the number 
drops to 57 percent for high school students.
    The Government subsidizes private religious schools. All private, 
religious, and nonsectarian schools are eligible for and receive 
government subsidies if the religious group concluded a convention with 
the state. The Government also subsidizes a Catholic seminary.
    In 2004, the Government launched a pilot program in one high school 
that provides nondenominational values education, highlighting the 
principal world religious groups and schools of thought. This program 
was developed in consultation with the Catholic Church and Muslim 
community, among others, and, after five years, it is intended to be 
made universal in the country's school system.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. The Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and 
Muslim faiths worked well together on an interfaith basis. Differences 
among religious groups were not a significant source of tension in 
society. There were no reports of verbal or physical violence against 
Jewish persons or property during the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. embassy discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its policy to promote human rights. The embassy's 
human rights officer met with representatives of several government 
ministries at a working level to discuss matters related to religious 
freedoms. The ministries were cooperative interlocutors, who spoke 
openly about the relationship between religious groups and the 
Government. The human rights officer also met with representatives from 
religious groups and nongovernmental organizations, none of whom voiced 
any concern over the state of religious freedom in the country.
                               __________

                               MACEDONIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no overall change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report. The absence of 
provocative actions by state and nonstate actors, and ongoing 
government efforts to consolidate a unitary, multiethnic state helped 
foster a climate of general respect for religious freedom. However, the 
law places some limits on religious practice by restricting the 
registration of religious groups. During the period covered by this 
report, these restrictions were applied to a small group aligned with 
the Serbian Orthodox Church, which denies the ecclesiastical 
independence of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
    The generally amicable relationship among the various religious 
groups contributed to religious freedom. However, the ongoing dispute 
between the Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox churches has intensified in 
recent years after the Serbian Orthodox Church rejected the legitimacy 
of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and instead recognized a small 
splinter group as the ``only canonical'' church in Macedonia. The 
Serbian government was found to have financially supported this group, 
known as the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid.'' The Government, with 
general support from the majority of the public, openly sided with the 
Macedonian Orthodox Church in the long-running dispute.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 9,781 square miles and a population of 
2,071,200. The country's two major religions were Orthodox Christianity 
and Islam. Nominally, 65 percent of the population was Macedonian 
Orthodox, 32 percent was Muslim, 1 percent was Roman Catholic, and 2 
percent was of other faiths (largely various Protestant denominations). 
There was also a small Jewish community, with the majority of its 
members residing in Skopje. Public participation in religious 
activities centered on major holidays, weddings, and funerals.
    Numerous foreign missionaries were active and represented a wide 
range of faiths. Many of these missionaries entered the country in 
connection with other work, often charitable or medical. Several 
Protestant missionary groups and members of Jehovah's Witnesses were 
active.
    There was a general correlation between ethnicity and religion. The 
majority of Orthodox believers were ethnic Macedonian, and the majority 
of Muslim believers were ethnic Albanian.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. However, the law 
places some limits on religious practices, including the establishment 
of places of worship, the collection of contributions, and locations 
where religious rites may be held.
    The 1997 Law on Religious Communities and Religious Groups further 
defines the constitutional provision for religious freedom. This law 
designates the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community, the 
Roman Catholic Church, the Jewish Community, and the Methodist Church 
as religious communities. All other registered religious associations 
are considered to be religious groups. In 1998 and 1999, the 
Constitutional Court struck down several provisions of the 1997 law, 
including the requirement that religious groups must be registered to 
perform religious ceremonies. In practice, the remaining provisions 
were not enforced consistently.
    The law requires that religious groups be registered to perform a 
number of activities. For instance, only registered religious groups 
may obtain permits to build churches or request visas for foreigners 
coming to the country to undertake religious work. The Law on Religious 
Communities and Religious Groups contained a number of specific 
requirements for the registration of such groups; the Constitutional 
Court struck down these requirements in 1999. Consequently, there is 
considerable confusion over which registration procedures still apply. 
The law prohibits the registration of more than one group for each 
religious confession. The law provides for penalties against any person 
or group that restricts a citizen's right to join a religious group or 
participate in religious rituals.
    Orthodox Easter and Christmas are observed as national holidays. 
Muslim and Jewish religious holidays are not national holidays, but 
they are recognized as required holidays for believers of those faiths.
    Regulations require that foreigners entering the country with the 
intent to carry out religious work or perform religious rites obtain 
approval from the State Commission on Relations with the Religious 
Communities and Groups to receive a visa. When applying for visas, such 
persons must submit a letter of invitation from representatives of a 
registered religious group in the country to the Commission, which then 
issues a letter of approval to be submitted with the visa request.
    The Law on Religious Communities and Religious Groups places some 
restrictions on the locations where religious ceremonies may be held. 
It provides that religious rites and religious activities ``shall take 
place at churches, mosques, and other temples, and in gardens that are 
parts of those facilities, at cemeteries, and at other facilities of 
the religious group.'' Provision is made for holding services in other 
places, provided that a permit is obtained from the State Commission on 
Relations with the Religious Communities and Groups at least fifteen 
days in advance. No permit or permission is required to perform 
religious rites in a private home. The law also states that religious 
activities ``shall not violate the public peace and order, and shall 
not disrespect the religious feelings and other freedoms and rights'' 
of other citizens.
    The Law on Religious Communities and Religious Groups also places 
some limitations on the collection of contributions by restricting it 
to places where religious rites and activities are conducted. In 
practice, these provisions of the law were not enforced.
    Education laws restrict the establishment of all private primary 
schools, including parochial schools. However, there are no 
restrictions placed on religious education that takes place in 
religious spaces such as churches and mosques. Children below the age 
of ten years may not receive religious instruction without the 
permission of their parents or legal guardians.
    In May 2005 the Ministry of Justice released a new draft law on 
religious communities and groups. The draft law proposed a transfer of 
the responsibility for registering religious groups to the judiciary 
from the State Commission on Relations with the Religious Communities 
and Groups. The draft law was submitted to the Ministry of Justice in 
March 2006. At the end of the reporting period the draft law was under 
interagency review prior to being submitted to Parliament.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, restrictions contained in the Law on 
Religious Communities and Religious Groups continued to be applied to a 
group known as the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid,'' which denies 
the Macedonian Orthodox Church's self-declared autocephaly 
(ecclesiastical independence, which is not recognized by other Orthodox 
churches). Led by a defrocked Macedonian Orthodox Church Bishop, Zoran 
Vraniskovski, this schismatic group is recognized by the Serbian 
Orthodox Church as an archbishopric.
    In November 2004 the State Commission on Relations with the 
Religious Communities denied the registration application of the 
``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid.'' It cited a number of grounds for 
the denial, noting that under the law only one group may be registered 
for each confession, and arguing that the name ``Orthodox Archbishopric 
of Ohrid'' was not sufficiently distinct from that of the Macedonian 
Orthodox Church, which is also known as the Orthodox Archbishopric of 
Ohrid and Macedonia. Similar arguments were used to reject three 
registration applications for small Christian groups using the names 
``Free Protestant Church,'' ``Good News Church,'' and ``Reformist 
Movement of Adventists'' during the period covered by this report. The 
appeal to the Supreme Court by the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid,'' 
which followed two unsuccessful administrative appeals, was still under 
consideration at the end of the period covered by this report.
    In July 2004, Zoran Vraniskovski, recognized by the Serbian 
Orthodox Church as Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, was convicted in a Bitola 
court of ``inciting religious and ethnic hatred.'' In June 2005, an 
appeals court upheld the verdict and Vraniskovski reported to prison in 
July 2005. In February 2006, the Supreme Court reduced his sentence to 
time served, and he was released from prison in March 2006. Following 
his release from prison, a representative of the ``Orthodox 
Archbishopric of Ohrid'' told an embassy official that government 
officials had refused to return Vraniskovski's passport. Government 
officials cited his pending sentence for embezzlement as the reason for 
refusing to return his passport.
    The February 2006 Supreme Court decision also suspended 
Vraniskovski's one-year prison sentence for ``falsely assuming 
religious authority.'' This conviction stemmed from an incident in 
2003, when Vraniskovski attempted to baptize his niece at a Macedonian 
Orthodox church; authorities claimed his attempt to do so constituted 
trespassing, since he earlier had been defrocked by the Macedonian 
Orthodox Church and therefore was not authorized to perform religious 
rites in that church.
    In addition to these charges, Vraniskovski faced two charges of 
embezzlement. The first charge was for embezzling $72,000 (57,000 
euros) donated to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. In September 2005, 
the local Veles Court found him guilty of misappropriating funds and 
sentenced him to two years in prison. In March 2006, the Skopje Appeals 
Court reduced this sentence to one year, taking into account his return 
of the money to the Church as a mitigating circumstance. Vraniskovski 
appealed this decision to the Supreme Court, and no decision had been 
made by June 2006. In May 2006, media reported that Vraniskovski had 
traveled to Belgrade to meet with Serbian Orthodox Church officials. 
This caused speculation in the media that Vraniskovski had obtained 
Serbian citizenship, as the Government was still in possession of his 
Macedonian passport, as mentioned above. Vraniskovski was summoned to 
report to prison by June 19, 2006, to serve the reduced sentence in the 
embezzlement case. However, he did not report by the specified date, 
and media reported that Vraniskovski was admitted to a Belgrade 
hospital on June 26 because of ``deteriorated health.'' By the end of 
the period covered by this report, Vraniskovski had not reported to 
prison, and the police had not issued a warrant for his arrest.
    In April 2006 Vraniskovski was acquitted on the second embezzlement 
charge involving $410,000 (324,000 euros) allegedly taken from 
Macedonian Orthodox Church funds while he was still a bishop with the 
Macedonian Orthodox Church.
    In May 2006 local media reported that the Serbian Orthodox Church 
had appealed to President Crvenkovski to pardon Vraniskovski as a 
condition for resuming talks between the Macedonian and Serbian 
Orthodox churches. In June 2006, media reported that Crvenkovski had 
rejected this appeal, citing the damaging effect a pardon for the 
embezzlement conviction would have on the rule of law.
    A priest with the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' reported that 
he was beaten because of his beliefs and that his home, where he 
performed liturgies, was vandalized in July 2005. Members of the group 
alleged that, following this incident, police officers discouraged them 
from reporting future acts of violence or vandalism.
    Representatives of the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' alleged 
that in May 2005 police entered a private residence without a warrant, 
interrupting an Easter service, and asked to see believers' national 
identification cards. This report could not be independently confirmed. 
``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' representatives also alleged that 
in January 2005 at least two of their followers were summoned to the 
police station in Prilep and were questioned about their support for 
the group. Complaints regarding the Prilep incident were lodged with 
the Ministry of Interior's Professional Standards Unit, which, 
following an investigation, found the police action justified. A 
secondary school teacher associated with the group in Veles reported 
that police questioned her students about her teaching, and asked 
whether she was spreading church propaganda.
    Vraniskovski's residence was vandalized in February 2004, and 
unknown intruders forcibly cut the hair of several nuns present. He 
claimed the attackers were state agents, but some speculated that his 
followers staged the attack to generate international sympathy. The 
alleged intruders were never identified.
    The 1997 Law on Religious Communities and Religious Groups 
specifically allows foreign citizens to carry out religious activities, 
but only at the request of a registered religious body and provided the 
foreign citizen obtains the appropriate visa. During the period covered 
by this report no visa applications for religious workers were denied; 
approvals for these visas typically were issued in less than a week.
    In September 2004 a Polish-born nun associated with the ``Orthodox 
Archbishopric of Ohrid'' claimed that the Ministry of Interior declined 
to extend her residency permit because of her affiliation with that 
group. Since the law prevents registration of more than one group for 
each confession, the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' has been 
denied registration and is thus not legally entitled to sponsor foreign 
religious workers. Followers of the church reported that the nun 
currently enters the country as a tourist and therefore may not remain 
in the country continuously for a period longer than ninety days.
    Churches and mosques often are built without the appropriate 
building permits; however, the Government normally does not take action 
against religious buildings that lack them. In the past, several 
Protestant groups have been unable to obtain building permits for new 
church facilities because of bureaucratic complications that affect all 
new construction, religious or secular. Some local human rights 
organizations stated that religious groups who reported trouble 
obtaining building permits often had not followed the proper legal 
procedures for obtaining a permit.
    In October 2004 policemen demolished a small monastery that was 
being built by members of the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' in 
Nizepole, near Bitola. The organization's lawyer conceded that the 
monastery was being constructed without a permit but noted that other 
buildings in the area, also built without permits, were not destroyed. 
At the end of the period covered by this report, the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation (OSCE) was unable to obtain a copy of the 
decision by the competent ministry authorizing the monastery's 
destruction.
    The issue of restitution of religious properties expropriated by 
the former Yugoslav government had not been fully resolved. Many 
churches and mosques had extensive grounds or other properties that 
were expropriated by the communist regime. Some progress was made in 
restitution of previously state-owned religious property. Almost all 
churches and many mosques have been returned to the ownership of the 
appropriate religious community, but that was not the case for most of 
the other properties. Restitution or compensation claims often are 
complicated by the fact that the seized properties have changed hands 
many times or have been developed. The Islamic Community of Macedonia 
claimed it was not able to regain rightful use of several mosques that 
the Government was to have returned to it. In addition, the Islamic 
Community alleged that the Government in some cases delayed the process 
of restitution by selling or starting new construction on disputed 
property and questioning the historical legal claim of the Islamic 
Community to religious properties.
    The Jewish community continued to work with the Government for the 
full restitution of property confiscated by the former Yugoslav 
government. In 1996, the Jewish Community first submitted a proposal to 
the Government for restitution of community property. The Law on 
Denationalization, however, was not passed until 2000, and in 2001 all 
community property was fully restituted. The agreement included four 
pieces of property and two buildings in Bitola and one piece of 
property and a building in Skopje. In addition the community received 
bonds valued at $3.5 million (2.8 million euros). The Jewish community 
is the only religious community in Macedonia whose community property 
has been fully restituted. However, the process of individual property 
restitution has been slow in large part because of the extensive 
documentation required to show the chain of ownership and lack of 
heirs. In 2004, the Holocaust Fund of the Jews from Macedonia, which 
regulates restitution to individual Holocaust victims without heirs, 
successfully settled twenty-four cases, returning to the Fund a large 
piece of property in the old Jewish section of Skopje. In September 
2005, construction began on the returned property for a Memorial 
Holocaust Center for the Jews from Macedonia. There was slow but 
noticeable progress during the period covered by this report; 
approximately 450 cases are in the settlement process with the 
Government, and 1,000 cases remain to be documented and resolved.
    The Bektashi, a Sufi Islamic group, sued the Government for failing 
to reverse the former Yugoslavia's nationalization of the Bektashis' 
Tetovo compound, known as the Arabati Baba Tekke. The Bektashi also 
filed suit against the Islamic Community of Macedonia (ICM), armed 
members of which seized part of the complex in 2002; the ICM continued 
to occupy the mosque. The Islamic Community claimed that the property 
belongs to them, as the Bektashi are a sect of Islam; however, the 
Bektashi in Macedonia have registered as a separate religious group and 
claim that the property belongs strictly to the Bektashi Community and 
not the Islamic community as a whole. These disputes were ongoing at 
the end of the period covered by this report.
    Zoran Vraniskovski was considered by some human rights 
organizations to be a religious prisoner. He was in prison from July 
2005 to March 2006, but was free at the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    There were no additional reports of religious prisoners or 
detainees in the country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The February 2006 Supreme Court decision reducing Zoran 
Vraniskovski's prison sentence led to his release from prison, after 
which there were no cases of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
    Restitution of property according to denationalization laws moved 
forward. Construction began on a Memorial Holocaust Center on a piece 
of property restituted to the Jewish community in 2005 using funds from 
bonds received from the Government.
    In May 2006 a dispute over approving the construction of a Catholic 
church in the village of Sekirnik was resolved when officials from the 
Macedonian Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, and Government worked 
together with the citizens of Sekirnik to ensure the proper permits 
were obtained. Subsequently, construction of the church began 
unhindered.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom, and prominent religious leaders 
frequently spoke out in support of pluralism and religious tolerance. 
However, the continued rejection of the Macedonian Orthodox Church's 
independence, by the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' and the 
Serbian Orthodox Church, provoked angry responses by the public, press, 
and Government, who view this rejection as an attack on the country's 
national identity.
    Religious differences in the country often correspond with ethnic 
identity. Specifically, most Muslims are ethnic Albanians. However, 
there are a number of ethnic Macedonians who are Muslim. During the 
reporting period there were no reports of religious discrimination or 
prejudice related to ethnic Macedonian Muslims.
    Representatives of the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' said 
that a number of their members or sympathizers suffered from 
discrimination during the reporting period. A student in the theology 
department in Skopje reported that he was asked to leave the school 
after attending a Serbian Orthodox liturgy. The school, however, is a 
private institution run by the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which 
maintains it has the right to admit or reject students as it sees fit. 
There was one unverified report that a journalist in Skopje was fired 
after writing about religious freedom restrictions in the country.
    The Bektashi reported two acts of vandalism at the compound in 
Tetovo. In April 2006, a large photograph of Reshat Bardhi, head of the 
World Bektashi Community, which hung at the entrance to the compound, 
was reported stolen. The photograph was replaced and, in May 2006, it 
was vandalized when the middle of the photograph was cut out. The 
police investigations into both of these incidents were ongoing at the 
end of the period covered by this report.
    During the period covered by this report, there were isolated 
reports of Orthodox churches being vandalized. The Macedonian Orthodox 
Church considered these acts to be incidents of petty theft and did not 
believe that they were motivated by religious beliefs or 
discrimination.
    Jewish leaders reported that there were no physical or verbal 
attacks against Jewish persons or property during the period covered by 
this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    During the period covered by this report, the ambassador and 
embassy staff met with leaders and representatives of the various 
religious communities, as well as with government officials, to address 
religious freedom issues and to support the Government's policy of 
ethnic and religious tolerance.
    The ambassador and other embassy representatives continued to 
follow the developments in the ``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid'' 
case, in coordination with OSCE and the OSCE's Office for Democratic 
Institutions and Human Rights. The ambassador and other embassy 
officials discussed the issue with the president, prime minister, 
Macedonian Orthodox Church officials, and representatives of the 
``Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid.'' On each occasion, the embassy 
urged respect for religious freedom and the rule of law, as well as 
moderation in language on both sides.
    The ambassador attended events to foster religious freedom, 
tolerance, and understanding, including Holocaust commemoration events, 
the enthronement of the new Catholic bishop of Skopje, and a meeting 
organized by the country's president to positively engage religious 
leaders in the 2006 parliamentary elections.
                               __________

                                 MALTA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The constitution 
establishes Roman Catholicism as the state religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country is an archipelago, consisting of three inhabited 
islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and has an area of 122 square miles. 
Its population was approximately 400 thousand. The overwhelming 
majority of citizens (approximately 95 percent as of 2004) were Roman 
Catholic, and approximately 63 percent (2004 estimates) attended 
services regularly. All or almost all of the country's political 
leaders were practicing Roman Catholics. The country joined the 
European Union in 2004, and the Government supported the failed effort 
to include a reference to ``Europe's Christian heritage'' in the 
European Constitution.
    Most congregants at the local Protestant churches were not Maltese 
but rather some of the many British retirees who live in the country or 
vacationers from many other nations. Of the Protestant churches in the 
country, the Church of England had a congregation of about 270 members; 
the united congregations of the Presbyterian and Methodist Church 
numbered 120; and the Evangelical Church of Germany had approximately 
70 members. There was also a union of sixteen groups of Evangelical 
churches with approximately 500 members in all, which included the 
Pentecostal and other nondenominational churches. There were 
approximately 680 Jehovah's Witnesses, 115 members of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and 30 members of the 
Bible Baptist Church. There was a Jewish congregation with 
approximately one hundred members. Zen Buddhism had approximately ten 
adherents and the Baha'i Faith had approximately thirty members. There 
was one Islamic mosque and a Muslim primary school. Of the estimated 
3,000 Muslims in the country, approximately 2,250 were foreigners, 600 
were naturalized citizens, and 150 were native-born citizens. An 
estimated 2 percent of the population did not formally practice any 
religion, including those who were professed atheists.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution establishes Roman Catholicism as the state 
religion and declares that the authorities of the Catholic Church have 
``the duty and the right to teach which principles are right and which 
are wrong.'' Divorce is not available in the country. However, the 
state generally recognizes divorces from individuals domiciled abroad 
who have undergone divorce proceedings in a competent court.
    The Government and the Catholic Church participated in a foundation 
which financed Catholic schools and provided free tuition in those 
schools. The foundation was established in 1991 as a result of the 
transfer from the church to the state of properties not set aside for 
pastoral use under the 1991 Ecclesiastical Entities Act.
    The Government subsidized children living in church-sponsored 
residential homes.
    There was one Muslim private school with approximately 120 
students. In 2005, work began on a projected 500-grave Muslim cemetery.
    There are six holy days that are also national holidays: The 
Motherhood of Our Lady, St. Paul's Shipwreck, Good Friday, Easter 
Sunday, the Assumption, and Christmas Day. These holidays did not 
negatively affect any religious groups.
    Since 1991, all religious organizations have had similar legal 
rights. Religious organizations can own property such as buildings, and 
their ministers can perform marriages and other functions. While 
religious instruction in Catholicism is compulsory in all state 
schools, the constitution establishes the right not to receive this 
instruction if the student or parent or guardian objects, and this 
right is respected in practice.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. The Roman Catholic Church makes its 
presence and its influence felt in everyday life; however, non-
Catholics, including converts from Catholicism, do not face legal or 
societal discrimination. Relations between the Catholic Church and non-
Catholic religious groups are characterized by respect and cooperation. 
Proselytism by practitioners of non-Catholic faiths is conducted freely 
and openly. To promote tolerance, school curricula include studies in 
human rights, ethnic relations, and cultural diversity as a part of 
values education for students. Religious groups are not required to be 
licensed or registered.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy advocates continued observance of basic human rights such as 
freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Both the embassy's 
private discussions with government officials and its informational 
programs for the public consistently emphasize these points.
    Through a variety of public affairs programs, the embassy continued 
to work with different sectors of society, including religious groups, 
to promote interfaith dialogue, religious freedom, and tolerance. Among 
the embassy's initiatives during the period covered by this report was 
increased outreach to the local chapter of the World Islamic Call 
Society and other members of the Muslim community and Muslim students 
enrolled at the University of Malta. The embassy also had regular 
contact with the country's small Jewish community.
                               __________

                                MOLDOVA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the law 
includes restrictions that at times inhibited the activities of some 
religious groups.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. The Government continued to 
uphold its earlier decisions to deny some groups registration. In March 
2006 a court ordered the State Service for Religions (SSR) to register 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons); however, the 
SSR appealed the ruling. In the separatist region of Transnistria, 
which is not controlled by the Government, authorities continued to 
deny registration to and harassed a number of minority religious 
groups.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, disputes among 
different branches of the Christian Orthodox faith continued, and there 
were some reports of Baptists and Jehovah's Witnesses experiencing 
harassment from local town councils, as well as from Orthodox priests 
and adherents.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Specifically, the U.S. embassy raised concerns at the highest levels of 
the Government regarding the persistent registration difficulties faced 
by some religious groups.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately thirteen thousand square 
miles, and its population, including Transnistria, is an estimated 3.9 
million. The Migration Department estimates that between 500 thousand 
and one million citizens have left the country to work abroad since 
independence in 1991. Common destination countries include Russia, 
Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
    The predominant religion was Christian Orthodox. More than 90 
percent of the population nominally belonged to either of two Orthodox 
denominations. According to the SSR, the Moldovan Orthodox Church (MOC) 
had 1,255 parishes, and the Bessarabian Orthodox Church (BOC) included 
219 parishes. The BOC was formed in 1992 by priests who broke away from 
the MOC. It was officially recognized in 2002. In addition followers of 
the Old Rite Russian Orthodox Church (Old Believers) made up 
approximately 3.6 percent of the population. The True Orthodox Church 
of Moldova continued to be refused registration. The religious 
traditions of the Orthodox churches are entwined with the culture and 
patrimony of the country. Many self-professed atheists routinely 
celebrate religious holidays and observe Orthodox practices if local 
tradition and the occasion demand.
    Adherents of other faiths included Roman Catholics, Baptists, 
Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, 
Baha'is, Jews, followers of Reverend Moon, Molokans (a Russian group), 
Messianic Jews (who believe that Jesus was the Messiah), Lutherans, 
Presbyterians, Hare Krishnas, and some other charismatic Christian and 
evangelical Christian groups. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons) had two congregations, with an estimated 250 members. 
According to the most recent statistics from the Israeli cultural 
center in Chisinau, the Jewish community had approximately 25,000 
members, including 15,000 in Chisinau; 2,500 in Balti and surrounding 
areas; 1,600 in Tiraspol; 1,000 in Bender; and 4,000 in small towns.
    Foreign missionaries represented many faiths and denominations.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the law 
on religions (adopted in 1992 and amended in 1999 and 2002) contains 
restrictions that inhibited activities of unregistered religious 
groups. The law provides for freedom of religious practice, including 
each person's right to profess in any form his or her religion. It also 
protects the confidentiality of the confessional, allows denominations 
to establish associations and foundations, and states that the 
Government may not interfere in the religious activities of 
denominations. The law specifies that ``in order to organize and 
function,'' religious organizations must be registered with the 
Government. Unregistered groups may not own property, engage employees, 
or obtain space in public cemeteries in their own names.
    There is no state religion; however, the MOC receives favored 
treatment from the Government. The Metropolitan of Chisinau and all 
Moldova is issued a diplomatic passport. Other high-ranking MOC 
officials also reportedly have diplomatic passports.
    The procedures for registering a religious organization are the 
same for all groups. To register, a religious organization must present 
a declaration of creation, by-laws, and an explanation of its basic 
religious beliefs to the SSR. The SSR enters the religious organization 
into the register of religions within thirty working days. At the 
request of the SSR, a court can annul the recognition of a religious 
organization if it ``carries out activities that harm the independence, 
sovereignty, integrity, and security of the Republic of Moldova, public 
order, or is connected with political activities.'' The law also 
prohibits religious organizations from including in their by-laws any 
provisions that would violate the constitution or any other laws.
    The Government has recognized and registered twenty-one religious 
organizations, many of which have subentities throughout the country. 
Although amendments to the law on religions adopted in 2002 were 
intended to simplify the registration process and make it essentially 
automatic, the SSR continues to deny registration to the Spiritual 
Organization of Muslims, the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Moldova, 
and the True Orthodox Church of Moldova. Beginning in 2000, the Mormons 
tried repeatedly to register with the SSR. On March 28, 2006, the 
Chisinau Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Mormons and ordered the 
SSR to register the church. On May 25, 2006, the SSR appealed the 
decision to the Supreme Court of Justice. By the end of the period 
covered by this report, the appeal had not come before the court.
    In 1999 an amendment to the law on religions legalized 
proselytizing; however, the law explicitly forbids ``abusive 
proselytizing,'' which is defined as an attempt to influence an 
individual's religious faith through violence or abuse of authority. 
During the period covered by this report, the authorities did not take 
legal action against any individual for such proselytizing.
    A draft of the law on religions, introduced in 2002, was revised to 
remove numerous restrictive measures. The Council of Europe reviewed 
the draft law, which passed its first reading in Parliament on December 
22, 2005. By the end of the period covered by this report, the law had 
not come before Parliament for a second reading.
    By the end of the period covered by this report, the 2003 law on 
combating extremism had not been used against any religious groups or 
opposition organizations.
    The criminal code permits punishment for ``preaching religious 
beliefs or fulfillment of religious rituals which cause harm to the 
health of citizens, or other harm to their persons or rights, or 
instigate citizens not to participate in public life or in the 
fulfillment of their obligations as citizens.'' No organization was 
prosecuted under this code during the period covered by this report.
    Article 200 of the administrative offenses code prohibits any 
religious activities of registered or unregistered religious groups 
that violate current legislation. The article also allows the expulsion 
of foreign citizens who engage in religious activities without the 
consent of authorities. In 2004 the Spiritual Organization of Muslims 
reported being fined under the article for holding religious services 
in a location registered to a charitable organization. The Government 
charged that its activities were not in line with the stated activities 
and purposes of the charitable organization. Foreign volunteers from 
the Mormon Church have also been charged under this article with 
working illegally for an unregistered religious organization.
    Foreign missionaries may enter the country for ninety days on a 
tourist visa. They experience the same bureaucratic difficulties in 
obtaining residence permits and customs clearances as other foreign 
workers who wish to stay in the country for longer periods.
    On April 6, 2006, the law on entry and exit was amended by 
Parliament, limiting the stay of foreigners to ninety days in a six-
month period. However, foreign missionaries may obtain an ``immigration 
certificate'' and residence permit from the National Bureau for 
Migration if they can demonstrate that they are locally employed. This 
amendment proved problematic for missionaries who were working in the 
country on a volunteer basis.
    According to the law on education, ``moral and spiritual 
instruction'' is mandatory for primary school students and optional for 
secondary school and university students. Some schools offer religion 
courses, but enrollment depends on parental request and the 
availability of funds. There are a number of theological institutes, 
seminaries, and other places of religious education.
    Two public schools and a kindergarten are open only to Jewish 
students; in Chisinau one kindergarten has a special ``Jewish group.'' 
These schools receive the same funding as other state schools and are 
supplemented financially by the community. However, Jewish students are 
not restricted to these schools. Total enrollment for Jewish schools 
was approximately 550.
    The law provides for restitution of property that was confiscated 
during successive fascist and Soviet regimes to politically repressed 
or exiled persons. This regulation also extends to all religious 
communities; however, in practice the MOC has been favored over other 
religious groups. The MOC has recovered nearly all of its property, and 
in cases where property was destroyed, the Government offered 
alternative compensation. The recovered property included churches, 
schools, hospitals, orphanages, and administrative properties. Property 
disputes between the Moldovan and Bessarabian Orthodox churches have 
not been resolved. According to Jewish community representatives, there 
was no consistent restitution being undertaken on their behalf in the 
country, nor were there any ongoing restitution claims by individuals.
    The authorities in Transnistria also impose registration 
requirements that negatively affect religious groups and have denied 
registration to some groups. In 2004 the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet 
considered a new draft law on religions, which reportedly contained 
numerous contentious provisions. However, it abandoned the initiative 
in 2005, after the Orthodox bishop of Tiraspol and some legislators 
objected strongly to the draft; the 1995 law on religions remains in 
force.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The law on religions contains restrictions that inhibit the 
activities of unregistered religious groups, and the Government 
continued to deny registration to some groups.
    Unregistered religious organizations are not permitted to buy land 
or obtain construction permits for churches or seminaries. In some 
cases, members of unregistered religious groups held services in homes, 
nongovernmental organization (NGO) offices, and other locations. In 
other cases, the groups obtained property and permits in the names of 
individual members. Individual churches or branches of officially 
registered religious organizations are not required to register with 
local authorities; however, a branch must register locally in order to 
carry out legal transactions and receive donations.
    In February 2004 the Supreme Court overturned the Government's 2001 
decision that made the MOC the successor to the pre-World War II 
Romanian Orthodox Church for purposes of all property ownership. In 
April 2004 the Supreme Court rescinded its ruling, in response to an 
appeal submitted by the Government. The Bessarabian Orthodox Church 
(BOC), which regards itself as the legal and canonical successor to the 
pre-World War II Romanian Orthodox Church, contested the latter 
decision and in May 2004 submitted the case to the European Court of 
Human Rights (ECHR), where it awaited examination at the end of the 
reporting period. The issue has political as well as religious 
overtones, since it raises the question of whether the Orthodox Church 
should be oriented toward the Moscow patriarchate (as is the MOC) or 
the Bucharest patriarchate (as is the BOC). In June 2005 the Government 
rejected a BOC request for the return of property and archives, arguing 
that the law provides no mechanism for doing so.
    On April 13, 2006, in a dispute over control of a local church, the 
BOC priest and some parishioners in the city of Floresti reportedly 
were assaulted by local police and members of the MOC when they tried 
to enter the church. In March 2005 the Supreme Court had ruled in favor 
of the Floresti BOC and ordered local authorities to recognize its 
registration; however, local officials continued to refuse the BOC 
access to the church. In March 2006 the BOC appealed to the ECHR.
    In January 2006 the Government launched a public campaign for 
donations to renovate the historic Curchi monastery, which is 
administered by the MOC. By the end of the reporting period, 
approximately $750 thousand (lei 10 million) had been collected, in 
addition to in-kind donations. Parliament was selected as the ``primary 
patron'' of the monastery, and it passed a bill granting tax exemption 
to the renovation effort. Opposition parties criticized the bill, 
arguing that it contravened the constitution and was discriminatory 
toward other religious groups.
    There was no change in the status of efforts to register the Church 
of the True Orthodox-Moldova, a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church 
Abroad (ROCA), and it remained unregistered.
    The Mormons continued to face bureaucratic obstacles to 
registration, including their fourth and most recent application in 
November 2005. The church filed a lawsuit against the SSR in December 
2005, and on March 28, 2006, the Chisinau court of appeals ruled in 
favor of the Mormons and ordered the SSR to register the church. The 
SSR was presented with the court's ruling on May 10 and appealed the 
decision to the Supreme Court of Justice fifteen days later. The case 
is still pending examination by the Supreme Court, whose decision was 
expected to be final. In August 2004 two American citizens volunteering 
for a charitable organization registered by the Mormons were charged 
with, and convicted of, working illegally for an unregistered religious 
organization. In September 2004 the court of appeals overturned that 
decision and dropped all charges.
    The SSR refused registration on numerous occasions to both the 
Spiritual Organization of Muslims and the Central Muslim Spiritual 
Board of Moldova (the latter is associated with the Central Muslim 
Spiritual Board of Russia and CIS states). The Spiritual Organization 
of Muslims filed its most recent application for registration on June 
28, 2005, and was immediately refused. In February 2006 the court of 
appeals upheld the SSR decision. On June 28, 2006, the Supreme Court of 
Justice ordered the rehearing of the case by the court of appeals. At 
the end of the period covered by this report, the lawsuit filed by the 
Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Moldova against the SSR for failing 
to register the Spiritual Organization of Muslims was under review by 
the court of appeals.
    There has been no resolution in the case of the halted construction 
of a Baptist church in Capriana, despite Baptist appeals to both 
district and central authorities.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses have reported several instances of 
interference in construction or renovation of houses of worship. In 
2004 the Comrat mayor's office refused to issue a construction permit 
for a house of worship, and the village council of Saratenii Vechi 
voted to annul a previously issued urban-planning certificate and 
construction permit, in order to stop the renovation of a house of 
worship there. In April 2006, at the insistence of the local Orthodox 
community, authorities in the village of Farladeni terminated a 
contract with Jehovah's Witnesses for rental of a public building to 
use as a place of worship.
    Authorities in Transnistria used registration requirements and 
other legal mechanisms to restrict the religious freedom of some 
religious groups. Evangelical religious groups meeting in private homes 
reportedly were told that they do not have the correct permits to use 
their residences as venues for religious services.
    The Transnistrian authorities developed a textbook in 2000 that is 
used at all school levels, which reportedly contains negative and 
defamatory allegations regarding the Jehovah's Witnesses.
    As noted in previous reports, the Jehovah's Witnesses in 
Transnistria filed suit against the Office for Religions and Cults 
(ORC) there for repeatedly refusing to accredit their religious 
leaders. In 2004 the Tiraspol City Court ruled to limit the activities 
of the Jehovah's Witnesses to the city of Tiraspol and to annul its 
1997 registration. However, the court also rejected the Tiraspol city 
prosecutor's 2002 request to prohibit the group's activities 
altogether, and ruled that the ORC must reexamine the Jehovah's 
Witnesses' application for accreditation of their leaders.
    In 2004 the Tiraspol city prosecutor notified the Jehovah's 
Witnesses that the group would need to reregister and obtain 
accreditation for its leaders in order to continue their activities; 
however, the ORC continued to refuse to issue accreditation. In early 
2005 the Jehovah's Witnesses filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of 
Transnistria; however, it refused to examine the case, referring the 
Jehovah's Witnesses back to the Tiraspol city prosecutor. In June 2005 
the ORC again refused to grant the Jehovah's Witnesses documentation 
required for registration, and in August 2005 the group sued the ORC. 
On June 21, 2006, the Tiraspol City Court was scheduled to consider the 
community's complaint regarding the inaction of the Transnistrian 
``presidential administration'' and issue an opinion so that the group 
might be registered. However, the hearing was postponed due to the 
repeated failure of administration representatives to appear.
    The Baptist community in Transnistria submitted an application for 
registration in 2004, which remained under review at the end of the 
reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Spiritual Organization of Muslims reported continued harassment 
by the police and new problems with the Ministry of Justice during the 
period covered by this report. Since 2004 police have often shown up at 
the group's Friday prayers, which are held at the offices of the local 
Islamic organization Calauza, to check participants' documents and take 
pictures. In 2004 police detained several members following a raid and 
deported three Syrian citizens for not having proper legal residence 
documents. Authorities claimed the religious services were illegal 
because the organization and its meeting place were not properly 
registered. In March 2005 Calauza received a letter from the Ministry 
of Justice demanding that it stop the propagation of an unregistered 
cult. On May 19, 2006, police filmed attendees during Friday prayers 
and tried to bring charges of administrative violations, but the court 
dismissed the charges as unfounded.
    In 2004 the Mormons reported that police showed up at one of their 
religious services, which are held at the offices of their humanitarian 
assistance organization. The police took video and pictures of the 
service and questioned several participants about their activities.
    In January 2005 the Jehovah's Witnesses community in Domulgeni 
began proceedings to register as a legal entity. In November 2005 the 
community filed a complaint with the Balti court of appeals against the 
Floresti Raion district council chairman for his refusal to consider 
their application and won the case. The district council appealed the 
decision to the Supreme Court of Justice. On April 5, 2006, the Supreme 
Court reversed the decision of the Balti appeals tribunal and ordered 
that a new trial be held.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses and Baptists have reported numerous 
instances of being charged administrative fines. In several cases local 
police fined the group for failing to provide proper security for the 
group's meeting place, including barring the doors and windows and 
setting up a twenty-four-hour watch, despite the fact that no such 
requirements exist in law. In each case the charges were dropped on 
appeal to the courts.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses in Transnistria have reported that 
officials levied administrative fines and made unjust arrests of its 
members. In all reported cases the charges were dropped on appeal to 
the Supreme Court. In 2004, at the Lipcani-Tighina border crossing, a 
border guard seized literature from two Jehovah's Witnesses, but the 
material was returned after they filed a complaint with the head of the 
border guard unit in Tiraspol.
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 generally amicable relations among religious groups in society 
contributed to religious freedom. The dispute between the Moldovan and 
the Bessarabian Orthodox churches continued during the reporting 
period. With the exception of the incident in Floresti, members of the 
two churches generally did not interfere with each others' freedom to 
worship.
    Baptists and Jehovah's Witnesses in various areas complained that 
local town councils impeded their ability to practice their religions 
freely. They reported physical and verbal abuse by townspeople, 
instigated by local Orthodox priests.
    In the village of Rosietici, the Baptists have attempted to receive 
the proper documents and build a church for several years but have been 
repeatedly refused them by local authorities. In the village of 
Hijdieni, the Baptists were refused permission to renovate a building 
they had purchased, and villagers tried to vandalize the structure.
    In 2004 Jehovah's Witnesses in the village of Saratenii Vechi began 
renovating a house for a place of worship. As they worked on the 
building, eighty local townspeople, along with the village priest and 
mayor, marched to the construction site, and threatened and insulted 
the workers. Later that week, some reportedly returned, forcibly 
entered the building, and verbally and physically abused the Jehovah's 
Witnesses present.
    There were a few reports of negative press articles about non-
Orthodox religious groups. The Jehovah's Witnesses have been the target 
of articles criticizing their beliefs and legitimacy, and Baptists in 
Transnistria claimed press reports about their religion had been 
negative.
    On May 3, 2005, six tombstones were destroyed in the Jewish 
cemetery in Chisinau. Three young men, two from Chisinau and one from 
Tiraspol, were arrested in connection with the vandalism. The motives 
for the vandalism were not clear, and the Jewish community stated that 
it did not believe that the incident was an act of anti-Semitism. In 
November 2005 another twenty-five tombstones in the same cemetery were 
destroyed. The police did not find the perpetrators, and the local 
Jewish community did not describe the incident as an act of anti-
Semitism.
    There was no progress in the investigation into several anti-
Semitic acts that took place in Transnistria in 2004, when more than 
seventy tombstones were desecrated in the Jewish cemetery in Tiraspol 
and unknown persons attempted to set the Tiraspol synagogue on fire. 
Transnistrian authorities believed the same persons perpetrated the 
attacks.
    In 2003 unknown persons destroyed eight tombstones in a Jewish 
cemetery in Balti. However, according to a leading rabbi in Chisinau, 
it was not clear whether anti-Semitism motivated the incident.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officers have met with leaders and legal representatives of 
many religious organizations to discuss registration, restitution, and 
other problems organizations have had with the authorities. The embassy 
raised concerns at the highest levels of the Government regarding the 
persistent registration difficulties of some religious groups. The 
embassy sent diplomatic notes to the Government expressing concern 
about continued delays in registering some groups as well as others 
being blocked from constructing houses of worship. During the period 
covered by this report, an embassy officer met with the head of the SSR 
to discuss the continued difficulties of some organizations in 
obtaining official registration. An embassy representative maintains 
regular contact with religious leaders throughout the country.
    The U.S. ambassador met with leaders of the major religious 
organizations, including the MOC, BOC, Catholic Church, and the Jewish 
community. Embassy employees maintain contact with most of the resident 
American missionaries. The embassy has supported the activities of 
religious and secular groups, and has funded several NGO projects to 
promote tolerance and understanding in society.
                               __________

                                 MONACO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
are some restrictions. Roman Catholicism is the official religion. 
Religious freedom, freedom of religious practices, and public 
expression are provided for in Articles 2, 9, and 23 of the 
constitution.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. The Government denies 
religious organizations regarded as ``sects'' permission to operate.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The principality has an area of 0.8 square miles and a population 
of approximately 32,100. Catholicism is the state religion, and most of 
the approximately 7,200 Monegasque citizens living in the principality 
adhered to that religion, at least nominally. There were five Catholic 
churches in the principality and a cathedral presided over by an 
archbishop. Protestantism was the next most practiced religion, with 
two churches. There was one synagogue in the principality. The 
constitution provides the nearly 25,000 noncitizen residents in the 
principality the same religious freedom as citizens. Most noncitizens 
also adhered to either Catholicism or Protestantism, although there 
were some residents who practiced Judaism, Islam, or other world 
religious groups. There were no mosques in the principality. No 
missionaries operated in the principality.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
are some restrictions. Catholicism is the state religion and most 
citizens practiced it. The Catholic ritual generally played an 
important role in state festivities, such as the annual national day 
celebration.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    No missionaries operated in the principality and proselytizing was 
strongly discouraged. However, there is no law against proselytizing by 
religious organizations that are registered formally by the Ministry of 
State. Organizations regarded as religious ``sects'' routinely have 
been denied such registration; however, there were no reports of 
religious organizations being denied registration during the period 
covered by this report.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
principality.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. There were no known ecumenical 
movements or activities to promote greater mutual understanding and 
tolerance among adherents of different religious groups. There were no 
reports of societal religious violence in the principality.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                            THE NETHERLANDS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to an overall environment of religious freedom and 
mutual tolerance. The killing of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004 
by a Dutch Islamic extremist and subsequent reactions, however, brought 
to the surface simmering tensions between the Muslim and non-Muslim 
communities, which continued to color relations between the two groups. 
In the public debate, Dutch Muslims often felt compelled to defend 
themselves against criticism for such perceived problems as the poor 
integration of Muslim immigrants into society, the high level of 
criminal activity among Muslim youth, and the conservative views of 
orthodox Muslims on women's rights and corporal punishment. The level 
of anti-Semitic incidents remained relatively high, and many incidents 
appeared to have been politically motivated in reaction to developments 
in the Middle East.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 16,485 square miles and a population of 
approximately 16.3 million. Approximately 60 percent of the population 
had some religious affiliation, although many did not actively practice 
their religion. Approximately 31 percent considered themselves Roman 
Catholic; 14 percent Dutch Reformed; 6 percent Muslim; 6 percent 
Calvinist Reformed; 3 percent other (Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist); and 
40 percent atheist or agnostic. Other Protestant denominations included 
Baptists, Lutherans, Anglicans, Protestants from the United States, and 
Remonstrants. Approximately 20 percent of citizens, primarily among 
those who left the ``traditional'' churches, described themselves as 
``seekers of spiritual or philosophical truths.'' These persons tended 
to gravitate toward (although not necessarily join) newer or 
nontraditional religious movements, such as Pentecostal groups, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishna, Transcendental Meditation, 
Scientology, Theosophy, or Anthroposophy.
    Society had become increasingly secularized during the several 
decades prior to the reporting period. According to a 1995 study of the 
Government's Social Cultural Planning Bureau, religious membership 
declined steadily from 76 percent in 1958 to 41 percent in 1995, and 
continued to decrease, although at a slower pace. Membership was 
decreasing among all religions except Islam. Approximately one-quarter 
of church members were active within their religious communities. In a 
2002 study, an estimated 25 percent of Roman Catholics, 33 percent of 
Dutch Reformed, 55 percent of Calvinist Reformed, and 50 percent of 
Muslims attended church/mosque at least once every two weeks. 
Approximately 70 percent of the total population never attended 
services. There were no figures for Jewish participation rates.
    Research revealed that those who left a religion rarely returned. 
Nonetheless, significant numbers of those who left their religions 
continued to consider themselves to be members of a religious group. 
The beliefs and practices of many of these adherents developed into 
what some described as a selective approach to religion, accepting what 
they consider the positive, but not the negative, aspects of a 
particular religion.
    Following the secularization that began in the 1960s, many Roman 
Catholics left their church. Among those remaining, many expressed 
alienation from their religious hierarchy and doctrine. For example, 
most of the country's Catholics expressed no objections to female or 
married priests and differed with church thinking on a number of 
sensitive doctrinal issues.
    The country's Protestantism was quite heterogeneous. Among the 
Protestant churches, the Dutch Reformed Church remained the largest, 
although it also suffered the greatest losses to secularization. Church 
membership declined by two-thirds in the fifty years prior to the 
reporting period. The second largest Protestant group, the Calvinist 
Reformed Church, was less affected by membership losses and even 
succeeded in attracting former members of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 
2003, the main Dutch Protestant churches merged into the United 
Protestant Churches; however, a few orthodox communities refused to 
merge.
    Because of a long-established climate of religious tolerance, Jews 
numbered more than 140,000 in 1940. Amsterdam harbored one of the 
largest and liveliest Jewish communities in Europe. During World War 
II, 106,000 Dutch Jews were killed, the highest percentage in Western 
Europe. Of the remainder, approximately 5,000 remained in the country, 
while the rest fled. In the post-war period, Jewish life slowly revived 
and flourished. While the Dutch have generally shied away from 
discussing this grim period of their history, Prime Minister 
Balkenende, in May 2005, acknowledged publicly Dutch ``collaboration, 
indifference and treason'' during the war, and ``the lack of humanity 
and understanding'' towards Jews in the post-war period.
    Research from the Jewish Social Work organization showed that the 
country counted approximately 45,000 Jews during the reporting period, 
although the Stephen Roth Institute and the Council of Europe estimated 
the number to be closer to 30,000. Less than one-quarter of those 
belonged to active Jewish organizations such as religious communities, 
hospitals, schools, cultural and welfare centers, and sports and 
entertainment clubs. Since 1997, the Jewish community's main 
organizations had an umbrella group, the Central Jewish Consultation, 
which represented the community's interests in discussions with the 
Government.
    The number of Muslims continued to rise because of relatively high 
birth rates and the continued practice of Turkish and Moroccan 
immigrants marrying partners from their countries of origin. By 2005, 
950,000 Muslims, constituting 5.8 percent of the total population, were 
estimated to live in the country, primarily in the larger cities, 
including approximately 341,000 Turks and 295,000 Moroccans. Other 
Muslims came from the country's former colony of Suriname. In the past 
decade, Muslim numbers further increased because of the large numbers 
of asylum seekers from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Somalia, and 
Bosnia. A network of mosques and cultural centers served the Islamic 
community. This network was organized to conform to the national system 
of subsidies, which underwrites cultural activities geared to social 
orientation and the promotion of equal opportunities. The number of 
mosques increased to approximately 400: More than half catered to 
Turks, approximately 140 to Moroccans, and approximately 50 to 
Surinamese. The founding of more than forty-five Islamic schools 
further reflected the increased influence of Islam. Muslims were not 
separately organized in the political sphere. The Contact Body for 
Muslims and Government (CMO), representing approximately 80 percent of 
the Muslim community, discussed the community's interests with the 
Government. The official Muslim community unanimously condemned the Van 
Gogh killing.
    There were approximately 95,000 Hindus, of whom 85 percent 
originally came from Suriname and approximately 10 percent from India. 
The country also hosted smaller numbers of Hindus from Uganda, as well 
as similar movements based on such Hindu teachings as Ramakrishna, Hare 
Krishna, Sai Baba, and Osho. The Buddhist community was quite small, 
with approximately 17,000 members.
    There was a small number of foreign missionary groups operating in 
the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
permits the Government to place restrictions on the exercise of 
religion only on limited grounds, such as health hazards, traffic 
safety, and risk of public disorder.
    The Government provides state subsidies to religious organizations 
that maintain educational facilities. The Government provides funding 
for education to public as well as to religious schools, other 
religious educational institutions, and health care facilities, 
irrespective of their religious affiliation. To qualify for funding, 
institutions must meet strict nonreligious criteria for curriculum 
standards, minimum size, and health care.
    Religious groups are not required to register with the Government; 
however, the law recognizes the existence of religious denominations 
and grants them certain rights and privileges, including tax 
exemptions. Although the law does not formally define what constitutes 
a ``religious denomination'' for these purposes, religious groups 
generally have not experienced any problems qualifying as religious 
denominations.
    The law provides for religious minorities to have their views 
broadcast on radio and television. For example, broadcasting time was 
allotted to the Islamic Broadcasting Foundation, an alliance of all 
Muslim groups in the country.
    The government of Turkey exercised influence within the country's 
Turkish Islamic community through its religious affairs directorate, 
the Diyanet, which was permitted to appoint imams for the 140 Turkish 
mosques in the country. There was no such arrangement with the Moroccan 
government. The Moroccan government maintained connections with the 
approximately 100 Moroccan mosques through a federation of Moroccan 
friendship societies but has no mechanism to exercise direct influence 
in the country.
    The authorities expressed concern regarding Turkish and Moroccan 
interference with religious and political affairs because such 
interference appeared to run counter to government efforts to encourage 
integration of Muslims into society. For example, government 
authorities insisted on strict observance of mandatory school 
attendance up to the age of sixteen, despite appeals by foreign imams 
to keep girls under the age of sixteen at home.
    To counter undesired foreign influence, the Government began to 
provide subsidies to universities providing training for local persons 
interested in becoming imams to ensure that they have a basic 
understanding of local social norms and values. Given the strict 
separation between the state and religion, however, the authorities 
themselves could not organize such training, and instead depended on 
private organizations. In addition, the assembled Muslim organizations 
decided, in February 2005, to found an Islamic institute to educate 
imams and Islamic theologians in coordination with individual 
university programs; the institute was not set up at the end of the 
period covered by this report. Parliament proposed phasing out the 
issuance of work permits to foreign imams by 2008 to increase the 
number and influence of locally educated religious leaders. As an 
interim measure, the Government decided that all imams and other 
spiritual leaders recruited in Islamic countries first must follow a 
yearlong integration course before they would be allowed to practice in 
the country.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Disputes arose when the exercise of the rights to freedom of 
religion and speech clashed with the strictly enforced ban on 
discrimination. Such disputes were addressed either in the courts or by 
antidiscrimination boards. Complaints were repeatedly filed against 
religious or political spokesmen who publicly condemn homosexuality. 
However, longstanding jurisprudence dictates that such statements, when 
made on religious grounds, do not constitute a criminal offense absent 
an intention to offend or discriminate against homosexuals.
    The Equal Opportunities Committee (CGB) and the courts also 
repeatedly addressed the wearing of headscarves in schools and places 
of employment. The prevailing opinion is that the wearing of 
headscarves may be banned only on narrow grounds, such as security 
considerations or inconsistency with an official government uniform. In 
2003, the CGB stated that a recent ban by Amsterdam schools on wearing 
burqas in class is not discriminatory. The CGB stated that open 
teacher-student and student-to-student interaction is more important 
than the right to wear a burqa. In late 2005, the Parliament adopted a 
resolution urging the Government to ban public wearing of burqas. The 
integration minister replied that a general ban was not possible under 
the law, but she was investigating whether such a ban was possible 
under specific circumstances, such as at school or in the workplace.
    In other areas, employers have been rebuked publicly by 
antidiscrimination boards for failure to allow non-Christians to take 
leave from work on their religious holidays, for objecting to Sikhs 
wearing turbans or to Muslim women wearing headscarves, or for 
objecting to observance of food requirements on religious grounds. In 
2004, the CGB ruled against a company that had denied employment to a 
Turkish applicant because he intended to attend Friday services at a 
mosque. This was considered a violation of freedom of religion. 
According to the CGB, Friday service for Muslims is equivalent to 
Sunday service for Christians. It ruled that employers are obliged to 
take account of reasonable religious demands from their employees, 
except in exceptional circumstances.
    In 2003, legislation took effect that explicitly permits employees 
to refuse to work on Sunday for religious reasons, unless the work's 
nature, such as in the health sector, does not permit such an 
exception. The legislation came in the wake of charges by the Calvinist 
Reformed Social Union of religious discrimination by employers and 
reports of job applicants being turned down for employment for refusing 
to work on Sundays for religious reasons.
    In November 2005, a Dutch lower court ordered the Government to 
make a formal Schengen Treaty exception to a German entry ban on the 
Reverend and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, founders of the Unification Church.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    The vast majority of the population is not manifestly anti-Semitic. 
However, certain groups opposed to Israeli policies in the occupied 
territories, such as the Arab European League and the Stop the 
Occupation Movement, frequently used seemingly anti-Semitic language 
and images to express political views. Explicitly anti-Semitic 
sentiments also prevailed among certain segments of the Muslim 
community and among fringe nationalist and neo-Nazi groups.
    In its report covering the period between January 2004 and May 
2005, the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) 
registered 326 anti-Semitic incidents in 2004, compared to 334 in 2003. 
Although these figures declined for the second year in a row, CIDI 
qualified the level of incidents as ``continuously high'' and 
identified as one major cause for anti-Semitic behavior the 
dissemination of anti-western and anti-Semitic propaganda from the 
Middle East, as well as sermons by imams that enhance anti-Semitic 
stereotypes.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religious communities tended 
to live alongside each other in harmony. Among them, the Protestant 
denominations in particular promoted the Jewish cause and reached out 
to the Islamic community. However, a May 2005 poll by the private 
consultancy Motivaction showed 10 percent of the native Dutch 
population admitted to being racist, 27 percent said they disliked 
foreigners, and 43 percent said Islam was incompatible with Western 
society. The government minister for integration withheld comment and 
said she would wait for a more official government report, due later in 
the year.
    In the fall of 2001, widespread societal resentment towards growing 
numbers of Muslims and their culture became apparent. Populist 
politician Pim Fortuyn, who was killed shortly before the 2002 general 
elections, received broad support for his characterization of Islam as 
``a backward culture'' that is intolerant toward women and homosexuals 
and that allows practices from the Middle Ages.
    The November 2004 killing of Dutch filmmaker and critic of Islam, 
Theo van Gogh by a Dutch Muslim extremist exacerbated existing social 
tensions. The killing triggered a brief upsurge of violent incidents, 
which had largely subsided by the end of the period covered by this 
report. However, minor incidents, including intimidations, brawls, 
vandalism, and graffiti with abusive texts, were frequent. Expanding 
pockets of both radicalized Muslim and other youth, who identified 
themselves as ``native Dutch,'' were responsible for many of these 
instances of violence. A number of offenders were arrested, prosecuted, 
and convicted. Polls revealed that popular attitudes towards Muslims 
were rapidly becoming more negative, and a majority viewed their 
presence as a threat. In a February 2006 poll by the R&M Matrix 
research agency, a majority of ``native Dutch'' found Islam to be 
intolerant (52 percent of participants), violent (40 percent), women-
unfriendly (70 percent), and humorless (54 percent); 54 percent opined 
that Islam and democracy were incompatible. Muslims already faced 
continuing criticism for such perceived problems as the poor 
integration of Muslim immigrants into society, the high level of 
criminal activity among Muslim youth, and the conservative views of 
orthodox Muslims on topics such as women, homosexuals, and corporal 
punishment. Overcoming habitual reticence and abandoning Dutch 
libertarian attitudes toward religion, a number of outspoken 
politicians, mainly from the right, openly argued that Islam is 
incompatible with Dutch traditions and social values.
    The Muslim community reacted with restraint to the cartoon 
controversy and refrained from any outburst of public violence. 
Government and Parliament seized upon the controversy to emphasize the 
``inviolable'' rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. If 
someone feels offended, the only venue is to sue. The prime minister 
added that freedom of speech was ``no obligation to offend.''
    Former parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, known for her criticism of 
what she called Islam's intolerance of homosexuals and its subjugation 
of women, generated substantial controversy in the Muslim community. In 
May 2006, she announced that she would move to the United States.
    In response to the controversy, the Government launched a 
comprehensive outreach campaign to counter anti-Muslim sentiments, 
stressing that the majority of Muslims fit comfortably into Dutch 
society. The Government also opened three imam training programs, with 
a fourth scheduled to open soon. At the same time, the Government made 
clear that it would combat directly groups espousing violence in 
support of an extremist Islamic agenda. These efforts raised public 
awareness and triggered debate, but concerns remained about the 
effectiveness of the new measures. Many in the Muslim community noted 
an increased sense of alienation from Dutch society.
    The Government repeatedly condemned any form of anti-Semitism and 
formed a comprehensive action plan to combat any form of 
discrimination. According to this plan, parents have primary 
responsibility for preventing anti-Semitic incidents; schools can also 
help to combat discrimination and inculcate respect and tolerance. 
Public debate and dialogue are other tools to achieve these goals, to 
which end several nongovernmental organizations have launched projects, 
such as Een Ander Joods Geluid (An Alternative Jewish Viewpoint), to 
foster debate on equality, tolerance, and human dignity. Also, the 
Dutch Coalition for Peace has called on Jews, Palestinians, and other 
Muslims in the country to work together to restore peace in the Middle 
East.
    Stricter instructions to prosecutors and the police took effect in 
2003 to ensure proper attention is given to incidents of 
discrimination. Measures were also taken to deal more effectively with 
incitement to discrimination on the Internet. Despite these measures, 
critics claimed that law enforcement agencies still do not give 
priority to instances of discrimination. Prosecutions and convictions 
remained rare.
    The Ministry of Education tasked schools in longstanding guidelines 
to teach about different religions and ideologies in conjunction with 
discrimination and intolerance, with explicit attention being paid to 
the persecution of Jews in World War II. The Ministry of Welfare 
subsidized a special program to teach children about World War II and 
the persecution of Jews. In particular, the program was designed to 
raise awareness about the consequences of prejudice. The Government 
also sought to promote dialogue and supported initiatives that aim to 
create a better understanding between Jews and Muslims. The Anne Frank 
Foundation published a book, called Fifty Questions on Anti-Semitism, 
primarily intended for teachers who interacted with Muslim students.
    The labor federations worked to include stipulations in collective 
bargaining agreements that permit non-Christian employees to take leave 
on non-Christian holy days. Such stipulations were included in most 
agreements.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. It 
also engages in dialogue with all major religious groups.
                               __________

                                 NORWAY

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Evangelical 
Lutheran Church of Norway, the state church, enjoys some benefits not 
available to other faiths.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 150 thousand square miles 
and a population of approximately 4.6 million. Citizens were considered 
to be members of the state church unless they explicitly associated 
themselves with another denomination; 86 percent of the population 
(approximately 3.9 million persons) nominally belonged to the state 
church. However, actual church attendance was rather low.
    Other religious groups operated freely and included various 
Protestant Christian denominations (152,975 members; 3.9 percent of the 
population), Muslims (77,857 members; 1.9 percent), and Roman Catholics 
(46,308 members; 1.2 percent). Buddhists, Jews, Orthodox, Sikhs, and 
Hindus were present in very small numbers, together comprising less 
than 1 percent of the population. The Norwegian Humanist Association--
the only national organization for those who did not formally practice 
any religion, including atheists--had 69,610 registered adult members 
and claimed 10,000 children as associate members. Persons could not 
register as full members until they reach adulthood. The Government 
estimated that an additional 5.6 percent of the population (roughly 
252,000 persons) did not formally practice religion.
    The majority of European and American immigrants, who made up 
approximately half of the foreign-born population, were either 
Christian or nonreligious, with the notable exception of Muslim 
refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Most non-Western 
immigrants practiced Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, or Hinduism. 
Foreign missionaries and other religious workers operated freely in the 
country.
    Forty-two percent of the country's religious minorities were 
concentrated in the Oslo metropolitan area, including 76 percent of the 
country's Muslims and the country's entire Buddhist community.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway is the state church. It 
is supported financially by the state, and there is a constitutional 
requirement that the king and at least one-half of the cabinet belong 
to this church.
    On March 14, 2006, the U.N. Human Rights Committee voiced concerns 
that a section of the constitution is incompatible with Article 18 of 
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). 
Specifically, the constitution provides that individuals professing the 
Evangelical-Lutheran religion must raise their children in the same 
faith.
    Church officials and some politicians spoke in favor of a greater 
separation in the state-church relationship. In 2003, the Government 
appointed an official State-Church Commission to review the future of 
the state-church relationship. The commission's purpose is to ascertain 
whether the state-church system should be maintained, reformed, or 
discontinued. The commission has its own secretariat and has members 
from several parts of society, including different church groups and 
other religions, politicians, legal experts, and the Sami people.
    On January 31, 2006, the commission presented its assessments. A 
large majority of members advocated that the existing state-church 
system be abolished. The Storting (parliament) is expected to make a 
final decision in 2008, based upon the commission's assessment.
    A religious community is required to register with the Government 
only if it desires state support, which is provided to all registered 
denominations in accordance with their membership.
    There are no special licensing or registration requirements for 
foreign religious workers. Foreign religious workers are subject to the 
same visa and work permit requirements as other foreign workers. The 
Anti-Discrimination Act is viewed as another legislative means to 
improve the protection (and promotion) of human rights recognized under 
the ICCPR. The act (which passed in Parliament on June 3, 2005) is 
intended to strengthen protections against ethnic discrimination. 
Specifically, the act incorporates provisions of the International 
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. 
The act forbids unequal treatment on the basis of religion and belief, 
in addition to ethnicity, national origin, and skin color, and applies 
to all areas of society. The law forbids direct discrimination: An 
employer can neither hire, nor exclude, an employee based upon that 
employee's particular origin. The law also protects employees against 
indirect discrimination. For example, an employer cannot completely 
prohibit wearing hijabs as such exclusion will theoretically prohibit 
women from wearing hijabs for religious reasons.
    On January 1, 2006, the Government established an Equality and 
Anti-Discrimination Ombudsman and an Anti-Discrimination Tribunal to 
deal with such human rights issues.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    A 1997 law introduced the Christian Knowledge and Religious and 
Ethical Information (CKREE) course for grades one through ten (ages six 
to sixteen). The CKREE reviews world religions and philosophy, while 
promoting tolerance and respect for all religious beliefs. Citing the 
country's Christian history (and given the stated importance of 
Christianity to society), the CKREE devotes an extensive amount of time 
to studying Christianity. This class is mandatory, without any 
exceptions for children of other faiths. On special grounds, students 
may be exempted from participating in (or performing) specific 
religious acts, such as church services or prayer, but they cannot 
forgo religious instruction. Organizations for atheists, as well as 
Muslim communities, have contested the legality of forced religious 
teaching, claiming that it is a breach of freedom of religion and 
parents' rights to provide religious instruction to their children. In 
2002, the Humanist Association appealed the case to the European Court 
of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg and the United Nations Human 
Rights Commission. In November 2004, the UNHRC decided that the 
practice of a mandatory religious class broke with human rights 
principles, violating Article 18 of the ICCPR. The UNHRC held that the 
law violated the parental ability to choose their children's religious 
and moral upbringing. The case was scheduled for debate at the ECHR in 
the fall of 2006.
    In response, the Government gave parents the right to exempt their 
children from the CKREE until August 2005 (when a new curriculum was 
implemented). The UNHRC demanded that the Government grant parents 
either the ability to fully exempt their children from the class, or 
make the course religion/belief-neutral.
    Under the new curriculum, Christianity, as the state religion, 
continued to receive a larger percentage of the class's teaching time 
than other religions. The final law states that children cannot receive 
complete class exemption. Limited exemptions may occur with respect to 
specific classroom activities, such as singing hymns and/or public 
prayer. This partial exemption right also applies to other courses, 
such as gym or cooking-classes.
    The Humanist Association did not support the recent curriculum 
changes. The association noted in a letter to the UNHRC that the CKREE 
curriculum revisions were only cosmetic and did not create a religion 
and belief-neutral class. In addition, the association advocated that 
the partial exemption right be expanded. Accordingly, the association 
claimed that the UNHRC concerns had not been heeded, and the CKREE 
curriculum, as revised, continued to violate Article 18 of the ICCPR.
    In the past, Muslims have encountered some difficulties in 
obtaining local permission to build mosques in areas where Muslims are 
concentrated. Since 1975, the town council in Drammen had regularly 
turned down applications to build a mosque. However, in 2004, the 
Muslim community in Drammen received permission to build a mosque. No 
other problems with permission to construct mosques have been recorded.
    The Workers' Protection and Working Environment Act permits 
prospective employers to ask job applicants who are applying for 
positions in private schools, religious schools, or day care centers, 
whether they agree to teach and behave in accordance with the 
institution's or religion's beliefs and principles.
    In 2006, the city of Oslo recommended banning the wearing of burqas 
and nikabs in schools. Accordingly, the city sent its recommendation to 
the Ministry of Knowledge in order to determine necessary changes to 
existing laws which would effectuate such a ban in the 2006-2007 school 
year.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Jewish organizations had reported that anti-Semitic incidents 
doubled from 2002 to 2003. The majority of the forty reported incidents 
in 2003 involved verbal harassment of primary and secondary school 
Jewish students by non-Jewish students. A small number of incidents 
involved threats against Jews. There were no reports of anti-Semitic 
violence or vandalism through June 2006.
    The Government was vigilant in fighting anti-Semitism and promoting 
religious tolerance. In April 2004, Prime Minister Bondevik met with 
two Jewish children who had been harassed on the basis of their 
religion and, at the conclusion of the meeting, issued a strong public 
statement condemning anti-Semitism and calling on the public to fight 
anti-Semitism more actively.
    Norway is a member of the International Task Force for Holocaust 
Education, Remembrance and Research. In 2003, the Government instituted 
annual observance of Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27 in schools 
nationwide, as part of a National Plan of Action to Combat Racism and 
Discrimination. In addition, according to the Oslo-based Center for 
Studies of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities, the curriculum of 
the CKREE class includes teaching high school students about the 
deportation and extermination of Norwegian Jews from 1942 to 1945.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. A Cooperation Council for 
Faith and Secular Society included the state church and other religious 
communities, including the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and secular 
humanist communities. The Oslo Coalition for Freedom of Religious 
Beliefs facilitated closer coordination and international cooperation 
on religious freedom issues, and supported projects in China, Central 
Asia and the Caucasus, and Indonesia that develop contacts, foster 
dialogues on interreligious understanding, and establish 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with representatives from 
different religions. The Ecumenical Council of Christian Communities 
was active in promoting cooperation within the Christian community. 
There was cooperation between the various religious communities on 
human rights issues in the past several years. Bilateral dialogue 
between the state church and the Muslim and Jewish communities 
generated statements in support of minority rights and human rights.
    A Christian newspaper, Magazinet, published cartoons lampooning 
Muhammad. The cartoons, originally published by a Danish newspaper, 
triggered an international furor, including the burning of Norway's 
embassy in Syria and attacks upon Norwegian troops in Afghanistan. In 
February 2006, the editor of Magazinet, following receipt of twenty e-
mail death threats, publicly apologized for offending the Muslim 
community. The Islamic Council welcomed the apology and offered the 
editor its protection. The apology (and the council's acceptance) 
received governmental praise, including from the minister of labor and 
social inclusion.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
2004, the U.S. Embassy sponsored the participation of a U.S. 
constitutional law expert in an Oslo Coalition seminar on religious 
freedom. During the current reporting period, representatives from the 
embassy's political and economic affairs section participated in a 
seminar involving religious issues sponsored by the Oslo-based 
organization ``Dialogue for Peace.'' In addition, public affairs staff 
attended a seminar on peace and democracy in Afghanistan which included 
extensive discussions on religious freedom. Finally, the embassy 
sponsored a Norwegian international visitor of Middle Eastern descent 
who attended a program in the United States on managing diversity in a 
multi-ethnic society. The program focused in large part on how to deal 
with different religious groups in society.
                               __________

                                 POLAND

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Jewish community leaders 
reported several serious anti-Jewish incidents in the country during 
the period covered by this report, including an attack on the chief 
rabbi of Poland and the stabbing of an antifascist activist by a 
neofascist skinhead group. There were occasional desecrations of Jewish 
and, more frequently, Roman Catholic cemeteries by skinheads and other 
marginal elements of society. The Government publicly denounced anti-
Semitic acts.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
Embassy and Consulate General Krakow officers actively monitor threats 
to religious freedom and seek further resolution of unsettled legacies 
of the Holocaust and the communist era.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 120,725 square miles and a population of 
approximately 39 million. More than 96 percent of citizens were 
identified as Roman Catholic; however, Eastern Orthodox, Greek 
Catholic, and much smaller Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim congregations 
were also present.
    According to the 2005 Annual Statistical Yearbook of Poland, the 
following figures represent the formal membership of the listed 
religious groups, but not the actual number of persons in those 
religious communities; for example, the actual number of Jews was 
estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000, while the formal membership of 
the Union of Jewish Communities totaled only 2,500. The number of Jews 
was slowly rising, partly because of converts.
    The yearbook estimated that there were 34,206,767 baptized Roman 
Catholics; 509,100 Orthodox Church members; 53,000 Greek Catholics; 
127,377 Jehovah's Witnesses; 77,500 Lutherans (Augsburg Confession); 
23,894 Old Catholic Mariavits; 19,172 members of the Polish Catholic 
Church; 20,890 Pentecostals; 9,488 Seventh-day Adventists; 4,688 
Baptists; 5,076 members of the New Apostolic Church; 111 members of 
Muslim associations; 915 Hare Krishnas; 4,420 Methodists; 2,952 members 
of the Church of Christ; 3,550 Lutherans (Reformed); 2,274 Catholic 
Mariavits; 1,305 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons); and 2,500 members of the Union of Jewish Communities. 
The vast majority of the Jewish community in Poland, which had numbered 
approximately 3 million people before the Nazi occupation of Poland 
during World War II, was killed in the Holocaust. The community was 
estimated at 20,000 to 30,000, including the 2,500 registered members 
listed in the country's Statistical Yearbook, during the period covered 
by this report.
    Each of these religious groups has a relationship with the state 
governed by either legislation or treaty, with the exception of 
Jehovah's Witnesses, the New Apostolic Church, the Church of Krishna 
Consciousness (Hare Krishna), and the Church of Christ.
    A March 2005 public opinion poll indicated that the attitude of 
Poles toward religion was little changed from the last polling, 
conducted in 2003. Approximately 58 percent of citizens actively 
participated in religious ceremonies at least once per week. Nine 
percent of respondents declared that they had no contact with the Roman 
Catholic Church, 16 percent that they attended Mass once to twice per 
month, and 17 percent that they attended Mass only sporadically. 
Approximately 3 percent declared themselves to be nonbelievers. The 
survey also found that women continued to be more religious than men, 
and, while 58 percent of citizens considered themselves active 
Catholics, 39 percent preferred to consider themselves ``believers in 
their own way.''
    Foreign missionary groups operated freely in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The Criminal Code 
stipulates that offending religious sentiment through public speech is 
punishable by a fine or up to a three-year prison term. The Roman 
Catholic Church was the dominant religious group in the country.
    There are fifteen religious groups whose relationship with the 
state is governed by specific legislation that outlines the internal 
structure of the religious groups, their activities, and procedures for 
property restitution. There are 146 other registered religious groups 
that do not have a statutorily defined relationship with the state. All 
registered religious groups, including the original fifteen, enjoy 
equal protection under the law, and there were no reports of serious 
conflicts among churches or religious groups.
    Religious communities may register with the Ministry of the 
Interior; however, they are not required to do so and may function 
freely without registration. According to the 1989 Law on Guaranteeing 
Freedom of Conscience and Belief, registration requires that the group 
submit the names of at least one hundred members as well as other 
information about the group. This information on membership must be 
confirmed by a notary public, although the registration itself often 
appears to be a formality. In 2005, no new religious groups registered. 
However, in the first half of 2006, two new religious groups registered 
with the Ministry: The Evangelical Christian Church and the 
Presbyterian Church. In April 2006, the Salvation Army's application to 
register as a religion was denied for technical reasons by the Ministry 
of Interior. The Salvation Army appealed this decision and was still 
awaiting a decision on this appeal when the period covered by this 
report ended. All registered religious groups receive the same 
privileges, such as duty-free importation of office equipment and 
reduced taxes.
    Citizens enjoy the freedom to practice any faith that they choose. 
Religious groups may organize, select and train personnel, solicit and 
receive contributions, publish, and meet without government 
interference. There are no government restrictions on establishing and 
maintaining places of worship.
    The law places Catholic, Jewish, Orthodox, and Protestant 
communities on the same legal footing, and the Government attempts to 
address the problems that minority religious groups may face.
    Foreign missionaries are subject only to the standard rules 
applicable to foreigners temporarily in the country. There were no 
reports that missionaries were denied entry into the country.
    Although the constitution gives parents the right to bring up their 
children in compliance with their own religious and philosophical 
beliefs, religious education classes continue to be taught in the 
public schools at public expense. Children have a choice between 
religious instruction and ethics. Although Catholic Church 
representatives teach the vast majority of religious classes in the 
schools, parents may request such classes in any of the religions 
legally registered, including Protestant, Orthodox, and Jewish 
religious instruction. While it is not common, such non-Catholic 
religious instruction exists, and the Ministry of Education pays the 
instructors. Religious education instructors, including clergy, receive 
salaries from the state for teaching religion in public schools. 
Catholic Church representatives are included on a commission that 
determines whether books qualify for school use.
    Catholic holy days (Easter Monday, Corpus Christi Day, Assumption 
of the Virgin Mary, All Saints' Day, Christmas, and St. Stephen's Day) 
are national holidays.
    In 1998, the Concordat, a treaty signed in 1993 regulating 
relations between the Government and the Vatican, was ratified by 
Parliament, signed by the president, and took effect. The parliamentary 
vote came after years of bitter disputes between Concordat supporters 
and opponents. The debate centered on whether the treaty ensured the 
Catholic Church's right to guarantee freedom of religion for its 
congregants or blurred the line between church and state. The 
Government and the Catholic Church participate at the highest levels in 
a Joint Government-Episcopate Task Force, which meets regularly to 
discuss church-state relations.
    The Government continues to work with both local and international 
religious groups to address property claims and other sensitive issues 
stemming from Nazi- and communist-era confiscations and persecutions. 
The Government enjoys good relations with many domestic and 
international Jewish groups. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is largely 
responsible for coordinating relations between the Government and these 
international organizations, although the President also plays an 
important role. The Government cooperates effectively with a variety of 
international organizations, both governmental and nongovernmental, for 
the preservation of historic sites, including cemeteries and houses of 
worship. However, contentious issues regarding property restitution and 
preservation of historic religious sites and cemeteries remained only 
partially settled.
    Progress continued in implementing the laws that permit local 
religious communities to submit claims for property owned prior to 
World War II that subsequently was nationalized. The Catholic and 
Orthodox churches reported general satisfaction with government action 
to restitute property. A 1997 law, which mirrors previous legislation 
benefiting other religious communities, permits the local Jewish 
community to submit claims for such property. The law allowed for a 
five-year period to file claims, the longest period allowed for any 
religious group, for the return of synagogues, cemeteries, and 
community headquarters, as well as buildings that were used for other 
religious, educational, or charitable activities. The laws included 
time limits for filing claims; these deadlines expired in recent years, 
and no additional claims may be filed. However, restitution commissions 
composed of representatives of the Government and the Jewish community 
were continuing adjudication of previously filed claims.
    Claims by the local Jewish community, whose opportunity for filing 
claims under the 1997 law expired in 2002, totaled 5,544. The 
commission considered 857 cases, of which 277 were settled amicably and 
317 properties were restored.
    Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and some observers criticized 
the generally slow pace of restitution of Jewish communal property and 
noted reluctance by the Government to return valuable properties in 
some cases. In contrast, restitution of Jewish communal property 
appeared to be progressing well in cities where it had the support of 
the local governments, such as Warsaw and Lodz. The Government elected 
in 2005 vowed to expedite the process, particularly with respect to 
noncontroversial cases.
    Of approximately 10,000 communal property claims filed for 
restitution of religious property, more than 4,100 were resolved, with 
more than 1,200 properties returned by the end of 2005.
    At the end of the reporting period, approximately 2,959 of the 
3,063 claims filed by the Catholic Church had been concluded, with 
1,420 claims settled by agreement between the Church and the party in 
possession of the property (usually the national or a local 
government); 922 properties returned through decision of the commission 
on property restitution, which rules on disputed claims; and 617 claims 
rejected by the commission.
    The Lutheran Church, for which the filing deadline was 1996, filed 
claims for 1,200 properties. Of these, 834 cases were heard, 228 of 
which were resolved amicably and 136 properties were restored.
    A total of 313 claims were filed with the commission by the 
Orthodox Church, of which 137 were closed in full or in part.
    The laws on communal property restitution do not address the issue 
of communal properties to which private third parties had title, 
leaving several controversial and complicated cases unresolved. In a 
number of cases, buildings and residences were built on land that 
included Jewish cemeteries destroyed during or after World War II.
    There was no progress during the reporting period on adoption by 
Parliament of long-awaited legislation that would govern the 
restitution of private property. Parliament made several attempts to 
enact such legislation and passed a law in early 2001, but the 
president vetoed it because of its budgetary implications and because 
it was discriminatory. The legislation imposed a citizenship 
requirement that would have made most American citizens ineligible to 
file a claim. In early 2006, the Government expressed its intention to 
draft and submit new legislation regarding the restitution of private 
property. Some claimants for such restitution successfully regained 
title to their property in local courts. While approximately 500 claims 
totaling $183 million have been settled over the past 10 years, the 
treasury estimated that 56,000 claims valued at approximately $16.7 
billion remained outstanding. The lack of legislation in this area 
affected individuals of many faiths seeking restitution or compensation 
for property confiscated during and after World War II.
    The Government cooperates with the country's NGOs and officials of 
major denominations to promote religious tolerance and lends support to 
activities such as the March of the Living, an event to honor victims 
of the Holocaust. In January 2005, the country hosted a number of world 
leaders, including the U.S. Vice President and Holocaust survivor Elie 
Wiesel, at ceremonies commemorating the sixtieth Anniversary of the 
Liberation of the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. In 2001, the Government established a department 
within the Ministry of Interior to monitor the activities of ``new 
religious groups'' and ``cults.'' In April 2002, the Government closed 
the department; however, an employee of the Interior Ministry's Public 
Order Department continued to monitor religious groups.
    Although the constitution provides for the separation of religion 
and state, crucifixes hang in both the upper and lower houses of 
Parliament, as well as in many other public buildings.
    Public radio and television stations broadcast Catholic Mass, but 
only with licensure from the National Radio and Television Broadcasting 
Council.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Anti-Semitic feelings persisted among certain sectors of the 
population. Isolated incidents of harassment and violence against Jews 
continued to occur, almost always linked to skinheads and other 
marginal societal groups.
    On May 27, 2006, during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, Chief Rabbi 
of Poland Michael Shudrich was attacked by an anti-Semitic youth who 
knocked him down, sprayed him with pepper spray, and shouted ``Poland 
is for Poles,'' an anti-Semitic slogan from the interwar period. After 
the attack, President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Kazimierz 
Marcinkiewicz met with Shudrich and publicly denounced the attack and 
anti-Semitism.
    Following this incident and one on May 16 in which an antifascist 
activist was stabbed by skinheads in Warsaw after being targeted by a 
neo-Nazi website, police created a special unit that combats neofascist 
activities, according to the prime minister's advisor on Jewish 
affairs. Police in July arrested the alleged content provider of Red 
Watch, the website that listed the name and whereabouts of the man who 
was stabbed by skinheads in Warsaw and which also promoted hatred of 
Jews and homosexuals.
    There were more than 500 racist and xenophobic websites in the 
country, according to Never Again, an antiracism organization. 
Occasional cases of cemetery desecration, including both Jewish and, 
more frequently, Catholic sites, also occurred during the period 
covered by this report.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Orthodox religious officials reported accounts of discrimination 
towards the Orthodox community. There were reports of less than 
proportional funding for cultural events associated with the Orthodox 
community, layoffs in which Orthodox employees were the first 
dismissed, and opinions circulated in the local press in some areas 
depicting Roman Catholicism as necessary for true citizenship.
    In February 2006, Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and 
Foreign Minister Stefan Meller publicly apologized to Muslims for the 
publication of potentially offensive cartoons depicting Muhammad in 
national daily Rzeczpospolita.
    In March 2006, the NGO Media Ethics Council publicly condemned 
anti-Semitic statements made by commentator Stanislaw Michalkiewicz on 
the popular Catholic radio station Radio Maryja. In addition to 
Michalkiewicz's comments, Radio Maryja often aired anti-Semitic 
comments on call-in shows. The station, run by the controversial Father 
Tadeusz Rydzyk, had close relations with the ruling Law and Justice 
Party (PiS) and had never been fined by the National Broadcasting 
Council (KRRiT) for its anti-Semitic content despite public protest. 
However, in June, Elzbieta Kruk, the president of KRRiT, asked for a 
formal explanation of Michalkewicz's comments. A KRRiT spokesman 
claimed that KRRiT could not begin discussing consequences for Radio 
Maryja's broadcasting without an explanation from the station first.
    Opinion polls suggested that these anti-Semitic sentiments were not 
shared by a majority of citizens; an April 2006 poll published in the 
major daily Gazeta Wyborcza indicated that 89 percent of citizens 
interviewed believed Radio Maryja should not be involved in politics.
    In May 2006, a government coalition was formed by the ruling Law 
and Justice Party (PiS) with the leaders of the League of Polish 
Families (LPR) and the Self Defense Party (SO). LPR's participation in 
the Government and the appointment of LPR Chairman Roman Giertych as 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education sparked controversy 
amongst international Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation 
League, because of Giertych's ties to the All Poland's Youth League, a 
group which has long been perceived as anti-Semitic.
    The fifteenth March of the Living took place on April 25, 2006. An 
estimated 10,000 participants walked from the former Auschwitz 
concentration camp to the former Birkenau death camp to honor victims 
of the Holocaust. Schoolchildren, Boy Scouts, the Polish-Israeli 
Friendship Society, Polish survivors of Auschwitz, and the Polish Union 
of Jewish Students participated in the march. Former Israeli Prime 
Minister Simon Peres led the march, which was also attended by many 
prominent world leaders. In May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited 
Auschwitz and reiterated his condemnation of the Holocaust and his 
commitment to interreligious harmony and freedom.
    There was some public concern expressed about the growth of groups 
perceived to be ``sects'' and the influence of nonmainstream religious 
groups, especially during the summer travel season when young persons 
travel to camps and other gatherings. Newspapers and magazines 
published articles during the reporting period concerning the arrival 
of Scientologists in the country and depicting the Church of 
Scientology as a dangerous sect.
    Interfaith groups worked to bring together the various religious 
groups in the country. The Polish Council of Christians and Jews met 
regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest, and the Catholic and 
Orthodox churches had an active bilateral commission. The Polish 
Ecumenical Council, a group that includes most religious groups other 
than the Roman Catholic Church, was also active. Approximately 250 
Greek Catholic churches were taken over by Roman Catholic dioceses 
after World War II, and Greek Catholics were working to have those 
properties returned. This was an internal issue between the Greek and 
Roman Catholic dioceses, mediated by the Pope, which did not involve 
the Government.
    In May 2006, the second annual Meeting with Arab Culture was held 
in Krakow. In June 2006, the city of Bydgoszcz and a local university 
hosted an Arabic Culture Day, with sessions focusing on tolerance and 
multiculturalism. Also in June, the Sixth Annual Muslim Cultural Days 
conference was held in Gdansk. The Warsaw Islamic Council and Warsaw 
University's Oriental Studies Department also planned and held numerous 
activities throughout the year to promote understanding of Muslim faith 
and culture.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Representatives of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate General Krakow 
regularly monitor issues relating to religious freedom and interfaith 
relations, including ethnic-Polish-Jewish relations. Embassy and 
consulate officers met frequently with a wide range of representatives 
of religious communities, the Government, and local authorities on such 
matters as religious freedom, property restitution, religious 
harassment, and interfaith cooperation. The embassy and consulate 
general actively urged the protection and return of former Jewish 
cemeteries throughout the country.
    Embassy and consulate representatives, including the ambassador, 
regularly met with representatives of major religious communities, 
including leaders of the Jewish community, both in the capital and 
during travels throughout the country. Consulate officials routinely 
attended commemorations and ceremonial events at Auschwitz, honoring 
the Jews, Roma, ethnic Poles, and others killed there. They also 
monitored developments regarding historical sites related to the 
Holocaust, supported efforts at commemoration and youth education, and 
facilitated official visits to the Auschwitz Museum, which is located 
near Krakow. Embassy and consulate officers also remained in contact 
with and attended events associated with the Orthodox, Protestant, and 
Muslim minorities.
    The embassy and the consulate continued to provide support for 
activities designed to promote cultural and religious tolerance. Those 
activities included press and public affairs support for the Auschwitz 
Jewish Center Foundation's education project in Oswiecim, as well as 
continued support for the annual NGO-sponsored ``Days of Tolerance'' in 
Kolobrzeg, an event that brought together youths of various religious 
and ethnic backgrounds from many countries. The majority of events 
conducted in Krakow's ``Partnership for Democracy'' (formerly called 
``Bridges to the East'') featured nonviolence and tolerance as integral 
parts of the presentations.
    As part of the embassy's overall program promoting religious 
tolerance, Villanova Professor Hibba Abugideiri visited the country 
March 21-24, 2006, in order to discuss Islam in America and the role of 
American Muslim Women in U.S. society. Abugideiri's activities included 
speaking engagements at the Oriental Studies Department of Warsaw 
University, a lecture for an MBA class at the Warsaw Economics and 
Trade School (SGH), a speaking engagement co-organized with Warsaw's 
leading women's activist group ``Feminoteka,'' a speech to 
international high school students at the American School in Warsaw, 
and a presentation at the U.S. Embassy as part of the embassy's 
``America Presents'' program.
    In May 2006, at the request of the Government, the embassy 
collaborated with police to identify individuals associated with the 
Blood and Honor website, leading to several arrests.
                               __________

                                PORTUGAL

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; there are a number of 
government and privately sponsored activities that contribute to 
interfaith understanding.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 35,672 square miles, and a population 
(as of January 2006) of approximately 10.4 million. More than 80 
percent of the population above the age of twelve identified with the 
Roman Catholic Church; however, a large percentage stated that they did 
not actively participate in church activities. Approximately 4 percent 
identified with various Protestant denominations (including 
approximately 250 thousand evangelicals), and approximately 1 percent 
with non-Christian religious groups. Less than 3 percent stated that 
they had no religion.
    Practitioners of non-Christian religions included approximately 
35,000 Muslims (largely from sub-Saharan Lusophone Africa and South 
Asia), approximately 700 Jews, and a very small population of 
Buddhists, Taoists, and Zoroastrians. There was also a Hindu community 
of approximately 7,000 persons, which largely traced its origins to 
South Asians who emigrated from Lusophone Africa and from the former 
colony of Goa in India. Many of these minority communities were not 
formally organized.
    Government estimates suggested that there were more than 200,000 
immigrants from Eastern Europe in the country. More than half of these 
immigrants were from the Ukraine; many were Eastern Orthodox. The 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) reported 35,000 
members. Brazilian syncretistic Catholic churches, which combined 
Catholic ritual with pre-Christian Afro-Brazilian ritual, such as 
Candomble and Umbanda, also operated in small numbers, as did Seventh-
day Adventists. The Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (Universal Church 
of the Kingdom of God), a proselytizing church that originated in 
Brazil, also practiced in the country. The Church of Scientology had 
approximately 200 active members, primarily in the Lisbon area.
    Foreign missionary groups, such as the Mormons, operated freely.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
prohibits discrimination based on religion.
    The Government is secular. Other than the constitution, the two 
most important documents relating to religious freedom are the 2001 
Religious Freedom Act and the 1940 Concordat with the Holy See.
    The 2001 Religious Freedom Act created a legislative framework for 
religious groups established in the country for at least thirty years 
or those recognized internationally for at least sixty years. The act 
provides qualifying religious groups with benefits previously reserved 
for the Catholic Church: Full tax-exempt status, legal recognition for 
marriage and other rites, chaplain visits to prisons and hospitals, and 
respect for traditional holidays. It allows each religion to negotiate 
its own concordat-style agreement with the Government, although it does 
not ensure the acceptance of any such agreements. In December 2003, the 
Government enacted rules governing the commission that oversees the 
act's implementation. In 2004 procedures were published in the national 
gazette, Diario da Republica, on how to create the registry of 
religious entities.
    The Catholic Church maintains a separate agreement with the 
Government under the terms of the 1940 Concordat. In May 2004, the 
Government signed an amended concordat with the Vatican to comply with 
the 2001 Religious Freedom Act. The new concordat was approved by 
Parliament and the president and ratified in 2004. This document 
abrogates the previous concordat, which had been in force for sixty-
four years but was considered obsolete due to the changes in national 
life. The new concordat recognized for the first time the juridical 
personality of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. It also allows the 
Catholic Church to receive 0.5 percent of the income tax that citizens 
can allocate to various institutions in their annual tax returns.
    Public secondary school curricula included an optional course 
called ``Religion and Morals.'' This course functioned as a survey of 
world religious groups and was taught by laypersons. It could be used 
to give instruction on the Catholic religion, although the Catholic 
Church had to approve all teachers for this course. Other religious 
groups could set up such a course if they had ten or more children of 
that religion in the particular school. For example, the Evangelical 
Alliance held 263 classes in schools during the 2005-2006 school year. 
Under the 2001 Religious Freedom Act, each religion may approve the 
course's respective instructors.
    In 2004, the Government established a Working Group for Inter-
Religious Dialogue, a task force to promote multicultural and 
multireligious dialogue between the Government and society. Among its 
objectives are fostering tolerance for religious diversity, promotion 
of interreligious studies, and participation in national and 
international religious events. The working group is led by a 
government-appointed chairman and consists primarily of teachers who, 
by the nature of their jobs, have professional experience in this area.
    Under the concordat, major Catholic holy days also are official 
holidays. Seven of the country's sixteen national holidays are Catholic 
holy days.
    The Diocese of Leiria-Fatima broadcasts national Catholic 
programming through the Brazilian Catholic Television network, Cancao 
Nova.
    The Government takes active steps to promote interfaith 
understanding. Most notably, five days a week the state television 
channel (Radiotelevisao Portuguesa 2) broadcasts A Fe dos Homens (The 
Faith of Men), a half-hour program consisting of various segments 
written and produced by different religious communities. The Government 
pays for the segments, and professional production companies are hired 
under contract to produce the segments. Religious communities send 
delegates to a special television commission, which determines the 
scheduling of segments. The television commission has operated on the 
general rule that religious communities eligible for the program are 
those that have been operating for at least thirty years in the country 
or at least sixty years in their country of origin.
    The Catholic Church receives 22.5 minutes of programming time per 
episode, while the remaining 7.5 minutes is divided among the other 
religious groups. The Evangelical Alliance receives two 7.5-minute 
segments per week, while other participating religious groups receive 
approximately one 7.5-minute segment per month. The Catholic Church has 
a program of its own called ``70  7,'' while other religious 
groups work together to schedule programming on the Caminhos 
(``Paths'') broadcast every Sunday morning.
    The Lisbon municipal government provided matching funds for 
completion of the city's mosque, completed at the end of this reporting 
period. In 2004, the municipality provided matching funds for the 
restoration of Lisbon's nineteenth-century synagogue, considered a 
building of historic significance and still used by the Jewish 
community for religious services and cultural events. The municipality 
of Lisbon also provided opportunities for the religious communities to 
participate in summer festival events.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. The Catholic Church receives some preferential 
treatment; for example, chief chaplaincies for the military, prisons, 
and hospitals remain state-funded positions for Catholics only.
    The Papal Nuncio is always the dean of the diplomatic corps. The 
Church of Scientology, although recognized as a religious association 
since 1986, does not benefit from the 2001 Religious Freedom Act, since 
it has not been established in the country for thirty years or 
recognized internationally for sixty years, as required under the law. 
Scientology leaders were concerned that exclusion from the benefits 
accorded under the act may have a negative effect on their ability to 
practice their faith; however, they reported no discrimination or 
opposition during the period covered by this report.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Participation among the 
various religious groups in crafting the programming schedule for A Fe 
dos Homens facilitated greater understanding and enhanced mutual 
respect. Many communities conducted ``open houses'' or sponsored 
interfaith education seminars.
    There were no reported cases of verbal or physical attacks against 
Jewish persons or property during the period covered by this report.
    Following the interfaith congress held in 2003 at the Catholic 
shrine of Fatima, representatives of the world's leading religious 
groups explored the possibility of opening the shrine to a variety of 
religious groups. The first steps in developing Fatima as a multifaith 
center were taken in May 2004 when a Hindu religious service was held 
at the shrine in the Chapel of the Apparitions. There were subsequently 
a number of events involving Muslims and Buddhists at the Fatima 
Sanctuary. As a result, a few conservative Catholic organizations 
criticized the Church and called for a more traditionalist role for the 
Catholic shrine. However, several bishops, including the chairman of 
the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, publicly dismissed the criticism 
and restated their desire to welcome other religious groups to the 
shrine.
    The residents of the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, although 
traditionally Catholic, were also quite tolerant of other religious 
groups. Both Mormon and Baptist missionaries were active on the 
islands. They were well treated and participated in Azorean and 
Madeiran social life.
    A number of initiatives during the period covered by this report 
focused on the promotion of religious tolerance. In November 2005, the 
Parliamentary Committee for Religious Freedom organized a two-day 
international seminar on Religion in a Democratic State, which took 
place in Lisbon's Ismaili Center. The seminar focused on religious 
freedom and the role of religion in democratic societies. On March 4, 
2006, President Sampaio, the mayors of Lisbon and Sintra, the labor 
minister, and other high-ranking authorities attended the opening of 
the Aga Khan Foundation's community center in Lisbon. This community 
development project is sponsored by the Ismaili foundation in 
partnership with, among others, the Catholic Church's Holy House of 
Mercy charity organization. On April 19, 2006, in a ceremony in a 
public square in downtown Lisbon, Jews and non-Jews marked the 500th 
anniversary of the killing of thousands of Jews who had been forced by 
the state to convert to Christianity. City officials unveiled a small 
memorial at the site of one of the main stakes used during the three-
day killing spree in 1496. These initiatives received significant media 
coverage.
    The Aristides de Sousa Mendes Foundation is a nongovernmental 
organization established to honor the Portuguese consul general in 
Bordeaux, France, who defied his dictatorial government and issued 
visas enabling approximately 30,000 Jews to escape through the country 
during World War II. In 2004, the Foundation collaborated on many 
events in the country and in cities around the world to commemorate the 
fiftieth anniversary of Aristides de Sousa Mendes's death.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
Embassy representatives have continuing contacts with leaders of the 
country's religious communities, including the Catholic Church and the 
Jewish and Muslim communities. The U.S. Embassy hosted several events 
to promote religious freedom and tolerance. On October 17, 2005, the 
charge d'affaires hosted an Iftar for Muslim ambassadors and leaders in 
the Portuguese Islamic community to show support for tolerance and 
religious freedom. Ambassadors from Iraq, Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt 
were in attendance, along with the general delegate from Palestine and 
the sheik from the country's only Islamic school. On June 2, 2006, Phra 
Raja Sumedhacariya, the First Occidental (Buddhist) Father, spoke to a 
group of academics, religious leaders, and other Portuguese and 
international guests. The Father's talk, together with the deputy chief 
of mission's remarks, showed support for a multicultural and 
religiously tolerant society.
                               __________

                                ROMANIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; while the 
Government generally respected this right in practice, some 
restrictions adversely affected the rights of many religious groups. 
Minority religious groups also continued to claim credibly that low-
level government officials impeded their efforts at proselytizing and 
interfered with other religious activities.
    There was no overall change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report. The Government 
continued to differentiate between recognized and unrecognized 
religions, and registration and recognition requirements continued to 
pose obstacles to minority religions. The Government proposed a new law 
on religious freedom that remained under debate in Parliament. Many 
domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international 
organizations, and religious groups criticized the draft law, 
expressing concern that the draft law, if passed, would 
institutionalize discrimination against many religious minorities and 
create impediments for many such groups to obtain official recognition 
as a religion. The Government still had not passed legislation to 
return to the Greek Catholic community the churches and church property 
transferred by the communists to the Orthodox Church in 1948, nor had 
it shown any inclination to do so by the end of the period covered by 
this report. The Government continued progress in recognizing the true 
history of the Holocaust in Romania, establishing and opening a new 
Elie Wiesel Institute for Romanian Holocaust Studies. This move was 
based on a recommendation made in a report released in 2004 by the 
International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, 
commonly called the Wiesel Commission. The Government also took 
additional steps towards introducing the issue of the country's role in 
the Holocaust into school curricula and launched the first textbook 
about the Holocaust in the country in October 2005. Some minority 
religions continued to complain of lengthy delays in the process of 
granting construction permits, which they claimed were based on their 
status as minority religions. Although restitution of religious 
property continued to be slow, several important buildings were 
restituted to religious denominations after the passage of property 
legislation in July 2005. In February 2006, the Government approved new 
regulations related to religious assistance in penitentiaries, which 
allow the free access of all religious groups to prisons.
    Relations among different religious groups were generally amicable; 
however, there were incidents in which the Romanian Orthodox Church 
showed some hostility toward non-Orthodox churches and criticized the 
proselytizing of Protestant, neo-Protestant, and other religious 
groups. The Orthodox Church in general continued to prevent the return 
of Greek Catholic churches that it received from the state after the 
dismantling of the Greek Catholic Church by the communists in 1948.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government, including at the highest political levels, as part of its 
overall policy to promote human rights. During the year, the U.S. 
Embassy continuously expressed concern about discriminatory components 
of the draft law on religion, including with the prime minister, 
members of Parliament, and the minister of culture and religious 
affairs. The embassy also continued to raise concern with officials 
about the failure of the Government to ensure the full restitution of 
religious properties, including Greek Catholic churches. The embassy 
sponsored numerous events on religious freedom, including visiting 
speakers from the United States and a program of active outreach to a 
wide range of religious groups. The embassy also supported extensively 
the Government's efforts to recognize the true history of the Holocaust 
in Romania, including the implementation of the recommendations in the 
2004 Wiesel Commission report, the training of teachers to teach the 
history of the Holocaust in the country, and the commemoration of the 
country's Holocaust Remembrance Day. The embassy continued to encourage 
government and religious leaders to respect religious freedom fully.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 91,699 square miles and a 
population of approximately 21.7 million.
    The Romanian Orthodox Church was the predominant religion in the 
country. The Government officially recognizes eighteen religions: The 
Romanian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Serb Bishopric of Timisoara 
(originally listed as part of the Orthodox Church), the Roman Catholic 
Church, the Greek Catholic Church, the Old Rite Christian (Orthodox) 
Church, the Reformed (Protestant) Church, the Christian Evangelical 
Church, the Romanian Evangelical Church, the Evangelical Augustinian 
Church, the Lutheran Evangelical Church-Synod Presbyterian, the 
Unitarian Church, the Baptist Church, the Pentecostal Church, the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Armenian Church, Judaism, Islam, and 
Jehovah's Witnesses (first recognized as a religion in 2003). Members 
of other faiths worshiped freely but were not afforded various forms of 
state support.
    According to the 2002 census, the Romanian Orthodox Church 
(including the Orthodox Serb Bishopric of Timisoara) had 18,817,975 
members, which comprised 86.8 percent of the population. The Roman 
Catholic Church had 1,026,429 members. The Greek Catholic Church had 
191,556 members, although this figure was disputed by the Greek 
Catholic Church, which claimed that there were many irregularities, 
such as census takers refusing to note Greek Catholic affiliation and 
automatically assuming Orthodox affiliation, which led to an inaccurate 
result. The Greek Catholic Church estimated in 2003 that its adherents 
numbered more than 790,000. (Greek Catholics were former members of the 
Romanian Orthodox Church who, in 1697, accepted principles required for 
union of the Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church, but 
continue to maintain many Orthodox observances and traditions.)
    The Old Rite Christian (Orthodox) Church had 38,147 members. The 
Protestant Reformed Church had 701,077 members. The Christian 
Evangelical Church had 44,476 members. The Romanian Evangelical Church 
had 18,178 members. The Evangelical Augustinian Church had 8,716 
members. The Lutheran Evangelical Church Synod-Presbyterian had 27,112 
members. The Unitarian Church of Romania had 66,944 members. The 
Baptist Church had 126,639 members. The Apostolic Church of God 
(Pentecostal Church) had 324,462 members. The Seventh-day Christian 
Adventist Church had 93,670 members. The Armenian Church had 687 
members. There were 6,075 Jews, according to the 2002 census. The 
Jewish Community Federation, however, stated that it had approximately 
10,200 members. Romanian Muslims, mostly Turks and Tartars, had 67,257 
members. In addition, nongovernmental groups estimated that an 
additional 30,000 Muslims resided in Romania as noncitizen residents. 
Jehovah's Witnesses, which did not have legal status as a recognized 
religion at the time of the census, were estimated to have 
approximately 80,000 members and associates. According to the same 
census, the number of atheists was 8,524, and there were 12,825 persons 
who did not have any religious affiliation.
    According to the State Secretariat for Religious Denominations 
(``the Secretariat''), most religions had followers dispersed 
throughout the country, although a few religious communities were 
concentrated in particular regions. Old Rite members (Lippovans) were 
located in Moldavia and Dobrogea. Most Muslims were located in the 
southeastern part of the country in Dobrogea, near Bulgaria and the 
Black Sea coast. Most Greek Catholics were in Transylvania, but there 
were also Greek Catholics in Bucharest and the Banat and Crisana 
regions. Protestant and Catholic believers tended to be in 
Transylvania, but many also were located around Bacau. Orthodox or 
Greek Catholic ethnic Ukrainians were mostly in the northwestern part 
of the country. Orthodox ethnic Serbs were in Banat. Armenians were 
concentrated in Moldavia and the south. Members of the Protestant 
Reformed, Roman Catholic, and Unitarian churches in Transylvania were 
virtually all ethnic Hungarians.
    According to published sources, the Baha'i Faith, the Family (God's 
Children), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
the Unification Church, the Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, 
Transcendental Meditation, Hare Krishna, and Zen Buddhism had active 
branches in the country; however, they were not officially recognized 
religions.
    According to a nationwide poll conducted by the National Polling 
and Marketing Institute (INSOMAR) in April 2006, 6 percent of 
respondents stated that they went to church several times a week; 22 
percent once a week; 23 percent several times per month; 34 percent 
only at Christmas and Easter; 12 percent once a year or less; and 3 
percent not at all. A separate poll conducted in April 2006 by the 
Group for Social Surveys indicated that 85 percent of the respondents 
stated that the church was the institution they trusted most.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Although the constitution provides for freedom of religion, the 
Government exercises considerable influence over religious life through 
laws and decrees. The Orthodox Church exercises substantial influence 
in its dominant role among a majority of the population and 
policymakers. Government registration and recognition requirements 
continued to pose obstacles to minority religions. Several minority 
religious groups continued to claim credibly that low-level government 
officials and the Romanian Orthodox clergy impeded their efforts at 
proselytizing and interfered with other religious activities.
    The communist-era decree 177/1948 remained the basic law governing 
religious denominations and allows considerable state control over 
religious life. Technically, very few of the articles of this law have 
been abrogated formally; however, according to the Secretariat, a large 
number of its articles have been nullified in practice by the 
constitution and a series of governmental decrees. Although several 
religious denominations and religious associations confirmed that 
articles stipulating the state's interference with or control over 
religious life and activities have not been enforced, such provisions 
still exist in the law.
    The Government requires religious groups to register. There is no 
clear procedure for the registration of religious groups as religions. 
The Government has refused to recognize a number of religious groups 
since 1990.
    The total number of recognized religions remained low. Under the 
provisions of the 1948 decree, the Government recognized fourteen 
religions; subsequently, it added the Greek Catholic Church (1989) and 
the Jehovah's Witnesses (2003). The Romanian Evangelical Church and the 
Christian Evangelical Church, originally recognized as one religion, 
were separated into two religions, while the Orthodox Serb Bishopric of 
Timisoara was also separately recognized from the Orthodox Church. The 
total number of recognized religions was eighteen. Recognized religions 
are eligible for state support; they have the right to establish 
schools, teach religion in public schools, receive government funds to 
build churches, pay clergy salaries with state funds and subsidize 
clergy's housing expenses, broadcast religious programming on radio and 
television, apply for broadcasting licenses for denominational 
frequencies, and enjoy tax-exempt status.
    The Government registers religious groups that it does not 
recognize either as religious and charitable foundations or as cultural 
associations, a status which does not guarantee the same rights as a 
recognized religion.
    Religious groups are registered under a government decree of 2000 
on associations and foundations which became Law 246 in July 2005, and 
which abrogated Law 21 of 1924 and eliminated most of the bureaucratic 
obstacles in the registration process, including the minimum 
requirement of members needed to establish religious associations and 
foundations, and the requirement of the mandatory approval by the 
Secretariat. A 2003 ordinance reintroducing mandatory approval by the 
Secretariat for the registration of religious associations was 
abrogated in July 2005. Thereafter, religious groups no longer needed 
approval by the Secretariat in order to register as a religious 
association or foundation.
    The number of adherents of each recognized religion in the 2002 
census determines its state-provided budget. The Orthodox religion 
receives the largest share of governmental financial support. In 
addition, Orthodox religious leaders generally preside over state 
occasions. In 2005, the Government allocated financial assistance for 
construction and repair works amounting to almost $9.2 million (ROL 
271,139 million) to the Orthodox Church. The Government allocated 
approximately $432,500 (ROL 12,793 million) to the Roman Catholic 
Church, around $273,000 (ROL 8,075 million) to the Greek Catholic 
Church, and approximately $365,500 (ROL 10,815 million) to the Reformed 
Church. In the first three months of 2006, the Government allocated 
approximately $3.5 million (ROL 104,340 million) to the Orthodox 
Church, $73,000 (ROL 2,160 million) to the Roman Catholic Church, close 
to $10,000 (ROL 300 million) to the Greek Catholic Church, and 
approximately $150,000 (ROL 4,410 million) to the Reformed Church.
    The law governing the rights of foreigners, revised in 2003, 
introduced a long-stay visa for religious activities. Visa requirements 
include approval by the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, 
evidence that the applicants represent a religious organization legally 
established in the country, certification of medical insurance, and a 
criminal record review. The law no longer limits visa extensions to six 
months, a change considered positive by most religious groups. Although 
the law provides for up to five years of visa extensions, the Jehovah's 
Witnesses continued to complain that their missionaries were granted 
only two-year and even one-year extensions without any explanation. The 
Baptist Church also reported that its missionaries who did not have 
U.S. or EU citizenship received only visas of a maximum one-year 
duration. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also 
complained of inconsistent requirements and high fees to obtain or 
renew visas. There are penalties for any foreigner who stays without a 
visa, but such penalties do not appear to be linked to religious 
activities. The Secretariat reported that it recommended the approval 
of 924 visas and visa extensions for religious workers in 2005, and 230 
in the first 4 months of 2006.
    In February 2005, the Government abolished the requirement of a 
construction permit from a special national commission in order to 
build places of worship; instead, only local permits are required as 
with any construction. Minority religions, however, continued to report 
unjustified opposition by local authorities to granting such permits 
for some minority religious groups.
    The Government did not adopt a new religion law to replace 
communist era legislation. The Parliament continued to debate a 
government-sponsored draft law on religious freedom since its September 
2005 introduction. Although seemingly an improvement over previous 
proposals, civil society and international organizations, such as the 
Council of Europe's Venice Commission, criticized its limitations. The 
Government did not consult with nonrecognized religions regarding the 
draft law. Of the eighteen recognized religions that were consulted by 
the Government, the Greek Catholic Church and Jehovah's Witnesses 
refused to support the draft law from the start, while the Baptist 
Church withdrew its support after its proposed amendments were excluded 
from the text. The U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in 
Europe (Helsinki Commission) also expressed strong concern. The draft 
law requires an inordinately high numerical threshold of 0.1 percent of 
the population--or approximately 22,000 people--to qualify for religion 
status, a membership number that even some recognized religions do not 
have. In addition, minority religions must undergo a twelve-year 
waiting period in order to qualify for the more preferential religion 
status. Civil society organizations recommended the elimination of both 
requirements. In December 2005, the Upper House delayed debating the 
draft and, in the end, passed the draft law implicitly without any 
debates or amendments. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
the Romanian Chamber of Deputies was awaiting recommendations by its 
human rights and legal committees before holding a debate on the draft 
law. According to the press, the Chamber of Deputies' human rights and 
legal committee voted in support of an amendment proposed by one of its 
members that would penalize ``aggressive proselytizing'' by religious 
groups or individuals with fines or six months to three years in 
prison.
    Minority religious groups continued to assert that central 
government and parliamentary officials were more cooperative than local 
officials.
    During the reporting period, the Secretariat, in partnership with 
the independent NGO Conscience and Liberty, sponsored symposia on 
religious freedom issues. Subjects included the relations between the 
church and the state, as well as churches' social assistance, at 
symposia in Bucharest (in September 2005) and Iasi (in October 2005). 
The Secretariat also met with representatives of religious groups on a 
regular basis and attended the meetings of leading bodies of some 
religious denominations. On April 30, 2006, the Secretariat was present 
during the Greek Catholic Church's celebration of the Holy See's 
elevation of its status to major archbishopric. According to the 
Secretariat, the Government continued its efforts to mediate and defuse 
tensions between the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches in some local 
areas.
    The National Anti-Discrimination Council (CNCD), an institution 
established to curb discrimination of any kind (including on religious 
grounds), received fourteen complaints of discrimination on religious 
grounds in 2005 and six in the first six months of 2006.
    Christmas and the Orthodox Easter are national holidays. Members of 
the other recognized religions that celebrate Easter on a different 
date are entitled by law to have an additional holiday. Religious 
leaders occasionally play political roles. In particular, many Orthodox 
leaders make public appearances with prominent political figures, and 
religious messages often contain political promises or goals, and 
support for particular political positions.
    Most mainstream politicians continued to criticize anti-Semitism, 
racism, and xenophobia publicly, and criticized attempts to deny the 
occurrence of the Holocaust in the country. On October 10, 2005, 
President Traian Basescu highlighted the country's need to recognize 
its true Holocaust history and to ``acknowledge its own mistakes'' in 
his speech on National Holocaust Remembrance Day. During a January 23, 
2006, conference to commemorate the 1941 Bucharest pogrom, President 
Basescu highlighted the necessity ``to present the realities of that 
time to the young generation.'' In April 2006, Parliament passed and 
the president signed into law a decree issued in 2002 to combat anti-
Semitism and ban fascist, racist, and xenophobic organizations. The 
president had previously returned the law unsigned to Parliament in 
October 2005 to ensure the addition of language to include the 
persecution of Roma in addition to Jews in the law's definition of the 
Holocaust.
    Most of the streets named after the country's pro-Nazi World War II 
leader Marshal Ion Antonescu were renamed. Cluj-Napoca renamed its 
street in 2004. Targu Mures renamed its street in October 2005, after 
human rights NGO Pro Europa League applied constant pressure on the 
city's mayor. A street named for Antonescu continued to exist in 
Cimpulung Muscel.
    In 2003, the Government established the International Commission on 
the Holocaust in Romania, headed by Nobel Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel 
and consisting of thirty Romanian and foreign historians. The objective 
of the commission was to examine the history of the Holocaust in 
Romania; to identify the facts that took place during the Holocaust; 
and to disseminate the research results in the country and abroad. The 
organization of the commission--commonly called the Wiesel Commission--
followed public statements made earlier in 2003 by then President Ion 
Iliescu, who minimized the Holocaust in Romania, and by former 
Information Minister Vasile Dincu, who denied the Holocaust in Romania. 
Iliescu subsequently asserted his comments had been misinterpreted, and 
the Government set up and fully supported the commission. In 2004, the 
Wiesel Commission presented its report. Iliescu praised the balance and 
objectivity of the report, publicly accepted its conclusions, and 
underscored the need for the country to come to terms with its past. 
The Wiesel Commission's recommendations included the Government's 
reversal of the previous rehabilitation of Nazi war criminals; 
establishment of a national Holocaust Remembrance Day; construction of 
a national Holocaust memorial and museum in Bucharest; and enforcement 
of legislation making Holocaust denial a crime. In addition, the 
commission recommended the comprehensive inclusion of the accurate 
history of the Holocaust in school curricula and textbooks.
    In August 2005, the Government announced plans to build a Holocaust 
memorial in Bucharest and, in January 2006, launched a design contest 
for the memorial. In August 2005, the Government also established the 
Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in 
Romania, which opened officially on October 10, 2005.
    The Government made some progress in its efforts to expand public 
school education on the true history of the Holocaust in the country. 
The Government continued a program on Holocaust education introduced in 
2002 at the National Defense College. In addition, the Holocaust was 
taught during history classes in sections on World War II in the 
seventh and eleventh grades. The situation of the Romanian Jews between 
1940 and 1944 was taught as part of the State, Society, and Culture 
course in the twelfth grade. In October 2005, the Government launched 
the first standardized textbook on the Holocaust and the history of the 
Jews in the country, which was used for an elective course offered to 
the eleventh grade throughout the country during the 2005-2006 school 
year; 330 groups of high school students elected to take the course 
during the year, and the Ministry of Education distributed 255 copies 
of the textbook to the schools. A second edition of the textbook 
remained under publication. The Government did not implement any plans, 
however, to make the course mandatory for all public high schools. The 
elective course was first offered in the 2004-2005 school year at 200 
high schools, but without a standardized textbook at the time.
    The Holocaust in Romania was explicitly mentioned for the first 
time in general school curricula for the tenth grade in 2004, and the 
curricula were implemented in the 2005-2006 school year. According to 
the Ministry of Education, the description of the Holocaust was taught 
in line with the recommendations of the Wiesel Commission. The 
Government also set up a teachers' association in Bacau and centers at 
universities in Cluj, Bucharest, Iasi, and Craiova to train 
approximately one hundred history teachers per year to teach the 
Holocaust. The Ministry of Education approved in 2005 a new Holocaust-
teaching course (110 hours in duration) proposed by the director of the 
Bacau teachers' association. All centers began teaching the course in 
the 2005-2006 school year. In addition, the teachers received training 
in programs offered jointly by the Ministry of Education, Yad Vashem 
Institute, Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine (Paris), and the 
Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.
    In March 2006, the Ministry of Education made available on its 
website a teaching guide to assist the 327 teachers nationwide who 
instruct courses on the Holocaust. The guide was translated from a 
document drafted by the Task Force for International Cooperation on 
Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research, of which the country 
has been a member since 2004. The Ministry of Education also stated its 
intention to distribute 15,000 copies of this guide to school teachers. 
Throughout the period covered by this report, the Ministry of Education 
distributed 26,200 books in schools to be used as supplementary 
material in the teaching of the Holocaust; it also distributed 750 
copies of the Wiesel Commission report and 900 CD/DVDs of a movie about 
the Holocaust in Romania. There were reports, however, that the number 
of books supplied was insufficient. The Ministry of Education continued 
to sponsor international seminars on the Holocaust and the teaching of 
its history. Two seminars were held in Bucharest in May 2006 for the 
training of teachers by a Yad Vashem speaker. The Government also 
earmarked funds amounting to $83 thousand (ROL 2.45 billion) to sponsor 
a June 2006 conference in Iasi organized by the National Institute for 
the Study of the Holocaust to commemorate the 1941 Iasi pogrom.
    In 2004, the Foreign Intelligence Service signed an agreement with 
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to grant access to its 
archives for research regarding the Holocaust.
    In 2004, in line with the recommendation later contained in the 
Wiesel Commission's report, the Government established an annual 
Holocaust Remembrance Day to take place on or around October 9, the 
anniversary of the first deportation of Jews from southern Bukovina to 
Transnistria. In 2004, the Government commemorated this date for the 
first time. On October 9, 2005, the country commemorated for two days 
its second Holocaust remembrance day with events in several cities, 
including one held by President Basescu at Cotroceni Palace. The 
events, many organized by local schools, were attended by officials and 
key dignitaries, including the president, prime minister, and foreign 
minister.
    In 2004, then-President Iliescu awarded the nation's highest honor, 
the ``Order of the Star of Romania,'' to extreme nationalist Greater 
Romania Party (PRM) leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor, known for making 
numerous xenophobic and anti-Semitic comments. Iliescu also decorated a 
well-known Holocaust denier, PRM Vice Chairman Gheorghe Buzatu, with 
the prestigious ``Faithful Service'' award. The granting of awards to 
these two individuals generated a wave of protest: Elie Wiesel 
announced his decision to return the Order he received from Iliescu in 
2002, stating that he ``cannot belong to any group of which Vadim Tudor 
is a member.'' Separately, a group of fifteen Radio Free Europe 
journalists decided to return the awards they also received from 
Iliescu. In March 2005, President Traian Basescu created new honorary 
boards for the country's decorations, which have the authority to 
review all awards previously granted. To date, the awards decorated to 
the PRM leaders have not been rescinded.
    In April 2006, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, in its Annual Status 
Report on Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals 
for 2005, ranked the Government under the category ``total failure.'' 
The category listed the countries that refused in principle to 
prosecute suspected Nazi war criminals, despite clear evidence that 
such individuals were residents within their borders. In May 2006, the 
Simon Wiesenthal Center criticized the state for delays in the 
investigation of four suspected Romanian Nazi war criminals cases. The 
center had previously brought the four suspects to the Government's 
attention as part of the center's ongoing ``Last Chance'' operation to 
uncover unpunished perpetrators of the Holocaust.
    In 2002, the Parliament passed legislation that could bar the 
return to the country of citizens who participated in Nazi war crimes 
but left the country during or after World War II. This includes 
individuals who lied about their participation in atrocities to obtain 
nationality in other countries, notably the United States. Embassy and 
other U.S. officials expressed strong concern about this legislation as 
well as the refusal of the country to accept the return of war 
criminals, noting that it represented a failure of the country to 
recognize the participation of its nationals in the Holocaust and to 
accept official responsibility.
    The Government failed to take any action to reverse the 1997 
decision by the Supreme Court to rehabilitate two war criminals, 
colonels Radu Dinulescu and Gheorghe Petrescu, who previously had been 
convicted of direct complicity in activities associated with the 
Holocaust in Romania.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    There is no law against proselytizing, nor is there a clear 
understanding by the authorities of what activities constitute 
proselytizing. Although proselytizing is protected by law, several 
minority religious groups, which include both recognized and 
unrecognized religions, made credible complaints that low-level 
government officials and Romanian Orthodox clergy impeded their efforts 
to proselytize, interfered in religious activities, and otherwise 
discriminated against them during the period covered by this report.
    Few politicians sponsored bills and measures that would oppose the 
Orthodox Church. Local officials tended to be tolerant, but there were 
incidents where they were pressured or intimidated by Orthodox clergy. 
In some instances, local police and administrative authorities tacitly 
supported societal campaigns (a few of which involved physical 
intimidation) against proselytizing by non-Romanian Orthodox religious 
groups.
    Representatives of religious groups that sought recognition after 
1990 alleged that the registration process was arbitrary and unduly 
influenced by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and that they did not 
receive clear instructions concerning the requirements. The 
Organization of the Orthodox Believers of Old Rite, the Adventist 
Movement for Reform, the Baha'i Faith, and the Mormons were among the 
religious groups that tried unsuccessfully to register as religions 
after 1990. Local leaders of the Baha'i Faith stated again that, during 
the period covered by the report, they did not seek registration 
because government officials told them that the group's status cannot 
be changed under the existing legislation. It took the Ministry of 
Culture and Religious Affairs three years to recognize Jehovah's 
Witnesses on the basis of a 2000 court ruling. The Mormons declared 
that, during the period covered by the report, the group repeatedly and 
unsuccessfully raised the issue with relevant government officials.
    One reason that the Secretariat provided as an explanation for the 
failure to register new religions was that recognition requires a 
decree issued by the Presidium of the Grand National Assembly, a 
communist-era institution that no longer exists. Since no new 
legislation has been passed in this regard, the Secretariat stated that 
the registration of any new religion was not possible. Many minority 
religious groups pointed out that the proposed draft law on religion 
would still not provide the opportunity for new organizations to 
register, given the inordinately high thresholds set in the draft law.
    Unrecognized religions receive no financial support from the 
Government, other than limited tax and import duty exemptions, and are 
not permitted to engage in profit-making activities.
    Although, since February 2005, approval by a national commission 
for the construction of places of worship is no longer required, 
minority religions continued to encounter difficulties in obtaining 
construction permits at the local level. For example, Jehovah's 
Witnesses reported that, in some localities, mayors and municipal 
councils obstructed their plans to build places of worship by illegally 
conditioning permits on the agreement of all neighbors in the area or 
claiming that only certain types of construction can be built in a 
particular district. In Calarasi, Calarasi County, the Jehovah's 
Witnesses won a court ruling in December 2005 after local officials 
obstructed the construction of a place of worship in August 2004, but 
the mayor's office again appealed the case. In Odorheiu Secuiesc, 
Covasna County, the municipal council had not enforced a December 2005 
court ruling in favor of the Jehovah's Witnesses. In Bistrita, the 
Jehovah's Witnesses congregation has tried to obtain a construction 
permit since 2004 and, despite a court ruling in their favor, the 
mayor's office has not issued the permit. In Targoviste, Dambovita 
County, the Jehovah's Witnesses tried to obtain a construction permit 
for several years without success. In February 2006, after the 
Jehovah's Witnesses obtained a favorable court ruling in November 2005, 
the mayor's office in Targoviste finally issued the permit. In Panciu, 
Vrancea County, and Bals, Olt County, the mayors' offices eventually 
issued the construction permits during the period of the report, after 
the Jehovah's Witnesses took the issue to court and repeatedly 
requested the permits. Other religions experienced similar 
difficulties. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Carlibaba, Suceava 
County, could not obtain a permit to build a church after purchasing 
the land in 2000. The mayor refused to issue a permit on the grounds 
that the members were too few to warrant a church. The Baptist Church 
also reported similar cases; in Insuratei, Braila County, local 
officials repeatedly refused to grant a construction permit, arguing 
that the number of Baptist believers was too small, and that they would 
need a referendum on this issue. The central Government did not respond 
to the Baptist Church's complaints. The Greek Catholic Church reported 
the refusal by local officials to issue construction permits in 
Pesceana, Valcea County, and Sapanta, Maramures County.
    The law does not prohibit or punish assembly for peaceful religious 
activities. However, several minority religious groups complained that 
local authorities and Orthodox priests prevented religious activities 
from taking place, even when the groups had been issued permits. The 
Seventh-day Adventist Church reported difficulties in obtaining 
approvals to use public halls for religious activities following 
pressure by Orthodox priests. Even when they had rented public venues, 
on many occasions the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Baptist 
Church were forced to discontinue or cancel their religious programs. 
On November 20, 2005, in Dobridor, Dolj County, an Orthodox priest 
reportedly incited the local population to threaten the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church representatives with reprisals unless they stopped 
proselytizing. Some policemen were sent to attend the religious 
gatherings and defuse the situation. After involvement of the mayor in 
fruitful discussions, no further incidents occurred. Between August 2 
and 4, 2005, during religious lectures sponsored by the Baptist Church 
in a rented facility in Babeni, Valcea County, four Orthodox priests 
allegedly tried to stop people from entering the venue and to disrupt 
the program, despite approval of the facility rental by the city hall. 
In Saliste, Sibiu County, after the Jehovah's Witnesses filed a series 
of complaints of discriminatory attitudes displayed by local 
authorities, the problem was resolved during the period covered by the 
report, when the discriminatory behaviors ceased. The Jehovah's 
Witnesses also won a lawsuit against the Saliste mayor's office, which 
had demanded taxes for the Jehovah's Witnesses' places of worship 
despite the group's status as a religion. The mayor's office could 
appeal the court ruling, however. In Baia Mare, Maramures County, the 
mayor's office retroactively asked for tax payments incurred before 
2003, the year in which the Jehovah's Witnesses acquired official 
religion status. The Jehovah's Witnesses took legal action against the 
mayor's office, since, according to a court ruling, it had been a 
religion since the year 2000. The lawsuit was in progress at the end of 
the period covered by the report.
    According to the Jehovah's Witnesses reports, in January 2006, the 
court of Dragasani, Valcea County, rejected on religious grounds the 
appeal of a member of this faith in a divorce lawsuit. The court ruling 
gave as one of the reasons for rejecting the appeal the plaintiff's 
religious beliefs.
    A Roman Catholic Csango community, an ethnic group that speaks a 
Hungarian dialect, continued to complain that they were unable to hold 
religious services in their mother tongue because of opposition by the 
Roman Catholic Bishopric of Iasi, which cooperates closely with the 
Orthodox Church. In August 2005, the Csango community filed a complaint 
with the CNCD, which decided on October 27, 2005, that the act of 
denying religious services in the mother tongue is a restriction on 
religious freedom. In December 2005, the Bishopric challenged the CNCD 
decision in court, and the case was still pending by the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    The Government permits, but does not require, religious instruction 
in public schools. Attendance in classes is optional. Only the eighteen 
recognized religions are entitled to hold religion classes in public 
schools. While the law permits instruction according to the faith of 
students' parents, some minority recognized religious groups complained 
that they were unable to have classes offered in their faith in public 
schools. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Greek Catholic Church, 
the Baptist Church, and Jehovah's Witnesses continued to report such 
cases. According to minority religious groups, the local inspectors for 
religion classes are typically Orthodox priests who deny accreditation 
to teachers of other religions. According to Greek Catholic reports, 
some school directors denied access in their schools to teachers of 
Greek Catholic religion. The Baptist Church also reported such a case 
in Tecuci, Galati County. Religious teachers are permitted to instruct 
only students of the same religious faith. However, minority religious 
groups, including the Greek Catholic Church, credibly asserted that 
there were cases of children pressured to attend classes of Orthodox 
religion, as happened repeatedly in the Greek Catholic eparchy of 
Oradea. The Baptist Church complained that some public schools 
indirectly forced students belonging to this faith to attend Orthodox 
religion classes in schools where Baptist religion classes were not 
taught. According to Baptist Church representatives, Orthodox religion 
classes were scheduled deliberately in these schools in the middle of 
the day so that Baptist students were required to attend, since they 
were not allowed to leave school early. The Baptist Church also 
reported that some school directors refused to offer Baptist religion 
classes even in districts where there were a large number of Baptist 
adherents, such as in Vaslui and Braila counties. The Baptist Church 
also reported cases, for example in Hotar, Bihor County, where school 
officials attempted to pressure Baptist students to change their faith. 
The Seventh-day Adventist Church continued to complain that, since 
2002, the School Inspectorate of Cluj County excluded two out of the 
requested three classes on Adventist religion in the school curriculum, 
although there were sufficient students for three full classes. In 
addition, the Baptist Church continued to report that, at some 
festivities in public schools, all students, irrespective of their 
religious affiliation, must attend Orthodox religious services. The 
same reportedly continued to happen in the Army.
    Until February 2006, only recognized religions were entitled to 
give religious assistance to prisoners; regulations on religious 
assistance in penitentiaries forbid proselytizing. The prison priest 
(always an Orthodox priest) had the responsibility to coordinate 
religious assistance in prisons. Some NGOs reported that prisoners were 
pressured against changing their religions, and that, in many cases, 
Orthodox priests attended the meetings of representatives of other 
religions with the prisoners. Minority recognized religious groups, 
including Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 
asserted that Orthodox priests denied them access to some 
penitentiaries. The prison priest from the Orthodox Church denied the 
Seventh-day Adventist Church access to the penitentiary in Gherla, Cluj 
County; they also could not enter the penitentiary in Aiud, Alba 
County.
    In August 2005, in response to a complaint filed by NGO Association 
for the Defense of Human Rights in Romania--The Helsinki Committee, the 
CNCD concluded that the legal provisions on military clergy and the 
agreement between the Ministry of Justice and the Romanian Orthodox 
Church regarding religious assistance in penitentiaries discriminate 
against minority religions by granting a privileged role to the 
Orthodox Church. The CNCD recommended that the Ministry of Justice 
eliminate the discriminatory provisions from the law.
    On February 17, 2006, the Ministry of Justice changed the 
regulations for religious assistance in detention places. The new 
regulations provide for unrestricted access of recognized religions and 
religious associations to any type of detention places, even if their 
assistance is not specifically requested. According to the new rules, 
the National Administration of Penitentiaries (ANP) can bar the access 
of representatives of a religious group only if it can provide solid 
proof that the presence of the religious group in question actually 
endangers the security of the detention place. The regulations also 
forbid any interference of the management of penitentiaries with 
religious programs and forbid the presence of management 
representatives at the meetings between representatives of any faith 
and prisoners. Distribution of religious publications cannot be 
subjected to any restriction. Prison representatives in charge of 
religious assistance should not be priests or representatives of any 
faith. The new regulations were not uniformly applied, however, when 
the Jehovah's Witnesses requested access from the ANP to the 
penitentiary in Baia Mare, Maramures County. In March 2006, the ANP 
required the group to sign an agreement of cooperation with the 
penitentiary and to provide details of their religious assistance 
programs before they were given access. After the Jehovah's Witnesses 
submitted another access request in April, emphasizing that the new 
legislation permits unconditional access to prisons, the ANP in May 
allowed Jehovah's Witnesses missionaries to gain entry to the Baia Mare 
penitentiary without any further stipulations.
    The law entitles recognized religions to have military clergy 
trained to render religious assistance to conscripts. According to 
minority religions, however, the military clergy is comprised only of 
Orthodox priests, with the exception of two representatives of the 
Catholic Church and the Evangelical Alliance.
    Media reported that, in September 2005, the Bucharest city hall 
illegally approved a permit for a property developer to construct a 
nineteen-story building directly next to the Roman Catholic Saint 
Joseph Cathedral, a historical monument in downtown Bucharest. The 
media alleged possible corruption or nepotism by Bucharest officials in 
granting the permit. In addition, after construction began at the site 
in May 2006, the Holy See and the Roman Catholic metropolitan 
archbishop released public statements protesting the decision to allow 
construction of a large building that they claimed would damage the 
structural foundation of the cathedral. More than 1,000 Roman Catholic 
Church members also held street protests against the construction. In 
May 2006, the Orthodox Church issued a public statement sharing the 
concerns of the Roman Catholic Church. Media also reported that a large 
building constructed by the same property developer near the Armenian 
church in Bucharest permanently ruined that church's structure.
    Some NGOs and religious groups reported that the national identity 
card application form includes a section requesting completion of the 
applicant's religious affiliation. They expressed concerns that the 
accumulated data can be used to discriminate against non-Orthodox 
believers.
    The Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (MISA), a 
yoga organization, complained of repeated alleged persecution, 
harassment, abuse, and discrimination by the authorities for their 
spiritual opinions and beliefs. Members also claimed that their 
organization was the subject of a negative media campaign. In December 
2005, the leader of this movement received asylum in Sweden on the 
grounds of being harassed.
    Some religious groups complained that the National Audio-Visual 
Council made it difficult for radio frequency licenses to be purchased 
for religious broadcasting. Minority religions complained of a lack of 
provisions to provide for the free access of religious groups to state-
owned media.
    The Baha'i Faith complained that newspaper companies repeatedly 
rejected its request to publish paid articles, once after a contract 
had been signed and the Baha'i Faith paid the fees.
    In many cases, religious minorities have not succeeded in regaining 
possession of properties, despite restitution by these decrees. Many 
properties returned by decree contain government offices, schools, 
hospitals, or cultural institutions that would require relocation, and 
lawsuits and protests by current possessors have delayed restitution of 
the property to rightful owners. In July 2005, new legislation to 
improve the process of property restitution came into effect. The law 
clarified and simplified the procedures for property restitution; 
broadened the scope of restitution; established new application 
deadlines and fines for the officials who hindered the process; and 
created a $4 billion (ROL 117,884 billion) property fund to pay damages 
to former owners for properties that cannot be returned in kind. These 
provisions resolved some of the impediments to property restitution in 
earlier legislation that were criticized by religious denominations, 
i.e., not restituting the land of demolished buildings and not 
providing for compensation. Although the large majority of restitution 
cases of religious property remained unresolved, the pace of 
restitution increased slightly during the period covered by this report 
as a result of the new legislation. In many cases, local authorities 
refused to turn over restituted properties in which county or municipal 
governments had an interest and challenged the decisions of the Special 
Restitution Commission in court. There were many complaints that the 
local authorities consistently delayed supplying information about the 
reclaimed properties to the Special Restitution Commission, thereby 
obstructing the restitution process, despite the fines stipulated by 
the new legislation for such delays. The Office of Property Restitution 
reported at the end of the reporting period, however, that local 
authorities were improving with regard to supplying information. The 
number of restitution claims submitted by religious denominations 
increased because of the six-month extension of the deadline for the 
submission of claims, i.e., until January 25, 2006. The compensation 
process had not begun by June 30, 2006.
    Law 501/2002 should provide for the restitution of all church 
properties. The buildings used by public institutions (such as museums, 
schools, and hospitals) are to remain in tenants' hands for a period of 
three or five years, depending on the function of the public 
institutions, during which time they are to pay rent to the churches. 
The majority of church properties belong to this category. However, 
this law does not address the distinctive and sensitive issue of the 
Greek Catholic churches, which were confiscated under communist rule in 
1948 and handed over to the Orthodox Church. The July 2005 legislation 
again delayed solving the problem and stated that the issue would be 
addressed separately. By the initial March 2, 2003 deadline, religious 
denominations submitted 7,568 applications for restitution according to 
Law 501; by the 6-month extended deadline at the end of 2005, the 
number increased to 14,716 as follows: Orthodox Church, 2,215; Roman 
Catholic Church, 1,203; Greek Catholic Church, 6,723; Reformed Church, 
1,208; Jewish, 1,918; Evangelical Church, 1,147; and other 
denominations, 303. The Special Commission for Restitution started its 
activity in 2003 and had restituted 1,592 buildings by the end of the 
period covered by this report. A total of 855 buildings were restituted 
during the period covered by this report, a much higher number than in 
previous years.
    There were several high profile properties restituted during the 
period covered by the report. For example, in December 2005, the 
Government restituted to the German Language Evangelical Church the 
buildings of the well-known Bruckenthal Museum in Sibiu County, 
together with the museum's art collections.
    The Greek Catholic Church was the second largest denomination 
(approximately 1.5 million adherents out of a population of 
approximately 15 million) in 1948 when communist authorities outlawed 
it and dictated its forced merger with the Romanian Orthodox Church. At 
the time of its banning, the Greek Catholic Church owned more than 
2,600 churches and monasteries, which were confiscated by the state and 
then given to the Orthodox Church, along with other facilities. Other 
properties of the Greek Catholic Church, such as buildings and 
agricultural land, became state property.
    Since 1989, the Greek Catholic Church, which has very few places of 
worship, has been given back fewer than 200 churches from the Orthodox 
Church. Many followers were still compelled to hold services in public 
places--more than 220 cases, according to Greek Catholic reports. In 
Sisesti, Mehedinti County, services had to be held in the open. In 
1992, the Government adopted a decree that listed eighty properties 
that were not places of worship owned by the Greek Catholic Church to 
be returned. After the restitution of sixty to sixty-five properties, 
mostly only on paper, no further progress was made. The most important 
buildings, including three schools in Cluj, were not restituted. 
Separately, the Greek Catholic Church accused the Bucharest mayor's 
office of having blocked the restitution of one of the eighty 
properties.
    Some Orthodox priests, whose families were originally Greek 
Catholics, converted back to Greek Catholicism after 1989 and also 
brought their parishes and churches to the Greek Catholic Church. In 
the early 1990s, the Orthodox Archbishop of Timisoara, Nicolae 
Corneanu, returned to the Greek Catholics approximately fifty churches 
in his diocese that belonged to the Greek Catholic Church, including 
the cathedral in Lugoj. However, because of his actions, the archbishop 
experienced criticism from the Orthodox Holy Synod and his fellow 
Orthodox clergymen, several of whom opposed any type of dialogue 
between the two denominations. Relations between the Greek Catholic 
Church and the Orthodox Archbishopric of Timisoara continued to be 
amicable and cooperative. The Orthodox Bishopric of Caransebes 
continued to hold similar positive dialogues with the Greek Catholic 
Church.
    For the most part, however, Orthodox leaders opposed and delayed 
returning churches to the Greek Catholics. The Greek Catholic Church of 
the eparchy of Lugoj complained that the Orthodox Bishopric of Arad, 
Ienopole, and Halmagiu did not follow through with a commitment to 
enter a dialogue with the Greek Catholic Church. The Orthodox Bishop of 
Arad, Ienopole, and Halmagiu also did not agree to a proposal by the 
Greek Catholic Church to hold alternating church services in churches 
that were historically Greek Catholic. At the end of the period covered 
by this report, the Orthodox Bishopric had returned no church to the 
Greek Catholics. Between July 1, 2005, and April 2006, the Greek 
Catholic Church recovered only five churches nationwide, the same 
number as in the previous year.
    A 1990 government decree set up a joint Orthodox and Greek Catholic 
committee at the national level to resolve the situation of former 
Greek Catholic churches. The committee met for the first time in 1998, 
had three meetings in 1999, and then met annually after 2000; however, 
the Orthodox Church resisted efforts to resolve the problem in this 
forum. In many cases, the courts refused to consider Greek Catholic 
lawsuits seeking restitution, citing the 1990 decree establishing the 
joint committee to resolve the issue. In June 2005, Parliament passed 
into law a 2004 decree permitting the Greek Catholic Church to resort 
to court action whenever the bilateral dialogue regarding the 
restitution of churches with the Orthodox Church fails. Parliament 
initially rejected the decree but passed it after the president refused 
to sign the rejection law.
    On November 20, 2005, after the intervention of the prime minister 
and the minister of culture and religious affairs, the Orthodox Church 
returned a cathedral in central Oradea to the Greek Catholic Church; 
however, despite the Orthodox Patriarch's promise to also restitute a 
major cathedral in Gherla, Cluj County, and a church in Bucharest, the 
Greek Catholic Church had not received the churches by the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    From the initial property list of 2,600 seized churches, the Greek 
Catholic Church had reduced the number of its claims to fewer than 300. 
According to reports from the Greek Catholic Church, only sixteen 
churches were restituted as the result of the joint committee's 
meetings. Restitution of existing churches was financially important to 
both denominations because local residents were likely to attend the 
church whether it was Greek Catholic or Orthodox. Consequently, the 
number of members and corresponding share of the state budget 
allocation for religions were at stake.
    The joint committee has practically ceased its activity since 2004, 
after the Orthodox Church expressed dissatisfaction with the Greek 
Catholic Church's answer to a letter that urged dialogue rather than 
court actions. The two churches did not resume dialogue through this 
committee during the period covered by the report.
    Despite the stated desire for dialogue, the Orthodox Church 
demolished Greek Catholic churches under various pretexts. Greek 
Catholic churches--some declared historical monuments--were demolished 
in Vadu Izei, Maramures County; Baisoara, Cluj County; Smig, Sibiu 
County; Tritenii de Jos, Cluj County; Craiova, Dolj County; Valea 
Larga, Mures County; Bont, Cluj County; Calarasi, Cluj County; Solona, 
Salaj County; and Urca, Cluj County. Another church faced unauthorized 
demolition in Ungheni, Mures County. In Ungheni, the Orthodox Church 
continued construction of a new church which was being built around the 
Greek Catholic church.
    On May 9, 2006, in Taga, Cluj County, members of the Orthodox 
Church demolished overnight a rundown Greek Catholic church, despite an 
injunction issued by the Government forbidding its demolition or the 
construction of a new church. An ownership lawsuit was ongoing between 
the Greek Catholic and the Orthodox churches over the property at the 
time the demolition took place. The Orthodox priest in Taga was fined 
approximately $350 (ROL 10 million) for the illegal demolition. 
Orthodox Church members in Taga were building a new church on the same 
premises during the reporting period. Following the Greek Catholic 
complaints, the construction work for the new Orthodox church stopped 
in June 2006. The Greek Catholic Church also complained to the 
President's Office about the church's destruction. In Belotint, Arad 
County, a dilapidated Greek Catholic church also faced imminent 
demolition after the Orthodox Church repeatedly refused to return it to 
the Greek Catholics.
    In Nicula, Cluj County, the Orthodox Church continued construction 
close to the famous Greek Catholic Monastery of Nicula, despite a court 
order to halt any construction. The lawsuit over the ownership of the 
church has moved slowly since it was filed in 2001. On August 15, 2005, 
the Greek Catholic Bishop of Cluj-Gherla sent a letter to the prime 
minister asking for intervention to help preserve the Nicula Monastery. 
The Greek Catholic Bishop had reportedly not received a reply from the 
prime minister by the end of the period of this report. A similar case 
was reportedly developing in Orastie, Hunedoara County, where the 
Orthodox Church began construction of a building close to the former 
Greek Catholic church, presumably with the intention of subsequently 
demolishing the latter. Over the years, the Orthodox Church repeatedly 
rejected the Greek Catholic requests for alternating services in over 
230 localities.
    The Special Commission for Restitution, under Law 501/2002, 
returned to date 318 of the 6,723 properties claimed for restitution by 
the Greek Catholic Church. Thirty-three of these were returned between 
July 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006.
    In April 2005, Greek Catholic believers in the country and 
throughout the world redistributed a 2002 memorandum to the state 
authorities complaining about discrimination against their Church and 
calling for the restitution of the Greek Catholic churches and other 
assets confiscated under communist rule. The only reaction by the 
authorities came from the state secretary for religious denominations, 
who replied in a letter that the issue of the Greek Catholic churches 
was complex and sensitive, and that the establishment of the commission 
for dialogue was a wise solution.
    Local and state authorities also ignored numerous letters and 
appeals complaining about discrimination against the Greek Catholic 
Church, sent by Greek Catholic bishops and priests over the years. The 
authorities also did not respond to street protests by Greek Catholics.
    Many lawsuits filed by the Greek Catholic Church remained delayed 
by the courts, often impeded by constant appeals by the Orthodox 
Church. In November 2005, for example, after a lawsuit that lasted 
fifteen years, the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Greek 
Catholic Church in its attempt to regain a major church in Bucharest. 
The Orthodox Church appealed the ruling, but the High Court of 
Cassation and Justice rejected the appeal on June 15, 2006. The Greek 
Catholic Church also brought the case to the European Court of Human 
Rights (ECHR), which had not issued a decision by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Historical Hungarian churches, including Roman Catholic as well as 
Protestant churches (Reformed, Evangelical, and Unitarian), have 
received a small number of their properties from the Government. 
Churches from these denominations were closed but not seized by the 
communist regime; however, the communist regime confiscated many of 
these groups' secular properties, which were being used for public 
schools, museums, libraries, post offices, and student dormitories.
    Approximately 80 percent of the buildings confiscated from 
Hungarian churches are used as public facilities (schools, hospitals, 
or museums). Of approximately 3,000 buildings confiscated by the 
communist regime from Hungarian churches, only 33 were restituted by 
government decrees between 1996 and 2000. However, Hungarian churches 
could not take possession of all of them because of lawsuits and 
opposition of current occupants. In the case of the Batthyanaeum 
Library, the Roman Catholic Church remained unsuccessful in obtaining 
the return of the building, despite a 2003 favorable court ruling 
obtained after a five-year lawsuit. The Church filed a complaint with 
the ECHR right after the issuance of the court ruling, and a decision 
was still pending. The Roman Catholic Church submitted a complaint to 
the minister of culture and religious affairs during the winter of 
2005, which remained unanswered. During the reporting period, the Roman 
Catholic Church and the Special Commission for Restitution reportedly 
began to discuss potential solutions for the restitution of the 
building before the ECHR rules on the case. The Roman Catholic bishop's 
palace in Oradea was only partially restituted in 2003, in accordance 
with an agreement between a local museum, its current user, and the 
Roman Catholic Bishopric. The museum closed during the period of the 
report and, in November 2005, the Roman Catholic Church received three 
more rooms; however, restitution of the remaining portions of the 
building remained impeded by slow movement of museum holdings to their 
new location. The Special Commission for Restitution, using Law 501/
2002, had restituted in principle 583 of the approximately 2,700 
reclaimed buildings to the Hungarian churches, with 195 buildings 
restored during the period covered by this report. However, Hungarian 
churches did not regain physical possession of many of these 
properties. The mayor of Cluj and president of one of the ruling 
coalition parties reportedly opposed the restitution of three buildings 
to the Unitarian Church, all of which the Church should have received 
in December 2004 under the law on religious property. The mayor's 
office challenged the decisions in court, which ruled in the Unitarian 
Church's favor. The Unitarian Church took partial possession of one 
building and was waiting for court papers concerning the other two to 
be issued.
    The Jewish community has received forty-two buildings by government 
decree. Of these structures, the community took partial or full 
possession of thirty-six buildings. In many cases, restitution was 
being delayed by lawsuits. The community was able to reclaim land only 
in Iasi, where it received fifteen plots of land (of former synagogues 
and schools) between 1999 and 2000, as well as three additional plots 
during the period covered by this report. However, eighteen land claims 
of the Jewish community remained unresolved in Iasi, including a plot 
of land that, although claimed by the Jewish community in 1998, was 
divided and distributed to other persons by the prefect. In this case, 
the county land restitution commission decided to give different plots 
in compensation for the one that was sold, but the decision was 
challenged in court by the National Agency of State Domains. Under Law 
501/2002, 197 additional buildings had been returned to the Jewish 
community, of which 142 were restituted during the period covered by 
this report. The users of ten of the buildings restituted by the 
Special Restitution Commission challenged the restitution decisions in 
court, and lawsuits were in progress. During the period covered by this 
report, the Jewish community obtained one additional building by court 
ruling.
    In 2004, Parliament adopted a law stipulating the restitution of 
all buildings that belonged to ethnic communities and were confiscated 
between September 6, 1940, and December 22, 1989. As in the case of 
religious properties, buildings used for ``public interest'' will 
remain in the hands of the present users for either three or five 
years, depending on the current use of the structure. At the request of 
the Jewish community, the law extended the period of the confiscation 
of properties to include the time period between 1940 and 1945, when 
the pro-Nazi government seized a large number of Jewish properties. By 
the deadline of September 30, 2004, ethnic communities had submitted 
1,930 claims, of which 1,744 belonged to the Jewish community. During 
the six-month deadline extension for submission of claims ending on 
January 25, 2006, the number of claims reached 2,156 cases, of which 
1,852 belonged to the Jewish community. The new provision regarding 
compensation for buildings that cannot be returned in kind applies to 
this law, too. During the reporting period, seventy-nine buildings were 
restituted under this law.
    Another problem with restitution was often a refusal by the 
occupant to return a property or pay rent for occupancy. The nominal 
owner can still be held liable for payment of property taxes in such 
cases.
    According to Law 1/2000, which addresses the restitution of farm 
and forest lands, religious denominations were initially entitled to 
only a limited amount of land. The new July 2005 legislation, however, 
greatly increased the scope and number of properties that religious 
denominations could seek for restitution. When properties cannot be 
restituted, religious denominations are also eligible for compensation 
through receipt of comparable properties or shares in the property 
fund. The Greek Catholic Church complained that, in many regions where 
it had claimed farm and forest land, local authorities, under the 
influence of the Orthodox Church, opposed restitution or proposed 
restitution to all religious denominations in direct proportion to the 
number of their believers. Such was the case in Moisei, Maramures 
County, and in Hunedoara and Cluj counties. One parliamentary party 
belonging to the ruling coalition proposed a bill at the end of 2005 
that stipulated proportional restitution of churches, assets, and land. 
The Greek Catholic Church separately reported that it could not obtain 
the return of 40,000 square meters of land in Bucharest because of 
resistance from the Bucharest mayor's office.
    The Orthodox Archbishopric of Suceava and Radauti also complained 
that the authorities opposed the restitution of 192,000 hectares of 
forest land to the Orthodox Church Fund of Bucovina, a precommunist 
foundation. They accused the county land restitution commission headed 
by the Suceava County prefect of imposing certain conditions that 
hinder restitution. On May 3, 2006, many priests from the Archbishopric 
of Suceava participated in a march of silence in Suceava town to 
protest the authorities' refusal to restitute the land.
    Amendments to the constitution enacted in October 2003 allow the 
establishment of confessional schools subsidized by the state. However, 
this provision was not implemented.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Acts of anti-Semitism, including vandalism against Jewish sites, 
continued during the period covered by this report. The extreme 
nationalist press continued to publish anti-Semitic articles. The 
Legionnaires (also called the Iron Guard, an extreme nationalist, anti-
Semitic, pro-Nazi group that existed in the country in the interwar 
period) continued to republish inflammatory books from the interwar 
period.
    In 2003, a contributor to one of the Legionnaire magazines, the 
Timisoara-based Gazeta de Vest (Western Gazette), was sentenced to 
thirty months' imprisonment for the dissemination of nationalist-
chauvinistic propaganda and fascist symbols, a ruling he appealed. In 
February 2006, after a lengthy lawsuit, he was acquitted.
    In 2004, authorities charged an individual with distributing 
nationalistic-chauvinistic and fascist propaganda; although he received 
an eighteen-month sentence in prison, the trial was ongoing at the end 
of the period covered by this report. During a search, the police found 
a large number of neo-Nazi flyers, magazines, and extreme-right 
publications in the defendant's home and on his computer.
    In February 2005, the Iron Guard monthly Obiectiv Legionar 
(Legionnaire Focus) was distributed in Parliament, where the chairman 
of the Human Rights Committee of the Senate called for a ban of the 
magazine. The relevant authorities did not take any action to stop the 
publication. The magazine, which began publication in 2003, primarily 
carried old Legionnaire literature and was distributed by a press 
distribution company, which also distributed another Legionnaire 
publication, Cuvintul Legionar (Legionnaire Opinion), in several of the 
largest cities, including Bucharest.
    In 2004, the metal hood used to cover a Marshal Antonescu statue 
located in the yard of an Orthodox church in Bucharest was removed and 
replaced by a tri-color ribbon. The slogan, ``Antonescu--national 
hero,'' was written on the church wall close by. The perpetrator was 
not identified. Following complaints by the Jewish community to the 
authorities, the statue was covered again and the graffiti removed. In 
September 2005, unidentified individuals again removed the covering, 
which was eventually put back in place following similar complaints.
    In 2004, Nazi and anti-Semitic signs were found on the interior 
walls of the Jewish cemetery in Sarmasu, Cluj County. Neo-Nazi graffiti 
were discovered on the door of the home of a member of the Bucharest 
Jewish community, who filed a complaint with the police. In January 
2005, Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic graffiti were found on a building 
in Suceava inhabited by a married couple that survived the Holocaust. 
In April 2005, similar symbols were found on a garage in Galati. None 
of the perpetrators were identified in these cases.
    During the first Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2004, some extremists 
made several attempts to undermine the commemoration and deny the 
existence of the Holocaust in Romania. During the national electoral 
campaign in 2004, the extreme nationalist New Generation Party adopted 
for its electoral campaign a slogan used by the 1930s anti-Semitic 
Legionnaire Movement: ``I swear to God to make Romania into a country 
like the holy sun in the sky.'' In 2004, the Organization of Jewish 
Youth in Timisoara also received threatening and intimidating anti-
Semitic messages. The authorities did not react to these cases.
    In January 2005, police and prosecutors in Buzau initiated criminal 
prosecution against a seventeen-year-old male for creating an anti-
Semitic website which incited violence against two teenagers of the 
Jewish community in that town; a decision was pending.
    In March 2005, a university professor in Sibiu published an article 
denying the Holocaust in Romania. In August 2005, the Federation of the 
Jewish Communities and other Jewish organizations filed a legal 
complaint with the Prosecutor's Office in Sibiu against the professor 
for denying the Holocaust. In October 2005, the Prosecutor's Office 
decided that the professor's action could not be interpreted as a crime 
as described by the 2002 decree forbidding Holocaust denial. An appeal 
filed by the Jewish organizations was rejected in November 2005.
    In April 2005, unidentified persons vandalized the headquarters of 
the Jewish community in Focsani, Vrancea County. In May 2005, nine 
graves were desecrated in a Jewish cemetery in Ploiesti, Prahova 
County. On May 17, 2005, a synagogue was desecrated in Radauti, Suceava 
County; nothing was stolen, but the Torah scrolls were vandalized. The 
Federation of the Jewish Communities notified the state authorities of 
these incidents.
    On July 5, 2005, unidentified persons stole the iron fences 
surrounding fifty graves and the metal doors of two burial vaults in a 
Jewish cemetery in Barlad, Vaslui County. In August 2005, a swastika 
was found on the walls of an old synagogue in Cluj. Perpetrators were 
not identified.
    In October 2005, police began investigating one adult and three 
juveniles who reportedly drew Nazi symbols on the walls of a synagogue 
in Targu Mures at the end of September 2005. The police halted the 
investigation after the suicide of the adult who had been the primary 
suspect.
    The New Right organization (also with Legionnaire orientation) 
continued to sponsor yearly marches, followed by religious services, to 
commemorate Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the founder of the Legionnaire 
Movement. The last march took place in November 2005.
    In November 2005, a university professor and Holocaust denier 
published an anti-Semitic article in Romania Mare, a magazine 
controlled by the extreme nationalist Greater Romania Party. The 
article asserted that the country was the target of a Jewish invasion. 
The Federation of Jewish Communities reacted by filing a criminal 
complaint and by issuing a statement that urged relevant government 
institutions to take concrete measures to eradicate anti-Semitism and 
xenophobia. In January 2006, the police began investigating the 
professor for nationalist-chauvinistic propaganda.
    On November 5, 2005, swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans were found 
on the walls of a vocational school and a neighboring block of 
apartments in Suceava. The police identified the perpetrators, and 
their prosecution began the same month; a decision remained pending at 
the end of the period covered by this report.
    On November 18, 2005, the doors of two synagogues in Dorohoi, 
Botosani County, were damaged, apparently by vandals.
    On January 20, 2006, the police arrested a twenty-year-old for 
throwing stones at the window of the Jewish Theatre in Bucharest. 
According to police reports, he was apparently mentally ill and was 
hospitalized in a specialized clinic.
    On March 17, 2006, unidentified individuals stole eight steel poles 
from the fence of the Jewish cemetery in Sighisoara. On March 24, 2006, 
unidentified individuals vandalized twenty tombs in the Jewish cemetery 
in Resita, generating damages amounting to approximately $45 thousand 
(35 thousand euros). The Federation of Jewish Communities notified the 
authorities in these cases, but the perpetrators were not identified.
    During the night of May 5, 2006, two minors drew two swastikas on 
the walls of the Lutheran church in Cluj. The police fined them, and 
the Lutheran Church also filed a penal complaint, saying that the 
perpetrators offended a religious denomination. Lutheran Church 
officials also questioned publicly whether the vandalism was linked to 
the fact that the government of Israel in 2005 had recognized, post 
mortem, the efforts of one of the pastors in the parish who hid Jews in 
the church during Nazi occupation. The case was pending at the end of 
the period covered by this report.
    In May 2006, swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti appeared on the 
walls of a house in Bucharest. Perpetrators were not identified.
    On June 1, 2006, Vatra Romaneasca (Romanian Hearth) Union, a 
nationalistic NGO, the Marshal Antonescu League, and the Party of the 
United Left, a tiny, non-parliamentary party, invited the population to 
a religious service to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of 
Antonescu's death. The Federation of Jewish Communities filed a 
complaint, based on the law punishing racist, xenophobic, pro-Nazi 
propaganda and banning organizations that disseminate such ideas, 
against the three sponsors of the event. Police sent the complaint to 
the Prosecutor's Office of the High Court of Cassation and Justice.
    On June 17 and 18, 2006, newly painted swastikas were found on 
several buildings in downtown Cluj, Cluj County, mostly on ethnic 
Hungarian-related buildings, including the Reformed church and the 
Hungarian-language Bathory Istvan High School.
    During the reporting period, anti-Semitic views and attitudes were 
expressed during talk shows broadcast by private television stations 
Antena 1, National TV, DDTV, and Pro-TV. The television stations failed 
to respond to any complaints made by the Jewish organizations on this 
issue.
    According to MCA Romania, authorities tended to minimize the 
significance of such incidents, usually explaining them as being the 
actions of children, drunkards, or persons with mental disorders.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government continued to make substantial progress in 
recognizing and teaching the true history of the Holocaust in Romania. 
In August 2005, the Government decided to erect a Holocaust memorial in 
Bucharest and to establish the new Elie Wiesel National Institute for 
the Study of the Holocaust in Romania. The Institute was officially 
inaugurated on October 10, 2005. In October 2005, the Government 
launched the first textbook on the Holocaust in Romania, and 
commemorated the second annual National Holocaust Remembrance Day with 
high profile events and speeches throughout the country. The Government 
commemorated the sixty-fifth anniversary of the Bucharest pogrom in 
January 2006 and the sixty-fifth anniversary of the Iasi pogrom in June 
2006.
    Although the pace of restitution remained slow, the Special 
Commission for Restitution returned several significant buildings to 
religious denominations.
    In February 2006, the Government issued new regulations regarding 
religious assistance in penitentiaries. The new regulations allow the 
free access of all religious groups to prisons.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    There are generally amicable relations among the different 
religious groups. There is no law against proselytizing. However, the 
Romanian Orthodox Church repeatedly criticized the ``aggressive 
proselytizing'' of Protestant, neo-Protestant, and other religious 
groups, which the Church repeatedly described as ``sects.'' This led to 
conflicts in some cases. The press also reported several cases in which 
adherents of minority religions were prevented by others from 
practicing their faith, and local law enforcement authorities did not 
protect them.
    The predominance of the Orthodox Church over the last several 
hundred years, along with its status as the majority religion, has 
contributed to its reluctance, in particular at the local level, and 
sometimes with the support of low-level officials, to tolerate other 
religions. Consequently, actions by other religious groups to attract 
members frequently are perceived by the Orthodox Church as attempts to 
diminish the number of its members. Minority religious groups alleged 
that some members of the Orthodox clergy provoked isolated incidents of 
organized group intimidation.
    Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
complained of repeated harassment and discrimination against its 
members, including in the workplace. This included incidents where 
members were threatened with losing their jobs at work or harassed by 
colleagues because of their religious affiliation. There were also 
reported incidents where children were reportedly forced by teachers at 
school to declare their faith and then were harassed. According to the 
Church's reports, its missionaries were repeatedly and consistently the 
subject of harassment and violence. In September 2005, four individuals 
in Constanta reportedly physically assaulted two missionaries of the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and threatened to kill one 
them at knifepoint. Police intervened, and one perpetrator was 
reportedly fined. In November 2005, two Mormon missionaries were 
physically assaulted in Iasi, Iasi County, by an individual who tried 
to push them down a flight of stairs and hit one of them with a bottle. 
The police intervened, and the perpetrator was charged with assault. 
The court fined the perpetrator and required an official apology. On 
May 7, 2006, two Mormon missionaries were assaulted and injured by a 
man in Bucharest. The police fined the individual approximately $70 
(ROL 2 million).
    The Jehovah's Witnesses continued to allege verbal and physical 
abuse, in particular by some Orthodox priests, and indifference from 
some police. In some instances, the priests reportedly had the support 
of local authorities and the police, such as in Dofteana, Bacau County, 
where, in 2004, the mayor, apparently under influence of the Orthodox 
priest, obstructed activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses and warned 
them to cease their door-to-door ministry. In January and March 2005, 
the Jehovah's Witnesses were physically assaulted by some residents of 
Dofteana, and the police did not protect them. On February 4, 2006, two 
members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were assaulted by an Orthodox 
priest. When they filed a complaint with the local police, the 
policemen purportedly warned them to not return to Dofteana.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses also reported verbal and physical abuse by 
an Orthodox priest and two individuals, all of them allegedly drunk, in 
Focsani, Vrancea County, on August 11, 2005. Police fined the three 
individuals. Similar alleged physical abuse against a group of 
Jehovah's Witnesses by an Orthodox priest occurred several times in 
Breasta, Dolj County, in November and December 2005. Police in Breasta 
allegedly ignored the complaints filed by the Jehovah's Witnesses.
    In February 2006, in Topile, Iasi County, an Orthodox priest and a 
group of drunk individuals allegedly assaulted with clubs a group of 
Jehovah's Witnesses. Orthodox priests also physically assaulted members 
of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Lupcina, Suceava County, on February 25, 
2006; in Branesti, Gorj County, on March 26, 2006; and in Cosereni, 
Ialomita County, on April 2, 2006. Police did not take any measures 
against the assailants.
    In the small town of Mizil, Prahova County, the local Orthodox 
church reportedly continued a persistent discrediting campaign against 
a small congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. The mayor, along with 
Orthodox priests and the police, continued an anti-Jehovah's Witnesses 
campaign that began in 1997 in an attempt to stop the church's activity 
in Mizil. In 2004, despite repeated complaints filed by the Jehovah's 
Witnesses, the mayor issued a resolution forbidding any actions of 
proselytizing. In April 2005, the CNCD reprimanded school authorities 
and the mayor of Mizil for harassing and discriminating against a 
Jehovah's Witnesses teacher who was also told by the school director 
that he would be dismissed. The mayor alleged that the teacher was 
proselytizing in school and that two school inspectors forced him to 
choose between his faith and his job. In April 2005, the CNCD also 
fined the mayor approximately $220 (ROL 6 million) for publishing 
discriminatory articles against the Jehovah's Witnesses in the city 
hall's monthly publication. The city hall and the two inspectors 
challenged the CNCD decisions, and on November 16, 2005, the Mizil 
court of first instance ruled in their favor based on a procedural flaw 
and eliminated the fine; however, the CNCD decision of discrimination 
remained valid.
    The Seventh-day Adventist Church reported similar incidents with 
Orthodox priests in several localities, including Milas, Bistrita 
Nasaud County, in 2004 and 2005, and other localities with smaller 
congregations. In Pitesti, Arges County, the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints had problems for several years with an Orthodox 
priest who repeatedly took and broke the missionaries' name tags, and 
destroyed religious pamphlets they were carrying.
    The Baptist Church reported that, during the period covered by the 
report, the Baptist community of Satu Mare and Oradea counties filed a 
formal complaint regarding a group of individuals who repeatedly 
disrupted the Baptist religious services in Botiz, Satu Mare County. 
Local police allegedly did not intervene, claiming they could not take 
action against the perpetrators in the absence of a specific court 
order.
    The Reformed Church in Oradea repeatedly complained that local 
authorities incited an interconfessional and interethnic conflict by 
allocating a sports playground which had, according to the Reformed 
Church, rightfully belonged to a reformed high school, to a local 
Orthodox parish in 2004. The local Orthodox parish intensified the 
conflict by locking up the playground, restricting access to the 
students, and leaving the high school in a state of de facto limbo. The 
Reformed Church responded by filing complaints to the local authorities 
and sponsoring several peaceful protests. The case remained unresolved 
at the end of the period covered by the report.
    Minority religions credibly complained about the intolerant 
attitude of some Orthodox religion teachers, who in some instances have 
depicted non-Orthodox churches to students as ``sects'' and a danger to 
all who might wish to join them. According to a December 2005 incident 
reported by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an Orthodox priest threw 
an Adventist translation of the Bible to the back of the classroom 
during a religion class in Piatra Neamt, Neamt County, and asked the 
grade school students to kick it.
    In February 2006, Orthodox priests disrupted healthcare events 
organized by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tarzia-Brusturi, 
Dragomiresti, and Razboieni, all in Neamt County.
    The Seventh-day Adventist Church continued to complain that 
Orthodox priests allowed the burial of non-Orthodox believers in 
confessional or even public cemeteries (often treated as confessional 
by Orthodox priests in rural areas) only in isolated sections of the 
cemetery or if non-Orthodox religious services were not used. During 
the reporting period, such incidents were reported in Lipanesti, 
Prahova County; Jiblea, Valcea County; Cojasca, Dambovita County; 
Garbesti, Iasi County; and Ceahlau, Neamt County. To avoid such 
encounters, the Adventist Church asked the mayors' offices several 
years ago for land for cemeteries in a large number of localities where 
it had congregations, but it received positive answers to only 13 of 
its 700 requests. During the reporting period, the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church received a piece of land for cemetery use in Tecuci, 
Galati County. Orthodox priests also denied access for Greek Catholics 
to many cemeteries, such as those in Sapanta, Maramures County; Salva, 
Bistrita Nasaud County; Lucaceni, Satu Mare County; Pesceana, Valcea 
County; Ungheni, Mures County; Telec-Bicaz, Neamt County; Damuc, Neamt 
County; Bicaz-Chei, Neamt County; Magina, Alba County; Radesti, Alba 
County; and Vintu de Jos, Alba County. The Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints also complained of being constantly denied access to 
cemeteries.
    According to the local Muslim community, Bucharest city hall failed 
to respond to repeated requests by the Muslim community for land for a 
Muslim cemetery. This has led to difficulties in locating a proper 
burial ground for Romanian Muslims. During the period covered by the 
report, the city hall offered to allocate a plot that was insufficient 
in size. The Muslim community renewed its request and a decision 
remained pending. In June 2006, the mufti, official head of the Muslim 
community, wrote a letter to both the president and the prime minister 
complaining of the situation.
    In January 2005, when a group of villagers, along with the Orthodox 
priest, switched to the Greek Catholic faith in Pesceana, the village's 
local council illegally forbade the registration of a Greek Catholic 
parish and the activities of the Greek Catholic church in the village. 
Police did not react to the Greek Catholics' complaints of verbal and 
physical abuse by Orthodox villagers and their priest. The local police 
chief was subsequently dismissed. An agreement mediated by the state 
secretary for religious denominations in May 2005 was disregarded by 
both parties soon after its signature. Following a complaint by a group 
of NGOs, the CNCD decided that the local council's decisions were 
discriminatory and reprimanded it at the end of August 2005. Tensions 
continued, however, during the entire period covered by this report. 
The situation was aggravated further when the Greek Catholic priest and 
the church's members were repeatedly denied access to the local 
cemetery. A court ruling on January 19, 2006, allowing the Greek 
Catholic priest to enter the cemetery was appealed by the Orthodox 
Church, and the lawsuit remained ongoing. In April and May 2006, the 
mayor's office of Pesceana refused to issue a construction permit for a 
Greek Catholic church, asking the Greek Catholic parish to meet the 
requirements of Decree 177/1948, the communist religion law. The Greek 
Catholic Church also complained of the hostile attitude of the prefect 
of Valcea County toward the Greek Catholic congregation in Pesceana and 
of the illegal transfer by the local council of two communal cemeteries 
to the Orthodox Church.
    A Greek Catholic Association complained to the minister of the 
administration and interior of the negative attitude of some prefects--
such as those from Valcea and Satu Mare, and the Maramures and Alba 
counties--towards the Greek Catholic Church.
    In January 2006, the decision of more than one hundred people to 
switch from the Orthodox to the Greek Catholic Church in Stei, 
Hunedoara County, also generated tensions. The Greek Catholic Church 
could not obtain possession of the rectory restituted in 2004 because 
the Orthodox Church appealed a restitution decision that had been in 
favor of the Greek Catholics. The Greek Catholics were also denied 
access to the only church in the village, which was Greek Catholic 
before the communist period. The Greek Catholic Church asked the 
Secretariat to mediate its dialogue with the Orthodox Church concerning 
alternative service in the church.
    In April 2006, a similar situation occurred in Valea de Jos, Bihor 
County, when 350 of the approximately 400 villagers, together with the 
priest, decided to join the Greek Catholic faith and attempted to keep 
a church they had previously built.
    Representatives of minority religions credibly complained that only 
Orthodox priests grant religious assistance in hospitals, children's 
homes, and shelters for the elderly. Charitable activities carried out 
by other churches in children's homes and shelters were often 
negatively interpreted as proselytizing. In one instance, an Orthodox 
priest forbade residents of a state-owned orphanage, including some 
young adults over age eighteen, from attending non-Orthodox religious 
services unless they were prepared to live elsewhere. He also hindered 
efforts by religious charities to visit that orphanage. In many cases, 
minority religions felt compelled to form nonreligious associations in 
order to gain access to public institutions to carry out charitable 
activities.
    In April 2006, the New Right, an extreme-right xenophobic 
organization, developed a campaign in Cluj about ``the danger'' 
represented by ``proselytizing sects.'' The organization distributed 
thousands of leaflets and confronted hundreds in an attempt to curb the 
increasing activity in the country of such ``sects'' that aimed at 
``destroying Orthodox Christianity.''
    Since the dialogue between the Greek Catholic and Orthodox churches 
came to a halt in 2004, disputes between the two religions' believers 
over church property increased in intensity. Greek Catholic communities 
decided, in many cases, to build new churches because of the lack of 
progress in restituting their properties either through dialogue with 
the Orthodox Church or in court; however, their efforts were hampered 
by the Orthodox Church, sometimes with the support of local 
authorities. In Sapanta, Maramures County, the Greek Catholic Church 
decided to give up claims for its church and build a new one. For the 
last three years, however, the local council, under the influence of 
the Orthodox priest, refused to issue a construction permit. The Greek 
Catholic Church initiated a lawsuit. Similar tensions continued in 
Certeze, Satu Mare County, where the Greek Catholic Church was not 
permitted to build a new church on its land because of obstructions and 
harassment by the Orthodox Church and local authorities. Tensions 
continued in localities where the Orthodox Church refused to enforce 
court rulings that ordered restitution of churches to the Greek 
Catholic Church: Lupsa in Cluj County and Bogdan Voda in Maramures 
County were two examples. In Bogdan Voda, Maramures County, the 
Orthodox priest consistently refused to hand over the church that the 
Greek Catholic Church won in court in 2000.
    In Prunis, Cluj County, where most of the residents belong to the 
Greek Catholic Church, tensions continued because of a long-standing 
lawsuit.
    In Ardud, Satu Mare County, the Greek Catholic Church, which 
previously had owned the only church in the locality, built a new 
church to put an end to the long-standing conflict. However, the 
Orthodox Church took legal action and evicted the Greek Catholic priest 
(who had been an Orthodox priest) from the parish house in 2003 in the 
presence of numerous gendarmes and police. The Orthodox Church refused 
the Greek Catholics' proposal to help buy a new house for the Orthodox 
priest. During the period covered by this report, tensions came to an 
end in Ardud after the construction of a new house by the Greek 
Catholic Church for its priest.
    In most localities with two churches (one of which had belonged to 
the Greek Catholic Church) and only one Orthodox priest, priests 
frequently do one of three things: Hold alternate religious services 
between the two locations, keep the Orthodox church locked and hold the 
services in the former Greek Catholic churches, or establish a second 
Orthodox parish in the locality. However, more than eighteen former 
Greek Catholic churches remained closed.
    On February 17, 2006, in Satu Mare, after sixteen years of lawsuits 
and delays, authorities enforced a ruling restituting a cathedral to 
the Greek Catholic Church.
    In Dumbraveni, Sibiu County, the Orthodox Church continued to 
refuse to enforce a previous court ruling to share a local church with 
the Greek Catholic Church. Although the Orthodox Church promised to 
return the Greek Catholic church after it completed the construction of 
a new Orthodox church, it refused to do so after the construction was 
over.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government actively discusses religious freedom issues 
with the Government and maintained active public outreach on the issue 
as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The embassy also 
maintained close contact with a broad range of religious groups in the 
country, including the Islamic faith, and many minority religions. The 
ambassador and other embassy representatives regularly met with 
religious leaders and government officials who work on religious 
affairs in Bucharest and in other cities.
    Throughout the period covered by the report, embassy 
representatives and other U.S. Government officials discussed with 
government officials at multiple levels the importance of full official 
recognition of the Holocaust in Romania, improvements in Holocaust 
education in school curricula, and implementation of the 
recommendations of the Wiesel Commission. The embassy supported 
visiting delegations focusing on issues related to the Holocaust, 
including the Wiesel Commission. Embassy personnel and visiting U.S. 
officials repeatedly discussed the Holocaust in Romania with local and 
international members of the Wiesel Commission and supported the work 
of the commission. Among many other events, the charge d'affaires and 
other U.S. officials participated in the commemoration of Romania's 
National Holocaust Day in October 2005. In January 2006, the ambassador 
and other embassy personnel participated in events commemorating the 
anniversary of the Bucharest pogrom in Bucharest. In May 2006, the 
ambassador and the deputy director of the U.S. Department of State's 
Office of Holocaust Issues publicly addressed a roundtable at the Elie 
Wiesel Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania. In July 
2005, the embassy financed the travel of two high school teachers to a 
course in the United States on teaching the Holocaust. The embassy also 
supported activities of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the 
country.
    On repeated occasions, the ambassador and other embassy officials 
raised concerns about the slow restitution of religious properties, 
particularly of Greek Catholic churches, with government officials, 
including the president, prime minister, and the minister of culture 
and religious affairs. Members of the embassy's office in Cluj had 
meetings with Reformed, Evangelical, Greek Catholic, Jewish, and 
Orthodox officials in Cluj and Oradea, and discussed restitution of 
religious properties. U.S. officials continued to lobby in government 
circles for fair treatment on property restitution issues, including 
religious and communal properties, and for nondiscriminatory treatment 
of all religious groups.
    Embassy and other U.S. Government officials also continuously 
expressed concern to officials and encouraged revision of a government-
sponsored draft law on religion, which included numerous elements that 
would inhibit the freedom of religion. The embassy approached the 
Government at all levels on this issue, including parliamentarians, 
presidential experts, the minister of culture and religious affairs, 
the prime minister, and the president. In July 2005, the ambassador 
sent a letter expressing clear concerns about the draft law to the 
minister of culture and religious affairs. The U.S. Congressional 
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly called the 
Helsinki Commission, expressed its concerns regarding the draft 
religion law in letters to the presidents of the relevant commissions 
of the Senate in October 2005, and of the Chamber of Deputies in March 
2006. Helsinki Commission members also expressed concern directly to 
senior Romanian officials in Washington and Bucharest.
    The embassy sponsored conferences on religious freedom in October 
2005 and April 2006.
    In addition, embassy staff members were in frequent contact with 
numerous NGOs that monitor developments in the country's religious 
life. U.S. officials continued to advocate in government circles for 
fair treatment on property restitution issues, including religious and 
communal properties, and for nondiscriminatory treatment of all 
religious groups.
                               __________

                                 RUSSIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, in some 
cases authorities imposed restrictions on certain groups. Although the 
constitution provides for the equality of all religions before the law 
and the separation of church and state, the Government did not always 
respect these provisions.
    Conditions deteriorated for some minority religious groups while 
remaining largely the same for most, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion for most of the 
population. Some federal agencies and many local authorities continued 
to restrict the rights of various religious minorities. Legal obstacles 
to registration under a complex 1997 law ``On Freedom of Conscience and 
Associations'' (1997 Law) continued to seriously disadvantage many 
religious groups considered nontraditional. The Moscow Golovinskiy 
Intermunicipal District Court cited the 1997 Law as the basis for its 
March 2004 decision banning Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow, a decision 
that continued to have significant negative ramifications for the 
activities of Jehovah's Witnesses during the reporting period. There 
were indications that the security services, including the Federal 
Security Service (FSB), increasingly treated the leadership of some 
minority religious groups as security threats.
    Religious matters were not a source of social tension or problems 
for the large majority of citizens. Popular attitudes toward 
traditionally Muslim ethnic groups, however, were negative in many 
regions, and there were manifestations of anti-Semitism as well as 
hostility toward Roman Catholics and other nonOrthodox 
Christian denominations. Some observant Muslims claimed harassment 
because of their faith. Instances of religiously motivated violence 
continued, although it was often difficult to determine whether 
xenophobic, religious, or ethnic prejudices were the primary motivation 
behind violent attacks. Many citizens firmly believe that at least 
nominal adherence to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is at the heart 
of their national identity. Conservative activists claiming ties to the 
ROC occasionally disseminated negative publications and held meetings 
throughout the country against other religions considered non-
traditional in the country, including alternative Orthodox 
congregations. Some ROC clergy have stated publicly their opposition to 
any expansion of the presence of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and 
other non-Orthodox denominations.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights and 
engages a number of religious groups, nongovernmental organizations 
(NGOs), and others in a regular dialogue on religious freedom. The 
embassy and consulates work with NGOs to encourage the development of 
programs to sensitize officials to recognize discrimination, prejudice, 
and crimes motivated by ethnic or religious intolerance. In many 
instances, federal and regional officials strongly support the 
implementation of these programs. The embassy and consulates maintain a 
broad range of contacts in the religious and NGO communities through 
frequent communication and meetings. Mission officers look into 
possible violations of religious freedom and also raise the issue of 
visas for religious workers with the Passport and Visa Unit in the 
Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) and the Foreign Ministry (MFA). 
During the reporting period, the U.S. ambassador addressed religious 
freedom in public addresses and consultations with government 
officials. He also attended events on major religious holidays and 
regularly met with a range of religious leaders. Other Department of 
State and U.S. Government officials raised the treatment of minority 
religious groups with officials on many occasions.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 6,592,769 square miles, and its 
population is approximately 142.8 million. There were no reliable 
statistics that break down the population by denomination. Available 
information suggested approximately 70 percent of the residents 
considered themselves Russian Orthodox Christians, although the vast 
majority were not regular churchgoers. There were an estimated fourteen 
to twenty-three million Muslims, constituting approximately 14 percent 
of the population and forming the largest religious minority. The 
majority of Muslims lived in the Volga-Urals region--which included 
Tatarstan and Bashkortostan--and the North Caucasus, although Moscow, 
St. Petersburg, and parts of Siberia had notable Muslim populations as 
well. The Muslim communities in the Volga-Urals region and the North 
Caucasus are culturally and in some cases theologically distinct from 
one another and therefore must be considered separate communities.
    According to the Slavic Center for Law and Justice, Protestants 
made up the second largest group of Christian believers, with 
approximately 3,500 organizations and more than 2 million followers. An 
estimated 600,000 to 1 million Jews (0.5 percent of the population) 
remained, following large-scale emigration over the last two decades; 
the Federation of Jewish Communities (FJC) estimated that up to 500,000 
Jews lived in Moscow and 100,000 in St. Petersburg. These estimates 
significantly exceeded the results of the official government census. 
Between 5,000 and 7,000 Jews lived in the so-called Jewish Autonomous 
Oblast (region), located in the Far East. The Catholic Church estimated 
that there were from 600,000 to 1.5 million Catholics in the country, 
figures that also exceeded government estimates. Buddhism is 
traditional to three regions: Buryatiya, Tuva, and Kalmykiya; and the 
Buddhist Association of Russia estimated there were between 1.5 and 2 
million Buddhists. In some areas, such as Yakutiya and Chukotka, 
pantheistic and nature-based religions were practiced independently or 
alongside other religions.
    According to Human Rights Ombudsman Lukin's annual report, the 
Ministry of Justice (MOJ) had registered 22,513 religious organizations 
as of December 2005, approximately 500 more than January 2005 (22,092), 
an increase of approximately 1,500 registered organizations since 2002 
and more than 5,500 since 1997. As of December 2005, the Federal 
Registration Service recorded the number of registered religious groups 
as follows: Russian Orthodox Church--12,214 groups, Russian Orthodox 
Autonomous Church--43, Russian Orthodox Church Abroad--30, True 
Orthodox Church--42, Russian Orthodox Free Church--10, Ukrainian 
Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate)--11, Old Believers--285 
(representing 4 different Old Believer denominations), Roman Catholic--
251, Greek Catholic--4, Armenian Apostolic--68, Muslim--3,668, 
Buddhist--197, Jewish--284 (divided among Orthodox and Reform groups), 
Evangelical Christians--740, Baptist--965, Pentecostal--1,486, Seventh-
day Adventist--652, other evangelical and charismatic groups--72, 
Lutheran--228 (divided among 4 groups), New Apostolic--80, Methodist--
115, Reformist--5, Presbyterian--187, Anglican--1, Jehovah's 
Witnesses--408, Mennonite--10, Salvation Army--10, Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS)(Mormon) Church--53, Unification 
Church--9, Church of the ``Sovereign'' Icon of the Mother of God--27, 
Molokane--27, Dukhobor--0, Church of the Last Covenant--7, Church of 
Christ--19, Judeo-Christians--2, nondenominational Christian--12, 
Scientologist--1, Hindu--1, Krishna--78, Baha'i--19, Tantric--2, 
Taoist--5, Assyrian--2, Sikh--1, Shamanist--14, Karaite--1, 
Zoroastrian--1, Spiritual Unity (Tolstoyan)--1, Living Ethic 
(Rerikhian)--1, pagan--8, other confessions--155.
    The number of registered religious organizations does not reflect 
the entire demography of religious believers. For example, due to legal 
restrictions, poor administrative procedures on the part of some local 
authorities, or disputes between religious organizations, an unknown 
number of groups have been unable to register or reregister; and other 
religious believers may not seek to be members of any organized 
religious group.
    There were a large number of missionaries operating in the country, 
particularly from Protestant denominations.
    An estimated 500 (official estimate) to more than 9,000 (Council of 
Muftis' estimate) Muslim organizations remained unregistered; some 
reportedly were defunct, but many, according to the Council of Muftis, 
have concluded that they did not require legal status and have 
postponed applying for financial reasons. Registration figures probably 
also underestimated the number of Pentecostal churches. As of May 2006, 
there were nearly 1,500 Pentecostal organizations officially registered 
(up from 1,467 in 2004) and 18 regional associations; statistics on the 
number of believers were unavailable. The difference in numbers can be 
explained by the fact that many Pentecostal churches remain 
unregistered. The Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists reported more 
than 1,000 registered churches, 549 unregistered groups, 7 regional 
associations, and more than 75,000 members. The Union of Seventh-Day 
Adventists estimated that there were 1,026 Adventist organizations in 
the country (more than 600 of them are registered with the Ministry of 
Justice) and more than 100,000 church followers. According to the 
Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (whose members 
included Baptists, Pentecostals, Adventists, and the Church of 
Christians of Evangelical Faith), there were 2,005 registered churches 
and unregistered groups, more than 180,000 members of the Church, and 
67 regional central organizations. The total number of members of the 
Church and other evangelical believers was estimated at 320,000.
    Some religious groups registered as social organizations because 
they were unable to do so as religious organizations. In 2005 the 
Association of Christian Unification Churches reported that the drop in 
its registered organizations from seventeen in 2003 to five was due to 
local authorities hindering the association's attempt to reregister its 
local organizations. In 2006, it continued to report 5 registered 
organizations, approximately 30 unregistered groups, and 1,000 
believers. The Moscow Monthly Friends' Meeting (Quakers) was an 
officially registered organization, although as of May 2006, it 
apparently was registered under ``other faiths,'' as there was no 
Quaker organization listed in the MOJ registry.
    In practice, only a minority of citizens participated actively in 
any religion. Many who identified themselves as members of a faith 
participated in religious life rarely or not at all.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, in some 
cases the authorities imposed restrictions on certain groups. The 
constitution also provides for the equality of all religions before the 
law and the separation of church and state; however, the Government did 
not always respect this provision.
    The 1997 Law declared all religions equal before the law, 
prohibited government interference in religion, and established simple 
registration procedures for religious groups. Although the 1997 Law did 
not recognize a state religion, its preamble recognized Christianity, 
Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions as constituting an 
inseparable part of the country's historical heritage, and also 
recognized the ``special contribution of Orthodoxy to the history of 
Russia and to the establishment and development of Russia's 
spirituality and culture.'' Public opinion widely considered Orthodoxy, 
Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism to be the only religions ``traditional'' 
to the country.
    Implementing regulations took effect on April 10, 2006, for the Law 
on Public Associations (NGO Law), which President Putin signed on 
January 10, 2006. The 1997 Law remains the primary legislation 
governing religious organizations, but some provisions of the new NGO 
Law will apply to religious organizations as well. Although 
implementing regulations were in effect for too short a time in the 
reporting period to examine their effects on policy directives and 
subsequent implementation, the new law's inspection provisions are of 
particular concern since they appear to permit government inspections 
of religious organizations and attendance at some of their public 
events with advance notice. Although most of the provisions in the new 
law do not apply to religious organizations, the law appears to contain 
some provisions that apply, such as new reporting requirements; the 
authority for the registration body (located in the MOJ) to request 
certain documents, send its representatives to participate in events, 
and review on an annual basis compliance of an organizations' 
activities with its statutory goals; and a requirement that covered 
nonprofit organizations inform the registering body of changes to 
certain data within three days of the effectuation of the changes. In 
addition, the brief amendment to the Civil Code would also appear to 
reach religious organizations, but the effect of this amendment and all 
other amendments remains to be seen in how the authorities choose to 
implement the law. Local authorities in St. Petersburg, however, began 
an investigation of the Jehovah's Witnesses Administrative Center, even 
before the new law's implementing regulations were agreed upon, but 
citing the new law as the cause and indicating that they would find any 
irregularity that would permit them to close down the center.
    On March 10, 2006, President Putin signed a controversial anti-
terrorism law, which critics charged was vaguely-worded, especially the 
provision that permits the banning of any organization ``whose purposes 
and actions include the propaganda, justification, and support of 
terrorism.''
    In January 2005 authorities amended the 1997 Law to conform to a 
new law on state registration of other legal entities. The amended law 
requires all registered local religious organizations to inform the 
Federal Registration Service (FRS) within three days of a change in its 
leadership or legal address. If a local organization fails to meet this 
requirement on two or more occasions, the FRSD can file suit to 
dissolve and deregister the organization. Some denominations with 
numerous local organizations feared that compliance with this change 
will be highly burdensome.
    Neither the constitution nor the 1997 Law accords explicit 
privileges or advantages to the four ``traditional'' religions; 
however, many politicians and public figures argued for closer 
cooperation with them, and above all with the ROC. The ROC has entered 
into a number of agreements--some formal, others informal--with 
government ministries on such matters as guidelines for public 
education and law enforcement and customs decisions, giving the ROC far 
greater access than other religious groups to public institutions such 
as schools, hospitals, prisons, the police, the FSB, and the army. In 
November 2004 the ROC and the MVD extended an earlier agreement 
pursuant to which the two entities cooperate in efforts to combat 
extremism, terrorism, and drug addiction. Such efforts include, for 
example, ROC support for the psychological rehabilitation of servicemen 
returning from conflict zones and the holding of religious services for 
those serving there.
    Many government officials and citizens equate Russian Orthodoxy 
with the national identity. This belief appears to have manifested 
itself in the church-state relationship. For example, the ROC has made 
special arrangements with government agencies to conduct religious 
education and to provide spiritual counseling. These include agreements 
with the Ministries of Education, Defense, Health, Internal Affairs, 
and Emergency Situations, and other bodies, such as the Federal Tax 
Service, Federal Border Service, and Main Department of Cossack Forces 
under the President. Not all of the details of these agreements were 
accessible, but available information indicated that the ROC received 
more favorable treatment than other denominations. Some government 
officials' public statements and anecdotal evidence from religious 
minorities suggested that increasingly since 1999, the ROC has enjoyed 
a status that approaches official. Although it was illegal, election 
campaign teams reportedly often included ROC clergy who frequently 
played a special role at official events at both the local and national 
level and who supported a close relationship with the State. Non-
ordained ROC officials may participate in election campaigns but not as 
official church spokesmen. Nonetheless, policymakers remained divided 
on the State's proper relationship with the ROC and other churches.
    The Rodina Duma faction and single-mandate deputies representing 
the People's Party have consistently supported a more official status 
for the ROC. The president, in contrast with his predecessors, has 
openly spoken of his belief in God, and greeted Orthodox, Jewish, 
Muslim, and Buddhist communities on major religious holidays. He also 
meets periodically--last documented in September 2004--with members of 
the Presidential Council on Cooperation with Religious Associations, 
which includes representatives of traditional religions and other major 
religious communities, such as the Protestants and Catholics, to 
discuss topical issues. Sergey Sobyanin, Chief of the Presidential 
Administration, headed the Council, and two Presidential Administration 
officials (Mikhail Ostrovskiy and Aleksandr Kudryavtsev) were Council 
members.
    The 1997 Law ostensibly targets so-called totalitarian sects or 
dangerous religious cults, by making it difficult for members of less 
well-established religions to set up religious organizations. Many 
officials in law enforcement and the legislative branches spoke of 
protecting the ``spiritual security'' of the country by discouraging 
the growth of ``sects'' and ``cults,'' usually understood to include 
Protestant and newer religious movements. The 1997 Law is very complex, 
with many ambiguous provisions, creating various categories of 
religious communities with different levels of legal status and 
privileges. Most significantly, the law distinguishes between religious 
``groups'' and ``organizations.'' A religious ``group'' is not 
registered and consequently does not have the legal status of a 
juridical person; it may not open a bank account, own property, issue 
invitations to foreign guests, publish literature, enjoy tax benefits, 
or conduct worship services in prisons and stateowned hospitals 
and among the armed forces. However, individual members of a group may 
buy property for the group's use, invite personal guests to engage in 
religious instruction, and import religious material. In this way, 
authorities theoretically permitted groups to rent public spaces and 
hold services; however, in practice members of unregistered groups 
sometimes encountered significant difficulty in doing so.
    The 1997 Law provides that a group that has existed for fifteen 
years and has at least ten citizen members may register as a ``local 
organization.'' It acquires the status of a juridical person and 
receives certain legal advantages. A group with three functioning local 
organizations in different regions may found a ``centralized 
organization,'' which has the right to establish affiliated local 
organizations without meeting the fifteen-year-rule requirement.
    The 1997 Law required all religious organizations registered under 
a more liberal 1990 law to reregister by December 31, 2000. In 
practice, this process, which involved simultaneous registration at the 
federal and local levels, required considerable time, effort, and legal 
expense. International and well-funded domestic religious organizations 
began to reregister soon after publication of the 1997 regulations; 
however, some Pentecostal congregations refused to register out of 
religious conviction, and some Muslim groups decided that they would 
not benefit from reregistering, according to spokespersons for the two 
most prominent muftis.
    Representative offices of foreign religious organizations are 
required to register with state authorities, and they are barred from 
conducting services and other religious activities unless they have 
acquired the status of a group or organization. In practice, many 
foreign religious representative offices opened without registering or 
were accredited to a registered religious organization.
    Under a 1999 amendment to the 1997 Law, groups that failed to 
reregister became subject to legal dissolution (often translated as 
``liquidation''), i.e., deprivation of juridical status. By the 
deadline for reregistration, the MOJ held an estimated 2,095 religious 
groups subject to dissolution and dissolved approximately 980 by May 
2002, asserting they were defunct, but religious minorities and NGOs 
contended that a significant number were active. Complaints of 
involuntary dissolution have decreased in recent years in part because 
those who fought dissolution have already taken their cases to court; 
however, a few groups, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Salvation Army, 
the Unification Church and Scientologists, were still fighting their 
cases through the court system.
    The 1997 Law gives officials the authority to ban religious groups. 
Unlike dissolution, which involves only the loss of an organization's 
juridical status, a ban prohibits all of the activities of a religious 
community. Authorities have not used the law to ban many groups to 
date. However, in a notable exception, the decision of a Moscow court 
judge in June 2004 to uphold on appeal the ban on Jehovah's Witnesses 
garnered significant media coverage and prompted an upswing in 
restrictions on Jehovah's Witnesses. As of April 2006, authorities 
permitted registration of Jehovah's Witnesses groups in 400 local 
communities in 72 regions, but problems with registration continued in 
some areas, notably Moscow, where the Moscow Golovinskiy Intermunicipal 
District Court and the Moscow City Court (of appeal) have banned them.
    A lack of specific guidelines accompanying the 1997 Law contributed 
to inconsistent application at the local and regional levels. Local 
officials, reportedly often influenced either by close relations with 
local ROC authorities or the FSB, sometimes refused outright to 
register groups or created prohibitive obstacles to registration. There 
were indications that the Procurator General encouraged local 
prosecutors to challenge the registration of some minority religious 
groups.
    The LDS Church succeeded in registering fifty-one local religious 
organizations as of the end of the reporting period. In 2005 
authorities registered the LDS Church in Tver following a series of 
rejections of its application for registration. The group has not been 
able to register a local religious organization in Kazan, Tatarstan, 
since 1998 despite numerous attempts. In April 2006 the Federal 
Registration Service, part of the MOJ, restored the Salvation Army's 
registration documentation for the country-wide central religious 
organization. The legal position of its Moscow branch remained 
unresolved. Although the Constitutional Court found earlier rulings by 
Moscow courts dissolving the Moscow branch of the Salvation Army to be 
unconstitutional, the Moscow Oblast Department of Justice had not 
reregistered the organization by the end of the reporting period, and 
two of the court judgments that legally dissolved the applicant branch 
remained in force, despite the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
    In a separate case, authorities had not enforced the Presnenskiy 
District Court ruling against the Salvation Army's registration, and 
according to the organization's Moscow office, it continued to operate 
based on documents filed under the old statute. The preface of the 
Presnenskiy Court's ruling refers to the Salvation Army as a 
``militarized organization.'' A textbook on religious culture prepared 
for use in schools repeats this definition of the Salvation Army, which 
it calls a ``sect.'' The Slavic Center for Law and Justice (SCLJ) was 
working with the Moscow office of the Salvation Army to overturn the 
Presnenskiy Court ruling. The European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) 
ruled in June 2004 that the group's complaint that Moscow authorities 
had not allowed it to reregister was admissible; however, the court 
declared the rest of the complaints inadmissible. At the end of the 
reporting period, an ECHR decision on the merits was pending; however, 
the Salvation Army had not reported obstruction of its daily activities 
in Moscow.
    Moscow authorities continued to deny reregistration to the Moscow 
branch of the Church of Scientology, threatening it with dissolution. 
The Scientologists countered the MOJ contention that the church had 
failed to reregister by the deadline by citing the 2002 Constitutional 
Court ruling in favor of the Salvation Army. Despite the court ruling 
against dissolution, the Government filed a supervisory appeal to the 
Supreme Court, which granted it, and remanded the case back to the 
trial court for new proceedings, in which the trial court ruled in the 
Government's favor. In February 2005, a Moscow appeals court ordered 
Moscow Oblast officials to permit the Church to submit an application 
for reregistration and to examine the application on its merits. Prior 
to this decision, the Church of Scientology had filed a suit with the 
ECHR against the dissolution order, which the ECHR found admissible in 
October 2004. The case was still pending in the ECHR. By June 2006 the 
Church had filed for reregistration eleven times; the Moscow 
registration service rejected the tenth claim on June 27, 2005.
    According to the Church of Scientology, other than the 
reregistration case the Church has had no substantive problems with 
other government agencies in the country in general, such as the tax 
authorities, prosecutor's office, or police. They had good relations 
with the authorities, especially regarding the Church's Human Rights 
Campaign and Youth for Human Rights Campaign. Authorities regularly 
issued permits without problem for Church-sponsored human rights events 
and anti-drug events, which have the support of various agencies. Under 
the Church of Scientology umbrella there were approximately 100 
registered groups promoting the Church's ideas and projects throughout 
the country.
    In response to local authorities' repeated refusal to register the 
St. Petersburg branch of the Church of Scientology, the Church filed 
suit. The St. Petersburg registration service claimed that the document 
from the St. Petersburg District Authorities certifying that the Church 
of Scientology has existed in St. Petersburg for fifteen years was not 
``authentic,'' although it did not give a reason for its finding. 
Authorities postponed a hearing scheduled for May 2005 for procedural 
reasons until June 2005; due to the illness of the presiding judge, 
authorities postponed the June 2005 hearing indefinitely, and at the 
end of the reporting period no hearing date had been set.
    Local authorities have impeded the operation of Scientology centers 
in Dmitrograd, Izhevsk, and other localities. Since these centers have 
not existed for fifteen years, they were unable to register and cannot 
perform religious services (although they were allowed to hold meetings 
and seminars). The Churches of Scientology in Surgut City and 
Nizhnekamsk (Tatarstan) filed suits with the ECHR against the refusal 
of officials to register the churches based on the fifteen-year rule. 
The ECHR found the suits admissible in June 2005; the cases were 
awaiting a final decision.
    The Council of Muftis indicated that registration was not an issue 
for Muslim organizations, and some regional Muslim organizations 
continued to operate without registration, such as the thirty-nine of 
forty-seven Muslim communities in the Stavropol region that operated 
without registration despite affiliation with a recognized regional 
Muslim administration. How many were unregistered by choice was 
unknown, but many Muslim organizations in the North Caucasus preferred 
not to be considered an official entity. The regions of Kabardino-
Balkariya and Dagestan have local laws banning extremist religious 
activities, described as ``Wahhabism,'' but there were no reports that 
authorities invoked these laws to deny registration to Muslim groups. 
The government in the Republic of Tatarstan, one of the strongest 
Islamic areas, continued to encourage a Tatar cultural and religious 
revival while avoiding instituting confrontational religious policies.
    The Unification Church reported that the requirements of a broad 
range of government agencies, involving fire inspection, tax 
inspection, and epidemiological inspection unduly complicated the 
registration process.
    A 2002 ``Law on Foreigners,'' which transferred much of the 
responsibility for visa affairs from the MFA to the MVD, appeared to 
disrupt the visa regime for religious and other foreign workers. 
Immediately after implementation of this law, nontraditional groups 
reported problems receiving long-term visas. Although the number of 
such problems appeared to decrease during the previous reporting 
period, such reports continued, most notably with the recent ousters of 
the principal legal advisor for the Unification Church in January 2006 
and a fellow worker in the Urals in February 2006. The former had lived 
in Moscow since 1990. As in the latter case, the FSB inserts itself 
into matters dealing with visas and religion, particularly with groups 
it labels ``dangerous cults and sects,'' distinctions that it reserves 
for some of these nontraditional groups.
    Working groups within the Government continued to focus on 
introducing possible amendments to the controversial 1997 Law but had 
not introduced any by the end of the reporting period. Duma Deputy 
Aleksandr Chuyev was one of several officials who proposed legislative 
changes to formally grant special status to ``traditional'' religious 
denominations.
    According to Federal Registration Service statistics, authorities 
investigated the activities of 3,526 religious organizations during the 
2005 calendar year. The MOJ sent notifications of various violations to 
2,996 religious organizations. The courts made decisions on liquidating 
fifty-nine local organizations for violations of constitutional norms 
and federal legislation during that period. The courts made no 
decisions on banning religious organizations. In July 2004 the MOJ had 
reported that authorities had returned more than 4,000 churches and 
other property and more than 15,000 religious items to the ROC. No 
update on the latter was available.
    Officials of the Presidential Administration, regions, and 
localities maintain consultative mechanisms to facilitate government 
interaction with religious communities and to monitor application of 
the 1997 Law. At the national level, groups interact with a special 
governmental commission on religion, which includes representatives 
from law enforcement bodies and government ministries. On broader 
policy questions, religious groups continued to deal with the 
Presidential Administration through a body known as the Presidential 
Council on Cooperation with Religious Associations. The broad-based 
Council is composed of members of the Presidential Administration, 
secular academic specialists on religious affairs, and representatives 
of traditional and major nontraditional groups. Other governmental 
bodies for religious affairs include a Governmental Commission for the 
Affairs of Religious Associations, headed by the Minister of Culture 
and Mass Communications. Under the President, there is also a Council 
for the Promotion of Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights.
    Avenues for interaction with regional and local authorities also 
exist. The offices of some of the seven Plenipotentiary Presidential 
Representatives (Polpreds) include sub-offices that address social and 
religious issues. Regional administrations and many municipal 
administrations also have designated officials for liaison with 
religious organizations; it is at these administrative levels that 
religious minorities often encounter the greatest problems.
    The Russian Academy of State Service works with religious freedom 
advocates, such as the Slavic Center for Law and Justice, to train 
regional and municipal officials in properly implementing the 1997 Law. 
The academy opens many of its conferences to international audiences.
    The office of Federal Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin 
contains a department for religious freedom issues, which receives and 
responds to complaints.
    Representatives of some minority religions and many expert 
observers claimed that some government officials, particularly in the 
security services, believed minority religions--especially Muslims, 
Roman Catholics, some Protestant denominations, and other groups--were 
security threats, requiring greater monitoring and possibly greater 
control.
    In 2004 Smolensk and Kursk Oblast authorities adopted local laws 
restricting missionary activity. Under these laws, foreigners visiting 
the region are forbidden to engage in missionary activity or to preach 
unless specifically allowed to do so according to their visas. There 
were no reports of enforcement.
    Contradictions between federal and local laws, and varying 
interpretations of the law, allowed regional officials to restrict the 
activities of religious minorities. Many observers attributed 
discriminatory practices at the local level to the greater 
susceptibility of local governments than the federal government to the 
influence of local majority religious groups. There were isolated 
instances in which local officials detained individuals engaged in 
publicly discussing their religious views, but usually authorities 
resolved these instances quickly. Although President Putin's expressed 
desire for greater centralization of power and strengthening of the 
rule of law initially led to some improvements in religious freedom in 
the regions, as local laws were brought into conformity with federal 
laws, many localities appeared to implement their own policies with 
very little federal interference. When the federal government chooses 
to intervene, it works through the Procuracy, MOJ, Presidential 
Administration, and the courts, forcing regions to comply with federal 
law or not, depending on the political stakes, as with the Moscow 
Jehovah's Witnesses and Salvation Army cases. The Government only 
occasionally intervened to prevent or reverse discrimination at the 
local level.
    During the reporting period, President Putin spoke out several 
times on the need to combat interethnic and interreligious intolerance, 
notably during the September 2005 UN General Assembly and during a 
February 2006 session of the Interior Ministry Council. He publicly 
condemned the January 2006 attack on a Moscow synagogue.
    Officials met regularly during the reporting period with Rabbi Berl 
Lazar. In a January 2006 meeting, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said 
that the MFA was trying to fine-tune international dialogue dealing 
with the issues of how xenophobia and extremism can be countered at the 
international level. Lavrov also spoke out strongly against the January 
2006 Moscow synagogue attack, stating that the root causes of 
xenophobia and anti-Semitism are deeper than law-enforcement agencies 
can cope with and that better education by the government religious 
groups, and public organizations could help address the problem. In a 
March 2005 meeting, President Putin pledged to make the fight against 
anti-Semitism a Government priority, and in an October 2004 meeting, he 
expressed support for the revival of Jewish communities. He also 
denounced anti-Semitism in several press interviews, usually to foreign 
media or while traveling outside the country. In April 2005 Rabbi Lazar 
met with Moscow Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov to discuss anti-Semitism and the 
state of Moscow's Jewish community. Luzhkov expressed concern about the 
growing number of extremist organizations and pledged the city's 
cooperation in fighting extremism. In April 2005, President Putin 
became the first Russian leader ever to visit Israel.
    In March 2004, prominent rabbis Berl Lazar and Pinchas Goldschmidt 
came together to call on the Government to better define the meaning of 
``extremism.'' Lazar and Goldschmidt said that law enforcers were prone 
to dismiss anti-Semitic actions as simple hooliganism to avoid calling 
attention to their region as extremist-oriented and/or to consciously 
protect extremist groups with which they sympathized.
    During the reporting period, new, more rigorous amendments to the 
existing Law on Countering Extremist Activity were working their way 
through the Federal Assembly, continuing the initiative begun by the 
March 2004 call by then Minister for Nationalities Vladimir Zorin, who 
called anti-Semitism and xenophobia major threats to the country, 
requiring stricter enforcement of the existing statutes outlawing 
extremism, such as Article 282 of the Criminal Code (which criminalizes 
the incitement of ethnic hatred). He also called for more programs to 
educate the public about anti-Semitism and to promote tolerance. 
Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev became the first high-
level government official to acknowledge the existence of right-wing 
extremist youth groups. Combating this extremism was one of the top 
priority tasks for the MVD and FSB, he stated. These statements marked 
a positive step toward the Government's willingness to prosecute those 
who commit hate crimes, although few concrete moves have been made to 
solve many high-profile cases.
    The Government does not require religious instruction in schools, 
but it continues to allow public usage of school buildings after hours 
for the ROC to provide religious instruction on a voluntary basis. The 
Government has backed off from a controversial proposal to introduce an 
optional course on the national level, ``Foundations of Orthodox 
Culture,'' using a textbook that detailed Orthodox Christianity's 
contribution to the country's culture, with descriptions of some 
minority religions that members of those religions found objectionable. 
Although some schools still used the text, the Ministry of Education 
rejected further editions and circulation. Nevertheless, a significant 
number of regions continued to offer in public schools a course on 
Orthodoxy and may continue to do so because municipal administrations 
make school curriculum decisions. On the federal level, the 
Governmental Commission for the Affairs of Religious Associations at 
its December 21, 2005, session chaired by Minister of Culture Sokolov, 
supported, among other issues, the proposal of the Ministry of Culture 
to grant religious educational institutions the right to train public 
school teachers of religion. The proposal to teach ``world religions'' 
or a course on Orthodoxy in the schools remained controversial among 
experts, including those in the ROC. Nevertheless, the ROC in some 
communities (Kaluga Oblast and Yekaterinburg) was training local 
teachers in summer courses providing teachers with certification to 
teach ``Foundations of Orthodox Culture.'' Some regions have begun 
offering a class on ``History of Religion,'' a proposal that Education 
Minister Andrey Fursenko suggested but had not introduced nationally.
    In July 2005 the subscriber services of satellite broadcasters NTV-
Plus and Stream TV launched Spas (Savior) television channel, the first 
one in the country devoted to religion. It devotes 40 percent of its 
sixteen daily broadcasting hours to Russian Orthodox themes, with the 
rest of the time for general interest talk shows, documentaries, and 
educational programming. An advisory board including members of the 
parliament and senior figures from the Orthodox Church sets the 
channel's agenda and decides on programming strategies.
    The constitution mandates the availability of alternative military 
service to those who refuse to bear arms for religious or other reasons 
of conscience. The law on alternative civil service took effect in 
January 2004, and two supplements to the law were issued in March 2004. 
The first supplement listed 722 organizations to which authorities may 
assign draftees for alternative service, and the second listed 283 
activities that qualified. In June 2004 Prime Minister Fradkov signed 
regulations on the implementation of the law on alternative civilian 
service. According to the regulations, the standard alternative service 
term is forty-two months--versus the regular service term of twenty-
four months--but the term is shorter, thirty-six months, if the draftee 
is assigned to a military organization. The required service for 
university graduates is twenty-one and eighteen months, respectively, 
in these situations. Some human rights groups have complained that the 
extended length of service for draftees requesting alternative 
assignments acts as a punishment for those who exercise their 
convictions.
    The authorities permit Orthodox chapels and priests on army bases 
and also give Protestant groups access to military facilities, although 
on a limited basis. Authorities largely ban Islamic services in the 
military and generally do not give Muslim conscripts time for daily 
prayers or alternatives to pork-based meals. Some Muslim recruits 
serving in the army have reported that their fellow servicemen insulted 
and abused them on the basis of their religion.
    In June 2004 authorities closed the federally targeted program on 
tolerance and anti-extremism ahead of its original 2005 end date. The 
program called for a large number of interagency measures, such as the 
review of federal and regional legislation on extremism, mandatory 
training for public officials to promote ethnic and religious 
tolerance, and new materials for use in public educational 
institutions.
    With the registration of the Diocese of the Transfiguration in 
Novosibirsk in August 2005, the Roman Catholic Church completed the 
process of registration of the four existing Catholic dioceses (Moscow, 
Saratov, Irkutsk, and Novosibirsk). In 2003 President Putin stated 
publicly that secular authorities would do everything in their power to 
improve relations between the ROC and the Vatican.
    Officials have encouraged a revival of Buddhism in Kalmykia with 
state subsidies for building Buddhist temples and training monks. The 
Government issued the Dalai Lama a visa, reversing previous denials of 
his visa requests.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Critics continue to identify several aspects of the 1997 Law on the 
grounds that it provided a legal basis for actions restricting 
religious freedom. In particular, they criticized the provisions 
requiring organizations to reregister, establishing procedures for 
their dissolution, and allowing the Government to ban religious 
organizations. Critics also cited provisions that not only limit the 
rights of religious ``groups'' but also require that religious groups 
exist for fifteen years before they can qualify for ``organization'' 
status. Although the situation was somewhat better for groups that were 
registered before 1997, new groups were sometimes hindered in their 
ability to practice their faith. The federal government has attempted 
to apply the 1997 Law in a liberal fashion, and critics directed most 
of their allegations of restrictive practices at local officials. 
Implementation of the 1997 Law varied widely, depending on the attitude 
of local offices of the MOJ (responsible for registration, dissolution, 
and bans).
    In February 2004 the Procuracy of Moscow's Northern Circuit banned 
the local organization of Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that it 
was a ``threat to society,'' a basis for banning under the 1997 Law. 
Unlike dissolution, which involves only the loss of juridical status, a 
ban prohibits all of the activities of a religious community. In June 
2004 a ban on all organized activity by Moscow's 10,000 members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses took effect, marking one of the first times that 
such a ban had been implemented under the 1997 Law. Jehovah's Witnesses 
appealed the ruling, and although the judge admitted that members did 
not incite violent religious hatred, he accused the organization of 
``forcing families to disintegrate, violating the equal rights of 
parents in the upbringing of their children, violating the constitution 
and freedom of conscience, encouraging suicide, and inciting citizens 
to refuse both military and alternative service.'' In May 2005 
authorities advised the Witnesses by telephone that the Presidium of 
the Moscow City Court had dismissed a subsequent appeal, although by 
the end of the reporting period, authorities had not sent official 
documentation of the dismissal or an explanation of its grounds. The 
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was considering their appeal, 
which was submitted in 2004. The ban, although applying only to Moscow, 
has had nationwide ramifications for the 133,000 Jehovah's Witnesses 
practicing in the country.
    After the 2004 Moscow banning decisions, many local congregations 
of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country reported that landlords 
had cancelled rental contracts on their buildings or were threatening 
to do so. During the reporting period, the Witnesses reported a problem 
similar to their June 2004 attempts to find a suitably large venue in 
Sochi, when a landlord denied access to a meeting venue after FSB 
pressure but later reversed the denial. In Moscow Oblast, which is a 
separate jurisdiction from the city of Moscow, the Witnesses reported a 
hotel conference center, a cinema, and a cultural center, each of which 
previously had been used by congregations of Witnesses, cancelled their 
leases.
    Some landlords outside of the city of Moscow appeared to believe 
that the Moscow ban obligated them to cancel rental contracts with the 
Witnesses, as seen by incidents in 2005 in Roshchino (Leningrad 
Oblast), Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Khabarovsk, and Ufa, where 
authorities disrupted or prevented assemblies. For example, in March 
2005, reportedly under pressure from his superiors, the Director of the 
Palace of Culture in the village of Roshchino forced a group of 
Witnesses to change the venue of a religious celebration scheduled in 
the palace.
    In some cases the Witnesses reported that authorities consulted 
with the ROC to determine whether to approve their requests. The 
Witnesses report that Father Valeriy of the Arkhangelsk Orthodox 
Diocese exerted pressure on Archangelsk authorities to prevent the 
Witnesses from holding a district convention scheduled for August 2005 
similar to the Church's influence in Vladimir in 2004, in which venue 
use depended on approval from a local Russian Orthodox priest.
    In April 2005, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk City Court dismissed the claim 
filed by the city prosecutor to declare invalid the registration of the 
local Witnesses' organization's title to the unfinished Kingdom Hall in 
that city. The Witnesses subsequently finished construction of the 
building and were able to use it for religious services. In February 
2006 an internet agency, Regions.Ru, claimed that a group affiliated 
with the Yekaterinburg ROC diocese asked the court to ban Jehovah's 
Witnesses, a ``totalitarian cult,'' because of ``their destructive 
activities.'' In August 2005 the regional internet agency, 
UralPolit.Ru, reported that the Yekaterinburg ROC diocese was taking 
the Jehovah's Witnesses to court, seeking a ban, as ``what already 
happened to them in Moscow.'' Nevertheless, the Jehovah's Witnesses in 
Yekaterinburg continued their activities as usual.
    In April 2006 the news agency Kurskcity.ru published an article 
referring to the Moscow ban as an example to be followed and claiming 
that authorities could ban the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in 
Kursk. The article added that the Kursk City Council would discuss 
Jehovah's Witnesses harassment of citizens.
    The Witnesses won appeals to overturn dissolution orders that lower 
courts issued as in November 2004, in Primorskiy Kray, and in October 
2004, in Tatarstan. Jehovah's Witnesses cited five child custody cases 
in which courts have reportedly discriminated against their religion 
and in which the banning played a role. A court in Primorskiy Kray 
cited the Moscow ban in reversing a lower court's decision to award 
custody of a child to its mother, a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 
August 2004 the judge in a child custody case reportedly wrote to the 
Moscow court that ordered the banning of the Witnesses to request a 
copy of its decision. In November 2004 the father in a child custody 
case referred to the Moscow banning decision as one of the factors 
supporting his claim for custody. Some cases were resolved in favor of 
the Jehovah's Witnesses mother.
    In May 2004 the Civil Law Collegium of the Supreme Court of the 
Russian Federation upheld the decision of the Bashkortostan Supreme 
Court, which upheld in March 2004 a previous ruling against the local 
Church of Scientology Dianetics Center for conducting illegal medical 
and educational activities and of ``harming people.'' Officials closed 
down the initial Ufa center, but the Scientologists formed a parallel 
Dianetics Center, which was operating openly; however, the negative 
publicity and the local prosecutor's ongoing investigation led to a 
semi-underground existence.
    There was no progress in the investigation of the January 2004 
explosion in a building belonging to a congregation of unregistered 
Baptists (also called ``Initsiativniki'') in Tula. Anonymous threats 
caused the Tula Baptist community to believe the explosion was a 
terrorist attack, while local law enforcement authorities attributed a 
gas leak, although a gas company inspection reported no evidence of a 
gas leak. The authorities have long been suspicious of the 
Initsiativniki, whose complete refusal to cooperate with the Soviet 
authorities led to their split in 1961 from the Union of Evangelical 
Christians-Baptists.
    Some human rights groups and religious minorities accused the 
Procurator General of encouraging legal action against a number of 
minority religions and for giving official support to materials that 
are biased against Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, the LDS Church, and 
others. There were credible reports that supporters of the ROC within 
the federal security services and other law enforcement agencies 
harassed certain minority religious groups, investigated them for 
purported criminal activity and violations of tax laws, and pressured 
landlords to renege on contracts. In some cases the security services 
were thought to have influenced the MOJ to reject registration 
applications.
    Forum 18 reported that the FSB had summoned the leadership of an 
Old Believers' community in February 2004 to indicate the FSB's 
preference for a particular candidate for church leadership who lost 
the election. There were no reports of further FSB contact with the 
group.
    Some religious personnel experienced visa and customs difficulties 
while entering or leaving the country, although such problems appeared 
to be decreasing for some groups. Authorities either deported or denied 
entry to several religious workers with valid visas during the period 
covered by this report, such as the January 9, 2006, deportation of the 
founder and legal/spiritual advisor of the Unification Church in 
Moscow, who may not reapply for a visa for five years, despite having 
lived in the country since 1990. During the previous reporting period, 
the Forum 18 news service reported that there were fifty-five cases of 
foreign religious workers of various religious groups who had been 
barred since 1998.
    In March 2005 the Government denied entry to high-ranking British 
and Danish Salvation Army officials, Major Robert Garrard and Colonel 
Karl Lydholm, respectively, who sought to attend a church congress. In 
explaining its decision to deny entry, the Moscow city branch of the 
federal MVD cited the provision of law under which foreigners may be 
denied entry ``in the interests of state security.''
    Visa problems appeared to decrease for some groups during the 
reporting period. Several groups, including the LDS and Roman Catholic 
churches, reported that the FSB issued most of their clergy one-year 
visas. Foreign religious workers without residency permits typically 
must go abroad once a year to renew their visas, usually back to their 
countries of origin; some receive multiple-entry visas or are able to 
extend their stays. Since the enactment of the Law on Foreigners and 
subsequent amendments that took effect in 2002, some religious workers 
reported difficulty in obtaining visas with terms longer than three 
months (even if they had previously held visas with one-year validity). 
The curtailed validity has led some religious groups to begin shuttling 
their missionaries in and out of the country every three months, 
presenting a financial and spiritual hardship for such groups. 
Missionaries under such restrictions must pay for travel back to their 
countries of origin, often not knowing if they may return. As a result, 
many missionary groups must find and maintain two workers for every 
position if one is to be available for ministry while the other is 
outside the country applying for a visa renewal.
    Foreign clergy are particularly important for the Roman Catholic 
Church in the country, since there are only a relatively small number 
of ordained Russian nationals, primarily because the Soviets only 
allowed two Catholic parishes and no seminaries to function in Soviet 
times. The first local citizens that the church trained as Catholic 
priests since the end of the Soviet regime graduated in 1999. At the 
end of the reporting period, there were approximately 270 Catholic 
priests working in the country, with only 10 percent of them citizens, 
and approximately 220 officially registered Catholic parishes.
    One of the eight Catholic clergy the Government barred since 1998, 
Polish Catholic priest Father Janusz Blaut, to whom authorities refused 
a visa in October 2004 after he worked in North Ossetia for ten years, 
returned to the republic's capital Vladikavkaz in autumn 2005. Foreign 
Catholic clergy in the Krasnodar region now hold one-year visas rather 
than three-month visas that authorities issued from mid-2002 to mid-
2004. Another priest denied entry, Polish citizen Father Edward 
Mackiewicz, in effect, exchanged his Rostov-on-Don parish with that of 
Father Michal Nickowski in western Ukraine, who, as a Ukrainian 
citizen, may remain in the country without a visa for up to three 
months. Officials granted Father Jerzy Steckiewicz, leader of the 
parish in Kaliningrad, a tourist visa valid only for that region, 
rather than a religious visa, making it impossible for him to travel in 
the rest of the country. Otherwise, Catholic authorities reported a 
decrease in visa problems for priests during the period covered by this 
report.
    Officials annulled the visa of Moscow chief rabbi Pinchas 
Goldschmidt in September 2005, denied a visa to South African 
Protestant church overseer Hugo Van Niekerk in July 2005, and revoked 
the visa of German Lutheran bishop Siegfried Springer in April 2005. 
All subsequently received visas and returned.
    As was the case for the previous reporting year, the LDS Church 
reported few visa problems for their foreign missionaries and that 
virtually all of them received one-year, multiple-entry visas. The LDS 
Church occasionally had difficulties in securing residency permits for 
missionaries but noted this varied from region to region and was not 
systemic. There were few reports of religious workers of minority 
religious groups having difficulties registering their visas with the 
local authorities, as required by law.
    In December 2003 the Unification Church reported that it appealed 
to the ECHR the Government's 2002 denial of a visa to church member 
Patrick Nolan. This case has not yet been ruled on. In 2003, Nolan lost 
both a trial court case and an appeal before the Supreme Court. 
Missionaries with the Swedish Evangelical Church in Krasnodar, the OMS 
Christian organization, the Christian Church in Kostroma, and the 
Kostroma ``Family of God'' Pentecostal Church, to whom officials denied 
visas in past years, did not return. In some cases, officials denied 
visa renewals for those living there for up to nine years.
    While most conscripts seeking exemptions from military service 
sought medical or student exemptions, the courts provided relief to 
some on the grounds of religious conviction. The question of 
conscientious objector status arose most frequently with respect to 
Jehovah's Witnesses, under the new legal regime which took effect in 
spring 2004 governing alternative civilian service (ACS). In February 
2006 officials from the Federal Services for Labor and Employment and 
the Department for the Organization and Control of Alternative Civilian 
Service in Moscow reported that approximately 640 individuals were 
performing ACS, 70 percent of whom were Jehovah's Witnesses. The 
Witnesses were aware of 192 Jehovah's Witnesses performing ACS. Members 
of Jehovah's Witnesses reported that draft commissioners more willingly 
appointed them to ACS than in the past, and they did not face the same 
pressure to unwillingly perform military service as they did 
previously. Since ACS formation, 197 Witnesses have refused it; there 
were 37 ongoing cases against Witnesses for avoidance of ACS, and the 
courts convicted 41 Witnesses of evasion, and either fined them 
(between 100 dollars and 1,000 dollars or approximately 2,700 rubles 
and 27,000 rubles, respectively) or sentenced them to perform community 
service (up to 210 hours). Jehovah's Witnesses were aware of only two 
criminal cases that authorities had instigated against Witnesses for 
evasion of military service. At the end of this reporting period, 
authorities had imprisoned no Witnesses for failure to perform ACS.
    In Bashkortostan, the Supreme Court sustained the refusal of 
exemption for Jehovah's Witness Marsel Faizov due to his criminal 
background. The ECHR accepted this case in March 2006. The Government 
filed its observations on June 27, 2006. Faizov had until September 1, 
2006, to provide his reply to the Government's observations. However, 
to Jehovah's Witnesses' knowledge the Supreme Court of Bashkortostan 
had not reconsidered the case, and it was not clear when it would do 
so.
    Some religious groups reported problems with religious properties. 
In March 2005 a St. Petersburg court dismissed the Witnesses' suit in 
litigation since 1999 seeking permission to remodel a building it owned 
on Pogranichnika Gar'kavogo Street for use as a prayer center. As of 
the end of the reporting period, the Witnesses reported that they were 
selling the property and had opened another meeting place.
    Although in 2004 authorities in Velikiy Novgorod held a meeting 
favorable in its public response to Jehovah's Witnesses' request to 
acquire land to construct a lecture hall, the city denied permission, 
informing them in April 2005 that the city would not review the denial. 
During the reporting period, the local authorities continued to dismiss 
the congregation's repeated requests for information on available plots 
of land.
    Following a March 2004 referendum in Sosnovyy Bor (Leningrad 
Oblast), local authorities refused to let a Jehovah's Witnesses 
community use land to construct a place of worship. At the end of the 
reporting period, the congregation had not been able to obtain 
permission from the authorities to build a place of worship and was 
using a privately owned building to hold their meetings. On May 5, 
2006, Mayskaya Gorka City Circuit in the Arkhangelsk region held a 
public meeting to discuss a Jehovah's Witness application for a plot of 
land to build a place of worship. A large crowd gathered for the 
hearing, including members of political groups and three local ROC 
priests. Reports indicate that the atmosphere was hostile, not giving 
the representatives of the Witnesses the opportunity to reply to all 
the questions, the majority of which were about religious beliefs 
rather than plans for the land. The mob chanted ``Down with the sect,'' 
among other verbal abuses. ROC representatives reportedly made 
allegations that Jehovah's Witnesses are forbidden to speak to their 
non-Witness relatives and called it a sect that one cannot leave 
voluntarily and that destroys families. At the conclusion of the 
meeting, those present voted not to provide Jehovah's Witnesses with a 
plot of land.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses successful attempt to build a Kingdom Hall 
in Zlatoust in the Chelyabinsk region is an example of federal 
authorities intervening at the local level through the court system. 
The local administration provided the Jehovah's Witnesses with a plot 
of land, but when construction began in June 2005, local residents 
filed complaints with the authorities, and the prosecutor initiated an 
administrative case against the Jehovah's Witnesses. Over the next four 
months, local city officials claimed the building was unlawful since 
the Witnesses did not adequately inform the public of their intentions, 
and there was no expert environmental study of the site. Local 
authorities felt the Jehovah's Witnesses should destroy the building at 
their own expense. Although the Zlatoust prosecutor served the 
Jehovah's Witnesses with a warning to cease infringement of the 1997 
Law, the Chelyabinsk Regional Arbitration Court decided in favor of 
Jehovah's Witnesses.
    In January 2006 the Chelyabinsk Region Department of State 
Environmental Control produced a site impact conclusion unsupportive of 
the Jehovah's Witnesses, prompting them to request a second ecological 
expert study. In February 2006 the Chelyabinsk Region Directorate of 
the Federal Service for Control of Nature Management's expert 
ecological study supported the construction project. Following this 
change, the arbitration court continued hearing the case. The city 
administration argued that the Kingdom Hall in Zlatoust should be 
declared illegal and destroyed and produced a letter from the 
Chelyabinsk Region Federal Registration Service (FRS) stating that the 
Jehovah's Witnesses had violated the 1997 Law. The court dismissed the 
motion as well as the city administration's application to demand 
demolition at the expense of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The city 
administration did not appeal the decision.
    There was no change in the situation during the reporting period 
for the LDS Church, whose leaders confirmed press reports that in 
August 2004 a local Cossack group organized a protest against plans for 
the construction of a meetinghouse in Saratov city. Muslim and ROC 
leaders also spoke out against the construction. Although the church 
had received construction permits for the project, the city stopped 
construction, and did not permit it to resume.
    According to a May 2005 article in the Perm newspaper Permskiy 
Obozrevatel, in late 2004 the Pentecostal New Testament Church in Perm 
purchased the local House of Culture from a private company to house 
its social and charitable activities. The purchase provoked 
considerable controversy in the area, reportedly encouraged in part by 
the local ROC Bishop Irinarkh, a long-time critic of Pentecostals. The 
case went to an arbitration court, which ultimately recognized the sale 
as legal and valid but did not issue a ruling that would bind the owner 
to proceed with the registration. The Pentecostals paid 50 million 
rubles ($1,851,851) for the House of Culture and were using it for 
their services, but they were not registered as the owners at the end 
of the reporting period. According to Pastor Eduard Grabovenko, oblast 
administration officials had put pressure on the owner to block 
registration. On May 11, 2006, the New Testament Church filed a suit 
asking the court to issue an order that would permit property rights 
registration without the former owner's cooperation.
    In late May 2006 a meeting between Perm Governor Oleg Chirkunov and 
the chairman of the Russian Pentecostal Union Sergey Ryakhovskiy 
brought no results. However, according to a representative of the 
Russian Pentecostal Union, the problem of the building was later 
resolved successfully. In April 2006 the Arbitration Court ruled in 
favor of the Pentecostal community and ordered the selling party to 
complete the building sale; however, the Perm Kray Committee on Culture 
appealed, creating at least a month's postponement of the final 
decision. As a result of an appeal by some local organizations to 
return the House of Culture to the administration in exchange for 
another building, the Pentecostal community agreed, and the problem 
became one of finding an appropriate new building for them.
    In May 2006 the Moscow Arbitration Court decided in favor of the 
Charismatic Kingdom of God Church, in a suit that the Federal Property 
Agency filed in December 2005 asking the court to obtain on demand its 
``illegally occupied'' property in the capital. According to the suit, 
the privatized factory, which sold its former social center and sports 
hall to the church in December 1997, had no right to do so ``since the 
owner of the building...is the Russian Federation.'' In its decision 
the court said that the Government had no ownership rights over the 
property, that the church possessed a valid state certificate 
registering its rights to the property, and that the deadline for legal 
challenges--three years from the point of sale--had in any case long 
expired.
    Contrary to previous reports, the Voronezh Lutheran Community 
reported it had been discussing with local ROC representatives the 
return of their church building, although it was expected that this 
process would take considerable time to complete.
    Religious news sources claimed that authorities acting on behalf of 
the ROC sometimes prevented Orthodox churches not belonging to the ROC, 
including the True Orthodox, from obtaining or maintaining buildings 
for worship. In April 2005 the court ordered the Church of St. Olga in 
Zheleznovodsk, which the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC) 
first registered in 1944 at the same address, transferred to the 
authority of the ROC Diocese of Stavropol despite the ROAC 
congregation's renovation and reconstruction of the building at the 
same site. Cossacks implemented the decision in April 2006, which 
forced the ROAC to conduct its Easter service outside while the church 
building stood empty of parishioners, since the local community belongs 
to the ROAC, not the ROC. The protesting of the church transfer and 
informing the international community led to the beating of 
Metropolitan Valentine (see the Abuse section) as well as threats to 
the ROAC clergy.
    On June 2, 2006, media and Hare Krishna representatives reported 
that Moscow City authorities approved the allotment of land for the 
construction of a Krishna temple. Reports indicated that the promise 
was part of a joint statement by the Mayor of Moscow and the Delhi 
Chief Minister, who hoped to enhance trade and economic cooperation. 
Moscow's estimated 10,000 Hare Krishna devotees shared their temple 
with at least 5,000 Indians, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, and Mauritians of 
other Hindu denominations. This followed the Moscow authorities' sudden 
October 7, 2005, withdrawal of permission for the new temple's 
construction. The Hare Krishna community was left, until the recent 
accord between the two city governments, using temporary accommodation 
on the construction site. Having spent more than $74, 074 (two million 
rubles) on the project and approved an architectural design with 
considerable difficulty due to its distinctiveness from the surrounding 
buildings on Leningradskiy Prospekt, the Hare Krishna devotees 
subsequently turned to Moscow's Arbitration Court. The status of the 
appeal remained unclear in light of the accord, but while their appeal 
was being heard, the community cannot be evicted from the site, even 
though Moscow's land committee ordered it to leave in January 2006. In 
withdrawing their permission, the city authorities cited paperwork 
errors involving the terms of land usage.
    Already demolished as part of a municipal building program, the 
Hare Krishna community's previous Moscow temple premises were a gift in 
1989 as part of the confession's rehabilitation in the late Soviet 
period. (In the early 1980s the Soviets incarcerated approximately 
fifty of its members in prisons and psychiatric institutions.) 
Authorities offered the current site as compensation for the demolition 
of the previous temple. They have permission to remain on their current 
site until ready to move to the new location. The question of 
architecture remained a concern at any site. On November 30, 2005, 
Interfax reported that Russian Orthodox Archbishop Nikon (Vasyukov) of 
Ufa and Sterlitamak asked Mayor Luzhkov not to allow the construction 
of the temple and used disrespectful language about the Hindu religion.
    Rinchenling, a 200-strong community following the Dzogchen 
tradition within Tibetan Buddhism, lost its Moscow city center premises 
in 2004 due to a municipal construction project. Unlike the Hare 
Krishna community, city authorities did not offer them compensation, as 
there was no provision for it in their 1997 rental contract. In January 
2005 Rinchenling also closed its Kunsangar retreat center in Moscow 
region. The group's Tibetan teacher, Chogyal Namkai Norbu, had told the 
group to sell the retreat center due to the negative influence of local 
Orthodox. Rinchenling was planning to set up a retreat center in 
Ukraine.
    The Unification Church reported difficulties in establishing a 
Eurasian Church Center in Moscow to coordinate church activities in the 
region. On June 19, 2006, ORT-TV aired a sensational television 
program, The Order of Moon: A Special Investigative Report, where the 
Government appeared to be laying the groundwork for actions against the 
Church. This follows security services' actions against the founder of 
the Moscow congregation and legal and spiritual advisor, a U.S. citizen 
living in Moscow since 1990. On December 31, 2005, the main immigration 
office summoned him and gave him ten days to leave the country, banning 
his reapplication for five years. The FSB reportedly sent eight men to 
watch him during the remaining time, preventing him taking the actions 
necessary to remain in the country and escorting him onto the plane on 
January 9, 2006. The Church planned to construct the center on property 
owned by an NGO affiliated with the Reverend Moon. In April 2005 a 
local prosecutor ordered church officials to turn over for inspection 
documents relating to the property after the local administration 
received complaints from local citizens that a ``totalitarian sect'' 
was using the building. Eight police officers reportedly visited the 
property the next day in order to ``investigate criminal activity.''
    According to Forum 18, in January 2006 the Evangelical Christian 
Missionary Union, which embraces fifty-four registered churches 
throughout the southern part of the country, reported that the 
municipal authorities in the town of Tikhoretsk (Krasnodar Kray) had 
refused to renew a rental contract with its congregation there. The 
150-strong Path to God Church had rented its basement premises for the 
previous seven years and renovated them, according to the Union, but 
was unable to find alternative premises in the town and thus to meet as 
a single congregation.
    Protestants in Voronezh and elsewhere often suspected local 
Orthodox clergy to be instrumental in blocking their construction 
plans. They cited as an example Saratov's construction committee's 
refusal to grant the Word of Life Pentecostal Church permission to 
advertise its presence on the outside wall of its own premises. In a 
letter dated May 4, 2005, chief architect Vladimir Virich confirmed as 
much, referring to an April 19, 2005, letter from the Saratov diocese 
of the Russian Orthodox Church and indicating that the Architectural 
Committee could not agree to the sign because of the letter.
    State authorities gave Muslims meeting at Mosque Number 34 on the 
outskirts of Astrakhan until May 1, 2006, the option to demolish their 
worship building themselves or face its destruction, after the 
Astrakhan Oblast Court denied an April 17, 2006, appeal to suspend the 
demolition of the mosque for three months. At the end of the reporting 
period, the mosque remained standing. The congregation had already lost 
a previous March 1 Astrakhan Oblast Court appeal against a January 23, 
2006, decision in which Astrakhan's Soviet District Court agreed with 
the municipal administration that authorities should remove the 
mosque--a disused silage tower and two-storey annex on the road to the 
city's airport--as it qualified as ``unauthorized construction.''
    The mosque congregation purchased the 6,450 square-foot site in 
1998, and Astrakhan authorities gave them permission to carry out the 
preliminary construction work of a new mosque building during the first 
half of 2001. However, the court noted that they did not start until 
almost four years later, and that the Muslim community's refurbishment 
and extension of the disused silage tower was not on the construction 
plan the city's architectural department approved. The court also ruled 
that they must remove the currently existing construction work for the 
new mosque, begun in 2005 after the community had collected sufficient 
funds.
    Muslim sources were skeptical about the reasons given for the 
demolition order. Their situation abruptly changed, they claim, 
following a visit by President Putin to Astrakhan in August 2005, when 
he reportedly remarked to the regional governor and mayor that they had 
not chosen a good place for a mosque. When authorities denied them 
permission to hold a February 20 demonstration outside Astrakhan's 
municipal administration building, Muslim activists gathered morse than 
1,000 signatures protesting the demolition order. They intended to 
appeal to the supreme court, although it was not heard before the May 1 
deadline. Per the Sova Center, a human rights NGO, the court ruling to 
demolish the mosque had not been executed as of June 30, 2006.
    Citizens in Kaliningrad protested against the construction of a 
mosque, which the local Muslim community had been requesting since 
1993. The ROC was involved in the talks to allow construction. While he 
claimed not to be against the mosque's construction, the local ROC 
bishop insisted that a small mosque rather than a large Muslim cultural 
center should be built in the suburbs, proportional to the small number 
of Muslims living in Kaliningrad. The Sova Center reported that as of 
August 17, 2005, the Commission on Economic Policy and Municipal 
Property of the Kaliningrad City Council allowed the Kaliningrad Muslim 
organization to use several buildings free of charge. The Muslims 
planned to open a mosque there.
    The NGO Sova Center reported at the end of the reporting period 
that the Vladimir Muslim community still was not able to obtain public 
land to build a mosque. In 2004, despite interference from the Vladimir 
city authorities, the congregation constructed a mosque on private land 
near a house that community members bought and used as a temporary 
prayer house. The mosque was called a community house and was used by 
the local community of Muslims even though it did not have room for all 
25,000 members. The authorities had not met the request for a land spot 
for a mosque, but the negotiations were continuing.
    The mayor's office continued to deny authorization to Muslims in 
the Krasnodar Kray to build a new mosque in the city of Sochi, even 
though the organization's current rented premises barely accommodated 
the approximately thirty members who attended Friday prayers. According 
to Sova, officials allotted land several times but did not authorize 
construction because of technical problems, or they ultimately sold the 
land to other people. According to the Krasnodar Kray Department for 
Relations with Public Associations and Religious Organizations and 
Monitoring of Migration Processes, authorities can allocate land for a 
mosque only after a public opinion survey indicates that the proposed 
location would not cause a ``conflict situation.''
    Restitution of religious property seized by the Communist 
government remained an issue. Although authorities have returned many 
properties used for religious services, including churches, synagogues, 
and mosques, all four traditional religions continued to pursue 
restitution cases.
    The ROC appeared to have had greater success reclaiming 
prerevolutionary property than other groups, although it still had 
disputed property claims. The ROC had a number of restitution claims in 
Yekaterinburg. According to the ROC diocese spokesman, the ROC does not 
lay claim to the 1905 Square but it would like to see the Orthodox 
cathedral that once stood there rebuilt. The issue was not discussed 
because the ROC understood how complicated and costly it would be to 
pull down the existing structures to make room for a cathedral.
    Property claims are a complicated subject, according to the ROC 
spokesman, since there was no separation between church and state 
before the revolution. Most of the Orthodox church buildings in 
Sverdlovsk Oblast that were returned to the ROC were not considered ROC 
property; the ROC had no property rights to them and is only entitled 
to use these buildings, so that, at least theoretically, it could be 
evicted. The ROC fully owned only newly built churches.
    In fact, the very historical importance of a building can impede 
its return to previous owners, as the Government views many 
prerevolutionary buildings as cultural treasures and runs them as 
museums, such as the Kremlin cathedrals, St. Petersburg's Peter and 
Paul Cathedral, and most of Novgorod's medieval churches. Since 1995 
the Ministry of Culture has determined which historical and cultural 
monuments religious organizations must share with the state.
    The Moscow City Duma passed a law in March 2004 returning 
approximately $27,500 (approximately 742,500 rubles) to the ROC as 
retroactive property tax benefits.
    Forum 18 reported that an Old Believer community in Samara was 
still struggling to obtain restitution of a prerevolutionary church. 
Municipal officials told the community that it should first ascertain 
the position of the ROC on restitution. In April 2006, for the first 
time in seventy-five years, the community celebrated Easter in the 
church, even though the municipality had not yet officially returned 
the church to the community.
    The Roman Catholic Community reported forty-four disputed 
properties, most of which they would use for religious services. The 
Catholic Church was not successful in achieving restitution of the 
Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral in Moscow. The office of an oil 
company occupied the cathedral, and the Catholic parish met in a former 
disco hall because it did not expect the company to vacate the 
premises. According to the Catholic Church, it was making progress 
towards building a new church in Moscow to replace the Saint Peter and 
Saint Paul Cathedral. In Vologda, Catholic authorities had not 
succeeded in--and did not anticipate--achieving restitution of a 
prerevolutionary church that housed a restaurant. In 2005 the local 
authorities in Tula returned a building to the local Catholic parish.
    According to a March 2004 statement from the Council of Muslim 
Religious Organizations in Stavropol City, the region's arbitration 
court finally refused to hear a case set to decide the issue of whether 
or not federal authorities could require Stavropol authorities to 
return a mosque that had been converted to a city art gallery back to 
the Muslim community--after seven months of preliminary deliberations--
on the grounds that it was ``outside its competency.'' The fact that 
authorities lack of action forced the local Muslim community to file 
suit with the court in the first place, explains the statement, because 
the Stavropol Kray authorities repeatedly refused to acknowledge 
receipt of a 1999 instruction from the federal Ministries of Culture 
and State Property demanding the return of the former mosque to local 
Muslims.
    Muslims in Beslan have appealed to the Presidential Council for 
Cooperation with Religious Associations to return an historic mosque to 
the Muslim community. The Cathedral Mosque, built in 1906 by the decree 
of Tsar Nicholas II, was occupied by a vodka-bottling plant and a 
bottle washing shop, and was soon to be modified to accommodate a car 
wash. The North Ossetian administration alleged that there was nowhere 
to move the plant, but the republic's Muslim Council stated that 
locating a factory in a mosque was illegal and that there were several 
facilities in the town to accommodate the factory.
    The Jewish community was still seeking the return of a number of 
synagogues and cultural and religious artifacts. The FJC reported that 
federal officials had been cooperative in the community's efforts to 
seek restitution of former synagogues, as had some regional officials, 
although some Jews asserted that the Russian Federation has returned 
only a small portion of the total properties the Soviets confiscated 
under Soviet rule. In December 2004 the mayor of Sochi gave the Jewish 
community a parcel of land on which to construct a synagogue and 
community center to replace the small structure in use. According to 
the chief rabbi of Sochi Arye Edelcopf, the community was collecting 
money for the construction of the synagogue which was to begin within a 
few months. Chabad Lubavitch still sought return of the Schneerson 
Collection, revered religious books and documents of the Lubavitcher 
rebbes.
    Some local governments prevented religious groups from using venues 
suitable for large gatherings such as cinemas and government 
facilities. In Arkhangelsk, Jehovah's Witnesses originally signed a 
contract to use premises, from August 5-7, 2005, belonging to the 
Rossiya Physical Education and Sports Trade Union Society for a large 
congress, but received notice from the society's director three days 
before the congress was to take place that the building would not be 
available due to an incomplete sewage system. Failing to win an 
arbitration court challenge to this unilateral cancellation of the 
contract, the Jehovah's Witnesses then signed two further contracts 
with smaller venues, but the director of one cancelled the agreement 
later the same day.
    On August 3, 2005, two days before the Jehovah's Witnesses' 
congress, Arkhangelsk-based weekly newspaper Pravda Severo-Zapada ran 
an article detailing last year's court ban on the Moscow community of 
Jehovah's Witnesses and likening the organization to Aum Sinrikyo, the 
Japanese religious group convicted of releasing nerve gas into Tokyo's 
underground system in 1995. The newspaper labeled the ideology 
totalitarian and called for an investigation by the FSB.
    When the Jehovah's Witnesses' congress commenced on August 5, 2005 
at the third venue, the Solombala Arts Center, the police demanded that 
all 714 delegates leave the building because of an alleged terrorist 
threat. Subsequently, a fire inspector drew up an official order 
closing the building. As a result, the Witnesses reduced the three-day 
program to a partial one-day session held on August 5, 2005. Jehovah's 
Witnesses filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office to open a 
criminal case against those responsible for the breakup of the 
convention; however, the prosecutor's office dismissed the complaint.
    Officials also significantly disrupted two other Jehovah's 
Witnesses' regional congresses during the reporting period in the 
southern Urals city of Orenburg, where a conference was scheduled for 
August 12-14, 2005 and in Kokhma (Ivanovo region) for a July 22-24, 
2005 congress in Rekord Stadium.
    A Jehovah's Witnesses' convention planned for July 8-10, 2005 in 
Yekaterinburg with the participation of more than 5,000 Witnesses did 
not take place because of the reported July 4, 2005 intervention of an 
Orthodox priest who wrote a letter to the owner of the stadium 
demanding that the convention not proceed. On July 7 the director of 
the stadium claimed repair work should proceed instead and canceled the 
contract. Jehovah's Witnesses attempted to resolve the crisis by 
contacting officials, including filing a claim with the Yekaterinburg 
Prosecutor's Office to initiate a criminal case against the priest for 
disrupting the lawful activity of a religious organization. On August 
31, Jehovah's Witnesses sent an inquiry on the results of the 
investigation to the prosecutor's office, which on September 14, 2005, 
replied that the investigation was still ongoing. Nevertheless, the 
Witnesses' Easter observances in Yekaterinburg on April 12, 2006, 
proceeded without official or community disruption for the first time 
in many years.
    The Church of Scientology reported that it sometimes had 
difficulties getting permits for large events in Moscow.
    The Caucasian Knot website reported in March 2006 that law 
enforcement officials in Kabardino-Balkaria continued to monitor 
children in schools who displayed observant Muslim customs, after the 
phrase ``Jihad is freedom'' appeared on the wall in a Nalchik school. 
Reportedly they kept lists of students who said Muslim prayers, had 
Muslim middle names, or who sent clips with Islamic themes through 
their mobile phones.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    On October 13, 2005, following ROAC complaints about the awarding 
of St. Olga's Church to the ROC, three armed men broke into the home of 
Metropolitan Valentine of Suzdal and Vladimir, the head of the ROAC. 
The attack was obviously well planned and timed to take advantage of a 
short period when he was alone. The attackers knocked him unconscious 
and beat him severely, particularly on his feet, from which they 
removed the bandages to inflict more harm because of his diabetic 
condition. The men rolled him up in a rug to be carried out of the 
house, but the unexpected arrival of another cleric surprised the 
attackers and they dropped the Metropolitan. He spent six months in the 
hospital recovering from injuries sustained and the amputation of part 
of his foot. The FSB reportedly interrogated and threatened several 
ROAC clergy and members following this incident.
    In April 2005, a group of masked paramilitary troops stormed the 
Work of Faith Church in Izhevsk, Udmurtia, during an evening worship 
service, led worshippers outside and searched them without a search 
warrant; the troops threatened some of the women with rape and detained 
forty-six persons some for as long as twenty four hours. In response to 
several complaints (and international attention), local authorities 
conducted an investigation of the Izhevsk incident. They said their 
investigation uncovered that the police had committed some procedural 
irregularities while the detainees were in custody, that officials had 
given a warning to the district police chief because of the 
irregularities, had reprimanded two other police officials, and opened 
a criminal investigation into the allegation that the police beat one 
of the detainees. Officials dropped administrative charges against 
most, if not all, of the detainees.
    On the evening of April 12, 2006, the Lyublino Police Department of 
Moscow disrupted a religious meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses. The 
commemoration of the death of Christ, also known as the Lord's Evening 
Meal, is the most important religious observance for Jehovah's 
Witnesses. The chief of the Lyublino Police Department, Yevgeniy 
Kulikov, ordered the congregation to disperse. According to Jehovah's 
Witnesses, police detained fourteen male leaders of the congregation, 
taking their passports. Armed officers of the Special Police Forces 
(OMON) took them to the Lyublino police station where police 
interrogated them for up to four hours before releasing them at one-
thirty a.m. Police refused to provide them with written reasons for 
their detention and reportedly not only physically assaulted their 
attorney when he went to the police station to assist them but also 
threatened him at knife-point not to file a complaint. Both the police 
and Jehovah's Witnesses filed complaints with the prosecutor's office. 
The Jehovah's Witnesses also filed a court action, and officials set 
the hearing for May 2006. After several adjournments, on June 15, 2006, 
the judge finally ruled that the detention of the plaintiffs was 
unlawful, but dismissed the remainder of the claim, failing to find 
unlawful the fact that police had disrupted the religious service. The 
decision referred to the absence of the permission of the authorities 
to carry out the meeting, in accordance with the Federal Law on 
Assemblies, Rallies, Processions, Demonstrations, and Pickets. 
Jehovah's Witnesses filed an appeal on June 30 with the Moscow City 
Court because the law does not apply to religious groups or 
associations.
    Of the 23 different locations in Moscow used by some 17,000 of 
Jehovah's Witnesses to commemorate the death of Christ, the Lyublino 
District was the only place where the observance was disrupted by 
police intervention. Similar services were held throughout the country 
without interference. In 2005 the total number who attended services 
was approximately 267,000.
    In early April 2006 persons repeatedly vandalized the Kingdom Hall 
and its surrounding property in Kamyshin in the Volgograd region. 
Police did not take any action, saying that the acts did not constitute 
a crime. In November 2005, unidentified persons fired thirty shots into 
the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Voskresensk, but hit no one. 
Police opened a criminal case but closed it on January 31, 2006, 
because they could not identify the perpetrators.
    In August 2004, the Khabarovsk newspaper Amurskiy Meridian reported 
that in March of that year police in Khabarovsk detained and beat 
Sergey Sofrin, a local Jewish businessman, repeatedly insulting him 
with religious epithets. At the end of the reporting period, contacts 
at the newspaper reported that although officials conducted an 
investigation of the incident, they had not disciplined the police 
involved yet.
    Authorities periodically arrested suspected members of the banned 
Islamic political movement, Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), on the grounds that 
they conducted extremist and terrorist activities. In April 2006 a 
Moscow court convicted Sardorbek Siddikov and sentenced him to one year 
in jail for membership in HT. On September 8, 2005, the city court of 
Nizhnevartovsk, gave a four-year suspended prison term to Eduard 
Khusainov, who was believed to have headed the local HT group. 
Officials reportedly found extremist propaganda in his apartment. 
Khusainov was charged with organizing the activities of an extremist 
organization and with ``involving others in committing terrorist crimes 
or otherwise abetting such crimes.''
    On October 3, 2005, the Tobolsk Court found nine members of the 
local HT branch guilty on all charges of extremism brought against 
them. Three of the accused--local leaders Marat Saybatalov, Dmitriy 
Petrichenko, and Rail Valitov--were sentenced to prison terms ranging 
from five and one-half to six years. Other members were sentenced to 
various terms from twelve months to five and one-half years.
    According to Sova, police broke up an HT group in Chelyabinsk in 
March 2005 and detained one of its members, Rinat Galiullin. The 
criminal case against Rinat Galiullin was initiated on March 15, 2005. 
He was arrested and tried in September-November 2005. The court passed 
a verdict of a one-year suspended sentence. Also, Galiullin won a suit 
against a local newspaper for spreading information alleging that he 
had been plotting a riot, stockpiled weapons, and encouraged people to 
sign a contract with Al Qaeda. The HT group, to which Galiullin 
allegedly belonged, was not found. Sova also reported that since 
December 2004, the authorities in Tatarstan initiated criminal cases on 
charges of extremism and terrorism against alleged members of radical 
organizations, including HT and Islamic Jamaat. According to Sova, the 
Islamic Jamaat case was being heard in court in Tatarstan. Authorities 
charged twenty-three persons. The preliminary investigation was over, 
and five young men were being tried in court. Later, a trial for other 
members will take place. Among the charges are murder and planning 
hostile activities. In the authorities' case against the seven alleged 
HT members, the investigation cleared one of them, but the other six 
remain untried. In May 2005 authorities also brought to trial for 
alleged HT membership the two individuals who police in Izhevsk 
detained in December 2004. In June 2005, they were convicted each to 
one year of parole. At the end of the reporting period, the courts had 
convicted forty-six Muslims, twenty-nine of whom were in prison, for 
membership in Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
    On March 31, 2006, Adygeia militia reportedly detained Muslims on 
their way to Friday prayer at the mosque in the nearby village of New 
Adygeia. According to news service IA Regnum, before the start of 
midday prayers, Special Forces of the Adygeia MVD blocked all entrances 
and exits to the village. The action was carried out by the local MVD 
office for fighting organized crime together with a group from the FSB. 
Muslims in Adygeia suspected that Special Forces had a list of Muslims 
planning to pray in this mosque that included their license plates. One 
resident reported that only Muslims were stopped in their vehicles by 
road blocks and apprehended; those who tried to leave their cars were 
intimidated, and none of them were able to attend prayer. Another 
source reported that Special Forces threatened to break the legs of 
those who tried to leave their cars and walk to the mosque.
    In Dagestan in March 2006, journalists reported that soldiers 
desecrated a copy of the Qur'an while searching the house of a killed 
militant.
    The NGO Memorial reported government harassment of Muslims in 
Adygeia starting in summer 2005. Hostile actions reported included 
seizing religious literature from citizens. In one example from 
December 29, 2005, authorities claimed that the seizure of six books 
from one young Muslim was connected to the proceedings against former 
imam of the Adygeia mosque Nedzhmedin Abazia for ``propaganda on the 
inferiority of citizens signaled by their relations with Hinduism, 
Christianity, and non-Wahabbist forms of Islam.'' Authorities 
questioned approximately ten persons in Adygeia in connection with this 
case.
    On October 22, 2005, in Maykop, Adygeia Republic, police officers 
allegedly assaulted and apprehended a group of young Muslims, including 
the Maykop mosque's imam, as they were leaving a mosque. The imam 
reported that masked policemen dragged the group to minibuses and took 
them to the Interior Ministry's Anti-Organized Crime Department, where 
policemen beat and questioned them about why there were wearing beards 
and observing Islamic norms of hygiene. After a night in prison, 
officials took them before a judge who ordered their immediate release.
    On October 13, 2005, gunman attacked police and military facilities 
in Nalchik, the capital of the southern republic of Kabardino-Balkaria 
in the North Caucasus. The attack appeared to have been the result of a 
combination of pressure by local authorities on independent mosques 
(closure of thirty-nine of forty-six local mosques), rampant 
corruption, and attempts by Chechen separatists to expand their war 
against the Government. It was known that nearly all of the several 
hundred militants killed during the violence were young untrained 
Muslims protesting the local Ministry of Internal Affairs' closure of 
mosques. Government officials said they arrested more than sixty 
persons on suspicion of participating in the October raids on Nalchik. 
Human rights groups, in turn, claimed the number of detainees was 
higher and that most of them were not responsible for the unrest. Some 
sources believed that several hundred fighters were killed and that the 
authorities had not returned to families the corpses of these fighters.
    Human rights groups claimed that following the 2004 hostage-taking 
in Beslan, police stepped up activity in the North Caucasus. 
Authorities allegedly have charged with extremism increasing numbers of 
Muslims, both Russian citizens and citizens of the predominately Muslim 
states bordering Russia. Memorial described twenty-three cases 
involving more than eighty individuals charged with extremism as 
``trumped-up.'' Of these, the NGO Memorial reported, eighteen resulted 
in verdicts, only one of which was an acquittal. Some observers said 
that police harassment of Muslim clerics and alleged militants in the 
Republic of Kabardino-Balkariya, including torture and the closure of 
all but one of Nalchik's mosques during the reporting period, were part 
of the reason for the October 13, 2005 rebel attack on Nalchik.
    According to the Sova Center, on April 19, 2005, nine female 
students were arrested during their regular reading of the Qur'an in a 
classroom at Kabardino-Balkariya State University. Authorities told the 
students when arresting them that wearing the hijab and group studying 
of the Qur'an violated university statutes. Police brought them to 
Nalchik city militia headquarters, searched, interrogated, and detained 
them for about eight hours. The same source claimed that police had 
detained some Muslims in Moscow mosques prior to the March 2004 
elections.
    There were occasional reports of short-term police detentions of 
non-Muslim believers on religious grounds, but such incidents were 
generally resolved quickly. For example, local police frequently 
detained missionaries for brief periods throughout the country or asked 
them to cease their activities, such as displaying signboards, 
regardless of whether they were actually in violation of local statutes 
on picketing. During the reporting period, the Jehovah's Witnesses in 
particular reported approximately fifty-five recorded incidents, 
twenty-one of which took place in Moscow, in which authorities briefly 
detained their members or other citizens while conducting lawful 
preaching activities.
    After months of demonstrations, arrests, court hearings, and time 
spent in jail in June 2005, Pastor Purshaga and members of Emmanuel 
Pentecostal Church in Moscow District won the right to rent land to use 
for a prayer house and church office building. At the end of the 
reporting period, authorities had not decided about another piece of 
land at issue.
    In September 2004, an Initsiativniki prayer house in Lyubuchany, 
Chekhov District, Moscow Oblast, burned down. In the summer preceding 
the fire, security agencies, including local police and FSB officers, 
intimidated several thousand participants at an open-air gathering 
sponsored by the church. Press reports claimed that eyewitnesses placed 
some of the same law enforcement personnel at the church site in 
September minutes before the fire broke out. Although the official 
investigation attributed the fire to arson, authorities had charged no 
one in the incident by the end of the reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country; however, there were increasing NGO reports of short-term 
detentions, especially in the North Caucasus.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor U.S. citizens abducted or illegally removed from the United 
States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the 
United States.
Anti-Semitism
    Explicit, racially motivated violent attacks against Jews were 
fairly rare in the context of rapidly growing racist violence in the 
country, especially perpetrated by skinheads targeting identifiable 
ethnic groups. There were a series of attacks around a Moscow synagogue 
in Maryina Roscha in the winter of 2004-2005. In particular, the 
attackers beat Rabbi Alexander Lakshin. Following the attack against 
the rabbi, police promptly found the perpetrators; they were prosecuted 
and convicted, and attacks against Jews in the neighborhood stopped. 
There were three known explicit anti-Semitic violent attacks and four 
incidents of public insults and threats in 2005, which was down from 
2004.
    A notable exception was on January 11, 2006, in Moscow, when 
twenty-year-old Alexander Koptsev attacked worshipers in the Chabad 
synagogue with a knife, wounding eight people--among them citizens of 
Russia, Israel, Tajikistan, and the United States. On March 27, 2006, 
the Moscow City Court sentenced Koptsev to thirteen years' 
imprisonment, ordering him to undergo mandatory psychiatric treatment. 
The court dropped the charges of provoking interethnic hatred but left 
the charge of attempted murder of two or more persons for reasons of 
ethnic enmity. The lawyers of the victims filed an appeal since the 
prosecutor had dropped the charges of inciting ethnic hate; Koptsev's 
lawyers also filed an appeal due to his mental illness and the fact 
that none of the victims were killed or disabled. On June 20, 2006, the 
Supreme Court overturned the verdict on the grounds that the charges 
had not referred to the incitement of racial and religious hatred and 
ordered a new trial in a different court. Both President Putin and 
Foreign Minister Lavrov publicly condemned this attack.
    On January 13, 2006, a local student made a copy-cat attack on a 
synagogue in Rostov-on-Don. He entered the synagogue attempting to 
attack worshippers, but security guards stopped him before he could 
harm anyone. Although authorities charged him with hooliganism, the 
court declared him mentally unfit to stand trial. On June 9, 2006, a 
court in Rostov-on-Don ruled that he undergo psychiatric treatment.
    According to the NGO Moscow Bureau of Human Rights (MBHR), the 
ultranationalist and anti-Semitic Russian National Unity (RNE) 
paramilitary organization continued to propagate hostility toward Jews 
and non-Orthodox Christians. The RNE appeared to have lost political 
influence in some regions since its peak in 1998, but the organization 
maintained high levels of activity in other regions, such as Voronezh. 
Sova Center noted in its 2005 report that RNE activities had been 
mostly reduced to picketing and distributing leaflets.
    On November 6, 2005, Basmannyy District Court of Moscow convicted 
an RNE activist for propaganda and public demonstration of Nazi 
attributes and symbols and sentenced him to five days of detention 
under the Administrative Code. Officials detained the activist on 
November 4, 2005 among twelve RNE members who participated in a so-
called ``Right March.''
    According to an FJC report published in June 2005, a court in 
Velikiy Novgorod convicted three RNE members of inciting ethnic and 
religious hatred, and sentenced the leader of the RNE cell to four 
years in prison, and two others to two and three years. According to 
the Sova Center, in April 2005, authorities convicted two RNE members 
from Bryansk Oblast and gave them suspended sentences on charges of 
inciting racial hatred after distributing RNE leaflets and videos in 
Orel. After authorities announced the verdict, RNE activities in Orel 
noticeably intensified, and over thirty RNE members held a picket the 
day the verdict was announced, with RNE members from Bryansk, Moscow 
Region, and Belgorod coming to support their ``comrades.'' On May 8, 
2005 three RNE members distributed nationalistic leaflets in downtown 
Orel.
    In October 2005 the MOJ registered the interregional social 
movement National Sovereign Way of Russia (NDPR). The organization is 
the successor of the National Sovereign Party of Russia (which has not 
been able to register as a political party) and preserved its 
abbreviation NDPR as well as the party's anti-Semitic, nationalistic 
ideology. In 2005 officials denied the St. Petersburg branch 
registration, although the organization tried to get registration based 
on the same documents as the Moscow branch.
    Some NDPR branches in regions participated in official events that 
the local authorities organized. For instance, NDPR participated in a 
May 1, 2006 communist meeting in Moscow. NDPR also participated in May 
1, 2006 events in St. Petersburg. In the summer of 2005, in St. 
Petersburg, NDPR participated in the events of the local legislative 
assembly twice. On July 19, 2005, the Altay NDPR branch participated in 
a rally of local trade unions and distributed its leaflets, although 
local authorities in attendance tried to halt it; local TV broadcast 
the event. At a small February 2005 rally in Moscow, NDPR members 
distributed anti-Semitic publications and engaged in anti-Semitic hate 
speech, and in 2004, activists distributed their newspaper and leaflets 
in downtown Kostroma.
    The primary targets of skinheads were foreigners and individuals 
from the North Caucasus, but they expressed anti-Muslim and anti-
Semitic sentiments as well.
    The MBHR estimated more than 50,000 skinheads and 15,000 members of 
extremist organizations were acting in the country, who engage in 
approximately 300 incidents on ethnic hate grounds take place annually. 
However, in recent years there were at most only five indictments 
annually. MBHR reported that during the period from January to May 
2006, officials registered over 100 skinhead attacks, killing 17 people 
and injuring approximately 130. No statistics on the number of 
skinheads in particular towns was available, but according to MBHR, 
among the cities where skinheads were especially active in 2006, were 
Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kostroma, Volzhsk, Voronezh Oblast, Tula Oblast, 
Cheboksary, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Elista, Kaluga, 
Nizhniy Novgorod, Petrozavodsk, Ryazan, and Surgut. Authorities 
combined thirteen criminal cases of ethnic-extremist motivation that 
took place in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast from 2003-2006 into 
one case for trial. MBHR noted that the skinhead movement continues to 
expand, spreading from major regional centers to small towns and 
settlements. In December 2005 skinheads appeared in the small 
settlement of Chagoda, Vologda region.
    In connection with the April 2004 attack in Voronezh on human 
rights activist and anti-Semitism monitor Aleksey Kozlov, the Anti-
Defamation League (ADL) reported that authorities arrested two young 
skinheads shortly thereafter and treated the attack as a misdemeanor 
unworthy of prosecution and closed the case. At least two 
demonstrations took place in Moscow on February 23, 2006, the Defenders 
of the Fatherland holiday. Participants displayed racist placards with 
slogans such as ``Russia for ethnic Russians'' and chanted racist 
slogans. According to reports, prominent members and leaders of the 
Rodina and Communist political parties participated in one of the 
demonstrations. Authorities gave administrative sanctions (fines and up 
to five days' administrative arrest for carrying a flag with a 
swastika) to the organizers of the march and a few participants 
belonging to RNE; officials did not charge anyone with incitement to 
racial hatred under Article 282 of the Criminal Code in connection with 
the march. In response to an appeal by the Moscow Anti-Fascist Center 
NGO, a court ruled on April 11, 2006, that the organizers had not 
violated any criminal laws.
    On November 4, 2005, the Day of National Unity, in Moscow, the 
Movement against Illegal Immigration and other organizations organized 
a march of approximately one thousand persons, with openly racist 
slogans against migrants and Jews, entitled ``Russia against the 
Occupiers.''
    Vandals desecrated Jewish cemeteries during the reporting period. 
Officials reported desecration in Omsk (April 15, 2006), the settlement 
of Khokhryaki near Izhevsk (November 2005), and Kostroma (October 
2005). On October 16, 2005, vandals toppled and broke at least fifty 
tombstones, and on October 6, 2005, vandals desecrated approximately 
seventy Jewish graves in St. Petersburg. Vandals also desecrated graves 
in Velikiye Luki (September 20, 2005), Tambov (August 29 and August 31, 
2005), and Tver (August 6, 2005). Earlier in 2005, vandals desecrated 
Jewish cemeteries in Kazan, Moscow, Saratov, Petrozavodsk, Makhachkala, 
Irkutsk, and St. Petersburg. In late May 2005, vandals painted 
swastikas on twenty-six Jewish tombstones in the Jewish section of 
Kazan's Arskoye Cemetery. The FJC reported that the authorities were 
investigating the incident as a hate crime and the Kazan City Council 
issued a statement condemning the attack. In May 2005 vandals 
desecrated Jewish graves at the Vostryakovskoye Cemetery, near Moscow; 
the case was being treated as a hate crime rather than simple 
``hooliganism.'' The Jewish cemetery in Petrozavodsk was vandalized at 
least three times in 2004; a criminal investigation failed to identify 
the perpetrators.
    One of the most large-scale desecrations occurred in St. Petersburg 
in December 2004, when vandals damaged approximately one-hundred graves 
at the St. Petersburg Preobrazhenskoye (Jewish) Cemetery. In the 
aftermath of the desecration, St. Petersburg Governor Valentina 
Matviyenko met with the city's Chief Rabbi Menachem-Mendel Pewsner, and 
promised a serious investigation of the crime. Officials arrested 
members of a gang but reportedly, since its members were minors, the 
case was either dropped or the perpetrators received insignificant 
punishment.
    Sometimes authorities prosecuted the perpetrators as in January 
2005, when a court in Velikiy Novgorod issued a three-year prison term 
for planting a fake explosive device near the city's synagogue in 2003, 
and when authorities sentenced two adults and one minor to two years' 
probation for a 2004 desecration in Kaluga Kray.
    Vandals desecrated several synagogues and Jewish community centers 
during the reporting period. In June 2006, officials reported that a 
man entered a Jewish cultural center in the Urals city of 
Yekaterinburg, and stabbed the door of the synagogue ten times with a 
knife. Security guards caught him and had police arrest him. According 
to a report from the UCSJ, a May 18, 2006, article in the local 
newspaper ``Saratovskaya Oblastnaya Gazeta'' reported that the courts 
sentenced a 20-year-old man with a two-year suspended sentence for 
painting swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the walls of the Saratov 
Jewish center to which he had confessed when police caught him doing 
the same thing to a parked car. Unknown assailants have also thrown 
rocks at the center and its occupants through the windows. Local police 
allegedly ignored the Jewish community's complaints until the swastika-
painting incident.
    In April 2006, at the Orenburg synagogue, a group of young men 
threw stones, kicked the synagogue doors, shouted anti-Semitic slogans, 
and hit windows with a metal bar. Police detained a fifteen-year-old 
boy near the synagogue, while others escaped. Officials opened criminal 
proceedings on charges of hooliganism, not extremism, but since the boy 
was a minor, he could not face criminal punishment. In March 2006 
vandals used paint to draw a swastika on the fence in front of the main 
entrance of the Jewish community center and the region's first 
synagogue under construction in Lipetsk. Vandals painted anti-Semitic 
insults and swastikas on the walls of synagogues in Borovichy (October 
5, 2005) and Nizhniy Novgorod (September 5, 2005) similar to incidents 
in Vladimir (June 3, 2005).
    In March 2006 a youth again vandalized the Jewish center in Penza, 
breaking one of its windows with a brick. Vandals had attacked this 
building and the Jewish center in Taganrog on a number of previous 
occasions in 2005 and 2004. In October 2004, congregants stopped a 
group of skinheads from entering the synagogue in Penza. Later that 
day, approximately forty people armed with chains and iron clubs 
approached the synagogue. Worshipers locked themselves inside and 
called the police who detained two or three of the perpetrators and 
forced them to repair the damage.
    These incidents are similar to those reported for earlier reporting 
periods in Samara, Syktyvkar (Komi Republic), Petrozavodsk (Republic of 
Karelia) in March 2005 and Perovo, Moscow Oblast, in February 2005; in 
2004 in Baltiisk, Kaliningrad Oblast, and in the city of Kaliningrad. 
In November 2004, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, unknown 
individuals scrawled anti-Semitic graffiti on the headquarters of the 
Moscow-based ``Holocaust Foundation.''
    In May 2005 a fire which authorities considered a case of arson 
destroyed the historic synagogue of Malakhovka in the outskirts of 
Moscow. Several days earlier, there had been a burglary at the 
synagogue. The FJC reported that officials suspected the same persons 
of both crimes and raised the possibility that they may have set the 
synagogue fire to destroy evidence related to the burglary, rather than 
as a hate crime. Authorities detained the main suspect, Andrei 
Terekhov, on May 14 after he broke into a Christian church in 
Malakhovka. On December 5, 2005, the trial started; the court 
ultimately convicted him of setting the fire in order to cover evidence 
of his robbery and sentenced him to five years in prison and a fine. 
The Malakhovka Jewish community was preparing to build a community 
center and a new synagogue at the same location. While the court 
required Terekhov to compensate for the arson, it was unlikely that he 
would be able to make any financial contribution.
    The Jewish community center in the Moscow suburb of Saltykovka was 
hit by arson in January and February 2005. Investigators caught the man 
who set the arson fire; he denied being an anti-Semite and said that he 
could not explain his motivation for the arson. The prosecutors found 
no criminal substance in his actions and closed the case. Vandals 
desecrated the synagogue in the Perovo district of Moscow in January 
2005 and again in February 2005.
    Authorities arrested two students for posting Nazi posters in 
Petrozavodsk in April 2005, on the anniversary of Hitler's birthday. 
Reports indicate that the court punished them in accordance with the 
administrative code.
    There were no developments in the 2004 cases of the beating of 
Ulyanovsk Jewish youth leader Aleksandr Golynsky and the skinhead 
vandalism of the Ulyanovsk Jewish Center. The FJC reported that the 
police released the suspects that community members had detained and 
delivered to them. There also were no developments in connection with 
the 2004 attack on the synagogue in Chelyabinsk.
    A number of small, radical-nationalist newspapers that print anti-
Semitic, anti-Muslim, and xenophobic articles, many of which appear to 
violate the law against extremism, were readily available throughout 
the country. Although the production of this illegal material 
continued, authorities generally did not prosecute the publishers, 
although there were some noted recent exceptions described below. The 
estimated number of xenophobic publications exceeded one hundred; local 
chapters of the NDPR sponsored many of them. The larger anti-Semitic 
publications, such as Russkaya Pravda, Vityaz, and Peresvet, were 
easily available in many Moscow metro stations. Some NGOs claimed that 
the same local authorities that refused to take action against 
offenders owned or managed many of these publications. In addition, 
there were at least eighty websites in the country dedicated to 
distributing anti-Semitic propaganda.
    On April, 4, 2006, St. Petersburg prosecutor Sergey Zaitsev 
rescinded the decision of his deputy, Alexandr Korsunov, who refused to 
prosecute the Rus Pravoslanaya (Orthodox Russia) editor Konstantin 
Dushenov for the publication of anti-Semitic materials. Although 
Korsunov found no criminal matter in Dushenov's publications, Zaitsev 
expressed a different position after the public criticized his deputy's 
decision.
    On April 3, 2006, the Velikiy Novgorod (Central Russia) 
Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case against the Russian Veche 
editor Paul Ivanov. Ivanov was accused of ``public calls to committing 
violence'' and ``fueling hatred and discord.'' Officials initiated the 
case after the staff of the St. Petersburg History Institute of the 
Academy of Sciences had examined several issues of the newspaper and 
found that they contained elements that could incite hatred.
    According to the ADL, in March 2006 officials initiated a criminal 
case in Ulyanovsk against the publishers of the Vest newspaper for 
anti-Semitic articles. On February 2, 2006, the Moscow Procurator's 
Office initiated a criminal case over the distribution of anti-Semitic 
literature on the Internet, because this material had motivated 
Alexander Koptsev, who had attacked parishioners at the Bolshaya 
Bronnaya synagogue in January 2006. However, according to the ADL, the 
case might not prevent the future Internet distribution of anti-Semitic 
literature, because many extremist websites are registered abroad.
    According to the Russian Jewish Congress, the Chita Russian 
Zabaikalie newspaper published anti-Semitic articles in February 2006. 
There were reports of anti-Semitic literature on sale in Saratov, 
Kaliningrad, Pertozavodsk, Rostov-on-Don, and other cities. The Our 
Strategy television program, which had broadcast anti-Semitic views, 
continued to air in St. Petersburg during the reporting period.
    On January 11, 2006, the Tula newspaper Zasechniy Rubezh, named 
after its nationalist organization publisher, printed an interview with 
scholar I. Shafarevitch in which he stated he approved of the anti-
Semitic ``letter of 500.'' The letter, issued in January 2005, was 
signed by twenty Duma deputies. At the time, the newspapers Rus 
Pravoslavnaya and Za Russkoye Delo published articles supporting the 
letter.
    On January 5, 2006, the Nizhniy Novgorod newspaper, Novoye Delo, 
printed an article which described the Khazars' adoption of Judaism 
more than 1,000 years ago in anti-Semitic terms and accused Jews of 
enslaving the Khazars, saying that the Jews turned Khazaria into a 
``blood-sucking spider that exhausted the neighboring countries.''
    In April 2005 Velikolukskaya Pravda, a newspaper supported by the 
authorities in Velikiy Luki in Pskov Oblast, published an anti-Semitic 
article which the local prosecutor began investigating as a possible 
hate crime. Per Sova Center, based on the fact of the publication of 
the article, Velikiye Luki City Procuracy initiated a criminal case for 
instigation of national hatred on June 1, 2005. On November 24, 2005, 
the City Procuracy dropped the case on the grounds of absence of crime 
in the action.
    According to local representatives of the ADL, a St. Petersburg 
prosecutor initiated criminal proceedings against the publisher of the 
Our Fatherland newspaper, accusing it of hate speech in 2005. Officials 
gave the newspaper a warning, but there was no information on further 
proceedings.
    The Ulyanovsk local newspaper Orthodox Simbirsk is still in 
circulation despite authorities holding preliminary hearings in January 
2005 following a criminal case against the editor in 2002 for 
demonizing Jews. The FJC reported that the newspaper fired the editor, 
and in March 2005 Governor Morozov of Ulyanovsk promised governmental 
financial support to prevent bankruptcy.
    In December 2004, a court in Novosibirsk sentenced the editor of 
Russkaya Sibir, Igor Kolodezenko, to a two and half year suspended 
sentence for publishing anti-Semitic articles. Kolodezenko, whom the 
court convicted of inciting ethnic hatred in 2000, never served prison 
time because of a Duma commemorative amnesty.
    In 2005 Volgograd's Voroshilovskiy District Prosecutor's Office 
decided not to pursue a criminal case against the editor of the 
newspaper Kolokol, accused of inciting ethnic hatred through a series 
of anti-Semitic articles. The MBHR and the Volgograd Jewish community 
had sought such a case, the latter appealing for action on numerous 
occasions, without result. The prosecutor reportedly found the statute 
of limitations applied to one of the offending articles and that the 
others did not meet sufficient cause of action under the hate crime 
laws.
    An anti-Semitic novel, The Nameless Beast, by Yevgeny Chebalin, had 
been on sale in the State Duma's bookstore since September 2003, 
despite international publicity. The xenophobic and anti-Semitic text 
makes offensive comparisons of Jews and non-Russians. According to the 
ADL, authorities do not typically monitor for content books sold in the 
Duma. In cases where Jewish or other public organizations have 
attempted to take legal action against the publishers, the courts have 
been generally unwilling to recognize the presence of anti-Semitic 
content.
    Anti-Semitic statements have resulted in formal prosecution, but 
while the Government has publicly denounced nationalist ideology and 
supports legal action against anti-Semitic acts, the reluctance of some 
lower-level officials to call such acts anything other than 
``hooliganism'' remained problematic. According to the ADL, in 2006 
human rights organizations made numerous attempts to prosecute the 
authors of the ``Letter of 500.'' However, their attempts were 
unsuccessful. According to the Obschestvennoye Mnenie (Public Opinion) 
Foundation, after the January 2006 Moscow synagogue attack, the number 
of citizens who condemned anti-Semitism increased by almost 10 percent. 
A poll concerning the attack showed that the proportion of citizens who 
had a negative attitude towards anti-Semites increased from 34 to 42 
percent, while the proportion of those who claimed to be indifferent to 
them decreased from 47 to 38 percent. Distrust and dislike of Jews was 
expressed by 7 percent of the respondents, while 5 percent sympathized 
with those who expressed dislike.
    In January 2006, the Nizhniy Novgorod Muslim Council condemned 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's appeal to rid the world of 
Israel in an aggressive call for another Holocaust. The council issued 
a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day urging citizens 
to overcome anti-Semitism, extremism and xenophobia.
    On June 8, 2005, Patriarch Aleksey II sent a statement to the OSCE 
Conference on Anti-Semitism and Other Forms of Intolerance meeting in 
Cordoba, Spain, in which, reportedly for the first time, he publicly 
referred to anti-Semitism as a ``sin.''
    Members of the State Duma and other prominent figures expressed 
anti-Semitic sentiments. In January 2005, approximately 500 persons, 
including nineteen members of the Duma representing the Rodina Party 
and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), wrote to the 
prosecutor general to investigate Jewish organizations and initiate 
proceedings to ban them, charging that a Russian translation of ancient 
Jewish law, the Kitzur Shulchan Arukh, incited hatred against non-Jews. 
The MFA condemned the letter as did President Putin, and the Duma 
passed a resolution condemning the letter in February 2005. In 
response, approximately 5,000 persons, reportedly including a number of 
ROC clerics and some prominent cultural figures, signed a similar anti-
Semitic letter to the prosecutor general in March 2005. A Moscow 
district prosecutor opened an investigation into the Jewish 
organization that published the translation, as well as into charges 
brought by Jewish and human rights organizations that the letters 
violated federal laws against ethnic incitement, but closed both 
investigations in June 2005 without bringing charges. In January 2006, 
some of the deputies who had signed the letter said in an interview 
that the letter had been the ``right step.'' One deputy even proposed 
at a Rodina meeting to repeat the letter with even wider distribution. 
Originally registered with well-known neo-Nazis on its electoral lists, 
Rodina attempted to improve its image by rejecting openly neo-Nazi 
candidates; however, it allowed others known for their anti-Semitic 
views to remain. On November 21, 2005, head of the Rodina party Dmitry 
Rogozin, in a meeting with Rabbi Lazar, claimed that neither he nor 
anyone around him from the party were anti-Semites. He claimed that 
although a number of members of the Rodina Duma faction did sign the 
``letter of 500,'' it included deputies who were not members of the 
party and therefore did not follow party discipline.
    State Duma Deputy Vladimir Zhirinovskiy and the Liberal Democratic 
Party of Russia (LDPR) are also known for their anti-Semitic rhetoric 
and statements. In earlier years, LDPR supporters rallied during 
Moscow's May Day celebration, carrying anti-Semitic signs and speaking 
out against what they called ``world Zionism,'' but there were no 
reports of this during the period covered by this report. Nikolay 
Kurianovich, an LDPR Duma deputy, initiated and publicized the creation 
of a ``list of the enemies of the Russian people,'' with mostly Jewish 
names on the list.
    Some members of the KPRF also made anti-Semitic statements. For 
example, former Krasnodar Kray governor and current State Duma deputy 
Nikolay Kondratenko at a June/July 2004 conference in Beirut, blamed 
Zionism and Jews in general for many of the country's problems and 
blamed Jews for helping to destroy the Soviet Union. His speech was 
printed in the Communist Party's main newspaper Sovetskaya Rossiya and 
several regional papers, including the Krasnodar paper Kuban Segodnya 
and the Volgograd paper Volgogradskaya Tribuna.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In June 2006 the administration of Arsen Kanokov, president of the 
Kabardino-Balkaria Republic (KBR), drafted a new three-year program to 
implement measures to protect human rights. The document assesses the 
work of republic and local government officials and of the Interior 
Ministry, which under its former head, Khachim Shogenov, reportedly 
targeted young Muslim men in a misdirected attempt to curb militant 
Islam.
    The Slavic Center for Law and Justice reported as of June 20, 2006 
that the Land Committee of the Western District of Moscow officially 
allowed the Emmanuel Church to rent 4,000 square meters of land under 
the old House of Culture in the Solntsevo district of Moscow, which 
members planned to convert into a prayer house and church office 
buildng. As for the piece of land on Prospekt Verndaskoyo (Moscow 
Western District), authorities had not decided. This decision came 
after a Moscow district court ruled on November 14, 2005, that it 
agreed with the Emmanuel Pentecostal Church that the local authorities 
had violated the legal procedure for regulating public events in its 
handling of the Church's repeated demonstrations. The same court ruled 
on October 10, 2005, that thirteen police had wrongfully detained 
Emmanuel members following a demonstration a week earlier. Pastor 
Purshaga confirmed that his church--which had been staging regular 
demonstrations for over eight months--and protesting since 1996 
discrimination that prevented them from building a Pentecostal Church, 
stopped encountering police obstruction following these court 
decisions. During their long fight, authorities arrested members and 
Pastor Purshaga on several occasions. They served five days in jail in 
June 2005.
    In Voronezh the regional administration organized a roundtable 
meeting in November 2005 at which representatives from the police, the 
procuracy, the Federal Security Services, local authorities, 
universities, NGOs, academics, and religious groups discussed the 
problems of racism, intolerance, and interethnic relations. Following 
the meeting, officials set up a coordination committee chaired by the 
deputy governor of Voronezh region, bringing together law enforcement 
agencies, representatives from the town's universities, NGOs, and 
religious institutions with the aim of creating a plan of action.
    Izvestiya reported that on May 17, 2005, the Moscow city government 
decided to create a two-year, $12.5 million (350 million ruble) program 
to promote interethnic tolerance.
    Federal and regional officials participated actively in, and in 
many cases strongly supported, a range of NGO-organized programs to 
promote tolerance and the more effective handling of hate crimes.
    In addition, the newly established Public Chamber, a body that the 
government set up to represent civil society and whose approach 
President Putin appeared largely to direct, recognized racism and 
intolerance as a serious issue and a priority on which to work. The 
Public Chamber set up a commission on tolerance and freedom of 
conscience.
    In the past five years, the number of organized Jewish communities 
in the country has increased from 87 to more than 200. In 2005 
officials dedicated new synagogues in Birobidzhan (Jewish Autonomous 
Oblast), Khabarvosk, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg; and opened a 
Jewish school in Kazan.
    The reporting period witnessed a few developments in the cultural 
life of the Jewish community such as opening of a new building to house 
a Jewish Community Center in St. Petersburg in September 2005. The 
Federation of Jewish Communities, which officially accounts for 184 
communities in 176 cities of the country, was restoring a synagogue in 
Irkutsk. The project was to be completed in the summer of 2006. As of 
early 2006, the FJC had built eleven multifunctional community centers 
in the country. A Jewish center and synagogue are being constructed in 
Lipetsk, and the construction was expected to be competed in the fall 
of 2006.
    The support of federal authorities, and in many cases regional and 
local authorities, facilitated the establishment of new Jewish 
institutions. On June 26, 2006, Arkadiy Gaydamak President of the 
Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations of Russia, 
and Chief Rabbi of Russia Shayevich signed an investment contract 
regarding the construction of a Moscow Jewish community center. Work 
began on the construction of a $100 million dollar (2,700,000,000 
rubles) complex on land donated by the Moscow city government to house 
Jewish community institutions including a school, a hospital, and a 
major new museum devoted to the history of the country's Jews, the 
Holocaust, and tolerance. The construction was scheduled to be 
completed by the end of 2008.
    On September 1, 2005, a center for scribing sacred Jewish scrolls 
opened in St. Petersburg for the first time in eighty years. Located in 
the Jewish educational center Tomhei Tmimim Lubavich Yeshivah, the 
center named ``Merkaz Stam'' will train specialists in scribing and 
verifying Torah scrolls, Tefillins, and Mezuzahs for use by the Jewish 
population in the city. A certified specialist from Israel directed the 
center.
    See Anti-Semitic Acts section for reports of positive developments 
on closing of anti-Semitic newspapers, public opinion about anti-
Semites, and condemnation of Iranian President Ahmadinejab.
    Some minority groups were able to obtain restitution of their 
religious property. Press reports in August 2005 indicated that 
officials returned a church that Soviet authorities had confiscated in 
1922 to a St. Petersburg Russian Orthodox Old Believers' Community. On 
September 5, 2005, authorities returned school buildings in Rostov-on-
Don and Orenburg to the Jewish community, and in September 2004, they 
returned a synagogue in Vladivostok. In 2004, Tula City Duma returned a 
church to the Catholic community. On September 18, 2005 the Roman 
Catholic Church consecrated its new church in Pskov after many delays 
apparently due to ROC pressure.
    Jehovah's Witnesses reported that authorities resolved a child 
custody case in their favor during the reporting period.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Religious matters are not a source of pronounced societal tension 
or overt discrimination for most citizens; however, many citizens 
firmly believe that at least nominal adherence to the ROC is a part of 
Russian culture. Instances of terrorism and events related to the war 
in Chechnya have given rise to negative popular attitudes toward 
traditionally Muslim ethnic groups in many regions. Instances of 
religiously motivated violence continued, although it was often 
difficult to determine whether xenophobia, religion, or ethnic 
prejudices are the primary motivation. Conservative activists claiming 
ties to the ROC disseminated negative publications and staged 
demonstrations throughout the country against Roman Catholics, 
Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other minority religions, and 
some ROC leaders expressed similar views. See the Anti-Semitic Acts 
section for additional information on this subject.
    There is no large-scale movement to promote interfaith dialogue; 
however, some religious groups successfully collaborate on the local 
level on charity projects and participate in interfaith dialogues. 
Pentecostal and Baptist organizations, as well as the ROC, have been 
reluctant to support ecumenism. At the international level, the ROC has 
traditionally pursued interfaith dialogue with other Christian groups. 
Individuals associated with Russian Orthodox and Muslim hierarchies 
made numerous hostile statements opposing the decision and continued to 
consider it a source of tension.
    A small splinter group of the RNE called ``Russian Rebirth'' 
registered successfully in the past in Tver and Nizhniy Novgorod as a 
social organization, prompting protests from human rights groups; 
however, in several regions such as Moscow and Kareliya, the 
authorities have limited the activities of the RNE by denying 
registration to their local affiliates. According to Sova Center, there 
were neither registration denials nor registrations of RNE during the 
reporting period.
    Hostility toward non-Russian-Orthodox religious groups sparked 
harassment and occasionally physical attacks. The police investigation 
of the June 2004 killing of Nikolai Girenko, an expert on xenophobia, 
racism, and anti-Semitism, finally produced suspects in May 2006. 
Moscow newspapers reported that in late May 2006 officials detained 
five men in St. Petersburg for possible ties to the killing of an 
African student and on suspicion of the murder of Girenko, according to 
city prosecutor Sergey Zaitsev. The suspects, members of the Mad Crowd 
group, are thought to have killed Girenko as revenge for Girenko's 
testimony in court against another extremist group. Girenko had served 
for many years as an expert witness in trials involving alleged 
skinheads and neo-Nazis.
    Muslims, the largest religious minority, continued to encounter 
societal discrimination and antagonism in some regions. After 
terrorists associated with Chechen, Ingush, and Islamic extremists 
seized a school in September 2004 in Beslan, North Ossetia, interethnic 
and interreligious tensions resulting in discrimination persisted in 
the region without the authorities' intervention, according to NGOs. 
Muslims claimed that citizens in certain regions feared Muslims, citing 
cases such as a dispute in Kolomna, approximately sixty miles southeast 
of Moscow, over the proposed construction of a mosque. Government 
officials, journalists, and the public have been quick to label Muslim 
organizations ``Wahhabi,'' a term that has become equivalent with 
``extremist.'' Such sentiment has led to a formal ban on Wahhabism in 
Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkariya. Numerous press reports documented 
anti-Islamic sentiment.
    On March 14, 2006, in the republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, 
unknown persons armed with Kalashnikovs fired twenty-seven cartridges 
at the home of mufti Ismail Hadzhi Berdiyev, chair of the Muslim 
Coordinated Council for Spiritual Management of Karachayevo-Cherkessia 
and Stavropol Regions.
    In Muslim-dominated regions, relations between Muslims and Russian 
Orthodox believers were generally harmonious. In Tatarstan, the 
authorities promoted the liberal brand of Islamic thought dubbed 
``Euro-Islam''; however, tensions occasionally emerged in the republic 
and the surrounding Volga region. Law enforcement organizations closely 
watched Muslim groups. Officials often described Muslim charitable 
organizations as providing aid to extremists in addition to their overt 
charitable work. Extremely traditional or orthodox versions of Islam 
were often associated in the public mind with terrorism and radical 
Muslim fighters in the North Caucasus.
    Although the previous reporting period saw the chairman of the 
Council of Muftis, the head of the Central Spiritual Board of the 
country's Muslims, and the head of the Coordinating Center of Muslims 
of the North Caucasus jointly denounce terrorism, the national press 
carried stories during the reporting period highlighting their public 
differences in attitudes toward Wahabbism, among other things.
    In April 2006, officials detained seven teenagers between the ages 
of fifteen and sixteen in the town of Dzerzhinsk in the Nizhniy 
Novgorod Region for throwing stones and a Molotov cocktail at a local 
mosque. An investigation was continuing. On December 2, 2005, vandals 
set on fire a two-story wooden building housing the Muslim Board of 
Komi, which housed a mosque. The fire destroyed the roof and damaged 
thirty square meters of the premises; there were no injuries. The 
emergency situations' authorities said the fire was the result of 
arson.
    In February 2005, vandals desecrated twenty-six tombs in a Muslim 
cemetery in Yoshkar-Oly; in January 2005, vandals desecrated ten tombs 
in the Donskoye Muslim cemetery in Moscow. Teenagers were suspected of 
involvement in both of these incidents. In January 2005, vandals 
painted swastikas on the walls of the ``Tauba'' mosque in Nizhniy 
Novgorod. Investigators characterized these crimes as ``mere 
hooliganism'' rather than as hate crimes, or national and religious 
extremism.
    Although a Yekaterinburg journalist reported militiamen barred 
women wearing the hijab from local subway stations on several occasions 
in 2005, she did not know of similar incidents in the reporting period 
nor of any overt signs of intolerance toward Muslims on religious 
grounds.
    On May 21, 2006, in downtown Yaroslavl, skinheads reportedly kicked 
a thirty-year-old Hare Krishna in the stomach several times.
    According to press reports, in September 2004, representatives of 
the Aleksandr Nevsky Patriotic Society disrupted a pre-approved 
demonstration organized by Hare Krishna members in Saratov, held in 
memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Beslan.
    On November 14, 2005, a thirty-six-year-old resident of the 
Smolensk region detonated an explosive device in the ROC Chapel near 
the town of Vyazma because of his ``dislike for the Russian Orthodox 
Church.'' Officials charged him under the Criminal Code for vandalism, 
illegal possession of weapons and explosives, and willing destruction 
of property using explosives.
    On March 11, 2006, vandals robbed and desecrated the church of the 
Resurrection of Christ in the Vysotskoye settlement in Yaroslavskaya 
Region. On February 26, 2006, teenagers desecrated a chapel in the 
Smolenskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, and on February 5, 2006, 
vandals broke street lamps and spray-painted the Center of Russian 
Spirituality of the Orthodox Church of the Mother of God with 
xenophobic slogans.
    During the reporting period, the tensions between the Vatican and 
the ROC notably decreased, although the Patriarchy in Moscow continued 
to object to the transfer of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic See from Lviv 
to Kiev, which occurred in August 2005. Other issues of concern that 
remained between the two groups include the ROC's continued negative 
perception that Roman Catholics proselytize across the country and a 
proposal by a local priest to open a small, three-room Catholic 
Carmelite convent whose main mission would be to work with orphans in 
the city of Nizhniy Novgorod. The ROC alleged that the convent would 
serve as a base for missionary activities, and the Catholic Church 
indicated that the convent was not a full-fledged convent but a means 
for caring for local orphans.
    In a meeting in March 2006 with a Franciscan Order delegation, 
Patriarch Aleksey II reportedly said that he hoped the Catholic Church 
would stop proselytizing Orthodox believers and those with Orthodox 
roots because the rivalry in winning souls makes their work more 
difficult at a time when the world needs the fruit of both churches in 
their Christian efforts.
    In June 2005, Patriarch Aleksey met with the President of the 
Italian Parliament Pier Ferdinando and they jointly launched an appeal 
for Catholics and Orthodox to avoid ``negative and anti-Christian 
tendencies'' and to cooperate ``against violence, egoism, and moral 
relativism.''
    In February 2006 Cardinal Roger Etchegaray traveled to Moscow to 
take part in celebrating the patriarch's birthday and feast day. 
Observers saw this as the result of the government's attempt to ease 
the tensions between the two churches and pave the way for a papal 
visit to Moscow, which President Putin has publicly championed, sending 
Foreign Minister Lavrov to the Vatican in June 2005.
    On the night of April 27-28, 2006, vandals set fire to an Adventist 
church in Taganrog in Rostov Region, after breaking windows earlier 
that week. The fire was termed arson. It was the first such incident at 
that church.
    Reports of the harassment of evangelicals and Pentecostals 
dramatically decreased during the reporting period. In contrast to 
previous reports and Helsinki Commission testimony in April 2005 about 
the vandalizing and burning of prayer houses in Nekrasovskoye, 
Chelyabinsk, Bratsk, Izhevsk, Buryatiya, Oshkar Ola, Khalsk, and 
Poldolsk, where authorities made no arrests, few such instances 
appeared to have occurred since September 2005, when Bishop Sergey 
Ryakhovskiy joined the Public Chamber. Nevertheless, African-Russian 
and African ministers of non-Orthodox Christian churches experienced 
prejudicial treatment, based apparently on a combination of religious 
and racial bigotry.
    According to the Slavic Center for Law and Justice, in April 2005, 
the eve of Russian Orthodox Easter, vandals firebombed a Baptist church 
in Chelyabinsk. Local Baptists blame coverage in a news broadcast on a 
local television channel for characterizing the Baptists as a 
``totalitarian sect.'' According to church sources, after the fire, 
employees of the television station visited the church to apologize, 
saying they did not expect their report to have this effect. The 
station broadcast a retraction, and the pastor of the church and the 
local Baptist bishop called a press conference, this time receiving 
sympathetic television coverage.
    Picketers held demonstrations outside New Life Church in 
Yekaterinburg on May 8, May 15, and May 22, 2005, but only a few people 
took part in them. Anti-Evangelical activists held pickets beginning in 
March 2005 in an attempt to demand city authorities evict the New Life 
Church from its building. This represented the near-cessation of 
members of the Orthodox Brotherhood and members of City Without Drugs 
picketing of Sunday services at Protestant churches in Yekaterinburg. 
The situation is calm according to the pastor of Living Word Church, 
the head of the Adventist congregation, and the Bishop of the New Life 
church. In April 2005, at the request of Protestant leaders, 
Yekaterinburg city officials began denying permission to groups who 
wished to picket outside Protestant churches, accusing members of these 
churches of torturing and even killing children, and espionage.
    The press routinely continued to reference members of Jehovah's 
Witnesses as a religious ``sect,'' although they had been present in 
the country for approximately one-hundred years. In November 2004, the 
ROC-affiliated NGO Committee for the Salvation of Youth from 
Totalitarian Sects filed a claim with the prosecutor general seeking 
the dissolution of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in 
Russia. A common prejudice circulating among the general public was 
that members of Jehovah's Witnesses are ``spies of imperialism.'' In 
January 2004, the governor of Stavropol Kray compared members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses to Wahhabis. This comparison resonated particularly 
strongly in Stavropol, an area that had been attacked by Chechen 
separatists.
    According to Interfax, in September 2005 Yekaterinburg Russian 
Orthodox Archbishop Vikenty invited listeners of the Voskresenie 
Diocesan radio station to convert Jehovah's Witnesses to the Orthodox 
faith, referring to their beliefs as ``delusions.''
    During the reporting period, officials reported thirty cases of 
physical attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the country while 
they engaged in their preaching work; of these, five took place in 
Moscow. The authorities did not take any action against the assailants.
    In April 2006 unidentified individuals reportedly climbed over the 
fence of the Pskov Kingdom Hall and broke two windows.
    After nearly two years of criminal proceedings, in March 2005, 
authorities found the Sakharov Center Director and a staff member 
guilty of inciting religious hatred and fined them approximately $3,750 
(100,000 rubles) each. Officials acquitted the third defendant of all 
charges. Although the Moscow City Court dismissed their appeal, the 
Center entered an appeal at the European Court in Strasbourg. The 
charges stemmed from a provocative 2003 exhibit of religious-themed art 
entitled ``Danger, Religion!'' Authorities never charged those who 
vandalized the exhibit with a crime, and the verdict leaves room for 
the state and the ROC to define parameters for religious and artistic 
expression.
    During the reporting period, the Slavic Center for Law and Justice 
and a number of minority ``nontraditional'' religious leaders asserted 
that the Government and majority religious groups increasingly used the 
mass media, conferences, and public demonstrations to foment opposition 
to minority religions as threats to physical, mental, and spiritual 
health; asserting that these groups threatened national security. 
Speakers associated with the ROC took part in antisect conferences and 
meetings around the country.
    In 2004 the Izhevsk newspaper Infopanorama published an article 
that slandered the pastor of that city's Work of Faith Evangelical 
Church for which the newspaper later apologized. In Krasnodar Kray, the 
local Adventist congregation was unable to move the prosecutor general 
to initiate a criminal investigation against a television station that 
broadcast an allegation that the Adventists conducted ritual killings 
each year.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Government continued to engage the Government, a number of 
religious groups, NGOs, and others in a regular dialogue on religious 
freedom. The U.S. embassy in Moscow and the consulates general in 
Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Vladivostok actively investigated 
reports of violations of religious freedom. In the period covered by 
this report, their contacts included government officials, 
representatives of all traditional and many ``nontraditional'' 
religious confessions, the Slavic Center for Law and Justice, the Anti-
Defamation League, lawyers representing religious groups, journalists, 
academics, and human rights activists.
    The embassy and consulates worked with NGOs to encourage the 
development of programs designed to sensitize law enforcement officials 
and municipal and regional administration officials to recognize 
discrimination, prejudice, and crimes motivated by ethnic or religious 
intolerance. Senior embassy officials discussed religious freedom with 
high-ranking officials in the presidential administration and the 
Government, including the MFA, raising specific cases of concern. 
Federal officials responded by investigating some of those cases and by 
keeping embassy staff informed on issues they have raised. As part of 
continuing efforts to monitor the overall climate of religious 
tolerance, the embassy and consulates maintained frequent contact with 
working-level officials at the MOJ, presidential administration, and 
MFA.
    The embassy addresses religious freedom by maintaining a broad 
range of contacts in the religious and NGO communities. Two positions 
in the embassy's political section are dedicated to human rights and 
religious freedom issues. These officers work closely with other U.S. 
officers in Moscow and U.S. consulates around the country.
    Consular officers routinely assisted U.S. citizens involved in 
criminal, customs, and immigration cases; officers were sensitive to 
any indications that these cases involved possible violations of 
religious freedom. Such issues were raised regularly in meetings with 
the Consular Department of the MFA and with the MVD. As U.S. 
missionaries and religious workers comprised a significant component of 
the local U.S. citizen population, the embassy conducted a vigorous 
outreach program to provide consular services, and to maintain contact 
for emergency planning purposes and to inquire about the missionaries' 
experiences vis-a-vis immigration, registration, and police authorities 
as one gauge of religious freedom.
    The U.S. ambassador addressed religious freedom in public addresses 
and consultations with government officials. He attended events on 
major religious holidays and often met with a range of religious 
leaders from various denominations. He hosted discussions on religious 
freedom with the leaders of major religious denominations.
    The U.S. Government continued to press the country to adhere to 
international standards of religious freedom. Officials in the U.S. 
Department of State met regularly with U.S.-based human rights groups 
and religious organizations, as well as with visiting representatives 
of local religious organizations, the Slavic Center for Law and 
Justice, and members of the State Service Academy that trains regional 
officials in charge of registering local religious organizations.
    Members of the staffs of the U.S. consulates general in St. 
Petersburg, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg met with religious leaders 
from a range of denominations in several cities in their consular 
district. During the reporting period, the consulate general in 
Yekaterinburg maintained a particularly active outreach program to the 
Muslim community of the Urals.
    Consulate officials met with representatives of different religious 
groups in Ufa, including the chief mufti of the Central Muslim 
Spiritual Board, Talgat Tadjuddin, to discuss the current situation and 
U.S.-related issues.
    As part of the embassy's outreach to the Muslim community and to 
promote tolerance, in summer 2005 the second annual English language 
camp sponsored by the embassy in Moscow and the consulate general in 
Yekaterinburg took place in Ufa, Bashkortostan. The two summer camps, 
each three weeks long, allowed approximately 200 children from low-
income families to improve their English, leadership skills and 
understanding of U.S. culture.
    In April 2006 the head of the Tajik NGO Somon who participated in 
the International Visitor Program (IVP) invited the Consul General to a 
seminar titled ``Tolerance Starts at School.'' This seminar was the 
second stage of the ``Teaching Tolerance'' project sponsored by the 
Democracy Commission. The first stage took place in January 2006, and 
brought together teachers and representatives of ethnic NGOs in 
Yekaterinburg. The third seminar, in May, was geared to law enforcement 
officials.
    The U.S. Government organized exchanges under the IVP with a focus 
on religious freedom issues. In February and March 2006, a group of 
religious leaders, NGO representatives, and journalists who covered 
religious tolerance issues from Yekaterinburg and Orenburg, visited the 
USA under the regional IVP ``Community Activism in Promoting a Tolerant 
Society.'' After coming back, the Orthodox and Muslim religious leaders 
gave interviews to religion-oriented television and radio programs and 
newspapers, emphasizing their positive impressions of activities of 
U.S. NGOs, confessions, and government structures. A journalist 
published an article on this program in one of the major Yekaterinburg 
newspapers.
    In February 2006, during the regional workshop for the American 
Corners, one session was devoted to outreach programs for the Muslim 
population. A deputy director of the Interethnic Information Center 
gave the coordinators advice on how to contact and attract the Muslim 
community to their events.
    On February 28, 2006, 500 students from 7 Vladivostok universities 
attended a student conference sponsored by the consulate general in 
Vladivostok with the theme ``Tolerance in Multi-Cultural, Multi-Ethnic, 
Multi-Faith Societies: Challenges, Practices, and Opportunities'' at 
the Far Eastern State Technical University. More than fifty students 
delivered English-language presentations on international practices in 
tolerance, Consul General John Mark Pommersheim delivered opening 
remarks, and International Information Programs speaker Dr. Rock 
Brynner delivered the keynote address. There was also an NGO roundtable 
composed of U.S. Government exchange program alumni that featured 
religious tolerance as well.
    In September 2005 a speaker on religious tolerance visited 
Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, and Zlatoust, which had experienced 
problems between religious groups, and met with religious communities, 
officials, journalists, human rights activists, and students.
    In March 2005, the consulate general in Yekaterinburg supported an 
academic conference on ethnic and religious tolerance at Orenburg State 
University. The conference drew participants from throughout the 
country and Kazakhstan. The mufti of Orenburg Oblast and the head of 
the Orthodox Church in Orenburg both participated in the conference.
    In September 2004, the consulate general in Yekaterinburg sent a 
group of ten primarily Muslim community and religious leaders from the 
Urals to the United States on a program entitled ``Promoting 
Multiculturalism in Civic Life.'' As a result, one participant, a 
television producer, devoted an episode of her television show ``Islam 
Today'' to religious freedom in the U.S. and, along with another 
participant, founded the ``Interethnic Information Center,'' which 
followed media coverage of ethnic and religious minorities and worked 
to educate journalists and government officials on tolerance issues. 
The Democracy Commission gave them a small grant to create an on-line 
news portal for ethnic and religious organizations.
    During the period covered by this report, the embassy's Democracy 
Commission, a small (up to $24,000 or approximately 648,000 rubles) 
grants program supporting local NGOs working on a range of issues, 
approved 4 tolerance-related grants totaling approximately $48,800 
(approximately 1,317,600 rubles). A group of religious leaders from 
Yekaterinburg, representing multiple religious groups, participated in 
an International Visitor Leadership Program devoted to religious 
freedom of expression and the development of constructive 
interconfessional relations.
    Between April 16 and 27, 2006, the Youth LINX program facilitated 
dialogues in Ivanovo, Kostroma, and Moscow among religious leaders in 
an effort to increase interfaith communication and understanding and 
expose local university students to tolerance issues. In Kostroma, for 
example, regional clergymen Father Grigoriy Chekmenyov, Father Mikhail 
Nasonov, Imam-Khatab Marat Zhalyaletdinov, and Rabbi Nison Mendl Ruppo 
served as panel experts, and a Kostroma State University student, 
trained on tolerance issues, moderated the discussion. Professors of 
the Philosophy Department of Kostroma State University and 
approximately fifty five students attended the event. Representatives 
of the Kostroma regional administration emphasized the importance of an 
open dialogue in promoting tolerance.
    During the reporting period, the Southern Russia Resource Center 
(SRRC) conducted two workshops on interethnic tolerance specifically 
targeted to youth organizations, as well as a school for NGO leaders, 
two workshops in community mobilization in a post-conflict environment, 
and a public relations school for journalists and NGOs. The SRRC issued 
ten grants to six Chechen, three Ossetian, and one Ingush organizations 
to promote tolerance among youth in these republics; these projects 
ended in March 2006. In February 2006 the SRRC signed an agreement with 
the Ministry of Nationalities in Ingushetia to support SRRC's 
activities in the republic and to consult the Ministry about the issues 
of interethnic understanding and cooperation.
    In June and July 2005, U.S. Government grantee, SRRC, in 
partnership with the Tolerance Institute, conducted seminars for sixty 
participants from North Ossetia, Chechnya and Ingushetia, promoting 
models for how to prevent and address such problems as xenophobia, 
cultural ignorance, and interethnic conflict. Participants included NGO 
leaders, journalists, youth leaders, and regional and local government 
officials.
    The United States supported two additional tolerance projects 
through the PartNER (Partnerships, Networking, Empowerment, and Roll-
out) program, which ended in December 2004. One of these projects, the 
Ural NGO Support Center (UNGOSC), worked to encourage public discussion 
of ethnic and religious tolerance in Perm. UNGOSC worked with media 
outlets and various organizations to publicize program activities, 
conduct a training program for journalists to promote more responsible 
media coverage on racial and ethnic issues, recruit training 
participants and stage public awareness campaigns and seminars. 
Officials conducted the other tolerance project at the Volga 
Humanitarian-Theological Institute in Nizhniy Novgorod, which provided 
representatives of government and religious organizations with a series 
of seminars to educate participants and help them focus their thoughts 
and ideas on religious policy issues. The activity of religious 
communities in the Volga Federal District increased as a result of this 
project by uniting their efforts to assist street children, migrants, 
and other people in difficult situations and establishing a website to 
serve as a virtual resource center for state officials and community 
leaders.
    In 2004-2005, the U.S. continued to support through a grant the Bay 
Area Council for Jewish Rescue and Renewal's ``Climate of Trust'' 
program, which focuses on forming and strengthening Regional Tolerance 
Councils in Kazan, Ryazan, and Leningrad Oblast. As the result of the 
program, officials introduced tolerance courses for militia cadets in 
the St. Petersburg Law Institute of the General Procuracy and the 
Ryazan Branch of the Moscow Academy of the MVD. Tatarstan's regional 
Ministry of Education signed an agreement on March 1, 2005, in which it 
pledged to include tolerance courses in continuing education programs 
for school teachers.
                               __________

                               SAN MARINO

    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 37.57 square miles and a population of 
approximately 30 thousand.
    The Government does not provide statistics on the size of religious 
groups, and there were no census data providing information on 
religious membership; however, it is estimated that more than 95 
percent of the population was Roman Catholic. Other religious groups 
included small numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses, Baha'is, Muslims, Jews, 
and members of the Waldesian Church.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice. The Government at all 
levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its 
abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Although Catholicism is dominant, it is not the state religion, and 
the law prohibits discrimination based on religion. The Catholic Church 
receives direct benefits from the state through income tax revenues; 
taxpayers may request that 0.3 percent of their income tax payments be 
allocated to the Catholic Church or to ``other'' charities, including 
three religious groups (the Waldesian Church, the Baha'i Community, and 
Jehovah's Witnesses).
    In 1993, some parliamentarians objected to the traditional 1909 
oath of loyalty sworn on the ``Holy Gospels.'' Following this 
objection, Parliament changed the law in 1993 to permit a choice 
between the traditional oath and one in which the reference to the 
Gospels was replaced with ``on my honor.'' In 1999, a European Court of 
Human Rights (ECHR) ruling implicitly endorsed the revised 1993 legal 
formulation. The ECHR also noted that the traditional oath continues to 
be mandatory for other offices, such as the captain regent or a member 
of the Government; however, by the end of the period covered by this 
report, no elected Captain Regent or government member had challenged 
the validity of the 1909 oath.
    There are no private religious schools; the school system is public 
and is financed by the state. Public schools provide Catholic religious 
instruction; however, students may choose without penalty not to 
participate.
    Epiphany, Saint Agatha, Easter, Corpus Domini, All Saints' Day, 
Commemoration of the Dead, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas are 
national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, and government and religious 
officials encourage mutual respect for differences.
    The country's role protecting religious minorities during World War 
II, including 100,000 total refugees, approximately 1,000 percent of 
the country's regular population at the time, is a public source of 
pride for citizens and government officials.
    Catholicism is not a state religion, but it is dominant in society, 
as most citizens were born and raised under Catholic principles that 
form part of their culture. These principles still permeate state 
institutions symbolically; for example, crucifixes sometimes hang on 
courtroom or government office walls. The country's dominant Catholic 
heritage may inform individual choices on lifestyle matters such as 
marriage or divorce, although there is no government suasion involved.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its policy to promote human rights and has always 
found the Government fully open to such discussions.
                               __________

                         SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

    The constitution and laws of the state union of Serbia and 
Montenegro provide for freedom of religion, and the state union 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There was no 
state religion in Serbia and Montenegro; however, the majority Serbian 
Orthodox Church received some preferential consideration. The 
constituent republics of the state union handled most religious 
affairs. The constitution and laws of the republic of Montenegro 
provided for freedom of religion and generally respected this right in 
practice. The republic of Serbia adopted a discriminatory law on 
religion that creates an inequality among religious groups. President 
Tadic indicated that he would seek to amend the law which, in its 
current version, would impede the free practice of religion in Serbia.
    During the period covered by this report, Montenegro's government 
policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of 
religion in its republic. However, government respect for religious 
freedom in Serbia deteriorated over the period because of the 
problematic law on religion.
    There were some instances of discrimination and acts of societal 
violence directed against representatives of religious minorities in 
Serbia and Montenegro. The Jewish community in Serbia reported 
continuing incidents of anti-Semitism, including anti-Semitic books, 
during the period covered by this report; however, there were fewer 
incidents directed at religious groups overall than during the previous 
reporting period. Leaders of minority religious communities often 
reported acts of vandalism, hate speech, physical attacks, and negative 
media reports labeling them ``sects,'' ``satanists,'' or ``deviants.'' 
Police and government officials took some positive steps in response to 
acts of hate speech and vandalism; however, in Serbia, the punishments 
for perpetrators tended to be lenient.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
state union and republic governments as part of its overall policy to 
promote human rights. Embassy representatives meet regularly with 
representatives of ethnic and religious minorities as well as with 
government representatives to promote respect for religious freedom. 
During the reporting period, embassy representatives advocated for 
changes in the laws on religion and restitution that would rectify some 
of the discriminatory aspects of the legislation. The embassy also 
assisted in rebuilding administrative offices of the Islamic 
communities in Belgrade and Nis that were heavily damaged by fires in 
March 2004.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The state union of Serbia and Montenegro (excluding U.N.-
administered Kosovo) has an area of nearly 35,300 square miles and a 
population of approximately 8,186,000. The predominant faith in the 
country was Serbian Orthodoxy. Approximately 78 percent of the citizens 
of Serbia and Montenegro, including most ethnic Serbs and Montenegrins 
who professed a religion, were Serbian Orthodox. The Muslim faith was 
the second largest in Serbia and Montenegro, with approximately 5 
percent of the population, including Slavic Muslims in the Sandzak, 
ethnic Albanians in Montenegro and southern Serbia, and Roma located 
throughout Serbia and Montenegro. Roman Catholics comprised 
approximately 4 percent of the population and were predominantly ethnic 
Hungarians in Vojvodina, ethnic Albanians in Montenegro, and ethnic 
Croats in Vojvodina and Montenegro. Protestants made up approximately 1 
percent of the population and included Adventists, Baptists, Reformed 
Christians, evangelical Christians, members of the Church of Christ, 
and Pentecostals. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses were also present. Serbia and 
Montenegro had a small and aging Jewish population numbering between 
2,000 and 2,400. The remainder of the population professed other faiths 
or claimed to be atheist. In a 2002 census, 3 percent of Serbian 
citizens claimed to be nonbelievers or declined to declare a religion. 
According to Montenegro's 2003 census, almost 70 percent of its 
population was Orthodox, 21 percent was Muslim, and 4 percent was 
Catholic.
    Approximately one hundred foreign missionaries from several faiths 
operated in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution and laws of the state union of Serbia and 
Montenegro and those of the republic of Montenegro provide for freedom 
of religion, and the governments at these levels generally respected 
this right in practice. However, the law on religion in Serbia, adopted 
in April 2006, discriminates among religious groups and requires 
minority religious groups, including religions that have been 
previously recognized, to re-register through an invasive and 
burdensome procedure in order to attain or retain their status as 
recognized religions.
    There is no state religion in Serbia and Montenegro; however, the 
Montenegrin Republic's constitution mentions the Orthodox Church, 
Islamic Religious Community, and Roman Catholic Church by name, stating 
that these and other religions are separate from the state. Serbia's 
law on religion recognizes seven ``traditional'' religious communities: 
The Serbian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Slovak 
Evangelical Church, the Reformed Christian Church, the Evangelical 
Christian Church, the Islamic religious community, and the Jewish 
religious community. The 2005 law on finance also recognizes only these 
seven religious groups, granting them tax exemptions, although the law 
was pending in the Constitutional Court at the end of the reporting 
period, and the minister of religion wrote letters to several minority 
religious groups stating that they would not have to pay taxes.
    Serbia has not recognized other Orthodox churches, despite attempts 
by the Macedonian, Romanian, and Montenegrin Orthodox churches to gain 
recognition. The new religion law reinforces this unwillingness to 
recognize them: Article 19 stipulates that the name of a religious 
organization cannot contain a name or part of a name of an existing 
registered group. For example, no group including the word ``Orthodox'' 
or ``Evangelical'' in its title could be registered as those are 
already found in the names of the traditional churches.
    Serbia's law on religion was the sixth iteration of a bill that was 
long under development. Previous versions perpetuated the special 
status and privileges of the seven traditional communities, but the 
Government had appeared committed to working with religious communities 
and the international community to grant privileges to smaller 
religious groups. However, the sixth version was submitted without 
adequate opportunity for comment. Key articles of the law that would 
grant the privileges of the traditional seven to pre-existing religious 
communities, including many smaller Protestant churches, were 
inexplicably dropped from the text at the last minute. Religious groups 
and international organizations who had long been engaged on the issue 
were not informed of last-minute changes in the draft and were caught 
unawares by Parliament's passage and the president's subsequent signing 
of the bill. President Tadic himself expressed reservations about the 
legislation; he attached a list of his reservations when he signed the 
bill and acknowledged that the legislation did not conform to 
international standards.
    Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), religious communities, 
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the 
Council of Europe's Venice Commission were highly critical of Serbia's 
religion law. It recognizes the ``traditional'' seven religious 
communities, while all other religious groups must now re-register with 
the Ministry of Religion, which has the discretion to decide whether to 
grant approval. Many of the religions now required to re-register have 
been recognized officially as religions in Serbia for over 50 years, 
and have been present in the republic for as long as 150 years.
    The registration requirements, deemed invasive by the Council of 
Europe, include submitting names, identity numbers and signatures of 
members; proof that the religious group meets the threshold of 0.001 
percent of adult citizens of Serbia (approximately sixty-five persons); 
the group's statute and summary of its religious teachings, ceremonies, 
religious goals, and basic activities; and information on sources of 
funding.
    Montenegro has no legislation to regulate the work of religious 
communities.
    The Orthodox Church also received preferential treatment beyond tax 
exemptions: The Serbian Government continued to collect money from 
postal charges for construction of a large Serbian Orthodox Church and 
to subsidize salaries for Serbian Orthodox clergy working in Kosovo and 
internationally.
    The Serbian Government required all religious organizations to 
submit annual financial statements as businesses. On March 2, 2005, 
Novi Sad's commercial court fined Serbia's Baptist Union $308 (20,000 
dinars) and its vice president, Zarko Djordjevic, $62 (4,000 dinars) 
for failure to comply, but suspended the fines because the Baptist 
Union had been unaware of the requirement. In 2004, the Adventist 
Church was fined $633 (500 euros) for the same offense. In 2005, legal 
proceedings were underway against the Adventist Church and the 
financial director of the Serbian Orthodox diocese of Raska/Prizren for 
failure to submit annual financial statements; the defendants submitted 
their paperwork and charges were dropped.
    Religious education in Serbian primary and secondary schools 
continued during the period covered by this report. According to a 2001 
Serbian government regulation, students are required either to attend 
classes from one of the seven ``traditional'' religious communities or 
to substitute a class in civic education. The proportion of students 
registering for religious education remained approximately equal to the 
proportion registering for civic education courses during the reporting 
period. Some Protestant leaders and NGOs in Serbia and in Montenegro 
continued to voice their objection to the teaching of religion in 
public schools. In Montenegro, religious studies have not been 
introduced as a subject in primary and secondary schools.
    Orthodox Christmas and Orthodox Easter are public holidays in 
Serbia and Montenegro. These holidays do not negatively affect other 
religious groups.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, police response to vandalism and other 
societal acts against religious groups rarely resulted in arrests, 
indictments, or other resolution of incidents. Some government 
officials continued to criticize minority religious groups as 
``sects,'' ``satanists'' and ``deviants.'' In addition, government 
actions have made it difficult for Orthodox churches not recognized by 
the Serbian Orthodox Church to operate in Serbia, including the 
Romanian Orthodox Church, the Macedonian Orthodox Church, and the 
Montenegrin Orthodox Church.
    Local authorities ordered the demolition of a Romanian Orthodox 
church built on private, rural land (which does not require building 
permits) in the village of Malajnica, Serbia. The authorities evidently 
acted because the local Serbian Orthodox clergy had not granted 
approval for the church as a matter of Orthodox Church rules and 
jurisdiction. The case was pending in the Supreme Court at the end of 
the reporting period, and the church remained standing. Local 
authorities also threatened to charge the church for the demolition of 
its own building.
    There is no chaplain service in the armed forces. Although local 
Serbian Orthodox priests are the only clergy offering religious 
services at armedforces chapels, members of the armed forces of other 
faiths can attend religious services outside their barracks and spend 
important religious holidays with their families. Because of cost 
considerations, the army has not implemented plans to meet Muslim 
soldiers' dietary requirements, which would require separate kitchens.
    In Montenegro, the Reis of the Islamic Community noted that Islamic 
prisoners and army conscripts have difficulty in receiving proper 
foods, i.e. meals without pork.
    The town of Leskovac, Serbia, has a municipal Council for the 
Prevention of Addictions and Religious Sects. The Council identified 
Adventists, Baptists, Pentecostals, the Evangelical Church, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, and ``satanists'' as sects and promoted propaganda against 
them.
    There was limited progress in Serbia during the period covered by 
this report on restitution of previously seized religious property. The 
Government reported that it was near to completing a register of seized 
religious property. As a temporary measure, a few religious communities 
were granted free use of some facilities that had been seized from 
them. At the close of the reporting period, Parliament was considering 
a draft law on restitution of religious property in Serbia. This draft 
law would recognize claims for religious property confiscated in 1945 
or later; some religious groups--particularly the Jewish and Islamic 
communities, who lost land prior to 1945--expressed opposition to this 
benchmark.
    The Belgrade Islamic community reported continued difficulties in 
acquiring land and government approval for an Islamic cemetery near the 
city. Religious organizations generally continued to report difficulty 
obtaining permission from local authorities in Serbia to build new 
worship facilities.
    Montenegro's 2004 Law on Restitution treats religious property as 
it treats privately owned property. In Montenegro, the Serbian Orthodox 
Church claimed property comprising a significant part of the Republic's 
territory.
    In 2004, the Government of Montenegro built a temporary waste 
facility on a site in Lovanja. A claim filed by Catholic priest Don 
Branko Zbutega that the Catholic Church held title to some of the land 
was rejected, and a countersuit filed against him by the Montenegrin 
Government was upheld. Zbutega appealed the $2,510 (2,000 euros) fine 
imposed on him in the case. The court trial regarding the ownership of 
Lovanja was pending; Zbutega died in April 2006.
    The Montenegrin Government challenged a decision by the Ministry of 
Defense of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to transfer 
military property to the majority Serbian Orthodox Church in 2003. 
Montenegrin officials claim the transfer was an illegal attempt to 
prevent the Republican Government from obtaining this property when the 
federal state was dissolved and replaced by the state union of Serbia 
and Montenegro. The case remained unresolved at the end of the period 
covered by this report, largely because of a moratorium on most 
transfers of military property.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Jewish leaders in Serbia reported continued incidents of anti-
Semitism, including small-circulation anti-Semitic books and Internet 
postings. The release of new books or reprints of translations of anti-
Semitic foreign literature often led to an increase in hate mail and 
other expressions of anti-Semitism. These same sources associated anti-
Semitism with anti-Western and anti-globalization sentiments, as well 
as with nationalism.
    On July 10, 2005, graffiti appeared in Smederevo's main square that 
read, ``Beware of the Jewish influence on government and the private 
sector,'' ``Inflation comes from the Jews,'' ``Death to Zionism,'' and 
``Riot against Jews,'' and included swastikas and Nazi slogans. 
Smederevo police arrested two suspects and a court sentenced them to 
thirty days in prison for inciting national, religious, and racial 
hatred. On July 11, anti-Semitic graffiti appeared on a Novi Sad 
synagogue; the perpetrators remained unidentified.
    On September 3, 2005, anti-Semitic graffiti appeared on a Novi Sad 
synagogue during the celebration of Days of Jewish Culture in Serbia. 
On September 5, anti-Semitic graffiti appeared again in Smederovo.
    On November 18, 2005, a guest on the television show ``Problem'' 
alleged that Jews knew in advance about the September 11, 2001, attacks 
in the United States. The guest also made disparaging remarks about 
Jews in Serbia.
    On February 12, 2006, graffiti appeared on a monument in Nis saying 
``Holocaust--the Jewish lie that governs the world,'' along with 
nationalistic slogans such as ``Serbia for the Serbs.''
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    According to the NGO Center for Tolerance and Inter-Religious 
Relations, the amount of anti-sect reporting in the media declined 
slightly during the reporting period. The number of attacks against 
religious minorities also generally declined during the period.
    While Serbia's law on religion discriminates against minority 
religious groups, the seven ``traditional'' religious groups recognized 
by the law reported a general improvement in their status during the 
reporting period. These groups welcomed the new law on religion as a 
step that, while imperfect, is in their view a positive first step 
toward improving interreligious relations.
    Police continued to guard the Belgrade mosque since it was attacked 
in March 2004. They also provided security in front of the Belgrade 
synagogue.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    While relations between members of different religious groups were 
generally good, there were some instances of discrimination against 
representatives of religious minorities in the country. Religion and 
ethnicity are intertwined closely throughout the country, and in some 
cases it was difficult to identify discriminatory acts as primarily 
religious or primarily ethnic in origin.
    Minority religious communities in Serbia continued to experience 
problems with vandalism of church buildings, cemeteries, and other 
religious premises. Most attacks involved spray-painted graffiti; 
thrown rocks, bricks, or bottles; or vandalized tombstones.
    On July 5, 2005, several tombstones at the Catholic graveyard in 
Srpski Itebej near Zrenjanin were severely damaged and leveled to the 
ground. On July 15, unknown perpetrators set fire to the door of the 
Adventist church in Rakovica, near Belgrade. On July 21, windows at the 
Backa Palanka Adventist church were broken; similar attacks at the same 
place occurred August 13 and August 21. Police charged a group of 
suspects with property damage.
    On August 12, 2005, unknown perpetrators broke windows and painted 
graffiti on the Adventist church in Sivac. On August 27, windows were 
broken at the regional headquarters of the Adventist Church in Novi 
Sad. On September 7, dozens of graves at the Sencansko Catholic 
graveyard in Subotica were desecrated. Subotica's mayor condemned the 
attacks.
    Unknown attackers broke stained glass windows at the Catholic 
church in Smederevo in early January 2006 and again on March 24. On 
April 20, the stained glass windows at the Catholic church in 
Kragujevac also suffered damage from attacks.
    While harassment of religious minorities was generally limited to 
crimes against property and occasional verbal abuse, physical attacks 
on persons occurred in Serbia during the reporting period. On July 11, 
2005, three unknown assailants stabbed a Hare Krishna in the chest 
while he was walking on the street late at night; according to media 
reports, the assailants told him he should be burned at the stake. 
Between July and November 2005, members of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints were physically attacked on four separate 
occasions. Although the victims reported the incidents to the Belgrade 
police, providing video footage of one attack, the police told them it 
would be difficult to apprehend the perpetrators since they were 
minors.
    In 2004, police arrested 110 persons for an attack on the Belgrade 
mosque in March 2004. In April 2005, one of these persons was sentenced 
to three months' imprisonment in connection with the attack. A trial of 
ten other persons indicted in the attack was ongoing at the end of the 
reporting period. The Serbian Government repaired the outside of the 
mosque but had not repaired the interior. The Government also pledged 
funds toward repair of other buildings on the mosque compound, but 
provided only a portion of the amount promised. The U.S. Embassy 
earmarked $60,000 for the reconstruction of the administrative 
building, including its school facilities and a computer center, and 
began work in January 2006.
    In July 2005, a municipal court convicted and sentenced eight 
persons to spend three to five months in prison for the March 2004 
burning of the Islam-Aga mosque in the southern Serbian city of Nis, 
the first such conviction for anti-Muslim violence from that period. 
Muslim leaders criticized the sentences as too lenient. Numerous police 
present at the court building at the time of the trial did not 
intervene when the defendants' followers chanted ``Death to Muslims.'' 
Nis authorities provided $4,688 (300,000 dinars) toward repair of the 
Nis mosque. The U.S. Embassy began plans to fund the design and 
engineering work, estimated at $15,000 to $20,000, to build a community 
center at the site of the burned mosque.
    Anti-sect propaganda decreased slightly in the Serbian press, which 
labeled smaller, multiethnic Christian churches--including Baptists, 
Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses--and some other smaller religious 
groups as ``sects'' and claimed they were dangerous. Religious leaders 
noted that instances of vandalism often occurred soon after press 
reports on sects. On August 18, 2005, the Belgrade daily Vecernje 
Novosti published an article attacking the Oasis Pentecostal Romany 
children's center in Jagodina, calling it ``sectarian'' since it did 
not perform Orthodox rites. In the article, Orthodox priests claimed 
the center was a ``sect, since it is obvious that it is a religious 
organization that rebaptizes children.'' On September 7, Pancevacke 
Novine weekly in Pancevo denigrated members of the Mormon and Jehovah's 
Witnesses communities as ``false benefactors who under a mask are 
offering secrets of `the way of happiness and body' and bring their 
victims to complete disaster, loss of their houses and apartments, 
friends, family and almost sanity.''
    In Montenegro, the Catholic, Muslim, and Orthodox communities 
coexisted within the same towns and often used the same municipally 
owned properties to conduct worship services. Tensions continued 
between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox 
Church. These tensions were largely political, stemming from 
Montenegro's periodic drive for independence that started in 1997 and 
increased occasionally with the approach of the May 2006 referendum on 
independence. The two churches continued to contend for adherents and 
to make conflicting property claims, but this contention was not marked 
by significant violence.
    The Montenegrin Institute for Protection of Monuments and Cultural 
Heritage accused the Serbian Orthodox Church of ``counterfeiting'' 
Montenegro's cultural heritage at several locations (Church of the Holy 
Trinity, Ostrog Monastery, Beska Church, etc.) by performing illegal 
restoration and conservation works, some of which altered the content 
of some ancient artwork and frescoes. The state directorate responsible 
for the prevention of illegal building prohibited several construction 
projects on church facilities run by the Serbian Orthodox Church. 
However, Serbian Orthodox clergymen ignored inspections several times, 
claiming to be solely responsible for the Serbian Orthodox church 
property in Montenegro. In practice, it was not clear who controlled 
construction and restoration of church buildings in Montenegro.
    On January 6-8, 2006, at their third formal conference in Cetinje, 
representatives of the orthodox churches of Georgia, Ukraine, Italy, 
Bulgaria, and Montenegro adopted a Declaration of Unanimous Support to 
the Montenegrin Autocephalous Church. The Serbian Orthodox Church 
described the event as ``the meeting of godless people.''
    From February 14 to 17, 2006, the Government of Montenegro 
organized an international convention of orthodoxy in Montenegro's 
historic capital, Cetinje, which was seen as an effort by the 
Government to restore good relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church 
in Montenegro on the eve of the May 21 referendum on independence.
    In June 2005, the Serbian Orthodox Church, with the assistance of a 
Serbia and Montenegro army helicopter, erected a church on the peak of 
Mount Rumija, near the city of Bar, without a valid permit. The Serbian 
Orthodox Church was accused of violating a century-long tradition of 
good interethnic relations among the three confessions (Orthodox, 
Catholic, and Muslim) living in Bar. While government authorities 
announced the ``imminent'' removal of the church, no actions were taken 
by the end of the period covered by this report. The Serbian Orthodox 
Church announced that it would ask for the necessary permits to 
legalize the church. Serbia and Montenegro Army Chief of Staff Dragan 
Paskas was relieved of office for allowing the use of the helicopter.
    In September 2005, a delegation of prelates from Montenegro, 
including the leader of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church Mihajlo, 
Catholic priest Don Branko Zbutega, and the previous Reis of the 
Montenegrin Islamic Community Idris Demirovic, paid homage to the 
victims of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with both 
republics' governments as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights, and continues to promote ethnic and religious tolerance 
throughout Serbia and Montenegro. Embassy officials meet regularly with 
the leaders of religious and ethnic minorities, as well as with 
representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Government to 
promote respect for religious freedom and human rights.
    During the reporting period, the embassy began projects to help the 
Islamic communities in Belgrade and Nis rebuild facilities that were 
heavily damaged from the ethnically motivated attacks of March 2004. 
Embassy officials worked with the Serbian religion minister, leaders of 
religious communities, international organizations and NGOs, and 
directly with President Tadic and Prime Minister Kostunica to advocate 
changes in the law on religion and the law on restitution of property 
of religious communities. The embassy also counseled religious groups 
to report all incidents against their property or adherents to senior 
government officials, to counter often lackluster response by local 
police. Embassy officials continued to urge senior government officials 
to speak out against incidents targeting ethnic minorities (including 
their places of worship and cemeteries) and to find and punish the 
perpetrators.
                                 ______
                                 

                                 KOSOVO

    Kosovo continued to be administered under the civil authority of 
the U.N. Interim Administrative Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pursuant to 
U.N. Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1244. UNMIK and its chief 
administrator, the Special Representative of the Secretary General 
(SRSG), established a civil administration in 1999, following the 
conclusion of the NATO military campaign that forced the withdrawal of 
Yugoslav and Serbian forces from Kosovo. Since that time, the SRSG and 
UNMIK, with the assistance of the international community, have worked 
with local leaders to build the institutions and expertise necessary 
for self-government under UNSCR 1244. UNSCR 1244 also authorized an 
international peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) to provide a safe and 
secure environment.
    The UNMIK-promulgated Constitutional Framework for the Provisional 
Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) in Kosovo provides for freedom 
of religion, as does UNMIK Regulation 1999/24 on applicable law in 
Kosovo; UNMIK and the provisional institutions of self-government 
generally respected this right in practice. Attacks by Kosovo Albanians 
against Kosovo Serbs peaked following the NATO campaign in 1999, and 
again in March 2004, when violence perpetrated by Kosovo Albanians 
resulted in the deaths of 19 persons (11 Kosovo Albanians and 8 Kosovo 
Serbs), 954 injuries, and widespread property damage, including 30 
Serbian Orthodox churches, monasteries, cemeteries and more than 900 
homes.
    Respect for religious freedom increased during the period covered 
by this report and government policy continued to contribute to the 
generally free practice of religion. Historically, tensions between 
Kosovo's Albanian and Serb populations have been largely rooted in 
ethnic, rather than religious, bias. Roman Catholic institutions were 
not targets. Attacks on Orthodox religious sites significantly 
decreased after the March 2004 riots, although some minor vandalism 
occurred during the period covered by this report.
    The violent events of March 2004 slowed the transfer of 
responsibility for the protection of Serbian Orthodox churches and 
other religious symbols from the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) to U.N. 
international police (CIVPOL) and the Kosovo Police Service (KPS). KFOR 
halted the process immediately following the March 2004 riots and 
increased the number of checkpoints near Serbian Orthodox churches, 
monasteries, and patrimonial sites; however, the transfer process has 
since continued. For example, KFOR relaxed its two fixed checkpoints on 
either side of the main road to Decani monastery on April 27, 2006. 
Kosovo leaders, with the acceptance of the Serbian Orthodox Church 
(SOC), sought to address the concerns of persons displaced by the 
violence, reconstructed all but a handful of houses damaged, and funded 
and finished preliminary assessments on thirty religious sites damaged 
in March 2004.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with UNMIK, 
the PISG, and religious representatives in Kosovo as part of its 
overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. Government has 
contributed to the continued safekeeping of Islamic manuscripts, 
refurbished through U.S. Government funds. After six years of 
international community assistance, the PISG must still fully address 
interethnic reconciliation and make further progress on implementing 
the ``Standards for Kosovo,'' which help provide the framework for 
establishing a multiethnic, sustainable democratic society. In October 
2005, the U.N. Security Council endorsed the U.N. secretary general's 
intention to begin status negotiations for Kosovo, which include 
discussions on the protection of cultural and religious heritage in 
Kosovo. As a member of the Contact Group and contributor to the NATO-
led Kosovo Force, the United States remains fully involved in all 
aspects of peacekeeping and democratization in Kosovo. The U.S. 
Government also supports UNMIK and KFOR in their security and 
protection arrangements for churches and patrimonial sites. In December 
2004, the SRSG and KFOR commander signed a memorandum of understanding 
(MOU), which specifies response mechanisms and cooperation between the 
KPS and KFOR to maintain order. Contingency plans for riot control have 
been revised to include an operational presence in municipalities and 
permanent contact among local police, UNMIK, communities, village 
leaders, and local authorities.
    Over the course of the period covered by this report, the UNMIK 
police community policing initiative completed phased deployment of 350 
international police officers to 30 locations in the region that are 
considered sites for potential return of displaced persons and those 
inhabited by minority communities.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Kosovo has an area of approximately 4,211 square miles and a 
population of approximately 2 million, although the last credible 
census was taken in the 1980s. Islam was the predominant faith, 
professed by most of the majority ethnic Albanian population, the 
Bosniak, Gorani, and Turkish communities, and some in the Roma/Ashkali/
Egyptian community, although religion was not a significant factor in 
public life. Religious rhetoric was largely absent from public 
discourse, mosque attendance was low, and public displays of 
conservative Islamic dress and culture were minimal. The present Serb 
population in Kosovo, which was estimated at 100,000 to 120,000 
persons, was largely Serbian Orthodox. Approximately 3 percent of 
ethnic Albanians were Roman Catholic. Protestants made up less than 1 
percent of the population and had thirty-six churches and small 
populations in most of Kosovo's cities, the largest concentration 
located in Kosovo's capital of Pristina. Approximately forty persons 
from two families in Prizren had some Jewish roots, but there were no 
synagogues or Jewish institutions. Estimates of atheists or those who 
did not practice any religion were difficult to determine and/or 
largely unreliable.
    Foreign clergy actively practiced and proselytized. There were 
Muslim, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant missionaries active in 
Kosovo. Roman Catholic communities were concentrated around Catholic 
churches in Prizren and Pristina. UNMIK estimated that seventy-one 
faith-based or religious organizations, which listed their goals as 
providing humanitarian assistance or faith-based outreach, worked in 
Kosovo. In March, UNMIK transferred the tracking of such organizations 
to the Ministry of Public Services, but the ministry had not provided 
any new information by the end of the period covered by this report.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    In 2001, UNMIK promulgated the Constitutional Framework for 
Provisional Self-Government in Kosovo (the ``Constitutional 
Framework''), which established the PISG and replaced the UNMIK-imposed 
Joint Interim Administrative Structure. Following November 2001 central 
elections, the 120-member Kosovo Assembly held its inaugural session in 
late 2001. In 2002, the Assembly selected Kosovo's first president, 
prime minister, and government. Kosovo's latest government was formed 
after the Kosovo Assembly elected Fatmir Sejdiu as Kosovo's president 
on February 10, 2006, and Agim Ceku as Kosovo's prime minister on March 
10, 2006. UNMIK had transferred most of the authority authorized by the 
Constitutional Framework to the PISG, and, while it transferred some 
competencies to the Ministries of Justice and Interior in February 
2006, UNMIK and NATO retained ultimate authority in such areas as 
security and protection of communities.
    Kosovo's Constitutional Framework incorporates international human 
rights conventions and treaties, including those provisions that 
protect religious freedom and prohibit discrimination based on religion 
and ethnicity; UNMIK and the PISG generally respected this right in 
practice. UNMIK, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe (OSCE), and the PISG officially promote respect for religious 
freedom and tolerance in administering Kosovo and in carrying out 
programs for its reconstruction and development. UNMIK, as Kosovo's 
final administrative decision-maker, sought to protect religious 
freedom in full.
    UNMIK recognizes as official holidays some, but not all, holy days 
of the Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox religious groups. UNMIK 
recognizes the major religious Orthodox and Islamic holy days of 
Orthodox Christmas, Eid-al-Adha, Orthodox Easter Monday, Orthodox 
Assumption Day, the beginning of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and western 
Christmas.
    There are no mandatory registration regulations with regard to 
religious groups; however, to purchase property or receive funding from 
UNMIK or other international organizations, religious organizations 
must register with the Ministry of Public Services as nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs). Religious leaders have complained that they 
should have special status apart from that of NGOs. Protestant 
evangelical community representatives have complained that they cannot 
receive documentation proving religious or NGO status in Kosovo because 
the Ministry of Public Services requires that they be a documented 
entity for at least five years before they can be legally registered as 
an NGO.
    In response to the complaint that religious communities should have 
special status other than that of NGOs, the Kosovo Prime Minister's 
Office established a working group to draft a law on religious freedom 
and the legal status of religious communities in 2003. The group 
consisted of representatives of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and 
Islamic religious groups in Kosovo; Serbian Orthodox representatives 
declined to participate. Nonetheless, the working group continued to 
provide Serbian Orthodox representatives with drafts of the law.
    On May 20, 2005, the Kosovo Assembly passed the first reading of 
the draft law on Religious Freedom and the Legal Status of Religious 
Communities in Kosovo, which would further protect the rights of 
religious communities and individuals. Before the draft law's first 
reading in May 2005, the Islamic community and Roman Catholic 
leadership proposed new amendments to this draft, which included: 
Labeling the Islamic community the ``only representative'' of Kosovo 
Muslims; establishing a ministry of religion; and exempting religious 
communities from paying utilities. The assembly committee did not add 
these provisions to the draft law. After the first reading in the 
Assembly, the law went back to parliamentary committee for further 
debate. The Islamic community lobbied local political leadership for 
inclusion of amendments which continue to require a minimum number of 
adherents before a religious group can be registered as a ``special 
status'' religion and in a ``special relationship with the 
Government,'' which Protestant religious groups in Kosovo believe would 
pave the way for the teaching of religion in public schools. In 
December 2005, a group of religious leaders from the Serbian Orthodox 
Church, the Islamic Community, the Roman Catholic community, and the 
Jewish community (in Serbia), as well as working-level PISG 
representatives in Vienna, drafted these changes as amendments to the 
law, but the assembly committee did not add these elements into the law 
sent to the Government for approval. By the end of the period covered 
by this report, the Contact Group named this law among three pieces of 
priority legislation that the PISG is to pass in 2006. The law had not 
been given a second reading in the assembly at the end of the period 
covered by this report. The contentious provisions that met with 
objections from the Protestant community were excluded from the draft 
law approved by the Kosovo Assembly and would likely be addressed in 
subsequent legislation. The most recent draft law enshrined the right 
to believe and worship freely in Kosovo.
    In April 2006, ethnic Albanian President Fatmir Sejdiu visited 
Decani monastery for Orthodox Easter and spoke in Serbian while 
conversing with the clergy, marking the first time a president of 
Kosovo received and accepted such an invitation. Veton Surroi, leader 
of Reform Party Ora (PRO), visited the SOC's Decani monastery twice 
during the reporting period, in an effort to hear SOC concerns 
pertaining to Kosovo's final status negotiations. Central and local 
government officials participated in a landmark interfaith conference 
hosted by the Pec Patriarchate from May 2 to May 4, 2006, which 
included a visit to the Decani monastery, a nearby mosque, and a Roman 
Catholic church.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    UNMIK, the PISG, and KFOR policy and practice contributed to the 
generally free practice of religion; however, the Kosovo Islamic 
Community at times publicly alleged that Kosovo lacked genuine 
religious freedom, citing as examples UNMIK's refusal to provide radio 
frequencies for an Islamic radio station and the closing of a prayer 
room in the National Library by the Ministry of Education, Science, and 
Technology in 2004. The same community also alleged that, although 
thirty-two acres of municipal land were allocated and the cornerstone 
was laid August 28, 2005, for a Roman Catholic cathedral in Pristina 
dedicated to Mother Theresa, a Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity, the 
Pristina Municipal Assembly refused its request to allocate space for 
new mosques for what the Islamic community claimed was a growing Muslim 
population in Pristina. Some Kosovo Muslim leaders complained that they 
were not consulted prior to registration of foreign Islamic NGOs with 
UNMIK.
    Kosovo education legislation and regulation provide for a 
separation between religious and public spheres. In May 2005, a 
principal suspended a public school teacher for wearing a headscarf to 
class, citing a provision of Kosovo's law on education which obligates 
public institutions to adopt a neutral attitude towards religion when 
providing education. On May 29, Pristina Municipality's Department of 
Education dismissed the teacher, a decision the Ombudsperson's 
Institution supported when the investigation revealed the teacher was 
found to have been proselytizing during class time. A male student 
filed a complaint with the Ombudsperson's Institution alleging he was 
expelled from school for wearing a beard; school officials told the 
Ombudsperson Institution that the student was not expelled, but only 
prevented from returning to class while he wore a beard. Another case 
from April 2005, which was under investigation at the end of the 
reporting period, involved a primary school student who was dismissed 
from class for wearing a headscarf. A similar case resulted in a June 
2004 non-binding opinion from the ombudsperson that the ministry's 
interpretation should only apply to school teachers and officials, not 
students. All parties filed petitions with the Ministry of Education 
and formal complaints with Kosovo's ombudsperson.
    Protestants continued to report that they experience discrimination 
in media access, particularly by the public Radio and Television Kosovo 
(RTK). Protestants also reported that Decani municipality denied them 
permission to build a church facility on privately owned land they had 
purchased, citing negative reaction from local citizens, and that the 
Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning upheld the decision. 
Decani municipal authorities responded that their donation of time in 
the shared municipal convention center afforded Protestants adequate 
space.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    On January 17, 2006, the SOC alleged that the Association of Kosovo 
Liberation Army (KLA) War Veterans, in cooperation with Gjakova 
municipality, had erected a monument honoring KLA veterans on church 
property. On February 2, the SOC announced that UNMIK promised, in 
cooperation with the PISG, to ``work to protect this church property.'' 
The monument remained in place at the end of the reporting period.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, Kosovo political 
leaders--including government and political party officials--
increasingly called for religious tolerance and participated in 
milestone interfaith events. Kosovo officials also constructively 
engaged in several rounds of U.N.-led negotiations this year with 
Serbian officials to reach agreement as part of the Kosovo status talks 
on ways to better protect religious and cultural heritage in Kosovo. 
Talks were ongoing at the end of the period covered by the report.
    During a January 6, 2006, visit to the Serb residents in Pristina 
on Orthodox Christmas, the then-Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi said that 
Kosovo was not only his home, but the home of all Kosovo's residents, 
irrespective of ethnicity and religion.
    Serbian Orthodox clergy reported constraints on freedom of movement 
that prohibited adherents from freely attending worship services, but 
reported that they themselves were able to move freely around Kosovo 
with little incident. On March 22, 2006, UNMIK Chief Soren Jessen-
Petersen and Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu paid a visit to Rahovec 
municipality. In two separate meetings with members of Serb and 
Albanian communities, Sejdiu and Jessen-Petersen called on citizens of 
Rahovec to work together to achieve full human rights for all Kosovars.
    On March 28, 2006, Veton Surroi convened the Communities 
Consultative Council in Durres, Albania, bringing together political 
leadership from Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo's other minority communities to 
openly discuss their ideas for the Kosovo status talks.
    On April 19, 2006, the SRSG urged internally displaced persons 
(IDPs) and IDP associations to participate actively in the ongoing 
returns efforts. In his meeting with members of IDP associations, the 
SRSG said that the PISG and UNMIK, in active collaboration with IDP 
associations and minority groups, had revised the returns manual to 
ensure direct participation of IDPs themselves in decision-making 
processes.
    One challenge facing the international community and the PISG has 
been reducing and preventing ethnically motivated attacks on Serbian 
Orthodox churches and shrines and on the Serbian Orthodox population of 
Kosovo. Since the riots of March 2004, during which 30 Orthodox 
religious sites and more than 900 homes and businesses of ethnic 
minorities were burned or damaged, the number of attacks on Serbian 
Orthodox churches has decreased. Members of the PISG and some political 
leaders, who made efforts to communicate with Kosovo Serbs and Serbian 
Orthodox officials after the riots and during the period covered by 
this report, continued to express a public commitment to assist in 
their return and the reconstruction of damaged or destroyed churches.
    Prompted by the international community after the March 2004 riots, 
Kosovo leaders sought to address the concerns of the Serbian Orthodox 
Church and persons displaced by the violence and agreed to fund and 
cooperate with local religious officials and international experts in 
rebuilding the damaged property. On the basis of a Council of Europe 
damage assessment, the PISG allocated $5.3 million (4.2 million euros) 
for the initial phase of the reconstruction of churches and monasteries 
damaged in the March riots. The PISG completed the first phase of 
emergency repairs in full cooperation with the SOC during the period 
covered by this report.
    In a May 2006 report to the UNSC, UNMIK stated that most of the 
criminal cases related to March 2004 riots were handled by the local 
judiciary: Charges were pressed against 426 people, resulting in 217 
convictions, 14 acquittals, 89 pending cases, and 106 cases dropped for 
lack of evidence. International prosecutors conducted forty-four of the 
most serious riot-related cases, resulting in thirteen convictions, 
with punishments ranging from suspended sentences to eighteen years in 
prison for attempted murder.
    General crime statistics as reported by UNMIK on May 24, 2006, 
revealed a decline in potentially ethnically-motivated crimes. Compared 
to the seventy-two incidents recorded from January to March 2005, 
nineteen such cases were reported during the same time period in 2006. 
UNMIK police reported that of the 1,408 Kosovo Serb convoys escorted by 
the KPS from January to early May 2006, there were only 6 incidents of 
stone throwing, leading to 5 arrests by the KPS. In response to reports 
in the Serb media of increasing security concerns among Kosovo Serbs, 
UNMIK and KPS began twenty-four-hour foot patrols in majority ethnic 
Serb areas of Kosovo in May 2006.
    On May 16, 2006, ethnic Albanian students from a secondary school 
in Decan municipality, accompanied by the director and four teachers, 
visited the Decani monastery, marking the first nonofficial visit of 
ethnic Albanian Kosovo residents to the monastery since the end of the 
conflict in 1999. Father Sava Janjic welcomed and guided the group 
through a tour of the site; both sides expressed positive impressions, 
and Father Sava told the group he would welcome more such visits in the 
future.
    On April 14, 2006, UNMIK, for the third time, renewed a six-month 
protection zone for 800 hectares surrounding Decani monastery, which 
prevents commercial development on protected property.
    The municipal assembly of Rahovec/Orahovac passed a resolution on 
June 19, 2006, allowing the monks of Zociste/Zocishte monastery to 
regularly use their church bell. Until June 19, as directed by German 
KFOR, the monks rang the bell only for important church holidays.
    Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and a large Serbian 
delegation traveled to Kosovo on June 26-28 to commemorate the 650th 
anniversary of the death of King Dusan at the Holy Archangels Monastery 
in Prizren, and the annual Vidovdan commemoration of the defeat of the 
Serbs and their allies by the Turks in the Battle of Kosovo Polje in 
1389. The visit, a possible flashpoint, went without incident.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Ethnicity and religion were inextricably linked in Kosovo and made 
it difficult to determine if societal discrimination and violence were 
religiously or ethnically motivated. While most Kosovo Albanians 
identified themselves as Muslim, the designation had more of a cultural 
than religious connotation. Kosovo Serbs identified themselves with the 
SOC, which defined not only their religious but also their cultural and 
historical perspectives. During and after the 1999 conflict, some 
Serbian Orthodox leaders played a moderating political role, while 
others withdrew from constructive discussion. Most Kosovo Serb 
politicians continued their three-year boycott of participation in 
government institutions.
    Societal violence continued and increased marginally from the last 
reporting period. Three high-profile killings of ethnic Serbs occurred 
during the reporting period: On August 27, 2005, two young men were 
fatally shot while driving, and a third was stabbed in March on the 
flashpoint bridge separating ethnic Serb majority north Mitrovica 
municipality from ethnic Albanian majority south Mitrovica. The first 
crime had not been solved, but police authorities reacted quickly to 
arrest suspects in the second case, one of whom was released and was 
awaiting trial. On May 6, 2006, Kosovo Serb media reported that unknown 
attackers shot at a car driven by Serbian Orthodox priest Srjdan 
Stankovic in Zvecan municipality; UNMIK charged an ethnic Serb Kosovo 
Police Service officer in connection with the incident for 
``brandishing a firearm.'' One other high profile shooting occurred at 
a gas station; no one had been charged for this incident by the end of 
the period covered by this report. Although tension between communities 
remained high, the prevailing crime trend continued to be against 
property instead of persons. In 2005, however, 57 percent of potential 
ethnically motivated incidents were assault and intimidation-related, 
not necessarily property-related offences, as in the previous reporting 
period. There were some reported incidents of rock-throwing and other 
assaults against Serbian buses and Serbian Orthodox clergy as they 
traveled outside of their monasteries, and monks and nuns at some 
monasteries reportedly did not use parts of the monasteries' properties 
because of concerns about safety.
    Security concerns continued to affect the Serb community and also 
affected its freedom to worship, particularly after the March 2004 
riots. Some Kosovo Serbs asserted that they were not able to travel 
freely to practice their faith. Father Sava Janjic of Decani monastery 
told USOP that, since KFOR stopped escorting non-clergy parishioners to 
religious sites in April 2005, he noticed a decline in attendance at 
services. Sava also reported that, when traveling through Kosovo, 
clergy transit vans were sometimes pelted with stones and verbal 
insults, although he and his co-religious generally traveled freely and 
without incident on Kosovo's main highways during the period covered by 
this report. Father Sava and Bishop Teodosije (Sibalic) of Lipljan both 
traveled with an escort to USOP on occasion without incident, including 
on July 1, 2005, for a Fourth of July celebration. On April 21, 2005, 
KFOR withdrew its last two armored vehicles from the bridge connecting 
majority Serb-inhabited north Mitrovica and Kosovo Albanian dominated 
south Mitrovica and, on April 29, 2005, opened twenty-four-hour passage 
on the bridge; however, following the stabbing incident near the 
northern side of the bridge, civilian passage was again temporarily 
halted. KFOR maintained a nearby presence.
    Problems at Serbian Orthodox religious sites continued during the 
period covered by this report, such as an abundance of garbage at a 
cemetery near the Pec/Peja Patriarchate. Local Serb radio reported on 
May 12, 2006, that unknown attackers broke newly fitted doors and 
several new windows added to the SOC's Church of Saint Ilija, in 
Podujeve/Podujevo municipality, by the PISG as part of the renovation 
of March 2004 riot-related damage. The SOC told the media that unknown 
attackers vandalized the Church of the Birth of the Mother of God 
(Theotokos) in Obiliq/Obilic on June 19, 2006, by taking at least two 
crosses from the church's domes and a portion of the lead roof. This 
church was built in 1998, damaged in the March 2004 riots, and placed 
on the list of sites to be reconstructed using money from the PISG.
    The Kosovo Police Service reported on June 20, 2006, that unknown 
attackers vandalized sixteen tombstones in a Serbian Orthodox cemetery 
located in the ethnic Serb majority village of Staro Gracko/Starogracke 
in Lipljan municipality. KFOR had reportedly cordoned off the cemetery 
on June 9 when visitors discovered a landmine there. Investigations 
were ongoing at the end of the period covered by this report. On June 
21, Serb media reported that the Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Andrew 
in Podujeve/Podujevo municipality was vandalized as well.
    Many of the churches and monasteries burned in the March 2004 riots 
were constructed in the 14th century and are considered part of 
Kosovo's cultural and religious heritage. Father Sava Janjic provided a 
comprehensive list of religious sites destroyed or damaged between 
March 17 and 19, 2004. The list included thirty sites altogether in the 
following fourteen locations: Prizren, Rahovec, Gjakova, Skenderaj, 
Peja, Ferizaj, Kamenica, Shtime, Pristina, Fushe Kosove, Vushtrri, 
Obiliq, Mitrovica, and Podujevo.
    Individual donor countries began repairs to several of the seventy-
five priority cultural and religious monuments identified at the May 
13, 2005, donors' conference in Paris.
    In addition, problems continued with the unfinished Serbian Church 
of Christ the Savior (only the exterior walls stood), located on 
University of Pristina grounds. During the 1990s, the Serb-dominated 
administration in Pristina gave the land on which the church sits to 
the SOC. In 2003, the Pristina Municipal Assembly passed a resolution 
to return the land to the university. The UNMIK representative in the 
Pristina municipal government immediately suspended this decision. In 
February 2005, a Christian cross attached to the church was damaged. 
The SRSG recommended that Pristina authorities abandon their September 
proposal to convert the unfinished church into an entertainment venue, 
such as a movie theater or an art gallery.
    In light of societal violence in Kosovo against properties owned by 
the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian Orthodox religious symbols, 
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 Kosovo to protect them from further 
destruction, such as that which had occurred immediately after KFOR's 
intervention in 1999; however, KFOR gave priority to saving persons' 
lives rather than property and was unable to stop the burning and 
destruction of many sites in March 2004. Because of improving security 
conditions and decreasing interethnic tensions in some areas, KFOR 
removed static checkpoints from most churches and religious sites, 
including relaxing checkpoints at Decani monastery, during the period 
covered by this report, relying instead on patrols by the U.N. 
international police (CIVPOL) and indigenous Kosovo Police Service 
(KPS). In most cases, such changes in security measures did not result 
in a change in the level of safety of, or access to, the religious 
sites. During the March 2004 riots, KFOR, CIVPOL, and KPS were involved 
in crowd control and protecting lives and property. The priority was 
evacuating persons over saving property, even religious property. 
Immediately following the March riots, the process of transfer of 
jurisdiction over local police stations from KFOR to CIVPOL and KPS was 
halted; subsequently, transfer continued, and all thirty-two 
jurisdictions in Kosovo were under local KPS patrol at the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    Although Protestants previously reported a slight improvement in 
their situation, they reported suffering more violence and 
discrimination during the period covered by this report. They reported 
discrimination through verbal attacks and exclusion from interfaith 
initiatives by the religious leadership who defended their actions on 
the grounds that Protestants are not considered a ``traditional'' 
religion in Kosovo. They also stated that, while public television 
station RTK as an institution did not specifically report on the 
Protestant religion, some individuals within the RTK had a more 
positive approach. Protestants also reported slight discrimination in 
schools where school officials occasionally called in parents of pupils 
to deter their children from being Protestant. Protestants reported 
that a U.S. citizen pastor was beaten in Decani municipality by a young 
man opposed to the Protestants' building of a church there. Protestants 
also reported verbal local opposition to showing a Christian-based 
movie in villages throughout Kosovo, as well as break-ins at churches 
and harassment of adherents.
    Roman Catholic leaders reported that they had good relations with 
the Muslim community but hardly any bilateral contact with the Serbian 
Orthodox Church leadership. Roman Catholic and Serbian Orthodox church 
leadership believed each other to be highly politicized. The Muslim 
community made similar remarks concerning their relationship with the 
Roman Catholic leadership and lack of relationship with the Orthodox 
community. On May 3, 2006, thieves stole thirteen religious paintings 
from a Catholic church in Letnica village, which was inhabited by 
ethnic Albanian and Croats. The Pec/Peja Patriarchate hosted Kosovo's 
first interfaith conference in two years from May 2 to 4, 2006. 
Participants from Islamic, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Jewish, and 
Protestant religious communities, diplomatic liaison offices, UNMIK, 
and members of the PISG's central and local governance structures 
discussed religious freedom; visited a Roman Catholic church, a mosque, 
and Peja/Pec's Orthodox church, accompanied by regional municipal 
leadership; visited Decani monastery; and, accompanied by ethnic 
Albanian Decan/Decani mayor Nazmi Selmanaj, walked together to the 
mosque in the city center. The common statement released by the 
religious leaders committed the group to hold regular meetings to 
intensify interreligious dialogue and cooperation, to promote the 
returns process of all displaced persons, and to engage in the process 
of drafting religious freedom legislation. Norwegian Church Aid hosted 
the May 2006 conference to promote peace and dialogue among religious 
groups. The Islamic community offered to host the next meeting in 
October 2006.
    The withdrawal of Former Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbian troops 
from Kosovo in 1999 and establishment of UNMIK administration through 
UNSCR 1244 resulted in an improved situation for the majority, largely 
Muslim, ethnic Albanian population, and a cessation of attacks on their 
mosques and religious sites.
    Islamic, some local Orthodox, and Roman Catholic leaders have 
attempted to encourage tolerance and peace in Kosovo, in both the 
religious and political spheres.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
U.N. Special Envoy for the Kosovo status talks, UNMIK, the PISG, and 
religious representatives in Kosovo as part of its overall policy to 
promote human rights, and has sought to promote ethnic and religious 
tolerance in Kosovo. U.S. officials also maintained close contacts and 
met regularly with religious leaders of the Serbian Orthodox, Islamic, 
Roman Catholic, and Protestant communities to discuss their concerns 
and to push for interfaith dialogue. A delegation of Serbian Orthodox 
officials formally visited U.S. Government institutions in the United 
States from March 15 to 22, 2006.
    U.S. officials continued to urge dialogue between members of the 
Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and ethnic Albanian members of the 
PISG. Officials from the United States met frequently with the heads of 
major religious communities. In contrast to previous reporting periods, 
United States Office Pristina personnel attended Serbian Orthodox 
holiday services. U.S. officials continued to support UNMIK and the 
PISG in rebuilding religious buildings damaged in the interethnic riots 
of March 2004. Officials from the United States met frequently with the 
heads of the major religious communities, provided funding to preserve 
Ottoman-era transcripts in the Gazi Medhmed Pasha library, and granted 
$1 million to UNESCO's large-scale effort to preserve cultural heritage 
in the country.
    The United States is involved actively in UNMIK, whose goal is to 
secure peace, facilitate the return of the displaced, lay the 
foundations for democratic self-government, and foster respect for 
human rights regardless of ethnicity or religion.
    U.S. KFOR peacekeeping troops worked to prevent ethnic and 
religious violence in Kosovo and guarded religious sites. U.S. KFOR was 
credited by local SOC officials with preventing the situation from 
further escalation in their sector during the March 2004 riots, and 
they increased their presence within the sector they patrol.
    The U.S. Government funded the remainder of a survey of Islamic 
manuscripts in Kosovo to help the local Islamic community preserve its 
religious heritage.
    The U.S. Department of State funds a U.N. international police 
(CIVPOL) advisor in Pristina and provided $40 million (31.86 million 
euros) to support KPS and CIVPOL. KPS and CIVPOL have worked to prevent 
ethnic and religious violence in the country.
    The U.S. Department of State provides $3.5 million in funding for 
returns programs for Muslim and Orthodox Roma, Orthodox Serbs, Muslim 
Bosnians, and other minority communities.
    In the wake of the March 2004 interethnic violence, U.S. officers 
met with Islamic, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic authorities to discuss 
ways of supporting reconciliation and interfaith dialogue. Many high-
level U.S. Government and military officials continued to visit the 
country in conjunction with the final status negotiation process and 
meet with both political and religious leaders to assess the situation 
and urge reconstruction and progress toward a multiethnic Kosovo. The 
U.S. Office also urged the Government to reconstruct Serb homes quickly 
and allow UNESCO to take the lead on reconstruction of destroyed and 
damaged religious sites in the country.
                               __________

                            SLOVAK REPUBLIC

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, anti-Semitism 
persisted among some elements of the population.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 18,859 square miles and a population of 
5,396,193. According to the 2001 census, the number of persons who 
claimed a religious affiliation increased from 72.8 percent in 1991 to 
84.1 percent in 2001. This increase may have been in part due to 
greater willingness among persons to state their affiliation, in 
contrast to 1991 immediately after the fall of communism. According to 
the census, there were 3,708,120 Roman Catholics (68.9 percent of the 
population); 372,858 Augsburg Lutherans (6.9 percent); 219,831 
Byzantine Catholics (4.1 percent); 109,735 members of the Reformed 
Christian Church (2 percent); 50,363 Orthodox Christians (.9 percent); 
and 20,630 members of Jehovah's Witnesses. There were also 3,562 
Baptists; 3,217 Brethren Church members; 3,429 Seventh-day Adventists; 
3,905 Apostolic Church members; 7,347 Evangelical Methodist Church 
members; 3,000 Jews; 1,733 Old Catholic Church members; 6,519 Christian 
Corps in Slovakia members; and 1,696 Czechoslovak Husite Church 
members. According to the 2001 census, 13 percent of the population 
claimed no religious affiliation, and 3.5 percent were undecided. There 
were also some Muslims living in the country, primarily immigrants from 
Middle Eastern countries, international students, or Albanian 
immigrants. Estimates of the Muslim population varied from 300 to 
3,000.
    There were three categories of nonregistered religions that 
comprised approximately thirty groups: Nontraditional religions, such 
as Ananda Marga, Hare Krishna, Yoga in Daily Life, Osho, Sahadza Yoga, 
Shambaola Slovakia, Sri Chinmoy, Zazen International Slovakia, Zen 
Centermyo Sahn Sah, Rosicrucians, and Raelians; religious societies 
termed ``syncretic'' by the Government, such as the Unification Church, 
the Church of Scientology, Movement of the Holy Grail, and the Baha'i 
Faith; and Christian religious societies, such as the Church of Christ, 
Manna Church, International Association of Full Gospel Businessmen 
International, Christian Communities, Church of the Nazarenes, New 
Revelation, Word of International Life, Society of the Friends of Jesus 
Christ, Sword of the Spirit, Disciples of Jesus Christ, Universal Life, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Free 
Peoples' Mission, Presbyterian Church Emmanuel, and Brothers in Christ 
(Christadelphians).
    The number of immigrants was statistically insignificant. There 
were very small numbers of refugees and migrants who practiced faiths 
different from those of the majority of native-born citizens. 
Missionaries do not register with the Government, and no official 
statistics existed, although, according to government information, 
there were missionaries from Roman Catholic, Augsburg Lutheran, and 
Methodist religious groups, as well as a Jewish emissary, active in the 
country. Among the nonregistered churches, there were a significant 
number of Mormon missionaries.
    There was some correlation between religious differences and ethnic 
or political differences. The Christian Democratic Party (KDH), which 
had ties to the Catholic faith, was the only political party with an 
explicitly religious agenda. The Slovak Democratic Christian Union 
(SDKU) was a Christian democratic party similar to those found in many 
western European countries. The Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) 
also had a Christian wing.
    Followers of the Orthodox Church lived predominantly in the eastern 
part of the country. The Ruthenian minority were typically adherents to 
the Orthodox faith. The Reformed Christian Church existed primarily in 
the south, near the border with Hungary, where many ethnic Hungarians 
lived. Other religious groups tended to be spread evenly throughout the 
country.
    According to polling data, the number of religious practitioners 
continued to increase after the fall of communism, and approximately 54 
percent of Catholics and 22 percent of Lutherans actively participated 
in formal religious services.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution provides for the right to practice the religion of 
one's choice, the right to change religion or faith, and the right to 
refrain from any religious affiliation. The Government observed and 
enforced these provisions in practice.
    The law provides for freedom of religion and defines the status of 
religious groups, including those groups not registered with the 
Government. It does not prohibit the existence of nontraditional 
religious groups. It allows the Government to enter into agreements 
with religious communities. The law was applied and enforced in a 
nondiscriminatory fashion.
    Governmental entities at all levels, including the courts, 
interpreted the law in a way that protected religious freedom.
    No official state religion exists; however, because of the numbers 
of adherents, Catholicism is considered the dominant religion. The 
Catholic Church receives significantly larger government subsidies 
because of the higher percentage of Catholics in the country. In 2001, 
the Government signed an international treaty with the Vatican, which 
provides the legal framework for relations between the country's 
Catholic Church, the Government, and the Vatican. Four corollaries to 
the framework treaty were proposed. In 2002, the Government signed an 
agreement with eleven other registered religious groups in an attempt 
to counterbalance the Vatican agreement and provide equal status to the 
remaining registered religious groups. This agreement is subordinate to 
national law and subject to amendment by statute; the Vatican treaty, 
as an international agreement, can be amended only through 
international legal mechanisms.
    In 2002, the Government approved one of the corollaries regarding 
military service in the chaplaincy for priests. In 2003, the president 
signed a second corollary regarding religious education, which was 
approved by Parliament in January 2004. An identical agreement was 
signed with eleven other registered religious groups. This treaty 
mandates that all public elementary schools require children to take 
either a religion class or an ethics class, depending on their (or 
their parents') preference. This was previously required only for 
students in the fifth through ninth grades. Private schools affiliated 
with a particular religion do not need to provide classes in other 
religions. These courses were often taught by religious leaders, and 
the religious groups were responsible for providing instructors, 
although their salaries were paid from the government budget. There was 
a lack of qualified teachers for certain religions. Some 
representatives of religious groups complained that the status of 
religious lecturers was not equal to that of regular teachers. 
Religious lecturers were usually hired on contract and were not paid 
during the two-month summer vacation. There was some concern about 
possible ostracism of student members of smaller religious groups, who 
might be one of a small group requesting the class, especially in 
smaller municipalities. Despite these resource concerns, smaller 
churches reiterated that they were generally pleased with the system.
    The remaining two corollaries to the Vatican treaty, including a 
proposal to allow employees to refuse to perform certain job 
requirements on religious grounds, were not passed into law during the 
period covered by this report. The so-called ``conscientious objector 
treaty'' was turned into a draft law that was widely debated in society 
and political circles, but was not forwarded to the cabinet for a vote 
on adoption.
    Registration of religious groups is not required; however, under 
existing law, only registered religious groups have the explicit right 
to conduct public worship services and other activities, although no 
specific religions or practices are banned or discouraged by the 
authorities in practice. Those that register receive government 
benefits, including subsidies for clergymen, office expenses, the right 
to visit and proselytize in prisons and hospitals, and access to public 
television broadcasting. Government funding also is provided to 
religious schools and to teachers who lecture on religion in state 
schools. The Government occasionally subsidizes one-time projects and 
significant religious activities, and registered religious groups are 
partly exempt from paying taxes and import custom fees. A religion may 
elect not to accept the subsidies.
    During the period covered by this report, there were sixteen 
registered religious groups in the country. The last group to 
successfully register was the Apostolic Church in 2001. Because of the 
high membership requirement, no new religious groups have filed for 
registration since then.
    To register a new religion, a group must submit a list of 20,000 
permanent residents who adhere to that religion. Fourteen of the 
religious groups already established before the law passed in 1991 were 
exempt from this membership requirement. Although the Nazarene and the 
Muslim communities existed in the country prior to 1991, they were 
never properly registered and, therefore, were not given registered 
status under the 1991 law. Two additional religious groups have been 
allowed to register since 1991: The Jehovah's Witnesses and the New 
Apostolic Church. Leaders of a number of minority religious 
communities, in particular Muslims, smaller Protestant churches, the 
Hare Krishna community, and the Church of Scientology, have in previous 
years complained that the membership requirements effectively barred 
them from obtaining registered status. Nonregistered religious groups 
may not build public places of worship or conduct legally valid 
religious ceremonies such as weddings. In 2000, the Muslim community in 
Bratislava purchased a plot of land with the hope of building an 
Islamic center. While they previously speculated that municipal 
officials were denying them permission for the construction, it appears 
that financial problems, zoning questions, and a lack of identifiable 
leadership in the Muslim community could have also affected the 
construction delay. Several of Bratislava's Muslims also criticized the 
registration law, noting that the community in the Czech Republic was 
able to submit an application for first-tier registration under Czech 
law with only 300 or more citizen member signatures. The Ministry of 
Culture was aware of the registration controversy.
    Because the law on registration of religious groups does not 
provide for registration of nontheistic groups, the Department of 
Church Affairs suggested that an atheist group that had made inquiries 
into obtaining registration might find funding from the Department of 
Minority Culture.
    There are no specific licensing or registration requirements for 
foreign missionaries or religious organizations. The law allows all 
religious groups to send out their representatives, as well as to 
receive foreign missionaries, without limitation. Missionaries neither 
need special permission to stay in the country, nor are their 
activities regulated in any way.
    Joint education projects on Jewish history and culture for 
elementary and high school teachers were successful and well received. 
In November 2005, the Government was accepted as a full member in the 
Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, 
Remembrance, and Research. The Ministry of Education organized a 
January 2006 international seminar in Bratislava on ``Teaching and 
Remembering the Holocaust,'' together with the International School of 
the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem Museum, the Council of Europe, and the 
Holocaust Documentation Center. In March 2006, two seminars were held 
at the Terezin Memorial, with eighty teachers attending; that same 
month, twenty Slovak teachers took part in a seminar at Jerusalem's Yad 
Vashem Museum entitled ``Teaching about the Holocaust.'' In 2005, two 
teachers participated in a seminar at the Florida Holocaust Museum. The 
Ministry of Education jointly organized a seminar in July 2005 on the 
history of Judaism and the Holocaust in southern Slovakia.
    Several Slovak schools received grants from the Anne Frank House, 
and a school in Sered initiated a project to restore the local Jewish 
cemetery. It also created an exhibit about Judaism in the country, 
despite the complete decimation of the city's Jewish community in the 
first half of the twentieth century, at which time the city hosted one 
of the country's three labor camps for Jews awaiting deportation. In 
2004, teachers continued to visit U.S. universities to participate in 
summer training programs; twenty-five Slovak teachers visited the 
concentration camp in Dachau, and twenty teachers traveled to Terezin 
for training on Holocaust education in the Czech Republic. To assist 
teachers with instruction about the Holocaust, the Ministry of 
Education published a textbook, ``Why We Learn about the Holocaust,'' 
during the reporting period, and distributed it to four teacher-
training centers. In 2003, a Holocaust Documentation Center was 
established as a joint project of the Bratislava Jewish community and 
the Milan Simecka Foundation; after May 2005, the Union of Jewish 
Communities and the Simecka Foundation took over its administration. It 
has released several publications dealing with the Holocaust in the 
country, Jewish wartime history, and memoirs of Jewish personalities. 
In August 2005, President Ivan Gasparovic participated in the 
inauguration of an exhibit on ``The Fate of Slovak Jews'' at a 
refurbished synagogue in Nitra.
    The Institute for Church-State Relations also organized two 
conferences, including one on ``Islam in Europe'' in November 2005, and 
another titled ``Western Muslim Culture--Implications for Slovakia'' in 
March 2006.
    In 2005, the Institute for National Memory began publishing on the 
Internet the names of Slovaks who organized the ``aryanization'' of 
Jewish property during World War II. The project was met with 
controversy, as the Institute planned to release the names of Slovaks 
who benefited from ``aryanization.''
    There are several religious holy days that are celebrated as 
national holidays, including Epiphany, the Day of the Virgin Mary of 
the Seven Sorrows, All Saints' Day, St. Stephen's Day, Christmas, and 
Easter. A treaty with the Vatican prohibits the removal or alteration 
of existing religious holidays considered as state holidays.
    The Department of Church Affairs at the Ministry of Culture 
oversees relations between religious groups and the state and manages 
the distribution of state subsidies to religious groups and 
associations. However, the ministry cannot intervene in the internal 
affairs of religious groups and does not direct their activities. The 
ministry administers a cultural state fund, ``Let's Renew Our House,'' 
which allocates money for the upkeep of cultural and religious 
monuments.
    Since 1989, the Government has promoted interfaith dialogue and 
understanding by supporting events organized by various religious 
groups. The state-supported Ecumenical Council of Churches promotes 
communication within the religious community. Most Christian churches 
have the status of members or observers in the Council. The Central 
Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Slovak Republic (UZZNO) 
was invited and participates in its activities.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. Although government support was provided in a 
nondiscriminatory manner to registered religious groups that seek it, 
the requirement that a registered organization have 20,000 members 
disadvantaged smaller religious groups.
    The Institute of State-Church Relations monitors and researches 
religious ``cults'' and ``sects''; however, it was difficult to 
identify these groups because they largely register as nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) rather than as religious groups. Such groups 
included Scientologists and the Unification Church. The Institute 
conducted seminars, issued publications, and provided information to 
the media regarding its findings. The Institute's budget came mainly 
from the Ministry of Culture's general fund, although it received some 
grants for its projects from other sources. Other organizations not 
funded by the Government, such as the Center for the Study of Sects, 
engaged in similar work.
    Some property restitution cases remained unresolved at the end of 
the period covered by this report. Law 282/93 on the Restitution of 
Communal Property enabled all religious groups to apply for the return 
of their property confiscated by the communist government. The deadline 
for these claims was December 31, 1994. The property was returned in 
its existing condition, and the Government did not provide any 
compensation for the damage done to it during the previous regime. The 
property was returned by the Government, municipalities, state legal 
entities, and, under certain conditions, by private persons. In some 
cases, the property was returned legally by the Government, but it was 
not vacated by the former tenant, often a school or hospital with 
nowhere else to go.
    There were also problems with the return of property that was 
undeveloped at the time of seizure but was subsequently developed. 
Churches, synagogues, and cemeteries have been returned, albeit mostly 
in poor condition. Religious groups often lacked the funds to restore 
these properties to a usable condition. The main obstacles to the 
resolution of outstanding restitution claims were the Government's lack 
of financial resources, due to its austerity program, and bureaucratic 
resistance on the part of those entities required to vacate 
restitutable properties. The Reformed Christian Church was vocal 
regarding its unfulfilled restitution claims. According to their 
representatives, the new restitution law that went into effect in May 
2005 addressed some complex property claims, but did not resolve the 
cases of approximately seventy church premises (church schools, 
teachers' facilities, etc.) that were owned by individual parishes and 
nationalized by the communist government after 1948. Reformed Christian 
Church officials also complained that the Government did not allow 
church organizations to draw from European Union structural funds for 
social purposes. The Church existed primarily in poorer areas of the 
country where there was little money for restoration and consequently 
was seeking funds from abroad during the period covered by this report.
    The Orthodox Church reported that all of its claims for restitution 
have been settled, while the Catholic Church reported that more than 
half of the property that it had claimed had been returned. In another 
12 percent of cases, the property had been returned legally to the 
Church, but typically was occupied by other tenants and would require 
court action to be returned to church hands. The Church had not 
received any compensation for the remaining 40 percent of claims, since 
these properties were undeveloped at the time of nationalization but 
were developed later. The Church also is not eligible to reacquire 
lands that originally were registered to church foundations that no 
longer exist or no longer operate in the country, such as the 
Benedictines.
    In 2004, the Bratislava City Government proposed to evict the 
state-run Jewish Museum from its current location unless it paid a 
higher, market-rate rent rather than the nominal rate that it was 
paying. The museum responded that it did not have the funds to pay the 
higher rent. Jewish community leaders suggested that the city owed some 
consideration to them since it owned many other buildings that once 
belonged to Jewish Holocaust victims. While this building was not among 
them, it was occupied by many who also perished in the concentration 
camps. At the end of the period covered by this report, there were no 
new developments.
    Following two years of negotiations, the deputy prime minister's 
office drafted a proposal of compensation for heirless property owned 
by Jewish families before the Holocaust. In 2002, the Cabinet agreed to 
$18,747,253 (SKK 850 million) in compensation for this property. The 
entire amount was placed into an account at the Slovak National Bank, 
and one-third was made available immediately as needed because of the 
advancing age of Holocaust survivors. The Jewish community would draw 
interest on the account for ten years before receiving the remaining 
principal. The community intended to use the funds to compensate some 
community members as well as to fund social, educational, and cultural 
programs.
    UZZNO has filed a lawsuit against Germany to reclaim compensation 
for monies paid by the wartime Slovak Government to Germany to cover 
the cost of Germany's deportation of 57,000 members of the country's 
Jewish population. UZZNO lost the lawsuit in 2003 and immediately 
appealed; the case was still pending during the reporting period.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Anti-Semitism persisted among some elements of society, manifested 
occasionally in incidences of violence and vandalism. According to 
estimates, 500 to 800 neo-Nazis and 3,000 to 5,000 sympathizers 
operated in the country and committed serious offenses; however, only a 
small number of these abuses were prosecuted. The Penal Code stipulates 
that anyone who publicly demonstrates sympathy towards fascism or 
movements oppressing human rights and freedoms can be sentenced to jail 
for up to three years. In May 2005, police broke up a skinhead concert 
in the northern part of the country. Legislation is similar to that of 
neighboring countries, but court delays prevented comparable 
improvements in the situation. Religious minorities had not yet needed 
to avail themselves of protections provided by a new anti-
discrimination law passed in 2004.
    In October 2005, the town of Topolcany issued a public apology to 
former Jewish residents forced out by a pogrom in September 1945, in 
which forty-eight Jews were badly injured. A documentary film about the 
pogrom was widely viewed when it aired on Slovak television in 2005.
    The nationalist group Slovenska Pospolitost, whose members 
frequently dress in black uniforms similar to those of the fascist 
Hlinka Guards (who identified and sent Jewish persons to the 
concentration camps during World War II), undertook several actions 
during the reporting period and clashed with police forces at several 
marches. The Ministry of the Interior stripped Slovenska Pospolitost of 
its status as a political party in 2006, in advance of parliamentary 
elections. However, the group's leadership cooperated with other 
nationalist political parties to get themselves on the ballot for the 
elections. Slovenska Pospolitost remained a registered NGO, although 
this status was in dispute.
    The low number of prosecutions for racially motivated crime 
generally improved over the past three years because of the creation of 
a specialized police unit, an advisor in the Bratislava Regional 
Police, and increased training. Their successes included the 
investigation of 121 persons in 2005, 82 of whom were formally charged 
with supporting ideas or movements that suppressed the rights of 
others, including the leader of Slovenska Pospolitost, who taught high 
school in Banska Bystrica. In another 2004 success, the Bratislava 
Police checked 158 suspected meeting places of extremist groups in an 
overnight raid that resulted in 14 arrests. Because of the monitoring 
unit and its NGO advisory board, the police were better trained in 
identifying neo-Nazi members and more informed about their activities. 
The minister of the interior had an advisor on racially motivated crime 
who participated actively on the Government's advisory commission with 
NGOs. The Ministry of Interior assigned specialists on hate crimes to 
each of the country's eight regions.
    Meetings and demonstrations to commemorate the anniversary of the 
first Slovak state from World War II occur each year throughout the 
country. At these and other events, extremists frequently appear in the 
uniforms of the Hlinka guards. In March 2005, 200 persons dressed in 
Hlinka guard uniforms marched through Bratislava to commemorate the 
anniversary of the establishment of the Fascist Slovak state in 1939. 
Jewish community groups complained that the Government had not done 
enough to investigate and identify the benefactors of this group.
    In 2005, a publication by the cultural organization Matica 
Slovenska questioned the scope and nature of the Holocaust, suggesting 
that the deportation of the country's Jewish population to 
concentration camps was simply part of a ``resettlement program.''
    A Jewish cemetery was desecrated during the period covered by this 
report. In April 2006, unknown culprits placed three posters of Hitler 
with eagles and swastikas at a monument to Jewish Holocaust victims in 
Rimavska Sobota. It was previously vandalized in July 2005, when it was 
both damaged and covered in graffiti claiming that the Holocaust was a 
lie. A week earlier, five tombstones were destroyed in a Jewish 
cemetery in Rimavska Sec. An UZZNO official claimed that the cases 
appeared to be simple vandalism, but racial motivation could not be 
ruled out, and some NGOs believed the vandalism may be more organized. 
Vandals regularly spray-painted anti-Semitic slogans and toppled or 
broke gravestones. In most cases, police caught adolescent 
perpetrators, who were sentenced to pay at least part of the cost of 
the repairs. Jewish community leaders stated they were satisfied with 
the Government's response to these incidents, and they did not believe 
that the communities supported this vandalism. In one notable 
sentencing that occurred in 2004, a judge sentenced vandals to 
unconditional jail sentences, which the Jewish community believed sent 
a needed message to the community. In January 2005, juveniles 
vandalized nineteen tombstones in a Jewish cemetery in Ruzemberok; an 
investigation into the incident was ongoing at the end of the period 
covered by this report. In June 2005, vandals broke a pane of glass at 
Bratislava's memorial to Rabbi Chatam Sofer. In July 2005, derogatory 
inscriptions, such as ``The Holocaust is a lie,'' were painted and 
carved on the new Holocaust Memorial in Rimavska Sec; the investigation 
concluded without charges being filed. Vandals destroyed five 
tombstones and damaged another two at Rimavska Sobota's Jewish cemetery 
the following week; the investigation concluded with no suspects.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Few communication problems 
existed among the major religious groups, and there were several 
ecumenical organizations that fostered closer relationships. The 
Ecumenical Council of Churches operated and represented several 
religious groups.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy maintained contacts with a broad spectrum of religious 
groups. The embassy encouraged tolerance for minority religious groups. 
Embassy officers and official visitors met with officials of major and 
minor religious groups on a regular basis to discuss property 
restitution issues as well as human rights conditions and religious 
freedom.
    The embassy continued its dialogue with the Conference of Bishops, 
the Federation of Jewish Communities, and the Orthodox Church. The 
embassy had good relations with the Ministry of Culture and fostered an 
effective dialogue between religious groups, the Ministry of Culture, 
and the Commission for the Preservation of U.S. Heritage Abroad on 
matters of importance to the commission.
    Embassy officers aided the Government in its membership in the Task 
Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, 
Remembrance, and Research and the initiation of a liaison project on 
Holocaust education in cooperation with the task force. Embassy 
officers continued to be active in perpetuating this successful 
project.
    The embassy hosted several roundtable discussions and 
representational events focusing on the need for the country to lower 
its numerical threshold for religious registration to better correspond 
with OSCE standards. The embassy publicly expressed U.S. opposition to 
the numerical threshold, and the ambassador raised the issue with the 
minister of culture.
    The embassy also hosted a series of events focusing on relations 
with the Muslim community, which continues to face difficulties 
organizing and constructing a mosque in the country, in some part 
because of local bias. Embassy officers often made tolerance and 
diversity the subject of speeches during outreach trips.
                               __________

                                SLOVENIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 7,827 square miles and a population of 
approximately 1,964,000. Estimates of religious identification varied. 
According to the 2002 census, the numbers were: Roman Catholic, 
1,135,626; Evangelical, 14,736; other Protestant, 1,399; Orthodox, 
45,908; other Christian, 1,877; Muslim, 47,488; Jewish, 99; Oriental, 
1,026; other religion, 558; agnostic, 271; believer, but belonging to 
no religion, 68,714; unbeliever/atheist, 199,264; no reply, 307,973; 
and unknown, 139,097.
    The Orthodox and Muslim populations appeared to correspond to the 
country's immigrant Serb and Bosniak populations, respectively. These 
groups tended to have a lower socioeconomic status in society.
    Foreign missionaries, including a mission of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and other religious groups 
(including Hare Krishna, Church of Scientology, and the Unification 
Church), operated without hindrance.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There were no formal requirements for recognition as a religion by 
the Government. Religious communities must register with the 
Government's Office for Religious Communities if they wish to be legal 
entities, and registration entitles such groups to rebates on value-
added taxes. During the reporting period, there were forty-one 
religious communities officially registered, up from forty in 2005 and 
thirty-six in 2003. Four cases remained pending at the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    Registered religious groups, including foreign missionaries, may 
receive value-added tax rebates on a quarterly basis from the Ministry 
of Finance. All groups reported equal access to registration and tax 
rebate status.
    In 2004, several political parties proposed that religious 
instruction be made compulsory; however, the Ministry of Education 
rejected the initiative on the basis of existing legislation. The 
constitution states that parents are entitled to give their children 
``a moral and religious upbringing.'' Only those schools that were 
supported by religious bodies taught religion.
    According to the Office for Religious Communities, it has been 
government policy since 1991 to pay the share of social insurance 
contribution for clergy and other full time religious workers that is 
normally paid by an employer.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    After independence in 1991, Parliament passed legislation calling 
for denationalization (with restitution or compensation) within a fixed 
period of church properties--church buildings and support buildings, 
residences, businesses, and forests--that were nationalized after World 
War II by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. By March 31, 
2006, the Government had adjudicated 35,241 (92 percent) of the 38,306 
denationalization claims filed. In 2004, the Government reallocated 
existing resources to reduce the backlog in cases, effectively 
quickening the pace of resolution.
    The Roman Catholic Church was a major property holder in the 
Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World War II. After the war, much church 
property was confiscated and nationalized by the Socialist Federal 
Republic of Yugoslavia. Despite the Catholic Church's numerical 
predominance, restitution of its property remained a politically 
unpopular issue. By October 31, 2005, the Government had adjudicated 
61.8 percent of claims filed by the Roman Catholic Church and had 
compensated or returned $170 million (135.1 million euros) worth of 
property. The total value of all property and compensation being 
claimed by the Roman Catholic Church was $293 million (233.2 million 
euros).
    Many Jewish communal and heirless properties were also either 
confiscated or nationalized during and after World War II. To date, 
there has been no restitution for these losses. In 2005, the Ministry 
of Justice created a new Department for Restitution and National 
Reconciliation to study the issue of private property restitution and 
compile an inventory of Jewish private properties nationalized or 
confiscated after World War II. The Government was to issue a tender 
for this project in June 2006, and research was expected to begin by 
the fall of 2006.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Societal attitudes toward religion were complex. Historical events 
dating from long before the country's independence colored perceptions 
regarding the dominant Catholic Church. Much of the gulf between the 
(at least nominally) Catholic center-right and the largely agnostic or 
atheistic center-left stemmed from the killing of large numbers of 
alleged Nazi and Fascist collaborators in the years 1946-1948. Many of 
the so-called collaborators were successful businessmen whose assets 
were confiscated after they were killed or driven from the country, and 
many were also prominent Catholics. After independence, right-of-center 
political groups called for a purge of communist government and 
business officials, but this call was quickly replaced by one for 
reconciliation.
    Interfaith relations were generally amicable in the period covered 
by this report, although there was little warmth between the majority 
Catholic Church and foreign missionary groups that were viewed as 
aggressive proselytizers. Societal attitudes toward the minority 
Jewish, Muslim, and Serb Orthodox communities generally were tolerant; 
however, some persons feared the possible emergence of Muslim 
fundamentalism. While there were no governmental restrictions on the 
Muslim community's freedom of worship, services were commonly held in 
private homes under cramped conditions because of the lack of mosques.
    The Muslim community had long been planning to build a mosque in 
the capital of Ljubljana. The absence of a mosque was due, in part, to 
a lack of organization in the Muslim community and to complex 
legislation and bureaucracy in construction and land regulations. In 
2004, a locally organized referendum campaign sought to prevent the 
Muslim community from building a mosque in Ljubljana, but the plans to 
hold a referendum were struck down by the Constitutional Court before 
the referendum could be held. In 2005, plans for building the mosque 
were stalled in part because of the discovery that part of the land 
that the city had identified for sale to the Muslim community was 
subject to a denationalization claim by the Catholic Church. The Church 
agreed to forgo its claim if compensated by the city. At the end of the 
period covered by this report, city authorities were set to vote on a 
budgetary appropriation to provide compensation to the Church and clear 
the land for sale to the Muslim community.
    In early October 2004, a Jewish family grave was desecrated; police 
had not identified the perpetrators by the end of the period covered by 
this report. Such acts were extremely rare. However, Jewish community 
representatives reported some prejudice, ignorance, false stereotypes, 
and negative images of Jews within society.
    The Government promoted tolerance and anti-bias education through 
its programs in primary and secondary schools. The Holocaust is an 
obligatory topic in the contemporary history curriculum; however, 
teachers had a great deal of latitude in deciding how much time to 
devote to it. The country formally joined in the Council of Europe's 
2004 proclamation of May 9 as Holocaust Memorial Day. Schools carried 
out various activities to remember the Holocaust on May 9, for example, 
watching documentaries, writing assignments, and holding discussions on 
the topic.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy held extensive discussions with the Government on the 
topic of property denationalization and restitution for heirless and 
communal Jewish properties confiscated or nationalized after World War 
II. In addition, the embassy has made informal inquiries into the 
status of the mosque construction project. The embassy meets with 
members of all major religious communities, representatives of 
nongovernmental organizations that address religious freedom issues, 
and government officials from relevant offices and ministries.
                               __________

                                 SPAIN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion; however, the Catholic Church enjoys some privileges 
unavailable to other faiths.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationships among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 194,897 square miles, and a population 
of approximately 43 million.
    The law prohibits the collection of census data based on religious 
belief, which limited the ability to compile statistical data on the 
number of adherents in the country. The Center for Sociological 
Investigation (CIS), an independent government agency, collected 
statistics on religious trends in the society. In February 2006, a CIS 
survey reported that 77 percent of citizens considered themselves 
Catholic; however, 46 percent of those persons stated that they never 
attended Mass. In addition, 13 percent of Spaniards considered 
themselves agnostics, 6 percent atheists, and approximately 2 percent 
said that they practiced other religions.
    An April 2006 survey by the Santa Maria Foundation reported that, 
for the first time, less than half of Spaniards between the ages of 
fifteen and twenty-four described themselves as practicing or 
nonpracticing Catholics. In a similar 1996 survey of Spanish young 
persons, 77 percent of respondents described themselves as Catholic. 
Forty-six percent declared that they were agnostic, atheist, or 
indifferent to religion.
    The Episcopal Conference of Spain (CEE) estimated that there were 
approximately 34 million Catholics in the country. The Federation of 
Evangelical Religious Entities (FEREDE) stated that it represented 
400,000 evangelical Christians and other Protestants and estimated that 
30 percent of its members were immigrants from Latin America and 
Africa. FEREDE also estimated that there were 800,000 foreign 
Protestants, mostly European, who lived in the country at least six 
months of each year. There was little comprehensive information on the 
size of the Muslim community in the country; estimates ranged from 
700,000 to 1,500,000. The Federation of Spanish Islamic Entities 
(FEERI) estimated that there were more than one million Muslims, 
including both legal and illegal immigrants. Recent government 
estimates supported local source reports that there were 30,000 to 
40,000 Jews in the country. There were approximately 9,000 practicing 
Buddhists.
    The majority of Muslims were recent immigrants from Morocco, but 
there were also Algerians, Pakistanis, and immigrants from other Arab 
or Islamic countries, as well as a number of Spanish converts to Islam. 
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Office of Religious Affairs noted that, 
although the majority of Muslims emigrated from Islamic countries, 
there was also a small number of Christians that emigrated from 
countries such as Egypt and Lebanon. At the end of 2005, the deputy 
minister for immigration reported that immigrants from Morocco were the 
largest immigrant group in the country. There were 386,958 Moroccans 
living in the country legally and as many as 120,000 illegal Moroccan 
immigrants.
    Most Orthodox Christians were from Eastern European countries such 
as Romania, Bulgaria, and the Ukraine. Evangelical Protestant 
immigrants typically came from African and Latin American countries, 
according to government officials.
    The country's largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, contained the 
largest number of religious confessions, according to government 
officials. The last government census, taken in 2002, indicated that 
the largest communities of immigrants from predominantly Islamic 
countries were located in the autonomous communities of Catalonia, 
Andalucia, Madrid, Valencia, Murcia, and the Spanish North African 
enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. The population of Orthodox Christian 
communities was largest in Aragon and Valencia. The country also hosted 
a number of foreign missionaries of evangelical Christian, Mormon, 
Orthodox, Buddhist, and Islamic faiths.
    In January 2005, the MOJ's Register of Religious Entities listed 
12,453 entities created by the Catholic Church. There were 1,388 non-
Catholic churches, denominations, and communities in the register, 
including 1,064 Protestant church entities. Protestant entities 
included 305 charismatic churches, 128 Assemblies of Brethren, 228 
Baptist churches, 125 Pentecostal churches, 38 Presbyterian churches, 
one Evangelical Church of Philadelphia, 10 Church of Christ churches, 1 
Salvation Army entity, 18 Anglican churches, 63 interdenominational 
churches, 35 Churches for Foreigners, 4 Seventh-day Adventist churches, 
3 Reformed Adventist churches, and 121 other evangelical churches. In 
addition, there were also 10 Orthodox churches, 1 Jehovah's Witnesses 
entity, 1 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 1 
Unification Church, 10 entities of other Christian confessions, 16 
entities of Judaism, 254 entities of Islam, 11 entities of the Baha'i 
Faith, 3 entities of Hinduism, 21 entities of Buddhism, and 3 entities 
of other confessions. The Church of Scientology was present in the 
country, although the MOJ declined to register it as a religious 
organization.
    The number of non-Catholic churches and religious communities in 
the country could have been much larger. Some religious groups chose to 
register as cultural organizations with the regional governments rather 
than with the National Registry of Religious Entities in Madrid because 
the national registration process could take up to six months and 
required much paperwork.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. Discrimination on 
the basis of religious beliefs is illegal.
    Article 16 of the constitution provides for religious freedom and 
the freedom of worship by individuals and groups. It also states, ``No 
faith shall have the character of a state religion.'' However, the 
Government provides certain public financing benefits to the Catholic 
Church that are not available to other religious entities in practice. 
These benefits derive from four accords signed with the Holy See in 
1979. They cover economic, religious education, military, and judicial 
matters. The Catholic Church receives financing through voluntary tax 
contributions and direct payments. Taxpayers can select a box on their 
income tax forms to contribute up to 0.5 percent of their taxes to the 
Catholic Church. In 2004, taxpayers contributed approximately $128 
million (105.9 million euros) to the Catholic Church. In addition to 
voluntary taxpayer contributions, the Government provided the Catholic 
Church an additional $40 million (32.8 million euros). This sum did not 
include state funding for religion teachers in public schools, military 
and hospital chaplains, and other indirect assistance.
    Representatives of Protestant, Jewish, and Islamic faiths signed 
bilateral agreements with the Government in 1992. These agreements 
provide certain tax benefits and give civil validity to weddings 
performed by the religious groups. They also permit the religious 
groups to place their teachers in schools and chaplains of their faiths 
in hospitals and prisons. Protestant entities signed the accord as the 
FEREDE; Jewish entities signed as the Federation of Israelite 
Communities of Spain (FCIE); and Islamic entities signed as the Islamic 
Commission of Spain (CIE). The CIE is composed of two federations: The 
FEERI and the Union of Islamic Communities in Spain (UCIDE). In 2003, 
the Government expanded this concept of ``well-known deeply-rooted'' 
beliefs (notorio arraigo) to allow other religious groups to sign 
bilateral agreements. The MOJ granted notorio arraigo to the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2003; however, the church has not 
negotiated a bilateral agreement with the Government. Jehovah's 
Witnesses and the MOJ both reported in early 2006 that they were 
working to establish the same status for the Jehovah's Witnesses.
    Beginning in 2005, a new government-funded Foundation for Pluralism 
and Coexistence, based in the MOJ, provided funds directly to the 
minority religion confessions in order to promote religious equality 
and dialogue among religious groups. The funds, $3.6 million (three 
million euros) in 2005, are used for activities not themselves 
religious, that is, for cultural, educational, and social integration 
programs. The foundation's board includes representatives of most 
government ministries as well as members of the religious groups 
themselves.
    Some autonomous regions have also signed agreements with religious 
groups in order to encourage social integration. For example, the 
Catalonian government has signed agreements with the Islamic Council of 
Catalonia, and Protestant, Jewish, and Baha'i religious communities. 
These agreements were social rather than financial in nature and were 
intended to encourage social integration.
    National religious holidays include Epiphany (January 6), Holy 
Thursday and Good Friday, Assumption (August 15), All Saints' Day 
(November 1), Immaculate Conception (December 8), and Christmas 
(December 25); many regional governments also establish local religious 
holidays. National religious holidays do not have a negative effect on 
other religious groups. In the 1992 cooperation accords with the FCIE 
and CIE, the Government agreed to recognize Jewish and Muslim holidays. 
The 1992 accord with FEREDE accommodates Protestant entities, such as 
the Seventh-day Adventists, that celebrate Saturday as the Sabbath by 
giving them Friday afternoon off from work with pay to prepare for the 
Sabbath.
    The Law of Religious Freedom of 1980 implements the constitutional 
provision for freedom of religion. The 1980 law establishes a legal 
regime and certain privileges for religious organizations. To enjoy the 
benefits of this regime, religious organizations must be entered in the 
Register of Religious Entities maintained by the MOJ Office of 
Religious Affairs, which is updated regularly. To register with the 
MOJ, religious groups must submit documentation supporting their claim 
to be religions. If a group's application is rejected, it may appeal 
the decision to the courts. If it is judged not to be a religion, it 
may be included on a Register of Associations maintained by the 
Ministry of Interior. Inclusion on the Register of Associations grants 
legal status as authorized by the law regulating the right of 
association. Religious groups not officially recognized are treated as 
cultural associations.
    The Church of Scientology has been refused registration as a 
religious entity in the country since it first applied in 1983. The 
decision to deny registration was upheld by a Supreme Court decision in 
1990. An organization claiming to be affiliated with the Church of 
Scientology filed an application to register with the MOJ in 1983. The 
MOJ also rejected this application. Following a 2001 decision by the 
Constitutional Court to register the Unification Church, and following 
the opening of a new national Church of Scientology of Spain, the 
Church of Scientology filed an application again in October 2004. 
However, the Government denied the application in May 2005 and declined 
to register the Church of Scientology on the grounds that the MOJ did 
not have the authority to overturn the 1990 decision of the Supreme 
Court through an administrative action. The Church of Scientology filed 
a Notice of Appeal to this denial.
    Officials of the Church of Scientology argued that the organization 
that filed the 1983 application was not affiliated with the Church of 
Scientology. They also argued that the 1990 decision was based on 
provisions of law, overturned in a 2001 Constitutional Court decision, 
that a religion must worship a supreme being. Church officials argued 
that, under the decision of the Constitutional Court, the Church should 
be registered. MOJ officials held that the 2001 decision applied only 
to the Unification Church, and that the Church of Scientology must 
pursue the case through the court system. The Office of Religious 
Affairs found that the Church of Scientology held the same doctrine, 
organizational structure, and leadership as the organization that 
applied in 1983 and was denied registration at that time. Authorities 
declared that the Government would not interfere in any way with the 
activities of the Church of Scientology.
    The first section of the Register of Religious Entities, called the 
``special section,'' contains a list of religious entities created by 
the Catholic Church and a list of non-Catholic churches, denominations, 
and communities that have an agreement on cooperation with the state. 
Catholic dioceses and parishes are not required to register to gain 
benefits under the 1980 law. However, Catholic monasteries, religious 
communities, associations, and foundations may voluntarily register to 
participate in the legal regime.
    In 2004, leaders of the Protestant, Muslim, and Jewish communities 
discussed the issue of expanded tax benefits and public funding, the 
opening of new places of worship, and the quality of religious 
education with the Office of Religious Affairs in the MOJ; in 
particular, they sought treatment comparable to that enjoyed by the 
Catholic Church. All religious minority groups requested the Government 
to revise the national income tax form to allow taxpayers the option to 
donate a percentage of their taxes to non-Catholic entities. However, 
these negotiations ended without an agreement between the Government 
and religious leaders.
    In general, the Government placed no legal restrictions on opening 
new places of worship; however, representatives of minority religious 
groups sometimes had difficulty opening places of worship, most 
frequently because of resistance from neighborhood groups. According to 
the MOJ Office of Religious Affairs, local governments are obligated to 
provide land for the opening of places of worship; however, this law 
was largely ignored by local municipalities. The ministry carried out a 
campaign to educate local governments about their responsibilities to 
minority religious groups. The Catalan regional government's director 
of religious affairs announced that a law was being drafted that would 
set guidelines for building mosques.
    Muslim and Protestant leaders also have called for the Government 
to provide more support for public religious education in their 
respective faiths. In 2004, the Government responded to these calls by 
approving legislation that provides funding for teachers of courses in 
Catholic, Islamic, evangelical/Christian, and Judaic studies in public 
school when at least ten students request them. These courses are not 
mandatory. Those students who elect not to take confessional courses 
are obliged to take an alternative course covering general social, 
cultural, and religious themes.
    In 2004, the Government set aside funds to pay for twenty Muslim 
teachers to teach courses on Islam to public school students. The 
Government required that the teachers hold degrees from a Spanish 
university, have training in Spanish law, and be fluent in Spanish. As 
of September 2005, seventeen teachers were providing Islamic 
instruction in schools in Andalucia (thirteen), Aragon (three) and the 
Basque Country (one). In addition, twenty teachers already provide 
Islamic instruction in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
    There are religious schools for Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and 
Jewish students. There are no restrictions placed on parents who want 
to provide their children religious home school training or enroll them 
in private religious schools.
    The Government has taken steps to promote interfaith understanding 
through the support or sponsorship of programs on interfaith dialogue, 
principally through the establishment of the Foundation for Pluralism 
and Coexistence described above. Members of all religious groups serve 
as members of a government Committee of Advisors on Religious Freedom. 
It also sponsors university courses and seminars with representatives 
of different religious confessions. In 2005, the Government held 
interreligious roundtables at the University Menendez Pelayo of 
Santander and the University of Madrid. In 2005, the Government hosted 
a conference on Anti-Semitism and Other Forms of Intolerance in Cordoba 
under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe. The conference included representatives of all religious groups 
as well as international experts on the subject of religious freedom. 
Government officials placed great emphasis specifically on the issue of 
anti-Semitism in the country and expressed interest in maintaining a 
regular dialogue with the U.S. Government on anti-Semitic activity in 
the country. The Government also appointed a special envoy within the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve as a liaison between the Jewish 
community and international organizations dedicated to combating anti-
Semitism in Europe, such as the Forum for International Cooperation on 
Holocaust, Education, Remembrance, and Research in Warsaw.
Restrictions on Freedom of Religion
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The Islamic and Protestant federations continued to report that the 
building permit process for new mosque and church construction could be 
difficult and lengthy, especially for building sites in central urban 
locations. According to FEERI, new mosque construction sometimes was 
forced into less-visible suburban areas, primarily because of 
resistance from neighborhood groups. FEERI reported that female Muslim 
students who wore headscarves did not encounter problems with the 
uniform codes that private schools are allowed to implement. The 
Government consistently held that the right to education takes priority 
over the enforcement of clothing regulations.
    The Government funds Catholic chaplains for the military, prisons, 
and hospitals. The 1992 bilateral agreements recognize the right of 
Protestant and Muslim members of the armed forces to have access to 
religious services, subject to the needs of the service and 
authorization by their superiors. According to the agreements, such 
services are to be provided by ministers and imams approved by the 
religious federations and authorized by the military command. However, 
Protestant and Muslim leaders continued to report that there are no 
military regulations to implement the 1992 agreements. FERDE reported 
that evangelical military service personnel must leave their barracks 
to meet chaplains and participate in evangelical religious services. 
Muslim leaders reported that prison officials generally provide access 
for imams to visit Muslim prisoners, and on June 9, 2006, the Council 
of Ministers authorized Evangelical, Jewish and Islamic religious 
services for prisoners inside jails. The various religious groups were 
scheduled to appoint worship ministers who would then be authorized by 
the Penitentiary Administration to conduct religious services in the 
jails.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Jewish community leaders reported that, while violent anti-Semitic 
acts against individual members of the community were rare, they were 
concerned about anti-Semitism expressed as vandalism against Jewish 
institutions. Two synagogues in Barcelona belonging to the Jewish 
community of Barcelona and the Jewish Community Atid of Catalunya were 
vandalized repeatedly in recent years and again in 2005. The vandalism 
included anti-Semitic graffiti on the walls of the synagogue. The 
groups also reported their belief that local extremist groups monitored 
them. The regional government responded by increasing security at the 
center.
    Jewish community leaders also cited some incidents of anti-Semitic 
propaganda in the media and in local government institutions. In May 
2006, the president of the Federation of Jewish Communities stated that 
``a new political anti-Semitism,'' which manifests itself in bias 
towards the Palestinians, is growing in the Spanish press. In 2004, a 
Star of David, placed side-by-side with a swastika, appeared on a City 
Hall webpage in Barcelona. City officials removed the symbols without 
explaining why they were placed there. In the same year, in the region 
of Galicia in the northern part of the country, the mayor of the town 
of Oleiros approved public signs that described the Israeli prime 
minister as an ``animal'' and labeled member of his government ``neo-
Nazis.'' The Government responded by issuing a strong statement 
condemning the incident. The mayor later agreed to remove the signs.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom. The growth of the country's immigrant 
population at times led to social friction, which in isolated instances 
had a religious component. Many citizens blamed recent Moroccan 
immigrants for increased crime rates in the country. These beliefs 
sometimes resulted in anti-Muslim sentiment, which in some cases led to 
attacks and vandalism. The attackers were reported to be skinheads who 
wanted to link Muslims to radical Islamist terrorism, according to 
police and Muslim leaders. Muslim leaders stated that Islamic 
communities continued to suffer from discrimination, particularly in 
obtaining employment and rental housing. They were concerned that media 
reports appeared to link Islam to the terrorist attacks. In February 
2005, Sigma Dos, a private polling agency, conducted a national survey 
of 1,000 individuals on attitudes on the Muslim population in the 
country. The poll revealed that 70 percent of those who responded had 
had no contact with Muslims, and 48 percent stated they knew almost 
nothing about Islam or Muslims. Nevertheless, approximately 43 percent 
of respondents said the greatest threat of the presence of Muslims in 
the country was the possibility that fundamentalists would carry out a 
terrorist attack.
    In 2005, the Government began to observe January 27 as Holocaust 
Remembrance Day. Regional governments, including those in both Madrid 
and Catalonia, initiated similar commemoration.
    On January 28, 2006, attackers burned the Qur'an and threw 
religious books into a trash can in a mosque in Soria. Several months 
earlier, the mosque had been spray-painted with graffiti. Girona, Salt, 
Palafrugell, and San Vicente de Castellet, four towns in Catalonia, 
also reported recent attacks on mosques and Islamic butcher shops. On 
October 23, 2005, in the eastern town of Reus, police detained two car-
loads of skinheads armed with Molotov cocktails, spray paint, weapons, 
and Nazi propaganda as they headed towards the local mosque.
    In April 2006, an arson attack on a mosque in the enclave city of 
Ceuta, where one-third of the population was Muslim, raised fears of 
growing intolerance towards Muslims. The burning of the Sidi Bel Abbas 
sanctuary came just three months after arsonists attacked another 
sanctuary in the enclave.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy officials also meet with religious leaders of various 
denominations.
    The embassy facilitated exchanges between U.S. and local religious 
associations to foster dialogue and promote religious tolerance and 
freedom. The embassy in Madrid and the consulate in Barcelona organized 
a Muslim outreach group to coordinate and promote increased contact 
with the Islamic community. During the period covered by this report, 
the mission dramatically increased its contacts in this community by 
reaching out to leadership of the Islamic Commission of Spain and 
keeping in close contact with Spain's largest mosque. Embassy officers 
established new relationships with numerous immigrant and religious 
groups, and nominated a record number of international visitors of 
Muslim faith. The embassy utilized the Bureau of International 
Information Programs' speaker program to bring Muslim-Americans to the 
country to speak on matters of religious tolerance. The ambassador 
established close links with his counterparts from the Muslim world, 
and met repeatedly with leaders of the Muslim and Jewish communities in 
the country. The embassy also discussed with government officials the 
attempts by the Church of Scientology to register.
                               __________

                                 SWEDEN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 173,732 square miles and a population of 
9.1 million. Approximately 77 percent of the population belonged to the 
Church of Sweden. Increasing numbers of persons have left the Church of 
Sweden each year since it separated from the state in 2000. Between 
November 2, 2004, and November 1, 2005, 68,040 persons left the Church. 
Church of Sweden studies found that individuals left primarily for 
economic reasons; membership carries a tax of 1.19 percent of members' 
incomes. In 2004, the Church of Sweden baptized 68.5 percent of 
children, a figure that has steadily declined over the past two 
decades. Confirmations declined more sharply; according to the latest 
available figures, less than 40 percent of Swedish fifteen-year-olds 
were confirmed in 2004, as opposed to 80 percent in 1970.
    There was an estimated 145,000 Roman Catholics, of whom 82,000 were 
registered with the Roman Catholic Church. Approximately 85 percent of 
Catholics were first- or second-generation immigrants, with the largest 
groups coming from southern Europe, Latin America, and Poland. Within 
the Stockholm Catholic Diocese, the Armenian, Chaldean, Maronite, 
Melchite, and Syrian churches celebrated Mass in their respective 
languages, as did the Polish, Croatian, Spanish, Italian, Eritrean, 
Vietnamese, Korean, and Ukrainian communities.
    The Orthodox Church had approximately 100,000 practicing members. 
The main national Orthodox churches were Syrian, Serbian, Greek, 
Romanian, and Macedonian.
    There was a large Finnish-speaking Lutheran denomination.
    While weekly services in Christian houses of worship generally were 
poorly attended, a large number of persons observed major festivals of 
the ecclesiastical year and preferred religious ceremonies to mark 
turning points in life such as weddings and funerals.
    Those who attended Protestant churches, other than the Church of 
Sweden, totaled more than 400,000. The Pentecostal movement and the 
Missionary (or Missions) Church were the largest Protestant groups 
outside of the Church of Sweden. In 2005, the Pentecostal movement had 
86,669 registered members, a figure reflecting a steady decline from a 
peak of more than 100,000 in 1985. The Missionary Church had 64,251 
registered members in 2002, the latest year for which statistics were 
available.
    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) had 
approximately 9,000 members. Jehovah's Witnesses counted approximately 
23,000 members.
    The total number of Jews living in the country is estimated to be 
18,500-20,000; however, the Jewish community estimates 10,000 active, 
or practicing, members. There are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform 
Jewish synagogues, found mostly in the cities. Large numbers of Jews 
attend High Holy Day services, but attendance at weekly services is 
low.
    The major religious communities and the Church of Sweden were 
spread across the country. Large numbers of immigrants in recent 
decades have introduced various religions to the country, such as 
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and a number of Christian denominations in 
those communities populated by immigrants. These communities tended to 
be concentrated in the larger cities.
    Buddhists numbered approximately 15,000; Hindus numbered between 
7,000 and 10,000. There were estimated to be just over 1,000 Sikhs and 
approximately 500 Zoroastrians. Reliable statistics on the number of 
atheists were not available; however, past estimates placed the figure 
at 15 to 20 percent of the adult population.
    The exact number of Muslims was difficult to estimate. However, it 
has increased rapidly through immigration in the past several years. 
The number provided by the Muslim community was approximately 350,000, 
of whom an estimated 100,000 were reportedly active. Muslim 
affiliations among immigrant groups were predominantly with the Shi'a 
and Sunni branches of Islam. There were mosques in many parts of the 
country.
    A significant number of smaller, internationally active religious 
groups have also been established in the country. Such groups included 
the Church of Scientology (approximately 3,000 members), Hare Krishna, 
Word of Faith, and the Unification Church.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The rights and 
freedoms enumerated in the constitution include the rights to practice 
one's religion and protection of religious freedom. The laws concerning 
religious freedoms are generally observed and enforced at all 
government levels and by the courts in a non-discriminatory fashion. 
Legal protections cover discrimination or persecution by private 
actors.
    Since the separation of church and state in 2000, eight recognized 
religious denominations, in addition to the Church of Sweden, raise 
revenues through member-contributions made through the national tax 
system. All recognized denominations are entitled to direct government 
financial support, contributions made through the national tax system, 
or a mix of both. The state does not favor the Church of Sweden at the 
expense of other religious groups in any noticeable way. Since the 
population is predominantly Christian, certain Christian religious holy 
days are national holidays, but this does not appear to affect other 
religious groups negatively. School students from minority religious 
backgrounds are entitled to take relevant religious holidays.
    No recognition or registration is required to carry out religious 
activity. Religious groups that want to receive government aid may 
apply for it. The Government considers the number of members in the 
group and its length of establishment, but applies no specific 
criteria.
    Religious education covering all major world religions is 
compulsory in public schools. Parents may send their children to 
independent religious schools, all of which receive government 
subsidies, provided they adhere to government guidelines on core 
academic curriculum.
    The Office of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination 
investigates claims of discrimination ``due to race, skin color, 
national or ethnic origin, or religion.'' Discrimination on religious 
grounds is illegal, including discrimination in the work place and in 
the provision of public and private services.
    In May 2006, the National School Authority ruled that a public 
school in the city of Umea had acted improperly for expelling a Muslim 
student for wearing a head scarf. The ruling enables Muslim students to 
wear head scarves in school.
    Following a 1998 public opinion poll that showed a low percentage 
of Swedish schoolchildren had even basic knowledge of the Holocaust, 
the Government launched nationwide Holocaust education projects. 
Approximately one million copies of the projects' core textbook are in 
circulation and available in many languages, at no cost, to every 
household with children.
    The Living History Forum--a government organization established in 
2003 to promote tolerance, democracy and human rights using the 
Holocaust as a starting point--and the Swedish Committee against anti-
Semitism initiated an ongoing educational program on the Holocaust, 
anti-Semitism, and racism. Designed for teachers and others working in 
education, the program aims to establish a network of well-educated and 
engaged individuals who can spread knowledge of the Holocaust.
    The Government promotes interfaith understanding and meets annually 
with representatives from various religious groups. The Commission for 
State Grants to Religious Communities is a government body consisting 
of twenty-two registered religious groups (thirty-seven including sub-
groups) entitled to government aid.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The law requires animal slaughter to be preceded by the 
administration of anesthetics to minimize undue suffering by the 
animal. The Jewish community has protested that this prevents the 
practice of kosher slaughter in the country, requiring kosher meat to 
be imported. The Muslim community appeared to be split between those 
who believed certain anesthetic methods do not conflict with halal 
requirements, and those who believed that they do. A government 
investigation of the law was scheduled to present its results by April 
30, 2007.
    The law stipulates that male circumcision may be performed only by 
a licensed doctor or, in the case of boys under the age of two months, 
in the presence of a person certified by the National Board of Health. 
Approximately 3,000 Muslim boys and forty to fifty Jewish boys are 
circumcised each year. The National Board of Health has certified 
Jewish mohels (persons ordained to carry out circumcision according to 
the Jewish faith) to carry out the operations, but a medical doctor or 
an anesthesia nurse must accompany them. Some members of the Jewish and 
Muslim communities have protested against the law on the grounds that 
it interferes with their religious traditions. The National Board of 
Health and Welfare Authority reviewed the law and recommended its 
continued usage.
    Individuals serving in the military are given the time and 
opportunity to fulfill religious requirements. The military makes 
available food options fulfilling religious dietary requirements and 
allows time for appropriate mourning periods. Some regiments have an 
imam attached to them to facilitate religious observance by Muslim 
soldiers. Jehovah's Witnesses are exempt from national military 
service.
    Armed forces guidelines allow the wearing of religious headwear. In 
2005, a Sikh finished his military service, throughout which he wore a 
turban. In March 2006, the National Police Board incorporated in its 
diversity guidelines the right of police officers to wear religious 
headwear.
    In June 2005, the country's newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reported 
that the ombudsman against ethnic discrimination was suing Gothenburg 
city for two instances in which Muslim women were turned away at a 
swimming pool because they were wearing arm-length tops. Pool employees 
maintained the clothing violated pool regulations. One of the women 
believed that she was turned away because she was wearing a veil. The 
ombudsman subsequently filed a lawsuit against the City of Gothenburg; 
a court hearing had not taken place by the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    In July 2004, Pentecostal Pastor Ake Green was convicted and 
sentenced to one month's imprisonment under a hate-speech law that 
criminalizes agitation against ethnic groups. Green's conviction 
resulted from a sermon in which he condemned homosexuality, in part on 
the basis of biblical teachings. Green challenged the verdict on the 
basis of freedom of speech and, in February 2005, an appeals court 
ruled in Green's favor and overturned the conviction. The Government 
then appealed the February decision to the Supreme Court, which in 
November acquitted Green on the basis of Articles 9 (freedom of 
religion) and 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on 
Human Rights.
    In April 2005, a district court in Stenungsund sentenced Leif 
Liljestrom to two months' imprisonment for violation of the hate-speech 
law and for violation of a website content law. The individual had 
posted on a Christian website material judged to be offensive toward 
homosexuals. Liljestrom appealed the conviction, arguing that the 
online content reflected his Christian convictions. In April 2006, an 
appeals court in Gothenburg acquitted Liljestrom of the hate-speech and 
website content charges, but found him guilty of being an accomplice to 
hate-speech for allowing third parties to post offensive material on 
his website. The appeals court sentenced Liljestrom to one month's 
imprisonment. Liljestrom filed an appeal to the Gothenburg court 
decision; the Supreme Court had not yet decided on whether to accept 
the case by the end of the reporting period.
    Three trade unions and the Employers' Association agreed in April 
2005 on compensatory holiday leave hours that will allow non-Christians 
to substitute their religious holy days for Christian holy days that 
are also national holidays.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor U.S. citizens who have been abducted or illegally removed from 
the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be 
returned to the United States.
Anti-Semitism
    In November 2005, Swedish Radio revealed that the bookshop in the 
Stockholm Central Mosque was selling audio cassettes with anti-Semitic 
content. One tape included calls for Muslims to kill Jews. Police 
subsequently seized a number of tapes and compact disks from the 
mosque. The material contained highly anti-Semitic content, including 
calls for a holy war against Jews in which suicide bombers are 
celebrated as martyrs. In January 2006, the chancellor of justice, a 
civil servant who serves as a government legal advisor, issued an 
opinion that the contents of the tapes and compact disks did not 
constitute hate speech under Swedish law. The hate-speech law provides 
as follows: ``A person who, in a disseminated statement or 
communication, threatens or expresses contempt for a national, ethnic, 
or other group of persons with allusion to race, color, national or 
ethnic origin, religious belief, or sexual orientation shall be 
sentenced for agitation against such a group to imprisonment for at 
most two years or, if the crime is petty, to a fine.'' The chancellor 
of justice opined that, in light of the broader Middle East conflict, 
such language could be interpreted as applying to the broader conflict 
and not to groups within the country per se, and hence did not violate 
the law.
    The Jewish Congregation of Stockholm reported the desecration of 
approximately ten gravestones in the Jewish Cemetery in Stockholm in 
August 2005. The Congregation also reported that approximately fifty 
Jews and individuals with Jewish-sounding last names received letters 
with anti-Semitic content during the September-October period.
    In June 2006, a court convicted three high school students for 
violation of the country's hate-speech law for making Nazi salutes in 
front of teachers and fellow students. The court sentenced two of those 
convicted to fines and the third to social counseling.
    The number of reported anti-Semitic crimes has increased since the 
end of the 1990s, and averaged approximately 130 annually during the 
period 2000-2003, with 128 crimes reported in 2003. In 2004, the number 
of anti-Semitic crimes rose by 44 percent, an increase in police 
attribute largely to a change in statistical methodology. The largest 
single category of anti-Semitic crime in 2004 was agitation against an 
ethnic group, with sixty-six reported incidents, and unlawful threat/
molestation second, with forty-two reported incidents. There were seven 
reported cases of assault during the same period. This means that the 
number of assaults more than doubled compared to 2003, when three 
assaults were reported. Nazi symbolism, such as Hitler salutes and the 
use of swastikas, was associated with 27 percent of reported anti-
Semitic crimes. Some Jews believed that increases in attacks were 
directly linked to increased tensions in the Middle East. Since the 
beginning of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000, some in the 
Jewish community saw its primary threats as coming from Islamists and 
leftist extremists, as opposed to the traditional neo-Nazi threat. 
Representatives of the Jewish community organizations in the country 
believed that it was unfair that they were obliged to bear costs for 
security measures, as they believed that the state should guarantee the 
security of its citizens.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Citizens were generally 
tolerant of diverse religious practitioners. However, anti-Semitism 
existed, and Muslims were subject to societal discrimination. Law 
enforcement authorities maintained statistics on hate crimes but did 
not break the figures down by categories relating to the targeting of 
specific religious groups, with the exception of anti-Semitic attacks. 
There were inadequate figures on incidents or crimes motivated by 
religious prejudice or intolerance toward members of the Muslim 
community. The Office of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination 
received reports of discrimination on religious grounds, including 
religious affiliation, during the period covered by this report. Exact 
statistics were not available.
    In October 2004, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention 
and the Living History Forum together presented a report on intolerance 
towards Muslims and Jews among high school students. In March 2006, 
both organizations released their follow-up report on anti-Semitism 
among the population as a whole. Five percent of individuals questioned 
for the report, and 39 percent of those questioned who identified 
themselves as Muslims, indicated strong anti-Semitic views; 36 percent 
of all respondents indicated an ambivalent view towards Jewish people.
    In November 2005, Swedish Radio (SR) reported that four of ten 
Islamic organizations in the country believe they had been threatened, 
according to an investigation by an SR news program which interviewed 
100 organizations that together represented 80 thousand Muslims. The 
report stated that three of ten organizations had been attacked, 
vandalized, and damaged. Abuses ranged from graffiti to attacks with 
fire bombs.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses and members of various smaller Christian 
churches reported incidents of discrimination during the past few 
years.
    In September and October 2005, unidentified individuals carried out 
arson attacks at the Islamic Center in Malmo. The attacks did not 
result in extensive damage, unlike the serious arson attack against the 
center that occurred in 2003.
    In May 2006, two masked individuals stabbed a Sunni Muslim imam in 
the city of Gavle. The imam sustained a chest wound. Authorities were 
investigating the case but had made no arrests by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Many religious communities are involved in interfaith dialogue. 
However, in May 2004, the Jewish central council decided that the 
Jewish community should withdraw from official cooperation with the 
Church of Sweden after the launch of the Church's HOPP (HOPE) campaign 
for a just peace in the Middle East. Archbishop KG Hammar endorsed the 
campaign, which included a recommendation to boycott Israeli goods 
originating from occupied territory. Cooperation was likely to resume 
following the June 2006 appointment of a new archbishop, who signaled 
his intent for the Church to play a less political role.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Government is a member of the Task Force for International 
Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research.
    The embassy maintained regular contacts with local religious 
leaders, and embassy officials have participated in events promoting 
interfaith understanding and religious tolerance. The embassy also 
nominated individuals to participate in International Visitor programs 
on religious diversity.
                               __________

                              SWITZERLAND

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. However, negative reaction to 
immigration, the conflict in the Middle East, and terrorist acts by 
Muslim extremists in foreign countries, have increased intolerance 
towards religious minorities. The growing Muslim population, a number 
of reports of Muslim clerics preaching extremist views, and the 
international controversy over the Danish newspaper cartoons of 
Muhammad have spurred the public debate on the role of Muslim believers 
in society.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 15,942 square miles and a population of 
approximately 7.29 million. Three-quarters of the population nominally 
adhered to either the Roman Catholic or Protestant churches, but actual 
church attendance rates were much lower. The Muslim population was the 
largest religious minority, making up approximately 4 percent of the 
resident population. More than 11 percent of citizens claimed no formal 
allegiance to any church or religious community.
    Over the past several years, noticeable membership shifts occurred 
within the various religious denominations. Historically, more than 95 
percent of the population was evenly split between the Swiss Protestant 
Church and the Roman Catholic Church; however, since the 1970s, there 
has been a steady increase of persons formally renouncing their church 
membership. In the Roman Catholic Church, immigration from southern 
Europe has countered this trend. The arrival of immigrants from other 
areas has contributed to the noticeable growth of religious communities 
that had little presence in the country in the past. According to the 
Government's Statistics Office, membership in religious denominations 
was as follows: 41.8 percent Roman Catholic; 33.0 percent Protestant; 
1.8 percent Orthodox; 0.2 percent Old Catholic; 0.2 percent other 
Christian groups; 4.3 percent Muslim; 0.2 percent Jewish; 0.8 percent 
other religions (Buddhist, Hindu, and other); and 11.1 percent 
professed no formal creed.
    According to official census statistics, the Muslim population 
increased significantly from 57,000 in 1980, to 152,000 in 1990, and to 
311,000 in 2000. Muslim immigrants from North African countries 
typically settled in the French-speaking western part of the country, 
whereas those arriving from Turkey, Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia 
commonly relocated in the German-speaking eastern and central parts. 
There were two major mosques, one in Zurich (built in 1963 and 
belonging to the Ahmadiyya movement) and one in Geneva (built in 1978 
and financed by Saudi Arabia). There were approximately 120 Muslim 
centers located throughout the country in private homes or office 
complexes.
    Approximately 75 percent of Jewish households were located in the 
urban areas of four major cities: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and Bern. 
There were four distinguishable Jewish subgroups: orthodox, 
conservative, liberal, and reform. An estimated 15 percent of Jews 
belonged to the orthodox branch.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Article 15 of the constitution provides for freedom of creed and 
conscience, and the Federal Penal Code prohibits any form of debasement 
or discrimination of any religion or any religious adherents.
    There is no official state church; religious matters are handled by 
the cantons (states), according to Article 72 of the constitution. Most 
of the twenty-six cantons (with the exception of Geneva and Neuchatel, 
where church and state are separated) financially support at least one 
of the three traditional religious communities--Roman Catholic, Old 
Catholic, or Protestant--with funds collected through taxation. Each 
canton observes its own regulations regarding the relationship between 
church and state. In some cantons, the church tax is voluntary, but in 
others an individual who chooses not to contribute to church tax may 
have to leave the church formally. In some cantons, private companies 
are unable to avoid payment of the church tax. Some cantons grant 
``church taxation'' status, which the traditional three Christian 
communities enjoy, to the Jewish community. Islamic and other 
nonofficial religious groups are excluded from these benefits.
    In February 2005, voters in Zurich canton comfortably adopted a new 
Cantonal Constitution that grants the three traditional Christian 
communities greater autonomy in regulating their internal affairs. The 
new constitution also grants official recognition to two local Jewish 
communities but does not provide for the raising of funds through 
taxation as with the three Christian communities. Neither does the new 
constitution provide for the official recognition of Islam or other 
religious communities. On October 30, 2005, voters in Basel adopted a 
new cantonal constitution that paves the way for granting non-
traditional religious communities, including Islam, recognition as 
official religions under cantonal law. The Basel cantonal constitution 
was awaiting approval by the Federal Parliament when the period covered 
by this report ended.
    A religious organization must register with the Government in order 
to receive tax-exempt status.
    In 2004, the Federal Council (cabinet) decided to appoint an 
ambassador to the Vatican in order to establish full diplomatic 
relations with the Holy See.
    Groups of foreign origin are free to proselytize. Foreign 
missionaries must obtain a ``religious worker'' visa to work in the 
country. Visa requirements include proof that the foreigner would not 
displace a citizen from doing the job, has formally completed 
theological training, and would be supported financially by the host 
organization. The host organization must acknowledge the country's 
legal order and must not tolerate its abuse by members, either in 
theory or in practice. During 2004 and 2005, a total of 60 ordained 
clergymen and 120 non-ordained religious employees were working on 
short-term permits in the country.
    Religious education is taught in most public cantonal schools, with 
the exception of Geneva and Neuchatel. Classes in Roman Catholic and 
Protestant doctrines are normally offered; some schools also cover 
other religious groups living in the country. In Lucerne Canton, two 
municipalities have offered religious classes in Muslim doctrine since 
2002. In some cantons, religious classes are entirely voluntary, while 
in others they form part of the curriculum; waivers, however, are 
routinely granted for children whose parents request them. Those of 
different faiths are free to attend classes for their own creeds during 
the class period. Parents may also send their children to private 
religious schools and to classes offered by their church, or they may 
teach their children at home.
    A number of cantons reformed religious education in public schools 
during the reporting period to either complement or entirely supplant 
traditional classes in Christian doctrine with non-confessional 
teachings about religion and culture. French-speaking primary schools 
in Fribourg, Vaud, Wallis, Jura, and Bern adopted a new religious 
tutorial that gives prominent coverage to non-Christian denominations 
as well. In the central part of the country, authorities in a number of 
cantons decided to complement religious classes being offered by the 
individual religious communities with secular teachings about ethics 
and religion. The first of these cantons, Obwalden, introduced its 
religion and ethics program in 2005. In Zurich, the government's board 
of public education decided to introduce a new subject, Religion and 
Culture, to secondary schools, which would expose pupils to all major 
religious traditions, with no precedence given to any one of them, in 
an effort to foster interconfessional understanding and tolerance in a 
multi-cultural society. Textbooks and the curriculum were being drafted 
and the training of lay teachers was being prepared. Classes were 
scheduled to begin in school year 2007-2008. At the primary school 
level, authorities announced plans also to introduce secularized 
religious instruction in a move to counter a citizens' ballot 
initiative against a 2004 government decision to cut funding for 
traditional classes in biblical history. The Canton of Basel was 
contemplating similar steps but had not made any firm decisions by the 
end of the period covered by this report. In virtually all cantons 
contemplating or implementing reform, authorities planed to make the 
non-confessional teachings about religion and culture a non-elective 
part of the curriculum for all pupils.
    The question of waivers other than from religious classes gave rise 
to some controversy at the end of 2005 after the county of Stettlen in 
the Canton of Bern excused a nine-year-old girl from a Muslim family 
from swimming and from some physical education classes. In spring 2006, 
however, the Libyan refugee family withdrew the demand for special 
treatment of their daughter. There are no national guidelines regarding 
exemptions on religious grounds, and practices vary. Some cantons have 
issued guidelines not to excuse pupils from swimming or physical 
education classes despite a contrary ruling of the Federal Tribunal 
(Supreme Court) from 1993, holding that such exemptions on religious 
grounds are constitutional. Education policy is set at the cantonal 
level, but school authorities at the county level wield some 
discretionary power in their implementation.
    The debate over the country's World War II record contributed to 
the problem of anti-Semitism. To counter anti-Semitism and racism, in 
2001, the Federal Department of the Interior created the Federal 
Service for the Combating of Racism to coordinate antiracism activities 
of the Federal Administration with cantonal and communal authorities. 
Between 2001 and 2005, this service managed a project fund of $11.1 
million (15 million Swiss francs), which supported more than 500 
projects to combat racism, including some projects specifically 
addressing the problem of anti-Semitism. After the completion of the 
one-time project fund, the Federal Service for the Combating of Racism 
continued to support anti-racism activities with money from the regular 
federal budget. For the year 2006, Parliament earmarked $640 thousand 
(800 thousand Swiss francs) to fund projects.
    Of the fourteen political parties represented in the Federal 
Parliament, four (the Christian Democratic Party, the Evangelical 
People's Party, the Federal Democratic Union, and the Christian Social 
Party) subscribe to a religious philosophy. There were no reports of 
individuals being excluded from a political party because of their 
religious beliefs.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were several reports of authorities taking measures to 
prevent or stop Muslim clerics from spreading religious ideas that 
clash with basic precepts of the country's legal order.
    In 2004, the Federal Office of Migration (FOM) rejected the 2003 
work permit applications of two Muslim clerics that the Islamic Center 
in Geneva had filed with local authorities because of the extremist 
views of the Islamic Center's leader, Hani Ramadan. On October 5, 2005, 
the Justice Ministry's appeals body upheld the FOM decision, thus 
setting a precedent of rejecting work permit applications for Muslim 
imams on ideological grounds.
    In 2004, Basel authorities asked a Muslim imam to depart the 
country after learning that the imam, a Saudi national working as a lay 
teacher in a local Muslim school, had justified some form of domestic 
violence based on teachings of the Qur'an. Basel follows a zero-
tolerance policy regarding the interpretation in public of religious 
texts that violate the constitution or federal or cantonal law.
    In May 2005, a Geneva administrative court ordered the cantonal 
government to recognize Hani Ramadan's status as public servant and 
resume paying his salary. Ramadan was suspended from his duties as 
public school teacher in the fall of 2002, following the publication of 
an article in the French newspaper Le Monde in which he favored the 
stoning of adulterers as set out in Islamic law (Shari'a). Ramadan, who 
heads the Islamic Center in Geneva, was dismissed in 2003 following an 
administrative investigation, but he successfully appealed the 
decision. Following a second investigation, however, the Geneva 
cantonal government confirmed Ramadan's dismissal and removed him from 
the cantonal payroll in December 2004. The cantonal government stated 
its intention to honor the administrative court ruling but not to re-
instate Ramadan in his former teaching duties.
    In September 2005, the city of Fribourg dismissed two school 
employees for refusing to remove their Islamic headscarves during 
working hours. The two young women were employed to tend to children 
after school hours. Fribourg had previously banned the wearing of 
religious apparel in schools. The Canton of Geneva has a similar 
provision which has been upheld by the Federal Tribunal (Supreme Court) 
and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR found that the 
Canton of Geneva's legal provisions did not discriminate against 
religious convictions, but were meant to protect the rights of other 
subjects as well as the public order.
    Resident Muslim organizations complained that it was nearly 
impossible to acquire zoning approval to build mosques or Muslim 
cemeteries, since this authority rested with individual counties and 
municipalities. The building commission of the northwestern village of 
Wangen in the Canton of Solothurn blocked the plans of a local Turkish 
cultural association to add a minaret to its house of worship. 
Officially, the planned eighteen-foot (six-meter) high minaret was 
blocked because of violations of zoning restrictions, but the 
association reportedly believed the decision to be political. When the 
association filed the building permit application in September 2005, 
local political opposition quickly formed, and community leaders took a 
public stance against the project. The association stated its intention 
to appeal the decision to the cantonal justice department.
    Reports from the Cantons of Aargau and Bern stated that Muslim 
communities there faced similar opposition to community building 
projects. There were two minarets in the country, at the Geneva and 
Zurich mosques.
    Ritual slaughter (the bleeding to death of animals that have not 
first been stunned) was made illegal in the country in 1893; however, a 
1978 Law on the Protection of Animals explicitly allows for the 
importation of kosher and halal meat. Imported from France and Germany, 
this meat is available in the country at comparable prices. In 2003, a 
popular initiative to protect animal rights and prohibit the import of 
meat from animals bled without stunning was filed; in December 2005, 
however, the sponsors withdrew their initiative before it had been 
submitted to a national vote after Parliament adopted a revision of the 
Law on the Protection of Animals.
    On May 10, 2006, the Federal Tribunal (Supreme Court) upheld the 
decision of authorities in the Canton of Basel to reject the 
citizenship application of a Turkish national woman on the grounds that 
she lacked a desire to integrate into society. The woman, who worked as 
a voluntary religious teacher, had appealed the rejection, claiming 
that it was due to her profession of Islam and her corresponding living 
habits. The Federal Tribunal opined that the negative decision of the 
Basel authorities was neither discriminatory nor a violation of 
religious freedom rights, but rather a manifestation of the legal 
precept that individuals who voluntarily seclude themselves from the 
population should be denied citizenship. At the same time, it held that 
the appeal raised delicate questions and therefore decided to cover the 
legal costs of the indigent woman in spite of the negative ruling.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    On June 29, 2006, the Geneva-based Intercommunity Center for 
Coordination against anti-Semitism and Defamation (CICAD) hosted a 
conference in Geneva to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the 
Roman Catholic Church's declaration Nostra Aetate and to discuss 
interreligious dialogue between Jews and Catholics. Participants 
included senior representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the 
Jewish community, as well as Federal Councilor Pascal Couchepin.
    On May 8, 2006, the Zurich cantonal parliament held the opening 
ceremony of its annual session in a local synagogue instead of the 
typical setting of a Christian church. The ceremony was meant to honor 
the official recognition of two Jewish communities under the new 
cantonal constitution that entered into force at the beginning of 2006.
    In December 2005, the Federal Council (cabinet) allocated $8 
million (10 million Swiss francs) to the Swiss National Science 
Foundation for a new research program to study the transformation of 
individual forms of belief and the changing role of religious 
communities in society in recent years. The objective of the research 
program was to delineate areas of conflict between adherents of 
different creeds, as well as between believers and nonbelievers, and to 
develop ways to ease religious tensions. The program was also expected 
to pave the way for debate on an eventual article on religion in the 
constitution.
    The federal Government joined with national youth associations to 
support the Council of Europe's youth campaign ``All Different--All 
Equal'' to promote diversity, human rights, and political 
participation. The campaign, which was scheduled to run from June 2006 
to September 2007, aimed to involve as many youths as possible in local 
and regional projects.
    The country participated in the April 2004 conference sponsored by 
the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on anti-
Semitism, in Berlin. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Franz von 
Daniken highlighted the various ways through which the country was 
confronting anti-Semitism. He condemned all forms of racism and anti-
Semitism and fully endorsed the OSCE measures to promote tolerance and 
nondiscrimination.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Senior leaders of the country's Christian, Jewish, and Muslim 
communities met in Bern on May 15, 2006, to formally establish a Swiss 
Council of Religions to promote interreligious dialogue and to serve as 
a consultation partner for the federal Government. The Council was 
meant to foster religious peace; to build confidence between different 
faiths; to find common positions on issues of mutual interest; and to 
engage in political dialogue on faith-related and social issues. 
Inspiration for this Council sprang from an interreligious ceremony 
held in Bern cathedral in March 2003, on the eve of the Iraq war. 
Implementation began following a July 2004 meeting of high-level 
representatives belonging to the three religious communities in Bern. 
The Swiss Council of Religions included senior representatives of the 
Roman Catholic Church, Old Catholics, the Swiss Protestant Church, and 
the Muslim and Jewish communities. Evangelical churches, the Christian 
Orthodox Church, and other religions were not represented but could 
join the Council at a later stage.
    On January 23, 2005, representatives of ten Christian denominations 
in the country signed the Charta Oecumenica, an ecumenical charter 
concerning closer cooperation in Europe, after a televised inter-
confessional service in the Church of St. Ursanne in northwestern 
Switzerland. The text of the charter, written in 2001 by 
representatives of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox 
traditions, mentioned the need for Christian unity in Europe and a 
common approach to spreading the Christian faith. However, in November 
2004, the Swiss Federation of Protestant Churches had instructed its 
ministers not to administer Holy Communion jointly with Roman Catholic 
clergy. The 2004 recommendation came only months after the Vatican's 
instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum, which reaffirmed the exclusion of 
non-Catholics from the celebration of Holy Communion.
    The Swiss Observatory of Religions based in Lausanne noted an 
increase in anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic feelings over the last 
decade. In a statement following the March 2005 arson attack on the 
Lugano synagogue, the Federal Commission Against Racism observed that 
the climate against members of religious minorities and their 
institutions had deteriorated in general. Although physical violence 
was rare, most anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim remarks have largely been 
fueled by extensive media reports over the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict, the Holocaust Assets issue, and terrorist acts by Muslim 
extremists in foreign countries.
    In March 2005, two arson attacks were launched in the city of 
Lugano, in the southern canton of Ticino, one against a clothing store 
owned by a Jewish family and another against the synagogue. The attacks 
completely destroyed the clothing store and severely damaged the ground 
floor beneath the main sanctuary of the synagogue. No one was hurt in 
either incident. Shortly after the incidents, police arrested a 58-
year-old resident Italian national with a mental condition, who 
confessed to the arson attacks. The Ticino cantonal prosecutor later 
publicly stated that the perpetrator had acted alone without any 
apparent connection to other individuals and ruled out overtly anti-
Semitic motives for the two arson attacks, a claim the psychiatric 
evaluation later corroborated. In November 2005, a Ticino court 
sentenced the Italian national to two years in prison; the sentence was 
suspended for psychiatric treatment. Though more recent attacks on 
synagogues had been restricted to vandalism and anti-Semitic graffiti, 
the arson attack in Lugano was the first instance in living memory of 
the burning of a house of worship within the country. President Samuel 
Schmid immediately condemned the arson attacks and pledged government 
support in fighting anti-Semitism. Three days after the attacks, over 
1,000 people, including representatives of all major religious 
communities, gathered in Lugano to express their support for the Jewish 
community.
    During the night of March 31, 2006, unidentified vandals smashed 
several windows of the synagogue in Lausanne. The local Jewish 
community filed a report with the police. CICAD denounced the attack 
and expressed concern over the series of anti-Semitic incidents 
occurring in the French part of the country. In April 2005, vandals 
spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on the walls of, and on a Holocaust 
memorial just outside of, the Grand Synagogue in Geneva. In May 2005, 
unidentified vandals desecrated a dozen tombs of the Jewish cemetery of 
Vevey-Montreux. No suspects were arrested.
    In 2005, CICAD recorded seventy-five anti-Semitic incidents in the 
western, French-speaking part of the country, ranging from verbal and 
written assaults to offensive graffiti and acts of vandalism against 
Jewish property. In 2004, the year recordings began, CICAD noted 
thirty-four incidents. The former president of the Swiss Federation of 
Jewish Communities cautioned that the CICAD statistics did not 
represent a wider national trend.
    According to data gathered by the Federal Commission against 
Racism, between 1995 and 2002 there were 212 prosecutions for 
violations of the anti-racism clause, leading to 110 indictments that 
resulted in 89 convictions. Most prominent among the identified victims 
were Jews, followed by foreigners of different ethnic origin and dark-
skinned people. More than 70 percent of the racist acts were verbal or 
written slurs, or the distribution of racist material; only 3 percent 
were physical assaults.
    In his radio and television address commemorating the sixtieth 
anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, President Schmid 
stated that it was in the best interest of all to resolutely oppose all 
totalitarian and extremist endeavors, as well as all forms of racism 
and anti-Semitism.
    In July 2005, the Zurich cantonal prosecutor closed the 
investigation of a political advertisement for violation of the anti-
racism law; no charges were made. During the national referendum 
campaign to ease restrictions on granting citizenship to second- and 
third-generation immigrants, opponents ran a controversial 
advertisement suggesting that the Muslim population would double every 
decade and would become the majority population within the country by 
2040. The Zurich cantonal prosecutor concluded that the advertisement 
created a climate of fear but did not incite discrimination or 
denigrate members of the Muslim community. The electorate rejected the 
constitutional amendments on easing citizenship restrictions in a 
national ballot vote in September 2004.
    Prompted by the international controversy over the (re-)publication 
of Muhammad cartoons in a Danish newspaper, three of the four major 
political parties communicated their positions regarding the 
relationship between the state and the Muslim community. In April 2006, 
the center-left Christian Democratic Party (CVP) published a twenty-
page white paper on the role of Muslim believers in society. The paper 
stressed the primacy of the standing legal order, emphasizing the 
equality of the sexes and the ban on forced marriage and domestic 
violence. For the CVP, freedom of religion implied the right of Muslim 
women to choose whether or not to wear religious headscarves, as well 
as the right of anyone over the age of sixteen to adhere or not adhere 
to any religion. The CVP advocated banning fundamentalist imams from 
entering the country while establishing a faculty for Muslim theology 
at a Swiss university. The conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) 
published a resolution maintaining that liberalism and democracy could 
be reconciled with the Islamic faith. The FDP advocated equal 
assessment of church towers and minarets by the same building codes and 
zoning restrictions. In March 2006, the right-populist Swiss People's 
Party (SVP) published a white paper on migration policy. The SVP paper 
stressed that the country's legal and customary norms applied to all 
and criticized government policy as too accommodating to minority 
requests. According to the SVP, foreigners increasingly abused the 
country's liberal order to engage in political agitation that 
undermined neutrality and exploited religious freedom by requesting 
special treatment, such as waivers for Muslim girls from swimming 
lessons in public schools.
    In the Federal Parliament, the SVP, nominally the strongest 
faction, tabled two motions in December 2004 and February 2005, 
respectively, to abolish the Federal Commission against Racism and to 
erase the anti-racism clause from the Federal Penal Code, which 
criminalizes racist or anti-Semitic action or expression, whether in 
public speech or in printed material. Both motions have yet to be 
debated in Parliament.
    According to statistics gathered by the Foundation against Racism 
and Anti-Semitism, a local organization combating intolerance and 
xenophobia, the total number of reported incidents against foreigners 
or minorities was 103 in 2005, which was somewhat decreased from 108 
incidents in 2004. These figures included instances of verbal and 
written attacks, which were much more frequent than physical assaults.
    A 2004 study by the Zurich University found no evidence of anti-
Semitism in the country's German language media, but noted that 
newspapers and electronic media often resorted to questionable 
stereotypes. The study also said that Muslims were more likely to be 
portrayed as aggressors or as opposed to democracy.
    In April 2004, the Zurich lawyer and honorary chairman of the 
Jewish religious community, Sigi Feigel, sued the political party 
Europa Partei Schweiz, claiming that it sponsored newspaper 
advertisements comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. The party, which is 
not represented in Parliament, ran advertisements in the daily Tages-
Anzeiger the day after the killing of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi, 
calling on the Government to cut off diplomatic relations and end 
military cooperation with Israel. The advertisements referred to 
``Israel, nation of the Jews'' and stated, ``with the exception of the 
gas chambers, all the Nazi instruments are being used against 
(Israel's) resident population.'' In March 2006, a Zurich cantonal 
prosecutor, in agreement with the claimant parties, closed the case 
without bringing charges.
    In May 2005, the Zurich cantonal appeals court acquitted the Jewish 
author of an anti-Islamist pamphlet from the charge of violating the 
anti-racism law on the grounds that in a political context even 
exaggerated criticism must be tolerated as long as it is not overtly 
racist.
    On January 27, 2006, following the precedent of previous years, 
schools across the country held a day of remembrance for victims of the 
Holocaust. Education authorities said the aim was to remember the 
Holocaust and other forms of genocide committed in the past century and 
raise awareness of inhumane ideologies.
    In October 2004, a forty-five-year-old African national entered the 
Islamic Center in Lausanne during Friday prayers and attacked the imam 
with a knife, seriously injuring him and a nearby worshiper in the 
stomach. The assailant had the knife taped to his hand and, in the 
ensuing scuffle, injured another six persons, including himself, before 
he could be controlled by bystanders and apprehended by the police. 
According to police, the assailant had escaped from a hospital where he 
was undergoing psychiatric evaluations. Vaud judicial authorities 
opened an investigation that remained pending at the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    There were several reports of resident members of the Muslim 
community expressing concern about or alerting authorities to foreign 
imams giving radical speeches in mosques or local prayer rooms. In 
November 2004, a Muslim imam was asked to depart from Basel Canton for 
justifying some forms of domestic violence; he was also denounced by 
members of the local Muslim community. The former imam of the Islamic 
Center in Zurich, Youssef Ibram, stated that the storm of indignation 
following a November 2004 interview with a Swiss-French magazine, in 
which he refused to take an unequivocal stance against the stoning of 
adulterers, damaged his relations with the leadership of the community 
and left him no choice but to resign from his position. In April 2004, 
Swiss Muslims in Geneva complained that foreign imams invited to the 
Grand Mosque of Geneva for a prayer were giving radical speeches, 
sometimes filled with invectives against the Jewish population and 
western countries.
    In June 2005, the local Association of Muslim Organizations in 
Zurich made public a charter adopted in March committing its fifteen 
member societies to uphold the established legal order and democracy. 
The charter calls for the peaceful coexistence of and dialogue between 
different cultures and religions, rejects violence, and demands respect 
for human rights and equality. The charter calls for the integration of 
members of the Muslim communities with society and active engagement 
for the common good.
    Efforts to set up a training program in the country for Muslim 
clerics and religious teachers were advanced in Basel, where cantonal 
authorities and the local university initiated the establishment of a 
chair for Muslim history and theology. In 2004, the university held 
exploratory talks with the Vienna-based Academy for Islamic Religious 
Education, but private financing for the chair has not yet been 
assured. Similar efforts to establish a chair for Muslim theology in 
other locations have failed or stalled, a fact that prompted the newly 
founded Center on Religion, Science, and Politics of the University of 
Zurich to launch a study to gauge the political climate regarding the 
training of Muslim clerics and Islamic religious education in public 
schools in the country. In November 2004, the Conference of Swiss 
Bishops and the Swiss Protestant Church Federation both publicly 
endorsed the idea that imams who lead prayers in Swiss mosques should 
be trained at Swiss universities; however, the Federal Council 
(cabinet) cautioned that the training for a specific profession was not 
a priority at the university level.
    The Federal Office of Migration acknowledged that the training of 
imams posed a problem. Some cantons refused to grant a residency permit 
to imams considered fundamentalists. Many imams in the country came 
from Kosovo, Bosnia, the Middle East, and Maghreb countries. They were 
often either self-taught or trained in Muslim countries, the primary 
foreign country of training being Saudi Arabia. Officially, the country 
had two large mosques, in Geneva and Zurich, and approximately 120 
prayer rooms. It was believed that another 100 prayer rooms existed, 
many of them belonging to Albanian, Turkish, or Arab communities. A new 
Federal Law on Foreigners, which Parliament adopted on December 16, 
2005, provides for mandatory training of immigrant clerics in order to 
facilitate their integration into society. Among other provisions, the 
training program would ensure that immigrants can speak at least one of 
the three national languages (French, German, or Italian). The Federal 
Law on Foreigners was subject to a national referendum vote to be held 
on September 24, 2006.
    While Muslim and Jewish cemeteries existed in the country, two laic 
cantons (Geneva and Neuchatel) require that all individuals from 
religious communities be buried in state-owned cemeteries only. Both 
Jewish and Muslim communities protested that this restriction breaches 
their freedom of religion and incurs higher costs. Islam prohibits 
Muslims from being buried in cemeteries belonging to other religions, 
and Geneva Muslims protested that they were forced to pay expensive 
repatriation costs to send their deceased by plane to a Muslim country. 
It was estimated that between 90 and 95 percent of deceased Muslims in 
Geneva were sent to their countries of origin for burial.
    Other religious customs, such as genital mutilation of children, 
forced marriage, or the unilateral repudiation of marriage by the 
husband, are illegal. In May 2006, authorities in St. Gallen Canton 
reportedly deported both the husband and the father of a twenty-one-
year-old resident Turkish woman who had been forced into marriage a 
year earlier in Turkey. The woman had notified police of receiving 
death threats when she refused to consummate the marriage after her 
husband had followed her to Switzerland. Both men were banned from 
reentering the country.
    In 2004, Muslim leaders expressed fears of a ``witch-hunt'' 
following government revelations that members of half a dozen militant 
Muslim groups were operating secretly in the country. The Government 
later confirmed press allegations that these radical Islamic groups 
included the Tunisian Islamic Front, the Palestinian Hamas, and 
Algeria's Islamic Salvation Front. The Government stated that it was 
being more sensitive in the wake of September 2001 terrorist attacks in 
the United States, but denied any systematic targeting of the country's 
Muslims.
    There were no reports of difficulties for Muslims buying or renting 
space for worship, but some Islamic centers continued having 
difficulties accommodating the growing number of faithful attending 
Friday prayers. Although occasional complaints arose, such as a Muslim 
employee not being given time to pray during the workday, attitudes 
were generally tolerant toward Muslims. In one poll from November 2004, 
76 percent of residents surveyed did not feel threatened by the 
presence of the 300,000-strong Muslim community living in the country, 
as opposed to 16 percent who did feel threatened; 61 percent favored a 
university chair to train Islamic imams in Switzerland; and 53 percent 
approved of female members of the Muslim community wearing the 
headscarf to work. In a separate survey of the Muslim community living 
in the country, 84 percent of the respondents said they felt accepted 
in the country, with 79 percent declaring that they have never 
experienced discrimination because of their religion.
    However, a sociological study from 2005 found that a significant 
minority of the resident population holds anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic 
views. The study, which was part of the Swiss National Science 
Foundation's research program on right-wing extremism, consisted of a 
representative sample of more than 3,000 oral interviews probing for 
extremist beliefs and attitudes towards minorities. According to the 
study, almost one-quarter of respondents harbored anti-Semitic views or 
negative stereotypes, a fact that the authors partly explained as a 
consequence of the controversy over Switzerland's role during World War 
II. However, the study also established that the majority of anti-
Semitic comments made in private occurred in the context of discussions 
of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Muslim community was seen even 
more critically: 36 percent of respondents did not believe that Muslims 
in the country should order their lives in accordance with Islamic 
customs, and 30 percent of respondents considered it a humiliation for 
a Muslim woman to wear a headscarf. On the other hand, the study also 
found that 90 percent of respondents rejected right-wing extremism, and 
85 percent approved of the criminal prosecution of racist propaganda.
    A government-commissioned survey of thirty Muslim believers found 
that the resident Islamic community was very diverse. Coming from 
different countries and cultural backgrounds, religious practices of 
the mostly immigrant community varied. Most Muslims had no problems 
practicing their religion, but only a small minority could be 
considered strict believers, according to the study. Many Muslims 
praised the country's integration policy, and a majority said they were 
influenced by Swiss culture. Some complained of discrimination or 
racism, particularly against women wearing religious headscarves.
    The place of the Islamic headscarf in society was an issue of 
public debate. In October 2004, the country's biggest retailer made 
headlines when it became public that a request made in August by one of 
its female employees at a Zurich store to wear her headscarf to work 
had been put on hold. In November 2004, the retailer granted the 
request, stating that it would not impose a general ban but decide each 
case on individual merits. The second biggest retailer, on the other 
hand, announced that its dress code did not provide for any headgear 
and that it would henceforth not allow the wearing of the headscarf. In 
Basel, the candidacy of a young woman in the October 2004 elections to 
the cantonal parliament who publicly affirmed her intention to continue 
to wear the headscarf if elected re-kindled the debate over the 
headscarf in public office. In November 2004, a local conservative 
party launched a popular initiative to ban all public sector employees 
or holders of public office from wearing the headscarf on duty. Federal 
Councilor Moritz Leuenberger publicly opposed an outright ban of the 
headscarf and warned that such a ban could hamper integration of Muslim 
women in society.
    Many nongovernmental organizations coordinated interfaith events 
throughout the country.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy discusses religious freedom issues with government 
officials and representatives of the various faiths. Meetings have been 
held with Swiss Jewish leaders, a senior Muslim professor and community 
leader, Christian clergy, and human rights officials from the Federal 
Department of Foreign Affairs.
                               __________

                                 TURKEY

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the 
Government imposes some restrictions on Muslim and other religious 
groups and on Muslim religious expression in government offices and 
state-run institutions, including universities.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally tolerant relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, a sharp debate continued 
over the country's definition of ``secularism,'' the proper role of 
religion in society, and the potential influence of the country's small 
minority of Islamists. Some Muslims, Christians, and Baha'is faced a 
few restrictions and occasional harassment for alleged proselytizing or 
unauthorized meetings. The Government continued to oppose ``Islamic 
fundamentalism.'' Authorities continued their broad ban on wearing 
Muslim religious dress in government offices, universities, and 
schools.
    According to the general perception, Turkish identity is based on 
the Turkish language and the Islamic faith. Religious minorities said 
they were effectively blocked from careers in state institutions. 
Christians, Baha'is, and some Muslims faced societal suspicion and 
mistrust, and more radical Islamist elements continued to express anti-
Semitic sentiments. Additionally, persons wishing to convert from Islam 
to another religion sometimes experienced social harassment and 
violence from relatives and neighbors.
    The U.S. Government frequently discusses religious freedom with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy representatives met frequently with government officials and 
representatives of religious groups during the reporting year to 
discuss issues related to religious freedom, including legal reform 
aimed at lifting restrictions on religious minorities.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 301,383 square miles and a 
population of approximately 69.6 million. According to the Government, 
approximately 99 percent of the population was Muslim, the majority of 
which was Sunni. According to the human rights nongovernmental 
organization (NGO) Mazlum-Der and representatives of various religious 
minority communities, the actual percentage of Muslims was slightly 
lower. The Government officially recognized only three minority 
religious communities--Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Orthodox 
Christians, and Jews--although other non-Muslim communities existed. 
The level of religious observance varied throughout the country, in 
part due to the influence of secular traditions and official 
restrictions on religious expression in political and social life.
    In addition to the country's Sunni Muslim majority, there were an 
estimated fifteen to twenty million Alevis, followers of a belief 
system that incorporates aspects of both Shi'a and Sunni Islam and 
draws on the traditions of other religions found in Anatolia as well. 
Some Alevis practice rituals that include men and women worshipping 
together through oratory, poetry, and dance. The Government considered 
Alevism a heterodox Muslim sect; however, some Alevis and radical 
Sunnis maintained Alevis are not Muslims.
    There were several other religious groups, mostly concentrated in 
Istanbul and other large cities. While exact membership figures were 
not available, these religious groups included approximately 65,000 
Armenian Orthodox Christians; 23,000 Jews; and fewer than 2,500 Greek 
Orthodox Christians. The Government interpreted the 1923 Lausanne 
Treaty as granting special legal minority status exclusively to these 
three groups, although the treaty text refers broadly to ``non-Muslim 
minorities'' without listing specific groups. However, this recognition 
did not extend to the religious leadership organs; for example, the 
Ecumenical and Armenian Patriarchates continued to seek recognition of 
their legal status.
    There also were approximately 10,000 Baha'is; an estimated 15,000 
Syrian Orthodox (Syriac) Christians; 5,000 Yezidis; 3,300 Jehovah's 
Witnesses; 3,000 Protestants; and small, undetermined numbers of 
Bulgarian, Chaldean, Nestorian, Georgian, Roman Catholic, and Maronite 
Christians. The number of Syriac Christians in the southeast was once 
high; however, under pressure from government authorities and later 
under the impact of the war against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers 
Party (PKK), many Syriacs migrated to Istanbul, Western Europe, or 
North and South America. Over the last several years, small numbers of 
Syriacs returned from overseas to the southeast, mostly from Western 
Europe. In most cases, older family members returned while younger ones 
remained abroad.
    Christian organizations estimated there were approximately 1,100 
Christian missionaries in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the 
Government imposes some restrictions on Muslim and other religious 
groups and on Muslim religious expression in government offices, state-
run institutions, and universities, usually for the stated reason of 
preserving the ``secular state.'' The constitution establishes the 
country as a secular state and provides for freedom of belief, freedom 
of worship, and the private dissemination of religious ideas. However, 
other constitutional provisions regarding the integrity and existence 
of the secular state restrict these rights. The constitution prohibits 
discrimination on religious grounds. Core institutions of the state, 
including the presidency, armed forces, judiciary, and state 
bureaucracy, have played the role of defending traditional Turkish 
secularism throughout the history of the republic. In some cases, 
elements of the state have opposed policies of the elected Government 
on the grounds that they threatened the secular state.
    The Government oversees Muslim religious facilities and education 
through the Diyanet, which is under the authority of the Prime 
Ministry. The Diyanet is responsible for regulating the operation of 
the country's more than 77,500 registered mosques and employing local 
and provincial imams, who are civil servants. Some groups, particularly 
Alevis, claimed that the Diyanet reflected mainstream Sunni Islamic 
beliefs to the exclusion of other beliefs; however, the Government 
asserted that the Diyanet treated equally all who requested services.
    A separate government agency, the General Directorate for 
Foundations (GDF), regulates some activities of non-Muslim religious 
groups and their affiliated churches, monasteries, synagogues, and 
related religious property. There are 161 ``minority foundations'' 
recognized by the GDF, including Greek Orthodox foundations with 
approximately 70 sites, Armenian Orthodox foundations with 
approximately 50 sites, and Jewish foundations with 20 sites, as well 
as Syriac, Chaldean, Bulgarian Orthodox, Georgian, and Maronite 
foundations. The GDF also regulates historic Muslim charitable 
religious foundations, including schools, hospitals, and orphanages.
    In 1936, the Government required all foundations to declare their 
sources of income. In 1974, amid political tensions over Cyprus, the 
High Court of Appeals ruled that the minority foundations had no right 
to acquire properties beyond those listed in the 1936 declarations.
    The court's ruling launched a process, which continued during the 
period covered by this report, under which the state has seized control 
of properties acquired after 1936. The law also allows the state to 
expropriate properties in areas where the local non-Muslim population 
drops significantly. Minority religious groups, particularly the Greek 
and Armenian Orthodox communities, have lost numerous properties to the 
state in the past and continued to fight ongoing efforts by the state 
to expropriate properties.
    The law allows the 161 religious minority foundations recognized by 
the GDF to acquire property, and the GDF has approved 364 applications 
by non-Muslim foundations to acquire legal ownership of properties. 
However, the legislation does not allow the communities to reclaim the 
hundreds of properties affiliated with foundations expropriated by the 
state over the years. Foundations have also been unable to acquire 
legal ownership of properties registered under names of third parties, 
including properties registered under the names of saints or 
archangels, during periods when foundations could not own property in 
their own name.
    Government authorities do not interfere in matters of doctrine 
pertaining to non-Muslim religions, nor do they restrict the 
publication or use of religious literature among members of the 
religion.
    There are legal restrictions against insulting any religion 
recognized by the Government, interfering with that religion's 
services, or debasing its property.
    Alevis freely practiced their beliefs and have built ``cem houses'' 
(places of gathering), although cem houses have no legal status as 
places of worship. Representatives of Alevi organizations maintained 
that they often faced obstacles when attempting to establish cem 
houses. They said there were approximately one hundred cem houses in 
the country, a number that they claimed was insufficient to meet their 
needs.
    Alevis in the Kartal district of Istanbul continued to fight a 
court battle against a decision by local authorities to deny them 
permission to build a cem house. In January 2005, Alevis in the Cankaya 
district of Ankara applied to acquire property to open a cem house. 
Municipal authorities consulted the Diyanet, which issued a letter 
stating that Alevis in Cankaya did not need a cem house because they 
could worship at a local mosque. Also in January 2005, the Diyanet 
issued a letter to authorities in the Sultanbeyli district of Istanbul 
stating that cem houses violate Islamic principles and Turkish law.
    In May 2006, authorities in the Istanbul municipality of 
Sultanbeyli reportedly halted the construction of a cem house on the 
grounds that the Pir Sultan Abdal Association, an Alevi group, had not 
acquired the necessary construction permits. Association officials said 
the local mayor and his staff had attended the groundbreaking ceremony 
and had promised not to interfere with the project.
    The Diyanet covers the utility costs of registered mosques, but not 
of cem houses and other places of worship that are not officially 
recognized. In May 2006, Diyanet President Ali Bardakoglu said the 
Diyanet could not provide such support to cem houses as it did not have 
funds for ``supporting mystical worship.''
    Many Alevis alleged discrimination in the Government's failure to 
include any of their doctrines or beliefs in religious instruction 
classes in public schools. They also charged a bias in the Diyanet, 
which does not allocate specific funds for Alevi activities or 
religious leadership.
    The constitution establishes compulsory religious and moral 
instruction in primary and secondary schools. Religious minorities are 
exempted. However, some religious minorities--such as Protestants--
faced difficulty obtaining exemptions, particularly if their 
identification cards did not specifically list membership in a minority 
religion. The Government claims that the religion courses cover the 
range of world religions; however, religious minorities said the 
courses reflected Sunni Islamic doctrine, which, they maintained, 
explains why non-Muslims are exempt.
    In January 2004, an Alevi parent filed suit in the European Court 
of Human Rights (ECHR), charging that the mandatory religion courses 
violate religious freedom; the case is ongoing. In a June 2004 report, 
the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance recommended that 
the Government either make the courses optional, or revise the content 
so that they genuinely and fairly cover all religions.
    In April 2006, an Istanbul court announced its ruling in favor of 
an Alevi father who requested that his son be exempt from the religion 
courses at school; in May, however, a higher court overturned the 
ruling on appeal.
    Officially recognized religious minorities may operate schools 
under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. Such schools are 
required to appoint a Muslim as deputy principal; reportedly, these 
deputies have more authority than their nominal supervisors. The 
curriculum of these schools includes Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, 
and Jewish instruction.
    The Caferis, the country's principal Shi'a community, numbering 
between 500 thousand and 1 million (concentrated mostly in eastern 
Turkey and Istanbul), do not face restrictions on their religious 
freedoms. They build and operate their own mosques and appoint their 
own imams; however, as with the Alevis, their places of worship have no 
legal status and receive no support from the Diyanet.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, state policy imposes some restrictions 
on religious groups and on religious expression in government offices 
and state-run institutions, including universities.
    Secularists in the military, judiciary, and other branches of the 
bureaucracy continued to wage campaigns against what they label as 
proponents of Islamic fundamentalism. These groups view religious 
fundamentalism as a threat to the secular state. The National Security 
Council (NSC) categorizes religious fundamentalism as a threat to 
public safety. President Sezer delivered a speech in April 2006 in 
which he listed separatism and religious fundamentalism as threats 
facing the country. The president said that the ``fundamentalist threat 
has reached a dangerous level'' and that ``Turkey's best protection 
against this threat is its secular order.''
    According to Mazlum-Der and other groups, some government 
ministries have dismissed or barred from promotion civil servants 
suspected of anti-state or Islamist activities. Reports by Mazlum-Der, 
the media, and others indicated that the military sometimes dismisses 
religiously observant Muslims from military service. Such dismissals 
were based on behavior that military officials believed identified 
these individuals as Islamic fundamentalists; they were concerned that 
such behavior could indicate disloyalty to the secular state.
    According to Mazlum-Der, the military charged soldiers with lack of 
discipline for activities that included performing Muslim prayers or 
being married to women who wore headscarves. According to the military, 
officers and noncommissioned officers were sometimes dismissed for 
maintaining ties to Islamic fundamentalist organizations, despite 
repeated warnings from superior officers.
    Mystical Sufi and other religious-social orders (tarikats) and 
lodges (cemaats) have been banned officially since the mid-1920s; 
however, tarikats and cemaats remain active and widespread. Some 
prominent political and social leaders continue to associate with 
tarikats, cemaats, and other Islamic communities.
    Under the law, religious services may take place only in designated 
places of worship. Municipal codes mandate that only the Government can 
designate a place of worship, and, if a religion has no legal standing 
in the country, it may not be eligible for a designated site. Non-
Muslim religious services, especially for religious groups that do not 
own property recognized by the GDF, often take place on diplomatic 
property or in private apartments. Police occasionally bar Christians 
from holding services in private apartments, and prosecutors have 
opened cases against Christians for holding unauthorized gatherings.
    The law prohibits imams, priests, rabbis, or other religious 
leaders from ``reproaching or vilifying'' the Government or the laws of 
the state while performing their duties. Violations are punishable by 
prison terms of one month to one year, or three months to two years if 
the crime involves inciting others to disobey the law.
    The authorities continued to monitor the activities of Eastern 
Orthodox churches, but generally did not interfere with their 
activities. The Government does not recognize the ecumenical status of 
the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, acknowledging him only as the head of the 
country's dwindling Greek Orthodox community. High-level government 
leaders often assert publicly that use of the term ``ecumenical'' in 
reference to the patriarch violates the 1923 Lausanne Treaty. However, 
government officials privately acknowledge that Lausanne does not 
address the issue.
    As a result, the Government has long maintained that only citizens 
of the country can be members of the Church's Holy Synod and 
participate in patriarchal elections. However, in 2004, Ecumenical 
Patriarch Bartholomew I appointed six non-Turkish-citizen metropolitans 
to the Holy Synod, representing the first time in the eighty-year 
history of the country that noncitizens had been appointed to the body. 
The Government did not formally respond to the appointments.
    Members of the Greek Orthodox community said the legal restrictions 
threatened the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul 
because, with fewer than 2,500 Greek Orthodox left in the country, the 
community was becoming too small to maintain the institution.
    The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul continued to seek to reopen 
the Halki seminary on the island of Heybeli in the Sea of Marmara. The 
Government closed the seminary in 1971, when the state nationalized all 
private institutions of higher learning. The state provides training 
for Sunni Islamic clergy; religious communities outside the Sunni 
Islamic mainstream cannot legally train new clergy in the country for 
eventual leadership. Co-religionists from outside the country have been 
permitted to assume leadership positions in some cases, but in general 
all religious community leaders, including patriarchs and chief rabbis, 
must be citizens.
    In April 2005, the Patriarchate filed an appeal with the ECHR 
concerning the GDF's expropriation of an orphanage on the Prince's 
Islands that had belonged to the Patriarchate. There were no new 
developments in the case.
    The Armenian Orthodox community continued a legal battle against 
the Government's expropriation of properties belonging to the Yedikule 
Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation in Istanbul. In March 2005, 
the Treasury attempted to sell a building expropriated from the 
foundation to a private company, but the Finance Ministry blocked the 
sale. The ECHR continued proceedings related to the appeal by the 
Armenian Orthodox community of the 1999 expropriation of two other 
foundation properties.
    No law explicitly prohibits proselytizing or religious conversions; 
however, many prosecutors and police regard proselytizing and religious 
activism with suspicion. Police occasionally bar Christians from 
handing out religious literature. Proselytizing is often considered 
socially unacceptable; Christians performing missionary work are 
sometimes beaten and insulted. If the proselytizers are foreigners, 
they may be deported, but generally they are able to reenter the 
country. Police officers may report students who meet with Christian 
missionaries to their families or to university authorities.
    By the end of the reporting period, there was no verdict in the 
trial proceedings in the case of three members of the Nationalist 
Movement Party who severely beat Yakup Cindilli, a convert to 
Christianity, for distributing New Testaments in Bursa Province in 
2003.
    Authorities continued to enforce a long-term ban on the wearing of 
headscarves at universities and by civil servants in public buildings. 
Women who wear headscarves and persons who actively show support for 
those who defy the ban have been disciplined or have lost their jobs in 
the public sector as nurses and teachers. Students who wear head 
coverings are officially not permitted to register for classes, 
although some faculty members permit students to wear head coverings in 
class.
    Many secularists accuse Islamists of using advocacy for wearing the 
headscarf as a political tool and say they fear that efforts to repeal 
the headscarf ban will lead to pressure against women who choose not to 
wear a head covering.
    In February 2006, the Council of State ruled in favor of a decision 
by education authorities to revoke the promotion of an Ankara teacher 
to a nursery school principal position on the grounds that the teacher 
regularly wore an Islamic headscarf outside of school. Some journalists 
and religious rights advocates asserted that the court's decision 
effectively expanded the headscarf ban into the private sphere. The 
court, however, maintained that the teacher had violated the principle 
of secularism in education by wearing the headscarf while traveling to 
and from school.
    In May 2006, attorney Alparslan Arslan opened fire in the Council 
of State court responsible for the February ruling, killing Judge 
Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin and wounding four other judges. Arslan, who was 
apprehended at the scene, reportedly said he was motivated by anger 
over the ruling. Thousands of protestors attending Ankara funeral 
ceremonies for Ozbilgin accused government leaders of inciting the 
attack by criticizing the headscarf ban and the Council of State 
ruling. There were no similar protests in other cities.
    In another February 2006 ruling, the Council of State upheld a 
decision by the Education Ministry to deny the application of religion 
instructor Abdullah Yilmaz to be assigned to a position in Central Asia 
because Yilmaz's wife wears a headscarf.
    A 1997 law made eight years of secular education compulsory. After 
completing the eight years, students may pursue study at imam hatip 
(Islamic preacher) high schools, which cover both the standard high 
school curriculum and Islamic theology and practice. Imam hatip schools 
are classified as vocational, and graduates of vocational schools face 
an automatic reduction in their university entrance exam grades if they 
apply for university programs outside their field of high school 
specialization. This reduction effectively bars imam hatip graduates 
from enrolling in university programs other than theology. Many pious 
citizens criticized the religious instruction provided in the regular 
schools as inadequate. Most families who enrolled their children in 
imam hatip schools did so to expose them to more extensive religious 
education, not to train them as imams.
    In December 2005, the Education Ministry issued a regulation 
allowing imam hatip students to earn degrees from regular high schools 
by taking distance learning courses. However, the Higher Education 
Council objected to the regulation, and, in February 2006, the Council 
of State suspended the regulation pending a final ruling.
    Only the Diyanet is authorized to provide religion courses outside 
of school, although clandestine private courses do exist. Students who 
complete five years of primary school may enroll in Diyanet Qur'an 
classes on weekends and during summer vacation. Many Qur'an courses 
function unofficially. Only children twelve and older may legally 
register for official Qur'an courses, and Mazlum-Der reported that law 
enforcement authorities often raided illegal courses for younger 
children.
    Jehovah's Witnesses reported continuing official harassment of 
their worship services because they were not members of an officially 
recognized religion. Jehovah's Witnesses continued to engage in a legal 
battle over their efforts to form an association.
    Restoration or construction may be carried out in buildings and 
monuments considered ``ancient'' only with authorization of the 
regional board on the protection of cultural and national wealth. 
Bureaucratic procedures and considerations relating to historic 
preservation in the past have impeded repairs to religious facilities, 
especially in the case of Syriac and Armenian Orthodox properties. 
Groups are prohibited from using funds from their properties in one 
part of the country to support their existing population in another 
part of the country.
    Religious affiliation is listed on national identity cards. Some 
religious groups, such as the Baha'i, are unable to state their 
religion on their cards because their religion is not included among 
the options; they have made their concerns known to the Government. In 
April 2006, Parliament adopted legislation allowing persons to leave 
the religion section of their identity cards blank or change the 
religious designation by written application. However, it appeared that 
the Government may restrict applicants' choice of religion; members of 
the Baha'i community said government officials had told them that, 
despite the new law, they would not be able to list their religion on 
the cards.
    There were reports that local officials harassed some persons who 
converted from Islam to another religion when they sought to amend 
their cards. Some non-Muslims maintained that listing religious 
affiliation on the cards exposed them to discrimination and harassment.
    In October 2004, the Government's Human Rights Consultation Board 
issued a report on minorities, which stated that non-Muslims were 
effectively barred from careers in state institutions, such as the 
armed forces, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Police, and 
the National Intelligence Agency. Professors Baskin Oran and Ibrahim 
Kaboglu faced criminal charges for their roles as principal authors of 
the report. An Ankara court acquitted them in May 2006. Members of 
minority religious communities confirmed the report's conclusions. They 
said non-Muslim citizens were viewed as foreigners and were therefore 
considered unqualified to represent the state.
    In January 2006, the ECHR ruled against the country in a case 
involving conscientious objector Murat Ulke. The court determined that 
Ulke, who had been imprisoned for refusing to carry out his military 
service, had suffered ill-treatment.
    At the end of the reporting period, court proceedings continued in 
the Istanbul trial of sixty-nine suspects charged in connection with 
the November 2003 terrorist bombings of two synagogues, the British 
consulate, and a bank.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to 
the United States.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In April 2006, Roman Catholic authorities reopened the Bebekli 
Church in Adana for Sunday services. Catholic leaders had closed the 
church in September 2005 because local authorities had failed to 
enforce zoning regulations requiring a ten-meter offset around the 
church building, and noise from an adjacent wedding hall had been 
interfering with church services. In April, local Catholic officials 
thanked municipal authorities for discontinuing the operating license 
of the wedding hall.
    In June 2006, officials in the Tasdelen municipality of Istanbul 
allocated land to an Alevi organization for the construction of a cem 
house. Members of the Alevi community said the decision marked the 
first time a cem house had been officially recognized as a place of 
worship, rather than as a cultural center.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally tolerant relationship among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom; however, some Muslims, Christians, 
Baha'is, and other religious communities faced societal suspicion and 
mistrust. Jews and Christians from most denominations freely practiced 
their religions and reported little discrimination in daily life. 
However, citizens who converted from Islam to another religion often 
experienced some form of social harassment or pressure from family and 
neighbors. Proselytizing on behalf of non-Muslim religions was socially 
unacceptable and sometimes dangerous. A variety of newspapers and 
television shows regularly published and broadcasted anti-Christian 
messages, and government officials asserted that missionary activity 
was a threat to the state and was not covered under the concept of 
religious freedom.
    Religious pluralism was widely viewed as a threat to Islam and to 
``national unity.'' Nationalist sentiments sometimes contained anti-
Christian or anti-Semitic overtones. Some in the Jewish community 
reported growing feelings of insecurity in the wake of the 2003 attacks 
in Istanbul, and certain media outlets promoted anti-Semitic 
propaganda, including allegations that the Jewish community aided and 
even orchestrated the Kurdish nationalist movement.
    In January 2006, five assailants severely beat Protestant church 
leader Kamil Kiroglu in Adana. One attacker wielded a knife and 
threatened to kill Kiroglu unless he renounced Christianity.
    In February 2006, an assailant shot and killed Catholic priest 
Andrea Santaro in a church in Trabzon. A witness said the gunman 
shouted ``God is great'' as he shot Santaro from behind. A sixteen-
year-old was charged in the case; his trial was ongoing at the end of 
the reporting period. The suspect reportedly told police he was angry 
about the caricatures of Muhammad that had been published in a Danish 
newspaper. Prime Minister Erdogan and other government officials 
condemned the killing.
    Also in February, a group of young men beat and threatened to kill 
a Catholic friar in Izmir. The attackers shouted anti-Christian slogans 
and said they wanted to ``clean Turkey of non-Muslims.''
    In March 2006, an assailant entered a Catholic church in Mersin, 
threatening church members with a knife and shouting anti-Christian 
statements. Police arrived at the scene and arrested the assailant.
    In April 2006, a group of young men entered the Syriac compound in 
Diyarbakir and shouted threats at church members. Police refused to 
send patrols to the neighborhood of the church until a few days later, 
when the church's Easter ceremonies were held.
    In May 2006, Greek Orthodox Christians held a mass at a historical 
church in Bergama. A group of nationalist and leftist protestors 
attempted to disrupt the mass with loud slogans and music. Ecumenical 
Patriarch Bartholomew I, who attended the mass, thanked local officials 
for authorizing the event.
    Members of the Syriac community said local villagers, particularly 
village guards, often occupied the homes of Syriacs who fled the 
country, refusing to leave when Syriacs attempted to return. The 
village guards are a civil defense force of approximately 57,000, 
mostly in the southeast. They were reputed to be the least disciplined 
of the security forces.
    According to the Syriac community, more than fifty unoccupied 
Syriac homes have been destroyed in the village of Bardakci, Mardin 
province, since 2000. The majority of the village's Syriac residents 
fled the region in the mid-1980s. One of the village's two Syriac 
churches was converted into a mosque without consulting the Syriac 
community. Some returning Syriacs claimed that government authorities 
reclassified properties while the Syriacs were out of the country in 
ways that caused them to lose some of their lands.
    Trial proceedings continued in the appeal of Kerim Akbas, who was 
convicted in 2004 for television broadcasts inciting violence against 
Christians.
    Members of the secular establishment fear the influence of Islamism 
and reject the involvement of even moderate Islam in politics.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
ambassador and other mission officials, including staff of the U.S. 
Consulate General in Istanbul and the U.S. Consulate in Adana, enjoyed 
close relations with the Muslim majority and other religious groups. 
The U.S. Embassy continued to urge the Government to permit the 
reopening of the Halki seminary on Heybeli Island.
    In November 2005, the U.S. charge d'affaires addressed an Istanbul 
conference on interfaith dialogue organized by the Appeal of Conscience 
Foundation. Speaking to an international audience representing diverse 
religions, she emphasized the importance of religious freedom and the 
need for leaders of all faiths to stand up against terrorism.
    The mission collaborated with the Gaziantep American Corner, the 
Gaziantep Rotary Club, and the Anatolian Journalists Union in 
organizing a photo exhibit in June 2005 on religious diversity in the 
country that helped to engage attendees in dialogue about issues 
important to the country's continued democratic development.
    The mission sponsored a series of presentations on religion in the 
United States by Wilfred McClay, professor of history at the University 
of Tennessee, in March 2006. McClay addressed audiences of students, 
faculty, theologians, opinion makers, and others in Istanbul, Bursa, 
and Ankara, including at the ambassador's residence. He explained the 
basic assumptions that underpin the U.S. Constitution as part of his 
discussion of secularism in the United States.
    The ambassador discussed religious freedom regularly in private 
meetings with cabinet members. These discussions touched on both 
government policy regarding Islam and other religions, and specific 
cases of alleged religious discrimination. The ambassador met with 
Diyanet President Ali Bardakoglu. During introductory calls in 
Istanbul, he met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Chief Rabbi 
Isak Haleva, and Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Mesrob II to show support 
for religious freedom and to discuss issues affecting their respective 
communities.
    Other embassy officers held similar meetings with government 
officials. Diplomats from the embassy and consulates met regularly with 
representatives of the various religious groups. These meetings covered 
a range of topics, including problems faced by non-Muslim groups and 
the debate over the role of Islam in the country.
    The mission utilizes the International Visitor Program to introduce 
professionals in various fields to the United States and American 
counterparts. Religious issues are included among these programs.
                               __________

                                UKRAINE

    The 1996 constitution and the 1991 law on freedom of conscience 
provide for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected 
this right in practice; however, there were isolated problems at the 
local level due to local officials taking sides in disputes between 
religious organizations. Religious groups of all beliefs flourished; 
however, some local officials impeded attempts by minority and 
nontraditional religious groups to register and to buy or lease 
property.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Government policy continued 
to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. Registration 
and property restitution problems remained; however, the Government 
continued to facilitate the return of some communal properties.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were some 
exceptions, particularly among leaders of rival branches of the same 
faith. There were isolated cases of anti-Semitism and anti-Islamism. 
The All-Ukraine Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (All-
Ukraine Council), an influential, interconfessional government advisory 
body; the Conference of Representatives of Christian Churches of 
Ukraine; and the Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches each 
provided a forum to enhance coordination between various denominations, 
resolve disputes and discuss relevant legislation. As of June 1, 2006, 
the Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches, established in 2005, 
had eight members representing 80 percent of the country's Protestant 
organizations.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 233 thousand square miles and a 
population of 47 million. Estimates of those who considered themselves 
believers varied widely. A 2003 nationwide survey by a major 
independent think tank, the Razumkov Center, found that 75.2 percent of 
the respondents considered themselves believers, 37.4 percent said they 
attended church, and 21.9 percent said they did not believe in God. As 
of January 1, 2006, there were 30,507 registered religious 
organizations, including 29,262 religious communities; the Government 
estimated that there were approximately 1,679 unregistered religious 
communities. More than 90 percent of religiously active citizens were 
Christians, the majority Orthodox. Religious practice was generally 
strongest in the western part of the country.
    In 2004 the national newspaper Den (The Day) published the results 
of a major poll on religious beliefs by the All-Ukraine Sociological 
Service. Of the respondents who identified themselves as believers, 
50.44 percent said they belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church 
(UOC)-Kiev Patriarchate; 26.13 percent to the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate; 
8.02 percent to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (sometimes referred 
to as the Uniate, Byzantine, or Eastern Rite Church); 7.21 percent to 
the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; 2.19 percent belonged to 
the Roman Catholic Church; 2.19 percent identified themselves as 
Protestants; 0.63 percent responded that they observed Jewish religious 
practices; and 3.2 percent said they belonged to ``other 
denominations.''
    The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) had 35 
eparchies and 10,875 communities (approximately 68 percent of all 
Orthodox Christian communities in the country), most of which were 
located in the central, southern, and eastern oblasts. Metropolitan 
Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev headed the denomination within the country. 
The UOC-MP, which had 9,072 clergy members, referred to itself as The 
Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
    The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP) was formed 
after independence and has been headed since 1995 by Patriarch Filaret 
(Denysenko), who was once the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan of Kiev and 
all Ukraine. The UOC-KP had 31 eparchies, 3,721 communities, and 2,816 
clergy members. Approximately 60 percent of the UOC-KP faithful lived 
in the western part of the country. The UOC-KP was not recognized by 
the UOC-MP.
    The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) was the smallest 
of the three Orthodox churches in the country; it was founded in 1919 
in Kiev. Banned during the Soviet era, it was legalized in 1989 and had 
12 eparchies and 1,166 communities, approximately 70 percent of them in 
the western part of the country. The UAOC had 686 clergy members. In 
the interest of the possible future unification of the country's 
Orthodox churches, it did not name a patriarch to succeed the late 
Patriarch Dmitriy. The UAOC was formally headed in the country by 
Metropolitan Mefodiy of Ternopil and Podil; however, the large 
eparchies of Kharkiv-Poltava, Lviv, Rivne-Volyn, and Tavriya have 
officially broken relations with Mefodiy and have asked to be placed 
under the direct jurisdiction of Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch 
Bartholomew.
    The adherents of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) 
constituted the second largest group of believers after the Christian 
Orthodox churches. The Council of Brest formed the Church in 1596 to 
unify Orthodox and Roman Catholic believers. Outlawed by the Soviet 
Union in 1946 and legalized in 1989, the UGCC was for forty-three years 
the single largest banned religious community in the world. The UGCC 
had 18 eparchies, 3,433 communities, and 2,136 clergy members. The 
UGCC's members, who constituted a majority of the believers in western 
Ukraine, numbered approximately four million.
    The Roman Catholic Church is traditionally associated with 
historical pockets of citizens of Polish ancestry who lived mainly in 
the central and western regions. The Roman Catholic Church had 7 
dioceses, 879 communities, and 499 clergy members serving approximately 
one million persons.
    Protestant Churches have grown rapidly in the years since 
independence. The Evangelical Baptist Union of Ukraine (the Baptist 
Union) was the largest group, claiming more than 500 thousand members 
in more than 3 thousand churches. The Baptist Union had 3,106 clergy 
members. Other growing communities included Anglicans, Calvinists, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Methodists, the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Seventh-
day Adventists, and others.
    The Jewish community has a long history in the country. Estimates 
of the size of the current Jewish population varied. According to a 
2001 census, the State Committee of Statistics estimated that there 
were 103,600 Jews in the country. Some Jewish community leaders, 
however, said the Jewish population could be as high as 300 thousand. 
The 2004 All-Ukraine Sociological Service poll appeared to corroborate 
the higher figure. Observers believed that 35 to 40 percent of the 
Jewish population was active communally; there were 240 registered 
Jewish organizations. Most observant Jews were Orthodox. There were 104 
Chabad-Lubavitch communities in the country. The Progressive (Reform) 
Jewish movement had forty-eight communities.
    Some Muslim leaders estimated that there were 2,000,000 Muslims in 
the country, although estimates by the government and independent think 
tanks were substantially lower, approximately 500,000. There were 457 
registered Muslim communities, 320 of them on the Crimean peninsula. 
Sheikh Akhmed Tamim, the mufti of Ukraine, was a member of the All-
Ukraine Council. According to Sheikh Tamim, approximately 50,000 
Muslims, mostly foreign, lived in Kiev. The majority of the country's 
Muslims were Crimean Tatars, who were forcibly deported from Crimea to 
Uzbekistan by Stalin in 1944; they were permitted to return to the 
country in 1989. There were approximately 300,000 Crimean Tatars in 
Ukraine; 267,000 lived on the peninsula.
    The Government estimated that there were more than fifteen 
nontraditional religious movements in the country. As of January 1, 
2006, twenty-nine Krishna Consciousness communities and forty-seven 
Buddhist communities were registered.
    According to the Government, as of January 1, 2006, there were 175 
theological educational institutions with 9,721 full-time and 10,727 
correspondence students. Foreign religious workers were active in many 
religious groups. The Government estimated that approximately 51 
percent of priests in the Roman Catholic community were foreign 
citizens. Foreign religious workers also played a particularly active 
role in Protestant and Mormon communities, where missionary activity 
was central to community growth. The Jewish community also depended on 
foreign religious workers, since many rabbis were not citizens.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The 1996 constitution and the 1991 law on freedom of conscience 
provide for freedom of religion. The Government generally sought at all 
levels to protect this right and did not tolerate its abuse, either by 
governmental or private actors. However, some minority and 
nontraditional religious groups experienced difficulties in 
registration and in buying and leasing property.
    There is no formal state religion; however, the UOC-MP and the UGCC 
tended to dominate in the east and west of the country, respectively. 
Local authorities frequently sided with the religious majority in a 
particular region. In many areas of the east and south they tended to 
side with the UOC-MP. For example, according to representatives of the 
Roman Catholic Church, the Odesa city council, at the urging of local 
UOC-MP leaders, greatly restricted the work of the Catholic charity 
Caritas with street children. Conversely, in the western part of the 
country, local authorities often supported the UGCC and UOC-KP.
    On March 22, 2006, President Yushchenko called for the creation of 
a unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which the UOC-MP and major 
Protestant denominations opposed. The UOC-MP publicly cautioned the 
president against ``politicizing'' and ``artificially'' speeding up the 
unification process.
    The courts do not always interpret the law in a manner that 
protects religious freedom, often siding with the dominant local 
religious organization. For example, in a case that received national 
and international media and nongovernmental organization (NGO) 
attention, a local court in Cherkasy Oblast exonerated a UOC-MP priest 
of assault and hate crime charges for beating six members of Jehovah's 
Witnesses with his walking stick. The priest admitted that he beat the 
persons and publicly boasted that he would ``do it again,'' claiming 
that the six came onto his property and pushed him. The Jehovah's 
Witnesses also reported that two female Jehovah's Witnesses were 
attacked in Donetsk Region. According to the Witnesses, police refused 
to file a complaint under Article 161 (religious enmity) of the 
criminal code.
    The country officially celebrates numerous religious holidays, 
including Christmas, Easter Monday, and Holy Trinity Day, all according 
to the Julian calendar shared by the Orthodox churches and the Greek 
Catholics.
    The law requires religious groups to register their ``articles and 
statutes'' either as a local or national organization and to have at 
least ten adult members in order to obtain the status of a ``juridical 
entity.'' Registration is necessary to conduct many day-to-day business 
activities including publishing, banking, and property transactions. By 
law, the registration process should take one month, or three months if 
the Government requests an expert opinion on the group's legitimacy. 
Registration denials may be appealed in court.
    According to the law, registered religious organizations maintain a 
privileged status as the only organizations permitted to seek 
restitution of communal property confiscated by the Soviet regime. 
During the period covered by this report, most buildings and objects 
subject to restitution were those immediately necessary for religious 
worship. Communities must apply to regional authorities for property 
restitution. While consideration of a restitution claim should be 
completed within a month, it frequently takes much longer.
    Intracommunal competition for particular properties complicated 
restitution claims for the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. 
The slow pace of restitution was partly a reflection of the country's 
economic situation, which limited funds available to relocate occupants 
of seized religious property. Some groups asserted that there was 
progress in the restitution of property, while others reported little 
or no progress. Many properties for which restitution was being sought 
were occupied by state institutions or were historic landmarks. All 
major religious organizations called on the Government to establish a 
transparent legal process to address restitution claims.
    The registration process is administered by the Ministry of 
Justice's State Department for Religious Issues (SDRI), the successor 
organization to the Soviet-legacy State Committee for Religious Affairs 
(SCRA), which was abolished in April 2005 by presidential decree. 
Representatives of most major religious organizations, NGOs, and think 
tanks, who generally viewed the SCRA as an antiquated, corrupt, Soviet-
style organization, cautiously welcomed the decision. According to the 
Government, the creation of SDRI was intended to ``take the politics'' 
out of the registration process and bring the law into conformity with 
European norms. However, some major religious organizations criticized 
the move, noting that the SCRA, while flawed, played a valuable role as 
the religious community's voice in the Government, helping to mediate 
disputes between religious organizations and various government 
agencies. Some observers noted that the SDRI, which was establishing 
its position in relation to regional departments of religious issues, 
lacked sufficient power over oblast and municipal level departments.
    Mormon leaders asserted that during the period covered by this 
report, the Chernivtsi municipal government refused to permit the 
registration of a Mormon community.
    The Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America asserted that 
the SDRI refused to register the organization, a charge the SDRI 
denied.
    Muslim representatives in Kiev and Crimea noted that they have had 
difficulty registering communities. In Kharkiv Oblast, the government 
for the past twelve years repeatedly refused to register a Muslim 
community. Islamic community leaders also expressed frustration with 
the Ministry of Education, which had not registered an Islamic school.
    The law restricts the activities of foreign-based religious 
organizations and narrowly defines the permissible activities of 
members of the clergy, preachers, teachers, and other noncitizen 
representatives of foreign-based religious organizations; however, in 
practice there were no reports that the Government used the law to 
limit the activity of such religious organizations. Religious worker 
visas require invitations from registered religious organizations in 
the country and the approval of the Government. Foreign religious 
workers may preach, administer religious ordinances, or practice other 
canonical activities ``only in those religious organizations that 
invited them to Ukraine and with official approval of the governmental 
body that registered the statutes and the articles of the pertinent 
religious organization.'' In 2005, 8,349 foreigners were issued visas 
for religious work; approximately 3,500 of those visas were issued to 
clergymen who intended to preach or do long-term missionary work. 
According to the Government, no visa applications by foreign religious 
workers were rejected during the period covered by this report.
    Under the law, religion cannot be part of the public school 
curriculum. However, President Yushchenko, with the support of the 
country's four top Christian clergymen, instructed the Ministry of 
Education to introduce ``ethics of faith'' training courses into public 
school curricula beginning September 1, 2005. According to the SDRI, 
prominent religious leaders, and the media, nationwide implementation 
had been haphazard. In some schools in the eastern part of the country, 
students study the ``ethics of faith'' but also continue to take an 
``ethics'' course developed in Soviet times based on atheist doctrine. 
In Kharkiv Oblast, fifth-year students may elect to study Christian 
ethics, but only with their parents' consent. While Jewish leaders 
support the teaching of ethics and civics in school, they have insisted 
on a nonsectarian approach to the training. Schools run by religious 
communities may, and do, include religious education as an 
extracurricular activity.
    The Government promotes interfaith understanding by frequently 
consulting with the All-Ukraine Council, whose membership represents 
the religious groups of more than 90 percent of the religiously active 
population. The council, which has a rotating chairmanship, meets once 
every two or three months, providing members and government 
representatives the opportunity to discuss interfaith concerns. The 
council has also provided a forum through which religious organizations 
can consult with the Government on relevant draft legislation. 
President Yushchenko met with the council on March 3, 2006. Oblast 
state administrations and local religious leaders in most regions of 
the country have formed oblast councils of churches and religious 
organizations.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Mormon leaders in Kiev complained about the Government's 
unwillingness to allow a Mormon representative to join the All-Ukraine 
Council. They argued that the refusal denied their organization the 
appearance of legitimacy and discouraged broadcast media outlets from 
allowing the Mormons to purchase airtime.
    Representatives of the UOC-KP, the UAOC, the UGCC, and the Roman 
Catholic Church alleged that local governments in the south and east 
favored the UOC-MP in matters of property restitution and registration. 
Representatives from the UOC-KP specifically complained that the Odesa 
and Poltava oblast governments deliberately delayed the registration of 
congregations that, in accordance with the law, had changed 
jurisdictions from the UOC-MP to the UOC-KP.
    Representatives of progressive Jewish communities noted that the 
government of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast permitted only the registration of 
Chabad Jewish communities and complained about property restitution 
difficulties with the Kharkiv municipal government.
    Senior leaders of the UOC-MP complained that, in the wake of the 
2004 Orange Revolution and the election of President Yushchenko, the 
UOC-MP had been discriminated against by the Rivne, Ternopil, and Lviv 
oblast governments. UOC-MP representatives asserted that local 
officials and UOC-KP supporters in Rivne Oblast threatened UOC-MP 
clergy and their family members.
    Greek Catholic Cardinal Husar, as well as prominent members of the 
country's Jewish community, continued to call on the Government to 
amend the education law, which prohibits religious organizations, such 
as the UGCC, from establishing and running primary and secondary 
schools.
    According to Roman Catholic Bishop Bronislav Bernatsky, the Odesa 
municipal government, acting at the behest of the UOC-MP, restricted 
the training of Roman Catholic priests for the diocese of Odesa-
Simferopol. Specifically, the municipal government refused to authorize 
the restitution of Odesa's Roman Catholic seminary, which was 
confiscated by the Soviet regime, and criticized Bishop Bernatsky for 
having ``too many foreign priests'' in the diocese.
    There is no chaplain corps in the military. However, members of the 
armed forces have regular access to religious services, and many 
military units have priests. Christian symbols and ceremonies are 
routinely used in the armed forces.
    The Government continued to facilitate the building of houses of 
worship. As of January 1, 2006, religious organizations in the country 
were using 21,075 places of worship, of which approximately 6,200 were 
rented. As of January 1, 2006, 2,420 religious buildings were under 
construction. During the period 1992-2004, government funds and 
donations were used to construct 4,398 places of worship. 
Representatives of the Jewish and Baptist communities have complained, 
however, that state funds were allocated only for Orthodox church 
buildings. The Government had not allocated funds for the construction 
or reconstruction of synagogues, for example.
    Members of numerous communities described difficulties in dealing 
with the municipal administrations in Kiev and other large cities to 
obtain land and building permits. These problems, however, were not 
limited to religious groups.
    Representatives of the UGCC complained of discrimination by the 
Odesa municipal government, which blocked the Church's efforts to 
obtain land in the city.
    Evangelical Protestant leaders expressed concern about 
discrimination by the Kherson and Odesa regional and municipal 
governments and complained about interference with religious services, 
refusal to sell property to build churches, and failure to protect 
Church property rights.
    Leaders of the All-Ukraine Baptist Union complained about the 
prosecutor general's effort to seize the Union's headquarters building 
in downtown Kiev. Baptist Union officials could not rule out the 
possibility that the prosecutor general's action was linked to domestic 
politics, as one influential politician was a prominent Baptist 
minister.
    Despite requests from the Roman Catholic Church, including the late 
pope, John Paul II, the Government had not transferred its ownership of 
St. Nicholas' Cathedral and a former residence of Roman Catholic 
bishops in Kiev to the Church. The Church was, however, permitted to 
use the cathedral for daily morning Mass, on weekends, and during major 
religious holidays. Roman Catholic representatives also expressed 
frustration about unrealized restitution claims in Chernivtsi, 
Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Mykolayiv, Sevastopol, and Simferopol.
    There was no progress in the resolution of the high-profile and 
long-running dispute over inappropriate use of a Jewish cemetery in the 
Volyn Oblast town of Volodymyr-Volynsky. In 2002 a local court ordered 
a halt in the construction of an apartment building on the site of the 
cemetery. However, according to the Volodymyr-Volynsky municipal 
council, apartment construction was completed during 2003, and most of 
the units were occupied. Local Jewish groups complained that the 
Ministry of Justice continued to refuse to help resolve this dispute.
    Representatives of the Muslim community asserted that the 
Government's slow pace of communal property restitution undermined the 
authority of moderate Muslim leaders. For example, they argued that 
Muslims--particularly in Crimea--were more willing to listen to 
strident Islamist views, especially those espoused by Crimean Tatar 
followers of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which advocated the establishment of an 
international Islamic state. Muslim community leaders complained in 
particular about unresolved restitution claims involving a 118-year-old 
mosque in Mykolayiv, a famed mosque in Dnipropetrovsk, a 150-year-old 
mosque in the Crimean town of Masandra, and the ruins of an 18th-
century mosque in the Crimean coastal city of Alushta.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversions, 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.
Anti-Semitism
    There were a number of acts of anti-Semitism during the period 
covered by this report; at least four of them involved physical 
attacks. On August 28, 2005, a group of skinheads assaulted two yeshiva 
students in Kiev. One of the students had his skull partially crushed 
with a beer bottle. On August 31, 2005, police arrested three of the 
alleged assailants, who were charged with criminal hooliganism. On 
September 1, 2005, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Henady Moskal 
told the press that the attack was not motivated by 
antiSemitism, an assertion that was publicly questioned by 
prominent members of the Jewish community. President Yushchenko 
publicly condemned the assault.
    On September 11, 2005, a group of skinheads assaulted a rabbi and 
his son in Kiev. Police detained a group of suspects; two were charged 
with criminal hooliganism. On December 12, 2005, the country's 
correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was severely beaten by 
unidentified assailants; as of June 1, 2006, the police investigation 
remained ongoing.
    On February 3, 2006, a man stormed into the Brodsky Synagogue in 
downtown Kiev and demanded to see the rabbi. Security guards found a 
knife on the man, and police arrested him. On March 6, 2006, a yeshiva 
student used an air-pellet gun to fend off four men on a Kiev subway 
train who kicked him to the ground while shouting anti-Semitic insults. 
The student shot one of the assailants in the face with the pellet gun, 
which he had purchased following the August 28, 2005, attack referenced 
above. The assailants were arrested at the scene. On April 21, 2006, a 
group of skinheads beat and stabbed an Israeli yeshiva student in 
Dnipropetrovsk; the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on May 5, 
2006, that a criminal case of hooliganism would be brought against the 
assailants. The ministry also noted that prosecutors were continuing to 
examine the motives behind the attack, which could lead to additional 
``interethnic hostility'' charges.
    Police in Simferopol continued to investigate a January 2005 
incident in which a group of skinheads assaulted thirteen students from 
a Chabad Jewish day school, including two girls who required 
hospitalization.
    There were no indications that the police were investigating 
assaults on two rabbis in 2004 in Odesa and on a yeshiva student in 
Donetsk. Similarly, there was no progress reported in police 
investigations into two separate 2004 attacks on rabbis near Kiev's 
Brodsky Synagogue.
    There were also several instances in which synagogues, cemeteries, 
and Holocaust memorials were vandalized, particularly in Sevastopol, 
Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa; police follow-up often appeared to be 
ineffectual, especially in Dnipropetrovsk. However, there was an 
effective official response in other cases. For example, the Security 
Service of Ukraine on June 6, 2006, detained a suspect in the March 23, 
2006, desecration of a Holocaust memorial in Sevastopol. In addition, 
four neo-Nazis were sentenced February 7, 2005, for vandalizing 
gravestones in a cemetery in the Donetsk Oblast in 2004. The court 
issued suspended sentences for the two adult defendants and ordered 
``compulsory educational measures'' under parental supervision for two 
juveniles. According to media reports, the local Jewish community 
requested light sentences for the vandals, who came from extremely poor 
families. In Rivne, municipal authorities restored the Sosonky 
memorial, which was desecrated in 2004.
    There were no indications that police were investigating the 
vandalism of several dozen tombstones in 2004 at Jewish and Christian 
burial sites in Kiev's Kurenivske Cemetery.
    Despite continued mediation efforts by local Jewish and Greek 
Catholic leaders, a long-standing dispute between nationalists and Jews 
over the erection of crosses in an old Jewish cemetery in Sambir 
remained unresolved. On May 3, 2006, the Supreme Administrative Court 
of Ukraine rejected an appeal by the Union of Councils of Soviet Jewry 
to take ownership of the cemetery.
    Anti-Semitism was also evident in public life. For example, on 
August 8, 2005, the fringe Ukrainian Conservative Party, associated 
with the anti-Semitic Inter-Regional Academy of Personnel Management 
(known by its Ukrainian acronym MAUP), ostensibly an academic 
institution seen by many as a diploma mill, published an ``open 
letter'' to President Yushchenko calling for the criminal prosecution 
of Hasidic Rabbis for ``the dissemination in Ukraine of Judeo-Nazi 
teachings.''
    In the March 26, 2006, parliamentary elections, the Ukrainian 
Conservative Party received only 0.09 percent of the national vote. 
Despite an intensive advertising campaign, the party failed the win the 
necessary 3 percent to be represented in Parliament.
    Anti-Semitic articles appeared frequently in small publications and 
irregular newsletters, although such articles rarely appeared in the 
national press.
    MAUP, which receives significant funding from several Middle 
Eastern government sources, remained the most persistent anti-Semitic 
presence in the country. It published a monthly journal Personnel and a 
weekly newspaper Personnel Plus, which was the subject of an ongoing 
criminal investigation by the Prosecutor General's Office. According to 
Jewish organizations, MAUP accounted for nearly 85 percent of all anti-
Semitic material published in the country during the year. On December 
5, 2005, President Yushchenko issued a public statement criticizing 
MAUP for its anti-Semitic publications. The president also issued an 
executive order barring civil servants from studying or teaching at 
MAUP branch affiliates and ordered the Ministry of Education to review 
the licenses of all MAUP affiliates. In March 2006 seven such 
affiliates, out of approximately fifty across the country, were closed 
because of unspecified licensing violations. In a January 23, 2006, 
national television interview, Foreign Minister Tarasyuk also stressed 
that ``there is no place for any form of anti-Semitism or xenophobia in 
Ukraine.''
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    There were several improvements in respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report.
    On September 23, 2005, President Yushchenko issued a decree 
ordering educational and research institutions at all levels to 
strengthen teaching about tolerance and interdenominational 
understanding. The decree, ``On Measures to Fulfill State Policies in 
the Sphere of International Relations, Religions and Churches,'' 
included an order to take immediate steps to resume work of the 
Interagency Commission set up in 2002, with the primary goal of 
returning property to religious communities. According to the decree, 
the Government began preparations to appropriately commemorate the 
sixty-fifth anniversary of the September 1941 Babyn Yar massacre in 
Kiev by Nazi forces. On March 15, 2006, the Cabinet of Ministers 
restarted work of the commission.
    On January 20, 2006, the president issued a decree instructing the 
Ministry of Justice to draft a new version of the Law on the Freedom of 
Conscience and Religious Organizations, improve restitution-related 
rules and regulations, and extend the basis for granting conscripts the 
right to alternative (nonmilitary) service.
    On March 9, 2006, the chief of the Presidential Secretariat formed 
a working group to examine matters emerging in church-state relations, 
prepare proposals to address them, and improve laws pertaining to 
religious freedom.
    On April 4, 2006, the Supreme Rada adopted the amended Law on 
Military Duty and Military Service granting deferment from military 
conscription to full-time students of theological schools and their 
graduates holding clerical posts. The law also grants them exemption 
from military reserve training.
    On April 25, 2006, Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko signed a 
directive designed to accommodate the religious needs of servicemen and 
guarantee their constitutional rights of religious freedom. 
Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches of the Kiev and 
Moscow Patriarchates, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches, and 
All-Ukraine Baptist Union actively worked with the Ministry of Defense 
in drafting the decree.
    During the March 2006 parliamentary and local elections, most major 
religious organizations generally avoided political involvement. For 
example, rather than backing specific political parties, many senior 
religious figures urged their congregations to pray for free and fair 
elections. Human rights organizations noted that this was a major 
improvement over the 2004 presidential elections, when UOC-MP priests 
in the eastern part of the country actively campaigned for then prime 
minister Viktor Yanukovych by reading special prayers on his behalf, 
urging the faithful to vote for him, and denouncing then opposition 
candidate Viktor Yushchenko as a ``servant of the devil.''
    The Government continued to make progress in returning to religious 
groups communal properties expropriated during the Soviet era. For 
example, during the period covered by this report, the Government 
returned eight Orthodox churches to communities in Kharkiv Oblast, 
including the Church of the Holy Protection; the Holy Nativity and Holy 
Cross monasteries in Khmelnytsky Oblast to the UOC-MP; St. John's Roman 
Catholic Church in Zhytomyr; the Roman Catholic Metropolitan's 
Residence in Lviv; the German Lutheran Church in Odesa; and, synagogues 
in Lutsk and Sumy.
    Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) 
expressed satisfaction with the Government's handling of a legal 
dispute between ROCA and the UOC-KP over ownership of the Holy Trinity 
Church in Odesa Oblast. The dispute was resolved through the courts in 
ROCA's favor.
    The SDRI, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry 
of Internal Affairs, State Border Guard Committee, State Customs 
Service, State Committee for Tourism, and other agencies, met numerous 
times to develop plans to support Jewish pilgrimages to the burial site 
in Uman of Rabbi Nakhman Tsadyk, founder of the Bratslav Hasidic 
movement. According to the media, more than twenty thousand Hasidim 
traveled to Uman in 2005, the largest number in the country's post-
independence history.
    In Medzhybizh, (Khmelnytsky Oblast) the city government worked with 
the local Jewish community to create a new synagogue and pilgrimage 
center for Hasidic Jews.
    In response to requests from local Jewish organizations, the 
Kirovohrad municipal government banned construction on a Holocaust 
remembrance site. The local Jewish community was given permission to 
build a small memorial and park at the location.
    In response to a long-standing complaint from Crimean Tatar 
leaders, the Bakhchysarai municipal government agreed to relocate the 
city's central market from the territory of Azyzler, an ancient Muslim 
cemetery and pilgrimage site for Crimean Tatars. Bakhchysarai's mayor 
also announced plans to build a museum and memorial complex at the 
site.
    In response to U.S. and EU diplomacy, and efforts by prominent NGOs 
and international academic institutions, the Ministry of Education on 
March 9, 2006, reversed its longstanding policy and officially 
recognized theology as an academic discipline. Prior to the ministry's 
decision, students majoring in theology were subject to the draft, 
ineligible for student discounts, and had difficulty finding work in 
the country because their degrees were not recognized.

                    Section III. Societal Attitudes

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, conflicts between 
local representatives of contending religious organizations in some 
cases adversely affected broader ties among religious groups in 
society.
    During the period covered by this report, senior leaders of the 
UOC-MP alleged that supporters of the UOC-KP attacked UOC-MP clergy and 
seized a number of UOC-MP churches. The UOC-MP cited numerous such 
incidents, including in Rivne, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions, 
claiming that UOC-KP was emboldened by the success of the 2004 Orange 
Revolution, the Yushchenko presidency, and indications that the 
Ecumenical Patriarch might recognize their church as the country's 
canonical Orthodox Church.
    The UOC-KP rejected the allegations, noting that many UOC-MP 
communities exercised their legal right to change jurisdictions from 
the UOC-MP to the UOC-KP. Patriarch Filaret asserted that in the Rivne 
Oblast town of Ostroh on October 27, 2005, UOC-MP priests and 
supporters from Crimea physically intimidated and humiliated 
parishioners of the Church of the Holy Ascension, which had legally 
switched jurisdictions from the UOC-MP to the UOC-KP.
    Representatives of the ROCA voiced complaints about the UOC-MP, 
asserting that the UOC-MP demanded the surrender of ROCA church 
buildings in Malyn, Zhytomyr Oblast, and pressured local authorities to 
prevent the registration of a ROCA community in Khotin, Chernivtsi 
Oblast.
    The UOC-MP accused the UGCC of attempting to expand in regions 
where the Moscow Patriarchate was traditionally strong. The accusation 
appeared to be based on the UGCC's plans to establish a patriarchate 
and on the relocation of Cardinal Husar's headquarters from Lviv to 
Kiev on August 21, 2005, a move which the UOC-MP strongly protested.
    Evangelical Protestant leaders complained about the activities of 
the group ``Dialogue,'' which they and human rights groups 
characterized as a front for the UOC-MP that promoted hostility toward 
non-Orthodox Christians.
    On February 6, 2006, the Association of Christian Journalists, 
Publishers, and Broadcasters criticized the STB television network for 
airing a program that attacked evangelical churches. According to the 
association, the program misrepresented the beliefs of traditional 
Protestant Churches (including Lutherans and Baptists) and referred to 
evangelical Protestants as ``Satanists.''
    At an April 17, 2006, press conference, the president of the major 
Protestant Christian media group, Serhiy Belbovets, criticized what he 
called ``a series'' of television and newspaper reports that 
characterized evangelical Christians as ``fanatics'' and ``members of 
sects.'' He called on all churches in the country to ``stand together, 
shoulder to shoulder, to defend Christian values.''
    Senior Mormon leaders in Kiev asserted that believers faced 
discrimination from some government officials and from the UOC-MP and 
UOC-KP. They expressed concern about efforts by these churches to 
prevent the establishment of a Mormon community in Chernivtsi. In 
official correspondence with the city government, local UOC-MP and UOC-
KP leaders accused the Mormons of encroaching on an ``Orthodox city.''
    Muslim leaders in Crimea, as well as members of the Crimean Tatar 
Mejlis, the major, but unofficial, organization representing Crimean 
Tatars, accused the UOC-MP of encouraging anti-Muslim and anti-Tatar 
violence in Crimea. UOC-MP priests in Crimea reportedly assured ethnic 
Russian vigilantes, who refer to themselves as Cossacks, that violence 
against Muslim Tatars was justified in order to ``protect Orthodoxy'' 
in Crimea.
    Mejlis members and Crimea-based human rights groups continued to 
criticize the Crimean government for permitting schools to use 
textbooks that contained inflammatory and historically inaccurate 
material about Tatar Muslims. Human rights activists specifically noted 
that a common textbook for fifth graders, Viktor Misan's Stories on the 
History of Ukraine, contained more than twenty pejorative references to 
Muslims, including the fallacy that Tatar children had frequently used 
``elderly and disabled Ukrainian captives for archery and saber 
practice.'' Similarly, A.K. Shchvidko's eighth-grade textbook, History 
of Ukraine, 16-18th Centuries, depicted Muslims in a negative light, 
erroneously asserting, for example, that ``there wasn't a year when 
Tatars did not invade Ukraine, burn its villages and towns, slaughter 
its citizens, and take prisoners.'' One major Crimea-based human rights 
group noted that such misinformation created an impression among young 
people that ``Tatars are bad for Ukraine and that to kill and rob them 
is a blessed deed.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government frequently discusses religious freedom issues 
with the Government and religious leaders as part of its overall policy 
to promote human rights. A majority of foreign religious workers were 
U.S. citizens, and the embassy continued to intervene as necessary to 
defend their rights to due process under the law.
    Embassy officers tracked developments in religious freedom court 
cases involving different faiths and denominations. For example, the 
embassy continued to monitor the longstanding Sambir and Volodymyr-
Volynsky cemetery cases and also pressed the Prosecutor General's 
Office for an explanation of its attempt to seize the downtown Kiev 
headquarters of the Baptist Union.
    Throughout the period covered by this report, the ambassador raised 
the broader topics of communal property restitution and cultural 
heritage preservation in meetings and correspondence with government 
officials at the highest levels, including the president, prime 
minister, foreign minister, justice minister, and transportation 
minister.
    On numerous occasions, the ambassador raised with senior government 
officials, including President Yushchenko, the issue of tolerance and 
combating anti-Semitism. He urged the Government to address the 
foreign-funded anti-Semitic activities of MAUP and encouraged the 
Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the 
Dnipropetrovsk municipal government to take appropriate actions in 
response to anti-Semitic incidents. On December 5, 2005, President 
Yushchenko denounced all expressions of anti-Semitism and xenophobia. 
He condemned MAUP's systematic publication of anti-Semitic material and 
urged MAUP's leadership to stop inciting interethnic hatred. In 
addition, during a January 23, 2006, national television interview, 
Foreign Minister Tarasyuk stressed that ``there is no place for any 
form of anti-Semitism or xenophobia in Ukraine.''
    In a July 2005 letter to the Minister of Education, the ambassador 
argued strongly for the official recognition of theology as a 
legitimate field of academic study, pointing out the hardships faced by 
students of theology. On March 9, 2006, the ministry officially 
recognized theology as an academic discipline, due in part to the 
embassy's efforts.
    During the period covered by this report, embassy officers 
continued to maintain close contact not only with clerics but also with 
lay leaders in religious communities and representatives of faith-based 
social service organizations, such as Caritas, the American-Jewish 
Joint Distribution Committee, and the National Conference on Soviet 
Jewry, which were active in the country. In addition, the embassy 
facilitated similar meetings with these groups for members of Congress 
and other visiting U.S. officials.
    Embassy officers also met with Muslim leaders in Kiev and Crimea 
throughout the period covered by this report in an effort to understand 
the concerns of those communities. For example, the ambassador attended 
the April 10, 2006, plenary session of the Congress of the Spiritual 
Directorate of Muslims of Ukraine, meeting personally with the mufti of 
Ukraine, Sheikh Akhmed Tamim.
    The embassy funded three major International Visitor Leadership 
Program (IVLP) groups on advancing religious freedom and promoting 
tolerance. In September 2005 a trio of legal experts from the Ministry 
of Justice and the SDRI visited the United States to examine, among 
other things, how religious organizations are treated under federal, 
state, and local law, and how cities protect religious heritage sites 
like cemeteries. In November 2005 a group of prominent clergymen from 
the major religious groups visited the United States to better 
understand how interfaith dialogue strengthens tolerance in American 
society. (A representative from the UOC-MP was invited and encouraged 
to participate in this IVLP program but declined.) In April 2006 a 
group of writers and researchers who specialize in the Holocaust and 
Holodomor (Stalinist Terror Famine of 1932-33) visited the United 
States to examine how the United States remembers and teaches young 
people about the Holocaust and other tragic events, such as slavery and 
the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
    During the period covered by this report, the embassy approved a 
grant to Ukrainian Catholic University's Institute of Religion and 
Society to monitor religious freedom in the country and post the 
results on its widely read and widely respected web site. The embassy 
also provided financial support to Kiev's annual Klezmer (traditional 
Jewish folk music) festival.
                               __________

                             UNITED KINGDOM

    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Centuries-old sectarian 
divisions and instances of violence persisted in Northern Ireland. The 
July 7, 2005, terrorist attacks carried out on London's transport 
system by Muslim suicide bombers acting under what they declared to be 
religious beliefs have caused the British public and Government to 
reflect on whether tolerance for religious practices was sufficient to 
guarantee a civic and civil society.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The United Kingdom has an area of 94,525 square miles and a 
population in mid-2003 of approximately 59.6 million. The 2001 census 
for the whole of the United Kingdom reported that approximately 42 
million persons (almost 72 percent of the population) identified 
themselves as Christians. Approximately 1.6 million (2.7 percent) 
identified themselves as Muslims. The next largest religious groups 
were Hindus (1 percent), Sikhs (0.6 percent), and Jews (0.5 percent). 
More than 9 million (15.5 percent) respondents stated they had no 
religion. The census's religion question was voluntary, but only 7.3 
percent chose not to respond.
    Religious affiliation was not evenly distributed among ethnicities. 
According to 2001 census data for Great Britain, approximately 70 
percent of the white population described themselves as Christians. 
Almost 75 percent of black Caribbean respondents stated that they were 
Christians, as did 70 percent of black Africans. Meanwhile, 45 percent 
of Indians were Hindus, and 29 percent were Sikhs. Approximately 92 
percent of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were Muslims.
    Non-Christian populations were concentrated in London and other 
large urban areas. London was home to 56 percent of Jews, 52 percent of 
Hindus, 38 percent of Muslims, and 31 percent of Sikhs. Census figures 
showed that Muslims, as compared to adherents of other religions, had 
higher rates of unemployment and ill health and lower rates of 
educational qualifications.
    Information on membership in Christian denominations was not 
recorded in the 2001 census. In 2003, the Office for National 
Statistics indicated approximately 29 percent of the population 
identified with Anglicanism, 10 percent with the Roman Catholic Church, 
and 14 percent with Protestant churches.
    In Northern Ireland, the 2001 census showed that 53.1 percent were 
Protestants and 43.8 percent were Catholics. Overall church attendance 
in Northern Ireland was estimated at 30 to 35 percent. The divisions 
between nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland have largely 
evolved along religious lines. The policy of the Government remained 
one of promotion of religious tolerance.
    Most Catholics and Protestants continued to live in segregated 
communities in Northern Ireland, including public housing (``housing 
estates'') and other working class areas, although many middle class 
neighborhoods were mixed communities. Intimidation by paramilitary 
gangs often resulted in members of the local-minority community leaving 
housing estates, which increased the level of segregation.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government 
generally respected this right in practice. The Government at all 
levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its 
abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The law provides for 
the freedom to change one's religion or belief. The 1998 Human Rights 
Act guarantees freedom of religion and bans discrimination based on 
religion. Religious discrimination in employment and vocational 
training was made illegal by the 2003 Employment Equality (Religion or 
Belief) Regulations. The 2001 Anti-Terrorism, Crime, and Security Act 
covers ``religiously aggravated offenses,'' based on existing assault, 
harassment, criminal damage, and public order offenses. Those convicted 
of ``religiously aggravated offenses'' (i.e., where there is evidence 
of religious hostility in connection with a crime) face higher maximum 
penalties. According to the Crown Prosecution Service's Racist Incident 
Monitoring Annual Report covering the period of April 2004 to May 2005, 
twenty-seven of thirty-four defendants were prosecuted for religiously 
aggravated offenses under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime, and Security Act 
in England and Wales. In twenty-three of the offenses, the actual or 
perceived religion of the victim was Islam.
    On February 16, 2006, the Government enacted the Racial and 
Religious Hatred Act and the Equality Act applicable throughout Great 
Britain. The Racial and Religious Hatred Act amended the Public Order 
Act of 1986 by creating new offenses for stirring up hatred against 
persons on religious grounds. The Act defined ``religious hatred'' as 
hatred against a group of persons defined by reference to religious 
belief or lack of religious belief. The act does not seek to define 
what amounts to a religion or a religious belief, leaving it to the 
courts to make such determinations.
    Offenses under the act must be threatening and intended to stir up 
religious hatred based on: The use of words, behavior, or display of 
written material; publishing or distributing written material; the 
public performance of a play; distributing, showing, or playing a 
recording; broadcasting or including a program in a program service; or 
the possession of written materials or recordings with a view to 
display, publication, distribution, or inclusion in a program service. 
The act's provisions are not intended to restrict freedom of speech and 
criticism of religions or lack of religion. The act does not apply 
where words or behavior are used or displayed inside a private dwelling 
and cannot be seen or heard by others outside. The maximum penalty for 
stirring up religious hatred is seven years in prison.
    This act also amended the Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984, 
giving only constables the power to arrest persons in the context of 
these offenses, rather than allowing ``citizens' arrests.''
    The Equality Act made it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of 
``religion or belief'' or the ``lack of religion or belief'' in the 
provision of goods, facilities and services, education, the use and 
disposal of property, and the exercise of public functions. The 
Equality Act established the Commission for Equality and Human Rights 
(CEHR) for Great Britain, which is responsible for promoting an 
awareness of the act's provisions, promoting equality and diversity, 
and working towards the elimination of unlawful discrimination and 
harassment. The CEHR has powers to investigate unlawful acts of 
discrimination and can bring legal proceedings against violators of the 
Equality Act's provisions. The CEHR's remit is slightly different for 
Scotland, where it covers only human rights matters reserved to 
Westminster. Human rights for matters ``devolved'' to the Scottish 
Parliament are covered by the Scottish Commission for Human Rights. The 
Equality Act does allow the CEHR to cover devolved matters if it has 
the agreement of the proposed Scottish Commission.
    There are two established (or state) churches: The Church of 
England (Anglican) and the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). The 
monarch is the ``Supreme Governor'' of the Church of England and always 
must be a member of the Church and promise to uphold it. The monarch's 
connection with the Church of England is the subject of ongoing public 
debate. In 2003, a nongovernmental Commission on the Future of the 
Monarchy called for the Queen to be stripped of the title of Supreme 
Governor.
    The monarch appoints Church of England officials on the advice of 
the prime minister and the Crown Appointments Commission, which 
includes lay and clergy representatives. The General Convention of the 
Church of Scotland appoints its own office bearers, and its affairs are 
not subject to any civil authority. The Church in Wales, the Scottish 
Episcopal Church, and the Church of Ireland are members of the Anglican 
Communion. There are no established churches in Wales or Northern 
Ireland. A February 2001 Home Office study suggested that the 
establishment status of the Church of England causes ``religious 
disadvantage'' to other religious communities. Those who believe that 
their freedom of religion has been infringed upon have the right to 
appeal to the courts for relief.
    The Government indicated it had no plans to move towards 
disestablishment of the Church of England unless both the Church and 
the public favored such a move; furthermore, the Government took the 
view that establishment was deeply embedded in the nation's history and 
in no way indicated a lack of respect for other faiths. Official events 
took an inclusive approach; for example, the national Remembrance Day 
Service, conducted under the auspices of the Church of England, also 
included representatives of a broad range of faiths. The Government 
made efforts to address specific needs of different faith communities, 
such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's provision of a special 
Hajj delegation to provide consular and medical assistance to British 
Muslims on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
    After the July 7, 2005, terrorist attacks against London's 
transport system, the Government launched an effort to create ``task 
forces'' together with members of the Muslim communities to set an 
agenda which would help those communities counter extremism and 
radicalization leading to violence.
    Holy days that are considered national holidays include Good 
Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas.
    Religious groups are not required to register with the Government. 
No church or religious organization--established or otherwise--receives 
direct funding from the state. Religious bodies are expected to finance 
their own activities through endowment, investments, and fund-raising. 
The Government funds the repair of historic religious buildings, such 
as cathedrals and churches, but such funding is not restricted to 
Church of England buildings. A government grants program, financed 
largely through lottery money, helps to fund repair and maintenance of 
listed places of worship of all religious groups nationwide. The 
Government also contributes to the budget of the Church Conservation 
Trust, which preserves ``redundant'' Church of England buildings of 
architectural or historic significance. Several similar groups in 
England, Scotland, and Wales repair non-Anglican houses of worship.
    Most religious institutions are classified as charities and, as 
such, enjoy a wide range of tax benefits. (The advancement of religion 
is considered to be a charitable purpose.) In England and Wales, the 
Charity Commission reviews the application of each body applying for 
registration as a charity. Commissioners base their decisions on a 
substantial body of case law. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the 
Inland Revenue performs this task. Charities are exempt from taxes on 
most types of income and capital gains, provided that the charity uses 
the income or gains for charitable purposes. They also are exempt from 
the value-added tax.
    The Government provides funding for a large number of so-called 
``faith schools.'' As of May 2006, there were 6,874 state-funded 
schools with a religious character in England. There were 4,659 
Anglican, 2,053 Roman Catholic, 1 Greek Orthodox, and 1 Seventh-day 
Adventist school. Other Christian denominations accounted for 115 of 
the schools. There were 36 Jewish, 7 Muslim, and 2 Sikh schools. In 
January 2005, Chief Inspector of Schools for England David Bell called 
on faith schools to be ``intolerant of intolerance.'' In February 2005, 
then-Schools Minister for England Stephen Twigg published a list of 
best practices of how faith schools can implement inclusiveness and 
collaboration.
    In Scotland, most faith-based government-funded schools were Roman 
Catholic, although there was also a Jewish school. The Scottish 
Executive undertook significant steps to address religious intolerance 
and bigotry. During 2006, the Executive was providing approximately 
$187,000 (100,000 pounds sterling) to support anti-sectarian projects 
in schools; $18,700 (10,000 pounds sterling) to support an anti-
sectarian campaign run by the National Union of Students; and $25,245 
(13,500 pounds sterling) to support anti-sectarian resources in youth 
work. It also added an anti-sectarian award for the Scottish Education 
Awards. The Executive was also undertaking measures in Scotland's 
sporting associations to tackle sectarianism.
    Almost all schools in Northern Ireland receive state support. More 
than 90 percent of students attended schools that were either 
predominantly Catholic or Protestant. Integrated schools served 
approximately 5 percent of school-age children whose families 
voluntarily chose this option, often after overcoming significant 
obstacles to provide the resources to start a new school and 
demonstrate its sustainability for three years before government 
funding begins. Demand for places in integrated schools outweighed the 
limited number of places available.
    The law requires religious education in publicly maintained schools 
throughout the United Kingdom for ages three to nineteen. According to 
the Education Reform Act of 1988, it forms part of the core curriculum 
for students in England and Wales. In Scotland, religious education of 
some sort is mandated by the Education Act of 1980. Throughout the 
United Kingdom, the shape and content of religious instruction is 
decided on a local basis. Locally agreed syllabi are required to 
reflect the predominant place of Christianity while taking into account 
the teachings and practices of other principal religions in the 
country. Syllabi must be nondenominational and refrain from attempting 
to convert pupils. Schools with a religious designation follow a 
syllabus as drawn up by the school governors according to the trust 
deed of the school.
    In addition, schools in England and Wales must provide a daily act 
of collective worship. In practice, this action mainly is Christian in 
character, reflecting Christianity's importance in the religious life 
of the country. This requirement may be waived if a school's 
administration deems it inappropriate for some or all of the students. 
All parents have the right to withdraw a child from religious 
education, but the schools must approve this request. Under some 
circumstances, non-Christian worship may instead be allowed. Teachers' 
organizations have criticized school prayer and called for a government 
review of the practice.
    Where student bodies are characterized by a substantial percentage 
of religious minorities, schools may observe the religious festivals of 
other faiths. Schools also endeavor to accommodate religious 
requirements, such as providing halal meat for Muslim children.
    In Northern Ireland, the Fair Employment Act bans employment 
discrimination on the grounds of religious or political opinion. A 
broad network of laws, regulations, and oversight bodies work to ensure 
that there is equal opportunity for employees of all religious faiths. 
All public sector employers and all private firms with more than ten 
employees must report annually to the Equality Commission on the 
religious composition of their workforces, and must review their 
employment practices every three years. Noncompliance may result in 
criminal penalties and the loss of government contracts. Victims of 
employment discrimination may sue for damages. In addition, the 1998 
Northern Ireland Act stipulates that all public authorities must show 
due regard for the need to promote equality of opportunity, including 
on the basis of religious belief. Each public authority must report its 
plans to promote equality to the Equality Commission, which is to 
review such plans every five years.
    In 2003, Parliament approved the Employment Equality (Religion or 
Belief) Regulations, which adopted a European Commission Directive 
against religious discrimination. The regulations prohibit employment 
discrimination based on religious belief, except where there is a 
``genuine occupational requirement'' of a religious nature. The 
Government attempts to raise awareness of protections under the new 
regulations through help lines and good-practice advice. The 
regulations do not apply in Northern Ireland.
    The Government makes an active effort to ensure that public 
servants are not discriminated against on the basis of religion, and 
strives to accommodate religious practices by government employees 
whenever possible. For example, the Prison Service permits Muslim 
employees to take time off during their shifts to pray. It also 
provides prisoners with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim chaplains. The 
Advisory Group on Religion in Prisons monitors policy and practice on 
issues relating to religious provision. The military generally provides 
soldiers who are adherents of minority religions with chaplains of 
their faith.
    Following a May 5, 2006, Cabinet reshuffle, the Race, Cohesion and 
Faiths Directorate was formed in the newly-created Department for 
Communities and Local Government. The Directorate is responsible for 
tackling racism, extremism, and hate, and for promoting interfaith 
activity in England and Wales. It engages with faith communities to 
ensure government policies and services are delivered equally and 
appropriately. In March 2004, the Home Office published a report, 
``Working Together: Cooperation between Government and Faith 
Communities,'' in partnership with senior faith community 
representatives. The report recommended measures to ensure that 
government consultations include relevant input from faith communities 
when forming policy, to assess the extent to which faith communities 
benefit from government funding programs, to address funding 
deficiencies, and to involve the different faith communities in 
national services and celebrations in a way that reflects the diversity 
of the country.
    As a result of the July 7, 2005, bombings, the Home Office also 
launched a ``Preventing Extremism Together'' project and joint ``task 
forces'' with the Muslim Community. Reports on the usefulness of these 
efforts were mixed. One part of that effort was the ``theological 
roadshow,'' a series of seminars given by prominent Muslims advocating 
moderate, nonviolent interpretations of Islam.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In March 2006, the Law Lords, the court of last resort, ruled in 
favor of a high school in Luton that expelled a Muslim teenager for 
contravening its dress code. In 2002, the school expelled Shabina Begum 
for wearing a jilbab, a traditional dress that leaves only the face and 
hands exposed, which violated the school's dress code. The school, 
which was 79 percent Muslim and had a Muslim headmaster, created the 
policy after consultation with local Muslim organizations. The school's 
policy allowed girls to wear a skirt, pants, or a shalwar kameez, which 
comprises a loose tunic and pants, and to cover their heads with 
headscarves. After her expulsion, Begum filed suit in the High Court, 
which ruled in the school's favor. In 2005, the Court of Appeal 
overturned this decision. Lord Bingham, announcing the Law Lords' 
decision, stated the school ``had taken immense pains to devise a 
uniform policy which respected Muslim beliefs but did so in an 
inclusive, unthreatening and uncompetitive way.'' He also noted that 
the rules were acceptable to mainstream Muslim opinion. Begum was 
unsure at the end of the period covered by this report if she would 
appeal the decision in the European Court of Human Rights.
    A secondary school in Horsham banned a group of teenage Christians 
from wearing ``purity rings.'' The rings were inscribed with a biblical 
verse and worn as a symbol of their belief in chastity until marriage. 
Several students were punished with detentions and taught in isolation 
from other students for wearing the rings. The school maintained that 
wearing the rings violated the school's uniform policy, which prohibits 
all jewelry except for a small pair of ear studs. According to the 
father of Lydia Playfoot, one of the students, and press reporting, the 
school claimed that the no-jewelry policy was in effect because of 
health and safety concerns. The school told Mr. Playfoot that the rings 
could be injurious to a third party. The school refused to accept 
student and parent arguments that the rings were a form of religious 
expression and instead determined the rings to be merely decorative. 
Muslim and Sikh students, however, were allowed to wear headscarves or 
kara bracelets as a means of religious expression. Parents of the 
Christian students complained the policy was discriminatory and the 
punishment of teaching in isolation had a detrimental effect on 
students' education. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
some of the parents and students were considering legal action.
    Under the 1990 Broadcasting Act and the 2003 Communications Act, 
religious bodies can hold local and national digital radio and digital 
terrestrial television licenses. Because of the limited broadcast 
spectrum, religious groups continued to be prohibited from holding a 
national sound broadcasting license, a public teletext license, an 
additional television service license, and radio and television 
multiplex licenses.
    According to a 1999 decision of the Charity Commission for England 
and Wales, a quasi-judicial, independent body established by law as the 
regulator and registrar for charities, the Church of Scientology does 
not fall within the charity law definition of a religion. The Church of 
Scientology has not exercised its right of appeal to the court against 
the commission's decision. Scientology ministers are not considered 
ministers of religion for the purpose of the country's immigration 
regulations. Scientologist chapels do not qualify as places of worship 
under the law. The Prison Service does not recognize Scientology as a 
religion for the purpose of facilitating prison visits by ministers, 
although prisoners who are adherents of Scientology are free to 
register their adherence and to manifest their beliefs consistent with 
good order and discipline in prisons. To meet the needs of individual 
prisoners, the Prison Service allows any prisoner registered as a 
Scientologist to have access to a representative of the Church of 
Scientology if he wishes to receive its ministry.
    The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification Church, was 
excluded from the country from 2003 through 2005 following a decision 
by the Home Secretary. In January 2006, the Home Office removed the 
exclusion and allowed Reverend Moon to apply for a visa to enter the 
country during the period covered by this report. Allowed to use 
another type of visa, Reverend Moon entered the country in November 
2005 and spent two days in London addressing followers.
    In August 2004, new immigration regulations came into force, 
requiring visa applicants who wish to enter the country as ministers of 
religion to obtain level four competence in spoken English (on a scale 
of one to nine) on the International English Language Testing System. 
Visa adjudicators are permitted to waive the testing requirement at 
their discretion and where other evidence of English competency is 
provided for applicants educated in an English-speaking country. 
Ministers of religion are also required to have worked for at least one 
year in the last five years as a minister. Ministers of religion 
applying for visas must also have one year of full-time experience or 
two years of part-time training following their ordination for faiths 
where ordination is the sole means of entering the ministry. A 
missionary seeking an entry visa must have been trained as a missionary 
or have worked as a missionary previously.
    Other than some Anglican bishops' inclusion in the House of Lords, 
membership in a given religious group does not confer a political or 
economic advantage on individual adherents. The Anglican Archbishops of 
Canterbury and York; the Bishops of Durham, London, and Winchester; and 
twenty-one other bishops, in order of seniority, receive automatic 
membership in the House of Lords, whereas prominent clergy from other 
denominations or religions are not afforded this privilege.
    While not usually enforced and essentially a legal anachronism, 
blasphemy against Anglican doctrine remains technically illegal in 
England and Wales. In early 2005, several religious organizations, in 
association with the Commission for Racial Equality, attempted to 
abolish the law or broaden its protection to include all faiths. 
According to the Government, there was no intention to revise or 
eliminate the law.
    In relation to their percentage of the Northern Ireland population 
(44 percent), Catholics were underrepresented in the Police Service of 
Northern Ireland (PSNI). Ongoing government-mandated measures to 
increase Catholic representation in the PSNI have raised the proportion 
of Catholics in the police to 20 percent, compared to 8 percent in 
1999.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    During the calendar year of 2005, the Community Security Trust 
(CST) recorded 455 anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom. CST 
recorded 82 assaults, 25 threats, 273 instances of abusive behavior, 27 
cases of the distribution of anti-Semitic literature, and 48 instances 
of desecration and damage to property. The number of anti-Semitic 
incidents slightly decreased from 2004, but CST reported that the 
annual totals of anti-Semitic incidents have tended to rise since 1997. 
According to the Global Forum against Anti-Semitism's report for 2005, 
the United Kingdom continued to have the highest number of anti-Semitic 
incidents in Europe. The report stated that activities by ``radical 
left wing organizations for a boycott of Israel including the academia 
and the church'' created an atmosphere which laid the groundwork for 
anti-Semitic acts.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
British society contributed to religious freedom. In Northern Ireland, 
where centuries-old sectarian divisions persisted between the 
Protestant and Catholic communities, political and cultural differences 
contributed to problems between nationalists and unionists.
    The police in Northern Ireland reported 222 attacks against both 
Catholic and Protestant churches, schools, and meeting halls in 2005. 
Such sectarian violence often coincided with tensions during the spring 
and summer marching season. The 2005 marching season saw violent 
rioting related to two parades in July and August, respectively. 
Negotiations involving parade organizers, leaders in nationalist and 
loyalist areas, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and government 
and police officials helped ensure public order relating to other 
parades.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, the Government was 
preparing a report on the abuse of African children branded as witches. 
Since the discovery of an unidentified Nigerian boy's torso in the 
Thames River in 2001, there has been widespread public speculation that 
children, mostly from Africa, have been abused in exorcism rituals by 
some African-based churches. In June 2005, an eight-year-old child, 
brought to the country from Angola, was beaten, cut, and had chili 
rubbed in her eyes because her aunt and two others believed she was a 
witch. The aunt and the two others were arrested on child abuse 
charges. There were similar reports of child abuse resulting from 
healing rituals, and the Government actively pursued and prosecuted 
child abuse in such cases.
    On February 7, 2006, Abu Hamza al-Masri was sentenced to seven 
years' imprisonment on eleven charges, including soliciting or 
encouraging the killing of Jews, inciting racial hatred, and possessing 
a document that contained information ``of a kind likely to be useful 
to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.''
    The Muslim community complained of intermittent incidents of 
discrimination, although no formal statistics were available. In 
January 2005, an employment equality tribunal ruled in favor of a 
Muslim man who requested time off from his employer to make a 
pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. The man received no response, but was told 
by the manager that in the absence of a reply his leave was granted. 
The man was fired upon his return. The tribunal ruled that by not 
trying to accommodate the employee's religious requirement to go on 
Hajj or justifying a refusal to authorize his leave, the company was 
placing Muslim employees at a particular disadvantage and 
discriminating on the grounds of religion.
    The Islamic community continued to criticize the police's use of 
``stop and search'' powers under anti-terrorism laws. On May 18, 2006, 
the Islamic Human Rights Commission published a survey of Muslims in 
the country. Respondents generally perceived British anti-terrorism 
laws as being unfair towards Muslims, and society as lacking respect 
for Muslims. The report also indicated, however, that the majority of 
respondents supported British law.
    On February 3, 2006, the leader of the British National Party (BNP) 
and a party activist were acquitted of several charges of incitement to 
racial hatred. However, the Crown Prosecution Services announced they 
would proceed with retrials of other charges of incitement to racial 
hatred against both men resulting from hung juries. Their arrests 
followed a 2005 broadcast of a BBC documentary entitled ``Secret 
Agent.'' During the broadcast, the BNP leader was covertly recorded 
calling Islam a ``vicious, wicked faith.'' At the end of the period 
covered by this report, their trials were pending.
    There was a noticeable increase in the number of anti-Muslim 
incidents following the July 7, 2005, bombings of London's transport 
system. The bombings, carried out by Muslims, created a backlash 
against Muslims in the form of verbal and physical assaults, vandalism, 
arson, anti-Muslim literature, and Internet postings. Hindus and Sikhs, 
misidentified as Muslims, were also targets of such incidents. 
Government and religious leaders of all faiths cautioned the public not 
to engage in such hate crimes and reiterated that the majority of 
British Muslims were peaceful and law-abiding citizens.
    The country had both active interfaith and ecumenical movements. 
The Council of Christians and Jews worked to advance better relations 
between the two religions and to combat anti-Semitism. The Interfaith 
Network linked a wide range of religious and educational organizations 
with an interest in interfaith relations, including the national 
representative bodies of the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, 
Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian communities. The Network had a 
consultative relationship with the Home Office, from which it received 
financial support. The Inner Cities Religious Council encouraged 
interfaith activity through regional conferences and support for local 
initiatives. The NGO Respect continued to encourage voluntary time-
sharing and mutual understanding among adherents of different 
religions.
    The main ecumenical body was the Council of Churches for Britain 
and Ireland, which served as the main forum for interchurch cooperation 
and collaboration. Interchurch cooperation was not limited to dealings 
among denominations at the national level. For example, Anglican 
parishes shared their churches with Roman Catholic congregations.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The U.S. embassy encouraged interfaith dialogue to promote 
religious tolerance. Embassy representatives attended regular meetings 
of the Three Faiths Forum, an interfaith dialogue organization. Embassy 
officers were in regular contact with the Board of Jewish Deputies, the 
Chief Rabbi's Office, the Community Security Trust, the Muslim College, 
Islamic Relief, and the Muslim Council of Britain. Embassy officials 
were highly engaged in ``outreach'' presentations to the British 
public, with a particular focus on Muslim communities. In the course of 
presentations, embassy officers discussed with the public the important 
role that religious diversity plays in the United States; the need for 
religious tolerance, especially towards immigrants from the Middle 
East, Asia, and Latin America; the fact that the United States is not 
involved in a war against Muslims; and the freedom of Muslims to 
practice their faith in the United States.
    The consulate general in Edinburgh met regularly with Islamic 
studies graduate students and maintained close ties with lay and 
religious leaders from the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Roman 
Catholic Church, the Jewish Communities of Scotland, and various 
mosques.
    In Northern Ireland, long-standing issues related to national 
identity have been part of political and economic friction between 
Protestant and Catholic communities. As an active supporter of the 
peace process, the U.S. Government encouraged efforts to diminish 
sectarian tension and promote dialogue between these two communities.
                       NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

                              ----------                              


                                ALGERIA

    The Constitution declares Islam to be the state religion and 
prohibits institutions from engaging in behavior incompatible with 
Islamic morality. The Constitution does not provide explicitly for 
religious freedom; however, it provides that the people set up 
institutions whose aims include the protection of fundamental liberties 
of the citizen. The law limits the practice of faiths other than Islam, 
including prohibiting public assembly for the purpose of their 
practice. However, the Government allows registered, non-Muslim 
religious groups, in limited instances, to conduct public religious 
services. Religious practices that conflict with the Government's 
interpretation of Shari'a are prohibited.
    The status of respect for religious freedom declined during the 
reporting period. The Government increased requirements for the 
registration of religious organizations; increased punishments for 
foreigners who proselytize Muslims; and made regulations on the 
importation of non-Islamic religious texts more stringent. On March 20, 
2006, Parliament adopted into law Ordinance 06-03 dealing with the 
conditions and regulations of religions other than Islam; the law was 
scheduled to be implemented beginning in September 2006. The ordinance 
confines non-Muslim worship to specific buildings approved by the 
state, imposes penalties for proselytizing, and treats these as 
criminal rather than civil offenses. President Bouteflika requested 
both the High Islamic Council and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to 
assist in refining the details of the ordinance; however, the law was 
passed without prior consultation with affected Christian religious 
groups and without any meaningful debate in Parliament. Out of a total 
of 533 parliamentarians in both chambers, only one senator voted 
against the measure.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, differences within 
the country's Muslim majority about the interpretation and practice of 
Islam caused some discord. Islamist terrorists continued to justify 
their killing of security force members and civilians by referring to 
interpretations of religious texts. The level of violence perpetrated 
by terrorists increased slightly during the reporting period due to 
terrorist reaction to the Government's Charter for Peace and National 
Reconciliation which was introduced as a measure to bring closure to 
the terrorist violence that killed nearly one hundred thousand citizens 
during the 1990s.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom with the Government 
as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 919,595 square miles, and a population 
of thirty-three million. More than 99 percent of the population is 
Sunni Muslim. There was a small community of Ibadi Muslims in Ghardaia. 
Official data on the number of non-Muslim residents is not available; 
however, practitioners reported it to be below five thousand. The vast 
majority of Christians and Jews fled the country following independence 
from France in 1962. Many of those who remained left in the 1990s due 
to violent acts of terrorism committed by Islamic extremists. As a 
result, the number of Christians and Jews in the country was 
significantly lower than the estimated total before 1992. According to 
Christian community leaders, Methodists and members of other Protestant 
denominations accounted for the largest numbers of non-Muslims, 
followed by Roman Catholics and Seventh-day Adventists. It was 
estimated that there were three thousand members of evangelical 
churches (mostly in the Kabylie region) and approximately three hundred 
Catholics. A significant proportion of the country's Christian 
residents were students and illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa 
en route to Europe; their numbers were difficult to estimate 
accurately.
    For security reasons, due mainly to the civil conflict, Christians 
concentrated in the large cities of Algiers, Annaba, and Oran in the 
mid-1990s. During the period covered by this report, evangelical 
proselytizing has led to increases in the size of the Christian 
community in the eastern, Berber region of Kabylie. The number of 
``house churches,'' where members meet secretly in the homes of fellow 
members for fear of exposure or because they cannot finance the 
construction of a church, has reportedly increased in the region. 
Reporting suggests that citizens themselves, not foreigners, make up 
the majority of those actively proselytizing in Kabylie.
    Only one missionary group operated in the country on a full-time 
basis. Other evangelical groups traveled to and from the country, but 
they are not established. While most Christians did not proselytize 
actively, they reported that conversions took place.
    There was no active Jewish community, although a very small number 
of Jews continue to live in Algiers. Since 1994 the size of the Jewish 
community has diminished to virtual nonexistence due to fears of 
terrorist violence, and the synagogue in Algiers was closed. A number 
of Jews of local origin living abroad have visited the country in the 
past two years. A group visited Oran in 2004, and their visit was well 
received by local authorities. In May 2005 another group of 130 visited 
Tlemcen for the first time in more than forty years and met with former 
Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution declares Islam to be the state religion and 
prohibits institutions from engaging in behavior incompatible with 
Islamic morality. The Constitution does not provide explicitly for 
religious freedom; however, it provides that the people set up 
institutions whose aims include the protection of fundamental liberties 
of the citizen. The Constitution prohibits non-Muslims from running for 
the presidency. The law limits the practice of faiths other than Islam, 
including by prohibiting public assembly for the purpose of their 
practice, requiring organized religious groups to register with the 
Government, and controlling the importation of Christian religious 
materials. However, the Government allows registered, non-Muslim 
religious groups, in limited instances, to conduct public religious 
services.
    During the reporting period, the Government increased requirements 
for religious organizations to register, increased punishments for 
individuals who proselytize Muslims, and made regulations on the 
importation of religious texts more stringent. On March 20, 2006, 
Parliament approved a controversial new law, Ordinance 06-03, which 
regulates non-Muslim worship and was scheduled to be implemented 
beginning in September 2006. The first four articles of the ordinance 
reiterate that the state religion is Islam and guarantee the freedom to 
exercise religious worship in the framework of the Constitution, the 
laws and regulations in force, public order, good moral standards, and 
the fundamental rights and liberties ``of third parties.'' It also 
guarantees tolerance and respect ``between various religions'' and 
forbids the use of religious affiliation as a basis for discrimination 
against any individual or group. The ordinance confines non-Muslim 
worship to church buildings approved by the state, imposes penalties 
for proselytizing, and treats these as criminal rather than civil 
offenses. This law was passed without prior consultation with affected 
religious groups and, as a presidential decree, was subject to no 
debate or meaningful vote in Parliament.
    The Government recognizes the Islamic holy days of Eid al-Adha, Eid 
al-Fitr, Awal Moharem, Ashura, and the birth of the Prophet Muhammad as 
national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The new law, Ordinance 06-03, which comprises three main sections 
and seventeen articles, restricts the exercise of religions other than 
Islam. Nonetheless, it conditionally affirms the freedom to exercise 
religious worship and prohibits discrimination based on religious 
affiliation. The Government intends to implement the law beginning in 
September 2006.
    Articles 5 through 9 stipulate that all structures intended for the 
exercise of religious worship must be registered by the state, and any 
modification of a structure to allow religious worship is subject to 
prior approval of the yet to be created National Commission for the 
Exercise of Religious Worship. Additionally, worship may only take 
place in structures exclusively intended and approved for that purpose. 
This gives the Government the power to regulate the locations of all 
non-Muslim worship and monitor participation. Effectively, the 
Government can now shut down informal Christian religious services that 
take place in private homes or in secluded outdoor settings.
    Article 10 stipulates that the punishment for proselytizing is one 
to three years in jail and a maximum fine of 500 thousand Algerian 
dinars (DA) ($6,900) for lay individuals and three to five years of 
jail time and maximum 1 million DA ($13,800) if the person is a 
religious leader. Article 11 lays out a maximum of five years in jail 
and a 500 thousand DA fine for anyone who ``incites, constrains, or 
utilizes means of seduction tending to convert a Muslim to another 
religion; or by using to this end establishments of teaching, 
education, health, social, culture, training...or any financial 
means.'' Anyone who makes, stores, or distributes printed documents, 
audiovisual materials, or the like with the intent of ``shaking the 
faith'' of a Muslim may also be punished in this manner. Contrary to 
previous practice, foreigners found guilty of the above offenses will 
serve their punishment and then be deported.
    The new law caused concern in many Western capitals. The European 
Union chiefs of mission in the country met to discuss it in May 2006 
and announced their intention to present a special report to the 
European Union with their analysis and outline of suggested actions. 
One particular area of concern is that Ordinance 06-03 contains vague 
wording that renders it susceptible to arbitrary interpretations and 
applications.
    Local Christian leaders expressed concern over the new law, 
especially over not being consulted or warned prior to public release 
of the decree. They also collectively worried about its future impact 
on their religious activities. Although enforcement of the law was 
delayed until September 2006, Christian leaders have already seen a 
slight increase in monitoring of their religious work. In April 2006 a 
public library, sponsored by a Christian group, noted Government 
officials reviewing their inventory of books for ``inappropriate'' 
religious content. Local newspapers have displayed a new tendency to 
include pictures of the Notre Dame d'Afrique Basilica or Monsignor 
Tessier, the leader of the Catholic community in Algiers, with articles 
discussing evangelization. Often these articles report on conversions 
to Christianity in the Kabylie region, although they lack any 
connection to Notre Dame d'Afrique or Monsignor Tessier.
    Ordinance 06-03 marks a step backward for religious freedom; 
however, it will take some time to determine the actual impact of the 
law.
    In April 2006 President Bouteflika, in his remarks during a visit 
to the province of Constantine, stated that democracy does not mean 
citizens should ``not react to the Christianization of our children.''
    On March 20, 2005 border authorities allegedly refused entrance to 
an American citizen, apparently on grounds of his religious 
convictions. Two citizens who met him at the airport were also 
allegedly placed in detention. The U.S. Embassy was not able to verify 
their release. The American citizen in question was originally expelled 
in 1970 on charges of evangelism and previously resided in the country 
for ten years. The Government did not respond to the U.S. Embassy's 
inquiries about the alleged incident.
    The Ministry of Religious Affairs provides some financial support 
to mosques and pays the salary of imams. Mosque construction is funded 
through private contributions of local believers. In February 2005 the 
ministry created an Educational Commission under its auspices. The 
commission is composed of twenty-eight members who are in charge of 
developing an educational system for the teaching of the Qur'an. The 
commission is responsible for setting the rules for hiring teachers for 
the Qur'anic schools and madrassahs, and ensuring that all imams are of 
the highest educational caliber and teach in line with government 
guidelines aimed at stemming Islamist extremism.
    The Government appoints imams to mosques and, by law, is allowed to 
provide general guidance and pre-screen and approve sermons before they 
are delivered publicly during Friday prayers. In practice the 
Government generally reviews sermons after the fact. The Government's 
right of review has not been exercised with non-Islamic religious 
groups. The Government also monitors activities in mosques for possible 
security-related offenses, bars the use of mosques as public meeting 
places outside of regular prayer hours, and convokes imams to the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs for ``disciplinary action.'' In September 
2005 eight imams in the wilaya (state) of Annaba received 
administrative sanctions from the Ministry of Religious Affairs due to 
the imams' refusal to conduct a ``prayer of the absent'' in 
commemoration of the country's two diplomats who were kidnapped and 
later killed in Baghdad.
    Amendments to the Penal Code in 2001 established strict 
punishments, including fines and prison sentences, for anyone other 
than a government-designated imam who preaches in a mosque. Harsher 
punishments were established for any person, including government-
designated imams, who acts ``against the noble nature of the mosque'' 
or acts in a manner ``likely to offend public cohesion.'' The 
amendments do not specify what actions would constitute such acts.
    The Government requires established religious groups to obtain 
official recognition prior to conducting any religious activities. The 
Protestant, Catholic, and Seventh-day Adventist churches are the only 
non-Islamic religious groups authorized to operate in the country. 
Members of other churches are forced to operate without Government 
permission and secretly practice their faith in their homes, or like 
Methodists and Presbyterians, register as a part of the Protestant 
Church of Algeria. According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the 
Ministry of the Interior is responsible for determining punishments for 
unrecognized religious associations found to be meeting without 
permission.
    The law prohibits public assembly for purposes of practicing a 
faith other than Islam. Catholic churches, however, including a 
cathedral in Algiers (the seat of the Archbishop), conduct services 
without government interference, as does a Protestant church. Only a 
few small churches exist; non-Muslims usually congregate in private 
homes for religious services.
    Conversions from Islam to other religions are rare. Islamic law 
(Shari'a), as interpreted in the country, does not recognize conversion 
from Islam to any other religion; however, conversion is not illegal 
under civil law. Due to safety concerns and potential legal and social 
problems, Muslim converts practice their new faith clandestinely. 
Christians report that conversions to Christianity take place.
    The proselytizing of Muslims is illegal. Missionary groups are 
permitted to conduct humanitarian activities without government 
interference as long as they are discreet and do not proselytize.
    The ministries of Religious Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and 
Commerce all must approve the importation of non-Islamic religious 
writings. Often, delays of five to six months are incurred before 
obtaining such approval, and there have been further delays once these 
books reached customs. Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) translations of 
non-Islamic texts are increasingly available, but the Government 
periodically has enforced restrictions on their importation. Religious 
leaders of the non-Muslim community expressed concerns that Government 
delays on the importation of religious materials were impediments to 
practicing their faith. Individuals may bring personal copies of non-
Islamic texts, such as the Bible, into the country. In May 2005 an 
American citizen and his wife were deported for reportedly importing 
Bibles into the country and proselytizing Muslims. Non-Islamic 
religious texts, music, and video cassettes are available and there are 
two stores in the capital that sell Bibles in several languages. 
Government-owned radio stations continued their practice of 
broadcasting Protestant Christmas and Easter services in French. The 
Government prohibits the dissemination of any literature that portrays 
violence as a legitimate precept of Islam.
    According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, female employees of 
the Government are allowed to wear the headscarf or crosses but 
forbidden to wear the full veil (niqab). The Constitution prohibits 
non-Muslims from running for the presidency. Non-Muslims may hold other 
public offices and work within the Government; however, it is reported 
that they experience difficulties in advancing through the hierarchy.
    The ministries of Education and Religious Affairs strictly require, 
regulate, and fund the study of Islam in public schools. Private 
religious primary and secondary schools operate in the country; 
however, the Government did not extend recognition to these 
institutions during the reporting year. Consequently, private school 
students had to register as independent students within the public 
school system to take national baccalaureate examinations. In May 2005 
the Ministry of National Education required private schools to submit 
their educational programs for approval. The Government has given 
official authorization to only 22 of 200 private schools so far. This 
measure was widely directed toward ensuring that schools supported by 
Saudi Arabia conformed to government standards of religious teaching.
    Some aspects of the law and many traditional social practices 
discriminate against women. The Family Code, adopted in 1984 and 
amended in 2005, is based in large part on Shari'a law and treats women 
as minors under the legal guardianship of a husband or male relative. 
Under the code, Muslim women are prevented from marrying non-Muslims, 
although this regulation is not always enforced. The code does not 
prohibit Muslim men from marrying non-Muslim women, but it prohibits 
them from marrying a woman of a non-monotheistic faith. Under both 
Shari'a and civil law, children born to a Muslim father are Muslim, 
regardless of the mother's religion. In rulings on divorce, custody of 
the children normally is awarded to the mother, but she may not enroll 
them in a particular school or take them out of the country without the 
father's authorization. Under the 2005 Family Code amendments, women no 
longer need the consent of a male guardian (tuteur) to marry. The code 
requires only that a chaperone (wali) of her choosing be present at the 
wedding. This change signaled a major step for women, as the role of a 
tuteur--usually a woman's father or another male relative--is to 
conclude the marriage on the woman's behalf, while a wali acts as a 
protector who is present while the woman concludes the marriage 
herself.
    The Family Code also affirms the Islamic practice of allowing a man 
to marry up to four wives; however, he must obtain the consent of the 
current spouse, the intended new spouse, and a judge. Furthermore, a 
woman has the right to a no-polygamy clause in the prenuptial 
agreement. Polygamy rarely occurs in practice, accounting for only 1 
percent of marriages.
    Women also suffer from discrimination in inheritance claims. In 
accordance with Shari'a, women are entitled to a smaller portion of a 
deceased husband's estate than his male children or brothers. Non-
Muslim religious minorities also may suffer in inheritance claims when 
a Muslim family member also lays claim to the same inheritance. Women 
may take out business loans and are the sole custodians of their 
dowries; however, in practice, women do not always have exclusive 
control over assets they bring to a marriage or income they have 
earned. Females under eighteen years of age may not travel abroad 
without the permission of a legal male guardian.
    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.
Anti-Semitism
    Anti-Semitism in state-owned publications and broadcasts was rare; 
however, anti-Semitic articles appeared occasionally in the independent 
press, especially Arabic-language papers with an Islamic outlook. More 
frequent were articles criticizing policies of the Israeli Government 
and leadership. Articles referring to Israel or Israelis in several 
non-government papers, including El Khabar, were accompanied by 
unrelated photos and cartoons of Orthodox Jews with beards and 
sidelocks, a form of anti-Semitic stereotyping. There is no hate crime 
legislation.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    The country's decade-long civil conflict pitted Islamist terrorists 
belonging to the Armed Islamic Group and its later offshoot, the 
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, against the Government. While 
estimates vary, approximately 100 thousand to 150 thousand civilians, 
terrorists, and security forces have been killed during the past 
fourteen years. Islamist extremists have issued public threats against 
all ``infidels'' in the country, both foreigners and citizens, and have 
killed both Muslims and non-Muslims, including seven Trappist monks 
killed by Islamist terrorists in 1996. Extremists continued attacks 
against both the Government and moderate Muslim and secular civilians, 
with the level of violence slightly increasing during the reporting 
period. As a rule, the majority of the country's terrorist groups do 
not differentiate between religious and political killings.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, differences that 
remain within the country's Muslim majority about the interpretation 
and practice of Islam caused some discord. A very small number of 
citizens, such as Ibadi Muslims living in the desert town of Ghardaia, 
practice non-mainstream forms of Islam or practice other religions, but 
there is minimal societal discrimination against them.
    In general society tolerates foreigners who practice faiths other 
than Islam; however, citizens who renounce Islam generally are 
ostracized by their families and shunned by their neighbors. The 
Government does not usually become involved in such disputes.
    The majority of cases of harassment and security threats against 
non-Muslims come from radical Islamists who are determined to rid the 
country of those who do not share their extremist interpretation of 
Islam. However, a majority of the population subscribes to Islamic 
precepts of tolerance in religious beliefs. Moderate Muslim religious 
and political leaders have publicly criticized acts of violence 
committed in the name of Islam. In 2005 a Protestant minister who was a 
highly respected longtime resident was stabbed outside his house in 
Algiers in what is widely believed to have been a religiously motivated 
attack. The High Islamic Council was quick to condemn the attack. On 
April 8, 2005, in a show of religious harmony, a large number of both 
Christians and Muslims attended a memorial Catholic Mass at Notre Dame 
d'Afrique Basilica honoring Pope John Paul II.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government actively promotes religious freedom issues with 
the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
The U.S. Embassy maintained contact with religious leaders of the 
Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
    Embassy officials met with the Ministry for Religious Affairs, 
including the ambassador's April 2006 meeting with the minister of 
religious affairs during which he raised concerns over the new 
legislation restricting non-Muslim worship. The deputy chief of mission 
met with the head of the Council of the Ulema, an independent body of 
Islamic religious scholars. Embassy officials and a U.S. senator 
established a dialogue on religious freedom with the High Islamic 
Council.
    The Embassy underscored the need for religious tolerance in several 
speeches given by the ambassador and by funding two cultural 
restoration projects with religious significance for both Christians 
and Muslims. Embassy officials also promoted religious freedom in 
speeches to university students by describing the high level of 
tolerance that all faiths, including Islam, enjoy in the United States. 
The Embassy maintained contact with three Islamic political parties 
(Movement for Peaceful Society, El-Islah, and former members of the 
defunct group Ennahda) and met with the Wafa Party, which remains 
unrecognized by the Government.
    The Embassy maintained frequent contact with the National 
Consultative Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human 
Rights, a quasi-governmental human rights organization established by 
the Government in 2001 in response to international and domestic 
pressure to improve its human rights record. Individuals and groups who 
believe they are not being treated fairly by the Ministry of Religious 
Affairs may voice their concerns to this commission.
                               __________

                                BAHRAIN

    The Constitution states that Islam is the official religion and 
also provides for freedom of religion; however, there were some limits 
on this freedom.
    There was a slight change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the reporting period. The Government continued to 
subject both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims to some governmental control and 
monitoring, and there continued to be government discrimination against 
Shi'a Muslims in certain fields. Members of other religious groups who 
practice their faith privately do so without interference from the 
Government.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, Shi'a Muslims, who 
constitute the majority of the population, often resented minority 
Sunni Muslim rule.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 231 square miles, and its population is 
approximately 725,000. The citizen population is 98 percent Muslim; 
Jews and Christians constitute the remaining 2 percent. Muslim citizens 
belong to the Shi'a and Sunni branches of Islam, with Shi'a 
constituting an estimated 70 percent of the indigenous population.
    Foreigners, mostly from South Asia and other Arab countries, 
constitute an estimated 38 percent of the total population. 
Approximately half of resident foreigners are non-Muslim, including 
Christians, Hindus, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Sikhs.
    The American Mission Hospital, which is affiliated with the 
National Evangelical Church, has operated in the country for more than 
a century. The church adjacent to the hospital held weekly multilingual 
services and served as a meeting place for several denominations.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution states that Islam is the official religion and 
also provides for freedom of religion; however, there were some limits 
on this right. The Government continues to register new religious non-
governmental organizations, including some with the legal authority to 
conduct political activities. In 2002, the king issued a new 
Constitution and held Municipal Council and National Assembly 
elections. In the 2002 Municipal Council elections, candidates 
associated with religious political groups won forty of the fifty 
contested seats. In the 2002 legislative election, candidates 
associated with religious groups won more than half of the Council of 
Representatives' forty seats. In both elections, candidates from 
religious political groups conducted their campaigns without any 
interference from the Government.
    There was one Jewish member and one Christian member of the forty-
member upper house of Parliament, the Shura Council. All members of the 
Shura Council were appointed by the king.
    The Government continued to subject both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims to 
some governmental control and monitoring, and there was some government 
discrimination against Shi'a Muslims in certain fields. Members of 
other religious groups who practiced their faith privately did so 
without interference from the Government and were permitted to maintain 
their own places of worship and display the symbols of their religion.
    Every religious group must obtain a license from the Ministry of 
Islamic Affairs to operate. Depending on circumstances, a religious 
group may need approval from the Ministry of Social Development, the 
Ministry of Information, and the Ministry of Education. Christian 
congregations, which were registered with the Ministry of Social 
Development, operated freely and allowed other Christian congregations 
to use their facilities. One synagogue, four Sikh temples, and several 
official and unofficial Hindu temples are located in Manama, the 
capital, and its suburbs. In 2003, the Orthodox community celebrated 
the consecration of the new and expanded St. Mary's Church, which was 
built on land donated by other Christian groups.
    In the past, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs had repeatedly denied 
a Baha'i community's request for a license to operate. The Ministry of 
Islamic Affairs stated that the Baha'i faith is an offshoot of Islam. 
According to its official interpretation of Islam, the Government 
regards the core beliefs of Baha'is to be blasphemous and consequently 
illegal, and therefore the ministry refuses to recognize the religion, 
but it allows the community to gather and worship freely. The Baha'i 
community has not sought official recognition in many years.
    Unregistered Christian congregations existed, and there was no 
attempt by the Government to force them to register. Holding a 
religious meeting without a permit is illegal; however, there were no 
reports of religious groups being denied a permit to gather.
    The High Council for Islamic Affairs is charged with the review and 
approval of all clerical appointments within both the Sunni and Shi'a 
communities and maintains program oversight for all citizens studying 
religion abroad.
    Islamic studies were a part of each year's curriculum in government 
schools and mandatory for all public school students. The decades-old 
curriculum is based on the Maliki school of Sunni theology. The Shi'a 
community has lobbied for inclusion of the Ja'afari (Shi'a) traditions 
in the curriculum for years, but this proposal has been rejected. In 
2002 a public school for boys called the Ja'afari Institute, which 
covers the entire public school curriculum, opened offering religion 
classes in Ja'afari traditions for the first time. The school does not 
teach Sunni Maliki traditions. The school began in 2002 with students 
in the first grade only and has expanded its enrollment each year 
because its first-year contingent of students has proceeded to the next 
grade. The Ministry of Education has agreed in principle to the opening 
of a Ja'afari Institute for girls, but at the end of the period covered 
by this report, plans had not been finalized about the school's 
opening.
    Shi'a were underrepresented in the Ministry of Education in both 
the leadership and in the ranks of head teachers who teach Islamic 
studies and supervise and mentor other teachers. At the secondary 
school level, there was only one Islamic studies head teacher who was 
Shi'a out of more than a dozen. Although there were many Islamic 
studies teachers who were Shi'a, they were discouraged from introducing 
content about Shi'a traditions and practices and instructed to follow 
the curriculum.
    Curriculum specialists in the Islamic Studies Department at the 
Ministry of Education's Curriculum Directorate were all Sunni. The 
Curriculum Directorate formed a separate committee of Shi'a teachers 
and clerics along with members of the Curriculum Directorate to develop 
the Islamic studies curriculum for the Ja'afari Institute. This 
committee continues to develop the next year's curriculum as the oldest 
group of students at the Ja'afari Institute ages and proceeds to the 
next academic year.
    The civil and criminal legal systems consist of a complex mix of 
courts based on diverse legal sources, including Sunni and Shi'a 
Shari'a (Islamic law), tribal law, and other civil codes and 
regulations. The number of Shi'a Shari'a judges was slightly higher 
than the number of Sunni Shari'a judges.
    The country observes the Muslim feasts of Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, 
the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Islamic New Year as national 
holidays. The Shi'a religious celebration of Ashura is a two-day 
national holiday. The Shi'a stage large public processions and other 
related activities during the holiday, and the Government does not 
restrict the religious elements of these events. The Ministry of 
Information provides media coverage of Ashura events.
    Leaders representing many religious groups visited the country and 
met with government and civic leaders. These included the bishops of 
the Ethiopian and Syrian Orthodox churches and the general secretary of 
the Reformed Church in America.
    Members of the Awali Community Church visited Christian prison 
inmates during the reporting period to provide items of clothing and 
Christian literature. In March 2005, members of the Sacred Heart Church 
were granted permission to visit Christian prison inmates and 
distribute religious materials to them.
    In April 2005, the Islamic Awareness Center opened with the goal of 
promoting understanding of Islam and building bridges with other 
religious groups. The Islamic Enlightenment Society organized a 
conference in May 2005 aimed at diffusing tension between Muslim sects.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government funds, monitors, and closely controls all official 
religious institutions. These include Shi'a and Sunni mosques, Shi'a 
ma'tams (religious community centers), Shi'a and Sunni waqfs 
(charitable foundations), and the religious courts, which represent 
both the Ja'afari (Shi'a) and Maliki (Sunni) schools of Islamic 
jurisprudence. The Government rarely interferes with what it considers 
legitimate religious observances. The Government permits public 
religious events, most notably the large annual commemorative marches 
by Shi'a Muslims during the Islamic months of Ramadan and Muharram, but 
police closely monitor such events.
    Towns that were developed and expanded in the past ten years, such 
as Hamad Town and Isa Town, had mixed Sunni and Shi'a populations. In 
these new areas, there were a greater number of Sunni than Shi'a 
mosques. In June 2004, King Hamad approved the construction of a large 
Shi'a mosque on a site in Hamad Town that had been the subject of a 
dispute between the two branches of Islam.
    The Government prohibits anti-Islamic writings. Bibles and other 
Christian publications are displayed and sold openly in local 
bookstores that also sold Islamic and other religious literature. 
Religious tracts of all branches of Islam, cassettes of sermons 
delivered by Muslim preachers from other countries, and publications of 
other religions were readily available. However, in the past few years 
the Ministry of Information prohibited the publishing and sale of 
several books written by Sunni authors who converted to Shi'ism as part 
of an ongoing ban on certain books covering sensitive topics. In 
addition, a government-controlled proxy server prohibited user access 
to Internet sites considered to be anti-government or anti-Islamic. The 
software used was unreliable and often inhibits access to 
uncontroversial sites as well.
    Following Ashura in February 2006, the Islamic Enlightenment 
Society displayed banners and billboards in several places in the 
country after receiving permission from the Ministry of Municipalities 
and Agriculture. The banners and billboards contained a 2003 sermon 
quote from Shi'a cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim implying that the country is 
divided into two camps, that of Imam Hussain and that of the Umayyad 
ruler Yazid, whose army killed Hussain and his followers in the seventh 
century. Senior Government officials, Sunni members of parliament, and 
columnists were quick to condemn this message as being sectarian and a 
misuse of freedom of expression. Representatives of the Islamic 
Enlightenment Society called a press conference to explain the message 
of the quote was for all Muslims to choose between right (Hussain) and 
wrong (Yazid), and that there was no sectarian meaning intended. The 
ministry subsequently asked the society to remove all banners, and the 
society complied with the request.
    In 2005, the Shi'a Islamic bloc in the Council of Representatives 
(COR) proposed that the country's public schools teach the four main 
Sunni schools of thought and the Shi'a Ja'afari school of thought. The 
proposal was rejected by the Services Committee and by the COR. This 
proposal was raised again in February 2006, but was similarly rejected.
    In March 2006, a University of Bahrain student was found to have 
distributed booklets and cassettes containing content that was 
insulting to Shi'ism and promoting sectarianism. University officials 
confiscated the materials and reportedly were to discuss the 
consequences of the student's actions. The results of these discussions 
were not made public.
    In March 2005, residents of Muharraq submitted a petition to the 
Ministry of Information requesting that the government-run TV station 
make live broadcasts of Friday sermons from Shi'a mosques, and not just 
from Sunni mosques. According to the petitioners, a similar request 
sent to the ministry in 2004 did not receive a response, and there was 
no response to the 2005 request.
    In 2004, the Ministry of Information banned Mel Gibson's film ``The 
Passion of the Christ''; according to the ministry, this decision was 
based on Islamic Shari'a prohibitions regarding the depiction of the 
Prophet Isa (Jesus).
    There are no restrictions on the number of citizens permitted to 
make pilgrimages to Shi'a shrines and holy sites in Iran, Iraq, and 
Syria. The Government monitors travel to Iran and scrutinizes carefully 
those who choose to pursue religious study there.
    The Government does not designate religion or sect on national 
identity documents. Upon the birth of a child, parents applying for a 
birth certificate were asked to provide the child's religion (not 
sect), but the government-issued birth certificate did not include this 
information.
    Although there were notable exceptions, the Sunni Muslim minority 
enjoys a favored status. Sunnis often received preference for 
employment in sensitive government positions and in the managerial 
ranks of the civil service. Shi'a citizens did not hold significant 
posts in the defense and internal security forces, although they were 
allowed to be employed in the enlisted ranks. In September 2004, the 
Interior Ministry established a community police program to place 500 
Shi'a men and women on the streets in Shi'a neighborhoods.
    During the reporting period, the public Ja'afari Institute in 
Juffair, which opened in 2002, served students in grades one through 
four. The school is the first in which the Islamic Studies curriculum 
is designed to provide primary and secondary students with a foundation 
in the Ja'afari Shi'a school of Islam. The school teaches all subjects 
in the public school curriculum, but does not teach the Maliki school 
of Sunni Islam. The prime minister officiated at the official opening 
in June 2005.
    Since 1950, a registered Christian church with more than 1,000 
members has sought a parcel of land from the Ministry of Islamic 
Affairs on which to build its own church and hold religious services. 
The ministry has not responded to its formal applications. The National 
Evangelical Church allowed this church to use its facilities for 
services. However, the facility could only accommodate half of the 
church's congregation at any one time.
    Since 1985, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs has verbally denied 
Shi'a applications and petitions to establish a mosque and ma'tam in 
Riffa to serve that community's Shi'a population. Riffa is home to the 
Sunni ruling family. In 2004, the Ministry of the Royal Court formally 
denied the application, citing that land in Riffa cannot be allocated 
for commercial enterprises since it is reserved for the ruling family.
    In 2003, the Ministry of Interior lifted its ban on policewomen 
wearing headscarves (hijab). Also in 2003, by royal decree, the king 
allowed women to drive while fully veiled (niqab). In July 2004, the 
Ministry of Defense lifted its ban on growing beards, a common practice 
among many Muslims. All military personnel who had been released for 
growing beards were reinstated. For workers in government offices there 
are no prohibitions against men growing long beards or women being 
fully veiled, however, in reality there are few women government 
workers who wore a full veil (niqab).
    Although the 2002 Constitution provides for women's political 
rights, Shari'a governs the personal legal rights of women. Specific 
rights vary according to Shi'a or Sunni interpretations of Islamic law, 
as determined by the individual's faith, or by the courts in which 
various contracts, including marriage, have been made. While both Shi'a 
and Sunni women have the right to initiate a divorce, religious courts 
may refuse the request. Women of either branch of Islam may own and 
inherit property and may represent themselves in all public and legal 
matters. In the absence of a direct male heir, a Shi'a woman may 
inherit all property. In contrast, in the absence of a direct male 
heir, a Sunni woman inherits only a portion as governed by Shari'a; the 
balance is divided among brothers, uncles, and male cousins of the 
deceased. A Muslim woman may legally marry a non-Muslim man only if he 
first converts to Islam. In such marriages, the children automatically 
are considered Muslim.
    In divorce cases, the courts routinely grant Shi'a and Sunni women 
custody of children until an age at which custody reverts to the father 
based on Ja'afari and Maliki Islamic law, respectively. In all 
circumstances except mental incapacitation, the father, regardless of 
custody decisions, retains the right to make certain legal decisions 
for his children, such as guardianship of any property belonging to the 
child, until the child reaches legal age. A non-citizen woman 
automatically loses custody of her children if she divorces their 
citizen father.
    The Supreme Council for Women launched a public awareness campaign 
in the fall of 2005 highlighting the need for a family law or personal 
status law. This was followed by public debate and rallies both in 
favor and against such a law. Civil society groups also held seminars 
and workshops throughout the fall and winter advocating such 
legislation. The Government introduced draft legislation in March 2006 
containing separate sections for Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, one section 
according to the Shi'a Ja'afari tradition, and the other section 
according to the Sunni Maliki tradition. There was widespread 
resistance to the legislation from the Shi'a community in the absence 
of Constitutional guarantees that the legislation would not be changed 
in the future without the input and approval of Shi'a clerics. 
Discussions were ongoing throughout the reporting period.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Although there are exceptions, the Sunni Muslim minority enjoyed a 
favored status. In the private sector, Shi'a tended to be employed in 
lower paid, less skilled jobs. Educational, social, and municipal 
services in most Shi'a neighborhoods were inferior to those found in 
Sunni communities. To remedy social inequalities, the Government has 
built numerous subsidized housing complexes, which are open to all 
citizens on the basis of financial need.
    The law does not prohibit conversion from one religion to another. 
Converts to Islam from other religious groups were not uncommon, 
especially in cases of marriage between Muslim men and non-Muslim 
women. These converts were normally welcomed into the Muslim community. 
On the other hand, converts from Islam to other religious groups were 
not well tolerated by society. It was reported that families and 
communities often shunned these individuals and sometimes subjected 
converts to physical abuse. Some of these converts believed it 
necessary to leave the country permanently.
    In 2004, unknown assailants vandalized the Zainab mosque. The 
assailants destroyed all water faucets, fans, electrical switches, 
lamps, microphones, clocks, and audiotapes. The director of the 
Ja'afari Awqaf sought police assistance to investigate the crime. Those 
responsible for the damage were not found.
    In 2003, unknown assailants vandalized the Sa'sa'a Mosque. The 
director of the Government-funded agency responsible for managing 
Government-held Shi'a properties (Ja'afari Awqaf) did not seek police 
assistance or an investigation.
    There were no acts of physical violence or harassment of Jews or 
vandalism of Jewish community institutions, such as schools, 
cemeteries, or the synagogue. The Government has not enacted any laws 
protecting the right of Jews to religious freedom; however, it has not 
interfered with their freedom to practice. The Government makes no 
effort specifically to promote antibias and tolerance education. Some 
anti-Semitic political commentary and editorial cartoons appeared, 
usually linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jews practiced 
their faith privately without interference from the Government.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    U.S. Government officials meet regularly with representatives of 
human rights nongovernmental organizations and discuss matters of 
religious freedom among other human rights-related topics.
    With U.S. Government funding, Arab Civitas is helping the Ministry 
of Education develop a civic education program for public schools that 
includes lessons on human rights and tolerance. In 2003 and 2004, the 
Embassy worked with the Ministry of Education to create and implement a 
new English language curriculum that stresses respect for persons of 
different religious backgrounds.
    In October 2005, Georgetown University Muslim chaplain Imam Yehya 
Hindi visited the country to discuss how Islam is practiced in America 
and its acceptance in daily life and to promote religious tolerance and 
understanding.
                               __________

                                 EGYPT

    The Constitution provides for freedom of belief and the practice of 
religious rites, although the Government places restrictions on these 
rights in practice. Islam is the official state religion and Shari'a 
(Islamic law) is the primary source of legislation; religious practices 
that conflict with the Government's interpretation of Shari'a are 
prohibited. Members of non-Muslim religious minorities officially 
recognized by the Government generally worship without harassment and 
maintain links with coreligionists in other countries; however, members 
of religious groups that are not recognized by the Government, 
particularly the Baha'i Faith, experience personal and collective 
hardship.
    There was no significant change in the status of respect for 
religious freedom during the period covered by this report. The 
Government opposed advances in the respect for religious freedom 
affecting Baha'is; there continued to be abuses and numerous 
restrictions, and some improvements. It appealed an April 4 decision by 
the Administrative Court which supported the right of Baha'i citizens 
to receive ID cards and birth certificates with religion noted on the 
documents.
    In December the president decreed that permits for church repair 
and rebuilding, previously requiring his approval, could be granted by 
provincial governors. The purpose of this was to reduce delay. The 
central government continued to control the granting of permits for 
construction of new churches. Despite the 2005 decree, as well as a 
previous presidential decree in 1999 to facilitate approvals, many 
churches continued to encounter difficulty in obtaining permits.
    Metwalli Ibrahim Metwalli Saleh, arrested by the State Security 
Intelligence Service (SSIS) in May 2003 apparently for his views on 
Islam, including support of the right to convert, was released on April 
23 after receiving eight separate rulings from the Supreme State 
Security Emergency Court in his favor and an official statement from 
the state security prosecutor ordering his release. Saleh, age fifty-
two, had been held in Al-Wadi al-Gadid Prison, near Assiut.
    Tradition and some aspects of the law discriminated against 
religious minorities, including Christians and particularly Baha'is. 
The Government also continued to deny civil documents, including 
identity cards, birth certificates, and marriage licenses, to members 
of the Baha'i community, which numbered 500 to 2000 persons. In the 
past, the Government did not provide a legal means for converts from 
Islam to Christianity to amend their civil records to reflect their new 
religious status. Over the past two years, approximately thirty-two 
converts from Christianity to Islam, who wished to return to 
Christianity, have received verdicts allowing them to recover their 
original Christian identities. This principle, however, has not been 
tested in courts in the cases of citizens originally Muslim who 
converted to Christianity. The Government also continued to prosecute a 
small number of citizens for unorthodox religious beliefs and practices 
alleged to ``insult heavenly religions.''
    There continued to be religious discrimination and sectarian 
tension in society during the period covered by this report. In October 
2005 and April 2006, Alexandria witnessed sectarian strife. In the 
October incident, a young Muslim man, enraged by reports that some 
Christians had staged a play critical of Islam, attacked several 
Christians outside a church. Subsequent riots left three Muslims dead 
and resulted in significant damage to Copt (Egyptian Christian) private 
properties and some damage to churches. In the April incident, a man 
attacked Copt worshippers with a knife outside three churches in 
separate locations, killing one elderly Christian and wounding more 
than a dozen. The suspect, who had a history of mental illness, was 
immediately apprehended by the security forces. Subsequent communal 
violence, and the response by the security forces, injured dozens of 
protestors from both sides. A parliamentary panel had not formally 
visited Alexandria and had not completed its investigation of this 
incident by the end of the period covered by this report.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
ambassador, senior administration officials, and members of congress 
continued to raise U.S. concerns about religious discrimination with 
senior government officials.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 370,308 square miles, and its 
population, as of June 2006, was approximately 73.7 million, of whom 
almost 90 percent were estimated to be Sunni Muslims. Shi'a Muslims 
constituted less than 1 percent of the population. Estimates of the 
percentage of Christians in the population ranged from 8 percent to 15 
percent, or between 6 to 11 million, the majority of whom belonged to 
the Coptic Orthodox Church.
    Other Christian communities included the Armenian Apostolic, 
Catholic (Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, Melkite, Roman, and Syrian 
Catholic), Maronite, and Orthodox (Greek and Syrian) churches. An 
evangelical Protestant church, established in the middle of the 
nineteenth century, included sixteen Protestant denominations. There 
also were followers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which was 
granted legal status in the 1960s. There were small numbers of Mormons 
and members of Jehovah's Witnesses, but the Government does not 
recognize either group. The non-Muslim, non-Coptic Orthodox communities 
ranged in size from several thousand to hundreds of thousands. The 
number of Baha'is was estimated at between 500 and 2 thousand persons. 
The Jewish community numbered fewer than 200 persons.
    Christians were dispersed throughout the country, although the 
percentage of Christians tended to be higher in Upper Egypt (the 
southern part of the country) and some sections of Cairo and 
Alexandria.
    There were many foreign religious groups, especially Roman 
Catholics and Protestants who have had a presence in the country for 
almost a century. These groups engaged in education, social, and 
development work. The Government generally tolerated these groups if 
they did not proselytize. However, the Government over the past several 
years refused reentry into the country of individuals suspected of 
proselytizing. In September 2005 an American Christian missionary who 
had previously resided in the country reported that he had been refused 
entry. In November 2005 press reports indicated that the Government 
deported a Korean Christian missionary.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution, under Article 46, provides for freedom of belief 
and the practice of religious rites; however, the Government places 
restrictions on these rights in practice. Islam is the official state 
religion, and Shari'a is the primary source of legislation; religious 
practices that conflict with the Government's interpretation of Shari'a 
are prohibited. Members of the non-Muslim religious minorities 
generally worship without legal harassment and may maintain links with 
coreligionists in other countries. Members of other religious groups 
that are not recognized by the Government, particularly the Baha'i 
Faith, continue to experience personal and collective hardship.
    For a religious group to be officially recognized it must submit a 
request to the Religious Affairs Department within the Ministry of 
Interior, which determines whether the group would, in its view, pose a 
threat or upset national unity or social peace. The Religious Affairs 
Department also consults the leading religious figures in the country, 
particularly the pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the sheikh of 
Al-Azhar. The registration is then referred to the president, who 
issues a decree recognizing the new group, according to Law 15 of 1927. 
If a religious group bypasses the official registration process, 
participants are subject to detention and could also face prosecution 
and punishment under Article 98(F) of the Penal Code, which forbids the 
``ridiculing of a heavenly religion.'' The Government last recognized a 
new religious group--First Bible Baptist Folk--in 1990.
    During the year, Jehovah's Witnesses engaged the Government on 
their legal registration. Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned in the 
country since 1960, despite a presence dating to the 1930s and legal 
registration in Cairo in 1951 and Alexandria in 1956. The Government's 
opposition to Jehovah's Witnesses was based on opposition from the 
Coptic Orthodox Church, which has condemned the Jehovah's Witnesses as 
heretical, as well as Nasser-era concerns about links to Israel. A 1964 
Arab League decree labeled the Jehovah's Witnesses as Zionists. Since 
1960, Jehovah's Witnesses have reported varying degrees of harassment 
and surveillance by Government agents. In February and May 2006 
representatives from the Jehovah's Witnesses New York headquarters, 
accompanied by European colleagues, visited the country for meetings 
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Council for Human 
Rights, the Arab League, and others. The delegation reported that, as a 
result of its visit, they believed that harassment and hostile 
surveillance of the group had ceased, but progress on registration was 
not realized. Previously, in June 2005, Jehovah's Witnesses reported 
that one of their members was detained for five days and assaulted by 
State Security agents.
    The Government continued to encourage interfaith dialogue. The 
religious establishment of Al-Azhar and the Ministry of Awqaf 
(Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs) engaged in interfaith 
discussions, both domestically and abroad. In 2004 the Government 
announced the formation of the quasi-governmental National Council for 
Human Rights (NCHR), on which five of the twenty-five appointed 
members, as well as the president, are Copts. The NCHR is charged with 
furthering protections, raising awareness, and ensuring the observance 
of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including religious freedom. 
It is also charged with monitoring enforcement and application of 
international agreements. The council gave only superficial attention 
to the issue of religious freedom in its first annual report. In its 
second report, released in March, the council called for a solution for 
official recognition of Baha'is; addressed the problem of Jehovah's 
Witnesses; and criticized religious textbooks in schools for failing to 
address human rights topics. The report also recommended that 
Parliament pass a law that would facilitate the construction of new 
places of worship for all religious groups. Finally, the report noted 
that the council had not received any response from the Ministry of 
Interior or several governorates to its nine inquiries related to 
numerous complaints of alleged violations of religious freedom that it 
had received.
    The following holy days are designated national holidays: Eid Al-
Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, the Islamic new year, the birth of the Prophet 
Muhammad, and Coptic Christmas (January 7).
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    All mosques must be licensed. The Government appoints and pays the 
salaries of the imams who lead prayers in mosques and monitors their 
sermons. It does not contribute to the funding of Christian churches. 
The minister of awqaf reported that there were 74,500 free-standing 
mosques and 18,000 mosques located in private buildings. The Government 
annexes new mosques every year, but cannot keep pace with new mosque 
construction. A February 2004 decree from the minister of awqaf removed 
the authority to issue permits to build mosques from governors and also 
placed mosques in private homes under awqaf administrative control.
    The contemporary interpretation of the 1856 Ottoman Hamayouni 
decree, partially still in force, requires non-Muslims to obtain a 
presidential decree to build new churches and synagogues. In addition, 
Ministry of Interior regulations, issued in 1934 under the Al-Ezabi 
decree, specify a set of ten conditions that the Government must 
consider before a presidential decree for construction of a new non-
Muslim place of worship can be issued. The conditions include the 
requirement that the distance between a church and a mosque not be less 
than one hundred meters and that the approval of the neighboring Muslim 
community be obtained.
    In an April 2005 broadcast on national television, President Hosni 
Mubarak stated that the problem of issuing permits to build churches 
had been addressed by the Government and that all citizens are treated 
equally. However, in practice, many churches face difficulty in 
obtaining permits from provincial officials. Although President Mubarak 
reportedly has approved all requests for permits presented to him, 
Interior Ministry delays--in some instances indefinitely--cause many 
requests to reach the President slowly or not at all. Some churches 
have complained that local security officials have blocked church 
repairs or improvements even when a permit has been issued. Others 
suggest unequal enforcement of the regulations pertaining to church and 
mosque projects.
    In March 2004 the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the 
Constitution required Christian and Muslim endowments be treated under 
an equal standard and that Christian endowments, like Muslim 
endowments, could not be sued. However, this ``equal treatment'' ruling 
has not been extended to legal cases relative to the construction and 
repair of churches.
    In November 2005 a presidential decree was issued to build a new 
church in al-Rehab City, a large, new development on the outskirts of 
Cairo with a population of approximately 80 thousand. Church officials 
applied for the decree in 2001; construction is scheduled to be 
completed in early 2007. The first mass was held at the construction 
site on June 2, 2005. Presidential decrees to build new churches were 
also issued for the newly constructed cities of Sheikh Zaied, Tenth of 
Ramadan, New Cairo, New Assuit, and New Minya during the year.
    In March 2006 Pope Shenouda III, accompanied by the governor of 
Aswan and forty church officials, formally opened a new cathedral in 
the Upper Egypt governorate of Aswan. Six years in construction, the 
new cathedral cost $2.09 million (12 million Egyptian pounds) and holds 
6 thousand worshippers.
    According to statistics published by the Government's Official 
Gazette, sixty-three Presidential decrees were issued from June 30, 
2005, through July 1, 2006, for church-related construction, compared 
with twelve permits reported during the previous period. Of the sixty-
three decrees, twenty-one were issued for construction of new churches 
(fourteen Orthodox, two Protestant, two Catholic), community service 
buildings (two Orthodox), and one hospital (Catholic); twenty to grant 
official status to existing churches (eleven Orthodox, seven 
Protestant, two Catholic); twenty to rebuild or reconstruct existing 
churches (eight Orthodox, eight Protestant), a community service 
building (Orthodox) and monasteries (three Orthodox); and two for 
general maintenance or repairs of existing churches (both Protestant).
    The approval process for church construction continued to be 
hindered by lengthy delays often measured in years. In at least three 
locales during the reporting period (Mankateen, Minya Governorate; 
Ezzbet Wasef, Giza Governorate; and Odayysat, Luxor), objections by 
Muslim citizens to churches that were operating without official 
government approval led to sectarian clashes.
    In early December 2005 President Mubarak issued Decree 291/2005, 
which delegated authority to the country's twenty-seven governors to 
grant permits to Christian denominations that seek to expand or rebuild 
existing churches. The decree also stated that churches could undertake 
basic repairs and maintenance subject only to the provision of written 
notification to the local authorities. Decree 291 noted that the 
governors must examine all applications for rebuilding or expansion, 
which must be supported by unspecified supporting documents, within 
thirty days of submission. According to the new decree, ``permits may 
not be refused except with a justified ruling.'' Decree 291 also 
cancelled a 1999 decree aimed at improving the permit process for 
church repair. (Presidential Decree 453 of 1999 had made the repair of 
all places of worship subject to a 1976 civil construction code. 
Although this decree made mosque and church repairs technically subject 
to the same laws, authorities enforced the laws more strictly for 
churches than for mosques.)
    Six months after the promulgation of Decree 291/2005, church and 
lay leaders have complained, privately and publicly, that the permit 
process remains susceptible to delay by local officials. They have 
further charged that some local authorities refused to process 
applications without certain ``supporting documents'' that were 
virtually impossible to obtain (e.g., a presidential decree authorizing 
the existence of a church which had been established during the 
country's monarchical era). Others complain that some local authorities 
categorize routine repairs and maintenance (e.g., painting of walls and 
plumbing repairs) as expansion/reconstruction projects, thus requiring 
formal permits versus simple notification. They also maintain that 
security forces blocked them from using permits that had been issued 
and at times denied them permits for repairs to church buildings and 
the supply of water and electricity to existing church facilities. 
Incidents of blocked or delayed permits varied, often depending on the 
attitude of local security officials and the governorate leadership 
toward the church, and on their personal relationships with 
representatives of the Christian churches. As a result, congregations 
have experienced lengthy delays--lasting for years in many cases--while 
waiting for new church building permits to be issued.
    At the unlicensed Evangelical Church in Maadi, police reportedly 
halted a reconstruction project in November 2004 and prevented church 
members from entering the church. For fifty years the church has been 
unable to obtain a licensing permit.
    The Assiut bishopric has been waiting for local officials to issue 
a building permit for a new church in the governorate's Arbaeen 
District, despite a 1997 order from the president and approval from the 
Ministry of Interior to issue the decree. Assiut's El Hamra District 
and Burg al Arab, Alexandria Governorate, have been waiting since 1997 
and 1988, respectively. The Brothers denomination, also in Assiut 
Governorate, received a permit to build a church in 2001, but local 
police stopped construction of the building's foundation.
    After eighteen years St. George Church in Dafesh, a majority 
Christian community near Assiut, Upper Egypt, obtained approval from 
the local governor in 2000 to build a new church to replace the 
original building, which had become too small to accommodate the 
growing community. Shortly after construction began in 2000 the new 
site was vandalized. The Government halted construction, ostensibly 
because the church had only obtained local approval and not the 
presidential decree required to build a new church. Construction 
remained halted at the end of the period covered by this report. The 
congregation continued to worship at the older site.
    In 1999 the governor of Assiut issued a decree to St. John the 
Baptist at Awlad Elias in Sadfa, near Assiut, stating that the Orthodox 
church was given license to effect several remodeling projects and 
restoration projects. In 2001, however, Sadfa police halted repairs, 
because authorities believed that the church would enlarge its size by 
extending the building into the churchyard. After negotiations with 
State Security, the church received permission to demolish a wall to 
extend its size. However, after the newspaper Watani published an 
article exposing this issue and the outcome, State Security officials 
halted construction a second time. As of the end of June 2005, 
construction had not resumed, and the church was still waiting for the 
MOI to permit resumption of repairs. The congregation was forced to 
build a tent in the small church courtyard to conduct prayers.
    Despite governorate level approval in 2001 for restorations to the 
Mar Guirguis Church in Sahel Salim, Assiut, local authorities blocked 
work on the church on a variety of pretexts until a presidential decree 
in June 2005 paved the way for the complete rebuilding of the church.
    In Ezbet al-Nakhl, East Cairo, Coptic leaders of the Church of the 
Archangel Mikhail received permission from the Ministry of Interior in 
1996, ratified by the Governor of Cairo in 2001, to expand the church 
to accommodate its growing congregation. However, local authorities in 
the district of al-Marg refused to accept the request to expand the 
church without a presidential decree, which was required for the 
renovation. The church, which had originally sought a presidential 
decree in 1987, had not been able to obtain one, and the project 
remained frozen at the end of the period covered by this report. 
Government officials asserted that the project was frozen because 
church officials did not employ the proper procedures while seeking a 
presidential decree, therefore making it illegal to renovate the 
church.
    Local authorities have also closed down unlicensed buildings used 
as places of worship. In May 2005 State Security officials threatened 
to demolish the Apostolic Church in Abowan, Minya, which has operated 
without a government permit since 1984, on the grounds that it was 
structurally unsound. Nonetheless, the church continued to operate 
during the reporting period. As a result of restrictions, some 
communities use private buildings and apartments for religious services 
or build without permits.
    In April 2005 unknown arsonists burned down an unlicensed church 
hall in Baghour village, Menoufiya Governorate. Nine Coptic Christians 
received minor injuries. The local governor supported rebuilding the 
facility.
    In January 2006 there were sectarian clashes in the settlement of 
Udayssat, near Luxor. On January 17 Christians conducted Epiphany 
services in a building that has intermittently served as an unlicensed 
church since 1971. On January 18 several hundred Muslim residents of 
the area surrounded the building, vandalized the property, and 
attempted to set it ablaze. In the ensuing melee, approximately a dozen 
persons, both Christian and Muslim, were injured, along with several 
policemen. On January 20 assailants killed a forty-seven-year-old 
Christian farmer, Kamal Shaker Megalaa, as he returned from his fields. 
The Luxor district attorney ordered the arrest and investigation of 
several Muslims from Udayssat on suspicion of involvement in his 
murder.
    In late October 2005 SSIS in Alexandria arrested and detained 
without charge for several weeks a twenty-one-year-old Alexandria law 
student, Abdul Karim Nabil Soliman, apparently because his Internet Web 
log (``blog'') carried strongly worded attacks against Islam, the 
Government, and the president. Soliman was released without charge.
    The Government continued to try citizens for unorthodox religious 
beliefs. In March 2005 the Maadi misdemeanor court issued a verdict in 
a blasphemy case involving Ibrahim Ahmad Abu Shusha and eleven of his 
followers, who had been detained absent an arrest warrant since July 
2004. The court sentenced Abu Shusha to a prison term of three years 
for claiming to be divine and ridiculing a heavenly religion, namely 
Islam. The court sentenced the eleven other defendants (including three 
women, two of whom are Abu Shusha's wives) to one year imprisonment and 
ordered the confiscation of the leaflets and writings that propagated 
the group's ideology. In its reasoning, the court stated that there was 
sufficient evidence that Abu Shusha embraced beliefs that are contrary 
to and derogatory of Islam, and that he tried to propagate those 
beliefs by attempting to show that he possessed divine powers. The 
court also asserted that freedom of belief does not comprise permission 
to deny the principles of heavenly religions. An appeals court 
reaffirmed the Abu Shusha sentences on July 16, 2005. At the end of the 
reporting period, Abu Shusha's lawyers were seeking to appeal his case 
to the Court of Cassation, the nation's highest court.
    On July 6, 2005 the Administrative Judiciary Court in Alexandria 
annulled a decree issued by the minister of information that had banned 
the appearance of veiled anchorwomen in television programs. The court 
established that the Ministry of Information's decree violated Article 
47 of the Constitution, which provides for freedom of religion.
    The Egyptian Parties Law 40 of 1977 states that political parties 
based on religion are illegal. Pursuant to this law, the Muslim 
Brotherhood (MB) is an illegal organization. Muslim Brothers speak 
openly and publicly about their views and have recently been 
identifying themselves publicly as members of the organization, 
although they remain subject to arbitrary treatment and pressure from 
the Government. During the period covered by this report, hundreds of 
members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested and charged with 
membership in an illegal organization, planning to revive the 
activities of the banned group, possessing anti-government leaflets, 
obstructing the Constitution and the law of the country, and organizing 
demonstrations without obtaining prior security permission. Authorities 
prevented several other members from traveling abroad. Authorities 
arrested Essam El-Erian in May 2005 after he indicated that he was 
planning to run for president. El-Erian was released in October, but 
detained again in May. He and dozens of other MB members remained in 
detention at the end of the reporting period.
    Eighty-eight independent candidates backed by the Muslim 
Brotherhood were elected to the People's Assembly in the 2005 
parliamentary elections, held between November 9 and December 7, 
despite government-sponsored efforts to stop them. Government actions 
included limiting access to polling stations, detentions, and 
government-sponsored violence. There were also credible allegations of 
ballot tampering and fraud. Many of the MB-affiliated candidates ran 
openly under the slogan ``Islam is the solution,'' and displayed the MB 
insignia on their campaign materials. Despite the relative freedom 
allowed to candidates during the initial stages of the elections, after 
striking gains by MB candidates in the first round, security forces 
restricted access to certain polling stations in hotly contested races 
and killed at least eleven citizens in related civil disturbances.
    In contrast to previous years, there were no reports of authors 
facing trial or charges related to writings or statements considered 
heretical during the reporting period.
    Various ministries are legally authorized to ban or confiscate 
books and other works of art upon obtaining a court order. The Council 
of Ministers may order the banning of works that it deems offensive to 
public morals, detrimental to religion, or likely to cause a breach of 
the peace. The Islamic Research Center (IRC) at Al-Azhar University has 
legal authority to censor and, as of June 2004, confiscate, all 
publications dealing with the Qur'an and the authoritative Islamic 
traditions (Hadith). In recent years, the IRC has passed judgment on 
the suitability of nonreligious books and artistic productions, and 
there were several new cases of confiscation during the period covered 
by this report. Al-Azhar has the legal right to recommend confiscation, 
but the actual act of confiscation requires a court order.
    The law authorizes various ministries to ban or confiscate books 
and other works of art upon obtaining a court order. In 2003, the 
Ministry of Justice issued a decree authorizing Al-Azhar sheikhs to 
confiscate publications, tapes, speeches, and artistic materials deemed 
inconsistent with Islamic law. There were no court-ordered book 
confiscations during the year, but the Government permitted greater 
confiscatory authority to Al-Azhar University and acted on its 
recommendations.
    In October 2005 the Government enforced a ban, formally recommended 
by the IRC, of Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad, 
by Natana De Long-Bas, published by the American University in Cairo 
(AUC) Press. On October 8 the Government informed AUC that all one 
thousand copies, held at Port Said, would be impounded because the book 
contained ``information not in accordance with the principles of 
Islam.'' On December 22 the Government advised AUC Press that it had 
reversed this decision and would allow importation of the book.
    In June 2006 the Ministry of Culture's Department of Artistic 
Censorship banned the film The Da Vinci Code as well as the English and 
Arabic versions of the novel. Police also confiscated two thousand 
copies of a pirated DVD version of the film and arrested the owner of a 
local production company. Both the Arabic and English language versions 
of the novel had been sold in the country since 2003.
    The local media, including state television and newspapers gives 
prominence to Islamic programming. Christian television programs are 
aired weekly on state-owned Nile Cultural TV. The weekly religion page 
of the prominent daily al-Ahram often reports on conversions to Islam 
and states that converts improved their lives and found peace and moral 
stability.
    Pope Shenouda III has banned Coptic travel to Jerusalem since the 
Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. However, press reports indicated 
that an estimated 735 Egyptian Copts visited Israel in 2004 for 
pilgrimage, citing Israeli Interior Ministry statistics. There were no 
statistics available for subsequent periods.
    The Government continued to deny civil documents, including ID 
cards, birth certificates, and marriage licenses, to members of the 
Baha'i community. The Government appealed an April 4, 2006 decision by 
the Administrative Court which supported the right of Baha'i citizens 
to receive ID cards and birth certificates with religion noted on the 
documents. On June 19, the Administrative Court postponed the appeal 
hearing to September 16.
    Law 263 of 1960, still in force, bans Baha'i institutions and 
community activities, and a 1961 presidential decree stripped Baha'is 
of legal recognition. During the Nasser era, the Government confiscated 
all Baha'i community properties, including Baha'i centers, libraries, 
and cemeteries. The Government has asserted that national identity 
cards require all citizens to be categorized as Muslims, Christians, or 
Jews. The Ministry of Interior has reportedly, on rare occasions, 
issued documents that list a citizen's religion as ``other'' or simply 
do not include mention of religion. But it is not clear when these 
conditions apply. Baha'is and other religious groups that are not 
associated with any of the three ``heavenly religions'' have been 
compelled either to misrepresent themselves or go without valid 
identity documents.
    Those without valid identity cards encounter difficulty registering 
their children in school, opening bank accounts, and establishing 
businesses. Baha'is at age sixteen face additional problems under Law 
143/1994, which makes it mandatory for all citizens to obtain a new 
identification card featuring a new national identification number. 
Police, often on public buses, conduct random inspections of identity 
papers, and those found without their identity card are regularly 
detained until the document is provided to the police. Some Baha'is 
without identity cards frequently stay home to avoid police scrutiny 
and possible arrest.
    In May 2004 the Government confiscated the identity cards of two 
Baha'is who were applying for passports. Officials told them that they 
were acting on instructions from the MOI to confiscate any identity 
cards belonging to Baha'is.
    In 1997 a human rights activist filed a lawsuit seeking the removal 
of the religious affiliation category from government identification 
cards. The plaintiff challenged the constitutionality of a 1994 decree 
by the MOI governing the issuance of new identification cards. A 
hearing scheduled for February 25, 2005, never took place. The court 
informed the attorney for the plaintiff that the case documents had 
been withdrawn and forwarded to the president of the State's Council, a 
highly unusual procedure. In December the court dismissed the appeal on 
a technicality, arguing that the complainant failed to file the appeal 
within sixty days after the decree had been published in the 
Government's Official Gazette in 1995.
    Lack of formal legal recognition also concerns the membership of 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or Mormons, in 
Cairo. The LDS Church has maintained an organized congregation in the 
country for more than thirty years. The Government has raised no 
objection. Some members, particularly those who have converted to the 
LDS Church overseas and then returned to the country, complain of 
excessive surveillance from State Security and sometimes avoid meetings 
from fear of harassment.
    The Constitution provides for equal public rights and duties 
without discrimination based on religion or creed, and, in general, the 
Government upholds these Constitutional protections; however, 
government discrimination against non-Muslims exists. There are no 
Christians serving as presidents or deans of public universities, and 
they are rarely nominated by the Government to run in elections as 
National Democratic Party (NDP) candidates. For the first time in more 
than thirty years, a Copt was appointed one of the country's twenty-six 
governors, in Qena. As of June 30, there were six Christians (five 
appointed, one elected) in the 454-seat People's Assembly; six 
Christians (all appointed) in the 264-seat Shura Council; and two 
Christians in the 32-member cabinet. Christians, who represented 
between 8 and 15 percent of the population, held less than 2 percent of 
the seats in the People's Assembly and Shura Council.
    Government practices discriminated against Christians in hiring for 
the public sector, staff appointments to public universities, payment 
of Muslim imams through public funds and barring Christians from study 
at Al-Azhar University (a publicly funded institution). There are few 
Christians in the upper ranks of the security services and armed 
forces. In general public university training programs for Arabic 
language teachers bar non-Muslims because the curriculum involves the 
study of the Qur'an. In fall 2005 Christian student Christine Zaher 
successfully completed the requirements for a master's degree in Arabic 
from the Suez Canal University in Port Said and secured a teaching 
position at the same university. Prior to her graduation, there had 
been no reports of Christian graduates in Arabic language since 2001; 
she was the first Copt appointed to a university level Arabic language 
teaching position in several decades.
    In February 2006 Dr. Salem Salaam, chairman of the pediatrics 
department at Minya University, resigned to protest the university's 
decision not to hire a medical resident onto the faculty of the 
university, based on the resident's Christian faith.
    On May 7 President Mubarak appointed seven new judges to the 
Supreme Constitutional Court, including Tamer Remon Iskandar, a Copt.
    In January 2005 and January 2006 Jewish pilgrims again celebrated 
the Abu Hasira festival. In 2004 the Supreme Administrative Court 
upheld a lower court's 2001 decision to ban the annual festival at the 
tomb of Rabbi Abu Hasira in a village in the Nile Delta and rejected 
the Ministry of Culture's designation of the site as a protected 
antiquity. The 2001 decision linked the status of the site and the 
festival to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the celebration was 
not held during the period 2002-2004.
    The application of family law, including marriage, divorce, 
alimony, child custody, and burial, is based on an individual's 
religion. In the practice of family law, the Government recognizes only 
the three ``heavenly religions'': Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. 
Muslim families are subject to Shari'a, Christian families to canon 
law, and Jewish families to Jewish law. In cases of family law disputes 
involving a marriage between a Christian woman and a Muslim man, the 
courts apply Shari'a. The Government does not recognize the marriages 
of citizens adhering to faiths other than Christianity, Judaism, or 
Islam.
    Under Shari'a, as practiced in the country, non-Muslim males must 
convert to Islam to marry Muslim women, but non-Muslim women need not 
convert to marry Muslim men. Muslim women are prohibited from marrying 
Christian men.
    Inheritance laws for all citizens are based on the Government's 
interpretation of Shari'a. Muslim female heirs receive half the amount 
of a male heir's inheritance. Christian widows of Muslims have no 
automatic inheritance rights, but may be provided for in testamentary 
documents.
    Under Shari'a converts from Islam lose all rights of inheritance; 
however, because the Government offers no legal means for converts from 
Islam to Christianity to amend their civil records to reflect their new 
religious status, inheritance rights may appear not to have been lost.
    The law provides for khul' divorce, which allows a Muslim woman to 
obtain a divorce without her husband's consent, provided that she is 
willing to forego all of her financial rights, including alimony, 
dowry, and other benefits. In practice some judges have applied the law 
in such a manner as to cause lengthy bureaucratic delays for the 
thousands of women who have filed for khul' divorce. Many women have 
complained that after being granted khul', the required child alimony 
is not paid.
    The Coptic Orthodox Church excommunicates women members who marry 
Muslim men and requires that other Christians convert to Coptic 
Orthodoxy to marry a member of the church. Coptic males are prevented 
from marrying Muslim women by both civil and religious laws. A civil 
marriage abroad is an option should a Christian male and a Muslim 
female citizen decide to marry; however, their marriage would not be 
legally recognized in the country. Additionally, the woman could be 
arrested and charged with apostasy, and any children from such a 
marriage could be taken and assigned to the physical custody of a male 
Muslim guardian, as determined by the Government's interpretation of 
Shari'a. The Coptic Orthodox Church permits divorce only in specific 
circumstances, such as adultery or conversion of one spouse to another 
religion.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Center issued a legal opinion in 
December 2003 condemning Baha'is as apostates. In May 2006 the minister 
of justice requested guidance from the IRC in preparation for the 
Government's appeal against the landmark April 4 case in support of 
Baha'i rights. The IRC issued an Islamic legal interpretation stating 
that the Baha'i Faith was a ``heresy.'' The 2006 interpretation 
referenced a 1985 opinion that had accused Baha'is of working in 
support of Zionism and imperialism, and labeled them as ``apostates.''
    The Government at times prosecutes members of religious groups 
whose practices are deemed to deviate from mainstream Islamic beliefs, 
and whose activities are alleged to jeopardize communal harmony. 
Shi'ite Muslim Mohamed Ramadan Hussein El-Derini, arrested in 2004 
apparently due to his affiliation with Shi'a Islam, was released in 
June 2005, after having spent fifteen months in administrative 
detention without charge or trial. There were credible reports that 
members of the State Security Intelligence Service (SSIS) repeatedly 
tortured and mistreated Derini while he was in custody.
    In May 2003 the SSIS arrested Metwalli Ibrahim Metwalli Saleh, 
apparently because of his views on Islam. After eight separate rulings 
from the Supreme State Security Emergency Court ordering his release, 
Saleh who had been in detention in Al-Wadi al-Gadid Prison, near 
Assiut, was released on April 23, 2006.
    Neither the Constitution nor the Civil and Penal Codes prohibit 
proselytizing, but police have harassed those accused of proselytizing 
on charges of ridiculing or insulting heavenly religions or inciting 
sectarian strife.
    While there are no legal restrictions on the conversion of non-
Muslims to Islam, there were occasional reports that police harassed 
converts from Islam to Christianity. In April 2005, the authorities 
detained Baha Al-Accad, a citizen who was born Muslim but who was 
reported to have converted to Christianity. Al-Accad remained in 
detention at Tora Prison, south of Cairo, at the end of the reporting 
period, apparently under investigation for ``denigrating a heavenly 
religion.'' The security services reportedly maintain regular and 
sometimes hostile surveillance of Muslim-born citizens who are 
suspected of having converted to Christianity. One of these converts 
also reported that officers from the security service pressured him to 
serve as an informant.
    The law prescribes administrative steps pursuant to the conversion 
of non-Muslims to Islam. The minor children of converts to Islam, and 
in some cases adult children, may automatically become classified as 
Muslims in the eyes of the Government irrespective of the religion of 
the other spouse. This practice is in accordance with the Government's 
interpretation of Shari'a, which dictates ``no jurisdiction of a non-
Muslim over a Muslim.''
    In April 2004 an administrative court issued a verdict allowing 
Mona Makram Gibran, who had converted to Islam and later converted back 
to Christianity, to recover her original (Christian) name and identity. 
Some legal observers hoped the case would constitute a significant 
precedent as the Government has generally refused to acknowledge 
citizens' conversions from Islam to Christianity. The court's written 
verdict noted ``...the Constitution guarantees equality among 
citizens...without any discrimination based on race, sex, language, or 
faith. The Government also guarantees freedom of thought and religious 
faith in accordance with Article 46 of the Constitution...[The State] 
is legally committed to register the woman's real religion and is not 
allowed under any circumstance to use its assigned powers to force the 
woman to remain Muslim.'' As of late June 2006, there were 148 other 
cases involving individuals who converted to Islam and then back to 
Christianity, who were attempting to recover their original Christian 
identities. Of these 148 individuals, 32 have received verdicts 
allowing them to recover their Christian identities and many of them 
have done so. The Government has not appealed any of these cases.
    In contrast to the above-mentioned cases, the Government has not 
recognized conversions of individuals originally Muslim to Christianity 
or other religions, and resistance to such conversions by local 
officials has constituted a prohibition in practice. In the absence of 
a legal means to register their change in religious status, some 
converts resorted to soliciting illicit identity papers, often by 
submitting fraudulent supporting documents or bribing the government 
clerks who process the documents. In such cases, authorities 
periodically charged converts with violating laws prohibiting the 
falsification of documents.
    Under Shari'a as interpreted by the Government, a non-Muslim wife 
who converts to Islam must divorce her ``apostate,'' non-Muslim 
husband. Upon the wife's conversion, local security authorities ask the 
non-Muslim husband if he is willing to convert to Islam; if he chooses 
not to, divorce proceedings begin immediately. Custody of children is 
then awarded to the mother, following her conversion to Islam and the 
required divorce from her husband.
    In April 2005 the Family Court granted the divorce of Wafaa Riffat 
Adly, a Christian woman who had converted to Islam, from her Christian 
husband, Said Farouk Adly, after he refused to convert.
    An estimated several thousand persons were imprisoned because of 
alleged support for or membership in Islamist groups seeking to 
overthrow the Government. The Government stated that these persons were 
in detention because of membership in or activities on behalf of 
violent extremist groups, without regard to their religious 
affiliation. Internal security services monitor groups and individuals 
suspected of involvement in or planning for extremist activity. 
Internal security agencies regularly detain such persons, and the state 
of emergency allows them to renew periods of administrative detention 
ad infinitum.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion carried out by 
the Government; however, there were again reports of forced conversions 
of Coptic women and girls to Islam by Muslim men. Reports of such cases 
are disputed and often include inflammatory allegations and categorical 
denials of kidnapping and rape. Observers, including human rights 
groups, find it extremely difficult to determine whether compulsion was 
used, as most cases involve a female Copt who converts to Islam when 
she marries a Muslim male. Reports of such cases almost never appear in 
the local media.
    During the reporting period, a Christian woman, Wafaa Constantin, 
whose alleged conversion to Islam in December 2004 had sparked 
significant protests in Cairo, remained in seclusion in a Coptic church 
facility.
    There are reports in these cases of government authorities failing 
to uphold the law. Local authorities sometimes allow custody of a minor 
(age sixteen to twenty-one) Christian female who ``converts'' to Islam 
to be transferred to a Muslim custodian, who is likely to grant 
approval for an underage marriage. Some Coptic activists maintain that 
government officials do not respond effectively to instances of alleged 
kidnapping. In cases of marriage between an underage Christian girl and 
a Muslim man, there have been credible reports that government 
authorities have failed to cooperate with Christian families seeking to 
regain custody of their daughters.
    According to the Instructions of the Notary Public, which implement 
Law 114 of 1947, persons age sixteen and above may convert to Islam 
without parental consent. Ignorance of the law and social pressure, 
including the centrality of marriage to a woman's identity, often 
affect a girl's decision to convert. Family conflict and financial 
pressure also are cited as factors.
    There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor 
U.S. citizens who may have been abducted or illegally removed from the 
United States.
Anti-Semitism
    The country's small Jewish community numbers approximately 200, 
most of them senior citizens. Anti-Semitic sentiments appeared in both 
the government-owned and opposition press; however, there have been no 
violent anti-Semitic incidents in recent years. Anti-Semitic articles 
and opinion pieces appeared in the print media, and editorial cartoons 
appeared in the press and electronic media. For example, the satellite-
broadcast Nile Culture TV on November 27 2005 broadcast a program 
entitled ``A Study of Israel's History'' wherein a narrator said that 
Jews ``extorted the world by exaggerating what was done to them in 
World War II, and they are still benefiting from this extortion, in the 
form of money and aid, from countries that still have a guilt complex 
regarding Hitler's crematoria--for which there is no proof, except for 
the Zionists' propaganda.'' The program also presented the views of 
journalist Mohammad Al-Qudussi, who said, ``in the six years or so of 
World War II, it is not possible that six million Jews could have been 
burnt.''
    On December 12, 2005, columnist Hisham Abd Al-Rauf, in an article 
entitled ``Israel's Lies'' in the government-owned, limited-circulation 
evening newspaper Al-Masaa, asserted that Nazi gas chambers ``were no 
more than rooms for disinfecting clothing.'' Addressing Western 
governments Abd Al-Rauf asked, ``If you feel sorry of [sic] the poor 
Jews, why don't you establish their country on your lands?'' The 
Government has urged journalists and cartoonists to avoid anti-Semitic 
commentary. Government officials insist that anti-Semitic statements in 
the media are a reaction to Israeli government actions against 
Palestinians and do not reflect historical anti-Semitism; however, 
there are relatively few public attempts to distinguish between anti-
Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    During the period covered by this report, the Government took 
several steps to encourage religious freedom and tolerance. In November 
2005 the NCHR announced the formation of a ``Citizenship Committee,'' 
with a focus on religious freedom issues. In the aftermath of the 
October 2005 sectarian violence in Alexandria, the NCHR and a 
collection of human rights groups held a symposium in Alexandria and 
called for the Government to pass a unified law for all religious 
groups governing the construction and repair of houses of worship.
    President Mubarak's Decree 291 of 2005 devolved authority for 
renovation and re-construction of churches from the president to the 
country's twenty-six governors. Observers welcomed this step as a major 
improvement, but some churches have continued to face delays in the 
issuance of permits.
    Al-Azhar maintained a schedule of interfaith discussions inside the 
country and abroad. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Tantawi, a 
government appointee, and Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda participated in 
joint public events.
    In March 2006 the NCHR released its second annual report, in which 
it recommended a solution for official recognition of Baha'is, 
addressed the problem of Jehovah's Witnesses in the country, and 
criticized religious textbooks in schools for failing to address human 
rights topics. The report also encouraged the Government to pass a law 
for all religious groups addressing the construction of new places of 
worship.
    A prominent Coptic nongovernmental organization (NGO), the Coptic 
Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS), continued its 
program of interreligious dialogue in cooperation with the Ministry of 
Islamic Religious Endowments. The program encouraged interaction 
between young Muslim and Christian religious leaders and included a 
major conference on citizenship and education, as well as a series of 
workshops, training courses, and seminars throughout the reporting 
period.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government continued 
to take steps to contain incidents of sectarian violence, including 
those of October 2005 and April 2006 in Alexandria.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Muslim and Christian citizens share a common history and national 
identity. They also share the same ethnicity, race, culture, and 
language. Christians are geographically dispersed throughout the 
country, and Christians and Muslims live as neighbors. However, at 
times religious tensions have arisen and individual acts of prejudice 
and violence occur.
    On August 20, 2005, the Marg district of Cairo witnessed sectarian 
tensions after worshippers at a church adjacent to a mosque protested 
the ownership of the small strip of land separating the buildings. The 
security services intervened to disperse a crowd of several thousand 
protestors. Local officials brokered a deal whereby the church received 
compensation for the disputed land, along with a permit to expand its 
building.
    In October 2005 Muslims protested an earlier production at the Mar 
Guirguis Church of a theatrical presentation that purportedly 
blasphemed Islam. There were also reports that the play had been 
recorded on DVD. On October 19, a lone Muslim man assaulted a novitiate 
and a lay worker at the church. On October 21, after Friday Islamic 
prayers, a large crowd, variously estimated between 1 thousand and 3 
thousand persons, gathered outside the church. After some in the crowd 
threatened the church, security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets 
to disperse the crowd. Three Muslim protesters died in the ensuing 
violence. No one had been brought to trial by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    In Kafr Salama village, Sharqiya governorate, a December 10 2005 
altercation between a Muslim and a Christian resulted in the death of 
the Muslim. Muslim villagers later attacked the Abu Sifin Church and 
several Christian homes, and looted several shops before the 
authorities restored order.
    In April 2006 as the Coptic Orthodox community prepared to 
celebrate Palm Sunday, Mahmud Salaheddin Abdul Razzak, a Muslim man, 
carried out sequential knife attacks at three Alexandria churches, 
which resulted in the death of seventy-eight-year-old Noshi Atta 
Guirgis and injuries to more than a dozen other Christians. The police 
quickly arrested the twenty-five-year-old Razzak, who had a history of 
mental illness, and charged him in the murder and assaults. A 
government fact-finding committee from the People's Assembly, headed by 
Deputy PA Speaker Dr. Zainab Radwan and including MPs Georget Qellini 
and Edward El-Dahabi, had not formally visited Alexandria or released 
its findings by the end of the reporting period.
    At Guirgis's funeral on April 15, and again on April 16, Christian 
and Muslim protestors clashed in riots that resulted in the death of 
least one Muslim, dozens of injuries, significant damage to property 
belonging primarily to Copts, and some damage to churches.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    Religious freedom is an important part of the bilateral dialogue. 
The right of religious freedom has been raised with senior government 
officials by all levels of the U.S. Government, including by visiting 
members of congress, the Secretary of State, Assistant Secretary for 
Near Eastern Affairs, the ambassador, and other Embassy officials. The 
Embassy maintains formal contacts with the Office of Human Rights at 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Embassy also discusses religious 
freedom issues regularly in contacts with other government officials, 
including governors and members of parliament. The ambassador has made 
public statements supporting interfaith understanding and efforts 
toward harmony and equality among citizens of all religious groups. 
Specifically, the Embassy has raised its concerns about official 
discrimination against Baha'is with the Government. The Government 
insists that religious identification on national identity cards is 
necessary to determine which laws apply in civil cases.
    The Embassy maintains an active dialogue with leaders of the 
Christian and Muslim religious communities, human rights groups, and 
other activists. The Embassy investigates every complaint of official 
religious discrimination brought to its attention. It also discusses 
religious freedom with a range of contacts, including academics, 
businessmen, and citizens outside of the capital area. U.S. officials 
actively challenge anti-Semitic articles in the media through 
discussions with editors-in-chief and other journalists.
    U.S. programs and activities support initiatives in several areas 
directly related to religious freedom, including funding for CEOSS 
programs that work with Coptic community groups in Upper Egypt.
    The U.S. Government is working to strengthen civil society, 
supporting secular channels and the broadening of a civic culture that 
promote religious tolerance. The U.S. Embassy supports projects that 
promote tolerance and mutual respect between members of different 
religious communities.
    The Embassy supports the development of materials that encourage 
tolerance, diversity, and understanding of others, in both Arabic-
language and English-language curriculums.
    The U.S. Government developed a version of the television program 
Sesame Street designed to reach remote households that has as one of 
its goals the promotion of tolerance, including among different 
religious groups. According to a recent household survey, the program, 
begun in 2000, is reaching more than 90 percent of elementary school-
aged children.
    The Embassy is also working with the Supreme Council of Antiquities 
to promote the conservation of cultural antiquities, including Islamic, 
Christian, and Jewish historical sites.
                               __________

                                  IRAN

    The Constitution declares the ``official religion of Iran is Islam, 
and the doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'ism.'' The 
Government restricts freedom of religion.
    There was a further deterioration of the extremely poor status of 
respect for religious freedom during the reporting period, most notably 
for Baha'is and Sufi Muslims. The country's religious minorities 
include Sunni and Sufi Muslims, Baha'is, Zoroastrians, Jews, and 
Christians. There were reports of imprisonment, harassment, 
intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs.
    Government actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere 
for nearly all religious minorities, especially Baha'is and Sufi 
Muslims. To a lesser extent, Zoroastrians, evangelical Christians, and 
the small Jewish community were also targets of government harassment. 
Government-controlled media, including broadcasting and print, 
intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities--
particularly the Baha'is--following the June 2005 election of President 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
    The U.S. Government makes clear its objections to the Government's 
harsh and oppressive treatment of religious minorities through public 
statements, support for relevant U.N. and nongovernmental organization 
(NGO) efforts, as well as diplomatic initiatives towards states where 
religious freedom is a concern. Since 1999 the Secretary of State has 
designated Iran as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' (CPC) under the 
International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly egregious 
violations of religious freedom.
    In 2003, the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 58/195 on the 
human rights situation in the country; it expressed serious concern 
about the continued discrimination against religious minorities by the 
Government. In 2004, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution 
condemning the human rights situation in Iran. In March 2006 the U.N. 
General Assembly adopted Resolution 60/171 expressing serious concern 
about the continued discrimination and human rights violations against 
religious minorities by the Government. Also in March 2006, the Special 
Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief issued a statement of 
concern about the treatment of the Baha'i community in the country. The 
Special Rapporteur's statement claimed that Supreme Leader Khamene'i 
has instructed security officials to identify and compile information 
on Baha'is.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 631,660 square miles, and 
its population was an estimated 69 million. The population was 
approximately 98 percent Muslim, of which an estimated 89 percent were 
Shi'a and 8 percent were Sunni, mostly Turkmen, Arabs, Baluchs, and 
Kurds living in the southwest, southeast, and northwest. Although there 
are no official statistics of the size of the Sufi Muslim population, 
some reports estimated between two to five million people practice 
Sufism compared to approximately 100,000 before 1979.
    According to the country's most recent official national census, 
taken in 1996, there were an estimated 59.8 million Muslims, 30,000 
Zoroastrians, 79,000 Christians, and 13,000 Jews, with 28,000 
``others'' and 47,000 ``not stated.''
    Recent unofficial estimates provide larger numbers for non-Muslim 
minority groups. Baha'is, Jews, Christians, Mandaeans, and Zoroastrians 
constitute approximately five percent of the population combined. The 
largest non-Muslim minority was the Baha'i community, which had an 
estimated 300,000 to 350,000 adherents throughout the country. Credible 
estimates on the size of the Jewish community vary from 25,000 to 
30,000. This figure represents a substantial reduction from the 
estimated 75,000 to 80,000 Jews who resided in the country prior to the 
1979 Islamic revolution. According to U.N. figures, there were 
approximately 300,000 Christians, the majority of whom are ethnic 
Armenians. Unofficial estimates indicated an Assyrian Christian 
population of approximately 10,000. There also were Protestant 
denominations, including evangelical churches. The Mandaean Sabaeans, a 
community whose religion draws on pre-Christian gnostic beliefs, 
numbered approximately 5,000 to 10,000 persons, with members residing 
primarily in Khuzestan in the southwest. There were indications that 
members of all religious minorities are emigrating at a higher rate.
    The Government estimated the Zoroastrian population had 
approximately 30,000 to 35,000 adherents; however, Zoroastrian groups 
claim an estimated 60,000 adherents. Zoroastrians mainly were ethnic 
Persians concentrated in the cities of Tehran, Kerman, and Yazd. 
Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the pre-Islamic Sassanid 
Empire and played a central role in the country's history.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Government severely restricts freedom of religion. The 
Constitution declares the ``official religion of Iran is Islam and the 
doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'ism.'' All laws and 
regulations must be consistent with the official interpretation of the 
Shari'a (Islamic law). The Constitution states that ``within the limits 
of the law,'' Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians are the only 
recognized religious minorities who are guaranteed freedom to practice 
their religion; however, members of these recognized minority religious 
groups have reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and 
discrimination based on their religious beliefs.
    Adherents of religious groups not recognized by the Constitution do 
not enjoy freedom to practice their beliefs. This restriction seriously 
affects adherents of the Baha'i faith, which the government regards as 
a heretical Islamic group with a political orientation that is 
antagonistic to the country's Islamic revolution. However, Baha'is view 
themselves not as Muslims, but as an independent religion with origins 
in the Shi'a Islamic tradition. Government officials have stated that, 
as individuals, all Baha'is are entitled to their beliefs and are 
protected under the articles of the Constitution as citizens; however, 
the Government continued to prohibit Baha'is from teaching and 
practicing their faith. Baha'is also faced discrimination in the 
workplace and are barred from government posts.
    The tricameral government structure is ruled over by a supreme 
religious jurisconsult, or ``supreme leader.'' The supreme leader, 
chosen by a group of eighty-three Islamic scholars who are elected to 
the Assembly of Experts, oversees the country's decision-making 
process. All acts of the majlis (legislative body or parliament) must 
be reviewed for strict conformity with Islamic law and the Constitution 
by the Council of Guardians, which is composed of six clerics appointed 
by the supreme leader and six Muslim jurists (legal scholars), 
nominated by the head of the judiciary and approved by the majlis. The 
council does not have voting rights. The supreme leader is also advised 
by the Expediency Council, which has the authority to mediate disputes 
between Parliament and the Council of Guardians.
    The Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance (Ershad) and the 
Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) monitor religious activity 
closely. Adherents of recognized religious minorities were not required 
to register individually with the Government; however, their communal, 
religious, and cultural events and organizations, including schools, 
are monitored closely. Registration of Baha'is is a police function. 
The Government pressured evangelical Christian groups to compile and 
submit membership lists for their congregations, but evangelicals 
resisted this demand. Non-Muslim owners of grocery shops were required 
to indicate their religious affiliation on the fronts of their shops.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    By law and practice, religious minorities are not allowed to be 
elected to a representative body or to hold senior government or 
military positions, with the exception that 5 of a total 270 seats in 
the majlis are reserved for religious minorities. Three of these seats 
are reserved for members of the Christian faith, including two seats 
for the country's Armenian Christians, and one for Assyrians and 
Chaldeans. There is also one seat for a member of the Jewish faith, and 
one for a member of the Zoroastrian faith. While members of the Sunni 
Muslim minority do not have reserved seats in the majlis, they were 
allowed to serve in the body. Sunni members tend to come from the 
larger Sunni communities. Members of religious minorities are allowed 
to vote. All of the minority religious groups, including Sunni Muslims, 
were barred from being elected president.
    All religious minorities suffer varying degrees of officially 
sanctioned discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, 
education, and housing. Reportedly, religious minorities are allowed to 
handle food and own food businesses, but in practice most Muslim 
conservatives will not eat food prepared by Jews. Consequently, Jews 
are discouraged from owning food businesses. The government does not 
protect the right of citizens to change or renounce their religious 
faith. Non-Muslims may not engage in public religious expression and 
persuasion among Muslims, and there are restrictions on published 
religious material. Apostasy, specifically conversion from Islam, may 
be punishable by death. While there were no reported cases of the death 
penalty being applied for apostasy during the reporting period, on 
November 22, 2005, unidentified persons killed a man who had converted 
to Christianity more than ten years earlier. He had allegedly received 
death threats over the past few years. Reportedly, his death was 
followed by repression of and threats against other Christians, 
including arrests of ten Christians.
    Members of religious minorities, excluding Sunni Muslims, were 
prevented from serving in the judiciary and security services and from 
becoming public school principals. Applicants for public sector 
employment were screened for their adherence to and knowledge of Islam, 
although members of religious minorities could serve in lower ranks of 
government employment, with the exception of Baha'is. Government 
workers who did not observe Islam's principles and rules were subject 
to penalties. The Constitution states that the country's army must be 
Islamic and must recruit individuals who are committed to the 
objectives of the Islamic revolution; however, in practice no religious 
minorities were exempt from military service. The law forbids non-
Muslims from holding officer positions over Muslims in the armed 
forces. Members of religious minorities with a college education could 
serve as an officer during their mandatory military service but could 
not be a career military officer.
    University applicants were required to pass an examination in 
Islamic, Christian, or Jewish theology, but there was no test for the 
Baha'i faith. All public school students, including non-Muslims, must 
study Islam. With the exception of Baha'is, the Government generally 
allowed recognized religious minorities to conduct religious education 
for their adherents, although it restricted this right considerably in 
some cases. The Ministry of Education, which imposed certain curriculum 
requirements, supervised these schools. With few exceptions, the 
directors of such private schools must be Muslim. Attendance at the 
schools was not mandatory for recognized religious minorities. The 
Ministry of Education must approve all textbooks used in coursework, 
including religious texts. Recognized religious minorities could 
provide religious instruction in non-Persian languages, but such texts 
required approval by the authorities. This approval requirement 
sometimes imposed significant translation expenses on minority 
communities.
    The legal system discriminates against religious minorities. In 
2004 the Expediency Council approved appending a note to Article 297 of 
the 1991 Islamic Punishments Act, authorizing collection of equal 
``blood money'' (diyeh) for the death of Muslims and non-Muslims. All 
women and Baha'i men were excluded from the equalization provisions of 
the bill. According to law, Baha'i blood is considered Mobah, meaning 
it can be spilled with impunity.
    Sunni Muslims are the largest religious minority in the country, 
claiming a membership of approximately five and a half million (eight 
percent of the population), consisting mostly of Turkmen, Arabs, 
Baluchs, and Kurds living in the Southwest, Southeast, and Northwest. 
The Constitution provides Sunni Muslims a large degree of religious 
freedom, although it forbids a Sunni Muslim from becoming president. 
Sunnis claimed that the Government discriminated against them; however, 
it was difficult to distinguish whether the cause of discrimination was 
religious or ethnic since most Sunnis were also members of ethnic 
minorities. Sunnis cited the lack of a Sunni mosque in Tehran, despite 
the presence of more than one million adherents there, as a prominent 
example of this discrimination. Sunni leaders reported bans on Sunni 
religious literature and Sunni teachings in public schools, even in 
predominantly Sunni areas. Sunnis also claimed there was a lack of 
Sunni representation in appointed offices in provinces where they form 
a majority, such as Kurdistan and Khuzestan province, as well as their 
reported inability to obtain senior governmental positions. In 
addition, Sunnis charged that the Broadcast Corporation's program Voice 
and Vision, airs programming which were insulting to them.
    In April 2004 Sunni majlis representatives sent a letter to Supreme 
Leader Khamene'i decrying the lack of Sunni presence in the executive 
and judiciary branches of government, especially in higher-ranking 
positions in embassies, universities, and other institutions. They 
called on Khamene'i to issue a decree halting anti-Sunni propaganda in 
the mass media, books, and publications; the measure would include the 
state-run media. The Sunni representatives also requested adherence to 
the Constitutional articles ensuring equal treatment of all ethnic 
groups.
    The Baha'i faith originated in the country during the 1840s as a 
reformist movement within Shi'a Islam. The Government considers Baha'is 
to be apostates because of their claim to a valid religious revelation 
subsequent to that of Muhammad, but Baha'is do not consider themselves 
to be Muslim. Rather, the government defines the Baha'i faith as a 
political ``sect,'' linked to the Pahlavi regime but Baha'is faced 
discrimination prior to the revolution. A 2001 Ministry of Justice 
report stated that Baha'is would be permitted to enroll in schools only 
if they did not identify themselves as Baha'is, and that Baha'is 
preferably should be enrolled in schools with a strong and imposing 
religious ideology. There are allegations that Baha'i children in 
public schools have faced attempts to convert them to Islam. The 
Ministry of Justice report also stated that Baha'is must be excluded or 
expelled from universities, either in the admission process or during 
the course of their studies, once their religious affiliation becomes 
known.
    Baha'is may not teach or practice their faith or maintain links 
with co-religionists abroad. The fact that the Baha'i world 
headquarters (established by the founder of the Baha'i faith in the 
nineteenth century, in what was then Ottoman-controlled Palestine) is 
situated in what is now the state of Israel exposes Baha'is to official 
charges of ``espionage on behalf of Zionism.'' These charges were more 
acute when Baha'is were caught communicating with or sending monetary 
contributions to the Baha'i headquarters.
    Baha'is are banned from government employment and government 
pensions. In addition Baha'is were regularly denied compensation for 
injury or criminal victimization and were denied the right to inherit 
property. Baha'i marriages and divorces were not officially recognized, 
although the government allows a civil attestation of marriage to serve 
as a marriage certificate.
    The Government allows recognized religious minorities to establish 
community centers and certain self-financed cultural, social, athletic, 
or charitable associations. However, the Government prohibited the 
Baha'is community from official assembly and from maintaining 
administrative institutions by actively closing such Baha'i 
institutions. Since the Baha'i faith had no established clergy, the 
denial of the right to form such institutions and elect officers 
threatened its existence in the country.
    Broad restrictions on Baha'is undermined their ability to function 
as a community. Baha'is repeatedly were offered relief from 
mistreatment in exchange for recanting their faith.
    Baha'i cemeteries, holy places, historical sites, administrative 
centers, and other assets were seized shortly after the 1979 
Revolution. No properties have been returned, and many have been 
destroyed. Baha'is were not allowed to bury and honor their dead in 
adherence to their religious tradition. Baha'i graveyards in Yazd and 
other cities have been desecrated, and the government did not seek to 
identify or punish the perpetrators. Public and private universities 
continue to deny admittance to Baha'i students. In 2004, for the first 
time, Baha'i applicants were permitted to take part in the nationwide 
exam for entrance into state-run universities. However, for those 
students who passed the exam, ``Islam'' was pre-printed as a 
prospective student's religious affiliation on the form authorizing 
their matriculation. This action precluded Baha'i enrollment in the 
country's state-run universities since a tenet of Baha'i faith is to 
not deny one's faith. Only a few students were allowed to enroll. In 
2005, after similar treatment, no Baha'i students were accepted. A 
statement posted on Ayatollah Safi's official website during the 
reporting period reiterated the policy that Baha'is must be expelled 
from university once their affiliation was known.
    The Government monitored the activities of those it identified as 
adhering to the Baha'i Faith. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of 
Religion or Belief became aware of a secret October 2005 letter written 
by the Chairman of the Armed Forces Command, Major General Seyyed 
Hossein Firuzabadi, acting on instructions from Iran's Supreme Leader, 
Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i, to the Ministry of Information, the 
Revolutionary Guard, and the Police Force, which requested the agencies 
to collect and to provide to the Armed Forces Command all information 
about members of the Baha'i Faith. There were also reports the 
Association of Chambers of Commerce compiled a list of Baha'i members 
and their trades and employment. A May 2, 2006, letter from the Trades, 
Production, and Technical Services Society of Kermanshah to the Union 
of Battery Manufacturers shows further evidence of workplace 
restrictions as it asks the union to compile ``a list of the names of 
those who belong to the Baha'i sect and are under the jurisdiction of 
your union.''
    In principle, but with some exceptions, there was little 
restriction of or interference with Jewish religious practice; however, 
education of Jewish children had become more difficult in recent years. 
The Government reportedly allowed Hebrew instruction, recognizing that 
it was necessary for Jewish religious practice. However, it limited the 
distribution of Hebrew texts, in practice making it difficult to teach 
the language. Moreover, the Government required that in conformity with 
the schedule of other schools, several Jewish schools must remain open 
on Saturdays, which violates Jewish law.
    Jewish citizens were permitted to obtain passports and travel 
outside the country, but they were often denied the multiple-exit 
permits normally issued to other citizens and faced numerous obstacles 
from officials to travel abroad. With the exception of certain business 
travelers, the authorities required Jews to obtain clearance and pay 
additional fees before each round trip abroad. Members of all religious 
minorities appeared to be emigrating in higher numbers even though 
immigration was illegal under Iranian law.
    According to the U.N. High Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR) 
background paper on the country, the Mandaean Sabaeans were regarded as 
Christians and were included among the country's three recognized 
religious minorities. However, Mandaean Sabaeans regarded themselves 
not as Christians but as adherents of a religion that predates 
Christianity in both belief and practice. Mandaean Sabaeans enjoyed 
official support as a distinct religion prior to the Revolution, but 
their legal status as a religion since then was the subject of debate 
in the majlis, which has not been clarified. The small community faced 
discrimination similar to that faced by the country's other religious 
minorities. There were reports that members of the Mandaean Sabaeans 
community experienced societal discrimination and pressure to convert 
to Islam, and they often were denied access to higher education. 
Mandaean Sabaeans refugees reported specific religious freedom 
violations and concerns, such as being forced to observe Islamic 
fasting rituals and to pray in Islamic fashion, both in direct 
violation of Mandaean Sabaeans teaching.
    Sufis within the country and Sufi organizations outside the country 
remained extremely concerned about growing government repression of 
Sufi communities and their religious practices, including the constant 
harassment and intimidation of prominent Sufi leaders by the 
intelligence and security services. Government restrictions on Sufi 
groups and houses of worship became more pronounced during the year 
covered by this report. Although laws governing Sufi practice were 
ambiguous, there are reports that the Government called for a full ban 
on the practice of Sufism. Since 1979, the numbers of practicing Sufis 
have soared, increasing tension with the Government.
    The Government propagated an interpretation of Islam that 
effectively deprived women of some rights granted to men. Gender 
segregation was enforced generally throughout the country without 
regard to religious affiliation and could be burdensome for those who 
do not follow strict Islamic religious codes; however, as a practical 
matter these prohibitions have loosened in recent years. Women of all 
religious groups were expected to adhere to Islamic dress in public, 
although enforcement of rules for conservative Islamic dress eased in 
recent years.
    In 1986 the Government issued a twelvepoint contract to 
serve as a model for marriage and divorce, which limited the privileges 
accorded to women by custom and traditional interpretations of Islamic 
law.
    Many female Muslims were seeking to eliminate laws and practices 
that discriminate against women, arguing that relegating women to a 
lesser status due to, inter alia, their being considered ``deficient in 
reason'' was not a precept of Islam, but rather a non-Islamic accretion 
to Islamic practices.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The property rights of Baha'is were generally disregarded, and they 
suffer frequent government harassment and persecution. Since 1979 the 
government has confiscated large numbers of private and business 
properties belonging to Baha'is, as well as religious material. 
Numerous Baha'i homes reportedly were seized and handed over to an 
agency of Supreme Leader Khamene'i. Sources indicated that property was 
confiscated in Rafsanjan, Kerman, Marv-Dasht, and Yazd. Authorities 
reportedly also confiscated Baha'i properties in Kata, forced several 
families to leave their homes and farmlands, imprisoned some farmers, 
and did not permit others to harvest their crops. In one instance, a 
Baha'i woman from Esfahan who legally traveled abroad, returned to find 
that her home was confiscated. The Government also seized private homes 
in which Baha'i youth classes were held despite the owners having 
proper ownership documents.
    The Baha'i community claimed the Government's seizure of Baha'i 
personal property and its denial of Baha'i access to education and 
employment were eroding the economic base of the community and 
threatened its survival. On June 29, 2006 the UN Special Rapporteur on 
adequate housing found that government expropriations of property in 
Iran ``seem to have targeted disproportionately'' the property of 
Baha'is and other ethnic and religious minorities. He further mentioned 
that many of the confiscation verdicts made by Iranian Revolutionary 
Courts declared that ``the confiscation of the property of the evil 
sect of the Baha'i [were] legally and religiously justifiable.'' There 
were recent reports of authorities forcing Baha'i businesses to close 
and placing restrictions on their businesses. Managers of private 
companies were reportedly asked to dismiss their Baha'i employees.
    The Government continued to imprison and detain Baha'is based on 
their religious beliefs. The Government harassed the Baha'i community 
by arbitrarily arresting Baha'is and charging them with violating 
Islamic penal code Articles 500 and 698, relating to activities against 
the State and spreading falsehood, respectively. Often the charges were 
not dropped upon release and those with charges still pending against 
them reportedly feared re-arrest at any time. Most were released only 
after paying large fines or posting high bails.
    In 2004, authorities initiated the destruction of the tomb of 
Quddus, a Baha'i holy site. Local Baha'is attempted to prevent the 
destruction through legal channels, but the tomb was destroyed in the 
interim. The Baha'is were not allowed permission to enter the site and 
retrieve the remains of this revered Baha'i figure. The house of Mizra 
Buzarg-e-Nuri, father of the faith's founder, was destroyed without 
notice.
    According to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the 
United States, since 1979 more than 200 Baha'is were killed, 15 
disappeared and were presumed dead, and more than 10,000 Baha'is were 
dismissed from government and university jobs.
    In 2004, a Baha'i optician in Hamadan was reportedly kidnapped and 
brutally attacked by five individuals, who threatened him with death if 
he did not recant his faith and convert to Islam. Local authorities 
were unwilling to pursue the case and a local judicial official 
reportedly told him ``it would cost him [the victim] dearly'' if he 
pursued his complaint against the assailants.
    In 2004, for the first time, the Baha'i community wrote an open 
letter to the Government of the Islamic Republic, addressed to 
President Khatami, seeking an end to Baha'i-focused human rights and 
religious freedom abuses. Numerous anecdotal reports indicated a marked 
increase in government persecution of Baha'is after this letter. Much 
of this anti-Baha'i activity focused on Yazd, presumably due to Yazdi 
Baha'is having presented Yazd intelligence-security officials with a 
copy of the letter.
    In late 2004 and January 2005, nine Baha'is in Yazd were arrested 
and briefly detained, and their homes searched and some possessions 
confiscated. On January 14, 2005, authorities summoned, questioned, and 
released another Yazd Baha'i, and four days later on January 18, four 
individuals came to his home and beat him with batons, inflicting 
severe injuries to his face, back, and arms. The same individuals, 
equipped with batons and communication devices, also attacked the home 
of another Baha'i later that day. On that same day, these same persons 
went to the home of a third Baha'i and attacked him with batons, 
causing serious head wounds. This third Baha'i was attacked again on 
January 25; on January 27 his shop was set on fire.
    In February 2005, the Baha'i cemetery in Yazd was destroyed, with 
cars driven over the graves, tombstones smashed, and the remains of the 
interred left exposed. Two days later, a gravestone was removed and 
left in front of a Baha'is home, along with a threatening letter. The 
Baha'i community filed a complaint with authorities at the national 
level, but no action was taken. These events coincided with the launch 
of a campaign of defamation against the Baha'i faith in government-
controlled media.
    In February 2005, two Baha'is were released from prison after 
serving almost fifteen years on charges related to their religious 
beliefs.
    In March 2005, a series of Baha'i arrests and imprisonments began 
throughout the country. In Tehran on March 6 2005, intelligence 
officials arrested and took into custody three prominent Baha'is, and 
another was arrested and imprisoned on March 16. Agents conducted 
prolonged searches of their homes and confiscated documents, books, and 
other belongings. They were all detained without charge, and released 
after having posted bail.
    On March 8 2005, one of the Baha'is previously arrested and briefly 
detained for having distributed an open letter from the Baha'i 
community to President Khatami, received a three-year sentence and was 
incarcerated in Evin prison. He did not have access to lawyers nor to 
any form of legal counsel. Another Baha'i previously arrested and 
detained, was tried in absentia and given a one-year sentence for the 
same alleged offence.
    On April 25 2005, five more Baha'is were arrested and imprisoned, 
all members of farming families whose properties had been confiscated 
in the village of Kata, when they obeyed a summons and came to the 
court for hearings concerning their grievances. On May 3 2005, four 
more Baha'is from Kata answered a similar summons and appeared before a 
court in the same province. The judge asked them if they would 
relinquish their property, and when they refused, the judge ordered 
their arrest and detention. Later that month, all nine were released 
from prison after a business license was used as collateral.
    On May 16 2005, nine Baha'is were summoned to appear before the 
office of the Public Prosecutor in the city of Semnan. They were 
charged with ``creating anxiety in the minds of the public and those of 
the Iranian officials'' and distributing ``propaganda against the 
government of the Islamic Republic of Iran'' for having distributed 
copies of the November 2004 open letter to various government 
officials. They were detained and subsequently released, with the 
understanding that they would appear for a hearing at a later date.
    Between August 2005 and May 2006, eighty-seven Baha'is were 
arrested (but only eighty-six were detained). At the end of the period 
covered by this report, two remained in prison. Most of the others were 
never formally charged but they were only released after posting bail. 
For some, bail was deeds of property worth approximately $11,000; 
others were released in exchange for personal guarantees or work 
licenses. Some were not allowed to resume working for six months after 
their detention. There were also reports of attacks on Baha'is by 
unidentified assailants.
    In the first week of August 2005, fourteen Baha'is were arrested 
from several cities, including Tehran. They were held in incommunicado 
detention, and there was concern from several sources that they were at 
risk of torture or ill treatment. During the rest of August and during 
September, nine more Baha'is were arrested in various cities. On 
September 17 and 19, three were released on bail. On September 5, four 
Baha'is were sentenced to ten months of imprisonment for opposition to 
the government. On the same day, the homes of nine Baha'is were 
searched in Yazd, and books, computers, tapes, videos, and CDs were 
confiscated.
    On December 19, 2005, the longest imprisoned Baha'i, Zabihullah 
Mahrami, died in prison of unknown causes. He was arrested in 1995 and 
convicted of apostasy in 1996. He was forced to engage in hard labor at 
the penitentiary and regularly received death threats. His family was 
told he died of a heart attack, but Mahrami was reportedly in good 
health prior to his death.
    On January 15, 2006, three Baha'is from Kermanshah were arrested on 
charges of ``involvement in Baha'i activities and insulting Islam.'' 
Their homes and four others were raided the same day and books, 
documents, and other items were confiscated. On January 16, the 
Revolutionary Court set property worth more than US$30,000 as 
collateral for the three Baha'is, and they were released on January 20. 
On February 5, 2006, three Baha'is from Esfahan were arrested for 
coordinating Baha'i activities.
    On March 18, 2006, Mehran Kawsari was released from jail without 
bail. He was tried in connection with the November 2004 open letter to 
then President Khatami that requested the restoration of human rights 
for the Baha'is and was charged with taking measures against the 
internal security of the government.
    From May 9 to 11, 2006, eleven Baha'i homes were raided in 
Shahinshahr, Najafabad, and Kashan but no arrests were made. On May 19, 
six Baha'i homes were raided in Shiraz, and notebooks, computers, 
books, and documents were seized. The homeowners were among the fifty-
four Baha'is arrested that day. The individuals were mostly youths 
engaged in humanitarian service. With permission from the Islamic 
Council of Shiraz, they were teaching classes to poor children as part 
of a UNICEF program. On May 24-25, fifty-one out of fifty-four of the 
detainees were released. As of June 14, the remaining three had been 
released, initially for collateral payments of $54,600 per person but 
in the end solely based on personal guarantees.
    On June 13, 2006, one Baha'i man from Sanandaj was arrested and 
released on June 29 on unknown terms. There was an unconfirmed report 
of five more arrests in Shiraz, but no further information is yet 
available. On June 18, three Baha'is from Hamadan were arrested after 
government officials confiscated books, computers, and Baha'i 
documents, but they were released on bail on June 21. No details of the 
terms of their release were available. On June 21, one Baha'i from 
Baluchistan province was reportedly abducted, and authorities said they 
suspected criminal elements were involved. On June 28, one Baha'i was 
taken into custody and was being held in the Ministry of Information's 
detention center. This individual was previously arrested and released 
in August 2005.
    The Government vigilantly enforced its prohibition on proselytizing 
activities by evangelical Christians by closely monitoring their 
activities, closing their churches, and arresting Christian converts. 
Members of evangelical congregations were required to carry membership 
cards, photocopies of which must be provided to the authorities. 
Worshippers were subject to identity checks by authorities posted 
outside congregation centers. The Government restricted meetings for 
evangelical services to Sundays and church officials were ordered to 
inform the Ministry of Information and Islamic Guidance before 
admitting new members to their congregations.
    Conversion of a Muslim to a non-Muslim religion is considered 
apostasy under the law and is punishable by the death penalty, although 
it was unclear whether this punishment had been enforced in recent 
years. Similarly, non-Muslims could not proselytize Muslims without 
putting their own lives at risk. Evangelical church leaders were 
subject to pressure from authorities to sign pledges that they would 
not evangelize Muslims or allow Muslims to attend church services.
    In previous years, the Government harassed churchgoers in Tehran, 
in particular worshippers of the capital's Assembly of God 
congregation. This harassment included conspicuous monitoring outside 
Christian premises by Revolutionary Guards to discourage Muslims or 
converts from entering church premises, as well as demands for the 
presentation of the identity papers of worshippers inside. In 2004, 
there were reports of the arrest of several dozen evangelical 
Christians in the north, including a Christian pastor, his wife, and 
their two teenage children in Chalous, Mazandaran Province. Many of 
those arrested were later released, and the pastor and his family were 
released after six weeks in detention. One press source reported that 
authorities ordered those jailed to stop meeting for worship and to 
``stop talking about Jesus.'' Christians continued to be subject to 
harassment and close surveillance. Low scale harassment of Armenian 
Christians were reported, including situating Shi'a Ashura sites near 
churches and schools.
    In 2004, security officials raided the annual general conference of 
the country's Assemblies of God Church, arresting approximately eighty 
religious leaders gathered at the church's denominational center in 
Karaj. After fingerprinting and questioning, authorities released all 
but ten pastors later that day. Of these, nine were released. 
Assemblies of God Pastor Hamid Pourmand, a former Muslim of Assyrian 
Christian background who converted to Christianity nearly twenty-five 
years ago and who led a congregation in Bushehr, was the only detainee 
not released. Later that year, Pourmand, who was also a non-
commissioned officer in the Army, was moved to a military prison. In 
late January 2005 he was tried in a military court on charges of 
espionage. On February 16, 2005, he was found guilty of espionage and 
sentenced to three years, and was transferred to Evin prison to serve 
his sentence. A military appeals court subsequently affirmed the 
verdict and the sentence. As a consequence, Pourmand faced automatic 
discharge from the army and forfeit of his entire income, pension, and 
housing for his family. In mid-April, the authorities abandoned 
preliminary hearings against Pourmand before a Tehran General and 
Revolutionary Court on two separate charges of apostasy and 
proselytizing, both capital crimes, reportedly after news of his trial 
leaked out to the international press. In May, he was transferred from 
Tehran to his home city of Bushehr to stand trial in a General and 
Revolutionary Court on these charges. On May 28, that court acquitted 
Pourmand on apostasy and proselytizing charges, and he was sent back to 
Tehran's Evin prison to serve out the remainder of his three-year 
prison sentence. In August 2005, there were reports that he continued 
to face pressure from prison officials to recant his Christian faith 
and return to Islam.
    On November 22, 2005, a Muslim convert to Christianity, Ghorban 
Tori, was kidnapped from his house in the northeast and killed. His 
body was later returned to his house. Tori was a pastor at an 
independent house church of converted Christians. After the killing, 
security officials searched his house for Bibles and banned Christian 
books in Persian. In the previous week, according to some sources, the 
Ministry of Intelligence and Security arrested and tortured ten 
Christians in several cities.
    On May 2, 2006, a Muslim convert to Christianity, Ali Kaboli, was 
taken into custody in Gorgan, after several years of police 
surveillance and threatened prosecution if he did not leave the 
country. He was interrogated and was held incommunicado. So far no 
charges have been filed against him.
    In 2000, ten of thirteen Jews arrested in 1999 were convicted on 
charges of illegal contact with Israel, conspiracy to form an illegal 
organization, and recruiting agents. Along with two Muslim defendants, 
the ten Jews received prison sentences ranging from four to thirteen 
years. During and shortly after the trial, Jewish-owned businesses in 
Tehran and Shiraz were targets of vandalism and boycotts, and Jews 
reportedly suffered personal harassment and intimidation. There was one 
report of vandalism against a synagogue during the reporting period.
    Numerous Sunni clerics were killed in recent years, some allegedly 
by government agents. While the exact reason for their killings was 
unknown, most Sunni Muslims in the country belonged to ethnic 
minorities who historically suffered abuses by the Government. During 
this reporting period, Sunni leaders reported abuses, including 
detentions and torture of Sunni clerics, and an unconfirmed report of a 
suspicious death of a Sunni cleric who had defied orders not to return 
to the mosque after his release from prison.
    There were no reports of government harassment of the Zoroastrian 
community during the reporting period; however, the community remained 
unable to convene a Spiritual Assembly to manage its religious affairs 
for fear of official retaliation, and there were reports of 
discrimination in employment and education. In 2004, Zoroastrians were 
able to make, apparently without government interference, their annual 
pilgrimage to one of the holiest sites of their faith, the temple of 
Chak-Chak (near the city of Yazd).
    Reports of government harassment and abuse of Sufis became 
prevalent during this reporting period due to the increasing 
intolerance towards the Sufi community from the Government. On February 
13, 2006, police officers tried to close a Sufi house of worship, or 
Husseinieh in the city of Qom, sparking two days of clashes and 
violence. Qom officials stated the Sufis had illegally turned a 
residential building into a religious establishment. However, the 
establishment apparently had been built three years ago with municipal 
permission. According to some human rights groups, the Sufis, including 
many women and children, were peacefully protesting the order to leave 
the Husseinieh. The police attacked the Sufis in the building with tear 
gas and explosives, causing over 500 hospitalizations according to some 
sources and 100 injuries according to the Qom Governor, General Abbas 
Mohtaj. Members of the Fatemiyon and Hojjatiyeh groups, conservative 
Islamic groups, reportedly joined the police in first taunting the 
protestors and then attacking and beating them.
    On February 14, 2006, the security forces demolished the building 
and neighboring houses, and more than 1,000 persons were arrested, 
according to several sources. Other sources close to the Sufi groups 
and human rights activists reported 2000 arrests. At least 173 were 
detained at Fajr prison and were reportedly tortured in order to 
extract confessions that would be read on national television. Those 
who were released had to sign agreements saying they would not attend 
Sufi gatherings in Qom and would present themselves to intelligence 
offices. Some reportedly were required to sign documents renouncing 
Sufism.
    On May 4, a court sentenced fifty-two Sufis to jail on various 
charges in connection with the February incident. The defendants and 
their two lawyers were sentenced to a year in prison, fines, and 
seventy-four lashes. The lawyers, Farshid Yadollahi and Omid Behrouzi, 
were also banned from practicing law for five years.
    The government carefully monitors the statements and views of the 
country's senior Shi'a religious leaders. Several Shi'a religious 
leaders have been under house arrest for years, including Grand 
Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was released after five years of 
house arrest in 2003.
    The Special Clerical Court (SCC) system, established in 1987 to 
investigate offenses and crimes committed by clerics and which the 
Supreme Leader oversees directly, is not provided for in the 
Constitution and operates outside the domain of the judiciary. In 
particular, critics alleged that the clerical courts were used to 
prosecute certain clerics for expressing controversial ideas and for 
participating in activities outside the area of religion, including 
journalism.
    On February 6, 2005, the special clerical court agreed to the 
conditional release (parole) of prominent dissident cleric Hojatoleslam 
Hassan Yussefi Eshkevari; he had served two thirds of his seven-year 
sentence and was therefore eligible for parole under the law. The 
cleric had been arrested in 2000, charged with the capital crimes of 
apostasy and ``corruption on earth,'' in conjunction with speeches he 
had made at a 2000 conference on reform in Berlin.
    Laws based on religion have been used to stifle freedom of 
expression. Independent newspapers and magazines have been closed, and 
leading publishers and journalists were imprisoned on vague charges of 
``insulting Islam'' or ``calling into question the Islamic foundation 
of the Republic.'' In 2002 academic Hashem Aghajari was sentenced to 
death for blasphemy against Muhammad, based on a speech in which he 
challenged Muslims not to blindly follow the clergy, provoking an 
international and domestic outcry. In 2003 his death sentence was 
revoked by the Supreme Court, but the case was sent back to the lower 
court for retrial. He was retried on charges that did not include 
apostasy and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, two of which 
were suspended, and five years of additional ``deprivation of social 
right'' (meaning that he could not teach or write books or articles). 
His time served was counted towards his three-year sentence; the court 
converted the remainder of the time to a fine. He was released on bail 
in 2004.
Anti-Semitic Acts
    While Jews are a recognized religious minority, allegations of 
official discrimination were frequent. The Government's anti-Israel 
policies, along with a perception among radical Muslims that all Jewish 
citizens supported Zionism and the state of Israel, created a hostile 
atmosphere for the small community. For example, in 2005 many 
newspapers celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the anti-Semitic 
publication Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Jewish leaders reportedly 
were reluctant to draw attention to official mistreatment of their 
community due to fear of government reprisal.
    The Jewish community has been reduced to less than one-half of its 
pre-1979 size. Some of this emigration was connected with the larger, 
general waves of departures following the establishment of the Islamic 
Republic, but some also stems from continued anti-Semitism on the part 
of the government and within society.
    In 2004, the country's Sahar 1 television station began airing a 
weekly series titled For You, Palestine, or Zahra's Blue Eyes, set in 
Israel and the West Bank. Produced in Farsi and subsequently translated 
into Arabic, this series depicted Israeli government, military, and 
civilian personnel harvesting organs from Palestinian children for the 
benefit of Israeli officials. Other anti-Semitic series shown on state-
run Iranian television during this period included The People of the 
Cave, a supposedly historical drama series, and Al-Shatat. Al-Shatat, 
originally broadcasted by Hizbullah's Al-Manar television channel, 
portrayed Jewish persons as being responsible for most the world's 
problems, by conspiring to achieve political and economic domination 
over the world.
    In April 2005, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani, one of the 
country's leading religious authorities, told a group of clerics that 
``one should fight the Jews and vanquish them,'' to prepare the ground 
and to hasten the advent of the Hidden Imam.
    On April 13, Representative Moris Motamed, who represents Jews in 
the majlis, joined by the speaker of the majlis, complained that the 
state television was broadcasting anti-Semitic programs. According to 
the press, Motamed claimed that ``insulting Jews and attributing false 
things to them in television serials over the past twelve years has not 
only hurt the feelings of the Jewish community but has also led to the 
emigration of a considerable percentage of the Jewish community.'' 
There were indications that anti-Semitic content in broadcasting 
decreased after these complaints.
    The perception among some of the country's radicalized elements 
that Jews support Zionism and the state of Israel created a threatening 
atmosphere for the Jewish community Many Jews have sought to limit 
their contact with or support for the state of Israel out of fear of 
reprisal. Recent anti-American and anti-Israeli demonstrations included 
the denunciation of Jews themselves, as opposed to the past practice of 
denouncing only ``Israel'' and ``Zionism,'' adding to the threatening 
atmosphere for the community.
    Since August 2005, President Ahmadinejad has pursued a virulent 
anti-Israel campaign, which created an even more hostile environment 
for the Jewish minority. In October 2005, the president called for 
Israel to ``be wiped off the map.'' In December 2005, the president 
alleged that the Holocaust was a ``myth.'' On December 16, 2005, the 
Friday prayer leaders endorsed the president's Holocaust statements and 
reported the statements were ``the heartfelt words of all Muslims in 
the world''. During this reporting period, there was a rise in 
officially sanctioned anti-Semitic propaganda in a reportedly 
coordinated plan involving official statements, media outlets, 
publications, and books. The rhetorical attacks also further blurred 
the line between Zionism and Judaism. This increasingly negative 
rhetoric, coupled with the tension surrounding the nuclear issue in the 
country, led to increased concerns about the future security of the 
Jewish community.
    On January 26, 2006, the head of the Jewish community, Haroun 
Yashayaei, sent a letter to the president protesting his Holocaust 
denial comments. Yashayaei stated the comments and the recent Holocaust 
denial seminars have struck fear within the small Jewish community. On 
February 11, 2006 Moris Motamed, the Jewish parliamentarian, reported 
that the negative remarks were an insult to the Jewish communities.
Forced Religious Conversions
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion 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.
    However, a child born to a Muslim father automatically is 
considered a Muslim. Baha'is were repeatedly offered relief from 
mistreatment in exchange for recanting their faith, and several Sufi 
Muslims reportedly had to sign forced renunciations of their faith to 
be released from prison following the February riots.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    There were no reported abuses targeted at specific religious groups 
by terrorist organizations during the reporting period.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The continuous presence of the country's pre-Islamic, non-Muslim 
communities, such as Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians, had accustomed 
the population to the participation of non-Muslims in society; however, 
government actions continued to create a threatening atmosphere for 
some religious minorities and became significantly worse throughout the 
reporting period. The president's new agenda stressed the importance of 
Islam in enhancing ``national solidarity'' and mandated that 
government-controlled media emphasize Islamic culture in order to 
``cause subcultures to adapt themselves to public culture.'' Since 
August 2005 the government had intensified a campaign against non-
Muslim religious minorities, and political and religious leaders issued 
a continual stream of inflammatory statements.
    On November 21, 2005, the domestic press quoted Ayatollah Ahmad 
Jannati, head of the Guardian Council, publicly attacking non-Muslims, 
calling them ``sinful animals'' and ``corrupt.'' The remark was widely 
criticized in the country, and the majles representative of the 
Zoroastrian community publicly condemned his remarks and was 
consequently charged with the ``dissemination of false information, 
slander, and insult.'' At year's end, no case had been pursued against 
him.
    Christians faced an increase in abuse and harassment. Reportedly, 
the president allegedly called for an end to the development of 
Christianity in the country. The small Mandaean Sabaean religious 
community reportedly faced intensifying harassment and repression by 
authorities.
    Since late 2005, Baha'is have faced an increasing number of public 
attacks, including a series negative and defamatory articles in Kayhan, 
the official Tehran daily newspaper. Kayhan is a government-controlled 
newspaper whose managing editor was appointed by Supreme Leader 
Ayatollah Khamene'i. Radio and television broadcasts have also 
increasingly condemned the Baha'is and their religion, and since 
October 2005 they have launched a series of weekly anti-Baha'i 
broadcasts. These reports had the intention of arousing suspicion, 
distrust, and hatred for the Baha'i community.
    Since the National Association of Chambers of Commerce began 
collecting employment data on Baha'is, have been reported problems for 
Baha'is in different trades around the country. Baha'is have also 
experienced an escalation of personal harassment, including receiving 
threatening notes, CDs, text messages, and tracts. There were reported 
cases of Baha'i children being harassed in school and subjected to 
Islamic indoctrination. Baha'i girls were especially targeted, with the 
intention of creating tension between parents and children.
    There has been concern from several groups about the rumored 
resurgence of the banned Hojjatiyeh society, a secretive religious-
economic group that was founded in 1953 to rid the country of the 
Baha'i Faith in order to hasten the return of the twelfth Imam or 
Mahdi. Though not a government organization, it is believed that many 
members of the current administration are Hojjatiyeh members and are 
using their offices to advance the society's goals. It was unknown, 
however, what role, if any, the group played in the recent arrests of 
numerous Baha'is throughout the country. Many Baha'i, human rights 
groups, and news agencies describe the goals of the Hojjatiyeh society 
as the pursuit of the eradication of the Baha'is, not just the Baha'i 
Faith. According to the Encyclopedia Iranica, however, the group's 
founder was reportedly distraught by violence against Baha'is. The 
group's anti-Baha'i orientation has reportedly widened to encompass 
anti-Sunni and Sufi activities as well. Rasul Montajabnia, a prominent 
member of the Militant Clerics Society--a key reformist clerical 
group--claimed that Hojjatiyeh members have actually stopped their 
fight against the Baha'i faith and turned their attention to creating 
divisions between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, mainly as a means of 
fomenting chaos to bring about the return of the Mahdi.
    Sufi Muslims faced an increasing ``demonization'' campaign. In 
September 2005, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri-Hamedani, as Islamic scholar in 
Qom, reportedly called for a crackdown on Sufi groups, labeling them a 
``danger to Islam.'' Five months later an attack occurred that involved 
police and paramilitary forces. During the riots, the paramilitaries 
distributed leaflets calling Sufis enemies of Islam, and the Qom 
governor accused the Sufis of having ties to foreign countries and 
creating instability. Articles attacking Sufis were printed in 
government-controlled, national newspapers, such as the Jomhouri-ye 
Eslami and Kayhan. On February 14, 2006, a Kayhan article quoted senior 
clerics in Qom as saying that Sufism should be eradicated in the city. 
During the period covered by this report, several anti-Sufi books were 
published.
    Sunni Muslims encounter religious discrimination at the local, 
provincial, and national levels. Religious leaders reported widespread 
restrictions on their practice and abuses, including detentions and 
torture of Sunni clerics. They also reported bans on Sunni teachings in 
public schools and Sunni religious literature. The residents of 
provinces with large Sunni populations, including Kurdistan, Khuzestan, 
and Sistan-va Baluchistan report discrimination and lack of resources, 
but it is difficult to determine what is ethnic-based discrimination 
and what is religious-based.
    In June 2003, an interfaith delegation of American Christians, 
Jews, and Muslims traveled to meet with religious, political, and 
cultural leaders. In April 2005 an interfaith delegation of Muslims, 
Christians, and Jews paid a return visit to the United States, 
attending an interfaith conference in the United States.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The United States has no diplomatic relations with the country, and 
thus it does not raise directly the restrictions that the Government 
places on religious freedom and other abuses the Government commits 
against adherents of minority religious groups. The U.S. Government 
makes its position clear in public statements and reports, support for 
relevant U.N. and NGO efforts, and diplomatic initiatives to press for 
an end to government abuses. The U.S. Government calls on other 
countries with bilateral relations with Iran to use those ties to press 
Iran on religious freedoms and human rights.
    From 1982 to 2001, the U.S. Government co-sponsored a resolution 
each year regarding the human rights situation in the country offered 
by the European Union at the annual meeting of the U.N. Commission on 
Human Rights (UNCHR). It passed every year until 2002, when the United 
States did not have a seat on the Commission, and the resolution failed 
passage by one vote. The U.S. supported a similar resolution offered 
each year during the U.N. General Assembly until the fall of 2002, when 
no resolution was tabled. The U.S. Government strongly supported the 
work of the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Iran and called 
on the government to grant him admission and allow him to conduct his 
research during the period of his mandate, which expired with the 
defeat of the resolution at the UNCHR in 2002. There also was no 
resolution on the country at the UNCHR in the spring of 2003. In 2003 
the Canadian government introduced a resolution censuring the country's 
human rights policies, which was passed by the U.N. General Assembly. 
The U.S. has supported Canadian-sponsored resolutions censuring the 
government's treatment of religious minorities. In 2004, the UN General 
Assembly passed a resolution expressing serious concern about the 
continued discrimination of religious minorities. The U.S. Government 
remains supportive of efforts to raise the human rights situation 
whenever appropriate within international organizations.
    On numerous occasions, the U.S. State Department spokesman has 
addressed the situation of the Baha'i and Jewish communities in the 
country. The U.S. Government has publicly condemned the treatment of 
the Baha'is in UN resolutions, including one that passed in the General 
Assembly in 2005. The U.S. Government has encouraged other governments 
to make similar statements.
    Since 1999, the Secretary of State has designated Iran as a 
``Country of Particular Concern'' under the International Religious 
Freedom Act for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
                               __________

                                  IRAQ

    During the reporting period, unsettled conditions prevented 
effective governance in parts of the country, and the Government's 
ability to protect religious freedoms was handicapped by insurgency, 
terrorism, and sectarian violence. Following the U.S.-led coalition's 
removal of the Ba'athist regime in April 2003, the Coalition 
Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Governing Council 
administered the country pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions 
1483, 1500, and 1511, until the Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) was 
appointed on June 28, 2004. In January 2005, the country held its first 
free election, leading to the transitional government led by former 
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'afari in May 2005. During the October 15, 
2005 referendum, voters adopted a Constitution and, in a first step 
toward establishing a permanent government, elected members of the 
country's new legislature on December 15, 2005. The permanent 
government, led by Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki and the Constitution, 
came into office May 20, 2006.
    The Law for the Administration of the State of Iraq for the 
Transitional Period (TAL) was adopted on March 8, 2004, and was the 
operative law in the country until May 20, 2006 when the Constitution 
came into effect. The TAL and the Constitution established a 
republican, federal, democratic, and pluralistic system with powers 
shared among the federal and regional governments, including eighteen 
governorates. The TAL and Constitution also guarantee freedom of 
thought, conscience, religious belief and practice.
    Both the TAL and the Constitution recognize Islam as the official 
religion and state that no law may be enacted that contradicts the 
established provisions of Islam. While the Government generally 
endorsed these rights, its efforts to prevent or remedy violations were 
hampered by substantial political and religious violence between Sunni 
and Shi'a Muslims and by harassment of non-Muslims.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Since 2003, the Government 
has not engaged in the persecution of any religious group, calling 
instead for tolerance and acceptance of all religious minorities. 
However, long-standing discriminatory practices against the Baha'i and 
Wahhabi Sunni Muslims continued by some government institutions.
    While the Government generally respected the right of the 
individual to worship according to thought, conscience, and belief, 
private conservative and radical Islamic elements continued to exert 
tremendous pressure on other groups to conform to extremist 
interpretations of Islam's precepts. In addition, frequent attacks on 
religious places of worship, as well as sectarian violence, hampered 
the ability to practice religion freely. This sectarian violence was 
heightened by the February 22, 2006, attack on the al-Askariya Mosque 
in Samarra, one of the most significant Shi'a mosques in the world 
containing the mausoleums of the tenth and eleventh imams.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom problems with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Senior U.S. administration and Embassy officials called for unity in 
the face of sectarian violence, supported the inclusion of religious 
minorities in the political and Constitution drafting processes, and 
facilitated interfaith discussion with all members of the country's 
diverse religious communities.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 437,072 square miles and a population of 
26 million. An estimated 97 percent of the population is Muslim. Shi'a 
Muslims--predominantly Arab, but also including Turkmen, Faili Kurds, 
and other groups--constitute a 60 to 65 percent majority. Sunni Muslims 
make up 32 to 37 percent of the population, of whom approximately 18 to 
20 percent are Sunni Kurds, 12 to 16 percent Sunni Arabs, and the 
remainder Sunni Turkmen. The remaining 3 percent is comprised of 
Chaldeans (an eastern rite of the Catholic Church), Assyrians (Church 
of the East), Syriacs (Eastern Orthodox), Armenians (Roman Catholic and 
Eastern Orthodox), and Protestant Christians, as well as Yazidis, 
Sabean-Mondarans, Baha'is, Kaka'is (a small, syncretic religious group 
located in and around Kirkuk), and a small number of Jews. Shi'a, 
although predominantly located in the south, were also a majority in 
Baghdad and had communities in most parts of the country. Sunnis formed 
the majority in the center and the north of the country.
    According to official estimates, the number of Christians decreased 
from 1.4 million in 1987 to fewer than 1 million, with Catholics 
(Chaldeans) comprising the majority. Christian leaders estimated that 
approximately 700,000 Iraqi Christians lived abroad.
    Four of the five largest Christian communities were located in 
Mosul (150,000), Erbil (20,000-25,000), Dohuk (13,000), and Kirkuk 
(12,000). According to church leaders in Erbil and Mosul, Christians in 
the north accounted for roughly 30 percent of the country's Christian 
population.
    The Primate of the Armenian Diocese reported that approximately 
20,000 Armenian Christians remained in the country, primarily in the 
cities of Baghdad (12,000), Basrah, Kirkuk, and Mosul.
    There were approximately 225,000 Assyrian Christians and an 
estimated 750,000 Chaldeans (Eastern Rite Catholics). The Chaldean and 
Assyrian Christians are descendants of the earliest Christian 
communities, and they share a similar cultural and linguistic 
background. Both communities speak the same ancient language (Syriac); 
however, they are considered by many to be distinct ethnic groups. 
Chaldeans recognize the primacy of the Roman Catholic Pope, while the 
Assyrians, who are not Catholic, do not. While some Chaldeans and 
Assyrians considered themselves Arab, the majority, as well as the 
Government, considered both groups as ethnically distinct from Arabs 
and Kurds.
    The Yazidi are a religious group with ancient origins that 
encompass several different religious traditions comprising elements of 
Zoroastrianism, Manicheism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Gnostic 
beliefs and traditions. Yazidi do not intermarry with outsiders or 
accept converts. Defined by the former regime as Arabs, some Yazidi 
considered themselves to be Kurds, while others defined themselves as 
both religiously and ethnically distinct from Muslim Kurds. Most of the 
650,000 Yazidi resided in the North.
    Sabeans are an ancient religious group dating from the first three 
centuries and reflect numerous religious influences, including ancient 
Gnostic, Jewish, and Christian beliefs. The Sabean community continued 
to decline; according to Sabean leaders, an estimated 10,000 remained 
in the country. While some Sabeans fled the tyranny of the former 
regime, this decline could also be attributed to the fact that converts 
are not accepted, and those Sabeans who marry Christians or Muslims are 
no longer regarded as Sabean. The Kaka'i, sometimes referred to as Ahl-
e-Haqq, resided primarily in Kirkuk, Mosul, and Kankeen in the Diyala 
Province. Most are ethnic Kurds.
    There was no data available on active participation in religious 
services or rituals; however, terrorist attacks rendered many mosques, 
churches, and other holy sites unusable. Many worshippers reportedly 
did not attend religious services or participate in religious events 
because of the threat of violence. There were numerous reports of 
places of worship closing due to those threats.
    The Government provided significant support for the Hajj. The Sunni 
and Shi'a waqfs, or religious endowments, accepted applications from 
the public and submitted them to the Supreme Council for the Hajj.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution mirrors many of the same religious freedoms 
provided when the TAL was in effect. Both provide for freedom of 
religion, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice. While the Government endorsed this right, its efforts to 
prevent or remedy violations were hampered by substantial political and 
religious violence between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims and by harassment of 
non-Muslims.
    It is the Government's policy to protect the right of all religious 
groups to gather and worship freely; however, in practice, the ongoing 
insurgency impeded the ability of many citizens to exercise that right. 
Article 43 states that the followers of all religious groups and sects 
are free in the practice of religious rites, and in the management of 
religious endowments, their affairs, and their religious institutions. 
Article 10 of the Constitution establishes the state's commitment to 
assuring and maintaining the sanctity of holy shrines and religious 
sites, and to guaranteeing the free practice of rituals in them. The 
second clause of Article 43 of the Constitution reiterates this by 
explicitly guaranteeing the freedom of worship and the protection of 
places of worship.
    Deficiencies in security force capabilities and in the rule of law 
made it difficult for the justice system to investigate or address 
violations. Furthermore, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) did not 
operate at full capability during the reporting period and were unable 
to prevent or remedy violations of these rights.
    Although the Constitution generally provided for full religious 
freedom, it was heavily focused on the nation's Islamic identity. 
Article 2, which recognizes Islam as the country's official religion, 
mandates that Islam be considered a source of legislation and that no 
law be enacted which contradicts the faith's universally agreed tenets. 
On June 14, 2006, the Council of Representatives implemented bylaws 
requiring that a verse from the Qur'an be read before each session.
    The second clause of Article 2, however, stipulates that no law be 
enacted that contradicts the principles of democracy, or basic 
freedoms, which include the right to freedom of thought, conscience, 
and religious belief and practice. Article 14 of the Constitution 
establishes that citizens are equal before the law without 
discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, origin, 
color, religion, sect, belief, opinion, or economic or social status. 
Article 41 provides that citizens are free in their commitments to 
their personal status according to their religious groups, sects, 
beliefs, or choices.
    Many Muslim holy days are also national holidays, including, 
Ashura, Arbai'n, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and the Birth of the Prophet 
Muhammad. Although some non-Muslim holy days are recognized, such as 
Christmas, only Muslim holy days are officially recognized as national 
holidays.
    Non-Muslims complained that although the Government recognizes 
their religious holidays by law, in practice they were generally 
disregarded. Schools routinely scheduled examinations during non-Muslim 
holy days, and no special dispensation was given to students wishing to 
observe them.
    Religious groups are required to register with the Government. 
According to the Christian and Other Religions Endowment, approximately 
twenty foreign missionaries have applied to operate in the country 
since 2003; however, only ten remain in the country. After learning of 
the registration requirements, which include having at least 500 
followers, none of the organizations returned to complete the 
registration process.
    The Government permits religious instruction in public schools. In 
most areas of the country, students in both primary and secondary 
school must study Islam for approximately three hours daily as a 
requirement for graduation. Religious study is not mandatory in the 
north. Non-Muslim students are not required to participate in Islamic 
studies; however, some non-Muslim students reported that they felt 
pressure to do so. Alternative religious study is provided for in the 
curriculum of non-Muslim schools.
    Under civil law there is no penalty for conversion. Under Islamic 
law, conversion from Islam to another religion is a criminal offense 
subject to the death penalty. Article 1 of the Penal Code No. 111 of 
1969, however, mandates that criminal penalties can be imposed only by 
civil law. Despite the Shari'a punishment for conversion, the penal 
code does not import the Shari'a penalty, nor does it contain a similar 
penalty. The Law of Civil Affairs No. 65 of 1972 explicitly allows non-
Muslims to convert to Islam. The Constitution provides that citizens 
are to be free in their commitment to their personal status according 
to their religious groups, sects, beliefs, or choices, as regulated by 
law.
    Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) Resolution 201 of 2001, 
prohibits the Wahhabi branch of Islam and mandates the death penalty 
for adherents if the charge is proved. Law No. 105 of 1970, prohibits 
the Baha'i faith. Both are still part of the law.
    Provisions in the TAL and the Constitution provide for religious 
freedom. However, at the end of the reporting period, the Ministry of 
Interior's Nationality and Passport Section continued to follow the 
provisions of Regulation 358 of 1975 which prohibits the issuance of a 
nationality identity card to those claiming the Baha'i faith. Without 
this official citizenship card, Baha'i experienced difficulty 
registering their children in school and applying for passports.
    Although the Constitution, as well as the TAL before it, provides 
that any person who had his citizenship withdrawn shall have the right 
to demand its reinstatement, the Transitional National Assembly (TNA) 
passed a citizenship law on November 15, 2005, that, among other 
things, specifically precludes local Jews from regaining citizenship. 
The Presidency Council (the president and the two deputy presidents) 
sent a notice to the TNA that it was vetoing this legislation, but the 
TNA challenged the legal effectiveness of the notice. The law came into 
effect in March 2006, when it was published in the Official Gazette.
    Although the Personal Status Law of 1959 calls for incorporation of 
Shari'a into the law in the absence of legislative text on a matter, 
Article 2(1) expressly exempts from its application, individuals 
covered by special law. Such special law includes British Proclamation 
No. 6 of 1917 and the Personal Status Law of Foreigners, No. 38 of 
1931. Proclamation No. 6 provides that the civil courts consult the 
religious authority of the non-Muslim parties for its opinion under the 
applicable religious law and apply this opinion in court. The Personal 
Status Law of Foreigners requires that courts apply the municipal law 
of the foreign litigants to resolve their domestic law matters.
    Article 92 (Second) of the Constitution provides that the Federal 
Supreme Court shall be made up of a number of judges, experts in 
Islamic jurisprudence, and legal scholars. The law is supposed to 
regulate the number, method of selection, and work of the Court. At the 
end of the period covered by this report, the law had not been enacted, 
leaving unsettled the question of whether Islamic jurisprudence experts 
would serve as consultants and advisors to the judges or as members of 
the court.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practices generally did not interfere with 
the free practice of religion; however, the ongoing insurgency 
significantly harmed the ability of all religious believers to practice 
their faith. Additionally, sectarian misappropriation of official 
authority within the security apparatus impeded the right of citizens 
to worship freely.
    All political parties participated in the December 15, 2005, 
election, including the Sunni Arab parties that had boycotted the 
January elections. The two Sunni Arab coalitions won a total of fifty-
five seats in the Council of Representatives (COR). Sunni Arabs held 
the positions of vice president and speaker of the COR, as well as 
several ministerial positions.
    The Government did not restrict the formation of political parties 
based on religious beliefs, or interpretations of religious doctrine. 
Although the political coalitions competing in the December elections 
were based predominantly on religion or ethnicity, religious belief or 
ethnicity was not a requirement for participation in all cases. For 
example, the Kurdish List, which won 21 percent of the seats in the 
COR, included Sunnis, Shi'a, Christians, and Yazidi; the Iraqiyun List 
also included a variety of ethnicities and religious groups. Likewise, 
the winning Shi'a Coalition, although predominantly Shi'a Islamists, 
also included religious and ethnic minorities, such as Sunnis, Yazidi, 
Kurds, Turkmen, and Shabak. The United Iraqi Alliance also included 
secular Shi'a and political independents not associated with any 
religious party.
    Although the transitional government publicly supported the freedom 
of all individuals to worship as they chose, there were some reports of 
discrimination by Shi'a elements in the Government against Sunni and 
non-Muslim minorities. The Wahhabi branch of Islam and the Baha'i faith 
are prohibited by law; however, the respective provisions of the TAL 
and provisions within the Constitution on freedom of religion may 
supercede these laws. Nonetheless, by the end of the reporting period, 
no court had ruled on these laws as no challenges had been brought.
    The Personal Status Law of Foreigners requires that courts apply 
the municipal law of the foreign litigants to resolve their domestic 
law matters. Despite this exception in the 1959 Personal Status Law, 
there are instances in which this law, based on Shari'a principles, 
applies to non-Muslims, thereby overriding rules particular to their 
religion. For instance, the law forbids the marriage of a Muslim woman 
to a non-Muslim; also, in the distribution of inheritance, a female 
receives one-half of what a male receives. These provisions could be 
considered inconsistent with Article 14 of the Constitution, which 
guarantees equal protection under the law without discrimination based 
on gender or religion. No court has yet ruled on this issue.
    Many residents on the Ninewah Plain, who are mostly non-Muslim, 
were better able to participate in the October 2005 Constitutional 
referendum and December 2005 national election. Although the Chaldean 
and Assyrian Christian communities were anticipating barriers to 
voting--similar to those in January 2005--there were few documented 
cases of voter intimidation according to the Independent Electoral 
Commission of Iraq (IECI).
    Passports do not indicate an individual's religion; however, 
religion is explicitly noted on the national identity card.
    Government employees were not prohibited from displaying elements 
of their religion.
    Students generally were not prohibited from practicing elements of 
their faith in school; however, during the reporting period, non-Muslim 
minorities and secular Arabs in some schools were increasingly forced, 
often under the threat of violence, to adhere to conservative Islamic 
practices. During the reporting period, Basrah's education director 
instituted a policy requiring all females in the schools to cover their 
heads and all female university students in Mosul, even non-Muslims, 
were required to wear the hijab, or headscarf.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Government does not officially engage in or tolerate abuses of 
an individual's right to religious freedom. However, the Government 
focused most of its resources and attention on the ongoing insurgency 
and reconstruction efforts during the reporting period; thus, it did 
not have the capacity to address issues relating to abuses of freedom 
of religion.
    Many attributed the escalating violence in the country, especially 
the tremendous upsurge in sectarian violence following the February 22, 
2006, bombing of the al-Askariya Shrine ``Golden Mosque'' in Samarra to 
terrorists attempting to sow sectarian strife. Sectarian attacks and 
reprisals following the Samarra bombing, were estimated to have claimed 
more than one thousand lives and damaged more than sixty mosques across 
the country. In the aftermath of the Samarra bombing, it became 
increasingly difficult to determine how much of the violence was based 
on religious affiliations rather than criminal elements.
    The Sunni Arab community often cited police raids of its mosques 
and religious sites as an example of targeting by the Shi'a-dominated 
government.
    On May 19, 2005, for example, security forces raided Baghdad's 
prominent Sunni Abu Hanifa Mosque as Friday prayers were ending, 
reportedly to detain alleged terrorists. Local leaders complained that 
security forces used tear gas and abused women. The prime minister 
subsequently provided compensation for damages to the Sunni religious 
endowment office and promised a full investigation of the incident.
    On June 9, 2005, police broke into Amarra's Sunni Hetteen Mosque in 
the south charging that it harbored terrorists. Subsequently, the 
police turned the mosque over to the Shi'a Endowment Office, which 
changed its name to Fatima Al Zahraa Mosque.
    There were allegations that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) 
engaged in discriminatory behavior against religious minorities. 
Christians living north of Mosul claimed that the KRG confiscated their 
property without compensation and began building settlements on their 
land. Assyrian Christians also alleged that the Kurdistan Democratic 
Party (KDP)-dominated judiciary routinely discriminated against non-
Muslims and failed to enforce judgments in their favor. Despite the 
allegations of KRG discrimination against religious minorities, many 
non-Muslims fled north from the more volatile areas in the middle and 
southern parts of the country where pressures to conform publicly to 
narrow interpretations of Islamic teaching were greater.
    Sunni Arab leaders accused the Badr Organization, an armed militia 
of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and 
the Jaysh al-Mehdi Shi'a militia, of assassinating Sunni clerics. The 
Badr Organization group claimed it had relinquished its weaponry and 
become a strictly political organization. However, by the end of the 
reporting period, reports of Jaysh al-Mehdi militia attacks on Sunni 
residents and places of worship were increasing.
    The Armenian Church of Iraq was working with government officials 
to regain properties that the former regime forced it to sell. Although 
the Church was paid fair market value for six properties in Mosul, 
Basrah, Kirkuk, Baghdad, and Dohuk, it was forced to sell the 
properties under pressure. Church officials stated that discussions 
with the Government yielded no results during the reporting period; 
however, they were optimistic about the KRG's return of property in the 
north.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversions
    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. However, there were reports that Islamic 
extremists threatened, kidnapped, and killed Mandaeans for refusing to 
convert to Islam.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
    While the general lawlessness that permitted criminal gangs, 
terrorists, and insurgents to victimize citizens with impunity affected 
persons of all ethnicities and religious groups, many individuals were 
targeted because of their religious identity or secular leanings. 
Individuals were victims of not only harassment and intimidation but 
also kidnapping and even killings. Women and girls were often 
threatened, assaulted with acid, and killed for refusing to wear the 
hijab or for dressing in western-style clothing. On August 5, 2005, 
Assyrian college student Anita Tyadors was killed in the Zohoor region 
of Mosul. She was reportedly targeted for her modern lifestyle, 
including speaking English and wearing Western clothing. Some women 
claimed they were denied employment and educational opportunities 
because they were non-Muslim, did not dress in accordance with 
conservative Islamic norms, or did not sufficiently adhere to strict 
interpretations of religious rules governing public behavior.
    On March 15, 2005, Muqtada al-Sadr loyalists attacked picnicking 
Basrah University students, claiming they were violating the principles 
of Islam with their western-style clothing, and by singing, and 
dancing. The Sadrists fired guns at the students and beat them with 
sticks. Police were present during the incident but did not intervene. 
University officials reported that at least fifteen students were 
hospitalized, many with serious injuries. One student reportedly died 
in the incident.
    Islamist militants harassed shopkeepers for providing goods or 
services they considered to be inconsistent with Islam and sometimes 
killed them for failing to comply with warnings to stop such activity. 
Liquor storeowners, primarily Christians and Yazidi, were especially 
targeted. Liquor stores in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basrah were bombed, 
looted, and defaced. More than fifty liquor stores operated by 
Assyrians in Baghdad were closed during the reporting period due to 
threats by Islamic extremists.
    The Christian and Other Religions Endowment reported that, after a 
series of church bombings and incidents of violence targeting 
Christians over the past two years, more than 200,000 non-Muslims left 
the country or fled to the North. Many remained in Jordan or Syria 
awaiting improvement in the security situation.
    A succession of car bombs on January 29, 2006, targeted Christian 
churches in Baghdad and Mosul. Attacks on the Catholic Church of the 
Virgin Mary and the Orthodox Church in Kirkuk, and Saint Joseph's 
Catholic Church and an Anglican Church in Baghdad killed at least three 
persons and injured nine. The same day, a car bomb also exploded 
outside the residence of the Apostolic Nuncio (also referred to as the 
Vatican Embassy).
    Christian leaders inside and outside of the country reported that 
members of their Baghdad community received threat letters demanding 
that Christians leave or be killed. Thousands of Christians reportedly 
left their neighborhoods to live with family either in other 
neighborhoods, or outside of Baghdad.
    Both Shi'a and Sunni Muslims reported receiving death threat 
letters demanding that they leave their neighborhoods following the 
attack on the al-Askiriya mosque. More than 100,000 Shi'a and Sunnis 
reportedly left their homes to avoid these threats. Some were living in 
internally displaced camps, while the majority sought refuge with 
families or through religious community support systems.
    During the reporting period, Sabean leaders reported that their 
community was increasingly targeted. In the spring of 2006, Sabeans 
began to receive death threat letters accusing them of practicing 
sorcery and urging them to leave the country. According to estimates, 
more than ten Sabaeans were killed and ten to fifteen Sabaeans were 
kidnapped for ransom during the reporting period. There were also 
reports that Islamic extremists threatened, kidnapped, and killed 
Sabaeans for refusing to convert to Islam.
    The Yazidi community reported that eleven Yazidis were killed 
during the reporting period, including Ninewa Provincial Council member 
Hasan Nermo, who was assassinated on April 20, 2006.
    In addition to targeting non-Muslims, terrorists continued to 
attack both Sunni and Shi'a communities during the reporting period. 
Insurgents attacked mosques in Sunni and Shi'a neighborhoods and killed 
clerics, other religious leaders, and private citizens of both sects. 
There were also accusations that both insurgents and militia wore 
police uniforms to incite sectarian violence and discredit the 
Government in the eyes of the public.
    On July 16, 2005, a suicide bomber killed more than ninety-eight 
people and injured more than 130 in a suicide attack in front of a 
Shi'a mosque in Musayyab. The explosion occurred as worshipers were 
emerging from evening prayers. The same mosque was also targeted in a 
suicide attack on November 2, 2006, which killed at least twenty 
persons. In that attack, a bomber exploded on a minibus in front of the 
mosque as persons were arriving for sunset prayers.
    On September 14, 2005, Baghdad was hit by at least a dozen attacks 
that appeared to target Shi'a civilians. Violence continued two days 
later, with an attack on a Shi'a mosque in Tuz Khurmatu in Salah ad Din 
province that killed fourteen, and assassinations of Shi'a clerics in 
Mosul and the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad. In an internet 
posting, Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the series of 
attacks and declared an ``all out war'' on Shi'a in the country.
    On October 5, 2005, a bomb planted in the doorway of a Shi'a mosque 
in Hilla killed at least twenty-five and injured more than eighty-
seven. The bomb at the Ibn al-Nama mosque exploded as worshippers 
gathered for prayers on the first day of Ramadan.
    On November 18, suicide bombers struck two Shi'a mosques in the 
town of Khanaqin, near the Iranian border. More than ninety persons 
were killed in the midday attacks, as worshippers gathered for Friday 
prayers. Both the Greater and Smaller Khanaqin mosques were destroyed 
in the attacks.
    The February 22, 2006, bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra 
led to an increase in sectarian violence. Those who attacked the Golden 
Mosque sought to exploit divisions among the population and the 
political leadership. The Government and religious leaders alike, in a 
demonstration of national unity, condemned the attacks and called for 
an end to sectarian unrest. Many families fled mixed neighborhoods for 
fear of attack, and estimates indicated that between 50,000 and 80,000 
persons were internally displaced. Although the majority of the 
displaced were Shi'a, almost 25 percent of the families were Sunni. 
Reports also indicated that as many as one thousand Christians were 
also displaced due to threats and intimidation.
    On March 24, 2006, a bomb planted outside a Sunni mosque in the 
town of Khalis killed five persons and injured seventeen others. The 
explosion at the Sunni Saad Bin Abi Waqqas mosque occurred as 
worshippers were leaving from Friday prayers.
    On April 6, 2006, a car bomb exploded approximately 300 meters from 
the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf. At least thirteen persons were killed in 
the attack against the most revered holy site for Shi'a Muslims in the 
country.
    On April 7, 2006, three suicide bombers attacked a Shi'a mosque in 
Baghdad, killing at least seventy-nine persons. The attack on the 
Baratha mosque, which is affiliated with the largest Shi'a political 
party, occurred as Friday prayers were ending. Two of the bombers 
detonated in the crowded courtyard, while the third exploded at the 
main exit. The Baratha mosque was again attacked on June 16, 2006.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Despite the tenuous security environment and the Government's 
preoccupation with fighting the insurgency and rebuilding the country's 
infrastructure, significant improvements were made with respect for 
religious freedom during the reporting period.
    While the Sunni minority did not broadly participate in the January 
elections, resulting in only nominal representation in the TNA, the 
transitional government made some efforts to encourage Sunni 
participation in the political and Constitutional development 
processes. Members of all minority and religious groups participated in 
the October Constitutional referendum, approving a Constitution that 
protects the rights of all citizens, regardless of religious 
affiliation. Although there was some initial concern from minority 
leaders, especially Christians, about the extensive role of Islam in 
the Constitution, the Government has reached out to these leaders to 
assure them that their rights as minorities are protected. During the 
transitional government administration, both President Talabani and 
Prime Minister Jafari met with Chaldean (Catholic) Patriarch Emmanuel 
III Delly in September 2005 to discuss Constitutional concerns. Foreign 
Minister Hoshyar Zebari met with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on August 
26, 2005, to discuss religious freedom and legal rights for Christians 
in the country. Zebari attended a Catholic Church sponsored conference 
in Italy. Later, in November 2005, President Talabani also discussed 
religious freedom with the Pope.
    Despite violence against Christian communities, fifteen new 
evangelical Christian congregations have reportedly been established in 
Baghdad since April 2003. Under the previous regime, only two 
evangelical churches--both Presbyterian and led by Egyptian nationals--
were allowed to exist. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
Baptists, Methodists, and other Christian congregations emerged, all 
led by local clergy.
    During the reporting period, Government leaders repeatedly spoke of 
the need for all citizens to unite--regardless of religious 
orientation--to confront terrorism. Government leaders often emphasized 
their commitment to equal treatment for all religious groups and 
ethnicities. Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari frequently expressed 
his concern over implications of Government involvement in violence 
against the Sunni Arab minority. By the end of the reporting period, no 
information regarding investigations into alleged ISF abuses or 
punishment of perpetrators had been released to the public. The 
Government also made clear it would not exempt mosques and homes of 
religious leaders from assault if they were being used as insurgent 
strongholds.
    The Government publicly denounced all incidents of sectarian 
violence and, as such violence escalated in late February, repeatedly 
encouraged unity among the county's religious sects. Both President 
Jalal Talabani and former Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari immediately 
condemned the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra and called for 
calm as sectarian tensions flared.
    Religious leaders reported that they generally had good relations 
and worked together to promote interfaith understanding. The Sabeans 
sought the assistance of the Grand Ayatollah Sistani, SCIRI's Hakim, 
Prime Minister Jafari, and Muqtada al-Sadr in supporting minority 
rights.
    Religious leaders of all religious groups condemned the terrorist 
acts committed by the insurgency and urged the country's religious 
communities to refrain from retaliation and join together to end the 
violence.
    After the Samarra bombing, Sunni and Shi'a religious leaders in 
cities across the country joined together for joint prayer services in 
protest of sectarian violence. In early March 2006, representatives of 
the Sunni Muslims Scholars Association visited Grand Ayatollah Al 
Sistani and the Marjaiya, or the Shi'a supreme religious authorities, 
in Najaf to discuss ways to calm the sectarian violence and unite the 
population.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The country's cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity is far 
better reflected in its political and economic structure than prior to 
the 2003 liberation. Shi'a Arabs, the religious majority of the 
population, were long disadvantaged economically, politically, and 
socially but now constitute the majority in the Government.
    Despite these changes, conservative and extremist Islamic elements 
continued to exert tremendous pressure on society to conform to their 
interpretations of Islam's precepts. Although this impacted both the 
Sunni and Shi'a secular Muslim population, non-Muslims were especially 
vulnerable to the pressure and violence because of their minority 
status and the lack of protection provided by a tribal structure.
    Sunni Muslims claimed general discrimination, alleging revenge by 
the Shi'a majority for the Sunnis' presumed favored status under the 
former regime, but also because of the public's perception that the 
insurgency was composed primarily of Sunni extremists and former regime 
elements with whom the majority of the Sunni population supposedly 
sympathized. While some within the Sunni community supported and even 
assisted the insurgency, many denounced the terrorism as vocally as 
their non-Sunni counterparts.
    Non-Muslims, particularly Christians, complained of being isolated 
by the Muslim majority because of their religious differences. Despite 
their statistically proportional representation in the National 
Assembly, many non-Muslims said they were disenfranchised and their 
interests not adequately represented.
    The combination of discriminatory hiring practices, attacks against 
non-Muslim businesses, and the overall lack of rule of law, have also 
had a detrimental economic impact on the non-Muslim community and 
contributed to the significant numbers of non-Muslims who left the 
country. The Armenian Diocese estimated that the number of destitute 
Armenian Christians, for example, had grown by 50 percent since 2003, a 
condition exacerbated by the inadequate security environment, which 
hampers Armenian Christians' ability to find employment. Terrorist 
threats have compelled tens of thousands of Christians, including 
Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholics, to leave the country in the 
wake of church bombings in 2004 and early 2006.
    Terrorist threats also caused thousands of Sunni and Shi'a to leave 
their homes and flee to more tolerant neighborhoods or leave the 
country altogether. The magnitude of sectarian attacks on both Sunnis 
and Shi'a was extremely high, albeit difficult to track.
    Anti-Semitic feeling remained a strong undercurrent during the 
reporting year. According to the head of the Christian and Other 
Religions Endowment, the country's 2,700-year-old Jewish population had 
dwindled to less than fifteen persons in the Baghdad area.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
    The U.S. Government is committed to promoting religious freedom and 
continues to work closely with the Government on this as part of its 
overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. officials at all levels, 
including the Secretary of State, regularly engaged the Government on 
problems relating to freedom of religion. This took the form of public 
statements calling for unity in the face of sectarian violence, high-
level meetings with government officials and religious leaders, and 
working-level interaction urging representatives of the Government and 
religious organizations to include minorities. The Embassy also 
facilitated interfaith discussion by hosting meetings, roundtables, and 
other events with all member religious groups of the country's diverse 
religious communities and funded training, seminars, conferences, and 
exchange programs to promote religious understanding and tolerance.
    The Embassy's primary focus during the reporting period was on 
reducing sectarian violence, increasing Sunni and non-Muslim inclusion 
in the political and Constitutional development processes, and 
increasing interfaith understanding. The United States worked to 
increase Sunni inclusion in the political process by providing 
technical assistance to Sunni leaders. U.S.-funded projects worked with 
religious minorities by bringing together members of different 
religious and ethnic backgrounds to discuss common problems. The United 
States also conducted a significant amount of conflict mitigation at 
the local level through its Community Action Program (CAP). Under the 
CAP, community groups were formed with diverse membership, including 
women and youth, in an effort to promote reconciliation. In ethnically 
or religiously mixed communities, these community groups included 
representatives from all segments of society. These groups identified 
and prioritized their needs and developed projects to address those 
needs. The projects did not specifically target any one ethnic or 
religious group for assistance. Rather, they sought opportunities to 
bridge differences.
    The Iraqi Institute of Peace (IIP), an interfaith dialogue center 
established with financial and organizational support from the U.S 
Institute of Peace, continued to focus on mitigating conflict and 
building peace primarily through its forum work. IIP forums target 
specific groups such as women, youth, and the media, and focus on key 
topics such as human rights and religious dialogue.
    IIP forums have promoted tolerance and peace through democracy 
building. They played a critical role in the drafting of the 
Constitution by educating the public about the process and made a 
concerted effort to encourage Sunnis, who had boycotted the January 
2005 elections, to participate in the process. Conferences and forums 
educating citizens about the Constitutional referendum and the national 
election were also held.
    In addition to promoting peace through democratic reform, IIP 
regularly meets with tribal leaders, senior clerics and community 
leaders in tension-filled areas to improve dialogue and mitigate 
conflict. IIP, along with a network of affiliated NGOs, also organized 
Brotherhood Day events during Ramadan in assorted cities. These events 
were attended by clerics of different religious sects, tribal sheiks, 
and other notables who held common prayers and signed declarations of 
brotherhood.
                               __________

                               ISRAEL\1\

    The country has no Constitution; however, the law provides for 
freedom of worship, and the Government generally respects this right.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ The religious freedom situation in the Occupied Territories is 
discussed in the annex appended to this report.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion; however, 
problems continued to exist, stemming primarily from the unequal 
treatment of religious minorities, and from the state's recognition of 
only Orthodox Jewish religious authorities in personal and some civil 
status matters concerning Jews.
    Relations among religious groups--between Jews and non-Jews, 
Muslims and Christians, secular and religious Jews, and among the 
different streams of Judaism--often were strained. Tensions between 
Israeli Jews and Arabs increased significantly after the start of the 
second Intifada (or uprising) in 2000 when the police killed twelve 
Israeli-Arab demonstrators, prompting a three-year public inquiry and 
investigation. The Orr Commission of Inquiry established to investigate 
the killings found certain police officers guilty of wrongdoing, and 
concluded in 2003 that the ``government's handling of the Arab sector 
has been primarily neglectful and discriminatory,'' that it ``did not 
show sufficient sensitivity to the needs of the Arab population, and 
did not take enough action to allocate state resources in an equal 
manner.'' The Police Investigation Department (PID) decided in 
September 2005 not to indict any police officers for the killings. The 
Government then announced that the Deputy State Attorney would review 
the PID decision, and has allowed Adalah, an Arab-Israeli advocacy 
group, to examine the investigation files so that the organization 
could prepare a summary of its findings for the Deputy State Attorney. 
Tensions remained high due to institutional, legal, and societal 
discrimination against the country's Arab citizens.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom problems with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    Based on its pre-1967 borders, the country has an area of 
approximately 7,685 square miles, and its population is approximately 7 
million, of which 5.6 million are Jews (including Jewish settlers who 
live in the Occupied Territories), approximately 1.3 million are Arabs, 
and approximately 290,000 are members of other minorities. Although the 
Government defined nearly 80 percent of the population as Jewish, 
approximately 306,000 of these citizens did not qualify as Jews 
according to the Orthodox Jewish definition or the definition used by 
the Government for civil procedures. According to a government survey 
conducted in 2004 and published in 2005, approximately 8 percent of the 
Jewish population were Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox, and another 9 
percent were Orthodox, while 39 percent described themselves as 
``traditionally observant'' or ``traditional,'' and 44 percent 
described themselves as ``secular'' Jews, most of whom observed some 
Jewish traditions. A growing but still small number of traditional and 
secular Jews associated themselves with the Conservative, Reform, and 
Reconstructionist streams of Judaism, which are not officially 
recognized for purposes of civil and personal status matters involving 
their adherents. Although the Government does not officially recognize 
them, these streams of Judaism received a small amount of Government 
funding and were recognized by the country's courts.
    Numerous religious groups are represented in the country. Slightly 
less than twenty percent of the population is non-Jewish and the vast 
majority of them are ethnically Arab. Of this number, Muslims 
constitute approximately twelve percent, Christians 3.5 percent, Druze 
1.5 percent, and adherents of other religious approximately 0.5 
percent. The non-Jewish populations were concentrated in the north, in 
Bedouin communities in the Negev region in the south, and in the narrow 
band of Arab villages in the central part of the country adjacent to 
the Occupied Territories. Relatively small communities of evangelical 
Christians, Messianic Jews (those who consider themselves Jewish but 
believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah), and Jehovah's Witnesses also 
resided throughout the country. In an April 2005,` media report, a 
leader of the Jewish Messianic community estimated that the Messianic 
Jewish population numbers approximately 10,000 persons. Media sources 
also indicated that the number of Messianic Jews had grown rapidly over 
the past decade, with many new adherents coming from the Russian 
immigrant community.
    The Government reported that approximately 60,000 to 70,000 legal 
foreign workers lived in the country, and estimated that another 50,000 
to 70,000 illegal foreign workers resided in the country. Two local 
non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) advocating for workers' rights 
placed the number of legal foreign workers closer to 100,000, and 
estimated that another approximately 100,000 illegal foreign workers 
lived in the country. Most of the foreign workers were Roman Catholic, 
Orthodox Christian, Buddhist, or Hindu.
    The Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty describes the country as 
a ``Jewish'' and ``democratic'' state. Most members of the non-Jewish 
minority were generally free to practice their religions but were 
subject to various forms of discrimination, some of which have 
religious dimensions.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    There is no Constitution; however, the law provides for freedom of 
worship, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. 
The declaration of independence describes the country as a ``Jewish 
state,'' but provides for full social and political equality regardless 
of religious affiliation. While the law explicitly guarantees freedom 
of religion and the safeguarding of ``holy places of all religions,'' 
inequities exist. Israeli-Arabs and other non-Jews generally were free 
to practice their religions; however, discrepancies in treatment 
existed between Jews and various non-Jewish communities, and between 
Orthodox Jews and Jews of non-Orthodox affiliations.
    The ``status quo'' agreement reached at the founding of the state, 
which has been upheld throughout the state's history, guarantees the 
Government will implement certain policies based on Orthodox Jewish 
interpretations of religious law. For example, the Government does not 
recognize Jewish marriages performed in the country unless they are 
performed by the Orthodox Jewish establishment. The Orthodox Jewish 
establishment also determines who is buried in Jewish state cemeteries, 
limiting this right to individuals considered ``Jewish'' by the 
Orthodox standards. In addition, the national airline El Al and public 
buses in every city but Haifa do not operate on Saturday, the Jewish 
Sabbath; however, several private bus companies do. Additionally, 
streets in most Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods are closed to vehicles on 
the Sabbath. According to the Law on Work and Rest Hours of 1951, which 
was upheld by the Supreme Court in April 2005, Jews in most professions 
are prohibited from working on the Sabbath unless they are granted a 
special permit by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Employment. 
According to the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), however, the 
Government often chooses not to enforce the law.
    In April 2004, the High Court rejected a petition demanding that 
the Ministry of the Interior enforce the prohibition on the public 
display of leavened products for sale during the Passover holiday, but 
it did not rule on the legality of the prohibition. Then, in March 
2005, following the interior minister's announcement that he would not 
enforce the prohibition, then-Prime Minister Sharon reportedly 
instructed the minister to enforce the prohibition. In recent practice, 
however, the Government has not enforced this law, according to IRAC. 
There were no reports of its enforcement during the reporting period. 
In regions inhabited primarily by non-Jews, bread was displayed and 
sold openly during Passover.
    In 2003, the High Court suspended several municipal prohibitions 
and curbs on the sale of pork and instructed municipalities to allow 
sales of pork in neighborhoods where no more than an unspecified, small 
portion of the residents would object on religious grounds. The result 
of the decision was to allow each municipality to determine on its own 
whether to allow the sale of pork.
    The law recognizes as ``religious communities'' those recognized by 
and carried over from the British Mandate period (1920-1946), during 
which Great Britain administered present-day Israel and the Occupied 
Territories. These include: Eastern Orthodox, Latin (Roman Catholic), 
Gregorian-Armenian, Armenian-Catholic, Syrian (Catholic), Chaldean 
(Uniate), Greek Catholic Melkite, Maronite, Syrian Orthodox, and 
Jewish. Since the founding of the country, the Government has 
recognized three additional religious communities--the Druze (a 
monotheistic offshoot of Islam) in 1957, the Evangelical Episcopal 
Church in 1970, and the Baha'i in 1971. The status of several Christian 
denominations with representation in the country has been defined by a 
collection of ad hoc arrangements with various Government agencies. The 
fact that the Muslim population was not defined as a religious 
community was a vestige of the Ottoman period, where Islam was the 
dominant religion, and it does not limit Muslims from practicing their 
faith. The Government allows members of unrecognized religions the 
freedom to practice their religion. According to the Government, there 
were no religious groups awaiting recognition during the reporting 
period.
    With some exceptions, each recognized religious community has legal 
authority over its members in matters of marriage, divorce, and burial. 
Legislation enacted in 1961 afforded the Muslim courts exclusive 
jurisdiction to rule in matters of personal status concerning Muslims. 
For so-called ``unrecognized religions,'' no local religious tribunals 
exercised jurisdiction over their members in matters of personal 
status. In addition, unlike recognized religious communities, 
unrecognized religious communities do not receive government funding 
for their religious services. The Arrangements Law provides exemption 
from municipal taxes for any place of worship of a recognized faith. 
Exemption from tax payments is also granted to churches that have not 
been officially recognized by law. In several cases, the Government has 
interpreted that exemption from municipal taxes to apply only to that 
portion of the property of religious organizations that was actually 
used for religious worship. Not-for-profit religious schools also 
receive tax exemptions. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) had tax-
exemption status for its hospital on the Mount of Olives for more than 
thirty years until the District Court revoked this privilege in 2002. 
After several rescheduled hearings, the Supreme Court was scheduled to 
hear LWF's case for tax exemption on May 22, 2006.
    Secular courts have primacy over questions of inheritance, but 
parties, by mutual agreement, may bring such cases to religious courts. 
Jewish and Druze families may ask for some family status matters, such 
as alimony and child custody in divorces, to be adjudicated in civil 
courts as an alternative to religious courts. Christians may ask that 
child custody and child support cases be adjudicated in civil courts 
rather than in religious courts. Muslims have the right to bring 
matters such as alimony and property division associated with divorce 
cases to civil courts in family-status matters. However, paternity 
cases remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of Shari'a courts. There 
is no overarching law or directive that prescribes these varying 
approaches.
    The Supreme Court ruled in April that rabbinic courts may not 
arbitrate property disputes between a divorced husband and wife. This 
ruling has, in effect, repudiated the authority of the rabbinic courts 
to serve as arbitrators in all financial disputes, even if neither 
party in the dispute objects to the courts playing this role. Although 
the rabbinic courts have ruled on financial matters since before the 
establishment of the state, their jurisdiction has never been 
established in law. In response to the Supreme Court ruling, the 
rabbinic courts initiated a Knesset bill to secure in law their 
jurisdiction over financial matters, which they presented in June to 
the Justice Ministry for its consideration. In March 2004, the Ministry 
of Religious Affairs was officially dismantled and its 300 employees 
were reassigned to several other ministries. As a result, the Ministry 
of the Interior now has jurisdiction over religious matters concerning 
non-Jewish groups; the Ministry of Tourism is responsible for the 
protection and upkeep of all holy sites, and the Prime Minister's 
office has jurisdiction over the nation's 133 religious councils (one 
Druze and the rest Jewish) that oversee the provision of religious 
services to their respective communities. Legislation establishing 
religious councils does not include non-Jewish religious communities 
other than the Druze. Instead, the Ministry of the Interior directly 
funds religious services for recognized non-Jewish communities. The 
state, through the Prime Minister's office, continues to finance 
approximately 40 percent of the religious councils' budgets, and local 
authorities fund the remainder. According to government figures, the 
2005 state budget included approximately $31.5 million (Shekels (NIS) 
140,000,000) for religious councils.
    According to government budget figures, during 2005 the budget for 
religious services and religious structures for the Jewish population 
totaled approximately $260 million (NIS 1.19 billion). Religious 
minorities, which comprised approximately 20 percent of the population, 
received approximately $13 million (NIS 61 million), or 5 percent of 
total funding. Of these totals, the Government reported that the 2005 
budget for Jewish religious services was approximately $55.5 million 
(NIS 250,000,000). The 2005 religious services budget for the non-
Jewish communities, including the Druze, totaled approximately $6.5 
million (NIS 29,250,000). At least $209 million (NIS 960 million), 
comprising approximately 80 percent of the budget for Jewish religious 
services and education, went toward Orthodox services, Orthodox rabbis' 
salaries, and Orthodox educational institutions.
    Arab advocacy groups continued to charge that the state did not 
allocate adequate or proportional funds for the provision of religious 
services in Arab towns and villages. A reputable representative of the 
Arab Christian community criticized the Government in April 2005 for 
not allocating enough funds for Christian institutions. The Government 
claimed, however, that funding for religious services in Arab 
communities has been proportional to the percentage of the total 
population that these communities comprise. The Government did not 
provide evidence to support its claim.
    Under the Law of Return, the Government grants immigration and 
residence rights to individuals who meet established criteria defining 
Jewish identity. Included in this definition is a child or grandchild 
of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew, and the 
spouse of a grandchild of a Jew. A separate, more rigorous standard 
based on Orthodox Jewish criteria is used to determine the right to 
full citizenship, entitlement to government financial support for 
immigrants, the legitimacy of conversions to Judaism performed within 
the country, and Jewish status for purposes of personal and some civil 
status problems. Residency rights are not granted to relatives of 
converts to Judaism, except for children of female converts who are 
born after the mother's conversion is complete. The Law of Return does 
not apply to non-Jews or to persons of Jewish descent who have 
converted to another faith. Approximately 36 percent of the country's 
Jewish population was born outside of the country.
    The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) charged that the 
Ministry of the Interior's Population Registry subjected non-Jewish 
spouses and non-Jewish adopted children of Jewish immigrants to unfair 
and at times arbitrary policies for proving the bona fides of their 
relationship for residency purposes. Most of these cases involved 
persons who immigrated under the Law of Return from the former Soviet 
republics and their non-Jewish spouses and non-Jewish adopted children. 
In August 2004, the minister of the interior acknowledged the problems 
and took steps to change certain policies. For example, in August 2004, 
the minister of interior announced that he was canceling his ministry's 
requirement that immigrants from the former Soviet republics deposit a 
$7,000 (30,000-shekel) bank guarantee before allowing their non-Jewish 
spouses to enter the country. The deposit was to be returned once the 
spouse was granted residency.
    In 2003, the Government began issuing new and replacement 
identification cards that do not carry a ``nationality'' (i.e., usually 
religious) designation. Citizens and residents are still required to 
register with the Ministry of the Interior's Population Registry as one 
of a set list of nationalities. Immediately prior to this reporting 
period, the Ministry of the Interior issued to individuals arriving in 
the country immigration forms with an item for travelers to list their 
religion. Immigration officials were inconsistent in seeking 
compliance, and the form has since been amended to omit any questions 
on religious affiliation.
    Politicians, media outlets, and many ordinary citizens criticized 
the Government's practice of granting military draft exemptions and 
living allowances to full-time yeshiva students. Under the Tal Law, 
ultra-Orthodox Jews are entitled to exemption from military service to 
pursue religious studies. This exemption allows ultra-Orthodox Jews to 
postpone military service in one-year increments to pursue full-time 
religious studies at recognized yeshivas, or religious schools. These 
students must renew their deferments each year by proving that they are 
full-time students. At the age of twenty-two, the yeshiva students are 
given one year to decide whether to continue to study full time with 
yearly renewals until they reach the age of forty; to perform community 
service for one year, and thereafter, twenty-one days each year until 
the age of forty; or to serve in the army until they finish their 
military service requirement. According to the Government, 
approximately 9 percent of all male candidates for military service 
have deferments as full-time yeshiva students, up from 7.3 percent in 
2000.
    In July 2005, the justice minister wrote to the prime minister to 
report that the Tal Law had been implemented ``unsatisfactorily, to say 
the least,'' and insisted that ``an immediate change to the situation 
is needed.'' In the three years since the law took effect, between 2002 
and 2005, only about 1,100 of the 14,000 yeshiva students with draft 
deferrals had elected to take a ``year of decision,'' and of those 
students, only about 30 had actually chosen to perform army service. 
Only 139 out of 45,639 ultra-Orthodox Jews at the military-conscription 
age have joined the army since 2002. Officials in both the IDF and the 
Finance Ministry reportedly opposed the Tal Law for various reasons, 
and failed to implement it. The only two national service programs 
designed specifically for the ultra-Orthodox include the Nahal Haredi 
Unit and the Haredi soldier-teacher program. The Government did not 
take steps to implement the law or to create new military service 
options for ultra-Orthodox Jews during the reporting period.
    Public Hebrew-speaking secular schools teach mandatory Bible and 
Jewish history classes. These classes primarily cover Jewish heritage 
and culture, rather than religious belief. Public schools with 
predominantly Arab student bodies teach mandatory classes on the Qur'an 
and the Bible, since both Muslim and Christian Arabs attend these 
schools. Orthodox Jewish religious schools that are part of the public 
school system teach mandatory religion classes, as do private ultra-
Orthodox schools that receive some state funding.
    The Government recognizes the following Jewish holy days as 
national holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simhat Torah, 
Passover, and Shavuot. Arab municipalities often recognize Christian 
and Muslim holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Muslim, Christian, and Orthodox Jewish religious authorities have 
exclusive control over personal status matters, including marriage, 
divorce, and burial, within their respective communities. The law does 
not allow civil marriage, and it does not recognize Jewish marriage 
performed in the country unless by recognized Orthodox rabbis. Many 
Jewish citizens objected to such exclusive control by the Orthodox 
establishment over Jewish marriages and other personal status problems, 
and to the absence of provision for civil marriage, because 
approximately 306,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union were not 
recognized as Jewish by Orthodox authorities.
    The 1967 Protection of Holy Sites Law applies to holy sites of all 
religions within the country, and the Penal Code makes it a criminal 
offense to damage any holy site. The Government, however, issued 
implementing regulations for only Jewish sites. The Government reported 
in 2006 that there were several hundred official holy sites in 2005--
including ten new mosques that were still under construction during the 
reporting period--without specifying the number of these sites that the 
law protects. In 2006, the Government did not issue new implementing 
regulations to protect non-Jewish holy sites under the law, including 
the ten new mosques under construction.
    In November 2004, the Arab Israeli advocacy group Adalah petitioned 
the High Court to compel the Government to issue regulations to protect 
Muslim sites, charging that the Government's failure to do so had 
resulted in desecration and the conversion of several sites into 
commercial establishments. In its petition, Adalah stated that all of 
the 120 places designated by the Government as holy sites are Jewish. 
At the end of the reporting period, the court had not held an initial 
hearing on the petition. The Government established a committee to 
examine the issue, but the committee has met only once, according to 
Adalah. The Government is expected to submit its full response to the 
petition prior to the initial hearing, scheduled for October 2006. 
According to Adalah, the Government did not designate any non-Jewish 
sites as holy sites in either 2005 or 2006, while it has added fifteen 
Jewish sites since December 2004. The Government did not provide 
statistics on holy sites.
    In December 2004, the Arab Association for Human Rights (AAHR) 
issued a comprehensive report documenting what it refers to as the 
``destruction and abuse of Muslim and Christian holy places in 
Israel.'' In its report, AAHR asserted that 250 non-Jewish places of 
worship had either been destroyed during and after the 1948 war or made 
inaccessible to the local Arab population. Lands of destroyed Arab 
villages were given to Jewish farmers, and the surviving mosques in 
these villages had been used as animal pens or storage depots. In Ein 
Hod, a town south of Haifa, the mosque was turned into a bar. The 
Government stated that in March 2004, there was a fire in an abandoned 
mosque in Beit She'an, resulting in a collapse of the structure. The 
Government reported that the only incident involving damage to a holy 
site in 2005 occurred in early March, when a couple protesting a family 
court decision lit firecrackers in the Church of the Annunciation in 
Nazareth, sparking a riot among church members.
    During Jewish holidays and following terrorist attacks, the 
Government imposed closures to restrict travel in the country and the 
Occupied Territories for security purposes that had the effect of 
impeding access to holy sites in the country for Arab Muslims and 
Christians, as well as Israeli-Arabs and Palestinians who possessed 
Jerusalem identification cards. The construction of the separation 
barrier also impeded access to holy sites throughout the country and 
the Occupied Territories during the reporting period.
    The Government permits religious organizations to apply for state 
funding to maintain or build religious facilities. Funding was provided 
for the maintenance of facilities such as churches, Orthodox 
synagogues, mosques, and cemeteries. Funding for construction was not 
provided for non-Orthodox synagogues. Several civil rights NGOs 
asserted that Orthodox Jewish facilities receive significantly greater 
proportions of funding than did non-Orthodox Jewish and non-Jewish 
facilities. Muslim groups complained that the Government did not 
equitably fund the construction and maintenance of mosques in 
comparison to the funding of synagogues.
    AAHR reported that the Government was reluctant to refurbish 
mosques in areas where there was no longer a Muslim population, and has 
never in its history budgeted for the building of a new mosque. Muslim 
clerics, judges, and political leaders cited a lack of government 
funding for, maintenance of, and access to mosques in, among other 
places, Tiberias, Safed, Beersheva, and Caesaria; the Government kept 
several of these mosques closed during the year, reportedly for the 
mosques' protection, and allowed private citizens or municipalities to 
turn several into galleries, restaurants, and museums. The Government 
stated that the AAHR report referred to abandoned sites and not to 
active sites, and the abandoned sites were not properly maintained. 
There is no restriction on the construction of new mosques, but the 
Government noted that, while the state budget does not cover the costs 
of new construction, it does provide assistance in the maintenance of 
mosques. The Government cited examples of mosques that received 
government assistance for their maintenance in 2004, including mosques 
in Romana, Bartaa, Baana, Daburiya, Bir al Maksur, Bustan Almarge, 
Maala Iron, Hualad, and Hura, which altogether received approximately 
$313,000 (NIS 1,420,000). The Government's total development budget for 
cemeteries was approximately $6.75 million (NIS 30 million) in 2005. 
According to government figures, the development budget in 2005 for 
holy sites and cemeteries for non-Jewish denominations was $2.22 
million (NIS 10 million).
    Muslim residents of the Be'er Sheva area, including members of 
Bedouin tribes, protested the municipality's intention to reopen the 
city's old mosque as a museum rather than as a mosque for the area's 
Muslim residents. The High Court rejected a petition from Adalah, 
representing the area's Muslim community, to enjoin the municipality 
from renovating the mosque into a museum. The petitioners argued that 
there were no alternative mosques in the Be'er Sheva area. In January 
2005, the High Court issued an interim opinion suggesting that the 
mosque be used as an Islamic cultural and social center by the Muslim 
community of Be'er Sheva, but not for prayer. In February 2005, the 
municipality issued a response rejecting this suggestion, insisting 
that the mosque be opened as a museum. According to Adalah, the 
attorney general originally submitted a response to the High Court 
supporting the Be'er Sheva Municipality's position that the building 
not be used as an Islamic Cultural Center, but in April 2006 the 
attorney general announced that the Government preferred to reopen the 
mosque as a museum for Islamic and eastern culture. The case was 
pending at the end of the reporting period.
    Building codes for places of worship are enforced selectively based 
on religion. Several Bedouin living in unrecognized villages were 
denied building permits for construction of mosques, and in the past, 
the Government has destroyed mosques built in unrecognized Bedouin 
communities. In 2003, government officials demolished a mosque that was 
constructed without a permit and served approximately 1,500 residents 
in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Tel al-Maleh. According to the 
Regional Council for the Arab Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, in 
2003 and 2004, the Government issued demolition orders for three 
mosques in Um al-Hiran, al-Dhiyya, and Tel al-Maleh respectively; all 
three were unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev and built without 
the proper permits. The Regional Planning and Building Committee in the 
Negev stated that it was unaware that the building marked for 
demolition in al-Dhiyya was a mosque. By the end of the reporting 
period, the demolition orders continued to stand. The Tel al-Maleh case 
was transferred to a lower court for review and the case was pending at 
the end of the rating period. In 2003 in Um al-Hiran, the Government 
issued orders to demolish the mosque, and villagers were fined 
approximately $7,000 (NIS 30,000) for building the structure without a 
permit. Earlier this year, following a failed appeal by the village, 
the Magistrate' Court ordered the mosque to be destroyed. It was not 
known at the end of the period covered by this report whether the 
mosque was demolished.
    Adalah reported that, in March 2005, the state requested a 
demolition order for a mosque in Husseiniya. The case was still pending 
at the end of the reporting period. According to the Regional Council 
for the Arab Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, the Government did not 
destroy any mosques during the reporting period. In contrast, according 
to a former Tel Aviv municipal council member, in recent years 
approximately 100 illegal synagogues have operated in Tel Aviv, some 
within apartment buildings and others in separate structures.
    A 1977 anti-proselytizing law prohibits any person from offering or 
receiving material benefits as an inducement to conversion. No reports 
existed of attempts to enforce the law during the reporting period.
    Missionaries are allowed to proselytize, although the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) voluntarily refrained from 
proselytizing under a signed agreement with the Government.
    By the end of the period covered by this report, the Knesset had 
not ratified the Fundamental Agreement establishing relations between 
the Holy See and the Government that was negotiated in the 1990s. In a 
separate process, representatives of the Government and the Holy See 
held several negotiating sessions since September 2004 with the aim of 
reaching an agreement (concordat) on fiscal and legal matters. The 
negotiations addressed the problems of tax exemption of Roman Catholic 
institutions and property and the access of the Roman Catholic Church 
to courts. No agreement had been reached by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Since the Government does not have diplomatic relations with Saudi 
Arabia, Muslim citizens must travel through another country, usually 
Jordan, to obtain travel documents for the Hajj. The average number of 
Hajj pilgrims traveling from the country each year was approximately 
4,500, and the overall number allowed to participate in the Hajj was 
determined by Saudi Arabian authorities. According to the Government, 
travel to hostile countries, including travel to Saudi Arabia for the 
Hajj, may be restricted; however, these restrictions are based on 
security concerns rather than on any religious or ethnic factors.
    During the reporting period, many groups and individuals of 
numerous religions traveled to the country freely. Members of the 
Messianic Jewish community, however, charged that during the year, 
government officials detained and denied entry to several of their 
members who were seeking to enter the country. There were no new 
instances during the reporting period.
    According to representatives of Christian institutions, the process 
of visa issuance for Christian religious workers significantly improved 
after a period in 2003 when the Government refused to grant residence 
visas to approximately 130 Catholic clergy assigned to the country and 
the Occupied Territories. The Ministry of the Interior's Christian 
Department reported that it approved most of the applications made by 
clergy during the reporting period. The Department did not stipulate 
how many it received.
    The Government discriminated against non-Jewish citizens and 
residents, the vast majority of whom were Arab Muslims and Christians, 
in the areas of employment, education, and housing. The Orr Legal 
Commission of Inquiry, established to investigate the 2000 police 
killing of twelve Israeli-Arab demonstrators, issued a final report in 
2003 noting historical, societal, and governmental discrimination 
against Arab citizens. The Government has not implemented either the 
Orr Commission recommendations or those of a follow-up inter-
ministerial committee.
    According to a March 2005 media report, approximately 8,000 non-
Jewish soldiers were serving in the IDF. The IDF policy is to allow 
non-Jewish soldiers to go on home leave for their respective religious 
holidays. Military duties permitting, Jewish soldiers can leave on 
holidays. These duties rotate to allow some soldiers to go home for 
Jewish holidays. The IDF conducts commemorative activities appropriate 
for each respective Jewish holiday.
    The IDF did not have any Muslim or Christian chaplains because, 
according to government sources, the frequent home leave accorded all 
soldiers allowed Muslim and Christian soldiers easy and regular access 
to their respective clergy and religious services at home. There were 
discussions between the IDF and the National Security Council regarding 
chaplain appointments for non-Jewish IDF soldiers, but no decision had 
been made by the end of the period covered by this report.
    The Government used private non-Jewish clergy as chaplains at 
military burials when a non-Muslim or non-Jewish soldier died in 
service. The Interior Ministry reported that it provided imams to 
conduct funerals according to Muslim customs. In 2003, however, 
according to the family of a Christian soldier killed in a terrorist 
attack, the IDF did not have a military priest available to officiate 
at their son's burial. The soldier was buried in a non-Jewish section 
of the military cemetery in a non-religious ceremony without a 
religious figure to officiate. All Jewish chaplains in the IDF are 
Orthodox.
    The IDF sponsored Orthodox Jewish conversion courses for Jewish 
soldiers who do not belong to Orthodox Judaism and for non-Jewish 
soldiers seeking to convert to Judaism. The IDF does not facilitate 
conversion to other religions.
    Military service is compulsory for Jews and Druze. Orthodox Jews 
could obtain exemptions from service for full-time religious study. 
Some Arab citizens, mainly Bedouin, were accepted as volunteers. 
Approximately 90 percent of Israeli-Arabs do not serve in the army. 
Israeli-Arab advocacy groups charged that housing, educational, and 
other benefits, as well as employment preferences based on military 
experience, effectively discriminate in favor of the Jewish population, 
the majority of whom serve in the military. In December 2004, the Ivri 
Committee on National Service recommended to the Government that 
Israeli-Arabs be afforded an opportunity to perform alternative 
nonmilitary service. By the end of the reporting period, the Government 
had not yet considered these recommendations.
    In 2003, the Government introduced a core curriculum program that 
required all state-funded schools to teach core subjects, such as 
mathematics. However, state-subsidized ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious 
schools were not compelled, as were other types of schools, to comply 
with this law. The High Court ruled in December 2004 that ultra-
Orthodox Jewish religious schools that did not comply with the 
Education Ministry's core curriculum by the opening of the 2007 school 
year would not be eligible for any funding from the ministry. The 
ruling was a response to a petition filed by the Secondary Schools 
Teachers' Association against the Ministry of Education charging that 
while the ministry cut funding to the public school system, causing 
hundreds of teachers to lose their jobs, it provided approximately $40 
million to autonomous ultra-Orthodox schools that did not comply with 
ministry pedagogical requirements. In April 2006, the Education 
Ministry reported that all of the ``recognized but unofficial'' 
education facilities affiliated with ultra-Orthodox parties were now 
``fully implementing the core curriculum program.'' It is unclear 
whether these institutions will continue to implement the core 
curriculum because Prime Minister Olmert reportedly promised the ultra-
religious Shas party in April that his cabinet would pass a new law to 
``permit all Haredi education institutions to continue to carry out the 
education and study programs unique to them.''
    Government resources available for religious/heritage studies to 
Arab and to non-Orthodox Jewish public schools were proportionately 
less than those available to Orthodox Jewish public schools. According 
to IRAC, approximately 96 percent of all state funds for Jewish 
religious education were allocated exclusively to Orthodox or ultra-
Orthodox Jewish schools. Both public and private Arab schools offer 
studies in both Islam and Christianity, but the state funding for such 
studies was proportionately less than the funding for religious 
education courses in Jewish Orthodox schools.
    The Government funded secular schools and Orthodox Jewish schools; 
it did not fully fund religious schools for non-Jews. Schools that seek 
to adopt a non-Jewish, religious curriculum must operate outside of the 
regular public schools system. Quality private religious schools for 
Israeli-Arabs existed; however, parents often must pay tuition for 
their children to attend such schools since little government funding 
was available. Jewish private religious schools, however, received 
significant government funding in addition to philanthropic 
contributions from within the country and abroad, which effectively 
lowers the schools' tuition costs.
    Government funding to the different religious sectors was 
disproportionate to the sectors' sizes. Civil rights NGOs charged that 
the Government favored Orthodox Jewish institutions in the allocation 
of state resources for religious activities.
    IRAC noted that approximately 97 percent of public funding for 
Jewish cultural and educational activities went to Orthodox Jewish 
organizations, despite IRAC's estimate that non-Orthodox Jewish 
institutions accounted for only approximately 20 percent of all Jewish 
cultural activities. In response to a petition filed by IRAC in 2002, 
the Supreme Court ruled in December 2004 that the Government must 
create new criteria for state funding of Jewish cultural activities. 
Accordingly, the Government issued new criteria for its funding of 
educational and cultural activities. The educational criteria, however, 
still discriminated against the secular sector, according to IRAC, 
which planned to petition the Supreme Court again. IRAC expressed 
satisfaction with the Government's new criteria for funding cultural 
activities, though it remained concerned that the criteria could be 
discriminatory in implementation.
    In spite of the legal provision for public funding to build non-
Orthodox synagogues, the Government did not funded the construction of 
any non-Orthodox synagogues. In 2003, IRAC petitioned the High Court on 
behalf of a Reform congregation in Modi'in to require that Modi'in 
municipality fund construction of a Reform synagogue. The city already 
funded eight Orthodox synagogues, but none of the Conservative or 
Reform synagogues. The High Court ruled in 2003 that it was permissible 
to use state funds for the construction of a Reform synagogue in the 
city of Modi'in and ordered the municipality to repeat the process for 
determining which congregations would receive funding and to use 
criteria that would guarantee and provide equal treatment. 
Nevertheless, the request for funding stalled in the Modi'in 
municipality. IRAC again petitioned the High Court to compel the 
municipality to hold a hearing to consider all available budget 
requests for synagogue construction in light of the needs of Modi'in 
residents. IRAC also petitioned the court to freeze all municipal 
allocations for synagogue construction in Modi'in until such a hearing 
was held. In 2005, The Government announced that it would build 
synagogues for non-Orthodox denominations, but the Government had not 
allocated any such funding by the end of the reporting period.
    In 1998, the High Court of Justice ruled that discrepancies in 
budget allocations between religious institutions in the Jewish and 
non-Jewish sectors constituted prima facie evidence of discrimination. 
In 2000 the plaintiffs from the 1998 High Court case brought a case 
contending discrimination in the allocation of resources for religious 
cemeteries. The High Court agreed with the plaintiffs that non-Jewish 
religious cemeteries were receiving inadequate resources and ordered 
the Government to increase funding to such cemeteries.
    The 1996 Alternative Burial Law established the right of any 
individual to be buried in a civil ceremony and required the 
establishment of twenty-one public civil cemeteries throughout the 
country. However, at the end of the reporting period, only one public 
civil cemetery existed in the country, in Be'er Sheva, and only 
approximately fifteen Jewish cemeteries in the country contained a 
section for civil burials. The City of Jerusalem reportedly planned to 
establish a cemetery for use by secular citizens free of charge. If 
completed, this cemetery would be the first public civil cemetery 
endorsed by a municipal government in the country.
    Several domestic civil rights and immigrant groups asserted that 
the Government failed to allocate adequate space or sufficient funds 
for the establishment of civil cemeteries. Civil burials were also 
offered by certain Kibbutzim, but, according to some NGOs, such burials 
were expensive. The Government reported that the 2004 capital budget 
for civil cemeteries was approximately $760,000. It reported that in 
2004, the administrative budget for Jewish cemeteries was approximately 
$2 million, and claimed that no capital budget was allocated. In 2005, 
the budget for Jewish burials was approximately (NIS 17 million), while 
the budget for civilian burials was (NIS 11.5 million).
    Only approximately 7 percent of land was privately held, according 
to Adalah. Most citizens who controlled land, either for residential or 
business use, including farms, leased their land from the Government on 
long-term leases. Of the 93 percent of the land not in private hands, 
the Government directly controlled the vast bulk, but approximately 
12.5 percent was owned by the state through the quasi-public Jewish 
National Fund (JNF). The Israel Land Administration, a government 
agency, manages both the land directly owned by the Government and the 
JNF land. The JNF's charter prohibited it from leasing land to non-
Jews. In addition, the Jewish Agency, an organization that promotes 
Jewish immigration to the country and develops residential areas on 
both public and JNF land, as a matter of policy does not lease land to 
non-Jews. In 2000, the High Court ruled that the state may not allocate 
land to its citizens on the basis of religion or nationality, even if 
it allocates the land through a third party such as the Jewish Agency. 
The Court's decision precludes any restrictions on the leasing or sale 
of land based on nationality, religion, or any other discriminatory 
category. JNF complied with the ruling by publishing announcements 
about land sales in publications available to both Jews and non-Jews, 
but it remained unclear whether or not non-Jewish citizens would 
actually be able to purchase the advertised properties.
    In October 2004, civil rights groups petitioned the High Court of 
Justice to block a government bid announcement involving JNF land that 
effectively banned Arabs from bidding. The Government then halted 
marketing of JNF land in the Galilee and other areas of the north, 
where there are large Arab populations. In December 2004, Adalah 
petitioned the High Court to require the Government to apply 
nondiscriminatory procedures for allocating land and to conduct open 
land sales or leases to Arabs as well as to Jews. In January 2005, the 
attorney general ruled that the Government would not discriminate 
against Israeli-Arabs in the marketing and allocation of lands it 
manages, including lands that the Israel Land Administration manages 
for the Jewish National Fund. Adalah criticized the attorney general, 
however, for also deciding that the Government should compensate the 
JNF with land equal in size to any plots of JNF land won by non-Jewish 
citizens in government tenders.
    Exclusive control over marriages resides by law with recognized 
bodies of the recognized religious denominations. Accordingly, anyone 
wishing to marry in a secular ceremony, Jews wishing to marry in non-
Orthodox religious ceremonies, Jews not officially recognized as Jewish 
by the Orthodox Jewish establishment but wishing to marry in Jewish 
ceremonies, and Jews wishing to marry someone of another faith must all 
do so abroad. The Ministry of the Interior recognizes such marriages. 
During the reporting period, approximately 250,000 citizens could not 
marry because they lacked religious affiliation. According to Central 
Bureau of Statistics, between 2000 and 2004, 32,009 citizens married 
outside of the country. Almost half of this number--14,214--comprised 
couples in which both the husband and the wife were Jewish. A smaller 
proportion of this number--1,764--lacked religious affiliation in the 
country. Between 2000 and 2003, five percent of Jewish couples that 
qualified to be married by the Chief Rabbinate decided to marry abroad 
instead. Others decided instead to hold weddings unrecognized by the 
Government, including Reform and Conservative weddings and those 
conducted by Kibbutz authorities.
    In March 2004, the Knesset (parliament) rejected two bills that 
would have allowed for civil marriage. In July 2004, the chairman of a 
Knesset committee established to formulate a civil marriage option 
announced that the committee would not complete its work or issue 
recommendations due to what was characterized as political interference 
with the committee's work. In April 2005, the High Court instructed the 
Government to inform the Court within three months of the government's 
position on whether to recognize so-called ``consular marriages,'' 
those conducted by officials of foreign embassies in the country. 
Government recognition of consular marriages would enable couples with 
no religious affiliation, or those of a religion not recognized by the 
Government, to wed in such civil ceremonies. Consular weddings have not 
been performed since 1995, when the Foreign Ministry issued a 
memorandum to foreign embassies instructing them to cease performing 
consular marriages. According to press reports, the High Court was 
expected to consider two petitions demanding that the Interior Ministry 
recognize consular marriages in 2006.
    In December 2004, the Government reached an agreement with the 
Chief Rabbinate to limit required prenuptial instruction to those 
Jewish religious laws that were directly connected to the marriage 
ceremony and not require Jewish couples to receive instruction on 
Orthodox Jewish laws of ritual purity.
    The state does not recognize conversions to Judaism performed in 
the country by non-Orthodox rabbis. In March 2005, the High Court ruled 
that, for the purpose of conferring citizenship rights, the Government 
must recognize those non-Orthodox conversions of non-citizen legal 
residents that were begun in the country but formalized abroad by 
acknowledged Jewish religious authorities, even if not of the Orthodox 
strain. In a separate May 2004 ruling, the court determined that non-
Jews who move to the country and then convert in the country through an 
Orthodox conversion were eligible to become immigrants and citizens 
pursuant to the Law of Return. Previously, non-Jews were entitled to 
immigrate to the country and obtain full citizenship only if these 
conversions were conducted entirely abroad and under Orthodox 
standards. The High Court did not, however, rule on whether the 
Government must recognize non-Orthodox conversions formalized in the 
country.
    Separately, in May 2006 the Chief Rabbinate announced that it 
decided two years ago to not automatically recognize conversions 
performed by Orthodox rabbis abroad, citing the need for consistency of 
standards in the conversion process.
    The Shinui Party, which ran in the 2002 national elections on a 
platform of ending the exclusive power of the Orthodox establishment 
over such problems as marriage and citizenship, left then-Prime 
Minister Sharon's governing coalition in December 2004 in protest over 
the allocation of approximately $70 million in the 2005 budget for 
ultra-Orthodox religious institutions. Then-Prime Minister Sharon 
allocated the funds as part of a coalition agreement with the ultra-
Orthodox United Torah Judaism party to secure that party's support for 
the Gaza disengagement plan.
    Under the Jewish religious courts' interpretation of personal 
status law, a Jewish woman may not receive a final writ of divorce 
without her husband's consent. Consequently, thousands of women, so-
called ``agunot,'' are unable to remarry or have legitimate children 
because their husbands have either disappeared or refused to grant 
divorces.
    Rabbinical tribunals have the authority to impose sanctions on 
husbands who refuse to divorce their wives or on wives who refuse to 
accept divorce from their husbands. In May 2004, a rabbinical court 
decided for the first time to jail a woman who refused to accept a 
divorce from her husband. Rabbinical courts also could exercise 
jurisdiction over, and issue sanctions against, non-Israeli Jews 
present in the country. The rabbinical courts administration asked U.S. 
authorities in mid-February 2006 to extradite husbands who fled to the 
United States to avoid granting their wives a religious divorce decree.
    Some Islamic law courts have held that Muslim women could not 
request a divorce but could be forced to consent if a divorce was 
granted to the husband. One Arab Muslim woman who won a divorce from 
her abusive husband in a Muslim court subsequently filed a civil suit 
against the husband with the Magistrates Court in the north. The court 
set a precedent in March 2005 by awarding the woman approximately 
$10,000 in compensation for damage to her status and chances of re-
marrying. Divorced Arab women were stigmatized in their communities and 
experienced difficulties remarrying.
    Members of unrecognized religious groups, particularly evangelical 
Christians, sometimes faced problems in obtaining marriage 
certifications or burial services that were similar to the problems 
faced by Jews who were not considered Jewish by the Orthodox 
establishment. Informal arrangements with other recognized religious 
groups provided relief in some cases.
    Most Orthodox Jews believed that mixed gender prayer services 
violate the precepts of Judaism. As a result, such services were 
prohibited at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, and men 
and women must use separate areas to visit the Western Wall. Women also 
were not allowed to conduct any prayers at the Western Wall wearing 
prayer shawls, which were typically worn by men, and cannot read from 
Torah scrolls. In 2003, the Women of the Wall, a group of more than 100 
Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform women, lost their fourteen-year 
legal battle to hold formal women's prayer services at the Western 
Wall. The High Court ruled that the group could not hold prayer 
services at the Western Wall and instead would be permitted to hold 
them at nearby Robinson's Arch, part of an archeological site. The 
court ordered the Government to prepare an area at Robinson's Arch 
where women could read aloud from the Bible and conduct group prayers, 
and the Government inaugurated a plaza in this area for women's 
services in August 2004. The mayor of Jerusalem, Uir Lupolianski, 
requested permission to expand the women's section and make its size 
equal to that of the men's section, by changing the route of the 
``Mugraby Path'' leading to the Temple Mount.
    Another religious group, the Masorti movement, regularly held 
prayer services at Robinson's Arch according to its own customs, which 
include dmen and women praying together, women reading from the Torah, 
and women wearing a tallit or tefallin. However, they could pray only 
between seven and eight in the morning without paying. If the members 
of the Masori movement wanted to pray after this time, they had to pay 
the approximately $6 fee charged to visit the archeological site. In 
April 2006, the Masorti movement petitioned the High Court regarding 
the fee.
    Non-Orthodox Jews faced greater difficulties than Orthodox Jews in 
adopting children. In December 2004, in response to a petition from 
IRAC, the High Court ordered the Government to justify the practice 
under which the Adoption Service of the social affairs ministry that 
placed non-Jewish children only in Orthodox Jewish homes. The 
Government did not respond by the end of the reporting period. Existing 
law requires that the adopted child must be of the same religion as the 
adopting parents. However, Representatives of IRAC reported that when 
no family of the same religion was willing to adopt the child, adoption 
officials consistently placed the child with an Orthodox family. In 
such cases, the child's conversion to Judaism had to be completed 
before the adoption was finalized. The Government defended its practice 
by arguing that the placement of non-Jewish children in Orthodox homes 
eliminated any subsequent legal uncertainty about the Jewish status of 
the children. At the end of the reporting period, the case was still 
pending.
    The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center began construction in 
2004 of a $150 million Center for Human Dignity and Museum of Tolerance 
in Jerusalem. The Wiesenthal Center began building on the site of a 
municipal parking lot, which local officials had built in the 1960s 
over part of a centuries-old Muslim cemetery. Supporters of the 
Wiesenthal Center cited an 1894 ruling by the Shari'a court at the 
time, which stated that because the cemetery was abandoned, it was no 
longer sacred. During the reporting period, builders unearthed hundreds 
of skeletons and skeletal remains. After several Muslim organizations 
petitioned the High Court to stop construction, the court ordered the 
sides to arbitration and issued an injunction stopping construction 
work. The museum was reportedly considering a plan to relocate the 
Muslim graves.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
U.S. citizens minors 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.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    During the reporting period, terrorist organizations, including 
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, carried out 
several attacks. While terrorists launched these attacks largely as 
political statements, they sometimes accompanied the attacks with anti-
Semitic rhetoric.
Improvements in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government appointed Oscar Abu-Razek, a Muslim Israeli-Arab, as 
director general of the Ministry of Interior, the first Arab to serve 
in such a senior position in a government ministry. In addition, for 
the first time since the establishment of the state, an Arab was 
appointed in 2004 as a permanent justice of the High Court.
    According to government data, the number of non-Jewish directors on 
the boards of state-owned companies increased from 5.5 percent in 2002 
to 8 percent in 2005. Former Prime Minister Sharon stated publicly that 
increasing the number of non-Jewish board directors and the number of 
non-Jewish civil service employees is a government priority.
    Members of the Knesset and the Chief Rabbinate attended a seminar 
in January 2005, hosted by the American Jewish Committee, to increase 
understanding of the various branches of Christianity. To enhance 
interfaith relations, seminar participants also visited the heads of 
various Christian subgroups, including the Latin and Armenian 
patriarchs and a representative of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
    In June 2006, The 35th World Zionist Congress passed a resolution 
obligating the Jewish Agency to include Israeli-Arab communities in its 
development plans for the country. The agency has never been active 
before in the Arab and Druze communities. The resolution's proponents 
succeeded through a rare collaborative effort between Reform and 
Orthodox groups, who combined to overcome the opposition of delegates 
from some political parties, including Kadima, Herut and Yisrael 
Beiteinu.
    The Government established a new department in the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs to fight anti-Semitism and commemorate the Holocaust.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations among different religious groups--between Jews and non-
Jews, between Christians and Muslims, between Christians of different 
traditions, and among the different streams of Judaism--often were 
strained. Tensions between Jews and non-Jews were the result of 
historical grievances as well as cultural and religious differences, 
and they were compounded by governmental and societal discrimination 
against Israeli-Arabs, both Muslim and Christian. These tensions were 
heightened by the Arab-Israeli conflict, and manifested in terrorist 
attacks targeting citizens, IDF operations in the Occupied Territories, 
incidents of Jewish militants targeting Israeli-Arabs, and incidents of 
Israeli-Arab involvement in terrorist activity.
    On July 7, 2005, the Messianic congregation in Arad published a 
letter in Iton HaTzvi that reported harassment by members of the local 
ultra-Orthodox community. The High Court heard on September 12, 2005, a 
petition by ultra-Orthodox Jews seeking both the right to demonstrate 
at the house of a family of Messianic Jews and reversal of a police 
decision prohibiting such a demonstration. The court had not issued a 
ruling by the end of the reporting period. According to Messianic Jews 
resident in Arad, since April 2004 members of the Gur Hassidim movement 
have demonstrated regularly in front of the homes of Christians and 
Messianic Jews in Arad to protest alleged proselytizing by these 
groups.
    An observer reported that a group of approximately 200 ultra-
Orthodox Jews violently disrupted the religious service of a Messianic 
congregation in Be'er Sheva on December 24, 2005. According to the 
account, the group pushed and slapped the congregation's pastor and 
damaged property. Police dispersed the mob. On December 26, 2005, the 
observer filed a report with the Be'er Sheva police.
    Members of the Messianic Jewish community in Arad reported 
suffering verbal harassment and physical violence at the hands of 
ultra-Orthodox Jews. During the reporting period, authorities and 
public officials did not respond effectively to protect this community.
    According to a 2006 poll conducted by the Israel Democracy 
Institute, some 62 percent of the citizens believed that the Government 
should encourage Arab citizens to emigrate. Only 14 percent of 
respondents thought relations between Jews and Arabs were good in the 
country. An ultra-Orthodox weekly, Sh'a Tova, carried a comic strip in 
March 2005 for children with a negative depiction of Arabs, including 
the statement, ``Yes, a good Arab is a dead Arab.'' In 2005, fans of a 
Jerusalem soccer team shouted racist slogans against Israeli-Arab 
soccer players during a match. In 2004, several Jews were indicted in 
one incident for shouting such slogans.
    Two individuals wrapped a pig's head with a keffiyeh with the word 
``Mohammad'' written on it and threw it into the courtyard of the 
Hassan Bek mosque in Jaffa on August 19, 2005. Police later arrested 
and charged the individuals with religious insult, but released them in 
September after a judge ruled that there was no risk that the 
individuals would repeat the act.
    In March, the state prosecutor initiated a formal investigation of 
Rabbi David Batzri and his son, Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri, for suspected 
incitement to racism. The rabbis organized a conference in January to 
rally opposition to the proposed expansion of a bilingual school in 
Jerusalem that includes both Arab and Jewish students. Rabbi David 
Batzri stated at the conference, ``The people of Israel are pure and 
Arabs are a nation of asses. The question must be asked, why didn't God 
give them four legs, because they are asses?'' His son, Rabbi Yitzhak 
Batzri, added, ``People say we are racist, but they are the evil ones, 
the cruel ones, the scum of snakes. This is war.''
    During the reporting period, incidents occurred in Jerusalem in 
which ultra-Orthodox Jewish youths assaulted Arabs and spray-painted 
anti-Arab graffiti.
    During the run-up to the parliamentary elections in March, the 
Herut party used campaign posters depicting an Arab woman wrapped in a 
traditional veil with the caption ``this demographic will poison us.'' 
In April Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ordered a criminal 
investigation into the incident.
    The phrases ``Death to Arabs'' and ``Death to Gentiles'' were 
spray-painted in March 2005 on ten graves in a Christian cemetery in 
Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood. Police continued to investigate the 
matter, but had not made any arrests by the end of the reporting 
period. Adalah and AADR reported that the police have still not made 
any arrests. Similarly, in May 2006, Israeli youths celebrating the 
holiday of Lag Ba'Omer, a day traditionally marked by the lighting of 
bonfires, allegedly attempted to set fire to an abandoned mosque in the 
northern city of Acre. The individuals claimed they were simply 
preparing to light a bonfire, but police found indications of attempted 
arson.
    Former Prime Minister Sharon's controversial withdrawal of all 
citizens from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West 
Bank caused tensions in society between supporters and opponents of the 
withdrawal, the latter often being members of religious Zionist groups. 
Prior to disengagement, a rabbi issued a religious edict permitting 
settlers to physically harm Bedouin and Druze soldiers who participated 
in the evacuation of settlements pursuant to Sharon's plan. In response 
to the edict, a Bedouin Sheikh urged Bedouin soldiers to respond 
forcefully, including with live fire, to any settler attacks against 
them during the evacuation.
    Death threats in various forms, including graffiti, were made 
against government officials who supported the disengagement plan, 
including against Prime Minister Sharon. During a March 2005 sermon, 
Shas party spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef suggested that God would 
see that Sharon dies for implementing disengagement. The national 
office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a public statement 
condemning Yosef's sermon for its inflammatory language and his 
subsequent apology as inadequate. As part of his opposition to the 
disengagement plan, right-wing activist Noam Federman passed out flyers 
inciting violence and terror and made statements on his weekly radio 
show such as, ``Let's get rid of the Arabs. They have twenty-two other 
countries. Let's take them there.'' In March 2006, the Jerusalem 
prosecutor's office indicted Federman on twenty-five charges related to 
these actions.
    In May 2006, Vandals spray painted approximately twenty swastikas 
on the ark, Torah scroll and walls of the great synagogue in the city 
of Petah Tikva. Neo-Nazi graffiti was also sprayed on monuments 
honoring, and actual gravesites of, several well-known historical 
figures, including the grave of the country's first Prime Minister, 
David Ben-Gurion. In May 2005, swastikas and graffiti comparing Prime 
Minister Sharon to Adolf Hitler were sprayed on the road leading into 
the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. A reputable Jewish 
organization attributed these acts to extremist opponents of Prime 
Minister Sharon's disengagement plan. In April 2005, police discovered 
two fake bombs in Jerusalem and arrested two far-right Jewish religious 
activists for planting those bombs and others in their efforts to 
distract government attention from the disengagement plan.
    In February 2005, Druze rioters damaged a Melkite Catholic church 
and damaged or burned dozens of Christian-owned businesses, homes, and 
cars in the northern village of Mughar after a Druze falsely claimed 
that Christian youths had placed pornographic pictures of Druze girls 
on the Internet. Eight persons were reported injured, and many 
Christians fled the city and refused to allow their children to return 
to school for weeks in the aftermath of the violence. Druze religious 
leaders were quick to denounce the riots, and representatives of the 
Christian community criticized the Government for not responding more 
quickly to the violence. In June 2005, the Government announced the 
allocation of $2 million (NIS 10 million) in state funds to compensate 
residents for property damage incurred during the riots.
    Numerous NGOs in the country were dedicated to promoting Jewish-
Arab coexistence and interfaith understanding. Their programs included 
events to increase productive contact between religious groups and to 
promote Jewish-Arab dialogue and cooperation. These groups and their 
events have had varying degrees of success. Interfaith dialogue often 
was linked to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians and 
between the country and its Arab neighbors. Among efforts in this area 
were those of participants in the Alexandria Interfaith Peace Process, 
initiated at a 2002 interfaith conference in Cairo. Canon Andrew White, 
the Archbishop of Canterbury's special representative to the Alexandria 
Process, convened meetings in December 2004 and in January 2005 in 
Jerusalem with Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders to discuss 
advancing the Alexandria Process. The group discussed ways to advance 
an agenda of peace among religious leaders in their respective 
communities. In January 2005, as part of the Alexandria Process, 
Israeli rabbis and Israeli and Palestinian imams joined a group of more 
than 100 imams and rabbis from all over the world in a Brussels 
conference aimed at enhancing interfaith understanding and combating 
violence.
    Animosity between secular and religious Jews continued during the 
period covered by this report. Non-Orthodox Jews have complained of 
discrimination and intolerance by members of ultra-Orthodox Jewish 
groups. Persons who consider themselves Jewish but who are not 
considered Jewish under Orthodox law particularly complained of 
discrimination. As in past years, ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem 
threw rocks at passing motorists driving on the Sabbath.
    A variety of NGOs existed that sought to build understanding and 
create dialogue between religious groups and between religious and 
secular Jewish communities. Several examples were the Gesher Foundation 
(Hebrew for ``bridge''); Meitarim, which operates a pluralistic Jewish-
oriented school system; and the Interreligious Coordinating Council in 
the country, which promoted interfaith dialogue among Jewish, Muslim, 
and Christian institutions.
    Throughout society, attitudes toward missionary activities and 
conversion generally were negative. Many Jews were opposed to 
missionary activity directed at Jews, and some were hostile toward 
Jewish converts to Christianity. Media sources reported that the 
Messianic Jewish community accused Yad L'achim, a Jewish religious 
organization opposed to missionary activity, of harassing its members. 
Christian and Muslim Israeli-Arab religious leaders complain that 
missionary activity that leads to conversions frequently disrupts 
family coherence in their communities.
    A March 2005 dispute over the sale of property in Jerusalem's Old 
City owned by the Greek Orthodox Church to Jewish investors led a Holy 
Synod meeting in Istanbul to depose the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos 
I, in May 2005. While Greece, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority 
recognized the ousting of Irineos and the appointment of Theophilus III 
as his successor, the Government did not. In November 2005, Theophilus 
appealed this issue to the High Court and at the same time a 
ministerial committee was established to deal with the situation. The 
committee did not resolve the issue and the court recommended waiting 
for the establishment of the next Government and a new ministerial 
committee before resolving the matter.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom problems with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy consistently raised problems of religious freedom with the 
Foreign Ministry, the police, the prime minister's office, and other 
government agencies.
    Embassy representatives, including the ambassador, routinely meet 
with religious officials. These contacts include meetings with Jewish, 
Christian, Muslim, and Druze leaders at a variety of levels. In April 
2005, the Embassy invited two Knesset members from the secular Shinui 
party and two from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party to participate 
together in an International Visitors Program on the U.S. legislative, 
judicial, and executive branches of Government. The program received 
positive media coverage for enhancing understanding and ties between 
these two rival parties.
    Embassy officials maintain a dialogue with NGOs that follow human 
and civil rights problems, including religious freedom. Embassy 
representatives also attended and spoke at meetings of such 
organizations, including the Arab Association for Human Rights, the 
Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, the Association 
for Civil Rights in Israel, the Israel Religious Action Center, and 
Adalah.
    The religious freedom situation in the Occupied Territories is 
discussed in the annex appended to this report.
                               __________

 THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES (INCLUDING AREAS SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION 
                     OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY)

    The Palestinian Authority (PA) does not have a ratified 
Constitution; however, the Palestinian Basic Law provides for freedom 
of religion, and the PA generally respected this right in practice. The 
Basic Law names Islam as the official religion but also calls for 
``respect and sanctity'' for other religious groups.
    There was no change in the status of the PA's respect for religious 
freedom during the reporting period. Hamas candidates won 74 of 132 
seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council during elections on 
January 25, 2006. A new PA government led by Hamas Prime Minister 
Isma'il Haniyyah was sworn-in by PA President Mahmud Abbas on March 28. 
President Abbas took steps to eliminate religious incitement, although 
incidents of such incitement still occurred. In previous years, there 
were credible reports that PA security forces and judicial officials 
colluded with criminal elements to extort property illegally from 
Christian landowners in the Bethlehem area. While there were no reports 
of Christians being targeted for extortion or abuse during the period 
covered by this report, the PA did not take action to investigate past 
injustices allegedly perpetrated by PA officials.
    Israel exercises varying degrees of legal control in the Occupied 
Territories. Israel has no Constitution; however, it also has a Basic 
Law that provides for freedom of worship. The Israeli government 
generally respects this right in practice in the Occupied Territories.
    There was no change in the status of the Israeli government's 
respect for religious freedom in the Occupied Territories during the 
reporting period. Israel's strict closure policies frequently 
restricted the ability of Palestinians to reach places of worship and 
practice their religions. The construction of a separation barrier by 
the government of Israel, particularly in and around East Jerusalem, 
also severely limited access to mosques, churches, and other holy 
sites, and seriously impeded the work of religious organizations that 
provide education, healthcare, and other humanitarian relief and social 
services to Palestinians. Such impediments were not exclusive to 
religious believers or to religious organizations, and at times the 
Israeli government made efforts to lessen the impact on religious 
communities. The Israeli government confiscated land (usually offering 
limited compensation, which churches do not accept) belonging to 
several religious institutions to build its separation barrier between 
East Jerusalem and the West Bank. However, according to the Israeli 
government, it sought to build the barrier on public lands where 
possible, and when private land was used, provided opportunities for 
compensation.
    Christians and Muslims generally enjoy good relations, although 
tensions exist. Strong societal attitudes are a barrier to conversions 
from Islam. Relations between Jews and non-Jews, as well as among the 
different branches of Judaism, are strained. Societal tensions between 
Jews and non-Jews exist and such tensions remained high during the 
reporting period; however continuing violence also contributes to 
societal tensions and was apparent during Israel's disengagement from 
Gaza and portions of the West Bank in 2005. The violence that has 
occurred since the outbreak of the second Intifada (uprising) in 
October 2000 has significantly curtailed religious practice in many 
areas of the Occupied Territories. This violence included severe damage 
to places of worship and religious shrines in the Occupied Territories.
    Prior to the establishment of the Hamas-led government on March 28, 
2006, the U.S. Government discussed religious freedom problems with the 
PA and the Israeli government as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The Gaza Strip covers an area of 143 square miles, and its 
population is approximately 1.3 million persons. The West Bank 
(excluding East Jerusalem) covers an area of 2,238 square miles, and 
its population is approximately 2.4 million persons, not including 
approximately 250,000 Israeli settlers. East Jerusalem covers an area 
of twenty-seven square miles, and its population is approximately 
400,000 persons, not including approximately 180,000 Israeli settlers.
    Approximately 98 percent of Palestinian residents of the Occupied 
Territories were Sunni Muslims. According to the sum of estimates 
provided by individual Christian denominations (which appear 
significantly overstated), the total number of Christians was 
approximately 200,000. Other estimates placed the Christian community 
between 40,000 to 90,000 persons. A majority of Christians were Greek 
Orthodox; the remainder consisted of Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic 
Protestant, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian, Coptic, Maronite, and Ethiopian 
Orthodox denominations. Christians were concentrated primarily in the 
areas of Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem. According to municipal 
officials in Bethlehem, since 2002 approximately 2,800 Christians from 
the Bethlehem area had left the West Bank for other countries. 
According to Christian leaders, most left for economic and security 
reasons. Low birth rates among Palestinian Christians had also 
contributed to its shrinking minority status. There was also a 
community of approximately 400 Samaritans located on Mount Gerazim near 
Nablus in the West Bank.
    Adherents of several denominations of evangelical Christians, as 
well as members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, operated in the West Bank. 
Foreign missionaries operate in the Occupied Territories, including a 
small number of evangelical Christian pastors who reportedly sought to 
convert Muslims to Christianity. While they maintained a generally low 
profile, the PA was aware of their activities and generally did not 
restrict them.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The PA does not have a Constitution; however, the Basic Law 
provides for religious freedom, and the PA generally respected this 
right in practice. The Basic Law states that ``Islam is the official 
religion in Palestine,'' and that ``respect and sanctity of all other 
heavenly religious groups (i.e., Judaism and Christianity) shall be 
maintained.'' In 2002 the Basic Law was approved by the Palestinian 
Legislative Council (PLC) and signed by then-President Yasir Arafat. 
The Basic Law states that the principles of Shari'a (Islamic law) are 
``the main source of legislation.''
    Churches in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza operate under one of 
three general categories: Churches recognized by the status quo 
agreements reached under Ottoman rule in the late nineteenth century, 
Protestant and evangelical churches established between the late 
nineteenth century and 1967, which, although they exist and operate, 
are not recognized officially by the PA, and a small number of churches 
that became active within the last decade, and whose legal status is 
more tenuous.
    The first group of churches is governed by nineteenth century 
status quo agreements reached with Ottoman authorities, which the PA 
respects, and that specifically established the presence and rights of 
the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Assyrian, Syrian 
Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Coptic, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches. 
These churches are ``recognized'' by the Israeli Government. The 
Episcopal and Lutheran churches were added later to this list. The PA, 
immediately upon its establishment, recognized these churches and their 
rights. Like Shari'a courts under Islam, these religious groups are 
permitted to have ecclesiastical courts whose rulings are considered 
legally binding on personal status and some land problems. Civil courts 
do not adjudicate on such matters.
    Churches in the second category, which includes the Assembly of 
God, Nazarene Church, and some Baptist churches, have unwritten 
understandings with the PA based on the principles of the status quo 
agreements. They are permitted to operate freely and are able to 
perform certain personal status legal functions, such as issuing 
marriage certificates.
    The third group of churches consists of a small number of 
proselytizing churches, including Jehovah's Witnesses and some 
evangelical Christian groups. These groups have encountered opposition 
in their efforts to obtain recognition, both from Muslims who oppose 
their proselytizing, and from Christians who fear that the new arrivals 
may disrupt the status quo. However, these churches generally operate 
unhindered by the PA.
    In practice, the PA requires Palestinians to declare religious 
affiliation on identification papers. All legal matters relating to 
personal status must be handled in either Islamic or Christian 
ecclesiastical courts if such courts exist for the individual's 
denomination. All legally recognized individual sects are empowered to 
adjudicate personal status matters, and in practice most do so. Neither 
the PA nor the Israeli government currently has a civil marriage law. 
Legally, members of one religious group mutually may agree to submit a 
personal status dispute to a different Christian denomination to 
adjudicate, but in practice this does not occur. Churches that are not 
officially recognized by the PA or the Israeli government must obtain 
special permission to perform marriages or adjudicate personal status 
issues; however, in practice non-recognized churches advise their 
members to marry (or divorce) abroad.
    Since Islam is the official religion of the PA, Islamic 
institutions and places of worship receive preferential treatment. The 
PA has a Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs, which pays for the 
construction and maintenance of mosques and the salaries of many 
Palestinian imams. The government of Jordan maintains responsibility 
for waqf institutions in Jerusalem. The Ministry also provides limited 
financial support to some Christian clergymen and Christian charitable 
organizations. The PA does not provide financial support to any Jewish 
institutions or holy sites in the West Bank; these areas are generally 
under Israeli control.
    The PA requires that religion be taught in PA schools, with 
separate courses for Muslim and Christian students. A compulsory 
curriculum requires the study of Christianity for Christian students 
and Islam for Muslim students in grades one through six. The PA 
Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) revised its primary 
and secondary school textbooks. A USG-funded review of Palestinian 
textbooks concluded that the textbooks did not cross the line into 
incitement but continued to show elements of imbalance, bias, and 
inaccuracy. Critics noted the new textbooks often ignored historical 
Jewish connections to Israel and Jerusalem.
    The PA does not officially sponsor interfaith dialogue; however, it 
sends representatives to meetings on improving inter-religious 
relations and attempts to foster goodwill among Muslim and Christian 
religious leaders. The PA makes an effort to maintain good relations 
with the Christian community; however, the PA has not taken sufficient 
action to remedy past harassment and intimidation of Christian 
residents of Bethlehem by the city's Muslim majority. The PA judiciary 
failed to adjudicate numerous cases of seizures of Christian-owned land 
in the Bethlehem area by criminal gangs. There were credible reports 
that PA security forces and judicial officials colluded with gang 
members to extort property illegally from Christians. In previous 
years, PA officials appear to have been complicit in property extortion 
of Palestinian Christian residents. Several attacks against Christians 
in Bethlehem went unaddressed by the PA, but authorities investigated 
attacks against Muslims in the same area.
    PA President Abbas has informal advisors on Christian affairs. Six 
seats in the 132-member PLC are reserved for Christians; there are no 
seats reserved for members of any other faith. The PA observes several 
religious holidays, including Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Zikra al-Hijra 
al-Nabawiya, Christmas, and the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad. 
Christians also may observe the Easter holiday.
    Israel exercises varying degrees of legal control in the Occupied 
Territories. The international community considers Israel's authority 
in the Occupied Territories to be subject to the 1907 Hague Regulations 
and the 1949 Geneva Convention relating to the Protection of Civilians 
in Time of War. The Israeli government considers the Hague Regulations 
applicable and maintains that it largely observed the Geneva 
Convention's humanitarian provisions. The Israeli government applies 
Israeli law to East Jerusalem, which it annexed after 1967; however, 
the U.S. Government considers Jerusalem a permanent status issue to be 
resolved in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
    The Israeli government gives preferential treatment to Jewish 
residents of the Occupied Territories, including East Jerusalem, when 
granting permits for home building and civic services. For example, 
Palestinian residents of Jerusalem pay the same taxes as Jewish 
residents, but Palestinian residents receive significantly fewer 
municipal services than Jewish residents. Many of the national and 
municipal policies enacted in Jerusalem are designed to limit or 
diminish the non-Jewish population of Jerusalem. These are official 
policies that every Jerusalem municipal government has acknowledged and 
followed since 1967, and that Israeli ministers have at times openly 
admitted. According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights 
organizations, the Israeli government uses a combination of zoning 
restrictions on building for Palestinians, confiscation of Palestinian 
lands, and demolition of Palestinian homes to ``contain'' non-Jewish 
neighborhoods, while simultaneously permitting Jewish settlement in 
predominantly Palestinian areas in East Jerusalem.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), contains the Dome of the 
Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque, among the most holy sites in Islam. Jews 
refer to the same place as the Temple Mount and consider it the 
location of the ancient Jewish temple. The location has been, with all 
of East Jerusalem, under Israeli security control since 1967, when 
Israel captured the city (East Jerusalem was formally annexed in 1980, 
and thus Israel applies its laws to East Jerusalem). The Haram al-
Sharif is administered, however, by the Islamic waqf, a PA-affiliated 
but Jordanian-funded and administered Muslim religious trust for East 
Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli police 
control the compound's entrances, and limit access to the compound. The 
waqf can object to entrance of particular persons, such as non-Muslim 
religious radicals, or to prohibited activities, such as prayer by non-
Muslims or disrespectful clothing or behavior, but lacks authority to 
remove anyone from the site, and thus must rely on Israeli police to 
enforce site regulations. In practice, waqf officials claimed that 
police often allowed religious radicals (such as Jews seeking to 
rebuild the ancient Temple on the site and to remove the mosques) and 
immodestly dressed persons to enter and often were not responsive to 
enforcing the site's rules.
    While non-Muslims (except guests of the waqf) were not allowed to 
enter the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount from September 28, 2000 (the 
date of former Likud party head Ariel Sharon's visit which sparked 
unrest) until August 2003, non-Muslims could visit the site during 
designated visiting hours. The Israeli government, as a matter of 
stated policy, has prevented non-Muslims from worshipping at the Haram 
al-Sharif/Temple Mount since 1967. Israeli police consistently did not 
permit public prayer on public safety grounds and publicly indicated 
that this policy has not changed in light of the renewed visits of non-
Muslims to the compound or the court ruling on the issue. Waqf 
officials contend that the Israeli police, in contravention of their 
stated policy and the religious status quo, have allowed members of 
radical Jewish groups to enter and to worship at the site. Spokesmen 
for these groups have claimed successful attempts to pray inside the 
compound in interviews with the Israeli media. The Waqf interprets 
police actions as part of an Israeli policy to incrementally reduce 
Waqf authority over the site and to give non-Muslims rights of worship 
in parts of the compound.
    Since October 2000, the Israeli government, citing security 
concerns, prevented most Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza from 
reaching the Haram al-Sharif by prohibiting their entry into Jerusalem. 
Restrictions were often placed on entry into the Haram al-Sharif even 
for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, such as a frequently 
implemented restriction on males under the age of forty-five.
    There were also disputes between the Muslim administrators of the 
Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount and Israeli authorities regarding Israeli 
restrictions on waqf attempts to carry out repairs and physical 
improvements on the compound and its mosques. In 2005 Palestinian 
workers under direction of Jordanian engineers worked on restoring 
tiles on the Dome of the Rock and Ottoman-era stones on the southern 
and eastern walls of the compound. Israeli authorities prevented the 
waqf from conducting several improvement projects or removing debris 
from the site, alleging that the waqf was attempting to alter the 
nature of the site or to discard antiquities of Jewish origin.
    Personal status law for Palestinians is based on religious law. For 
Muslim Palestinians, personal status law is derived from Shari'a, and 
various ecclesiastical courts rule on personal status issues for 
Christians. A 1995 PA presidential decree stipulated that all laws in 
effect before the advent of the PA would continue in force until the PA 
enacted new laws or amended the old ones. Therefore, in the West Bank, 
which was formerly under Jordanian rule, the Shari'a-based Jordanian 
Status Law of 1976 governs women's status. Under the law, which 
includes inheritance and marriage laws, women inherit less than male 
members of the family. The marriage law allows men to take more than 
one wife, although few do so. Prior to marriage, a woman and man may 
stipulate terms in the marriage contract that govern financial and 
child custody matters in the event of divorce. Reportedly, few women 
use this section of the law. Personal status law in Gaza is based on 
Shari'a-centered law as interpreted in Egypt; however, similar versions 
of the attendant restrictions on women described above apply as well.
    Due to violence and security concerns, the Israeli government has 
imposed a broad range of strict closures and curfews throughout the 
Occupied Territories since October 2000. These restrictions largely 
continued during the reporting period and resulted in significantly 
impeded freedom of access to places of worship in the West Bank for 
Muslims and Christians.
    In 2002, the Israeli government, citing security concerns, began 
constructing a barrier to separate most of the West Bank from Israel, 
East Jerusalem, and Israeli settlement blocks. Construction of the 
barrier has involved confiscation of property owned by Palestinians, 
displacement of Christian, Muslim, and Israeli residents, and 
tightening of restrictions on movement for non-Jewish communities. The 
Israeli government asserts that it has mechanisms to compensate 
landowners for all takings, but there were several reports of land 
being taken along the barrier's route without compensation under the 
Absentee Property Statute or military orders.
    Construction of the separation barrier continued in and around East 
Jerusalem during the reporting period, seriously restricting access by 
West Bank Muslims and Christians to holy sites in Jerusalem and in the 
West Bank. The barrier also negatively affected access to schools, 
healthcare providers, and other humanitarian services, although in some 
cases, the Government made efforts to lessen the impact on religious 
institutions.
    The separation barrier made it difficult for Bethlehem-area 
Christians to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and 
it made visits to Christian sites in Bethany and in Bethlehem difficult 
for Palestinian Christians who live on the Israeli side of the barrier, 
further fragmenting and dividing this small minority community. Foreign 
pilgrims sometimes experienced difficulty in obtaining access to 
Christian holy sites in the West Bank because of the barrier and 
Israeli restrictions on movement in the West Bank. The barrier and its 
checkpoints also impeded the movement of clergy between Jerusalem and 
West Bank churches and monasteries, as well as the movement of 
congregations between their homes and places of worship. On November 
15, 2005, Israel opened a new crossing terminal from Jerusalem into 
Bethlehem for tourists and non-tourists. After initial complaints of 
long lines, the Israeli government instituted new screening procedures 
and agreed to ease access into Bethlehem during the Christmas holiday, 
with restrictions eased from December 24 to January 19. For example, 
the PA reported 30,000 visitors to the Church of the Nativity for 
various Christmas celebrations on December 24-25 2005, the largest 
turnout since 2000.
    Hundreds of Armenian pilgrims attending the Holy Fire Celebration 
on April 22, 2006 were prevented by the Israeli Police from entering 
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem despite 
the fact that all had the necessary permits to enter.
    In February 2003, the Israeli government issued confiscation orders 
for land in Bethlehem to build a barrier and military positions around 
Rachel's Tomb (a shrine holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims). This 
barrier would leave the shrine on the ``Israeli'' side of the 
separation barrier. By the end of 2004, the Israeli government walled 
off and fortified the Rachel's Tomb area, and often restricted access 
to the site, only allowing Jewish visitors regular, unimpeded access 
and requiring prior coordination by other worshippers. In previous 
years, Jewish tourists visiting the shrine occasionally were harassed 
by Palestinians, but Israel's closure of the area and associated land 
expropriations impeded Muslim and Christian access to the site. Israeli 
settlers obtained ownership of some of the land and properties around 
the tomb through a disputed land deal.
    In 2003, the Government of Israel confiscated land from the Baron 
Deir monastery in Bethlehem, which belongs to the Armenian 
Patriarchate, for construction of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) patrol 
road in the area. Negotiations between the Patriarchate and the Israeli 
government reduced the amount of land confiscated.
    The Armenian Patriarchate reported that the IDF caused significant 
damage to the property during incursions into Bethlehem in 2002. The 
parties reached an undisclosed agreement on compensation for this 
damage.
    Since 2003, the Israeli government confiscated land (with some 
compensation generally offered but refused) belonging to three Catholic 
institutions in Bethany for construction of the separation barrier: The 
Camboni Sisters Convent, the Passionist Monastery, and the Sisters of 
Charity Convent and school. Construction of the barrier in this area, 
which was largely completed during the reporting period, involved 
confiscation of a significant portion of each church property. In the 
village of Bethany on the Mount of Olives, the Israeli government built 
an eight-meter high concrete separation barrier that crosses into the 
property of several Christian institutions. The barrier in Bethany 
blocks the annual Orthodox Palm Sunday procession from Lazarus' Tomb in 
Bethany to the Old City of Jerusalem, but Israel has constructed a 
crossing terminal to allow foreign pilgrims and Christians living on 
the West Bank side of the barrier to participate in the procession.
    Israeli closure policies, imposed according to the Israeli 
government due to security concerns, prevented tens of thousands of 
Palestinians from reaching places of worship in Jerusalem and the West 
Bank, including during religious holidays such as Ramadan, Christmas, 
and Easter. There have been several violent clashes in the past between 
Israeli police and Muslim worshippers on the Haram al-Sharif, which 
waqf officials allege have been due to the large police contingent kept 
on the site. On a few occasions, Muslim worshippers have thrown stones 
at police and police have fired tear gas and stun grenades at 
worshippers. Muslim worshippers also have held demonstrations at the 
site to protest reported Jewish extremist plans to damage the mosques 
or create a Jewish worship area at the site. Israeli security officials 
and police have generally been proactive and effective in dealing with 
such threats. There were no incidents of rocks thrown near the Western 
Wall during the period covered by this report.
    The Israeli government's closure policy prevented several 
Palestinian religious leaders, both Muslim and Christian, from reaching 
their congregations. In previous years, several clergymen reported that 
they were subject to harassment at checkpoints; however, during the 
reporting period there were no reports of serious harassment of clergy.
    During the reporting period, Palestinian violence against Israeli 
settlers prevented some Israelis from reaching Jewish holy sites in the 
Occupied Territories, such as Joseph's Tomb near Nablus. Since early 
2001, following the outbreak of the Intifada, the Israeli government 
has prohibited Israeli citizens in unofficial capacities from traveling 
to the parts of the West Bank under the civil and security control of 
the PA. This restriction prevented Israeli Arabs from visiting Muslim 
and Christian holy sites in the West Bank, and it prevented Jewish 
Israelis from visiting other sites, including an ancient synagogue in 
Jericho. Visits to the Jericho synagogue ceased after disagreements 
erupted between Israel and the PA over security arrangements.
    Settler violence against Palestinians prevented some Palestinians 
from reaching holy sites in the Occupied Territories. Settlers in 
Hebron have in previous reporting periods forcibly prevented Muslim 
muezzins from reaching the al-Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs to 
sound the call to prayer, and have harassed Muslim worshippers in 
Hebron. Settler harassment of Palestinians in Hebron was a regular 
occurrence in this reporting period. The Israeli government did not 
effectively respond to settler-initiated blocking of religious sites.
    While there were no specific restrictions placed on Palestinians 
making the Hajj, all Palestinians faced closures and long waits at 
Israeli border crossings, which often impeded travel for religious 
purposes. Palestinians generally were not allowed to use Ben-Gurion 
Airport. If residents of the Occupied Territories obtained a Saudi Hajj 
visa, they must travel by ground to Amman (for West Bankers) or Egypt 
(for Gazans) and then by ground, sea, or air to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 
Palestinians from Gaza who participated in the Hajj departed through 
the Palestinian-controlled Rafah crossing into Egypt.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Throughout the year Israeli authorities still required that 
Christian clergy leave the West Bank or Jerusalem every ninety days to 
renew their tourist visas, disrupting their work and causing financial 
difficulties to their sponsoring religious organizations. Catholic and 
Orthodox priests and nuns and other religious workers often from Syria 
and Lebanon faced long delays, and sometimes denied applications, 
entirely without explanation; however, the Israeli government claimed 
that delays were due to security processing for visas and extensions. 
The shortage of foreign clergy impeded the functioning of Christian 
congregations.
    In January 2006 the IDF re-opened the Mosque to Muslim worship for 
the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad. Israeli officers selectively 
enforced orders preventing the muezzin at the al-Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb 
of the Patriarchs in Hebron from sounding the call to prayer when Jews 
were praying in their portion of the shrine.
    There were no reports of major damage to Christian churches during 
this reporting period. In previous reporting periods, there were 
credible reports that the Israeli military caused significant damage to 
church property.
    In previous reporting periods, the PA failed to halt several cases 
of seizures of Christian-owned land in the Bethlehem area by criminal 
gangs. In many cases, criminal gangs reportedly used forged land 
documents to assert ownership of lands belonging to Christians. Police 
failed to investigate most of these cases. In two cases, police 
arrested and then released the suspects on bail and allowed them to 
continue occupying the land in question. Local religious and political 
leaders confirmed that no such attempts to seize Muslim-owned land took 
place.
    In the midst of growing chaos and lawlessness in the West Bank and 
Gaza Strip, there were credible reports in previous years that PA 
security forces and judicial officials colluded with members of these 
gangs to seize land from Christians. In one reported case, a PA judge 
openly told a Palestinian Christian landowner that he and his partners 
in the PA intelligence services required a substantial bribe to allow 
the landowner to remain on his property. PA officials repeatedly 
promised Christian leaders that they would take action in these cases, 
but by the end of the reporting period, no action had been taken.
    Officials from the Qalqilya branch of the YMCA relocated following 
a firebombing of its office by local Muslims in April 2006. Local 
Muslim leaders have written to the Hamas-led municipal council 
demanding that the branch office close.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
Occupied Territories.
Forced Religious Conversions
    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 Abuses and Discrimination

    There generally were amicable relations between Christians and 
Muslims, although tensions exist. Relations between Jews and non-Jews 
often were strained. Tensions between Jews and non-Jews exist primarily 
as a result of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as Israel's 
control of access to sites holy to Christians and Muslims. Relations 
among different branches of Judaism were also strained. Some non-
Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem have complained of discrimination and 
intolerance on the part of some Orthodox Jews.
    Societal attitudes continued to be a barrier to conversions, 
especially for Muslims converting to Christianity. In previous 
reporting periods, there were reports that some Christian converts from 
Islam who publicized their religious beliefs were harassed or 
ostracized by their families or villages.
    Muslim-Christian tension has been minimal during this reporting 
period, and the few instances of Muslim-Christian violence appear 
related to social or inter-family conflicts rather than religious 
disputes. Both Muslim and Christian Palestinians have accused Israeli 
officials of attempting to foster animosity among Palestinians by 
exaggerating reports of Muslim-Christian tensions.
    Jewish settlers, either acting alone or in groups, engaged in 
assaulting Palestinians and destroying Palestinian property; however, 
most instances of violence or property destruction reportedly committed 
against Palestinians did not result in arrests or convictions.
    Interfaith romance was a sensitive issue. Most Christian and Muslim 
families in the Occupied Territories encouraged their children-
especially their daughters-to marry within their respective religious 
groups. Couples who challenged this societal norm encountered 
considerable societal and familial opposition. For example, there were 
reports of some Christian women receiving death threats from Christian 
family members and community leaders for marrying Muslim men during the 
reporting period.
    In September 2005, Muslims rioted through the predominantly West 
Bank Christian village of Taybah, torching homes, vandalizing private 
vehicles, and assaulting residents. The violence followed a reported 
romance between a Muslim woman and a Christian man from Taybah. In 
October 2004, a yeshiva student spat at the Armenian archbishop of 
Jerusalem while he was engaged in a religious procession through the 
Old City. The student was arrested and ordered to remain away from the 
Old City for seventy-five days. He also made a formal apology. The Holy 
See and the country's chief rabbinate issued a joint condemnation of 
the assault at the end of a meeting of Catholic and Jewish officials 
near Rome shortly after the incident. There were several other spitting 
incidents, usually involving Armenian clergy due to their proximity to 
several Jewish quarter yeshivas. The mayor of Jerusalem, the chief 
rabbinate, and the heads of several yeshivas have strongly criticized 
such behavior and punished those involved. The armenian patriarchate 
was satisfied with measures that the Israeli government, Jerusalem 
municipality and yeshivas have taken after these incidents, but 
believes that more education on tolerance and respect for other 
religious groups would be helpful.
    A March 2005 dispute over the transfer of property in Jerusalem's 
Old City owned by the Greek Orthodox Church to Jewish investors ended 
with senior Orthodox leaders calling for the removal of the Greek 
Patriarch of Jerusalem, Irineos I. The sale enraged Palestinians, who 
saw the deals as a betrayal of Palestinian parishioners by the mostly-
Greek clergy and feared that such purchases would affect Palestinian 
claims on East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. 
Patriarch Irineos I was ousted from his position by the Orthodox synod 
of bishops, but did not resign, claiming that proceedings against him 
were illegal. Jordan and the PA have rescinded official recognition of 
Irineos I, but at the end of the period covered by this report Israel 
still recognized him as patriarch and kept a contingent of Israeli 
police inside the Greek Orthodox Monastery to protect him.
    In general, established Christian subgroups did not welcome less-
established evangelical churches. Settlers from the Hebron area and the 
southern West Bank severely beat and threatened several international 
activists, including individuals from the Christian Peacemaker Teams 
that escort Palestinian children to school and protect Palestinian 
families from settler abuse. While it is unclear whether the attackers' 
motives stemmed from religious extremism as opposed to ultra-
nationalism, the activists felt that local Israeli police did not 
actively pursue the suspects and oppose the Christian Peacemaker Teams' 
presence in Palestinian villages.
    The strong correlation between religion, ethnicity, and politics in 
the Occupied Territories at times imbues the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict with a religious dimension. The rhetoric of some Jewish and 
Muslim religious leaders has been harsher since the outbreak of the 
Intifada in October 2000.
    In previous years, Muslims at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount 
threw stones at Jewish worshippers on the Western Wall plaza, leading 
to major police confrontations; however, there were no incidents of 
stone-throwing at the plaza during the period covered by this report.
    Palestinian media frequently published and broadcast material 
criticizing the Israeli occupation, including dismissing Jewish 
connections to Jerusalem. In September 2005 Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi, 
the chief justice and president of the Higher Shari'a Council, called 
the Israeli government's claim of a Jewish connection to the Haram al-
Sharif/Temple Mount a ``baseless lie'' and provocation to Muslims 
everywhere. Al-Tamimi also warned against the ``Judaization'' of 
Jerusalem. Rhetoric by Palestinian terrorist groups included 
expressions of anti-Semitism. Some Muslim religious leaders preached 
sermons on the official PA television station that included expressions 
of anti-Semitism. However, on October 28, Israeli media quoted PLO 
Chief Negotiator Sa'eb Erekat's statement that the Iranian president's 
declaration that Israel should be wiped off the map was 
``unacceptable.''
    Israeli activists reported numerous examples in which PA television 
shows invoked messages that activists considered anti-Semitic or that 
attempted to de-legitimize Jewish history in general. Israeli settler 
radio stations often depicted Arabs as subhuman and called for 
Palestinians to be expelled from the West Bank. Right-wing, pro-settler 
organizations such as Women in Green, and various Hebron-area 
publications, have published several cartoons that demonize 
Palestinians. Also, the sermons of some Muslim imams occasionally 
included anti-Semitic messages, such as a May 13, 2005, sermon 
delivered by Shaykh Ibrahim Mudayris that ran on PA television, in 
which he compared Jews (in the context of land conflicts) to ``a virus, 
like AIDS.'' In May 2005 media quoted PA Minister of Information Nabil 
Sh'ath as calling for Mudayris' suspension from the PA religious 
affairs ministry and Muslim waqf, which employed Mudayris, and banned 
him from delivering Friday sermons. At the end of the reporting period, 
Mudayris was no longer delivering Friday sermons.
    There were instances of Jewish-nationalist extremists harassing 
Muslims. On several occasions, a group of Jewish-nationalist extremists 
known as the Temple Mount Faithful attempted to force their way inside 
the wall enclosing the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. In addition, the 
same group periodically attempted to lay a cornerstone for the building 
of a new Jewish temple that would replace the Islamic Dome of the Rock 
shrine, an act that Muslims considered an affront.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    Prior to the establishment of the Hamas-led PA government, U.S. 
officials maintained dialogue with PA officials on religious issues, in 
particular on incitement in the Palestinian media. In light of the new 
PA government led by Hamas which has not agreed to the Quartet 
principles that it disavow violence, recognize Israel, and accept 
previous agreements and obligations, U.S. officials have no contact 
with PA officials under the authority of the prime minister or any 
other minister in the Hamas-led cabinet, including working-level 
officials in these ministries. Contact is allowed with PA President 
Abbas and officials in the Office of the PA president and other 
officials in agencies directly under the authority of the PA president. 
The consulate general continues to maintain contacts with 
representatives of the Jerusalem waqf-an Islamic trust and charitable 
organization that owns and manages large amounts of real estate, 
including the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem-as well as with 
the various Christian churches and Jewish communities in Jerusalem.
    U.S. officials regularly meet with religious representatives to 
ensure that their legitimate grievances are reported and addressed.
    During the reporting period, the consulate investigated a range of 
charges, including allegations of damage to places of worship, 
incitement, and allegations concerning access to holy sites. Consulate 
general officers met with representatives of the Bethlehem Christian 
community and traveled to the area to investigate charges of 
mistreatment of Christians by the PA. The consulate general raised the 
issue of seizure of Christian-owned land in discussions with PA 
officials.
    In October 2004, a representative from the Office of International 
Religious Freedom visited Jerusalem and met with government officials, 
NGO representatives, Muslim Waqf officials, and Christian clergy and 
religious workers, particularly those negatively impacted by 
construction of the separation barrier.
    In several cases, the Israeli government agreed to consider changes 
to the route of the barrier in Jerusalem near several Christian 
institutions and installed pedestrian gates in the barrier to 
facilitate the passage of priests and other religious workers.
                               __________

                                 JORDAN

    The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice the rites of 
one's religion and faith in accordance with the customs that are 
observed in the Kingdom, unless they violate public order or morality. 
According to the Constitution, Islam is the state religion; religious 
practices that conflict with the official interpretation of Shari'a are 
prohibited.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period. In January 2006, a Shari'a court received 
a complaint for apostasy against a convert from Islam to Christianity. 
The plaintiff subsequently dropped the charges but the defendant has 
not yet received an official guarantee that no new charges will be 
filed. In 2005 an appellate court upheld the Amman Shari'a Court's 2004 
conviction of a convert from Islam to Christianity for apostasy. 
Members of unrecognized religious groups and converts from Islam face 
legal discrimination and bureaucratic difficulties in personal status 
cases. Converts from Islam additionally risk the loss of civil rights. 
Shari'a courts have the authority to prosecute proselytizers.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups 
contributed to religious freedom. Relations between Muslims and 
Christians generally are good; however, adherents of unrecognized 
religions and Muslims who convert to other faiths face societal 
discrimination.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government in the context of its overall policy to promote human 
rights, interfaith dialogue, and understanding.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 55,436 square miles and a population of 
5.9 million. More than 95 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim. 
Official government figures estimate that Christians make up 4 percent 
of the population; however, government and Christian officials 
privately estimate the figure to be closer to 3 percent. It is 
estimated there are at least twenty thousand Druze, a small number of 
Shi'a Muslims, and fewer than 400 Baha'is. There are no statistics 
available regarding the number of persons who are not adherents of any 
religious faith.
    Officially recognized Christian denominations include the Greek 
Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic (Melkite), Armenian Orthodox, 
Maronite Catholic, Assyrian, Coptic, Anglican, Lutheran, Seventh-day 
Adventist, United Pentecostal, and Presbyterian churches. Other 
Christian groups, including the Baptists, the Free Evangelicals, the 
Church of the Nazarene, the Assembly of God, and the Christian and 
Missionary Alliance, are registered with the Ministry of Interior as 
``societies'' but not as churches. There are a number of Chaldean and 
Syriac Christians and Shi'a among the estimated 500 thousand to 600 
thousand Iraqis in the country, many of whom are undocumented or on 
visitor permits.
    With few exceptions, there are no major geographic concentrations 
of religious minorities. The cities of Husn, in the north, and Fuheis, 
near Amman, are predominantly Christian. Madaba and Karak, both south 
of Amman, also have significant Christian populations. The northern 
part of the city of Azraq has a sizeable Druze population, as does Umm 
Al-Jamal in the governorate of Mafraq. There also are Druze populations 
in Amman and Zarka and a smaller number in Irbid and Aqaba. There are a 
number of non-indigenous Shi'a living in the Jordan Valley and the 
south. Druzes are registered as ``Muslims'' and, as they have their own 
court in Al Azraq, can administer their own personal status matters.
    Foreign missionaries operating in the country include 
representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Campus Crusade for Christ, Samaritan's 
Purse, The Evangelical Alliance Mission, Life Agape, Intervarsity, 
Navigators, Christar, Arab World Ministries, Operation Mobilization, 
Southern Baptist International Mission Board, the Conservative 
Baptists, Frontiers, Brother Andrew, the Jesuits, Christian Brothers, 
Rosary Sisters, Benedictines, Anglican Church Mission Society, the 
Society of Friends (Quakers), Comboni Sisters, Little Sisters of Jesus, 
the Religious of Nazareth, Sisters of St. Dorothy, the Daughters of 
Mary the Helper (Salesian Sisters), the Little Sisters of Nazareth, the 
Little Family of the Annunciation, Sisters of St. Joseph of the 
Apparition, Basiliennes Chouerites, Focolare Sisters, Franciscans 
(OFM), Sons of Divine Providence (Don Orione Fathers), Association 
Fraternal International, Institute of the Incarnate Word, Franciscans 
of the Cross, Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine, Franciscan 
Missionaries of Mary, Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart 
of Mary, Daughters of Mary of the Enclosed Garden, Theresian Institute, 
and the Missionaries of Charity.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice the rites of 
one's religion and faith in accordance with the customs that are 
observed in the Kingdom, unless they violate public order or morality. 
According to the Constitution, Islam is the state religion; religious 
practices that conflict with the official interpretation of Shari'a are 
prohibited.
    The Constitution, in Articles 103-106, provides that matters 
concerning the personal status of Muslims are the exclusive 
jurisdiction of Shari'a courts, which apply Shari'a law in their 
proceedings. Personal status includes religion, marriage, divorce, 
child custody and inheritance. Personal status law follows the 
guidelines of the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, which is 
applied to cases that are not explicitly addressed by civil status 
legislation. Matters of personal status of non-Muslims are the 
jurisdiction of Tribunals of Religious Communities, according to 
Article 108.
    Churches and other religious institutions that wish to receive 
official recognition must apply to the Prime Ministry for registration. 
Recognized non-Muslim religious institutions do not receive subsidies; 
they are financially and administratively independent of the Government 
and are tax-exempt. Some churches were registered with the Ministry of 
Interior as ``societies'' rather than churches.
    While Christianity is a recognized religion and non-Muslim citizens 
may profess and practice the Christian faith, churches must be accorded 
legal recognition through administrative procedures in order to own 
land and administer sacraments, including marriage. The prime minister 
unofficially confers with an interfaith council of clergy representing 
officially registered local churches on all matters relating to the 
Christian community, including the registration of new churches. The 
Government refers to the following criteria when considering official 
recognition of Christian churches: The faith must not contradict the 
nature of the Constitution, public ethics, customs, or traditions; it 
must be recognized by the Middle East Council of Churches; the faith 
must not oppose the national religion; and the group must include some 
citizen adherents. Groups that the Government deems to engage in 
practices that violate the law and the nature of society or threaten 
the stability of public order are prohibited; however, there were no 
reports that any religious groups were banned.
    Public schools provide mandatory religious instruction for all 
Muslim students. Christian and Baha'i students are not required to 
attend courses that teach Islam. In 1996 the late King Hussein and the 
Ministry of Education approved a plan to provide religious instruction 
for Christian students in public schools. In 1998 the Government 
launched an experimental program in four districts to incorporate 
Christian education in the public school curriculum for Christian 
students only, and on condition that the school's Christian population 
meet a size requirement. However, this program has not been implemented 
because the Christian denominations have not agreed upon a common 
curriculum. The Constitution provides that congregations have the right 
to establish schools for the education of their own communities 
``provided that they comply with the general provisions of the law and 
are subject to government control in matters relating to their 
curriculums and orientation.''
    There are two major government-sponsored institutions that promote 
interfaith understanding: The Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies 
and the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilization Research (the Al al-Bayt 
Foundation). The last time the Government held an international 
Christian conference in government facilities was in 2002.
    On January 23, 2006 a Royal Decree was issued to recognize 
``Copts'' as a religious community. In December 2005 the Government 
approved a request by the Coptic Orthodox bishop in Amman for the 
establishment of a church court for the Coptic community. Although the 
court has not yet been established, the Coptic priest has authority to 
settle all personal status issues for members.
    In August 2005 a member of the royal family, Prince Hamza, hosted a 
conference that promoted interfaith dialogue among religious 
communities. The conference included religious leaders from numerous 
countries and focused on Islam as a faith with democratic principals. 
In November 2004, supported by the Government, the Grand Mufti issued a 
proclamation, known as the ``Amman Message'' stating that the ``true 
nature'' of Islam is one of moderation and tolerance. He encouraged the 
``silent majority'' to promote Islam as a faith capable of building 
bridges of understanding between all nations.
    The Islamic feasts of Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, the birth of the 
Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet's Ascension, and the Islamic New Year, 
are celebrated as national holidays. Christmas and the Gregorian 
calendar New Year also are national holidays. Easter is a government-
recognized holiday and Christians may request leave for other Christian 
feasts approved by the local Council of Bishops.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    There were no reports that the practice of any faith was 
prohibited; however, the Government does not officially recognize all 
religious groups. Some religious groups, while allowed to meet and 
practice their faith, faced societal and official discrimination. In 
addition, not all Christian denominations have applied for or been 
accorded legal recognition.
    The Government does not recognize the Druze or Baha'i faiths as 
religions but does not prohibit their practice. The Druze face official 
discrimination but do not complain of social discrimination. Baha'is 
face both official and social discrimination. On national identity 
cards, which normally identify the bearer's religious community, the 
Government records Druzes as Muslims, and indicates no religion for 
Baha'is. The Baha'i community does not have its own court to adjudicate 
personal status and family matters; such cases are heard in Shari'a 
courts. The Government does not officially recognize the Druze temple 
in Azraq, and four social halls belonging to the Druze are registered 
as ``societies.'' The Government does not permit Baha'is to register 
schools or places of worship. Employment applications for government 
positions occasionally contain questions about an applicant's religion. 
Additionally, the Constitution stipulates that the prime minister must 
be a Muslim citizen. Christians serve regularly as cabinet ministers. 
Of the 110 seats of the lower house of Parliament, 9 are reserved for 
Christians. No seats are reserved for adherents of other religious 
groups. No seats are reserved for Druzes, but they are permitted to 
hold office under their Government classification as Muslims.
    The Government does not recognize Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church 
of Christ, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but each 
is allowed to conduct religious services without interference.
    The Government does not interfere with public worship by the 
country's Christian minority.
    The Government recognizes Judaism as a religion; however there are 
reportedly no Jordanian citizens who are Jewish. The Government does 
not impose restrictions on Jews, and they are permitted to own property 
and conduct business in the country.
    Because Shari'a law governs the personal status of Muslims, 
converting from Islam to Christianity and proselytism of Muslims are 
not allowed. Muslims who convert to another religion face societal and 
governmental discrimination. The Government does not recognize the 
legality of such conversions. Under Shari'a, converts are regarded as 
apostates and may be denied their civil and property rights. In the 
past, this principle has not been applied, but during the last 
reporting period a convert to Christianity was found guilty of apostasy 
and stripped of many of his civil rights. The Government maintains it 
neither encourages nor prohibits apostasy. The Government does not 
recognize converts from Islam as falling under the jurisdiction of 
their new religious community's laws in matters of personal status; 
converts are still considered Muslims. Converts to Islam fall under the 
jurisdiction of Shari'a courts. Shari'a, in theory, provides for the 
death penalty for Muslims who apostatize; however, such punishment has 
never been applied in the country.
    There is no statute that expressly forbids proselytism of Muslims; 
however Government policy requires that foreign missionary groups 
refrain from public proselytism. In August 2005 two foreign 
missionaries were expelled from the country after a member of 
parliament complained to the minister of the interior that they were 
proselytizing among children without the permission of the parents. In 
the past, the Government has taken action against some non-Orthodox 
Christian missionaries in response to Orthodox Christians who 
complained that missionary activities disrupt the peace and cohesion of 
society.
    Despite past difficulty in obtaining legal status, the Jordan 
Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS), a Christian training school 
for pastors and missionaries, was registered with the Government and 
operates as a cultural center. JETS is permitted to appoint faculty and 
administration, but as a consequence the Government denies 
accreditation as an academic institution. Students and faculty from 
abroad wishing to attend JETS were sometimes able to live temporarily 
in the country by using tourist visas; however, because of the lack of 
accreditation, visas were sometimes not granted. Many students 
overstayed their visas and upon departure from the country were 
required to pay two dollars for each day they spent without a visa. 
JETS is forbidden by the Government to accept Muslim students. During 
the reporting period, JETS denied the request of a Muslim former member 
of parliament to attend classes due to the Government's policy against 
Muslims studying at the center. In the past, seven foreign students who 
had converted from Islam to Christianity were forced out of the program 
and required to leave the country. The Government authorized JETS to 
own property, and in August 2003 the organization broke ground on a new 
facility. During the reporting year, the Government confiscated a 
shipment of approximately one hundred books ordered by JETS. The 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs intervened and secured the release of the 
books to JETS.
    Parliamentary elections law historically has under-represented 
urban areas that are centers of support for Islamist candidates.
    The Political Parties Law prohibits houses of worship from being 
used for political activity. The law was designed primarily to prevent 
Government opponents from preaching politically-oriented sermons in 
mosques.
    The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Trusts manages Islamic 
institutions and the construction of mosques. It also appoints imams, 
provides mosque staff salaries, manages Islamic clergy training 
centers, and subsidizes certain activities sponsored by mosques. The 
Government monitors sermons at mosques and requires that preachers 
refrain from political commentary that could instigate social or 
political unrest.
    In January and February 2006, Jihad Al-Momani, former chief editor 
of the weekly newspaper Shihan, and Hussein Al-Khalidi, of the weekly 
Al Mihar, were arrested, released, and then re-arrested for printing 
controversial cartoons depicting Muhammad. Although released, the two 
journalists each face charges of ``defaming the Prophet Muhammad'' 
which is punishable by up to three months imprisonment; and additional 
charges of ``insulting God'' which carries a maximum sentence of three 
years. Both men have pleaded ``not guilty'' to the charges stating that 
their intent was to garner support for the movement against the Danish 
paper that originally published the cartoons. On May 30, 2006 the two 
men received the minimum sentence of two months prison, but were 
immediately released on bail with the possibility that the sentences 
will be commuted to fines of approximately $170 (JD 120) each.
    According to the Constitution, religious community trusts 
(``awqaf'') and matters of personal status such as religion, marriage, 
divorce, child custody, and inheritance fall within the exclusive 
jurisdiction of the Shari'a courts for Muslims and separate non-Muslim 
tribunals for each religious community recognized by the Government. 
There is no provision for civil marriage or divorce. The head of the 
department that manages Shari'a court affairs (a cabinet-level 
position) appoints Shari'a judges, while each recognized non-Muslim 
religious community selects the structure and members of its own 
tribunal. All judicial nominations are approved by the prime minister 
and commissioned officially by royal decree. The Protestant 
denominations registered as ``societies'' come under the jurisdiction 
of one of the recognized Protestant church tribunals. There are no 
tribunals assigned for atheists or adherents of unrecognized religions 
such as the Druze and the Baha'i. Such individuals must request one of 
the recognized courts to hear their personal status cases.
    Shari'a is applied in all matters relating to family law involving 
Muslims or the children of a Muslim father, and all citizens, including 
non-Muslims, are subject to Islamic legal provisions regarding 
inheritance. According to the law, all minor children of male citizens 
who convert to Islam are considered to be Muslim. Adult children of a 
male Christian who has converted to Islam become ineligible to inherit 
from their father if they do not also convert to Islam. In cases in 
which a Muslim converts to Christianity the conversion is not 
recognized legally by the authorities, and the individual continues to 
be treated as a Muslim in matters of family and property law.
    In 2002, the Shari'a and civil court systems adjudicated a dispute 
concerning custody of two minors, raised as Christians, whose father 
allegedly converted to Islam shortly before his death. The widow 
contended that her husband's signature on the conversion certificate 
was a forgery. The courts assigned legal custody to the Christian 
widow's brother, who is a convert to Islam. However, the children 
remained in the mother's physical custody pending the result of a 
counter suit she filed against her brother, alleging disinterest in the 
children and misuse of the children's trust funds. In April 2005, a 
court ruled in the mother's favor and assigned her legal custody of the 
children. In May 2005, the widow's brother appealed against the ruling, 
but an appellate court rejected the petition.
    Some Christians are unable to divorce under the legal system 
because they are subject to their denomination's religious court 
system, which does not allow divorce. Such individuals sometimes 
convert to another Christian denomination or to the Islamic faith to 
divorce legally.
    Druzes, Baha'is, and members of other unrecognized religious groups 
do not have their religious affiliations correctly noted on their 
national identity cards or ``family books'' (the family book is a 
national registration record that is issued to the head of every family 
and that serves as proof of citizenship). Atheists must associate 
themselves with a recognized religion for purposes of official 
identification.
    The Government traditionally reserves some positions in the upper 
levels of the military for Christians (4 percent); however, all senior 
command positions have been held by Muslims. Division-level commanders 
and above are required to lead Islamic prayer on certain occasions. 
There is no Christian clergy in the military.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    On January 20, 2006 a Shari'a court received an apostasy complaint 
against Mahmoud Abdel Rahman Mohammad Eleker, a convert from Islam to 
Christianity. On April 14, 2006 the complainant, the convert's brother-
in-law, dropped the charges after the convert's wife renounced in the 
presence of a lawyer any claims she might have to an inheritance from 
her own parents. However, Eleker must still appear before a court in 
order to receive an official guarantee that no new charges will be 
filed. Eleker and his pastor postponed the date of this appearance 
until the end of July, having heard rumors of an upcoming change in the 
apostasy law which might help his case. The case was still pending at 
the end of the reporting period.
    On September 13, 2004, on the order of a Shari'a court, a convert 
from Islam to Christianity was arrested and held overnight on charges 
of apostasy. On November 23, 2004 a Shari'a court found the defendant 
guilty of apostasy. The ruling was upheld on January 25, 2005 by a 
Shari'a appeals court. The verdict declared the convert to be a ward of 
the state, striped him of his civil rights, and annulled his marriage. 
It further declared him to be without any religious identity. It stated 
that he lost all rights to inheritance and may not remarry his (now 
former) wife unless he returns to Islam, and forbade his being 
considered an adherent of any other religion. The verdict implies the 
possibility that legal and physical custody of his child could be 
assigned to someone else. The convert reportedly left the country with 
his family and is not believed to have returned.
    There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners who 
remained in custody at the end of the period covered by this report.
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. However, according to the law, the father of any 
child, whether Muslim or Christian, may restrict the child's travel.
Anti-Semitism
    Editorial cartoons, articles and opinion pieces critical of Israel 
and Israeli politics were frequently published in the local press. 
Anti-Semitic pieces occurred with much less frequency, and were usually 
the expressions of political columnists; they did not prompt a response 
from the Government.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Baha'is faced some societal 
discrimination.
    The majority of the population views religion as central to one's 
personal identity. Muslims who convert to other religions often face 
social ostracism, threats, and abuse from their families and Muslim 
religious leaders. Parents usually strongly discourage young adults 
from pursuing interfaith romantic relationships, because they may lead 
to conversion. Such relationships may lead to ostracism and, in some 
cases, violence against the couple or feuds between members of the 
couple's families. When such situations arise, families may approach 
local government officials for resolution. In the past, there were 
reports that in some cases local government officials encouraged 
Christian women involved in relationships with Muslim men to convert to 
Islam to defuse potential family or tribal conflict and keep the peace; 
however, during the period covered by this report, there were no known 
cases in which local officials encouraged conversion from Christianity 
to Islam.
    During the reporting period, local newspapers occasionally 
published articles critical of Christian evangelical organizations.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government actively promotes religious freedom issues with 
the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
U.S. Embassy officials raised religious freedom and other human rights 
issues with government authorities on a number of occasions via formal 
inquiry and discussion. Embassy officers met frequently with members of 
the various religious and missionary communities in the country, as 
well as with private religious organizations.
    In October 2005, the Embassy funded an interfaith conference to 
commemorate the first anniversary of the Amman Message. The conference, 
titled ``The Amman Message in Action'' was organized by the Jordan 
Interfaith Coexistence Research Center and brought together experts, 
professors, and clerics from the three monotheistic faiths from Jordan, 
the Middle East, and the United States. The conference produced an 
interfaith endorsement of the principles of the Amman Message, and 
culminated in an interfaith celebration of the end of the Muslim holy 
month of Ramadan.
    From September 10 to October 1, 2005, the Embassy also sponsored 
the participation of Shari'a judges in an international visitor program 
designed to expose these religious scholars to the diversity, religious 
tolerance and freedom of U.S. society, including meeting religious 
leaders from several religious groups and U.S officials who raised 
religious freedom concerns. From November 21 to December 9, 2005, the 
Grand Mufti of Jordan traveled to the United States on an International 
Visitor exchange for the same purpose.
    In September 2005, Embassy officers met with moderate Islamic 
political leaders dedicated to tolerance and religious dialogue. The 
U.S. Department of State continued its multi-phase exchange program to 
bring U.S. religious leaders to the country and Jordanian imams and 
other religious leaders to the United States for outreach activities 
aimed at grassroots communities and youth.
                               __________

                                 KUWAIT

    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government placed some limits on this right. The Constitution also 
provides that the state shall protect the freedom to practice religion 
in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not 
conflict with public policy or morals. The Constitution declares that 
Islam is the state religion and that Shari'a (Islamic law) is a main 
source of legislation.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period. Government officials met with various 
religious groups in the country and hosted a conference to promote 
religious tolerance. The Government made efforts to promote moderation 
through the formation of a special committee on strengthening 
moderation through information campaigns in schools and training 
sessions for religious leaders. The new emir sponsored an international 
conference in London on moderation in Islam and pledged to sponsor two 
more conferences in the coming year, one in the United States and one 
in Russia.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Tensions came to the surface 
during the reporting year as a result of an attack on a Shi'a mosque 
and requests made by minority religious groups to build or gain 
recognition for religious-based institutions.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
Embassy hosted events designed to bring different religious groups 
together, sent religious leaders to the United States on professional 
exchange programs, and promoted a dialogue between U.S. military 
chaplains and local imams.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 6,880 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 2.9 million, of which 973,000 are citizens. The 
remaining residents are foreign workers and their families. More than 
100,000 Bidoon (stateless) Arabs, with residence ties to the country, 
either have no documentation, or are unwilling to disclose their 
nationality. The national census did not distinguish between Shi'a and 
Sunni Muslims. Estimates suggested that approximately 70 percent of 
citizens, including the ruling family, belonged to the Sunni branch of 
Islam. Most of the remaining 30 percent were Shi'a Muslims. These 
estimates came from voting, which often occurs along sectarian lines, 
and personal status documents. There are approximately 150 to 200 
Christian citizens, and a small number of Bahai citizens. Some 100,000 
of the noncitizen residents are Shi'a. Some areas had relatively high 
concentrations of Sunnis or Shi'a; for instance, Jahra province had a 
small Shi'a population compared to Sunnis. For the most part, however, 
the country was fairly integrated religiously.
    The primarily expatriate Christian population is estimated to be 
more than 300,000, with alternate estimates at more than 400,000. The 
Christian community included: The Anglican (Episcopalian) Church with 
approximately 100 members (several thousand other Christians also used 
the Anglican Church for worship services); Armenian Orthodox Church 
with approximately 4,000 members; Coptic Orthodox Church with at least 
65,000 members; Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church with approximately 
1,000 to 2,000 members (Greek Catholics worship in a rented house, not 
at the Catholic cathedral in Kuwait City); Greek Orthodox Church 
(referred to in Arabic as the Roman Orthodox Church, a reference to the 
Eastern Roman Empire of Byzantium) with an estimated 3,500 members; 
National Evangelical (Protestant) Church with more than seventy 
congregations serving approximately 40,000; and the Roman Catholic 
Church, with two official churches and a third worship facility in a 
rented house, with an estimated 250,000 members (Latin, Maronite, 
Coptic Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Malabar, and Malankara 
congregations all worshipped at the Catholic cathedral in Kuwait City).
    There were many other unrecognized Christian sub-groups, totaling 
tens of thousands of members. These included: Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Indian Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma, 
and Seventh-day Adventists.
    There are also communities of Baha'is (estimated 400 adherents), 
Buddhists (estimated 100,000), Hindus (estimated 300,000), and Sikhs 
(approximately 10,000 to 20,000).
    Missionary groups in the country served non-Muslim congregations. 
The Government prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing to Muslims.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government placed some limits on this right. The Constitution also 
provides that the state shall protect the freedom to practice religion 
in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not 
conflict with public policy or morals. The Constitution declares that 
Islam is the state religion and that Shari'a is a main source of 
legislation.
    The Government exercises direct control of the dominant Sunni 
strain of Islam. This creates certain advantages and disadvantages for 
both Sunnis and Shi'a. For example, the Government appoints Sunni imams 
and monitors their Friday sermons. It also finances the building of 
Sunni mosques. The Government does not exert this control over Shi'a 
mosques and Shi'a must fund their own mosques.
    The 2006 Press and Publications Law specifically prohibits the 
publication of any material that attacks religious groups or incites 
persons to commit crimes, create hatred, or spread dissension among the 
public. There are laws against blasphemy, apostasy, and proselytizing. 
These laws sometimes were used to restrict religious freedom.
    The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has official 
responsibility for overseeing religious groups. Officially recognized 
churches must deal with a variety of government entities, including the 
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (for visas and residence permits 
for pastors and other staff) and the Municipality of Kuwait (for 
building permits and land concerns). While reportedly there was no 
official government list of recognized churches, seven Christian 
churches had at least some form of official recognition enabling them 
to operate openly. These seven churches had open files at the Ministry 
of Social Affairs and Labor, allowing them to bring in pastors and 
staff to operate their churches.
    Four Christian sub-groups are widely understood to enjoy full 
recognition by the Government and are allowed to operate compounds 
officially designated as churches: Anglican, Coptic Orthodox, National 
Evangelical (Protestant), and Roman Catholic. They faced quotas on the 
number of clergy and staff they could bring into the country. Some of 
the churches find the quotas adequate. Others found them insufficient 
and considered their existing facilities inadequate to serve their 
respective communities. They faced significant problems in trying to 
build new facilities.
    The Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church had an open file at the 
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Greek Catholics worshipped in a 
rented house (two other Indian Catholic denominations also used the 
house for worship services).
    The Armenian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches were allowed to 
operate openly, hire employees, invite religious speakers, and conduct 
other such activities without Government interference; however, 
according to Government records, their facilities were registered only 
as private homes. They rented facilities from private citizens for 
worship services and other religious purposes, putting them in a 
vulnerable position if the owner decides to stop renting to them since 
it is difficult to find other landlords willing to rent to religious 
groups. No other churches or religious groups had legal status, but 
adherents generally were allowed to operate freely in private homes 
provided that they did not violate laws limiting public assembly or 
prohibiting proselytizing.
    The procedures for registration and licensing of religious groups 
appear to be connected to those for non governmental organizations 
(NGOs). In 1993, the Council of Ministers ordered all unlicensed NGOs 
to cease activities, but this order has never been enforced. There were 
hundreds of unlicensed, informal NGOs, clubs, and civic groups in the 
country. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor issued an increasing 
number of new NGO licenses including sixteen during the reporting year. 
At the end of the reporting period, there were 163 NGO applications 
pending with the Ministry. Nonrecognized Christian groups perceived it 
as impossible to gain official recognition and contented themselves 
with worshipping in private.
    In February 2005 the Government announced it would remove all 
street-side Islamic charity boxes, due to difficulty monitoring and 
confirming whether the funds were diverted to uses other than the 
intended charitable cause; removal was completed in March 2005. All 
charitable contributions of licensed Islamic charities in the country 
require Central Bank approval. There is a charitable organizations 
department within the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor that is 
responsible for regulating religious charities based in the country, 
which reviews their applications for registration and monitors their 
operations.
    The Higher Advisory Committee on Completion of the Application of 
Islamic Shari'a Provisions is tasked with preparing society for the 
full implementation of Shari'a in all fields. The committee makes 
recommendations to the emir on ways in which current laws can be 
brought into better conformity with Shari'a, but it has no authority to 
enforce such changes. The Constitution states Shari'a is a main source 
of legislation, but some Islamists would like to amend that to the only 
source of legislation.
    The following Islamic holy days are considered national holidays: 
Islamic New Year, Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, Ascension of the 
Prophet, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha. The workweek in the country is 
generally Saturday through Wednesday. Most Christians attended church 
on Fridays and did not cite the inability to go on Sunday as a 
religious concern. Some workers are able to arrange with their 
employers to have time on Sunday for worship. Private employers can 
decide whether to give their non-Muslim employees time off for their 
holidays.
    The Government requires Islamic religious instruction in public 
schools for all students. The Government also requires Islamic 
religious instruction and prohibits other religious instruction in 
private schools that have one or more Muslim students.
    In March 2006 the Government, through the Ministry of Awqaf and 
Islamic Affairs, sponsored a conference entitled ``We and the Other,'' 
to emphasize Islam's openness to cooperation with persons of other 
religious groups. It also screened for foreign diplomats a film 
proposal for a television series on the life of Muhammad. In May 2006, 
it held in London the first of a series of three international 
conferences on moderation in Islam. Government officials continued to 
meet with Muslim leaders and the heads of various Christian 
denominations to promote interfaith understanding. The Government 
designated a committee specifically designed to strengthen religious 
moderation, which undertook an education campaign in the schools to 
encourage respect for the opinions and beliefs of others. As part of 
the moderation program, the Government planned to open an institute 
devoted to promoting moderation amongst Muslims and increased 
understanding of Islam by non-Muslims.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Shi'a are free to worship according to their faith without 
Government interference, and the overall situation for Shi'a remained 
stable during the reporting period. An attack on a Shi'a mosque in 
October 2005 by alleged Sunni extremists caused concern among the Shi'a 
community, but it proved to be an isolated incident. Members of the 
Shi'a community have expressed concern over the relative scarcity of 
Shi'a mosques due to the Government's slow approval of the construction 
of new mosques and the repair of existing ones. (There were 
approximately thirty-five Shi'a mosques compared to more than 1,000 
Sunni mosques in the country.) Since 2001 the Government has granted 
licenses for and has approved the construction of six new Shi'a 
mosques. Three of these mosques were reportedly in the final stages of 
construction and were scheduled to open in 2006.
    There were approximately 650 Shi'a husseiniyas (Shi'a gathering 
places) in the country, most of which are informal or unlicensed. 
Husseiniyas are used for social gatherings, funerals, and for annual 
religious observances. Generally, the country's husseiniyas are 
privately owned and associated with prominent Shi'a families.
    Family law is administered through religious courts. The Government 
permits Shi'a to follow their own jurisprudence in matters of personal 
status and family law at the first-instance and appellate levels. In 
2003, the Government approved a long-standing Shi'a request to 
establish a Shi'a court of cassation (Supreme Court) to handle Shi'a 
personal status and family law cases at the highest judicial level. 
However, the court has not yet been established because there are no 
Shi'a (Ja'fari) judges for this level of jurisdiction. In November 
2003, the Government publicly announced its approval of another long-
standing Shi'a request for the establishment of an independent Shi'a 
(Ja'fari) Waqf, an agency to administer religious endowments in 
accordance with the Ja'fari school of jurisprudence. The Shi'a Waqf has 
been able to carry out its work freely.
    Shi'a who aspire to serve as imams are forced to seek appropriate 
training and education abroad (mainly in Iraq and Iran, and to a lesser 
degree in Syria), due to the lack of Shi'a jurisprudence courses at 
Kuwait University's College of Islamic Law (Faculty of Shari'a). The 
Ministry of Education was reviewing a Shi'a application to establish a 
private college to train Shi'a clerics. Shi'a leaders have called on 
the Ministry of Education to remove references from high school Islamic 
education textbooks declaring Shi'a as nonbelievers. Sunni scholars 
author the books, which are entirely based on the Sunni interpretation 
of Islam. A governmental committee was formed to study the issue of 
removing references that are offensive to Shi'a Islam.
    One of the leading Shi'a imams in the country gave a Friday sermon 
that led members of parliament to demand that he be suspended. The 
Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs sent the imam a letter telling 
him to stop preaching. The imam continued preaching without government 
interference.
    Shi'a remained under-represented in upper levels of government. In 
2006 four Shi'a were elected to the fifty-member National Assembly, 
compared with five Shi'a in the previous assembly and six in the 
assembly before that. A new cabinet was formed in February 2006, after 
the death of the country's long-serving emir and installation of new 
government leaders. The new prime minister retained the only Shi'a 
Minister from the previous cabinet (Dr. Ma'asouma Mubarak, Minister of 
Planning, and the country's first female minister) and added another 
Shi'a (Dr. Yousef Al-Zalzalah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, who 
was a member of parliament as well). Another new cabinet, also with two 
Shi'a members, was formed after the June 2006 parliamentary elections. 
Dr. Ma'asouma Mubarak became Minister of Communications while Dr. Abdul 
Hadi Al-Salih took on the position of State Minister for National 
Assembly Affairs. There were no known Shi'a in the Kuwait State 
Security (KSS) forces, and they were reportedly under-represented in 
the National Guard.
    In March 2004 the Government permitted Shi'a to stage a public 
reenactment of the Battle of Karbala depicting the martyrdom of Imam 
Hussein, Muhammad's grandson. Television networks, also for the first 
time, broadcast programs on the Shi'a religious holiday of Ashura. The 
Government denied a Shi'a request during 2005. In 2006 the Government 
allowed and provided security for public celebrations, marches, and 
reenactments during Ashura, without giving official permits.
    The Anglican, Armenian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, 
National Evangelical, and Catholic churches operated freely on their 
premises and hold worship services without Government interference. 
Their leaders also state that the Government generally was supportive 
of their presence, providing police security and traffic control as 
needed. Other Christian denominations (including Indian Orthodox, Mar 
Thoma, Mormons, and Seventh-day Adventists) were not recognized legally 
but were allowed to operate in rented villas, private homes, or the 
facilities of recognized churches. Members of these congregations 
reported that they were able to worship without government 
interference, provided that they did not disturb their neighbors or 
violate laws regarding assembly and proselytizing. Churches outside of 
the four recognized denominations are prohibited from displaying 
exterior signage, including a cross or the congregation's name, or 
engaging in other public activities, such as ringing bells. Some 
churches without the financial resources to rent a location were able 
to gather in schools on the weekends, although representatives from the 
churches reported that the schools were pressured to stop allowing such 
gatherings.
    In September 2005 there was an announcement that the Government had 
approved the Melkite Catholics' application for a plot of land to build 
a new church, although this decision had not been approved by all the 
relevant governmental institutions. The Melkites applied for the land 
because they worshiped in a rented villa whose owner wanted to evict 
them. After repeated delays, however, the Municipal Council rejected 
the Church's request outright after the period covered by this report. 
The ostensible reason for the rejection was traffic concerns, but 
religious opposition to church-building was almost certainly the reason 
for refusal. The Government has the power to reverse the Municipal 
Council's decision. In general, churches have found it all but 
impossible to get permission to build new facilities.
    Some church officials reported that domestic workers complained of 
not being allowed to leave their homes by their employers, thus making 
it impossible for them to worship with their congregations.
    There have been past examples of anti-Semitic rhetoric in 
government-sponsored education curricula, such as citing Qur'anic 
verses to denounce the political intentions of the Jewish people, 
specifically in reference to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
    Members of religious groups not sanctioned in the Qur'an, such as 
Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs, may not build official places of 
worship since these religious groups lack legal status, but they are 
allowed to worship privately in their homes without government 
interference.
    The Sikh community was able to worship freely in private homes. In 
past years they had used a rented apartment designated for worship, but 
the building was destroyed for reasons unrelated to the Sikhs' 
presence. The community reported that it had not been able to find 
another landlord willing to rent them a space to be used for religious 
purposes. They have been unable to gain permission for a crematorium to 
cremate their deceased. Sikhs also engaged in other religious 
activities, including public marriage and other celebrations, without 
government interference.
    In 2003 the Government reportedly closed the file on the National 
Evangelical Church (NEC) due to the NEC's alleged failure to comply 
with the National Manpower Support Law by employing the requisite 
number of citizens. The Government had reinstated the NEC's open file 
status by May 2004, and the church was able to apply for and renew 
visas for pastors and staff; however, in accordance with the Law, the 
Government imposed substantial annual fines for every visa application 
or renewal submitted on behalf of non-citizen staff, in addition to 
routine visa and residency fees. Church leaders negotiated with 
Government authorities to resolve the fine issue and exempt the church 
from the law's Kuwaitization requirements. NEC church leaders continued 
to report that they did not have access to the number of visas they 
would like to fully staff their activities.
    The law prohibits organized religious education for religious 
groups other than Islam, although this law was not enforced rigidly. 
Informal religious instruction occurs inside private homes and on 
church compounds without government interference; however, there were 
reports that government inspectors from the Ministry of Awqaf and 
Islamic Affairs periodically visited public and private schools outside 
of church compounds to ensure that religious teaching other than Islam 
did not take place. During the reporting period, the Government still 
had not responded to the request from the Catholic Church to permit 
Catholic students in certain private schools to study the Catechism 
separately during the period allotted for instruction in Islam. The 
National Evangelical Church requested a license for its school, which 
it has operated for several decades. After receiving approval from 
numerous governmental bodies, the Church's request was denied by the 
Municipal Council amid erroneous media reports that the Church planned 
to take over a historic site for the school and for the purpose of 
proselytizing. Press statements by Municipal Council members suggested 
the request was refused on ideological grounds rather than on zoning or 
other technical grounds. The Municipal Council controls access to 
Government land and has become a focus for society's internal division 
over granting land to non-Muslim religious institutions.
    The Catholic Church faced severe overcrowding at its two official 
church facilities. Its cathedral in downtown Kuwait City regularly drew 
tens of thousands of worshippers to its more than twenty weekly 
services in several languages. Due to limited space on the compound, 
the church was unable to construct any new buildings. The National 
Evangelical Church, which served a weekly average of 20,000 worshippers 
in more than seventy congregations, was also overcrowded. The Church 
would like more land to build a new church but had not made an official 
request.
    The Coptic Orthodox Church reported that it had excellent relations 
with the Government and faced no difficulties in bringing church 
workers and guests into the country. The Government has been extremely 
cooperative in providing permits to erect tents on adjacent lots to 
handle the crowds during Christian holidays. The Church's main 
challenge was the overcrowding at its small compound facility in Kuwait 
City. The Government planned to level the current Coptic Church 
building to make way for a road project. It had granted the Church 
6,500 square meters of new land in Hawally district to build a new 
place of worship; however, it has not offered any financial assistance 
to construct the new church. Construction began in the first quarter of 
2006, and the Church expected it to take more than a year to complete 
the project. The church agreed to move to a temporary facility if the 
road project began while the church was under construction. No date had 
been set for the church's demolition.
    In December 2004 and 2005, a group of Salafi Islamists in the 
region of Jahra forced merchants to remove Christmas items such as 
trees and greeting cards from their stores, claiming holiday items 
connected to Christmas and New Year's celebrations were contrary to 
Islamic teachings. In 2004 the group reportedly produced a petition 
with 350 signatures demanding the removal, asserting that allowing such 
goods to be available was haram (forbidden).
    The Government prohibits missionaries from proselytizing among 
Muslims; however, they may serve non-Muslim congregations. In November, 
the police arrested five preachers, none of whom were country natives, 
who went door-to-door espousing the ideology of al-Qaeda.
    The Government controls the content delivered by imams and 
preachers in their sermons. The Government banned a number of religious 
leaders, including the imam of the Grand Mosque, from giving Friday 
sermons after they strayed from government-approved topics. The 
Government especially clamped down on preachers at unlicensed mosques 
and those who commented too directly on politics.
    The Government does not permit the establishment of non-Islamic 
religious publishing companies or training institutions for clergy. 
Nevertheless, several churches publish religious materials solely for 
their congregations' use.
    A private company, the Book House Company Ltd., was permitted to 
import a significant number of Bibles and other Christian religious 
materials, including videotapes and compact discs, for use solely by 
government-recognized church congregations. The Book House Company Ltd. 
was the only company that had an import license to bring in such 
materials, which requires approval by government censors. The company 
supplied only bookstores operated within the Christian compounds. There 
were reports of customs officials confiscating non-Islamic religious 
materials from private citizens upon their arrival at the airport. 
Domestic workers reported that their employers confiscate religious 
articles such as Bibles and rosary beads, along with nonreligious 
items. In 2003, police arrested five foreign workers for allegedly 
proselytizing with Bibles in the Andalus district. State security 
officials later released the individuals on the condition they sign 
commitments pledging to refrain from proselytizing.
    In April 2006 the Government banned eighteen books from being 
displayed at an Islamic book festival organized by the Social Reform 
Society, a religiously conservative NGO affiliated with the Kuwaiti 
Muslim Brotherhood. The banned books were authored by or contained the 
writings of individuals associated with the Wahhabi/Salafi movement in 
Islam.
    The Islam Presentation Committee (IPC), under the authority of the 
Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, actively encouraged 
proselytizing Islam to non-Muslims. The IPC maintained an office at the 
Central Prison to provide religious education and information to 
inmates.
    Although there was a small community of approximately 150 to 200 
acknowledged Christian citizens, a 1980 law prohibits the 
naturalization of non-Muslims; however, citizens who were Christians 
before 1980 are allowed to transmit their citizenship to their 
descendents.
    The law forbids marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men. A 
non-Muslim female is not required by law to convert to Islam to marry a 
Muslim male. In practice many non-Muslim women face strong economic and 
societal pressure to convert. Failure to convert may mean that, should 
the couple later divorce, the Muslim father would be granted custody of 
any children. A non-Muslim woman who fails to convert also is 
ineligible to inherit her husband's property or to be naturalized.
    Women continued to experience legal and social discrimination. In 
the family courts (i.e., those controlled by religious bodies), one 
man's testimony is sometimes given the same weight as that of two 
women; however, in the civil, criminal, and administrative courts, the 
testimony of women and men is considered equally.
    Bidoon (stateless) Arabs continued to face great difficulty in 
obtaining documents necessary to travel abroad, including for travel to 
participate in the Hajj. The Government declared in early 2006 that it 
would facilitate the obtaining of travel documents by Bidoon, but 
whether these declarations would have a tangible effect remained 
unclear.
    Inheritance is governed by Islamic law, which differs according to 
the branch of Islam. In the absence of a direct male heir, Shi'a women 
may inherit all property, while Sunni women inherit only a portion with 
the balance divided among brothers, uncles, and male cousins of the 
deceased.
    During the reporting period, there were no reports of the 
Government prohibiting state employees from displaying or practicing 
any elements of their faith. However, in late 2003, the headmistress of 
a public high school in Farwaniya district reportedly dismissed several 
female students for failure to wear the Islamic hijab (headscarf). The 
school readmitted the students and the headmistress was criticized 
widely in the local media.
    The law requires jail terms for journalists who defame religion. 
Academic freedom is limited in practice by self-censorship. Academics 
and journalists are legally prohibited from criticizing Islam. The law 
also provides that any Muslim citizen may file criminal charges against 
an author if the citizen believes that the author has defamed Islam, 
the ruling family, or public morals.
    In 2004, an appeals court sentenced a journalist to a 1-year 
suspended sentence for a 2004 article deemed to defame the Qur'an. The 
publication's editor received a 50KD fine (equivalent to $175 USD) in 
2004. Three Islamist activists filed the complaint resulting in the 
court case.
    In January 2004 the Court of Misdemeanor sentenced a Shi'a citizen 
to one year in jail with hard labor and fined him approximately 1,000 
KD ($3,500 USD) for producing and distributing an audiotape allegedly 
defaming the Islamic (Sunni) religion, degrading its rituals and rites, 
and defaming and abusing Muhammad's Companions. In February 2004, the 
citizen reportedly was released from prison in error by an Amiri pardon 
issued on the occasion of the country's National Day. The Government 
subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest, but he reportedly 
remained at large. In March 2004, the Appeals Court dismissed the 
original misdemeanor verdict and referred the citizen's case to the 
Public Prosecutor for re-trial by the Criminal Court. As a result, the 
citizen also faced more serious charges of violating the State Security 
Law. In May 2004, the Criminal Court sentenced him to ten years in jail 
in absentia on charges of defaming Sunni Islam. Most Shi'a believe that 
hardline Sunni Islamist pressure was behind the Government's harsh 
action against the individual, even though they too publicly condemned 
his anti-Sunni statements and the audiocassette incident.
    In February 2006 a new Press and Publications law was passed which 
increased fines and jail sentences for those who publish material 
denigrating Islam. It also expanded the scope of what cannot be 
criticized to include the companions of the Prophet Muhammad.
    The Ministry of Interior, General Customs Department, arrested and 
deported thirty-two individuals in 2004 for allegedly practicing 
sorcery and confiscated alleged sorcery-related materials during the 
reporting period.
    The Government does not designate religion on passports or national 
identity documents.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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. There have been cases in which U.S. citizen children 
have been prevented from returning to the United States; however, there 
were no reports that such children were forced to convert to Islam, or 
that forced conversion was the reason the children were not allowed to 
return to the United States.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Ministry of Education continued to review a Shi'a proposal to 
establish a private college to train Shi'a clerics; however, at the end 
of the reporting year, no action had been taken. The Ministry also 
continued to review a request from the Catholic Church to allow 
Catholic students at certain private schools to study the Catechism 
during the time allotted for Islamic instruction.
    Interfaith dialogues took place among Christian denominations 
through the framework of a council representing Christian leaders from 
various churches and numerous informal meetings. Government officials 
promoted interfaith understanding by meeting with Shi'a and Sunni 
leaders. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs also sponsored a 
conference and screened a film in an attempt to increase religious 
tolerance.
    In 2005, more than 10,000 worshippers from the Bohra community 
celebrated the Sultan of Bohra's birthday without interference. The 
Bohra participants, who are Shi'a Muslims mainly from Gujarat in 
western India, gathered at their community center.
    The death of Pope John Paul II received wide press coverage 
throughout April 2005, including full-page spreads in local newspapers. 
In a country where the Catholic Church estimates its population as 10 
percent of all residents (although this could not be independently 
verified), the Government issued a public statement expressing ``agony 
of the Christian brothers'' following the Pope's death. Senior 
Government officials attended commemoration events at the Catholic 
cathedral, and an Amiri envoy led a delegation representing the 
Government at the Pope's funeral at the Vatican. Local newspapers 
provided extensive coverage of Christmas and Easter celebrations in 
2005 and 2006. The play Nunsense had a successful run in the country 
without incident despite its portrayal of Christian nuns.
    Christian churches held memorial services after the death of Amir 
Shaykh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    In general there were amicable relations among the various 
religious groups, and citizens generally were open and tolerant of 
other religious groups; however, there was a small minority of 
ultraconservatives opposed to the presence of non-Muslim groups.
    While some discrimination based on religion reportedly occurred on 
a personal level, most observers agreed that it was not widespread. 
There was a perception among some domestic employees and members of the 
unskilled labor force that there would be better treatment from 
employers as well as from society as a whole if they converted to 
Islam; however, others did not see conversion to Islam as a factor in 
this regard.
    The conversion of Muslims to other religions is forbidden. While 
such conversions reportedly have occurred, they have been done quietly 
and discreetly. Known converts faced harassment, including loss of job, 
repeated summonses to police stations, arbitrary detention, physical 
and verbal abuse, police monitoring of their activities, and property 
damage without legal recourse.
    In the June 2006 elections, an openly declared atheist ran for 
parliament on a platform of separating church and state. She was not 
subject to any restrictions or harassment.
    In 2004 some well-known Salafis called on Muslims to refrain from 
congratulating non-Muslims on their holidays. In December 2004, the 
Chairman of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society's (RIHS) Good Word 
Committee announced in an Arabic daily newspaper that it is forbidden 
for Muslims to imitate non-Muslims in all matters, including 
participating in non-Muslim festivals and holidays. The announcement 
stated that Muslims are ``prohibited from sharing the Christian and 
other infidel religious groups' holidays in any form, whether by 
attendance, exchange of gifts, or expression of joy.''
    There were incidents of unofficial anti-Semitic commentary from 
media pundits and some mosque preachers. On August 7, 2005, a private 
citizen purchased newspaper space to run an advertisement with anti-
Semitic imagery. On August 10, 2005, the Government referred the two 
newspapers that carried the advertisement to the attorney general for 
prosecution under the law, which forbids publishing religious material 
without a license.
    In October 2005 a group of several dozen or perhaps as many as 200 
alleged Sunni extremists attacked a Shi'a mosque in the Jahra area. The 
attack stirred fears of Sunni-Shi'a tension in the country, since the 
mosque had been attacked previously. No further incidents were 
reported. Despite initial reports that the Government had provided 
insufficient security for the mosque, the Government made arrests and 
the mosque owner was satisfied with the response.
    In 2005, an extremist Salafi cleric preached violent jihad in the 
country. The Government blocked access to the Salafi preacher's website 
in February and banned him from preaching at his mosque in March. He 
then was detained by KSS forces for alleged links to two of the January 
shoot-outs between law enforcement officials and militants.
    The Government's moderation program was an attempt to temper the 
effects of any such intra-religious tension. The program was well 
received in general, despite one member of parliament's publicly 
labeling the advocates of moderation ``terrorists with deviant ideas.'' 
The same member of parliament lost his seat in the 2006 elections.
    Shi'a complain of a ``glass ceiling'' that prevents them from 
obtaining promotions as easily as their Sunni counterparts. They 
reportedly had more difficulty in obtaining appointments in certain 
government agencies. The appointment of two Shi'a Ministers in the 
February 2006 cabinet and in the July 2006 cabinet was a positive step.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government in the context of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.
    Intensive monitoring of religious freedom matters has long been an 
Embassy priority. U.S. Embassy officials meet frequently with 
recognized Sunni, Shi'a, and Christian groups, as well as 
representatives of various unrecognized religious groups and of NGOs 
that deal with religious freedom concerns.
    The ambassador and other Embassy officers actively encourage the 
Government to address the concerns of religious leaders, such as 
overcrowding, lack of adequate worship space, lack of access to 
religious materials, insufficient staffing, and bureaucratic delays in 
processing routine requests. During the reporting period, Embassy 
officials met with senior representatives from the major recognized 
Christian denominations in the country, encouraged them to present 
their concerns in a unified manner to the Government, and advocated on 
their behalf in high-level meetings with government officials.
    The Embassy has made an effort to increase its dialogue with and 
understanding of the Municipal Council, whose control over land grants 
and other permits give it a key role in allowing religious institutions 
to flourish.
    In an effort to develop a dialogue with Muslim moderates, the 
Embassy worked with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to send 
two imams to the United States on a Single-Country International 
Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled, ``Religion in the U.S.'' 
The project showed the participants the scope of religious freedom in 
the United States and encouraged the promotion of tolerance and 
interreligious understanding. A third official of the ministry 
participated in another IVLP, ``Interfaith Dialogue in the U.S.'' Both 
projects consisted of three-week visits to five representative cities 
in the United States. Participants met with counterparts of different 
religious backgrounds. All three participants said that the visit 
radically transformed their preconceived notions about life in the 
United States. They reported that they gained an appreciation for the 
interreligious dialogue in the United States, the freedom of worship 
that Muslims have in America, and the tolerant diversity they 
discovered in their interaction with American clergy.
    Embassy facilities are used for weekly services by Protestant and 
Catholic congregations largely composed of official personnel and 
western expatriates. Official premises are used for these services due 
to overcrowding and security concerns at compounds located in the 
downtown area.
                               __________

                                LEBANON

    The Constitution provides for absolute freedom of belief and 
guarantees the freedom to practice all religious rites provided that 
the public order is not disturbed. The Constitution declares equality 
of rights and duties for all citizens without discrimination or 
preference but establishes a balance of power among the major religious 
groups. The Government generally respected these rights; however, there 
were some restrictions, and the Constitutional provision for 
apportioning political offices according to religious affiliation may 
be viewed as inherently discriminatory.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period. The status of religious freedom continued 
to be affected by the 1989 Ta'if Agreement that, in accordance with 
demographic developments in the country, mandated an increase in Muslim 
representation in Parliament so that it would be equal to the 
representation of the country's Christian community. In addition, the 
Ta'if Agreement, which concluded the country's fifteen-year civil war, 
endorsed the Constitutional provision of appointing most senior 
government officials according to religious affiliation. This practice 
is operative in all three branches of government. The Ta'if Agreement 
also stipulated a cabinet with power equally allocated between Muslims 
and Christians. The political establishment has been reluctant to 
change this ``confessional'' system, because citizens perceive it as an 
element critical to the country's stability. Some religious groups do 
not enjoy official recognition, such as Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, and 
unregistered Protestant Christian groups. They are disadvantaged under 
the law in that their members do not qualify for certain government 
positions, but they do not suffer discrimination in the practice of 
their faith.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There were, however, periodic 
reports of tension between religious groups, attributable to 
competition for political power, and citizens continued to struggle 
with the legacy of a fifteen-year civil war that was fought largely 
along sectarian lines. Despite sectarian tensions caused by the 
competition for political power, churches, mosques, and other places of 
worship continued to exist side-by-side extending a centuries-long 
national heritage as a place of refuge for those fleeing religious 
intolerance.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country, founded as a modern state in 1943, has an area of 
4,035 square miles and a population of four million. Because parity 
among confessional groups remains a sensitive issue, a national census 
has not been conducted since 1932. However, according to three 
reputable demographic studies conducted over the past two years, 28-35 
percent of the population was Sunni Muslim, 28-35 percent Shi'a Muslim, 
25-39 percent Christian, and 5-6 percent Druze. Over the past sixty 
years, there has been a steady decline in the number of Christians as 
compared to Muslims, mostly through emigration of large numbers of the 
Christian Maronite community. There were also very small numbers of the 
Jews, Baha'is, Mormons, Buddhists, and Hindus.
    Of the eighteen officially recognized religious groups, four were 
Muslim, twelve Christian, one Druze, and one Jewish. The main branches 
of Islam were Shi'a and Sunni. The smallest Muslim communities were the 
Alawites and the Ismaili (``Sevener'') Shi'a order. The Maronite 
community, by far the largest Christian group, has had a centuries-long 
affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church but has its own patriarch, 
liturgy, and ecclesiastical customs. The second largest Christian group 
is the Greek Orthodox Church, principally composed of ethnic Arabs who 
maintain a Greek-language liturgy. Other Christians were divided among 
Greek Catholics, Armenian Orthodox (Gregorians), Armenian Catholics, 
Syrian Orthodox (Jacobites), Syrian Catholics, Assyrians (Nestorians), 
Chaldeans, Copts, evangelicals (including Protestant groups such as the 
Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists), and Latins (Roman Catholic). The 
Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or ``believers in one 
God,'' are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas east and south 
of Beirut. Divisions and rivalries between various groups date back 
many centuries, and while relationships between religious adherents of 
different confessions were generally amicable, group identity was 
highly significant in most aspects of cultural interaction.
    Foreign missionaries operating in the country, primarily from 
Catholic and evangelical Christian churches, operated missions, 
schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
    Many persons fleeing religious mistreatment and discrimination in 
neighboring states have immigrated to the country, including Kurds, 
Shi'a, and Chaldeans from Iraq, as well as Coptic Christians from Egypt 
and Sudan. Precise figures were unavailable due to the lack of census 
data and the tendency of these groups to assimilate into the culture.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for absolute freedom of religion and 
guarantees the freedom to practice all religious rites provided that 
public order is not disturbed. The Constitution requires the state to 
respect all religions and denominations and guarantee respect for the 
personal status and religious interests of persons of every religious 
sect. The Constitution declares equality of rights and duties for all 
citizens without discrimination or preference but stipulates a balance 
of power distributed among the major religious groups. The Government 
generally respected these rights; however, there were some 
restrictions, and the Constitutional provision for apportioning 
political offices according to religious affiliation may be viewed as 
inherently discriminatory.
    The Government permits recognized religious groups to exercise 
authority over matters pertaining to personal status, such as marriage, 
divorce, child custody, and inheritance. The ``Twelver'' Shi'a, Sunni, 
Christian, and Druze confessions have state-appointed, government-
subsidized clerical courts that administer family and personal status 
law. The Constitutional provision for the distribution of political 
power and positions according to the principle of religious 
representation is designed to prevent a dominant position being gained 
by any one confessional group. The ``National Pact'' of 1943 stipulates 
that the president, prime minister, and speaker of parliament be 
Maronite Christian, Sunni Muslim, and Shi'a Muslim, respectively. This 
distribution of political power functions at both the national and 
local levels of government. The 1989 Ta'if Agreement, which ended the 
country's fifteen-year civil war, reaffirmed this arrangement but, 
significantly, mandated increased Muslim representation in Parliament 
so that it would be equal to that of the Christian community, and 
reduced the power of the Christian Maronite presidency.
    The following holy days are considered national holidays: New Year, 
Armenian Christmas, Eid al-Adha, St. Maroun Day, Islamic New Year, 
Ashura, Good Friday, Easter (both Western and Eastern rites), the birth 
of the Prophet Muhammad, All Saints' Day, Feast of the Assumption, Eid 
al-Fitr, and Christmas. The Government also excuses Armenian public 
sector employees from work on St. Vartan Day.
    Formal recognition by the Government is a legal requirement for 
religious groups to conduct most religious activities. A group that 
seeks official recognition must submit a statement of its doctrine and 
moral principles for government review to ensure that such principles 
do not contradict popular values or the Constitution. The group must 
ensure that the number of its adherents is sufficient to maintain its 
continuity.
    Alternatively, religious groups may apply for recognition through 
recognized religious groups. Official recognition conveys certain 
benefits, such as tax-exempt status and the right to apply the 
religion's codes to personal status matters. An individual may change 
religions if the head of the religious group the person wishes to join 
approves of this change.
    Citizens belonging to a faith not recognized by the Government are 
permitted to perform their religious rites freely; however, some rights 
may not be secure in that they fall outside the ``confessional'' system 
of allocating political power. For example, a Baha'i cannot run for 
Parliament as a Baha'i candidate because there is no seat allocated for 
the confession, nor could such an individual hold senior positions in 
the Government, as these are also allocated on a confessional basis. 
However, a number of members of unregistered religious groups are 
recorded under the recognized religions. For example, most Baha'is are 
registered under the Shi'a sect. As such, a member of the Baha'i 
community can run for office and fill a seat allocated to the Shi'a 
sect. Similarly, Mormons are registered under the Greek Orthodox faith. 
Government decisions on granting official recognition of religious 
groups do not appear to be arbitrary.
    The Government permits the publication in different languages of 
religious materials of every registered religion.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The 1989 Ta'if Agreement called for the eventual elimination of 
political sectarianism in favor of ``expertise and competence;'' 
however, little progress has been made in this regard. One notable 
exception is the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), which has significantly 
reduced the role of confessionalism in the appointment and promotion of 
officers and noncommissioned officers. The Constitution provides that 
Christians and Muslims be represented equally in Parliament, the 
cabinet, and high-level civil service positions, which include the 
ministry ranks of secretary general and director general. It also 
provides that these posts be distributed proportionally among the 
recognized religious groups.
    Officially unrecognized groups such as Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, 
and some evangelical denominations, may own property and assemble for 
worship without government interference; however, they are 
disadvantaged under the law because legally they may not marry, 
divorce, or inherit property in the country. Protestant evangelical 
churches are required to register with the Evangelical Synod, a non-
governmental advisory group that represents those churches with the 
Government. It is self-governing and oversees religious matters for 
Protestant congregations. Representatives of some churches have 
complained that the Synod has refused to accept new Protestant groups 
into its membership since 1975, thereby crippling their clergy's 
ability to minister to the members of those communities.
    In February 2004 the Government denied a residency permit to the 
nonresident leader of a local Pentecostal community, who entered the 
country on a visitor's visa, and granted him seven days to depart the 
country. The Government informed him he needed to register as a 
religious worker and re-apply for a residency permit. He left the 
country as ordered, but was unable to return. He claimed he could not 
fulfill the requirement of registering as a religious worker because 
the head of the Evangelical Synod refused to register his congregation.
    In October 2004 the minister of labor ordered shops in the coastal 
city of Sidon to close on Fridays at the request of the predominantly 
Muslim Merchants' Association of Sidon. This order was reportedly only 
partially observed.
    Many families have relatives who belong to different religious 
communities and intermarriage is not uncommon; however, intermarriage 
is difficult to arrange in practice between members of some groups. 
Shari'a, which applies to personal status matters of Muslims, forbids 
the marriage of a non-Muslim male to a Muslim woman. Druze religious 
leaders will only perform marriages of Druze couples. There are no 
procedures for civil marriage; however, the Government recognizes civil 
marriage ceremonies performed outside the country.
    There are no legal barriers to proselytizing; however, traditional 
attitudes of the clerical establishment strongly discourage such 
activity. The respective sect's leadership councils make appointments 
to senior clerical posts. For example, the nomination of Sunni and 
Shi'a muftis is officially endorsed by the Government's Council of 
Ministers, and they receive monthly salaries from the Government. The 
Government appoints and pays the salaries of Muslim and Druze 
ecclesiastical judges. The leaders of other religious groups, such as 
Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics, do not receive salaries from the 
Government.
    The Government does not require citizens' religious affiliations to 
be indicated on their passports; however, religious affiliation is 
encoded on national identity cards.
    In most cases, religious groups administer their own family and 
personal status laws. Many of these laws discriminate against women. 
For example, Sunni inheritance law provides a son twice the inheritance 
of a daughter. Although Muslim men may divorce easily, Muslim women may 
do so only with the concurrence of their husbands.
    In 2003 the cabinet endorsed a draft law allowing the country to 
adopt a curriculum proposed by the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and 
Cultural Organization making Islamic culture the core of the 
educational curriculum at all levels in schools and universities. 
Following strong condemnation and opposition from a wide range of 
Christian figures, including the head of the Maronite Church, the 
Shi'ite speaker of parliament argued that the bill violated the spirit 
of the Constitution. The Government withdrew the bill in late 2003.
    Article 473 of the Penal Code stipulates a maximum prison term of 
one year for anyone convicted of ``blaspheming God publicly.'' There 
were no prosecutions reported under this law during the reporting 
period.
    Students and teachers found to be working while on tourist visas 
are deemed to have violated their visa status and are consequently 
deported. The same sanction applies to religious workers not working 
under the auspices of a government-registered religious organization.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees during 
the reporting period.
Anti-Semitism
    In 2003 Hizballah's Al-Manar television aired a Syrian-made, anti-
Semitic mini-drama that it claimed to accurately portray the history of 
the Zionist movement. The station aired the inflammatory series Al-
Shatat (The Diaspora) in daily segments during the Muslim holy month of 
Ramadan when television audiences peak. The Arab-Israeli conflict and 
Israel's former occupation of south Lebanon nurtured a strong antipathy 
for Israelis, and the country's media sometimes referred to Israel as 
``the Jewish State'' to avoid referring explicitly to Israel. During 
the reporting period, the Shi'a terrorist organization Hizballah, 
through its media outlets, regularly directed strong rhetoric against 
Israel and its Jewish population and characterized many events in the 
region as part of a ``Zionist conspiracy.'' Moreover, anti-Semitic 
literature was published and distributed with the cooperation of 
Hizballah.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    In October 2004, the outgoing minister of education yielded to 
years of pressure from Muslim leaders and ordered the closure of public 
schools on Fridays, the Islamic day of prayer. The decree stipulated 
that if students, teachers, and the neighborhood religious authority 
agreed, a local public school could continue to operate on Fridays and 
close over the Saturday-Sunday weekend, which Christians generally 
prefer. The decree resulted in the recognition of Muslim sensibilities 
in those neighborhoods where Muslims are the majority.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were periodic 
reports of tension between religious groups during the reporting 
period, which may be attributed to political differences and the fact 
that citizens still struggled with the legacy of a fifteen-year civil 
war that was fought largely along religious lines.
    During the reporting period, several bombs were detonated in 
commercial areas of predominantly Christian neighborhoods. Leaders of 
all religious denominations condemned the bombings, but responsibility 
had not been determined by the end of the reporting period. It was 
presumed that these bombings were acts of violence aimed at provoking 
religious tensions.
    In the months of March through May 2005, in the run-up to 
parliamentary elections, sectarian rhetoric steadily increased, 
culminating in a statement by the Maronite Bishops' Council that 
implied Muslim voters should not have a deciding voice in the election 
of Christian candidates. This statement by the council, as well as 
other politically motivated rhetoric from other religious groups, 
exacerbated sectarian tensions.
    On February 5, 2006, in the aftermath of the publication of 
controversial cartoons in Europe, a crowd of several thousand 
predominantly Sunni protestors staged a demonstration outside the 
Danish Consulate, situated in the mainly Christian neighborhood of 
Achrafieh in downtown Beirut. The demonstration turned violent when 
protestors attempted to burn down the building housing the consulate 
and also attacked St. Maroun church (Maronite) and the St. Nicholas 
church (Greek Orthodox) causing slight material damage. Authorities 
arrested 441 persons, mostly for damage to the diplomatic facility. 
These cases were pending at the end of the reporting period.
    In 2003 a bomb exploded outside the home of a western Christian 
missionary in Tripoli, killing one person.
    A permanent search warrant remained in effect for the 2002 killing 
of an American citizen missionary affiliated with the Christian and 
Missionary Evangelical Alliance in Sidon, although the case was 
officially closed in April 2004. Investigations at the time of the 
killing suggested that Sunni extremists, possibly operating from the 
nearby Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, were responsible.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government actively promotes religious freedom issues with 
the Government as part of its overall policy in promoting human rights. 
The U.S. Embassy advances this goal through contacts at all levels of 
society, public remarks, Embassy public diplomacy programs, and the 
funding of relevant projects. Embassy officers met regularly with 
leaders of religious communities and regularly discussed issues 
relating to religious freedom and tolerance. The Embassy complained to 
the minister of foreign affairs and minister of information about the 
airing of anti-Semitic programs by Al-Manar television. The U.S. 
Government supports the principles of the Ta'if Agreement and Embassy 
staff regularly discuss the issue of sectarianism with political, 
religious, and civic leaders.
    In 2004 the Embassy sent a member of the Islamic-Christian Dialogue 
Committee on a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Program 
to participate in an inter-faith program in the United States. 
Additionally, U.S.-funded programs in rural areas required civic 
participation, often involving villages of different religious 
backgrounds, with the aim of promoting cooperation between religious 
groups.
                               __________

                                 LIBYA

    The country does not have a Constitution, and there is no explicit 
legal provision for religious freedom. However, a basis for some degree 
of religious freedom is provided in the Great Green Charter on Human 
Rights of the Jamahiriya Era, dated December 6, 1988 which states: 
``The members of Jamahiriya Society...proclaim that religion is 
absolute faith in the Divinity, and that it is a sacred spiritual 
value. Religion is personal to each one and common to all. It is a 
direct relationship with the Creator, without any intermediary. 
Jamahiriya Society proscribes the monopoly of religion as well as its 
exploitation for purposes of subversion, fanaticism, sectarianism, 
partisan spirit and fratricidal wars.'' The Government opposes militant 
forms of Islam, which it views as a threat. The Government is tolerant 
of other religious groups but prohibits the proselytizing of Muslims.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period. Persons rarely were harassed because of 
their religious practices unless such practices were perceived as 
having a political dimension or motivation. Followers of religions 
other than Islam generally were free to practice according to their 
beliefs. There is no civil law prohibiting conversion from Islam to 
another religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    In February 2004 the U.S. Government established an official 
diplomatic presence in the country and immediately began discussing 
religious freedom issues with the Government as part of its overall 
policy to promote human rights. On May 31, 2006, the U.S. Government 
upgraded the existing U.S. Liaison Office in Tripoli to an Embassy.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 703,816 square miles and a population of 
5,765,563, of which approximately 97 percent was Sunni Muslim. There 
was no known Shi'a community. There were small Christian communities, 
composed almost exclusively of foreigners, predominantly African 
immigrants. A small Anglican community composed of one resident priest 
and mostly African and Indian immigrant workers in Tripoli were part of 
the Egyptian diocese. The Anglican bishop of Libya was resident in 
Cairo. There were Unitarian churches in Tripoli and Benghazi as well as 
small Unitarian congregations scattered throughout the country. There 
were an estimated fifty thousand Roman Catholics who were served by two 
bishops--one in Tripoli and one in Benghazi; both communities were 
multinational. Catholic priests and nuns served in all the main coastal 
cities, and there was one priest in the southern city of Sebha. Most of 
them worked in hospitals, orphanages, and with the handicapped and 
elderly. The Catholic bishops, priests, and nuns wore religious dress 
in public and reported virtually no discrimination. An accredited 
Nuncio resided in Malta, a bishop in Tripoli, and Coptic Orthodox and 
Greek Orthodox priests in both Tripoli and Benghazi.
    There may have been be a very small number of Jews, but their 
location was unknown. In 1974 the World Jewish Congress reported that 
there were no more than twenty Jews in the country. The Jewish 
community, which numbered approximately thirty-five thousand in 1948, 
left for Israel and other countries at various stages between 1948 and 
1967. The Government has been rehabilitating the ``medina'' (old city) 
in Tripoli and has renovated the Jewish community center that currently 
serves as a city archive; however, the synagogue has not reopened.
    In his August 31, 2004, Revolution Day speech, Libyan leader 
Colonel Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi called for compensation for Jews who had 
been expelled. Discussions regarding possible compensation for 
confiscated communal properties have been underway since October 2004.
    There was no information on the number of foreign missionaries in 
the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The country does not have a Constitution, and there is no explicit 
legal provision for religious freedom. However, a basis for some degree 
of religious freedom is provided in the Great Green Charter on Human 
Rights of the Jamahiriya Era, dated December 6, 1988, which states: 
``The members of Jamahiriya Society...proclaim that religion is 
absolute faith in the Divinity, and that it is a sacred spiritual 
value. Religion is personal to each one and common to all. It is a 
direct relationship with the Creator, without any intermediary. 
Jamahiriya Society proscribes the monopoly of religion as well as its 
exploitation for purposes of subversion, fanaticism, sectarianism, 
partisan spirit and fratricidal wars.'' The Government opposes militant 
forms of Islam, which it views as a threat. The Government is tolerant 
of other religious groups but prohibits the proselytism of Muslims.
    The Government regulates the number of places of worship allowed 
for each Christian denomination present in each city. The Government 
continued to ban the once powerful Sanusiyya Islamic order; in its 
place, the country's leader, Colonel Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi, established 
the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), which is the Islamic arm of the 
Government's foreign policy and is active worldwide. The WICS is also 
responsible for relations with other religious communities, including 
Christians. The churches reported good cooperation with the WICS. The 
WICS's main purpose is to promote a moderate form of Islam that 
reflects the Government's religious views and to ban Islamic groups 
whose beliefs and practices are at variance with it. Although most 
Islamic institutions are under government control, prominent families 
endow some mosques. However, these mosques generally adhere to the 
government-approved interpretation of Islam.
    Although generally tolerant of other religious groups, the 
Government also exhibited intolerance. On April 10, 2006 Al-Jazeera 
television aired a speech by Al-Qadhafi on the occasion of the 
celebration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in which he stated 
that all people are required to be Muslims, the Bible that exists today 
is a forgery that incites hatred, female Christian followers of Jesus 
are naked, and Europe and the United States should either convert to 
Islam or conduct war against Muslims. While not an official statement 
of the Government, Al-Qadhafi's position as the country's leader does 
raise concerns about governmental attitudes.
    The Government recognizes the Islamic holy days of Eid al-Fitr, Eid 
al-Adha, and the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government controls most mosques and Islamic institutions, and 
even mosques endowed by prominent families generally must conform to 
the government-approved interpretation of Islam. According to reports, 
individuals rarely were harassed because of their religious practices, 
unless such practices were perceived as having a political dimension or 
motivation. It is prohibited to proselytize Muslims.
    Members of minority religious groups were allowed to conduct 
services, and Christian churches operated openly. The Government 
routinely granted visas and residence papers to religious staff from 
other nations. The Government restored the former Catholic church in 
the medina, which, during the reporting period, was used as an art 
exhibition hall. The Government had not honored a promise made in 1970 
to provide the Anglican Church with appropriate alternative facilities 
when it took the property used by the Church. The Anglicans shared a 
villa with other Protestant denominations until 1998, when the 
Government gave them a small suite of offices to use for worship. 
Similarly, the Government has not returned Unitarian Church property 
confiscated in 1971 despite requests from the Church.
    The Government allowed priests to visit six Bulgarian medics 
imprisoned since 1999 for allegedly infecting children with HIV. The 
medics, convicted and sentenced to death in May 2004, appealed and 
their sentences were remanded to a lower court on December 25, 2006. 
The medics' trial remained ongoing at the end of the reporting period. 
They were allowed to worship with the Greek Orthodox priest in Tripoli.
    There were no known places of worship for other non-Muslim 
religions such as Hinduism, the Baha'i Faith, and Buddhism, although 
adherents are allowed to practice within the privacy of their homes. 
Foreign adherents of these religions are allowed to display and sell 
religious items at bazaars and other gatherings.
    Religious instruction in Islam is required in public schools, but 
in-depth instruction in other religions is not taught. The Government 
does not issue information on the religious affiliation of children in 
public schools, and there were no reports of children transferring to 
private schools for alternative religious instruction.
    The Government monitors and restricts all political activity. It 
also restricts religious literature, including Islamic literature, 
published in or allowed into the country.
    The country adheres to traditional Islamic law which states that a 
non-Muslim woman who marries a Muslim man is not required to convert to 
Islam, although many do so; however, a non-Muslim man must convert to 
marry a Muslim woman.
    Citizens who wish to make the Hajj must be at least forty-years 
old.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    On March 2, 2006 the country released eighty-five members of the 
Muslim Brotherhood, also known as the Libyan Islamic Group, many of 
whom had been held since June 1998. In September 2005 the Supreme Court 
overturned sentences imposed on them by the now-abolished People's 
Court. An ad hoc lower court retried the cases and upheld the original 
sentences, prior to the government pardon.
    Some practicing Muslims have shaved their beards to avoid 
harassment from members of the security services, who tend to associate 
wearing beards with advocacy of militant Islam aimed at overthrowing 
the Government. In the late 1980s the Government began to pursue a 
domestic policy directed against Islamic extremists; the events of 
September 11, 2001, reinforced Qadhafi's view that Islamic militancy is 
a potential rallying point for opponents of the Government. The 
security service did not harass those who frequently attend mosque 
services.
    There continued to be reports of armed clashes between security 
forces and Islamic groups that oppose the Government and advocate the 
establishment of an Islamic government that would enforce a more 
conservative form of Islam. There were no reports available on the 
number or status of individuals detained because of their religious 
beliefs.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Information on the relationship among religious groups in society 
is limited; however, some members of non-Muslim minority religious 
groups reported that they do not face harassment by authorities or the 
Muslim majority on the basis of religion.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    In February 2004 the United States established an official presence 
in the country and immediately began discussing religious freedom 
issues with the Government as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights. Additionally, the Embassy established an outreach program 
to maintain close communication with the leaders of the various 
religious denominations in the country. On May 31, 2006 the U.S. 
Government upgraded its diplomatic representation in the country from a 
liaison office to an Embassy. On June 30, 2006 Secretary Rice rescinded 
the country's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
                               __________

                                MOROCCO

    The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice one's 
religion. Islam is the official state religion and the king is 
``Commander of the faithful and the Supreme Representative of the 
Muslim community.'' Non-Muslim foreign communities openly practiced 
their faiths.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. The Government places certain 
restrictions on Christian religious materials and proselytizing. 
Several small religious minorities are tolerated with varying degrees 
of official restrictions. The Government monitored the activities of 
mosques and placed some restrictions on Muslims and Islamic 
organizations whose activities were deemed to have exceeded the bounds 
of religious practice and become political in nature.
    While there is generally an amicable relationship among religious 
groups in society, converts to Christianity may face social ostracism.
    U.S. Government officials met regularly with members of all 
religious communities to promote tolerance and freedom. Officials 
actively promoted and facilitated meetings between the Ministry of 
Islamic Affairs and Endowments and visiting U.S. religious leaders, and 
the U.S. funded programs that promoted religious freedom and tolerance.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 172,320 square miles. 
According to the 2004 census, the population was approximately thirty 
million, and more than 99 percent of the citizens were Sunni Muslims.
    According to Jewish community leaders, there were approximately 
four thousand Jews, the majority of whom resided in Casablanca. The 
estimated size of the Rabat Jewish community was 200 to 250. The 
remainder of the Jewish population was dispersed throughout the 
country.
    The expatriate Christian community, Catholic and Protestant, 
consisted of approximately five thousand practicing members, although 
some estimates were as high as twenty-five thousand. Most Christians 
resided in the Casablanca and Rabat urban areas.
    The Baha'i community, also located in urban areas, numbered 350 to 
400 persons. The Government recognizes the presence of a Shi'a Muslim 
community; however, the size was unknown.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for the freedom to practice one's 
religion. Islam is the official state religion and the king is 
``Commander of the faithful and the Supreme Representative of the 
Muslim community'' with the responsibility of ensuring ``respect for 
Islam.'' The Government prohibits the distribution of Christian 
religious materials, bans all proselytizing, and tolerates several 
small religious minorities with varying degrees of restrictions. The 
Government monitored the activities of mosques and placed other 
restrictions on Muslims and Islamic organizations whose activities were 
deemed to have exceeded the bounds of religious practice and become 
political in nature. Jewish and foreign Christian communities openly 
practiced their faiths. A small foreign Hindu community freely 
performed cremations and held services. During the period covered by 
this report, there were no reports of restrictions on the religious 
activities of the Baha'is or Shi'a Muslims.
    The following Islamic holy days are national holidays: Eid al-Adha, 
Islamic New Year, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Eid al-Fitr. 
Other religious groups observed religious holy days without 
interference from government authorities.
    During the reporting period, the Government did not license or 
approve new religious groups or religious organizations. In 2004 an 
English-speaking church group received nonprofit association status as 
the ``Protestant Church.'' Other registered churches and associations 
included the Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, French 
Protestant, and Anglican churches.
    The Rabat Protestant Church and other minority religious groups 
have been operating unfettered by government authorities since the 
1970s, and registration allows the groups to make financial 
transactions and undertake other business as private associations and 
legal entities.
    The Government provides tax benefits, land and building grants, 
subsidies, and customs exemptions for imports necessary for the 
religious activities of the major religious groups, namely Muslims, 
Jews, and Christians.
    The Government's annual education budget funds the teaching of 
Islam in public schools and religious instruction in separate Jewish 
public schools. The Government also funded the study of Jewish culture, 
and its artistic, literary, and scientific heritage. In the Faculty of 
Letters at the University of Rabat, two professors teach Hebrew and one 
teaches comparative religion in the Department of Islamic Studies. 
Throughout the country, approximately twelve other professors teach 
Hebrew.
    The Government continued to encourage tolerance, respect, and 
dialogue among the religious groups. During the reporting period, 
senior government officials, including the minister of Islamic Affairs 
and Endowments, received delegations of U.S. Christian and Jewish 
leaders.
    King Mohammed VI established the Islamic-Judeo Observatory, a body 
of international scholars, to promote religious tolerance and monitor 
intolerance. The country was the only Arab country with a Jewish 
museum. In May 2006, for the second year in succession, a three-day, 
contemporary Christian music festival featuring foreign and local bands 
took place. This event was organized by a foreign Christian evangelical 
organization in coordination with local community leaders and 
officials.
    The Government organizes the annual ``Fez Festival of Sacred 
Music,'' which in the past has included musicians from Muslim, 
Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Native American spiritual 
traditions. The year 2006 marked the eleventh anniversary of the 
festival. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the king hosted 
colloquia of Islamic religious scholars that, among other matters, 
considered ways to encourage tolerance and mutual respect within Islam 
and between Islam and other religious groups. For the third consecutive 
year, a woman spoke during Ramadan in the presence of the king and 
religious scholars. A woman was also a member of the Supreme Council of 
the Ulema, or religious scholars.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments monitored Friday 
mosque sermons and the Qur'anic schools to ensure the teaching of 
approved doctrine. At times the authorities suppressed the activities 
of Islamists but generally tolerated activities limited to the 
propagation of Islam, education, and charity. Security forces commonly 
closed mosques to the public shortly after Friday services to prevent 
use of the premises for unauthorized political activity. The Government 
strictly controlled authorization to construct new mosques. Most 
mosques were constructed using private funds.
    During academic year 2005 the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and 
Endowments initiated two programs. One was a graduate-level theological 
course, part of which focused on Christianity and Judaism. The other 
was a course designed to train men and women to be counselors and 
teachers in mosques throughout the country. Fifty women, the first 
group of female murshidats (guides), were assigned to mosques in May 
2006.
    In April 2004 King Mohammed VI, as the ``Commander of the 
Faithful,'' announced plans to restructure the Ministry of Islamic 
Affairs and Endowments to ensure the promotion of moderate Islam and 
guard against imported Islamic doctrines and the preaching of extremist 
ideology in mosques.
    In 2004 the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments took charge 
of and monitored the activities of mosques, placed restrictions on 
activities deemed to have exceeded the bounds of religious practice or 
become political in nature, and began to provide religious training for 
imams. Authorities stated that all of these measures were put in place 
in order to avoid exploitation of mosques for political propaganda and 
to prevent supportive activities such as distributing pamphlets and 
raising funds.
    The Government does not recognize the Islamic Justice and Charity 
Organization (JCO), which rejects the king's spiritual authority. The 
JCO holds to a strict interpretation of Islam and advocates an Islamic 
state contrary to the Constitution. The JCO continued to hold meetings, 
organize and participate in demonstrations, and operate two websites, 
although the Government did not allow the JCO to publish written 
materials. In April 2006 the Government started entering JCO members' 
houses, forcing the cessation of weekly meetings and continued closing 
the JCO's weekly meetings and open houses throughout May and June. JCO 
materials were confiscated and as many as 400 members were arrested. 
The vast majority of detainees were released after several hours, but 
at least one member was scheduled to appear in court after the 
reporting period.
    Government informers monitored campus activities, primarily those 
conducted by Islamists.
    According to Article 220 of the penal code, any attempt to stop one 
or more persons from the exercise of their religious beliefs or from 
attendance at religious services is unlawful and may be punished by 
three to six months' imprisonment and a fine of $10 to $50 (115 to 575 
dirhams). The article applies the same penalty to ``anyone who employs 
incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another 
religion.'' Any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is illegal. 
Foreign missionaries either limit their proselytizing to non-Muslims or 
conduct their work quietly. The Government has cited the penal code's 
prohibition on proselytism in most cases in which courts ruled to expel 
foreign missionaries. During this reporting period, there were no 
reports of police questioning foreign missionaries for being in 
possession of Christian materials.
    Citizens who convert to Christianity and other religions may face 
social ostracism, and a small number of converts have faced short 
periods of questioning or detention by authorities for proselytizing 
and have been denied issuance of passports. There were no reports of 
such occurrences during the reporting period.
    On January 6, 2005, according to the foreign nongovernmental 
organization (NGO) Middle East Concern, police arrested on charges of 
proselytism a Muslim citizen who had converted to Christianity, and 
whose passport was found on a foreign Christian arrested for 
distributing Christian materials in Tetouan. On October 27, 2005, the 
authorities dropped the charges against the person. Middle East Concern 
also reported that as of mid-July 2004 authorities had either 
confiscated or refused to renew the passports of five citizens who had 
converted from Islam to Christianity. Three of the converts received 
their passports by August 2004, but foreign Christian leaders in the 
country alleged that two of them experienced police harassment and long 
interrogations. The remaining two received their passports by the end 
of the 2005 reporting period. The reports on these individuals could 
not be confirmed by other sources.
    Voluntary conversion is not a crime under the criminal or civil 
codes. Muslim citizens are allowed to study at Christian and Jewish 
schools. A Jewish school in Casablanca includes Muslim students, and a 
hospital run by the Jewish community provides care to low-income 
citizens regardless of religion.
    A small foreign Christian community operated churches, orphanages, 
hospitals, and schools without any government restrictions. 
Missionaries who refrain from proselytizing and conduct themselves in 
accordance with societal expectations largely are left unhindered; 
however, those whose activities become public face expulsion. In March 
2005 authorities expelled a South African pastor of a Protestant church 
in Marrakesh for not having lucrative employment, although authorities 
had renewed his temporary residence permit annually for five years 
until January 2005. The deportation followed a series of news and 
opinion articles in the local press concerning the presence of foreign 
Christian missionaries in the country, the Government's invitation to 
U.S. Christian leaders to visit and meet with political and religious 
officials, a discussion on comparative religion that took place in 
March in a Marrakesh classroom, and the job performance of the minister 
of Islamic Affairs and Endowments.
    In May 2004 authorities detained for several hours and subsequently 
expelled seven foreign missionaries for distributing Christian 
materials in Marrakesh's main square.
    In the past, some missionaries have been questioned by authorities 
or have not been granted a ``temporary residence permit'' enabling them 
to remain in the country on a long-term basis. No similar incidents 
occurred during this reporting period.
    The Government permits the display and sale of Bibles in French, 
English, and Spanish. It generally confiscates Arabic-language Bibles, 
however, and refuses licenses for their importation and sale despite 
the absence of any law banning such books. Nevertheless, Arabic Bibles 
have been sold in local bookstores.
    There are two sets of laws and courts pertaining to marriage, 
inheritance, and family matters, one for Muslims and one for Jews. The 
family law courts are administered, depending on the law that applies, 
by rabbinical and Islamic authorities who are court officials. 
Parliament authorizes any changes to those laws. In 2004, under the new 
Family Law Code (Moudawana) for Muslims, new civil judges were 
recruited. In 2003 the minister of justice established family courts to 
adjudicate divorce and child custody cases in anticipation of proposed 
reforms to the code. These courts addressed family matters for Muslim 
citizens, and the judges were trained in Shari'a (Islamic law) as 
applied in the country. By the end of 2005, the Ministry of Justice, 
often in cooperation with international NGOs, had trained 300 new 
judges and 60 family court judges, while 600 judges had participated in 
continuing education courses. Plans called for the establishment of 
seventy family courts with one for each province. At the end of 2004, 
the Government had established twenty of these courts. No new specific 
family courts had been established by year's end as the Government was 
reviewing the policy. Family matters for Jewish citizens were handled 
by a parallel legal system available to them.
    Rabbinical authorities continue to administer family courts for 
Jews. Non-Qur'anic sections of Islamic law on personal status are 
applicable to non-Muslim and nonJewish persons. Christians 
inherit according to the civil law, which reflects the changes to the 
family code. Jews maintain their own separate inheritance law based on 
Jewish religious law.
    Reforms of the family law code passed in 2003 gave women the same 
rights as men in divorce cases, granted mothers custody of minor 
children, increased the marriage age to eighteen and imposed 
significant limitations on polygyny. The reforms also abolished 
codified traditions that favored male heirs based on the official 
interpretation of Shari'a. The new code is predicated on the 
establishment of family courts and the creation of a family aid fund, 
and it relies on the court system more than the previous law did. On 
February 14, 2005, the one-year anniversary of the new code, top 
government officials held a conference during which they presented 
evidence of the code's success, including statistics showing a decrease 
in the number of divorces, an increase in women's requests for 
divorces, and a decrease in polygyny requests. However, the women's 
rights group Ligue Democratique des Droits de la Femme (LDDF) disputed 
the government statistics on divorce in a February 2005 report, 
branding the reforms a ``failure'' due partly to conservative courts, 
to which the code provides much leeway. Implementation of the code 
continued throughout this reporting period. Under the criminal code, 
women generally are accorded the same treatment as men.
    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 Abuses and Discrimination

    While there is generally an amicable relationship among religious 
groups in society, Muslim converts to Christianity may face social 
ostracism.
    From January 2005 until the May 2005 concert of contemporary 
Christian music, there was a societal debate on the influence of 
evangelical Christianity in the country. In spite of considerable 
criticism, the Government allowed the May 2005 concert to take place, 
and no negative incidents occurred. In May 2006 the concert was held 
for the second time without incident.
    Foreigners attended religious services without any restrictions or 
fear of reprisals. Many citizens of all religions believe that the 
country is enriched by its centuries-old Jewish minority, and Jews 
lived in safety throughout the country during the reporting period. 
Annual Jewish commemorations took place around the country, and Jewish 
pilgrims from around the region regularly visited holy sites in the 
country.
    Although the free expression of the Islamic faith and free academic 
and theological discussion of non-Islamic religions are accepted on 
television and radio, society discourages all public efforts to 
proselytize. Because many Muslims view the Baha'i Faith as a heretical 
offshoot of Islam and, consequently, Baha'is as apostates, most members 
of the Baha'i community avoided disclosing their religious affiliation; 
however, Baha'is' concerns for their personal safety and property did 
not prevent their functioning in society, and some held government 
jobs.
    There was widespread consensus among Muslims regarding religious 
practices and interpretation. While some dissenters challenged the 
religious authority of the king and call for the establishment of a 
government more deeply rooted in their vision of Islam, the majority of 
citizens did not appear to share their view.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues as part of 
its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. Embassy officials 
encountered no interference from the Government in making contacts with 
members of any religious group.
    U.S. Government officials met regularly with religious officials, 
including the minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Islamic 
religious scholars, leaders of the Jewish community, Christian 
missionaries, the leaders of the registered Christian communities, and 
other local Christians during the period covered by this report. A U.S. 
program focused on religious tolerance and freedom was held that 
utilized the United States as a model.
    U.S. Government officials met regularly with members of religious 
communities to promote tolerance and freedom. Officials actively 
promoted and facilitated meetings between the Ministry of Islamic 
Affairs and Endowments and visiting U.S. religious leaders. U.S. 
programs enabled one university professor, two journalists, and two 
religious leaders to study the relationship between religion and civic 
education in the United States.
                               __________

                             WESTERN SAHARA

    The Constitution of Morocco provides for the freedom to practice 
one's religion. Due to continuing Moroccan administrative control of 
the territory, the laws and restrictions regarding religious 
organizations and religious freedom are the same as those in the 
Kingdom of Morocco.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period.
    During the period covered by this report there were no reports of 
problems concerning religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government of Morocco through the U.S. Embassy in Rabat and the U.S. 
Department of State as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The territory has an area of approximately 102,706 square miles and 
a population of 273 thousand. The overwhelming majority of the 
population was Sunni Muslim.
    There was a small foreign community working for the U.N. 
Peacekeeping Mission in the territory (known by its French acronym, 
MINURSO); most of its members were not Muslims.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution of Morocco provides for the freedom to practice 
one's religion. Due to continuing Moroccan administrative control of 
the territory, laws and restrictions regarding religious organizations 
and religious freedom are the same as those in the Kingdom of Morocco.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Restrictions on religious freedom in the territory are the same as 
those in the Kingdom of Morocco.
    There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners.
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 generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Embassy in Morocco, discusses 
religious freedom issues with the Government of Morocco as part of its 
overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                  OMAN

    The Basic Law, in accordance with tradition, provides for the 
freedom to practice religious rites if the practices do not breach 
public order. The Government generally respected this right in 
practice; however, there are some de facto limitations on proselytizing 
and printing religious material. The Basic Law declares that Islam is 
the state religion and that Shari'a is the source of all legislation.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 119,498 square miles, and its population 
is 2.33 million, of whom 1.8 million are citizens, according to the 
2003 national census. While no official statistics were kept on 
religious affiliation, most citizens were Ibadhi or Sunni Muslims. The 
Government does not give official preference to any particular 
religious group. Statistical data on the religious affiliation of the 
population may be collected but is not publicized. There was a small 
but significant population of Shi'a Muslims concentrated in the capital 
area and along the country's Batinah coast. Ibadhism, a form of Islam 
distinct from Shi'ism and the ``orthodox'' schools of Sunnism, was the 
dominant religious sect in the country. Oman is the only country in the 
Islamic world to have had a majority Ibadhi population. A 
distinguishing feature of Ibadhism is the choice of ruler, known as the 
imam, who is appointed by communal consensus. Additionally, there was a 
small community of ethnically Indian-Hindu citizens and reportedly a 
very small number of Christian citizens, who came from India or the 
Levant, who have been naturalized.
    The majority of non-Muslims were noncitizen immigrant workers from 
South Asia. There were a number of Christian denominations represented.
    While there was no information regarding missionary groups in the 
country, several faith-based organizations operated. Clergy of the 
Anglican Church, the Reformed Church of America, and other Protestant, 
Catholic, and Orthodox groups were present.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Basic Law, in accordance with tradition, provides for the 
freedom to practice religious rites if the practices do not breach 
public order. The Government generally respected this right in 
practice; however, there were some restrictions. The Basic Law declares 
that Islam is the state religion and that Shari'a is the source of all 
legislation. Within these parameters, the Government permitted freedom 
of worship for non-Muslims. The Basic Law prohibits discrimination 
against individuals on the basis of religion or religious group. Some 
non-Muslims worship at churches and temples built on land donated by 
the Sultan, including at least seven Christian and Hindu complexes in 
three major cities. Adherents of other religious groups, typically 
found among expatriate residents, practiced their rites in less formal 
facilities, such as company labor compounds or personal residences.
    All religious organizations must be registered with the Ministry of 
Awqaf and Religious Affairs, and the Government restricts some of their 
activities. The criterion for registration is not clear. Religious 
groups seeking registration must submit an application to the ministry. 
The ministry investigates the number of affiliates and area of 
concentration and if approved, the ministry issues a written letter to 
the group allowing them to engage in religious activity or to establish 
a place of worship.
    One non-Muslim religious organization present in the country for 
several decades has had its application for formal registration pending 
at the Ministry for several years. Anecdotal evidence suggested that 
visiting non-Muslim organizations are permitted to operate within legal 
boundaries if a registered entity agrees to sponsor them with the 
Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.
    The Government has sponsored forums at which differing 
interpretations of Islam have been examined, and government-sponsored 
interfaith dialogues took place on a regular basis. During the 
reporting period, the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs hosted 
several Christian and Muslim scholars and lecturers of various schools 
of thought to discuss interfaith relations and tolerance in Islamic 
traditions. In April 2006 the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs 
participated in a forum in Qatar on U.S.-Islamic dialogue.
    The following Islamic holy days are considered national holidays: 
Eid al-Adha, Islamic (Hijra) New Year, the Birth of the Prophet 
Muhammad, Ascension Day, and Eid al-Fitr.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Citizens and noncitizen residents are free to discuss their 
religious beliefs within the limits of the law; however, the Government 
prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing Muslims. The Basic Law does 
not specifically prohibit proselytizing, nor does any other law; 
however, in practice the Government used immigration regulations and 
laws concerning morals to restrict individuals suspected of engaging in 
proselytizing.
    Under Islamic law, a Muslim who recants belief in Islam is 
considered an apostate and dealt with under applicable Islamic legal 
procedure. During the reporting period, there were no cases of persons 
punished for conversion, and the Government asserts that it has no 
legal authority to prosecute persons for changing their religious 
beliefs. Proselytizing non-Muslims by Muslims is allowed but 
discouraged. The Government records religious affiliation on national 
identity cards for citizens and on residency cards for noncitizens. 
Religious affiliation was previously recorded on passports; however, 
they no longer contain this information. Statistics on religious 
affiliation are not published.
    The Government prohibits non-Muslim groups from publishing 
religious material, although non-Muslim religious material printed 
abroad may be imported. Members of all religious groups are free to 
maintain links with coreligionists abroad and to undertake foreign 
travel for religious purposes. Clergy from abroad are permitted to 
visit to carry out duties related to registered religious 
organizations.
    The Government expects all imams to preach sermons within the 
parameters of standardized texts distributed monthly by the Ministry of 
Awqaf and Religious Affairs. The Government monitors sermons at mosques 
to ensure that imams do not discuss political topics and stay within 
the state-approved orthodoxy of Islam. The ministry maintains a website 
and toll-free number whereby questions concerning the practice of faith 
and worship can be answered by the grand mufti or his representatives. 
The grand mufti regularly appears on television and radio to answer 
questions from the public.
    Some aspects of Islamic law and tradition, as practiced in the 
country, discriminate against women. Shari'a favors male heirs in 
adjudicating inheritance claims. While there was continuing reluctance 
to take an inheritance dispute to court for fear of alienating the 
family, women increasingly were aware of and taking steps to protect 
and exercise their rights as citizens. When the country acceded in 
April 2005 to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), it attached reservations on any 
provision within the convention deemed to be not in accordance with 
Islamic law.
    Public schools must provide instruction in Islam; however, 
noncitizen students may attend schools that do not offer instruction in 
Islam. Instruction in Islam is a component of the basic curriculum in 
all public school grades K-12. The curriculum focuses on the Qur'an and 
Hadith, the life of Muhammad and his companions, and the five pillars 
of the Islamic faith.
    Military bases maintain at least one mosque and one imam for the 
convenience of military personnel. Moreover, training facilities 
dedicate approximately three sessions per week for the study of Islamic 
subjects. Non-Muslim members in the military are not prevented from 
practicing their religion or compelled to undertake mandatory Islamic 
studies; however, if they wish to worship they must seek places to do 
so on their own.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religious discrimination in 
the private sector was largely absent. Christian theologians have met 
with local Islamic authorities and with members of the faculty at the 
country's major university. Private groups that promote interfaith 
dialogue were permitted to exist as long as discussions did not 
constitute an attempt to cause Muslims to recant their Islamic beliefs. 
Societal attitudes toward proselytizing and conversion generally were 
negative.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. This 
included inquiries into the arrests of the alleged Ibadhi conservatives 
during the previous reporting period. Representatives of the U.S. 
Embassy freely participated in local religious ceremonies and have 
contact with members of non-Muslim religious groups. During the 
reporting period, the Embassy sponsored the visit of a U.S. research 
specialist in the field of Islamic studies, who addressed audiences 
(including at the Sultan's Grand Mosque) on prophecy among the Arabs.
                               __________

                                 QATAR

    The Constitution provides for freedom of worship in accordance with 
the law and the requirements of protecting the public system and public 
behavior; however, the Government continues to prohibit proselytizing 
by non-Muslims and places some restrictions on public worship. The 
state religion is Islam, as interpreted by the strictly conservative 
Wahhabi order of the Sunni branch.
    The status of respect for religious freedom improved somewhat 
during the reporting period. The Constitution explicitly provides for 
freedom of worship, including the adoption of laws that provide for the 
freedom of association and public assembly. On April 25-27 2006, the 
country held its fourth conference on interfaith dialogue. In April 
2006, construction began on the first Christian church to be built 
since the coming of Islam. The Government regulates the publication, 
importation, and distribution of all religious books and materials. 
However, in practice, individuals and religious institutions were not 
prevented from importing holy books and other religious items for 
personal or congregational use.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total land area of approximately 4,254 square 
miles and its population is an estimated 900,000, of whom approximately 
200,000 are believed to be citizens. Of the citizen population, Shi'a 
Muslims accounted for approximately 10 percent and Sunni Muslims 90 
percent. The majority of the estimated 600,000 noncitizens were 
individuals from South and Southeast Asian and Arab countries working 
on temporary employment contracts, along with their accompanying family 
members in some cases. They belonged to the following religious groups: 
Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha'is. 
Most foreign workers and their families lived near the major employment 
centers of Doha, Al Khor, Messaeed, and Dukhan.
    The Christian community is composed of Indians, Sri Lankans, 
Filipinos, Africans, Europeans, Arabs, and Americans. It includes Roman 
Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican, and other Protestant 
denominations. The Hindu community is almost exclusively Indian, while 
Buddhists include South, Southeast, and East Asians. Most Baha'is come 
from Iran. Religion is not indicated on national identity cards and 
passports, nor is it a criterion for citizenship according to the 
Nationality Law. However, nearly all Qatari citizens were by definition 
either Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, except for a Syrian Christian and a few 
Baha'is and their respective families who were granted citizenship.
    No foreign missionary groups operate openly in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for freedom of worship in accordance with 
the law and the requirements of protecting society and public behavior. 
However, the Government continued to prohibit proselytizing by non-
Muslims and placed some restrictions on public worship. The state 
religion is Islam, as interpreted by the strictly conservative Wahhabi 
order of the Sunni branch. Shi'a Muslims practice most aspects of their 
faith freely, and they may organize traditional Shi'a ceremonies and 
perform rites such as self-flagellation. The nationality law does not 
impose any restrictions on religious identity.
    The Government and ruling family are linked inextricably to Islam. 
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs controls the construction of mosques, 
clerical affairs, and Islamic education for adults and new converts. 
The emir participates in public prayers during both Eid holiday periods 
and personally finances the Hajj for pilgrims who cannot afford to 
travel to Mecca.
    The Government has granted legal status to Catholic, Anglican, 
Orthodox, Coptic, and many Asian Christian denominations. It maintains 
an official register of approved religious congregations.
    The following Islamic holy days are considered national holidays: 
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Converting to another religion from Islam is considered apostasy 
and is technically a capital offense; however, since the country gained 
independence in 1971 there has been no recorded execution or other 
punishment for such a crime.
    The Government regulates the publication, importation, and 
distribution of non-Islamic religious literature. Individuals and 
religious institutions are allowed to import Bibles and other religious 
items for personal or congregational use. In addition, religious 
materials for use at Christmas and Easter are readily available in 
local shops.
    Religious services were held without prior authorization from the 
Government; however, congregations may not publicly advertise them in 
advance or use visible religious symbols such as outdoor crosses. 
Christian services are regularly held and open to the public. Some 
services, particularly those on Easter and Christmas, drew more than 
one thousand worshippers.
    Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'is, and members of other religious groups 
do not operate as freely as Christian congregations, because they have 
not sought official permission from the Government. However, there was 
no official effort to harass or hamper adherents of these religious 
groups in the private practice of their religion.
    No foreign missionary groups operated openly in the country. In 
June 2004, a new criminal code was enacted that established new rules 
for proselytizing. Individuals caught proselytizing on behalf of an 
organization, society, or foundation for any religion other than Islam, 
may be sentenced to a term in prison of up to ten years. If 
proselytizing is done by an individual, for any religion other than 
Islam, the sentence is imprisonment of up to five years. According to 
this new law, individuals who possess written or recorded materials or 
items that support or promote missionary activity are imprisoned for up 
to two years.
    Discrimination in the areas of employment, education, housing, and 
health services occurred, but nationality was usually the determinant 
more than religion.
    Islamic instruction is compulsory in public schools. While there 
were no restrictions on non-Muslims providing private religious 
instruction for children, most foreign children attended secular 
private schools. Muslim children were allowed to go to secular and co-
educational private schools.
    Both Muslim and non-Muslim litigants may request the Shari'a courts 
to assume jurisdiction in commercial or civil cases. In 2005, a new 
panel was established in the courts for the Shi'a. The panel decided 
cases in the following areas: Marriage, divorce, inheritance, and other 
domestic disputes. Convicted Muslims may earn points for good behavior 
and have their sentences reduced by a few months by memorizing the 
Qur'an.
    The official interpretation of Shari'a imposes some restrictions on 
Muslim women. Muslim wives have the right to inherit from their 
husbands. Non-Muslim wives inherit nothing, unless a special exception 
is arranged. Shari'a is also applied in cases of divorce. Both parents 
retain permanent rights of visitation; however, local authorities do 
not allow a non-citizen parent to take his or her child out of the 
country without permission of the citizen parent. Women may attend 
court proceedings. They are generally represented by a male relative; 
however, they may represent themselves. According to Shari'a, the 
testimony of two women equals that of one man, but the courts routinely 
interpret this on a case-by-case basis. A non-Muslim woman is not 
required to convert to Islam upon marriage to a Muslim; however, many 
make a personal decision to do so. A non-citizen woman is not required 
to become a citizen upon marriage to a citizen. Children born to a 
Muslim father are considered to be Muslim.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The emir and top Government officials strongly supported the swift 
construction and establishment of churches. The Government assigned a 
coordinator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to speed up the process 
and facilitate all required building procedures and related matters, 
although some restrictions have been imposed on the use of certain 
religious symbols on buildings.
    In May 2005, representatives of Christian churches in the country 
signed an agreement with the Government for a fifty-year lease on a 
large piece of property on the outskirts of Doha on which they intend 
to erect six churches at their own expense. The churches were expected 
to pay nominal lease fees of a few hundred dollars a year, renewable 
after ten years. The property was expected to include an Anglican 
church that may also be used by other Protestant denominations, a 
church to serve thirty four Indian-Christian congregations, a church 
for the country's small but influential Coptic community, and a site 
for two Orthodox churches, one Greek and one Eastern Rite. In December 
2005, the foundation stone for the Catholic Church was laid and the 
ground-breaking took place at the end of April 2006. This would be the 
first church built since the coming of Islam. Other groups were in the 
process of raising funds for the construction of their churches. Also, 
a board composed of members of all the Christian churches was formed to 
liaise directly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding church 
matters. Previous barriers stemming from religious and cultural 
sensitivities were eased, and church representatives could now directly 
approach any Government agency to conduct their church affairs.
    Each church was granted permission to apply for visas for visiting 
clerics to preside over and assist in church services. Non-Muslim 
religious figures were seen in public.
    The Fourth Conference for Religious Dialogue took place on April 
25-27, 2006, in Doha. Representatives from the three largest 
monotheistic religions--Christianity, Islam, and Judaism--were invited. 
Invitations were extended to the Anglican Church, Coptic Church, Middle 
East Churches Council, Orthodox Church, the Vatican, and Jewish rabbis, 
among others. Rabbis from the U.S. and other countries attended and 
were full participants.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Relations between persons of 
differing religious beliefs generally are amicable and tolerant. The 
press and media generally treat non-Muslim religious groups in a 
respectful manner.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    U.S. Embassy officials met with Government officials at all levels 
to address religious freedom issues. The Embassy facilitated contacts 
between religious leaders and the Government, and coordinated 
initiatives with other foreign embassies to increase their impact.
    The ambassador and other U.S. Embassy officials also met with 
representatives from religious communities in the country to discuss 
religious freedom issues, including protection of the interests of 
minority congregations and allegations of discrimination on religious 
grounds. These concerns were brought to the attention of appropriate 
officials in the Government and on the National Human Rights Committee.
                               __________

                              SAUDI ARABIA

    The country is a monarchy with a legal system based on its 
interpretation of Islamic law (Shari'a). Islam is the official 
religion, and the law requires that all citizens be Muslims. The 
Government does not provide legal recognition or protection for freedom 
of religion, and it is severely restricted in practice. The public 
practice of non-Muslim religions is prohibited. As a matter of policy, 
the Government confirmed that it guarantees and protects the right to 
private worship for all, including non-Muslims who gather in homes for 
religious practice; however, this right was not always respected in 
practice and is not defined in law.
    There generally was no change in the status of religious freedom 
during the reporting period. However, the Government identified and 
confirmed its policies with regard to religious practice and tolerance 
in a number of key areas. The Government continued a campaign against 
religious extremism, and top officials, including the king, continued 
to call for the promotion of tolerance. There were reports that some 
imams (clerics) in their Friday sermons called for all citizens to show 
respect for other religious faiths. However, there continued to be 
instances where imams made intolerant statements toward Jews and other 
religious groups.
    During the reporting period, the Government put into place policies 
to limit harassment of religious practice and curb violations by the 
mutawwa'in (religious police, officially known as the Commission to 
Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice). Reports of harassment of non-Muslims 
and non Sunni-Muslims by mutawwa'in continued, but there were fewer 
reports than in the past. The Government enforced a strictly 
conservative interpretation of Sunni Islam. Muslims who do not adhere 
to the officially sanctioned interpretation of Islam can face 
significant societal discrimination and serious repercussions at the 
hands of mutawwa'in. Members of the Shi'a minority continued to face 
political, economic, legal, social, and religious discrimination, 
including discrimination in employment, little representation in 
official institutions, and restrictions on the practice of their faith 
and on the building of mosques and community centers.
    The Government confirmed its policy to protect the right to private 
worship and the right to possess and use personal religious materials. 
However, it did not provide for this right in law. Despite this 
allowance, there were reports of mutawwa'in raids on private residences 
and detentions of non-Muslims for alleged religious violations, such as 
possession of non-Muslim literature or holding non-Muslim worship 
services; however, there were fewer reports than during the previous 
reporting period. Many non-Muslims continued to worship in fear of 
harassment and in such a manner as to avoid discovery by police or 
mutawwa'in. Although the Government did not provide statistics on the 
numbers of individuals arrested for religious violations, anecdotal 
evidence suggested that there was a decrease in both long-term and 
short-term detentions, and in arrests and deportations of non-Muslims. 
However, there were also reports that mutawwa'in, using both Muslim and 
non-Muslim informants, targeted non-Muslim religious leaders and 
organizers, and non-Muslim religious groups for harassment, arrest, and 
deportation in an effort to deter groups from conducting private, non-
Muslim religious services.
    During the reporting period, the Government made clear in the 
context of various discussions its policy to improve the climate of 
tolerance toward other religious groups and within Islam. In December 
2005, the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue convened the 
fifth national dialogue forum, entitled, ``We and the Other: A National 
Vision for Dealing with World Cultures.'' The final national vision 
paper submitted to the King Abdullah emphasized adherence to Islamic 
values and customs, and stressed respect for others' beliefs and 
openness to other cultures. In December 2005, King Abdullah hosted a 
ministerial summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), 
which produced the communique ``A Ten Year Plan of Action for the 
Muslim World.'' The communique included provisions calling for 
religious tolerance, and King Abdullah inaugurated the conference with 
a call for moderation, tolerance, rejection of extremist violence, and 
reform of educational programs (including textbooks and curricula).
    The Government clarified that its policy is to halt the 
dissemination of intolerance and combat extremism both within the 
country and abroad, including through the educational system and in 
sermons. The Government confirmed that it continues to review 
educational materials to remove and revise disparaging references to 
other religious traditions and fire or retrain imams whose preaching 
promotes extremist religious thought. Some journalists at a few, mostly 
English language papers, continued to criticize abuses by the religious 
police publicly. However, religious discrimination and sectarian 
tension in society continued during the reporting period, including 
denunciations from government-sanctioned pulpits of non-Muslim 
religions and the Shi'a branch of Islam.
    The majority of citizens support a state based on Islamic law, 
although there were varying views regarding how this should be 
interpreted and implemented.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Senior administration officials continued to raise religious freedom 
concerns with the Government, including on specific cases. During the 
reporting period, senior U.S. officials discussed with the Government 
their policies concerning religious practice and tolerance. This made 
it possible to identify and confirm a number of key policies that the 
Government has made clear that it is pursuing and will continue to 
pursue for the purposes of promoting greater freedom for religious 
practice and increased tolerance for religious groups.
    In 2004, then Secretary of State Colin Powell designated Saudi 
Arabia as a ``Country of Particular Concern'' (CPC) under the 
International Religious Freedom Act for particularly severe violations 
of religious freedom. In September 2005 Secretary of State Condoleezza 
Rice re-designated Saudi Arabia as a CPC, and the Government was issued 
a waiver of sanctions ``to further the purposes of the Act.''

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 1,225,000 square miles, and its 
population was approximately 26.7 million, including an estimated 
foreign population of more than 7 million. The foreign population 
reportedly included approximately 1.4 million Indians, one million 
Bangladeshis, nearly 900,000 Pakistanis, 800,000 Filipinos, 750,000 
Egyptians, 250,000 Palestinians, 150,000 Lebanese, 130,000 Sri Lankans, 
40,000 Eritreans, and 25,000 Americans. Comprehensive statistics for 
the religious denominations of foreigners were not available; however, 
they included Muslims from the various branches and schools of Islam, 
Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. Approximately 90 percent of the 
Filipino community was Christian. There possibly were as many as one 
million Catholics in the country.
    The majority of citizens were Sunni Muslims who predominantly 
adhere to the very strict Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence, the 
strictest of Sunni Islam's four legal schools. In addition most Sunnis 
in the Kingdom subscribed to the teachings of Muhammad bin Abd al-
Wahhab, an eighteenth Century Muslim scholar belonging to the Hanbali 
school. For this reason, these individuals were often referred to by 
others as ``Wahhabis'' or Tawhidis. Most citizens, however, did not 
describe themselves in these terms, preferring instead to say simply 
that they were ``Muslims.'' Some conservative Muslims who attempt to 
follow the practice and example of the first generation of Muslims, 
known as the ``sacred ancestors'' or Salaf in Arabic, were often 
referred to as Salafis. It is important to note that the terms 
``Wahhabi'' and Salafi have quite different meanings.
    In January and February 2006, the country hosted more than two 
million Muslim pilgrims from around the world, and from all branches of 
Islam, for the annual Hajj.
    The Shi'a Muslim minority (approximately two million persons) lived 
mostly in the Eastern Province, although a significant number also 
resided in Medina in the Western Province.
    An estimated 700,000 Sulaimani Ismailis, a subgroup of Shi'a Islam, 
also lived in the country, primarily in Najran.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    There is no legal recognition or protection of religious freedom, 
and it is severely restricted in practice. Although millions of Muslims 
and non-Muslims did practice their faith on a daily basis, both Muslims 
whose beliefs do not conform to the Hanbali school of Islamic 
jurisprudence and non-Muslims must practice their religion in private 
and are vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, and sometimes 
detention. Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be 
Muslims. Religious freedom is not recognized or protected under the 
Government's interpretations of Islamic laws, and basic religious 
freedoms are denied to all but those who adhere to the state-sanctioned 
version of Sunni Islam. Citizens are denied the freedom to choose or 
change their religion. The Government limits the practice of all but 
the officially sanctioned version of Islam and prohibits the public 
practice of other religions.
    As custodian of Islam's two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, the 
Government considers its legitimacy to rest largely on its 
interpretation and enforcement of Shari'a. The Basic Law provides that 
the Qur'an and the Sunna (tradition and sayings of Muhammad) constitute 
the country's Constitution. The Government generally follows the 
rigorously conservative interpretation of the Wahhabi branch of the 
Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence and discriminates against other 
branches of Islam. However, in a sign of liberalization, the Government 
also instructed judges to base their rulings on all four schools of 
Islamic jurisprudence, not just the Hanbali school and its Wahhabi 
branch. Neither the Government nor society in general accepts the 
concept of separation of religion and state.
    The Basic Law establishes the system of government, rights of 
residents and citizens, and powers and duties of the Government. The 
judiciary bases its judgments largely on Shari'a, the traditional 
system of laws derived from the Qur'an and the Sunna. The Government 
claims that it permits Shi'a Muslims to use their own version of 
Shari'a to adjudicate cases limited to family law, inheritance, and 
endowment management. However, there were only two such Shi'a judges 
serving the entire Shi'a population. The Shari'a courts could and did 
overrule their judgments, and other government departments could choose 
not to implement their judgments.
    During the reporting period, the Government announced September 23 
as the Kingdom's National Day, the first secular holiday. The Eid al-
Fitr and Eid al-Adha religious feasts are the only other recognized 
national holidays. The Government again permitted public observance of 
the Shi'a holiday of Ashura in the eastern city of Qatif but did not 
permit it in other areas where Shi'a citizens resided, such as Al-Ahsa 
and Dammam.
    Significant numbers of Sufis in the Western Province engaged in 
technically illegal practices such as celebrating the Mawlid, or 
Prophet's Birthday, without government interference.
    During the reporting period, the Government made clear its policy 
that it permits private worship for all, including non-Muslims who 
gather in homes for religious practice, and confirmed that it would 
address violations of this right by government officials. However, the 
mutawwa'in sometimes did not respect this right in practice. 
Individuals whose right to private worship had been violated could 
address their grievances through the Ministry of the Interior, the 
Human Rights Commission, and when appropriate, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs. During the reporting period, there was no information on the 
number of claims filed or the Government's response to claims. 
Additionally, while customs officials and the mutawwa'in do not have 
the authority to confiscate personal private religious materials, in 
practice materials were confiscated from both Muslims and non-Muslims. 
It is the policy of the Government that when processing guest workers, 
its missions abroad are to inform them of their right to worship 
privately and possess personal religious materials, and where to file 
grievances should these rights be violated.
    Islamic law considers Hindus to be polytheists; identification with 
polytheism is used to justify discrimination against Hindus, inter 
alia, in calculating accidental death or injury compensation. 
Christians and Jews, who are classified as ``People of the Book,'' are 
also discriminated against, but to a lesser extent than Hindus. For 
example, according to the country's ``Hanbali'' interpretation of 
Shari'a, once fault is determined by a court, a Muslim male receives 
100 percent of the amount of compensation determined, a male Jew or 
Christian receives 50 percent, and all others (including Hindus, 
Buddhists and Sikhs) receive 1/16 of the amount a male Muslim may 
receive. Women's testimony is worth only half that of men, and a non-
Muslim woman's testimony is worth less than that of a Muslim woman.
    During the reporting period, the Ministry of Education continued to 
revise textbooks and educational curricula in an effort to remove 
intolerant references. The Government also established a High 
Commission for Education (HCE) to oversee the ongoing revision and 
updating of the educational system. The HCE reports to the king and is 
chaired by the crown prince. It includes the ministers of justice, 
islamic affairs, education, higher education, and labor, two members of 
the Shura Council, the secretary general of the Islamic League, and a 
representative of the Supreme Council of the Ulema. The HCE's mandate 
includes oversight of the effort to improve textbooks, educational 
curricula, and teacher training, including the removal of intolerant 
text and the promotion of human rights.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Tolerated Islamic practice generally is limited to a branch of the 
Hanbali school of the Sunni branch of Islam founded by Muhammad bin Abd 
Al-Wahhab, an eighteenth century Sunni religious leader, which is often 
referred to as ``Wahhabism.'' Outside the country, most citizens do not 
use this term to describe themselves. Practices contrary to this 
interpretation, such as celebration of Muhammad's birthday and visits 
to the tombs of renowned Muslims, are forbidden. The Government 
prohibits the propagation of Islamic teachings that do not conform to 
the officially accepted interpretation of Islam. However, in practice, 
during the reporting period Muslims adhering to the non-Hanbali school 
were less restricted than in the past in expressing their religious 
beliefs.
    During the reporting period, there was an increasing degree of 
public discussion of conservative religious traditions. Some writers 
criticized abuses committed by mutawwa'in. However, discussion of 
religious issues remained limited, and the Government placed temporary 
or permanent bans on some editors and writers of major local daily 
newspapers for publication of articles and cartoons critical of the 
religious establishment. In February 2006 the Government temporarily 
shut down a daily tabloid for reproducing one of the controversial 
cartoons of Muhammad that first appeared in a Danish daily newspaper. 
The Government suspended the paper for two weeks for violating sacred 
religious strictures.
    The Ministry of Islamic Affairs pays stipends to imams and others 
who work in Sunni mosques. A separate government committee within the 
Ministry of Islamic Affairs defines the qualifications of Sunni imams. 
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs also supervises and finances the 
construction and maintenance of most Sunni mosques, although 
approximately 30 percent of Sunni mosques are built and endowed by 
private persons, either as acts of charity or at private residences. 
The Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice is a governmental 
entity that reports to the Royal Diwan. Its chairman has ministerial 
rank.
    The Government did not finance construction or maintenance of Shi'a 
mosques. Shi'a who wished to build a new mosque must obtain the 
permission of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, the municipality, and 
the governorate (which is functionally part of the Ministry of 
Interior); the latter office's approval was not necessary for Sunni 
mosques. While the Government had approved construction of new Shi'a 
mosques in Qatif and some areas of Al-Ahsa, sometimes after lengthy 
delays, it did not approve construction of Shi'a mosques in Dammam, 
home to a significant number of Shi'a.
    The Government refused to approve construction or registration of 
hussainiyas, which serve as Shi'a community centers. Shi'a were forced 
to build areas in private homes that serve as hussainiyas, which did 
not enjoy legal recognition. These hussainiyas sometimes did not meet 
safety codes, and the lack of legal recognition made their long-term 
financing and continuity more difficult than it would otherwise be. The 
Government also did not approve construction of a Shi'a graveyard in 
Dammam.
    The Government did not register the Hawza, or Shi'a religious 
seminary, in Al-Ahsa; it was instead registered as a private house. The 
government did not support the Hawza, sanction issuance of certificates 
to its graduates, or provide employment for its graduates, all of which 
it did for Sunni religious training institutions. There were no Shi'a 
members of the country's highest religious authority, the Council of 
Senior Islamic Scholars (Ulema). Religious training for all other 
religions is strictly prohibited.
    Since the 2003 terrorist attacks in Riyadh, the Government has 
taken public measures to counter religious extremism. The Government 
continued its national dialogue initiative to promote dialogue and 
discussion among society and to combat extremism and terrorism. In 
February 2005 the Government hosted the first ever Counter-Terrorism 
International Conference for participants representing sixty-one 
countries and international organizations. The Government also 
continued sponsorship of antiterrorism and antiextremism public 
relations campaigns. The government-run television network continued 
broadcasting programs to combat extremist and terrorist ideology, and 
senior government and religious leaders, including the grand mufti, 
spoke out against extremism.
    The Ministry of Islamic Affairs continued using the Internet to 
promote moderation and counter extremist's ideology. The Ministry of 
Islamic Affairs also monitored the majority of mosque sermons to ensure 
the ideas espoused are consistent with the government-sanctioned 
interpretation of Islam. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs claimed to 
monitor sermons as part of its ongoing efforts to fight extremism. The 
ministry also confirmed that its policy is to retrain imams to promote 
tolerance and combat extremist teachings. It also claims that it is 
reassigning or relieving imams who would not conform to retraining. 
During the reporting period, there were some instances where imams were 
relieved of their duties by the ministry. The Government stated that it 
barred foreign imams from leading worship during the most heavily 
attended prayer times, but there were instances when foreign imams 
delivered Friday sermons in the Eastern Province. Writers and other 
individuals who publicly criticized the official interpretation of 
Islam, including those who favored a more moderate interpretation than 
the Government's, risked mutawwa'in sanctions. Several journalists who 
wrote critically about the religious leadership or who questioned 
theological dogma were banned from writing or traveling abroad.
    In April 2006, the Government arrested and detained a journalist 
for Riyadh's Al Shams newspaper. According to news reports, he was 
charged with ``doubting the Islamic creed'' and for ``harboring 
destructive thoughts.'' The journalist had received death threats for 
his writings, according to news media. He was released after eleven 
days.
    Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is widely considered to 
be apostasy, a crime punishable by death if the accused did not recant. 
There were no executions for apostasy during the reporting period, and 
there have been no reports of such executions for several years.
    In March 2004, a schoolteacher who was reportedly teaching students 
about tolerance was convicted of blasphemy and was sentenced to 3 years 
imprisonment and 300 lashes.
    In November 2005 a religious court convicted a high school teacher 
of blasphemy, sentencing him to more than 3 years and 750 lashes. The 
teacher reportedly was teaching his students about tolerance and 
challenging extremism. Both teachers were pardoned by King Abdullah in 
December 2005 after appealing their cases. Both trials received 
substantial international press coverage.
    The Government prohibited public non-Muslim religious activities. 
Non-Muslim worshippers risked arrest, imprisonment, lashing, 
deportation, and sometimes torture for engaging in religious activity 
that attracts official attention. In principle the Government permitted 
non-Muslim foreigners, including non-Sunni Muslims, to worship 
privately in their homes. In October 2005 King Abdullah publicly stated 
``people are free to practice their faith in the privacy of their 
homes.'' However, the Government did not define ``private worship,'' 
and this ambiguity, coupled with instances of arbitrary enforcement and 
detention, led many non-Muslims to worship in fear of harassment and in 
such a way as to avoid discovery by police or mutawwa'in. During the 
reporting period, those detained for visible non-Muslim worship were 
deported, sometimes after being detained for a period of time during 
the investigation. In some cases in the past, those convicted were also 
sentenced to receive lashes prior to deportation. Anecdotal evidence 
suggested there was a decrease in both long-term detentions and 
deportations of non-Muslims for religious reasons. As a matter of 
policy, the mutawwa'in do not have the authority to conduct 
surveillance. However, there was an increase in reports of surveillance 
of non-Muslims by the mutawwa'in and informants. This perception of 
surveillance and targeting of leaders and organizers of non-Muslim 
religious groups by mutawwa'in effectively deterred many non-Muslims 
from gathering to hold private worship services in their homes. There 
was continued harassment by mutawwa'in, which either led to warnings, 
punishments, or short-term detentions of non-Muslims. As a matter of 
policy, the mutawwa'in are not authorized to implement punishments or 
detain individuals. Some former detainees reported occasional 
government harassment and surveillance following their release.
    The Government officially did not permit non-Muslim clergy to enter 
the country to conduct religious services, although some did so under 
other auspices, and the Government generally allowed their performance 
of discreet religious functions. Such restrictions made it difficult 
for most non-Muslims to maintain contact with clergy but did not 
prevent non-Muslims from gathering for private worship services. 
Catholics and Orthodox Christians, who require a priest on a regular 
basis to receive the sacraments required by their faith, were 
particularly affected.
    Proselytizing by non-Muslims, including the distribution of non-
Muslim religious materials such as Bibles, was illegal. The promotion 
of nonofficial interpretations of Islam was less restricted than it was 
in previous years. Muslims or non-Muslims wearing religious symbols in 
public that were considered idolatrous within the Hanbali school of 
Islam risk confrontation with mutawwa'in.
    Some non-Muslim foreigners converted to Islam during their stay in 
the country. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs sponsored approximately 50 
``Call and Guidance'' centers employing approximately 500 persons to 
convert foreigners to Islam. The ministry also employed approximately 
fifty women to work in mosques and advocate for conversion to Islam. 
The state-owned media reported in May 2006 that in the last 10 years as 
many as 4,200 expatriates of various nationalities converted to Islam 
as a result of the activities of the Islamic Education Foundation. The 
report stated that approximately 40 percent of those who converted were 
women. The press often carried favorable articles about such 
conversions, including testimonials.
    The Government required noncitizens to carry iqamas, or legal 
resident identity cards, which contained a religious designation for 
``Muslim'' or ``non-Muslim.'' There were reports that individual 
mutawwa'in pressured sponsors and employers not to renew iqamas of non-
Muslims they had sponsored for employment if it was discovered or 
suspected that those individuals had either led, sponsored, or 
participated in private non-Muslim worship services. Additionally, 
there were reports that mutawwa'in pressured employers and sponsors to 
reach verbal agreements with non-Muslim employees, who must promise 
that they will not participate in private or public non-Muslim worship 
services.
    During the reporting period, authorities continued to permit a 
greater degree of freedom to Shi'a in the Eastern Province city of 
Qatif, overlooking religious practices and gatherings that were 
restricted or prevented in the past. However, in other areas with large 
Shi'a populations, such as al-Ahsa and Dammam, the authorities 
continued to restrict Shi'a religious practices. In January and 
February 2006 observances of Ashura took place in Qatif. Large groups 
of Shi'a gathered to hear Shi'a clerics speak at hussainiyas, to 
purchase books and other religious paraphernalia, and to participate in 
marches in commemoration of Imam Hussain's death. The Government 
imposed restrictions on public observances of Ashura in al-Ahsa, 
Dammam, and other areas where Shi'a lived, banning public marches, 
loudspeaker broadcast of clerics' lectures from hussainiyas, and, in 
some instances, gatherings within hussainiyas. The Government continued 
to exclude Shi'a perspectives from the state's extensive religious 
media and broadcast programming but appeared to have enforced more 
sporadically restrictions banning the importation and sale of Shi'a 
books and audio and video products.
    Members of the Shi'a minority were subject to officially sanctioned 
political and economic discrimination, in addition to the religious and 
legal discrimination described above. Although Shi'a comprise 10 to 15 
percent of the citizen population and approximately half of citizens in 
the Eastern Province (EP), Shi'a were underrepresented in senior 
government positions. There were no Shi'a governors, mayors, or 
ministry branch directors in the EP, and only three of the fifty-nine 
government-appointed municipal council members were Shi'a. The Shi'a 
were well-represented in the elected portion of the municipal councils, 
however. The municipal council at Qatif was headed by an elected Shi'a. 
At the national level, there were only 4 Shi'a on the 150-member Majlis 
al-Shura.
    Anecdotal evidence suggested that Shi'a faced considerable 
employment discrimination in the public and private sectors. While 
there were some Shi'a who occupied high-level positions in government-
owned companies and government agencies, many Shi'a believed that 
openly identifying themselves as Shi'a would have a negative impact on 
career advancement. While there was no formal policy concerning the 
hiring and promotion of Shi'a, anecdotal evidence suggested that in 
some companies--including companies in the oil and petrochemical 
industries--well-qualified Shi'a were passed over for less-qualified 
Sunni compatriots. In the public sector, Shi'a were significantly 
underrepresented in national security related positions.
    The Government discriminated against Shi'a in higher education in 
the selection process for students, professors, and administrators at 
public universities. For example, it was estimated that Shi'a comprise 
2 percent of professors at a leading university in al-Ahsa, an area 
that is approximately 50 percent Shi'a. Also in al-Ahsa, it was 
estimated that there were five Shi'a principals at the several hundred 
boys' schools and no Shi'a principals at the several hundred girls' 
schools. Shi'a principals were also underrepresented in Qatif, although 
it was reported that the Government had begun to appoint Shi'a 
principals at girls schools. Shi'a teachers were not permitted to teach 
certain courses in schools, such as history or religion, even in 
predominantly Shi'a areas. While government officials stated that 
textbook language with prejudicial, anti-Shi'a statements were removed, 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reported that textbooks still 
contained anti-Shi'a and intolerant references. There were reports of 
prejudicial questions on exams. There were also reports that some 
teachers continued to use anti-Shi'a rhetoric, such as calling Shi'a 
students infidels or polytheists.
    Under the provisions of Shari'a law as practiced in the country, 
judges may discount the testimony of nonpracticing Muslims or of 
individuals who do not adhere to the official interpretation of Islam. 
Testimony by Shi'a was often ignored in courts of law or was deemed to 
have less weight than testimony by Sunnis. despite official government 
statements that judges do not discriminate based on religion when 
hearing testimonies. In March 2006 a Sunni judge refused the testimony 
of Shi'a citizen Ala' Amin Al Sadeh. Al Sadeh filed a complaint with 
the Ministry of Justice and the National Society for Human Rights. At 
the end of the reporting period, it was not known whether a resolution 
was reached.
    There were unconfirmed reports that at least fifty-seven Sulaimani 
Ismailis were still in jail following rioting in Najran in 2000. During 
the reporting period, there was no additional information on the status 
of these individuals. There were reports that the Government 
discriminated against Sulaimani Ismailis by prohibiting them from 
having their own religious books, allowing Sunni religious leaders to 
declare them unbelievers, denying them government employment or 
restricting them to lower-level jobs, relocating them from the 
southwest to other parts of the country, or encouraging them to 
emigrate.
    Customs officials routinely opened mail and shipments to search for 
contraband, including Sunni printed material deemed incompatible with 
the conservative Hanbali tradition of Sunni Islam, Shi'a religious 
materials, and non-Muslim materials such as Bibles and religious 
videotapes. Such materials are vulnerable to confiscation and 
censorship, although rules appeared to be applied arbitrarily. The 
Government blocked access to some Internet websites with religious 
material that the Government considered offensive or sensitive.
    Sunni Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools at 
all levels. Regardless of the Islamic tradition to which their families 
adhere, all public school children receive religious instruction that 
conforms to the conservative Hanbali tradition of Sunni Islam. Non-
Muslim students in private schools are not required to study Islam. 
Private religious schools are not permitted for non-Muslims or for 
Muslims adhering to nonofficial interpretations of traditions of Islam.
    During the reporting period, senior government officials announced 
plans to reform the educational system, including confirming plans to 
revise and reform textbooks to remove remaining intolerant references 
that disparage non-Sunni Muslims and non-Muslims or that promote hatred 
toward other religions or religious groups within one to two years. 
These plans also include revisions to the educational curricula and the 
training process for teachers to ensure that tolerance is promoted in 
the educational system. As a matter of policy, the Government confirmed 
that it is prohibiting the use of government channels or funds to 
publish or promote textbooks that contain intolerant references toward 
other religions and religious groups.
    Public debate over reform in the country continued during the 
reporting period. In December 2005 the King Abdul Aziz Center for 
National Dialogue convened the fifth national dialogue forum, entitled, 
``We and the Other: A National Vision for Dealing with World 
Cultures.'' More than 700 men and women scholars, intellectuals, and 
government officials met to discuss proposing a national vision paper 
for citizens' interaction with other societies and their religions. The 
national vision paper emphasized adherence to Islamic values and 
customs and stressed respect for others' beliefs and openness to other 
cultures. King Abdullah, then the crown prince, began the national 
dialogue initiative in 2003 in response to calls for real and practical 
reform in the kingdom. Building on the four previous forums, the 
December session was the culmination of thirteen preparatory meetings 
held in the country between April and November 2005 where scholars and 
civil society members, both men and women, discussed political reform, 
religious tolerance, and the role of women and youth in the country. 
Additionally, preparatory meetings for the Sixth National Dialogue 
Forum, entitled ``Education: Reality and Development Methods,'' were 
held in May 2006 to address education curricula reform.
    During the reporting period, the National Society for Human Rights 
(NSHR), the first human rights NGO officially licensed by the 
Government in March 2004, continued to address some human rights 
violations, although not specifically religious freedom issues. From 
March 2004 to February 2006, it reportedly processed 5,000 ``human 
rights'' cases. Additionally, the Government formed the Human Rights 
Commission (HRC) in September 2005 to address human rights infractions, 
including violations of religious freedom. The HRC is also mandated to 
spread human rights awareness in the country, including by training 
police and security forces on protecting human rights. The king issued 
a decree that ministries had three weeks to respond to a complaint 
filed by the HRC. Most complaints filed with the HRC involved alleged 
violations by mutawwa'in. At the end of the period covered by this 
report, the board of the HRC had not been established, and the HRC was 
not completely operational.
Abuses of Freedom of Religion
    The Government continued to commit abuses of religious freedom; 
however, reports of abuses often were difficult or impossible to 
corroborate. Fear and the consequent secrecy surrounding any non-Muslim 
religious activity contributed to reluctance to disclose any 
information that might harm persons under government investigation. 
Moreover, information regarding government practices was generally 
incomplete because judicial proceedings generally were closed to the 
public, despite provisions in the 2002 Criminal Procedural Law that 
allowed some court proceedings to be open.
    During the reporting period, there was no additional information on 
the case of a dissident Sunni religious scholar who the Government 
accused of writing literature that questioned the Islamic 
establishment's interpretation of the Sunna (the sayings and acts of 
Muhammad). The Government reportedly had banned him from writing and 
traveling for several years.
    During the reporting period, the government reinstated the travel 
privileges of a university professor who was banned from teaching and 
traveling during the last reporting period for criticizing the 
Government's discriminatory policies against Shi'a. The university 
professor was allowed to resume teaching in 2005.
    In 2003 the press reported a raid in the Al Jouf region, where 
sixteen Sufis were arrested for possession and distribution of books, 
videos, and brochures promoting Sufism. During the reporting period, 
there was no additional information confirming the raid or reporting on 
the status of these individuals.
    In June and November 2005, the Government temporarily shut down a 
weekly majlis, or gathering, held by a Sufi sheikh who adheres to the 
Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence. The majlis reconvened shortly 
after.
    There was no additional information on unconfirmed reports that a 
number of Shi'a remained in detention.
    There continued to be instances of detaining and deporting non-
Muslims for religious reasons.
    In September 2004 seven Filipino Christian leaders were arrested 
and detained when mutawwa'in raided a religious service. All were 
released within one month, but mutawwa'in reportedly put pressure on 
their employers to deport them. Six had been deported by July 2005.
    In November 2004, Indian Christian Brian O'Connor was deported 
after being detained for seven months for religious reasons.
    In February 2005, mutawwa'in raided a Filipino Christian worship 
service in Riyadh; those detained and arrested were released within 
hours of the raid.
    In March 2005 mutawwa'in arrested Indian Christian Samkutty 
Varghese and confiscated religious materials he was carrying. Varghese 
was released in July 2005. There were additional reports of arrests in 
May 2005 of at least eight Indian Protestant leaders following 
Varghese's arrest, purportedly because he carried information listing 
other Christians in the kingdom. Six of the eight were released and two 
remained in the kingdom. Further details on the status of the two who 
remained were not known.
    In April 2005, according to newspaper reports and independent 
sources, at least twenty Pakistani Christians were arrested during a 
mutawwa'in raid on a Christian service. Most or all were released the 
same day.
    Also in April 2005, three Ethiopian and two Eritrean Christians 
were arrested in Riyadh during a raid on a private service. All five 
were released after a month in detention.
    During the reporting period, there were reports of several raids on 
Filipino Christian services in Riyadh. Mutawwa'in raided services and 
confiscated religious materials such as Bibles and Christian symbols 
but typically did not detain non-Muslims. In April 2006 the Government 
arrested a Catholic priest from India who was presiding over a service 
in Dammam. He was released on April 7 and left the country the next 
day.
    Also in April 2006 the mutawwa'in reportedly arrested a female 
Shi'a student in Riyadh, allegedly for proselytizing other students. 
She was released several days later and allowed to return to her 
family.
    In June 2006 four East African Christians were arrested while 
leading a private worship ceremony. At the end of the period covered by 
this report, they were scheduled for deportation.
    During the reporting period, there also were reports of 
surveillance of Christian religious services by security personnel.
    ``Magic'' was widely believed in and sometimes practiced. However, 
under Shari'a the practice of magic was regarded as the worst form of 
polytheism and was severely punished. There were an unknown number of 
detainees held in prison on the charge of ``sorcery,'' including the 
practice of ``black magic'' or ``witchcraft.'' During the reporting 
period, the local press reported several cases of arrests of foreigners 
and citizens for practicing ``sorcery.'' The raids were reported to be 
part of a campaign to locate illegal residents.
    Mutawwa'in practices and incidents of abuse varied widely in 
different regions of the country. Reports of incidents were most 
numerous in the central Nejd region, which includes the capital Riyadh. 
In certain areas, both mutawwa'in and religious vigilantes acting on 
their own harassed, assaulted, battered, apprehended, and detained 
citizens and foreigners. The Government requires mutawwa'in to follow 
established procedures and to offer instruction in a polite manner. 
However, mutawwa'in did not always comply with these requirements and 
the Government did not take legal or police action against mutawwa'in 
who violated these regulations, even in cases where they used physical 
violence against detainees.
    Mutawwa'in enforcement of strict standards of social behavior 
included closing commercial establishments during the five daily prayer 
observances, insisting upon compliance with conservative dress 
standards, and dispersing gatherings in public places. Mutawwa'in 
enforcement of strict standards of social behavior was more pronounced 
during the month of Ramadan. Mutawwa'in reproached foreign women for 
failure to observe strict dress codes, particularly for failure to wear 
headscarves, and detained men and women found together who were not 
married or closely related. In the past, the press reported that 
mutawwa'in warned shopkeepers not to sell New Year's or Christmas gifts 
or decorations. The warning also reminded employees not to allow their 
staff to celebrate either holiday openly. In February 2004, the grand 
mufti restated a previously issued fatwa that declared Valentine's Day 
a ``pagan Christian holiday'' that could not be celebrated publicly. 
Mutawwa'in banned shopkeepers from selling Valentine's Day gifts and 
decorations and forbade vendors from selling roses five days prior to 
and following February 14.
    Mutawwa'in had the authority to confront persons for violations of 
strict standards of proper dress and behavior and to apprehend 
individuals committing a crime, but must immediately hand suspects over 
to the police. However, they sometimes detained people for more than 
twenty-four hours before delivering them to the police. The interior 
minister announced this policy, but no information was available on 
whether the Government had taken measures to hold accountable 
mutawwa'in who broke the rules. Procedures required that a police 
officer accompany mutawwa'in at the time of arrest. Mutawwa'in 
generally complied with this requirement, but there were cases during 
the year in which mutawwa'in violated this requirement. As a matter of 
policy, mutawwa'in must also have a warrant and be accompanied by a 
police officer to enter a private residence; however, there were 
several reported cases where mutawwa'in did not produce a warrant 
before entering the premises. Mutawwa'in could not conduct 
investigations or allow unpaid volunteers to accompany official 
patrols; however, there were cases during the year in which unofficial 
mutawwa'in harassed individuals and used noncitizen informants to 
gather information for investigations of other non-Muslims. During the 
reporting period, the Government issued a decree that all members of 
the mutawwa'in must wear an official photo identification badge, and 
all future members of the mutawwa'in must be trained at a special 
institute. Current members of the mutawwa'in were to undergo 
retraining. By the end of the reporting period, there were no known 
instances where mutawwa'in were held accountable for violating 
government policies.
    In May 2006 the Government issued a decree to all thirteen 
provinces stating that all cases involving alleged harassment by the 
mutawwa'in would be transferred for investigation to the Board of 
Investigation and Prosecution, an independent board in each province 
that answers to each region's governor. In the past, the mutawwa'in had 
conducted independent, internal investigations of complaints against 
it. The decree also reiterated that the role of the mutawwa'in ended 
with the apprehension of individuals accused of crimes and that the 
mutawwa'in must immediately hand them over to the police.
    In general, non-Muslim, non-Western religious communities must 
exercise extreme caution when practicing their religions. The press 
reported in March 2005 that mutawwa'in raided a makeshift Hindu shrine 
in Riyadh, destroying its temple and forcing worshippers to cease their 
activities. The Government reportedly deported three worshippers.
    During the reporting period, there continued to be instances in 
which mosque preachers, who are paid government stipends, used anti-
Jewish, anti-Christian, and anti-Shi'a language in their sermons. 
Although this language has declined in frequency since the Government 
began encouraging moderation following the 2003 terror attacks, there 
continued to be instances in which mosque speakers prayed for the death 
of Jews and Christians, including from the Grand Mosque in Mecca and 
the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    There were no reports that terrorists targeted victims based on 
their religion. During the reporting period, the security forces 
conducted a number of raids on suspected al-Qa'ida cells in the 
Kingdom. Seven members of the security forces were killed during 
firefights with suspected terrorists. Terrorists also unsuccessfully 
attacked an oil facility in February 2006. In May 2006, a local man 
fired shots at a foreign consulate in Jeddah. No personnel were injured 
during the shooting and the individual was arrested and detained by the 
security forces. During the previous reporting period, terrorists 
killed more than thirty foreigners and citizen civilians, including 
five employees of a foreign consulate in Jeddah in December. More than 
forty members of security forces were also killed while combating 
terrorists. The terrorist attacks consisted of kidnappings, targeted 
shootings, bombings, and beheadings.
Forced Religious Conversion
    Under the law, children of male citizens are considered Muslim, 
regardless of the country or the religious tradition in which they have 
been raised. While, the Government's application of this law 
discriminates against non-Muslim, noncitizen mothers, and denies their 
children the freedom to choose their religion, in practice some 
children of mixed marriages were raised in other faiths. Women who 
marry citizens must convert to Islam. There were no reports of the 
forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been 
abducted or illegally removed from the United States during the 
reporting period.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    During the reporting period, the Government identified and 
confirmed its policies with regard to a wide range of religious 
practice and tolerance issues. Senior government officials made efforts 
to improve the climate of tolerance toward other religious groups and 
within Islam.
    In October 2005, in his first U.S. television interview since 
becoming king, King Abdullah stated that ``people are free to practice 
their faith in the privacy of their homes.'' In December 2005 King 
Abdullah hosted a ministerial summit of the OIC, which produced the 
communique ``A Ten Year Plan of Action for the Muslim World.'' The king 
inaugurated the conference with a call for moderation, tolerance, 
rejection of extremist violence, and reform of educational programs 
(including textbooks and curricula). The communique included provisions 
calling for religious tolerance, improved human rights standards, and 
state accountability.
    There was an improvement in press freedom during the reporting 
period, and discussions of religious issues were more open. 
Additionally, increased press freedom permitted journalists to 
criticize abuses by the mutawwa'in publicly. The press reported on 
debates in the Majlis al-Shura that focused on whether individuals must 
be Muslim to attain citizenship and included opinions on both sides of 
the issue.
    The Government also took limited measures to remove what it deemed 
to be disparaging references to other religious traditions from 
educational curricula.
    Senior leaders, including the king, the crown prince, the foreign 
minister, the ambassador to the United States, the grand mufti, the 
imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the imam and khateeb of 
the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and imams in mosques in various parts 
of the kingdom continued to call for tolerance and moderation. In May 
2004, the deputy minister of Islamic affairs was reported as saying 
that the country protects non-Muslims but does not plan to expand 
freedom of worship. In May 2006, an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca 
called for increased tolerance of other religious faiths.

                    Section III. Societal Attitudes

    As a deeply conservative and devout Muslim society, there is 
intense pressure within the country to conform to societal norms.
    The conservative religious leadership also exerted pressure on the 
state to adhere strictly to its interpretation of Islam. The Government 
stated that in 2003 it stepped up efforts to combat religious extremism 
by firing several hundred prayer leaders and beginning retraining 
programs for both imams and other mosque employees. In July 2005, the 
news media reported that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Najran 
fired 17 imams working in mosques in the region and ordered another 132 
to attend legal training courses. During the reporting period, there 
were numerous instances where imams were fired for extremist rhetoric.
    There were several media reports that individuals who were openly 
critical of the religious establishment were often harassed by the 
mutawwa'in and received death threats from religious extremists.
    The majority of citizens support a state based on Islamic law, 
although there were differing views as to how this should be realized 
in practice. The official title of the head of state is ``Custodian of 
the Two Holy Mosques,'' and the role of the king and the Government in 
upholding Islam within the country is regarded as one of its paramount 
functions.
    Relations between Muslim citizens and foreign Muslims were 
generally good. Each year the country welcomes between two and three 
million Muslim pilgrims from all over the world and representing all 
branches of Islam, who visit the country to perform the Hajj and Umra.
    Anti-Semitic editorial comments appeared in the print and 
electronic media. For example, references supporting the idea of 
``Jewish control over the world,'' and to the Protocols of the Elders 
of Zion appeared in the newspaper Ar-Riyadh on March 6, 2006. Cartoons 
typically used classic anti-Semitic imagery directed against the 
actions of Israel as a ``Zionist'' state, particularly in regard to 
treatment of Palestinians. At times, there were questions raised in the 
media on whether modern Christians and Jews should be considered 
``people of the book'' and thus due the respect required by the Qur'an. 
In December 2005, according to an NGO, Sheikh Abdul al-Aziz Fawzan al-
Fawzan, a professor of Islamic law at Al-Imam University, urged on Al-
Majd television a nonracist, compassionate, ``hatred'' toward infidels 
that would guide and reform them.
    NGOs have reported examples of hate speech in educational textbooks 
and, in particular noted that religious textbooks emphasized 
intolerance and hatred of religious traditions, especially Christianity 
and Judaism. Officials claimed to have revised textbooks to remove 
content disparaging religions other than Islam. However, many recently 
published textbooks still contained language that was intolerant of 
Judaism, Christianity, and the Shi'a tradition. The Government 
confirmed that it is revising and updating the textbooks to ensure that 
tolerance is promoted.
    There was societal discrimination against Shi'a, particularly in 
the school system. Some teachers of Islam told their students that 
Shi'a practices were un-Islamic and that Shi'a students must follow 
Sunni traditions to be true Muslims. There were reports that teachers 
told their students that Shi'a were not Muslims, but rather were 
kaffirs (unbelievers). Outside the school system, there were reports 
that eggs were thrown at houses of Shi'a living in predominantly Sunni 
areas and that some Sunnis would not socialize, or permit their 
children to be friends with Shi'a.
    In certain areas, religious vigilantes unaffiliated with the 
Government and acting on their own harassed, assaulted, battered, 
arrested, and detained citizens and foreigners.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
Government policy is to press the Government consistently to honor its 
public commitment to permit private religious worship by non-Muslims, 
eliminate discrimination against minorities, and promote tolerance 
toward non-Muslims.
    During the reporting period, the U.S. ambassador met with senior 
government and religious leaders regarding religious freedom, and 
raised specific cases of violations with senior officials. Senior U.S. 
officials discussed with the Government their policies concerning 
religious practice and tolerance. This made it possible to identify and 
confirm a number of key policies that the Government is pursuing and 
will continue to pursue for the purposes of promoting greater freedom 
for religious practice and increased tolerance for religious groups. 
Senior U.S. officials called on the Government to enforce its public 
commitment to allow private religious practice and to respect the 
rights of Muslims who do not follow the conservative Hanbali tradition 
of Sunni Islam. U.S. Government officials also raised their concerns 
over the dissemination of intolerant literature and an extremist 
ideology with the Government.
    In addition, Embassy officers met with ministry of foreign affairs 
officials at various other times to discuss matters pertaining to 
religious freedom. In September 2005, the Secretary of State 
redesignated Saudi Arabia as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) 
under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). In connection 
with this designation, Secretary Rice issued a waiver of sanctions ``to 
further the purposes of the Act.''
                               __________

                                 SYRIA

    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government imposes restrictions on this right. There is no official 
state religion; however, the Constitution requires that the president 
be Muslim and stipulates that Islamic jurisprudence is a principal 
source of legislation.
    The status of respect for religious freedom improved slightly 
during the period covered by this report in that the Government eased 
restrictions on public, state-sanctioned expressions of Islam. The 
Government continued to monitor the activities of all groups, including 
religious groups, and discourage proselytism, which it deems a threat 
to the relations among religious groups. The Government also considers 
the Jehovah's Witnesses a ``politically motivated Zionist 
organization.''
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were 
occasional reports of minor tensions between religious groups, some 
attributable to economic rivalries rather than religious affiliation.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 71,498 square miles and a population of 
18 million. Sunni Muslims represented approximately 74 percent of the 
population (approximately 12.6 million persons). Other Muslim groups, 
including Alawi, Ismailis, and Shi'a, together constituted an estimated 
13 percent of the population (approximately 2.2 million persons). The 
Druze accounted for an estimated 3 percent of the population 
(approximately 500 thousand persons). Various Christian denominations 
made up the remaining 10 percent of the population (approximately 1.7 
million. persons). The great majority of Christians belonged to the 
Eastern groups that have existed in the country since the earliest days 
of Christianity. The main Eastern groups belonged to the autonomous 
Orthodox churches, the Uniate churches, which recognize the Roman 
Catholic Pope, and the independent Nestorian Church. There was a small 
Yazidi population. There were approximately forty Jews. It was 
difficult to obtain precise population estimates for religious sub-
groupings due to government sensitivity to sectarian demographics.
    The largest Christian denomination was the Greek Orthodox Church, 
known in the country as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and 
All the East. The Syrian Orthodox Church is notable for its use of a 
Syriac liturgy. Most citizens of Armenian origin belonged to the 
Armenian Apostolic Church, which uses an Armenian liturgy. The largest 
Uniate church in the country was the Greek Catholic Church. Other 
Uniate denominations included the Maronite Church, the Syrian Catholic 
Church, and the Chaldean Catholic Church, which derives from the 
Nestorian Church. Protestant Christian denominations included Baptist 
and Mennonite. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons) was also present.
    Sunni Muslims were present throughout the country. Christians 
tended to be urbanized, and most lived in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, and 
Lattakia, although significant numbers lived in the Hasaka governorate 
in the northeast. A majority of the Alawis lived in the Lattakia 
governorate. A significant majority of the Druze population resided in 
the rugged Jabal al-Arab region in the southeast, and most were located 
in the town of Suweida. The few remaining Jews were concentrated in 
Damascus and Aleppo. Yazidis were found primarily in the northeast.
    Foreign missionary groups were present but operated discreetly.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government discourages public proselytism and carefully monitors groups 
it considers to practice militant Islam. There is no official state 
religion; however, the Constitution requires that the president be 
Muslim and stipulates that Islamic jurisprudence is a principal source 
of legislation.
    All religions and orders must register with the Government, which 
monitors fundraising and requires permits for all religious and 
nonreligious group meetings, except for worship. The registration 
process can be complicated and lengthy, but the Government usually 
allows groups to operate informally while awaiting the Government's 
response.
    Recognized religious groups, including all governmentally-
recognized Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities, receive free 
utilities and are exempt from real estate taxes and personal property 
taxes on official vehicles.
    There is a de facto separation of religion and the state. The 
Government generally refrains from involvement in strictly religious 
matters and religious groups tend not to participate in internal 
political affairs. During the reporting period, the Government 
increased its support for the practice and study of government-
sanctioned, moderate forms of Islam.
    During the reporting period, the Government allowed a greater use 
of religious language in public spaces, including the placement of 
banners bearing religious slogans at the site of prominent public 
landmarks during religious holidays and during the controversy over the 
publication of cartoons depicting Muhammad in European newspapers.
    During the reporting period the Government sometimes encouraged 
negative--even violent--expressions of Islamic religious sentiment, at 
least in part to curry favor with the Syrian Sunni majority. The 
clearest example of this occurred on February 4, 2006, when the 
Government allowed Muslim groups to demonstrate publicly against the 
publication of the cartoons, and later failed to control a mob of 
several thousand Muslim protesters that attacked and set fire to the 
building housing the Danish, Swedish, and Chilean embassies, and later 
set fire to the Norwegian Embassy.
    In April 2006, MP and moderate Muslim cleric Mohammed Habash 
addressed the officers at the Higher Military Academy, an event 
described by press sources as the first such invitation since the 1963 
rise of the Ba'ath Party to power. In May 2006, the state-owned al-
Thawra newspaper began a new section called ``Religion and Life,'' 
which focused exclusively on Islamic views and fatwas. Syrian state 
radio also began broadcasting the dawn and afternoon Muslim prayers, in 
addition to its traditional broadcast of noon prayers.
    In April 2006, President Bashar al-Asad signed a decree permitting 
the establishment of a Shari'a (Islamic Law) faculty at Aleppo 
University. In the same month, the Government also announced a 
decision, the first of its kind, to license three private Islamic 
banks. In November 2005, Muslim groups successfully lobbied government 
ministries to clamp down on the activities of two secular 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In the first case, the NGO 
distributed a book that challenged the practice of Muslim women wearing 
the hijab (headscarf). In the second case, another NGO attempted to 
conduct research on the use of Shari'a as the basis for many personal 
status laws applicable to all citizens, regardless of religion.
    The Government selects moderate Muslims for religious leadership 
positions and is intolerant of and suppresses extremist forms of Islam. 
Two moderate Islamists were elected in the March 2003 elections and 
serve as independent members of parliament. In July 2005, the 
Government appointed Sheikh Ahmed Baderedin Hassoun, the Grand Mufti of 
Aleppo, as the new Grand Mufti of Damascus. Sheikh Hassoun is known for 
his encouragement of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue. Since 
being appointed to his new role, Sheikh Hassoun has called on Muslims 
to stand up to Islamic fundamentalism and has urged leaders of the 
various religious groups to engage in regular dialogues for mutual 
understanding.
    The Government generally does not prohibit links by its citizens 
with coreligionists in other countries or with an international 
hierarchy; however, it prohibits contact between the Jewish community 
and Jews in Israel. Western Christmas, Orthodox and Western Easter, as 
well as four Muslim religious holidays (Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, the 
Islamic New Year, and the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad) are official 
national holidays.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    In 1964, the Government banned Jehovah's Witnesses and branded it a 
``politically motivated Zionist organization.'' The Government bans 
Witnesses from employment in the civil service, receiving religious 
literature by post, and traveling abroad. They are also prohibited from 
holding worship services; however, individual members of Jehovah's 
Witnesses continued to practice their faith privately.
    In 1963, the Government banned membership in the Syrian Muslim 
Brotherhood and later made affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood 
punishable by death under the auspices of Law 49 of 1980.
    Proselytism is not prohibited by civil law; however, the Government 
discouraged such activity which it deems a threat to the relations 
among religious groups. Foreign missionaries were present but operated 
discreetly. In the past, some proselytizers were prosecuted for 
``posing a threat to the relations among religious groups.'' Most 
charges of this kind carried sentences of imprisonment from five years 
to life, although often such sentences were reduced to one or two 
years. There were no reported cases of any prosecution on this charge 
during the last four years.
    The security services were constantly alert for any possible 
political threat to the State, and all groups, religious and 
nonreligious, were subject to surveillance and monitoring by government 
security services. The Government considered militant Islam in 
particular a threat to the regime and followed closely the practice of 
its adherents. The Government has allowed many mosques to be built; 
however, it monitored and controlled sermons and often closed mosques 
between prayers.
    The Government primarily cited tense relations with Israel as the 
reason for barring Jewish citizens from employment in the civil 
service, serving in the armed forces, and for exempting them from 
military service obligations. Jews were the only religious minority 
group whose passports and identity cards noted their religion. They 
must obtain the permission of the security services before traveling 
abroad. Jews also faced extra scrutiny from the Government when 
applying for licenses, deeds, or other government papers. The Jewish 
community is prohibited from sending historical Torahs abroad under a 
law against exporting any of the country's historical and cultural 
treasures. This created a serious problem for the dwindling Jewish 
community concerned for the preservation of its religious texts.
    Government policy officially disavows sectarianism of any kind; 
however, in the case of President Asad's Alawi Muslim group, religion 
can be a factor in determining career opportunities. For example, 
Alawis held dominant positions in the security services and military 
that were disproportionate to their percentage of the population.
    In keeping with the Government's secular policy, the military did 
not have a chaplain corps, members of the military did not have direct 
access to religious or spiritual support, and soldiers were expected 
not to express their faith overtly during work hours. For example, 
Muslims were discouraged from praying while on duty. Religious 
minorities, with the exception of Jews, were represented among the 
senior officer corps.
    Religious groups are subject to their respective religious laws on 
marriage and divorce.
    For Muslims, personal status law on divorce is based on Shari'a, 
and some of its provisions as interpreted discriminate against women. 
The legal standard for men to be granted a divorce is much lower than 
that for women. For example, husbands may claim adultery as grounds for 
divorce, but wives face more difficulty in presenting the same case. If 
a woman requests a divorce from her husband, she may not be entitled to 
child support, alimony, and the return of her dowry in some instances.
    All citizens are subject to the Shari'a-based personal status laws 
regulating child custody, inheritance, and adoption. In the case of 
divorce, a woman loses the right to custody of her sons when they reach 
the age of thirteen and her daughters when they reach the age of 
fifteen, regardless of religion. Women can also lose custody before 
this age if they remarry, work outside the home, or move outside of the 
city or country.
    Inheritance for all citizens is also based on Shari'a. Accordingly, 
women usually are granted half of the inheritance share of male heirs; 
however, Shari'a mandates that male heirs provide financial support to 
the female relatives who inherit less. For example, a brother would 
inherit his and his unmarried sister's share from their parents' 
estate, and he is obligated to provide for the sister's well-being with 
that inheritance. If the brother fails to do so, she has the right to 
sue. Polygyny is legal but is practiced only by a minority of Muslim 
men.
    All schools officially were government-run and nonsectarian, 
although in practice some schools were run by Christian and Druze 
minorities. There was mandatory religious instruction in schools for 
all religious groups, with government-approved teachers and 
curriculums. Religious instruction was provided on Islam and 
Christianity only, and courses were divided into separate classes for 
Muslim and Christian students. Groups that participated in Islamic 
courses include Sunni, Shi'a, Alawi, Ismaili, Yazidi, and Druze. In the 
past, Jews had a separate primary school that offered religious 
instruction on Judaism and other traditional subjects; however, the 
school closed in 2004 due to the dwindling size of the Jewish 
community. Although Arabic was the official language in public schools, 
the Government permitted the teaching of Armenian, Hebrew, Syriac 
(Aramaic), and Chaldean in some schools, on the basis that these were 
``liturgical languages.'' There was no mandatory religious study at the 
university level.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    There were reports that the Government used torture against alleged 
Islamists held in detention. For example, family members of forty-five 
accused Islamists from the villages of Qatana, al-Otaiba, and al-Tal 
reported to human rights organizations during the year that their 
relatives had been tortured at the time of their arrests in 2004.
    During the reporting period, human rights organizations documented 
the arrest of at least seventy persons for alleged ties to Islamist 
groups.
    On February 7, 2006, Tartous-based journalist Adel Mahfouz was 
arrested by Syrian authorities after publishing an article encouraging 
dialogue between Muslims and the cartoon artists who created 
caricatures of Muhammad for the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. He 
was released on bail March 12, and at the end of the reporting period 
no criminal court date had been set for him.
    The Government continued to hold an unknown number of members of 
the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists as political detainees and 
prisoners. Their arrests and, in some cases, convictions, were 
motivated primarily by the Government's view of militant Islamists as 
potential threats to regime stability. Human rights groups estimated 
that at least several hundred alleged Islamists were detained in 
prisons, security service detention centers, or other secret detention 
facilities.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    During the reporting period, there were no reports of incidents of 
harassment and property damage against Jews in Damascus perpetrated by 
individuals not associated with the Government. In 2004 and early 2005, 
there were reports of such harassment and there was evidence that local 
police and other government officials did not respond aggressively to 
these incidents.
    Government officials occasionally used radio and television 
programming, news articles, and other mass media to condone anti-
Semitic material. Anti-Israel material was widespread, some of which 
carried anti-Semitic overtones. For example, in January 2006, the 
government-owned al-Thawra newspaper published an article suggesting 
that the Government of Israel had genetically engineered the avian flu 
virus in order to damage ``genes carried only by Arabs'' and thus ``to 
realize the Zionist goal of harming the Arabs.''
    On November 8, 2005, government-owned Syrian TV broadcast an 
interview with the deputy minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) in 
which he stated that Syria serves as ``the last line of defense'' 
against ``Zionist plots which aim to put on the throne of the Middle 
East the descendants of...those whom the Koran called the descendants 
of apes and pigs.''
    On November 24, 2005, former National Director of the Knights of 
the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke, participated in a mass solidarity protest 
in Damascus, and his speech was aired on Syrian national television. He 
praised President Bashar al-Asad, declaring, ``It is not just the West 
Bank of Palestine...that [is] occupied by Zionists, but Washington, 
D.C., and New York, and London.''
    Tishrin editorialist, Izz-al-Din al-Darwish, wrote in a July 31, 
2005, editorial that ``Syria is targeted by an intensive media campaign 
managed and financed by Zionist circles.'' Tishrin also regularly used 
anti-Semitic caricatures to represent Israel in editorial cartoons.
    In January 2005, a new edition of The Protocols of the Elders of 
Zion was published by the Syrian publishing company Dar al-Awail, which 
credited the Ministry of Information with approving the text. In 2003, 
an independent production company created and filmed an anti-Semitic 
program inside the country. Its theme centered on the alleged 
conspiracy of the ``Elders of Zion'' to orchestrate both world wars and 
manipulate world markets to create Israel. The program was not aired in 
the country but was shown elsewhere.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    A November 3, 2005, presidential decree granted amnesty to 190 
political prisoners, coinciding with the end of the Islamic holy month 
of Ramadan. Most freed prisoners were Islamists and had been long-term 
detainees.
    In February 2005, the president ordered the release of fifty-five 
political prisoners who had spent up to twenty years in jail. Most 
freed prisoners were being held for, or had been convicted of, 
belonging to an Islamist group.
    The late Grand Mufti's son Salah Kuftaro and his Abu Nur Islamic 
Institute continued to engage in a wide variety of activities promoting 
Christian-Muslim understanding. In May 2005, the Council of Middle East 
Churches visited Kuftaro to discuss Christian-Muslim understanding and 
future prospects. In November 2004, Muslim and Christian leaders 
participated in a conference on the subject, part of which was held at 
the Abu Nur Institute.
    In 2005 and 2006, an American rabbi visited the country three 
times. During his May 2005 visit, he spoke with both Christian and 
Muslim religious leaders about the value of religion in building a 
tolerant and caring society. In May 2006, at the invitation of the 
Grand Mufti, he delivered a speech at an Aleppo mosque to a group of 
over three thousand Muslims.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there were 
occasional reports of minor tensions between religious groups mainly 
attributable to economic rivalries rather than religious affiliation.
    In July 2005, sectarian strife broke out in the cities of Misyaf 
and Qadmous in clashes between members of the Alawite and Ismaili 
sects. In Misyaf, rioting broke out after a dispute between Alawite and 
Ismaili bus drivers. In Qadmous, a group of Alawites looted and 
destroyed shops in a predominantly Ismaili area.
    There was little evidence of societal discrimination or violence 
against religious minorities.
    Societal conventions, and religious and theological proscriptions, 
made conversions relatively rare, especially Muslim-to-Christian 
conversions. In many cases, societal pressure forced those who 
undertook such conversions to relocate within the country or leave the 
country to practice their new religion openly.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government has limited contact with the Government. The 
charge d'affaires and other Embassy officials met with religious 
leaders and adherents of almost all religious groups at the national, 
regional, and local levels to convey to the public U.S. support for 
freedom of religion.
                               __________

                                TUNISIA

    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and the freedom 
to practice the rites of one's religion unless they disturb the public 
order; however, the Government imposes some restrictions on this right. 
The Constitution declares the country's determination to adhere to the 
teachings of Islam, stipulates that Islam is the official state 
religion, and that the president be Muslim. The Government does not 
permit the establishment of political parties on the basis of religion 
and prohibits proselytizing by non-Muslims. It restricts the wearing of 
Islamic headscarves (hijab) in government offices and it discourages 
women from wearing the hijab on public streets and at certain public 
gatherings.
    There was no overall change in the status of respect for religious 
freedom during the reporting period, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 63,170 square miles, and a population of 
ten million. Approximately 99 percent of the population was Muslim. 
There was no reliable data on the number of practicing Muslims. There 
was a small indigenous ``Maraboutic'' Muslim community that belongs to 
spiritual brotherhoods known as ``turuq;'' however, there were no 
statistics regarding its size. Reliable sources reported that many 
members of these brotherhoods left the country shortly after 
independence when the Government appropriated their religious buildings 
and land (and those of Islamic foundations). During annual Ramadan 
festivals, members of these brotherhoods provided public cultural 
entertainment by performing religious dances. There were also 
approximately 150 members of the Baha'i Faith.
    The Christian community, composed of foreign residents and a small 
group of native-born citizens of European or Arab descent, numbered 
approximately twenty-five thousand and was dispersed throughout the 
country. According to church leaders, the practicing Christian 
population was approximately two thousand and included a few hundred 
native-born citizens who have converted to Christianity. The Roman 
Catholic Church operated twelve churches, nine schools, several 
libraries, and two clinics. There were approximately 500 practicing 
Catholics. In addition to holding religious services, the Catholic 
Church also freely organized cultural activities and performed 
charitable work throughout the country. In 2005 the Government 
permitted the reopening of a Catholic church in Djerba following 
requests from European nations with substantial tourist travel to the 
country. The Russian Orthodox Church had approximately one hundred 
practicing members and operated a church in Tunis and another in 
Bizerte. The French Reform Church maintained a church in Tunis, with a 
congregation of approximately 140 primarily foreign members. The 
Anglican Church had a church in Tunis with several hundred 
predominantly foreign members. There was a small Seventh-day Adventist 
community with approximately fifty members. The thirty-member Greek 
Orthodox Church maintained three churches (in Tunis, Sousse, and 
Djerba). On an occasional basis, Catholic and Protestant religious 
services were also held in several other locations, such as private 
residences. There were also approximately fifty Jehovah's Witnesses, of 
whom approximately half were foreign residents and half are native-born 
citizens. The Government allowed a small number of foreign religious 
charitable nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to operate and provide 
social services.
    Judaism was the country's third largest religion with approximately 
1,500 members. One-third lived in and around the capital and is 
descended predominantly from Italian and Spanish immigrants. The 
remainder lived on the island of Djerba where the Jewish community 
dates back 2,500 years.
    Foreign Christian missionary organizations and groups were present 
in the country; however, they were not permitted to proselytize.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and the freedom 
to practice the rites of one's religion unless they disturb the public 
order; however, the Government imposes some restrictions on this right. 
The Constitution declares the country's determination to adhere to the 
teachings of Islam, stipulates that Islam is the official state 
religion, and that the president be Muslim. The Government does not 
permit the establishment of political parties on the basis of religion 
and prohibits proselytizing by non-Muslims. It restricts the wearing of 
the hijab in government offices and it discourages women from wearing 
it on public streets and at certain public gatherings.
    No statutory prohibitions against conversion from Islam to another 
faith exist, and the Government does not require registration of 
conversion; however, government officials occasionally discriminate 
against converts from Islam to another religion, using bureaucratic 
means to discourage conversion.
    The Government controls and subsidizes mosques and pays the 
salaries of imams (clerics). The president appoints the Grand Mufti of 
the Republic. The 1988 Law on Mosques provides that only personnel 
appointed by the Government may lead activities in mosques and 
stipulates that mosques must remain closed except during prayer times 
and authorized religious ceremonies, such as marriages or funerals. 
However, several historically significant mosques are partially open to 
tourists and other visitors for a few hours per day, several days a 
week. New mosques may be built in accordance with national urban 
planning regulations; however, upon completion, they become the 
property of the Government. The Government also partially subsidizes 
the Jewish community.
    The following Islamic holidays are considered national holidays: 
Eid el-Kebir, the Islamic New Year, the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, 
and Eid Es-Sighir.
    The Government recognizes all Christian and Jewish religious 
organizations that were established before independence in 1956. 
Although the Government permits Christian churches to operate freely, 
it has recognized formally only the Catholic Church, via a 1964 
concordat with the Holy See. In addition to authorizing fourteen 
churches ``serving all sects'' of the country, the Government 
recognizes land grants signed by the Bey of Tunis in the eighteenth and 
nineteenth centuries that allow other churches to operate. By the end 
of the reporting period the Government had not acted on a request for 
registration of a Jewish religious organization in Djerba; however, the 
group continued to operate and perform religious activities and 
charitable work unobstructed.
    The Government allows the Jewish community freedom of worship and 
pays the salary of the Grand Rabbi. It also provides security for all 
synagogues and partially subsidizes restoration and maintenance costs 
for some. In 1999 the president of the Provisional Committee of the 
Jewish community and his board of governors submitted registration 
papers to the Ministry of Interior for permanent registration as the 
Association of the Jewish Community of Tunisia. Although the Government 
has not registered the association by the end of the reporting period, 
the president and board of governors continued to meet weekly. During 
the reporting period, the Government permitted the association to 
operate and perform religious activities and charity work unhindered. 
According to the law, an NGO that has filed an application to register 
may operate freely while the Government processes its application. If 
the Government does not reject the application within ninety days, the 
NGO is automatically registered.
    The Government permits the Jewish community to operate private 
religious schools and allows Jewish children on the island of Djerba to 
split their academic day between secular public schools and private 
religious schools. The Government also encourages Jewish emigres and 
other Jewish pilgrims to return for the annual Jewish pilgrimage to the 
historic El-Ghriba Synagogue on Djerba. There also was a small private 
Jewish school in Tunis.
    The Government promoted interfaith understanding by sponsoring 
regular conferences and seminars on religious tolerance and 
facilitating and promoting the annual Jewish pilgrimage to the El-
Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, celebrated on the Jewish holiday of Lag 
B'Omar. In October 2005, the religious affairs minister gave a lecture 
at ruling Democratic Constitutional Rally party headquarters on 
``Tunisia's efforts in support for the dialogue between religions.'' In 
January 2006, the country hosted an international conference on ``Human 
Civilizations and Cultures: From Dialogue to Alliance,'' organized by 
the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization, 
which included discussions on religious tolerance. In April 2006, the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs introduced a university program on 
intercivilizational dialogue between all major world religious groups.
    In September 2005, the minister of foreign affairs participated in 
a conference promoting Islamic-Jewish dialogue with the World Jewish 
Congress and the European Jewish Congress. In February, the European 
Jewish Congress voted to make the country a member of its organization. 
The European Jewish Congress is affiliated with the World Jewish 
Congress and is made up of leaders of forty-one European and North 
African communities.
    In 2005, the Government announced it would help clean up the 
rundown Jewish cemetery of Tunis, a former Hebraic school would be 
restored and made into an arts training center for the handicapped, and 
that travel restrictions on Israelis would be eliminated. In the past, 
passport restrictions, as well as concerns about possible retribution, 
discouraged Israelis from visiting, despite the fact that the 
Government has encouraged foreign Jewish visitors to participate in the 
Ghriba pilgrimage. The number of Jewish pilgrims to Ghriba in May 
represented a dramatic increase over previous years; in 2006 estimates 
ranged between three thousand and four thousand. According to local 
Jewish leaders, approximately 500 of these pilgrims were Israeli 
citizens traveling under the recently relaxed travel policies.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government regards the Baha'i Faith as a heretical sect of 
Islam and permits its adherents to practice their faith only in 
private. The Government permits Baha'is to hold meetings of their 
national council in private homes, and three Local Spiritual 
Assemblies, the local governing body, have been elected since 2004. 
Baha'is presence in the country dates back a century and their number 
was estimated at 200.
    The Government does not permit the establishment of political 
parties on the basis of religion, and it refused to register the 
Islamist party An-Nahdha. In the past, it prosecuted suspected party 
members on these grounds. The Government maintained tight surveillance 
over Islamists. The Government refused to issue passports to a number 
of alleged Islamists. The Government maintained that only the courts 
possess the power to revoke passports; however, reports indicated that 
it rarely observed this separation of powers in politically sensitive 
cases.
    Notwithstanding the reopening of the church in Djerba mentioned 
above, the Government did not permit other Christian groups to 
establish new churches, and proselytizing by non-Muslims was viewed as 
disturbing the public order, and thus illegal. Foreign Christian 
missionary organizations and groups were present, but were not 
permitted to proselytize. Whereas authorities previously deported non-
Muslim foreigners suspected of proselytizing and did not permit them to 
return, more recent reports indicated that the Government preferred to 
deny suspected missionaries visa renewal or to pressure their employers 
not to extend their contracts. However, during the reporting period 
there were no reported cases of official action against persons 
suspected of proselytizing.
    While there are no legal restrictions against conversion from Islam 
to other religions, some local officials occasionally harassed converts 
to discourage conversion. There were reports of Christian citizens 
being detained by police and government security officials and 
questioned about their conversion to Christianity. There was one report 
that a Christian citizen was told by a local security official that it 
was illegal to be a Christian, and threatened with imprisonment. There 
were reports that on occasion when seeking renewal of passports, the 
process was inexplicably delayed for some Christians, although 
passports were subsequently issued.
    Both religious and secular NGOs are governed by the same legal and 
administrative regulations that impose some restrictions on freedom of 
assembly. For example, all NGOs are required to notify the Government 
of meetings to be held in public spaces at least three days in advance 
and to submit lists of all meeting participants to the Ministry of 
Interior.
    Religious groups are subjected to the same restrictions on freedom 
of speech and the press as secular groups. In January, the president 
signed a law lifting ``depot legal,'' which had been a requirement that 
the Government approve all locally-produced printed material prior to 
publication or distribution. For publications printed abroad, 
distributors must deposit copies with the chief prosecutor and other 
ministries prior to their public release. Although Christian groups 
reported that they were able to distribute previously approved 
religious publications in European languages without difficulty, they 
said the Government generally did not grant permission to publish and 
distribute Arabic-language Christian texts. Moreover, the Government 
allowed only established churches to distribute religious publications 
to parishioners. It considered other groups' distribution of religious 
documents to be a ``threat to public order,'' and thus illegal.
    The Government restricts the wearing of the hijab in government 
offices, and there were reports of police requiring women to remove 
their hijabs in offices, on the street, at universities, and at some 
public gatherings; however, it was nonetheless common to see women 
wearing the hijab in a variety of public settings. The Government 
characterized the hijab as a ``garment of foreign origin having a 
partisan connotation'' and restricted its use in public institutions to 
``observe impartiality required of officials in their professional 
relations with others.'' There also were frequent reports that police 
sometimes harassed or detained men with beards whom the Government 
suspected because of their ``Islamic'' appearance.
    According to human rights lawyers, the Government regularly 
questioned some Muslims who were observed praying frequently in 
mosques. The authorities instructed imams to espouse government social 
and economic programs during prayer times in mosques. In December, 2005 
the religious affairs minister told members of the Chamber of Advisors 
that mosques were open only for prayers and that those who used mosques 
to ``spread ideologies'' would be prosecuted.
    Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools, but the 
religious curriculum for secondary school students also includes the 
history of Judaism and Christianity. The Zeitouna Qur'anic School is 
part of the Government's national university system, which is otherwise 
secular.
    Customary law based on Shari'a forbids Muslim women from marrying 
outside their religion although marriages of Muslim women to non-Muslim 
men performed abroad are generally recognized by the Government. 
However, on occasion the Government did not recognize such marriages as 
legal, forcing the couple to seek a court ruling. While judges 
generally ruled that marriages performed abroad were legal, on rare 
occasions judges declared them void in the country. The Government does 
not permit the marriage of Muslim women to non-Muslim men inside the 
country; however, if a man converts to Islam, he may marry a Muslim 
woman. Muslim men and non-Muslim women who are married cannot inherit 
from each other, and children from those marriages, all of whom the 
Government considers to be Muslim, cannot inherit from their mothers.
    Civil law is codified; however, judges were known to override 
codified family or inheritance laws if their interpretation of Shari'a 
contradicted it. For example, codified laws provided women with custody 
over their minor children; however, when a case was contested by the 
father, judges generally refused to grant women permission to leave the 
country with their children, holding that Shari'a appoints the father 
as the head of the family, and he must grant permission for the 
children to travel.
    Generally, Shari'a-based interpretation of civil law was applied 
only in some family cases. Some families avoid the strictures of 
Shari'a on inheritance by executing sales contracts between parents and 
children to ensure that sons and daughters receive equal shares of 
property.
    The Government assisted in cleaning up the rundown Jewish cemetery 
in Tunis; government employees were responsible for lawn upkeep of the 
cemetery, although the Jewish community had responsibility for the 
restoration of tombs and monuments and large structural rehabilitation.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    In 2006, credible sources estimated that approximately 200 persons 
were serving prison sentences because of their suspected membership in 
the illegal Islamist political party An-Nahdha or for their alleged 
Islamist sympathies; however, there were no reports of cases in which 
the Government arrested or detained persons based solely on their 
religious beliefs.
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.
Anti-Semitism
    Privately owned newspapers on occasion published cartoons and 
articles critical of Israel. Some cartoons used derogatory caricatures 
of Jews to portray the state of Israel and Israeli interests. These 
cartoons were all drawn by cartoonists outside of the country and 
reprinted locally.
    According to press reports and eyewitnesses, approximately one 
hundred students shouted anti-Israel and anti-Semitic slogans during a 
demonstration in March 2006 at Manouba University near Tunis at a 
ceremony marking the donation of books from the library of the late 
Jewish Tunisian historian Paul Sebag. After the incident, the Manouba 
Student Union, mainstream citizen journalists, and the Tunisian Human 
Rights League strongly denounced the demonstration's anti-Jewish 
character.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The public university system established a department of 
comparative religion designed to promote broader understanding of 
diverse religions.
    Although legal, there was great societal pressure against Muslim 
conversion to other religions. Muslims who converted faced social 
ostracism. There was one report of expulsion of a convert from home and 
beating by family members.
    Despite a history of social pressure by middle and upper class 
secularists to discourage women from wearing the hijab, anecdotal 
evidence suggested that, for a variety of social and religious reasons, 
the number of young middle class urban women choosing to wear the hijab 
continued to rise during the reporting period.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The U.S. Embassy maintains good relations with leaders of majority 
and minority religious groups throughout the country, and the 
ambassador and other eEmbassy officials met regularly with government 
officials and Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religious leaders 
throughout the reporting period. The Embassy fostered regular exchanges 
that included components designed to highlight U.S. traditions of 
religious tolerance and pluralism and disseminated the publication 
``Muslim Life in America.''
                               __________

                          UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion in accordance 
with established customs, and the government generally respects this 
right in practice; however, there were some restrictions. The federal 
Constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the 
country.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom concerns with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country's population is estimated at 4.5 million, approximately 
85 percent of which are noncitizens. Approximately 85 percent of 
citizens were Sunni Muslim and the remaining 15 percent were Shi'a. 
Foreigners were predominantly from South and Southeast Asia, although 
there were substantial numbers from the Middle East, Europe, Central 
Asia, former Commonwealth of Independent States, and North America. 
Although no official figures were available, local observers estimated 
that 55 percent of the foreign population was Muslim, 25 percent was 
Hindu, 10 percent was Christian, 5 percent was Buddhist, and 5 percent 
belonged to other religious groups, including Parsi, Baha'i, and Sikh.
    In late 2001 the Ministry of Planning inquired about religious 
affiliation in its first federal census. According to a ministry report 
compiled in 2003 using data collected during the census, 76 percent of 
the total population was Muslim, 9 percent was Christian, and 15 
percent was ``other.''
    There were foreign missionaries operating in the country. The 
government does not permit foreign missionaries to proselytize Muslims; 
however, they have performed humanitarian (missionary) work since 
before the country's independence in 1971. In 1960 Christian 
missionaries opened a maternity hospital in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi; 
the hospital continued to operate. Missionaries also operated a 
maternity hospital in the Emirate of Fujeirah. An International Bible 
Society representative in al-Ain distributed Bibles and other religious 
material to Christian religious groups throughout the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion in accordance 
with established customs, and the Government generally respects this 
right in practice; however, there were some restrictions. The 
Government controls virtually all Sunni mosques, prohibits 
proselytizing, and restricts the freedom of assembly and association, 
thereby limiting the ability of religious groups without dedicated 
religious buildings to worship and conduct business. The Constitution 
declares that Islam is the official religion of all seven of the 
constituent emirates of the federal union. The Government recognizes a 
small number of Christian denominations through the issuance of land-
use permits for the construction and operation of churches. Religious 
groups without dedicated buildings of worship often used the facilities 
of other religious groups or worship in private homes. There were no 
reports of government interference in this common practice.
    The Government funds or subsidizes almost 95 percent of Sunni 
mosques and employs all Sunni imams; approximately 5 percent of Sunni 
mosques are considered private, and several large mosques have large 
private endowments. The Government distributes guidance on religious 
sermons to mosques and clergy, whether Sunni or Shi'a, and monitors all 
sermons for political content.
    The Shi'a minority, which is concentrated in the northern emirates, 
is free to worship and maintain its own mosques. All Shi'a mosques are 
considered private and may receive funds from the government upon 
request. Shi'a imams are government-appointed only in the Emirate of 
Dubai. Shi'a Muslims in Dubai may pursue Shi'a family law cases through 
a special Shi'a council rather than the Shari'a courts.
    After a January 2006 cabinet reorganization, the Ministry of 
Justice, Islamic Affairs, and Endowments, which operated as the central 
federal regulatory authority for Muslim imams and mosques, was divided 
into two separate bodies. The Islamic Affairs and Endowments section 
became the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments. At the 
end of the period covered by this report, the role of the Authority had 
been fully determined. There is neither an authority nor licensing or 
registration requirements for the recognition and regulation of non-
Muslim religious groups.
    Non-Muslim groups can own their own houses of worship, wherein they 
can practice their religion freely, by requesting a land grant and 
permission to build a compound from the local ruler (the title for the 
land remains with the ruler). There is no federal-level method of 
granting official status to religious groups or approving land grants. 
Rather, rulers of the individual emirates exercise autonomy in choosing 
whether to grant access to land and permission to build houses of 
worship within their emirates. Religious groups that do not have their 
own buildings must use the facilities of other religious organizations 
or worship in private homes. The police or other security forces do not 
interfere with gatherings held in private homes.
    There were at least thirty-one Christian churches in the country 
built on land donated by the ruling families of the emirates in which 
they are located. There were two Hindu temples operating in rented 
commercial buildings in Dubai, one of which was used by Sikhs as well. 
Sikhs and Hindus living in Abu Dhabi also practiced their religion in 
private homes. Four emirates were home to parochial, Christian, 
primary, and secondary schools. The Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai 
have donated land for Christian cemeteries, and the Emirate of Abu 
Dhabi has donated land for a Baha'i cemetery. There were two operating 
cremation facilities and associated cemeteries for the Hindu community, 
one in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai.
    Non-Muslim religious groups do not receive funds from the 
Government; however, those with land grants are not charged rental 
payments, and the local rulers grant the land for some religious 
buildings. In addition, the Emirate of Sharjah waives utility payments 
for religious buildings. Non-Muslim groups raised money from among 
their congregants and received financial support from abroad. Religious 
groups openly advertised certain religious functions in the press, such 
as holiday celebrations, memorial services, religious conventions, 
choral concerts, and fundraising events.
    Because an orthodox interpretation of Islam considers Christians to 
be ``people of the book'' (monotheists practicing an Abrahamic 
religion), facilities for Christian congregations were far greater in 
number and size than those for other non-Muslim communities, despite 
the fact that Christians were estimated to represent less than a 
quarter of the non-Muslim population.
    In practice, the Government supports a moderate interpretation of 
Islam; however, as the state religion, Islam is favored over other 
religious groups and conversion to Islam is viewed favorably. A list of 
Muslim converts is published annually. Prisoners who convert to Islam 
often receive a reduction in their sentences. In Dubai, prisoners who 
memorize all or part of the Qur'an can receive a reduction in their 
sentences or a pardon, depending on the length of sentence and the 
number of sections memorized. Prisoners facing life sentences do not 
benefit from the memorization program. The ruler of the Emirate of 
Ajman offers a cash award for prisoners who memorize all or part of the 
Qur'an.
    During the period covered by this report, the rulers of the various 
emirates pardoned prisoners on religious and national holidays without 
regard to the prisoners' religious affiliations. Those pardoned 
generally were serving sentences from three to five years for financial 
crimes, immigration violations, and other relatively minor offenses; 
pardons reportedly were not extended to prisoners convicted of rape, 
killing, and kidnapping.
    The Government follows a policy of tolerance toward non-Muslim 
religious groups and, in practice, interfered very little in their 
religious activities.
    The Government's religious adviser, Ali Al-Hashemi, regularly 
represented the country at Islamic, ecumenical, and Christian 
conferences, and events in other countries. Al-Hashemi met regularly 
with Christian leaders in the country.
    The following religious holidays are considered national holidays: 
Waqfa, Eid al-Adha, the Islamic New Year, the Birth of the Prophet 
Muhammad, Ascension Day, and Eid al-Fitr. During the month of Ramadan, 
Muslims and non-Muslims alike are required by law to refrain from 
eating, drinking, and smoking publicly during fasting hours out of 
respect for Islamic practice.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Federal Ministry of Justice distributes weekly guidance to both 
Sunni sheikhs and Shi'a imams regarding subject matter, themes, and 
content of religious sermons, and it ensures that clergy do not deviate 
frequently or significantly from approved topics in their sermons. 
Approximately 95 percent of Sunni imams are employees of the General 
Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments or of individual emirate 
departments. Except in Dubai, where the Department of Islamic Affairs 
and Endowments controls the appointment of preachers and the conduct of 
their work in all mosques, the Government does not appoint sheikhs for 
Shi'a mosques.
    There was one temple for both Sikhs and Hindus in Dubai. There were 
no Buddhist temples; however, Buddhists, along with Hindus and Sikhs in 
places without temples, conducted religious ceremonies in private homes 
without interference. There were only two operating cremation 
facilities and associated cemeteries for the large Hindu community, one 
in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai. Official permission must be obtained for 
their use in every instance, posing a hardship for the large Hindu 
community. The Government does not allow temples to be built on work 
premises. In contrast to previous years, there were no reports that the 
Sharjah municipality had dismantled temples built by Hindu workers in 
labor camps.
    The Government prohibits non-Muslims from proselytizing or 
distributing religious literature under penalty of criminal 
prosecution, imprisonment, and deportation, for engaging in behavior 
offensive to Islam. While there are no specific laws against missionary 
activities, in the past the Government reportedly has threatened to 
revoke the residence permits of persons suspected of missionary 
activities. There were no reports of such threats during the period 
covered by this report.
    In past years the media reported several cases where women claimed 
discrimination from employers in the private sector due to their 
decision to wear the hijab head covering at work, considered a 
religious mandate by many Muslim women. Some persons called for legal 
protection for female employees who wear the hijab. The Government did 
not publish an official position on the issue by the end of the 
reporting period.
    According to the OpenNet Initiative's ``Internet Filtering in the 
United Arab Emirates in 2004-2005: A Country Study,'' the country's 
sole Internet service provider, Etisalat, blocked websites containing 
religious information. These sites included information on the Baha'i 
faith, Judaism, negative critiques of Islam, and testimonies of former 
Muslims who converted to Christianity.
    Immigration authorities routinely asked foreigners applying for 
residence permits to declare their religious affiliation on residence 
applications; however, the Government reportedly does not collect or 
analyze this information, and there have been no reports of religious 
affiliation affecting the issuance or renewal of visas or residence 
permits.
    Non-Muslim religious leaders reported that customs authorities 
rarely questioned the entry of religious materials such as Bibles and 
hymnals into the country unless the materials are printed in Arabic. In 
the past customs authorities questioned the entry of religious 
materials that they deemed in excess of the normal requirements of 
existing congregations, although in most instances the items were 
permitted entry. Customs authorities reportedly were less likely to 
question the importation of Christian religious items than that of 
other non-Muslim, religious items, although in virtually all instances 
importation of the material in question eventually was permitted.
    There is a dual system of Shari'a (Islamic) courts for criminal and 
family law matters and secular courts for civil law matters. Non-
Muslims are tried for criminal offenses in Shari'a courts. Not all 
crimes are punishable by Shari'a penalties. In cases punishable by 
Shari'a penalty, non-Muslims may receive civil penalties at the 
discretion of the judge, which generally occurs. Shari'a penalties 
imposed on non-Muslims also may be overturned or modified by a higher 
court.
    Family law for Muslims is governed by Shari'a and the local Shari'a 
courts. Dubai has a special Shi'a council to act on matters pertaining 
to Shi'a family law. Muslim men may marry non-Muslim women ``of the 
book,'' that is, Christian or Jewish women; however, Muslim women are 
not permitted to marry non-Muslim men unless the men convert to Islam. 
Because Islam does not consider the marriage between a non-Muslim man 
and a Muslim woman valid, both are subject to arrest, trial, and 
imprisonment on grounds of fornication. There were no reports of this 
occurring during the period covered by this report. Shari'a, according 
to the Maliki school of jurisprudence, also is applied in cases of 
divorce. Women generally are granted custody of female children until 
they reach the age of maturity and are granted temporary custody of 
male children until they reach the age of twelve. If the mother is 
deemed unfit, custody reverts to the next able female relative on the 
mother's side. Shari'a, as practiced in the country, permits polygamy.
    Islamic studies are mandatory in public schools (schools supported 
by the federal Government primarily for citizen children) and in 
private schools for Muslim children. Religious instruction in non-
Muslim religious groups is not permitted in public schools; however, 
religious groups may conduct religious instruction for their members on 
their religious compounds. According to Article 84 of the Federal Law 
No. 28 of 1999 concerning private education, private schools found 
teaching subjects that contravene Islam, defame any religion, or 
contravene the nation's ethics and beliefs may face penalties, 
including closure.
    In March 2006, the Ministry of Education confiscated a social 
studies textbook entitled ``World Cultures,'' which allegedly contained 
material offensive to Islam, glorified Israel, and promoted sentiments 
against tolerance. A ministry official described the book as ``having a 
racist tone and is insulting to the country's religion and culture.'' 
The book has been used for the past ten years in one of the private 
schools in the country. The ministry banned the book from all private 
schools and severed ties with its publishing house.
    Since many Baha'is and Druze had passports that identify them as 
Muslims, the Ministry of Education required their children to take the 
prescribed Islamic studies classes.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversions
    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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    On May 3, 2006, the Ministry of Education banned a Dubai-based 
expatriate school principal from teaching or working in the educational 
field in the country, after she was found guilty of insulting religion, 
culture, and traditions of the country. According to the press 
statement, the principal prohibited Qur'an recitals during school 
activities.
    On May 2, President Sheikh Khalifa offered a monetary grant to the 
Greek Orthodox assistant patriarch, as a contribution to build an 
orphanage house, under the umbrella of Sidnaya monastery in Damascus.
    On May 1, the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research 
organized a session on ``Criminalizing the Offending of Religions.'' 
The session, under the auspices of the minister of justice, discussed, 
among other subjects, how Islamic Shari'a prohibits offending other 
religious groups.
    On April 27, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-
Nahyan, met with a delegation from the Oasis Hospital in al-Ain, and 
emphasized that Islam was a religion of peace and tolerance and had 
nothing to do with violence. The hospital, along with a church, was 
originally built in 1959 to serve the Christian community in the 
country at that time.
    On April 23, the assistant under secretary for mosque affairs 
participated in the Easter mass and celebration for the Egyptian 
Orthodox Coptic church in Abu Dhabi.
    On April 19, the Federal National Council General Secretariat 
received a statement from the Orthodox Parliamentary Association, 
through the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), condemning any 
direct or indirect disrespect to any religious figure.
    On April 13-16, the country hosted an Islamic-Danish dialogue 
conference with the aim of building bridges of understanding between 
Muslims and non-Muslims. The conference included thirty Danish academic 
and intellectual participants and Muslim scholars from the UAE and Gulf 
region.
    On April 2 Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, the minister of 
higher education, attended the consecration of the new Mar Thoma Indian 
Church at Mussafah in Abu Dhabi. In his speech, the minister stated 
that the Government continued to support tolerance and mutual respect 
between persons of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
    On March 16 the Greek Orthodox patriarch for Antakya and Levant 
visited the country to inaugurate an exhibition at the Juma al-Majed 
Center for Culture and Heritage. During the inauguration speech, the 
patriarch commended the religious harmony in the country and called it 
a model for peaceful coexistence between different religious groups.
    On February 27 the religious advisor organized a session on the 
concept of dialogue in Islam, attended by the cultural advisor, Arab 
dignitaries, foreign ambassadors, representatives from the Egyptian 
Coptic and Ethiopian churches, and prominent scholars and academics. 
The session discussed the Government's policy of moderation and peace 
and the belief that Islam calls for justice and tolerance of other 
civilizations and religious groups.
    On February 8, during a meeting with the OIC secretary general, 
Dubai Crown Prince Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum stressed the 
importance of civilized dialogue between Islamic leadership and non-
Islamic leadership, and that human coexistence and communication was 
the common ground between all religious groups.
    On February 7, during a meeting with the OIC secretary general, 
President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan emphasized the tolerance 
and moderation of Islam.
    On February 4 the minister of higher education received the Latin 
patriarch of Jerusalem and discussed with him the importance of 
religious tolerance, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence between 
nations. That same day, the minister of justice and under secretaries 
from the Islamic Affairs section received the patriarch and expressed 
the necessity of dialogue between persons of different religious 
groups. The patriarch held a church Mass in Dubai on February 3.
    In September 2005 the minister of justice met the head of foreign 
relations at the Evangelical Protestant Church in Germany and discussed 
religious tolerance. The meeting was attended by the under secretary 
and assistant under secretary for Islamic affairs.
    In 1999 land was designated in the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah for 
the construction of a new Catholic church, which was completed in 2000. 
In December 2005 the church was allowed to open with the permission of 
the Ras al-Khaimah Crown Prince.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Non-Muslim religious leaders 
from inside and outside of the country regularly referred to it as one 
of the most liberal and broadminded countries in the region in terms of 
governmental and societal attitudes toward allowing all persons to 
practice their faiths freely. While citizens regarded the country as a 
Muslim nation that should respect Muslim religious sensibilities on 
matters such as public consumption of alcohol, modest dress, and public 
comportment, society also emphasized respect for privacy and Islamic 
traditions of tolerance, particularly with respect to forms of 
Christianity. Modest casual attire for men and women was permitted 
throughout the country.
    Many hotels, stores, and other businesses patronized by both 
citizens and foreigners were permitted to sell alcohol and pork to non-
Muslims and to acknowledge non-Muslim holidays such as Christmas, 
Easter, and Diwali (although such displays generally are not permitted 
during the month of Ramadan). Shopping centers were festive during 
Christian holidays, and traditional holiday foods, decorations, 
posters, books, and videotapes were widely available. School children 
gathered in Dubai malls to sing Christmas carols while ``department-
store Santas'' handed out gifts. Reports of religious holiday 
celebrations, including church services, were regularly printed in the 
media. The largest country carrier, Emirates Airline, brought European 
tourists to Dubai on ``Easter-special sightseeing packages.''
    Citizens occasionally expressed concern regarding the influence on 
society of the cultures of the country's foreign majority. However, in 
general, citizens are familiar with foreign societies and believed that 
the best way to balance foreign influence was by supporting and 
strengthening indigenous cultural traditions.
    There were no anti-Semitic or religiously intolerant articles or 
statements in the English and Arabic-language electronic and print 
media. On a routine basis, all media carried articles or statements 
criticizing the policies and actions of the Israeli government.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom concerns with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    U.S. Embassy officials in Abu Dhabi and consulate general officials 
in Dubai have discussed religious tolerance and freedom with government 
officials on a number of occasions and encouraged the government to 
increase religious freedom by permitting the opening or expansion of 
religious facilities for the large expatriate population.
    Embassy officials met with the under secretary of Islamic affairs 
on a regular basis to discuss religious freedom and tolerance.
    On September 11, 2005, the Embassy invited the president's Judicial 
and Religious Affairs advisor to speak at a commemorative event at the 
Embassy where he stressed the nature of Islam as a religion of 
cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
    In October 2005, the Embassy brought Imam Yahya Hindi, from 
Georgetown University, to speak about Islam in the United States, the 
importance of establishing an interfaith dialogue, and religious 
tolerance.
    In May 2006, the ambassador received both the chair of the 
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations and the 
president's judicial and religious affairs advisor at the Embassy and 
discussed religious tolerance and the free practice of religion in the 
country. The ambassador invited the president's advisor to visit the 
United States and attend an iftar with the Secretary of State during 
Ramadan.
    Embassy and consulate officials also help to protect religious 
freedom by monitoring its status through informal inquiries and 
meetings with government officials and representatives of Muslim, 
Christian, and other religious groups.
                               __________

                                 YEMEN

    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
were some restrictions. The Constitution declares that Islam is the 
state religion, and that Shari'a (Islamic law) is the source of all 
legislation.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the reporting period, and government policy continued to 
contribute to the generally free practice of religion. Muslims and 
followers of religious groups other than Islam are free to worship 
according to their beliefs; however, the Government prohibits 
conversion from Islam and proselytization of Muslims.
    Although relations among religious groups remained generally 
amicable and continued to contribute to religious freedom, there were 
some attacks on Jews. Government actions lessened political, tribal, 
and religious tension caused after it took action against armed 
insurrections by the ``Shabab al-Moumineen,'' or ``Believing Youth'' 
movement, which the Government believes is linked to Twelver Shi'ism of 
Iran.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of approximately 328,080 square miles, and 
its population is approximately 20 million. Virtually all citizens were 
Muslims, belonging either to the Zaydi order of Shi'a Islam or to the 
Shafa'i order of Sunni Islam, representing approximately 30 percent and 
70 percent of the total population, respectively. There were a few 
thousand Ismaili Muslims who reside mainly in the north.
    Nearly all of the country's once-sizable Jewish population has 
emigrated. Less than 500 Jews were scattered in the northern part of 
the country, primarily in the vicinity of Raida and Saada.
    There were approximately 3,000 Christians throughout the country, 
most of whom were refugees or temporary foreign residents. There were 
approximately 40 Hindus, who traced their origins to India, living in 
Aden. There were four churches in Aden, three Roman Catholic and one 
Anglican. Aden also had one Hindu temple. There were three known 
functioning synagogues in the north of the country.
    Although there were some non-Muslim public places of worship known 
to exist in the area of the former North Yemen, they were discreetly 
located so as not to draw attention. No officially recognized non-
Muslim public place of worship existed in areas of the former North 
Yemen. This was largely because it had no history of a large, resident 
foreign community such as existed in the south.
    Christian missionaries and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) 
affiliated with missionary groups operated in the country, and most 
restricted their activities to the provision of medical services; 
others were employed in teaching and social services. Invited by the 
Government, the Sisters of Charity ran homes for the poor and persons 
with disabilities in Sana'a, Taiz, Hodeida, and Aden. The Government 
issues residence visas to priests so that they may provide for the 
community's religious needs. The Swedish Free Mission (SFM), financed 
by the Government of Sweden and churches in Sweden, ran a technical 
school for the disabled and poor in Taiz. There was also a Dutch 
Christian medical mission in Saada. An American Baptist congregation 
affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention maintained an 
affiliation with a hospital in Jibla, which it ran for more than thirty 
years before transferring management to the Government in 2003. The 
Anglican Church ran two charitable clinics in Aden.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. During the reporting period, 
the Government began efforts to ease religious tension between it and 
some members of the Zaydi-Shi'a establishment. This tension began as a 
result of government action against the ``Shabab al-Moumineen's'' (The 
Believing Youth) armed insurrection that erupted in the summer of 2004 
and again in April 2005. The Government maintains that the Shabab are 
adherents of Twelver Shi'ism, a variant of Shi'ism which differs from 
that of the country's predominant Zaydi-Shi'as. The Shabab follow the 
teachings of rebel cleric Hussein Badr Eddine al-Houthi, who was killed 
during a ten-week rebellion that he led in June 2004 against the 
Government in Saada. The Government's actions against the group in 2005 
were politically, not religiously, motivated.
    Among religious minorities, approximately 1,000 Christians and most 
Jews actively participated in some form of formal religious service or 
ritual, although not always in a public place of worship.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
were some restrictions. The Constitution declares that Islam is the 
state religion and that Shari'a is the source of all legislation. 
Followers of religious groups other than Islam are free to worship 
according to their beliefs and to wear religiously distinctive 
ornaments or dress; however, Shari'a forbids conversion and prohibits 
non-Muslims from proselytizing, and the Government enforced this 
prohibition. The Government requires permission for the construction of 
new places of worship and prohibits non-Muslims from holding elected 
office. The Muslim holy days of Eid al-Adha, Muharram, and Eid al-Fitr 
are public holidays. Other religious groups in the country are not 
negatively affected by their celebration.
    The Government does not keep track of an individual's religious 
identity, and there is no law that requires religious groups to 
register with the state. After the ruling party tried to put forward a 
Jewish parliamentary candidate, the General Election Committee adopted 
a policy barring all non-Muslims from running for Parliament. Chapter 
2, Article 106 of the Constitution further notes that the president of 
the republic must ``practice his Islamic duties.''
    Public schools provide instruction in Islam but not in other 
religions; however, Muslim citizens can attend private schools that do 
not teach Islam. Almost all non-Muslim students in the country are 
foreigners and attend private schools.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion; however, there were some restrictions.
    Government actions to counter the increase in political violence 
restricted some practice of religion. In January 2006, for the second 
year, the Government banned the celebration of Ghadeer Day (a holiday 
celebrated by Shi'a Muslims) in parts of the Saada Governorate. During 
the reporting period, the Government reportedly also intensified its 
efforts to stop the proliferation of Houthism by limiting the hours 
that mosques were permitted to be open to the public, closing down what 
the Government believed to be extremist or Twelver-based Zaydi 
religious institutes, reassigning Imams who were thought to espouse 
radical doctrine, and increasing surveillance of mosque sermons.
    The Government prohibits the proselytization of Muslims. During the 
period covered by this report, there were reports of persons being 
temporarily detained for possession of religious materials with the 
intent to proselytize.
    The Government did not allow the building of new public places of 
worship without previous authorization. At the end of the reporting 
period, Catholic officials were still waiting for a decision from the 
Government on whether it would allow an officially recognized Catholic 
establishment to be built in Sana'a. Church officials did not attribute 
government action to discrimination.
    Weekly services for Catholic, Protestant, and Ethiopian Christians 
were held throughout Sana'a, Aden and other cities without government 
interference. Throughout the country, Christian church and Jewish 
synagogue services were held regularly in private homes or facilities, 
such as schools, without harassment, and such facilities appeared 
adequate to accommodate the small numbers involved.
    The country maintains regular diplomatic relations with the 
Vatican. In December 2005 Archbishop Vladimir Goydiv of the Russian 
Orthodox Church visited in an effort to promote Islamic-Christian 
dialogue. During his visit, Goydiv met with Vice President Hadi Abd 
Rabo Mansour, as well as other Government officials and scholars. 
Public schools provide instruction in Islam but not in other religions; 
however, Muslim citizens can attend private schools that do not teach 
Islam.
    The ruling General People's Congress (GPC) and the Islah opposition 
party both drew on Islam as a basis for law in their platforms. The 
ruling GPC did not exclude members of any religion from its membership. 
Islah required that a member must be ``committed'' to Islamic 
teachings. There were other minor political parties that are Islamic in 
nature, although it was not clear if they restricted their membership 
to Muslims.
    During the previous reporting period, the Government significantly 
increased its efforts to prevent the politicization of mosques and 
schools in an attempt to curb extremism and increase tolerance. Efforts 
concentrated on monitoring mosques for sermons that incite violence or 
other political statements that it considers harmful to public 
security. Private Islamic organizations may maintain ties to 
international Islamic organizations; however, the Government 
sporadically monitored their activities through the police and 
intelligence authorities.
    During the reporting period, the Government also continued efforts 
to close unlicensed schools and religious centers. By the end of the 
period covered by this report, more than 3,000 unlicensed religious 
schools had been closed. The Government expressed concern that these 
schools deviated from formal educational requirements and promoted 
militant ideology. The Government also deported foreign students found 
studying in unlicensed religious schools. Private and national schools 
are prohibited from teaching courses outside of the officially approved 
curriculum. The purpose of these actions was to curb ideological and 
religious extremism in schools.
    There were reports that both the Ministry of Culture and the 
Political Security Office (PSO) monitored and sometimes pulled books 
that espoused Zaydi-Shiite Islamic doctrine from store shelves after 
publication. There were also credible reports that authorities banned 
the publishing of some materials that promoted Zaydi-Shiite Islam. The 
Government denied that the media was subject to censorship by any 
security apparatus.
    Following the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990, owners 
of property previously expropriated by the communist government of the 
former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen were invited to seek 
restitution of their property. However, implementation has been 
extremely limited, and very few properties have been returned to 
previous owners. In exchange for its confiscated property, the Catholic 
Church requested from the Government a small plot of land in Sanaa on 
which it would build a Catholic establishment. It was awaiting action 
on the request at the end of the period covered by this report.
    The Constitution declares that Islamic Shari'a is the source of all 
legislation. Some local customs, believed to be part of Shari'a as 
practiced in the country, are codified in various laws and policies. 
Some of these laws discriminate against women and persons of other 
religious groups.
    According to the Government's interpretation of Shari'a, Muslim 
women are not permitted to marry outside of Islam. Under 1992 Personal 
Status Law No. 20, men are permitted to marry as many as four wives, 
although very few do so. The law also forbids men from marrying non-
Muslim women (the women are Jewish or Christians) or apostates (those 
who have renounced Islam).
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Government policy does not prohibit or provide punishment for the 
possession of non-Islamic religious literature; however, on occasion 
there were credible reports that persons were harassed by members of 
the PSO, an organization which reports directly to the President's 
Office, and by police for possessing such literature (see Restrictions 
on Religious Freedom). There were also reports that some members of the 
PSO monitored, harassed, and occasionally censored the mail of 
missionary groups and those associated with them, ostensibly to prevent 
proselytizing.
    During the reporting period, security officials arbitrarily 
arrested, detained, and tortured some individuals suspected of 
proselytizing. There were also credible reports that security officials 
harassed and detained Muslims affiliated with missionary elements in 
the Ibb and Jibla areas. Unconfirmed reports attributed such incidents 
to followers of conservative Salafi Islamic doctrine within the 
security apparatus.
    Under Shari'a as applied in the country, the conversion of a Muslim 
to another religion is considered apostasy, which the Government 
interprets as a crime punishable by death. During the period covered by 
this report, there were no reported cases in which persons were charged 
with apostasy or prosecuted for it by government authorities.
    During the reporting period, most detained Shabab were reportedly 
released, but police and security forces continued to detain suspected 
members of radical Islamist groups. Since 2001 the Government has 
detained ``for questioning'' several hundred Islamists who returned to 
Yemen from Afghanistan and/or Iraq Although most persons were released 
within days, some reportedly continued to be detained beyond the 
maximum detention period as terrorist or security suspects.
    In May 2006 President Saleh pardoned two imams, Yahia Hussein al-
Dailami, sentenced to death, and Muhammed Ahmad Miftah, sentenced to 
eight years' imprisonment. The two were originally convicted of 
establishing contacts with Iran for the purpose of harming the country. 
The two men publicly opposed the Government's action in Saada and 
formed the Sana'a Youth Organization, a Zaydi religious-based group 
that supported Houthism. Both men maintained that they only advocated 
peaceful dissent against government action in Saada.
    During the same month, the Government released more than 200 Houthi 
rebel detainees. It was unclear how many of those detained participated 
in the renewed March 2005 rebellion against the Government. Although 
some of those detained were held for their affiliation with Houthi's 
religious teachings, the arrests appeared to have been politically, not 
religiously, motivated. All released detainees pledged not to 
participate in any future rebellion. The release followed a September 
2005 general amnesty and promise of compensation for all detainees held 
as a result of the Saada conflict. In March 2006 state-run media 
announced the release of 630 Houthi supporters after 80 members of 
Parliament had visited the war-affected areas in Saada.
    Throughout the reporting period, the Government continued to 
sponsor a dialogue with the Shabab and Islamist detainees. The 
dialogues were led by Islamic scholars in an attempt to arrive at an 
understanding by which detainees are released in exchange for 
repentance of past extremism; denunciation of terrorism; and 
commitments to obey the laws and government, respect non-Muslims, and 
refrain from attacking foreign interests. The program has had limited 
success.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The country is predominantly Muslim. Apart from a small but 
undetermined number of Christians and Hindus of South Asian origin in 
Aden, Jews are the only indigenous religious minority. Religious 
minorities generally lived in harmony with their Muslim neighbors. On 
April 23, 2006, President Saleh met with a delegation of Yemeni Jews 
from the Amran governorate to discuss their concerns. According to 
official media, President Saleh also ordered ``concerned bodies'' to 
help ease their plight.
    Isolated attacks in recent years by anti-Jewish extremists have 
convinced most of the country's Jews to relocate to the town of Raida 
for safety and to sustain their community. The Jewish population has 
diminished significantly over the last fifty years from tens of 
thousands to a few hundred due to voluntary emigration.
    There were no reported incidents of violence or discrimination 
between the adherents of Zaydi and Shafa'i Islam, the two main orders 
of Islam practiced in the country. There has been a decrease in 
tensions between the Government and mostly Zaydi population after 
fighting subsided in the northern governorate of Saada. The Government 
also made attempts to reconcile with the citizens of Saada through 
reconstruction efforts and dialogue. Religiously motivated violence was 
neither incited nor tolerated by the Islamic clergy, except for a 
small, politically motivated clerical minority, often with ties to 
foreign extremist elements.
    During the reporting period, there were sporadic reports of 
violence initiated by Salafi elements who were attempting to take 
control of moderate and Sufi mosques around the country. In September 
2005 an unidentified German citizen living in the Hadramaut Governorate 
was accused of proselytizing and had his home and car set on fire. 
There were also unconfirmed reports that followers of Ismaili Islamic 
teachings were occasionally harassed and forbidden entry to mosques 
affiliated with Salafi followers.
    As part of its campaign against religious extremism, the Government 
also took action to improve conditions that affected societal attitudes 
on religious freedom. In May 2006 the Ministry of Endowment and 
Guidance conducted a six-day training course for 500 imams to promote 
principles of moderation and religious tolerance.
    Christian clergy, who ministered to the foreign community, were 
employed in teaching, social services, and health care.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy maintained an active dialogue on human rights concerns 
with the Government, NGOs, and others. Embassy officers, including the 
ambassador, met periodically with representatives of the Jewish and 
Christian communities during the reporting period. During the year, the 
U.S. Government also sponsored a prominent judge involved with 
religious dialogue to participate in a program in the United States on 
promoting interfaith dialogue.
                         SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA

                              ----------                              


                              AFGHANISTAN

    The constitution proclaims that ``followers of other religions are 
free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites within 
the limits of the provisions of law.'' However, it also states that 
Islam is the ``religion of the state'' and that ``no law can be 
contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of 
Islam.'' While the Government generally respected the right to 
religious freedom, years of Taliban rule and weak democratic 
institutions have contributed to intolerance manifested in widespread 
acts of harassment and sometimes violence against reform-minded Muslims 
and religious minorities.
    Still recovering from twenty-five years of violence, the country 
has been moving into an age of greater stability and democracy. Since 
2004, the country has held democratic presidential, parliamentary, and 
provincial council elections. In April 2006, President Karzai nominated 
a second cabinet, and by early August 2006, the new parliament had 
confirmed all of the twenty-five ministers nominated and all but one of 
the justices of the new supreme court. Efforts to reform the judiciary 
were underway with assistance from the U.S. and the international 
community. The Government took positive steps to increase religious 
freedom. Minister for Women's Affairs Massouda Jalal worked with the 
Ministry for Religious Affairs and the Hajj to provide women with 
greater access to mosques. The Government also responded positively to 
international approaches on religious freedom and worked effectively on 
high-profile cases such as the cases of Mohaqeq Nasab and Abdul Rahman.
    Despite reform efforts, there was an increase in the number of 
reports of problems involving religious freedom compared to previous 
years. Several high-profile cases involving religious freedom sparked 
demonstrations in major cities during the period covered by this 
report. The Danish cartoon controversy, in particular, resulted in 
several large demonstrations and more than a dozen deaths across the 
country. Condemnations of conversions from Islam and censorship 
increased concerns about citizens' ability to freely practice their 
religion.
    The country's population was nearly entirely Muslim. Non-Muslim 
minority groups faced some incidents of discrimination and persecution. 
Conversion, which was generally held by many citizens to contravene 
Islam and Shari'a, garnered much public attention due to a high profile 
case that occurred during the reporting period. Due to societal 
pressure, most local Christians hid their religion from their neighbors 
and others. As a result, little information was available about this 
community or the challenges it faced. The local Sikh and Hindu 
populations, although allowed to practice publicly, continued to face 
problems obtaining land for cremation purposes and faced harassment 
during major celebrations. Within the Muslim population, relations 
among the different sects of Islam continued to be difficult. 
Historically, the minority Shi'a community has faced discrimination 
from the majority Sunni population, and such discrimination continued 
to exist.
    Prior to the fall of the Taliban, the U.S. Government had not 
maintained an official presence in the country for more than a decade. 
The Secretary of State designated the Taliban as a particularly severe 
violator of religious freedom with country of particular concern status 
in 1999, 2000, and 2001. The U.S. Government regularly discusses 
religious freedom issues with government officials as part of its 
overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. embassy officials 
continued to send political, civil society, and religious leaders to 
programs in the United States, and during the reporting period, the 
U.S. military helped rebuild fifty mosques damaged during the many 
years of war. Some Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) provided 
assistance to build madrassahs, or religious schools, for local 
communities. The embassy also advocated for the Hindu and Sikh 
community in their efforts to obtain land for cremation. Although land 
was assigned, the embassy continued to work to finalize the agreement. 
Together with the international community, the U.S. Government 
expressed concern at the treatment of local converts to Christianity.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 251,738 square miles and a population of 
approximately 25.8 million. Reliable data on religious demography was 
not available because an official nationwide census has not been 
conducted in decades. Observers estimated that 80 percent of the 
population was Sunni Muslim; 19 percent was Shi'a Muslim; and other 
religious groups, including Sikhs, Hindus, and one Jew, made up less 
than 1 percent of the population. There also was a small, hidden 
Christian community; there were no reliable figures on its size, but 
estimates ranged from 500 to 8 thousand. In addition, there were small 
numbers of adherents of other religious groups, mostly Buddhist 
foreigners.
    Traditionally, the dominant religion has been the sect of Sunni 
Islam that follows the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. For the last 200 
years, Sunnis often have looked to the example of the Darul Uloom 
madrassah located in Deoband near Delhi, India. The Deobandi school has 
long sought to ``purify'' Islam by discarding supposedly un-Islamic 
accretions to the faith and reemphasizing the models that it believes 
were established in the Qur'an and the customary practices of Muhammad. 
Additionally, Deobandi scholars often have opposed what they perceive 
as Western influences. Much of the population adhered to Deobandi-
influenced Hanafi Sunnism, but a sizable minority adhered to a more 
mystical version of Islam, generally known as Sufism. Sufism centers on 
orders or brotherhoods that follow charismatic religious leaders.
    Several regions were religiously homogeneous. Sunni Muslim 
Pashtuns, centered around the city of Kandahar, dominated the south and 
east of the country. The homeland of the Shi'a Hazaras was in the 
Hazarajat, the mountainous central highlands around Bamiyan. 
Northeastern provinces traditionally have had Ismaili populations. 
Other areas, including Kabul, the capital, were more heterogeneous. In 
and around the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, for example, there was 
a mix of Sunnis (including ethnic Pashtuns, Turkmen, Uzbeks, and 
Tajiks) and Shi'a (Hazaras and Qizilbash), including Shi'a Ismailis.
    In the past, small communities of Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and 
Christians lived in the country; however, most members of these 
communities emigrated. Even at their peak, these non-Muslim minorities 
constituted less than 1 percent of the population. Most of the small 
Hindu and Sikh populations, which once numbered approximately 50 
thousand persons, took refuge abroad during the many years of conflict; 
however, since the fall of the Taliban some minority members have begun 
to return. Non-Muslims, such as Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews, were estimated 
to number in the hundreds at the end of Taliban rule. During the 
reporting period, there were approximately 1,500 Sikhs and 100 Hindu 
families living in the country. There are five or six gurdwaras, Sikh 
places of worship, in Kabul, where worshippers generally were free to 
visit, and few threats were reported. The less distinguishable Hindu 
population faced little harassment. There were approximately six Hindu 
temples in four cities. An additional eighteen were destroyed during 
the many years of war. There was one Christian church and one 
synagogue. Some who converted to Christianity as refugees have 
returned. Others may have been born abroad into other religious groups; 
however, an unofficial tradition of the state considers all citizens to 
be Muslim.
    There were some missionary groups working in the country, but those 
that actively proselytized remained secret to avoid harassment or 
arrest by local officials.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The new constitution, ratified in January 2004, replaced the 1964 
Constitution as law. Efforts continued to update the existing criminal 
and civil legal codes to bring them in line with the country's 
international treaty obligations. Full and effective enforcement of the 
constitution was an ongoing challenge due to the existence of a 
judicial system in need of significant reform.
    The constitution proclaims that Islam is the ``religion of the 
state''; however, it does not prohibit the practice of other religions. 
It states that ``followers of other religions are free to exercise 
their faith and perform their religious rites within the limits of the 
provisions of law.'' The constitution also declares that ``no law can 
be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of 
Islam.'' Interpretation of the constitution has proved difficult, since 
it contains both legal and religious elements.
    The constitution makes no reference to Shari'a. Article 7 commits 
the state to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 
and other international treaties and conventions to which the country 
is a party.
    Article 34 of the constitution protects freedom of expression and 
of the press. The press law, adopted in 2002, contains an injunction 
against information that ``could mean insult to the sacred religion of 
Islam and other religions.'' The ambiguity surrounding what constitutes 
offensive material offers the potential for abuse of this clause to 
restrict press freedom and intimidate journalists. The press law does 
not require information to comply with Shari'a; however, the section on 
criminal rules states that if no punishment is prescribed in existing 
legal codes for crimes mentioned in the press law, then the punishment 
would be in accordance with Shari'a (Hanafi school). These rules also 
apply to non-Muslims. The law was reviewed by the Ministry of 
Information and Culture, and President Karzai signed the amended law on 
mass media in late March 2004. The law on mass media retains the broad 
and vague content restriction on ``subjects that are contrary to 
principles of Islam and offensive to other religions and sects,'' but 
it excludes any reference to Shari'a. The law may be subject to change, 
since parliament had not reviewed it.
    Proselytism was practiced discreetly; there are no laws forbidding 
the practice, even though it is viewed as contrary to the beliefs of 
Islam. The Government worked on revising the penal code to bring it in 
line with international standards during the reporting period.
    Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and is punishable by 
death under some interpretations of Shari'a. While the constitution 
makes no direct reference to Shari'a, and Article 7 of the constitution 
commits the state to abide by the international treaties and 
conventions requiring protection of religious freedom, no law contrary 
to the beliefs and provisions of Islam is permissible under the 
constitution. While not legally prohibited, conversion from Islam is 
strongly discouraged, and the legal consequences of conversion are 
subject to legal interpretation.
    Some conservative elements advocated that the constitution should 
favor the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence associated with the 
Sunnis over the Jafari school used by the Shi'as. These elements also 
called for the primacy of Shari'a in the legal system; however, the 
constitution does not grant preferential status to the Hanafi school, 
nor does it make specific reference to Shari'a law. The constitution 
also grants that Shi'a law would be applied in cases dealing with 
personal matters involving Shi'as; there is no separate law applying to 
non-Muslims.
    The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) conducted 
national consultations on transitional justice, promoted reconciliation 
at civil society gatherings, and through various media, continued to 
receive reports of abuses from citizens. In June 2005, President Karzai 
approved a Transitional Justice Action Plan which was adopted by the 
cabinet by the end of the year. In 2003, the Ministry of Interior 
established a Human Rights Department to investigate abuses, and this 
department set up local branches in the offices of chiefs of police. 
During the reporting period, all provinces had human rights departments 
to investigate abuses.
    Only Islamic holy days are celebrated as public holidays. The 
Government has proclaimed the first day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid 
al-Adha, the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Tenth of Muharram 
(Ashura--both Sunni and Shi'a) as national holidays. All mark events on 
the Islamic calendar, and there were no reports that these holidays 
negatively affected other religious groups. The Shi'a community is able 
to celebrate openly the birthday of Imam Ali, one of the most revered 
figures in the Shi'a tradition.
    The licensing and registration of religious groups is not required.
    The components of the educational system that survived more than 
twenty-five years of war place considerable emphasis on religion. 
During the reporting period, the public school curriculum included 
Islamic content but no content from other religious groups. Non-Muslims 
were not required to study Islam. Detailed religious study was 
conducted under the guidance of religious leaders. There was no 
restriction on parental religious teaching. The national curriculum and 
textbooks that emphasize moderate Islamic terms and principles steadily 
replaced the preaching of jihad in schools. By the end of the period 
covered by this report, all schools in Kabul and in fifteen of the 
thirty-four provinces, mostly surrounding the capital, were using the 
new texts. The Ministry of Education began introducing human rights as 
a subject in the national school curriculum at the beginning of the 
school year in 2003 and extended it nationwide in 2004.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    There was no information available concerning restrictions on the 
general training of clergy.
    While not legally prohibited, conversion is strongly discouraged 
since it is considered by many to be against the tenets of Islam. 
During the reporting period, there was one arrest of a convert to 
Christianity. In March 2006, Abdul Rahman, who converted to 
Christianity while living abroad during the Taliban regime, was 
detained for approximately one month and could have faced the death 
penalty for apostasy, but he was deemed not fit to stand trial before 
those charges could be brought against him. He was granted asylum in 
Italy due to potential threats on his life. There were no reports of 
abuse while in custody.
    Immigrants and noncitizens were free to practice their own 
religions. In Kabul 200 to 300 expatriates met regularly at Christian 
worship services held in private locations due to the existence of only 
one Christian church in the country. This church, located within the 
diplomatic enclave, was not open to local nationals. Buddhist 
foreigners were free to practice in temples established for the 
Buddhist immigrant community.
    Since the fall of the Taliban, no political parties (other than the 
Taliban) have been officially banned for religious reasons; however, 
after the transitional government passed the political parties 
registration law in 2003, the supreme court temporarily banned 
communists from forming a political party on the ground that communists 
are atheists. The ban was later lifted.
    Proselytism was practiced discreetly, since it is viewed as 
contrary to the beliefs of Islam. During the period covered by this 
report, there were a few minor incidents involving individuals 
attempting to proselytize. While there was no known action taken 
against these individuals, some chose to leave the country after being 
discovered. There were an unknown number of foreign missionaries in the 
country who worked discreetly to avoid harassment.
    There were fewer reports during the period covered by this report 
of local government officials prohibiting music, movies, and television 
on religious grounds. The cable television audience in urban centers 
continued to expand, and unlike in previous years, televisions, radios, 
and other electronic goods were sold freely, and music was played 
widely. For example, Kabul continued to have five radio stations, 
including the official Radio Kabul. Nongovernmental stations broadcast 
a mix of Afghan, Indian, Pakistani, and Western music. Approximately 90 
percent of the country's inhabitants reported some access to radio. The 
stations had no religious content other than brief prayers and Qur'an 
readings on the government-controlled radio station.
    In January 2003, the supreme court banned cable television 
nationwide on religious grounds, but the ban was lifted in April 2003, 
when the Government passed a law allowing the resumption of cable 
services. In January 2004, Kabul Television broadcasted a female singer 
for the first time in more than a decade, prompting protests from 
conservatives on the supreme court, who briefly forced the station to 
stop airing such performances. Moderates in the Government lifted the 
ban later that month, saying women singers on television were permitted 
under the new constitution. In April 2004, officials in Nangarhar 
Province briefly banned the appearance of women singers on television; 
however, their superiors reversed the prohibition. In June and July 
2004, Kabul and Jalalabad provincial governments banned cable 
television; the ban was later lifted.
    In August 2005, Radio Bamiyan received isolated threats and 
complaints were filed against the station for allegedly providing un-
Islamic and pro-American programming. In addition, a complaint petition 
was filed with the Ministry of Information and Culture.
    In February 2006, a Kabul-based television station, Afghan 
Television, was fined $1,000 (50,300 afghani) for airing un-Islamic 
material. In addition, two local television stations were warned 
against programming that ran counter to local culture and did not 
conform to conservative views held by many in their respective 
localities.
    In June 2006, several news agencies in Kabul claimed they were 
given a two-page document containing a list of restrictions on the 
broadcasting and publication of programs and subject matter which are 
against the morals and religious and accepted customs of the public 
that provoke people and cause security problems. The Government 
rejected reports that it had issued these instructions to local media 
restricting their activities.
    Christian-affiliated international relief organizations generally 
operated throughout the country without interference. There were no 
reports of incidents of harassment during the period covered by this 
report. After an attack in late September 2003 that killed two 
employees of the Voluntary Association for Rehabilitation of 
Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman accused the organization and other 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) of preaching Christianity. There 
were no further details on the attack during the reporting period.
    Both Sunnis and Shi'as were permitted to go on the Hajj, and there 
was no quota system for those making the pilgrimage. Participants were 
selected by lottery.
    The Government does not designate religion on national identity 
cards and does not require individuals to declare a belief in Islam in 
order to receive citizenship. However, the state, including the courts, 
traditionally considers all citizens to be Muslim; therefore, some 
basic citizenship rights of non-Muslims were not respected.
    Most women in rural areas wear burqas, a traditional full body and 
face covering. Since the fall of the Taliban, a number of women in 
urban areas no longer wear the burqa; however, a majority of women 
continued to wear some form of head covering either by choice or 
community pressure. Urban women did not wear burqas before the Taliban 
imposed this practice.
    The constitution requires that the president and vice-president be 
Muslim and does not distinguish in this respect between Sunnis and 
Shi'as. This requirement is not explicitly applied to government 
ministers, but the oath required of ministers suggests adherence to the 
Islamic faith. The constitution has no religious requirement for 
members of parliament. There was one Hindu member in the upper house.
    The Government failed to provide funding or assistance for Sikh 
schools. The Sikh community chose to send its children to its own 
schools because of reported abuse and harassment in government-run 
schools. A Sikh school in Kabul now reported having only one full-time 
teacher for 120 students. Four part-time teachers were assigned to the 
school for adult education but instead taught the children for two 
hours a week. There were no Christian or Jewish schools in the country.
    In family disputes, courts continue to rely on a civil code that is 
based on the Sunni Hanafi school, regardless of whether the parties 
involved are Shi'a or Sunni. The civil code also applies to non-
Muslims. In response to questions about marriage, the chief judge of 
the family court issued guidelines in accordance with the court's 
interpretation of Shari'a law. Most restrictive is the rule on marriage 
between non-Muslims, which stipulates that whether born in the country 
or elsewhere non-Muslims would not be allowed to marry. According to 
government officials, the court considers all citizens to be Muslims by 
default and therefore non-Muslim Afghans can be married as long as they 
do not publicly acknowledge their non-Muslim beliefs. In addition, the 
judges stated that a Muslim man may marry a non-Muslim woman, but if 
she is not ``of the book,'' including Christian or Jewish, she must 
first convert; however, a Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a non-
Muslim man.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Sporadic violations of religious freedom by some officials 
occurred.
    In January 2003, the governor of Helmand Province took control of 
approximately 200 Hazara-owned shops in Lashkar Gah and distributed 
them to other town residents. The governor also blocked the Hazara 
community from building a mosque in Lashkar Gah. While the AIHRC and 
the UN reached an agreement with the governor in February 2003 to 
compensate Hazara shopkeepers with land elsewhere in Lashkar Gah, the 
governor had only partially fulfilled his promise by the end of the 
period covered by this report.
    In June 2003, two editors of a weekly Kabul publication were 
arrested for allegedly violating Article 30 of the press law that 
prohibits publication of articles defaming Islam. Conservatives within 
the judiciary recommended the journalists be charged with ``insulting 
Islam'' or blasphemy; however, senior government officials ultimately 
supported action short of criminal prosecution. Police searched the 
editors' offices, and the national intelligence agency confiscated the 
editors' publication, Aftaab, from stores. Moderates led by the 
minister of information and culture argued for the release of the 
journalists and a resolution to the press law--since amended--that 
permits administrative punishment (a fine) in lieu of prosecution. 
Within a week, President Karzai ordered the editors released on bail; 
however, the charges of blasphemy were not dropped. The two journalists 
obtained asylum outside the country during the second half of 2003.
    In November 2003, twelve Tablighi preachers (itinerant Sunni 
missionaries) were detained for a day in Kandahar. There was no further 
police action against Tablighi preachers during the period covered by 
the report. The Tablighi claimed their mission was to spread the word 
of Islam. Some government intelligence officials accused the Tablighi 
of subversive work for Pakistan. Although an investigation of the 
group's activities concluded that the group was innocent of spying for 
the Taliban and al-Qa'ida, no action had been taken against the police 
officers involved in the case by the end of the reporting period.
    In May 2005, two students were suspended for a year from Herat 
University for commenting on Islam during a religious debate in ways 
that classmates and a teacher found blasphemous. The AIHRC reported the 
two students were reinstated at the university and all charges against 
them suspended. Following the arrests, the students were released from 
jail and housed, for security purposes, at various safe houses.
    On October 22, 2005, Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, a journalist and editor of 
a women's rights magazine, was sentenced to two years in prison by a 
tribunal for blasphemy for reprinting and commenting on two articles. 
The articles questioned the harsh punishment imposed on women accused 
of adultery and theft under traditional Islamic law and advocated that 
conversion from Islam should not be considered a crime. After being 
tried in court, his sentence was reduced to six months on appeal (half 
of this time was suspended), and he was released on December 22, 2005.
    There were other unconfirmed reports that converts faced societal 
discrimination and threats across the country. The press reported the 
killings of five male converts to Christianity near the eastern border 
between June and August 2004, but these reports could not be confirmed.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor U.S. citizens abducted or illegally removed from the United 
States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the 
United States.
    In May 2005, news reports indicated that an Indian Hindu converted 
to Islam. The conversion ceremony was performed before supreme court 
representatives, the chief justice and chief of the supreme court, and 
local and international media. The conversion did not appear to have 
been forced.
Abuses by Terrorist Organizations
    There were a few reported abuses targeted at specific religious 
groups by terrorist organizations during the period covered by this 
report. Terrorist organizations attacked, and in some cases killed, 
several Muslim clerics for supporting the Government or for stating 
that activities conducted by terrorist organizations were against the 
tenets of Islam. There were reports of attacks on non-Muslim 
international organizations; however, there were no written records to 
validate the claims.
    Attacks by remnants of the al-Qa'ida and Taliban networks continued 
during the reporting period. In a repeat of previous years, several 
killings of religious leaders and attacks on mosques were attributed to 
al-Qa'ida and Taliban members who objected to their victims' links with 
the Karzai administration and to their public interpretations of Islam. 
These attacks were perceived by the public to be an attack on the 
Government and not on Islam.
    On June 1, 2005, a mosque in the southern city of Kandahar was 
bombed during the funeral of an anti-Taliban cleric who had been shot 
dead three days earlier. Twenty persons, including the chief of the 
provincial capital's police force, were killed. Taliban insurgents were 
believed to be behind the attacks.
    During the reporting period, numerous schools were attacked. While 
some claim schools allegedly connected with Christian groups were 
targeted by the Taliban, Muslim schools were also targets during the 
reporting period. Therefore, it was difficult to identify whether the 
motivation behind the attacks was religious or political. Unconfirmed 
press reports claimed that in September 2004, nine boys and a teacher 
died when a bomb detonated in the schoolyard of a madrassah in Zurmat. 
The madrassah offered morning Islamic lessons for local boys and with 
support from a foreign-funded agency, had added an afternoon curriculum 
of English, math, and other subjects taught in secular public schools. 
In addition, the teachers had been involved in helping men and women 
register to vote. Taliban terrorists claimed responsibility.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government continued to stress reconciliation and cooperation 
among all citizens. Although it primarily was concerned with 
reconciliation of former Taliban combatants, it also expressed concern 
about religious intolerance. The Government responded positively to 
international approaches on human rights, including religious freedom, 
and worked effectively on high profile cases such as those of Mohaqeq 
Nasab and Abdul Rahman. The Government continued to indirectly 
emphasize ethnic and intrafaith reconciliation through the support of 
the judicial, constitutional, and human rights commissions composed of 
members of different ethnic and Muslim religious (Sunni and Shi'a) 
groups. The Constitutional Commission also included a Hindu member to 
represent non-Muslim religious minorities. The Ministry of Women's 
Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Hajj also worked 
together to give women the opportunity to attend mosques. While women 
have always had the right to attend mosques, separate areas had to be 
designated for them. The new initiative provided for such spaces in 
larger mosques where room was available.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations between the different branches of Islam continued to be 
difficult. Historically, the minority Shi'a faced discrimination from 
the Sunni population. However, since Shi'a representation increased in 
government, there apparently was less hostility from Sunnis. Most Shi'a 
were members of the Hazara ethnic group, which traditionally has been 
segregated from the rest of society for a combination of political, 
ethnic, and religious reasons. Throughout the country's history, there 
have been many examples of conflicts between the Hazaras and other 
citizens. These conflicts often have had economic and political roots 
but also have religious dimensions. The treatment of the Shi'a 
community varied by locality. The active persecution of the Shi'a 
minority, including Ismailis, that existed under the Taliban regime has 
ended. Although some discrimination continued at the local level, 
Shi'as generally were free to participate fully in public life. The 
rigid policies adopted both by the Taliban and by certain opposition 
groups adversely affected adherents of other branches of Islam and 
other religious groups.
    In February 2006, six persons were killed during the Shi'a Ashura 
processions in Herat. Rumors circulated that Shiites were planning to 
perform their ritual self-flagellations at Herat's Blue Mosque, an 
important Sunni religious site. These rumors sparked a countermarch 
after Shi'a Governor Anwari made a public speech commemorating the 
holiday. Although the incident took place between religious groups, the 
event was possibly more politically than religiously motivated. It is 
believed that rural politicians took advantage of the holiday to foment 
violence to further their own agendas.
    Non-Muslim minorities such as Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians 
continued to face social discrimination and harassment and, in some 
cases, violence. This treatment was not systematic, but the Government 
did little to improve conditions in the last year. For example, in 
early October 2003, a grenade was lobbed at the only functioning Sikh 
gurdwara in Kabul. There were no casualties. Prior to the incident, 
local police had warned the gurdwara authorities of a possible attack. 
Although police and intelligence officials investigated, no suspects 
had been apprehended by the end of the reporting period. In April 2005, 
a Sikh gurdwara in Khost was attacked and robbed by twenty-one armed 
men. The incident was still under investigation at the end of the 
reporting period. According to the Sikh community, in the fall of 2005, 
there was a report of the disappearance of a Sikh traveling from Kabul 
to Jalalabad. There was no additional information available at the end 
of the reporting period.
    The AIHRC advocated for the rights of Sikhs and Hindus when this 
community complained in late 2003 that it was being denied access to 
its traditional cremation ground in Kabul by local residents. The 
Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs was sympathetic and responsive 
to this complaint. In March 2004, Kabul municipal authorities allocated 
an alternative cremation site to the Sikh-Hindu community. The Sikh-
Hindu community still alleged that they did not have access to the land 
and were working with the Kabul Municipality to resolve land titling 
problems. The site was reported to be in use by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Some Sikh and Hindu children were unable to attend government 
schools due to harassment from teachers and students. The Government 
did not take sufficient steps to protect these children and reintegrate 
them into the classroom environment. There were no reports of 
discrimination toward Christians in schools.
    After the fall of the Taliban, there continued to be episodic 
reports of persons at the local level using coercion to enforce social 
and religious conformity. In January 2006, religious scholars in Kunduz 
province issued a resolution describing the celebration of non-Muslim 
religious festivals as against Shari'a; however, the governor of the 
province stressed the importance of respecting religious freedom. 
During the reporting period, President Karzai and other moderates in 
the Government opposed attempts by conservative elements to enforce 
rules regarding social and religious practices based on their 
interpretation of Islamic law.
    In contrast to previous years, there were no new reported cases of 
forced chastity examinations. In 2004, the AIHRC intervened and 
aggressively launched programs designed to educate all levels of 
society in the provinces where forced chastity exams were administered. 
The AIHRC conducted surveys in late 2004 that indicated the practice 
had declined significantly. From 2004-2005, in Herat there were 
continued reports of forced chastity examinations by religious police 
of women found with males who were not their relatives; however, 
reports declined during the latter months of the reporting period. It 
was difficult to know whether this practice was systematic or sporadic, 
or done at the request of family members in the context of an extremely 
conservative environment. There were no reports of examinations 
directed at non-Muslims. Local officials also confronted women over 
their attire and behavior, although there were no known official 
policies mandating the wearing of the burqa or regulating the 
activities of women.
    Muslim clerics with political connections were also the target of 
violence. In May 2003, Habibullah, a Muslim cleric with close ties to 
President Karzai, was shot and killed outside a mosque in Deh Rawood 
district. Six persons were detained in connection with the killing. 
President Karzai issued a statement condemning it. By the end of the 
reporting period, there were no arrests and no further information on 
this case, including on the status of the persons originally detained. 
Also in May 2003, a well-known religious scholar, Mowlawi Haji 
Abdollah, was shot and killed after leaving a mosque after prayers in 
central Uruzgan Province. The Government stated that the Taliban and 
al-Qa'ida were responsible for the crime. The assailants had not been 
identified by the end of the period covered by this report.
    In June 2003, a mosque in Kandahar was bombed during the final 
prayer of the day and sixteen worshippers were injured. The leader of 
the mosque and head of Kandahar's Ulema-u-Shura (clerics' council), 
Mullah Abdullah Fayaz, had stated that the Taliban were not correctly 
interpreting and following Islam. The Ministry of the Interior stated 
that two persons were arrested, one in July 2003 and the other in 
August 2003. In May 2005, the Ministry of Interior reported that one 
was still in custody pending investigations while the other had 
escaped. There were no new developments during the reporting period.
    In April 2004, Maulana Abdul Bari, a former Minister of Hajj and 
Religious Affairs in Kandahar, was shot and killed outside his home by 
suspected Taliban members. At the end of the reporting period, there 
had been no arrests in the case, which continued to be under 
investigation. During the second half of 2004, two mullahs were killed 
in Ghazni and Muqar provinces.
    In October 2005, in Helmand Province, a progovernment cleric was 
killed by a bomb during prayers, which also injured twelve worshippers. 
During the same month, also in Helmand, a progovernment mullah was 
killed in a drive-by shooting on his way home. The same day, two 
progovernment religious leaders were gunned down in Konar Province. The 
large number of religious figures killed in that month was attributed 
to antigovernment activity rather than to Sunni-Shi'a tension. It 
appeared that terrorists were trying to eliminate individuals with 
moderate religious views.
    On September 7, 2004, NGOs reported and the AIHRC confirmed that a 
large mob attacked several offices and vehicles of NGOs, including the 
Agha Khan Development Network, in Faizabad in Badakhshan Province. The 
attack appeared to have been in response to rumors that the Agha Khan 
Development Network was using its aid projects to convert Sunni Muslims 
to Ismaili Shi'ism. Two women workers were raped at the NGOs' offices. 
The AIHRC also cited unconfirmed reports of rocket attacks on NGOs in 
Faizabad during that and other incidents.
    In March 2005, a person in Helmand Province was beheaded, 
reportedly because of religious beliefs. No one was charged with the 
killing.
    On May 9, 2005, Newsweek reported that U.S. interrogators 
desecrated the Qur'an at Guantanamo Bay. The report sparked 
demonstrations throughout the country, which resulted in the deaths of 
17 persons and injury to another 120 persons. A local newspaper 
reported that an Islamic group reportedly linked to the ousted Taliban 
regime declared jihad, or holy war, against U.S.-led troops and the 
Government over the alleged Qur'an desecration.
    Controversy over the Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad created a 
widespread public backlash. More than twelve persons were killed and 
many injured in protests that lasted a week and took place in several 
provinces. Response by government officials was mixed with members of 
the supreme court calling for censorship of Danish media, in contrast 
to President Karzai who accepted apologies and called for calm.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with 
government officials as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.
    U.S. representatives met regularly with government officials and 
with religious and minority figures in an ongoing dialogue regarding 
the political, legal, religious, and human rights context of the 
country's reconstruction. The United States worked with civil society 
organizations to promote religious tolerance. U.S. officials in Kabul 
and Washington urged the Government to quickly resolve the Abdul Rahman 
case. President Bush and Secretary of State Rice both made strong 
public statements calling for the release of Rahman.
    The U.S. embassy actively promoted professional and cultural ties 
between local citizens and the United States. The public affairs 
section coordinated a variety of exchange, speaker, artistic, and 
information programs to generate an exchange of ideas between Americans 
and local citizens on democracy and civil society, human rights, Islam 
in America, and other subjects. The United States funded travel by 
local journalists, academics, politicians, government officials, 
religious scholars, community leaders, women, youth, and NGO officials 
to engage with their counterparts in the United States.
    The U.S. embassy continued to send local mullahs to the United 
States to participate in programs on democracy, civil society and Islam 
in America. Since 2003, the U.S. Government funded visits to the United 
States for approximately fifty mullahs under a program on ``Democracy 
and Civil Society.'' The approximate cost of this program was $250,000 
(12,575,000 afghani).
    The United States provided assistance for the cultural preservation 
of the Mullah Mohamood Mosque and the Shah Shaheed Shrine and granted 
money to sponsor, in cooperation with the Ministry of Hajj and Religion 
and a local NGO, a five-day conference in the fall of 2005 focusing on 
the role of the ulema (religious leaders) in the modernization and 
development of a democratic country. The conference helped to develop 
strategies for them to work with the Government. Over sixty religious 
leaders from across the country attended the conference as well as 
professors and scholars from Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan.
    In total, the U.S. military provided assistance to rehabilitate 
approximately fifty mosques during the period covered by this report.
    During fiscal year 2003, the United States provided $600,000 
(30,180,000 afghani) for technical assistance and capacity building for 
the AIHRC. The United States provided an additional $5 million (215 
million afghani) to the commission during fiscal years 2004-2005 and 
committed $2 million (98,500,000 afghani) for fiscal year 2006.
    U.S. Government officials supported efforts during the 2003 
Constitutional Loya Jirga to include specific language in the draft 
constitution to provide for equal rights for men and women and to 
incorporate moderate language on Islam.
    The U.S. Government has also worked with civil society 
organizations to promote religious tolerance. The Civil Development 
Foundation, a group of reformist, largely Shi'a citizens, continued to 
publish the monthly magazine, Democracy, a project funded by a U.S. 
grant of $68,843 (3,390,517 afghani) to cover expenses from July 2004 
to April 2005. One of the goals of Democracy was to challenge 
``religious despotism'' and to promote a liberal and tolerant 
interpretation of Islam.
    Other U.S. grants also helped to establish independent community 
and commercial radio stations throughout the country that broadcast 
programs on a range of topics including democracy and human rights 
concerns. During this reporting period, the United States assisted with 
the completion of independent community based radio networks and 
invested in training and business plan development for sustainable 
independent media organizations. The United States helped create 
thirty-five independent, community-based radio stations. U.S. 
assistance helped renovate and expand local radio stations throughout 
the country, especially in the south, where media freedom was severely 
restricted. The United States funded three new FM facilities in the 
Afghanistan/Pakistan border region, a critical area because of 
religious extremism.
                               __________

                               BANGLADESH

    The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but 
provides for the right to profess, practice, or propagate--subject to 
law, public order, and morality--the religion of one's choice. It also 
states that every religious community or denomination has the right to 
establish, maintain, and manage its religious institutions. While the 
Government publicly supported freedom of religion, attacks on religious 
and ethnic minorities continued to be a problem. Protests demanding 
that Ahmadis be declared non-Muslims and instances of harassment 
continued sporadically, but the Government generally acted in an 
effective manner to protect Ahmadis and their property and refused to 
give in to any of the protesters' demands. Religion exerted a powerful 
influence on politics, and the Government was sensitive to the Islamic 
consciousness of its political allies and the majority of its citizens.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Citizens were generally free 
to practice the religion of their choice; however, government 
officials, including the police, were often ineffective in upholding 
law and order and were sometimes slow to assist religious minority 
victims of harassment and violence. The Government and many civil 
society leaders stated that violence against religious minorities 
normally had political or economic motivations and could not be 
attributed only to religion.
    The generally amicable relationships among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, Hindu, Christian, 
and Buddhist minorities experienced discrimination and sometimes 
violence by the Muslim majority. Harassment of Ahmadis continued along 
with protests demanding that Ahmadis be declared non-Muslims.
    During the period covered by this report, the Bangladesh 
Nationalist Party (BNP) in a four party coalition that included the 
Islamic parties Jamaat Islami and the Islami Okiyya Jote, led the 
Government. Hindus were traditionally viewed as Awami League (AL) 
supporters. In the 300-seat parliament, religious minorities held eight 
seats. The AL has a Christian, a Buddhist, and two Hindu MPs, and the 
BNP has three Hindu MPs. There was also a Hindu MP elected as an 
independent candidate. Three non-Muslims held deputy or state minister 
or equivalent positions in the Government. The acute animosity between 
the two mainstream political parties often led to politically motivated 
violence, and sometimes to heightened tensions between Muslims and 
Hindus.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. In 
meetings with officials and in public statements, officers at the U.S. 
Embassy encouraged the Government to protect the rights of minorities. 
Government officials were particularly encouraged to take necessary 
measures to ensure minority rights for the election scheduled to be 
held in 2007. Publicly and privately, the embassy denounced acts of 
religious intolerance and called on the Government to ensure due 
process for all citizens. When two Christians working for a 
nongovernmental organization (NGO) were killed, the embassy issued a 
press release condemning the violence. The U.S. Government sponsored 
the visit of a prominent U.S. Muslim cleric who spoke to audiences 
about Qur'anic interpretations that support tolerance and gender 
equity. In February 2006, U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley of New 
York visited places of worship belonging to several faiths and met with 
representatives of religious minorities to demonstrate support for 
religious diversity and tolerance.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 55,126 square miles, and its population 
was 146 million. Sunni Muslims constituted 88 percent of the 
population. Approximately 10 percent of the population was Hindu. The 
remainder was mainly Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) and Theravada-
Hinayana Buddhist. Ethnic and religious minority communities often 
overlapped and were concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and 
northern regions. Buddhists were found predominantly among the 
indigenous (non-Bengali) populations of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. 
Bengali and ethnic minority Christians could be found in many 
communities across the country; in cities such as Barisal City, 
Gournadi (Barisal), Baniarchar in Gopalganj, Monipuripara in Dhaka, 
Christianpara in Mohakhali (Dhaka), Nagori in Gazipur. There also were 
small populations of Shi'a Muslims, Sikhs, Baha'is, animists, and 
Ahmadis. Estimates of their numbers varied from a few thousand to 100 
thousand adherents for each faith. There was no indigenous Jewish 
community, nor a significant immigrant Jewish population in the 
country. There were no synagogues or other Jewish institutions.
    Religion was an important part of community identity for citizens, 
including those who did not participate actively in prayers or 
services. A national survey in late 2003 confirmed that religion was 
the first choice by a citizen for self-identification; atheism was 
extremely rare.
    The majority of ``foreign residents'' were returned Bangladeshi 
emigres. There were approximately 30 thousand Rohingyan refugees, who 
practiced Islam. There was no reliable estimate of the number of 
missionaries, but several Christian denominations operated schools, 
orphanages, or other social programs throughout the country. A 
substantial number of Christian missionaries, primarily based in Dhaka 
and Chittagong, engaged in social development projects. Every year, the 
Tabliqui Muslim community holds the Biswa Itjema, the world's second 
largest gathering of Muslims. The Tabliqui came from all over the 
world, including the United States, but mostly from South and South 
East Asia. They worked with populations that were already Muslim and 
encouraged them to be more devout. Several faith-based NGOs, including 
World Vision and Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) International, 
operated in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but 
provides for the right to practice, profess, and propagate--subject to 
law, public order, and morality--the religion of one's choice. While 
the Government publicly supports freedom of religion, attacks on 
religious and ethnic minorities continued to be a problem.
    While the right to propagate the religion of ones' choice is 
guaranteed by the constitution, local authorities and communities often 
objected to efforts to convert persons from Islam. Strong social 
resistance to conversion from Islam means that most missionary efforts 
by Christian groups were aimed at serving communities that have been 
Christian for several generations or longer. In 2006, a group of recent 
Christian converts from Buddhism built a church in the Chittagong Hill 
Tracts. Buddhist members of the community, angry at the conversion and 
at the use of a disputed piece of land, set fire to the church. 
Investigation into the case continued.
    In general, government institutions and the courts protect 
religious freedom. Traditionally there was little interference or 
regulation by the Government concerning Islamic practices. The 
Government ran imam training academies and proclaimed days of festivals 
but did not dictate sermon content, select or pay clergy, or closely 
monitored content of religious education in madrassahs.
    Shari'a (Islamic law) was not implemented formally and was not 
imposed on non-Muslims but played an influential role in civil matters 
pertaining to the Muslim community. For instance, alternative dispute 
resolution was available to individuals for settling family disputes 
and other civil matters not related to land ownership. The arbitrator 
may rely on principles found in Shari'a for settling disputes, if both 
parties agree to the settlement. In addition, Muslim family law was 
loosely based on Shari'a.
    In 2001, the high court ruled all fatwas--legal rulings based on 
Shari'a--illegal. In deeming all fatwas illegal, the high court 
intended to end the extrajudicial punishments and restrictions forced 
on local populations by religious leaders. However, the high court's 
decision prohibited all fatwas, which also included pronouncements on 
purely religious matters such as when festivals can begin or whether a 
marriage or divorce is valid from a religious standpoint. Several weeks 
later, the appellate court stayed the high court's ruling, stating that 
while the appeal was pending, the ban on fatwas could not be 
implemented. Given the heavy appellate court caseload, it was unclear 
when the appeal was expected to be considered.
    Islamic tradition dictated that only those muftis (religious 
scholars) who have expertise in Islamic law were authorized to declare 
a fatwa. Village religious leaders sometimes made declarations in 
individual cases and called the declaration a fatwa. Sometimes this 
resulted in extrajudicial punishments, often against women, for their 
perceived moral transgressions.
    Family laws concerning marriage, divorce, and adoption differed 
slightly depending on the religion of the persons involved. Each 
religion had its own set of family laws. Muslim men may marry up to 
four wives; however, a Muslim man must get his first wife's signed 
permission before taking a second wife. In contrast, Christian men may 
only marry one woman. Under Hindu law, unlimited polygamy is permitted 
and while there is no provision for divorce and legal separation, Hindu 
widows may legally remarry. There were no legal restrictions on 
marriage between members of different faiths.
    Religion exerted a powerful influence on politics, and the 
Government was sensitive to the Muslim consciousness of its political 
allies, Jamaat Islami and the Islami Okiyya Jote, as well as the 
majority of its citizens.
    The Ministry of Religious Affairs administered three funds for 
religious and cultural activities: The Islamic Foundation, the Hindu 
Welfare Trust, and the Buddhist Welfare Trust. According to the 
Government, the Christian community did not want government involvement 
in its religious affairs and requested that there not be any similar 
organization for their community; however, the Government recently told 
Christian leaders it would soon establish a welfare trust for 
Christians. At the end of the period covered by this report, the Hindu 
Welfare Trust had $1.7 million (120 million taka). The trust was 
founded in the 1980s. This trust used its money to repair temples, 
modify cremation pyres, and help destitute Hindu families afford 
medical treatment; approximately $29 thousand (2 million taka) went 
towards annual Puja celebrations. The Buddhist Welfare Trust, also 
founded in the 1980s, had a fund of $425 thousand (30 million taka) at 
the end of the period covered by this report. Funds were used to repair 
monasteries, organize training programs for Buddhist monks, and 
celebrate the Buddhist festival Purnima. There have been no public 
criticisms of how the money is proportioned or distributed.
    Major religious festivals and holy days of the Muslim, Hindu, 
Buddhist, and Christian faiths were celebrated as national holidays. 
The Bangladesh Christian Association lobbied unsuccessfully for the 
inclusion of Easter as a national holiday.
    Religious organizations were not required to register with the 
Government; however, all NGOs, including religious organizations, were 
required to register with the Government's NGO Affairs Bureau if they 
receive foreign financial assistance for social development projects. 
The Government had the legal authority to cancel the registration of an 
NGO suspected to be in breach of its legal or fiduciary obligations and 
to take other actions, such as blocking foreign funds transfers, to 
limit its operation. In 2003 and 2004, the Government took action in a 
nontransparent manner against six NGOs perceived as anti-government or 
pro-opposition, temporarily closing one of them. This NGO subsequently 
reopened, and reported no additional government harassment. A prominent 
NGO had its outside grants blocked in 2001 after its director expressed 
concern over attacks on minorities. The leader of this NGO declared 
that although the Government agreed in principle to release the grants, 
by the end of the period covered by this report it had not released any 
funds. In the past, members of NGOs intending to travel to religious 
freedom events abroad reported pressure by law enforcement and 
intelligence officials to remain at home, but there were no reports of 
this occurring during the reporting period.
    Religion was taught in government schools, and parents had the 
right to have their children taught in their own religion; however, 
some claimed that many government-employed religious teachers of 
minority religious groups were neither members of the religion they 
taught nor qualified to teach it. Although transportation was not 
always available for children to attend religion classes away from 
school, in practice schools with few religious minority students often 
worked out arrangements with local churches or temples, which then 
directed religious studies outside of school hours. There were at least 
25 thousand Muslim religious schools, or madrassahs. Some madrassahs 
were government-funded and some were privately funded and run, 
according to a recent U.S. Government study. There were no known 
government-run Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist schools.
    The Government took steps to promote interfaith understanding. For 
example, government leaders issued statements on the eve of religious 
holidays calling for peace and warned that action would be taken 
against those attempting to disrupt the celebrations. Through 
additional security deployments and public statements, the Government 
promoted the peaceful celebration of Christian and Hindu festivals, 
including Durga Puja, Christmas, and Easter.
    The Government supported the creation of the Council for Interfaith 
Harmony-Bangladesh, with a mandate to promote understanding and 
peaceful coexistence. This initiative came in response to a bombing 
campaign in the fall of 2005 by an Islamist extremist group seeking the 
imposition of Shari'a law.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Since 2004, anti-Ahmadiyya extremists have publicly demanded that 
the Government declare Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. The International 
Khatme Nabuwat Movement Bangladesh (IKNMB) and a splinter group, the 
Khatme Nabuwat Andolon Bangladesh (KNAB), first announced a January 
2004 deadline, and in December 2005, again issued an ultimatum and 
threatened violent protests at Ahmadiyya mosques. The Government 
rejected the ultimatum and successfully kept protesters a safe distance 
from all Ahmadiyya buildings. On December 24, 2005, the Daily Star 
reported that State Minister for Religious Affairs, Mosharef Hossain 
Shajahan stated ``There may be difference of opinion among the 
followers of a religion, but no one can attack others for such a 
difference.'' In June 2006, the KNAB announced a weeklong program 
including dawn to dusk hartals (strikes) near Dhaka and a shutdown of 
the airport to force the Government to declare Muhammad as the last 
prophet in the ongoing parliament session as a primary step in 
declaring Ahmadis non-Muslims. Using minimal force, police prevented 
the protests from approaching the Ahmadiya facilities, and the KNAB's 
hartal program failed to materialize. The Ahmadiya community 
complimented the Government for its responsiveness to their concerns 
and its professional handling of the protests.
    The constitution provides for the right to profess, practice, or 
propagate any religion; however, proselytism was discouraged. Foreign 
missionaries were allowed to work, but as is the case with other 
foreign residents, they often faced delays of several months in 
obtaining or renewing visas. In the past, some missionaries who were 
perceived to be converting Muslims to other faiths were unable to renew 
their one-year religious worker visas. Some foreign missionaries 
reported that internal security forces and others closely monitored 
their activities.
    On January 8, 2004, the Government announced a ban on all Ahmadiyya 
publications. The ban was not formalized, but in 2004, police detained 
a boy for three days for possession of Ahmadiyya books, and during 
demonstrations in April and May 2004, police entered two Ahmadiyya 
mosques and seized documents. In December 2004 the Government prepared 
a statement banning Ahmadiyya publications but did not release it. 
After local human rights activists and Ahmadiyya leaders challenged 
this statement, the high court stayed the ban, making it unenforceable 
until the court ruled on it. The Government opposed court challenges to 
the ban on the grounds the ban had not been promulgated officially and 
was, therefore, beyond judicial scrutiny. With a few exceptions, police 
respected the high court's order.
    There were no financial penalties imposed on the basis of religious 
beliefs; however, religious minorities were disadvantaged in access to 
military and government jobs, including elected office. While the 
Government has appointed some Hindus to senior civil service positions 
at the deputy secretary, joint secretary and secretary levels, 
religious minorities remained underrepresented, especially at the 
higher ranks. One notable exception was the government-owned Bangladesh 
Bank, which employed approximately 10 percent non-Muslims in its upper 
ranks. Selection boards for government services often lacked minority 
representation. Employees were not required to disclose their religion, 
but it generally could be determined by a person's name.
    Religious minorities were not underrepresented in the private 
sector. Some Hindus reported that Muslims tended to prefer hiring 
Hindus for some professional positions, such as doctors, lawyers, 
teachers and accountants. They attributed this circumstance to the 
education that the British offered during the nineteenth century, which 
Muslims boycotted but Hindus embraced.
    Many Hindus have been unable to recover landholdings lost because 
of discrimination under the now-defunct Vested Property Act. The act 
was an East Pakistan-era law that allowed ``enemy'' (in practice Hindu) 
lands to be expropriated by the Government. Approximately 2.5 million 
acres of land were seized from Hindus, and almost all of the 10 million 
Hindus in the country were affected. In April 2001, parliament passed 
the Vested Property Return Act, stipulating that land remaining under 
government control that was seized under the Vested Property Act be 
returned to its original owners, provided that the original owners or 
their heirs remained resident citizens. The Government was required to 
prepare a list of vested property holdings by October 2001, and claims 
were to have been filed within ninety days of the publication date. In 
2002, parliament passed an amendment to the Vested Property Return Act, 
which allowed the Government unlimited time to return the vested 
properties and gave control of the properties, including the right to 
lease them, to local government employees. By the end of the period 
covered by this report, the Government had not prepared a list of such 
properties.
    Marriage rituals and proceedings were governed by the family law of 
the religion of the parties concerned; however, marriages were also 
registered with the state. Under the Muslim Family Ordinance, female 
heirs inherit less than male relatives, and wives have fewer divorce 
rights than husbands. Although men were permitted to have up to four 
wives, society strongly discourages polygamy, and it was rarely 
practiced. Laws provide some protection for women against arbitrary 
divorce and the taking of additional wives by husbands without the 
first wife's consent, but the protections generally apply only to 
registered marriages. In rural areas, marriages sometimes were not 
registered because of ignorance of the law. Under the law, a Muslim 
husband was required to pay his former wife alimony for three months, 
but this law was not always enforced. There was little societal 
pressure to enforce it, and the courts were so backlogged it was 
difficult, if not impossible, to get redress through the courts. There 
were separate family laws on the books for Hindus, Muslims, and 
Christians, based on their respective traditions with few significant 
differences. The major exception was that Hindu law permits unlimited 
polygamy and makes no provision for divorce or separation, which are 
forbidden according to the Hindu religion.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Reports of BNP harassment, violence and rape of Hindus, who many 
believed supported the AL, preceded and followed the 2001 election. The 
high court ordered the Government to report on these attacks and to 
demonstrate that it was taking adequate steps to protect religious 
minorities. The Government submitted its report to the high court in 
2002, claiming that incidents of post-election violence were not 
connected to communal relations and that some reports of violence were 
fabricated or exaggerated. Since then, neither the high court nor the 
Government has taken further action. There was no religiously related 
political violence during any by-election during the period covered by 
this report.
    Since the 2001 elections, attacks on religious minorities have led 
to the routine posting of law enforcement personnel during major 
religious festivals and events, since festivals tend to attract large 
congregations that make easy and more attractive targets. Reported 
incidents included killings, rape, torture, attacks on places of 
worship, destruction of homes, forced evictions, and desecration of 
items of worship. These claims continued during the period covered by 
this report; however, many such reports could not be verified 
independently, and there were incidents of members of the Muslim 
community attacking each other on holidays as well, due to a perception 
that some events were un-Islamic. The Government sometimes failed to 
investigate the crimes and prosecute the perpetrators, who were often 
local gang leaders.
    Feminist author Taslima Nasreen remained abroad during the period 
covered by this report, while criminal charges were pending against her 
for allegedly insulting the religious beliefs of the country's Muslims. 
In October 2002 a court sentenced Nasreen, in absentia, to a year in 
jail for her ``derogatory remarks about Islam,'' in a case filed by a 
local Jamaat-e-Islami leader in 1999. Her books remained banned but 
were openly sold on street corners.
    As of the writing of this report, no charges have been filed in the 
2003 case of eleven members of a Hindu family burned to death after 
assailants set fire to their home near the port city of Chittagong. BDG 
officials ascribed the crime to robbers following a failed robbery 
attempt, but the opposition AL alleged that BNP members attacked the 
family as part of a local anti-Hindu cleansing effort. Within a month 
of the attack, police arrested five persons, three of whom confessed to 
the magistrate and claimed that fourteen persons were involved in what 
they stated was an attempted robbery. Police have twice submitted their 
investigations to court but the public prosecutor has declared the 
investigations ``faulty,'' so a third round of investigation was in 
process.
    At the end of the reporting period, it was unknown what happened to 
the evicted families in the June 22, 2005 eviction of sixty-five 
families from their land by government officials to establish a 
government project in the same place. According to press reports, the 
evicted families consisted of fifteen families from the indigenous 
Santali Christian community and fifty Hindu families.
    The Daily Sangbad reported that on October 20, 2005, a Hindu 
teacher, Srabani Sur, was dismissed after being accused of allegedly 
insulting Islam. She submitted an appeal to the education board 
claiming the allegations were false.
    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.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    There were no reported abuses targeted at specific religious groups 
by terrorist organizations during the period covered by this report. 
However, the banned extremist group Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh 
(JMB) attacked a variety of government and civil society targets in 
late 2005 on the grounds they supported secular governance. Earlier in 
2005, JMB attacked a Bangladeshi NGO for promoting un-Islamic 
practices, such as teaching women to run businesses and extending 
microcredit, in rural areas; however, these attacks were almost all on 
other Muslims. The fact that one of two judges JMB killed in Jalakhathi 
was Hindu was scarcely noted and was never cited by JMB as a reason for 
his killing.
    There have been no significant developments in the cases of the 
2004 injury of the British high commissioner in a bomb explosion as he 
visited the Shahjalal Shrine. In February 2005, there were several 
explosions at Muslim shrines in the Sylhet area.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government continued not to enforce the ban on Ahmadiyya 
publications. Furthermore, protesters were generally stopped from 
hanging signs outside of Ahmadiyya mosques declaring them nonmosques or 
threatening the lives or property of Ahmadis. This contrasted sharply 
from previous years, when police sometimes facilitated the hanging of 
such signs.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations between religious communities generally were amicable. 
Persons who practiced different religions often joined each other's 
festivals and celebrations such as weddings. Shi'a Muslims practiced 
their faith without interference from Sunnis. Nevertheless, clashes 
between religious groups occasionally occurred. Violence directed 
against religious minority communities continued to result in the loss 
of lives and property, but the motives--religious animosity, criminal 
intent, or property disputes--were often unclear. Religious minorities 
were vulnerable due to their relatively limited influence with 
political elites. Like many citizens, they were often reluctant to seek 
recourse from a corrupt and ineffective criminal justice system. Police 
were often ineffective in upholding law and order and were sometimes 
slow to assist religious minorities. This promotes an atmosphere of 
impunity for acts of violence against them.
    In September 2003, Ibrahim Khali and Dulal were sentenced to life 
in prison for raping a Hindu woman. Both convicts were serving their 
terms while their appeals were pending. In October 2003, a Speedy Trial 
Court sentenced six persons to life in prison and acquitted a seventh 
person accused of raping a Hindu woman after the 2001 parliament 
election in the Sadar sub-district of Bhola. The convicts appealed the 
verdict to the high court; the appeal was pending at the end of the 
period covered by this report while those convicted were serving their 
sentences.
    Attacks against the Hindu community at the hand of societal actors 
continued. An NGO reported that during the period from December 1, 2004 
to November 2005, there were 52 killings, 78 attacks on Hindu temples, 
29 kidnappings, and 161 incidents of assault, theft, looting, or 
intimidation.
    There were no new developments in the February 2004 case of Humayun 
Azad, a Muslim Dhaka University professor who sustained serious 
injuries when unidentified assailants stabbed him near campus. The 
Government never identified the assailants. Azad died of a heart attack 
in Germany in 2004.
    There were unconfirmed reports that in September 2005, twelve 
indigenous Hindu cobblers from the Chandpur Village were evicted. 
Reportedly, a Kwami madrassah was built on the land.
    According to one NGO, on October 15, 2005, the ``Ma Kali Mandir'' 
Temple in Patuakhali was forcefully occupied, and its Hindu priest was 
physically assaulted. Reportedly, the temple then was turned into a 
madrassah.
    On October 15, 2005, approximately 200 Hindu families were attacked 
and 10 houses burned down in Majhipara Village. Reportedly, ten persons 
were injured and the local temple was vandalized. Police were sent to 
the site and arrested five persons.
    On October 25, 2005, Gopal Chandra Braman, a Hindu priest in the 
Narsingdi District was killed after being kidnapped on October 18.
    According to a press report, in December 2005, two Hindus were 
killed and ten others were injured when a Hindu majority village in 
Dhubaura sub-district was attacked by a land grabber. Police intervened 
and arrested the perpetrator.
    On December 31, 2005, a Hindu village in Brahmanbaria was attacked 
after an announcement was made at the village mosque. Reportedly, five 
homes were damaged and two men were injured as a result of the attack.
    Two newspapers reported on March 16, 2006, that a group of 
approximately eighteen persons attacked six Hindu families and injured 
ten individuals in the District of Satkhira while demanding a large sum 
of money due to a land dispute. When the owner of the land refused to 
pay, the attackers physically assaulted him.
    Reports of harassment and violence against the Christian community 
were recorded during the reporting period.
    Unconfirmed reports indicated that in July 2005, Grace Presbyterian 
Bible College in Khulna was moved to a different location after the 
school was attacked three times.
    In July 2005, according to press reports, four Christian-owned 
stores were burned down in the Barisal area. Police arrested five 
persons in connection with the arson case. It was not clear if the 
crimes were religiously motivated.
    On July 27, 2005, two Bangladeshi Christian NGO workers were killed 
in Boalmari, Faridpur. They worked primarily in the areas of arsenic 
poisoning, mother and child healthcare, and AIDS prevention, but they 
also showed religious films with the permission of the villagers. A 
week before the attack, the NGO workers were reportedly threatened by 
local leaders angry at their attempts to convert local persons to 
Christianity. Two men were arrested for the killings.
    On April 2, 2006, local newspapers reported that arsonists burned 
down a church in the remote village of Lambopara in the Chittagong Hill 
Tracts, apparently in retaliation for conversion of local Buddhists to 
Christianity. There were no arrests in this case.
    Human rights groups and press reports indicated that vigilantism 
against women accused of moral transgressions occurred in rural areas, 
often under a fatwa, and included punishments such as whipping. During 
2005 religious leaders issued thirty-five fatwas, demanding punishments 
ranging from lashings and other physical assaults to shunning by family 
and community members.
    There were approximately 100 thousand Ahmadis concentrated in Dhaka 
and several other locales. While mainstream Muslims rejected some of 
the Ahmadiyya teachings, the majority supported Ahmadis right to 
practice without fear or persecution. However, Ahmadis continued to be 
subject to harassment and violence from those who denounced their 
teachings.
    In the latter part of 2003, Ahmadis were the targets of attacks and 
harassment prompted by clerics and leaders of the Islami Okiyya Jote. 
In October 2003, seventeen Ahmadiyya families in Kushtia were 
barricaded in their homes for several days. In November 2003, police 
stopped a mob of approximately 5 thousand attempting to destroy an 
Ahmadiyya mosque in Tejgaon, Dhaka. In December 2003, anti-Ahmadi 
activists killed a prominent Ahmadi in Jessore. There were no results 
from the subsequent police investigations in any of these cases.
    Throughout 2004, the police provided minimal protection to 
Ahmadiyya communities facing harassment. In April 2004, twelve 
Ahmadiyya houses were destroyed and fifteen Ahmadis in Rangpur 
reportedly were held against their will and pressed to renounce their 
faith. In May 2004, Khatme Nabuwat Andolon Bangladesh reportedly 
threatened to evict thousands of Ahmadis from their homes and destroy 
their mosques in Patuakhali, Rangpur, and Chittagong. In October 2004, 
an anti-Ahmadi mob injured eleven Ahmadis in an attempt to seize a 
mosque. No legal action was taken against these alleged assailants. The 
situation continued through the beginning of 2005.
    In March 2005, a mob attempted to lay siege to a mosque in the town 
of Bogra, hoping to remove the ``Ahmadi Mosque'' sign. Police 
controlled the mob but removed the sign. After a few hours, police put 
the sign back up. In April 2005, there was a spate of IKNMB attacks on 
Ahmadis, including one in the Shatkira District where protesters 
injured more than fifty persons after hanging a new sign on an Ahmadi 
mosque.
    On July 18, 2005, extremists allegedly vandalized the construction 
site of an Ahmadiyya mosque in the Uttara section of Dhaka. The police 
promptly intervened.
    In December 2005, IKNMB and KNAB again issued an ultimatum that the 
Government declare Ahmadis non-Muslims. When the Government refused, 
the groups staged a protest near the Dhaka Ahmadiyya complex, but 
police successfully kept the protesters away from the Ahmadis and their 
property. Approximately fifty protesters and seven police officers were 
injured.
    In January 2006, villagers in Shahbazpur protested when Ahmadis in 
their community attempted to bury an Ahmadi woman who died of old age 
in the Muslim cemetery. Police and local leaders intervened but 
ultimately gave into the villagers' demands. Local government leaders 
gave a small plot of publicly owned land to the Ahmadis to use for the 
burial.
    In June 2006, the KNAB again issued demands that the Government 
declare Ahmadis non-Muslims and on June 23, 2006, approximately 1,500 
to 2,000 marchers attempted to seize an Ahmadiyya mosque near Dhaka. In 
response, police quickly deployed approximately 3 thousand police to 
prevent violence and prevent the protest from approaching the Ahmadiyya 
complex. KNAB supporters then attempted to block access to Dhaka-Zia 
International Airport but were stopped by the police. Some ten to 
twenty persons were injured as a result. Following the KNAB's failure 
to seize the mosque, the group announced a dawn-to-dusk hartal and 
added the demand that parliament pass a law declaring Muhammad as the 
last prophet; however, the hartal threat never materialized.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with 
officials at all levels of the Government as well as with political 
party leaders and representatives of religious and minority 
communities. During the period covered by this report, the embassy 
emphasized the importance of free and fair elections in early 2007, 
with a goal of averting the violence religious minorities experienced 
in 2001. Embassy staff traveled to regions of the country where 
violence was worst in 2001 and met with civil society members, NGO 
leaders, members of parliament, and other citizens to discuss concerns 
about violence during the next election and to encourage law 
enforcement to take proactive measures to protect the rights of 
minorities.
    Embassy and visiting U.S. Government officials regularly visited 
members of minority communities to hear their concerns and demonstrate 
support. During his February 2006 visit, U.S. Representative Joseph 
Crowley of New York visited Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Ahmadiyya 
houses of worship, to discuss religious freedom concerns and support 
the minority communities. He also discussed the importance of an 
election free from communal violence.
    Following the death of two Christian NGO workers in Boalmari, 
Faridpur, the embassy issued a press release stating that religious 
freedom was a basic constitutionally guaranteed right, and it was 
important that the Government and civil society work effectively to 
safeguard this right.
    The embassy assisted U.S. Christian-affiliated relief organizations 
in guiding paperwork for approval of schools and other projects through 
government channels. The Government has been receptive to the 
discussion of such subjects and generally helpful in resolving 
problems. The embassy has also acted as an advocate in the Home 
Ministry for these organizations in resolving problems with visas.
    The embassy encouraged the Government through the Ministry for 
Religious Affairs to develop and expand its training program for 
Islamic religious leaders. After an initial pilot program, the U.S. 
Government provided, among other topics, course work for religious 
leaders on human rights and gender equality. The U.S. Government 
sponsored the visit of a prominent Muslim cleric from Georgetown 
University to talk to Bangladeshi audiences. He spoke to both small 
roundtables and to thousands at Friday prayers at the national mosque 
about Qur'anic interpretations that support tolerance and gender 
equity.
    During the reporting period, the U.S. Government continued to make 
religious freedom, especially the problems facing the Ahmadiyya 
community, a point of discussion in meetings with government officials. 
Embassy officers continued to visit the Ahmadiyya headquarters in Dhaka 
to show support for their security and religious freedom.
    The embassy continued to encourage Jamaat Islami to reiterate 
publicly its position that it supports tolerance and minority rights in 
the context of an attack on a religious minority member. Democracy and 
governance projects supported by the United States included tolerance 
and minority rights components.
                               __________

                                 BHUTAN

    The law provides for freedom of religion; however, the Government 
limited this right in practice by barring non-Buddhist missionaries 
from entering the country, limiting construction of non-Buddhist 
religious buildings, and restricting the celebration of some non-
Buddhist religious festivals. Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion, 
although in the southern areas many citizens openly and mostly freely 
practice Hinduism. The draft constitution, introduced in March 2005, 
guarantees freedom of religion but had not been adopted by the end of 
the period covered by this report.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Pressure for conformity with 
Mahayana Buddhist norms was reinforced through the requirement that 
citizens wear the traditional dress of the ethnic Ngalops, who are 
predominantly Buddhist, in all government buildings, monasteries, and 
schools. There were no reports of violence associated with pressure to 
conform to Mahayana norms.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    There are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States 
and the country; however, there is cordial and ongoing bilateral 
interaction, and the U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues 
with the Government informally as part of its overall policy to promote 
human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 18,146 square miles, and according to 
the May 2005 nationwide census, the population was 552,996. 
Approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of the population practiced 
Drukpa Kagyupa or Ningmapa Buddhism, both of which are disciplines of 
Mahayana Buddhism. Approximately one-quarter of the population was 
ethnic Nepalese who practiced Hinduism. Christians, both Catholic and 
Protestant combined, comprised a fraction of 1 percent of the 
population.
    The Drukpa discipline was practiced predominantly in the western 
and central parts of the country, although there were adherents in 
other regions.
    Ethnic Ngalops, descendants of Tibetan immigrants, comprised the 
majority of the population in the western and central parts of the 
country. The Ngalops predominated in government and the civil service, 
and the monarchy decreed their cultural norms and dress to be the 
standard for all citizens.
    The Ningmapa school of Mahayana Buddhism was practiced 
predominantly in the eastern region of the country, although there were 
also adherents in other areas. Most living in the east were ethnic 
Sarchops, descendants of those thought to be the country's original 
inhabitants. Several Sarchops held high positions in the Government, 
the national assembly, and the court system.
    The Government supports both Kagyupa and Ningmapa monasteries. The 
royal family practices a combination of Ningmapa and Kagyupa Buddhism, 
and many citizens believe in the concept of ``Kanyin-Zungdrel,'' 
meaning ``Kagyupa and Ningmapa as one.''
    The country's animist and shamanistic faith called Bon revolves 
around the worship of nature and predates Buddhism. Although Bon 
priests were found and Bon rituals sometimes were included in Buddhist 
festivals, very few citizens adhered to this faith exclusively.
    The Shaivite, Vaishnavite, Shakta, Ghanapathi, Puranic, and Vedic 
schools were represented among Hindus mainly in the south. Hindu 
temples existed in the southern part of the country, and Hindus were 
allowed to practice their religion in small- to medium-sized groups.
    Christians were present throughout the country in very small 
numbers. There was reportedly only one building dedicated for Christian 
worship in the south, the only location where there was a sufficiently 
large concentration of Christians to sustain a church. Elsewhere, 
Christian families and individuals were free to practice their religion 
at home, although nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) claimed that the 
Government discouraged open worship and both large and small 
gatherings. There were no Christian missionaries operating in the 
country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The law provides for freedom of religion; however, the Government 
limited this right in practice. NGOs reported that the Government 
discouraged both large and small religious gatherings of non-Buddhists, 
did not allow construction of churches or non-Buddhist temples, and did 
not allow non-Buddhist missionaries to work in the country. Mahayana 
Buddhism is the state religion. Proselytism by other faiths is illegal 
under the Bhutanese National Security Act.
    The country's Monastic Body of 3,500 monks was financed by an 
annual government grant and was the sole arbiter on religious matters. 
The body also played an advisory role to the national assembly, the 
Royal Advisory Council, and the king, who consistently deferred to its 
pronouncements on almost all religious matters and some decisions 
affecting the state. By statute, 10 seats in the 150-seat national 
assembly and 2 seats on the 11-member Royal Advisory Council are 
reserved for Buddhist monks. There are no religious stipulations on the 
remaining seats. Many non-Buddhists work for the government. The 
Special Commission for Cultural Affairs, with a Hindu priest as a 
member, also advised on religious matters.
    Questions on family law subjects such as marriage, divorce, 
adoption, and child custody were addressed under the Marriage Act of 
1980, as amended in 1996. Traditionally, Buddhists and Hindus have 
resolved questions of family law according to the citizen's religion, 
but this is changing. In 2005, a Christian group in the country 
reported in 2005 that family law concerns for all citizens, regardless 
of religion, were resolved according to Buddhist precepts. The 
country's evolving legal system is based on customary law and Buddhist 
precepts.
    The Government subsidized Buddhist monasteries and shrines and 
provided aid to approximately one-third of the kingdom's 12 thousand 
monks. The Government stated that it provides this support because its 
land reform program carried out in 1956 stripped the monastic 
establishment of wide tracts of fertile land for redistribution among 
the landless. In exchange, the Royal Government committed to provide 
financial support for the monasteries.
    Major Buddhist holy days were state holidays. The king declared one 
major Hindu festival as a national holiday, and the royal family 
participated in it; however, there were no Hindu temples in the capital 
city of Thimphu, despite the migration of many ethnic Nepalese to the 
city.
    NGO representatives living outside the country and dissidents 
reported that only Drukpa Kagyupa and Ningmapa Buddhist religious 
teaching is permitted in schools and that Buddhist prayer is compulsory 
in all government-run schools. The Government contended that Buddhist 
teaching is permitted only in monastic schools and that religious 
teaching is forbidden in other schools. Bhutan-based NGO interlocutors 
confirmed that although students took part in a prayer session each 
morning, it was nondenominational and not compulsory.
    The Government requires all citizens, when in public places, to 
wear the traditional dress of the Ngalop majority; however, it only 
strictly enforced this law for visits to Buddhist religious buildings, 
monasteries, government offices, schools, and for attendance at 
official functions and public ceremonies. Some citizens commented that 
enforcement of this law was arbitrary and sporadic.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Followers of religions other than Buddhism and Hinduism generally 
were free to worship in private homes, but NGOs alleged that they were 
prohibited from erecting religious buildings or congregating in public. 
Some Christian groups reported that religious meetings must be held 
discreetly, especially in rural areas, for fear of the authorities. In 
2004 an NGO reported that some Christians did not worship openly for 
fear of discrimination; however, this claim could not be corroborated. 
The Christian community also claimed that there were no Christian 
churches in the country and that the Government would not grant 
approval for such a building.
    No new buildings, including new places of worship, can be 
constructed without government licenses. Reports by ethnic Nepalese 
citizens suggested that this process favored Buddhist temples over 
Hindu ones. The Government provided financial assistance for the 
construction of Buddhist temples and shrines and state funding for 
monks and monasteries. NGOs alleged that the Government rarely granted 
permission to build Hindu temples; the last report of such construction 
was in the early 1990s, when the Government authorized the construction 
and renovation of Hindu temples and centers of Sanskrit and Hindu 
learning and provided state funds to help finance the projects. The 
Government argued that it was a matter of supply and demand, with 
demand for Buddhist temples far exceeding that for Hindu temples. The 
Government stated that it supported numerous Hindu temples in the 
south, where most Hindus reside, and provided some scholarships for 
Hindus to study Sanskrit in India.
    While the formation of political parties was not allowed under the 
law, the draft constitution would permit the creation of political 
parties, with no membership restrictions based on religion.
    While proselytism and conversion were not discussed in the 
constitution, such activities were deemed illegal by the Government due 
to the National Security Act, which prohibits ``words either spoken or 
written, or by other means whatsoever, promotes or attempts to promote, 
on grounds of religion, race, language, caste or community, or on any 
other ground whatsoever, feelings of enmity or hatred between different 
religious, racial or language groups or castes and communities.'' 
Violating the Act is punishable with up to three years' imprisonment 
although it is not clear that the Government has enforced this 
provision of the act.
    International Christian relief organizations and Roman Catholic 
Jesuit priests were active in education and humanitarian activities.
    There were no laws against publishing religious material.
    Some NGOs reported increased intimidation by the Government of 
persons who do not look ethnically Ngalop, most of whom are Buddhists. 
Such actions reportedly included stopping persons at designated 
checkpoints and asking for their identity documents. The Government 
claimed the identity checks were part of an effort to control illegal 
residents and to ensure that the United Liberation Front of Assam 
(ULFA) does not re-enter the country. In 2003, the Government ousted 
ULFA camps from southern areas of the country.
    Certain senior civil servants, regardless of religion, are required 
to take an oath of allegiance to the king, the country, and the people. 
The oath does not have religious content, but a Buddhist lama 
administers it. Dissidents alleged that applicants have been asked 
their religion before receiving government services.
    Christians stated that in prior years the Government excluded them 
from census registration, making it difficult for them to qualify for 
higher education or government jobs. There were no reports of the 
Government excluding Christians from the May 2005 census.
    One Christian group alleged in April 2005 that personal prejudices 
may have led selected government officials to deny promotions to some 
of the handful of Christians in government service.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Authorities discriminated against ethnic Nepalese residents and 
citizens in the late 1980s and early 1990s when many were forcibly 
expelled, or left voluntarily as a result of discrimination. Although 
the causes of this official discrimination and the expulsions were 
cultural, economic, and political, to the degree that their Hinduism 
identified them as members of the ethnic Nepalese minority, religion 
might have been a secondary factor. The Government contended that many 
of those expelled in the early 1990s were illegal immigrants with no 
right to citizenship or residency and that other ethnic Nepalese 
``voluntarily emigrated'' at that time. Some of those expelled are 
petitioning for the right to return, although none have yet done so. 
More than 100 thousand ethnic Nepalese continued to live in refugee 
camps in eastern Nepal. (For a more detailed discussion, see the 2005 
Country Report on Human Rights Practices.)
    The Government resettled Bhutanese citizens from other parts of the 
country on land in the south vacated by the expelled ethnic Nepalese, a 
majority of whom were Hindu, in the early 1990s. Human rights groups 
maintained that this action prejudiced any possibility for land 
restoration to returning refugees. The Government maintained that this 
was not its first resettlement program and that ethnic Nepalese 
citizens from the south sometimes were resettled in other parts of the 
country.
    In April 2004 a religious freedom website alleged that following 
Easter Sunday services, police raided three Protestant house churches 
in the Sarpang district. Police allegedly warned church members to stop 
meeting and told them that the Government viewed their meetings as 
``terrorist activities.'' The Government dismissed these reports as 
totally false.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    NGOs and well-informed local sources stated that the Government in 
early 2005 began to issue national identity cards to ethnic Nepalese 
who have family members living in refugee camps in Nepal. In the past, 
the Government refused to renew identity cards for some ethnic 
Nepalese. This was a marked change in government policy and could point 
to a greater acceptance of these predominantly Hindu persons as bona 
fide citizens of the country.
    In 2005, attempts were made to promote interfaith understanding. 
Monks from the country's two schools of Buddhism, Kagyupa and Ningmapa, 
undertook regular exchanges. The king's participation in a Hindu 
festival also had a positive effect on citizens' attitudes.
    In March 2005, the Government released a draft constitution 
stipulating freedom of religion as a fundamental right. It stated, ``A 
Bhutanese Citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, 
conscience and religion.'' The draft constitution also guarantees 
freedom of speech, opinion and expression to all religious communities 
in the country, including non-Buddhists. It also states ``Buddhism is 
the spiritual heritage of the country, which promotes among others the 
principles and values of peace, non-violence, compassion and 
tolerance'' and that ``religion remains separate from politics.''

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Governmental discrimination against ethnic Nepalese in the late 
1980s and early 1990s arose in part from a desire to preserve the 
country's Buddhist culture against the influence of a growing 
population of ethnic Nepalese with different cultural and religious 
traditions. It also was a response to increased political assertiveness 
of the ethnic Nepalese community.
    During the reporting period, the Government and many Buddhists 
remained preoccupied with fears of potential Nepalese domination. 
Societal pressures toward non-Buddhists were reflected in official and 
unofficial efforts to impose the dress and cultural norms of the 
Buddhist majority on all citizens. While there were no reports of the 
repetition of the excesses of the late 1980s and early 1990s, societal 
and governmental pressure for conformity with Drukpa Kagyupa norms was 
prevalent.
    In 2005, some of the country's few Christians, who are mostly 
ethnic Nepalese living in the south, claimed that they were harassed 
and discriminated against by the Government, local authorities, and 
non-Christian citizens.
    On January 7, 2006, authorities arrested two civil servants for 
proselytism in the village of Nago in Paro District. The Government 
stated the two were posing as if they were on official duty and 
instructed the residents of Nago village to assemble for official 
discussions on faith. The Government reported that during their 
discussion one of the civil servants made derogatory remarks against 
the Spiritual Head of Bhutan, and the villagers demanded they stop the 
session and reported the incident to the police. Two days later, the 
Government found the two guilty of falsely calling a village meeting on 
the pretext of holding an official meeting, proselytism, maligning the 
Spiritual Head of Bhutan, and posing as officials on official business 
and giving false information. The police also charged one of the 
accused, who was a nurse by profession, with breach of trust and 
criminal misappropriation of government property for unauthorized 
distribution of medicines, claiming he did so in order to gain the 
confidence of the villagers. Christian groups claim they were arrested 
due to their religion since, according to these groups, the men were 
allegedly arrested while showing a Christian film in a Buddhist home. 
Reportedly, the men were given ten days to appeal to the courts for 
bail to avoid serving prison sentences of three to three and a half 
years and were tried without adequate legal representation.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    There are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States 
and the country. Informal contacts between the two governments took 
place frequently. During these exchanges, governmental discrimination 
against the ethnic Nepalese minority was discussed.
    In August 2005, U.S. embassy officers from New Delhi discussed 
religious freedom with the Government in the context of the refugee 
issue and the draft constitution in Thimphu. During the meeting, 
officials discussed the draft constitution, including the inclusion of 
guarantees of religious freedom and protection for minority 
populations. The officials also reiterated that the Government needs to 
find a lasting solution for the refugees in Nepal, who are mostly 
Hindu, in order to demonstrate its commitment to religious tolerance.
    The U.S. Government also worked to promote religious freedom and 
other democratic values by sponsoring several citizens to travel to the 
United States under the International Visitors and Fulbright programs.
                               __________

                                 INDIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. However, the 
Government sometimes did not act swiftly enough to counter effectively 
societal attacks against religious minorities and attempts by some 
leaders of state and local governments to limit religious freedom. This 
resulted in part from legal constraints on national government action 
inherent in the country's federal structure and from shortcomings in 
its law enforcement and justice systems, although courts regularly 
upheld the constitutional provision of religious freedom. Despite 
Government efforts to foster communal harmony, some extremists 
continued to view ineffective investigation and prosecution of attacks 
on religious minorities, particularly at the state and local level, as 
a signal that they could commit such violence with impunity, although 
numerous cases were in the courts at the end of the reporting period.
    While the National Government took positive steps in key areas to 
improve religious freedom, the status of religious freedom generally 
remained the same during the period covered by this report. The United 
Progressive Alliance (UPA) continued to implement an inclusive and 
secular platform based on respect for the country's traditions of 
secular government and religious tolerance, and the rights of religious 
minorities. Terrorists attempted to provoke religious conflict by 
attacking Hindu Temples in Ayodhya and Varanasi. The Government reacted 
in a swift manner to rein in Hindu extremists, prevent revenge attacks 
and reprisal, and assure the Muslim community of its safety. The 
Government also quelled religious violence in Vadodara, Gujarat, after 
protests over the demolition of a Muslim shrine threatened to spark 
Hindu-Muslim violence. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) 
continued monitoring ongoing legal battles surrounding the 2002 Gujarat 
riots.
    Despite the Government's 2005 action to withdraw controversial 
textbooks espousing a Hindu nationalist agenda, continuing problems 
with biased textbooks in some states led the Government to take further 
action by recommending the formation of a National Textbook Council to 
ensure such books no longer appear in the curriculum.
    Despite the UPA Government's rejection of ``Hindutva,'' the 
ideology that espouses politicized inculcation of Hindu religious and 
cultural norms above other religious norms, the ideology continued to 
influence governmental policies and societal attitudes in some regions 
at the state and local levels. However, ``Hindutva''-based policies 
could not be implemented without passing court review to determine 
whether they were consistent with the principles enshrined in the 
country's secular constitution.
    In March 2006, the Government of Rajasthan passed an anti-
conversion bill. However, by the end of the period covered by this 
report, it had not taken effect, since it was not approved by the 
governor and continued to await presidential review.
    In August 2005, the Nanavati commission, tasked with conducting a 
re-inquiry into the anti Sikh riots of 1984, released its report. The 
report cited several prominent Congress party leaders for complicity in 
the violence and implicated law enforcement personnel in the deaths, 
accusing them of refusing to perform their duty to maintain law and 
order. Minister Jagdish Tytler and Member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar 
were indicted in the report for purportedly leading the rioters. After 
the report's release, Tytler resigned from his post in the Ministry of 
Overseas Affairs and Kumar resigned from the Delhi Rural Development 
Board, but no formal punishment had been handed down by the end of the 
period covered by this report. The Government also set up two 
committees to disburse financial compensation promised by Prime 
Minister Singh to the victims' families. The Government approved an 
extra $158 million (7 billion INR) in compensation: $7,800 (350 
thousand INR) for every family member killed and $2,800 (125 thousand 
INR) for those injured.
    A formal judicial resolution to the 2002 Gujarat violence remained 
uncertain. However, there were significant developments during the 
period covered by this report, most notably convictions in the Best 
Bakery case. In February 2006, a Mumbai court gave life sentences to 
nine persons convicted for their role in the death of fourteen persons 
who took refuge in the bakery. All nine were among twenty-one 
individuals acquitted by a Vadodara fast-track court almost three years 
ago. Of the remaining twelve, eight were acquitted and four were ``in 
hiding''. In response to a supreme court mandate, in February 2006, the 
Gujarat police stated that it would reinvestigate 1,600 of the 
approximately 2,000 cases that were filed and closed in 2002. In March 
2006, the Banarjee Commission report stated that the Godhra train fire 
was an accident.
    The vast majority of Indians of every religious faith lived in 
peaceful coexistence; however, tensions between religious groups were a 
problem in some areas. While the Government took some steps, violence 
directed against minorities by both state and non-state actors occurred 
in several states.
    Terrorists continued deadly attacks against religious targets. In 
July 2005, they attacked the Ram Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya. In 
October 2005, terrorists attacked markets throughout Delhi on the eve 
of the Hindu festival of Diwali and the Muslim Eid festival. In March 
2006, terrorists also bombed Delhi's Jama Masjid mosque, injuring five, 
and a prominent Hindu temple in Varanasi, killing at least twenty-one 
and injuring sixty-two others. Terrorists also killed thirty-five 
Kashmiri Hindus in two massacres in May 2006.
    Hindu-Muslim tension continued over disputed places of worship 
claimed by both groups to be sacred sites. There were instances of 
politically-manipulated religious tension in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and 
Vadodara, Gujarat in early 2006. Police and state authorities took 
appropriate steps to end the violence and curb mob actions.
    Conversion continued to be a highly contentious issue. Some Hindu 
organizations and others frequently alleged that Christian missionaries 
lured converts, particularly from the lower castes, with offers of free 
education and healthcare, and equated such actions with forced 
conversions. Some Christian groups alleged that Hindu groups forcibly 
``reconverted'' those who had embraced Christianity. Several state 
governments, most recently the Government of Rajasthan, enacted laws to 
criminalize coerced and/or fraudulent conversions. Some nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) claimed some state governments used these laws to 
restrict voluntary conversions and to harass religious minorities.
    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy and its consulates promoted religious freedom in their 
discussions with the country's senior leadership, as well as with state 
and local officials, and supported initiatives to encourage religious 
and communal harmony. During meetings with key leaders of all 
significant religious communities, U.S. officials discussed reports of 
ongoing harassment of minority groups, converts, and missionaries, 
explained U.S. Government policies around the world, and endeavored to 
better understand Indian religious attitudes towards the United States. 
Embassy officers continued to investigate and discuss religious freedom 
incidents of concern such as violence in Gujarat, the implementation 
and reversal of anti-conversion legislation, attacks on places of 
worship, caste-based discrimination, and the plight of internally 
displaced Hindu Kashmiris.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 1.3 million square miles and a 
population of 1.03 billion. According to the 2001 Government census, 
Hindus constituted 80.5 percent of the population, Muslims 13.4 
percent, Christians 2.3 percent, Sikhs 1.8 percent, and others, 
including Buddhists, Jains, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Jews, and Baha'is, 
1.1 percent. Slightly more than 90 percent of Muslims were Sunni; the 
rest were Shi'a. Buddhists included followers of the Mahayana and 
Hinayana schools, and there were both Roman Catholic and Protestant 
Christians. Tribal groups (members of indigenous groups historically 
outside the caste system), which in government statistics generally 
were included among Hindus, often practiced traditional indigenous 
religions (animism). Hindus and Muslims were spread throughout the 
country, although large Muslim populations were found in the states of 
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, 
Karnataka, and Kerala, and Muslims were the majority in Jammu and 
Kashmir. Christians were concentrated in the northeast, as well as in 
the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Goa. Three small 
northeastern states (Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya) had large 
Christian majorities. Sikhs were a majority in the state of Punjab.
    The country's 200 million dalits (formerly called 
``untouchables''), constituted 21-25 percent of the population. 
However, it was difficult to accurately determine how many Indians fell 
within this category, since the Indian census did not ask respondents 
for caste status. Over the years, many lower caste Hindus, dalits, and 
non-Hindu tribal groups converted to other faiths to escape widespread 
discrimination and achieve higher social status. However, those from 
lower castes and dalits often continued to be viewed by both their new 
coreligionists and by Hindus through the prism of caste. Converts were 
regarded widely as retaining the caste of their ancestors, and caste 
identity, whether or not acknowledged by a person's own religion, had 
an effect on marriage prospects, social status, and economic 
opportunity. Historical stratification structures in the country also 
affect Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, resulting in discrimination 
between coreligionists based on caste.
    Immigrants, primarily from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, 
practiced various religions and tended to concentrate in the border 
regions near these countries.
    According to the Catholic Bishop's Conference of India, there were 
approximately one hundred registered foreign Christian missionaries 
(both Catholic and Protestant) in the country, most over the age of 
seventy. Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu missionaries also operated. 
Foreign rabbis also regularly visited and participated in religious 
ceremonies for the very small Jewish population, estimated at fewer 
than 5 thousand individuals.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the National 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, some 
state and local governments restricted this freedom.
    The country is a secular state with no official religion. The 
country's political system is federal, according state governments 
exclusive jurisdiction over law enforcement and the maintenance of 
order, which has limited the national government's capacity to deal 
directly with abuses of religious freedom. The country's national law 
enforcement agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), cannot 
investigate a crime committed in a state without the state government's 
permission. However, the national government's law enforcement 
authorities, in some instances, have intervened to maintain order when 
state governments were reluctant or unwilling to do so.
    The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held power in eight 
states. Its political platform called for the construction of a Hindu 
temple on the site of a mosque in Ayodhya destroyed by a Hindu mob in 
1992; the repeal of Article 370 of the constitution, which grants 
special rights to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the country's only 
Muslim majority state; the enactment of a Uniform Civil Code that would 
apply to members of all religious groups; and the enactment of state-
level anti-conversion legislation in all states in the country. The BJP 
was one of a number of offshoots of the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh 
(RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization. The BJP, the RSS, and other 
affiliated organizations (collectively known as the Sangh Parivar) 
claimed to respect and tolerate other religious groups; however, the 
RSS in particular opposed conversions from Hinduism and believed that 
all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation, should adhere 
to Hindu cultural values. The RSS has been implicated in incidents of 
violence and discrimination against Christians and Muslims.
    The NHRC and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) are 
governmental bodies created to investigate allegations of 
discrimination and make recommendations for redress to the relevant 
local or national government authorities. Although NHRC recommendations 
do not have the force of law, central and local authorities generally 
follow them.
    In January 2006, in an effort to build bridges with minority 
communities, the UPA Government set up a Ministry for Minority Affairs 
and appointed former Maharashtra Chief Minister, A. R. Antulay, as its 
first minister. The ministry's charter included overall policy 
planning, coordination, evaluation and review of the Government's 
regulatory and developmental programs intended to benefit minority 
communities.
    The NCM and NHRC intervened in several high profile cases, 
including the 2002 anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat and other instances 
of communal tension, the enactment of anti-conversion legislation in 
several states, and incidents of harassment and violence against 
minorities.
    Although religious groups were not required to register with the 
Government, all foreigners, including missionaries, must register with 
the local police station before working in the country.
    A number of federal and state laws regulate religious life in the 
country. These include the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) 
of 1976, several state anti-conversion laws, the Unlawful Activities 
Prevention Act of 1967, the Religious Institutions (Prevention of 
Misuse) Act of 1988, India's Foreigners Act of 1946, and the Indian 
Divorce Act of 1869.
    The Government may ban religious organizations that provoke 
intercommunity friction, have been involved in terrorism or sedition, 
or have violated the FCRA, which restricts the disbursement of foreign 
funds to missionaries and religious organizations, both foreign and 
local. Some organizations complained that the FCRA prevented them from 
properly financing humanitarian and educational activities.
    The states of Arunchal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and 
Orissa have laws against forcible conversions. Gujarat and Tamil Nadu 
have inactive anti-conversion laws or bills awaiting accompanying 
regulations needed for enforcement. In 2006, the Rajasthan state 
assembly passed a law against forcible conversion, which is pending 
approval by the governor and cabinet. However, the National Government 
can intervene to prevent states from taking action if it determines 
that such moves pose a threat to national integrity and communal 
harmony or violate the spirit of the constitution.
    The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act of 1967 requires the state 
government to submit a monthly report specifying the number of 
conversions that have taken place in the state. It also requires that 
potential converts inform the district magistrate of pending 
conversions and that local police officers conduct an inquiry to 
determine whether a proposed conversion is legitimate and submit a 
report to state authorities. There were no reports of district 
magistrates denying permission for conversions or of convictions under 
OFRA during the period covered by this report.
    Under current provisions in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, a 
conversion offense is punishable with imprisonment for a maximum of two 
years, and a maximum fine of $220 (10 thousand INR).
    The Gujarat anti-conversion law prohibits conversion by force or 
allurement; however, the law had not been implemented by the end of the 
period covered in this report.
    On March 26, 2006, the Rajasthan State Assembly passed an anti-
conversion bill, which continued to await approval by the state 
governor and ratification by the state cabinet. At the end of the 
reporting period, the bill could not be implemented since the governor 
had sent the bill to the president of the country for comment. The 
proposed law prohibits ``conversion from one religion to another by the 
use of force or allurement or by other fraudulent means,'' and defines 
allurement as ``any gift or gratification, either cash or kind.''
    Reportedly, there were approximately twenty arrests in Madhya 
Pradesh under the state's anti-conversion law during the reporting 
period. There were no convictions and all those arrested were released 
on bail. There were no available official figures for other states; 
however, reports from faith-based NGOs and the media indicated that 
there were four arrests in Andra Pradesh, fourteen in Chhattisgarh, 
twenty-eight in Madhya Pradesh, two in Orissa, and one in Uttar Pradesh 
during the period covered by this report.
    In November 2004, the Government amended the Unlawful Activities 
Prevention Act (UAPA) of 1967 to correct excesses contained in the 
controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), often criticized by 
Muslim groups as a tool used to target them. Despite its 2004 repeal, 
POTA contains a sunset feature, which gives the Central POTA Review 
Committee a year to review all existing POTA cases. This clause allows 
the Government to make new arrests if they are tied to existing POTA 
cases. The Government can issue a new indictment on a case opened years 
ago under POTA, even against a person never previously associated with 
the case. It can also extend the one-year limit for reviews. The UAPA 
empowers the Government to ban religious organizations that provoke 
intercommunity friction, have been involved in terrorism or sedition, 
or violated the 1976 FCRA. The UAPA was applied intermittently and no 
religious organizations were banned under UAPA during the reporting 
period.
    The Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act of 1988 makes 
it an offense to use any religious site for political purposes or to 
harbor persons accused or convicted of crimes.
    Since 2000, Uttar Pradesh's ``Religious Buildings and Places Bill'' 
has required a permit endorsed by the state government before the 
construction of any religious building.
    Legislation in West Bengal requires a district magistrate's 
permission before the construction of a place of worship.
    The Tamil Nadu Government continued to actively work to strengthen 
Hindu institutions. In 2005, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa extended the 
government-aided free meal program to include Christian churches. 
Previously, it was limited to Hindu temples and mosques.
    There is no national law barring a citizen or foreigner from 
professing or propagating religious beliefs; however, speaking publicly 
against other beliefs is deemed dangerous to public order and is 
prohibited by the country's Foreigners Act. This act strictly prohibits 
visitors on tourist visas from religious preaching without permission 
from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Government forbids foreign 
missionaries of any faith from entering the country without prior 
clearance, and expels those who perform missionary work without the 
correct visa. Long-established foreign missionaries generally can renew 
their visas, but the Government has not admitted new resident foreign 
missionaries since the mid-1960s.
    A number of cable and satellite television networks dedicated to 
religious programming operated in the country without difficulty.
    In an attempt to combat communal violence, the Government 
introduced the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and 
Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill of 2005 on November 26. If passed, the 
bill would double fines and prison terms, allocate funds for 
rehabilitation, and provide compensation to victims.
    On May 5, 2005, to prevent communal forces from upsetting peace and 
harmony, parliament amended the Code of Criminal Procedure, Section 144 
to allow district magistrates to ban the use of trishuls in any 
procession or gathering. In 2003, the Congress-led government in 
Rajasthan banned trishul distribution, while allowing their use in 
religious places and functions.
    The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of 
Atrocities) Act of 1989 lists offenses against disadvantaged persons 
and provides for stiff penalties for offenders; however, this act has 
had only a modest effect in curbing abuse due to victims' fears of 
retaliation if they accused high-caste members of committing 
atrocities. Intercaste violence was especially pronounced in Uttar 
Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra 
Pradesh, and reportedly claimed hundreds of lives. Human rights NGOs 
alleged that caste violence, which crossed religious lines, remained at 
prior years' levels.
    Article 17 of the constitution outlawed untouchability in 1950 and 
the Government continued to implement ``reservations'' for dalits in 
public sector employment and education. There were more than 50 percent 
``reservation'' in some areas.
    According to a 2004 NCM report, 24 percent of government jobs were 
reserved for members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, 
including dalits. Benefits accorded dalits were revoked once they 
converted to Christianity or Islam, but not to Buddhism or Sikhism.
    Christian groups filed a court case demanding that converts to 
Christianity and Islam enjoy the same access to ``reservations'' as 
other dalits. The case was appealed to the supreme court, which had not 
ruled by the end of the period covered by this report.
    On January 4, 2006, the supreme court upheld an earlier high court 
decision to provide a five percent quota for Muslims in education and 
government jobs in Andra Pradesh. The new ``reservations'' increased 
the number of reserved jobs and positions in educational institutions 
to 51 percent and excluded Muslims who had already benefited from 
``reservations'' or who were successful in their own right. Previously, 
the state had added Muslims to its list of backward classes, which 
included castes and classes not included in the constitution that, 
while not subject to systematic caste discrimination, have less social 
mobility and economic advantages than other castes. This category 
included former untouchables who converted from Hinduism to other 
religions, nomads, and tribes people.
    Although the constitution specifies that the Buddhist, Jain, and 
Sikh faiths are different from the Hindu religion, interpretations by 
Hindu nationalist groups have defined them as Hindu sects. Such 
interpretations have been contentious, particularly for the Sikh 
community, many of whose leaders viewed Sikhism as a unique religion, 
distinct from Hinduism. Sikhs have sought a separately codified body of 
law to recognize this distinction legally and preclude ambiguity. The 
supreme court rejected the inclusion of Jains under the NCM Act, 
stating that the practice of adding new religious groups as minorities 
should be discouraged, although the NCM in May 2006 stated again that 
Jains and Kashmiri Pandits should be accorded minority status. The 
court decreed that increasing social divisions along religious lines 
would be detrimental, and the country, which was already heavily 
stratified by class, should attempt to move away from such separation.
    There are different personal status laws for the various minority 
religious communities, and the legal system accommodates religion-
specific laws in matters of marriage, divorce, adoption, and 
inheritance. Muslim personal status law governs many non-criminal 
matters, including family law and inheritance.
    On May 2, 2005, in response to concerns about the improper use of 
the triple talaq (the ability of a husband to divorce his wife by 
repeating, ``I divorce thee'' three times), the All-India Muslim 
Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) adopted new talaq guidelines, stating that 
men should use a reversible single talaq followed by a three-month 
waiting period known as the iddat. The guidelines also call for the 
husband to pay compensation to the wife's family in case of divorce, 
equality in property rights, protection against physical and emotional 
abuse of wives by their husbands, and assurances that remarried women 
will be able to maintain contact with their families.
    In April 2006, the supreme court overruled a fatwa (decree) issued 
by local clerics which demanded that, against their will, a couple live 
separately after an inebriated husband gave talaq to his wife. The 
Jamiat ul Ulema (religious leaders) threatened to excommunicate the 
couple if they remained together, and criticized the supreme court for 
hurting Muslim religious sentiments after it intervened in the case.
    The AIMPLB asserted that fatwas are only opinions and therefore are 
not binding on any person in an attempt to convince the supreme court 
that a legal prohibition against the issuance of fatwas was not 
necessary.
    The Indian Divorce Act of 2001 limits inheritance, alimony 
payments, and property ownership of persons from interfaith marriages 
and prohibits their use of churches to celebrate marriage ceremonies in 
which one party is a non-Christian. Clergymen who contravene its 
provisions could face up to ten years' imprisonment. However, the act 
does not bar interfaith marriages in other places of worship.
    The Government permits private religious schools, but does not 
permit religious instruction in government schools. The supreme court 
ruled that the Government can prescribe merit-based admission for 
religious colleges that receive public funding, while those that do not 
may use their own criteria, including religious affiliation.
    Many Hindu sects have established their own schools, although they 
did not receive aid from the state. Most Islamic madrassahs did not 
accept government aid, alleging that it would subject them to stringent 
security clearance requirements.
    In 2003, the West Bengal Government brought the undergraduate and 
post-graduate sections of madrassahs under the higher education 
department of the state while promising to extend college status to the 
Calcutta Madrassah. The Government also decreed that the state's Public 
Service Commission would hire madrassah teachers and introduced new 
subjects like economics, computer science, and political science into 
their curriculum.
    In the country, school textbooks were published by the Government's 
National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) and were 
uniformly used in government and private schools and printed in various 
languages. In March 2005, the Government released new NCERT textbooks 
which they asserted were more accurate and restored the secular 
character of education.
    In June 2004, an NCERT panel reviewed forty-seven new textbooks 
prepared by the Directorate of Education in Delhi and determined that 
they had poor content, shoddy presentation, and significant amounts of 
irrelevant information. It recommended that the books not be introduced 
until the defects were corrected, which, according to NCERT, would be 
ready by the 2007-2008 academic year. NCERT, upon a recommendation from 
the NCM, also withdrew four textbooks during the year for ``factual 
distortions.''
    In July 2005, the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) 
released a report on textbooks used in schools that did not follow the 
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus and were not 
approved by NCERT. The report stated that some textbooks used in 
private schools affiliated with religious bodies propagated a narrow, 
often communal view of the world. In October 2005, the Human Resource 
Development Ministry proposed the creation of a National Textbook 
Council to monitor school textbooks produced outside of the NCERT 
system. By the end of the reporting period, the council had not been 
formed.
    On December 16, 2004, parliament passed a bill creating the 
National Commission for Minority Education Institutions to resolve 
disputes involving allegations of discrimination against minority 
schools. In March 28, 2006, a legislative act empowered the commission 
to investigate complaints regarding violations of minority rights, 
including the right to establish and administer educational 
institutions.
    The Government maintained a list of banned books that may not be 
imported or sold in the country because they contain material that 
governmental censors deem inflammatory and could provoke communal or 
religious tensions. In March and April 2006, the Rajasthan Government 
banned the books ``Haqeeqat'' (The Truth) and ``Ve Sharm Se Hindu 
Kahate Hain Kyon?'' (Why do they say with shame they are Hindus?) 
because they disparaged Hinduism.
    In September 2005, the Calcutta High Court lifted the ban on 
``Split in Two'' in response to a petition by the Association for 
Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR).
    The board continued to refuse a censor certificate to the film 
``Chand Buz Gaya,'' featuring a character resembling controversial 
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
    The major holy days of the country's major religious groups are 
considered national holidays, including Good Friday and Christmas 
(Christian); the two Eids (Muslim); Lord Buddha's birthday (Buddhist); 
Guru Nanak's Birthday (Sikh); Dussehra, Diwali and Holi (Hindu); and 
the Birthday of Lord Mahavir (Jain).
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    No religious organizations were banned under UAPA during the 
reporting period. The Government renewed the ban on the Student Islamic 
Movement of India in February 2006 for the third time. In 2001, the 
Government banned the Muslim group Deendar Anjuman for ``fomenting 
communal tension'' and actions ``prejudicial to India's security.'' In 
2003, the Government extended the ban for another two years, and in 
2005, extended it until 2007.
    In April 2006, the Government of Gujarat refused to renew the 
service contract of five Catholic nuns, whose order had been caring for 
lepers in a government hospital for fifty-seven years.
    Legislation in West Bengal requires a district magistrate's 
permission before construction of a place of worship. Anyone intending 
to convert a personal place of worship into a public one is also 
required to obtain the district magistrate's permission.
    Unlike in previous years, there were no reports of widespread 
distribution of trishuls, a Hindu symbol that was sometimes used to 
intimidate non-Hindus. In May 2005, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and 
Bajrang Dal handed out approximately 500 trishuls at a ceremony in 
Nimapara, Orissa.
    In 2005, the Kerala Bar Council's Enrollment Committee denied 
membership to two nuns and a priest, arguing that it could not grant 
membership to those in religious vocations. The Kerala High Court ruled 
against the committee on November 7, 2005, stating that religious 
vocation could not disqualify an individual from practicing law.
    The Congress Party of Assam set aside thirty-four state assembly 
tickets for Muslim candidates during the period covered by this report. 
In January 2005, the Assam Congress Minority Cell demanded that the 
party allot at least three additional tickets to Christian candidates. 
Christians comprised 4 percent of Assam's population and had no 
``reservations.''
    In 2003, the Tamil Nadu Government ordered the Christian Medical 
College of Vellore to accept government-sponsored candidates into 40 
percent of its school seats, in violation of constitutional guarantees 
given to unaided minority institutions. The supreme court, while 
permitting the hospital to follow its prior admission policy, directed 
the Government of Tamil Nadu to form a committee to look into the 
question of admission procedures followed by privately funded minority 
education institutions. In 2004, the state government constituted a 
committee, but the supreme court had not issued a verdict by the end of 
the reporting period.
    In January 2005, the Gujarat Charity Commissioner sent letters 
mainly to Christian faith-based charities asking for their financial 
statements from the preceding ten years, claiming that he was acting at 
the behest of the Government of Gujarat. The law governing charities 
only requires the submission of annual reports. Most charities objected 
to the measure and were excused.
    Unlike in previous years, the Gujarat police conducted no illegal 
surveys of Christians during the period covered by this report.
    During the period covered by this report, press reports documented 
the activities of Christian missionaries who entered on tourist visas 
and illegally proselytized. Their activities led to a public outcry and 
calls for the Government to enforce existing laws more rigidly. U.S. 
citizens accused of religious preaching while visiting the country as 
tourists were expelled and faced difficulties obtaining permission to 
return for up to a decade after the event.
    On June 11, 2005, residents of a slum in a Mumbai suburb assaulted 
four missionaries leading a vacation Bible school. The four departed 
the country on June 12. No formal charges were filed for the assault or 
against the missionaries for violating the FCRA. On June 13, four other 
missionaries with tourist rather than missionary visas were deported 
for conducting religious activities.
    On October 18, 2005, the Times of India reported that a mob 
attacked two Americans in the Antantnag district of Kashmir who were 
preaching Christianity. Police intervened and rescued them.
    Workers from Christian relief organizations continued to report 
that bureaucratic obstacles prevented them from renewing their visas.
    Missionaries and foreign religious organizations must comply with 
the FCRA, which limits overseas assistance to certain NGOs, including 
ones with religious affiliations. There were no reports of religious-
based relief operations related to the 2004 tsunami being hampered by 
the requirement.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    While the National Government has not been implicated in abuses of 
religious freedom, human rights activists criticized it for alleged 
indifference and inaction in the face of abuses committed by state and 
local authorities and private citizens. Weak enforcement of laws 
protecting religious freedom was partly due to an overburdened, 
outmoded, and corrupt judiciary. The legal system had many years of 
backlog, and all but the most prominent cases moved slowly.
    A federal system in which state governments have jurisdiction over 
law and order within their borders contributed to the National 
Government's ineffectiveness in combating religiously based violence 
directly. The only national law enforcement agency, the CBI, is 
required to secure state government permission before investigating a 
crime in the affected state. States often delayed or refused to grant 
such permission.
    Although discrimination based on caste is officially illegal, it 
remained ubiquitous, stratifying almost every segment of society. Many 
members of lower castes were relegated to the most menial of jobs and 
had little social mobility, although a segment of the lower castes had 
achieved success in many fields of endeavor. Some dalits and other low 
caste members converted in an attempt to escape caste-based 
discrimination.
    In October 2004, Amnesty International (AI) called for the 
perpetrators of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence that occurred after the 
assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh 
bodyguards to be brought to justice. AI stated that only a small 
minority of police officers responsible for the 1984 human rights 
violations had been prosecuted.
    In 2004, persons involved in the 1984 riots were sentenced to three 
years' imprisonment for looting. In May 2005, a Delhi court sentenced 
five individuals to life imprisonment for murder and, also in May, the 
Delhi High Court ruled that the Government was liable for its failure 
to ``protect the life and liberty of its citizens'' and must pay $2,860 
(123,000 INR) to all persons injured during the riots, an increase from 
the previous amount of $46 (2,000 INR) per victim. In another riot-
related case which had not come to trial by the end of reporting 
period, on June 28, 2005, a Delhi city court charged five men for 
stabbing a Sikh policeman, his son, and another relative.
    The Nanavati commission, tasked with conducting a re-inquiry into 
the massacre, released its report in August 2005. It cited several 
prominent Congress party leaders for complicity in the violence and 
highlighted law enforcement culpability in the deaths due to a 
deliberate lack of action. It noted that only one policeman was 
convicted for committing atrocities during the riots. Minister Jagdish 
Tytler and Member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar were indicted in the 
report. Tytler resigned from parliament and Kumar resigned from the 
Delhi Rural Development Board after its release, but at year's end no 
formal punishment resulted from the report. The Government set up two 
committees to provide compensation to the victims' families. However, 
during the reporting period, the NCM criticized the Government for 
failure to open cases against Tytler, Kumar, or any police officers on 
duty during the riots.
    The Home Ministry reported that a communal riot, which took place 
between May and October 2005 in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, left seven persons 
dead and thirty-six injured, including eight police officers. On 
October 17, 2005, the Uttar Pradesh Government convened a three-member 
committee to determine the cause of the riots. On October 19, 2005, the 
police filed charges against BJP politicians Mukhtar Ansari and Ramji 
Singh for inciting communal discord. The Government instituted a curfew 
on the town and directed paramilitary forces to the area to stop the 
violence. On November 20, 2005, the committee reported that BJP Member 
of Parliament Yogi Adityanath had a role in instigating the communal 
clashes, but no charges were filed against him by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    Outbreaks of politically-manipulated religious tension in Uttar 
Pradesh and Vadodara, Gujarat, in early 2006 did not spread after 
police and state authorities took timely steps to end the violence and 
curb mob actions.
    In April 2006, communal clashes between Hindu and Muslim residents 
of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, stemming from the use of loudspeakers during 
a religious festival resulted in two deaths and eight injuries. An NCM 
investigation determined that the Uttar Pradesh administration 
initially did not take appropriate steps to prevent the violence. The 
police have launched a judicial inquiry.
    On May 1, 2006, despite the Muslim community's request that 
authorities preserve a 300-year-old shrine in Vadodara, Gujarat, and 
declare it a heritage site, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation 
demolished the shrine, alleging that it obstructed traffic. While 
attempting to disperse a mob that had gathered to protest the 
demolition, the Gujarat police killed two Muslims. In reaction, members 
of the Muslim community threw stones and set four shops on fire. On May 
1, 2006, the Home Ministry asked the Gujarat Government to control the 
situation, and deployed paramilitary forces to assist local security 
personnel. On May 3, 2006, the Government applied a curfew and deployed 
the army. The NCM urged the state government to ascertain if police 
firing was unavoidable and if the decision to destroy the shrine was 
justified. The media reported that six persons were killed and forty-
two injured, sixteen as a result of police fire, and that on May 3, 
2006, a crowd defying the curfew killed a Muslim man by setting him on 
fire.
    In February 2005, activists from the Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal 
attacked and beat a group of Christians in Kota, Rajasthan, while 
attending a Christian graduation ceremony, and subsequently set up 
checkpoints to harass Christians attempting to leave by bus. The 
victims claimed that the local government sided with the attackers, and 
allowed assaults against 275 persons. The district government stated it 
ended the harassment and arrested thirty-seven Bajrang Dal members. A 
two-person NCM team investigated the incident and negotiated a peace 
agreement.
    In February 2006, members of the Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena forced 
their way into a church belonging to Emmanuel Ministries International 
(EMI), a Christian charitable institution, in Kota, Rajasthan, and 
burned an effigy of its founder on the rooftop. Local Hindus alleged 
that EMI used monetary inducements and charity to encourage conversions 
and distributed the book, ``Haqeeqat,'' (The Truth) to denigrate 
Hinduism. Hindu nationalists in Rajasthan publicized the alleged 
connection between EMI, the offensive book, and conversions, and 
pressed for anti-conversion legislation in the state assembly.
    EMI officials asserted that, while their library had a copy of 
Haqeeqat, they did not condone its offensive message and have since 
removed the book. Numerous sources in Rajasthan contradicted EMI's 
claim regarding the book and asserted that EMI deliberately distributed 
it widely. Authorities held EMI President Samuel Thomas in judicial 
custody from March 17 to May 2, 2006, when he was released on bail, 
under a law that criminalizes hurting the religious sentiments of any 
religion. Thomas was later charged with sedition on May 14, 2006, for 
the use of a map on an EMI affiliated website that did not include 
Jammu and Kashmir as part of the country. EMI asserted that the charges 
constituted ongoing harassment by the state government.
    In February 2006, the Rajasthan state Government froze all EMI 
assets, citing the group for its failure to properly file its tax 
documents. However, on June 26, 2006, the Jaipur High Court overturned 
the state government's actions and ruled that all EMI bank accounts be 
opened. Human rights groups noted that such tax errors were 
commonplace.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 15, 2006, in Kasa, 
Maharashtra, policemen verbally and physically abused four tribal 
Christians who tried to follow up on a First Information Report (FIR) 
lodged on June 8, 2006. The FIR alleged that members of the local 
Tribal Welfare Committee assaulted Christians. Subsequently, the four 
were charged with breach of the peace. Following a complaint by a human 
rights organization, a police inquiry into the case was ordered, 
resulting in the removal of one police officer. No further action had 
been taken by the end of the period covered by this report.
    Religious press outlets reported that on April 16, 2006, in 
Bathinda, Punjab, a group of approximately five Hindu extremists led by 
the RSS broke up an Easter Day event at the home of a member of the 
``House of Prayer,'' an independent Christian denomination, warning its 
members not to hold further meetings and vandalizing some of the 
property. When the pastor attempted to register a FIR, the Senior 
Superintendent of Police (SSP) reprimanded him for his Christian 
activities and told him that he required permission from the district 
magistrate to hold this event. On May 4, 2006, after Delhi All-India 
Christian Council (AICC) leaders contacted the superintendent, he 
recanted and permitted the services. Two Shiv Sena members and another 
man were arrested for the raid, but were released the same day.
    In the Balmikinagar jungles bordering Nepal, police and the RSS 
accused missionaries and Oraon tribal Christians of ``links'' with the 
Maoist Communist Center (MCC). As a result, in June 2005, police 
detained and questioned two priests regarding alleged MCC ties, while 
ordering others to leave the area. During the previous reporting 
period, police detained more than one hundred Oraon tribespeople, 
expelling a number of them from the area. There were no reports of 
further detentions during the year.
    There was continued concern about the failure of the Gujarat 
Government to arrest and convict those responsible for the widespread 
communal violence in 2002 following the burning in Godhra of the 
Sabarmati Express train, in which fifty-nine men, women, and children 
died. Home Ministry figures released in May 2005 indicated that, in the 
days following the train burning, 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were 
killed, and 2,500 others were injured. Some NGOs maintained the number 
of Muslims killed was higher than official estimates, with figures 
ranging anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 dead. There were also reports that 
Muslim women were subjected to rape, gang rape, and molestation. 
Reportedly, approximately 10 thousand families continued to be 
internally displaced and government-provided services remained 
inadequate.
    In March 2006, a government-established commission headed by 
Justice Banerjee determined that the train fire was an accident rather 
than a criminal conspiracy, as alleged by the Government of Gujarat. 
The report categorically ruled out a Muslim conspiracy, noting that 
local Muslims helped douse the fire. The commission also reported that 
the then railway minister and the Railway Safety Commission failed to 
adequately investigate the possibility that the fire was accidental. 
The Gujarat Government rejected the report, and the VHP accused the 
Banerjee Commission of political bias. Legal challenges to the 
commission still pending in the Gujarat High Court have prevented the 
release of its report to parliament.
    The Government of Gujarat established the Nanavati-Shah judicial 
commission to investigate the train fire and the subsequent violence, 
but the supreme court stayed its report in May and by the end of the 
period covered by this report, the report had not been made public.
    In February 2006, in response to a supreme court inquiry, the state 
government ordered the reopening of 1,242 of 2,108 cases that the 
Government had dropped because it could not substantiate the charges. 
The Gujarat police pledged to reinvestigate 1,600 cases. The total 
number of cases registered in connection with the Gujarat violence was 
4,256.
    According to the Gujarat police chief, the Gujarat police 
registered 13 new riot-related cases and arrested 640 accused between 
August 2004 and February 2006. However, accused individuals were 
acquitted in several more cases during the reporting period because of 
lack of evidence or changes in testimony.
    In 2005, the Government of Gujarat established ``fast track'' 
courts to overcome delays and ensure access to justice for riot 
victims, resulting in some convictions. On October 24, 2005, five 
persons were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Muslim 
youth in Halol and for the murder of eleven Muslims in the Panchmahal 
district of Gujarat during the riot period. Others were sentenced to 
three years' imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of $11 (500 INR) 
each. A local court acquitted 107 of 113 persons arrested for killing 2 
Muslims in the post-Godhra riots and, in February 2006, a local court 
indicted 39 police officers for riot-related conduct.
    In April 2004, the supreme court ordered the retrial of the Bilkis 
Bano case and Best Bakery case in Mumbai courts outside the purview of 
the Government of Gujarat. It also stayed the trial of ten other major 
cases until the two retrials were completed. There were no developments 
in the Bilkis Bano case during the period covered by this report and on 
February 24, 2006, a special court in Mumbai convicted nine persons of 
the murder of fourteen Muslims in the Best Bakery case and sentenced 
them to life in prison. The court acquitted another eight accused in 
connection with the case.
    Many human rights groups continued to argue that, despite the Best 
Bakery verdict, those responsible for the 2002 Gujarat violence would 
go unpunished.
    On June 22, 2005, Central POTA Review Committee recommended that 
POTA charges be dropped against many Muslims in connection with the 
Gujarat violence due to insufficient evidence; however, at the end of 
the reporting period the charges were still in effect.
    Unlike in previous years, there were no reports of intimidation and 
harassment of witnesses during the reporting period.
    In March 2005, Gujarat police detained at least 400 persons to 
prevent Hindu-Muslim clashes during the Shi'ite Muslim day of mourning 
(Muharram); the same month, Muslims called off a Muharram procession in 
Vadodara to prevent potential clashes with Hindus. No updates on these 
events were available during the reporting period.
    Since an organized insurgency erupted in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989, 
there have been numerous reports of human rights abuses by security 
forces and local officials, including execution-style killings, 
beatings, rapes, and other physical abuse. Terrorist groups have also 
perpetrated atrocities against civilians, including car bombings, 
forced housing of terrorists, executions, and sexual assaults. 
Retaliatory killings by terrorists were also common. Terrorists have 
also routinely targeted and killed minority Hindu members of the Pandit 
(Hindu Brahmin) community since 1989, resulting in their mass exodus 
from Kashmir to refugee camps in Jammu or other parts of the country. 
On April 30 and May 1, 2006, terrorists rounded up and shot thirty-five 
Hindu residents of remote Jammu villages. The executions were allegedly 
punishment for the villagers' participation in the April 24, 2006, 
state assembly elections.
    Government forces denied allegations of excessive use of force and 
asserted that they targeted persons not on the basis of religion but of 
involvement in terrorist activity or suspicion of terrorist links. For 
their part, terrorists killed and otherwise attacked hundreds of Hindu 
and Muslim civilians, including Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus, during the 
period covered by this report.
    It remained difficult to separate religion and politics in Kashmir; 
Kashmiri separatists were predominantly Muslim, and almost all the 
higher ranks as well as most of the lower ranks in the Indian military 
forces stationed there were non-Muslim. The vast majority of the Jammu 
and Kashmir police force of 61 thousand was Muslim. Kashmiri Hindus 
remained vulnerable to violence. Most lived in refugee camps outside of 
the valley awaiting safe return. In 2003, for the first time in 
fourteen years, the Jammu and Kashmir Government allowed a procession 
of separatist groups to mark the anniversary of the Birth of the 
Prophet Muhammad. It was held again in May 2004 and 2005.
Forced Religious Conversion
    Four states have laws in place banning forced religious conversion. 
Three other states have inactive laws or bills that await accompanying 
regulations before they can be enforced. Some NGOs claimed state 
governments used these laws to restrict voluntary conversions and to 
harass religious minorities. The issue of conversion, especially to 
Christianity, was highly contentious in the country. Hindu nationalist 
organizations frequently alleged that Christian missionaries lured 
Hindus, particularly from lower castes, with offers of free education 
and healthcare and equated such actions with forced conversions. 
Christians denied this, responding that low-caste Hindus convert of 
their own free will and that efforts by Hindu groups to ``re-convert'' 
these new Christians to Hinduism were themselves coercive. Arrests 
under these laws occurred during the reporting period in several 
states. All arrested were Christians. The Christian community contended 
that the anti-conversion laws were applied in a discriminatory manner 
and only enforced when a person converted from Hinduism to another 
religion.
    Religious press outlets reported that, in August 2004, Pastor Subas 
Samal and an associate were arrested under Orissa's anti-conversion law 
and spent six weeks in jail after leading a group of Christians in 
Orissa back to their village, from which they had been expelled by 
their non-Christian neighbors. The pastor claimed he had attempted to 
end the conflict and had never forced anyone to convert.
    In February 2005, the NCM urged the Governments of Rajasthan and 
Maharashtra to immediately stop forced reconversions of Christians and 
to protect Christians and their property. The action was in response to 
an attack on Christians in Kota and calls by ``Hindutva'' supporters 
for a social boycott against Christians who refused to reconvert.
    On May 1, 2005, the press reported that the VHP in Bargarh, Orissa, 
reconverted 567 Christians. The reconverted reportedly had signed 
affidavits declaring their intention to change their faith in keeping 
with the provisions of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act. A Christian 
community leader in Orissa asserted that the reconversion was not 
genuine and was staged by the VHP to keep the communal issue alive. 
Religious press reported that approximately 600 Christian dalit 
tribespeople converted to Hinduism in Bijepur, Orissa, due to VHP 
pressure.
    On May 14, 2005, four Christian missionaries were arrested in 
Brajarajnagar, Orissa, and charged with forced conversion. They accused 
the missionaries of using offers of financial assistance to propagate 
Christianity. The missionaries had not received permission to perform 
conversions in the area, but were released the following day.
    Religious press outlets reported that on July 10, 2005, police 
detained thirty-five members of the Gosner Evangelical Lutheran Church 
in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, for performing forced conversions. All were 
released on July 11, 2005, but a FIR was filed against two women.
    Religious press outlets reported that on July 19, 2005, police 
arrested a Christian couple under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of 
Religion Act (MPFRA) after their neighbors accused them of engaging in 
``fraudulent conversion'' activities. They released the couple on bail 
within twenty-four hours and were awaiting trial at the end of the 
period covered by this report. On August 21, 2005, a mob targeting the 
couple injured approximately ten persons, including women and a two-
year-old child.
    Religious press outlets reported that on September 26, 2005, the 
pastor and eight members of a church in Durg, Chhattisgarh, were 
convicted of fraudulent conversion activities for offering money to 
Hindus willing to convert.
    Religious press outlets reported that on October 11, 2005, police 
arrested Sunny John under MPFRA for allegedly engaging in fraudulent 
conversions of children from poor Hindu families. John, who runs three 
schools, was accused of converting eleven children between the ages of 
five and ten.
    Religious press outlets reported that on October 15, 2005, Hindu 
extremists attacked the annual convention of a church in Raipur, 
Chhattisgarh, alleging that the organizers had kidnapped tribespeople 
for conversion. Police interrogated the tribespeople, who denied the 
reports. Police did not press charges.
    Religious press outlets reported that on November 18, 2005, police 
arrested Pastor Masih Das Rai under the Freedom of Religion Act for 
performing forcible conversions in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Members of a 
Hindu extremist group attacked the pastor and twelve members of his 
church prior to the arrest. Despite two applications for bail, Pastor 
Rai remained in police custody at the end of the period covered by this 
report.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 16, 2006, 
approximately fifteen Hindu extremists attacked Pastor Kulamani 
Mallick, his wife, and child, and set fire to their home in Matiapada, 
Orissa. The extremists beat other Christians in the village and 
destroyed seven houses, six of which belonged to Christians. Pastor 
Mallick and his cousin were subsequently arrested under the Orissa 
Freedom of Religion Act. Five men were charged with starting the fires 
and destroying property.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 24, 2006, a group 
of up to 200 Hindu extremists assaulted Pastor Ram Prakash and a number 
of others for allegedly converting local persons to Christianity in 
Ramchandrapur, Uttar Pradesh. Prakash was arrested when he called the 
police to report the attack. Reportedly, he was beaten while in police 
custody. Prakash was released on bail, but was rearrested for 
encouraging communal tension.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 26, 2006, police 
arrested three Christian leaders belonging to the Church of the 
Nazarene in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, under MPFRA, and charged them 
with forced conversion of tribespeople. According to an NGO, the 
arrests were based on the affidavits of twenty-three non-Christian 
tribespeople asserting that they were forced by the leaders to attend a 
Christian convention. The NGO contended that the affidavits were 
themselves coerced by the police.
    Religious press outlets reported that on March 17, 2006, a group of 
men interrupted a prayer meeting in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, 
reportedly questioning the participants, injuring six and ``sexually 
molesting'' female trainees. The attackers were also alleged to have 
destroyed Bibles and damaged property. Police detained five attackers, 
who were later released on bail, and registered a case against the 
sponsor under MPFRA.
    Religious press outlets reported that on April 5, 2006, in Naudara 
Bridge, Madhya Pradesh, a Methodist high school was attacked by 
extremists who accused the staff of forced conversions after a former 
teacher filed a case of forcible conversion against three staff 
members. The Madhya Pradesh State Minorities Commission determined the 
accusation to be false.
    Religious press outlets reported that on April 7, 2006, in 
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, extremists beat approximately twenty-five 
Christians protesting the arrest of seven Christians under MPFRA. The 
attackers reportedly injured at least seven Christians while police 
watched. No action was taken against the perpetrators.
    The AICC reported on April 20, 2006, that police arrested two 
Christian women for attempting to convert persons in the Jabalpur 
district of Madhya Pradesh. The local superintendent of police alleged 
that the two women were distributing material urging Hindus to follow 
the Bible. The Christian press also reported that on April 18, 2006, 
police arrested Avinash Lal, an independent Pentecostal pastor, and six 
other Christian leaders in the same Madhya Pradesh district for 
conversion by allurement and conducting illegal religious gatherings.
    Religious press outlets reported that on May 1, 2006, in Gwarighat, 
Madhya Pradesh, police arrested a social worker, Sunil Kumar Rao, of 
forcibly converting children to Christianity in violation of the state 
anti-conversion law. He was released on bail.
    Religious press outlets reported that on May 2, 2006, in Jabalpur, 
Madhya Pradesh, assailants attacked Pastor Andreas Soni, a Pentecostal 
pastor, as he distributed Christian literature. Subsequently, the 
police arrested him under the state anti-conversion law. He was later 
released on bail.
    Religious press outlets reported that on May 14, 2006, in Gaur 
Nadi, Madhya Pradesh, approximately fifty members of the Dharam Jagran 
Sena attacked a church, beat a church member who had just converted to 
Christianity, assaulted the pastor, and ordered him to stop converting 
persons to Christianity. The attackers accused the church of 
undertaking forcible conversions and filed a formal complaint against 
the pastor at the police station. He was detained under MPFRA and was 
released after local Christians paid his bail fee.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 18, 2006, in Kosa 
Nala, Chhattisgarh, approximately twenty-five members of the Dharam 
Jagran Sena raided the Hosanna Church during a service and physically 
assaulted Pastor David Raj and his wife. The assailants then took the 
pastor to the police station where police detained him and arrested his 
wife, charging them with forced conversions. The couple was released on 
bail but had to report regularly to the police for the duration of 
their case, which was still pending by the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 25, 2006, in 
Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, a large mob threatened four Missionaries of 
Charity nuns distributing food to impoverished patients at the Ruya 
Hospital and accused them of converting persons to Christianity. Police 
subsequently arrested the four nuns and released them after several 
hours at the behest of the local diocesan bishop. A case was registered 
against those who threatened the nuns.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    Throughout the period covered by this report, Jammu and Kashmir 
continued to be a focus of terrorist violence. Terrorist adherents to a 
violent strain of Islam committed atrocities against Hindus and other 
Muslims, and security forces used targeted but at times excessive force 
to suppress them, with civilians frequently the main victims. The 
deaths of suspected terrorists, almost all of whom were Muslim, 
occurred frequently in police custody, although the government of Chief 
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was working to improve human rights 
practices. Islamist terrorists forced the overwhelming majority of 
Hindu Kashmiri Pandits to flee their ancestral homes in the Kashmir 
Valley in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although 6,000 Pandits 
remained, more than several hundred thousand have left since violence 
against Hindus began in Jammu and Kashmir in the late 1980s. During the 
conflict, terrorists demolished ancient Hindu temples, destroyed 
religious artifacts, and desecrated Hindu religious sites throughout 
the Kashmir valley.
    In May 2005, terrorists threw grenades at a Christian school in 
Srinagar, killing two women and wounding sixty persons, including 
twenty-five children.
    On May 22, 2005, militants detonated bombs at two movie theaters in 
New Delhi, killing one and injuring sixty during the screening of the 
Hindi film Jo Bole So Nihal. Sikh groups objected to the film, stating 
that it negatively portrayed members of their religion. On May 31, 
2005, police announced the arrest of two Sikhs in Punjab on suspicion 
of carrying out the attacks. Police reported that the two men were 
members of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist group.
    On July 5, 2005, suspected Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LET) terrorists 
attacked a makeshift Hindu temple erected amidst the ruins of the Babri 
Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Indian security forces protecting the 
site killed all the attackers.
    Terrorists bombed the Jama Masjid, the country's largest mosque 
located in Old Delhi, injuring approximately a dozen persons in two 
explosions that took place in quick succession on April 16, 2006. No 
group claimed responsibility.
    LET terrorists killed at least thirty-five Hindus on April 30 and 
May 1, 2006, in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorists struck two remote Hindu-
dominated mountain villages in Doda district, some 100 miles northeast 
of Jammu, and shot and killed twenty-two Hindus. On the same day, the 
bodies of nine Hindus were recovered from neighboring Udhampur 
district. Police stated the dead were Hindu cattle herders reportedly 
kidnapped by suspected terrorists on April 30, 2006.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    During the reporting period, the UPA introduced legislation that 
would give New Delhi the power to intervene in states in which the 
Government refuses to take strong measures to end communal outbreaks. 
The UPA also acted to increase the powers of the human rights 
commission to investigate abuse cases.
    The Government acted forcibly to prosecute those responsible for 
the Godhra attacks and win proper compensation for the victims of the 
Delhi anti-Sikh riots.
    After the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the prime minister and others 
deliberately stated that it was not a case of ``Muslim terrorism,'' 
told the nation to respect and protect innocent Muslims, and praised 
Muslims for their patriotism.
    The Government acted systematically to remove ``tainted'' textbooks 
with communal bias from schools and introduce secular, more objective 
textbooks that seriously examine atrocities committed against 
minorities in the country.
    In Rajasthan, opposition parties marched with Christians and 
Muslims to protest the BJP-sponsored anti-conversion bill, and the 
Government condemned it.
    Speeches by the prime minister and some state government officials 
promoted communal harmony and the Government drafted a model 
comprehensive law to deal with communal violence, appointed activists 
to high-level positions responsible for minority concerns, created a 
Commission for Minority Educational Institutions to improve minority 
access to education, established a national commission to determine 
effective ways to improve the social welfare of religious minorities, 
and created a new Ministry for Minority affairs.
    The UPA Government continued efforts to make statements and 
implement campaign promises to improve religious tolerance.
    The NHRC and NCM continued to promote freedom of religion during 
the period covered by this report. Through their annual reports and 
investigations, they focused attention on human rights problems and, 
where possible, encouraged judicial resolutions.
    In September 2005, the NCM convened a meeting between prominent 
Hindu and Muslim leaders to promote communal harmony and deepen 
understanding and trust among their communities.
    The NHRC also directed the Gujarat state Government to entrust the 
investigation of certain Gujarat cases to the CBI, to support NGOs 
working on behalf of religious minorities and to reform the police.
    On May 19, 2005, the Orissa High Court commuted Dara Singh's death 
sentence to life imprisonment, upheld the life sentence decision for 
one of his accomplices, Mahendra Hembram, and acquitted the other 
eleven defendants in the case of the killing of Australian missionary 
Graham Staines and his two minor sons. Singh has been charged with 
three other murders and continued to face trial in those cases. In 
October 2005, the supreme court accepted an appeal by Dara Singh 
against his conviction and life sentence, and also accepted the CBI's 
appeal seeking capital punishment. The supreme court had not heard 
either appeal by the end of the period covered by this report.
    In August 2005, the Government of Maharashtra amended its 2000 
State Minorities Commission Bill to stipulate that the commission 
present its annual report to the state parliament and required 
parliament to report on actions taken as a result of the commission's 
findings.
    In response to the communal violence in Vadodara, the supreme court 
on May 4, 2006, overturned a Gujarat High Court order directing all 
municipal corporations in the state to demolish places of religious 
worship that were obstructing roads. The supreme court's order stopped 
the ongoing demolitions in Vadodara in order to prevent the destruction 
of other mosques and the resulting communal friction. The supreme court 
argued that the Gujarat court had directed the police and other 
authorities ``to take immediate steps to remove encroachments by 
religious structures on public space without discrimination, and submit 
their reports.'' The Government also noted that the removal of 
religious structures was intrinsically sensitive, and must be subjected 
to scrutiny and classification before demolition.
    Journalists and numerous NGOs noted that the Government's response 
to the Vadodara violence was much improved over its 2002 post-Godhra 
reaction. Journalists noted that the Gujarat Government quickly 
appealed for peace and local BJP leaders did not make provocative 
statements as they did in 2002.
    On August 11, 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued an apology 
in parliament to the Sikh community as well as the nation for the 
massacre of an estimated 2,700 Sikhs during the 1984 riots following 
then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. Singh's apology 
followed the resignation of two Congress party leaders from public 
offices after being indicted by an official commission that probed the 
anti-Sikh riots that occurred twenty-one years ago.
    The NHRC on May 15, 2006, ordered the Punjab Government to disburse 
a monetary relief of $5,700 (250 thousand INR) each to the next of kin 
of forty-five persons whom the state government admitted were in police 
custody immediately before they were killed and illegally cremated. The 
Government, with the assistance of relatives and NGOs, identified 1,296 
illegally cremated bodies.
    The cabinet, on June 24, 2006, approved a new fifteen-point program 
to prevent and control communal incidents and take care of minorities' 
welfare and funded programs for minorities. The revised program is also 
designed to prevent communal riots, facilitate prosecution of communal 
offences, and help rehabilitate riot victims.
    The Government acted to implement a National Action Plan for Human 
Rights Education, adopted in 2005, to promote awareness of human 
rights. Specific target groups include schools, colleges and 
universities, government officials, the armed forces, prison officials 
and law officers. The Ministry of Home Affairs held five seminars at 
Chennai, Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bhopal, which were attended by a 
large number of NGOs working in the field of human rights police 
officers and civil servants. The Government also introduced human 
rights courses as a part of the training curriculum for the Border 
Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Police Academy, 
and Police Training Colleges.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Despite incidents of violence and discrimination during the period 
covered by this report, relations between various religious groups 
generally were amicable among the substantial majority of citizens. 
Efforts at ecumenical understanding brought religious leaders together 
to defuse religious tensions. Prominent secularists of all religious 
groups made public efforts to show respect for other religious groups 
by celebrating their holidays and attending social events such as 
weddings. Muslim groups protested against the mistreatment of 
Christians by Hindu extremists. Christian clergy and spokespersons for 
Christian organizations issued public statements condemning anti-Muslim 
violence in places such as Gujarat.
    However, animosities within and between religious communities have 
roots that are centuries old, and these tensions, exacerbated by 
poverty, class, and ethnic differences, erupted into periodic violence. 
The Government made some effort, not always successfully, to prevent 
these incidents and to restore communal harmony; however, tensions 
between Hindus and Muslims and between Hindus and Christians continued 
to pose a challenge to the concepts of secularism, tolerance, and 
diversity on which the country was founded.
    The Home Ministry reported that during 2005, ``the communal 
situation in the country, by and large, remained under control during 
the current year. No major communal incident was reported from any part 
of the country, except the one incident at Mau town in Uttar Pradesh on 
October 14, 2005, involving a confrontation over the holding of a 
procession and the use of loudspeakers by Hindus during the Bharat 
Milap programme, which claimed ten lives. The situation was, however, 
brought under control.''
    Hindus and Muslims continue to feud over mosques constructed 
centuries ago on sites where Hindus believed temples stood previously.
    Extremist Hindu groups such as the VHP and Bajrang Dal maintained 
that they intended to build a Hindu temple in Ayodhya on the site of 
the 500-year-old Babri Mosque demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992, with 
or without the Government's approval. In March 2003, the supreme court 
denied the Government's application to rescind a ban on religious 
activity at the site, whereupon then Prime Minister Vajpayee promised 
to continue with plans to build a temple where the razed mosque had 
stood.
    Secular groups continued to protest the Sangh Parivar's attempts 
over the past decade to take control of the Sufi syncretic (Hindu-
Muslim) shrine known as Guru Dattatreya Baba Budan Swami Dargah at 
Chikmagalur in Karnataka. The centuries-old shrine is believed to have 
been one of the earliest centers of Sufism in the south. In recent 
years, Hindus have held many festivals at the site, alienating local 
Muslims. In October 2005, the Karnataka Government banned a 
controversial Hindu religious ceremony at the shrine. However, human 
rights groups stated that the coalition government that took office in 
February 2006, with the BJP as one of its partners, would continue to 
support attempts by Hindu groups to take control of the shrine.
    In early February 2005 and 2006, Hindu-Muslim tension escalated in 
the town of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh after Hindus and Muslims attempted 
to simultaneously pray at a disputed site called ``Bhojshala.'' Hindu 
worshipers resisted violent attempts by the local administration to 
stop them from hanging the picture of a Hindu goddess at the site. The 
administration then brought in police to quell the violence. Tensions 
died down after local police forces convinced the two groups to offer 
prayers at different times of the day and instituted a curfew.
    A July 2004 Urdu press report highlighted the Muslim community's 
sensitivity to threats to their religious sites. The report claimed the 
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) planned to move the Sidha 
Jama mosque, located on a national highway in Midnapore, West Bengal, 
to make way for road expansion. When the NHAI started proceedings to 
acquire the land under the Land Acquisition Act, local Muslims 
approached the West Bengal Minorities Commission to prevent the 
relocation. When the NHAI did not respond to commission requests for 
information, Muslims took the case to the Calcutta High Court, which 
ordered the mosque to be moved ``in the public interest.'' In their 
appeal, Muslims stated that they feared the order would create a 
precedent allowing the relocation of mosques across the country.
    The same report alleged that airport authorities in Calcutta wanted 
to acquire another area where a mosque, madrassah, tomb of a saint, and 
a graveyard were situated, to extend the airport. No action was taken 
on this case and it remained pending in the courts.
    In the second week of September 2004, the VHP led an unsuccessful 
attempt to demolish the tomb of a seventeenth century Muslim warrior in 
Pratapgarh in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra. During the agitation, several 
Muslim families left their homes, fearing violence, but later returned. 
The state police moved swiftly to prevent violence and showed no anti-
Muslim bias.
    Instances of Hindu-Muslim communal violence occurred during the 
reporting period.
    Communal violence sparked by a traffic accident occurred in Bhopal, 
Madhya Pradesh, in October 2004. Police attempting to quell the 
violence were pelted with stones and responded with gunshots, killing 
one person and injuring three. There were no updates available during 
the reporting period.
    In March 2006, the state of Goa reported the first significant 
instance of Hindu-Muslim violence since its inception in 1960. A group 
of Hindus attacked and destroyed Muslim shops and vehicles in two towns 
in central Goa under the pretext of protesting against the illegal 
construction of a mosque by recent Muslim immigrants. The small Goa 
police force summoned 300 riot police officers from neighboring 
Karnataka to contain the violence.
    According to media reports, in 2006, the chief minister of Bihar 
ordered a probe into the 1989 Bhagalpur riots that killed more than 
1,000 persons, mostly Muslims. Some of the responsible were convicted, 
but most of the guilty remained at large.
    On October 23, 2005, a case of sexual harassment at a clothing shop 
led to Hindu-Muslim clashes in Agra. Police quelled the violence with 
no loss of life.
    In Kerala, RSS activists attacked a mosque at Vallikunnam in 
Alleppey district on February 23, 2005, killing one Muslim man and 
injuring two others, including the imam.
    The Indian Express reported on June 1, 2006, that the Kerala 
Government submitted to the high court that there was nothing 
unconstitutional in Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) taking an 
oath in the name of Allah. This was done in response to a writ petition 
filed by a BJP youth leader challenging the constitutional validity of 
eleven newly elected Muslim MLAs in Kerala who were sworn in the name 
of Allah and not in the name of God, or by making a solemn affirmation, 
as prescribed.
    In July 2004, Hindus in Vadodara, Gujarat launched a two-month 
economic boycott against Muslims following the killing in June of a 
Hindu by his former business partner, a Muslim. The alleged killer's 
family relocated from the village.
    On July 4, 2004, approximately 300 Bajrang Dal activists attacked a 
Muslim-owned hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, destroying property 
and causing patients to flee. The activists were protesting the 
elopement of a Hindu girl with a Muslim worker from the hospital 
canteen. The police registered a complaint, but at the end of the 
reporting period, there had been no arrests.
    In July 2004, in Gujarat, rioters killed two persons, injured 
twenty, destroyed forty houses and fifteen shops, and looted property 
worth thousands of dollars after an alleged incident of sexual 
harassment of a Hindu girl by Muslim youth. In September 2004, also in 
Gujarat, minor Hindu-Muslim clashes during a Hindu religious procession 
resulted in property damage but no injuries or deaths.
    On August 27, 2004, unknown assailants threw crude bombs outside 
two mosques in Poorna and Jalna, Central Maharashtra, just after Friday 
prayers, injuring eighteen worshippers. A week later, minor riots 
following the blasts led to property damage but no loss of life.
    The press reported on October 27, 2004, that the S.J. Dave High 
School, in Gujarat, had for the past six years required its students to 
wear patches associating them with their religion. The school agreed to 
stop the practice after two school trustees objected to it and the 
district education officer asked the school to stop. Opponents of the 
patch requirement expressed concern that it would enable continued 
discrimination against Muslims in educational institutions.
    Sectarian violence in October 2004 also claimed the lives of two 
Muslims clerics in Orai, Uttar Pradesh. Police reported the violence 
was sparked by a conflict over control of a religious site.
    Three persons were killed and fifteen others injured in February 
2005 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, when sectarian violence between two 
Muslim groups erupted over a disputed procession. The trouble started 
when members of one Muslim sect attempted to prevent a procession by 
the other from going through their area.
    In August 2004, there were press reports that the Buddhist 
community was deeply concerned over rising incidents of harassment and 
persecution of Buddhist tribespeople by militants and security forces 
alike, particularly in the northeast. Reportedly, two separatist 
groups--the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-
IM) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K)--
demanded land belonging to Buddhists and local indigenous faiths in 
villages in Tirap and Changlang district. Members of both the NSCN-IM 
and the NSCN-K were predominantly Christian. The press also reported 
that both groups were pressing Buddhists to convert to Christianity. No 
further related incidents were reported during the year.
    In May 2005, Akhil Kumar Sahoo, General Secretary of the Orissa 
Buddhist Front, claimed that the state government had taken no 
administrative or legal steps towards recognition of the Buddhist 
community. Although the NCM had directed the state government to 
declare the birthdays of Lord Buddha and Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak 
as state holidays, only Guru Nanak's birthday had been recognized.
    Leaders of the Tibetan Buddhist community in the southern part of 
the country commented during the year that relations with the 
Government and local residents were good and that they did not believed 
to be persecuted. In May 2005, a leading Buddhist monk stated that 
tensions between Tibetans and their largely Hindu neighbors occurred 
because of economic rather than religious reasons.
    In a rare case of Muslim-Buddhist communal tension, members of the 
two communities clashed in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir in February 2006, 
over the alleged desecration of a Qur'an. Four houses were set on fire 
and an unspecified number of persons were injured. The Government 
deployed police and military personnel and implemented a curfew in the 
area. Buddhist leaders denied the desecration, which they characterized 
as a rumor spread by outsiders intent on disrupting centuries of 
communal harmony between Leh's Buddhists and Shi'as.
    Radical ethnic and religious groups carried out attacks on the 
media during the previous reporting period. In June 2005, radical Shiv 
Sena elements attacked the Mumbai office of the newspaper Aapla 
Mahanagar, assaulted the editorial staff, and damaged office equipment 
in response to an article written against a Hindu religious sect. In 
August 2005, in Mumbai, alleged Muslim fundamentalist activists 
attacked the editor of a Hindi language newspaper, Sajid Rashid, with 
knives and seriously injured him, charging that he had insulted Islam. 
Mumbai police filed charges in the case, but the assailants remained at 
large and the investigation open at the end of the reporting period.
    In Christian-majority areas, there were occasional reports that 
Christians persecuted members of other faiths belonging to regional 
minorities. In Tripura, there were several reported cases of harassment 
of non-Christians by members of the National Liberation Front of 
Tripura (NLFT), a militant separatist group with a largely evangelical 
Christian membership.
    According to a media report, International VHP Secretary Pravin 
Togadia claimed that the VHP planned to reconvert all Christians 
residing in BJP ruled states to Hinduism by 2005 and ``expose the 
global Christian conspiracy of conversions.''
    The VHP reported in February 2005 that it considered 2004 a 
successful year for reconversions, in that it brought 12,857 persons 
back ``into the fold'' of Hinduism, 3,727 from Islam and 9,130 from 
Christianity.
    In April 2006, Former BJP President L.K. Advani spoke out against 
religious conversions. He stated, ``We strongly condemn the campaign of 
proselytization which poses a grave threat to Hindu society. We demand 
stern action against those who indulge in such activities.'' Advani 
highlighted what he described as an ``organized foreign-funded 
conversion campaign by evangelical groups,'' noting that ``it is bad 
enough that religious conversions are conducted in a systematic manner 
through inducements and coercions, but such activities are more ominous 
when they are facilitated by foreign funded organizations, ostensibly 
under the garb of social service for poor and under-privileged 
families.''
    Christians often held large public prayer meetings without violence 
or protests. For example, on May 13, 2005, a leading Christian 
evangelist spoke in New Delhi, and the event, attended by more than 
3,000 persons, was peaceful, with a moderate police presence and no 
Hindu activist group protests.
    In January 2005, the Government permitted the U.S.-based 
evangelical leader Benny Hinn to hold a rally in Bangalore, which was 
attended by thousands. The Government stipulated that the event must 
not disturb the peace and that no one should perform ``divine 
healing.'' One online news service reported that, although Hinn carried 
out ``divine healing,'' the Government took no action. A few Hindu 
groups protested the event, resulting in minor damage to property and 
vehicles in the area.
    Another U.S.-based Christian evangelist, Pat Robertson, spoke at a 
prayer meeting in Delhi on May 13, 2005, attended by dignitaries such 
as Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay. The event attracted approximately 
3,000 persons and, with a moderate police presence, concluded 
peacefully. There was no agitation during the meeting. Visiting Sikh, 
Muslim, Buddhist, and Jewish leaders also regularly addressed their 
adherents without incident.
    The All-India Catholic Union (AICU) expressed deep concern over 
growing anti-Christian violence in several BJP-controlled states 
following the defeat of the BJP in the national elections in May 2004. 
The AICU claimed that the perpetrators were members of fundamentalist 
groups affiliated with the RSS.
    In November, the AICU reported that there were approximately 200 
attacks against Christians throughout the country in the first eleven 
months of 2005.
    In January 2005, in Assam, a mob set fire to a newly opened 
Catholic school, after accusing school staff of attempting to convert 
Hindus. Police brought the situation under control, but could not save 
the school building from destruction.
    On May 21, 2005, the body of K. Daniel, a preacher from Kummarvadi, 
was found in Andhra Pradesh bearing marks suggestive of an acid attack. 
On June 2, 2005, police in Andhra Pradesh found the body of Pastor 
Isaac Raju, who had been missing since May 24. Press reported that in 
both cases a person called and gave precise directions on the location 
of the body. Church members claim the killings were planned to 
terrorize the Christian community. In response, the state government 
formed a Special Investigation Team to find those responsible for the 
killings and the Home Minister also offered protection to Christian 
missionaries living in the state. In June 2005, police arrested Kokala 
Govardhan for the killings. Govardhan admitted that he killed the two 
pastors for converting Hindus to Christianity. The Government of Andhra 
Pradesh disbursed $6,818 (300 thousand INR) to the families of those 
killed as financial assistance in September 2005.
    Religious press outlets reported that on December 3, 2005, a group 
of approximately twenty RSS members in Andhra Pradesh forcibly took 
Pastor Yesupadam to the local police station, where they threatened to 
kill him if he continued his Christian activities. The pastor 
reportedly received a number of telephone threats after the incident.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 12, 2006, 
approximately 100 persons beat pastors M. Aaron and Madhu Kumar, of the 
Indian Pentecostal Church, when they attempted to distribute Christian 
pamphlets during a convention of Bible students in Nizamabad 
Polytechnic School in Andhra Pradesh. Police registered a case against 
ten assailants, and attributed responsibility for the attack to the 
student wing of the BJP and RSS.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 13, 2006, in 
Nizambad, Andhra Pradesh, ten members of the RSS pulled Christians from 
their home and beat them, leaving the pastor, Nagani Swami David, 
unconscious and four others injured. Police arrested and charged nine 
men in connection with the attack. The attackers told police that 
Pastor David and the other Christians had torn down pictures of Hindu 
gods.
    Religious press outlets reported that on February 28, 2006, fifteen 
assailants attacked Pastor Lavete Jacob and other Christians, including 
Jacob's wife, daughters, and a family friend in Hyderabad, Andhra 
Pradesh. Five men were arrested and released on bail. The same group 
had earlier attacked Jacob on February 18, 2006.
    According to Christian media reports, on March 20, 2006, 
approximately thirty persons attacked a group of Christians who were 
preaching in the Pappula bazaar of Nellore, Andra Pradesh, resulting in 
the short-term hospitalization of three pastors. Local Christians 
claimed the group attacked them because they had converted a former RSS 
member to Christianity. The United Pastors' Association of Nellore and 
the AICC held a protest rally on March 20, 2006, and submitted a 
memorandum to local authorities, demanding the arrest of the attackers. 
A number of men were arrested and released on bail.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 8, 2006, in Rampur 
Thanda, Andhra Pradesh, Pastor Prem Kumar of the Church of South India 
was killed after being approached by a young man requesting him to lead 
a prayer service in the village. Police initially denied any religious 
motive to the killing. The case remained under investigation.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 10, 2006, in 
Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, a group of Christian workers from the 
organization Gospel for Asia were beaten and their equipment destroyed 
while showing a film on social problems such as HIV/AIDS. The 
Christians were not proselytizing at the time of attack, although they 
had earlier been involved in evangelism in the area.
    Religious press outlets reported that on August 31, 2005, Hindu 
extremists surrounded property belonging to a Christian Gospel Society 
in Bihar and demanded the arrest of its director for allegedly 
desecrating a Hindu religious statue. On September 3, 2005, the police 
arrested the director, holding him for several hours, and on September 
25, 2005, the attackers returned to the property and injured several 
Christians found there.
    Religious press outlets reported that Hindu activists in 
Chhattisgarh converted hundreds of Christians in a ceremony in April 
2005. A local newspaper reported that senior BJP leader Dilip Singh 
Judeo threatened Christian workers during his address at the ceremony, 
stating, ``If Christian missionaries don't stop converting people, we 
will take up arms.''
    Religious press outlets reported that on August 14, 2005, the 
Dharma Sena (Army of Religion) extremist group attacked a Christian 
church under construction in Raipur, Chattisgarh. The group alleged 
that the church building encroached on land belonging to a Sena leader. 
The church denied this claim.
    Religious press outlets reported that on September 11, 2005, the 
Hindu extremist group Dharma Sena attacked two churches in Raipur, 
Chattisgarh, tearing a cross from one building and throwing it into a 
septic tank and inflicting approximately $1,140 (50 thousand INR) worth 
of damage. Members of the Dharma Sena also attacked a church meeting, 
physically assaulting the wife and brother of a pastor, and accusing 
the church of conversions.
    Religious press outlets reported that on December 4, 2005, a group 
of approximately thirty Dharma Sena members attacked five Christians in 
a church in Raipur, Chattisgarh, allegedly forcing them to bow before a 
statue at a Hindu temple. No details were known about further 
developments.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 25, 2006, in Bothli, 
Chhattisgarh, a group of approximately thirty alleged members of Dharam 
Jagran Sena raided a prayer meeting organized by six Christian 
families, beating those present. Among the main victims was an eight-
month pregnant woman, who was taken to the hospital with internal 
injuries. Reportedly, the hospital declined to treat her and police 
also refused to take action against the perpetrators.
    Religious press outlets reported that on October 14, 2005, a group 
of Hindu extremists attacked a large Pentecostal prayer meeting in 
Dayal Pur, Delhi, injuring five pastors and damaging church property. A 
local BJP MLA and his supporters purportedly prevented church members 
from registering a case against the attackers.
    Religious press outlets reported that in October 2004, 
approximately thirty individuals attacked a Christian pastor and his 
wife as they were returning home from a prayer gathering in south 
Gujarat. The police filed a FIR but made no arrests.
    In November 2005, Christian press reported that a group of 
approximately 150 high-caste Hindus attacked dalit Christians in the 
Kheda district of Gujarat, injuring five and allegedly sexually 
assaulting dalit and Christian women in the village. The report 
indicated that the former president of the local Congress party led the 
attack and that police initially refused to file a case. An 
investigation was ongoing.
    From February 11 to 13, 2006, the VHP organized a gathering of more 
than 200 thousand Hindus from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and 
Rajasthan in the town of Subir (often referred to as ``the Dangs'') in 
Gujarat. Activists argued that the Hindu festival constituted indirect 
pressure for tribal Christians in the district to reconvert to 
Hinduism. Despite widespread anticipation that the gathering would 
generate immense pressure to reconvert, no such conversions were 
reported. However, Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi 
and other speakers condemned conversion activity by Christian 
missionaries and exhorted tribal Christians to ``return home'' to 
Hinduism. Modi told the gathering that it was his ``constitutional 
duty'' to prevent conversions by Hindus to Christianity and RSS chief 
K.S. Sudarshan stated that Christians and Muslims should be 
``Indianized,'' since they ``could not be thrown into the sea.'' The 
Government sent a sizable police contingent, which observers and human 
rights groups stated helped prevent violence and intimidation.
    In April 2006, the Gujarat Government refused to renew a contract 
with an order of Christian nuns to work in a government leprosy 
hospital. The press reported that the government suspended the contract 
because it believed the nuns were performing religious services and 
conversions. The nuns and patients at the hospital denied the charges.
    Religious press outlets reported that on May 21, 2006, in Dubalia, 
Jharkhand, a newly-converted Christian, Santosh Karmali, was forced to 
forfeit his right to the land of his family. Allegedly, tribal animist 
believers forced him to sign a document during a meeting of the village 
council and the Central Sarna (collective name for the tribal animist 
religions in Jharkhand) Committee. Karmali had belonged to a Sarna 
religion prior to his conversion. His wife's head was shaved, lime 
powder was applied to her face, and she was paraded around the village. 
The family was then forced out the village, and the Sarna samiti 
committee took possession of the family land.
    The media reported the death of a twenty-five-year-old Christian 
pastor in Channapatana, Karnataka on February 11, 2005. Although an 
official autopsy determined it was a suicide, Christian groups alleged 
that Hindu extremists had killed him.
    In May 2005, activists of the Bajrang Dal vandalized a Christian 
church in Channapatna, Karnataka, injuring women and children belonging 
to the congregation. The state police arrested six activists and 
registered a case against them.
    On August 30, 2005, approximately fifty assailants ransacked a 
Christian church building in Bangalore. No further details were known.
    Hindu extremists in southern Karnataka attacked a Christian church 
on Easter Sunday 2006 and assaulted the pastor. District police 
authorities arrested four persons who allegedly belonged to the Bajrang 
Dal.
    Religious press outlets reported that on April 16, 2006, in 
Bataguri, Karnataka alleged Bajrang Dal members attacked two separate 
churches. A group of ten to fifteen men attacked the Believers' Church 
during Easter Sunday service and vandalized the pastor's house, beating 
the pastor and his wife and threatening the parishioners with further 
attacks should they continue meeting. On the same day, twenty five to 
thirty men raided another church, threatening women and children and 
destroying church property.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 8, 2006, in 
Thovaracare, Karnataka, seven members of the Bajrang Dal broke up a 
Christian prayer meeting, chased away two pastors, and threatened other 
Christians present.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 9, 2006, in Kolar 
Gold Field, Karnataka, extremists destroyed a church after the pastor 
ignored orders to cease his work and leave the area.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 11, 2006, in Namthi, 
Kanataka, 150 persons seized Pastor Sundar Rao after he led a prayer 
meeting and forcibly took him to the police station, where they and the 
police severely beat Rao. The next day, after his release, he was 
assaulted again. The attackers were arrested and released on bail.
    In August 2004, a Catholic priest was killed in Kerala, during the 
state's annual harvest festival. Church members reported that the 
Catholic priest had received intimidating telephone calls threatening 
him with death if he did not cease to ``proselytize.'' The Catholic 
Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) claimed the killing was meant to 
destroy inter-religious harmony in Kerala and demanded an 
investigation.
    In September 2004, also in Kerala, BJP activists attacked nuns and 
monks belonging to the order ``Missionaries of Charity,'' injuring one 
monk and one nun and damaging a vehicle. The police arrested fourteen 
RSS-BJP sympathizers in connection with the attack.
    In April 2005, Hindu and Muslim villagers burned down a prayer hall 
and physically attacked three Christian church members following a 
baptism ceremony in Kerala. Two days later, villagers assaulted the 
pastor and his assistant.
    On Easter eve 2005, in Chalakud Taluna, Kerala, approximately 
twenty RSS activists attacked Christians viewing the film The Passion 
of the Christ, injuring one man.
    There were no further developments in two incidents of anti-
Christian violence in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh that took 
place in January and March 2004. In the incidents, assailants attacked 
local Christians, damaging property and beating a priest following the 
rape and death of two Hindu minor girls. One Hindu activist was killed 
during the violence, allegedly by a shot fired from a church. The 
police charged several persons, but the cases had not come up for 
hearing.
    Religious press outlets reported that on August 21, 2005, Hindu 
extremists attacked a Christian prayer meeting in Indore, Madhya 
Pradesh, injuring at least ten persons, including several women and a 
two-year-old child. The attack targeted two Christians awaiting trial 
on charges of forcible conversion of Hindus. Police registered a case 
against three men for the attack. The progress of the case was unknown.
    Religious press outlets reported that on September 4, 2005, police 
ordered two Christians out of a church service while a large group of 
Hindus gathered outside. A Hindu leader allegedly then threatened to 
burn the two men alive if they attended another service. Subsequently, 
police warned the men not to attend church services.
    Religious press outlets reported that on September 22, 2005, 
assailants attacked a Hindu man and several Christians in Jhabua, 
Madhya Pradesh, alleging that they had damaged a Hindu statue. One 
Christian was injured in the attack and another detained at the local 
police station for approximately thirty-two hours.
    Religious press outlets reported that on November 5, 2005, Hindu 
extremists barred access to a new church built in Jhabua, Madhya 
Pradesh, assaulting the pastor and other members of the congregation. 
The attackers claimed the district collector had ordered the church 
closed.
    Religious press outlets reported that on December 4, 2005, RSS 
activists assaulted a Christian pastor during a worship service in his 
home after complaining about the noise emanating from the building. 
Police, called by the attackers, also reportedly beat the pastor and 
detained him for two hours.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 25, 2006, a group 
of seven local police in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, entered a Christian 
home, reportedly arresting and beating two tribal pastors and ordering 
them to end ``Christian activities'' or face the consequences. The 
following day, police released the pastors, who were subsequently 
denied treatment by a local hospital. No action was taken against the 
police involved.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 28, 2006, at least 
six Christians were injured during an attack on a prayer meeting in a 
private home in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Approximately thirty persons 
threw stones at the building and shouted anti-Christian slogans, 
accused the organizers of carrying out ``forced conversions,'' and beat 
the participants. The church members blamed the Hindu militant group, 
Bajrang Dal, for the attack.
    Religious press outlets reported that on February 5, 2006, RSS 
members beat two Christian men for distributing Christian literature in 
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, reportedly injuring one. Police registered a 
case and were investigating the matter, but no arrests had been made by 
the end of the period covered by this report.
    During May and June 2006, various extremist groups in Madhya 
Pradesh allegedly led several attacks against Christians. Father Anand 
Muttungal, spokesperson of Madhya Pradesh Catholic diocese, and Dr. 
John Dayal of the AICC charged that the district administration and the 
police colluded in this harassment of Christians. Police refused to 
intervene, even when they personally witnessed the attacks.
    According to data provided by a Christian NGO, over the period of 
August 2005 to June 2006, more than twenty Christian activists (pastors 
and social workers) were taken to police stations, booked under MPFRA, 
and released on personal sureties of approximately $100 (4,647 INR).
    On May 28, 2006, two recent Christian converts residing in Nadia 
village, Madhya Pradesh, claimed that their wives were gang-raped by 
local Hindu villagers when they refused to reconvert to Hinduism. 
Indira Iyengar, the sole Christian member of the Madhya Pradesh State 
Minorities Commission, arranged for the couples to meet the media on 
June 5, 2006, in the state capital of Bhopal. After the couples had 
given the statements, a Bajrang Dal activist disrupted the press 
conference and accused Iyengar of making false rape charges. At the end 
of the reporting period, the two couples were in hiding. The Khargone 
police registered the couples' complaint of rape against four prominent 
villagers and sent the DNA of the accused to Calcutta for examination. 
According to police officials, the medical exam was inconclusive. Hindu 
villagers have filed counter-complaints, accusing the couples of trying 
to convert Hindus to Christianity. The police have not charged the 
couples nor arrested them.
    On May 31, 2006, sixteen Christians accused in the Arjun Pal murder 
case were acquitted by a Madhya Pradesh district court of all charges, 
including murder, riot, attempt to murder, and unlawful assembly. Two 
had been released on bail, while fourteen had spent more than two years 
in jail. The case began in January 2004, when the raped body of a nine-
year-old Hindu girl was found inside the premises of a Catholic school 
in Ali Rajpur in Madhya Pradesh. Enraged Hindus then ransacked school 
property and attacked three churches in neighboring villages. One 
Hindu, Arjun Pal, was shot and killed during subsequent Hindu-Christian 
rioting. The case had been in the courts since 2005.
    Religious press outlets reported that on April 6, 2006, in 
Thaiyavali Chowk, Madhya Pradesh, extremists attacked the Christ Church 
Boys' School, physically assaulting a teacher and threatening the 
headmaster. Reportedly, extremists were angry at the school's decision 
to not close during a Hindu festival. The school did not register a 
complaint with the police.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 4, 2006, in Myapuri, 
Madhya Pradesh, approximately fifty alleged Bajrang Dal members 
disrupted a prayer meeting and took all present to a nearby Hindu 
temple, threatening the women with rape if they should continue 
attending Christian activities. Subsequently, police arrested fifteen, 
all Christians. The pastor was released on bail while the others were 
interrogated and released after four hours.
    In January 2005, in Ambarnath, Maharashtra, a Hindu group attacked 
a small convent of the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites and broke a 
wooden cross. The nuns locked themselves in the convent and were not 
harmed. The group left pamphlets ordering the nuns to leave the area. 
Police were investigating the attack but had made no arrests by the end 
of the reporting period.
    Press reported that in February 2005, a Hindu priest in the 
Catholic village of Rajura, Maharashtra, insisted that tribal 
Christians turn their church into a Hindu temple or face violent 
consequences. A witness stated that the cleric urged Hindu villagers to 
kill the Christians with swords.
    Numerous religious press outlets reported that in May 2005, Hindu 
extremists physically attacked eleven Christian families from Jamanya 
village, Maharashtra. The reports alleged that village officials 
summoned the families to a panchayat (community council of elders), 
which demanded that they renounce their faith. When they refused, the 
men were beaten with heavy sticks and chased from the village. On the 
following day, the mob attacked the women and children. Witnesses 
stated the mob also tried to disrobe the women. No arrests had been 
made by the end of the period covered by this report.
    Religious press outlets reported that on November 26, 2005, 
assailants attacked three Christians in Maharashtra for distributing 
Christian literature. The attackers filed a report accusing the three 
men of engaging in unethical conversion activities. The police took the 
victims to a local hospital and later filed charges against the 
attackers.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 29, 2006, Hindu 
extremists attacked the inauguration ceremony of a Catholic school and 
hostel in Ghosale, Maharashtra. The attackers accused the staff of 
trying to convert persons by offering free education to their children. 
The police arrested eighteen persons; all were released on bail.
    Religious press outlets reported that on February 26, 2006, 
approximately fifty Bajrang Dal activists attacked and injured three 
Christian pastors in Nere, Maharashtra. Police arrested the attackers, 
who were released on bail.
    Religious press outlets reported that on April 11, 2006, in 
Khopate, Maharashtra, approximately fifty members of the VHP assaulted 
two pastors during a raid on a large-scale prayer meeting at the Living 
Light Fellowship Church, accusing them of converting persons to 
Christianity. Reportedly, five other pastors present were taken to a 
nearby Hindu temple where they were beaten after refusing to worship a 
Hindu god. Police conducted an investigation at the behest of the 
police commissioner and subsequently made a number of arrests. All were 
released on minor charges.
    Religious press outlets reported that on May 22, 2006, in Chopada, 
Maharashtra, alleged Hindu extremists stoned a member of the Indian 
Evangelical Team (IET).
    Religious press outlets reported that on May 1, 2006, in 
Seikmaijing, Manipur, Hindu villagers burned down a church after a 
prominent village member converted to Christianity. Some village 
Christians were also physically assaulted and told to depart the 
village.
    In February 2004, Hindu villagers in Jagatsingpur, Orissa, seized 
eight persons, including a local pastor and eight Christian women, and 
shaved their heads. Villagers accused the pastor of forcibly converting 
two village women; however, the women denied this. In May 2004, the 
local police arrested six persons in connection with the incident, and 
the pastor and the eight women remained in protected housing. No new 
information was available during the reporting period concerning these 
cases.
    In August 2004, at least 300 persons broke into a Catholic church 
in Raikia, Orissa, and smashed religious statues, doors, and windows. 
The incident occurred after some Christians protested the removal by 
Hindus of fencing encircling the church. The local police brought the 
situation under control, but took no action against the perpetrators.
    On September 15, 2004, in Orissa, a nun was seriously burned when 
an unidentified man threw acid on her.
    In October 2004, in Baripada, Orissa, a local court ordered the 
arrest of five Christian preachers for ``inciting communal feelings.'' 
After disrupting a Hindu ceremony, they were arrested for ``uttering 
words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of others 
and issuing threats of criminal intimidation to several persons.''
    In October 2004, approximately 300 tribal Christians were 
``reconverted'' to Hinduism in a mass ceremony organized by the World 
Hindu Council in Orissa. Gauri Prasad Rath, state secretary of the 
council, stated it was the largest reconversion ceremony they had ever 
held. Christian leaders expressed shock and dismay at the news and 
argued that Hindu groups were able to force Christians to convert 
because they depend on the Hindu majority for employment.
    On February 16, 2005, in Orissa, Baptist pastor Gilbert Raj was 
tortured and killed. Ten days later, Pentecostal pastor Dilip Dalai was 
stabbed to death. Christian groups claimed they were killed to stop 
their missionary work.
    On February 27, 2005, a group of persons attacked Christian 
evangelist Kiran Kumar while he was returning home after holding a 
prayer meeting in Orissa. The police took him into custody, alleging he 
was attempting to forcibly convert persons. He was later released.
    In February 2005, Hindu nationalists accused Christian missionaries 
of raping and killing a fourteen-year-old girl in the town of 
Dhenkanal, Orissa. The victim's mother claimed the missionaries had 
threatened her family if they did not convert to Christianity. The 
police rejected the conversion theory and were investigating the crime.
    Christian press reported that in April 2005, the RSS converted 
approximately 300 Christians to Hinduism in the Chakapad village of 
Orissa without receiving permission under the state's anti-conversion 
law. Noting that police were present and did nothing, Christian groups 
argued that the Orissa anti-conversion law is discriminatory and only 
enforced when a person converted from Hinduism to another religion.
    On June 14, 2005, Sangh Parivar activists disrupted the Indian 
People's Tribunal on Environmental and Human Rights hearing on the 
communal situation in Orissa. The activists harassed female tribunal 
members and threatened to rape them and parade them through the 
streets.
    Religious press outlets reported that on November 20, 2005, fifteen 
houses belonging to members of the Christian community in Gajapati, 
Orissa, were burnt down, leaving six persons seriously injured and 
hospitalized, and a large number homeless. The attacks were estimated 
to have caused approximately $21,730 (one million INR) worth of damage. 
The attacks occurred at a time when the Christian population of the 
village was attending church. Eight Christians and three or four Hindu 
extremists were arrested by police following the attacks. No further 
details were available about the progress of the case during the period 
covered by this report.
    According to a church leader, on January 16, 2006, alleged Hindu 
extremists set fire to three houses belonging to Christians in Jajpur, 
Orissa. The inhabitants fled and took shelter in the local police 
station.
    Religious press outlets reported that on January 24, 2006, in 
Koikonda, Orissa, Hindu villagers injured ten Christians (including 
four visiting Christian missionaries) during an attack on a Christian 
home where the participants had meet the night before. The village 
pastor and one of the missionaries tried to lodge an official complaint 
shortly thereafter, but police refused to file a case. Police arrested 
two men in connection with the incident, and subsequently released them 
on bail.
    Religious press outlets reported that on March 20, 2006, arsonists 
targeted a church in Nandapur, Orissa. Local Christians claimed that 
extremists were responsible for the attack. The church leader was 
pursuing legal redress during the period covered by this report.
    Press reported that approximately 342 Christian converts were 
reconverted to Hinduism in Orissa's Phulbani district during a 
religious conference conducted by the RSS in April 2006. RSS leader 
K.S. Sudarshan and VHP President Ashok Singhal attended the conference, 
and asked Sangh Parivar activists to monitor missionary activities, and 
demanded the Government stop cow slaughter and conversions.
    The press reported in April 2005 that VHP activists in Chandigarh, 
Punjab planned to start an awareness campaign concerning the 
conversions of Sikhs to Christianity and urge Hindus to protest 
``vehemently'' against the practice.
    Religious press outlets reported that on June 1, 2006, in Pangila, 
Punjab, Pastor Harbans Lal, leader of Happy Life Prosperity Church in 
Panglia village, was beaten unconscious by approximately fifteen to 
twenty persons.
    In June 2005, the Jodhpur District Administration in Rajasthan 
rescinded permission for the Pentecostal Church of God to hold a 
gathering in the city after VHP and Bajrang Dal protests. Hindu 
activists claimed the church was converting Hindu children, prompting 
the Government to cancel the gathering to prevent violence. A Congress 
Party official claimed the administration caved to communal pressures 
from Hindu activists and had no right to withdraw permission for the 
event.
    Religious press outlets reported that on August 14, 2005, Hindu 
extremists attacked a prayer meeting held in a private home in 
Banswara, Rajasthan, injuring the owner of the house and others. 
Reportedly, the following day, Hindu activists prevented the prayer 
meeting sponsors from filing charges at the local police station.
    Religious press outlets reported that on October 16, 2005, Hindu 
extremist youths assaulted five nuns as they boarded a bus to attend a 
Catholic event in Udaipur, Rajasthan. No details were known about the 
investigation of this incident, but Christian press reported that that 
attack was religiously motivated.
    Religious press outlets reported that on October 27, 2005, the 
Tribal Christian Welfare Society curtailed its three-day festival in 
the Banswara district, Rajasthan, after violent RSS opposition to the 
event. Reportedly, a large number of Christians were assaulted in the 
area, and the RSS attempted to block would-be participants from 
reaching the festival.
    Religious press outlets reported that on December 23, 2005, three 
men assaulted two nuns as they waited at a bus stop in Rajasthan. One 
of the attackers had reportedly been arrested and released on bail in 
connection with other attacks on Christians. No details were known 
about the investigation of this incident.
    Religious press outlets reported that on December 24, 2005, nine 
RSS members attacked four Catholics, including one priest, traveling to 
attend mass in Jambuda, Rajasthan. The four were reportedly beaten 
until they were unconscious.
    Between January and June 2006, a number of institutions and staff 
of EMI, which operates various charitable foundations in Rajasthan and 
across the country, endured considerable harassment from extremists and 
the state government.
    On January 25, 2006, the organization was warned to not hold the 
Emmanuel Seminary annual graduation ceremony, which had been the target 
of an attack in 2005. Following threats and harassment as well as 
official police notification that no security would be provided for the 
event, EMI leaders decided to cancel the ceremony.
    On February 10, 2006, an EMI school and orphanage in Ramganjmandi, 
Rajasthan, were set on fire. Reportedly, local police had warned EMI 
leaders that they would not move to prevent the violence.
    On February 14, 2006, Hindu extremists attacked EMI headquarters in 
Kota after a copy of the controversial book, ``Haqeeqat'' (The Truth) 
was discovered on the premises. The book, which has been banned, 
reportedly contains derogatory references to Hinduism. Numerous sources 
indicated that EMI was actively distributing the text.
    Attacks on other EMI institutions also took place through February. 
On February 22, 2006, an EMI primary school in Sanganer was attacked, 
and on February 24, 2006, the Jhowara Emmanuel Secondary School and 
church building were vandalized.
    At the end of February, the Rajasthan Government had revoked the 
licenses of an EMI Bible institute, orphanage, school, hospital and 
church. On March 3, 2006, the Department of Social Welfare of Rajasthan 
froze the organization's bank accounts. However, on June 27, 2006, the 
Jaipur High Court instructed the state government to show cause 
regarding the closing of the EMI property and instructed the accounts 
to be unfrozen on June 28, 2006.
    Religious press outlets reported that in July 2005, Hindu villagers 
in Tamil Nadu closed down a Pentecostal church and expelled the pastor 
and his wife, allegedly in response to decreasing interest in Hindu 
festivals in the village. After the couple filed a complaint, the 
police began negotiating with the villagers. No further details were 
known.
    Religious press outlets reported that on September 4, 2005, fifteen 
extremists disrupted a Christian worship service at Allahabad 
Agricultural Institute destroying, religious items and injuring several 
persons. No further details were known.
    Religious press outlets reported that on November 6, 2005, Hindu 
extremists disrupted a prayer gathering of approximately 200 Christians 
at the home of a family in Uttar Pradesh. The extremists accused the 
host family of converting Hindus to Christianity.
    The press reported that on April 17, 2005, in West Bengal, members 
of forty-five tribal families reconverted to Hinduism from Christianity 
in a ceremony reportedly conducted by the VHP. The local administration 
investigated and determined that there was no indication that the 
conversions were forced. Some of the reconverted were reportedly from 
neighboring states such as Jharkhand and Orissa. A Christian 
organization leader asserted that there was no proof that the 
reconverted were actual Christians. No new information was available 
regarding this case.
    On December 5, 2005, the press reported that a mob ransacked a 
church in West Bengal and burned a Bible after priests objected to 
activities of a local criminal gang. The attackers destroyed furniture, 
stole items of value and burnt the church Bible. Police arrested two 
attackers. No one was injured in the attack.
    Press reported that on January 16, 2006, ten were injured after the 
demolition of the Christ Mission Ashram church in south Calcutta, West 
Bengal, resulted in a clash between church members and Calcutta 
Metropolitan Development Authority workers.
    In April 2005, NDTV reported the conversion of Hindu migrant 
laborers from Bihar to Sikhism in Punjab. The state has more than one 
million migrant laborers, largely from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, 
employed in agriculture and industry. Experts observed that the 
migrants, who are either low-caste or dalit Hindus, convert to escape 
widespread discrimination, and that, although they become a more 
accepted part of Sikh society, they remained at the lowest end of the 
Sikh social and caste ``hierarchy.''
    According to the Home Ministry, from 2002 to 2003, approximately 
56,246 Pandit families were driven from their homes in Jammu and 
Kashmir by anti-Hindu violence perpetrated by Muslim insurgents and 
terrorists. Of these refugees, 4,778 families still were living in 12 
refugee camps in Jammu at the end of the period covered by this report, 
and 238 families were still in Delhi's 14 camps, with the remainder 
living elsewhere.
    The Pandit community criticized the bleak physical, educational, 
and economic conditions in the camps and feared that a negotiated 
solution giving greater autonomy to the state's Muslim majority might 
prevent their return and threaten the continued survival of the Pandit 
community in Jammu and Kashmir.
    Following the Kashmir earthquake of 2005, terrorists slaughtered 
nine members of two Hindu families in Bedhal tehsil in the border 
district of Rajouri on October 10, 2005. The terrorists, thought to be 
members of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, raided a Hindu home and slit the throats 
of the male family members one by one, killing two children in front of 
their father before killing him. Soon after, the same militants killed 
four members of another Hindu family in a different village. Security 
forces launched a search for the militants.
    The slaughter of cows, considered holy by Hindus, sometimes led to 
violence. Several state governments (including Maharashtra, Madhya 
Pradesh, and Gujarat) have passed laws prohibiting slaughter of bovine 
species. Hindu nationalists often forcibly implemented these laws 
themselves.
    On July 10, 2004, a Muslim farmer tried to sell a bull at the 
Barghat weekly market, located approximately 20 kilometers from the 
town of Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. Several Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal 
activists accosted him, accusing him of trying to sell his bull to a 
butcher and beat him to death. The district police arrested the 
attackers.
    In March 2005, in Kota, Rajashtan, activists from the Bajrang Dal 
clashed with a Muslim over the possession of a cow, leaving two persons 
injured. One member of the Bajrang Dal was beaten up when he attempted 
to stop the slaughter of a cow in Kota. In retaliation, a group from 
the Bajrang Dal clashed with the Muslims, injuring one.
    On November 5, 2005, one person was killed and thirteen injured 
during communal clashes resulting from the slaughter of a cow in three 
villages in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Reportedly, Hindus caught two men 
selling beef on November 1 (the night of the Hindu festival Diwali) 
and, when no charges were filed against the vendors, attacked Muslim 
property and burned approximately twenty-four houses. The police 
station commander was suspended for dereliction of duty and the police 
later arrested twelve persons in connection with the violence.
    Some upper-caste Hindus, fearing that conversions by Hindu 
tribespeople and dalits to Christianity might weaken and ultimately 
destroy the rigid caste hierarchy, committed acts of violence against 
Christians.
    In 2001, Human Rights Watch reported that the practice of 
dedicating or marrying young, prepubescent girls to a Hindu deity or 
temple as ``servants of god,'' or ``Devadasis,'' reportedly continued 
in several southern states, including Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. 
Devadasis, who generally are dalits, may not marry. They must live 
apart from their families and are required to provide sexual services 
to priests and high caste Hindus. Reportedly, many eventually are sold 
to urban brothels. The Devadasi tradition is linked, to some degree, to 
both trafficking and the spread of HIV/AIDS. In 1992, the state of 
Karnataka passed the Karnataka Devadasi Prohibition of Dedication Act 
(KDPDA) and called for the rehabilitation of Devadasis, but this law 
reportedly was not enforced effectively and criminalized the actions of 
Devadasis. Since Devadasis are by custom required to be sexually 
available to higher caste men, it reportedly is difficult for them to 
obtain justice from the legal system if they are raped. The KDPDA does 
not have a provision for penalizing offenders; however the Department 
of Women and Child Development formed a team to review the act to 
provide for such a provision.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. Embassy continued to promote religious freedom through contact 
with the country's senior leadership, as well as with state and local 
officials. The embassy and consulates regularly met with religious 
leaders and report on events and trends that affect religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government supported a wide range of initiatives to 
encourage religious and communal tolerance and freedom. Members of the 
embassy community celebrated Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, 
and Jewish festivals throughout the year with members of the various 
religious communities.
    The embassy repeatedly expressed concern over Rajasthan's anti-
conversion legislation with high ranking officials of the state and 
national governments, including the NHRC. The mission also expressed 
concern over Jharkand Chief Minister Arjun Munda's December 2005 
announcement that he would propose legislation against forcible 
religious conversions. No legislation had been enacted in Jharkhand by 
the end of the period covered by this report.
    Throughout the reporting period, mission officers investigated and 
reported on numerous cases of alleged religious persecution, the 
reported harassment of EMI by the Rajasthan Government, discrimination 
against dalits and religiously motivated attacks by militants and 
terrorists, including the bombings at the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi.
    Mission officers also monitored the plight of internally displaced 
Kashmiri Hindus, known as Pandits, who fled their home areas in the 
valley of Kashmir starting in 1989 due to attacks on them by terrorists 
seeking to drive out non-Muslim minorities.
    Embassy officers regularly met with the NHRC General Secretary and 
other Commission officers regarding actions by the state government 
that have been injurious to the free exercise of belief by religious 
minorities.
    During the period covered by this report, embassy and consulate 
officials met with important leaders of all significant minority 
communities. Officers regularly met with representatives of the 
country's diverse Muslim community and continued an active program of 
outreach to explain U.S. policies around the world and to better 
understand Indian Muslim attitudes towards the United States. In April 
2006, the Calcutta Consulate organized a conference on ``Perspectives 
on Islamic Education in the Twenty First Century.'' Madrassah teachers 
attended the program and discussed topics including Education, Religion 
and Public Policy, New Directions in Madrassah Education in India, and 
Education and Women in Islam. In December, the Calcutta Consulate also 
hosted a seminar on the role of religious leaders in combating HIV/AIDS 
in their communities.
    In March 2005, the U.S. Department of State revoked the visa of a 
senior level state government official under section 212(a)(2)(G) of 
the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes ineligible any 
foreign government official who ``was responsible for or directly 
carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious 
freedom.''
    The NGO and missionary communities in the country were extremely 
active on questions of religious freedom, and mission officers meet 
regularly with local NGOs.
    The U.S. Government continued to express regret over the communal 
violence in Gujarat in 2002, and urged all parties in Gujarat to 
resolve their differences peacefully. Consulate officers also met in 
Mumbai with a range of NGO, business, media, and other contacts, 
including Muslim leaders, to monitor the aftermath of the Gujarat 
violence. The U.S. Embassy and the Mumbai, Chennai, and Calcutta 
Consulates reached out to madrassahs through the special International 
Visitor Madrassah programs.
    The Consulate in Chennai also organized roundtables in June 2003, 
October 2004, and November 2005 to promote better understanding between 
the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist communities. The Chennai 
Consulate continued to reach out to the Muslim community. The consulate 
continued to provide English instruction to underprivileged Muslim 
children, to donate books to madrassahs in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and 
Karnataka, and to sponsor qualified Muslims for IV programs on 
``Islamic Life in the U.S.'' and ``Religious Education in the U.S.''
    U.S. officials, including the ambassador, continued to engage state 
officials on the reversal of anti-conversion laws. Embassy officers 
also raised the specific case of Rajasthan's new law at senior levels 
of the state and national governments and with the NHRC.
                               __________

                               KAZAKHSTAN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the various 
religious communities worship largely without government interference. 
Although local officials attempt on occasion to limit the practice of 
religion by some nontraditional groups, higher-level officials, or 
courts usually intervene to correct such attempts.
    The overall status of religious freedom deteriorated somewhat 
during the period covered by this report. 2005 legislation that limited 
constitutional protections of religious freedom remained in force. 
National security amendments enacted on July 8, 2005, imposed mandatory 
registration requirements on missionaries and religious organizations. 
Most religious groups, including minority and nontraditional 
denominations, reported that the legal changes were implemented in a 
manner that did not materially affect religious activities. 
Unregistered religious groups reported an increase in court actions 
against them and an increase in the level of fines imposed for 
nonregistration.
    During the period covered by this report, levels of harassment of 
religious organizations by local officials remained consistent with the 
previous reporting period. Reports of local law enforcement officials 
visiting religious organizations for inspections remained at a level 
consistent with previous years and most religious organizations 
reported generally good cooperation from the Government.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
ambassador and other U.S. officials have supported the country's 
efforts to increase links and mutual understanding among religious 
groups. U.S. officials engaged in private and public dialogue at all 
levels to urge that any new legislation be consistent with the 
country's constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and with the 
country's tradition of religious tolerance. U.S. embassy and U.S. 
Department of State officials visited religious facilities, met with 
religious leaders, and worked with government officials to address 
specific cases of concern. During the reporting period, the embassy 
sponsored exchange programs for Muslim and other religious leaders to 
meet with a diverse range of counterparts in the United States. U.S. 
embassy officials maintained an ongoing dialogue with a broad range of 
groups within the religious community.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 1,052,540 square miles, and according to 
January 2006 data from the government statistics agency, its population 
is 15,219,300.
    The society is ethnically diverse, and many religious groups are 
represented. Due in part to the country's nomadic and Soviet past, many 
residents describe themselves as nonbelievers. Several researchers 
reported and surveys suggested low levels of religious conviction and 
worship attendance. The Government maintains statistics on the number 
of registered congregations and organizations but does not keep 
statistics on the size of each group. The most recent reliable 
statistics on religious affiliation came from the 1999 census. Although 
there was a large increase in the number of minority religious 
congregations registered since 1999, the Government believes that 
percentages of the population adhering to particular faiths have 
remained consistent.
    Ethnic Kazakhs, who constituted approximately one-half of the 
population, and ethnic Uzbeks, Uighurs, and Tatars, who collectively 
comprised less than 10 percent, are historically Sunni Muslims of the 
Hanafi school. Other Islamic groups, which accounted for less than 1 
percent of the population, included Shafit Sunni (traditionally 
associated with Chechens), Shi'a, Sufi, and Ahmadi. The highest 
concentration of citizens who identified themselves as practicing 
Muslims was located in the southern region bordering Uzbekistan. A 
sizeable population of ethnic Russians, and smaller populations of 
ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Belarusians, were Russian Orthodox by 
tradition; together they constituted approximately one-third of the 
population. An estimated 1.5 percent of the population was ethnic 
German, many of whom were Roman Catholic or Lutheran.
    According to government statistics, Protestant Christian 
congregations outnumbered Russian Orthodox congregations, although it 
is unlikely that their number of adherents is higher. The Government 
reported registering ninety-three ``nontraditional'' Protestant 
Christian churches and forty-five affiliated foreign missionaries 
during the reporting period.
    There were two Baptist groups in the country, the Council of 
Churches of Evangelical Christians and Baptists (``Council of 
Churches'') and the Union of Evangelical Christians and Baptists 
(``Union of Baptists''). Although there were no precise statistics 
available on the Council of Churches, religious observers estimated up 
to 1,000 adherents, while Union of Baptists adherents were reported to 
number more than 10,000. The Government reportedly registered 198 Union 
of Baptists churches during the reporting period, along with 22 
affiliated foreign missionaries.
    Other Christian associations with a sizable number of congregations 
included Presbyterians, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day 
Adventists, and Pentecostals. Smaller communities of Methodists, 
Mennonites, and Mormons were registered. During the reporting period 
government officials continued to report an increase in registrations 
of congregations and missionaries affiliated with South Korean 
Protestant Christian churches.
    There was a Roman Catholic archdiocese, whose members accounted for 
2 percent of the population, and which includes many ethnic Ukrainians 
and ethnic Germans. The Government reported eighty-three registered 
Roman Catholic churches and affiliated organizations throughout the 
country. During the year the Government registered 198 foreign Roman 
Catholic clergy and missionaries. A smaller, affiliated community of 
Greek Catholics, many of whom were ethnic Ukrainians, registered three 
churches, which were served by nine foreign priests and missionaries.
    A Jewish community, estimated at well below 1 percent of the 
population, had synagogues in several larger cities, including Almaty, 
Astana, and Pavlodar. Rabbis in Almaty reported an increase in 
attendance for both services and religious education during the 
reporting period. The Government reported registering eight foreign 
rabbis and Jewish missionaries.
    The Government registered fifty-eight nontraditional religious 
groups during the reporting period, including affiliates of the Hare 
Krishna movement, the Baha'is, Christian Scientists, and the 
Unification Church. The Government reported four registered Buddhist 
groups throughout the country.
    According to government statistics, there were 413 foreign 
missionaries in the country as of January 2006. The majority of 
registered missionaries identified themselves as Christian, with many 
coming from South Korea, Russia, and other former Soviet countries. 
While there were only twelve registered foreign Muslim missionaries, 
more unregistered ones were believed to be active in the southern 
regions of the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the various 
religious groups worshiped largely without government interference; 
however, local and regional officials attempted on occasion to limit or 
control the practice of religion by several groups, especially 
nontraditional religious communities. The constitution defines the 
country as a secular state and provides the right to decline religious 
affiliation.
    However, the Government enacted national security amendments in 
July 2005 that narrowed legal protections for religious freedom. The 
amendments clarified that religious groups are required to register 
with the Government and in the individual regions (oblasts) in which 
they have congregations. The amendments give government officials the 
right to suspend activities of religious groups for administrative 
reasons. The Government continued to express publicly its support for 
religious tolerance and diversity.
    The national religion law explicitly requires religious 
organizations to register with the Government; however, it continues to 
provide that all persons are free to practice their religion ``alone or 
together with others.'' Prior to 2005 national security amendments to 
the religion law, religious organizations were required to register if 
they wished to be accorded legal status in order to buy or rent 
property, hire employees, or engage in other legal transactions. To 
register, a religious organization must have at least ten members and 
submit an application to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). In practice 
most religious communities choose to register with the Government and 
are registered with few difficulties.
    In December 2005 the Government established the Religious Issues 
Committee (RIC) within the MOJ. This MOJ committee replaced the Council 
on Relations with Religious Communities (CRRC), which reported to the 
prime minister. The RIC serves as a liaison between religious groups 
and the Government. In addition, the RIC serves as a consultative body 
within the MOJ to facilitate the registration of religious groups. Most 
of the twenty-two RIC employees previously worked with the CRRC.
    In 2004 the MOJ designed and implemented a new, one-step 
registration process, and religious groups noted that registration 
became more efficient during the reporting period. Article 9 of the 
religion law requires registration of local religious organizations 
with the regional office of the MOJ. While religious groups were able 
to register without difficulty in most cases, some minority religious 
groups reported that local MOJ officials sometimes denied or delayed 
registration based on minor administrative concerns. Officials in 
Western Kazakhstan and Atyrau Oblasts were cited by several groups as 
being resistant to working with nontraditional groups seeking 
registration.
    The Council of Churches has a policy of not seeking or accepting 
registration in former Soviet countries. In 1961 the Council of 
Churches split from the Union of Baptists, which has no objection to 
registering its congregations. The Union of Baptists reported that all 
congregations that sought registration during the reporting period 
successfully obtained it.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses Religious Center reported that local MOJ 
authorities have refused, since 2001, repeated applications to register 
its branch in Atyrau Oblast.
    As in previous years, government officials frequently expressed 
concern regarding the potential spread of political and religious 
extremism in the south of the country. The Committee for National 
Security (KNB) has characterized the fight against ``religious 
extremism'' as a top priority of the internal intelligence service. An 
extremism law that came into effect in February 2005 applies to 
religious and other organizations. Under this law, the Government has 
broad latitude in identifying and designating a group as an extremist 
organization, banning a designated group's activities, and 
criminalizing membership in a banned organization. In March 2005 the 
Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) political movement was the first organization 
banned under the extremism law. By the end of the reporting period, no 
apolitical religious organizations had been outlawed as extremist.
    The elections law prohibits political parties based upon ethnic, 
gender, or religious affiliation.
    In 2002 the Constitutional Council ruled that a particular 
legislative provision violated the constitutional principle separating 
church and state. This provision required that the Spiritual 
Association of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK), a national organization 
headed by the chief mufti in Almaty, must approve the registration of 
any Muslim group. The council also noted that the provisions might 
infringe on the constitutional right to freely disseminate religious 
beliefs.
    In an early 2005 meeting with imams from throughout the country, 
President Nursultan Nazarbayev reportedly stated that Sunni mosques 
should affiliate with the SAMK. In May 2005 the press reported that the 
akim (governor) of Southern Kazakhstan Oblast, along with heads of 
regional law enforcement agencies, met with imams of mosques in that 
oblast in an effort to pressure nonaligned imams and congregations to 
join the SAMK to ensure liturgical orthodoxy. There were unconfirmed 
reports that other oblast akims held similar meetings with imams to 
encourage affiliation with the SAMK. On several occasions the chief 
mufti publicly deplored the proliferation of nontraditional religions, 
which he defined as any congregation not affiliated with the Russian 
Orthodox Church or with the SAMK. During a May conference on Sufism in 
Iran and Central Asia, several local Sufis reportedly accused the SAMK 
of promoting ``Wahhabism'' and intolerance among Muslims, a charge the 
SAMK publicly denied. Notwithstanding SAMK influence and pressure, 
during the reporting period the Government registered mosques and 
Muslim communities unaffiliated with the SAMK.
    Neither law nor regulation prohibits foreign missionary activity. 
Foreign missionaries, like all visitors, are required to register with 
the migration police and indicate the purpose of their stay. Under July 
2005 amendments to the religion law, local and foreign missionaries are 
required to register annually with the MOJ and provide information on 
religious affiliation, territory of missionary work, and time period 
for conducting that work. All literature and other materials to be used 
to support missionary work must be provided with the registration 
application; use of materials not vetted during the registration 
process is illegal. In addition, a missionary must produce registration 
documents for the sponsoring religious organization and a power of 
attorney from the sponsoring organization to be allowed to work on its 
behalf. The MOJ may refuse registration to missionaries whose work 
would be inconsistent with the law, including laws prohibiting the 
incitement of interethnic or interreligious hatred. The constitution 
requires foreign religious associations to conduct their activities, 
including appointing the heads of religious associations, ``in 
coordination with appropriate state institutions.'' Foreigners are 
permitted under the law to register religious organizations; however, 
they generally are required to list a majority of local citizens among 
the ten founders of the organization.
    During the reporting period one group reported difficulty in 
obtaining registration for a missionary who moved from Southern 
Kazakhstan Oblast to Almaty. The missionary was registered to work in 
Almaty in May 2006. Two groups reported that foreign missionaries were 
denied entry into the country based upon another government's addition 
of these missionaries to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 
visa blacklist which the Government is bound by treaty obligations to 
honor. In one case, the missionary had worked in the country for more 
than ten years and his family was living in Karaganda. Many foreign 
missionaries reported good cooperation with local and national 
authorities.
    The Government does not permit religious instruction in public 
schools. Children must attend secular schools through high school; some 
secular schools are private. Homeschooling is not permitted, except for 
children at the preschool level and for noncitizen children. Parents 
may enroll children in supplemental religious education classes 
provided by registered religious organizations.
    The July 2005 national security amendments include a provision that 
religious training of a child shall not cause damage to a child's all-
around development or physical or moral health. However, they do not 
clarify how such damage should be judged or which agency would make 
such a determination. The current law does not allow religious groups 
to educate children without approval from the Ministry of Education. 
This makes lack of such approval a ground for refusing to register a 
religious organization whose charter includes provisions for religious 
education. In early 2005 the Ministry of Education issued a circular 
instructing teachers to be alert in detecting behavior that indicated 
children were being exposed to political or religious extremism. There 
were unconfirmed reports that similar instructions were reiterated 
during the reporting period, although there were no reports of legal 
proceedings resulting from teachers reporting on students' religious 
education.
    The Government exempted registered religious organizations from 
taxes on both church collections and income from certain religious 
activities. However, congregations are required to pay for services 
such as fire company protection for religious buildings, a service not 
provided by the Government. The Government has donated buildings, land, 
and provided other assistance for the construction of new mosques, 
synagogues, and Russian Orthodox churches.
    The Government invited the national leaders of the two largest 
religious groups, Islam and Russian Orthodoxy, to participate jointly 
in some state events; Roman Catholic and Jewish leaders have been 
included in such events as well. Leaders of other religious groups, 
including Baptists, Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventists, and other 
nontraditional religious groups, at times also have participated in 
some events.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Under the amended religion law, the Government may deny 
registration based upon an insufficient number of adherents or 
inconsistencies between the provisions of a religious organization's 
charter and the law. Under the law on public associations, a registered 
organization, including a religious group, may have all activities 
suspended by court order for a period of three to six months for 
defiance of the constitution or laws or for systematic pursuit of 
activities that contradict the charter and bylaws of the organization 
as registered. In February 2005 the parliament amended this law to 
empower police, procurators, and citizens to petition a court to 
suspend the activities of a registered organization for failure to 
rectify violations or for repeated violations of the law. This 
amendment was passed at the same time as the extremism law was adopted.
    During a suspension, the organization concerned is prohibited from 
speaking with the media on behalf of the organization; holding 
meetings, gatherings, or services; and undertaking financial 
transactions other than meeting ongoing contractual obligations such as 
paying salaries. The Government usually claimed that religious groups' 
charters did not meet the requirements of the law when refusing or 
significantly delaying registration. In several cases authorities cited 
discrepancies between Russian and Kazakh language versions of a group's 
charter or referred a charter for expert examination.
    Article 375 of the Administrative Code allows authorities to 
suspend the activities or fine the leaders of unregistered groups. 
Recent amendments to the religion law incorporate language consistent 
with Article 375. During the period covered by this report, 
unregistered denominations reported an increase in cases filed under 
Article 375. As in previous years, the court of first instance often 
acquitted the accused. Religious groups reported cases filed under 
Article 374-1, a related provision added to the Administrative Code by 
the July 2005 national security amendments, which carries significantly 
heavier fines than Article 375. Local authorities have broad discretion 
in determining whether to file charges for nonregistered religious 
activity under Article 375 or 374-1, which was applied unevenly in 
different localities.
    Procurators have the right to inspect annually all organizations 
registered with state bodies; there were few reports that these 
inspections, when they occurred, were overly intrusive or were 
considered harassment by any religious groups inspected. Where 
religious groups operated as legal entities, such as by running 
collective farms and restaurants or operating orphanages, authorities 
conducted health, sanitation, and other inspections relevant to the 
nature of the entities' operations. Authorities conducted public safety 
inspections of premises used for religious worship to ensure compliance 
with building and fire codes. These inspections also provided 
authorities with information about the registration status of the 
groups being inspected.
    Although the national Jehovah's Witnesses Religious Center noted 
generally positive relations with the central Government, the group 
alleged several incidents of harassment by local governments. Although 
local Jehovah's Witnesses organizations are registered at the national 
level, in Astana and Almaty, and in thirteen (of fourteen) oblasts, the 
center has attempted unsuccessfully since 2001 to register in Atyrau 
Oblast. Its most recent application was turned down in December 2005 
based on incomplete registration materials. The Jehovah's Witnesses 
claimed that local officials sometimes denied the group permits to rent 
stadiums and other large public or private sites for religious 
meetings. However, the Center also reported that government treatment 
of these requests varied. No other religious groups have reported 
similar instances of being denied permits for public gatherings.
    There were reports that local representatives of the KNB or police 
officials disrupted meetings in private homes during the period covered 
by this report. Several groups reported that local law enforcement 
representatives attended their services although their presence 
generally was not considered disruptive.
    During the reporting period the Council of Churches noted several 
court cases against churchgoers for participating in the activities of 
an unregistered group. When individuals were found to be guilty of 
violating Article 375 of the administrative code, courts imposed a 
fine. Council of Churches members usually refused to pay fines levied 
by courts for nonregistration. Although the Government generally did 
not enforce payment of the fines, in one instance authorities imposed a 
three-day jail sentence.
    Although the Hare Krishna movement was registered at the national 
and local levels, leaders reported continuing harassment by the local 
government in the form of repeated lawsuits seeking confiscation of 
land in Almaty Oblast used as a communal farm. In April 2006 an appeals 
court upheld a lower court decision that the land should revert to the 
Karasai regional akimat (equivalent to a county government), because 
the farmer from whom Hare Krishna followers had purchased the land in 
1999 did not hold title, and thus the land had not been properly 
privatized. On April 25, 2006, local officials went to the commune to 
evict the followers. Hare Krishna followers peacefully resisted and 
local authorities did not escalate the situation through force. The 
Hare Krishnas claimed that the local government targeted the commune 
because they were a nontraditional religious community. They cited 
statements by local officials, such as an April 25, 2006, interview 
with Channel 31 in which a Karasai akimat official stated that the Hare 
Krishnas were ``not accepted as a religion,'' and that they were 
dangerous for the country. Independent religious observers, however, 
believed that the cases are motivated primarily by a financial interest 
in the land, the value of which has appreciated significantly since 
1999. Human rights advocates and international observers brought the 
issue to the attention of national officials. At the end of the 
reporting period, the Government had not evicted the residents from the 
commune and the Hare Krishnas' appeal was pending before the Supreme 
Court.
    Prior to the land confiscation lawsuits, the Hare Krishnas reported 
tense relations with Karasai akimat authorities, which they believe 
resulted in the community being subject to frequent inspections. In 
2004 the Hare Krishna commune was the subject of eleven inspections by 
different government agencies including the police, fire protection 
service, sanitary agency, environment protection agency, and land 
committee, and subsequently fined for various violations. The Hare 
Krishnas admitted several violations, which they attempted to rectify 
but maintained that they had been subjected to closer scrutiny than 
their neighbors.
    Observers believe that security officials informally monitor some 
religious activity, particularly Muslim imams' sermons; however, no 
suggestion has been made that any monitoring had the character of 
interference or harassment.
    The Ahmadi Muslim community reported difficulties in obtaining 
visas and registration for a foreign missionary and his family. In 
November 2005 foreign missionary Syed Hasan Tahir Bukhari, also known 
as Asan Takhir Sayid Bukhari, moved from Southern Kazakhstan Oblast to 
Almaty. His initial application to register in Almaty was denied based 
on incomplete materials and out-of-date documents. Bukhari was 
registered in Almaty in May 2006 after government liaison officials 
assisted the Ahmadis in completing his registration.
    Both the national government and the national Muslim organization 
SAMK deny that there is any official connection between them. However, 
the Government has sought several times in recent years, in the form of 
proposed amendments to the religion law, to have the organization 
assume a quasi-official role by requiring it to determine which Muslim 
groups be allowed to register with authorities and to approve the 
construction of new mosques. In 2002 the Constitutional Council ruled 
that these provisions of the proposed amendments were unconstitutional; 
however, several akims were reported to have exerted pressure on imams 
and mosques to align themselves with the SAMK.
    Several religious groups, including unregistered Baptists, Hare 
Krishnas, and Jehovah's Witnesses, reported that they had been the 
subject of news accounts portraying them, or nontraditional religions 
in general, as a threat to security or society. Some of the news 
accounts appeared in government-controlled media. However, news 
accounts relating to the April 25, 2006, attempted eviction of Hare 
Krishnas from their commune were generally sympathetic to the group, 
including accounts appearing in government-controlled media.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    As in the previous reporting period, there were no reports of 
prolonged detention of members of religious organizations for 
proselytizing. On occasion authorities took action against individuals 
who were not registered as missionaries who were engaged in 
proselytizing; however, such actions were limited to the confiscation 
of religious literature, fines, and brief detentions.
    There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners in the 
country.
Forced Religious Conversions
    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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Despite legislative setbacks in 2005, the country has out performed 
other former Soviet Union nations in its encouragement of religious 
tolerance and its respect for the rights of religious minorities. 
Religious leaders praised the role the Government played in ensuring 
their groups' right to the peaceful practice of religious beliefs. Some 
perceived the former Chairman of the Secretariat of the Council on 
Relations with Religious Communities, now the deputy head of the newly 
organized RIC, and the Ombudsman's Office, as advocates for religious 
freedom within the Government. In each of the fourteen oblasts, the 
equivalent of state governments, and in the two cities with independent 
administrations, Astana and Almaty, the local government (akimat) 
included a liaison for religious communities. Several of these liaisons 
were cited by religious groups as a resource for assistance in 
navigating registration and other laws, while akimat officials in other 
oblasts were described as unhelpful or intrusive. Several 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), including the Almaty Helsinki 
Foundation and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and 
Rule of Law (KIBHR), assisted religious groups, including providing 
legal assistance for registration.
    National and regional (oblast) officials, including RIC officials, 
continued to intervene in cases of restriction or harassment of 
religious groups by local officials. The frequency of 
higherlevel intervention has generally reduced harassment of 
religious groups at the local level. During the period covered by this 
report, continued activism by national and regional officials resolved 
conflicts between nontraditional religious groups and local 
authorities.
    President Nazarbayev announced in September 2003 that he would 
continue his ``Peace and Harmony'' initiative by hosting the second 
Congress of World Religions in Astana in September 2006 and by inviting 
several previously unrepresented groups. Nazarbayev regularly made 
public statements highlighting and praising the country's tradition of 
interethnic and interfaith tolerance. The president remains engaged 
with international religious leaders and communities.
    In June 2006 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted an OSCE 
Implementation Meeting in Almaty on religious tolerance. Religious 
leaders reported plans to begin building several large houses of 
worship during the coming year, including a new Russian Orthodox 
cathedral in Astana, a new synagogue complex in Almaty, and a new 
synagogue in Ust-Kamenogorsk.
    According to government statistics, the number of registered 
religious groups has risen steadily over the last few years. In January 
2006 there were 3,420 groups, compared with 3,259 in 2005 and 3,157 in 
2004. The Union of Baptists, for example, grew from 254 registered 
affiliated groups in 2003 to 272 in 2006.
    The Government made efforts to promote religious tolerance in its 
ranks. Human rights training provided to law enforcement officers by 
NGOs in cooperation with the Government included information on 
religious rights under the law.
    There were no reports of incidents of anti-Semitism committed by 
the Government. The country's chief rabbi consistently praised the 
Government for its proactive protection of the Jewish community. He 
previously stated publicly that in his more than ten years in the 
country, he had never faced a single case of anti-Semitism. Other than 
the actions of members of the extremist HT political movement, who 
printed and distributed leaflets that supported anti-Semitism among 
other beliefs, there were no reports of anti-Semitic incitement or acts 
during the year.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The country is multiethnic, 
with a long tradition of tolerance and secularism. Since independence, 
the number of mosques and churches has increased greatly. The 
population, particularly in rural areas, is sometimes wary of 
nontraditional religions.
    In 2004 the media reported a conflict between missionaries from 
Missionary Center Grace Rakhim and local Muslims in a village in Akmola 
Oblast. The missionaries, who identified themselves as Presbyterian 
Christians, were reportedly threatened, beaten, and exiled from the 
village when they attempted to convert local residents. In general 
Grace Rakhim Church reported good relations between its missionaries 
and the community during the reporting period. Akimat officials in 
Karaganda Oblast, where Grace Church has its national headquarters, 
invited church leaders to public functions and publicly praised the 
work of the church during meetings with U.S. embassy officials.
    Several members of parliament were quoted in the press expressing 
suspicion of nontraditional religions, including the Jehovah's 
Witnesses and Evangelical Christian movements. Leaders of the four 
traditional religious groups, Islam, Russian Orthodoxy, Roman 
Catholicism, and Judaism, reported general acceptance and tolerance 
that was not always enjoyed by other minority religious groups. During 
the reporting period, there were no reports of such mistrust leading to 
violence.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
officials emphasized that bilateral cooperation on economic and 
security matters is a complement to, not a substitute for, meaningful 
progress on human rights, including religious freedom. The ambassador 
and embassy officers remained engaged in dialogue with the Government 
to seek assurance that any legislation relating to religious freedom be 
drafted through a transparent legislative process, and that it reflect 
the country's international commitments to respect individuals' right 
to peaceful expression of religion.
    U.S. officials expressed concern at high levels over the extremism 
law prior to its passage in early 2005. Following passage of the law, 
U.S. officials remained engaged with the Government to encourage that 
the law be implemented in a manner that least restricted religious 
practice.
    The ambassador and other embassy officials coordinated with other 
embassies and international human rights organizations to encourage the 
Government to seek legal expert assistance from the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe/Office of Democratic Institutions 
and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) in drafting implementing regulations for 
legislation that had implications for the religious community, 
including the national security amendments that were enacted in July 
2005. The ambassador gave several interviews in which he publicly 
reiterated the U.S. position against legislation that did not appear to 
meet international standards for protecting religious freedom and other 
fundamental rights.
    Embassy and U.S. Department of State officials visited houses of 
worship, met with religious leaders, and worked with government 
officials to address specific cases of concern.
    The embassy maintained contact with a broad range of religious 
communities and reported on violations of their constitutional and 
human rights. Department of State officials met with government 
officials and members of faith-based groups in the country, and embassy 
officials consistently raised cases of local harassment with government 
officials, who generally worked to resolve these cases, ensuring an 
equitable application of the law. Senior U.S. Government officials met 
with senior government officials to raise religious freedom concerns. 
Embassy officials worked to connect religious communities with in-
country legal resources to assist with registration concerns.
    In his preface to a documentary on Muslims in America by regional 
broadcaster Mir TV, the ambassador emphasized, ``Freedom of religion is 
one of the most fundamental values of the American way of life,'' and 
praised the film for showing the wisdom of community leaders who 
demonstrated how to separate extremist ideologies from the peaceful 
observance of the Muslim faith. The documentary was produced by three 
journalists who traveled to the United States on a U.S. Government 
program in the fall of 2005, where they collected material on Islam in 
America. In early 2006 the finished product was broadcast on local 
television news in all CIS countries except Turkmenistan.
    The ambassador toured houses of worship and met with religious 
leaders during trips to regional (oblast) capitals throughout the year. 
Embassy officials regularly attended public events in support of the 
religious community, in addition to participating in roundtables and 
other public debates on matters of religious freedom and tolerance. 
U.S. officials in the country and in Washington were in regular contact 
with NGOs that followed religious freedom topics, including the Almaty 
Helsinki Committee and the Kazakhstan Bureau of International Human 
Rights and Rule of Law.
    In July 2005 the embassy provided grant support to the Youth Center 
for Support of Democracy to create a Center for Religious Tolerance in 
Shymkent, the capital of Southern Kazakhstan Oblast, where 30 percent 
of the country's registered mosques are located. The April 27, 2006, 
Center opening was attended by leaders from the local religious 
community and was covered by local media. Members of the community have 
access to books, reference materials, and other publications about 
world religions, in addition to materials about sociology, theology, 
and religious anthropology. The center offers monthly seminars on 
topics such as the role of religion in democracies and the role of 
religion in helping resolve social issues; staff members conduct 
interreligious forums and roundtables with religious and public leaders 
to discuss urgent social and political questions. In addition, the 
center provides Internet access for students, teachers, and others 
doing research on theology and religious tolerance.
    In 2004 the U.S. Government added a religious component to its 
overall development strategy for the country. Implementing 
organizations and a regional religion, state and society (RSS) 
specialist, based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, have been working to 
increase outreach to religious communities in Shymkent. During the 
reporting period, the RSS specialist toured Shymkent with religious 
leaders and continued to publicize the scope of implementing 
organizations' contributions, including civil society development, 
which these partners provide. In addition, embassy officials held 
meetings with implementing organizations and staff to encourage 
partners to reach out to local religious leaders in their work, where 
appropriate. In June 2006 the U.S. Government sponsored the 
participation of a government official and several local Muslim leaders 
in a regional conference on ``The Role of Religion in Promoting Peace 
and Stability,'' held in Tajikistan.
    During the period covered by this report, the embassy conducted 
exchange programs for religious leaders and human rights observers, and 
cosponsored several reunions for alumni of past exchange programs. 
These included Muslim religious leaders and teachers who attended 
programs in 2003 and 2004 on ``Islam in America'' that included tours 
of U.S. cities and meetings with American religious leaders.
                               __________

                            KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

    The constitution and the law provide for freedom of religion, and 
the Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the 
Government restricted the activities of radical Islamic groups that it 
considered threats to stability and security. The constitution provides 
for a secular state and the separation of religion and state. The 
Government does not support any religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. The Government continued to 
monitor and restrict Islamist groups that it considered to be threats. 
In April 2004, then Prime Minister Nikolai Tanaev signed a decree and 
plan of action aimed at ``combating religious extremism'' from 2004 to 
2005. The decree outlined responsibilities of various government 
agencies directed at detection and prevention of terrorism and 
religious extremism, including creating a database of foreign religious 
extremist organizations, conducting an information campaign, and 
preventing inter- and intra-faith conflicts. According to the State 
Agency for Religious Affairs (SARA)--called the State Commission on 
Religious Affairs, or SCRA, until November 2005--the decree expired in 
April 2005 and was no longer enforced.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Some tensions occurred 
between Muslims and former Muslims who had converted to other faiths.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as a part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During the period covered by this report, the U.S. embassy continued to 
monitor progress of the draft law on religion and maintained contact 
with government officials regarding religious affairs. Embassy 
representatives met with leaders of religious communities, including 
minority groups, and with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that 
monitor religious freedom. The ambassador frequently participated in 
outreach activities to various religious groups and promoted tolerance 
among the various faiths.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 77,181 square miles, and its population 
is approximately 5.1 million. The latest official data from the 
National Statistics Committee indicated the following ethnic breakdown: 
Kyrgyz, 67.4 percent; Uzbeks, 14.2 percent; Russians, 10.3 percent; 
Dungans (ethnic Chinese Muslims), 1.1 percent; Uighurs (ethnic Turkic 
Muslims), 1 percent; and other ethnicities, 6.4 percent.
    Islam is the most widely held faith. Official sources estimate that 
up to 80 percent of inhabitants are Muslim. The majority of Muslims are 
Sunni; there are few Shi'a in the country (approximately one thousand). 
According to the SARA, as of May 2006 there were an estimated 1,643 
mosques, of which 1,623 were registered. There also were seven 
institutes for higher Islamic teaching. According to recent official 
estimates, approximately 11 percent of the population is Russian 
Orthodox, although some experts believe the figure could be as low as 8 
percent. The country has forty-four Russian Orthodox churches, one 
Russian Orthodox monastery for women, and one parochial school. The 
Seventh-day Adventist Church operates thirty churches throughout the 
country. Jews, Buddhists, and Roman Catholics account for an estimated 
3 percent of the population, and they practice their religions openly 
in one synagogue, one temple, and three churches, respectively. In 
addition, there are 265 registered Protestant houses of worship. 
Protestant congregations include Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, 
nondenominational Protestants, Presbyterians, and Charismatics. There 
are twelve registered Baha'i houses of worship.
    The small Jewish congregation in Bishkek organizes informal 
cultural studies and humanitarian services, chiefly food assistance for 
its elderly. There also are syncretistic religious practices. Most 
notably there is a Baptist church in the Naryn region whose followers 
are predominantly ethnic Kyrgyz. While they worship as Christians, they 
have incorporated Muslim modes of prayer into their rituals. There is 
no official estimate of the number of atheists.
    Islam is practiced widely throughout the country in both urban and 
rural areas. Russian Orthodoxy typically is concentrated in cities with 
a larger ethnic Russian population. Other faiths also are practiced 
more commonly in the cities where their smaller communities tend to be 
concentrated. There is a correlation between ethnicity and religion; 
ethnic Kyrgyz are primarily Muslims, while ethnic Russians usually 
belong to either the Russian Orthodox Church or one of the Protestant 
denominations. While the majority claims to follow Islam, a significant 
number of Muslims appear to be only nominal believers and identify with 
the faith out of historical or ethnic allegiance. A significant number 
of Russian Orthodox adherents also appear to be only nominal believers.
    A number of missionary groups operate. The SARA has registered 
missionaries from the Republic of Korea, Great Britain, the United 
States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, India, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, 
Tajikistan, and Russia. They represent an estimated twenty religious 
groups and denominations, including Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, and 
Korean Presbyterians. According to the SARA, since 1996 it has 
registered approximately 1,133 missionaries, of whom an estimated 870 
were Christian and 263 were Muslim. During the period covered by this 
report, eighty-five missionaries, of whom sixty-two were Christian and 
twenty-three were Muslim, conducted activities. According to official 
statistics, since independence, authorities ordered approximately 
twenty missionaries, who disseminated dogma inconsistent with the 
traditional customs of local Muslims, to leave the country. However, 
during the reporting period no missionaries were expelled, asked to 
leave the country, or denied registration. All missionaries previously 
expelled represented various ``totalitarian sects,'' groups the SCRA 
considered incompatible with the standard principles of traditional 
world religions.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution and the law provide for freedom of religion; 
however, the Government at times restricted this right in practice, in 
particular for Muslim groups it considered to be threats. The 
constitution provides for a secular state and for the separation of 
religion and state, and the Government does not support any particular 
religion. Article 8 of the constitution prohibits the formation of 
political parties on religious and ethnic grounds, as well as 
activities of religious organizations that jeopardize the state, 
constitutional system, or national security. Article 82 of the 
constitution provides the constitutional court with the authority to 
determine whether a religious organization should be prohibited.
    The Government recognizes three Muslim holy days (Noorus, Kurman 
Ait or Eid al-Adha, and Orozo Ait or Eid al-Fitr) and one Russian 
Orthodox holy day (Orthodox Christmas, which is observed on January 7) 
as national holidays. The president and the Government send greetings 
to Muslims and Orthodox adherents on their major holy days, and the 
greetings are printed in the mass media.
    The SARA promotes religious tolerance, protects freedom of 
conscience, and oversees the application of laws on religion. Members 
of the agency are appointed by the prime minister. A 1997 presidential 
decree requires the registration of all religious organizations with 
the SARA, following approval from the Constitutional Court. While SARA 
is the only government agency that has the right to register a 
religious entity within Kyrgyzstan, it has no authority to declare a 
religious group unqualified. It can, however, postpone the 
certification of a particular religious group if SARA believes the 
proposed activities of that group are not religious in character. 
Unregistered religious organizations are prohibited from actions such 
as renting space and holding religious services, although many do hold 
regular services without government interference.
    Organizations applying for registration must have at least ten 
members who are adult citizens and must submit an application form, 
organizational charter, minutes of an institutional meeting, and a list 
of founding members. Each congregation must register separately. A 
religious organization then must complete a registration process with 
the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to obtain status as a legal entity, which 
is necessary to own property, open bank accounts, and otherwise engage 
in contractual activities. If a religious organization engages in 
commercial activity, it is required to pay taxes. In practice the MOJ 
has never registered a religious organization without prior 
registration by the SARA. The registration process with the SARA is 
often cumbersome, taking one month on average, but in the past it 
sometimes took up to several years. According to SARA regulations, 
registration is rejected if a religious organization does not comply 
with the law or is a threat to national security, social stability, 
interethnic and interdenominational harmony, public order, health, or 
morality. An applicant whose registration is denied may reapply, and 
may appeal to the courts.
    In 2004 the Government created a website that documented the 
religious organizations operating in the country. According to the 
SARA, there were more than 2,081 registered religious entities, 
including mosques, churches, foundations, NGOs of a religious nature, 
and religious educational institutions. Of these, 347 were Christian. 
The SARA reported that its staff continued to travel around the country 
to help unregistered religious entities prepare applications for 
registration. The most recent registration information provided by SARA 
identified 1,725 Islamic entities (including 1 university), 46 entities 
belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, more than 300 
``nontraditional'' Christian churches, 2 Russian churches of ``Old 
Belief,'' 3 Catholic churches, 1 synagogue, 1 Buddhist church, and 292 
Protestant churches (48 Baptist, 20 Lutheran, 45 Pentecostal, 30 
Adventist, 18 Presbyterian, 16 ``Charismatic'' churches, 41 Jehovah's 
Witnesses, and 22 ``other'' Protestant churches). In addition, SARA 
states that, in Kyrgyzstan, there are twenty-one ``other religious 
entities,'' including twelve Baha'i centers, plus twenty-one religious 
centers of ``other foreign confessions,'' thirteen religious schools, 
and seven religious foundations and unions. Although there has been a 
history of several groups, including the Catholic Church (RCC), having 
difficulties registering, all, including the RCC, were eventually 
registered, except for the Hare Krishnas, who continued to have 
difficulties. Since 1996 SARA has registered more than 1,137 foreign 
citizens as religious missionaries.
    In December 2005 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons) reported ongoing problems in its efforts to register with the 
SARA; problems which remained unresolved at the end of the reporting 
period. The church initially submitted its application for registration 
in August 2004.
    The Church of Jesus Christ is the country's largest Protestant 
church with approximately ten affiliates and an estimated eleven 
thousand members, of whom approximately 40 percent are ethnic Kyrgyz. 
At the end of the period covered by this report, the main church in 
Bishkek was registered, along with ten affiliates. The church reported 
that over the past year, ten other affiliates decided to become 
independent congregations and not be affiliated with the church.
    Members of registered religious groups may undergo alternative 
military service; it was reported in the press that approximately three 
thousand persons apply annually.
    Missionary groups of various religious groups operate freely, 
although they are required to register with the Government.
    The Government forbids the teaching of religion (or atheism) in 
public schools. In 2001 the Government instructed the SCRA to draw up 
programs for training clergy and to prepare methodologies for teaching 
about religions in public schools. These instructions came in response 
to concerns about the spread of Wahhabism and what the Government 
considered unconventional religious sects. The SCRA turned to a number 
of religious organizations for their ideas on introducing religious 
education; their reaction generally was negative, as they preferred to 
retain responsibility for the religious education of their adherents. 
The SARA indicated that it was still developing a curriculum to teach 
about religions, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and 
several academic institutions; however, the program had not been 
implemented because of lack of funding. Volunteers visited villages in 
the south to teach traditional Islamic values.
    In 2003 the SCRA and the state muftiate granted the Islamic 
Institute the status of a university, which gave it authority over 
other Islamic institutes in the country and allowed it to develop a 
more standardized curriculum. In 2004 the Islamic University 
(previously called the Islamic Institute) began a program to oversee 
all Islamic schools, including madrassahs. As part of the program, the 
Islamic University oversees curriculum development and tries to 
maintain a more standardized curriculum among all Islamic schools. It 
also declared that one of its goals is to check the spread of extremist 
religious teaching. This program continued during the reporting period. 
The Government worked through the SARA to promote interfaith dialogue 
and encourage religious tolerance. The SARA hosted meetings of 
religious groups to bring different faiths together in open forums, and 
it assisted them in working together on programs for the protection of 
the poor and the elderly.
    Since 2001 the Government has worked with representatives of 
various religious groups and NGOs on a draft law ``On Freedom of 
Conscience and Religious Organizations,'' which is ostensibly a 
response to concerns about terrorism and other illegal activities 
committed by groups disguised as religious organizations. In May 2006 a 
different draft bill was initiated by another group of deputies. Work 
on the new draft bill continued at the end of the reporting period.
    In August 2005 President Bakiyev signed into law legislation 
designed to ``halt extremist activities by religious organizations or 
groups.'' However, government officials, including at the SARA, were 
unable to provide any details on how the law was being enforced or what 
actions had been taken under the law.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government continued to express concern publicly about groups 
that it viewed as extremist because of either radical religious or 
political agendas. The Government was particularly concerned about the 
threat of political Islam, whose followers (Islamists) it labels 
``Wahhabis.'' The Government perceives Islamists to be a threat to 
national stability, particularly in the south, and fears that they seek 
to overthrow the secular government and establish an Islamic theocracy. 
Armed incursions in 1999 and 2000 by members of the Islamic Movement of 
Uzbekistan (IMU), a terrorist organization, increased the Government's 
concern regarding political Islam and the actions of militant Islamic 
groups. In contrast to previous reporting periods, the Government 
expressed no concern over the growing number of Christian groups.
    In December 2004 police raided houses in Osh and the Aravan and 
Nookat districts, areas of traditional Islamic beliefs, following a 
November 2004 incident in which a suspect threw a grenade at police 
while trying to escape. Officials maintained the November incident was 
perpetrated by Islamic extremists. Local human rights observers 
disputed these claims, and alleged that the incident was being used to 
discriminate against Muslims as well as the Uzbek minority. In April 
2006 police in Osh Oblast arrested twelve men, allegedly for links to 
the 2004 grenade incident. Eight men arrested were released within 
days, but the four others remain in custody and are awaiting trial.
    In 2003 the Supreme Court sustained the ban on four political 
organizations, imposed because of extremism and alleged ties to 
international terrorist organizations: Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the Islamic 
Party of Turkestan, the Organization for Freeing Eastern Turkestan, and 
the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Party.
    A muftiate-established commission reviews and standardizes Islamic 
educational literature printed and distributed in the country and 
reviews new books on Islamic themes prior to publication.
    The Church of Jesus Christ reported that it had resolved favorably 
an ongoing dispute with the Bishkek mayor's office over the land on 
which the main church in the city is located. In 2006 the church signed 
a forty-nine-year lease for use of the land.
    The Unification Church remains active, despite the SCRA suspension 
of its activities in 2003 for registration irregularities, which was 
upheld in an appeal to the Bishkek city court.
    Although the Government monitored, including by filming, Protestant 
and Muslim religious groups in the past, there were no reports of 
surveillance during the period covered by this report. There were 
unconfirmed reports that law enforcement officials monitored the 
activities of missionaries.
    In 2004 the Government signed a decree and plan of action 
instructing the National Security Service (SNB) to propose measures to 
``restrict and prevent the activities of missionaries who propagate 
religious fundamentalism and extremism as well as reactionary and 
Shi'ite ideas.'' However, the decree period ended in April 2005, and 
was thereafter no longer in effect.
    Despite announcing in 2004 that the Government would create a 
special board to review religious literature, it took no further 
action. The SARA confirmed in June 2006 that no board had been created.
    The SARA stated that students, who for religious reasons choose to 
wear clothing that would indicate adherence to a particular religion, 
may attend religious schools. Conversely, according to press reports, 
local officials in the Jalalabad Oblast town of Distuk tried to prevent 
girls from wearing hijabs to school.
    In December 2005 the Jalalabad city education department banned the 
wearing of hijabs in that city's schools. Several parents protested the 
move and demanded that the ban be lifted. As of the end of the 
reporting period, the dispute continued.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Members of the two major 
religious groups, Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church, respect each 
other's major holy days and exchange holy day greetings.
    There was no evidence of widespread societal discrimination or 
violence against members of different religious groups; however, there 
was evidence of periodic tension in rural areas between conservative 
Muslims and foreign Christian missionaries and individuals from 
traditionally Muslim ethnic groups who had converted to other faiths. 
The U.S. embassy was unable to confirm the Forum 18 online news report 
that Saktinbai Usmanov was killed for having converted from Islam to 
Christianity. Police reportedly had no leads in the case but were 
continuing their investigation. Both Muslim and Russian Orthodox 
spiritual leaders criticized the proselytizing activities of 
nontraditional Christian groups; however, in 2004 the press reported 
that at least one Muslim spiritual leader of the Jalalabad region, Haji 
Dilmurod, intervened to prevent the stoning of a group of converts to 
Jehovah's Witnesses by local youths. During the period covered by this 
report, there were no acts of violence, harassment, or vandalism 
reported against Jewish persons, community institutions, schools, 
synagogues, or cemeteries.
    In April 2005 a group of Islamic extremists attacked a 
rehabilitation center for former convicts near Bishkek. The group 
attacked the center after they mistook it as a front for Christian 
missionaries. Local police and SNB officials responded quickly to 
defend the center, which thereafter continued to operate normally.
    Despite appeals in the past for the expulsion of Protestants, and 
Kyrgyz TV broadcasts that disparaged Protestants, there were no similar 
appeals or programs aired during the period covered by this report.
    In previous years it was reported that Protestant missionaries 
working in the south aroused particular concern among some devout local 
Uzbeks, and that Muslims were angered that the authorities monitored 
and arrested alleged Islamic extremists but did not interfere with the 
work of Protestant groups. However, no similar incidents were reported 
during the period covered in this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    During the period covered by this report, the U.S. embassy 
continued to monitor the legislative progress of the draft law on 
religion and maintained contact with government officials regarding 
religious affairs. Embassy representatives met with leaders of 
religious communities, including minority groups, and with NGOs 
monitoring religious freedom.
    On January 10, 2006, the deputy chief of mission addressed, in the 
Kyrgyz language, thousands of Muslims who had gathered to pray in the 
main square of Bishkek for Eid al-Adha. His speech, which highlighted 
the importance of respect for different religious groups, received 
positive coverage in the largest-circulation newspaper in the country.
    A U.S. Government-funded institutional partnership continued 
between the Social Sciences Research Council and the Islamic University 
in Bishkek to supplement the religious curriculum with an international 
curriculum to include math, English, and a course on comparative world 
religions, and to establish exchange visits between university teachers 
in the two countries. In 2006 the council purchased computer equipment 
for the Islamic University. American professors are scheduled to visit 
the Islamic University. In June 2005 the Social Sciences Research 
Council organized a three-week summer institute in Kazan, Russia, where 
four theology professors from the Islamic University, American 
University in Central Asia, and Osh State University were invited to 
participate.
    During the period covered by the report, the embassy distributed 
publications in Russian and Kyrgyz about Muslim life in the United 
States and conducted several presentations for students of theology 
departments in Bishkek and Southern provinces. In July 2005 a group of 
Muslim leaders from Batken, Naryn, and Bishkek traveled to the United 
States to participate in an International Visitors Program on religious 
tolerance and diversity. Batken contains a majority of the Muslim 
population in the country. The International Visitors met with U.S. 
Department of State officials, American Muslim religious leaders, and 
leaders of other organizations to discuss the relationship between 
government and religion in the United States and to learn about the 
American Muslim community. After their return, the participants 
actively engaged in religious tolerance programs for youth.
    The U.S.-sponsored Democracy Commission funded forty-nine grants to 
local NGOs, one of which produced a documentary film in Kyrgyz, 
Russian, and Uzbek about religious extremism in Central Asia. The film 
was broadcast on the ``Mir'' TV channel, and distributed through 
Internews, a U.S. Government grantee.
    In April 2006 the embassy organized a U.S. Speaker Program with 
Ahmed Younis from the U.S.-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, who 
spoke about Muslims in America during his five-day stay in the country. 
Younis visited mosques, madrassahs, and universities and met with 
Muslim leaders and government officials to discuss religious tolerance, 
interfaith peace, rights of Muslims, and the need to battle extremist 
interpretations of Islam.
                               __________

                                MALDIVES

    The 1997 Constitution designates Islam as the official state 
religion. The Government interprets this provision to impose a 
requirement that citizens be Muslims. Freedom of religion is restricted 
significantly. The law prohibits the practice of any religion other 
than Islam. The president is the ``supreme authority to propagate the 
tenets of Islam.'' Government regulations are based on Islamic law 
(Shari'a). Non-Muslim foreigners are allowed to practice their religion 
only privately. Visitors must also refrain from encouraging local 
citizens to practice any religion other than Islam.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Freedom of religion remained 
severely restricted.
    According to many officials and interlocutors, most citizens 
regarded Islam as one of their society's most distinctive 
characteristics and believed that it promotes harmony and national 
identity.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country is an archipelago of approximately 1,200 coral atolls 
and islands scattered over 500 square miles in the Indian Ocean 
southwest of India, with a population estimated at 350 thousand.
    The population was a distinct ethnic group with historical roots in 
South Indian, Sinhalese, and Arab communities. The vast majority of the 
Muslim population practiced Sunni Islam. Non-Muslim foreigners, 
including more than 500 thousand tourists who visited annually 
(predominantly Europeans and Japanese) and approximately 31 thousand 
foreign workers (mainly Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Indians, and 
Bangladeshis), were in general allowed to practice their religions only 
in private. While Muslim tourists and Muslim foreign workers were 
allowed to attend local mosque services, most practiced Islam in 
private or at mosques located at the resorts where they worked and 
lived.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    Freedom of religion is restricted significantly. The 1997 
Constitution designates Islam as the official state religion, and the 
Government interprets this provision to impose a requirement that all 
citizens be Muslims. The constitution also stipulates that the 
president must be Sunni and has the ``supreme authority to propagate 
the tenets of Islam.'' Non-Muslim foreign residents are allowed to 
practice their religions only if they do so privately and do not 
encourage local citizens to participate.
    The Government follows civil law based on Shari'a. In the event a 
situation is not covered by civil law, as well as in certain cases such 
as divorce and adultery, Shari'a is applied.
    Foreigners were not allowed to import any items deemed ``contrary 
to Islam,'' including alcohol, pork products, or idols for worship. 
Alcoholic beverages were available to tourists on resort islands, but 
it remains against the law to offer alcohol to a local citizen.
    Muslim holy days were generally national holidays.
    Mosques were not required to register with the Government. Most 
mosques were also funded and maintained by the Government.
    The primary responsibility of imams was to present Friday sermons. 
They used a set of government-approved sermons on a variety of topics 
and were not legally empowered to write sermons independently. No one, 
not even an imam, may publicly discuss Islam unless invited to do so by 
the Government. According to government officials, this rule was in 
place to maintain a moderate Islamic environment rather than a 
fundamentalist one.
    Men who wish to act as imams must sit for public exams and present 
their scores and credentials to the Supreme Council for Islamic 
Affairs, chaired by the chief justice. The supreme council is the body 
empowered to certify imams; however, if the supreme council denies 
certification, the petitioner can appeal to the Board of Education.
    Islamic instruction was a mandatory part of the school curriculum, 
and the Government funded the salaries of instructors of Islam. While 
Islamic instruction was only one component of the curriculum used in 
the majority of schools, there was one school which used Arabic as its 
medium of instruction and focused primarily on Islam. Many people who 
sought further religious education obtained it in Saudi Arabia, 
Pakistan, or other Islamic countries. Schools offered religious 
education for women; however, there were no female imams.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom stated repeatedly that no religion 
other than Islam should be allowed in the country. During previous 
reporting periods, the Home Affairs Ministry announced special programs 
to safeguard and strengthen religious identity. The Government 
established the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs to provide guidance 
on religious matters. The Government also set standards for imams who 
conduct Friday services at mosques so that they have adequate 
theological qualifications and to prevent fundamentalism from gaining 
ground.
    There were no places of worship for adherents of other religious 
groups. The Government prohibited the importation of icons and 
religious statues, but it generally permitted the importation of 
religious literature, such as Bibles, for personal use. The sale of 
religious items, such as Christmas cards, was restricted to the resort 
islands patronized by foreign tourists.
    Parents must raise their children to be Muslim because citizens 
must be Muslim. Foreigners can raise their children to follow any 
religion as long as they practice only privately in their homes or 
hotel rooms and do not try to include local citizens in their worship.
    The Government prohibited non-Muslim clergy and missionaries from 
proselytizing or conducting public worship services. Islamic 
proselytizing was also illegal unless the Government invited someone to 
discuss the religion. Conversion of a Muslim to another faith is a 
violation of Shari'a and may result in a loss of the convert's 
citizenship; however, there were no known cases of the Government 
discovering converts and rescinding citizenship as a result of 
conversion. Faith-based nongovernmental organizations were not 
specifically excluded by law from operating; however, in March 2006, 
the local press reported that the fisheries minister called on citizens 
to raze a marketplace structure constructed by a British firm. The 
organization had received funding from the UK-based charity Maldives 
Aid. According to the press, the minister claimed the building was 
donated by a ``Christian missionary'' group, a label Maldives Aid 
strongly refuted. Maldives Aid made public appeals to the people and 
the Government to retain the market building in order to benefit the 
populace. On May 3, 2006, Maldives Aid held a small ceremony to 
transfer the building's ownership to island residents. There was no 
action taken against the marketplace building by the end of the 
reporting period.
    In the previous reporting period, when Friends of Maldives, a 
United Kingdom-based charity, had British school children pack buckets 
of school materials for children in the country, the Government 
inspected the packages, found Christmas stories, and removed the 
stories before the buckets were distributed.
    The law prohibits public statements that are contrary to Islam.
    The Government registered only clubs and other private associations 
that do not contravene Islamic or civil law.
    By law the president and cabinet ministers must be Sunni Muslims. 
Members of the People's Majlis (parliament) must be Muslim; however, 
they are not required to be Sunni.
    Under the country's Islamic practice, the testimony of two women is 
required to equal that of one man in matters involving Shari'a such as 
adultery, finance, and inheritance. In other cases, the testimony of 
men and women is equal. Shari'a also governs estate inheritance, 
granting male heirs twice the share of female heirs. The constitution 
provides that an accused person has the right to defend himself ``in 
accordance with Shari'a.''
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    Most citizens regarded Islam as one of their society's most 
distinctive characteristics and believed that it promotes harmony and 
national identity. The president regularly encouraged all citizens to 
seek unity through shared religious beliefs.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government does not maintain an embassy in the country. 
The U.S. ambassador in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is also accredited to the 
Government in Male, and Embassy Colombo officers traveled frequently to 
the country. The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues 
with the Government as part of its overall policy to promote human 
rights.
                               __________

                                 NEPAL

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The constitution 
describes the country as a ``Hindu Kingdom,'' although it does not 
establish Hinduism as the state religion. The Government generally did 
not interfere with the practice of other religious groups and religious 
tolerance was broadly observed; however, there were some restrictions.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
When King Gyanendra handed power back to the political parties in April 
2006, the reinstated parliament declared the country to be a secular 
state; however, no laws specifically affecting freedom of religion were 
changed.
    Article 19 of the Constitution of 1990 states that ``Everyone shall 
have the freedom to profess and practice his own religion as handed 
down to him having due regard to ancient practices; provided that no 
person shall be entitled to convert another person from one religion to 
another,'' thus effectively prohibiting proselytism.
    Members of minority religions occasionally reported police 
harassment.
    Authorities limited the location of and otherwise restricted many 
public celebrations by the Tibetan community, especially those with 
political overtones. The Government did not allow the registration of 
an office to look after Tibetan refugees or an office to represent the 
Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Both offices were shut 
down by the Government in 2005 based on claims that the organizations 
had failed to comply with nongovernmental organization (NGO) 
registration requirements.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Adherents of the country's 
many religious groups generally coexisted peacefully and respected all 
places of worship. Those who converted to another religious group at 
times faced isolated incidents of violence and occasionally were 
ostracized socially, but generally they did not fear to admit their 
affiliations in public.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintains regular contact with Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, 
Jewish, and other religious groups.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 54,363 square miles, and its population 
was estimated at 27 million. It was estimated that Hindus constituted 
81 percent of the population; Buddhists, mostly ethnic Tibetan, 11 
percent; Muslims, in their majority Sunni, 4.2 percent; and 
practitioners of Kirant (an indigenous animist religion) and others, 4 
percent, of which 0.45 percent were Christian. Christian denominations 
were few but growing. Christian leaders estimated the number of 
adherents at approximately 400 thousand. Press reports indicate that 
170 Christian churches operated in Kathmandu alone. The growth of other 
religious groups was harder to document because the last census was 
taken in 2001. Twenty thousand Tibetan Buddhist refugees resided in the 
country.
    Proselytism is illegal; therefore, there were no missionaries 
officially located in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion and permits the 
practice of all religions; however, there are some restrictions. The 
newly restored parliament declared the country a secular state in May 
2006; however, the country's constitution had not been amended by the 
end of the period covered by this report and continues to describe the 
country as a ``Hindu Kingdom,'' although it does not establish Hinduism 
as the state religion. The constitution does protect the rights of all 
religious groups by guaranteeing the individual the right ``to profess 
and practice his own religion as handed down to him from ancient times 
having due regard to traditional practices.'' It also states ``no 
person shall be entitled to convert another person from one religion to 
another.''
    The constitution stipulates that the ``state shall not discriminate 
among citizens on the basis of caste. No person shall on the basis of 
caste be discriminated against, be denied access to any public place, 
or be deprived of the use of public utilities. Any contravention of 
this provision shall be punishable by law.'' In March 2002, the 
Government constituted a National Dalit Commission charged with 
protecting and promoting dalit (formerly called ``untouchable'') 
rights, and ensuring active participation of the dalit community in the 
development of the country by uplifting all the dalits. The commission 
devises legal and policy arrangements for dalit rights, makes 
recommendations to implement international documents to which the 
country is a party, monitors and coordinates NGOs on efforts to uplift 
dalits, and launches programs on social awareness to end social 
discrimination and untouchability. The Press and Publications Act 
prohibits the publication of materials that create animosity among 
persons of different castes or religions.
    There are no specific laws favoring the Hindu majority; nor does 
the Government control the expression of Hinduism.
    Although there were no registration requirements for religious 
groups, there were registration requirements for NGOs. As a result of 
the constitutional prohibition against proselytism, it appears the 
Government does not allow organizations to register using religious 
words within their titles. Christian religious organizations claim that 
unless registered, such organizations are restricted from owning land, 
an important step for establishing churches or burial sites. Other non-
Hindu groups have not made similar claims.
    In view of the illegality of proselytism, there were officially no 
foreign missionaries; however, for decades dozens of Christian 
missionary hospitals, welfare organizations, and schools have operated 
in the country. These organizations did not proselytize and otherwise 
operated freely. Missionary schools were among the most respected 
institutions of secondary education; many members of the governing and 
business elite graduated from Jesuit high schools. Foreign workers in 
the missionary hospitals and schools entered the country with visas 
designating them as technical workers for local or international NGOs 
sponsoring the hospitals and schools. If foreign workers were found to 
proselytize, they were expelled from the country. The Government 
applied these laws on immigration closely. Many foreign Christian 
organizations had direct ties to local churches and sponsor pastors for 
religious training abroad.
    Some holy days, most of them Hindu, were recognized as national 
holidays. These were Mahashivaratri, Buddha Jayanti, Falgun Purnima, 
Krishna Asthami, Dasain, and Tihar.
    Public schools did not teach religion.
    The Government had no formal policy on interfaith understanding. A 
local NGO, the Inter-religious Council Nepal, consisting of 
representatives of the Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, and Baha'i 
faiths, was active in promoting peace in the country.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Tibetan Buddhists faced various restrictions on their celebrations. 
Local authorities generally restricted celebration of Tibetan religious 
festivals to private property. Police in Kathmandu prohibited Tibetans 
celebrating the New Year from carrying pictures of the Dalai Lama 
around the Bhouddhanath stupa as part of religious ceremonies. The 
Government restricted to private places (school grounds or inside 
monasteries) all of the local Tibetan celebrations (Tibetan New Year, 
the Dalai Lama's birthday, Democracy Day, and International Human 
Rights Day). In 2005, the Government closed two unregistered offices in 
Kathmandu associated with the Dalai Lama: The office of the Dalai 
Lama's representative and the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office, claiming 
that the organizations did not comply with registration requirements. 
During the reporting period, the Government did not allow the 
registration of an office to look after Tibetan refugees or an office 
to represent the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. The 
welfare office looked after more than 20 thousand Tibetan refugees who 
left their homeland after the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959.
    Christian groups reported that government officials refused to 
register any religious organizations whose titles contained the words 
``Jesus, Bible, Christian, or church.'' These groups noted that, unless 
registered, such organizations could not own land, important for 
establishing churches or burial of members. However, by removing 
Christian related words from their titles, some groups were able to 
register their organizations and practice their faith. Some Christians 
buried their dead in Christian cemeteries in Kathmandu and other areas 
around the country, and others used cremation.
    Parents were not prevented from teaching their religion of choice 
to their children, who also may live a religious life.
    Article 113.3 of the 1991 Constitution states ``the election 
commission shall not register any political organization or party that 
discriminates in membership against any citizen on the basis of 
religion, caste, tribe, language, or sex, or that has a name, insignia, 
flag, or objective that is religious or tends to fragment the 
country.''
    The law prohibits converting others and proselytizing; these 
activities are punishable by fines, imprisonment, or, for foreigners, 
expulsion. However, personal conversion is allowed. NGOs or individuals 
were allowed to file charges of proselytism against individuals or 
organizations.
    Some Christian groups were concerned that the ban on proselytism 
limited the expression of non-Hindu religious belief. The Government 
investigated reports of proselytism. There were no incidents of 
punishment for conversion or proselytism during the reporting period. 
On April 27, 2005, police arrested a couple and investigated them for 
allegedly forcibly converting children. After being held in custody for 
several days, they were released by police on May 9, 2005. No charges 
were filed against them.
    Muslim religious schools (madrassahs) but not mosques, must 
register with local District Administration Offices (part of the Home 
Ministry) and supply information about their funding sources in order 
to operate; they receive no government funding. Some Muslim leaders 
criticized the move as discriminatory; however, the registration 
requirement has not been enforced. Muslims were not restricted from 
participating in the Hajj, although the Government did not subsidize 
the pilgrimage.
    The constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of caste; 
however, the caste system strongly influences society. While the 
Government has stressed that caste-based discrimination is illegal and 
temple access for ``lower castes'' has improved in some areas, caste 
discrimination remains frequently practiced at Hindu temples, where 
dalits are forbidden from entering by some Hindu priests. Lower castes 
also experience discrimination in many other areas of life, including 
education, employment, and marriage. Other religious communities do not 
practice caste discrimination. Entrance into many Hindu temples is 
often restricted for persons not of South Asian ethnicity, who are 
unlikely to be Hindu.
    There were no restrictions on the selling or possession of 
religious literature.
    Civil servants can take off religious holidays and celebrate them 
on private property without government interference.
    There were no laws that apply only to certain religious groups.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no substantiated 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.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is a designated terrorist 
organization on the U.S. Government's ``Terrorist Exclusion List'' of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act and under Executive Order 13224.
    During the period covered by this report, Maoist insurgents 
restricted religious freedom in parts of the country. There were 
regular reports of Maoists enforcing a ``people's calendar'' in schools 
that did not allow for religious holidays. Maoists sometimes demanded 
the use of religious organization grounds for their indoctrination 
programs, threatening to padlock the buildings if their demands were 
refused.
    There were scattered reports of Maoist insurgents attacking Hindu 
temples and harassing Hindu priests during the reporting period.
    The National Churches Fellowship of Nepal reported several cases 
where Maoists extorted cash from churches, including in Dhading and 
Surkhet Districts. The Maoists threatened retribution against church 
property and church members if the congregations did not meet their 
demands.
    On May 17, 2004, a group of Maoists abducted a Royal Nepal Army 
priest from Ramechhap District. He was held for several days before 
being released unharmed.
    On September 12, 2004, Maoists exploded a bomb and forced the 
closure of St. Joseph's school in Pokhara. The school's 551 students 
mostly were from underprivileged ethnic communities. No case was filed.
    In September 2004, Maoist threats prompted the temporary closing of 
twenty-one churches in Sankhuwasabha District.
    On December 29, 2004, Maoists shot dead Arun Budhathoki, Chief of 
Shiv Sena Nepal, a Hindu religious organization, in Nepalgunj, Banke 
District. No one was charged with the crime.
    In May 2005, Narayan Pokharel, president of the country's branch of 
the World Hindu Council, was killed in the District of Rupandehi, 
approximately 300 kilometers (175 miles) from Kathmandu. Although no 
one claimed responsibility, police suspected the involvement of Maoist 
rebels. No one was charged in the case.
    On September 21, 2005, a group of armed Maoists attacked and 
vandalized Ramchandra Temple in Muga village of Dhankuta District.
    In addition to attacking regular schools, Maoists reportedly 
attacked Christian schools, orphanages, and homes in efforts to 
forcibly conscript children.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Adherents of the country's many religious groups generally 
coexisted peacefully and respected all places of worship. Most Hindus 
respected the many Buddhist shrines located throughout the country; 
Buddhists accorded Hindu shrines the same respect. Buddha's birthplace 
was an important pilgrimage site, and his birthday was a national 
holiday.
    In September 2004, an Iraqi militant group killed twelve Nepalese 
expatriate workers in Iraq. The result was mob violence in Kathmandu 
and other areas of the country. Mosques and businesses owned by Muslims 
as well as manpower agencies and press houses were targeted. Seven 
persons were killed, four by mob violence because they were, or were 
believed to be, Muslim. Immediately following the riots, the prime 
minister made a nationwide address calling on citizens to eschew 
communal violence and maintain religious harmony. A government 
investigation resulted in no arrests, but the Government compensated 
affected manpower agencies. Subsequent to the communal rioting, leaders 
of multiple faiths organized a rally in Kathmandu and called on their 
followers to maintain religious harmony.
    Some Christian groups reported that Hindu extremism has increased 
in recent years. Of particular concern were the local affiliates of the 
India-based Hindu political party Shiv Sena, locally known as Pashupati 
Sena, Shiv Sena Nepal, and Nepal Shivsena. Government policy does not 
support Hindu extremism, although some political figures have made 
public statements critical of Christian missionary activities. Some 
citizens were wary of proselytizing and conversion by Christians and 
viewed the growth of Christianity with concern. There were unconfirmed 
reports that Maoists suppressed religious observance in areas under 
their control through intimidation and harassment.
    Those who chose to convert to other religions, in particular Hindu 
citizens who converted to Islam or Christianity, sometimes were 
ostracized socially. They occasionally face isolated incidents of 
hostility or discrimination from Hindu extremist groups. Some 
reportedly were forced to leave their villages. While this prejudice 
was not systematic, it was at times vehement and occasionally violent. 
Nevertheless, converts generally were not afraid to admit in public 
their new religious affiliations.
    Although such discrimination is prohibited by the constitution, the 
caste system strongly influenced society. Societal discrimination 
against members of lower castes and dalits remained widespread and 
persistent. Such incidents occurred despite the Government's efforts to 
protect the rights of disadvantaged castes.
    In December 2004, approximately a dozen persons were injured in a 
scuffle when the management committee of a Hindu temple in Chitwan 
District tried to stop ``low caste'' persons from entering the temple.
    On October 06, 2005, ``upper caste'' locals stopped dalit women 
from using public facilities like shops and rice mills as a punishment 
for praying at the local Dihibar Temple in Siraha District.
    On October 13, 2005, ``upper caste'' locals in Saptari District 
imposed a blockade on a dalit hamlet to punish the residents for not 
playing drums during a local fete. Villagers prevented six dalit 
families in the area from using the public path and denied them access 
to rice mills, medical shops, and public water taps.
    On December 26, 2005, after a local dalit activist entered a temple 
in Saptari District, ``upper caste'' villagers fined him to cover the 
expenses of performing a ceremony to purify the temple.
    On March 14, 2006, after learning he was a dalit, a landlord in 
Bharatpur District evicted a tenant who had come to the area to take 
the nationwide school exam and had been staying at the house for 
fourteen days.
    On March 21, 2006, ``upper caste'' locals barred dalit youths from 
entering the famous Saileshwori Temple in Dipayal by padlocking the 
temple door.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintained contact with Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, 
Jewish, Muslim, and other religious groups. The embassy closely 
monitored religious freedom and raised the issue with the Government 
when appropriate. In April 2006, the embassy sponsored a religion 
teacher from Tribhuvan University for an international visitor program 
in the United States entitled ``Religious Diversity in America.''
                               __________

                                PAKISTAN

    The country is an Islamic republic. Islam is the state religion and 
the constitution requires that laws be consistent with Islam. The 
constitution states that ``subject to law, public order and morality, 
every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate 
his religion;'' however, in practice the Government imposes limits on 
freedom of religion. Freedom of speech is constitutionally ``subject to 
any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory 
of Islam.'' The country was created to be a homeland for Muslims, 
although its founders did not envisage it as an Islamic state.
    The Government took some steps to improve the treatment of 
religious minorities during the period covered by this report, but 
serious problems remained. The Government failed to protect the rights 
of religious minorities. Discriminatory legislation and the 
Government's failure to take action against societal forces hostile to 
those who practice a different faith fostered religious intolerance and 
acts of violence and intimidation against religious minorities.
    Due to the 1974 constitutional amendment declaring them non-Muslim, 
the Ahmadiyya community continued to face legal bars to the practice of 
its faith. While other minority religious communities generally were 
able to worship freely, their members faced governmental 
discrimination. Members of certain Islamic schools of thought also 
claimed governmental discrimination. While law enforcement personnel 
allegedly abused religious minorities in custody, there were no reports 
of deaths while in custody during the reporting period. Security forces 
and other government agencies did not adequately prevent or address 
societal abuse against minorities.
    Specific government policies that discriminate against religious 
minorities include the use of the ``anti-Ahmadi laws,'' the blasphemy 
laws, and the Hudood Ordinances. In 1984, the Government added Section 
298(c), commonly referred to as the ``anti-Ahmadi laws,'' to the penal 
code. The section prohibits Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslims or 
posing as Muslims, from referring to their faith as Islam, from 
preaching or propagating their faith, from inviting others to accept 
the Ahmadi faith, and from insulting the religious feelings of Muslims. 
The blasphemy laws provide the death penalty for defiling Islam or its 
prophets; life imprisonment for defiling, damaging, or desecrating the 
Qur'an; and ten years' imprisonment for insulting the religious 
feelings of any citizen. These laws are often used to intimidate 
reform-minded Muslims, sectarian opponents, and religious minorities, 
or to settle personal scores. The Hudood Ordinances impose elements of 
Qur'anic law on both Muslims and non-Muslims and different legal 
standards for men and women.
    The provincial government in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) 
continued to pass directives and legislation in accordance with the 
conservative Islamic vision of its supporters. Despite the Hisba Bill's 
passage by the NWFP Provincial Assembly in 2005, the Supreme Court 
overturned the bill, declaring it to be unconstitutional.
    During the reporting period, the Government maintained its public 
calls for religious tolerance, worked with moderate religious leaders 
to organize programs on sectarian harmony and interfaith understanding, 
maintained its ban on and actively attempted to curb the activities of 
sectarian and terrorist organizations, implemented a registration 
scheme for Islamic religious schools known as madrassahs, and proceeded 
with reform of the public education curriculum designed to end the 
teaching of religious intolerance. On July 1, 2006, President Musharraf 
instructed the Council on Islamic Ideology (CII) to prepare a revised 
Hudood Ordinance that eliminates discriminatory treatment of women and 
minorities not later than August 2006. In addition, the president 
ordered the release of all women detained under the current ordinance. 
According to local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), approximately 
700 women had been released by the end of the period covered by this 
report.
    Relations between religious communities were tense. Societal 
discrimination against religious minorities was widespread and societal 
violence against such groups occurred. Societal actors, including 
terrorist and extremist groups and individuals, targeted religious 
congregations. More than 110 deaths accrued from sectarian violence, 
including terrorist attacks by Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ), during the 
period covered by this report. Large numbers of victims came from both 
Sunni and Shi'a sects. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), a coalition 
of Islamist political parties, continued in its political rhetoric to 
call for the increased Islamization of the government and society. At 
the end of the period covered by this report, the MMA led the 
opposition in the national assembly, held a majority in the NWFP 
Provincial Assembly, and was part of the ruling coalition in 
Balochistan.
    However, some members of the MMA made efforts to eliminate their 
rhetoric against Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, and Parsis. 
Under government pressure, many of its leaders joined various 
interfaith efforts to promote religious tolerance. Religious leaders, 
representing the country's six major Shi'a and Sunni groups, issued a 
religious injunction in May 2005 banning sectarian violence and the 
killing of non-Muslims. While there was a decline in sectarian violence 
during the previous reporting period, this reporting period's levels 
remained unchanged. Sectarian violence and discrimination continued 
despite contrary calls from the Government, Islamic religious leaders, 
and some parts of the MMA. Anti-Ahmadi and anti-Semitic rhetoric 
continued unabated, although rhetoric against Ismaili followers of the 
Aga Khan was largely abandoned.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During the period covered by this report, U.S. embassy officials 
closely monitored the treatment of religious minorities and took a 
number of steps to improve their treatment. As part of its education 
reform initiative, the U.S. Government continued to help the Education 
Ministry revise its curriculum, including eliminating the teaching of 
religious intolerance. Embassy officials remained engaged with all 
parties involved in madrassah reform to encourage similar changes. 
Embassy officials pressed members of parliament and the Government to 
revise blasphemy laws and the Hudood Ordinances to minimize abuses. The 
embassy also expanded contacts with all religious groups to promote 
moderation, end sectarian strife and religiously motivated violence, 
and support efforts at interfaith dialogue.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 310,527 square miles, and its population 
was approximately 162 million. Official figures on religious 
demography--based on the most recent census, taken in 1998--showed that 
approximately 96 percent of the population or 148.8 million persons 
were Muslim, 2.02 percent or 2.44 million persons were Hindu, 1.69 
percent or 2.09 million were Christian, and 0.35 percent or 539,000 
were ``other,'' including Ahmadis.
    The majority of Muslims in the country were Sunni. Ten percent or 
approximately 14.9 million were Shi'a. The Shi'a claimed these figures 
were inaccurate and that at least 20 percent of the Muslim population 
were Shi'a followers, split between the Qom (approximately 40 percent) 
and Najaf (approximately 60 percent) schools of thought. Government 
estimates on Shi'a counted approximately 750,000 Ismailis, most of whom 
were spiritual followers of the Aga Khan. An estimated 80 thousand 
Ismailis belonged to the Bohra or other smaller schools of thought. 
Shi'as were found nationwide but had population concentrations in 
Karachi, Gilgit, and parts of Balochistan. Ismailis were found 
principally in Hunza, Karachi, and Baltistan. The majority Sunni Muslim 
community was divided into three main schools of thought (Brailvi, 
Deobandi, and Ahl-e-Hadith) and a socio-political movement, the Jamaat 
Islami (JI), which had its own theology, schools, and mosques. Ahl-e-
Hadith adherents comprised, at most, 5 percent of Muslims, and were 
concentrated in Punjab. No reliable figures on JI adherents existed, as 
its membership always claimed adherence to another school. Its 
adherents, however, were generally found in urban centers. Brailvi and 
Deobandi leaders both claimed that their schools comprised up to 80 
percent of the overall Muslim population. Most disinterested observers 
believed that the Brailvi remained the largest school, approximately 60 
percent of all Muslims, with the Deobandi at approximately 20 percent 
but growing. The Brailvi were the dominant majority in Sindh and 
Punjab. Deobandi were generally found in the Pashtun belt from northern 
Punjab, across the NWFP, and into northern Balochistan, although there 
were increasing numbers in Karachi and the Seraiki areas of Punjab.
    Several smaller self-described Muslim groups existed, most notably 
approximately 200 thousand Zikris found in Gwadar, Balochistan. Most 
Sunnis considered Zikris to be non-Muslims due to their unique 
religious ceremonies, including a separate Hajj held in Turbat, 
Balochistan. Ahmadis have been officially declared non-Muslim due to 
their belief that a prophet came after Muhammad to revive the religion. 
Ahmadis have boycotted the census since 1974, rendering official 
numbers inaccurate. They claimed at least 2 million adherents centered 
on their spiritual town of Chenab Nagar, Punjab (referred to as Rabwah 
by Ahmadis).
    Non-Muslims were officially 4 percent of the population, although 
their leaders claimed the actual figure was approximately 10 percent. 
Christians, officially numbered at 2.09 million, claimed to have 4 
million members, 90 percent of whom lived in Punjab. The largest 
Christian denomination was the umbrella Protestant Church of Pakistan, 
a member of the Anglican Communion. Roman Catholics were the second-
largest group, and the remainder belonged to various evangelical 
denominations. The Catholic diocese of Karachi estimated that 120 
thousand Catholics lived in Karachi, 40 thousand in the rest of Sindh, 
and 5 thousand in Quetta, Balochistan. A few tribal Hindus of the lower 
castes from interior Sindh have converted to Christianity. Hindus were 
officially numbered at 2.44 million adherents, but their leaders 
claimed an actual membership of approximately 4 million. Most Hindus 
lived in Sindh, where they comprised approximately 8 percent of the 
population. Parsis, Sikhs, and Buddhists each had approximately 20 
thousand adherents, while the Baha'i claimed 30 thousand. The tiny but 
influential Parsi community was concentrated in Karachi. Some tribes in 
Balochistan and NWFP practiced traditional animist religions.
    Less than 0.5 percent of the population was silent on religion or 
claimed not to adhere to a particular religious group. Social pressure 
was such that few persons would claim not to be affiliated with any 
religion.
    No data were available on active participation in formal religious 
services or rituals. Religion often played an important part in daily 
life. Most Muslims offered prayers on Friday, Islam's holy day. Many 
also prayed at least once during the five prayer times each day. During 
the month of Ramadan, even many less observant Muslims fasted and 
attended services. Approximately 70 percent of English-speaking 
Catholics worshiped regularly; a much lower percentage of Urdu speakers 
did so.
    Many varieties of Hinduism were practiced. Hindu shrines and 
temples were scattered throughout the country, although most of them 
were used as residences. Attendance at religious services was much 
greater during Hindu festivals, such as Diwali and Holi.
    The Sikh community regularly held ceremonial gatherings at sacred 
places in Punjab. Prominent places of Sikh pilgrimage included Nankana 
Sahib (where the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, was born in 
1469), Hasan Abdal (a shrine where an imprint of his hand is kept), and 
Kartar Poora (also known as Daira Baba Nanak Sahib) in Narowal District 
(where Guru Nanak died).
    Parsis, who practice the Zoroastrian religion, had no regularly 
scheduled congregational services except during a ten-day religious 
festival in August called Naurooz (``new day''). All Parsis were 
expected to attend these services; most reportedly did. During the rest 
of the year, individuals offered prayers at Parsi temples.
    Foreign missionaries operated in the country. The largest Christian 
mission group engaged in Bible translation for the Church of Pakistan. 
An Anglican missionary group fielded several missionaries to assist the 
Church of Pakistan in administrative and educational work. Catholic 
missionaries, mostly Franciscan, worked with persons with disabilities.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion. It also 
states that adequate provisions shall be made for minorities to profess 
and practice their religions freely; however, in practice the 
Government imposes limits on freedom of religion, particularly on 
Ahmadis.
    Due to Ahmadis not accepting that Muhammad was the final prophet of 
Islam, a 1974 constitutional amendment declares this self-described 
Islamic community to be non-Muslim. In 1984, the Government added 
Section 298(c), commonly referred to as the ``anti-Ahmadi laws,'' to 
the penal code. The section prohibits Ahmadis from calling themselves 
Muslims or posing as Muslims, referring to their faith as Islam, 
preaching or propagating their faith, inviting others to accept the 
Ahmadi faith, and insulting the religious feelings of Muslims. The 
constitutionality of Section 298(c) was upheld in a split-decision 
supreme court case in 1996. The punishment for violation of the section 
is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine. The Government has 
blocked similar movements to restrict both Zikris and Ismaili followers 
of the Aga Khan. Other religious communities were generally free to 
observe their religious obligations; however, religious minorities are, 
in some places, legally restricted from public display of certain 
religious images and, due to discriminatory legislation, are often 
afraid to profess their religion freely.
    Freedom of speech is subject to ``reasonable'' restrictions in the 
interests of the ``glory of Islam.'' The consequences for contravening 
the country's ``blasphemy laws,'' are the death penalty for defiling 
Islam or its prophets; life imprisonment for defiling, damaging, or 
desecrating the Qur'an; and ten years' imprisonment for insulting 
another's religious feelings. To end the filing of frivolous charges, 
the Government enacted a law in January 2005 that requires senior 
police officials to investigate any blasphemy charges before a 
complaint is filed. In addition, any speech or conduct that injures 
another's religious feelings, including those of minority religious 
groups, is prohibited and punishable by imprisonment. However, in cases 
where the religious feelings of a minority religion were insulted, the 
blasphemy laws were rarely enforced and cases rarely brought to the 
legal system.
    The Hudood Ordinances criminalize rape, extramarital sex, property 
crimes, alcohol, and gambling. They apply equally to Muslims and non-
Muslims. Hudood violations can be tried on either Qur'anic or secular 
standards of evidence. If Qur'anic standards are used, Muslim and non-
Muslim and male and female testimony carries different weight, and 
harsh Qur'anic punishments can be applied. No successful cases have 
been brought under this standard. Cases have been successfully 
prosecuted under secular standards, in which testimony has equal 
weight, and jail terms and fines have been applied. In January 2005, 
the Government adopted new legislation requiring a court order prior to 
detention of women on Hudood charges. Approximately 246 women were 
imprisoned under the Hudood Ordinances as of the end of the reporting 
period. On July 1, 2006, President Musharraf instructed the CII to 
prepare a revised Hudood Ordinance that would eliminate discriminatory 
provisions against women and minorities not later than August 2006. 
President Musharraf ordered the release of all women imprisoned under 
the Hudood Ordinances at the end of the reporting period.
    Under the Anti-Terrorist Act, any action, including speech, 
intended to stir up religious hatred is punishable by up to seven years 
of rigorous imprisonment. Under the act, bail is not to be granted if 
the judge has reasonable grounds to believe that the accused is guilty; 
however, the law is applied selectively.
    Pressure from societal, religious, or political leaders routinely 
prevented courts from protecting minority rights. These same pressures 
forced justices to take strong action against any perceived offense to 
Sunni Islamic orthodoxy. Discrimination against religious minorities 
was rarely placed before the judiciary. Courts would be unlikely to act 
objectively in such cases. Resolving cases is very slow; there is 
generally a long period between filing the case and the first court 
appearance. Lower courts are frequently intimidated and therefore, 
delay decisions, and refuse bail for fear of reprisal from extremist 
elements. Bail in blasphemy cases is almost always denied by original 
trial courts on the logic that since defendants are facing the death 
penalty, they are likely to flee. Defendants can appeal the denial of 
bail (and many do), but bail is often times not granted by the high 
court or the supreme court in advance of the trial.
    The country's penal code ostensibly incorporates a number of 
Islamic law (Shari'a) provisions, applying to all, Muslims and non-
Muslims, that allow victims to carry out physical retribution. The 
judicial system encompasses several different court systems with 
overlapping and sometimes competing jurisdictions that reflect 
differences in civil, criminal, and Islamic jurisprudence. The federal 
Shari'a court and the Shari'a bench of the supreme court serve as 
appellate courts for certain convictions in criminal court under the 
Hudood Ordinances, and judges and attorneys in these courts must be 
Muslims. The federal Shari'a court also may overturn any legislation 
judged to be inconsistent with the tenets of Islam; however, in March 
2005, the supreme court chief justice, issuing a stay in the Mukhtaran 
Mai rape case, ruled that the federal shari'a court had no jurisdiction 
to review a decision by a provincial high court even if the Shariat 
court should have had initial appellate jurisdiction, marking a blow to 
the power of the Shariat appellate benches.
    The Government designates religion on passports and national 
identity documents. In November 2004 the Government began issuing new 
machine-readable passports without the religion column. A conservative 
backlash and Islamist party protests led the Government to reverse 
course and restore the column in March 2005. Those wishing to be listed 
as a Muslim on such documents had to swear a belief in the finality of 
the prophethood and denounce the Ahmadiyya movement's founder as a 
false prophet and his followers as non-Muslims.
    The constitution provides for the ``freedom to manage religious 
institutions.'' In principle, the Government does not restrict 
organized religious groups from establishing places of worship and 
training members of the clergy. In practice, however, religious 
minorities suffered from restrictions on this right.
    State funding was provided for construction and maintenance of 
mosques and for Islamic clergy. The provincial and federal governments 
have legal responsibility for certain religious properties belonging to 
minority communities that were abandoned during partition. Minority 
communities claimed the Government did not spend adequate funds on 
their protection and upkeep. The Government collected a 2.5 percent tax 
on all Sunni Muslims, which was distributed to Sunni mosques and 
charities. No similar service was provided for other religious groups.
    The Government nationalized all church schools and colleges in 
Punjab and Sindh in 1972. The Government of Sindh oversaw a piecemeal 
denationalization program from 1985 to 1995, and the Government of 
Punjab began a similar program in 1996. In 2001 the federal Government 
and the courts ordered the provincial governments to move forward with 
a complete denationalization process. Teachers' unions strongly 
objected, fearing for their job security, and have attempted to tie up 
denationalization in the court system. The 2003 denationalization of 
Forman Christian College, arguably the most prominent Christian-founded 
educational institution in the country, and its successful December 
2003 handover to its original owners, the Presbyterian Church USA 
(PCUSA), helped remove the legal hurdles. On May 9 and 10, 2005, the 
Sindh Government handed over St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's colleges to 
the Catholic Board of Education. The cases of Gordon College in 
Rawalpindi and Murray College in Sialkot (both PCUSA) remained 
unresolved.
    Government policies do not afford equal protection to members of 
majority and minority religious groups. The Ministry of Religious 
Affairs, which is mandated to safeguard religious freedom, claims it 
spends 30 percent of its annual budget to assist indigent minorities, 
repair minority places of worship, set up minority-run small 
development schemes, and celebrate minority festivals. However, 
religious minorities questioned these figures, observing that 
localities and villages housing minority citizens go without basic 
civic amenities. The ministry had on its masthead a Qur'anic verse: 
``Islam is the only religion acceptable to God.''
    Sunni Muslims appeared to receive favorable consideration in 
government hiring and advancement. In addition, all those wishing to 
obtain government identification documents as Muslims had to declare an 
oath on belief in the finality of the prophethood, a provision designed 
to discriminate against Ahmadis. Initial voter registration no longer 
required such an oath, but the Election Commission claimed that any 
Muslim registrant whose religion was challenged by the public would 
have to take the oath. As a result, Ahmadis continued to boycott 
elections.
    Several Muslim religious holidays were considered national 
holidays, including Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Azha, Ashura (the ninth and 
tenth days of the month of Muharram) and the Birth of the Prophet 
Muhammad. Most businesses had limited hours during the month of 
Ramadan. Non-Muslim holidays were not observed, although Mohammad Ali 
Jinnah's birthday was celebrated as a holiday on Christmas Day.
    The constitution safeguards ``educational institutions with respect 
to religion.'' No student can be forced to receive religious 
instruction or to participate in religious worship other than his or 
her own. The denial of religious instruction for students of any 
religious community or denomination is also prohibited.
    ``Islamiyyat'' (Islamic studies) was compulsory for all Muslim 
students in state-run schools. Although students of other faiths 
legally were not required to study Islam, they were not provided with 
parallel studies in their own religions. In some schools, non-Muslim 
students could study ``Akhlaqiyyat,'' or Ethics. In practice, teachers 
induced many non-Muslim students to complete Islamic studies.
    The constitution specifically prohibits discriminatory admission to 
any governmental educational institution solely on the basis of 
religion. Government officials stated that the only factors affecting 
admission to governmental educational institutions were students' 
grades and home provinces; however, students must declare their 
religion on application forms. Muslim students must declare in writing 
that they believe in the unqualified finality of the prophethood of 
Muhammad, a measure designed to single out Ahmadis. Non-Muslims must 
have their religion verified by the head of their local religious 
community.
    Parents were free to send children to religious schools, at their 
expense, and many did.
    Private schools were free to teach or not teach religion as they 
choose. Many private schools run by minority religious groups catered 
to students from both the Islamic and non-Islamic communities and 
therefore chose to teach Islamic studies as well as studies in a 
minority religion.
    Islamic private schools known as madrassahs came to the forefront 
after September 11, 2001, due to their perceived use as training and 
recruiting grounds for extremist and terrorist organizations. 
Subsequent studies showed that only a small fraction of schools fell 
into this category. In accordance with the 2002 Madrassah Registration 
Ordinance, all madrassahs were required to register with the Government 
or with one of the five independent madrassah boards (wafaqs), cease 
accepting foreign financing, and accept foreign students only with the 
consent of their government. In July 2005, President Musharraf 
announced a deadline of December 31, 2005, for the expulsion of all 
foreign students from madrassahs and their direct registration with the 
Government. According to the Interior Ministry, 95 percent of foreign 
students had departed by the deadline, some following deportation 
proceedings organized by the ministry and registration of all schools 
remained in progress. According to the Religious Affairs Ministry, 
approximately 11 thousand out of an estimated 13 thousand to 15 
thousand madrassahs had registered by the end of April 2006. No 
unregistered madrassahs were shut down at the end of the period covered 
by this report. In December 2005, President Musharraf issued a second 
amendment to the Societies Registration Act following negotiations 
between the Government and the five wafaqs. This amendment laid out the 
framework for cooperative registration of madrassahs with the 
Government, including provision of financial and educational data to 
the Government, and prohibited the teaching of sectarian or religious 
hatred and violence. The Government and the independent madrassah 
boards agreed to a phased introduction of modern subjects, including 
math, English, and science at all madrassahs. While the boards have 
required their affiliated madrassahs to move forward, disbursement of 
promised government funding to support the process has been slow. The 
wafaqs that oversaw most of the country's madrassahs had already agreed 
with the Government to undertake substantial reforms. All wafaqs 
mandated the elimination of teaching that promoted religious or 
sectarian intolerance and terrorist or extremist recruitment at 
madrassahs. They appointed inspectors to ensure compliance. All 
inspectors mandated that affiliated madrassahs supplement religious 
studies with modern subjects, including English, math, and science. 
Phased-in approaches were underway at each wafaq's members. 
Bureaucratic delay continued to stymie release of government funds for 
this purpose. Wafaqs also restricted foreign private funding of 
madrassahs. Examination concerns remained under active discussion with 
the Government. Some unregistered and Deobandi-controlled madrassahs in 
the FATA and northern Balochistan continued to teach extremism. 
Similarly, the Dawa schools run by Jamat-ud-Dawa continued such 
teaching and recruitment for Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a designated foreign 
terrorist organization.
    The MMA-led provincial government in NWFP continued to pass 
directives and legislation in accordance with the conservative Islamic 
vision of its supporters. If implemented, many of these initiatives 
would impose Islamic law on all citizens, regardless of religious 
affiliation. Existing laws include: Antiobscenity measures, under which 
advertising has been torn down and stores have been fined for selling 
certain western recordings; a complete ban on alcohol; a requirement 
for civil servants to pray five times daily, which has never been 
enforced; bans on public displays of women's photos and dancing, also 
not enforced; and a Shari'a bill that mirrored one already in place at 
the federal level since 1991 which requires that all existing 
legislation, including in the education and financial sectors, be 
reviewed in light of Shari'a. On August 31, 2005, the supreme court 
declared unconstitutional large sections of a second MMA-sponsored 
provincial Hisba bill, under which a provincial authority is appointed 
and empowered to create, implement and enforce regulations to promote 
Islamic laws and values, and prohibited its implementation.
    The Government, at its most senior levels, continued to call for 
interfaith dialogue and sectarian harmony as part of its program to 
promote enlightened moderation. It was instrumental in organizing the 
inaugural meeting of the World Council of Religions, an interfaith body 
of clerics and religious scholars devoted to interfaith dialogue. 
Clergy from all Islamic schools of thought and minority faith 
communities, with the exception of the Ahmadis, who were not invited, 
joined the council. The Religious Affairs Ministry and the Council on 
Islamic Ideology, a constitutionally mandated government body, 
continued to sponsor interfaith and inter-sectarian workshops and 
meetings. The Religious Affairs Ministry played an active role in 
negotiating the inter-sectarian injunction against sectarian violence 
and the killing of non-Muslims in the country issued in May 2005. The 
primary responsibility of the Religious Affairs Ministry is to organize 
participation in the Hajj and other Muslim religious pilgrimages and to 
distribute the zakaat (the religious tax on Sunni Muslims).
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government discouraged and severely restricted public practice 
of the Ahmadiyya faith both by law and in practice. The 1974 
constitutional amendment and 1984 changes to the Penal Code Section 
298(c), commonly referred to as the ``anti-Ahmadi laws,'' were used by 
the Government and anti-Ahmadi religious groups to target and harass 
Ahmadis. The vague wording of the provision that forbids Ahmadis from 
``directly or indirectly'' posing as Muslims enabled mainstream Muslim 
religious leaders to bring charges against Ahmadis for using the 
standard Muslim greeting form and for naming their children Muhammad. 
An Ahmadiyya Muslim community report claimed that during the period 
covered by this report, twenty-six Ahmadis faced criminal charges under 
religious laws or because of their faith: Four under the blasphemy 
laws, seventeen under Ahmadi-specific laws, and four under other laws 
but motivated by their Ahmadi faith. At the end of April 2006, five 
Ahmadis were in prison on blasphemy charges and three were in prison on 
murder charges that the Ahmadiyya community claimed were falsely 
brought due to their religious beliefs.
    The Government gave tacit endorsement to Islamic clerics' campaigns 
against the perceived dangers of the Ahmadiyya faith by permitting the 
annual conference on the finality of the prophethood. Ahmadis were 
prohibited from holding any public conferences or gatherings, and since 
1983 they have been denied permission to hold their annual conference. 
Ahmadis were banned from preaching and were prohibited from traveling 
to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj or other religious pilgrimages. Since July 
2003, anyone wanting to travel on the Hajj must denounce the founder of 
the Ahmadiyya faith as a ``cunning person and an imposter'' on a 
printed oath that is part of the government registration process, 
thereby effectively preventing Ahmadis from fulfilling this tenant of 
the Islamic faith. Additionally, Ahmadi publications were banned from 
public sale; however, Ahmadis published religious literature in large 
quantities for a limited circulation.
    While the constitution guarantees the right to establish places of 
worship and train clergy, in practice, Ahmadis suffered from 
restrictions on this right. According to press reports, the authorities 
continued to conduct surveillance on the Ahmadis and their 
institutions. Several Ahmadi mosques reportedly have been closed; 
others reportedly have been desecrated or had their construction 
stopped. For example, on June 18, 2005, police ordered the Ahmadiyya 
community in Pindi, Bhatian, Hafizabad, Punjab to stop construction on 
a mosque on a site acquired for the purpose some twenty years 
previously. Police were reportedly acting on the request of the local 
Islamic cleric.
    The Government did not prohibit, restrict, or punish parents for 
raising children in accordance with religious teachings and practices 
of their choice, nor did it take steps to prevent parents from teaching 
their children religion in the privacy of the home.
    There was no law against apostasy; however, societal pressure 
against conversion from Islam was so strong that any conversion almost 
certainly would take place in secret.
    There are no legal requirements for an individual to practice or 
affiliate nominally with a religion. The Government did not penalize or 
legally discriminate against those not affiliated with any religion. In 
practice, societal pressure was such that very few persons would admit 
to not belonging to a religious group since doing so would likely lead 
to significant discrimination.
    Religious belief or specific adherence to a religion was not 
required for membership in the ruling party or the moderate opposition 
parties, which did not exclude members of any religion. The MMA had 
non-Muslim members of parliament; however, in practice, each of its 
constituent parties generally restricted membership to its sectarian 
adherents. It would be virtually impossible for Ahmadis or Jews to join 
the MMA or its constituent parties. In practice, neither Ismailis nor 
Zikris could join the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazlur Rehman, Jamiat Ulema-
e-Islam Sami ul-Haq, or JI. Shi'a claimed they were not welcome in JI, 
although JI leadership denied the assertion. The political arm of the 
sectarian extremist group Sunni Tehrik accepted only Brailvi members.
    The Government did not restrict the formation of political parties 
based on a particular faith, religious belief, or interpretation of 
religious doctrine. The Government monitored the activities of various 
Islamist parties and affiliated clergy due to prior links to terrorist 
and extremist organizations. Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith leaders claimed 
the Government harassed their members due to political stances. 
Brailvis and Ahl-e-Hadiths claimed the Government, hoping to appease 
political extremists, favored the Deobandis and JI for jobs in state 
mosques, Islamic studies faculties at state schools, and government 
jobs with religious responsibilities. The Government denied such 
charges.
    Missionaries were allowed to operate in the country, and 
proselytizing, except by Ahmadis, was permitted as long as there is no 
preaching against Islam and the missionaries acknowledge that they are 
not Muslim; however, all missionaries were required to have specific 
visas, valid from two to five years and allowing only one entry into 
the country per year. Only ``replacement'' visas for those taking the 
place of departing missionaries were available, and long delays and 
bureaucratic problems were frequent.
    The constitution allows ``reasonable'' restrictions on freedom of 
speech for the ``glory of Islam.'' The penal code includes specific 
provisions that restrict speech and action against other religions. 
These ``blasphemy laws,'' as they are collectively known, were often 
used to harass and intimidate reform-minded Muslims, sectarian 
opponents, and religious minorities. They were also used to settle 
personal scores and business rivalries. While no accused persons have 
been executed under this law, the accused often spend years in prison. 
Blasphemy suspects were not routinely granted bail and were often 
convicted by trial courts following threats to judges by extremists. In 
contrast to previous reporting periods, there was no record of deaths 
by inmates or security forces within prison. At the end of the 
reporting period, twenty-two remained in detention awaiting trial on 
blasphemy charges, and nine were in prison following conviction.
    In 2005, the Government enacted a law that requires senior police 
officials to investigate any blasphemy charges before a complaint is 
filed. Human rights organizations had called for such changes since 
2000. Initial indications on the law's impact were positive. There were 
only twenty-four blasphemy cases filed during the reporting period, a 
decline from fifty-four during the previous years' reporting period. 
According to figures compiled by local NGOs, between 1986 and April 
2006, 695 persons were accused of blasphemy: 362 Muslims, 239 Ahmadis, 
86 Christians, and 10 Hindus. In many cases filed during the year, the 
accused were either released on bail or charges were dropped. Of the 
695 individuals accused of blasphemy at the end of the reporting 
period, 22 remained in detention awaiting trial on blasphemy charges, 
and 9 were in prison following conviction.
    The Government does not restrict religious publishing in general; 
however, Ahmadi religious literature is banned. Publishing any 
criticism of Islam or its prophets or insults to another's religion is 
prohibited. Insults against minority religious groups were rarely 
prosecuted. For example, the weekly newspaper Ghazwa published in Azad 
Jammu Kashmir with the financial support of the terrorist organization 
Jamaat-ud-Dawa was not prosecuted for publishing offensive, insulting, 
and inaccurate articles about earthquake relief efforts undertaken by 
NGOs linked to the Ahmadiyya community. Christian scriptures and books 
are readily available, but Christians have reported concerns about 
pressure leading to self-censorship. While most Christian books are 
imported, there are Christian publishing houses operating within the 
country. Ahmadis charge that they suffer from restrictions on their 
press. For example, on August 7, 2005, the Punjab provincial government 
ordered two Ahmadi printing presses in Jhang, Punjab, shut down. Police 
took the editor of the Ahmaddiya community magazine al-Fazl, Sami Khan, 
into protective custody and later released him. The move followed 
complaints from a local Islamic leader that the publications insulted 
the religious sentiments of Muslims. The provincial home department 
ultimately gave permission for the presses to reopen.
    In July 2003, Tanvir Ahmed Asif and Abdul Qadir were charged with 
blasphemy, as well as violating the anti-Ahmadi law, for writing a book 
which explained the situation of Ahmadis around the country. In 
November 2004, the Peshawar High Court overturned the blasphemy 
conviction of former Frontier Post copy editor Munawar Mohsin. Mohsin 
had published a letter to the editor in 2001 that was critical of 
Muhammad. There have been no new developments in this case.
    Publication of the Qur'an must include the original Arabic text. In 
May 2005, the Government confiscated Urdu translations of the Qur'an 
published in Canada that did not include the original Arabic.
    Foreign books must pass government censors before being reprinted. 
Books and magazines may be imported freely but are subject to 
censorship for objectionable sexual or religious content. In November 
2004, an Islamabad magistrate ordered the destruction of an issue of 
Newsweek containing objectionable photos alongside an article on the 
killing of Theo Van Gogh.
    Many local and district governments restricted the distribution and 
display of certain religious images, such as the Holy Trinity and Jesus 
Christ; however, such images were readily available in other parts of 
the country.
    The Government funded and facilitated Hajj travel but had no 
similar program for pilgrimages by religious minorities. In addition to 
prohibiting Ahmadi travel for the Hajj, the Government de facto 
prevented Baha'is from traveling to their spiritual center in Israel 
due to nonrecognition of that country.
    The Government designates religion on passports and national 
identity documents. Those wishing to be listed as a Muslim on such 
documents had to swear a belief in the finality of the prophethood and 
denounce the Ahmadiyya movement's founder as a false prophet and his 
followers as non-Muslims, resulting in further discrimination and 
harassment against the community.
    Links with coreligionists in other countries were maintained 
relatively easily. The Catholic Church and the Church of Pakistan 
reported no difficulties. Ismailis communicated regularly with their 
headquarters; their officials, including Prince Karim Aga Khan, visited 
the country. Under reciprocal visa arrangements, Indian Hindu and Sikh 
leaders and groups traveled frequently to the country.
    The constitution requires that the country's president and prime 
minister must be Muslims. All senior officials, including members of 
parliament, must swear an oath to protect the country's Islamic 
identity. Government employees are not prohibited from displaying or 
practicing any elements of their faith. In NWFP, provincial regulations 
require all civil servants to pray five times daily; however, this was 
not enforced.
    Sunni Muslims appeared to receive favorable consideration in 
government hiring and advancement. Religious minorities, including 
Shi'a, contended that the Government persistently discriminated against 
members of their communities in hiring for the civil service and in 
admissions to government institutions of higher learning. Promotions 
for all minority groups appeared limited within the civil service. 
These problems were particularly acute for Ahmadis, who contended that 
a ``glass ceiling'' prevented them from being promoted to senior 
positions and that certain government departments refused to hire or 
retain qualified Ahmadis.
    Religious minorities claimed the Government failed to provide their 
areas with equal public services and criticized the Religious Affairs 
Ministry for failing to take adequate steps to improve their 
socioeconomic development. The ministry rejected these charges, 
claiming it spent 30 percent of its annual budget on minorities.
    Ahl-e-Hadith and Brailvi leaders contended that their groups were 
underrepresented in the hiring of clergy for government mosques and on 
the Islamic faculties of government colleges. They charged that members 
of JI dominated both the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Islamiyyat 
wing of the Education Ministry. Ahl-e-Hadith complained of under-
representation on government-sponsored religious boards such as the 
Zakat and Ush'r Council.
    Ahmadis continued to contend that they were denied voting rights 
through requirements that they register as non-Muslims. Members of the 
public can challenge any Muslim on the voter rolls to take an oath 
swearing to the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad and denouncing 
the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement. For this reason, Ahmadis refused 
to register. There are reserved seats for religious minority members in 
both the national and provincial assemblies. Such seats are allocated 
to the political parties on a proportional basis determined by their 
overall representation in the assembly.
    Members of minority religious groups volunteered for military 
service in small numbers, and there were no official obstacles to their 
advancement; however, in practice non-Muslims rarely, if ever, rose 
above the rank of colonel and were not assigned to politically 
sensitive positions. A chaplaincy corps provided services for Muslim 
soldiers, but no similar services were available for religious 
minorities.
    The public school curriculum was Islamized during the 1980s. This 
included the adoption of a number of textbooks that included derogatory 
remarks against minority religious groups, particularly Hindus and 
Jews, and the generalized teaching of religious intolerance as 
acceptable. The curriculum continued to undergo a major revision to 
eliminate such teachings and to remove Islamic teaching from secular 
subjects. The Education Ministry cooperated with international donors 
and NGOs in this multiyear effort and professed its intention to 
proceed despite objections from conservative religious elements. 
Students were free to practice their faith. Many Ahmadis and Christians 
reported discrimination in applying to government educational 
institutions due to their religious affiliation. Christians and Ahmadis 
reportedly have been denied access to medical schools, and societal 
discrimination against Ahmadis persisted at many universities.
    All religious groups experienced bureaucratic delays and requests 
for bribes when attempting to build houses of worship or to obtain 
land. These were similar to what nonreligious groups faced. Ahmadis 
were prevented from building houses of worship. Sunni Muslim groups 
built mosques and shrines without government permission and at times in 
violation of zoning ordinances.
    The provincial and federal governments had legal responsibility for 
the upkeep of religious property abandoned during partition. Disputes 
with minority communities over the property and its upkeep may be 
reviewed by civil courts. While the Government funded the upkeep and 
repair of some properties, minority communities continued to charge 
that its efforts in many cases were inadequate.
    Criminal law allows offenders to offer monetary restitution to 
victims and allows victims to carry out physical retribution rather 
than seek punishment through the court system. This supposedly Islamic 
provision applied to all. Minorities claimed that minority offenders 
faced far higher, and minority victims received far lower, amounts of 
monetary restitution than did Muslims.
    Also supposedly based on Islamic law, a fact much in dispute, the 
Hudood Ordinances were used to discriminate against women. Women were 
often spuriously charged with extramarital sex under this law and 
forced to remain in detention for long periods awaiting trial. To 
address this issue, the Government adopted new legislation in January 
2005, requiring a court order prior to detention of women on such 
Hudood charges. Human rights activists charged that this change was 
insufficient and continued to campaign for the repeal of the Hudood 
Ordinances. On July 1, 2006, President Musharraf instructed the CII to 
prepare a revised Hudood Ordinance to eliminate such discriminatory 
provisions against women not later than August. In addition, he ordered 
the release of all women detained under the current ordinance.
    Civil marriages do not exist; marriages are performed and 
registered according to one's religion. The marriages of Hindu or 
Christian men remain legal upon conversion to Islam but are considered 
dissolved for marriages of Hindu or Christian women or of other non-
Muslims that were performed under the rites of the previous religion. 
Children born to Hindu or Christian women who do not separate from 
their husbands, yet convert to Islam after marriage, are considered 
illegitimate unless their husbands also convert. Children of non-Muslim 
men who convert are not considered illegitimate. Under Islamic law, a 
Muslim man can marry a woman of the Book (Jews or Christians) but 
cannot marry a Hindu woman. Muslim women may only marry Muslim men. 
There is no law concerning the children of a Muslim man and a Muslim 
woman who convert to another religion, nor is there a law dealing with 
a Muslim woman whose husband converts to a minority religion.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Police torture and mistreatment of those in custody remained a 
serious and common problem throughout the country and at times resulted 
in extrajudicial killings. It was usually impossible to ascertain 
whether religion was a factor in cases in which religious minorities 
were victims; however, both Christian and Ahmadi communities claimed 
their members were more likely to be abused. Prison conditions, except 
those for wealthy or influential prisoners, were extremely poor. Non-
Muslim prisoners generally were accorded poorer facilities than Muslim 
inmates. There were no reports of police or inmates killing those 
accused of blasphemy in custody during the reporting period.
    The policeman charged in the May 2004 death-in-custody of Samuel 
Masih, a Christian, remained in detention pending trial. Charges were 
pending against two officers charged in the July 26, 2004, torture of 
Manu Kholi, a Hindu.
    While murder charges were pending against police officers involved 
in the August 2004 death-in-custody of Nasir Mukhtar, a Christian, no 
arrests were made during the period covered by this report.
    Human rights groups charged that police in Nowshera severely 
mistreated Christian Yousaf Masih following his June 28, 2005, 
detention on spurious blasphemy charges. They contended that ongoing 
mistreatment in prison led to a severe deterioration in his health. 
Police released Masih on August 8, 2005, and charges against him were 
dropped.
    On April 7, 2006, two prison staff at the central jail in Sahiwal, 
Punjab, joined Muslim inmates in attacking four Christian prisoners who 
had gathered for prayer and Bible study. Prison staff stripped the 
Christians of their clothing and physically tortured them. The four 
were then locked up in solitary confinement. No action was taken 
against the prison officials.
    The Government was not responsible for disappearances based on a 
person's religion; however, police did not always effectively respond 
to complaints of disappearances of members of minority religious 
groups. Police made no arrests in the November 2004 kidnapping and 
killing of eight-year-old Samuel Sethi, a Christian, and in the 
February 2005 kidnapping of thirteen-year-old Fozia Zafar, also a 
Christian, who remained missing at the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    There were no reports of security forces engaging in rape or 
mutilation based on religion.
    Minority religious groups continued to complain of police inaction 
in cases of attacks by extremists against congregants and property 
belonging to minorities.
    On November 4, 2005, after a dispute between Christians and Muslims 
in the village of Niale da Wara in the District of Sheikhupura, in 
Manawala, thirteen armed men attacked Pastor Indrias Masih, beating him 
severely. Women and children were also reportedly attacked. The police 
made no arrests in this case during the period covered by this report.
    On the evening and night of November 12, 2005, a mob of 
approximately 2,500, urged on by local clergy, attacked and destroyed 
Christian churches, religious properties, and houses in the town of 
Sangla Hill. According to witnesses, police took no action to control 
or disperse the mob or to protect Christian property.
    The blasphemy laws were routinely used to harass religious 
minorities and reform-minded Muslims and to settle personal scores or 
business rivalries. Individuals were detained and convicted on spurious 
charges. Judges and magistrates, seeking to avoid a confrontation with 
or violence from extremists, often continued trials indefinitely. As a 
result, those accused of blasphemy often faced lengthy periods in jail 
and were burdened with increased legal costs and repeated court 
appearances, before acquittal, generally at the appellate level. At the 
end of the reporting period, twenty-two remained in detention awaiting 
trial on blasphemy charges, and nine were in prison following 
conviction.
    There were no developments during the reporting period in the case 
of Ranjha Masih, who continued to serve a life sentence on blasphemy 
charges.
    In July 2004, a Christian girl was accused of throwing a copy of 
the Qur'an into a local dump. A Muslim mob threatened to burn down the 
family residence and tried to kill the girl. Local elders and police 
intervened and arrested the girl and her father. They were eventually 
released and the family moved to ensure their safety.
    In October 2004, blasphemy charges were filed against Mohammad Ali, 
a Muslim and owner of a paper mill, for allegedly desecrating the 
Qur'an. Police dismissed the charges.
    In November 2004, Muhammad Iqbal, an Ahmadi, received a life 
sentence following his conviction on blasphemy charges for allegedly 
referring to Muhammad as a false prophet. His appeal was pending at the 
end of the period covered by this report.
    In December 2004, blasphemy charges were filed against Shahdat Ali, 
an Ahmadi, and his two alleged accomplices for allegedly setting fire 
to the Qur'an. Police dismissed the charges without trial.
    In December 2004, Anwar Masih, a Christian, was acquitted of 
blasphemy charges. Upon his release, members of Lashkar-i-Mujahideen 
vowed to kill him. Masih remained in hiding at the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    In April 2005, Ashiq Nabi was killed by a mob of approximately 400 
individuals after an Islamic religious leader issued an edict declaring 
Nabi an infidel whose punishment for allegedly desecrating a copy of 
the Qur'an should be death. Police did not make any arrests in this 
case.
    On June 29, 2005, police in Nowshera, NWFP, arrested illiterate 
Christian janitor Yousaf Masih on blasphemy charges. Witnesses claimed 
Masih had burned pages of the Qur'an while disposing of trash for his 
employer. Following his arrest, a mob of between 300 and 500 protesters 
destroyed a Hindu temple and houses belonging to Christian and Hindu 
families in the city. While police arrested some perpetrators after the 
fact, under the terms of a deal negotiated between Islamic religious 
leaders and the Hindu/Christian communities, police released all of 
them without charge. Police released Masih from custody on bail on 
August 6, 2005, and dropped charges against him. Human rights groups 
claimed that he and his family were in hiding for fear of Islamic 
extremist groups that threatened to kill him.
    On September 2, 2005, in Gandalf, Swabi, NWFP, police arrested a 
Hindu couple, Chaman Lal and his wife Krishna Wanti, on charges of 
defiling the Qur'an. Locals alleged that they had seen the couple throw 
a Qur'an into a field near their home. Lal had converted to Islam seven 
years previously but readopted Hinduism at his wife's insistence. The 
Peshawar High Court granted bail to Lal after he converted to Islam in 
the presence of the chief justice. The Mardan Anti-Terrorism Court, on 
December 12, 2005, granted bail to Wanti after she made a similar 
conversion. The presiding Anti-Terrorism Court judge faced judicial 
reprimand from the supreme court for granting the bail under these 
conditions when Wanti had a bail petition pending with the supreme 
court.
    On September 9, 2005, in Lahore, Younis Masih, a Christian, 
confronted a local Islamic cleric about loud music accompanying a night 
time religious ceremony. During the course of their altercation, Masih 
allegedly insulted Muhammad. The clerics' supporters reportedly 
severely beat Masih before leaving him unconscious at his residence. 
The next morning, police arrested Masih on charges of blasphemy. In 
response to the blasphemy allegations, a mob of approximately 200 
Muslims attacked the Christian community where Masih resided, damaging 
houses and a local church. Masih remained in detention, facing 
blasphemy charges at the end of the reporting period.
    On November 11, 2005, in Sangla Hill, Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Yousaf 
Masih, a Christian, fought with a local Muslim over a gambling debt. In 
the course of the altercation, the Muslim accused Masih of setting fire 
to a warehouse containing copies of verses from the Qur'an. Masih 
departed the scene; however, the following day, the local Muslim 
demanded that police charge Masih with blasphemy in violation of 
established procedures. Local Islamic clerics began issuing 
announcements over their loudspeakers that a Christian had defiled the 
Qur'an and calling for retribution. In response, a mob of approximately 
2,500 formed and attacked Christian areas of the town, forcing local 
residents to flee and burning 3 churches, 2 parish houses, a convent, a 
Christian high school, and the houses of 3 Christian families. Police 
reportedly took no action to disperse or subdue the mob. Islamic 
religious leaders issued death threats against local Christians should 
they return. Police ultimately arrested eighty-eight protesters on 
charges of destruction of property and Masih on charges of blasphemy. 
As part of an understanding that local officials negotiated, Christians 
were allowed to return, and those accused of the violence were 
released. On February 12, 2006, courts dropped all charges against 
Masih for lack of evidence.
    On April 11, 2006, an appellate court acquitted Christian school 
teacher Pervez Masih of blasphemy charges and released him after five 
years in detention.
    In addition to experiencing prosecution under the blasphemy laws, 
Ahmadis were often charged, detained, and convicted under the so-called 
anti-Ahmadi laws. According to Ahmadiyya publications, police charged 
seventeen Ahmadis under these laws during the year. All were released 
by the end of the reporting period. Ahmadi leaders also claimed that 
the Government used regular sections of the penal code against their 
members for religious reasons. They claimed three Ahmadis were in 
detention on such charges at the end of the reporting period. The three 
had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Their cases were 
under appeal at the end of the period covered by this report.
    In July 2004, a Muslim mob attacked Ghulam Ahmad Tahir, an Ahmadi 
youth, following an anti-Ahmadi conference. Tahir was charged with 
assault and was later released. In August 2004, Muhammad Ehsan, a 
mentally ill Ahmadi, was charged with possession of Ahmadi literature 
and climbing the roof of a mosque. Ehsan was later released. In 
November 2004, Zulfiqar Goraya, an Ahmadi, was charged under the anti-
Ahmadi law for posing as a Muslim by distributing wedding cards 
containing a common Islamic greeting printed on them. Goraya was also 
released.
    On September 9, 2005, a local rickshaw driver in Faisalabad, 
Punjab, parked his vehicle in front of the home of the head of the 
local Ahmadiyya community. The vehicle was painted with insulting, 
anti-Ahmadi slogans. The two sons of the local community head 
confronted the rickshaw driver and told him to move his vehicle. The 
rickshaw driver physically attacked the two Ahmadis. Police intervened 
and charged the driver and the two Ahmadis with assault. Charges were 
pending at the end of the reporting period, but the Ahmadis were 
released on bail.
    On October 12, 2005, in Mianwali, Punjab, police and postal 
officials jointly charged Irfan Ahmad, an Ahmadi subscriber to the 
community magazine Khalid, with receiving a banned publication. The 
community magazine is not, in fact, banned, although certain editions 
have been. Ahmad was released on bail pending trial.
    According to media reports and local Ahmadi leaders, on June 23, 
2006, in Mirpur Khas, Sindh, at the instigation of two mullahs, police 
registered a criminal case against five Ahmadis following a complaint 
by an individual that the accused had tried to convert him. Two of the 
accused, Maula Bakhsh and Muhammad Akbar, who were fresh converts, were 
arrested by police. The other three went into hiding and applied for 
bail before arrest. At a court hearing, Baksh and Akbar admitted that 
they had converted but denied that they had tried to convert the 
complainant, claiming that they had merely defended their own beliefs 
in a conversation on religious matters. The magistrate rejected the 
request for bail by Baksh and Akbar, an action local Ahmadis attributed 
to immense social pressure generated by the case; this decision was 
under review by the district court at the end of the period covered by 
this report. The other three accused applied for bail in the higher 
sessions court, which granted the plea. A hearing on their case was 
scheduled for September 5, 2006.
    According to media reports, on June 24, 2006, a mob attacked an 
Ahmadi locality in Jhando Sahi Village in Daska near Sialkot and 
injured two persons following allegations that some Ahmadis had 
desecrated the Qur'an. The mob also set fire to a few vehicles, two 
shops, and a few houses belonging to Ahmadis. The district police 
arrived at the scene and arrested seven Ahmadis. They also removed 
approximately seventy-five Ahmadis from the village for fear of more 
attacks. Four Ahmadis were booked under section 295C of the penal code 
for Qur'an desecration, and two were arrested and held in the Sialkot 
District jail. Later, hundreds of persons belonging to surrounding 
villages demonstrated against the alleged desecration and chanted anti-
Ahmadi slogans and damaged an Ahmadiyya house of worship. The situation 
in the village remained tense and a large contingent of police was 
deployed to avert any more damage. Members of the Ahmadi community 
claim that the men were burning their own journals and papers.
    The Government did not impose onerous financial penalties due to 
religion.
    The Government did not abuse converts to minority religious groups. 
Converts to the Ahmadiyya community were often accused of blasphemy, 
violations of the anti-Ahmadi laws, or other crimes. The Government 
arrested and prosecuted such individuals. Conversion to other minority 
religious groups generally took place in secret to avoid a societal 
backlash.
    Conservative Islamists (generally Deobandis or JI) claimed the 
Government unjustly searched their homes, schools, and mosques as part 
of its continued crackdown on extremist and terrorist groups. The 
Government denied such allegations, noting the complainants all had 
previous ties to banned groups, making them reasonable targets.
    Minority communities charged the Government was complicit in 
seizures of their property by Muslims and that the government policy of 
dismantling illegal slum settlements disproportionately targeted 
minority communities. These groups also accused the Government of 
inaction in cases of attacks by extremist groups on places of worship 
belonging to minority groups.
    In July 2004, local government officials in the Bahawalpur District 
allotted land occupied by twenty-six Hindu families to local Muslims. 
The Hindu families were evicted from the land.
    Following July 2004 protests, police in Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) 
continued to retain property of the local Ahmaddiya community on which 
a makeshift mosque had once existed.
    On November 29, 2005, Catholic Bishop Anthony Lobo of Islamabad-
Rawalpindi alleged that the Government evicted approximately forty 
Christian families of approximately 200 persons from their homes in 
Joharabad, Sindh. The Government was giving these families' homes to 
victims from the October 8, 2005, earthquake.
    The Government did not subject individuals to forced labor or 
enslavement based on religious beliefs; however, minority community 
leaders charged that the Government failed to take adequate action to 
prevent bonded labor in both the brick-making and agricultural sectors. 
Christians and Hindus were disproportionately victims of this practice. 
In June 2005, police raided sites in Sheikhupura district, Punjab 
Province, and freed more than 300 mostly Christian workers performing 
forced labor in brick kilns.
    Islamists charged without proof that government forces damaged 
mosques and religious schools during military operations in the 
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The Government vigorously 
denied the allegations.
Forced Religious Conversion
    Forced and coerced conversions of religious minorities to Islam 
occurred at the hands of societal actors. Religious minorities claimed 
that government actions to stem the problem were inadequate. Several 
human rights groups have highlighted the increased phenomenon of Hindu 
girls, particularly in Karachi, being kidnapped from their families and 
forced to convert to Islam.
    Kidnapping charges were pending against a Muslim man who abducted a 
fifteen-year-old Christian, Samina Izhaq, and forced her to convert in 
August 2004.
    On September 2, 2005, Ghulam Abbas and Mohammad Kashif reportedly 
drugged and kidnapped Riqba Masih, a Christian woman, from the village 
of Chak, Punjab, and took her to Lahore. The kidnappers repeatedly 
raped Masih and threatened to kill her and her family if she did not 
convert to Islam but Masih refused. On September 3, 2005, another 
unidentified accomplice took Masih into custody and detained her until 
September 6, 2005, raping her repeatedly. Later that day, the 
kidnappers took Masih to Faisalabad and abandoned her at a bus stop 
from where she made her way to her parents' home. Police arrested 
Ghulam Abbas and Mohammad Kashif and charged them with kidnapping and 
rape. Following an October 24, 2005, hearing in which a Faisalabad 
court denied bail, Kashif escaped from the courtroom and remained at 
large at the end of the reporting period. Abbas remained in police 
custody, and police are attempting to find Kashif.
    On October 18, 2005, Sanno Amra and Champa, a Hindu couple residing 
in the Punjab Colony, Karachi, Sindh returned home to find that their 
three teenage daughters had disappeared. After inquiries to the local 
police, the couple discovered that their daughters had been taken to a 
local madrassah, had been converted to Islam, and were denied 
unsupervised contact with their parents.
    On February 16, 2006, six unknown assailants attacked well-known 
Christian singer A. Nayyar in Lahore. After beating and robbing him, 
they forced him to recite the prayer for conversion to Islam.
    On March 3, 2006, a trial court convicted Maulvi Ghulam Rasool and 
Mohammed Tayyab on torture and murder charges, stemming from the 2004 
abduction, torture, and death of student Javed Anjum, and sentenced 
them to twenty-five years in prison. Maulvi Rasool kidnapped Anjum and 
held, tortured, and killed him at his religious school in an attempt to 
convert him to Islam.
    There were no reports of forced conversion of minor United States 
citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United 
States. However, there were reports of the refusal to allow such 
citizens to return to the United States.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    There were several incidents involving the abuse of specific 
religious groups carried out by individuals or organizations designated 
as terrorist organizations by the Secretary of State under Section 219 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act and by armed sectarian extremist 
groups with strong links to such organizations.
    Nationwide, the sectarian violence situation remained unchanged 
over the period covered by this report, except for notable improvements 
occurring in the Federally Administered Northern Areas.
    Targeted assassinations of clergy remained a key tactic of several 
groups including, the sectarian organization Sipah-i-Sahaba (SSP), 
banned under the law, the terrorist organization Lashkar-i-Jhangvi 
(LJ), and the sectarian organizations Sunni Tehrike (ST) and Sipah-i-
Mohammad (SMP). SSP and LJ targeted both Shi'as and Brailvis, whereas 
ST and SMP targeted Deobandis.
    In October 2004 unknown gunmen in Karachi killed Deobandi Mufti 
Jameel Ahmed Khan and an associate in their vehicle. The assassination 
might have been linked to a Deobandi-versus-Shi'a cycle of violence 
playing out at the same time in Punjab.
    On January 8, 2005, Deobandi extremists shot and killed Shi'a 
cleric Agha Ziauddin Rizvi in Gilgit, Federally Administered Northern 
Areas, leading to demonstrations in which Shi'a and Sunni sectarian 
opponents assaulted each other and Ismaili followers of the Aga Khan. 
SSP and SMP moved into the area following the demonstrations.
    On May 30, 2005, unknown assailants kidnapped, severely tortured, 
and killed JI senior official Aslam Mujahid in Karachi. The motives 
were unknown, but the killing appeared to be linked to political 
violence.
    On July 9, 2005, unidentified men believed to be linked with ST 
abducted, shot, and killed Deobandi cleric Maulana Shamsuddin in the 
Orangi Town area of Karachi, Sindh.
    On July 17, 2005, unidentified, motorcycle-riding gunmen, believed 
to be linked to SMP, ambushed the vehicle of Deobandi cleric Mufti 
Muhammad Ahmed Madni in Karachi. Mufti Madni was seriously injured and 
his son Maulana Abdulla Ahmed Madni was killed.
    On December 2, 2005, unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and 
killed Shi'a cleric Allama Badar-ud-Din in Dera Murad Jamali, 
Balochistan. LT claimed responsibility for the attack.
    On April 18, 2006, unidentified motor-cycle riding gunmen, believed 
to be linked to SSP, ambushed the vehicle of Shi'a cleric Fazl Hussain 
Alvi and his driver in Faisalabad, Punjab. The assailants' gunfire 
caused the vehicle's tank to explode, killing both occupants.
    Both LJ and SSP also continued attacks on houses of worship and 
religious gatherings during the period covered by this report.
    In October 2004, a cycle of sectarian violence in the Punjab, which 
had not seen any for several years, broke out. LJ and SM attacked Shi'a 
and Deobandi places of worship, respectively, killing many and injuring 
hundreds.
    On May 30 2005, a Shi'a mosque in Karachi was attacked; five 
persons were killed and at least thirty injured. The Government termed 
it a sectarian attack and blamed LJ. These cases have all been 
effectively closed. In addition, there appeared to be a new wave of 
attacks on celebrations at Sufi shrines in 2005, likely led by Deobandi 
extremists who long had termed the celebrations ``idolatrous.'' In 
March and May 2005, many died and hundreds were injured when the shrine 
to Pir Syed Rakheel Shah and the Bari Imam Shrine were bombed.
    On October 7, 2005, two armed assailants opened fire during Friday 
prayer at an Ahmadiyya mosque in Mong village, Punjab, killing eight 
and injuring nineteen. The Government attributed responsibility to LJ.
    On February 9, 2006, a suicide bomber, linked with SSP, attacked a 
Shi'a religious procession commemorating the month of Muharram in 
Hangu, NWFP, killing at least forty and injuring at least fifty. Three 
more died in sectarian clashes that followed the attack on February 10 
and 11.
    On April 11, 2006, a suicide bomber attacked a Brailvi religious 
commemoration of the Prophet's Birthday in Nishtar Park, Karachi, 
Sindh, killing fifty seven persons, including prominent Brailvi clerics 
and ST leaders, and injuring more than fifty. LJ and SSP have been 
implicated in the attack, despite unfounded assertions by JI 
attributing responsibility to its political rival the Muttahida Quami 
Movement.
    Armed clashes between SSP and SMP in the Northern Areas' capital of 
Gilgit in July, August, September, and October 2005, left at least 
twenty-five dead, including two members of the Rangers paramilitary 
force, and at least forty-three injured. Following the final sectarian 
clash on October 13, 2005, the Government launched a major crackdown 
against both SSP and SMP in the region. Police and paramilitary forces 
arrested the leadership of both groups as well as clerics backing the 
respective organizations. These leaders remained in detention in 
Rawalpindi at the end of the reporting period. Violence in Gilgit has 
abated after the crackdown.
    Unlike in the previous reporting period, there were no incidents of 
terrorist or extremist attacks against Ismaili followers of the Aga 
Khan. During the last period, Ismaili followers of the Aga Khan came 
under threat of societal violence for the first time. Deobandi 
extremist groups conducted attacks against community members in Gilgit 
and vandalized schools and health clinics in the Northern Areas and the 
neighboring Chitral district of NWFP that the Aga Khan Foundation had 
established. In addition, in December 2004, two Ismaili employees of 
the Aga Khan Health Service Office in Chitral were killed.
    Al-Qa'ida-linked organizations maintained networks in the country, 
and its supporters periodically issued anti-Semitic statements. Hafiz 
Saeed, leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a designated foreign terrorist 
organization, consistently issued statements calling for holy war 
against Jews and Hindus. The Government placed Saeed under house arrest 
from February 17 to 20, 2006, and then restricted his travel within the 
country to prevent his agitation during protests against cartoons of 
Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper.
    On February 21, 2006, a court sentenced eleven members of 
Jandullah, an extremist group linked to al-Qa'ida, to death for their 
involvement in a June 2004 attack on the Corps Commander Karachi. The 
same individuals remained under trial for the January 2004 attack on 
the Pakistan Bible Society Office in Karachi.
    In accordance with the Anti-Terrorist Act, the Government banned 
the activities of and membership in several religious extremist and 
terrorist groups. The Anti-Terrorist Act allows the Government to use 
special streamlined courts to try violent crimes, terrorist activities, 
acts or speech designed to foment religious hatred, and crimes against 
the state; however, many of the groups that the Government banned 
remained active.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    The Government took steps to bolster religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report.
    There was a significant decline in new blasphemy and Hudood cases, 
approximately 44 percent and 164 percent from the previous reporting 
period, respectively. It appears that this decline could be due to the 
implementation of the 2005 revision to the procedures for the 
implementation of both the blasphemy laws and the Hudood Ordinances. 
Under the new procedures, senior police officials must investigate all 
blasphemy cases before charges are filed, and a court order must 
precede women's detention under the extramarital sex provisions of the 
Hudood Ordinances. Human rights campaigners had agitated for such 
changes since 2000 and continued to press for outright repeal of the 
laws. On July 1, 2006, President Musharraf instructed the CII to revise 
the Hudood Ordinances to address such concerns by August, and ordered 
the release of women detained under the ordinances. Approximately 700 
women have already been released, many of whom were detained on Hudood 
charges.
    The Government maintained its existing ban on terrorist and 
sectarian organizations known to be active in the country. The assets 
of such organizations remained frozen, and their identified leaders 
were under surveillance. Although most of the banned organizations 
continued to try and operate, the Government policies of monitoring, 
periodic raids on safe houses, periodic detention of leaders and 
activists, and denial of financial resources were effective in 
diminishing such groups' impact. During the period covered by this 
report, the Government launched another crackdown against such groups. 
On July 19 and 20, 2005, police detained approximately 320 individuals 
believed to have links to terrorist or extremist organizations. The 
Government released these individuals over the ensuing six-month 
period. On September 29, 2005, the Government dismantled the LJ 
Islamabad/Rawalpindi cell and arrested Asif Choto, a senior LJ leader. 
On March 29, 2006, the Government detained Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman 
Khalil, head of the designated terrorist organization Harakat-ul-
Mujahideen, after he checked into an Islamabad hospital for medical 
treatment.
    The Government remained in active negotiations with the sectarian 
boards, or wafaqs, which oversee the vast majority of the country's 
Islamic religious schools, or madrassahs. During the period covered by 
this report, the Government expelled foreign students from the 
country's madrassahs and arrived at agreement on registration 
provisions that require madrassahs to share information on finances and 
curricula. The Government included in the registration ordinances a 
legal ban on the teaching of sectarianism, religious hatred, and/or 
militancy. While it was too early to measure the success of these 
reforms, it was generally held that the impact would be positive. 
Wafaqs oversaw an ongoing phase-in of modern subjects such as English, 
math, and science at the government's request and continued to utilize 
inspectors to ensure that their member madrassahs adhered to bans on 
the teaching of religious and sectarian hatred. Wafaqs complied with 
government reporting requirements on audited accounts. Despite these 
improvements, some challenges remain. The Religious Affairs Ministry 
and the wafaqs continued to discuss examination requirements without 
resolution, and the Madrassah Reform Committee failed to make progress 
in disbursement of $100 million (approximately 5.8 billion rupees) in 
available funds to qualified madrassahs.
    Draft legislation for the creation of a National Human Rights 
Commission remained with the national assembly. The Government 
continued to work with the international community to revise the draft 
legislation to ensure a strong, independent monitoring body.
    The Government continued to include human rights awareness as part 
of its police training program.
    The World Council of Religions in Islamabad continued with its 
efforts to promote increased interaction and dialogue among various 
religious groups. The council, assisted by leaders from Islamic, 
Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Parsi communities and backed by 
President Musharraf, continued to organize sessions throughout the 
country with the support of local and provincial governments. In 
addition, the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Islamic Ideology 
Council continued to organize a number of smaller intersectarian and 
interfaith meetings and dialogue sessions. As a result of these 
meetings, Deobandi and JI religious and political leaders significantly 
toned down anti-Christian and anti-Hindu rhetoric.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Relations between the country's religious communities remained 
tense. Violence against religious minorities and between Muslim sects 
continued. Most believed that a small minority were responsible for 
attacks; however, discriminatory legislation and the teaching of 
religious intolerance in public schools created a permissive 
environment for attacks. Police at times refused to prevent violence 
and harassment or refused to charge persons who commit such offenses.
    Mobs occasionally attacked individuals accused of blasphemy, their 
family, or their religious community prior to their arrest. When 
blasphemy and other religious cases were brought to court, extremists 
often packed the courtroom and made public threats against an 
acquittal. Judges and magistrates, seeking to avoid a confrontation 
with or violence from extremists, often continued trials indefinitely. 
As a result, those accused of blasphemy often faced lengthy periods in 
jail and were burdened with increased legal costs and repeated court 
appearances. Religious extremists continued to threaten to kill all 
those acquitted of blasphemy charges. High-profile accused persons 
often went into hiding or emigrated after acquittal.
    Ahmadi individuals and institutions long have been victims of 
religious violence, much of which is instigated by organized religious 
extremists. Ahmadi leaders charged that militant Sunni mullahs and 
their followers sometimes staged marches through the streets of Rabwah, 
a predominantly Ahmadi town and spiritual center in central Punjab. 
Backed by crowds of between 100 and 200 persons, the mullahs reportedly 
denounced Ahmadis and their founder, a situation that sometimes led to 
violence. The Ahmadis claimed that police generally were present during 
these marches but did not intervene to prevent violence.
    In July 2004, unknown assailants attempted to shoot Shahid Ahmad 
Dar, an Ahmadi, in Lahore. No arrests were made.
    In August 2004, following a mob attack, police issued a ban on the 
construction of a new house of worship for the Ahmadiyya community in 
Tatlay Aali, Gujranwala. The ban continued during the reporting period.
    In August 2004, unknown assailants killed Barkatullah Mangla, an 
Ahmadi lawyer and president of the Sargodha Ahmadiyya community. Police 
did not arrest suspects.
    In November 2004, Muhammad Ishaq Danish was killed after he became 
a member of the Ahmadiyya community. Police did not file charges.
    In December 2004 a mob attacked the construction site of an 
Ahmaddiya house of worship in Sahiwal. Police did not file charges.
    On September 10, 2005, in Quetta, Balochistan, unknown assailants 
shot and killed Wasim Ahmad, an Ahmadi, en route to his business. 
Witnesses claimed that one of the assailants appeared to be a member of 
a conservative religious organization based on his dress and conduct. 
Prior to his killing, Ahmad had received threats from various extremist 
organizations demanding that he convert to Islam.
    On February 12, 2006, local Islamic clerics from Rahim Yar Khan, 
Punjab, held a procession against cartoons of Muhammad that had been 
published in a Danish newspaper. As the protesters came to an 
electronics shop owned by two Ahmadi brothers, Shakil Ahmad and Tariq 
Mahmud, clerics pointed out the shop's ownership by Ahmadis and led a 
group of protestors in attacking the store, damaging glass and 
inventory. Police, who were present, did not intervene to stop the 
protestors.
    On March 16, 2006, a local Islamic cleric in Chanda Singh Wala, 
Kasur, Punjab, demanded that police disinter the remains of the 
daughter of Muhammad Hanif, a member of the local Ahmadiyya community, 
from the community's Muslim graveyard. Although police initially 
refused the request, they ultimately complied after further pressure, 
disinterred the remains, and handed them over to the local Ahmadiyya 
community for reburial in the separate Ahmadi cemetery.
    On March 19, 2006, two unidentified armed men attacked and killed a 
prominent member of the Ahmadiyya community in Manzoor Colony, Karachi, 
Sheikh Rafiq Ahmad, at his store. Community leaders believed that the 
killing was motivated solely by Ahmad's religion.
    On April 10 and 11, 2006, the Government permitted the anti-Ahmadi 
organization Majlis Ahrar Islam to organize a conference in the Ahmadi 
spiritual center of Rabwah, Punjab. Islamic clerics addressing the 
conference repeatedly stated that Ahmadis were traitors to Islam and 
rebels against the country and its constitution. Shari'a law deemed all 
Ahmadis apostates, and they should therefore be killed. Following the 
conclusion of the conference, several anti-Ahmadi participating 
organizations marched through the streets of Rabwah demanding death to 
Ahmadis.
    Ahmadis suffered from societal harassment and discrimination. Even 
the rumor that someone might be an Ahmadi or had Ahmadi relatives could 
stifle opportunities for employment or promotion. Most Ahmadis were 
home-schooled or went to private, Ahmadi-run schools. Ahmadi students 
in public schools often were subject to abuse by their non-Ahmadi 
classmates. The quality of teachers assigned to predominately Ahmadi 
schools by the Government reportedly was poor. In 2002, in response to 
a question from Islamic clerics, President Pervez Musharraf, who had 
been accused of favoring Ahmadis, declared that he believed Ahmadis to 
be ``non-Muslims.''
    Acts of violence and harassment against Christians continued during 
the period covered by this report.
    In August 2004, a portion of a Christian cemetery in Basti Bohar 
was seized by local Muslims who refused to return it.
    In October 2004, unknown assailants twice attempted to bomb a 
Christian church in Rawalpindi. The police did not make arrests.
    In November 2004, a local Muslim leader in Loghur, Kasur demolished 
Christian houses in violation of a court order. Police took no action 
in this case.
    In March 2005, a mob of approximately 150 individuals attacked a 
gathering of women at a Christian church in Islamabad, beating the 
women and destroying property. The police made no arrests.
    In March 2005, two assailants attacked Christians as they were 
leaving Easter services at a church in Lahore. Charges remained 
pending.
    In April 2005, Pastor Shamoor Babar and his Catholic driver, Daniel 
Emmanuel, were kidnapped and killed. Police made no arrests.
    In April 2005, Shahbaz Masih, a Catholic, was assaulted by unknown 
assailants. Police made no arrests.
    On February 3, 2006, Muslim vandals attacked a Catholic church in 
Kawanlit, district Sialkot. Furniture, windows, and religious books 
were destroyed. The attack was prompted by a dispute between local 
Christians and Muslims over a piece of land. A court had issued an 
order in favor of the Christians immediately before the attack.
    Islamic protesters angered over the publication of cartoons of 
Muhammad in the Danish press attacked local Christian institutions. On 
February 13, 2006, protesters vandalized the missionary-run Edward's 
College in Peshawar, NWFP, by smashing windows in various buildings. On 
February 15, protestors in Peshawar, NWFP, damaged St. Michael's 
Convent School, St. Elizabeth Girls' College and a mission hospital run 
by the Church of Pakistan. Protesters also damaged a United 
Presbyterian girls' school in Kasur, Punjab and tried to attack the 
city's Catholic church but were stopped by police.
    On February 16, 2006, Islamic clerics kidnapped Christian cleric 
Rev. Joseph Praim from the Full Gospel Assemblies. Rev. Praim's 
abductors held him for five days without food and water, during which 
time his captors severely beat him and threatened him with death. The 
kidnappers told Rev. Praim that they were torturing him because 
Christians had published derogatory cartoons of Muhammad in Denmark.
    On February 19, 2006, hundreds of Muslims ransacked and burned St. 
Mary's Catholic Church and St. Xavier Church in Sukkur, Sindh. The 
attack was reportedly in response to allegations that a Christian 
convert to Islam, Irfan Gill, had burned part of a Qur'an in an attempt 
to frame his father-in-law for blasphemy.
    On March 1, 2006, a church was set on fire in Sargodha. The 
building suffered damages, but no one was injured. Minority groups 
called on the country's Muslim political and religious authorities to 
stop the violence and punish the culprits.
    On March 30, 2006, unknown individuals attempted to burn down a 
Christian church in Mian Channu, Punjab. Local residents extinguished 
the fire, but it damaged some of the church's furnishings.
    While many Christians belonged to the poorest socioeconomic groups 
and faced discrimination, the reason might have more to do with ethnic 
and social factors than with religion. Many poor Christians remained in 
the profession of their low-caste Hindu ancestors, most of whom were 
``untouchables.'' Their position in society, although somewhat better 
than in the past, did not reflect major progress despite more than one 
hundred years of consistent missionary aid and development. Christian 
students reportedly were forced to eat at separate tables in public 
schools that are predominately Muslim.
    Hindus faced societal violence, often directed at their temples, 
during the period covered by this report. Criminals targeted Hindu 
businessmen for kidnap, particularly in Karachi. Hindus claimed they 
were forced to pay ransoms after police did little to recover kidnap 
victims.
    In October 2004, unidentified persons occupied a Hindu temple in 
Hyderabad. Police took no action to oust the illegal occupiers.
    In May 2005, unknown assailants killed Bhagat Mohan Bheel, the 
caretaker of a Hindu temple, and destroyed temple statues. Police made 
no arrests.
    Societal violence against the Sikh community remained comparatively 
rare. Charges remained pending against several persons involved in the 
September 2004 attack on Sikh Gurdwara Junam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
    Ismailis reported that they were the objects of resentment of Sunni 
Muslims due to the comparative economic advances they had made. The 
Government did not harass Ismailis; however, they reported that they 
frequently were pressured to adopt certain practices of conservative 
Muslims or risk being ostracized socially.
    Although there were very few Jewish citizens in the country, anti-
Semitic press articles were common in the vernacular press. NGO sources 
pointed out that since India's 1992 establishment of diplomatic 
relations with Israel, the media, both mainstream and Islamic, 
sometimes referred to India as the ``Zionist threat on our borders.'' 
Nonetheless, the attitude of the media was not reflected in the actions 
of the Government. In 2005, the Pakistani and Israeli Foreign Ministers 
met in Istanbul and President Musharraf greeted former Israeli PM 
Sharon at the United Nations in September 2005. President Musharraf has 
publicly discussed the possibility of diplomatic recognition of Israel 
after the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Government also 
cooperated in the capture of those responsible for the 2002 abduction 
and killing of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl.
    Some Sunni Muslim groups published literature calling for violence 
against Ahmadis, Shi'a Muslims, other Sunni sects, and Hindus. Some 
newspapers frequently published articles that contained derogatory 
references to religious minorities, especially Ahmadis, Hindus, and 
Jews. Sermons at mosques frequently railed against Ahmadis, other 
Muslim groups, and Hindus.
    Proselytizing generally was considered socially inappropriate among 
Muslims; missionaries faced some difficulties due to this perception. 
For example, some Sunni Muslim groups opposed missionary activities and 
at times issued verbal threats against missionaries to discourage them 
from working.
    Human rights groups claimed that rape was often used against women 
to humiliate and dishonor them. Minority rights groups claimed that 
Hindu and Christian women were especially vulnerable. Due to 
prosecutions under the Hudood Ordinances and the high social stigma 
attached to rape, very few cases are reported.
    Discrimination in employment based on religion appeared widespread. 
In particular, Christians had difficulty finding jobs other than those 
involving menial labor, although Christian activists stated that the 
employment situation had improved somewhat in the private sector in 
recent years. Christians and Hindus also found themselves 
disproportionately represented in the country's most oppressed social 
group, bonded laborers; illegal bonded labor was widespread. 
Agricultural, brick-kiln, and domestic workers often were kept 
virtually as slaves. The majority of bonded laborers in those sectors 
were non-Muslim. All were subject to the same conditions, whether they 
were Muslim, Christian, or Hindu. In June 2005, police raided sites in 
Sheikhupura district, Punjab Province, and freed more than 300 mostly 
Christian workers performing forced labor in brick kilns. Although the 
Government removed colonial-era entries for religious affiliation from 
government job application forms to prevent discrimination in hiring, 
the faith of some, particularly of Christians and Hindus, often could 
be ascertained from their names.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom with the Government 
as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. Government 
representatives met and spoke regularly with major Muslim and minority 
religious groups. Embassy officers also maintained a dialogue with 
government, religious, and minority community representatives to 
encourage religious freedom and to discuss problems. Chief concerns 
during this reporting period included the blasphemy laws, the Hudood 
Ordinances, curriculum reform in the public education and madrassah 
education systems, treatment of the Ahmadiyya and Christian 
communities, and sectarian violence. Embassy officials, including the 
ambassador, met with leaders from communities of all faiths and NGOs 
working on religious freedom problems.
    The embassy continued to raise concerns about the abuse of the 
blasphemy laws and Hudood Ordinances with the Government, members of 
parliament, and officials. Embassy officials participated in a number 
of seminars that NGOs organized to discuss these concerns with a wide 
spectrum of stakeholders. During all of these discussions, embassy 
officials continued to stress the need for the Government to end 
abusive and excessively harsh implementation of these laws. The new 
legislation that the Government enacted in January 2005 represented an 
important positive step in this direction. In addition to general 
advocacy on the law, the embassy continued to monitor a number of high-
profile ongoing blasphemy cases and appeals and provided information to 
interested parties in the United States.
    As part of its overall public education reform program, valued at 
$100 million (5.8 billion rupees), the United States provided 
substantial financial support to the Government's curriculum reform 
initiative, which included eliminating the teaching of religious 
intolerance.
    Embassy officials regularly monitored progress on madrassah reform 
and encouraged such progress. During the period covered by this report, 
the ambassador met with the religious affairs minister to obtain his 
views on progress toward reform and to urge government cooperation. 
Senior officials from the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department 
of Education also raised concerns about the need for swift reform of 
the madrassah system with the education minister. Embassy officials 
encouraged and facilitated study by those involved in madrassah reform 
of the relationship between religious schools and state authorities in 
the United States, as a possible model for the country.
    The embassy carefully monitored treatment of the Ahmadiyya 
community. During discussions with Islamic religious leaders, embassy 
officials urged reconciliation with the Ahmadiyya community and an end 
to persecution of this minority group. Embassy officials also raised 
and discussed treatment of the Ahmadis with members of parliament, 
encouraging an eventual repeal of anti-Ahmadi laws and a less severe 
application in the interim.
    Embassy officials regularly met with religious and political 
leaders from all major Islamic groups. During these meetings, they 
raised the need to end sectarian violence and to define a more 
cooperative relationship between the sects. Embassy officials 
encouraged interfaith and intersectarian dialogue initiatives, such as 
the World Council of Religions. In meetings with officials from the 
Islamic Ideology Council and the Ministry of Religion, embassy 
officials encouraged them to play an active role in promoting sectarian 
harmony.
    The embassy continued to monitor developments in high profile 
violence against minorities, such as the Sangla Hills case, and 
provided information to interested parties in the United States. The 
embassy also assisted local and international human rights 
organizations to follow up specific cases involving religious 
minorities.
                               __________

                               SRI LANKA

    The constitution accords Buddhism the ``foremost place,'' but 
Buddhism is not recognized as the state religion. The constitution also 
provides for the right of members of other faiths to freely practice 
their religion. While the Government publicly endorses this right, in 
practice there were problems in some areas.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report.
    Anti-conversion legislation first introduced in 2004 remained under 
consideration. In May 2004, the Jathika Hela Urumaya Party (JHU) 
presented to parliament a bill that would criminalize ``unethical'' 
conversions and on May 6, 2005, despite a supreme court ruling that 
some sections of the bill were unconstitutional, the JHU presented the 
bill for a second reading. Subsequently, the proposed bill was referred 
to a special parliamentary committee, which in April 2006, met for the 
first time. The bill remained under consideration within the committee 
at the end of the period covered by this report.
    In June 2004, the then-minister of Buddhist affairs presented a 
separate draft anti-conversion bill to the cabinet. It was not formally 
approved; however, it was sent to the attorney general for review. In 
April 2005, the cabinet approved a revised version of the bill and in 
June 2005, the bill was formally ``gazetted,'' the first step toward 
introducing it in parliament. By the end of the reporting period, it 
had not been introduced.
    In October 2004, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Party formally 
proposed a constitutional amendment that would declare Buddhism the 
state religion. While the amendment remained on parliament's ``order 
paper,'' the bill never reached parliament's formal agenda and made no 
progress over the reporting period.
    Although previously the courts had generally upheld the right of 
Christian groups to worship and to construct facilities to house their 
congregations, a supreme court decision promulgated in 2003 ruled 
against recognizing a Roman Catholic group and determined that its 
medical services constituted ``allurement.'' At the same time, the 
supreme court ruled that although the constitution supports the right 
of individuals to practice any religion, it does not support the right 
to proselytize. The group protested the ruling to the UN Human Rights 
Committee (HRC), which in October 2005, stated that the supreme court 
did not uphold International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
(ICCPR) standards.
    Since late 2003, the country has witnessed a spate of attacks on 
Christian churches and sometimes pastors and congregants. Approximately 
250 attacks have been alleged since 2003, with several dozen confirmed 
by the U.S. Embassy. In response, major political and religious leaders 
have publicly condemned the attacks, and police have arrested and 
prosecuted close to a dozen persons in connection with the incidents.
    Despite generally amicable relations among persons of different 
faiths, there has been an ongoing violent resistance by some Buddhists 
to Christian church activity, in particular that conducted by 
evangelical groups. There were sporadic attacks on Christian churches 
by Buddhist extremists and some societal tension due to ongoing 
allegations of forced conversions and debate on anti-conversion 
legislation. In May 2005, at the invitation of the Government, the UN 
Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom visited and met with various 
religious groups and civil society.
    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues as part of 
its overall policy to promote human rights. Embassy officials conveyed 
U.S. Government concerns about church attacks to government leaders and 
urged them to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators. Embassy officials 
also expressed concern to the Government about the negative impact 
anti-conversion laws could have on religious freedom. The U.S. 
Government continued to discuss general religious freedom concerns with 
religious leaders and with the Government as part of its overall policy 
to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 25,322 square miles and a population of 
19.4 million. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity all are 
practiced. Approximately 70 percent of the population was Buddhist, 15 
percent Hindu, 8 percent Christian, and 7 percent Muslim. Christians 
tended to be concentrated in the west, with much of the east populated 
by Muslims and the north almost exclusively by Hindus.
    Most members of the majority Sinhala community were Theravada 
Buddhists. Most Tamils, who made up the largest ethnic minority, were 
Hindu. Almost all Muslims were Sunnis; there was also a small minority 
of Shi'a, including members of the Borah community. Almost 80 percent 
of Christians were Catholics, with Anglican and other mainstream 
Protestant churches also present in the cities. Seventh-day Adventists, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Baptists, Dutch Reformed, Pentecostal, 
and the Assemblies of God were also present. Evangelical Christian 
groups have grown in recent years, although membership was still small.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution gives Buddhism a ``foremost position,'' but it 
also provides for the right of members of other faiths to practice 
their religions freely. The Government's respect for religious freedom 
varied, and there was no improvement in the status of religious 
freedom.
    Prior to the November 2005 presidential election, each religion had 
a ministry to oversee its affairs; however, after President Mahinda 
Rajapaksa took office, he replaced them with a single Ministry of 
Religious Affairs with four departments, one each to deal with 
Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian affairs. According to the 
legislation defining the mandates, each department should formulate and 
implement programs that inculcate religious values and promote a 
virtuous society.
    On October 29, 2004, the JHU proposed a constitutional amendment 
declaring Buddhism to be the state religion. The JHU stated that the 
purpose of the amendment was strictly to protect Buddhism; however, the 
amendment also contained clauses restricting conversion of Buddhists. 
On November 25, 2004, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Center 
for Policy Alternatives (CPA) challenged the amendment, and in December 
2004 the CPA's petition was heard before a three-judge bench of the 
supreme court. The court determined that the proposed amendment was 
inconsistent with the constitution. The court also determined that 
since the amendment sought to repeal parts of the constitution, 
approval from a two-thirds majority in parliament and a referendum 
endorsing it would be required for passage. The bill remained on 
parliament's ``order paper,'' the document from which agenda items are 
drawn; however, the JHU made no attempt to put the amendment on 
parliament's agenda, and the bill made no progress during the reporting 
period.
    In May 2004, the JHU proposed a ``Prohibition of Forcible 
Conversions'' bill before parliament. The bill carries penalties, 
including fines or jail sentences, for anyone convicted of or assisting 
in ``unethical'' conversion, with heavier penalties for converting 
women and children. In August 2004, the supreme court found key parts 
of the bill to be unconstitutional but upheld sections that would 
criminalize forced conversion, conversion by deceit, or conversion by 
``allurement.'' On May 6, 2005, the JHU presented the same bill, 
without amendments, for its second reading. The bill was referred to a 
parliamentary standing committee for review. The standing committee has 
six months from the date of its composition to consider the bill and 
any proposed amendments to it. In April 2006, the speaker of parliament 
appointed the members of the standing committee, composed of seven 
Buddhists, six Christians, five Hindus, and two Muslims. At the end of 
the reporting period, the committee continued to hear testimony from 
religious and civil society leaders.
    In June 2004, the then-Minister of Buddhist Affairs also presented 
a draft anti-conversion bill to the cabinet. It was not formally 
approved, but it was sent to the attorney general for review. The 
cabinet approved a revised bill in April 2005 and formally ``gazetted'' 
it in June 2005, the first step toward introducing the bill in 
parliament; however, the bill never reached parliament, and it was not 
the subject of public debate during the reporting period.
    The 2004 JHU and government-sponsored bills are substantially 
similar. Both bills carry penalties, including fines or jail sentences, 
for anyone convicted of or assisting in ``unethical'' conversion. The 
private member bill has heavier penalties for converting women and 
children, whereas the ministerial bill has such penalties only for 
converting children. The ministerial bill holds that for any group 
found guilty of performing ``unethical'' conversion, all its members 
may also be found guilty, and that any foreigner found guilty under 
this act would be deported and may be labeled a ``prohibited visitor.''
    Despite the constitutional preference for Buddhism, a number of 
major religious festivals of other faiths were celebrated as national 
holidays. These included the Hindu Thai Pongal, New Year, and Deepawali 
festivals; the Muslim Hadji and Ramzan festivals and the Prophet 
Muhammad's birthday; and Christian Good Friday and Christmas. The year 
2006 also marks the 2,550th death anniversary of the Buddha. In 
commemoration, the Department of Buddhist Affairs within the Religious 
Affairs Ministry organized an ordination ceremony for 2,550 novice 
monks.
    Some Christian denominations resisted greater government 
involvement in their affairs; as a result, they were allowed to 
register through acts of parliament or as corporations under domestic 
law. Any religious group that wishes to register as a corporation must 
submit forms to do so. Registration gives a group legal standing as a 
corporate entity in financial and real estate transactions. There was 
no tax exemption for religious organizations as such; however, churches 
and temples were allowed to register as charitable organizations, which 
were entitled to some tax exemptions. There was no option for 
registering as a ``religious group.'' Such groups must either register 
as a corporation or as a charitable organization by having a bill put 
forward in parliament on their behalf.
    In 2003, the Teaching Sisters of the Holy Cross of the Third Order 
of Saint Francis requested incorporation as a non-profit organization 
through a bill in parliament. A citizen raised an objection to the 
bill, and the case went to the supreme court, which ruled against the 
incorporation bill. The court claimed the order could not be 
incorporated if it was involved in proselytizing and providing material 
benefit. The supreme court deemed that incorporation under such 
circumstances would violate the constitution. The Teaching Sisters 
lodged a complaint with the HRC and in April 2004, the HRC asked the 
Government to provide a response. The Government raised technical 
objections. In October 2005, the HRC provided a ruling that the supreme 
court decision did not meet ICCPR standards. The Government was given 
ninety days to respond but did not do so. Officials noted that the 
supreme court's decision was a constitutional determination, and as 
such could not be over-ridden by a HRC decision. The current 
constitution does not bring government policies fully in line with 
ICCPR obligations. The incorporation bill's parliamentary session ended 
in April 2004 when a new parliament was elected, and the country's law 
requires all bills that have not completed the legislative process be 
re-introduced if they are to be considered; no one has sought to re-
introduce the bill.
    Religion is a mandatory subject in the public school curriculum. 
Parents and children may choose whether a child studies Buddhism, 
Islam, Hinduism, or Christianity. Students of other religious groups 
can pursue religious instruction outside of the public school system, 
since no instruction is provided for other religions. Schools teach 
religion from an academic point of view. Most private schools followed 
curricula similar to public schools because all students had to take 
national exams administered by the government.
    The Government placed renewed emphasis on the work of national 
councils for interfaith understanding in the wake of the attacks on 
Christian churches and evangelical groups' property.
    Matters related to family law, including divorce, child custody, 
and inheritance, were adjudicated according to the customary law of the 
concerned ethnic or religious group. The minimum age of marriage for 
women is eighteen years, except in the case of Muslims, who continued 
to follow their customary religious practices of girls attaining 
marrying age with the onset of puberty and men when they are 
financially capable of supporting a family.
    The application of different legal practices based on membership in 
a religious or ethnic group may result in discrimination against women.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Foreign clergy may work in the country, but for the last three 
decades the Government has limited the issuance of temporary work 
permits. Permission to work was usually restricted to denominations 
that were registered formally with the Government. Most religious 
workers in the country were indigenous.
    After the supreme court ruled against the Teaching Sisters of the 
Holy Cross' 2003 incorporation bill, a complaint was lodged before the 
HRC, which considered the case and requested a response from the 
Government. In October 2005, after assessing the government's response, 
the HRC found that the supreme court's actions did not meet ICCPR 
standards. Government officials remarked that the supreme court upheld 
the constitution, which also does not fully conform to ICCPR 
requirements. The Teaching Sisters have not sought to re-introduce the 
incorporation bill, which was made void when its legislative session 
ended in April 2004 due to the election of a new parliament.
    The Government also limited the number of foreign religious workers 
granted temporary residence permits.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    Since 1983 the Government has fought the Liberation Tigers of Tamil 
Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organization fighting for a separate state 
for the country's Tamil minority. However, in 2001, the Government and 
the LTTE each announced unilateral ceasefires, and in 2002 a joint 
ceasefire accord was agreed to by the parties. The peace process has 
stalled since escalating violence in late 2005 has challenged the 
Ceasefire Agreement and put both parties at risk of returning to open 
conflict. Religion did not play a significant role in the conflict, 
which was rooted in linguistic, ethnic, and political differences. 
Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians all have been affected by 
the conflict, which has claimed more than 60 thousand lives. The 
military issued warnings through public radio before commencing major 
operations, instructing civilians to congregate in safe zones around 
churches and temples; however, in conflict areas in the north, the 
Government occasionally was accused of bombing and shelling Hindu 
temples and Christian churches. In 2003 some Buddhist clergy were 
allowed to visit shrines in LTTE-controlled areas for the first time in 
many years. Some Christians also visited holy sites in LTTE-controlled 
areas that had not been accessible to them during the period of armed 
conflict.
    During the reporting period, some human rights abuses were 
committed against individuals at places of worship in the north and 
east. While these incidents had an impact on religious freedom, they 
were not religiously motivated; instead, they were a product of the 
conflict situation. On December 24, 2005, Joseph Pararajasingham, a 
Member of Parliament for the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and 
a Christian, was assassinated while attending midnight mass at a church 
in Batticaloa in the east. His killing was assumed to be politically 
motivated. On May 6, 2006, eight Tamil men were abducted from a Hindu 
temple in the north; this incident was also likely politically 
motivated. The men had been decorating the temple for a religious 
festival; they were reported missing on May 7, 2006, and their 
whereabouts were unknown at the end of the period covered by this 
report. NGOs remained concerned for the men's safety. On June 17, 2006, 
in Pesalai, Sri Lankan troops were accused of storming a church, Our 
Lady of Victory, and opening fire where hundreds of civilians, 
including both Christian and Hindu Tamils, were seeking shelter from an 
exchange of fire between the Government and the LTTE.
    There was some harassment of Christians and attacks on their 
property and places of worship by Buddhist extremists opposed to 
conversion. The police investigated many of these incidents when 
complaints were made, but were occasionally reluctant to pursue 
criminal charges against the suspected perpetrators, some of whom were 
Buddhist monks. Law enforcement officials believed that a majority of 
the attacks were conducted by a small number of extremist Buddhists. By 
early 2005, several alleged attackers had been arrested.
    At the height of the attacks on Christian churches in 2005, several 
government leaders, including then-President Kumaratunga and then-
minister of Christian affairs, publicly denounced the attacks. In 
February 2005, at a ceremony held at the Buddhist and Pali University, 
Kumaratunga stated that such attacks would not be tolerated and ordered 
police to fully investigate each incident. The president also pledged 
to act against extremists.
    In November 2004, the first meeting of the newly formed National 
Advisory Committee for Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR), formed by 
then-President Kumaratunga, took place. The committee was due to 
deliberate on matters pertaining to the peace process and to promote 
understanding and reconciliation among different communities; however, 
the NACPR failed to function during the reporting period.
    In May 2004, leading Catholic and Buddhist clergy met to continue a 
dialogue on religious tolerance.
    Since late 2003, police have arrested almost a dozen persons 
connected with various attacks. Former Prime Minister Ranil 
Wickremesinghe also convened regular meetings of the four ministers 
dealing with religious concerns as part of their portfolios and 
established religious ``amity'' committees around the island; however 
these committees did not function during the reporting period.
    On August 7, 2005, the Horana Police ordered Christians from the 
Foursquare Gospel Church in the Kalutara District to stop meeting for 
worship and prayer. The verbal order was issued by the Head Quarters 
Inspector after a mob threatened the worshippers on two consecutive 
Sundays--July 31 and August 7, 2005. As a result, congregants took to 
meeting at an alternate location.
    During the commemoration of the Buddha's 2550th death anniversary 
in May, the Ministry of Education issued a notice instructing public 
schools without a Buddhist shrine room to build one. In a 
clarification, the Ministry of Education amended the notice to note 
that Christian, Muslim, or Hindu schools under the ministry's purview 
would not have to build a Buddhist shrine room.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
    There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of 
minor United States 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.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    The LTTE has been listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the 
United States since 1997. While Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and 
Christians all have been victimized by the LTTE, religious persecution 
has not played a major role in the conflict.
    In 1990 the LTTE expelled some 46 thousand Muslim inhabitants--
virtually the entire Muslim population--from their homes in the 
northern part of the island. Most of these persons remained displaced 
and lived in or near welfare centers. Although some Muslims returned to 
the northern town of Jaffna in 1997, they did not remain there due to 
the continuing threat posed by the LTTE. There were credible reports 
that the LTTE warned thousands of Muslims displaced from the Mannar 
area not to return to their homes until the conflict is over. It 
appears that the LTTE's actions against Muslims were not due to 
Muslims' religious beliefs but rather that they were part of an overall 
strategy to clear the north and east of persons unsympathetic to the 
LTTE. The LTTE made some conciliatory statements to the Muslim 
community, but many Muslims viewed the statements with skepticism. The 
LTTE continued to encourage Muslim internally displaced persons (IDPs) 
in some areas to return home, asserting they would not be harmed. 
Although some Muslim IDPs returned home, the vast majority did not and 
was waiting for a government guarantee of safety in LTTE-controlled 
areas. Since the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement, the LTTE also carried out a 
number of attacks in the east in which Muslims have been killed. No 
arrests were made in these cases by the end of the period covered by 
this report. In 2003 four Muslims were killed; while the LTTE denied 
any involvement, this incident fueled tensions between the Hindu and 
Muslim communities in the area.
    Unlike in previous years, the LTTE did not target Buddhist sites 
during the period covered by this report; however, the LTTE did not 
indicate that it would abstain from attacking such targets in the 
future. The Government continued to keep security at a number of 
religious sites island-wide following the 1998 bombing of the Temple of 
the Tooth.
    In December 2004 a group of men in the LTTE-controlled area of 
Vakeneri in Batticaloa District attacked and damaged what was described 
as a Christian family church. The police reported two men inside the 
church were assaulted and the church was damaged. The police claimed 
they were unable to take any action against the accused since the area 
was under LTTE control.
    On April 24, 2005, the chief priest of Annapani Hindu temple at 
Ariyampathi in Batticaloa was shot, allegedly by an armed LTTE gang, 
while attending to religious activities in the temple. The priest and 
two others were admitted to Batticaloa hospital with serious injuries. 
The police continued their investigation during the period covered by 
this report, but because the area was controlled by the LTTE, no other 
action was taken.
    On May 17, 2005, during an LTTE-sponsored strike over the erection 
of a Buddha statue on public land in Trincomalee in the eastern 
province, a Sinhala youth was killed, and four members of the same 
family were injured when a grenade was thrown at them. On May 18, 2005, 
the Trincomalee magistrate instructed the authorities to remove the 
Buddha statue. On June 17, 2005, the court of appeals in Colombo issued 
a suspension of that order. At the end of the period covered by this 
report, the statue remained at the contested site. On April 7, 2006, an 
unidentified gunman shot and killed Mr. Vigneswaran, organizer of the 
LTTE-sponsored strike over the Buddha statue, for unknown reasons.
    The LTTE has been accused in the past of using church and temple 
compounds, where civilians were instructed by the Government to 
congregate in the event of hostilities, as shields for the storage of 
munitions.
    On July 7, 2005, In LTTE-controlled Kayankerny near Batticaloa in 
the east, assailants attacked the newly built Christian Family Church. 
Unidentified attackers dug three holes in the ground near the 
foundation of the building and detonated dynamite. The explosions 
caused damage to the walls, roof, and floor of the church. The church 
building was also set on fire. Police in Batticaloa assessed that it 
was most likely LTTE members who perpetrated the attack.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    Discrimination based on religious differences was much less common 
than discrimination based on ethnicity. In general, the members of the 
various faiths tended to be tolerant of each other's religious beliefs. 
Harassment of Christians and attacks on their property and places of 
worship by Buddhist extremists opposed to conversion continued during 
the period covered by this report. Some leaders of different faiths 
publicly condemned these attacks.
    During the period covered by this report, Christians, both of 
mainstream denominations and evangelical groups, sometimes encountered 
harassment and physical attacks by some local Buddhists who believed 
they were threatened by these groups. Some Christian groups 
occasionally complained that the Government tacitly condoned harassment 
and violence aimed at them. In some cases, the police response was 
inadequate, and local police officials reportedly were reluctant to 
take legal action against individuals involved in the attacks.
    The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka stated 
that during the reporting period, there were approximately seventy-five 
attacks on Christian churches, organizations, religious leaders, or 
congregants, 90 percent of which were reported to the police. The U.S. 
Embassy confirmed some of these attacks.
    Allegations by Buddhist extremists of Christian involvement in 
``unethical'' or forced conversions continued to be a source of tension 
between the two communities. Christians denied this charge, responding 
that people undergo conversion of their own free will. There were 
reports that members of some evangelical groups made disparaging 
comments about Buddhism while evangelizing. Some groups also alleged 
that Christians engaged in aggressive proselytism and took advantage of 
societal ills such as general poverty, war, and lack of education. 
Christians countered that their relief efforts were in earnest and were 
not targeted at converting aid beneficiaries.
    In May 2005, at the invitation of the Government, UN Special 
Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion Asma Jahangir held several meetings 
in the country on religious freedom. She concluded that while 
allegations of forced conversion remained vague and no direct 
testimonies were available, second-hand accounts by credible sources 
indicated that conversions through ``improper'' means have sometimes 
occurred.
    No action was taken during the period covered by this report in the 
2003 attack against a member of the Assembly of God Church in 
Thanamalwila or the 2003 attack against Pastor Rozario in Galle. The 
Assemblies of God group in Thanamalwila abandoned the building, part of 
which was burned. Police have not made any arrests in either case.
    No action was taken in the three separate attacks that occurred in 
Ratnapura in 2003. Investigations continued into 2005 but yielded no 
results.
    No action was taken in the 2004 attack against the World Vision 
office in Kebithigollwa, or the 2004 arson attack against the Our 
Mother Most Pure Catholic shrine in Mattegoda.
    In 2004, a large crowd attacked an Apostolic church in Kurunegala. 
The church and workers' quarters were burned. Five men were arrested 
but remained free on bail at the end of the period covered by this 
report. A hearing on this case was scheduled for July 2005. The 
attackers sought to settle out of court, but another hearing is 
scheduled for October 2006. The Apostolic church also filed a civil 
suit seeking compensation for damages.
    In 2004, the Christian Fellowship Church at Wadduwa in Kaluthara 
District was attacked by a mob led by a Buddhist monk. The attackers 
threw rocks, attempted to assault worshippers with sticks, and damaged 
a police vehicle. Police have not taken any action to settle the 
dispute between the church and the monk. The problem was not resolved 
during the reporting period.
    In 2004, a crowd threatened the pastor of the Prayer Tower Church 
in Mahawewa in reaction to a rumor that he was building a Bible school. 
Police made no arrests during the period covered by this report.
    In May 2004, a mob of armed men attacked the Assembly of God Church 
in Yakkala and assaulted the church members. Police officials arrested 
three persons, and an initial hearing was held in September 2005. The 
next hearing is scheduled for August 2006. In October 2004, the same 
church had human excrement thrown at its outer wall. In November 2004, 
police arrested two men allegedly involved with the attack and referred 
the matter to the mediation board for settlement. On February 8, 2006, 
three unidentified men in masks assaulted the church's pastor. The 
pastor lodged a complaint with the police and gave the name of a likely 
perpetrator. The police took the case to court on February 15, 2006, 
when the magistrate remanded both the suspect and the pastor. The 
pastor was shortly released on bail; prosecutors did not obtain 
sufficient evidence to pursue the case against the suspected attacker.
    On June 19 and 20, 2004, following the introduction of the 
ministerial anti-conversion draft bill, large groups, including 
Buddhist monks, attacked the Christian Fellowship Church in Wadduwa. In 
response to the June 19 incident, police remained at the church to 
provide protection. On June 20, police also were attacked while they 
attempted to guard the church. Police issued an arrest warrant for one 
of the Buddhist monks involved in the June 20 attack, but by the end of 
the period covered by the report they had not located him. In November 
2004, the police filed a case against four monks and one layperson who 
were identified in a police line-up. The accused were granted bail 
after a court appearance and did not spend any time in police custody. 
The presiding judge referred the case to the attorney general, upon 
whose advice the case was dismissed in 2005.
    In August 2004, three days after receiving a death threat, a pastor 
of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Gampola, Kandy discovered a fire at 
his bedroom window. Police investigated; however, no further action was 
taken during the period covered by this report. After the fire, the 
pastor moved to a new location in Gampola. In May 2006, the same pastor 
received a death threat. Shortly thereafter, a local social welfare 
officer and three Buddhist monks insisted the pastor go to the police 
station with them. At the station, the pastor showed his official ID 
and a copy of his church's incorporation act. The police strongly 
advised the welfare officer and the monks not to further harass the 
pastor; however, when the pastor sought a copy of his official 
complaint regarding the death threat, police were unresponsive and gave 
a series of excuses. When Foursquare Gospel Church headquarters in 
Colombo raised the incident with local police contacts, they were 
informed there was no record of the pastor's complaint.
    In December 2004, a concert in Colombo featuring Indian film stars 
was forced to close down after a hand grenade was thrown at the 
performers, killing two spectators and injuring several others. Some 
Buddhist monks demanded that the concert be cancelled because the 
proposed date coincided with the first death anniversary of a prominent 
monk. Police continued to investigate and offered monetary rewards for 
information leading to an arrest; however, no action was taken during 
the period covered by this report.
    In December 2004, St. Michael's Catholic Church in Kutwana was set 
on fire. This was the third attack against the church since 2003. 
Police made no arrests during the period covered by this report. The 
church used its own funds to repair the facility.
    On April 25, 2005, police arrested Mohamed Nilam, a Muslim, for 
stoning and damaging a statue of Buddha in Nugegoda in the outskirts of 
Colombo. The magistrate released Nilam on bail and ordered him to 
report to the police every Sunday morning. A hearing was held on August 
23, 2005, and Nilam publicly apologized and was released with a 
warning.
    On May 1, 2005, a Buddhist monk-led mob attacked the Zion Prayer 
Center in Balapitiya, in Galle District. The pastor's wife and two 
other women were seriously injured in the attack, and furniture and the 
electric sound system were damaged. The pastor, who was away from the 
center at the time of the attack, filed a complaint, which was referred 
to the mediation board. No further action was taken during the period 
covered by this report.
    On the evening of June 5, 2005, villagers threw bottles at the 
newly purchased home of the pastor of the Assembly of God church in 
Ambalangoda in Galle District. On June 6, following an argument between 
a mob of approximately thirty and the pastor, the mob attacked the 
pastor's home, causing damage to the windows and fence. The mob, which 
later grew to more than fifty persons, assaulted the pastor and his 
brother and stole the pastor's mobile telephone and more than $2,000 
(200,000 rupees) from him. The home also was vandalized and a Buddha 
statue and lamps were placed on the property. Police investigated, 
promptly removed the statue and lamps, and arrested six persons who 
remained free on bail at the end of the period covered by this report. 
The initial hearing was held in January 2006. The pastor reported that 
subsequently stones were thrown at his house, and villagers occupying 
the building he meant to use as a community center were effectively 
stopping him from using the facility. Another hearing is scheduled for 
October 2006.
    On July 16, 2005, in Pulasthigama, Polonnaruwa the Holy Cross Roman 
Catholic Church was attacked during the night and set on fire. The 
central crucifix, holy altar, sacrificial items, and other valuable 
items were destroyed because the church was almost completely burnt 
down. One of the caretakers was stabbed with a knife by the attackers.
    On December 20, 2005, in Lunugala (Uva Province), a group of 
Buddhists told a Christian family's pastor that a deceased Christian 
man could not be buried in the local cemetery. The National Christian 
Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka intervened on the family's behalf, 
after which the burial was permitted.
    On December 25, 2005, parishioners of the King's Revival Church in 
Alawwa in the Kurunegala Distric were attacked on their way to 
services. Four persons were injured. Police arrived on the scene 
immediately after being informed of the attack and the mob was 
dispersed. Soon after the attack, oil was dumped in the pastor's 
drinking well, and on January 16, 2006, assailants threw stones at the 
pastor's home, breaking a window.
    On January 21, 2006, in Alpitiya, a mob of approximately twenty 
armed men walked into the pastor of the Assembly of God Church's home. 
The pastor's wife was home alone with their three young children during 
this time. The mob issued an ultimatum that the pastor stop services 
and all Christian activity. The men overturned a table, chairs, and 
other furniture in the house before leaving, threatening that if the 
pastor continued his work, the group would destroy all of the family's 
belongings. The police were alerted and the Sunday service was held 
with police protection.
    On February 14, 2006, the same pastor was summoned to the Police 
station, where a crowd of approximately eighty persons including five 
Buddhist monks accused him of conducting unethical conversions. He was 
told not to gather congregants for prayers and the mob threatened him 
and hit him with an umbrella in police presence. Later that same day, 
the mob attempted to storm the pastor's house. The pastor fled with his 
wife and children and alerted the police, who arrived and dispersed the 
crowd. Throughout February 2006, the pastor faced harassment including 
death threats and a poster campaign threatening anyone who helped the 
pastor or his family. Congregants faced harassment when they visited 
the pastor. In March 2006, a family that had sheltered the threatened 
pastor and his family during a previous tense situation, found burnt 
oil and human excrement thrown at their house. On March 22, 2006, after 
an investigation into their children's illness, the same family 
discovered that their well had been contaminated with trickle seeds and 
burnt oil. The family filed a complaint with the police. The 
congregation has not been meeting and the pastor no longer conducts 
services.
    On January 22, 2006, in Bolaththa in the Gampaha District, a group 
of church-goers faced a large mob including Buddhist monks and a 
Catholic priest. The mob carried placards and shouted threats, 
demanding that church services be stopped. The mob insisted that the 
pastor only accept Christians from his own village into his church, and 
under duress, the pastor agreed. On January 23, 2006, the pastor's 
house was stoned, causing damage to the windows. On February 12, 2006, 
the mob monitored church attendees and discovered the church organist 
came from a neighboring village. The mob grew threatening, and the 
pastor called the police. Police dispersed the crowd, but asked the 
pastor to limit services to congregants within his own village. The 
pastor has not conducted regular Sunday services since then.
    On February 6, 2006, a man arrived at the Dutch Reformed Church in 
Galle looking for the pastor in charge, who was not there at the time. 
The assailant then told the pastor's wife that if the pastor visited 
the neighboring town of Hikkaduwa, people would kill him. The man also 
made derogatory and obscene statements about Jesus Christ and 
Christians.
    On April 23, 2006, a Methodist Church in Pilyandala re-opened for 
the first time since 2003, when threats from Buddhist monks caused the 
church to close. At the re-opening, the same group of monks led a mob 
who let air out of congregants' tires, pushed over motorcycles, and 
damaged vehicles. The congregants continued to face threats, and on 
April 30 burning tires were placed on the road outside the church. A 
court hearing was scheduled for June 16.
    On May 2, 2006, the United Christian Fellowship began constructing 
a community hall on land they purchased in Poddala in the Galle 
District. On May 6, a mob led by a Buddhist monk entered the premises 
and threatened the construction worker and the pastor. The worker was 
grabbed by his collar and both he and the pastor were verbally abused. 
The mob threatened to demolish the building or set fire to it if a 
church were constructed, although the pastor explained the building was 
meant to be a community center. The pastor reported the incident to 
local police. Construction stopped and has not resumed.
    According to media reports, on May 13 and 14, 2006, in Hatton, a 
mob threatened to stop a youth camp sponsored by a Ceylon Christian 
Youth Mission since it did not stop its activities in honor of the 
Buddhist holy day of Wesak. The Hatton police have no record of a 
complaint filed.
    In 2003 Brother Manoharan, a member of the Ceylon Pentecostal 
Mission, was arrested in connection with the death of an eleven-year-
old girl. The young girl, who had been sick, was prayed for by Brother 
Manoharan. He, along with the victim's parents, were taken into police 
custody on charges of ``culpable homicide,'' tantamount to 
manslaughter. The three were released on bail on June 2, 2006, and a 
hearing was set for July 28, 2006.
    In May 2006, the pastor of the Godagama Prayer Centre in a Colombo 
suburb, Maharagama, was threatened by a local Buddhist monk-led mob to 
stop services. When he went to the police, he was told he should stop 
the services if the people of the area did not like it.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials regularly met with representatives of all the 
country's religious groups to review a wide range of human rights, 
ethnic, and religious freedom concerns. During the period covered by 
this report, embassy representatives met with government officials at 
the highest level to express U.S. Government concern about the attacks 
on Christian churches and to discuss the anti-conversion issue. On 
several occasions, the assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, 
Human Rights, and Labor and the ambassador at large for International 
Religious Freedom discussed the anti-conversion issue with the 
country's ambassador to the United States.
    The U.S. Government is a strong supporter of the peace process 
launched by the Government, and the U.S. embassy encourages the 
interfaith efforts by religious leaders to promote a peaceful 
resolution of the conflict.
                               __________

                               TAJIKISTAN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
were some areas of concern.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Government policies reflected 
a concern about Islamic extremism, a concern shared by much of the 
general population. The Government monitors the activities of religious 
institutions to keep them from becoming overtly political. There were 
no closures of officially registered mosques during the period covered 
by this report, although the State Committee on Religious Affairs 
(SCRA) announced that a number of unregistered mosques were operating 
and closed several unregistered mosques and prayer rooms. The SCRA 
removed two imams from their mosque positions. Local governments used 
the registration process to hinder some organizations' religious 
activity. The Government, including President Emomali Rahmonov, 
continued to enunciate a policy of active secularism, which it tended 
to define in antiextremist rather than in religious terms.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some minority 
religious groups continued to experience local harassment. Some 
mainstream Muslim leaders occasionally expressed, through sermons and 
press articles, their opinion that minority religious groups undermine 
national unity.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy has promoted a message of tolerance not only among, but 
also within, religious groups through public diplomacy efforts. In 
addition, embassy staff, including the ambassador, meet regularly with 
community leaders of different confessions. Embassy staff investigate 
instances of potential discrimination and advocate strongly for 
government tolerance of all religious groups. The embassy worked with 
international organizations to assist religious minorities and 
organized special events to promote religious tolerance.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 55,300 square miles and a population of 
approximately 7.3 million, although it was difficult to determine an 
accurate figure due to absence of birth registrations in some rural 
areas. An estimated 97 percent of citizens considered themselves 
Muslims, although the degree of religious observance varied widely. 
Overall, active observance of Islam appeared to be increasing. An 
estimated 30 to 40 percent of the rural population and 5 to 10 percent 
of urban residents regularly followed Muslim practices or attended 
services at mosques. The vast majority of Muslim inhabitants 
(approximately 90 percent of the population) were Sunni. Approximately 
7 percent of Muslims were Shi'a, 40 percent of whom were Ismailis. Most 
Ismailis resided in the remote eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region as well 
as certain districts of the southern Khatlon region and in Dushanbe, 
the capital. In 2006 a new unregistered Islamic group of the Salafi 
sect began worshipping in Friday mosques in Dushanbe, Sughd, and 
Khatlon. Between one and two thousand Salafis practiced in Dushanbe. 
Other Muslims and the Government were tolerant of their activity.
    There were eighty-four non-Muslim groups registered with the SCRA. 
Approximately 230 thousand Christians, mostly ethnic Russians and other 
Soviet-era immigrant groups, resided in the country. The largest 
Christian group was Russian Orthodox, but other registered 
organizations included Baptists (five organizations), Roman Catholics 
(two), Seventh-day Adventists (one), Korean Protestants, which included 
the SunMin Church (two), Jehovah's Witnesses (one), and Lutherans (no 
data available). Other religious minorities were very small and 
included Baha'is (four registered organizations), Zoroastrians (no data 
available), Hare Krishnas (one), and Jews (one). Each of these groups 
was estimated to total less than 1 percent of the population, and 
nearly all of their members lived in Dushanbe or other large cities. An 
estimated 0.01 percent of the population was atheist or did not belong 
to any religious denomination.
    Christian missionaries from western countries, Korea, India, and 
elsewhere were present in small numbers. The SCRA estimated the number 
of Christian converts since independence at up to three thousand 
persons. Some small groups of Islamic missionaries from Saudi Arabia 
and other Middle Eastern states also visited the country during the 
period covered by this report.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, the 
Government monitors the activities of religious institutions to keep 
them from becoming overtly political or espousing ``extremist 
tendencies,'' and some local administrative offices misinterpret the 
term ``secular state'' as involving a bias against religion.
    The extremist Islamist political organization Hizb ut-Tahrir is 
banned, and its members are subject to arrest and imprisonment for 
subversion. Although there is no official state religion, the 
Government recognizes two Islamic holy days, Eid AlFitr and Idi 
Qurbon (Eid al-Adha in Arabic), as state holidays.
    According to the Law on Religion and Religious Organizations, 
religious communities must be registered by the SCRA, which is under 
the council of ministers and monitors the activities of all religious 
establishments. While the official justification for registration is to 
ensure that religious groups act in accordance with the law, the 
practical purpose is to ensure that they do not become overtly 
political. To register with the SCRA, a national religious group must 
submit a charter, a list of at least ten members, and evidence of local 
government approval of the location of a house of worship, if one 
exists. Religious groups are not required to have a physical structure 
in order to register, but they cannot hold regular meetings without 
one. Individual believers--up to ten persons--do not have to register 
with the SCRA in order to worship privately.
    Responsibility for registration of neighborhood mosques is divided 
between the SCRA and local authorities, who must agree on the physical 
location of a given mosque. The SCRA is the primary authority for 
registration of non-Muslim groups; however, such groups must also 
register their place of worship with local officials. According to the 
SCRA, local authorities may object to the registration of a place of 
worship only if the proposed structure does not meet sanitation or 
building codes, or if it is located on public land or immediately 
adjacent to government buildings, schools, or other places of worship. 
If the local government objects to a proposal, the religious community 
requesting permission is required to suggest an alternative. In the 
absence of registration, local authorities can force the closure of a 
place of worship, and members can be fined administratively.
    There were no cases of the SCRA permanently denying registration to 
religious groups during the period covered by this report. There were 
no reports of groups declining to apply for registration out of a 
belief that it would not be granted; however, the SCRA rejected several 
applications on technical grounds, stalling registration. There were 
isolated cases of local government refusal to register religious groups 
in their areas, such as in the city of Tursonzade, where the SCRA 
demanded local registration for a branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses in 
addition to their national registration.
    The country has 2,885 registered mosques for daily prayers. So-
called ``Friday mosques'' (larger facilities built for weekly Friday 
prayers) must be explicitly registered with the SCRA. There are 238 
such mosques registered, not including Ismaili places of worship. Only 
one such mosque is authorized per fifteen thousand residents in a given 
geographic area. Many observers contend that this is discriminatory 
because no such rule exists for other religious groups.
    There are eighteen madrassahs, twenty Islamic colleges, and one 
Islamic university. Private religious schools are permitted and must be 
registered. Parents are allowed to homeschool their children; however, 
parents are not allowed to teach others' children in their home in a 
group setting.
    During the period covered by this report, President Rahmonov 
continued to strongly defend ``secularism,'' a politicized term that 
carries the strong connotation of being ``antiextremist'' rather than 
``nonreligious.'' In national speeches the president cautioned against 
outsiders unfairly linking Islam to terrorism. While the vast majority 
of citizens consider themselves Muslim, there is a significant fear of 
Islamic extremism, both in the Government and among the population at 
large.
    A 1999 constitutional amendment permits religiously based political 
parties, although a 1998 law specifying that parties may not receive 
support from religious institutions remained in effect. Two 
representatives from a religiously oriented party, the Islamic 
Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), were members in the lower house 
of the national parliament during the period covered by this report. 
There also were fourteen deputies from the IRPT in district parliaments 
around the country. The Government incorporated the IRPT in 1997 at the 
end of the civil war. It is the only legal Islamic political party in 
Central Asia.
    An executive decree generally prohibits government publishing 
houses from publishing anything in Arabic script; however, some have 
done so in special cases without government interference if they 
presented the material for review prior to printing. They generally do 
not publish religious literature but have done so on occasion, 
including producing copies of the Qur'an. There is no restriction on 
the distribution or possession of the Qur'an, the Bible, or other 
religious works. There were no reported restrictions on the religious-
oriented press.
    In January 2006 the SCRA introduced a new draft law on religion 
entitled, ``On Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Associations,'' 
intending to replace the current law on religion. The draft would add 
restrictions to the existing law, such as increasing the number of 
worshippers required to form a mosque, forbidding children under the 
age of seven to study religion, and prohibiting religious associations 
from participating in political activities. The draft was distributed 
domestically for review but had not been sent to parliament by the end 
of the reporting period.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Official government policy contributed generally to the free 
practice of religion, but local governments sometimes misapplied this 
policy. The Government did not explicitly prohibit or discourage 
specific religious groups. Although the SCRA did not refuse any group 
registration during the period of this report, it declined to accept 
some applications, citing missing documentation or other 
technicalities. Some religious groups, unable to register, claimed the 
excuses were false and were a way to deny registration. Local 
authorities in some cases used the registration requirement to prevent 
activities by some groups. During the period covered by this report, 
local authorities detained and fined representatives of a religious 
group for organizing because it was not registered at the local level, 
even though it was registered with the national SCRA. Eventually the 
representatives were released.
    Although the SCRA reported it did not close any registered mosques 
or praying rooms during this reporting period, it stated that twenty-
six unregistered mosques operated in the Sughd, Khatlon, and Gorno-
Badakhshan regions. Unconfirmed reports stated that authorities closed 
down several unregistered prayer groups. The Government was no longer 
actively pursuing a registration campaign, but it continued to close 
unregistered mosques and praying rooms.
    In 2004 the local government of Tursonzade used administrative 
barriers to prevent the registration of a place of worship for the 
Jehovah's Witnesses, in spite of its national registration. The SCRA 
intervened on behalf of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but the city 
administration had not registered the group by the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    The SCRA controlled participation in the Hajj and imposed furthered 
restrictions on pilgrims (``hajjis'') undertaking the pilgrimage during 
the period covered by this report. The Government continued to require 
air travel for the Hajj and controlled local tour operators, citing 
hygiene and safety concerns as reasons for limiting other means of 
travel. Hajjis are required to register with the SCRA and deposit 
$2,300 (7590 Tajik Somoni) prior to departure. Each local district 
``unofficially'' had a quota for hajjis, and government officials 
registering them were known to take bribes. As a result, 3,450 citizens 
participated in the Hajj in 2006, indicating a steady decrease from 
4,072 in 2005 and approximately 5,000 in 2004.
    The Government continued to carry out ``attestations'' of imams, 
through which all imams were tested on their knowledge of Islamic 
teachings and religious principles. Imams could be dismissed if they 
did not ``pass'' the test. On April 3, 2006, the Government organized a 
seminar for Imam-Khatibs of Friday mosques in Dushanbe to teach them 
about the various sects of Islam. The Government also issued a textbook 
to schools in May 2005 on the history of Islam. Observers interpreted 
such government-imposed instruction as a way of controlling religious 
indoctrination.
    In 2004 the Government allegedly used the Council of Ulamo, an 
ostensibly nongovernmental body that monitors and standardizes Islamic 
teaching, to hand down a fatwa prohibiting women from praying in 
mosques. This was considered by some to be a political move under the 
guise of religious law to reduce the access women have to IRPT 
messages. Some local officials forbade members of the IRPT to speak in 
local mosques; however, this restriction reflected political rather 
than religious differences.
    There were unconfirmed reports that in some cases local government 
officials prohibited Muslim women from having their photographs taken 
for an internal identification document while wearing the hijab, a 
Muslim head covering. The SCRA claimed that this occurred rarely and 
that it interceded with the identification agencies in each case to 
make an exception. Reportedly, this was attributable to overzealous 
interpretation of what it meant to be a secular country. In 2004 
officials refused to issue passports to approximately one hundred women 
in Isfara who did not want to be photographed without a hijab. 
According to press reports, the minister of education announced on 
October 19, 2005, that girls were not permitted to wear hijabs in 
public educational institutions. Some school officials then expelled 
girls who wore hijabs to school; however, the SCRA claimed that this 
was neither official law nor policy.
    In the fall of 2005 international organizations reported that 
government militia positioned themselves outside of some mosques to 
restrict children from entering; however, no militia were seen guarding 
mosque entrances after January 2006. This action was taken after 
government officials declared children should be studying in schools, 
not in mosques, during the day. Citizens spoke out against militia 
guarding the mosques, prompting their removal.
    Missionaries of registered religious groups are not restricted by 
law, and they continued to proselytize openly. Missionaries are not 
particularly welcomed by some local communities, and some religious 
groups experienced harassment in response to their evangelical 
activities. During the period covered by this report, there were no 
reports of visa restrictions for Muslim missionaries.
    In June 2005 city police found parishioners of a Christian church 
in Dushanbe distributing religious pamphlets and detained them for less 
than twenty-four hours. The church members agreed to stop distributing 
the brochures. Although religious advertising and literature are not 
against the law, church members feared local communities might not 
welcome the distribution and could complain to authorities, 
jeopardizing their organization. In May 2006 police detained nine 
Jehovah's Witnesses' members and confiscated their truck full of 
religious literature. After questioning the group for three hours, the 
members and literature were released.
    The ``ban'' on printing in Arabic script was thought to be an 
attempt to prevent the publication of extremist literature, such as 
flyers circulated by the extremist Islamic political organization Hizb 
ut-Tahrir.
    Authorities in Isfara continued to restrict private Arabic language 
schools (including restrictions on private Islamic instruction) based 
on past reports that one such school was hosting a suspected terrorist. 
Restrictions on home-based Islamic education remained in place. While 
these restrictions were primarily due to political concerns, they 
affected religious instruction.
    Unconfirmed reports suggested that for the past three years the 
Government prohibited two popular Islamic scholars from becoming 
members of the IRPT because it disagreed with their conservative 
ideology. The Government has confiscated hundreds of audio and video 
cassettes of their sermons from public shops. Militia also stopped 
Muslims from outside their districts from coming to their mosques to 
worship, in an attempt to restrict their teachings.
    Between November 2004 and February 2005, Christian Iranian refugees 
fled Iran into the country. During their stay, the Government did not 
permit them to reside in the city of Dushanbe, instead relegating them 
to the city's outskirts. The refugees faced harassment from local 
citizens. Their children were verbally abused in schools and in some 
cases were physically harassed. The Iranian embassy also threatened and 
harassed the refugees. The Government was complacent towards this 
behavior and did not offer protection. The state migration service 
attempted to extract bribes from the refugees during each 
reregistration process. The Christian Iranian refugees left the country 
in April 2006 through the U.S. Government's resettlement program.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Government reported ninety-nine persons were detained in 2005 
as Hizb ut-Tahrir suspects. Some speculate that the Government may use 
the Hizb ut-Tahrir label to arrest those not in its favor, including 
members of the intelligentsia and teachers.
    On May 4, 2006, IRPT member Sadullo Marupov died after falling from 
the third story of a police station in Isfara, a town in the northern 
Sughd region known for its strong Islamic roots. Officials stated that 
Marupov committed suicide; however, IRPT members refuted the official 
statement and claimed that police killed Marupov. Marupov had been 
detained previously by the police and had told IRPT members that he was 
tortured with electroshock during his earlier detention. Officials 
alleged he was a member of Bay'at, a group the Government has labeled 
as extremist. The IRPT denied this claim, and media reports and local 
contacts have questioned whether Bay'at even exists. The Government 
arrested three guards in connection with the case and was investigating 
the incident at the end of the reporting period.
    Along with several mosques and administrative buildings, Dushanbe's 
only synagogue was partially torn down February 8, 2006, by municipal 
officials in a land dispute unrelated to religious discrimination. The 
synagogue is located in the middle of a planned park area. The city and 
Jewish community leaders were unable to reach a suitable compromise to 
relocate the synagogue or pursue an alternative solution. The city 
government offered land for a new synagogue but stated it could not 
itself provide compensation for the partially razed building, citing 
``separation of church and state.''
    In contrast to previous years, there were no reports of arrests of 
high-profile Muslims, such as the 2003 arrest and sentencing of the 
IRPT's deputy chairman, Shamsiddin Shamsiddinov. The IRPT stated that 
this arrest was politically motivated but did not allege it was part of 
a larger government campaign against religion.
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.
 Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious 
        Freedom
    Gradually throughout the reporting period, officials suspended 2001 
prohibitions on use of loudspeakers by mosques, issued by the mayor's 
offices in Dushanbe. These prohibitions apparently were not based on 
any central directive. Dushanbe city authorities permitted mosques to 
use loudspeakers, provided the sound was directed towards the interior 
of the mosque and not out towards the public. Mosques in the Sughd and 
Khatlon regions openly used loudspeakers directed away from the mosque 
for the daily call to prayer without facing prosecution.
    During the reporting period, women were increasingly permitted to 
be photographed for official identification while wearing hijabs, 
particularly to participate on the Hajj.
    The Government also relaxed the ``ban'' on printing in Arabic 
script by government publishing houses. The Government permitted the 
printing of materials presented to the director of the publishing 
house, if submitted for review prior to printing, and deemed to be non-
threatening.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Conflict between different 
religious groups is virtually unknown, in part because there are so few 
non-Muslims; however, some Muslim leaders occasionally expressed the 
opinion that minority religious groups undermine national unity and 
complained that laws and regulations give preference to religious 
minorities. While most citizens consider themselves Muslim and most of 
the inhabitants are not anti-Islamic, there is a pervasive fear of 
Islamic extremism, felt both by the Government and the general 
population.
    In 2004 a Baptist missionary was killed in his church in Isfara. A 
police investigation uncovered two suspects, one of whom fled the 
country. In late February 2005 court officials sentenced one suspect of 
the alleged Islamic group, Bay'at, to twenty-four years in prison for 
the murder. The other was arrested and in April 2005 was sentenced to 
fifteen years in prison. Although government officials claimed the two 
men were members of Bay'at, media reports and local contacts questioned 
whether the men actually belonged to such a group and if Bay'at even 
existed. Some claimed the Government fabricated the group as a 
scapegoat.
    During the period covered by this report, there were no events 
similar to the vandalism in 2003 that included fires set in the homes 
of two imams.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom problems with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The U.S. embassy intervened on behalf of the Jehovah's Witnesses 
with the SCRA and the government of Tursonzade, holding meetings and 
writing letters advocating for its registration. The embassy also 
worked with UNHCR and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to 
facilitate the Christian Iranian refugees' departure from the country 
and resettlement in the United States.
    Between April 5 and 8, 2006, the embassy invited Ahmed Younis, 
national director of the U.S.-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, to 
the country to speak about Muslims in America, promote religious 
tolerance, and emphasize the importance of religious freedom.
    The embassy supported a Central Asia regional conference for 
religious leaders and government officials, which was held in Dushanbe 
on June 8 and 9, 2006, to discuss regional problems, related to 
religious freedom.
    The embassy monitored ongoing religious freedom problems and issues 
that could potentially become abuses of religious freedom, including 
matters relating to religious legislation, registration problems and 
the destruction of the synagogue.
    Embassy officers regularly met with religious leaders from across 
all religious groups, the Government, and international organizations 
to discuss religious freedom issues and to underscore the U.S. 
Government's commitment to religious freedom. The embassy supported 
programs designed to create a better understanding of how democracies 
address the issues of secularism and religious freedom.
                               __________

                              TURKMENISTAN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion and does not 
establish a state religion; however, in practice the Government 
continued to monitor all forms of religious expression. All groups must 
register in order to gain legal status. Until 2004 the only religious 
groups that were registered successfully were the government-controlled 
branch of Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity; by April 2005 
nine additional minority religious groups had registered. The 2004 
amendments to the law on religious organizations and subsequent 
presidential decrees enabled the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to 
facilitate registration of some religious congregations and engendered 
a noticeable reduction in harassment of minority congregations, 
although some harassment persists. During the reporting period, the 
Government introduced a temporary procedure for registering branches of 
registered religious groups located outside of the capital, Ashgabat. 
However, the procedure was not clear and the implementation by 
government officials was not consistent. The Government limited the 
activities of unregistered religious congregations by prohibiting them 
from gathering publicly, proselytizing, and disseminating religious 
materials. Government officials outside the capital often interpreted 
the law more strictly than those in Ashgabat.
    The status of government respect for religious freedom improved 
during the period covered by this report. The Government's Council for 
Religious Affairs (CRA) was more willing to assist minority religious 
groups in resolving conflicts with other government agencies. On 
October 20, 2005, several government agencies hosted a roundtable 
discussion with leaders of registered religious groups to discuss 
registration procedures for branch religious groups and other related 
concerns. In 2004 the president signed a decree pledging to register 
all religious groups and to adhere to generally accepted international 
norms and rules concerning treatment of religious minorities; however, 
the registration process was onerous, and additional requirements for 
minority congregations to register and operate existed and remained 
burdensome in practice. The president signed a decree in 2004 
disavowing harsh requirements in an unpublished regulation and 
eliminating criminal penalties for belonging to an unregistered 
religious group. In 2004 the president granted amnesty to six Jehovah's 
Witnesses serving prison sentences for conscientious objection to 
military service and to four more on April 16, 2005.
    Although the level of harassment continued to decrease for 
registered religious groups during the period covered by this report, 
most unregistered religious groups continued to experience official 
harassment similar to that in previous reporting periods, including 
detention, arrest, confiscation of religious literature and materials, 
pressure to abandon religious beliefs, and threats of eviction and job 
loss. There were reports of abuse for religious belief or observance, 
and there were several accounts of persons being detained for 
questioning in connection with practicing their faith. The Government 
replaced a number of Sunni Muslim imams with individuals believed to be 
less independent in their interpretations of Islam, to better 
facilitate government control of mosques. Many experts agree that 
official restrictions on religious freedom, a holdover from the Soviet 
era, reflect the Government's concern that liberal religious policies 
could lead to political dissent, importing of uncensored ``Western'' 
ideas, and the emergence of extreme political interpretations. The 
Government appears to view active participation in, or sponsorship of, 
both traditional and nontraditional religious groups as a threat to its 
own stability.
    There is no general societal discrimination or violence based on 
religion. The overwhelming majority of citizens identify themselves as 
Sunni Muslim; ethnic Turkmen identity is linked to Islam. Ethnic 
Turkmen who choose to convert to other faiths, especially the lesser-
known Protestant faiths, are viewed with suspicion and sometimes 
ostracized, but society historically has been tolerant and inclusive of 
different religious beliefs. The Government's restrictions on 
nontraditional religious groups do not stem from doctrinal differences 
or societal friction between the majority Muslim population and non-
Muslim communities.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
During the period covered by this report, U.S. embassy representatives 
and U.S. State Department officials raised specific cases of religious 
freedom abuses in meetings with government officials and urged greater 
support for religious freedom. The U.S. ambassador, a Department of 
State deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, and 
the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe (OSCE) urged senior Government officials to cease minority 
religious group harassment, assist them with establishing places of 
worship, stop the demolition of mosques, and simplify the branch 
registration process for religious groups. An embassy officer attended 
the Government's October 20, 2005 religious group leaders roundtable 
discussion. In addition the U.S. ambassador repeatedly urged the 
Government to make specific improvements with respect to religious 
freedom. Improving registration for nongovernmental groups, including 
religious organizations, and permitting them to meet regularly was a 
top U.S. Government priority. Embassy officers met with representatives 
of unregistered and registered minority religious groups on a continual 
basis and such groups expressed an increased willingness to meet with 
the Government.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 188,457 square miles and a population of 
five million. Statistics regarding religious affiliation were not 
available. According to figures from the Government's most recent 
census (1995), ethnic Turkmen constituted 77 percent of the population. 
Minority ethnic populations included Uzbeks (9.2 percent), Russians 
(6.7 percent), and Kazakhs (2 percent). Armenians, Azeris, and other 
ethnic groups comprised the remaining 5.1 percent. The majority was 
Sunni Muslim, and the largest religious minority was Russian Orthodox 
Christian. The level of active religious observance was unknown.
    Since independence there has been a tightly controlled revival of 
Islam. During the Soviet era, there were only four mosques operating; 
now there are 398. Ethnic Turkmen, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Baloch living 
in Mary province were predominantly Sunni Muslim. There were small 
pockets of Shi'a Muslims, many of whom were ethnic Iranians, Azeris, or 
Kurds living along the border with Iran and in Turkmenbashy City.
    While the 1995 census showed that ethnic Russians comprised almost 
7 percent of the population, subsequent emigration to Russia and 
elsewhere has reduced considerably this proportion. The majority of 
ethnic Russians and Armenians were Christian. Practicing Russian 
Christians were generally members of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). 
There were thirteen Russian Orthodox churches, three of which were in 
Ashgabat. A priest resident in Ashgabat lead the ROC within the 
country. He served under the religious jurisdiction of the Russian 
Orthodox archbishop in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The president appointed 
him to represent the Orthodox Church on the Government's CRA. There 
were no Russian Orthodox seminaries.
    Russians and Armenians also comprised a significant percentage of 
members of unregistered religious congregations, although ethnic 
Turkmen appeared to be increasingly represented among these groups as 
well. There were small communities of the following unregistered 
denominations: The Roman Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, 
and several evangelical Christian groups including ``Separate'' 
Baptists, charismatic groups, and an unaffiliated, nondenominational 
group. Small communities of Baha'is, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, 
and the Society for Krishna Consciousness were registered with the 
Government. In May 2005 the Greater Grace Church of Turkmenistan, the 
International Church of Christ, the New Apostolic Church of 
Turkmenistan, and two groups of Pentecostal Christians were able to 
register. A very small community of ethnic Germans, most of whom lived 
in and around the city of Saragt, were reportedly practicing Lutherans. 
Approximately one thousand ethnic Poles lived in the country, although 
they had been largely absorbed into the Russian community and 
considered themselves Russian Orthodox. The Catholic community in 
Ashgabat, which included both citizens and foreigners, met in the 
chapel of the Vatican nunciature. Foreign missionaries, typically 
representing evangelical Protestant denominations, operated, although 
the extent of their activities was unknown.
    An estimated one thousand Jews lived in the country. Most were 
members of families who came from Ukraine during World War II. There 
were some Jewish families living in Turkmenabat, on the border with 
Uzbekistan, who were known as Bukharin Jews, referring to the Uzbek 
city of Bukhara. There were no synagogues or rabbis and Jews continued 
to emigrate to Israel, Russia, and Germany; however, the Jewish 
population remained relatively constant. The community gathered for 
religious observances but did not opt to register as a religious group, 
nor were there reports of harassment.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, in 
practice the Government placed some restrictions on these rights. The 
criminal code outlaws violations of religious freedom or persecution by 
private actors; in practice it is not enforced. In 2004 the Government 
published amendments to the 2003 law on religion that reduced numerical 
thresholds for registration from five hundred members to five, and made 
all minority groups eligible to register. The amendments establish two 
categories of religious assemblies: Religious groups (comprising at 
least five and fewer than fifty members of legal age) and religious 
organizations (comprising at least fifty members). The amendments leave 
significant gray areas in the law.
    The 2003 law required all religious organizations to register, made 
operation of unregistered religious organizations a criminal offense, 
further restricted religious education, and monitored financial and 
material assistance to religious groups from foreign sources. Parallel 
amendments to the criminal code imposed penalties of up to one year's 
imprisonment for a number of violations for which minority groups 
traditionally had faced administrative fines. In response to 
international pressure, criminal penalties were lifted in 2004, but the 
remaining law continues to allow the Government to control religious 
life and to restrict the activities of all religious groups. The 2003 
law did not codify religious activities in localities other than where 
a group was registered. In October 2005 the Government announced a 
temporary procedure for the registration of religious groups' regional 
branches by issuing powers of attorney. MOJ representatives also stated 
that amendments would be made to the 2003 law on religion that would 
codify the branch registration issue, but this did not happen during 
the reporting period.
    The president signed a decree in 2004 that strengthened the 2003 
law on religious practice and religious organizations. A prohibitive 
requirement introduced in the new registration rules increased 
registration fees for religious organizations to $100 (2.5 million 
manat at the unofficial rate). In addition the MOJ was no longer 
obliged to publish in the local media a list of registered religious 
organizations, limiting the transparency of legally registered groups, 
isolating them from other religious communities, and limiting the 
ability of the public to respond when authorities harassed them. The 
law also gave the MOJ the right to cancel a group's registration based 
on vaguely defined charges.
    In March 2004 the Government adopted but did not publish an 
implementing regulation and recommended standard charter, which 
stipulated onerous requirements for religious groups wishing to 
register. The decree imposed financial and travel restrictions on 
registered religious organizations. Following international pressure, 
these regulations were rescinded in a May 2004 presidential decree.
    Until June 2004 government entities at all levels, including the 
courts, had interpreted the laws in such a way as to discriminate 
against those practicing any faith other than Sunni Islam or Russian 
Orthodox Christianity, whose congregations represented the only two 
religious groups to successfully register. However, since the 2004 
decree reducing the minimum required number of adherents for 
registration, nine new religious groups have registered: The 
Evangelical Christian Baptist Church of Turkmenistan; Seventh-day 
Adventist Church of Turkmenistan; Baha'i Community of Turkmenistan; 
Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishnas); Full Gospel 
Christian Church of Turkmenistan (Pentecostals); Light of the East 
Church (Dashoguz Pentecostal Church); Greater Grace Church of 
Turkmenistan; International Church of Christ (Church of Christ); and 
New Apostolic Church of Turkmenistan. Shi'a Muslims were not registered 
by the end of the reporting period, and there were no reports that they 
tried to register since the March 2004 decree, although they remained 
in contact with the CRA, which reported to President Niyazov and 
ostensibly acted as an intermediary between the government bureaucracy 
and registered religious organizations.
    In practice, government policies, including those at the city level 
such as zoning regulations on the use of private residences, have 
created difficulties for some groups in finding places to hold worship 
services. According to the national residential code, no religious 
activity is allowed in private homes or in public halls located in 
residential areas. However, two registered religious groups, the Baha'i 
community and the Krishna Consciousness Society, were permitted to 
conduct worship meetings in homes.
    Some groups remained either fearful of registering, citing the 
amount and type of information the Government required, or refused on 
principle to do so. During the reporting period, at least two minority 
religious groups applied for registration, but had not been successful 
by the end of the reporting period; during previous years, the 
Government would delay or deny applications citing unsubstantiated 
technical reasons. Unregistered religious groups and unregistered 
branches of religious groups are forbidden to conduct religious 
activities, including gathering, disseminating religious materials, and 
proselytizing. Government authorities have disrupted meetings of 
unregistered religious groups. According to the amended law, 
participants in those groups are subject to fines and administrative 
(not criminal) arrest under the administrative code. The Government 
prohibits foreign missionary activity and foreign religious 
organizations; however, the law does not restrict the worship choices 
of foreigners.
    The Government has incorporated some aspects of Islamic tradition 
in its effort to redefine a national identity. For example the 
Government has built large, monumental mosques, such as the ones in 
Ashgabat, Gokdepe, and Gypjak. Despite its embrace of certain aspects 
of Islamic culture, the Government is concerned about foreign Islamic 
influence and the interpretation of Islam by local believers. The 
Government promotes moderate Islam, mostly based on religious and 
national traditions. To further regulate Islamic teaching, in January 
2006, the Government published the book National and Religious 
Traditions of Turkmen Since Ancient Times, which contains numerous 
references to following the president's spiritual guides Ruhnama and 
Ruhnama II. The president publicly encouraged all clerics to ``read the 
book in mosques,'' and declared, ``he doesn't want Turkmen religious 
rituals to create disagreements among believers.''
    The CRA includes imams, an ROC priest, and government 
representatives. In practice the CRA acts as an arm of the state, 
exercising direct control over the hiring, promotion, and firing of 
both Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox clergy, as well as helping to 
control all religious publications and activities. Its writ is enforced 
by security forces, specifically the Sixth Department of the Ministry 
of Internal Affairs, and it has no role in promoting interfaith 
dialogue. Although the Government does not officially favor any 
religion, it has provided financial and other support to the CRA for 
the construction of new mosques. The Government pays most Muslim 
clerics' salaries, approves all senior cleric appointments, and 
requires the latter to report regularly to the CRA.
    Throughout the reporting period the CRA continued to urge imams to 
accord greater attention to President Niyazov's spiritual-social books 
on culture and heritage, Ruhnama and Ruhnama II, by teaching them as 
religious texts and placing them next to the Qur'an in some mosques. 
Phrases from the Ruhnama were inscribed on the large mosque in 
President Niyazov's home village of Gypjak. In 2003 the former mufti of 
the country, Nasrullah Ibn Ibadullah, was replaced, secretly tried, and 
sentenced in 2004 to twenty-two years in prison. Ibn Ibadullah's 
replacement, Kakageldi Wepayev, was subsequently placed under house 
arrest for ``misbehavior''--allegedly including drinking and 
womanizing--and replaced in 2004 by then twenty-seven-year-old recent 
seminary graduate Rowshen Allaberdiyev.
    The Government recognizes only Sunni Muslim holy days as national 
holidays. These include Gurban Bairam (Eid al-Adha), a three-day 
holiday commemorating the end of the Hajj, and Oraza-Bairam (Eid al-
Fitr), commemorating the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.
    The Government does not offer alternative civilian service for 
conscientious objectors; individuals who want to refuse military 
service for religious reasons are offered noncombatant roles within the 
military. During the period covered by this report, one member of the 
Jehovah's Witnesses was placed in a psychiatric hospital for refusing 
to serve in the military; he was subsequently released.
    There is no official religious instruction in public schools; 
however, the Government requires all public schools and institutes of 
higher learning to hold regular instruction on the Ruhnama. The 
Ministry of Education requires that each child bring a personal copy of 
the Ruhnama to school.
    Article Six of the November 2004 law allows mosques to provide 
religious education to children after school for four hours a week with 
the approval of parents. Persons who graduate from institutions of 
higher religious education (the law does not specify domestic or 
international institutions) and who obtain CRA approval may provide 
religious education. Citizens have the right to receive religious 
education individually or with other persons; however, the law 
prohibits providing religious education in private, and those who do so 
are subject to punitive legal action. Although some independent 
religious education exists, the Government has done nothing to promote 
religious education beyond the official version incorporating the 
Ruhnama. Some Sunni mosques have regularly scheduled classes on the 
Qur'an.
    The 2003 law prohibits the ROC from conducting religious education 
programs without CRA and presidential approval, and there were no 
reports that either the CRA or the president approved such programs. 
Homeschooling usually is allowed only in cases of severe illness or 
disability and not for religious reasons.
    The Government, through the CRA, does little to promote interfaith 
understanding or dialogue beyond that between Muslims and Russian 
Orthodox Christians. In 2003 a Ministry of Justice newspaper, Adalat, 
published a vitriolic attack against Hare Krishnas and Jehovah's 
Witnesses, describing the groups as foreign and implying they were 
dangerous. There were confirmed reports that several district-level 
government officials and a local imam attempted to force an ethnic 
Turkmen Christian convert to renounce his faith.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Almost all registered religious minority groups in the country 
reported fewer instances of harassment than in the previous reporting 
period. However, regional affiliates of registered groups experienced 
harassment by provincial and district law enforcement agencies. The 
Government officially has banned only extremist groups advocating 
violence, but it also categorized Islamic groups advocating stricter 
interpretation of Islamic religious doctrine as ``extremist.'' The 
activities of unregistered religious groups remain illegal, with 
violators subject to fines and administrative arrest under the 
administrative code.
    The Government restricts unregistered religious groups from 
establishing places of worship, and violations constitute an 
administrative offense. Registered groups also experienced difficulties 
establishing and maintaining places of worship. Two registered minority 
groups renting worship centers were asked by landlords, one public and 
one private, to vacate their premises after the landlords received 
visits by security service and municipal officers. Both groups found 
alternative places of worship. Several minority religious groups said 
that the largest remaining obstacle was a lack of funds to rent a 
public hall. Several groups said they would prefer to buy a worship 
center or land to establish a permanent one, but municipal authorities 
raised insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles. Five registered minority 
religious groups have established public places of worship; three are 
rented and two are private residential homes of group members. The 
Government did not restrict some worship services in private homes, and 
the CRA assisted several registered minority groups in locating 
suitable worship locations. The Government forbids unregistered 
religious groups or unregistered branches of registered religious 
groups from gathering publicly or privately and can punish individuals 
or groups who violate these prohibitions. Some unregistered 
congregations continue to practice quietly, largely in private homes.
    During the period covered by this report, the Government replaced a 
number of experienced imams with younger ones who had attended 
government-approved training, thus facilitating government control. In 
October 2005, Ata tribe Muslims, one of the six sacred tribes, reported 
that government officials required all imams serving at one of the Ata 
tribe shrines to give all financial donations to the Government.
    One mosque in Turkmenbashy City was destroyed during the reporting 
period. In 2004 at least six mosques were destroyed, some for no stated 
reason, others ostensibly for Ashgabat city ``beautification'' plans. 
In 2004 a Sunni cemetery north of the capital was leveled. Another 
cemetery in Ashgabat was being encroached upon by a high-rise 
development. In 2004 Muslims in Bagyr, a suburb of Ashgabat, reported 
they can no longer bury their family members in traditional cemeteries 
but instead need to do so at a centralized location. The Government 
restricts the number of mosques by requiring government permission for 
construction. Government policy is that every community should have one 
mosque; however, in 2004 President Niyazov ordered that no more mosques 
were to be built without CRA approval and stated mosques would 
henceforth be led by state-appointed imams. Prior to 2003, the Abu 
Bekir mosque in Ashgabat was closed, and ethnic Uzbek imams from three 
mosques were ousted for resisting the council's pressure.
    There are at least three Shi'a Muslim places of worship, two near 
Ashgabat and one in Turkmenbashy. Other Shi'a mosques still stand, but 
the Government does not permit imams to work in them. The Government 
continued to restrict their construction.
    In 2006 the Government continued to limit participation in the 
annual pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj), specifying that only 188 
pilgrims (one plane load), personally approved by the president, out of 
the country's quota of 4,600 would be allowed to journey to Mecca. 
Transportation was provided free of charge by the national airline.
    The Government also controls access to Islamic education. The 
theology faculty at Turkmen State University in Ashgabat had been the 
only academic faculty to conduct Islamic education. In July 2005 the 
president dissolved the theology faculty and incorporated the theology 
students and curriculum into the university's history department, 
leaving no official Islamic academic faculty. Also in 2005 the 
Government replaced the Turkish head of the Turkmen Turkish 
International University with a Turkmen national, stating the 
university was conducting unauthorized religious education. In 2004 an 
Islamic secondary school operating under the auspices of the sole 
remaining theological faculty was closed, reportedly in part because 
school administrators and teachers refused to promote the Ruhnama as an 
orthodox Islamic text.
    The Government does not officially restrict persons from changing 
their religious beliefs and affiliation, but ethnic Turkmen members of 
unregistered religious groups accused of proselytizing and 
disseminating religious material generally receive harsher treatment 
than non-ethnic Turkmen. In December 2005 the local district supervisor 
accused an ethnic Turkmen Baptist leader in Galkynysh district of 
betraying his national culture by not practicing Islam. According to 
the Norway-based religious news organization Forum 18, in December 2005 
a commission of government officials and a local imam pressured an 
ethnic Turkmen convert to Christianity to renounce his faith, but he 
refused and was subsequently released.
    There were several high-level officials in the Government with 
Russian Orthodox heritage. No representatives of other minority 
religious groups were known to be working at senior- or mid-level 
government positions during the reporting period. Some minority 
religious group adherents remained members of the only political party 
but feared openly acknowledging their faith out of concern for 
political reprisal.
    The Government monitors peaceful minority religious groups, 
particularly those perceived to have connections with or support from a 
supranational hierarchy. The law prohibits foreign missionary activity, 
although in practice both Christians and Muslims working in the country 
in other capacities engage in religious outreach. The Government denies 
visas to foreigners suspected of conducting or intending to conduct 
missionary activity. Forum 18 reported on June 14, 2006 that Russian 
citizen Aleksandr Frolov was deported on June 10, 2006 for engaging in 
illegal religious activity and noncompliance with immigration laws. In 
May 2006 a foreign citizen worshipping with an unregistered religious 
group was requested to leave the country. That group is attempting to 
register. In January 2006 a Ukrainian worshipper at the registered 
Church of Christ was deported for affiliating with a religious minority 
group. In 2004 President Niyazov warned the newly appointed mufti (who 
was subsequently replaced) against accepting money from foreigners 
seeking to influence mosques to propagate a more fundamentalist 
message. The 2003 law on religion stipulated that religious groups must 
report any financial or material assistance received from foreign 
sources.
    In June 2006 the registered Church of Christ pastor was cautioned 
by the deputy chairman of the CRA against distributing business card 
invitations for the Church of Christ worship services. The deputy 
chairman said the practice was not a good idea although he admitted it 
was not illegal.
    By decree, publishing religious literature is prohibited, limiting 
the availability of Qur'ans, Bibles and other religious literature. 
Sacred religious books are rarely available for purchase.
    The Government enforces the use of President Niyazov's spiritual 
books, Ruhnama and Ruhnama II, in educational institutions, government 
offices, and mosques. Copies of the book are kept in some mosques, and 
authorities have pressured religious leaders to place it alongside the 
Qur'an and to preach Ruhnama in their services. In 2003 the Ministry of 
National Security (MNB) closed down a mosque for failing to place the 
Ruhnama on the same stand with the Qur'an for Friday prayer.
    In practice the CRA must approve imported religious literature. 
Since all members of the CRA are government officials, and either Sunni 
Muslims or members of the ROC, minority religious groups were 
disadvantaged regarding importing of religious materials. When the CRA 
approves the importation of a publication, the number of imported 
copies cannot exceed the number of registered group members. During the 
reporting period, one minority religious group had received permission 
to import thirty Bibles; however, two groups were denied permission to 
import religious literature. On two occasions the State Customs Service 
confiscated religious books and disks that unregistered minority group 
members were carrying for personal use.
    In 2005 the MNB and regional government officials harassed some 
members of minority religious groups for not sending their children to 
school on Saturdays, their day of worship. The Government reportedly 
threatened to revoke their registrations if their children did not 
attend. Public school is held Monday through Saturday and by law 
children must attend.
    The Government continued to discriminate against members of 
religious groups with respect to employment.
    During 2005 and 2006 the Jehovah's Witnesses, an unregistered 
group, were harassed repeatedly. The Jehovah's Witnesses reported that 
members/believers in all five welayats (provinces) were harassed, 
detained, and interrogated during the reporting period. According to 
their report, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted for proselytizing and 
having religious literature in their homes. On August 5, 2005 Anew 
(near Ashgabat) police threatened to fine Tatyana Khodzhamukhamedova if 
she continued preaching. On September 8, 2005, Oksana Khamrakulyeva and 
Vadim Ivakhnik were apprehended by police for proselytizing in 
Ashgabat. On December 7, 2005 police from Garagum Etrap, Mary Welayat 
threatened Maya Mukhametniyazova and unsuccessfully attempted to force 
her to renounce her faith. In 2004 officials harassed a member in 
Ashgabat; throughout the year, authorities confiscated Bibles at the 
border and from private homes.
    Forum 18 reported on November 9, 2005, that two women affiliated 
with an unregistered religious minority group were denied permission to 
leave the country in October 2005 to attend a Bible College in 
Azerbaijan. Immigration officers in Turkmenbashy City prevented their 
travel although they had the requisite documents certifying they had 
their parents' consent to travel.
    In 2004 the Government formally lifted the exit visa requirement, 
theoretically permitting travel by all those who wished to participate 
in the Hajj or other travel for religious purposes; however, the 
Government maintained a ``black list'' of individuals and continued to 
limit freedom of movement. Forum 18 reported on May 31, 2006, that 
unregistered Council of Churches Baptist group member Shageldy Atakov 
was prohibited from leaving the country on May 25, 2006. In October 
2005 three members of two minority religious groups were prevented from 
traveling outside the country. One of the three was told that he was 
restricted from leaving because he had previously taken an extended 
international trip. A Ministry of National Security officer told him he 
should be eligible to travel abroad again in one year. In January and 
July 2005 a Pentecostal pastor was restricted from international 
travel, but not given an explanation. In 2004 two Jehovah's Witnesses 
were prevented from boarding a flight to Kiev. In 2004 Deutsche Welle 
Radio reported that five Jehovah's Witnesses were removed from a flight 
from Ashgabat to Moscow because they were blacklisted and forbidden to 
leave the country.
    Foreign members of registered and unregistered religious groups 
continued to be denied entry visas. A request for a foreign visitor 
from the Seventh-day Adventist Church was denied for nine months. The 
head of the Bible Society from Uzbekistan reportedly was barred from 
visiting in 2004. According to Forum 18, in 2004 a group of Seventh-day 
Adventists was denied entry visas, although their sponsors were members 
of a registered church. In recent years Jehovah's Witnesses and Hare 
Krishnas have also been denied entry.
    Reportedly, the Moscow ROC patriarch denied the Government's 
request to circumvent the Tashkent patriarch and allow the local church 
to be directly subordinate to Moscow.
    During the reporting period, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was 
denied compensation pursuant to a court decision for a church building 
demolished in 1999.
    Several registered religious minority groups reported that the 
Government monitors them by attending their gatherings; nonetheless, 
communities continue to engage in regular activities. The level of 
harassment has remained constant over the past year. Officers from the 
Sixth Department in Ashgabat, the division charged with fighting 
organized crime and terrorism, still occasionally question members of 
religious minorities.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The mistreatment of some unregistered religious minority members, 
which began in 2003, continued and was extended to the Muslim 
community. In 2004 the country's popular and respected former mufti, 
Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, was secretly tried and sentenced to twenty-two 
years in prison, reportedly for his alleged role in a failed 2002 coup 
plot. Ibadullah had been dismissed as mufti in 2003, reportedly in part 
for his refusal to teach the president's book, Ruhnama, as a sacred 
text. Little is known about the whereabouts or the condition of 
Ibadullah, despite calls from the international community for access to 
him and for his release.
    Muslim religious leader Hoja Ahmed Orazgylyjov remained isolated in 
internal exile in Tejen for alleged criminal activity. Some believe his 
refusal to publicly support the Niyazov regime, and his own strict 
religious beliefs, contributed to his exile.
    The Government threatened members of minority religious groups with 
fines, loss of employment and housing, rape, and imprisonment because 
of their beliefs. There were also reports of beatings and raids.
    A member of Jehovah's Witnesses in Mary was held for a few weeks in 
November 2005 because of his conscientious objection to military 
service. The president announced in June 2004 that all imprisoned 
conscientious objectors should be released. Subsequently, four 
Jehovah's Witnesses were sentenced to prison because of their objection 
to military service but were released in April 2005. In 2004 the 
Turkmenistan Helsinki Initiative (an opposition group operating out of 
Vienna) reported that three unnamed Baptists had gone into hiding to 
avoid arrest for refusing conscription on religious grounds.
    On March 2, 2005, Jehovah's Witnesses member Nazikgul Orazova was 
called to the Internal Affairs Ministry for questioning, and was beaten 
and threatened with fines. She was detained on four additional 
occasions in March 2005, and on April 5, 2005 was ordered to pay an 
approximately fifty-dollar fine (1,250,000 manat) for proselytizing and 
possessing religious literature. A Forum 18 report indicated that 
another member of Jehovah's Witnesses was fined a large sum in 2004. In 
2004 Jehovah's Witnesses Gulkamar Dzhumayeva and Gulsherin Babkuliyeva 
were arrested for proselytizing. The women were threatened and held 
overnight. Also in 2004, based on her affiliation with the Jehovah's 
Witnesses, Bilbil Kulyyeva was forcibly evicted from a hostel by an 
Ashgabat official of the CRA.
    Two raids on meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses occurred in 2004, one, 
according to a report from Forum 18 News Service, in a private home in 
Ashgabat the day after the 2004 presidential decree pledging adherence 
to international standards for respect of religious freedom. In the 
other raid, a female member was taken to a police station, forced to 
write a statement dictated by the police, and was sexually harassed by 
a district police officer.
    In 2004 authorities entered the home of a member of Jehovah's 
Witnesses and demanded he immediately pay a fine from 2001 that 
allegedly remained unpaid.
    The CRA pressured a member of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ashgabat to 
renounce his faith; he was fired from his job when he refused. In 2003 
as many as forty members of the group, male and female, were taken to 
the Sixth Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The males 
were beaten, all were required to renounce their faith in writing, and 
their passports were confiscated until fines were paid.
    There were no reports of authorities beating Hare Krishnas; 
however, in November 2005, Hare Krishna devotee Cheper Annaniyazova was 
sentenced to seven years in prison for having illegally crossed the 
border in 2002. In July 2005 she was forcibly detained in a psychiatric 
hospital until she was tried and sentenced to seven years imprisonment 
for her 2002 crime. In April 2005 for violating a city ordinance, 
Ashgabat city officials threatened the Krishna Consciousness Society 
with the confiscation of their place of worship, a privately owned 
residence that was used as a temple. In 2003, according to Forum 18, 
authorities raided a meeting of the Krishna Consciousness Society in 
Ashgabat and beat one member during an interrogation. Authorities 
reportedly filmed the occupants of the home, confiscated all religious 
articles and literature, and fined the group.
    Local officials occasionally continued to harass religious 
minorities, often because these authorities were not aware of the 2004 
presidential decree. In 2004, according to the Turkmenistan Helsinki 
Initiative, secret police officers, representatives of the city 
administration for religious affairs, and police officers raided a 
meeting of the Krishna Consciousness Society in a private home in Mary.
    In 2003 Geldy Khudaikuliev, a Baptist congregation leader in 
Gokdepe, was detained without charge for six days, and was released as 
a result of international pressure. In April 2005, according to Forum 
18, five members of a Baptist Church in Turkmenabat were fined 
approximately sixty dollars (1.5 million manat) for holding a small 
service.
    According to a Forum 18 report, in 2003 a deaf and mute Baptist 
woman was summoned to court where she was threatened with fines and a 
fifteen-day imprisonment. Forum 18 also reported that another deaf and 
mute Baptist woman was summoned to court in 2003. She was also 
threatened with fifteen days' imprisonment if she failed to pay a fine.
    Individuals were also fined in 2003, after authorities raided a 
Baptist prayer meeting in Turkmenabat. That same year police raided the 
meeting of an unregistered Christian group, confiscated its Bibles, and 
fined its leaders twelve dollars (approximately 300,000 manat). Two 
court decisions supported the actions.
    According to Forum 18, in 2004 a Hindu was forced by police 
officers to sign a statement renouncing his beliefs after being 
threatened with physical violence and criminal punishment.
    Reports of authorities arbitrarily arresting and interrogating 
members of unregistered minority religious groups who met to worship 
continued. During such incidents, authorities took a range of actions 
including: Filming those present; recording the names, addresses, and 
places of work of the congregants; threatening fines and imprisonment; 
confiscating religious literature; and detaining members.
    In 2004 a small group of Baha'is were detained and questioned for a 
brief period by local security officials.
    Forum 18 reported on May 23, 2006 the demolition of an Armenian 
Apostolic church (the structure had not been used as a church in recent 
memory) and of a Sunni mosque in Turkmenbashy.
    On July 19, 2005, police interrupted an unregistered Baptist 
group's worship service in Turkmenabat and hit member Asiya 
Zasedatelevaya with a Bible. In July 2005, police also raided an 
unregistered Baptist branch meeting in Mary and questioned members in 
attendance. On August 14, 2005, police raided an outdoor meeting of an 
unregistered Baptist branch in Dashoguz.
    In August 2005 an estimated thirty suspected ``Wahabbis'' were 
reportedly detained in Ashgabat.
    On September 10, 2005, a Seventh-day Adventist branch meeting was 
raided in Turkmenabat and members were threatened with fines, but the 
CRA intervened to positively resolve the issue for the threatened 
members.
    On October 18, 2005 and January 13, 2006, Jehovah's Witnesses 
leader Andrey Zhbanov was detained by the police to prevent him from 
attending a U.S. embassy religious group reception and then a meeting 
with a senior U.S. Government official.
    On December 17, 2005, a police officer, district government 
representative, and a local CRA representative raided a meeting of an 
unregistered branch of Baptists in Galkynysh Etrap of Lebap Welayat. 
The officials confiscated Bibles, threatened group members, and 
reportedly forced them to sign letters proclaiming they would not 
continue to read the Bible, but would only read the Ruhnama.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses reported numerous cases of harassment, 
detention, and abuse. They reported that on October 13, 2005, the home 
of Dzhamilya Kerimov, one of their members in Ashgabat, was searched 
without a warrant for religious literature. During her subsequent two-
day detention she was beaten and fined approximately six dollars (150 
thousand manat). In March 2006 Azatlyk Etrap, Ashgabat police hit and 
forced a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Vladimir Muratov, into a 
police car and confiscated his Bible and religious literature.
Forced Religious Conversion
    In December 2005 an ethnic Turkmen Baptist leader in Galkynysh 
district was humiliated by the local governor, who accused him of 
betraying his national culture by not practicing Islam.
    In January 2006 there was a report of local government officials 
and an imam pressuring an ethnic Turkmen convert to Christianity to 
renounce his faith, but he refused.
    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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Since the 2004 presidential decree amending registration 
requirements, nine religious minorities have registered: The 
Evangelical Christian Baptist Church of Turkmenistan; the Seventh-day 
Adventist Church of Turkmenistan; the Baha'i Community of Turkmenistan; 
the Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishnas); the Full Gospel 
Christian Church of Turkmenistan (Pentecostals); the Light of the East 
Church (Dashoguz Pentecostal Church); the Greater Grace Church of 
Turkmenistan; the International Church of Christ; and the New Apostolic 
Church of Turkmenistan.
    Minority religious groups reported that harassment continued to 
decrease, and that conditions were much better than in 2003-2004. 
Numerous representatives of registered minority religious groups stated 
that the MOJ and security services had started to display a more 
helpful and positive attitude. Some minority religious leaders 
commented that the attitude of the CRA was more helpful. Several 
religious groups continued to search for places of worship; some stated 
financial difficulty rather than government interference was the major 
obstacle in their search. In September 2004 police returned Bibles that 
had been confiscated from a Baptist group and apologized for their 
actions. During the reporting period, the CRA facilitated the return of 
confiscated Seventh-day Adventists' Bibles; customs officers had 
interrupted the delivery of the foreign mailed books.
    In response to international pressure, President Niyazov pardoned 
conscientious objectors in 2004 and 2005. Unlike in previous years, 
incarcerated Jehovah Witnesses were not singled out for abuse in prison 
and were permitted to pray and to have access to Bibles.
    On October 20, 2005, the Government hosted a minority religious 
group roundtable to discuss pressing concerns. During the meeting the 
Government announced a temporary procedure to register branches of 
registered religious groups via powers of attorney.
    The Government assisted some minority religious groups in locating 
appropriate places of worship and refrained from interfering with 
registered groups that met in private homes. The CRA intervened and 
resolved a misunderstanding between local law enforcement agents and a 
minority branch religious group in Turkmenabat.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    There were no reports of general societal discrimination or 
violence based on religion during the period covered by this report.
    Restrictive government control, indigenous Islamic culture, and 
seventy years of Soviet rule have meant that traditional mosque-based 
Islam does not play a dominant role in society. Local interpretations 
of Islam place a heavy premium on rituals associated with birth, 
marriage, and death (``sadakas''), featuring music and dancing that 
more traditional Muslims view as unorthodox. Together with shrine 
pilgrimage, such rituals play a greater role in local Muslims' 
expression of Islam than regular prayer at mosques.
    Many Muslims do not regularly attend mosques; however, the 
overwhelming majority of the population identify themselves as 
``Muslim,'' and national identity is linked to Islam. (Turkmen society 
considers an individual to be born into an ethno-religious group.) 
Departures from the pattern are rare and either receive little support 
or are criticized. Ethnic Turkmen who choose to convert from Islam to 
other faiths are viewed with suspicion and sometimes ostracized. Ethnic 
Turkmen members of unregistered religious groups accused of 
disseminating religious material receive harsher treatment than members 
of other ethnic groups, particularly if they received financial support 
from foreign sources.
    Despite strong ties between Islam and national identity, the 
society historically has been tolerant and inclusive of different 
religious beliefs. For example, in the early part of the 20th century 
Ashgabat was a refuge for Baha'is escaping persecution in Iran, and a 
Baha'i temple was built in the city at that time. Government repression 
of minority religious groups does not reflect doctrinal or societal 
friction between the Muslim majority and minority religious groups. 
Rather, it reportedly reflects the Government's concern that the 
proliferation of nontraditional religious groups could undermine state 
control, promote civil unrest, facilitate undue influence by foreign 
interests, and destabilize the Government. There is also a societal 
distrust of foreign-based religious groups and the belief that Islam 
from outside the country is ``Wahhabist''--extremist.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    During the period covered by this report, U.S. embassy 
representatives and visiting U.S. Department of State officials raised 
cases of religious freedom abuse in meetings with government officials 
and urged greater support for religious freedom. The embassy conveyed 
to the Government specific steps it should take in order for the 
country to improve its standing in regards to respect for freedom of 
religion. Visits in 2004 and October 2005 by staff of the U.S. 
Department of State's Office of International Religious Freedom, who 
met with government officials and members of faith groups, underscored 
the importance of the issue to the U.S. Government. U.S. embassy 
representatives continued to encourage the Government to explain to 
local authorities--and encourage implementation of--presidential 
decrees and the laws passed in 2004.
    The ambassador and embassy officers raised specific reports of 
abuse and urged greater respect for religious freedom in meetings with 
the president, foreign minister, minister of justice, and the CRA. 
Embassy officials also requested that the Government assist registered 
religious groups in finding places to hold services.
    The embassy encouraged the Government to host the October 20, 2005 
roundtable meeting with minority religious groups. A U.S. deputy 
assistant secretary for European affairs raised the issue of religious 
freedom during his meeting with President Niyazov in January 2006 and 
he also held a roundtable discussion with leaders of minority religious 
groups. In May 2006 the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE raised religious 
freedom issues during meetings with the minister of foreign affairs, 
the minister of justice, and the CRA.
    In September 2005 embassy officers held meetings with each of the 
five regional imams, who are also the regional representatives of the 
CRA, and made visits to many mosques in all five regions of the 
country.
    The ambassador and embassy officers met regularly with the staff of 
the OSCE center in Ashgabat, the U.K. Embassy, and other diplomatic 
missions in order to maximize cooperation in monitoring abuses of and 
promoting greater respect for religious freedom.
    Embassy officers regularly met with representatives of registered 
and unregistered religious groups to monitor their status, receive 
reports of abuse, and discuss measures to raise their cases with the 
Government. These representatives have been much more willing to meet 
with embassy officials due to the reduced registration requirements and 
elimination of criminal penalties for religious activities, another 
indication that, for some, the religious freedom situation improved.
                               __________

                               UZBEKISTAN

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion and for the 
principle of separation of church and state; however, the Government 
continued to restrict these rights in practice. The Government permits 
the operation of what it considers mainstream religions, including 
approved Muslim groups, Jewish groups, the Russian Orthodox Church, and 
various other Christian denominations, such as Roman Catholics, 
Lutherans, and Baptists. Uzbek society generally tolerates Christian 
churches as long as they do not attempt to win converts among ethnic 
Uzbeks; the law prohibits or severely restricts activities such as 
proselytizing, importing and disseminating religious literature, and 
offering private religious instruction.
    There was a decline in the status of religious freedom during the 
period covered by this report. A number of minority religious groups, 
including congregations of a variety of Christian denominations, had 
difficulty satisfying the strict registration requirements set out by 
the law. As in previous years, Protestant groups with ethnic Uzbek 
members reported operating in a climate of harassment and fear. Law 
enforcement officials raided and harassed some registered groups, 
several of which were subsequently deregistered and closed. The 
Government continued its campaign against unauthorized Islamic groups 
suspected of extremist sentiments or activities, arresting numerous 
alleged members of these groups and sentencing them to lengthy jail 
terms. Many of these were suspected members of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), a 
banned extremist Islamic political movement. The Government pressured 
the banned Islamic group Akromiya (Akromiylar), especially in Tashkent 
and Andijon, with those actions spilling over into violence and deaths 
in Andijon in May 2005. The Government generally did not interfere with 
worshipers attending sanctioned mosques and granted approvals for new 
Islamic print, audio, and video materials. During the period covered by 
this report, the Government announced a release of an unknown number of 
prisoners of conscience as part of a large-scale amnesty. The number 
arrested remained below the levels reported in 1999-2001. A small but 
growing number of ``underground'' mosques operated under the close 
scrutiny of religious authorities and the security services. Mosques 
operating without registration are technically illegal and operate only 
with the indulgence of the local government. Although mosque attendance 
in some locations declined for a short time after the May 2005 violence 
in Andijon, overall attendance has risen significantly since 2004, and 
even more sharply since May 2005.
    The generally tolerant relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, neighbors, family, 
and employers often continued to pressure ethnic Uzbek Christians, 
especially recent converts and residents of smaller communities. On at 
least two occasions during the period of this report, sermons against 
missionaries and Uzbeks who convert from Islam were noted. Unlike in 
previous years, there was only one report of individuals being charged 
with the distribution of HT leaflets, which often contain strong anti-
Semitic rhetoric, during the period of this report.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom with the Government 
as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. embassy 
is actively engaged in monitoring religious freedom and maintains 
contact with government and religious leaders and human rights 
activists. The embassy sponsored exchange and educational programs 
designed to promote religious tolerance and to expand religious 
freedom. The programs included the three-year University of Washington 
partnership program for Cultural and Comparative Religious Studies and 
Community Connections exchange programs on the topic of Islam in a 
Religiously Diverse United States. The Government closure of the 
Tashkent office of the U.S. Government-funded International Research 
and Exchanges Board (IREX) has hindered administration of its program 
on Cultural and Religious Pluralism in Uzbekistan. The Government also 
closed two of the embassy's other program-implementing organizations 
during the period of this report, ABA/CEELI and Freedom House, whose 
human rights programming included components on protecting religious 
freedom.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 172,742 square miles, and an estimated 
population of 27.3 million. International experts believe the 
population has sustained a loss of 2 to 3 million people in recent 
years due to the growing trend of labor migration from Uzbekistan to 
neighboring countries, Russia, South Korea, the Middle East, and the 
United States. Approximately 80 percent of the population is ethnic 
Uzbek; 5.5 percent Russian; 5 percent Tajik; 3 percent Kazakh; 2.5 
percent Karakalpak; and 1.5 percent Tatar. There are no official 
statistics on membership in various religious groups; however, it is 
estimated that 88 percent of the population is nominally Muslim. 
Approximately 9 percent of the population is Russian Orthodox, though 
this percentage steadily declines as the number of ethnic Russians and 
other Slavs remaining in the country decreases. A growing number of 
Hanafi Muslims and Russian Orthodox adherents actively practice their 
religion. Outside of Tashkent, Muslim believers may now outnumber 
nonbelievers. During the period covered by this report, mosque 
attendance has noticeably increased, particularly among younger men, 
who tend to constitute the majority of worshipers. The remaining 3 
percent of the population includes small communities of Roman 
Catholics, Korean Christians, Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day 
Adventists, Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, Buddhists, Baha'is, and Hare Krishnas. In addition, an 
estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Ashkenazi and Bukharan Jews remain in the 
country, concentrated in the cities of Tashkent, Bukhara, and 
Samarkand. At least 80,000 others have emigrated to Israel and the 
United States since 1991.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the 
Government restricted these rights in practice. The constitution also 
establishes the principle of separation of church and state. The 
Government prohibits religious groups from forming political parties 
and social movements.
    Although the law treats all religious denominations equally, the 
Government shows its support for the country's Muslim heritage by 
funding an Islamic university and the preservation of Islamic historic 
sites. As in prior years, the Government provided logistical support 
for 5,000 selected Muslims to participate in the Hajj, but the pilgrims 
paid their own expenses. The Government controls the Muslim Board of 
Uzbekistan (the Muftiate), which in turn controls the Islamic 
hierarchy, the content of imams' sermons, and the volume and substance 
of published Islamic materials. Kurbon Hayit and Roza Hayit are holy 
days that are also considered national holidays.
    On June 22, 2006, President Karimov signed into law a series of 
amendments concerning religious literature. An amendment to the 
Administrative Code, Article 184-2, punishes ``illegal production, 
storage, import or distribution of materials of religious content'' 
with a fine of 20 to 100 times the minimum monthly wage for 
individuals, or 50 to 100 times the minimum monthly wage for officials 
of organizations, together with confiscation of the materials and the 
``corresponding means of producing and distributing them.'' A new 
article of the Criminal Code, Article 244-3, addresses the same 
offense, punishing those already convicted under the corresponding 
article of the Administrative Code with a fine of 100 to 200 times the 
minimum monthly wage, or corrective labor of up to 3 years. Other 
changes introduced simultaneously to the Criminal and Administrative 
Codes punish the production and distribution of ``literature promoting 
racial and religious hatred.''
    On December 28, 2005, President Karimov signed into law amendments 
to both the Criminal Code (Article 217 Part 2) and Administrative Code 
(Article 201), increasing fines for repeated offenses of violations of 
the law on religious activity, such as illegal meetings, processions, 
and ceremonies. The fines are now 200 to 300 times the minimum monthly 
wage of $8 (9,500 soum), under the Criminal Code and 50 to 100 times 
under the Administrative Code, raised from 50 to 75 times and 5 to 10 
times respectively.
    The 1998 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations 
(1998 Religion Law) requires all religious groups and congregations to 
register, and provides strict and burdensome criteria for their 
registration. Among its requirements, the law stipulates that each 
group must present a list of at least one hundred citizen members to 
the local branches of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), thus suppressing 
the activities of those groups seeking to worship outside the state-
sanctioned system. This provision enables the Government to ban any 
group by finding technical grounds for denying its registration 
petition. The Committee for Religious Affairs (CRA), under the Cabinet 
of Ministers, oversees registered religious activity. New mosques 
continued to face difficulties gaining registration, as did those 
closed previously that re-applied.
    To register, groups also must report in their charter a valid legal 
address. Local officials, on occasion, have denied approval of a legal 
address to prevent religious groups from registering. The MOJ has also 
cited this requirement in explaining local officials' decisions. The 
Jehovah's Witnesses' Tashkent congregation had its registration 
application denied on these grounds. The Jehovah's Witnesses Ferghana 
congregation encountered problems renting property when a new city 
administration cancelled its rental agreement. Some groups, such as the 
Tashkent International Church, have been reluctant to purchase property 
without assurance that their registration would be approved. Others 
claim that local officials arbitrarily withhold approval of the 
addresses because they oppose the existence of Christian churches with 
ethnic Uzbek members. Even the Architecture Administration and Land 
Registry must approve the construction buildings for religious 
entities.
    Some Christian groups applied for registration at local, regional, 
and national levels and either received a denial or no official answer 
during the period covered by this report, including the Mir (Peace) 
Presbyterian Church in Nukus, the United Church of Evangelical 
Christians/Baptists in Tashkent, the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in 
Andijon, the Pentecostal Church in Chirchik, and the Jehovah's 
Witnesses. In May 2005 the MOJ deregistered Emmanuel, once the only 
registered Protestant church in Nukus, in the Autonomous Republic of 
Karakalpakstan and ordered it to close. The Greater Grace Christian 
Church in Samarkand has temporarily suspended its five-year quest for 
registration. Some churches, particularly evangelical churches with 
ethnic Uzbek members, did not apply for registration because they did 
not expect local officials to register them. Other groups, including 
those with too few members, have reported that they prefer not to bring 
themselves to the attention of authorities by submitting a registration 
application that obviously does not meet legal requirements. There are 
a few groups that refuse on principle to seek registration because they 
challenge the Government's right to require registration.
    As of June 30, 2006, the Government had registered 2,224 religious 
congregations and organizations--an increase of 24 from 2,200 recorded 
in July 2005. Mosques, Muslim educational institutions, and Islamic 
centers comprised 2,042 of the total registered, an increase of 27, 
while the number of registered Christian groups decreased by 3. The 182 
registered minority religious groups include 59 Korean Christian, 36 
Russian Orthodox, 23 Baptist, 21 Pentecostal (``Full Gospel''), 10 
Seventh-day Adventist, 8 Jewish, 5 Roman Catholic, 6 Baha'i, 3 
Lutheran, 4 ``New Apostolic,'' 2 Jehovah's Witnesses, 1 Krishna 
Consciousness group, 1 Temple of Buddha, 1 Christian ``Voice of God'' 
Church, and 1 Armenian Apostolic.
    A 2003 decree of the Cabinet of Ministers outlining a change in 
registration requirements for international nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) restricted the activities of faith-based entities. 
Partly on the basis of the new requirements, the Government denied 
accreditation or visas to more than a dozen employees and volunteers 
from various faith-based organizations during the period covered by 
this report. Statements by government officials, as well as documents 
disseminated to the NGOs by the MOJ, indicated that the Government 
intended the new requirements, in part, to curtail the activities of 
international NGOs that proselytize as part of their charitable 
activities.
    The Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations (1998 
Religion Law) provides for freedom of worship, freedom from religious 
persecution, separation of church and state, and the right to establish 
schools and train clergy; however, the law also severely limits 
religious activity. It restricts religious rights that are judged to be 
in conflict with national security, prohibits proselytizing, bans 
religious subjects in public schools, prohibits the private teaching of 
religious principles, and requires religious groups to obtain a license 
to publish or distribute materials. The CRA must approve all religious 
literature. Article 14 of the law prohibits the wearing of ``cult 
robes'' (religious clothing) in public places by all except ``those 
serving in religious organizations.'' Authorities did not appear to 
enforce this provision during the period covered by this report.
    The Criminal Code formally distinguishes between ``illegal'' 
groups, which are those that are not registered properly, and 
``prohibited'' groups, such as the Islamic political party HT, Tabligh 
Jamoat, and other groups branded with the general term ``Wahhabi'' that 
are banned altogether. The code makes it a criminal offense, punishable 
by up to five years in prison, to organize an illegal religious group 
or to resume the activities of such a group after it has been denied 
registration or ordered to disband. In addition, the code punishes 
participation in such a group with up to three years in prison. The 
code also provides penalties of up to twenty years in prison (if the 
crime results in ``grave consequences'') for ``organizing or 
participating'' in the activities of religious extremist, 
fundamentalist, separatist, or other prohibited groups. In the past, 
courts often ignored the distinction between illegal and prohibited 
groups, and frequently convicted members of unapproved Muslim groups 
under both statutes. In contrast with past years, there were few 
reports of such practices during the reporting period.
    The Criminal and Civil Codes contain stiff penalties for violating 
the Religion Law and other statutes on religious activities. In 
addition to the prohibited activities that include organizing an 
illegal religious group, the law also proscribes persuading others to 
join such a group and drawing minors into a religious organization 
without the permission of their parents. Any religious service 
conducted by an unregistered religious organization is illegal.
    The law prohibits religious groups that do not have a registered 
central administrative body from training religious personnel. There 
are six such entities that may legally train religious personnel. The 
law limits religious instruction to officially sanctioned religious 
schools and state-approved instructors. The law permits no private 
instruction and provides for fines for violations. There are ten 
madrassahs (including two for women), which provide secondary 
education. In addition, the Islamic Institute and Islamic University in 
Tashkent provide higher educational instruction. The Cabinet of 
Ministers considers diplomas granted by madrassahs equivalent to other 
diplomas, thus enabling graduates of those institutions to continue 
their education at the university level. The curriculum in the 
madrassahs and Islamic Institute is oriented towards those planning to 
become imams or religious teachers. This is not the case with the 
government-funded and established Islamic University, where students 
pursue religious studies from a secular perspective, although, in 
practice, graduates from the Islamic University have been appointed 
imams after graduation, which provides another mechanism for the 
Government to directly influence mosques.
    The Government restricts Shi'a Islamic education by not permitting 
the training of Shi'a imams inside the country, and not recognizing 
such education received outside the country. There is no officially 
sanctioned religious instruction for individuals interested in learning 
about Islam. An increasing number of imams informally offer religious 
education; although this is technically illegal, local authorities 
rarely took legal action. The Russian Orthodox Church operates two 
monasteries (one for women, one for men) and a seminary and offers 
Sunday school education through many of its churches. The government 
Jewish school operates in Tashkent's Yakkasaroy District. Other 
religious faiths offer religious education through their religious 
centers.
    The law prohibits the teaching of religious subjects in public 
schools, the private teaching of religious principles, and the teaching 
of religion to minors without parental consent. Nevertheless, a course 
called ``Comparative Religion'' is taught at the Andijon Foreign 
Languages Institute, and likely other institutes around the country, 
for students of university age. On June 26, 2006, according to the 
newspaper Novy Vek, authorities closed a religious school for children 
in Tashkent Province and charged two teachers with involvement in a 
religious extremist organization. The report alleged that the school 
was providing radical religious education to young children. In March 
2005, authorities closed an unlicensed Islamic kindergarten in Ferghana 
Province, according to the newspaper Voice of Uzbekistan.
    In 2003 a panel of experts convened by the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Office for Democratic 
Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR), reviewed the 1998 Religion Law 
and associated criminal and civil statutes and concluded that they were 
in violation of the international norms for religious freedom. The OSCE 
submitted a number of recommendations, including lifting the bans on 
proselytizing and private religious instruction and decriminalizing 
activities of unregistered religious organizations. The Government, 
through the CRA, agreed to consider the ODHIR recommendations but took 
no action by the end of the period covered by this report.
    The main laws under which authorities charge citizens for religious 
activity are Article 159 (anti-constitutional activity); Article 216 
(illegal establishment of public associations or religious 
organizations; Article 216, Section 2 (violation of legislation on 
religious organizations, including proselytism); Article 244, Section 1 
(production and distribution of materials which create a threat to 
public security and public order); and Article 244, Section 2 
(establishment, direction of, or participation in religious extremist, 
separatist, fundamentalist, or other banned organizations) of the 
Uzbekistan Criminal Code. Citizens charged under these sections 
(particularly Article 244, Section 2) are frequently charged with being 
members of the extremist Islamist political organization HT, which 
promotes hate and praises acts of terrorism, although HT maintains that 
it is committed to nonviolence. The party's virulently anti-Semitic and 
anti-Western literature and websites call for the overthrow of secular 
governments, including those in Central Asia, to be replaced with a 
worldwide Islamic government referred to as the Caliphate.
    Because HT is primarily a political organization, albeit one 
motivated by religious ideology, and because it does not condemn 
terrorist acts by other groups, authorities' actions to restrict HT and 
prosecute its members are not a restriction on religious freedom per se 
(although the failure to observe due process and other norms constitute 
human rights violations). However, in thousands of cases authorities 
have asserted HT membership based solely on outward expressions of 
devout belief or have made false assertions of HT membership as a 
pretext for repressing the expression of moderate religious belief. 
Estimates from credible sources suggested that as many as 4,500 of the 
estimated 5,000 to 5,500 political prisoners being held in detention 
were members of the political movement HT. It is difficult to estimate 
precisely the number of persons arrested on false charges of extremism 
and difficult to know how many of those were under suspicion because of 
their religious observance. As in previous years, authorities 
arbitrarily arrested a large percentage of those taken into custody on 
charges of extremism.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    There were significant governmental restrictions on religious 
freedom during the period covered by this report. The Government, by 
continuing to deny registration to some religious groups and by 
deregistering some religious organizations, deprived them of their 
legal right to worship. The Government restricted many religious 
practices and activities, punishing some citizens because they engaged 
in religious practices in violation of the registration laws, and 
generally providing ethnic Russians, Jews, and foreigners greater 
religious freedom than Muslim ethnic groups, particularly ethnic 
Uzbeks. The Government tolerates Christian churches, for the most part, 
as long as they do not attempt to win converts among ethnic Uzbeks. 
Ethnic Uzbek Christians are often secretive about their faith and 
sometimes do not attempt to register their organizations out of fear of 
restrictive reprisals, such as observing to see if they are meeting 
without benefit of registration, which would lead to arrest under 
criminal charges. Christian congregations of mixed ethnic background 
often face difficulties including rejection of registration or delays 
in response, or are reluctant to list their ethnic Uzbek members on 
registration lists for fear of incurring harassment by local officials.
    The Government, citing national security concerns, has conducted a 
repressive campaign against persons perceived as Islamic extremists. 
Government employees generally feel less free to perform their 
religious responsibilities than do citizens in the private sector, as 
the state maintains a policy of secularism, and government employees 
are under greater scrutiny than others to maintain the separation 
between religion and state structures.
    While somewhat supportive of moderate Muslims, the Government is 
intolerant of Islamic groups that it perceives to be extremist. A small 
but growing number of unofficial, independent mosques are allowed to 
operate quietly under the watch of official imams. Some sources have 
claimed that imams of registered mosques are required to submit lists 
of individuals in their congregations who may have extremist 
tendencies. Unlike the past reporting period, there were no new reports 
that the Government pressured some mahalla (neighborhood) committees 
and imams to report on those who prayed daily or otherwise demonstrated 
active devotion. The Government controls the content of imams' sermons 
and the volume and substance of published Islamic materials.
    The Government's harsh treatment of suspected religious extremists 
has generally suppressed outward expressions of religious piety. 
Following the May 2005 violence in Andijon, authorities arrested some 
journalists and human rights activists on charges of religious 
extremism. There were also credible reports of mahalla committee 
chairmen delivering special lectures to community gatherings in which 
they actively discouraged worshipping in mosques. Many sources report 
that the atmosphere among the Muslim community has improved, with many 
mosques overflowing into the streets for lack of space during Friday 
prayer. The Government, while controlling the imams' message and 
monitoring mosque activities closely, has loosened its grip on those 
whose appearance or behavior suggests they are observant Muslims, 
allowing individuals to practice their faith within the confines of a 
controlled environment. Nevertheless, there is an apparent reluctance 
to appear overly observant, as hardly any young men attending Friday 
prayers are bearded.
    Unlike during the weeks immediately following the July 2004 
terrorist attacks, when Muslim women reported feeling unease about 
wearing the hijab and several female students were reportedly suspended 
from Tashkent's Pedagogical University for wearing it, there were no 
reports of women feeling uncomfortable about doing so during the 
reporting period. Nevertheless, there were credible reports that some 
students were prohibited from wearing headscarves at schools.
    The Government states that it does not consider repression of 
persons suspected of extremism to be a matter of religious freedom, but 
of preventing armed resistance to the Government. Contrary to the 
previous reporting period, however, there were few reports that 
authorities were highly suspicious of those with more religiously 
observant behavior than average, such as frequent mosque attendance, 
bearded men, and veiled women. Nevertheless, reports suggest that law 
enforcement and national security officers actively monitored and 
reported on mosque activities and those of worshippers.
    Some mosques continued to have difficulty registering. The Panjera 
mosque in Navoi, where approximately 500 persons meet for prayer on 
feast days, has been trying unsuccessfully for 7 years to register, as 
have several mosques in the southern and eastern Ferghana Valley, 
despite having the required number of congregants to register. 
Worshipers of the locally funded Tuman mosque in Akhunbabayev District 
of Ferghana continued to function after court-enforced registration in 
early 2004.
    In Margilan, Ferghana Province, local government authorities 
appropriated and converted a madrassah built through private community 
contributions into a medical training facility, preventing its 
scheduled fall 2005 opening. Thus, the Government has prevented 
Ferghana Province, one of Uzbekistan's most populous and observantly 
Muslim areas, from having a madrassah to train imams. Similarly, the 
Government appropriated and converted a madrassah in Andijon into a 
hospital, despite petitions in 2004 by community members to have it 
reopened.
    On October 20, 2005, authorities denied the pastor of Bethany 
Baptist Church in the Mirzo-Ulugbek district of Tashkent an additional 
appeal to keep his church open. This decision prolongs the local 
pastor's five-year quest to register the church.
    On September 8, 2005, the economic court of Karakalpakstan rejected 
an appeal by the Emmanuel Church of Nukus to overturn the May 2005 MOJ 
decision to close the church, citing among other reasons, a charge that 
church members promoted Christianity to children without their parents' 
permission. Out of approximately twenty Protestant churches that had 
operated in the region, this was the last to close. Local authorities 
continued to pressure Baptist churches associated with the 
International Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians/Baptists, a 
denomination that rejects registration on principle, with demands to 
register their congregations. Forum 18 reported that on April 12, 2006, 
police and National Security Service (NSS) officials raided a service 
of Council Baptists at a member's home in the town of Kuvasai in 
Ferghana Province. Police reportedly interrogated three congregants, 
and on May 5, 2006, an Administrative Commission fined one congregant 
$8 (9,400 soum) for hosting the service in her home. On May 7, 2006, 
police and NSS officers reportedly returned to raid the church's Sunday 
service, recorded the names of those present, and threatened members 
with legal consequences if they did not register.
    The International Church of Tashkent, a Protestant 
nondenominational church that ministers exclusively to Tashkent's 
international community, has tried unsuccessfully to obtain 
registration, but now holds services in an officially registered 
Baptist church. The MOJ and the CRA have signaled a willingness to 
assist the International Church, but note that the law requires at 
least 100 congregants be citizens of Uzbekistan. The International 
Church meets regularly, without obstruction. However, the Government 
subjects many of its members to visa and accreditation delays.
    Local authorities have continued to block the registration of 
evangelical Christian congregations, particularly those that attempt to 
minister to ethnic Uzbeks. In January 2005, congregants of the 
Pentecostal Church in Chirchik reported that the Department of Justice 
in Tashkent Region denied their church's registration application 
because of ``grammatical errors in the Uzbek text of their charter.'' 
Authorities revoked without explanation the registration of a Baptist 
congregation in 2003; the last successful Baptist registration occurred 
in 1999. Despite a number of international appeals and formal legal 
appeals, the Mir (Peace) Church of Nukus, the Hushkhabar Church in 
Guliston, the Pentecostal Church in Andijon, and the Baptist Church in 
Gazalkent remained unregistered, apparently because they have ethnic 
Uzbek members. Church leaders reported that officials cite a multitude 
of reasons for refusing to register them, ranging from claims of 
falsified congregation lists to problems certifying addresses, 
``technicalities,'' and improper certification by fire inspectors, 
sanitation workers, and epidemiologists.
    The Jehovah's Witnesses continued to try to register in Tashkent 
where city authorities have refused to approve the address of the 
congregation's place of worship. Out of the eleven Jehovah's Witnesses 
churches in the country, those in Chirchik and Ferghana remained the 
only registered congregations. In Ferghana, they continued to pursue a 
new legal address with a larger space because they continued to have 
difficulties renting space for larger meetings. In November 2005, the 
Jehovah's Witnesses reported that the Tashkent district office revoked 
its previous approval, which had allowed a congregation of Jehovah's 
Witnesses to apply for registration after the local mahalla had blocked 
registration by refusing to approve the group's application. Many in 
the Government express suspicion of the Jehovah's Witnesses, viewing it 
as an extremist group.
    Internal police training documents have listed the Jehovah's 
Witnesses, along with the terrorist Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan 
(IMU) and HT, as security threats. Local officials and representatives 
of the religious establishment continued to express apprehension about 
the group's missionary activities. According to a Forum 18 report, CRA 
chairman Shoazim Minovarov specifically cited the Jehovah's Witnesses 
in a statement saying that the Government needed to take measures 
against proselytism.
    There were reports that the MOJ, which administers accreditation 
for employees of NGOs, refused to accredit the administrative director 
of the Tashkent Institute of Asian Culture and Development and one of 
his staff members due to accusations of missionary activities. Proper 
accreditation, a necessity for anyone attempting to work in Uzbekistan, 
is controlled by the MOJ, which has the ability to force out, without 
bringing formal charges, those it believes are proselytizing.
    In April 2006, after the Government levied administrative fines for 
improper registration of the Samarkand branch of an American-based 
education NGO, the organization and its U.S.-citizen volunteers closed 
and withdrew its staff. Members of the National Security Service and 
the local police had raided the volunteers' homes and confiscated 
personal literature and videos. Although the MOJ never charged the 
organization with proselytizing to local youths in English language 
clubs, the MOJ had announced it would conduct a detailed monitoring of 
them.
    There were unconfirmed reports that the Government continues to 
monitor a Presbyterian church in Tashkent Oblast, visiting 
approximately every three months to discuss church activities, 
reiterating that proselytizing is illegal, and scrutinizing the 
pictures and names of new church members. The Government requires the 
church to file monthly reports on its activities.
    In January 2005, authorities denied Russian Orthodox Church 
officials permission to bring relics of two Orthodox saints into the 
country. There were no similar reports during the period covered by 
this report.
    Unlike previous years, there were no credible reports of heads of 
mahalla committees threatening converts that they would not be given a 
cemetery burial if they did not stop attending church.
    For historical and cultural reasons, evangelical pastors generally 
preach in Russian while offering limited services in the Uzbek 
language--the official national language and the one linked most 
closely to the majority Muslim population. Presumably because Christian 
materials, such as the New Testament and selected scripture readings, 
in the Uzbek language would make the faith more accessible to the 
ethnic Uzbek population, the CRA tries to restrict the publication and 
distribution of such materials, allowing some limited concessions and 
materials such as some Uzbek-language coloring books with Bible themes. 
The Government requires the Bible Society to file regular reports on 
its printing, importing, and translating activities. The CRA apparently 
informally restricts the quantity of Uzbek-language materials that 
groups may import.
    Although the Government requires that the CRA approve all religious 
literature, in practice a number of other government entities, 
including the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), NSS, Customs Service, 
and police may suppress or confiscate religious literature of which 
they do not approve. The CRA, in accordance with the law, has given the 
right to publish, import, and distribute religious literature solely to 
registered central offices of religious organizations of which seven 
now exist: A nondenominational Bible society; the Muslim Board of 
Uzbekistan; two Islamic centers; and Russian Orthodox, Full Gospel, 
Baptist, and Roman Catholic offices. However, the Government uses 
bureaucratic obstacles, such as preventing registration of churches 
with Uzbek names on their membership rosters, and occasionally has 
blocked registered central religious organizations from producing or 
importing Christian literature in the Uzbek language, even though 
Bibles in many other languages are available in Tashkent bookstores.
    The Government may confiscate and destroy illegally imported 
religious literature. Examples of this, reported by Forum 18, include: 
The seizure, reported in April 2006, of 126 religious videos from a 
member of the Pentecostal church traveling to Nukus; the confiscation 
of religious materials from a member of Jehovah's Witnesses during a 
raid of his apartment in Tashkent in August 2005; the seizure of 
fifteen Bibles from a Protestant pastor in Gulistan on June 17, 2005; 
and the confiscation of ninety Hare Krishna books from a devotee in a 
small town outside of Nukus in the same month. Although the CRA denies 
it, authorities often incinerate confiscated literature. On August 12, 
2005, a Tashkent regional judge ordered the destruction of 33 Bibles, 
160 copies of the Gospel of Mark, and approximately 600 Christian 
leaflets for children, all of which were printed in the Uzbek language. 
Authorities had seized the literature outside of Tashkent on July 20, 
2005, from a group of four Baptists whom authorities subsequently 
detained and interrogated for eight hours.
    The Uzbekistan International Post Office in Tashkent scrutinizes 
all incoming packages and sends examples of any religious material to 
the CRA for further examination and approval. In the event that the CRA 
bans the materials, it mails a letter to the intended recipient and the 
sender explaining the rejection by the committee. The CRA has denied 
entrance into Uzbekistan of both Christian and Muslim titles.
    Access to Muslim publications is also tightly controlled by the 
State, which requires a statement in every domestic publication (books, 
pamphlets, CDs, and movies) indicating the source of its publication 
authority. Many books are published with the phrase ``permission for 
this book was granted by the CRA,'' or ``this book is recommended by 
the CRA,'' thus indicating official sanction. Generally, only books 
published under the Muslim Board's imprint, ``Movarounnahr,'' contain 
these phrases. Other works published under the imprint of the state-
owned Sharq or Adolat Publishing Houses do not appear to require CRA 
approval, even when they deal with Islamic law. A very small number of 
works in Arabic, imported from abroad, is sometimes available from book 
dealers. More controversial literature, if being offered, is not 
displayed, but only available upon request. Possession of literature by 
authors deemed to be extremists may lead to arrest and prosecution. The 
Government categorically prohibits HT leaflets.
    Previously, in March 2005, members of a Tashkent-based Baptist 
church reported that police confiscated over 1,000 CRA-approved 
religious booklets and detained seven church members for questioning. 
In August 2004, the Jehovah's Witnesses reported that authorities 
detained a member and confiscated religious literature. In February 
2004, according to press reports, police in Karakalpakstan confiscated 
religious literature from a Jehovah's Witness in Nukus. In January 
2004, police searched the home of a Jehovah's Witnesses member in 
Jizzakh and confiscated religious literature.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Government continued to commit serious abuses of religious 
freedom. The Government's campaign against extremist Muslim groups 
resulted in numerous serious human rights abuses during the period 
covered by this report. The campaign was directed at three types of 
Muslims: Alleged Wahhabists, in particular those educated at madrassahs 
abroad or those followers of either Imam Abduvali Mirzaev of Andijon, 
who disappeared in 1995, or Imam Abidkhan Nazarov of Tashkent, who fled 
to Kazakhstan in 1998 to avoid arrest and was granted refugee status by 
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on March 15, 
2006; those suspected of being involved in the 1999 Tashkent bombings 
or of being involved with the IMU, a Namangan-rooted group on the U.S. 
list of international terrorist organizations; and suspected members of 
the extremist Islamic political party HT. This ongoing campaign has 
resulted in the arrest of many observant, non-extremist Muslims, as 
well as allegations, dozens of them confirmed, that law enforcement has 
physically mistreated or tortured hundreds, perhaps thousands over the 
years. Persons accused of involvement with HT, which often involved 
nothing more than having attended one of its meetings or passing along 
banned HT leaflets, continued to be subject to prison sentences of up 
to fifteen, sometimes twenty years.
    Authorities appeared to suspect individuals belonging to Islamic 
organizations and Muslims who meet privately to pray or study Islam of 
extremism. People accused of ``Wahhabism'' faced abuse ranging from job 
loss to physical abuse and long imprisonment.
    The Government branded the Islamic missionary group Tabligh Jamoat 
(``Outreach Society'') as extremist. The group's worship, dress, and 
grooming practices are in accordance with their interpretation of 
Islamic practice during Muhammad's time. Various religious experts 
assert that there is no indication that Tabligh Jamoat seeks to 
overthrow the regime; members claim to be exclusively religious and 
apolitical. There were several reports that regional leaders have 
appeared on local television channels stating that schoolchildren may 
not attend mosques, and in Bukhara, there was a report that police have 
not allowed schoolchildren into the mosque.
    In March 2005 Radio Liberty reported a trial of six Tabligh Jamoat 
members; four were amnestied and two were fined. In January 2005 a 
Tashkent court took the unusual action of granting amnesty to seven of 
eight Tabligh Jamoat members on trial for extremism. This immediately 
followed a number of cases between July and December 2004 in the 
Ferghana Valley: The November 2004 sentencing of two followers to six-
month terms, four of which were credited as time served, and the 
October 2004 sentencing of eleven members to five-year prison terms in 
Andijon.
    The Government continued to prosecute persons suspected of 
involvement in the Islamic group Akromiya. According to religious 
experts, Akromiya is a religious movement that promotes business, not 
extremism. On July 25, 2005, the Tashkent criminal court convicted 
three alleged Akromiya members Akhad Ziyodkhojayev, Bokhodir Karimov, 
and Abdubosid Zakirov of participation in a religious extremist group, 
conspiracy to overthrow the constitutional order, establishing a 
criminal group, and disseminating materials constituting a threat to 
public order. The three received sentences of 15.5 to 16 years 
imprisonment. Trial observers noted that the convictions were based 
almost entirely on defendants' confessions and witness testimony, and 
that evidence presented in court did not suggest that the defendants 
were involved in criminal activity. In March 2005 a Syrdarya court 
sentenced seven food vendors from the town of Bakht to prison sentences 
of eight to nine years based on their alleged membership in Akromiya, 
though their families claimed their convictions were based on coerced 
testimony.
    In May 2005 peaceful demonstrations in support of twenty-three 
alleged Akromiya members led to civil unrest in Andijon. On the evening 
of May 12, 2005, an unknown number of individuals, possibly supporters 
of the men facing trial, attacked a police garrison, seized weapons, 
and broke into a nearby prison and released several hundred inmates. On 
the evening of May 13, according to several witnesses, military 
vehicles drove into Bobur Square, where several thousand civilians had 
gathered, and fired indiscriminately into the crowd multiple times and 
without warning. The total number of dead as a result was estimated 
from 170 to more than 700. In subsequent public statements, the 
Government referred to all on trial, in prison, and those killed on May 
13 as religious extremists. By the end of the reporting period, 
approximately 257 individuals had been convicted of various charges, 
including Islamic extremism, murder, terrorism, and anti-constitutional 
activity in connection with the Andijon events.
    Following the terrorist attacks of March, April and July 2004, the 
Government detained at least 500 persons, the overwhelming majority of 
whom were accused of membership in HT or Wahhabi groups. The Government 
also detained relatives of persons already in jail on charges of 
extremism. The Government released the majority of those taken into 
custody after questioning; some detainees made credible allegations of 
torture. The court convicted all eighty-five of those charged in 
connection with the terrorist acts, sentencing them to prison terms 
ranging from three to eighteen years.
    Authorities often severely mistreat persons arrested on suspicion 
of extremism, using torture, beatings, and particularly harsh prison 
conditions, typically sentencing these individuals to between seven- 
and twelve-year terms, though some defendants, particularly those also 
accused of involvement with HT or terrorist activity, received 
sentences of up to twenty years. Prison authorities reportedly do not 
allow many prisoners suspected of Islamic extremism to practice their 
religion freely and, in some circumstances, do not allow them to own a 
Qur'an. Prison authorities often do not permit inmates to pray five 
times a day or to adjust work and meal schedules for the Ramadan fast. 
Last year, authorities reportedly punished inmates who attempted to 
fulfill their religious obligations against prison rules or who 
protested the rules, with solitary confinement and beatings. This year, 
as authorities did not allow visits by independent outside monitors to 
places of detention, there was no reliable way of verifying whether 
such punishments took place.
    During the period of this report, there were two allegations of 
deaths in detention. According to human rights activists, on May 1, 
2006, thirty-four-year-old Kakhramon Teshaboyev died in a Tashkent 
prison medical facility, four years after he was convicted and 
sentenced to eighteen years in prison on charges of anti-constitutional 
activity and membership in a criminal organization. Authorities 
reportedly delivered Teshaboyev's body to his family and pressured them 
to bury it as soon as possible. A local imam died within three days of 
his September 14, 2005, sentencing after allegedly receiving injections 
of an unknown substance while in prison. His family requested an 
investigation into the imam's death, but no such investigation had 
taken place by the end of the reporting period. In March 2004 
Abdurrahman Narzaullayev, a convicted religious extremist serving a 
sixteen-year sentence in Karshi prison, died of a pulmonary infection 
after prison authorities allegedly attempted to break his hunger strike 
by force-feeding him. Although specific information is difficult to 
obtain, human rights and other observers maintain that prisoners 
frequently die of diseases directly related to the conditions of their 
confinement.
    On September 24, 2004, the Supreme Court issued a decree 
definitively banning the use of evidence obtained by torture or other 
illegal means. The Government has since taken limited administrative 
steps to eliminate torture in detention, but there were numerous 
reports that such treatment remains routine and systematic.
    There were no new developments in the following cases: The February 
2005 case in which two followers of Sufi Islam were given six-year 
sentences while claiming that authorities planted HT leaflets on them 
during their arrest and tortured them; the internationally monitored 
October 2004 convictions of twenty-three alleged extremists in which 
witnesses and defendants stated that police extracted their testimonies 
through torture; or the October 2004 conviction on criminal charges of 
the imam of a Navoi mosque and sixteen members, in which the defendants 
admitted only to being adherents of Islam.
    In May 2004 members of the security services allegedly abducted 
Husnuddin Nazarov while on his way to evening prayer services; 
according to Nazarov's family, authorities are holding him in detention 
at an undisclosed location. Husnuddin Nazarov is the eldest son of Imam 
Abidkhan Nazarov, an influential religious figure in Tashkent who was 
dismissed from his position at the Tokhtabay mosque in 1995, fled to 
Kazakhstan, and was resettled as a refugee by the UNHCR in March 2006. 
Imam Nazarov's followers were principal targets of the Government's 
effort to end extremism. Several of the Imam's followers were deported 
from Kazakhstan in late November 2005. Most were tried, convicted, and 
sentenced to an average of six years imprisonment on charges of Islamic 
extremism, while one defendant, Rukhitdin Fakhrutdinov, was awaiting 
trial at the end of the reporting period.
    Authorities often harass or arrest family members of persons wanted 
in connection with Islamic political activities or already jailed in 
connection with those activities. Though there are exceptions, in many 
cases the relative's only crime is association.
    Authorities continued to detain women for participating in or 
organizing demonstrations demanding the release of male relatives 
jailed on suspicion of Islamic extremism. On April 20, 2006, 
authorities arrested and charged six women with possession and 
dissemination of HT materials, according to Andijon television reports. 
Authorities claimed that 300 leaflets, 100 books, 100 magazines, and 
other media were confiscated from the homes of the women, who lived in 
different towns in Andijon Province.
    Authorities usually hold most detained women for a short period of 
time, releasing them with an administrative fine after a short period 
of time, and driving them home. There were reports that police insulted 
or forced some women to remove their head coverings. Although the 
police generally did not arrest women simply for taking part in 
demonstrations, many Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) offices 
maintained a list of women who participated in protests and detained 
many for questioning in the aftermath of the March, April, and July 
2004 bombings. According to the Initiative Group of Independent Human 
Rights Activists of Uzbekistan, in December 2004, authorities amnestied 
four women who had been charged with anti-constitutional activity, 
possession of banned religious materials, and religious extremism.
    On April 19, 2006, the Tashkent Province Criminal Court convicted 
eight men from the town of Yangiyul on charges of membership in an 
unregistered religious organization and sentenced seven of them to 
three years of compulsory labor in addition to paying 20 percent of 
their earnings to the state during that time. The court sentenced the 
eighth man to two years in prison. Prosecutors initially charged the 
men with membership in a banned extremist organization, which would 
have carried a maximum penalty of fifteen years imprisonment; however, 
for unspecified reasons, prosecutors reduced the charges while the 
trial was in progress. Observers reported that prosecutors may have 
reduced the charges in part because the evidence rested entirely upon 
testimony by a convicted thief, and that other court testimony did not 
indicate that the defendants were involved in any illegal activity. The 
defendants testified that investigators had beaten them and subjected 
them to other forms of physical mistreatment and threats of violence in 
detention. The judge disregarded the testimony regarding torture, 
saying that the men had made the allegations to avoid responsibility 
for their crimes. Family members of defendants reported that law 
enforcement officers threatened them with violence and harassed them 
during the investigation and trial.
    There were continued reports from human rights activists that 
prison officials beat and isolated prisoners convicted of extremism who 
refused to sign letters renouncing what the authorities deemed 
religious extremism, or who refused to accept visiting imams' moderate 
interpretations of Islam. In April 2005, courts sentenced nine persons 
convicted of religious extremism to prison terms ranging from six to 
thirteen years, amid allegations that law-enforcement officials 
tortured them to provoke confessions. On January 20, 2005, in Tashkent 
City Court, authorities accused eight Muslims of using and distributing 
banned Islamic audio recordings.
    As in previous years, there were reports that police planted 
narcotics, ammunition, and religious leaflets on citizens to justify 
their arrests. According to human rights activists, the police arrested 
many of those with outward signs of religious observance, such as 
traditional clothing or beards. There were also reports that 
authorities tortured, and beat evangelical Christians or failed to 
punish community members who did so. In June 2005 police arrested a 
Pentecostal Christian in Tashkent and reportedly tortured him in an 
attempt to force him to abandon Christianity. In April 2005 Forum 18 
reported that authorities failed to respond to Christian convert 
Khaldibek Primbetov's complaint that his neighbors in Karakalpakstan 
had beaten him and told him to ``return to Islam'' or leave the 
village. In June 2004 Forum 18 reported that an NSS officer in Khorezm 
questioned two members of an unregistered Baptist church and beat one 
of the men. Local authorities denied the allegations.
    Any religious service conducted by an unregistered religious 
organization is illegal. Police occasionally broke up meetings of 
unregistered evangelical congregations and detained their members. With 
a few exceptions, authorities often charged those detained with 
administrative fines which were reportedly increased from five to ten 
times the minimum wage to fifty to one-hundred times the minimum wage.
    During the reporting year, the Government also harassed Christians 
in the Andijon area. Forum 18 reported on June 20, 2006, that a 
Protestant pastor from Andijon, Dmitry Shestakov, leader of a 
registered Full Gospel Pentecostal congregation, went into hiding for 
fear of arrest. He faces between ten and twenty years in prison if 
found guilty of treason charges.
    As in previous years, there were several allegations that Christian 
evangelicals were detained. Even if they are not taken into custody, 
pastors who conduct unauthorized religious services still run the risk 
of arrest, which can have an effect on their activities. There was a 
report that on February 7, 2006, authorities fined five members of the 
``Gen-Khyan'' Presbyterian Church, including the church's pastor, for 
congregating without proper registration of their religious 
organization. Local officials continued to harass Bakhtiyor Tuychiyev, 
the ethnic Uzbek pastor of a Full Gospel Pentecostal church in Andijon. 
He has tried unsuccessfully to register his church since 2002. In 
November 2005 there were reports that the local authorities 
interrogated the pastor, and on December 23, 2005, that unidentified 
assailants attacked him, reviling him as a ``traitor to the faith.''
    On August 10, 2005, a criminal court in Navoi convicted a member of 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Azim Klichev, of teaching religion without 
government authorization and fined him approximately $70 (78,350 soum), 
ten times the minimum monthly wage. A local appeals court later upheld 
the decision. On August 30 a criminal court in Karshi convicted members 
of Jehovah's Witnesses, Bakhrom Pulatov and Feruza Mamatova, of 
conducting illegal religious meetings and proselytizing. Authorities 
fined Pulatov approximately $640 (705,150 soum), or 90 times the 
minimum monthly wage, and Mamatova approximately $500 (548,450 soum), 
seventy times the minimum monthly wage. The fines, although within the 
amount the law prescribed, were far beyond that normally imposed for 
religious crimes. A local appeals court upheld the decisions.
    In May 2005 authorities detained and questioned 20 of the 125 
members of an unregistered Baptist church in the Surkhandarya Region. 
Also in 2005 authorities detained and administratively punished six 
parishioners of Bethany Baptist congregation in Tashkent for 
unregistered activity. In June 2005 police reportedly arrested two 
Baptist pastors and four church members after raiding their Tashkent 
church. In 2005 courts sentenced Baptist Farkhod Khamedov to ten days 
of administrative punishment, but authorities disciplined law 
enforcement officers in connection with his treatment. In October 2004 
a district court in Tashkent fined a Baptist pastor $65 (65,000 soum) 
for unregistered religious activity. In 2003 authorities imprisoned and 
fined Baptists in Khalkabad for worshiping privately, and fined a 
Baptist pastor in Urgench for allegedly conducting religious work among 
children without their parents' permission.
    Authorities continued to raid other Christian denominations as 
well. On September 23, 2005, according to Forum 18 reports, authorities 
arrested sixteen Baptists from the Council of Churches who were 
conducting an evangelistic meeting in Kagan outside of Bukhara, and 
detained them for a day. Authorities also confiscated the Baptists' 
Christian literature, including Gospels in the Uzbek language. On April 
21, 2006, in the Shaikhantahur District of Tashkent, Government 
authorities arrested three members of the Jesus Christ Charismatic 
Church who were engaged in humanitarian activities at a children's 
hospital. Although the authorities later released them, the prosecutor 
is carrying out a criminal investigation on one member for teaching 
religion.
    During the period of this report, the Government particularly 
targeted Full Gospel churches. Forum 18 reported an incident involving 
a member of the Full Gospel Church in Syrdarya in which authorities 
summoned Andrei Li to court on April 7, 2006. The court completed the 
proceedings without his knowledge and convicted him and fined him 
approximately $42 (50,400 soum) for illegal religious activity. 
Authorities fined the Fores Full Gospel pastor from Tashkent 
approximately $4 (4800 soum) after Government authorities raided his 
home while fifteen members of his church arrived to celebrate the 
holidays on January 11, 2006. On November 14, 2005, authorities 
arrested the pastor of the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in Jizzak, 
who faced charges of ``participation in the activity of an illegal 
religious organization'' and possible imprisonment of up to three 
years, after raiding his home in October 2005, when other members of 
his congregation had met for dinner.
    Additionally, in June 2005, authorities took into custody 
approximately twenty Full Gospel Pentecostal Church members in 
Tashkent; several credible media outlets reported that authorities 
verbally and physically abused, and threatened to rape, the members 
during several days of interrogations. Under the guise of the murder 
investigation of an American citizen who belonged to the church, 
Government authorities harassed church members for allowing ethnic 
Uzbeks into their congregation. Internet websites reported that on 
April 30, 2006, 160 congregants from the formerly sanctioned Emmanuel 
Full Gospel Church in Nukus were celebrating Easter in a local hotel 
when approximately 50 policemen stormed the premises, arresting at 
least 8 individuals, including the pastor. During the raid, Government 
officers threatened many of the children into signing statements 
renouncing their faith while parents faced similar pressure to 
discourage their family's involvement with the church. After hours of 
questioning, the eight church members were released without charges or 
fines. In a related incident, also on April 30, 2006, local police 
officers attacked the caretaker of the land owned by the church, 
beating him and breaking his arm, in an attempt to intimidate leaders 
of the Full Gospel church to relinquish the property to the Government.
    On April 24, 2006, numerous press reports indicated that Urgench 
City criminal investigators raided the home of the pastor of the Union 
of Independent Churches as twelve of his congregants met for lunch. 
Investigators seized the pastor's computer and Christian literature, 
along with another member's digital camera and laptop. The pastor and 
one church member faced administrative charges for allegations of 
proselytizing. The Government deported three Turkmen citizens present 
during the police raid, and reportedly prohibited them from returning 
by placing black stamps in their passports. On April 11, 2006, 
Government authorities raided a local Protestant's apartment while she 
was meeting with two other church members. Authorities took all three 
members along with one small child to Tashkent's Yunusobod District 
police headquarters, where officers attempted to force them to sign 
confessions of illegal religious activity. They refused and, after 
several hours, were eventually released.
    In October 2004 police disrupted services of an unregistered 
Christian denomination in Tashkent and questioned several dozen 
members. In September 2004 authorities disrupted a prayer meeting of 
the Greater Grace Church in Samarkand, confiscated literature, and 
forced members to sign confessions. When the pastor traveled abroad, 
the Government warned him not to return and threatened him and his 
family. In March 2004 a criminal court fined six members of a 
Protestant church in Tashkent for holding unauthorized meetings in a 
private home. In August 2003 Nukus police raided the Peace Protestant 
Church and fined two church leaders for holding illegal religious 
services. According to Forum 18, in September 2003, police in Chirchik 
disrupted Sunday services of the unregistered Friendship Protestant 
Church.
    In October 2004 a Surkhandarya court fined Pentecostal Pastor 
Bakhrom Nazarov $312 (326,500 soum) for proselytizing; police had 
earlier raided the homes of Nazarov's relatives, without identifying 
themselves, and confiscated Christian literature. In July 2004 a Termez 
court sentenced Nazarov to ten days in prison and fined ten members of 
his church $5 to $31 (5,440 to 32,680 soum).
    Although the authorities tolerate the existence of many Christian 
evangelical groups, they enforce the law's ban on proselytizing. The 
Government often monitors and harasses those who openly try to convert 
Muslims to Christianity. Jehovah's Witnesses have come under particular 
scrutiny. On December 12, 2005, two Jehovah's Witnesses were sentenced 
to several days' imprisonment and nine others were fined $11 (13,200 
soum) for unauthorized religious activity. Also during the period 
covered by this report, a Member of Jehovah's Witnesses faced 
prosecution for proselytizing in the western city of Navoi. The church 
member was charged with attempting to convert a believer from one 
religious group to another. He was convicted on October 6, 2005, and 
fined approximately $77 (92,400 soum). On August 31, 2005, two 
Jehovah's Witnesses were fined a total of more than $1,300 (1,320,000 
soum) for illegal religious activity. This was the largest fine levied 
on Christians by the Government in recent history. On August 10, 2005, 
courts convicted a member of Jehovah's Witnesses from Prigovor (near 
Navoi) of providing unauthorized religion instruction and fined him $44 
(52,800 soum), as Forum 18 reported. In September 2004, courts charged 
Jehovah's Witnesses member Dilshod Akhmedov with proselytizing, but 
authorities later dropped the charges. In July 2004 one member was 
detained for distributing religious literature, but the court in 
Takhiatash quickly closed the case. In December 2003, two members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses in Karshi were arrested while preaching door-to-
door.
    On May 29, 2006, authorities deported a member of Jehovah's 
Witnesses to Kazakhstan. On April 27, 2006, authorities arrested and 
sentenced a member of Jehovah's Witnesses to 10 days in prison for 
illegal religious activity. On April 12, 2006, authorities coordinated 
country-wide raids of homes of Jehovah's Witnesses during their annual 
holy day, which commemorates the death of Jesus, and detained more than 
500 people. Reports claimed that authorities beat some members and 
threatened women with rape or other humiliating acts unless they signed 
confession statements. Most of those arrested were released within a 
day, several with administrative fines. Following these prosecutions, 
on April 26, a Russian citizen traveled to the country to represent 
Jehovah's Witnesses facing trial. Authorities detained him at Tashkent 
airport, then denied him entry and deported him. The Witnesses then 
sent an Uzbek citizen attorney to Karshi to defend members on trial. On 
May 22, while in court working, authorities sent him to a cell and 
detained him for more than twenty-four hours.
    In June 2005 the Karshi city prosecutor filed criminal charges 
against three Jehovah's Witnesses in Karshi for proselytizing, meeting 
as an unregistered group, and distributing banned religious materials. 
In March 2005, on the same liturgical occasion as the April 2006 raids, 
authorities carried out a similar coordinated raid against Jehovah's 
Witnesses meetings in Tashkent and eight other cities, arresting 
approximately 200 church members and releasing most soon afterwards, 
but subjecting some to longer detention, police beatings, and small 
fines. In January 2005, authorities raided an unauthorized Jehovah's 
Witnesses religious meeting in Karshi and questioned forty-two members. 
Courts sentenced two members to ten days in prison and fined seven 
more.
    In 2004 police fined two Jehovah's Witnesses in Kogon $10 (10,900 
soum) and $13 (14,170 soum) respectively for allegedly conducting 
illegal religious teaching. Also in 2004, authorities sentenced 
Jehovah's Witness Vladimir Kushchevoy of Samarkand to three years of 
corrective labor, later reduced to one year probation, for providing 
unauthorized religious instruction, and in June 2004, in Uchkuduk, 
detained Jehovah's Witnesses member Tolkin Hankildiev and fined him $26 
(27,200 soum).
    Credible reports alleged that authorities arrested two Baptist 
pastors and four church members in June 2005, after plainclothes police 
officers raided their church in Tashkent. In May 2005 authorities 
detained and questioned 20 of the 125 members of the unregistered 
Baptist church in Surkhandarya Province. In March 2005 police raided an 
unauthorized Protestant meeting involving citizens and South Korean 
missionaries outside Tashkent; the citizens were fined.
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.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
    Since 2003 the Government has allowed former Mufti Muhammad Sodiq 
Muhammad Yusuf to publish widely on a variety of religious topics in 
both print and electronic formats. His popular Islamic website remains 
unblocked by the Government and he continues to host a popular radio 
program on Islam and to teach at the Islamic University.
    Authorities have allowed a small but growing number of unregistered 
mosques to reopen, both in cities and in the countryside. In addition, 
non-state sanctioned imams continued to work, particularly in rural 
areas, under the close watch of religious officials. Reports note that 
the atmosphere in the Muslim community has improved somewhat, as 
observant Muslims are being allowed to practice their faith within 
these controlled environments.
    During the year covered in this report, the number of Hajj pilgrims 
increased from 4,200 to 5,000.
    The Government continued to respect the military pacifism of 
Jehovah's Witnesses. The draft board routinely gave exemptions.
    On April 30, 2005, an official at the MVD confirmed reports that 
authorities disciplined a Chilonzor District inspector in connection 
with a case involving actions taken against Baptist members Flyura 
Valitova and Farkhod Khamedov (see above).
    In March 2006, the Government completed the annual year-end amnesty 
of an indeterminate number of prisoners of conscience from the 2005-
2006 amnesty, the vast majority of whom had been convicted of Islamic 
extremism. This followed an amnesty in 2004-2005 of 361, as well as the 
2003-2004 amnesty of 704 such prisoners. Imams met with amnestied 
prisoners convicted of extremism upon their return to their 
communities.
    During the period covered by this report, there continued to be 
increased tolerance in general for the use of head coverings by Muslim 
women. The hijab was seen more frequently in Tashkent, the more 
religiously conservative parts of the Ferghana Valley, and the southern 
provinces of Kashkadarya and Surkhondarya. The CRA has taken the 
position that women should not be barred from educational institutions 
on the basis of their religious dress and has actively assisted women 
who have been previously expelled to gain re-admission to their 
universities. The CRA's support of the re-admission of these women may 
be attributed to the January 2005 UN Human Rights Committee decision in 
favor of an Uzbek woman whom the Tashkent State Institute for Eastern 
Languages had expelled in 1999 in connection with her wearing of the 
hijab. In response to the woman's petition, the committee found that 
the Government had violated her rights under the International Covenant 
on Civil and Political Rights. During the period covered by this 
report, it was more common to see women on the street wearing the hijab 
and, less frequently, the veil.
    Authorities gave Greater Grace Church in Samarkand a permit to meet 
once a week as a congregation in a Korean Church, as well as in 
people's homes. At Christmas, authorities permitted the youth choral 
group to present a concert for the public Children's home.
    There have been reports of some recent cases where authorities have 
dismissed charges against Protestants after their lawyer protested 
procedural matters or evidence. For example, the Urtachirchik district 
court in Tashkent Province tried to bring charges against two members 
of the Pentecostal church for teaching religion. On May 15, 2006, the 
court dropped the case. Likewise, on May 5, 2006, the Gulistan district 
court dropped the administrative case of a member of the Evangelical 
Charismatic Church, releasing her from punishment.
    On January 21, 2006, the court also intervened on behalf of four 
ethnic-Uzbek students whom the Nukus Pediatric Medical Institute 
expelled from student housing for ``promoting Christianity among fellow 
students.'' Reports indicate that all students are back in the 
institute's housing.
    On January 7, 2006, the civil court of Tashkent city in the Mirabad 
district dismissed the case against a volunteer of the Uzbekistan Bible 
Society. On January 6, 2006, in Termez city, the court ruled illegal 
the January 1, 2006 detention of the pastor of an unregistered 
Pentecostal church and confiscation of his car, releasing him and the 
car.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relations among religions in society 
contributed to religious freedom.
    There was no pattern of discrimination against Jewish persons. 
Synagogues, Hebrew education, Jewish cultural events, and the 
publication of a community newspaper take place openly and undisturbed. 
Many Jews have emigrated to the United States and Israel, most likely 
because of bleak economic prospects and connections to families abroad, 
rather than anti-Jewish sentiment. The diminished numbers make it 
impossible to attain the provisions of the 1998 revised religion laws, 
which require registration of eight synagogues in eight different 
cities in order to establish a rabbinate. The chief rabbi continues to 
press the Government unsuccessfully to allow for an exception. There 
are Jewish kindergartens in Tashkent and Samarkand officially teaching 
Jewish ``culture.'' In the past, HT members have distributed anti-
Semitic fliers with text generally originating abroad and not 
representative of feelings of the vast majority of the population; 
there were no reports of such fliers being distributed in the current 
reporting period. Although the religious press carried initial stories 
speculating on anti-Semitic motives for the February 25, 2006 death 
from head injuries of a Tashkent Jewish community leader, Avraam 
Yagudayev; as well as the June 8, 2006 murders of a twenty-year-old 
secretary to prominent Tashkent-based Rabbi David Gurevich, Karina 
Loifer and her mother, preliminary investigation did not indicate that 
anti-Semitism motivated these deaths. The investigations were ongoing 
at the end of the reporting period.
    Society generally tolerated Christians, provided they did not 
actively proselytize and were not converted ethnic Uzbeks, who suffer 
discrimination. Evangelical Christian churches and churches with ethnic 
Uzbek converts encounter difficulties stemming from discrimination.
    On December 5, 2005, an article entitled ``Our Faith is Not for 
Sale'' appeared in a weekly newspaper. Its author passionately 
denounced missionary activities, characterizing missionaries as 
dangerous and subversive. Implicit was the notion that missionaries are 
working on behalf of foreign governments hostile to Central Asia 
Muslims. At least one Tashkent-based imam applauded the sentiments 
voiced in the article and urged his congregation to read it.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy actively engages in monitoring religious freedom issues 
and maintains contact with numerous sectors of society including 
government and religious leaders, academicians, think-tank experts, and 
human rights advocates. High-level executive branch officials met with 
Uzbek officials abroad and in the country during the period covered by 
this report, and expressed strong concerns regarding human rights, 
including the U.S. stance on freedom of religious expression.
    The U.S. ambassador and other embassy officials met with local 
religious leaders, human rights activists, and country officials to 
discuss specific issues of human rights and religious freedom. 
Officials in Washington met on several occasions with embassy officials 
of the country to convey U.S. concerns regarding religious freedom. 
U.S. officials traveled around the country meeting with religious 
leaders and groups as well as with government officials. Embassy 
officials maintain contact with the CRA, as well as with religious 
leaders and human rights activists. When the embassy learned of 
difficulties faced by religious groups, it intervened on their behalf 
when possible as in the past, taking such actions as attempting to 
contact Government officials and attending trials. These actions were 
for observant Muslims and Christians, and faith-based foreign aid 
organizations. All but two of the approximately fifty Jehovah's 
Witnesses detained in Tashkent's Chilonzor District on March 24, 2005 
were released within hours, a fact they credited to the embassy's 
presence. The embassy continues to raise concerns, despite a downturn 
in our bilateral relationship with Uzbekistan.
    The ambassador and other embassy officials met with numerous Muslim 
clergymen and other religious figures. Members of the religious 
community, as well as other Uzbek opinion leaders, routinely receive 
information from the embassy's Information Resource Center. Outreach 
events included visits by the ambassador and embassy officials to 
mosques and madrassahs. Embassy officials urged the Government to allow 
more freedom of religious expression and more mosque registrations. 
U.S. officials, both in Washington, D.C. and in Tashkent, have 
encouraged the Government to revise its laws on religion, including 
revising the 100-member minimum required to form a religious group, 
repealing the ban on proselytizing, lifting restrictions on the 
importation and publication of religious literature, and eliminating 
legal provisions prohibiting the private teaching of religion, which 
the U.S. Government believes is an essential element for preventing 
further radicalization of young Muslims.
    The U.S. sponsors exchange and educational programs that are 
specifically designed to promote religious tolerance and to expand 
religious freedom. Since 2004, the Community Connections and Cultural 
and Religious Pluralism projects, programs conducted in cooperation 
with the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), brought 
eighty local Islamic leaders to the United States. A three-year 
Comparative Religious Studies Program, funded by the U.S. Government 
and managed by the University of Washington, provides for exchange of 
experts and professors from five local universities in order to promote 
religious tolerance.
    The U.S. Government promotes religious freedom generally as part of 
its human rights programming, although the Government of Uzbekistan's 
closure of NGOs during the reporting period seriously hampered these 
efforts. In 2006, the U.S. Government sponsored training in three 
cities in Uzbekistan for defense advocates and human rights activists 
on international religious freedom standards, as well as a follow-up 
roundtable, and a regional conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the 
role of religion in promoting peace and social partnerships, which 
included religious leaders from Uzbekistan. In 2005, the U.S. 
Government sponsored the participation of an Uzbek specialist on human 
rights in the International Summer School on Religion and Public Life 
in Jerusalem. In 2006, the U.S. Government sponsored Uzbeks' 
participation in the ``Law, Religion and Social Change'' conference at 
the National University in Canberra, Australia.
                           WESTERN HEMISPHERE

                              ----------                              


                          ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 170 square miles and a population of 
77,000. Seventy-four percent of the population was Christian. The 
Anglican Church was the largest religious denomination, accounting for 
an estimated 26 percent of the population. The Methodist, Moravian, and 
Roman Catholic churches accounted for approximately 10 percent each. 
The United Evangelical Association, an organization that included most 
independent evangelical churches, claimed an estimated 25 percent of 
the population, and Jehovah's Witnesses numbered more than 1,000 
members. The total number of non-Christians was small; they included an 
estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Rastafarians, more than 200 adherents of 
Islam, nearly 200 Hindus, and approximately 50 members of the Baha'i 
Faith. According to the 2001census report, there were more than 4,000 
atheists or persons who did not follow a particular religion.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Government is secular; however, the Government maintained a 
close relationship with the Antigua Christian Council. The prime 
minister is responsible for the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, 
whose role is to coordinate and facilitate greater interaction between 
churches, other religious organizations, and the Government, and to 
facilitate the free movement of pastors into the country.
    The Christian holy days of Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, 
and Christmas are national holidays.
    Ministers of religion are constitutionally prohibited from running 
for elected office.
    Religious groups are not required to register with the Government; 
however, groups are required to incorporate to own property. Tax and 
duty-free concessions, especially for building and development, are 
available to groups that are registered.
    Public schools are secular; religious education is not part of 
their curriculum.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Rastafarians complained that the use of marijuana, an aspect of 
their religious ritual, is prohibited. Rastafarian representatives met 
with the prime minister in 2004 and submitted a petition to 
decriminalize the use of marijuana; however, no known changes to 
existing laws were made during the period covered by this report.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Antigua Christian Council 
conducted activities to promote greater mutual understanding and 
tolerance among adherents of different denominations within the 
Christian faith.
    Rastafarians complained of widespread discrimination, especially in 
hiring and in schools.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy also discussed these issues with local religious groups.
                               __________

                               ARGENTINA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. In 
October 2005, following complaints from some non-Roman Catholic 
Christian groups, the Government eased the requirements for 
registration of religious groups.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 1,068,302 square miles and a population 
of approximately thirty-seven million, according to the 2001 census. 
Accurate estimates of religious affiliation were difficult to obtain; 
however, information supplied by the National Registry of Worship and 
representatives of various religious groups, as well as statistics from 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), produced the following estimates, 
which do not necessarily imply active religious practice: Catholics, 70 
percent of the population; Protestants, 9 percent; Muslims, 1.5 
percent; Jews, 0.8 percent; other religious groups, 2.5 percent; and 
the remainder, no declared religious affiliation. Available estimates 
often were based on outdated census data and questionable presumptions, 
such as assuming that immigrants of Middle Eastern origin were Muslim. 
The Islamic Center estimated that only one of three Middle Eastern 
immigrants was Muslim, particularly those of Syrian or Lebanese origin; 
the majority of these immigrants were Maronites (Orthodox Catholic). Of 
the Muslim population of 500,000 to 600,000, the Islamic Center 
estimated that 93 percent were Sunni and 7 percent Shiite.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
grants all residents the right ``to profess their faith freely'' and 
states that foreigners enjoy all the civil rights of citizens.
    The constitution states that the federal government ``sustains the 
apostolic Roman Catholic faith,'' and the Government provides the 
Catholic Church with a variety of subsidies not available to other 
religious groups. These subsidies, estimated at approximately four 
million dollars per annum, have been described as compensation for 
expropriation of properties that belonged to Catholic institutions in 
the colonial era. The Secretariat of Worship in the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, International Trade, and Worship is responsible for conducting 
the Government's relations with religious organizations in the country.
    The National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and 
Racism (INADI), an independent government agency under the jurisdiction 
of the Ministry of Justice, is charged with promoting social and 
cultural pluralism and combating discriminatory attitudes. INADI, which 
includes representatives of the major religious groups on its board, 
investigates violations of a 1988 law that prohibits discrimination 
based on ``race, religion, nationality, ideology, political opinion, 
sex, economic position, social class, or physical characteristics.'' 
The agency also conducts educational programs, supports victims, and 
promotes proactive measures to prevent discrimination. In 2005 INADI 
released its national plan against discrimination, providing an 
analysis of the situation and discriminatory social practices as well 
as strategic recommendations to address the identified problems, 
including religious discrimination.
    Three Christian holy days are observed as national holidays: Good 
Friday, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas. Legislation passed in 
April 2006 extended authorized paid leave from three days to seven for 
those observing the Jewish holy days of New Year, the Days of 
Atonement, and Passover, and also for those observing the Islamic holy 
days of the Muslim New Year.
    Religious organizations that wish to obtain tax-exempt status must 
register with the Secretariat of Worship and report periodically to 
maintain their status. Possession of a place of worship, an 
organizational charter, and an ordained clergy are among the criteria 
the secretariat considers in determining whether to grant or withdraw 
registration. In October 2005 the Government relaxed the restrictions, 
granting registration to groups that formerly did not meet the 
necessary requirements, including the Amerindian mbya guarani, 
signifying the first instance in which the Government officially 
recognized an indigenous religion.
    Registration is not required for private religious services, such 
as those conducted in homes, but it is necessary for public activities.
    Registered religious organizations may bring in foreign 
missionaries by applying to the Secretariat of Worship, which in turn 
notifies immigration authorities so that appropriate documents may be 
issued. There were no reports from any groups that their affiliated 
foreign missionaries were denied visas.
    Public education is secular; however, students may request 
instruction in the religion of their choice, which can be conducted in 
school or at a religious institution. Many churches and synagogues 
operate private schools, including seminaries and universities.
    The Secretariat of Worship sought to promote religious harmony by 
sending official representatives to events such as religious freedom 
conferences, rabbinical ordinations, Rosh Hashana and Eid al-Fitr 
celebrations, and religious activities held by Protestant and Orthodox 
churches.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In February 2005 the Government called for the removal of the 
military's chaplain general, Bishop Antonio Baseotto, due to 
controversial comments the bishop made regarding the Government's 
reproductive health policies. (The position of chaplain general is 
appointed by the Vatican, although it is subsidized by the Government.) 
The Vatican refused to remove the bishop, and at the end of the period 
covered by this report, the bishop remained nominally in his position 
but was not providing any of the services or duties of the office, and 
the Government had removed its subsidies.
    Jewish authorities expressed their concern over a judge's decision, 
in apparent contradiction of nondiscrimination laws, that a landlord 
could refuse to rent an apartment to a Jewish couple because of the 
landlord's fear of a possible (terrorist) attack. INADI issued a 
determination that the judge's decision violated antidiscrimination 
laws. The Delegation of Israeli Argentine Associations (DAIA) appealed 
the judge's decision and was considering requesting the judge's removal 
from the bench.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. NGOs actively promoted 
interreligious understanding. Ecumenical attendance was common at 
important religious events.
    NGOs promoting religious fraternity included the Argentine Jewish-
Christian Brotherhood (an affiliate of the International Council of 
Christians and Jews), the Argentine Council for Religious Freedom, the 
Foundation for Education for Peace, and the Federation of Arab Entities 
(Latin America), known as FEARAB. Cooperation was particularly notable 
between FEARAB (Latin America), representing Muslims and Christians of 
Arab origin; the Islamic Center of the Republic of Argentina; and DAIA 
to prevent religious tensions stemming from political conflicts in the 
Middle East.
    The DAIA reported an increase in anti-Semitic comments and 
graffiti. DAIA also noted its concern over increased receipt by 
individuals of threatening and anti-Semitic e-mails, although they 
attributed this activity to individuals rather than any organized 
group.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officers met periodically with various religious leaders and 
attended events organized by faith-based organizations and NGOs that 
addressed questions of religious freedom.
                               __________

                              THE BAHAMAS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has a total area of 13,939 square miles and a 
population of approximately 340,000, including those residing in the 
country illegally. The country was ethnically diverse and included a 
Haitian minority of legal and illegal immigrants estimated at 40,000 to 
60,000 persons and a white/European minority nearly as large.
    More than 90 percent of the population professed a religion, and 
anecdotal evidence suggested that most attended services regularly. The 
country's religious profile reflected this diversity. Protestant 
Christian denominations, including Baptists (35 percent), Anglicans (15 
percent), Presbyterians, Methodists, evangelicals, and Seventh-day 
Adventists were in the majority, but there were also significant Roman 
Catholic (14 percent) and Greek Orthodox populations. Smaller Jewish, 
Baha'i, and Muslim communities also were active. A small number of 
Bahamians and Haitians, particularly those living in the Family 
Islands, practiced Obeah, a version of voodoo. A small but stable 
number of citizens identified themselves as Rastafarians, while some 
members of the country's small resident Guyanese and Indian populations 
practiced Hinduism and other South Asian religions. Although many 
unaffiliated Protestant congregations were almost exclusively Black, 
most mainstream churches were integrated racially.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution requires the Government to guarantee respect for 
Christian values, and there is often reference to the country's strong 
Christian heritage and Christian themes in general in political and 
public discourse. The constitution specifically forbids infringement of 
a person's freedom to change religion.
    Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Whit Monday are national holidays.
    Churches and other religious congregations do not face any special 
registration requirements, although they must incorporate legally to 
purchase land. There are no legal provisions to encourage or discourage 
the formation of religious communities, which are required to pay the 
same tariffs and stamp taxes as for-profit companies once they legally 
incorporate.
    The Government permits foreign clergy and missionaries to enter the 
country and to proselytize and practice their religion without 
restriction.
    Religion is recognized as an academic subject at government 
schools, and it is included in mandatory standardized achievement and 
certificate tests for all students. The country's Christian heritage 
has a heavy influence on religion classes in government-supported 
schools, which focus on the study of Christian philosophy, biblical 
texts, and, to a lesser extent, comparative and non-Christian religions 
in a Christian context. The constitution allows students, or their 
guardians in the case of minors, to decline to participate in religious 
education and observance in schools; this right, although rarely 
exercised, was respected in practice.
    The Government meets regularly with religious leaders, both 
publicly and privately, to discuss social, political, and economic 
concerns. Christian pastors exerted significant influence over politics 
and society.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The practice of Obeah is illegal, and those caught practicing it or 
attempting to intimidate, steal, inflict disease, or restore a person 
to health under the guise of Obeah are liable to three months' 
imprisonment.
    Some Rastafarians claimed discrimination by the Government, citing 
forced cutting of hair, police harassment, and unequal treatment of 
Rastafarian students. In August 2005 police raided the Ethiopia Africa 
Black International Congress True Church of Divine Salvation during a 
Rastafarian religious service, disrupting the ceremony, demonstrating a 
lack of respect for church practices and sanctuary, and briefly 
detaining worshippers.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There were several 
interdenominational organizations and ecumenical movements. These 
groups freely expressed their opinions on social, political, and 
economic topics.
    Society was at times less tolerant of religions perceived as 
foreign, particularly Rastafarianism, Obeah, and voodoo. Some citizens 
publicly called the poverty and political unrest in Haiti signs of 
God's disapproval of the practice of voodoo.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discussed religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                BARBADOS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 166 square miles and a population of 
approximately 277,000. More than 95 percent of the population was 
considered Christian, although persons may not have been active in any 
particular denomination. The Anglican Church constituted the largest 
religious group, with approximately 70,000 members; an estimated 65 
percent were active in the Church. The next largest denomination was 
the Seventh-day Adventists, numbering approximately 16,000 members, 
10,000 of whom were active. There were approximately 11,000 Roman 
Catholics; an estimated 20 percent were active. Pentecostals numbered 
approximately 7,000; more than 50 percent were active. Methodists 
numbered an estimated 5,000, according to church officials, although 
many more claimed Methodist affiliation in the previous official 
census; an estimated 60 percent of members were active. There were 
approximately 2,500 members of Jehovah's Witnesses; more than 95 
percent were active. Baptists, Moravians, and members of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were present in small 
numbers.
    The number of non-Christians was small. There were an estimated 
2,700 Muslims, most of whom were immigrants or descendants of 
immigrants from the Indian state of Gujarat. A few immigrants from 
Guyana, Trinidad, South Asia, and the Middle East, as well as 
approximately 200 Barbadians, comprised the rest of the growing Muslim 
community. There were three mosques and an Islamic center. Other 
minority religious groups included Rastafarians, Hindus, Buddhists, and 
members of the Baha'i Faith.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Christian holy days of Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, 
and Christmas are national holidays.
    Religious groups were required to register with the Government to 
obtain duty-free import privileges or tax benefits, but no complaints 
were received that the process was onerous.
    Foreign missionaries were required to apply for entry visas. These 
were obtained easily, and there were no other special requirements 
imposed to acquire them.
    Religious instruction is included in the public school curriculum 
as ``values education.'' The focus is on Christianity, but 
representatives from minority religious groups are also invited to 
speak to students.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Adherents to the Rastafarian faith complained that the use of 
marijuana, pertinent to their religious rituals, is illegal and that 
their members were victims of societal discrimination, especially in 
hiring. No new developments were reported concerning complaints that in 
March 2005, following a prison riot, prison officials shaved the 
dreadlocks of Rastafarian prisoners after the discovery of contraband 
in the hair of some members of that religious group. Likewise, no new 
developments were noted regarding the Rastafarian community's request 
for government assistance in setting up a primary school, on the 
grounds that the government schools instilled beliefs in Rastafarian 
children that conflicted with their faith.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The Barbados Christian Council and the Caribbean Conference of 
Churches conducted activities to promote greater mutual understanding 
and tolerance among adherents of different denominations within the 
Christian faith.
    Representatives of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist, 
and Muslim communities stated that they experienced occasional 
criticism for their religious beliefs and practices, but they generally 
believed that society was very tolerant. Rastafarians complained that 
there was widespread discrimination against their members, especially 
in hiring and in schools.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives also discussed freedom of religion with local 
groups and other organizations.
                               __________

                                 BELIZE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 8,867 square miles and a population 
estimated at 290,000. There was a growing mestizo population (48.7 
percent), a diminishing Creole component (24.9 percent), a stable Mayan 
element (10.6 percent), and a Garifuna component (6.1 percent). The 
balance of the population (9.7 percent) included Europeans, East 
Indians, Chinese, Arabs, and North Americans.
    According to a 2000 census, Roman Catholics constituted 49.6 
percent of the population, Pentecostals 7.4 percent, and Anglicans 5.3 
percent. Other faiths and denominations included Baptists (3.5 
percent), Methodists (3.5 percent), Seventhday Adventists (5.2 
percent), and Mennonites (4.1 percent). There were approximately 6,000 
Nazarenes and modest numbers of Hindus, Baha'is, Buddhists, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), Muslims, Rastafarians, and Salvation Army members. Except 
for the Mennonites and Pentecostals, who lived mostly in the rural 
districts of Cayo and Orange Walk, members of these minority groups 
tended to live in Belize City. Catholics were numerous throughout the 
country and constituted the majority faith in all but two of the 
country's six districts, Belize and Cayo, where they held a plurality 
of the population but did not constitute a majority. Approximately 10 
percent of citizens identified themselves as nonbelievers or members of 
no religious congregation.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion; however, the preamble to the 
constitution reads that ``the nation of Belize shall be founded upon 
principles which acknowledge the supremacy of God.'' A 2002 amendment 
to the constitution expanded the appointed senate to twelve persons, 
one of whom is appointed by the governor general acting in accordance 
with the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical 
Association of Churches. The membership of these organizations includes 
several Christian denominations, among them Anglican, Catholic, 
Methodist, Presbyterian, and Seventh-day Adventist.
    Under the constitution, freedom of religion is part of a broader 
protection--that of freedom of conscience. In addition, the 
constitution provides that no one shall be compelled to take an oath 
that is contrary to a person's religion or belief. Discrimination on 
religious grounds is illegal and rarely occurs. To help maintain 
religious harmony, the constitution reserves the right of the 
Government to intervene in religious matters ``for the purpose of 
protecting the rights and freedoms of other persons,'' including the 
right to observe and practice any religion ``without the unsolicited 
intervention of members of any other religion.''
    The traditional Christian holy days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, 
Easter Monday, and Christmas are observed as national holidays.
    There are no special registration requirements or fees for 
religious organizations, and legal incorporation for a religion or 
denomination is a simple matter. Property taxes are not levied against 
churches and other places of worship. However, property taxes are 
levied against other church-owned buildings occupied on a regular 
basis, such as the pastor's or priest's residence.
    Foreign religious workers are permitted to enter the country and 
proselytize; however, they must be registered and purchase a religious 
worker's permit. The yearly fee is modest.
    The constitution stipulates that religious communities may 
establish ``places of education'' and states that ``no such community 
shall be prevented from providing religious instruction for persons of 
that community.'' Although there is no state religion, the educational 
system maintains by statute a strong religious curriculum. The 
curriculum ties ``spirituality'' with social studies courses. It 
requires in both public and private schools that students from 
kindergarten through sixth grade receive 220 minutes of religious 
instruction and chapel every week, but school exit exams do not have a 
section on religion. Catholic holy days are routinely observed as 
school holidays. The constitution prohibits any educational institution 
from compelling a child to receive religious instruction or attend any 
religious ceremony or observance without the child's consent or, if 
under the age of eighteen, the consent of the child's parents. This 
constitutional safeguard is particularly important because most of the 
country's primary and elementary schools, high schools, and colleges 
are church-affiliated. There are occasional instances where 
administrators either do not know the law or misapply it. These are 
usually corrected through parent-school consultations. In rare cases, 
the Ministry of Education intervenes to correct the situation.
    The constitution also stipulates that no one shall be required to 
receive religious instruction or attend services without his or her 
consent while serving in the armed forces, or while being detained in 
prison or in any correctional institution. The 850-member Defense Force 
supported one Catholic chaplain but did not restrict the practice of 
other religions.
    Although the Government has oversight authority over the country's 
single prison, the institution was managed, and largely financed, by 
the Kolbe Foundation, a nondenominational Christian nongovernmental 
organization. Missionaries were active in daily programs at the prison, 
and at least one lived within the prison compound. Religious conversion 
was in no way mandatory, but it was part of the primary focus of the 
prisoner rehabilitation program. Prisoners of any faith could request 
and receive visits from ministers of their choice.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religious groups occasionally 
joined forces in ecumenical efforts to distribute goods to the needy, 
clean up neighborhoods, alert the public to the dangers of promiscuity, 
fight crime, protect children, and carry out similar endeavors. The 
Government also occasionally sought input from a cross-section of the 
religious community in addressing these problems.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives also discussed religious freedom with leaders 
of various religious groups.
                               __________

                                BOLIVIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. Roman 
Catholicism is the official religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 424,164 square miles and a population 
estimated at nine million. According to a 2001 survey conducted by the 
National Statistical Institute, 78 percent of the population was 
Catholic. Of the remaining population, 16 percent was Protestant or 
evangelical, 3 percent followed other religions of Christian origin, 
2.5 percent practiced no religion, and less than 0.2 percent claimed 
affiliation with other non-Christian faiths, including Islam, the 
Baha'i Faith, Judaism, Buddhism, and Shinto. Of those who habitually 
practiced their religion, 56.5 percent were Catholic, 36.5 percent 
Protestant or evangelical, and 7 percent other Christian religions. In 
urban areas, 80 percent of the population was Catholic, while 14 
percent was Protestant or evangelical. In rural areas, 74 percent of 
the population was Catholic, while 20.5 percent was Protestant or 
evangelical. Mennonites, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, 
Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, and several evangelical groups 
maintained an active foreign missionary presence. Atheists were 
estimated to constitute an insignificant percentage of the population.
    Approximately 55 percent of the population identified itself as 
indigenous, with 30 percent identifying itself as Quechua and 25 
percent as Aymara. Approximately 30 percent of the population 
identified itself as mestizo (of mixed indigenous and European 
ancestry) and 15 percent as white. Several other indigenous groups, 
including Guarani and Chiquitano, were also present.
    The indigenous population was higher in rural areas, where the 
formal Catholic Church tended to be weaker due to a lack of resources 
and to indigenous cultural resistance to church efforts to replace 
traditional attitudes with more orthodox Catholic practices and 
beliefs. For many individuals, identification with Catholicism for 
centuries coexisted with attachment to traditional beliefs and rituals, 
with a focus on the Pachamama or Mother Earth figure, as well as on 
Ekeko, a traditional indigenous god of luck, harvests, and general 
abundance, whose festival was celebrated widely on January 24. Some 
indigenous leaders have sought to discard all forms of Christianity; 
however, this effort has not led to a significant increase in the 
number of ``indigenous-belief only'' worshippers.
    Mormons were present throughout the country and had a particularly 
large presence in Cochabamba. The Mormon temple in Cochabamba was one 
of the largest in the world. Mormon sources estimated the number of 
their adherents at more than 150,000. The Jewish community was spread 
throughout the country and had synagogues in La Paz, Cochabamba, and 
Santa Cruz. Muslims had cultural centers that also served as mosques in 
La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz that welcomed both Shi'ite and Sunni 
Muslims. Korean immigrants had their own church in La Paz. The majority 
of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese immigrants settled in La Paz, 
Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz, where there was a university, founded by 
Korean immigrants, that had evangelical and Presbyterian ties. There 
were Buddhist and Shinto communities, as well as a substantial Baha'i 
community, throughout the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government respected this right in practice. The Government at all 
levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its 
abuse, either by governmental or private actors. A successful movement 
to convene a new constituent assembly occurred in 2005, and the 
election of constituent assembly members was scheduled for July 2006.
    Roman Catholicism predominated, and the constitution recognizes it 
as the official religion. The Catholic Church exercised a limited 
degree of political influence through the Catholic Bishops' Conference. 
By custom the Catholic Church was sometimes called upon to arbitrate 
political disagreements, but the custom was not formalized in law.
    Four Christian holy days are observed as national holidays: Good 
Friday, Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day, and Christmas.
    Non-Catholic religious organizations, including missionary groups, 
must register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and 
receive authorization (personeria juridica) for legal religious 
representation. There were no reports that the Government restricted 
gatherings of nonregistered religious groups, but registration is 
essential to obtain tax, customs, and other legal benefits. The 
ministry may not deny legal recognition to any organization based on 
its articles of faith; however, the procedure typically requires 
significant legal assistance and can be both costly and time-consuming, 
which has led some groups to forgo registration and operate informally. 
Religious groups receiving funds from abroad may enter into a framework 
agreement (marco convenio) with the Government that lasts three years 
and permits them to enjoy judicial standing similar to that of other 
NGOs and have tax-free status. Members of less prominent religious 
communities have objected to the Government's lack of understanding 
regarding the activities and worship of these faiths, which allegedly 
has resulted in additional delays when attempting to finalize legal 
registration.
    Only Catholic religious instruction is provided in public schools. 
By law, it is optional and is described as such in curricular 
materials; however, students face strong peer pressure to participate. 
Non-Catholic instruction is not available in public schools for 
students of other faiths.
    The Government did not take an active role in promoting interfaith 
understanding, although it was represented at interfaith meetings. It 
worked with Catholic and Protestant organizations on social, health, 
and education programs. If the president attended Mass as part of his 
official functions, it was traditional for all cabinet members, 
regardless of their faiths, to accompany him.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, and ecumenical dialogue 
between various religious groups continued. Leaders from Muslim, 
Jewish, Baha'i, Catholic, and indigenous communities continued to hold 
interfaith meetings throughout the period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. ambassador and other embassy officials continued to meet regularly 
with officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, 
principal religious leaders, and the papal nuncio.
                                21_______

                                 BRAZIL

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 3,287,673 square miles and a population 
of approximately 186 million. Nearly all major religions and religious 
organizations were present in the country. Many citizens worshipped in 
more than one church or participated in the rituals of more than one 
religion. The 2000 census indicated that approximately 74 percent of 
the population identified themselves as Roman Catholic, although only a 
small percentage regularly attended Mass. Approximately 15 percent of 
the population was Protestant, an estimated 85 percent of whom were 
Pentecostal or evangelical. Denominations included the Assemblies of 
God, Christian Congregation of Brazil, and Universal Church of the 
Kingdom of God. Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Baptists accounted for 
most of the remaining Protestants and were centered in the south. There 
were approximately 427,000 adherents of ``Buddhism and other oriental 
religions.''
    Shintoism was practiced to a limited degree in the Japanese-
Brazilian community. There were 27,239 Muslims (which probably 
undercounts the actual total), 39,840 practitioners of Spiritualism, 
10,723 adherents of indigenous traditions, and 2,979 Hindus. Followers 
of African and syncretic religions such as Candomble, Xango, Macumba, 
and Umbanda constituted an estimated 0.4 percent of the population. 
Followers of spiritism, mainly Kardecists--adherents of the doctrine 
expounded by Frenchman Allan Kardec in the nineteenth century--
constituted approximately 1.3 percent, with 2,337,432 followers. An 
estimated 7 percent did not practice any religion, and approximately 
384,000 participants did not respond to the census.
    Leaders of the Muslim community estimated that there were between 
700,000 and three million Muslims, with the lower figure representing 
those who actively practiced their religion, while the higher estimate 
would include also nominal members. These figures were much higher than 
the 27,239 Muslims reported in the 2000 census. Muslim leaders have 
never taken a formal count of the number of Muslims; however, they 
believed that the official census greatly underestimated the size of 
their community. Sunni and Shi'a Islam are practiced predominantly by 
immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt who arrived during the past 
twenty-five years. A recent trend has been the increase in conversions 
to Islam among non-Arab citizens. There were approximately fifty-five 
mosques and Muslim religious centers.
    Approximately 101,062 citizens identified themselves as Jewish. 
There were an estimated 35,000 Jews in Rio de Janeiro and 29,000 in Sao 
Paulo. Many other cities had smaller Jewish communities.
    Foreign missionary groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and several evangelical organizations, 
operated freely throughout the country. The Institute for Religious 
Studies indicated there were 2,981 foreign Protestant missionaries and 
approximately 3,000 foreign Catholic priests in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There are no registration requirements for religions or religious 
groups. There is no favored or state religion, although the Government 
maintains a concordat with the Vatican. All religious denominations are 
free to establish places of worship, train clergy, and proselytize. 
There is a general provision for access to religious services and 
counsel in all civil and military establishments. The law prohibits 
discrimination based on religion.
    The following religious holy days are observed as national or 
regional holidays: Saint Sebastian's Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, 
Corpus Christi, Saint John's Day, Our Lady of Carmen (``Carmo''), 
Assumption Day, Our Lady Aparecida, All Souls' Day, Evangelicals Day, 
Immaculate Conception, and Christmas.
    Public schools are required to offer religious instruction, but 
neither the constitution nor legislation defines how this should be 
done. Religious instruction is optional for students. Each school is to 
define how to offer religious instruction and in which religion. This 
is usually done in agreement with parent councils. Education is 
mandatory for all children, so they must attend either a private or a 
public school, but parents are free to send their children to the 
school of their choice.
    The Government restricts the access of nonindigenous persons, 
including missionaries, to indigenous reserves and requires visitors to 
seek permission from the National Indian Foundation to enter official 
indigenous areas.
    It is illegal to write, edit, publish, or sell books that promote 
anti-Semitism or racism. The law enables courts to fine or imprison 
anyone who displays, distributes, or broadcasts anti-Semitic or racist 
paraphernalia and mandates a two to five-year prison term for 
violators.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. There was no national 
ecumenical movement; however, the National Commission for Religious 
Dialogue brought together Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders.
    Anti-Semitism was rare; however, there were signs of increasing 
violence against Jewish persons. Leaders in the Jewish community 
expressed concern over the continued appearance of anti-Semitic 
material on Internet web sites compiled by neo-Nazi and ``skinhead'' 
groups. There were reports of anti-Semitic graffiti, harassment, 
vandalism, and threats via telephone and e-mail.
    In May 2005 four ``skinheads'' were arrested and charged with 
attempted murder, gang formation, and racism for attacking three Jewish 
students in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State. During the 
investigations, the police identified a second group, with fascist 
orientation, that participated in the attacks. By the end of the period 
covered by this report, an additional ten persons had been arrested and 
charged with attempted homicide and gang formation; one person under 
the age of seventeen also was arrested. After spending more than one 
hundred days in jail, all fifteen were freed and awaiting the testimony 
stage of the process, which started in May 2006.
    No further information was available on the 2004 incident in which 
anti-Semitic graffiti was found in a bathroom at Pontificia 
Universidade Catolica in Rio de Janeiro State (PUC-RJ); six students 
were under police investigation. PUC-RJ had approximately ten thousand 
students, 5 percent of whom were Jewish.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                 CANADA

    The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) provides for freedom of 
religion, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 3,855,101 square miles and a population 
of approximately thirty-three million. According to a 2001 census, 
approximately 77.1 percent of the population belonged to Christian 
denominations or claimed Christianity as its religion. Roman Catholics 
(44 percent of the population) constituted the largest denomination, 
followed by Protestant denominations (29 percent). United Church, 
Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, and Pentecostal were the 
largest Protestant groups. The Muslim population stood at 2 percent, 
and approximately 1.1 percent of the population was Jewish. Other 
religious groups included Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs, each with 
approximately 1 percent of the population. Several other religions, 
such as Scientology, Baha'i, Shinto, Taoism, and aboriginal 
spirituality, each accounted for less than 1 percent. A total of 17 
percent claimed no religious affiliation, an increase from 12 percent 
in the 1996 census.
    An April 2006 Ipsos Reid Survey of Christian religious attitudes 
indicated that, while Christian beliefs had remained largely unchanged 
since 1996, fewer persons (17 percent) attended church on a weekly 
basis. A 2002 Pew Research Center poll on religious attitudes found 
that approximately 21 percent of the population attended church on a 
weekly basis.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides for freedom of 
religion, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice. The Government at all levels sought to protect this right in 
full and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private 
actors.
    The following Christian holy days are national holidays: Good 
Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas Day.
    Religious groups are not required to register with the Government. 
The Government grants tax-exempt status to religious institutions 
through the Charities Directorate of the tax authority, Revenue Canada. 
This status provides religious institutions with certain federal and 
provincial sales tax reductions, rebates, and exemptions, and it 
requires them to be nonpolitical, send donations only to approved 
overseas recipients, and undergo periodic audits. Through this same 
government-approved charitable status, clergy receive various federal 
benefits, including a clergy housing deduction under the tax code and 
fast-tracking through the immigration system. Individual Canadians who 
donate to religious tax-exempt institutions receive a federal tax 
receipt entitling them to deductions for federal income tax purposes.
    The constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect the 
rights or privileges possessed by religious minorities in their public, 
but denominational, schools at the time of national union in 1867. In 
practice this protection has meant that some provinces have funded 
Catholic school education, and some provinces (such as Quebec) have 
funded Protestant education but under the category of ``public,'' not 
``private,'' education. Education falls under the purview of the 
provinces, not the Federal Government. As such, levels of direct 
funding and indirect tax benefits for all schools, public as well as 
private, religious and nonreligious, ranged across the country from 0 
to 75 percent.
    On November 2, 2005, the UN Human Rights Committee reiterated its 
1999 ruling that called on the Federal Government to ``adopt steps in 
order to eliminate discrimination on the basis of religion in the 
funding of schools in Ontario.'' The ruling, which resulted from a 1996 
complaint filed under Article 28 of the International Covenant on Civil 
and Political Rights on behalf of an Ontario Jewish parent who was 
sending his child to a Jewish private school, concluded that Ontario's 
policy of full and direct public funding for only Catholic but not 
other religious schools was discriminatory. While the issue of public 
funding for non-Catholic religious schools in Ontario has been the 
subject of domestic litigation since 1978, a 1996 Supreme Court ruling 
confirmed the constitutionality of funding for Catholic separate 
schools.
    On September 11, 2005, Ontario's premier announced his government's 
intention to end civil enforcement of religious arbitration decisions 
in the province. Since 1991 the Ontario Arbitration Act had permitted 
religious organizations to hold tribunals in which marriage, family, 
and business disputes could be settled according to religious law. The 
tribunals were voluntary, and tribunal decisions had to comply with the 
Charter of Rights and Freedoms and could be appealed through the court 
system. With the Family Statute Law Amendment Act of February 23, 2006, 
religious arbitration in family matters ended, making all family law 
arbitration subject to civil law. At the end of the period covered by 
this report, the Ontario government was developing regulations to 
implement the legislation.
    There was no official government council for interfaith dialogue, 
but the Government provided funding for individual ecumenical projects 
on a case-by-case basis.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In April 2005 the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled that a 
fourteen-year-old girl, who was a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, could 
not refuse a blood transfusion as part of her treatment for cancer, 
despite the girl's protest that her religious beliefs did not allow for 
blood transfusions. In May 2005 she appealed the decision to a court in 
Ontario, but the judge refused to hear her arguments and ordered her to 
return to British Columbia. Subsequently, the government of British 
Columbia allowed the girl to travel abroad to receive treatment. She 
returned home in August 2005 after being treated without requiring a 
blood transfusion.
    In September and October 2005, a Sikh law student was twice 
prohibited from riding on national rail carrier trains because he was 
wearing a kirpan (ceremonial dagger). Railway company officials, 
responding to another passenger's complaint and referring to its 
baggage policy that bans weapons, required that the Sikh passenger 
disembark, enforcing a company policy that makes no exceptions for 
religious symbols. The student's appeal to the Ontario Human Rights 
Commission for redress was pending at the end of the period covered by 
this report.
    In January 2006 the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled in favor 
of a woman who alleged she had been the target of discrimination for 
her belief in Falun Gong. The ruling expanded the commission's working 
definition of ``creed'' to include Falun Gong. The claimant had 
complained that she was harassed about her beliefs at the Ottawa 
Chinese Cultural Association and ultimately ejected from the group. The 
association was found liable for breaching Ontario's human rights code 
on the basis of religion. The claimant received $15,500 (C$18,000) in 
damages for the loss of dignity and ``mental anguish.''
    In March 2006 the Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision in 
the case of a Sikh student whose Montreal school had prohibited him 
from wearing his kirpan under its ``no weapons'' policy. The court 
ruled in favor of the student, ruling that his religious rights had 
been infringed. Previously, the Board of Education had alleged that the 
kirpan presented a safety problem, while the student's family argued 
that banning the kirpan violated his religious rights. The Ontario 
Human Rights Commission argued in favor of balancing freedom of 
religion and safety and security.
    Also in March 2006 the Quebec Human Rights Commission decided that 
a Montreal engineering school must allow its Muslim students to pray in 
dignity, although the school is not obligated to provide students with 
a dedicated prayer space. The school had previously blocked Muslim 
students from praying in school hallways and stairways, leading to the 
2003 filing of a complaint. During the sixty-day period provided by the 
commission, the two sides failed to reach a ``reasonable 
accommodation'' regarding the students' prayer space. Discussions 
between Muslim representatives and the school continued at the end of 
the period covered by this report. In December 2005 Muslim students at 
McGill University filed a similar complaint with the commission, which 
had not issued a decision on the second complaint.
    In March 2005 two complaints were filed with the Alberta Human 
Rights Commission against the Catholic bishop of Calgary after he 
stated in a pastoral letter his opposition to proposed same-sex 
marriage legislation by the Federal Government. Both complaints were 
later dropped.
    In 2004 the police began a continuing investigation of the 
polygamous community of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter Day Saints (FLDS), as a result of allegations of child abuse and 
statutory rape. The FLDS openly practices polygamy, a criminal offense 
according to the criminal code. British Columbia attorneys general have 
stated that the statute violates the Charter of Freedoms and is 
unenforceable as a restriction on the practice of religion. At the end 
of the period covered by this report, a complaint by former FLDS 
members based on denial of human rights was pending before the British 
Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The Government issued deportation 
orders on the grounds of illegal extended residence in the country for 
three foreign wives who alleged they were married to a former FLDS 
bishop. The women alleged that the Government's refusal to grant them 
residence based on their claimed marriage to a Canadian citizen 
constituted religious persecution. Citizenship and Immigration Canada 
denied their petition for humanitarian and compassionate parole, and 
the women filed appeals in court, which were pending at the period 
covered by this report.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    According to the June 2005 Council of American-Islamic Relations 
Canada's report, Presumption of Guilt: A National Survey on Security 
Visitations of Canadian Muslims, there was increasing concern in the 
Muslim community about visits by security officials, both at home and 
in the workplace. According to the report, authorities made a 
disproportionate number of visits to Arab males between the ages of 
eighteen and thirty-five. The report detailed seven specific cases in 
which security officials were alleged to have discouraged legal 
representation, failed to provide proper identification, or used 
threats and threatening behavior in the course of their interviews.
    Throughout the period covered by this report, the Royal Canadian 
Mounted Police (RCMP) continued its outreach program, established in 
April 2005 in major cities, to ensure that all persons are treated 
equally and with respect in national security investigations. The 
program included community-based committees with members of the Muslim 
and Arab minorities to serve as avenues for communication on national 
security and cultural sensitivity matters. It also contained 
sensitivity training programs taught by individual ethnic and religious 
community members that were used to address allegations of 
insensitivity.
    The B'nai Brith Canada League for Human Rights received 829 reports 
of antiSemitic incidents in 2005, a 3.3 percent decrease 
compared to 2004. The highest number of reports came from Ontario 
Province (544 incidents, 418 of which took place in the Greater Toronto 
area), followed by Quebec Province (133 incidents, 127 of which took 
place in Montreal); approximately 80 percent of the Jewish population 
resided in these two provinces. B'nai Brith also reported significant 
regional increases in reports received in British Columbia, Alberta, 
Saskatchewan, and the Maritime Provinces. Both Montreal and Winnipeg 
showed significant decreases from the 2004 numbers. The 829 reports 
included 531 cases of harassment, 273 cases of vandalism, and 25 cases 
of violence. Of these, 167 cases involved attacks on synagogues, Jewish 
homes, or communal buildings. Jewish students reported 48 cases of 
anti-Semitic incidents that occurred on campus, and another 48 involved 
school settings. The B'nai Brith League also noted a marked increase in 
web-based hate, with 161 reports, including 34 cases of targeted hate 
by e-mail.
    On July 8, 2005, a Saskatoon court found the former leader of the 
Assembly of First Nations guilty of willfully promoting hatred against 
Jews under the hate propaganda provisions of the criminal code and 
fined him $850 (C$1,000). The charges stemmed from remarks made in a 
2002 public address to the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. 
Claiming that the defendant's remarks were part of a private 
conversation, the defendant's lawyer launched a successful appeal in a 
Saskatchewan court that on June 8, 2006, set aside the earlier ruling 
and ordered a new trial. On June 19, the Saskatchewan Justice 
Department announced its plans to appeal the decision to the 
Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.
    In November 2005 the attorney general of Ontario charged a man with 
committing hate crimes, as well as with seven counts of mischief under 
$4,250 (C$5,000) and two counts of threatening death. The charges 
stemmed from incidents in 2004 targeting Muslims, Arabs, and Jews at 
Ryerson University in which the accused spraypainted anti-
Muslim graffiti in the multifaith prayer room on campus and anti-
Semitic graffiti elsewhere around the university campus. The case was 
pending at the end of the period covered by this report.
    A number of mosques were vandalized, including several mosques in 
the Montreal area, in February and March 2006. At the end of the period 
covered by this report, police had not identified suspects in these 
incidents. This followed media coverage of the international reaction 
to publication in Denmark of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. In 
April 2006 a mosque in the Quebec city of Trois Rivieres, home to 
approximately 300 Muslims, was targeted with racist posters.
    During the same period, approximately forty-five acts of vandalism 
against Christian cemeteries and churches were identified in the media. 
On June 27, 2006, a Manitoba court sentenced three individuals to 
prison terms of two years minus one day to three years for the arson 
destruction of a 105-year-old church. An amount of $1 million (C$1.2 
million) was levied against the three as restitution. The individuals, 
followers of a Norwegian musician jailed for a 1993 murder and for the 
destruction of several churches in Europe, set the church ablaze on 
February 12, 2006, the Norwegian convict's birthday. The individual 
receiving the stiffest sentence had previously been charged with arson 
in an April 2004 fire that destroyed another church and with the 
vandalism of tombstones in Manitoba and Alberta. He was scheduled to 
appear in court on August 3, 2006.
    In May 2006 St. Alban's Anglican Church, located in a Victoria, 
British Columbia, suburb was vandalized. Church lights and stained 
glass windows were smashed, Bibles and other religious objects were 
desecrated, and cigarette butts and empty wine bottles were left in and 
around the church. Police made arrests in the case, but by the end of 
the period covered by this report, authorities had not charged anyone. 
Church officials indicated they did not plan to press charges.
    Following the June 2, 2006, arrests of seventeen individuals with 
``Muslim'' names in the Toronto area on alleged terrorism charges, 
several anti-Muslim incidents occurred in various locations, including 
in Montreal and Toronto. On June 9 a Montreal imam was threatened with 
a knife outside his mosque, leading to the arrest of the alleged 
attacker. Police charged the individual with armed assault, uttering 
threats, and possession of a dangerous weapon; the suspect was released 
on bail while the investigation continued. On June 3 vandals broke 
windows and damaged cars parked at the Rexdale mosque in northwest 
Toronto. Police classified the attack as a hate crime and continued 
their search for the perpetrators while increasing patrols at all 
mosques in the city to prevent further vandalism. Muslim and non-Muslim 
community leaders and government officials were among those who urged 
calm and referred to the averted criminal acts as ``motivated by 
politics and hatred, not by any religion or faith.''

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses with the Government ways to promote 
religious freedom and other human rights throughout the world.
                               __________

                                 CHILE

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 292,260 square miles and a population of 
slightly more than fifteen million. According to a 2002 census, 70 
percent of the population age fourteen or older was identified as Roman 
Catholic, and evangelicals totaled 1,699,725 persons, or 15.1 percent 
of the population over the age of fourteen. In the census, the term 
``evangelical'' referred to all non-Catholic Christian churches with 
the exception of the Orthodox Church (Greek, Persian, Serbian, 
Ukrainian, and Armenian), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons), Seventhday Adventists, and Jehovah's 
Witnesses. Approximately 90 percent of evangelicals were Pentecostal. 
Also present were traditional Protestant churches, including Wesleyan, 
Lutheran, Reformed Evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist, Presbyterian, 
Anglican, and Methodist.
    Other affiliations recorded in the 2002 census were Jehovah's 
Witnesses (119,455 persons), Mormons (103,735), Jews (14,976), Orthodox 
Christians (6,959), and Muslims (2,894). All other religions totaled 
493,147 persons, or 4.4 percent. Atheists and those ``indifferent'' 
regarding religion constituted approximately 8.3 percent (931,990) of 
the population over the age of 14. The Baha'is were not mentioned in 
the census, but adherents estimated the number of practitioners at six 
thousand. There was also a small Buddhist population as well as a very 
small number of Unification Church members.
    Members of the largest religious groups were numerous in the 
capital; Catholic, Pentecostal, and other evangelical churches were 
also active in other regions of the country. Jewish communities were 
located in Santiago, Valparaiso, Vina del Mar, Valdivia, Temuco, 
Concepcion, and Iquique (although there was no synagogue in Iquique). 
Mosques were located in Santiago and Iquique.
    Indigenous people made up 5 percent (780,000) of the population. Of 
this group, 65 percent identified themselves as Catholic, 29 percent as 
evangelicals, and 6 percent as ``other.'' Mapuche communities, 
constituting 87 percent of indigenous citizens, continued to respect 
traditional religious leaders (Longkos and Machis), and anecdotal 
information indicated a high degree of syncretism in worship and 
persistence of traditional healing practices. Many indigenous people 
considered these cultural rather than religious practices.
    Foreign missionaries operated freely, and many Catholic priests 
were of foreign origin.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. Church and state 
are officially separate. The 1999 law on religion includes a clause 
that prohibits religious discrimination; however, the Catholic Church 
enjoys a privileged status and occasionally receives preferential 
treatment. Government officials attend Catholic events and also major 
Protestant and Jewish ceremonies.
    In addition to Christmas and Good Friday, four Catholic holy days 
are celebrated as national holidays: Corpus Christi, the Feast of 
Saints Peter and Paul, the Feast of the Assumption, and the Feast of 
the Immaculate Conception.
    The law allows any religious group to obtain legal public right 
status (comprehensive religious nonprofit status). The Ministry of 
Justice may not refuse to accept a registration petition, although it 
may object to the petition within ninety days on the grounds that all 
legal prerequisites for registration have not been satisfied. The 
petitioner then has sixty days to address objections raised by the 
ministry or challenge the ministry in court. Once a religious entity is 
registered, the state cannot dissolve it by decree. The semiautonomous 
Council for the Defense of the State may initiate a judicial review; 
however, no organization that has registered under the 1999 law has 
subsequently been deregistered.
    In addition, the law allows religious entities to adopt a charter 
and by-laws suited to a religious organization rather than a private 
corporation. They may establish affiliates (schools, clubs, and sports 
organizations) without registering them as separate corporations.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, 1,068 religious 
groups and related organizations had registered under the 1999 law and 
gained legal public right status. This number included the Catholic 
Church, Greek and Ukrainian Orthodox churches, a wide range of 
Protestant churches (evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, 
Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Episcopalian), several Buddhist 
temples, Jewish congregations, Islamic mosques, Mormons, Seventh-day 
Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses.
    Schools are required to offer religious education twice a week 
through middle school; participation is optional (with parental 
waiver). Religious instruction in public schools is almost exclusively 
Catholic. Teaching the creed requested by parents is mandatory; 
however, enforcement is sometimes lax, and religious education in 
faiths other than Roman Catholicism is often provided privately through 
Sunday schools and at other venues. Local school administrations decide 
how funds are spent on religious instruction. Although the Ministry of 
Education has approved curricula for fourteen other denominations, 92 
percent of public schools and 81 percent of private schools offered 
instruction based only on the Catholic faith.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The 1999 law on religion grants other religions and denominations 
the same right that the Catholic Church possesses to have chaplains in 
public hospitals, prisons, and military units. Hospital regulations 
continue specifically to permit Catholic chaplains in hospitals, and if 
requested by a patient, to provide access to chaplains and lay 
practitioners of other faiths. There were thirty-five Catholic chapels, 
thirtynine paid Catholic chaplains, and more than one thousand 
volunteers authorized to conduct religious activities in the prison 
system. Prison authorities have established two evangelical Christian 
chaplain positions at a national level, and every prison has designated 
evangelical Christian pastoral workers. Non-Catholic pastors reported 
that their access to prisons and hospitals was generally good during 
the period covered by this report.
    The celebration of a Catholic Mass frequently marks official and 
public events. If the event is of a military nature, all members of the 
participating units are obliged to attend. The armed forces 
unofficially integrated a number of Protestant and evangelical 
Christian chaplains but continued to block efforts by non-Christian 
religious groups to provide military chaplains, and regulations 
implementing the 1999 law had not been promulgated. Military recruits, 
whatever their religion, are required at times to attend Catholic 
events involving their unit. Membership in the Catholic Church is 
considered beneficial to a military career; in the navy, it is said to 
be almost a requirement for advancement to the highest posts.
    On September 15, 2005, the Supreme Court upheld a March 2005 
appeals court ruling that the Unification Church could be denied 
religious nonprofit organization status on grounds that the Church 
represented a threat to public order and the family. This was the first 
time under the 1999 law that an organization's registration was 
contested for other than technical reasons. The Unification Church 
continued to operate and worship under a more limited nonprofit 
organization status and was considering filing a new registration 
request.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, some discrimination 
occurred.
    Ecumenical groups existed, including the Ecumenical Brotherhood of 
Chile, bringing together diverse Christian churches; the Abrahamic 
Forum, bringing together Jews, Christians, and Muslims; and the Judeo-
Christian Confraternity. These groups organize periodic dialogues to 
address specific social matters. Universities and seminaries also 
organize interreligious dialogues and events.
    There were isolated reports of anti-Semitic incidents, including 
spray-painted graffiti of swastikas and derogatory comments directed at 
Jewish individuals. In April 2006 Rodrigo Goldberg, a non-Jewish soccer 
player, requested that the Federation Internationale de Football 
Association impose sanctions on five fans who directed anti-Semitic 
epithets at him during a soccer match in Santiago. Street gangs 
identifying themselves as neo-Nazis or ``skinheads'' were involved in 
violence and attacks against non-Jewish victims in Santiago and other 
urban areas.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives met with a wide range of religious leaders, 
including Santiago's Catholic archbishop and key representatives of 
evangelical and Jewish organizations. The embassy also continued to 
maintain informal contact with representatives and leaders of several 
other faiths. In addition, the embassy closely followed the denial of 
religious nonprofit status to the Unification Church.
                               __________

                                COLOMBIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. There is no 
state religion; however, the Roman Catholic Church retains a de facto 
privileged status.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. 
Terrorist organizations, especially the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia (FARC), killed, kidnapped, and extorted religious leaders and 
practitioners, inhibiting free religious expression. Terrorist 
organizations generally targeted religious leaders and practitioners 
for political rather than religious reasons. Paramilitary 
organizations, including the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia 
(AUC), also targeted representatives and members of religious 
organizations.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, although some indigenous 
leaders reportedly were intolerant of nonsyncretic forms of worship.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 439,735 square miles and a population of 
41.2 million. Although the Government does not keep official statistics 
on religious affiliation, a June 22, 2006, article in the daily 
newspaper El Pais cited that 95 percent of the population was Catholic 
(with the footnote that not all are active practitioners of the faith), 
3 percent was Protestant, and the remaining 2 percent belonged to other 
religions, such as Islam and Judaism. However, religious leaders cited 
different numbers. According to the Colombian Evangelical Council of 
Churches (CEDECOL), for example, approximately 12 percent of the 
population was Protestant, while the Catholic Bishops' Conference 
estimated that 90 percent of the population was Catholic. According to 
data provided by their respective national headquarters, the Seventh-
day Adventist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), and Jehovah's Witnesses had 180,000, 130,000, and 110,000 
members respectively, totaling approximately 1 percent of the 
population. Other religious faiths and movements with a significant 
number of adherents included Judaism, estimated at between 5,000 and 
10,000, Islam, animism, and various syncretic belief systems.
    Adherents of some religions were concentrated in specific 
geographic regions. For example, the vast majority of practitioners of 
syncretic beliefs that blend Catholicism with elements of African 
animism were Afro-Colombian residents in the western department of 
Choco. Jews were concentrated in major cities, Muslims on the Caribbean 
coast, and adherents of indigenous animistic religions in remote, rural 
areas. A small Taoist commune existed in a mountainous region of 
Santander Department.
    Jewish leaders estimated that as many as one-third of their 
community had emigrated by the end of 2000. The principal cause was 
economic hardship caused by the country's recession, which resulted in 
increased violence against Jewish businesses. However, since the 
security situation has improved in recent years, members of the 
community have returned, although specific numbers were not available.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
specifically prohibits discrimination based on religion.
    The following Christian holy days are national holidays: Epiphany 
Day, Saint Joseph Day, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, 
the Ascension, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart Day, Saints Peter and Paul 
Day, Feast of the Assumption, All Saints' Day, the Immaculate 
Conception, and Christmas.
    The constitution states there is no official church or religion, 
but it adds that the state ``is not atheist or agnostic, nor 
indifferent to Colombians' religious sentiment.'' Some interpret this 
to mean that the state unofficially sanctions a privileged position for 
Catholicism, which was the country's official religion until the 
adoption of the 1991 constitution. A 1973 concordat between the Vatican 
and the Government remains in effect, although some of its articles are 
unenforceable because of constitutional provisions on freedom of 
religion. A 1994 constitutional court decision declared 
unconstitutional any official government reference to a religious 
characterization of the country.
    The Government extends two different kinds of recognition to 
religious organizations: Recognition as a legal entity (personeria 
juridica) and special public recognition as a religious entity. 
Although the application process is often lengthy, the Ministry of 
Interior and Justice readily grants the former recognition; the only 
legal requirements are submission of a formal request and basic 
organizational information. In addition, any foreign religious group 
that wishes to establish a presence must document official recognition 
by authorities in its home country. The Ministry of Interior and 
Justice may reject requests that do not comply fully with established 
requirements or that violate fundamental constitutional rights.
    Since 1995 the Ministry of Interior and Justice has approved 787 of 
the 2,562 applications for special public recognition as a religious 
entity; an estimated 90 percent of the approvals were for evangelical 
churches. According to the ministry, 1,775 applications failed to meet 
constitutionally established requirements and thus were not approved. 
In cases in which individual churches or schools affiliated with a 
nationally registered church applied separately for special public 
recognition, the Government granted those organizations affiliate or 
associate status. More than forty churches have asked the Government to 
sponsor legislation establishing less exacting standards for special 
public recognition and formally codifying religious freedoms provided 
for in the constitution. Although the Ministry of Interior and Justice 
has statutory authority over recognizing religious entities, there is 
no government agency to monitor or enforce laws governing religious 
freedom.
    Accession to a 1997 public law agreement between the state and non-
Catholic religious groups is required for such organizations to 
minister to their adherents in public institutions such as hospitals or 
prisons, provide chaplaincy services and religious instruction in 
public schools, and perform marriages recognized by the state. When 
deciding whether to grant accession to the 1997 agreement, the 
Government considers a religious group's total membership, its degree 
of popular acceptance within society, and other relevant factors, such 
as the content of the organization's statutes and its required 
behavioral norms. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
thirteen non-Catholic churches had been granted accession. No non-
Christian religious group was a signatory to the 1997 public law 
agreement. Some prominent non-Christian religious groups, such as the 
Jewish community, have not sought to accede to the 1997 public law. 
Many churches that are signatories reported that some local authorities 
failed to comply with the accord.
    The Ministry of Foreign Relations issues visas to foreign 
missionaries and religious administrators of denominations that have 
received special public recognition. Foreign missionaries are required 
to possess a special visa, valid for a maximum of two years. Applicants 
must have either a certificate from the Ministry of Interior and 
Justice confirming that the religion is registered with the ministry or 
a certificate issued by the religious organization itself confirming 
the applicant's membership. In both cases, applicants must explain the 
purpose of the proposed sojourn and provide proof of economic means. 
The Government permits proselytizing among the indigenous population 
provided the indigenous group welcomes them and visitors do not induce 
members of indigenous communities to adopt changes that endanger their 
survival on traditional lands.
    The constitution recognizes parents' right to choose the type of 
education their children receive, including religious instruction. It 
also states that no student shall be forced to receive religious 
education in public schools. The Catholic Church and religious groups 
that have acceded to the 1997 public law agreement may provide 
religious instruction in public schools to students who wish to receive 
it, but students may opt out of sectarian religious instruction. 
Religious groups that have not acceded to the public law agreement may 
establish parochial schools, provided they comply with Ministry of 
Education requirements. For example, the Jewish community operates its 
own schools. The Catholic Church has an agreement with the Government 
to provide education in rural areas that have no state-operated 
schools. The schools are tax-exempt.
    According to an October 2005 report in the daily newspaper El 
Tiempo, a Seventh-day Adventist student tried unsuccessfully to reach 
an agreement with her instructor for permission to miss a class on 
Friday evenings at a public school to practice her religion. After 
being dismissed from the class, the student filed suit in a regional 
level court, which subsequently backed the school's decision. However, 
the constitutional court overturned it on appeal and ordered the school 
to reenroll the student and accommodate her worship schedule.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Although the 1991 constitution mandated the separation of church 
and state, the Catholic Church retains a de facto privileged status. 
Accession to the 1997 public law agreement is required for non-Catholic 
groups to minister to soldiers, public hospital patients, and prisoners 
and to provide religious instruction in public schools. However, Muslim 
and Protestant leaders claimed they faced difficulties in gaining 
military chaplain positions and access to prisoners. The state 
recognizes as legally binding only those religious marriages celebrated 
by the Catholic Church and the thirteen non-Catholic churches that are 
signatories to the 1997 public law agreement. Members of religious 
groups that are not signatories to the agreement must marry in a civil 
ceremony in order for the state to recognize the marriage. Some 
signatories to the agreement have complained of discrimination at the 
local level, such as refusal by municipal authorities to recognize 
marriages performed by these groups. In addition, CEDECOL claimed that 
two state-operated television channels refused to allow evangelical 
groups to buy or receive airtime, while the Catholic Church received 
two minutes daily without cost.
    All legally recognized churches, seminaries, monasteries, and 
convents are exempt from national and local taxes and customs duties. 
However, some Protestant churches reported that municipal governments 
required them to pay property and other local taxes. Local governments 
may exempt religiously affiliated organizations such as schools and 
libraries. However, according to the Christian Union Movement, an 
association of evangelical Christian churches, only ten municipalities 
have exempted non-Catholic churches from local taxes.
    Congress did not act on legislation, sponsored by the human rights 
ombudsman, that evangelical leaders said would limit their freedom of 
religious expression. However, the Bogota municipal government 
introduced a city planning proposal that would restrict the number of 
churches in residential areas and place stringent building codes on 
church facilities. CEDECOL claimed that such a regulation, to be 
applied retroactively, would close 70 percent of the 1,500 Protestant 
churches in the capital. Evangelical, Muslim, and Anglican leaders 
complained that the proposal showed favoritism toward Catholicism, 
since many Catholic churches are historic monuments in central 
locations and thus exempt from the proposal's requirements. In November 
2005 national leaders from the Anglican, Muslim, Seventh-day Adventist, 
Baptist, and evangelical communities formed the Colombian Confederation 
of Religious and Conscience Freedom to encourage government cooperation 
in strengthening religious freedom and combating the proposal.
    There were setbacks in the case against the leaders of a small 
Taoist commune in Santander Department, who were accused of multiple 
killings, rape, extortion, kidnapping, and aiding paramilitary 
organizations. In May 2005 a suspect in custody thought to be one of 
the commune's principle leaders, Diego Leno Agudelo (``Saidamandan''), 
was released due to mistaken identity, and another suspect escaped from 
custody. At the end of the period covered by this report, neither 
suspect had been apprehended.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Persecution by Terrorist Organizations
    The FARC, the AUC, and the National Liberation Army guerilla group 
(ELN) generally targeted religious leaders and practitioners for 
political or financial, rather than religious, reasons. The FARC and 
the AUC were responsible for the majority of such attacks and threats, 
killing, kidnapping, extorting, and inhibiting free religious 
expression.
    The Presidential Program for Human Rights reported that nearly all 
killings of priests by terrorist groups could be attributed to leftist 
guerrillas, particularly the FARC. According to the Mennonite Church 
organization Justicia, Paz y Accion Noviolenta (or Justapaz) and 
CEDECOL's La Comision de Restauracion, Vida y Paz, at least 134 
evangelical church leaders were killed in the past four years. 
According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference, terrorist groups have 
killed seven priests since 2003. Catholic and Protestant church leaders 
stated that killings of religious leaders in rural communities were 
generally underreported because of the communities' isolation and fear 
of retribution. Justapaz and CEDECOL claimed that paramilitaries and 
guerrillas equally committed violence against evangelical church 
leaders but said the ELN leadership had agreed not to target 
evangelicals for political or religious reasons.
    Religious leaders generally chose not to seek government protection 
because of their pacifist beliefs and fear of retribution from 
terrorist groups. Nevertheless, in response to the increased risks 
faced by church members, local citizens living near Catholic churches 
have set up more than 750 local security fronts to protect priests and 
officials. The national police designed the program following the 2002 
assassination of Monsignor Isaias Duarte Cancino, the Catholic 
archbishop of Cali. The protection plan was not extended to include 
other religious groups.
    In August 2005 Catholic priests Vicente Rozo Bayona and Ramon 
Emilio Mora were killed when their vehicle came under attack in Norte 
de Santander Department. The ELN later admitted responsibility for the 
killing, claiming they had mistaken the priests' vehicles for those 
used by paramilitaries, and apologized for the killings.
    In August 2005 in Tolima Department, gunmen pulled Catholic priest 
Jesus Adrian Sanchez from a classroom and shot him in front of his 
students. According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference, the FARC 
killed Sanchez for his activism against the group's recruitment of 
child soldiers. Caracol television news later reported that FARC leader 
``Mono Jojoy'' had ordered his troops to ``kill all pastors.'' The 
television report indicated that Sanchez's killing was part of this 
FARC campaign, based on a taped conversation obtained from a FARC 
deserter.
    In September 2005 authorities captured FARC intelligence operative 
Omar Segundo Contreras Chamorro in Sucre Department. Contreras was 
wanted for his participation in the 2002 killing of Catholic priest 
Jose Luis Cardenas Fernandez.
    Catholic priest Cesar Dario Pena, whom the FARC kidnapped in 2004, 
was reportedly killed in September 2005, according to a captured a FARC 
leader; however, a body had not been recovered at the end of the period 
covered by this report.
    In January 2006 a court sentenced FARC commander John Fredy Jimenez 
and hired gunman Alexander de Jesus Zapata for their role in the 2002 
killing of Archbishop Isaias Duarte. Jimenez and Zapata were sentenced 
to thirty-five years and thirty-six years, respectively.
    In March 2006 evangelical pastor Oscar Munoz Perea was shot and 
killed in Buenaventura, Valle de Cauca Department. Witnesses identified 
the killers as belonging to the AUC.
    In May 2006 El Colombiano, a Medellin-based daily newspaper, 
reported that the body of Catholic priest Javier Francisco Montoya had 
been found and identified. The FARC, who kidnapped Montoya in Choco 
Department in 2004 and later killed him, had previously refused to hand 
over the body.
    There were no developments in the case of the FARC's killing of 
three persons in Puerto Asis, Putumayo Department, in 2004. Justapaz 
claimed, however, that the FARC was threatening a witness to the 
massacre.
    The Human Rights Unit of the Prosecutor General's Office continued 
to investigate the killings in past years of fourteen members of the 
clergy believed to have been slain because they were outspoken critics 
of terrorist organizations.
    Religious leaders and practitioners were the targets of threats and 
kidnappings by guerrilla groups and paramilitaries. Five members of the 
religious organization Justicia y Paz in Choco Department kidnapped in 
April 2005 were liberated fifteen days after they were initially 
captured. Justicia y Paz said the incident was a case of mistaken 
identity.
    The Catholic Bishops' Conference reported that sixty-four Catholic 
churches had been seriously damaged or destroyed in the last decade. 
Catholic churches generally were not attacked intentionally, but often 
they were affected by guerrilla attacks on police stations and mayors' 
offices located nearby.
    According to the Christian Union Movement, advances by government 
security forces against the FARC have resulted in the reopening of 
approximately 350 of the more than 450 evangelical churches closed 
since 2002. However, guerrillas and paramilitaries continued to attack 
rural evangelical churches and schools because they suspected the 
churches were fronts for U.S. Government activities. Mormon Church 
leaders and facilities remained under threat for the same reason.
    Due to threats from guerrillas or paramilitaries, many religious 
authorities were forced to refrain from publicly discussing the 
country's internal conflict. Illegal armed groups, especially the FARC, 
threatened or attacked religious officials for opposing the forced 
recruitment of minors, promoting human rights, assisting internally 
displaced persons, and discouraging coca cultivation. The Catholic 
Bishops' Conference also reported that paramilitaries and guerrillas 
issued death threats against rural priests who spoke out against them. 
In response to such threats, some religious leaders relocated to other 
communities.
    Guerrillas or paramilitaries harassed some indigenous groups that 
practiced animistic or syncretic religions. However, such harassment 
appeared generally motivated by political or economic differences 
(whether real or perceived) or by questions of land ownership, rather 
than by religious concerns.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Catholic Church and some 
evangelical churches reported that some indigenous leaders were 
intolerant of nonsyncretic forms of worship.
    A number of faith-based nongovernmental organizations promoted 
human rights, social and economic development, and a negotiated 
settlement to the country's armed conflict. The most influential of 
these organizations were either affiliated with the Catholic Church or 
founded by Church officials. The Catholic Church continued to be the 
only institutional presence in many rural areas and conducted important 
social work through its Social Pastoral Agency.
    There were isolated reports of anti-Semitism, including graffiti 
painted on exterior walls of synagogues. Anti-Semitic statements in 
pamphlets and books published by small xenophobic organizations also 
were distributed and sold on limited scales. The Government condemned 
these acts and worked with members of the Jewish community to 
investigate the incidents, although laws guaranteeing freedom of 
expression have impeded actions against the publishers. Jewish leaders 
stated that relations between the Government and the Jewish and Muslim 
communities were generally stronger than those between the government 
and the evangelical community. The Jewish community has taken a number 
of steps to combat anti-Semitism by advancing dialogue with other 
religious groups and by holding educational forums on Judaism at 
Christian churches, private and public schools, and universities.
    In May 2006 the Catholic cardinal of Bogota threatened to 
excommunicate five constitutional court justices for voting to 
partially decriminalize abortion. However, at of the end of the period 
covered by this report, the Catholic Church had not taken such action.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintained regular communication with representatives of 
the Catholic Church and other religious groups.
                               __________

                               COSTA RICA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom problems with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 19,730 square miles and a population of 
approximately 4.25 million, according to the National Institute of 
Census and Statistics. The most recent nationwide survey of religion, 
conducted in 2004 by the University of Costa Rica, found that 47 
percent of the population identified themselves as practicing Roman 
Catholics, 25 percent considered themselves nonpracticing Roman 
Catholics, 13 percent said they were evangelical Protestants, 10 
percent reported that they did not have a religion, and 5 percent 
declared that they belonged to ``another religion.''
    Apart from the dominant Catholic religion, there were several other 
religious groups in the country. Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, and 
other Protestant groups had significant membership. The Church of Jesus 
Christ of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) had a temple in San Jose that 
served as a regional worship center for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, 
and Honduras. Although they represented less than 1 percent of the 
population, Jehovah's Witnesses had a strong presence on the Caribbean 
coast. Seventh-day Adventists operated a university that attracted 
students from throughout the Caribbean Basin. The Unification Church 
maintained its continental headquarters for Latin America in San Jose. 
Non-Christian religious groups, including Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hare 
Krishna, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Baha'i Faith, claimed 
membership throughout the country, with the majority of worshippers 
residing in the Central Valley (the area of the capital). While there 
was no general correlation between religion and ethnicity, indigenous 
peoples were more likely to practice animism than other religions.
    Foreign missionaries and clergy of all denominations worked and 
proselytized freely. Mormons had the most active mission program, with 
148 full-time missionaries. Many churches had short-term missions that 
could last a month or less and comprise up to twenty persons.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution provides the right to practice the religion of 
one's choice, and the Government generally observed and enforced this 
provision. In the event of a violation of religious freedom, a victim 
may file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme 
Court. A victim may also file a motion before the Constitutional 
Chamber to have a statute or regulation declared unconstitutional. 
Additionally, a victim may appeal to the Government's administrative 
court for permission to sue the Government for alleged discriminatory 
acts. Laws are generally applied and enforced in a rigorous and 
nondiscriminatory fashion.
    While the constitution establishes Catholicism as the state 
religion and requires that the state contribute to its maintenance, it 
also prohibits the state from impeding the free exercise of other 
religions that do not impugn universal morality or proper behavior. The 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for managing the 
Government's relationship with the Catholic Church and other religious 
groups in the country.
    In September 2005 the constitutional court rejected a motion filed 
by a private citizen alleging that Article 75 of the constitution, 
which establishes Catholicism as the official state religion, was 
unconstitutional because it violated international instruments such as 
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Inter-American 
Convention on Human Rights.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, no legislative 
action had been taken on a 2003 proposed constitutional amendment to 
remove language in the constitution declaring Roman Catholicism the 
official state religion.
    The law allows for the Government to provide land to the Catholic 
Church. This practice was established in part to restore the Church's 
land seized by the Government during the nineteenth century. Although 
records of these seizures existed and were being relied upon for 
certain land restoration cases, the Government also has a 
constitutional obligation to support the Church as the official state 
religion. Land conveyance takes two forms: Right of development grants, 
with ownership retained by the state, and outright title grants, a 
method commonly used to provide land for the construction of local 
churches. These methods did not meet all the needs of the Church, which 
also buys some land outright. Government-to-church land transfers are 
not covered under any blanket legislation but rather by specific 
legislative action once or twice per year.
    Besides notary publics, only officials of the Catholic Church can 
perform marriages that are automatically recognized by the state. Other 
religious groups can perform wedding ceremonies, but the marriage must 
then be legalized via a civil union. Couples may also choose to have 
only a civil ceremony.
    Various traditional Catholic religious holy days are considered 
national holidays; including Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Our Lady 
of Los Angeles (August 2). Christmas is also a national holiday. 
However, if an individual wishes to observe another religious holy day, 
the labor code provides the necessary flexibility for that observance 
upon the employer's approval.
    The Government does not require religious groups to register, nor 
does it inhibit the establishment of religious groups through taxation 
or special licensing requirements. Such groups may incorporate to 
acquire legal status and must have a minimum of twelve members to do 
so. As stipulated in the law governing associations, religious groups 
must register to be eligible for residence permits for their 
missionaries and employees and to petition for legal recognition of 
religious holidays. Also, religious groups, as any other association, 
must register with the Public Registry of the Justice Department if 
they are involved in any type of fundraising activity. At the end of 
the period covered by this report, there were 2,700 registered 
religious associations, representing 200 denominations.
    According to the General Directorate of Immigration, applications 
by foreign missionaries seeking permission to work in the country are 
studied on a casebycase basis. They may be given a 
temporary permit that is granted for a maximum, nonrenewable term of 
six months. The missionary may enter the country as a tourist and then 
apply for the permit upon arrival. Alternatively, foreign missionaries 
may apply for an annually renewable temporary residence. This status is 
granted by a special migration council that consists of representatives 
from the Ministries of Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Labor, and 
Justice. In either case, missionaries must be accredited to an 
officially recognized church to receive the permit.
    Catholic religious instruction is provided in the public schools; 
however, it is not mandatory. Students may obtain exemptions from this 
instruction with the permission of their parents. The school director, 
the student's parents, and the student's teacher must agree on an 
alternative course of instruction for the exempted student during 
instruction time. Religious education teachers in public schools must 
be certified by the Catholic Bishops' Conference, which does not 
certify teachers from other religious groups.
    According to the education code, the Catholic Church has sole 
authority to select teachers of religion within the public school 
system. The Church maintains an office within the Ministry of Education 
expressly to carry out this function. According to the Department of 
Religious Education, only Catholic University graduates are eligible to 
teach religion in public school.
    Private schools are free to offer any religious instruction they 
choose. Parents do not have the option of home schooling their 
children.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Applications to establish a place of worship must be submitted to 
the local municipality and must comply with safety and noise 
regulations as established by the general health law. In the past, 
several evangelical churches were closed by municipalities, local 
health departments, or police as a result of noise violations. 
Representatives from the Evangelical Alliance Federation alleged that 
the noise pollution claims were baseless and that local officials 
closed down the churches simply because they did not like them. At the 
end of the period covered by this report, the President's Office was 
working with the Health and the Housing Ministries to draft regulations 
regarding the building codes for places of worship that would apply to 
all places of worship, regardless of their religious affiliation. The 
Human Rights Ombudsman reported that adequate regulations were already 
in place but stated that the Government must work on equitable 
enforcement of the regulations so as not to appear to favor any 
particular religion.
    Despite the official status of the Catholic Church, the 
constitution prohibits clergymen or secular individuals from engaging 
in political propaganda motivated by religion. There is no prohibition 
on clergymen or other religious individuals serving in political 
office; however, the constitution establishes that the president, vice 
president, cabinet members, and Supreme Court justices may not be 
members of the clergy.
    A Catholic priest who had been threatened with deportation for 
working without the proper visa was granted reprieve in July 2005, when 
the Supreme Court cancelled the deportation order.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, authorities had 
neither filed charges nor released information regarding potential 
suspects in the 2003 beating of a priest who was the spokesperson of 
the Catholic Bishops' Conference. The priest blamed the followers of a 
breakaway Catholic group, The Queen and Lady of All Creation, for the 
attack, claiming that it was in retaliation for the Church's decision 
to disavow the group.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom problems with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy representatives had regular contact with the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs' director of religion. The embassy also maintained 
contact with the Catholic archbishop and dioceses for situation-
specific consultation.
                               __________

                                  CUBA

    The constitution recognizes the right of citizens to profess and 
practice any religious belief within the framework of respect for the 
law; however, in law and in practice the Government continued to place 
restrictions on freedom of religion.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report. Overall human rights 
conditions remained poor. Some religious figures who criticized the 
Government's totalitarian system in sermons were subjected to intense 
harassment. In general, unregistered religious groups continued to 
experience varying degrees of official interference, harassment, and 
repression. The Government maintained its policy of permitting 
apolitical religious activity to take place in government-approved 
sites. However, state security forces continued to subject to 
surveillance citizens worshipping in officially sanctioned churches, 
and the Government's continued its efforts to maintain a strong degree 
of control over religion. During the period covered by this report, the 
Government implemented new regulations that restricted the operation of 
house churches but eased its policy on issuing work permits to foreign 
Catholic clergy.
    The relationship among religious groups in general was amicable.
    The U.S. Government attempted to raise human rights issues, 
including religious discrimination and harassment, with government 
officials; however, the Government refused to discuss such matters. The 
U.S. Government continued to urge international pressure on the 
Government to cease its repressive practices. In Havana, officers 
assigned to the U.S. Interests Section engaged a broad range of 
religious leaders in discourse and on many occasions invited them to 
representational events.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 68,888 square miles and a population of 
11.2 million. There was no independent authoritative source on the size 
or composition of religious institutions and their membership. A 1953 
survey indicated that 93 percent of the population identified 
themselves as Roman Catholic. According to more recent information from 
the U.S.-based Puebla Institute, approximately 40 to 45 percent of the 
population were believed to identify themselves, at least nominally, 
with the Catholic Church. Some sources estimated that as much as 70 
percent of the population practiced Santeria, which has its roots in 
West African traditional religions.
    The Baptists, represented in four different conventions, were 
possibly the largest Protestant denomination, followed closely by the 
Pentecostal churches, particularly the Assemblies of God. Membership in 
the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC) increased to twenty-three when 
World Wide Missions, a Pentecostal church, joined in March 2006. Other 
members included Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Methodist groups, but 
not the Catholic Church. The CCC was structured into five ``zones'' 
across the island and, according to the CCC's leadership, represented 
approximately 100,000 Christians. Most CCC members were officially 
recognized by the state, although several, including the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church, lacked legal status and were recognized through their 
membership in the CCC. Other officially recognized groups, including 
Jehovah's Witnesses and the small Jewish and Muslim communities, did 
not belong to the CCC.
    Catholic Church officials estimated that approximately 10 percent 
of baptized Catholics attended Mass regularly. Membership in Protestant 
churches increased and was estimated at 530,000 persons. No figures on 
the number of Pentecostals were available, but their numbers were 
believed to be increasing sharply. Jehovah's Witnesses claimed more 
than 86,000 active members, and the Seventh-day Adventists reported 
approximately 30,000 persons. Anglicans were estimated to number 22,000 
members, and Presbyterians 14,000. The Jewish community had 
approximately 1,000 members, around half of them resident in Havana. 
The Muslim population was estimated at no less than 300. The Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) had an estimated active 
membership of fifteen.
    There were approximately 344 Catholic priests, 61 permanent 
deacons, and 628 nuns in the country, many fewer than the total prior 
to 1960. Fewer than half of all Catholic ``religious'' priests, as 
opposed to ``diocesan'' priests, were of Cuban origin; most of the 
others were from Spain or Mexico. Most new arrivals replaced retiring 
priests or those whose time of service in the country had ended.
    Foreign missionary groups operated in the country through 
registered churches. Visits by religious figures, including that of 
Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan in March 2006, are handled by 
the Religious Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Communist 
Party.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution recognizes the right of citizens to profess and 
practice any religious belief within the framework of respect for the 
law; however, in law and in practice, the Government places 
restrictions on freedom of religion. The constitution has provided for 
the separation of church and state since the early twentieth century. 
In 1992 the constitution was changed, and references to scientific 
materialism or atheism were removed. The Government does not officially 
favor any particular religion or church, but it appeared to be most 
tolerant of those churches that maintained close relations with the 
state through the CCC.
    The Government requires churches and other religious groups to 
register with the provincial Registry of Associations within the 
Ministry of Justice to obtain official recognition. Registration 
procedures require groups to identify where they will carry out their 
activities, demonstrate that they have the funding for these 
activities, and obtain certification from the Registry of Associations 
that they are not duplicating the activities of a previously registered 
organization. Registration allows church officials to obtain official 
permission to travel abroad and receive foreign visitors, receive 
imported religious literature through the CCC, and meet in officially 
recognized places of worship. Conversely, members of unregistered 
religious groups must request exit permits on an individual basis, 
obtain religious materials through extralegal means, and risk closure 
of their technically illegal meeting places.
    The Government appeared to have halted registration of new 
denominations; however, no groups were known to have applied for and 
been denied registration during the period covered by this report. 
Authorities continued to ignore religious groups' pending applications 
for legal recognition, thereby subjecting members of such groups to 
potential charges of illegal association; however, no such charges had 
been filed by the end of the period covered by this report.
    The Government tolerated some religions, such as the Baha'i Faith 
and a small group of Mormons, that were relatively new in the country. 
Members of Jehovah's Witnesses were allowed to proselytize quietly 
door-to-door and generally were not subject to overt government 
harassment; however, there continued to be reports of discrimination in 
schools.
    Religious literature and materials must be imported through a 
registered religious group and can be distributed only to officially 
recognized religious groups. The CCC controls distribution of Bibles to 
its members and to other officially recognized denominations. On some 
occasions, churches or church groups distributed Bibles without 
government permission. In early 2006 a Presbyterian youth group in 
Santa Clara passed out copies of the New Testament at a public park 
without being arrested or detained. Similarly, a small number of 
fundamentalist Christians were reported to have occasionally given 
impromptu testimonials at certain parks in Havana; no one was arrested.
    Since 1992 the Communist Party has admitted as members persons who 
openly declare their religious faith.
    The Government does not permit religious education in public 
schools and does not permit the operation of private schools of any 
kind, including religious schools, although several international 
schools in Havana are given considerable leeway in setting their 
curricula. The Government has allowed the Catholic Church and the 
Havana Jewish community center to administer small charities and to 
offer religious education classes and self-improvement courses on 
subjects such as computers and foreign languages.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The Government's main interaction with religious denominations is 
through the Office of Religious Affairs of the Cuban Communist Party. 
The office is intended to encourage dialogue between churches and the 
Government, but many religious figures believed that its real role is 
to assert the Government's power. The Ministry of Interior, through its 
state security apparatus, continued to engage in efforts to control and 
monitor the country's religious institutions, including surveillance, 
infiltration, and harassment of religious professionals and laypersons. 
In 2004 an independent journalist interviewed a former Ministry of 
Interior official who reported widespread government infiltration of 
civil and religious organizations. The former official reported that 
Afro-Caribbean religious groups were even more heavily targeted for 
infiltration than political opposition organizations. Some estimates 
stated that 70 percent of the population practiced these religions in 
some form, and therefore these groups were seen as a more grassroots 
threat to the power and authority of the Government.
    The law allows for the construction of new churches once the 
required permits are obtained; however, the Government rarely has 
authorized construction permits, forcing many churches to resort to 
expanding existing houses of worship. According to CCC President Rhode 
Gonzalez, none of the group's member churches or church confederations 
received government permission to construct a new church building 
during the period covered by this report. However, the CCC president 
said many churches were expanded during this period. The process of 
obtaining a permit for an expansion or repair project and purchasing 
construction materials from government outlets remained lengthy and 
expensive.
    Most registered religious groups were able to hold services in 
private homes. However, during the period covered by this report, the 
Government implemented a controversial directive that many religious 
groups viewed as restricting the operation of house churches. Such 
facilities have grown in number in recent years, and many religious 
leaders attributed this to the Government's refusal to authorize the 
construction of new churches. The vast majority of house churches were 
unregistered with the Government and thus technically illegal. 
Directive 43 and Resolution 46 require house-church operators to 
register their house churches with the Government, thus ``legalizing'' 
their existence. House churches were difficult to quantify, but 
Christian Solidarity Worldwide estimated their number at no less than 
10,000 nationwide. According to a leading Baptist Church official, of 
the 1,500 Baptist house churches in the western region, no more than 20 
had been ``legalized'' by the time the directive was issued in April 
2005. To register one's house church, an operator must meet a number of 
requirements, some of which infringe on religious freedom: The house 
church must host no more than three meetings per week; it must not be 
located within two kilometers of another house church; and it may be 
open only between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on workdays, and between 9 a.m. 
and 10 p.m. on other days. The new regulations also state, among other 
things, that the use of a sound system requires permission from 
neighbors and that no house church can operate in a multifamily 
residence.
    Church officials from a number of denominations said that the 
Government had made the new regulations widely known but had not 
undertaken sweeping action to implement the new rules. Some Pentecostal 
church officials considered themselves singled out by the directive, 
and a Baptist church leader also judged it a threat. The Pentecostals 
said that unlike members of other denominations, who seldom meet in a 
house church more than once or twice a week, many Pentecostals attend 
such meetings three or four times a week. They also noted that 
Pentecostal church membership has risen sharply in recent years. At 
least one Baptist church leader criticized the requirement that a house 
church not be located within two kilometers of another house church, 
arguing that the directive would be difficult to obey in a congested 
city.
    The Government continued to allow foreign priests and religious 
workers into the country to replace foreign priests and nuns who had 
died or whose residence permits had expired. Previously, the Government 
adhered to a policy of approving new applicants only to the extent that 
they replaced clergy who had stopped working in the country. However, 
in June 2005 the Government eased this policy, and during the period 
covered by this report it granted work permits to at least eight 
foreign priests and fourteen foreign nuns who entered the country as 
nonreplacements. In addition, for the first time in many years the 
Government allowed into the country three new Catholic congregations, 
or orders, including Franciscan nuns from Colombia. The applications of 
104 priests and nuns remained pending.
    Government officials criticized the Catholic Church for refusing to 
register church and lay group publications with the Ministry of 
Culture, as required by law of all publications. The Cuban Conference 
of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) indicated that the Church has declined to 
register because registration would force it to concede control to the 
state regarding the content and format of church publications. Several 
Catholic dioceses and lay groups published magazines, including Palabra 
Nueva of the Havana archdiocese and Vitral of the Pinar del Rio 
diocese.
    The Government has not blocked printing or distribution of Catholic 
magazines; however, the state impedes access to printing by making 
equipment costly or placing restrictions on sales. The Government has 
accused the editor of one religious magazine of subversive behavior for 
writing about sensitive political and social issues.
    Catholic priests and other clergy were able to deliver sermons 
without advance screening by government censors, and some made pointed 
references to the totalitarian state. However, those who did were 
sometimes subjected to intense harassment. In January and February 
2006, unknown assailants repeatedly stoned the home of outspoken 
Santiago priest Jose Conrado Rodriguez Alegre. Rodriguez's church was 
robbed at least six times during the period covered by this report. One 
robbery cost the church its microphones and ventilator, and the police 
arrived to investigate at the start of Mass on Sunday morning. Police 
confiscated the vehicle Rodriguez used, and his dog was poisoned. 
Rodriguez, who has called attention to the country's human rights 
record, was watched closely by state security and received a citation 
to appear before government authorities.
    The Government generally did not allow the Catholic Church access 
to public media, but church officials revealed in February 2006 that 
the Government had offered it the opportunity to broadcast a radio 
program on the FM band, via a small, low-power radio station. The 
Church rejected the offer because the transmitter and the proposed hour 
of use were ``inconvenient.'' However, in April 2006 authorities 
allowed two Catholic bishops, in Holguin and Bayamo, to broadcast a 
Holy Week radio message. In Holguin the twelve-minute program was the 
first such message in forty-six years.
    Senior Catholic Church officials occasionally gained an audience 
with senior government leaders. The highest-level meeting known to have 
occurred during the period covered by this report was on February 17, 
2006, between Fidel Castro and Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, head 
of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. During the 
visit, the Vatican made public a letter from Pope Benedict XVI, calling 
on Cubans to show more tolerance.
    The Jewish community had a modus vivendi with the regime that 
allowed the main synagogue and community center to function with 
foreign charities based mostly in the United States and Canada. Jews 
were permitted to emigrate to Israel through a liaison office in the 
Canadian embassy.
    Religious officials were allowed to visit prisoners; however, 
prison officials sometimes refused visits to certain political 
prisoners. For a religious visit to take place, the prisoner must 
submit a written request, and the prison director must grant approval. 
Some prisoners reported that prison officials ignored repeated written 
requests for religious visits. In punishment cells, prisoners were 
denied access to reading materials, including Bibles. At the end of the 
period covered by this report, human rights activist Rene Gomez 
Manzano, detained on July 22, 2005, had been held at three prisons and 
at all three was denied visits from Catholic priests. However, he was 
allowed to receive and read a Bible provided by a visiting family 
member.
    Churches found it exceedingly difficult to purchase computers, fax 
machines, photocopiers, and other equipment, since the Government 
required a special permit for such purchases. Government decisions were 
officially made on a case-by-case basis, but in practice very few 
churches received permits.
    The Government controls the Internet, and any group seeking legal 
access is subject to its controls. The Government denies Internet 
access to some religious groups that it deems unreliable. Following a 
November 2005 meeting with Castro, the country's thirteen bishops were 
allowed access at the CCCB's Havana headquarters. However, they lacked 
access at their homes and offices.
    Members of the armed forces do not attend religious services in 
uniform, probably to avoid possible reprimand by superiors.
    Education is secular, and no religious educational institutions are 
allowed. Religious instruction in public schools is not permitted. 
Churches provide religious education classes to their members, as well 
as seminars to wider audiences. Catholic Church officials reported that 
the number of children attending catechism classes continued to drop, 
mostly because of other activities, usually scheduled by local school 
authorities. There were no reports of parents being restricted from 
teaching religion to their children. However, during the period covered 
by this report some Jehovah's Witness children were denied 
participation in school field trips because of their religion.
    Officials of various groups have reported cases of religious 
persons experiencing discrimination because of ignorance or personal 
prejudice by a local official. Religious persons have encountered 
employment problems in certain professions, such as education.
    Religious groups are required to submit a request to the local 
ruling official of the Communist Party before being allowed to hold 
processions or events outside of religious buildings. The Catholic 
Church has decided to stop requesting permits for processions in areas 
where they historically have not been permitted. There were smaller, 
local processions throughout the provinces during the period covered by 
this report.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Government monitored all religious groups, including registered 
and established institutions. The authorities also monitored church-run 
publications. Government harassment of private houses of worship 
continued.
    The Ministry of the Interior continued to engage in efforts to 
control and monitor religious activities and to use surveillance, 
infiltration, and harassment against religious groups, religious 
professionals, and laypersons. There were continued reports that local 
Communist Party and government officials harassed Jehovah's Witnesses.
    State security agents or their Communist militant proxies warned 
the wives of several political prisoners that they would be arrested if 
they joined other wives of political prisoners for Mass at Havana's 
Santa Rita Catholic Church. In March 2006 government-directed mobs 
physically prevented at least five such wives from traveling to Havana 
for the Mass, keeping them from leaving the cities of Puerto Padre, 
Sancti Spiritus, and Ciego de Avila; two of the five were removed from 
buses. At Santa Rita Church, state security officers sat near the 
spouses of political prisoners during Mass in an attempt to intimidate 
them. Many of the women belonged to the Ladies in White organization, 
joint winner of the European Parliament's 2006 Sakharov Prize for 
Freedom of Thought. Many of the group's members expressed concern about 
government retaliation against them or their jailed husbands. The 
Government also impeded access by political prisoners' spouses to Mass 
at Santa Rita Church by scheduling phone calls and prisoner visits at 
inconvenient times.
    Guards at the Villa Clara Youth Prison in Santa Clara destroyed 
Santeria altars and other religious articles on December 17, 2005, the 
Day of Saint Lazarus, a date celebrated not only by those who practice 
Santeria but also by many Catholics. The altars, a throne, and other 
items crafted by inmates, among them Lester Gonzalez Penton, were 
kicked to pieces by the guards. At the same facility, guards forced 
prisoner Cosme Manuel Chamizo Moreno to take down an altar he had 
established for his own worship.
    Also in December 2005 the Government reportedly gave the order for 
the destruction of a Protestant church in the eastern Havana community 
of Alamar. The congregation did not have government permission to build 
the church, allegedly used by hundreds of worshippers.
    In February 2006 at Havana's Combinado del Este prison, prison 
authorities broke up a prayer group of more than fifteen inmates 
without explanation. The incident was revealed in a note smuggled out 
of the prison. The Government continued to deny access to the country's 
prisons to international groups focused on fundamental rights, 
including religious rights.
    There were reports that independent Santeria priests were pressured 
to join the government-sanctioned Yoruba Cultural Association.
    There were no reports of persons being detained on religious 
grounds, but at least three religious figures were in prison on other 
grounds. Ricardo Santiago Medina Salabarria, an Orthodox Church 
clergyman, was held without formal charges in connection with a protest 
in which he took part outside the French embassy in Havana.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The relationship among religious groups in general was amicable, 
and organized religious groups were widely respected in society.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    U.S. Government policy toward the country is to promote a rapid, 
peaceful transition to democracy and respect for human rights, 
including religious freedom, and the U.S. Government encourages the 
development of civil society, which includes the strengthening of 
religious institutions.
    The U.S. Government attempted to raise human rights issues, 
including religious discrimination and harassment, with government 
officials, but the Government refused to discuss such matters. The U.S. 
Interests Section in Havana continued to maintain regular contact with 
the various religious leaders and communities and to support 
nongovernmental organization initiatives that aided religious groups. 
The U.S. Government regularly sought to facilitate travel to and from 
the country by religious persons as well as delivery of donated goods 
and materials that in some cases were provided to religious 
institutions. The Interests Section continued to raise issues of human 
rights, including religious discrimination and harassment, with 
government officials; however, the Government refused to discuss these 
concerns. As in the past, the U.S. Government continuously urged 
international pressure on the Government to cease its repressive 
practices, including religious discrimination and harassment.
                               __________

                                DOMINICA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 291 square miles and an estimated 
population of 70,000. Approximately 61 percent of the population 
adhered to the Roman Catholic faith. According to the 2001 population 
and housing census, followers of evangelical churches represented 18 
percent of the population. Seventh-day Adventists and Methodists 
represented the next largest denominations, accounting for 6 percent 
and 3.7 percent of the population, respectively. Minority religious 
groups and denominations, whose members ranged in number from 1.6 
percent to 0.2 percent of the population, included Rastafarians, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Anglicans, and Muslims. According to the census, 
1.4 percent of the population belonged to ``other'' religious groups, 
including Baptist, Nazarene, Church of Christ, Brethren Christian, and 
the Baha'i Faith; 6 percent of the population claimed no religious 
affiliation.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Government is secular and does not interfere with an 
individual's right to worship; however, the Government maintains a 
close relationship with the Christian churches.
    The Christian holy days of Good Friday, Whit Monday, and Christmas 
are national holidays.
    All religious organizations are required to register with the 
Government. Organizations must register their buildings through an 
application to the government registrar, and they then must register as 
nonprofit organizations with the attorney general. Such recognition 
affects a church's nonprofit organization status, its ability to hold 
public meetings, and the work status of the church's missionaries. Any 
organization denied permission to register has the right to apply for 
judicial review.
    On February 21, 2006, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons) received approval of its application to operate in the 
country and filed its articles of incorporation. The Church submitted 
its application in 2003 and ultimately had to pursue the matter through 
legal channels to obtain recognition.
    The public school curriculum includes Christian education, and 
students are led in prayer during morning assembly. Non-Christian 
students are not required to participate. There are Catholic, 
Methodist, and Seventh-day Adventist schools, and the Government 
subsidizes teachers' salaries at religiously affiliated schools.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Rastafarians complained that the use of marijuana, used in their 
religious rituals, was illegal and that their members were victims of 
societal discrimination, especially in hiring.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Dominica Christian 
Council and the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches conducted 
activities to promote peace, greater mutual understanding, and 
tolerance among adherents of different denominations within the 
Christian faith.
    Rastafarians complained that there was widespread discrimination 
against their members, especially in hiring and in schools.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                           DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country, which occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, 
has an area of 18,815 square miles and a population estimated at 9.1 
million. The largest religious denomination was the Roman Catholic 
Church. Traditional Protestants, evangelical Christians (particularly 
Assemblies of God, Church of God, Baptists, and Pentecostals), Seventh-
day Adventists, members of Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) had a much smaller but generally 
growing presence. According to Demos 2004, a population survey taken in 
2004 by the Center for Political and Social Studies of the Pontifical 
Catholic Mother and Teacher University and the Center for Social 
Studies and Demographics, the population was nominally 64.4 percent 
Catholic and 11.4 percent Protestant (under which category the survey 
grouped evangelicals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and traditional 
Protestants). In the same study, 22.5 percent of the sample said they 
had no religion. Demos 2004 also reported that 55.1 percent of 
respondents considered themselves religiously observant, while 44.3 
percent did not practice actively. The Dominican Council of 
Evangelicals claimed that evangelicals represented 16 percent of the 
population. Anecdotal evidence suggested that individuals who 
identified themselves as Protestants and evangelicals were 
significantly more likely to be religiously observant than Catholics.
    There were approximately 300 Jews in the country, of whom 200 were 
observant. Most lived in Santo Domingo, which had a synagogue and a 
community leader but no ordained rabbi. There was a synagogue for the 
small Jewish community in Sosua, descended from the resettlement of 
more than 600 European Jewish refugees before the Second World War. 
Both synagogues were led by the same individual. Various government 
sources estimated that there were between 5,000 and 10,000 Muslims in 
the country. There was an active Sunni mosque in Santo Domingo, with 
approximately 250 regular worshippers. A few adherents practiced 
Buddhism and Hinduism. Many Catholics practiced a combination of 
Catholicism and Afro-Caribbean beliefs (santeria) or witchcraft 
(brujeria), but because these practices were usually concealed, the 
number of adherents was unknown.
    Organized foreign missionary groups working in the country included 
Mormons, Mennonites, Episcopalians, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Other 
missionaries were nondenominational or affiliated with independent 
churches.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The constitution specifies that there is no state religion. The 
Government signed a concordat in 1954 with the Vatican, making 
Catholicism the official religion of the country and extending to the 
Catholic Church special privileges not granted to other religious 
groups. These include the use of public funds to underwrite some church 
expenses, such as rehabilitation of church facilities, and a complete 
exoneration from customs duties.
    Religious groups are required to register with the Government. 
Religious groups other than the Catholic Church may request 
exonerations from customs duties from the Office of the Presidency. 
This process can be lengthy; however, no requests for tax exoneration 
were denied during the period covered by this report. Evangelical 
Protestant leaders have regularly urged the Government to provide their 
churches privileges equivalent to those granted to the Catholic Church. 
Catholic weddings are the only religious wedding ceremonies that the 
Government recognizes.
    The law requires that the Bible be read in public schools, but it 
was not enforced. Private schools are not obliged to include Bible 
reading among their weekly activities.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall promotion of human rights. 
Representatives of the U.S. embassy met with leaders of various 
religious communities, including those of minority groups.
                               __________

                                ECUADOR

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 109,483 square miles and a population 
estimated at 12.2 million in 2001. The Catholic Episcopal Conference 
estimated that 85 percent of the population was Roman Catholic, with 35 
percent of Catholics actively practicing. Some groups, particularly 
indigenous people who lived in the mountains, followed a syncretic form 
of Catholicism that combined indigenous beliefs with orthodox Catholic 
doctrine. Saints often were venerated in ways similar to indigenous 
deities. In the Amazonian jungle region, Catholic practices were often 
combined with elements of shamanism.
    The Evangelical Missionary Union estimated that there were one 
million Protestants in the country. While Protestant conversions 
traditionally have been among the lower classes, there were growing 
numbers of professionals converting to Protestantism. Southern 
Baptists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals have successfully 
found converts in different regions, particularly among indigenous 
people in the Sierra provinces of Chimborazo, Bolivar, Cotopaxi, 
Imbabura, and Pichincha, especially among persons who practiced 
syncretic religions, as well as in groups marginalized by society. 
Other popular evangelical groups included the Assembly of God in urban 
areas and the Church of the Word of God, which was growing rapidly in 
indigenous areas. In general, rural indigenous areas tended to be 
either entirely Catholic or entirely Protestant.
    Hundreds of evangelical churches existed, and many of them were not 
connected with a particular denomination. Some multidenominational 
Christian groups, such as the Gospel Missionary Union, the Christian 
and Missionary Alliance, and Hoy Cristo Jesus Bendice, have been active 
for more than sixty years.
    Many of the religious groups registered with the Government had 
very small numbers; these included Anglicans, Baha'is, Episcopalians, 
Lutherans, Presbyterians, and the Unification Church. Other groups 
present in small numbers were Muslims, Jews, and adherents of Eastern 
Orthodox religions. There were also followers of Inti, the traditional 
Inca sun god, and some atheists, but there were no reliable statistics 
on the size of these smaller groups.
    In big cities, Protestant mega-churches, with more than ten 
thousand members, were a growing phenomenon. There was a high 
percentage of mestizo Protestants in the Guayaquil area.
    Protestant organizations were usually divided between predominantly 
indigenous organizations, such as the Council of Evangelical Indigenous 
People and Organizations (FEINE), and mestizo organizations.
    Organized foreign missionary groups working in the country included 
Southern Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Pentecostals. 
Other missionaries were nondenominational or affiliated with 
independent churches.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
grants all citizens and foreigners the right to practice the faith of 
their choice freely, in public or in private; the only limits are 
``those proscribed by law to protect and respect the diversity, 
plurality, security, and rights of others.'' The constitution prohibits 
discrimination based on religion.
    The Government requires religious groups to be licensed or 
registered if they engage in proselytizing activity. Religious 
organizations that do not engage in such activity may still choose to 
register to obtain a legal identity, which is useful when entering into 
contracts. Any religious organization wishing to register with the 
Government must possess a charter and be in nonprofit status, include 
all names used by the group (to ensure that names of previously 
registered groups are not used without their permission), and provide 
signatures of at least fifteen members. In addition, groups must file a 
petition with the Ministry of Government, using a licensed attorney, 
and pay a $100 registration fee. During the period covered by this 
report, the Government worked to standardize the registration process 
for religious groups.
    The Government permits missionary activity and public religious 
expression by all religious groups.
    The Government does not generally permit religious instruction in 
public schools; private schools have complete liberty to provide 
religious instruction, as do parents in the home. However, there were 
some schools offering religious instruction that received both private 
funds from the Catholic Church and public funds from the Ministry of 
Education.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government and civil society as part of its overall efforts to promote 
human rights. U.S. embassy staff met with leaders of numerous religious 
communities, including representatives of the Catholic Church, the 
Jewish community, and Protestant groups, to monitor the status of 
religious freedom in the country.
                               __________

                              EL SALVADOR

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 8,108 square miles and an estimated 
population of approximately 6.7 million. The country was predominantly 
Roman Catholic, with a sizeable Protestant minority, plus small 
communities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), Hare Krishna, Muslims, and Jews, among others. A very small 
segment of the population practiced an indigenous religion.
    According to a 2003 survey by the Technological University Public 
Opinion Center, approximately 57.1 percent of the population was Roman 
Catholic. Additionally, 21.2 percent were members of Protestant 
churches. (Among Protestants, informal church estimates suggested 
approximately 35 percent were Baptists and members of Assemblies of 
God.) Members of Jehovah's Witnesses accounted for an estimated 1.9 
percent of the population, 0.7 percent were members of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2.3 percent were associated with 
other churches and religious groups, and 16.8 percent were not 
affiliated with any church or religion.
    Several missionary groups were active, including Mormon, Catholic, 
Seventh-day Adventist, and Assembly of God.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
states that all persons are equal before the law and prohibits 
discrimination based on nationality, race, sex, or religion.
    The constitution requires the president, cabinet ministers and vice 
ministers, supreme court justices, judges, governors, attorney general, 
public defender, and other senior government officials to be 
laypersons. In addition, the electoral code requires judges of the 
supreme electoral tribunal and members of municipal councils to be 
laypersons.
    A 1940 law established Holy Week as holidays for public employees, 
and each year the legislative assembly issues a decree establishing 
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday as official holidays 
for the private sector.
    The constitution explicitly recognizes the Roman Catholic Church 
and grants it legal status. In addition, the law governing nonprofit 
organizations and foundations states that such groups may register for 
official status. A religious group is not required to register with the 
Government but must do so if it wants to incorporate formally. The 
civil code gives equal status to churches as nonprofit foundations. For 
formal recognition, they must apply through the Office of the Director 
General for Nonprofit Associations and Foundations (DGFASFL) within the 
Ministry of Governance. Each group must present a constitution and 
bylaws that describe, among other things, the type of organization, 
location of offices, goals and principles, requirements for membership, 
type and function of ruling bodies, and assessments or dues. Before the 
DGFASFL can grant registration to a group, it must determine that the 
group's constitution and bylaws do not violate the law. Once a group is 
registered, notice of DGFASFL approval and the group's constitution and 
bylaws must be published in the official government gazette.
    The law for nonprofit organizations and foundations charges the 
Ministry of Governance with registering, regulating, and overseeing the 
finances of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), non-Catholic 
churches, and other religious groups in the country. The law 
specifically exempts unions, cooperatives, and the Catholic Church. 
During the period covered by this report, there were 118 requests for 
new registration, of which 94 were approved, 22 were pending, and 2 
lacked the necessary documentation for approval.
    Regulations implementing the tax law grant tax-exempt status to 
recognized non-Catholic churches and other religious groups. The 
regulations also make donations to recognized churches tax-deductible.
    Noncitizens seeking actively to promote a church or religion must 
obtain a special residence visa for religious activities. Visitors to 
the country are not allowed to proselytize while on a visitor or 
tourist visa. There were no allegations of difficulties in obtaining 
visas for religious activities during the period covered by this 
report.
    Public education is secular. Private religious schools operate 
freely in the country. All private schools, whether religious or 
secular, must meet the same standards to be approved by the Ministry of 
Education.
    The president attends different religious ceremonies to promote 
interfaith understanding.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to the free practice of religion. On January 23, 
2006, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders founded the Council of 
Religions for Peace. Leaders of the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, 
Baptist, evangelical, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist religious groups 
participated.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy continued to maintain a regular dialogue with principal 
religious leaders, church officers, church-sponsored universities, and 
NGOs. During the period covered by this report, the embassy sponsored 
three U.S. scholars in their studies of the small Jewish community, the 
Anglican Church and its work in social justice, and Catholic religious 
artwork in the country.
                               __________

                                GRENADA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country, including Carriacou and Petite Martinique, has an area 
of 133 square miles and a population of slightly more than 100,000. 
Approximately 93,000 persons live on the island of Grenada, 7,000 on 
Carriacou, and 900 on Petite Martinique. Sixty-four percent of the 
general population was Roman Catholic, 22 percent was Anglican, 3 
percent Methodist, and 3 percent Seventh-day Adventist. Other 
denominations included Presbyterian, Church of God, Baptist, 
Pentecostal, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
and Mennonite. There were an estimated 5,000 Rastafarians. There were 
also approximately 500 Muslims, including foreign medical students at 
St. George's University, and an estimated 150 Baha'is.
    Reportedly more than 60 percent of the population regularly 
participated in formal religious services.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Government is secular and does not interfere with an 
individual's right to worship.
    The Christian holy days of Good Friday, Corpus Christi, Easter, 
Whit Monday, and Christmas are national holidays.
    Religious groups must register with the Prime Minister's Office, 
which is responsible for issuing licenses for religious groups, 
buildings, and events. Registration entitles them to some customs and 
import tax exemptions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Hurricane Ivan damaged 98 percent of the churches on the island in 
2004. Faith-based organizations worked together to repair or refurbish 
most of the damaged churches; however, at the end of the period covered 
by this report, the largest in St. George's remained roofless.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                               GUATEMALA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, traditional Mayan 
leaders continued to report discrimination from some nongovernmental 
sources.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 42,043 square miles and a population of 
approximately 12.7 million. Official census data indicated that the 
country's indigenous population was 43 percent, although unofficial 
estimates were higher.
    Historically, the country has been overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. 
However, in recent decades Protestant groups have gained a significant 
number of members. Although there was no accurate census of religious 
affiliation, some sources estimated that between 50 and 60 percent of 
the population was Catholic and approximately 40 percent was 
Protestant, primarily evangelical. Leaders of Mayan spiritual 
organizations maintained that many indigenous Catholics and some 
Protestants also practiced some form of indigenous spiritual ritual. 
The largest Protestant denomination was the Full Gospel Church, 
followed by the Assembly of God, the Central American Church, and the 
Prince of Peace Church. Other Protestant denominations included 
Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Episcopalian, as well as many 
independent evangelical denominations. Other religious groups were 
represented, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, and, primarily in the capital, small 
communities of Jews and Muslims. Few citizens considered themselves 
atheists. There were no accurate statistics on church attendance, 
although various sources reported that it was very high in the 
evangelical community and somewhat lower among Catholics.
    Catholic and Protestant churches were distributed throughout the 
country, and their adherents were distributed among all major ethnic 
groups and political parties.
    U.S. and Latin American Christian missionaries worked in both 
religious and social capacities, although there were no reliable 
statistics as to their numbers.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion; however, the constitution recognizes 
explicitly the distinct legal personality of the Catholic Church.
    The Government does not establish requirements for religious 
recognition, nor does it impose registration requirements for religious 
members to worship together. The Government requires religious 
congregations as well as nonreligious associations and nongovernmental 
organizations (NGOs) to register as legal entities if they wish to 
transact business. Such legal recognition is necessary, among other 
things, for a congregation to rent or purchase premises, enter into 
contracts, and enjoy taxexempt status. The Government does not 
charge religious groups a registration fee.
    The Catholic Church does not have to register as a legal entity; it 
is so recognized in the constitution. Any other congregation may file a 
copy of its bylaws and a list of its initial membership with the 
Ministry of Government to receive formal recognition. The congregation 
must have at least twenty-five initial members, and the bylaws must 
reflect an intention to pursue religious or spiritual objectives. 
Applications are rejected only if the organization does not appear to 
be devoted to a religious objective, appears to be in pursuit of 
illegal activities, or engages in activities that appear likely to 
threaten the public order. There were no reports that the Government 
rejected any group's application during the period covered by this 
report; however, Protestant leaders reported that their churches have 
found the process lengthy (lasting from six months to several years), 
and they estimated that, due to these difficulties, 8,000 Protestant 
churches in the country either had not applied for registration or had 
not completed the process.
    Foreign missionaries are required to obtain tourist visas, which 
are issued for renewable periods of three months. After renewing their 
tourist visa once, they may apply for temporary residence. Specific 
missionary visas are not issued or required.
    The Government does not subsidize religious groups, and no groups 
reported receiving national funding. The constitution permits, but does 
not require, religious instruction in public schools. There is no 
national framework for determining the nature or content of religious 
instruction in public schools. Accordingly, when provided, such 
instruction tends to be programmed at the local level. During the 
period covered by this report, the Ministry of Education consulted with 
the Catholic Church and Protestant groups on the integration of general 
values, although not specific religious teachings, into school 
curricula.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Although registered religious entities are legally exempt from 
taxes, Protestant leaders noted that local officials sometimes required 
their churches to pay property taxes.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Leaders of the Catholic, 
evangelical Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim communities reported that 
complaints from their followers of discrimination based on religion 
were rare.
    The ecumenical movement was focused on discussion of social 
questions rather than interfaith discourse. For several years, 
representatives of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and traditional Mayan 
spirituality have participated in the Interreligious Dialogue and the 
Foro Guatemala (the former meets every two to three months, the latter 
irregularly) to communicate primarily on social and political topics.
    Evangelical Protestant churches were split between a majority 
group, which avoided ecumenical engagement with other religious 
traditions, including Roman Catholicism and Mayan religious practices, 
and a minority group, which actively promoted an ecumenical and 
multicultural viewpoint.
    Indigenous people historically have been dominated by ladinos 
(citizens of mixed European and indigenous descent) and generally have 
not participated fully in the mainstream of social, economic, and 
political activity.
    Mayan religious leaders continued to note widespread disagreements 
with evangelical Protestants, and to a lesser extent, charismatic 
Catholics. Protestant churches historically have been less tolerant of 
indigenous practices than the Catholic Church, whose approach in many 
areas of the country is to tolerate traditional practice not directly 
in conflict with Catholic dogma. During the Spanish colonial period, 
some Catholic churches were built on sacred Mayan sites. Mayan leaders 
reported that in a few areas of the country Catholic priests have 
forbidden followers of Mayan spirituality access to these sites.
    Although many members of evangelical congregations are indigenous, 
some local evangelical leaders have denounced traditional religious 
practices as ``witchcraft'' or ``devil worship'' and have discouraged 
their indigenous members from being involved with traditional religious 
practices.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy officials, including the ambassador, met on many occasions with 
leaders of major religious institutions as well as religious-based 
NGOs. The embassy promoted dialogue between leaders of Mayan and ladino 
groups within civil society and within diverse religious communities.
                               __________

                                 GUYANA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    Despite ethnic tensions, the generally amicable relationship among 
religious groups in society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 83,000 square miles and a population of 
approximately 751,000. The country is religiously and ethnically 
diverse. Nearly half of the population could trace its ancestry to the 
Indian subcontinent, and more than one-third of the population was of 
African descent. These two ethnicities, along with smaller native South 
American groups and persons of European and Chinese descent, practiced 
a wide range of religions.
    Data from a 2002 census on religious affiliation indicated that 
approximately 57 percent of the population was Christian, including the 
following faiths: 17 percent Pentecostal, 8 percent Roman Catholic, 7 
percent Anglican, 5 percent Seventh-day Adventist, and 20 percent other 
Christian faiths. Approximately 28 percent was Hindu, an estimated 7 
percent was Muslim (both Sunni and Shi'a), and 2 percent practiced 
other beliefs, including Rastafarianism and Baha'ism. Approximately 4 
percent of the population did not profess any religion.
    Members of all ethnic groups were well represented in all religious 
groups, with two exceptions: Almost all Hindus were Indo-Guyanese, and 
nearly all Rastafarians were Afro-Guyanese. Foreign missionaries from a 
wide range of denominations were present.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Members of all religious groups were allowed to worship freely. 
There is no state or otherwise dominant religion, and the Government 
practiced no form of religious favoritism or discrimination.
    The Government recognizes religious groups of all faiths present in 
the country. All such groups are required to register with the 
Government to receive formal recognition. Religious groups seeking to 
establish operations require permission from the Ministry of Home 
Affairs before commencing their activities. This permission does not 
allow access to the interior; for such access, all nonofficial persons 
not resident in the interior require special permission from the 
Ministries of Home Affairs and of Amerindian Affairs. The ministries 
review the scope of proposed activities submitted by a religious body 
and grant approval on a case-by-case basis. There is no formal 
monitoring of religious groups.
    The following holy days are national holidays: Christian--Good 
Friday, Easter, and Christmas; Hindu--Phagwah and Diwali; Muslim--the 
Birth of the Prophet Muhammad and Eid Al-Adha.
    Both public and religiously affiliated schools exist, and parents 
are free to send their children to the school of their choice without 
sanction or restriction. The Government imposes no requirements 
regarding religion for any official or nonofficial purposes.
    The Government promoted cooperation among religious communities to 
address long-standing racial tensions. In early 2004 the president 
announced that the Government would provide financial support, 
including no-cost spectrum on the radio frequency band, for an all-
faith television station. The Inter-Religious Organization (IRO), a 
nongovernmental umbrella organization for Christian, Hindu, and Muslim 
organizations, was mandated to work out the modalities for establishing 
such a station. The IRO's activities were somewhat limited due to 
infrequent meetings, and not all denominations were represented in its 
voluntary membership. At the end of the period covered by this report, 
the IRO had completed a proposal for an all-faith television station, 
but the Government had not acted on it.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The Guyana Defense Force (GDF) did not have a chaplaincy; however, 
efforts were made to coordinate with civilian religious groups to 
provide personnel with access to religious services. Leaders of all 
major faiths provided prayer and counseling, although generally only 
Christian sermons were given on GDF bases. Attendance at religious 
services depended on the discretion of individual commanders, although 
in many cases it was mandatory. Membership in a particular religion did 
not confer any advantage or disadvantage; however, general military 
practice tended to be biased in favor of Christians. For example, no 
allowance was made for Muslim observance of Friday as a special prayer 
day, nor was provision made for Hindu dietary preferences.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Although significant problems 
existed between the country's two main ethnic groups, tensions were 
generally racially, not religiously, based. Religious leaders 
frequently have worked together to attempt to bridge these differences. 
Despite its limitations, the IRO took a prominent role in trying to 
reduce tensions in the period before the 2006 national elections. It 
organized a peace march that took place on January 16, 2006, and a code 
of conduct for the parties contesting the elections to sign on May 2, 
2006.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. ambassador and other embassy officials met on numerous occasions 
with leaders of religious groups and with foreign missionaries. The 
embassy continued to pursue a policy of active engagement with the 
Islamic community. The ambassador and other embassy officials spoke 
before various religious groups promoting religious and racial harmony.
                               __________

                                 HAITI

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with 
the Dominican Republic, has an area of 10,714 square miles and a 
population of 8.4 million.
    A U.N. Population Fund census released in May 2006 (based on 2003 
data) revealed the following religious demographics: 54.7 percent of 
the population was Roman Catholic, 15.4 percent was Baptist, 7.9 
percent Pentecostal, 3 percent Adventist, 2.1 percent voodoo (vodun), 
1.5 percent Methodist, 0.7 percent Episcopalian, 0.5 percent Jehovah's 
Witnesses, 0.07 percent Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday 
Saints (Mormons), 0.02 percent Muslim, and 0.4 percent other religious 
affiliation; 10.2 percent reported they followed no religion. Census 
data did not account for the remaining 3.51 percent of the population.
    The figure for voodoo represented only those who selected voodoo as 
their primary religion. A much larger segment of the population 
practiced voodoo alongside Christianity (most commonly with 
Catholicism) and considered Christianity their primary religion. While 
the Government officially recognized voodoo as a religion in 2003, it 
continued to be frowned upon by the elite, conservative Catholics, and 
Protestants. The Government provides no legal status for voodoo except 
for its recognition as a legitimate religious practice.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, provided that 
practices do not disturb law and order, and the Government generally 
respected this right in practice. The Government at all levels sought 
to protect this right in full and did not tolerate its abuse, either by 
governmental or private actors.
    The constitution directs the establishment of laws to regulate the 
recognition and operation of religious groups. The administration and 
monitoring of religious affairs falls under the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and Cults. The Bureau of Religious Affairs within the ministry 
is responsible for registering churches, clergy, and missionaries.
    The following holy days are observed officially as national 
holidays: Good Friday, Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, 
and Christmas.
    Recognition by the Bureau of Religious Affairs affords religious 
groups standing in legal disputes, protects churches' tax-exempt 
status, and extends civil recognition to church documents such as 
marriage and baptismal certificates. Requirements for registration with 
the bureau include information on qualifications of the group's leader, 
a list of members of the religious organization, and a list of social 
projects of the organization. Registered religious groups are required 
to submit an annual report of their activities to the bureau. Most 
Catholic and Protestant organizations were registered with the 
ministry. Many nondenominational Christian groups and voodoo 
practitioners have not sought official status; however, there were no 
reports of any instance in which this requirement hampered the 
operation of a religious group. According to the Government, many 
groups--Christian and voodoo--do not seek official recognition simply 
because they operate informally.
    Goods brought into the country for use by registered churches and 
missionaries are exempted from customs duties, and registered churches 
are not taxed. Some church organizations have complained that customs 
officials sometimes refused to honor a church's tax-exempt status; 
however, it appeared that these refusals generally were attempts by 
corrupt officials to extort bribes rather than to limit religious 
practices.
    For many years Roman Catholicism was the official religion of the 
country. While this official status ended with the enactment of the 
1987 constitution, neither the Government nor the Holy See has 
renounced the 1860 concordat, which continues to serve as the basis for 
relations between the Catholic Church and the state, as well as for the 
operation of Catholic religious orders. In many respects, Catholicism 
retains its traditional primacy among the country's religions. Official 
and quasi-official functions are held in Catholic churches and 
cathedrals, such as ``Te Deum'' Masses for Independence Day, Flag Day, 
and Founders Day. However, in the past several years the Government has 
recognized the growing role of Protestant churches. For example, 
Protestant and Episcopal clergy and voodoo practitioners have been 
invited to participate when the religious sector is asked to play an 
advisory role in politics.
    Many foreign missionaries are affiliated with U.S.-based 
denominations or individual churches. Others are associated with 
independent, nondenominational Christian groups. Missionary groups 
operate hospitals, orphanages, schools, and clinics throughout the 
country. According to a 2004 survey, eighty-three religious groups sent 
temporary missions on a regular basis to participate in relief and 
humanitarian activities.
    Foreign missionaries enter on regular tourist visas and submit 
paperwork similar to that submitted by domestic religious groups to 
register with the Bureau of Religious Affairs. While some missionaries 
were concerned by the slowness of the Government to issue residence 
permits, there was no indication that the delay was due to 
obstructionism.
    The constitution stipulates that persons cannot be required to join 
an organization or receive religious instruction contrary to their 
convictions. Therefore, in Catholic or Protestant parochial schools, 
the school authorities may not permit proselytization on behalf of the 
church with which they are affiliated.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Religion plays a prominent 
role in society. Many citizens display a keen interest in religious 
matters and freely express their religious beliefs.
    Ecumenical organizations existed. Interfaith cooperation was 
perhaps most effective in the National Federation of Private Schools.
    While society generally was tolerant of the variety of religious 
practices that flourish, Christian attitudes toward voodoo varied. Many 
Christians accept voodoo as part of the country's culture, but others 
regard it as incompatible with Christianity. This difference in views 
led to isolated instances of conflict in the past; however, no such 
instances were reported during the period covered by this report. The 
Bureau of Religious Affairs managed periodic tension between some 
Protestant and voodoo groups effectively. Tensions between Protestant 
and voodoo groups were local in nature and usually involved land 
disputes or conflicts over proselytizing. In some cases, the bureau 
sends representatives to assist local authorities in settling such 
disputes. The parties in conflict usually accept the ministry's 
mediating role.
    Some Protestant and Catholic clergy were politically active. One 
Protestant pastor led the Christian Movement for a New Haiti political 
party, and another led the National Union of Christians for the 
Renovation of Haiti political party. Several Catholic priests remained 
among the leadership of the Fanmi Lavalas party of past president Jean 
Bertrand Aristide, a former Catholic priest. The Conference of Catholic 
Bishops and the Protestant Federation occasionally issued statements on 
political matters.
    Particularly in rural areas, past accusations of sorcery were known 
to lead to mob violence resulting in deaths. Women generally were 
targeted in these cases, which usually were precipitated by the death 
of a child from unknown causes. In view of the prevalence of voodoo in 
rural areas, it appeared likely that voodoo practitioners were targeted 
in some of these cases, although no examples were reported during the 
period covered by this report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives routinely met with religious and civil society 
leaders to seek their cooperation in the political process. The 
Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Protestant Federation, and the 
Episcopal Church each had a seat on the Provisional Electoral Council, 
with which the embassy worked regularly as the council prepared for and 
conducted elections from February to April 2006.
                               __________

                                HONDURAS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 43,278 square miles and a population of 
approximately seven million. An estimated 90 percent of the population 
was mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European), with small numbers of 
Amerindians (approximately 7 percent); persons of European, African, 
Asian, and Arab descent made up the rest.
    There were no reliable government statistics on the distribution of 
membership in churches. The Roman Catholic Church reported a total 
membership of slightly more than 80 percent of the population. In a 
2002 survey, the Le Vote Harris reported that 63 percent of respondents 
identified themselves as Catholics, 23 percent as evangelical 
Protestant Christians, and 14 percent as ``other'' or provided no 
answer. Anecdotal evidence and unreleased poll results suggested that 
the number of Protestant, including evangelical, Christians appeared to 
be growing to more than one-quarter of the population. The principal 
religious groups included Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Episcopal, 
Lutheran, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonite, the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and approximately 300 evangelical 
Protestant churches. The most prominent evangelical churches included 
the Abundant Life, Living Love, and Great Commission churches. The 
National Association of Evangelical Pastors represented the evangelical 
leadership. There were significant numbers of Christian missionaries 
from the United States. There were small numbers of Muslims and Jews. 
There was a mosque and a synagogue in San Pedro Sula and a synagogue in 
Tegucigalpa.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There is no state religion. However, the armed forces have an 
official Catholic patron saint. The Government consults with the 
Catholic Church and occasionally appoints Catholic leaders to quasi-
official commissions on key subjects of mutual concern, such as 
anticorruption initiatives. Two of the prominent evangelical Protestant 
churches were represented on the board of the National Council of 
Anticorruption.
    The Christian holy days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and 
Christmas are national holidays.
    The Government does not require religious groups to register. The 
constitution grants the president the power to grant ``juridical 
personality'' to associations, including religious organizations. This 
status is a prerequisite to being accorded certain rights and 
privileges, such as tax exemptions. Associations are required to submit 
an application to the Ministry of Government and Justice describing 
their internal organization, bylaws, and goals. In the case of 
evangelical churches, the application then is referred to a group of 
leaders from the Evangelical Fraternity of Churches for review. This 
group has the power to suggest, but not require, changes. All religious 
applications also are referred to the Solicitor General's Office for a 
legal opinion that all elements meet constitutional requirements. The 
president signs the approved resolutions granting juridical 
personality. There were no reports that the Ministry of Government and 
Justice turned down any such application submitted by a religious group 
during the period covered by this report. The Catholic Church and other 
recognized religious organizations are accorded tax exemptions and 
waivers of customs duty on imports.
    The Government requires foreign missionaries to obtain entry and 
residence permits. A local institution or individual must sponsor a 
missionary's application for residency, which is submitted to the 
Ministry of Government and Justice. The ministry generally grants such 
permits.
    There are religious schools that provide professional training, 
such as seminaries, and church-operated schools that provide general 
education, such as parochial schools. They receive no special treatment 
from the Government, nor do they face any restrictions.
    The law allows deportation of foreigners who practice witchcraft or 
religious fraud. There were no known cases of deportation under this 
law during the period covered by this report. In the fall of 2005, the 
Government issued a regulatory announcement to the application of 
Article 148 of the Law of Social Harmony that the press characterized 
as a crackdown on witchcraft in the countryside. (There is a 
longstanding tradition in the countryside of folk healers and fortune-
tellers.) During the end of the period covered by this report, there 
were no complaints that the measure constituted a violation of freedom 
of religion.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    In 2000 the Congress adopted a controversial measure requiring 
that, beginning in 2001, all school classes begin with ten minutes of 
readings from the Bible. However, at the end of the period covered by 
this report, the legislation had not been put into effect.
    The Catholic Church continued to seek the return of former 
properties of historic interest confiscated by the Government at 
independence in 1825; however, the Church has not submitted a formal 
request to the Government.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Catholic Church 
designated the archbishop of Tegucigalpa as the national-level official 
in charge of ecumenical relations, and the archbishop has established 
an ecumenical and interreligious dialogue section within his 
archdiocese.
    There were a few reports of discriminatory popular attitudes 
against persons of Arab descent, both first-generation immigrants and 
those whose families have resided in the country for generations. These 
attitudes occasionally resulted in negative media coverage of Islam and 
in unsubstantiated public statements by government officials linking 
Arab citizens to terrorist activities; this occurred despite the fact 
that most Arabs in the country were Christian.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy also maintained a regular dialogue with religious leaders, 
church-sponsored universities, and religious organizations.
                               __________

                                JAMAICA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 4,244 square miles and a population of 
approximately 2.7 million. According to the most recent census (2001), 
the population's religious affiliation was: Church of God, 24 percent; 
Seventh-day Adventist, 11 percent; Pentecostal, 10 percent; Baptist, 7 
percent; Anglican, 4 percent; Roman Catholic, 2 percent; United Church, 
2 percent; Methodist, 2 percent; Jehovah's Witnesses, 2 percent; 
Moravian, 1 percent; Brethren, 1 percent; unstated, 3 percent; and 
``other,'' 10 percent. The category ``other'' included 24,020 
Rastafarians, an estimated 5,000 Muslims, 1,453 Hindus, approximately 
350 Jews, and 279 Baha'is. The census reported that 21 percent claimed 
no religious affiliation.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. There is no state 
religion.
    Shortly after being sworn into office at the end of March 2006, 
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller instructed her cabinet to ensure 
that each government board had a pastor appointed to it. It was clear 
this initiative was directed at Christians; however, it appeared that 
religious leaders of all faiths could be eligible for appointment. Some 
criticized the initiative as an attempt to curry favor with Christians 
rather than as a practical proposal for effective government. Other 
critics argued that persons should be appointed to boards based on 
their expertise rather than their religious affiliation.
    The Christian holy days of Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter 
Monday, and Christmas are national holidays.
    Parliament may act freely to recognize a religious group; however, 
registration is not mandatory. Recognized groups receive tax-exempt 
status and other privileges, such as the right of their clergy to visit 
members in prison.
    Foreign missionaries are subject to no restrictions other than the 
same immigration controls that govern other foreign visitors.
    Religious schools are not subject to any special restrictions, nor 
do they receive special treatment from the Government. Most religious 
schools are affiliated with either the Catholic Church or Protestant 
denominations; there also is at least one Jewish school.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Members of the Rastafarian community continued to complain that law 
enforcement officials unfairly targeted them; however, it was not clear 
whether the police actions reflected religious discrimination or were 
due to the group's illegal use of marijuana, which is an element of 
Rastafarian religious practice. In 2003 a parliamentary joint select 
committee on marijuana recommended decriminalization of possession of 
small quantities for adult personal use in private. Parliament 
considered the committee's recommendations but took no further action. 
In April 2006 the Senate passed a resolution to have the committee 
reconvene and conclude its deliberations, but by the end of the period 
covered by this report the committee had not met.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Local media outlets continued 
to provide a forum for extensive, open coverage and debate on matters 
of religion.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                                 MEXICO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
were some restrictions at the local level in certain areas.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The 
Federal Government continued to strengthen efforts to promote 
interfaith understanding and dialogue and to mediate cases of religious 
intolerance.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, in certain areas, 
particularly in the south, political, cultural, and religious tensions 
continued to limit the free practice of religion within some 
communities. Most such incidents occurred in the state of Chiapas, but 
government officials, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and 
evangelical and Roman Catholic representatives agreed that the roots of 
these conflicts sometimes lay in political, ethnic, or land disputes.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 1,220,663 square miles and a population 
of approximately 107 million.
    According to the Government's 2000 census, approximately 88 percent 
of respondents identified themselves as at least nominally Roman 
Catholic. There were an estimated 11,000 Catholic churches and 14,000 
ordained Catholic priests and nuns. An additional estimated 90,000 
laypersons worked in the Catholic Church system. Other religious groups 
for which the 2000 census provided estimates included evangelicals 
(including Pentecostals, neopentecostals, and Pentecostal Roots, which 
in turn included Live God Church, Truth Column and Support, and the 
World's Light), with 1.71 percent of the population; other Protestant 
evangelical groups, 2.79 percent; members of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1.25 
percent; ``historical'' Protestants (defined by the Government as 
Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Del Nazareno, Mennonites, and 
others), 0.71 percent; Seventh-day Adventists, 0.58 percent; Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 0.25 percent; Jews, 0.05 
percent; and other religions, 0.31 percent. Approximately 3.52 percent 
of respondents indicated ``no religion,'' and 0.86 percent did not 
specify a religion.
    There were no definitive statistics on membership in various 
Protestant denominations. A 2000 press report indicated that 
Presbyterians accounted for 1 percent of the total population, 
Anglicans 0.1 percent, Baptists 0.1 percent, Methodists 0.04 percent, 
and Lutherans 0.01 percent. Official figures sometimes differed from 
membership claims of religious groups. For example, the 
Seventhday Adventist Church claimed a nationwide membership of 
600,000 to 700,000 persons; however, according to the 2000 census, only 
488,945 persons identified themselves as such. Also according to the 
2000 census, 205,229 persons identified themselves as Mormons, whereas 
the Mormon Church claimed a nationwide membership of approximately 1.2 
million. Some Protestant evangelical groups claimed that their 
coreligionists constituted close to 60 percent of the population in 
Chiapas; however, in the 2000 census only 21.9 percent of respondents 
in that state identified themselves as Protestant. The exact number of 
evangelical and Protestant churches and pastors was unknown, but as of 
May 31, 2006, the Director for Religious Associations of the Federal 
Secretariat of Government (DAR) had registered 3,404 evangelical and 79 
Protestant associations.
    Non-Catholic Christians were concentrated primarily in the south. 
Chiapas State, with a large indigenous population and approximately 4 
percent of the country's population, had the largest percentage of non-
Catholics, 36.2 percent, compared to the national average, estimated at 
12 percent. Non-Catholics represented 29.6 percent of the population of 
Tabasco State, followed by Campeche State with 28.7 percent, and 
Quintana Roo State with 26.8 percent.
    The Jewish community claimed approximately 50,000 members; by far 
the largest number lived in Mexico City, although there also were 
organized congregations in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana, and Cancun. 
There was a small Muslim population in the city of Torreon, Coahuila, 
and there were an estimated 300 Muslims in the San Cristobal de las 
Casas area in Chiapas. Some indigenous people in the states of Chiapas, 
Oaxaca, and Yucatan practiced a syncretic religion that mixed Catholic 
and pre-Hispanic Mayan religious beliefs.
    In some communities, particularly in the south, there was a 
correlation between politics and religion. A small number of local 
leaders often reportedly manipulated religious tensions in their 
communities for their own political or economic benefit, particularly 
in Chiapas.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Federal 
Government generally respected this right in practice; however, there 
were some restrictions. State and municipal governments generally 
protected this right, but some local officials, particularly in the 
south, infringed on religious freedom, using religion as a pretext for 
conflicts related to political, ethnic, or land disputes.
    The constitution states that all persons are free to profess their 
chosen religious belief and to practice its ceremonies and acts of 
worship. Congress may not enact laws that establish or prohibit any 
religion. The constitution also provides for the separation of church 
and state. The 1992 Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship 
defines the administrative remedies that protect the right to religious 
freedom. In 2001 a provision was added to the constitution that 
establishes a prohibition against any form of discrimination, including 
discrimination against persons on the basis of religion.
    The law permits religious groups to operate informally without 
registering with the Government. However, if a religious community 
wishes to take on a legal personality, which is necessary for it to 
enter into contracts and purchase or rent land, it must register with 
the DAR as a religious association. The registration process is 
routine. The most recent statistics showed that 6,585 religious 
associations were registered, of which the vast majority were 
evangelical Protestant or Catholic. During the period covered by this 
report, the DAR registered 213 associations, some of which had applied 
for registration previously. In addition, at the end of the period 
covered by this report, 360 applications either awaited further 
supporting documentation or were not in compliance with registration 
criteria.
    To be registered as a religious association, a group must 
articulate its fundamental doctrines and religious beliefs, not be 
organized primarily for profit, and not promote acts that are 
physically harmful or dangerous to its members. Religious groups must 
be registered to apply for official building permits, receive tax 
exemptions, and hold religious meetings outside of their places of 
worship.
    In April 2005 the DAR revoked the registry of MEX-USA for changing 
its statutes, the first revocation since the establishment of the law 
of religious associations. While having originally registered as a 
Catholic organization, MEX-USA later incorporated members who 
worshipped the Saint of Death (Santa Muerte). During the period covered 
by this report, the members of the organization continued to meet and 
worship informally as an unregistered religious group.
    The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, which the DAR fined in 
April 2005 for profiting from its activities, continued to operate, 
although it reportedly no longer conditioned promises of salvation on 
the receipt of donations in particular amounts.
    The DAR promotes religious tolerance and investigates cases of 
religious intolerance. All religious associations have equal access to 
the DAR for registering complaints. Its officials generally are 
responsive and helpful in mediating disputes among religious 
communities. When parties present a religious dispute to the DAR, it 
attempts to mediate a solution. If mediation fails, the parties may 
submit the problem to the DAR for binding arbitration. If the parties 
do not agree to this procedure, one or the other may elect to seek 
judicial redress. Municipal and state officials generally are 
responsive and helpful in mediating disputes among communities. 
However, when a mediated solution cannot be found, officials have not 
always been aggressive in pursuing legal remedies against offending 
local leaders (see section III).
    Five states--Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Mexico 
State--have their own under secretaries for religious affairs. In Nuevo 
Leon the position of Under Secretary for Citizens' Services includes 
Religious Affairs as part of the portfolio.
    Of eight official holidays, Christmas Day is the only Christian 
holy day. Most employers give holiday leave on Holy Thursday, Good 
Friday, All Souls' Day, Virgin of Guadalupe Day, and Christmas Eve.
    The Government requires religious groups to apply for a permit to 
construct new buildings or convert existing buildings into houses of 
worship. Religious groups reported no difficulty in obtaining 
government permission for these activities. Any religious building 
constructed after 1992 is the property of the religious association 
that built it. All religious buildings erected before 1992 are 
classified as national patrimony and owned by the state and exempt from 
taxes.
    The constitution provides that public education must be secular, 
but religious associations are free to maintain private schools. 
Primary-level homeschooling for religious reasons is not explicitly 
prohibited or supported by the law; however, to enter a secondary 
school, one must have attended an accredited primary school. 
Homeschooling is allowed at the secondary level after schooling at an 
accredited primary school has been completed.
    Missionaries representing a wide variety of groups were present. 
Although the Federal Government limits the number of visas each 
religious group is allowed, the application procedure is routine and 
uncomplicated.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    The constitution bars members of the clergy from holding public 
office, advocating partisan political views, supporting political 
candidates, or opposing the laws or institutions of the state. The work 
of religious clergy in public institutions such as jails or hospitals 
is neither explicitly prohibited nor supported by law.
    Religious associations must notify the Government of their intent 
to hold a religious meeting outside of a licensed place of worship. 
Thousands of notifications are typically submitted every year. The 
Government routinely approves such requests.
    According to the law, religious groups may not own or administer 
broadcast radio or television stations. Government permission is 
required to transmit religious programming on commercial broadcast 
radio or television, and the Government routinely grants permission.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
    The Federal Government generally respects religious freedom in 
practice; however, poor enforcement mechanisms allowed local 
authorities in Chiapas and several other states to discriminate against 
persons based on their religious beliefs. Federal and local governments 
often failed to punish those responsible for acts of religiously 
motivated violence. In parts of Chiapas, leaders of indigenous 
communities sometimes regarded evangelical groups and Catholic lay 
catechists as unwelcome outside influences and as potential economic 
and political threats. As a result, these leaders sometimes acquiesced 
in or ordered the harassment or expulsion of individuals belonging 
chiefly to Protestant evangelical groups. The DAR estimated that 15 
percent of reported religious conflicts--115 since the beginning of the 
Fox administration in 2000--were abuses by local authorities. Often 
these authorities were unpaid officials of small, rural municipalities. 
Religious differences frequently were the cited feature of such 
incidents; however, the disputes frequently involved several underlying 
factors, including ethnic differences, land disputes, and struggles 
over local political and economic power. In past years, expulsions 
involved burning of homes and crops, beatings, and, occasionally, 
killings. During the period covered by this report, there were no known 
deaths in incidents that had a religious dimension. These incidents 
usually occurred in predominantly Catholic-Mayan communities, and they 
mostly involved Catholics harassing or abusing evangelicals or other 
Protestants. On several occasions, village officials imposed sanctions 
on evangelicals for resisting participation in community festivals or 
refusing to work on Saturdays.
    The Chiapas-based Evangelical Commission for the Defense of Human 
Rights (CEDEH) claimed that municipal authorities have expelled 30,000 
persons from their communities in the last thirty years. Some of these 
persons were displaced at least partly on religious grounds. A 
representative from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) 
reported that there were no official statistics on the displaced. 
However, the Diagnostic on Human Rights in Mexico, published in 2003 by 
the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, cited 
religious conflict as one of the principal reasons for internal 
displacement in Chiapas.
    In August 2005 members of the Huichol ethnic group belonging to the 
Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, and Apostolic Churches were driven from 
their homes in the community of Agua Fria, Mezquitic Municipality, 
Jalisco. Village leaders charged that evangelicals did not follow 
community by-laws, which require partaking in native religious 
practices, including the use of liquor and peyote. Most Huichol 
practiced these native customs alongside Catholicism. According to 
press reports, at least 120 persons fled their homes and sought refuge 
in the neighboring state of Nayarit. According to the National 
Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, many of those who 
fled settled in Nayarit permanently, while others intended to return to 
their village in Jalisco. Local authorities in Jalisco denied charges 
of religious intolerance and referred to the conflict as a land 
dispute.
    In October 2005 an estimated forty families (approximately 150 
persons) were threatened with expulsion from the village of San 
Nicolas, Ixmiquilpan Municipality, in the state of Hidalgo, allegedly 
for defying the ``customs of th[e] town.'' According to press reports, 
during an August 28 town assembly it was decided not to permit 
evangelicals in the town. In November the governor of Hidalgo and 
officials from the Secretariat of Government met with representatives 
of the evangelical families and publicly reassured them of their safety 
and right to remain. Although a formal resolution had not been reached 
by the end of the period covered by this report, tension in the 
community had decreased, and newly elected local officials were 
reportedly more accommodating of religious differences. While a dispute 
concerning official permission for the construction of an evangelical 
church had not been resolved, construction materials were reportedly 
located at the building site.
    According to a Chiapas newspaper, Cuarto Poder, in November 2005 an 
evangelical leader in Santa Rita, La Trinitaria Municipality, denounced 
a series of attacks on local evangelicals, including assaults, 
vandalism, and land seizures. A representative of Jehovah's Witnesses 
reported that one of its members in Santa Rita had been incarcerated on 
several occasions for not participating in Catholic feast days. Local 
authorities seized his farmland, distributed it to other villagers, and 
threatened to evict him from the community. The State Directorate for 
Religious Affairs in Chiapas, however, categorized this situation as a 
land dispute, and legal proceedings were underway to resolve the 
problem.
    By the end of the period covered by this report, the Tojolabal 
Christian families who fled their homes in 2004 after being attacked by 
a mob including local officials linked to the Democratic Revolution 
Party had not returned. The families joined approximately 300 to 400 
Tojolabal Christians expelled from their farms in Las Margaritas 
Township in the previous ten months.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom; however, there continued to 
be cases of alleged religious intolerance and expulsions from certain 
indigenous communities. This was particularly common in Chiapas, where 
many residents follow unique and centuries-old syncretistic (Catholic-
Mayan) religious practices and beliefs. Endemic poverty, land tenure 
disputes, and lack of educational opportunities also contributed to 
tensions in many communities, which at times have resulted in violence.
    The most common incidents of intolerance related to traditional 
community celebrations. Protestant evangelicals often resisted making 
financial donations demanded by community norms that go partly to local 
celebrations of Catholic religious holidays, and they also resisted 
participating in festivals involving alcohol. News reports estimated 
that 10,000 evangelical Christians lived in segregated areas 
surrounding San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas.
    On March 14, 2006, Obeth Lorenzana Velazquez was convicted of 
murder and sentenced to twenty-five years' imprisonment for the 2003 
killing of pastor Jairo Solis Lopez, from the Chiapas municipality of 
Mapastepec. He confessed that the crime was related to a personal 
quarrel. From the beginning of the investigation, the attorney general 
ruled out motivation for religious reasons, and the under Secretary for 
Religious Affairs in Chiapas did not challenge this conclusion.
    At the end of the period covered by this report, two men detained 
for the 2003 killing of evangelical Christian pastor Mariano Diaz 
Mendez, near the town of San Juan Chamula in Chiapas, had not been 
tried. They confessed that the crime was politically motivated. The 
attorney general ruled out motivation for religious reasons, and the 
Under Secretary for Religious Affairs in Chiapas did not challenge this 
conclusion.
    In Chiapas traditionalist local leaders have denied approximately 
150 children access to the local public schools in six indigenous 
communities every year since 1994 because they are evangelicals. The 
students receive instruction in separate classrooms under a program 
that began in 2001 to provide education for children who are 
marginalized due to their religious affiliation.
    In October 2005, during contentious contract negotiations, 
demonstrators supporting workers of the Mexican Social Security 
Institute (IMSS) put up signs and painted graffiti at the IMSS 
headquarters that included swastikas and anti-Semitic slurs in 
reference to IMSS Director Santiago Levy. The incident was condemned by 
public figures, including President Fox and Secretary of Government 
Carlos Abascal. The leadership of the IMSS workers' union disavowed the 
action, and approximately 300 of its members were required to take a 
tolerance sensitivity course.
    The DAR reported that since the beginning of the Fox administration 
in 2000, it had received 115 reports of conflicts related to religious 
intolerance in the country and that 93 such conflicts had been 
resolved. Government officials, the national human rights ombudsman, 
and interfaith groups continued to conduct discussions about incidents 
of intolerance to promote social peace. An Interfaith Council included 
representatives from the Anglican, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Mormon, 
Lutheran, other Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh Dharma, and 
Sufi Islam communities.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy representatives discussed these issues with the government 
offices for religious affairs and human rights on federal and state 
levels. Embassy officers also met with members of religious groups and 
NGOs, including the chair of the human rights committee for an 
interfaith council and NGOs for freedom of religion and conscience.
                               __________

                               NICARAGUA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 49,998 square miles and a population of 
approximately 5.5 million. More than 90 percent of the population 
belonged to Christian groups. According to a 1995 census, 72.9 percent 
of the population was Roman Catholic, 15.1 percent was evangelical 
Protestant, 1.5 percent belonged to the Moravian Church, and 0.1 
percent was Episcopalian. Another 1.9 percent was associated with other 
religious groups, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints (Mormons), Amish and Mennonite communities, and Jehovah's 
Witnesses. Approximately 8.5 percent professed no religious affiliation 
or were atheists. The Episcopal Church claimed a membership nearly 
twice that indicated in the census, and evangelical churches also made 
credible claims of higher current membership ranging between 20 and 30 
percent of the population.
    According to a March 2005 CID-Gallup poll, 57 percent of 
respondents were Catholic, 29 percent were members of evangelical or 
other Protestant churches, 3 percent belonged to other groups, and 11 
percent claimed no religious affiliation.
    Non-Christian communities were few and small. The Jewish community 
counted fewer than fifty persons (including expatriates). They gathered 
for religious holidays and Sabbath dinners but did not have an ordained 
rabbi or a synagogue. In March the Jewish community established the 
Israelite Community of Nicaragua with a board of directors. The new 
organization aimed to eventually reestablish a synagogue in Nicaragua 
and was seeking a rabbi. According to community members, the last 
synagogue was firebombed by the Sandinistas in 1978.
    There were approximately 1,200 Muslims, mostly Sunnis and primarily 
resident aliens or naturalized citizens from Iran, Libya, and Palestine 
who immigrated in the 1980s. There was a mosque and an Islamic cultural 
center in Managua, the capital, with approximately 200 members.
    Minority religious groups also included the Baha'i Faith and the 
Church of Scientology. Other immigrant groups included Turcos, 
Palestinian Christians whose ancestors came to Central America in the 
early 1900s, and Chinese, who either arrived as Christians or 
frequently intermarried with citizens and converted to Christianity.
    There were no longer any pre-Columbian religions in the country, 
although there was a ``freedom movement'' within some Moravian churches 
to allow indigenous Amerindian spiritual expression, often through 
music. The Catholic Church frequently incorporates syncretic elements 
and does not criticize or interfere with pre-Colombian aspects of 
Christian religious festivals.
    Moravian and Episcopal communities were concentrated on the 
Atlantic coast, while Catholic and evangelical churches dominated the 
Pacific and central regions. There was a strong correlation between 
ethnicity and religion; blacks and Amerindians, who generally lived 
along the Atlantic coast, were more likely to belong to the Moravian or 
Episcopal Church. Some evangelical churches focused on the remote towns 
of the central South Atlantic Region and had a strong presence there.
    Evangelical churches were growing rapidly, particularly in poor or 
remote areas. In 1980 the Assemblies of God had 80 churches and fewer 
than 5,000 members, but according to Church leader Saturnino Cerrato, 
as of April 2006 there were more than 860 churches and 200,000 baptized 
members. The evangelical churches operated two private universities 
without interference from the Government.
    Anecdotal evidence pointed to proportionally higher church 
attendance among members of the new evangelical churches than in 
Catholic and traditional Protestant churches. In poorer neighborhoods, 
the small evangelical churches were filled to capacity nearly every 
evening. According to a Catholic official, the Catholic Church was 
growing numerically but losing ground proportionally.
    Foreign missionaries were active. The Mormons had 191 missionaries 
and 42,000 members in the country, and the Mennonites had a handful of 
missionary families and close to 8,000 members, mostly in the central 
Boaco region and rural areas around Waslala in the north. Nearly all of 
the non-Catholic denominations had at least one missionary family 
present.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
also states that no one ``shall be obligated by coercive measures to 
declare their ideology or beliefs.'' The constitution prohibits 
discrimination on the basis of religion.
    There is no official state religion; however, the Catholic Church 
enjoys a close relationship with the Government. It is the most 
politically active religious group and has significant political 
influence. Catholic Church leaders routinely meet with senior 
government officials. There were allegations that state funds have been 
used to support purely religious Catholic Church activities; however, 
under the current administration the Government and Catholic Church 
maintained more distant relations. The historical position of the 
Church is such that most religiously affiliated monuments, memorials, 
and holidays are Catholic-related. However, the dominance of the 
Catholic Church did not have a negative effect on the religious freedom 
of others.
    The following holy days are recognized as national holidays: Holy 
Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas. 
The Festival of Santo Domingo (August 1 and 10) is also celebrated, but 
only in Managua.
    The Government's requirements for legal recognition of a religious 
group are similar to requirements for other nongovernmental 
organizations. A church must apply for personeria juridica (legal 
standing), which the National Assembly must approve. Following 
approval, a church must register with the Ministry of Government as an 
association or a foundation. Groups that do not register cannot obtain 
tax-exempt status and technically do not have standing to incur legal 
obligations and make contracts. However, a number of groups did not 
register and continued to operate without penalty.
    A recognized church may be granted tax-exempt status, known as 
exoneration. Because of perceived unequal treatment for different 
religious groups, exoneration was a contentious issue. This was 
particularly true with regard to exemption from customs duties on 
imported goods donated for humanitarian purposes. Goods donated to 
established churches and other nonprofit religious organizations 
recognized by the Government that are intended for the exclusive use of 
the church or organization are eligible for exoneration. Groups must 
receive clearance from the Office of External Cooperation, the Ministry 
of Finance, the Customs Office, and the municipality in which the 
donated goods would be used before a tax exemption is approved and the 
goods are released.
    In the past some churches and other nonprofit religious 
organizations, among them the Assemblies of God, reported bureaucratic 
delays in obtaining customs exemptions, and some complained that the 
Catholic Church received preferential treatment and did not face the 
same requirements applied to other religious and humanitarian 
organizations. However, some Catholic groups, including Catholic Relief 
Services, reported similar bureaucratic problems in obtaining customs 
exemptions. A 2003 tax equity law, designed to facilitate the 
exoneration process, required all groups to requalify for exoneration. 
Many churches and other nonprofit religious organizations reported that 
the law generally streamlined the process in practice; however, some 
maintained that the Catholic Church continued to receive preferential 
treatment and did not have to meet the same requirements as other 
religious and humanitarian organizations.
    Missionaries did not face special entry requirements other than 
obtaining religious worker visas, which were routinely provided. During 
the period covered by this report, there were no reports of 
difficulties in obtaining religious worker visas. However, the process, 
which must be completed before the missionary arrives, continued to 
take several months.
    Religion is not taught in public schools, but private religious 
schools operate in the country. The Government provides financial 
support to a number of Catholic primary and secondary schools by paying 
teacher salaries.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Relations among religious 
groups differed between the two coasts. On the Atlantic side, where the 
three dominant churches were the Moravian, Episcopal, and Catholic, 
there was an ecumenical spirit, which many observers attributed to the 
long history and mutual respect of the three predominant Christian 
groups on the Atlantic side of the country. However, on the Pacific 
side, ecumenism was rare, and there was continuing and energetic 
competition for adherents between the Catholic and evangelical 
churches.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy continued to maintain a regular dialogue with the 
principal religious leaders and organizations.
                               __________

                                 PANAMA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, with some 
qualifications, and the Government generally respected this right in 
practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 30,193 square miles and a population of 
approximately 3.2 million. The Government does not collect statistics 
on the religious affiliation of its citizens, but various sources 
estimated that 80 to 85 percent of the population identified itself as 
Roman Catholic and 15 percent as evangelical Christian. A 2003 CID-
Gallup poll indicated that approximately 24 percent of the adult 
population was evangelical Christian. Smaller religious groups included 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) with an 
estimated 20,000 to 40,000 members, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's 
Witnesses, Episcopalians with between 7,000 and 10,000 members, Jewish 
and Muslim communities with approximately 10,000 members each, Hindus, 
Buddhists, and other Christians. The Baha'is maintained one of the 
world's seven Baha'i Houses of Worship in the country. Indigenous 
religions included Ibeorgun (among Kuna) and Mamatata (among Ngobe). 
There was also a small number of Rastafarians.
    Members of the Catholic faith were found throughout the country and 
at all levels of society. Evangelical Christians also were dispersed 
geographically and were becoming more prominent in society. The 
mainstream Protestant denominations, which included Southern Baptist 
Convention and other Baptist congregations, United Methodist, Methodist 
Church of the Caribbean and the Americas, and Lutheran, derived their 
membership from the Antillean black and the expatriate communities, 
both of which were concentrated in Panama and Colon Provinces. The 
Jewish community was concentrated largely in Panama City. Muslims lived 
primarily in Panama City and Colon, with smaller but growing 
concentrations in David and other provincial cities. The vast majority 
of Muslims were of Lebanese, Palestinian, or Indian descent.
    Several religious organizations had foreign religious workers in 
the country. The Mormon Church had the largest number. Lutherans, the 
Southern Baptist Convention, Seventh-day Adventists, and Episcopalians 
each had a much smaller number of missionaries; many were from other 
Latin American countries.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, provided that 
``Christian morality and public order'' are respected, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Catholicism enjoys certain state-sanctioned advantages over other 
faiths. The constitution recognizes Catholicism as ``the religion of 
the majority'' of citizens but it does not designate it as the official 
state religion.
    The Christian holy days of Good Friday and Christmas Day are 
national holidays.
    The constitution provides that religious associations have 
``juridical capacity'' and are free to manage and administer their 
property within the limits prescribed by law, the same as other 
``juridical persons.'' The Ministry of Government and Justice grants 
``juridical personality'' through a relatively simple and transparent 
process. Juridical personality allows a religious group to apply for 
all tax benefits available to nonprofit organizations. There were no 
reported cases of religious organizations being denied juridical 
personality or the associated tax benefits.
    Most foreign religious workers are granted temporary three-month 
missionary worker visas. A one-year extension customarily is granted, 
but one religious group complained that the extension could take up to 
four months. Foreign missionaries who intend to remain longer than 
fifteen months must repeat the entire application process. Such 
additional extensions usually are granted. Catholic priests and nuns 
and Jewish rabbis are eligible for a special five-year visa.
    The constitution dictates that Catholicism be taught in public 
schools; however, parents have the right to exempt their children from 
religious instruction. The numerical predominance of Catholicism and 
the consideration given to it in the constitution generally have not 
prejudiced other religions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The constitution limits the type of public offices that religious 
leaders may hold to those related to social assistance, education, or 
scientific research.
    During the period covered by this report, the Ombudsman's Office 
mediated the case of four Rastafarian children denied access to public 
school because they refused to cut their hair. A similar complaint 
occurred in the previous period. According to the ombudsman, the 
children were allowed to return to school without having to cut their 
hair.
    A Protestant group reported that the Government had been 
selectively applying the requirements for religious worker visas to 
favor some groups over others. The Protestant and other groups 
complained to the Government, and by the end of the period covered by 
this report, officials had resolved the problem.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Christian groups, including the Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, 
Lutheran, Baptist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, and Eastern Orthodox 
churches, participated in a successful ecumenical movement directed by 
the nongovernmental Panamanian Ecumenical Committee. The committee 
members also had an interreligious committee that included Jewish 
Reform, Islamic, Buddhist, Baha'i, Hindu, and Ibeorgun religious 
groups. The committee sponsored conferences to discuss matters of faith 
and practice and planned joint liturgical celebrations and charitable 
projects. The committee was a member of the Panamanian Civil Society 
Assembly, an umbrella group of civic organizations that conducts 
informal governmental oversight and has been the driving force behind 
ethical pacts on the treatment of women and youth, civil society, 
responsible journalism, and decentralization.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
    The U.S. embassy continued its outreach efforts to the Muslim 
communities by hosting two dinners at the ambassador's residence to 
observe Islamic holy days and two meetings to discuss problems 
encountered at U.S. airports by Muslims. In addition, an embassy 
delegation visited the Arab community center and mosque in Colon.
    The ambassador hosted a Purim dinner for the Jewish community, and 
embassy officials attended Holocaust remembrance services. They also 
took part in events marking the visit of the Patriarch of 
Constantinople to Panama's Eastern Orthodox community. The ambassador 
and embassy officers met with world leaders of the Jewish B'nai B'rith 
organization who were in the country in June 2006 for their annual 
conference.
                               __________

                                PARAGUAY

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 157,047 square miles and an estimated 
population of 6.3 million. According to the Government's 2002 national 
census, the population was 89.6 percent Roman Catholic, 6.2 percent 
evangelical Christian, 1.1 percent other Christian, 0.6 percent 
indigenous religions, and 0.3 percent other (non-Christian) religions; 
1.1 percent of respondents claimed no religious preference, and 1 
percent did not provide information regarding their religious 
preference.
    There were active Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline 
Protestant, Jewish (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform), Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Baha'i communities. 
There was an Islamic community concentrated in the department of Alto 
Parana, an area that received substantial immigration from the Middle 
East, particularly from Lebanon. There was also a substantial Mennonite 
community, principally in the western department of Boqueron.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
and other laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion.
    The constitution recognizes the historical role of the Catholic 
Church in public life, and Catholic priests often performed Mass at 
government functions.
    The following holy days are official national holidays: Maundy 
(Holy) Thursday, Good Friday, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
(now known as the Founding of Asuncion), Immaculate Conception of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary (now known as the Virgin of Caacupe Day), and 
Christmas. The Government also observed the death of Pope John Paul II 
as a public holiday on the day of his funeral.
    All religious groups must be registered with the Ministry of the 
Interior. The criteria for recognition consist of completing required 
paperwork, being certified as a nonprofit organization, passing 
financial and criminal background checks, and paying a small fee. The 
Government enforced few controls on religious groups, and there were 
many unregistered churches. The latter were typically small, Christian 
evangelical churches with few members.
    The Government is secular. Most government officials were Catholic, 
but adherence to a particular creed confers no legal advantage or 
disadvantage. The armed forces have an extensive Catholic chaplain 
program. The Catholic Church considers this chaplaincy as a diocese and 
appoints a bishop to oversee the program on a full-time basis.
    Both public and religiously affiliated schools exist, and parents 
were free to send their children to the school of their choice without 
sanction or restriction. The Government imposes no curriculum 
requirements regarding religion.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    In January and early February 2006 in several locations around the 
city of Asuncion, there were reports of approximately seventy incidents 
of graffiti conveying messages or depicting symbols commonly associated 
with anti-Semitism and pro-Nazism. However, some of these incidents 
were patently against the United States or former dictator Alfredo 
Stroessner, insinuating the groups were fascists. Some of the graffiti 
was spray-painted on the private property of a well-known radio 
commentator of Jewish descent and at the home of the Jewish son-in-law 
of an ABC Color newspaper executive. The Government investigated the 
incidents, but police made no arrests during the period covered by this 
report.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part its overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. 
ambassador and embassy officials met regularly with representatives of 
different religious groups. Representatives of the embassy raised 
concerns with the Government over the graffiti incidents.
                               __________

                                  PERU

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 496,225 square miles and a population of 
approximately 27.2 million. Among the major religious communities were 
the Roman Catholic, various Protestant denominations (including 
Baptists, Anglican, Assembly of God, and many others), Seventh-day 
Adventist, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 
Jehovah's Witnesses, Judaism, Baha'i Faith, Hare Krishna, and Islam. 
There also were indigenous communities practicing various forms of pre-
Columbian and syncretistic (blending Christian and pre-Columbian) 
beliefs, as well as a unique and well-organized local faith, the 
Israelites of the New Universal Pact, which is not connected to Israel 
or the Jewish faith. The 2006 Continuous National Census performed by 
the National Statistics Institute (INEI) found that 85 percent of the 
population that identified with a religion was Catholic, 11 percent was 
evangelical, and the remaining 4 percent included Adventists, Mormons, 
Jehovah's Witnesses, and Israelites of the New Universal Pact. Based on 
1993 census data, INEI estimated that adherents of non-Christian faiths 
accounted for approximately 2.5 percent of the population, while 
agnostics and atheists constituted 1.4 percent. The Catholic 
nongovernmental organization (NGO) Episcopal Commission for Social 
Action (CEAS) estimated that only 15 percent of Catholics regularly 
attended weekly church services.
    The memberships of most religious groups remained at fairly 
constant levels; however, various evangelical Christian denominations 
had rapidly increasing congregations. According to some estimates, in 
the last twenty years their representation grew from 2 to 3 percent of 
the population to 10 to 15 percent.
    The National Evangelical Council (CONEP) estimated that 
evangelicals represented at least 15 percent of the population. 
Historically, evangelicals resided in areas outside of Lima, the 
capital, and in rural rather than urban areas; however, in the last 
fifteen years, their numbers in urban areas increased significantly. 
There were small Jewish populations in Lima and Cuzco and small Muslim 
populations in Lima (mostly of Palestinian origin) and Tacna 
(predominantly of Pakistani origin).
    Some Catholics combined indigenous worship with Catholic 
traditions. This type of syncretistic religion was practiced most often 
in the Andean mountain highlands. Indigenous peoples in the remote 
eastern jungles also practiced traditional faiths. The founder of the 
Israelites of the New Universal Pact organized the group in 1960 in 
Junin Department; most adherents were concentrated in and near Lima.
    Foreign missionary groups, including Mormons and several 
evangelical organizations, operated freely throughout the country, 
although they did not receive the same treatment in the areas of 
customs, immigration, and taxation given to the Catholic Church.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. Article 50 of 
the constitution establishes separation of church and state but 
recognizes the Catholic Church's role as ``an important element in the 
historical, cultural, and moral development of the nation.'' The 
government acts independently of Catholic Church policy. Nonetheless, 
it maintains a close relationship with the Church, and a concordat 
signed with the Vatican in 1980 grants the Catholic Church special 
status. Non-Catholic critics complain that the concordat was executed 
between the Vatican and the last military government and thus does not 
reflect the current democratic vision of equality. Officials of the 
Church sometimes play a high profile role in the public sector.
    The constitution specifically prohibits discrimination based on 
religion; however, preferential treatment is given to the Catholic 
Church in education, tax benefits, immigration of religious workers, 
and other areas in accordance with the concordat. All work-related 
earnings of Catholic priests and bishops are exempt from income taxes. 
Real estate, buildings, and houses owned by the Catholic Church are 
exempt from property taxes; other religious groups (depending on the 
municipal jurisdiction) must pay property taxes for schools and clergy 
residences. Some Catholic clergy receive state remuneration in addition 
to the stipends paid to them by the Catholic Church. This applies to 
the country's fifty-two bishops as well as priests whose ministries are 
located in towns and villages along the country's borders. In addition, 
each diocese receives a monthly institutional subsidy from the 
Government. According to Catholic Church officials, none of these 
payments are substantial.
    The executive branch formally interacts with religious communities 
on issues of religious freedom through the Ministry of Justice. The 
ministry issues resolutions that implement laws, and interacts with the 
public through an office of relations with the Catholic Church and an 
office for non-Catholic religions. Both offices, constituting a 
Religious Affairs Unit, maintain a continuing dialogue with the 
Catholic Church and other organized religious groups on concerns of 
religious freedom. The primary functions of the Religious Affairs Unit 
are to process complaints of religious discrimination and to assist 
religious groups in relations with the state, such as seeking 
exemptions from import taxes and customs duties.
    In 2004 the Ministry of Justice promulgated a regulation designed 
to enhance religious freedom and equality by registering churches and 
assisting them in receiving state benefits similar to the Catholic 
Church; however, this registration process has provoked controversy. 
Before 2006 some evangelical Christian churches complained that the 
Government made it difficult for them to register because new, 
independent churches continued to be founded, while government 
regulations require that a church be operating for several years before 
it can register. In addition, because many evangelical churches do not 
have central lines of authority and lack sufficient doctrinal 
similarities for the Government to group them together, evangelical 
organizations complained that the registration process required each 
individual evangelical church to register as a separate religion. Other 
groups, which were more hierarchical and established, supported strict 
registration requirements as a deterrent to fraudulent or misleading 
registrations.
    In 2005 the Ministry of Justice convened an interfaith workgroup of 
representatives from the religious faiths to discuss the reform of laws 
that infringe upon the rights of religious communities and to 
strengthen relations between the state and non-Catholic religions. The 
Ministry of Justice and the religious groups together clarified the 
registration policies. The regulations permit the major evangelical 
umbrella organizations, CONEP, and the Union of Evangelical Christian 
Churches of Peru to register their member churches as one group. The 
registration is not intended to recognize churches officially but to 
identify which should receive administrative assistance from the 
Religious Affairs Unit in relations with the state (for example, tax-
free donations). By the end of 2005 the interfaith workgroup developed 
a draft law to promote further religious freedom and equality. The 
Ministry of Justice sent this legislation to Congress for its 
consideration. Independently, congressmen have proposed at least three 
other draft laws on religious freedom. At the end of the period covered 
by this report, Congress had not taken actions on these draft laws.
    All religious groups are free to establish places of worship, train 
clergy, and proselytize. During the period covered by this report, the 
unit did not receive any discrimination complaints.
    The law mandates that all schools, public and private, impart 
religious education as part of the curriculum throughout the education 
process (primary and secondary), ``without violating the freedom of 
conscience of the student, parents, or teachers.'' Catholicism is the 
only religion taught in public schools. Many non-Catholic religious or 
secular private schools have been granted exemptions from this 
requirement. The Education Ministry has made it mandatory for public 
school authorities to appoint religious education teachers upon 
individual recommendations and approval by the presiding Catholic 
bishop of the area.
    Parents who do not wish their public school children to participate 
in the mandatory religion classes must request an exemption in writing 
from the school principal. Non-Catholics who wish their children to 
receive a religious education in their own faith are free to organize 
such classes, at their own expense, during the weekly hour allotted by 
the school for religious education; however, they must supply their own 
teacher.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    The Freedom of Conscience Institute (PROLIBCO), an NGO that favors 
strict separation of church and state and opposes the preferential 
treatment accorded to the Catholic Church, claimed that the financial 
subsidies and tax benefits given to the Church were far more widespread 
and lucrative than publicly acknowledged. Some groups complained that 
Catholic bishops, for example, received government expense allowances 
for which the bishops do not have to account. Ministry of Justice 
officials stated the highest payment was for bishops at $300 (990 
soles) per month, while other Catholic Church officials received a 
fraction of that amount.
    Catholic charities do not have to pay customs duties; however, non-
Catholics with extensive charitable activities complained that 
donations of goods from abroad are taxed at commercial rates. Ongoing 
registration reform and Ministry of Justice assistance is designed to 
facilitate duty-free import of charitable goods.
    In 2004 and 2005 some evangelical missionaries cited immigration 
discrimination as impinging on religious freedom. Residency documents 
show an immigrating Catholic priest to be in a ``Religious--Catholic'' 
category, but there is no category for non-Catholic religious 
officials. As a result, clergy or missionaries from non-Catholic faiths 
may go through a lengthy immigration process from which Catholics are 
exempt, including a requirement to leave the country every six months 
and reapply for a visa. According to evangelical leaders and the 
Justice Ministry, the immigration problems have become less common 
thanks to flexibility from the immigration agency on the need for 
missionaries to represent religions registered with the Ministry of 
Justice. There were no reports that non-Catholic clergy were denied 
admission because of their religious status. At the end of the period 
covered by this report, religious groups and the Ministry of Justice 
were working to add a category for ``Non-Catholic Religious Worker'' to 
immigration regulations.
    Non-Catholic organizations complained that although their adherents 
may be exempted from attending Catholic instruction, the students who 
do so lose academic credits. Students who graduate from primary and 
secondary schools without these credits cannot be at the top of their 
class regardless of other academic achievements they attain. These 
students are then disadvantaged in competitions for scholarships or for 
admission to universities with competitive entry requirements.
    By law the military may employ only Catholic clergy as chaplains, 
and Catholicism is the only recognized religion of military personnel. 
A 1999 government decree creating forty Catholic military chaplaincies 
obliges members of the armed forces and the police, as well as their 
civilian coworkers and relatives, to participate in such services. 
There have been no reports of discrimination or denials of promotion 
for non-Catholic members of the military, nor have there been any 
reports of personnel refusing to participate in Catholic services. 
However, as the number of non-Catholic Christians increases in the 
military, reflecting the increase in the number of evangelical 
Protestants nationwide, non-Catholic soldiers segregated in barracks 
have found it difficult to attend religious services when no chaplains 
or chaplains' assistants exist for them.
    Some non-Catholic missionary groups claimed that the law 
discriminated against them by taxing religious materials, including 
Bibles that they bring into the country, while the Catholic Church was 
not taxed on such items.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    Religious groups occasionally joined forces on ecumenical projects 
on behalf of the poor. The Catholic Church and evangelical churches 
collaborated closely in the area of human rights. The Catholic Church 
used evangelical church staff in rural areas to minister to its 
congregations when there was no priest available. The Catholic Church 
(through the CEAS) and CONEP (through its loosely affiliated Peace and 
Hope Evangelical Association) have conducted joint national campaigns 
on behalf of prison inmates and detainees wrongly charged or sentenced 
for terrorism and treason.
    The fringe political movement Ethnocacerism published a bimonthly 
newspaper which included anti-Semitic statements as well as accounts 
that minimized the Holocaust and promoted admiration for Adolf Hitler's 
strong ``nationalist'' leadership. The paper received increased 
attention because it was named Ollanta after Ollanta Humala, who 
subsequently declared his candidacy for the presidency. In late 2005 
publishers changed the paper's name to Antauro after Ollanta Humala 
distanced himself from his brother, Antauro, the newspaper's editor and 
one of its main contributors.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. U.S. 
embassy staff met with leaders of numerous religious communities, 
including representatives of the Catholic Church, Protestant groups, 
and the Jewish community. The embassy also continued to maintain 
regular contact with religious organizations involved in the protection 
of human rights, including the CEAS, the Interreligious Committee of 
Peru, the Peace and Hope Evangelical Association, and the Freedom of 
Conscience Institute.
                               __________

                         SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 104 square miles and a population of 
approximately 46,000. Christianity was the dominant religion. An 
estimated 50 percent of the population adhered to Anglican beliefs, and 
25 percent were Roman Catholic. Methodist, Moravian, Seventh-day 
Adventist, and Jehovah's Witnesses denominations were also present. 
Evangelical Christian denominations have been gaining followers. There 
was a small Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) 
community. Minority religious groups included Rastafarians and members 
of the Baha'i Faith. There was no organized Jewish community, although 
there is a Jewish cemetery on Nevis.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The Government is 
secular and did not interfere with an individual's right to worship.
    The Ministry of Social Development is responsible for the 
registration of religious groups.
    The Christian holy days of Good Friday, Easter, Whit Monday, and 
Christmas are national holidays.
    There were two Catholic schools and a Seventh-day Adventist school. 
The Government did not contribute financially to these schools. The 
Government requires all schools to conduct morning Christian prayers 
and hymns.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. However, Rastafarians complained that the use of 
marijuana, pertinent to their religious rituals, was illegal.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The St. Kitts Christian Council, which included Anglican, Catholic, 
Methodist, and other traditional Christian religious groups, conducted 
activities to promote greater mutual understanding and tolerance among 
adherents of different Christian denominations. The Evangelical 
Association united eleven churches in the evangelical community and 
promoted their interests.
    Rastafarians complained that there was widespread discrimination 
against their members, especially in hiring and in schools.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                              SAINT LUCIA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 238 square miles and a population 
estimated at 163,000. Christianity was the dominant religion. Roman 
Catholics accounted for approximately 67 percent of the population, and 
the Catholic Church described 40 percent of these members as 
``active.'' The second largest group was evangelical Christians, 
including Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, and members of 
Jehovah's Witnesses. The Anglican Church had approximately 6,000 
members, with 50 percent being active, while Baptists and Methodists 
represented smaller numbers.
    The total number of non-Christians was very small. There were an 
estimated 350 Muslims, primarily local converts, but some were also 
immigrants from the Middle East, South Asia, and other Caribbean 
countries. Muslims worshipped in two musallahs (informal places of 
worship); there were no mosques in the country. Other minority 
religious groups included Rastafarians and members of the Baha'i Faith.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    The Government is secular and did not interfere with an 
individual's right to worship. The Government maintains a close 
relationship with the Christian Council, an organization comprised of 
the Roman Catholic Church and mainline Protestant denominations.
    Christian holy days, including Good Friday, Easter, Whit Monday, 
and Christmas, are national holidays.
    The Government requires a list of at least one hundred members to 
register a religious group. Official recognition allows a religious 
organization to have duty-free import privileges and the right to 
register births, deaths, and marriages within the community. Any 
citizen can register life events with the Government; however, 
registration of a religious group allows its officials to act in this 
capacity as well. Muslim leaders have applied for official recognition; 
their application was pending at the end of the period covered by this 
report because the Government was in the process of revising 
registration procedures. A number of other religious groups were 
awaiting registration as well.
    The public school curriculum includes Christian education; however, 
non-Christian students are not required to participate. There also are 
private schools sponsored by both the Catholic and Anglican churches.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Rastafarians complained that the use of marijuana, pertinent to 
their religious rituals, was illegal.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom, although some tension existed 
between the historically dominant Catholic Church and the rapidly 
growing evangelical denominations. Some evangelicals allegedly 
criticized Catholics and mainline Protestants for adherence to ``slave 
religions'' and for not accepting a literal interpretation of the 
Bible. Muslim leaders claimed that some recent converts to Islam hid 
their new religion from non-Muslim friends and family to avoid 
criticism and discrimination. The St. Lucia Christian Council conducted 
activities to promote greater mutual understanding and tolerance among 
adherents of different denominations within the Christian community.
    In April 2006 a man was remanded to custody, accused of attempting 
to assassinate the Eastern Caribbean's Catholic archbishop. The accused 
was to be sent for psychological evaluation before being formally 
charged. Government officials denounced the attack as reprehensible and 
called for tolerance among religious groups. At the end of the 
reporting period, no further developments had taken place.
    Two Rastafarian men, found guilty in 2003 of murder and arson in a 
2000 attack on the Catholic cathedral in Castries and sentenced to 
hang, remained in prison awaiting execution.
    Rastafarians complained that there was widespread discrimination 
against their members, especially in hiring and in schools.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.
                               __________

                    SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 150 square miles and a population of 
117,000. Christianity was the dominant religion. The Anglican Church 
consisted of approximately 24,000 members, with one-third described as 
active. Approximately 11,000 citizens were Roman Catholic, with a 
majority of them being active. The Seventh-day Adventist Church also 
claimed 11,000 members and described 50 percent as active. The 
Methodist Church had 4,500 active members registered with 
congregations, although more claimed affiliation in the previous 
census. There were twenty to thirty different Pentecostal denominations 
in the country, with the largest, the Pentecostal Assembly of the West 
Indies, claiming approximately twenty congregations. There was a small 
Salvation Army presence estimated at seventy members. The number of 
non-Christians was small; the Baha'i Faith had approximately 1,500 
adherents, and there was a smaller number of Rastafarians.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    Christian holy days, including Good Friday, Easter, Whit Monday, 
and Christmas, are national holidays.
    Students in public schools receive nondenominational religious 
instruction based on Christianity; however, students are not forced to 
participate in religious instruction. Representatives from different 
religious groups are occasionally invited to speak to students. Most 
speakers represent the Anglican or Catholic churches. Teachers are also 
allowed to provide information on other religious groups.
    The Government occasionally organizes interfaith services through 
the Christian Council, an organization comprised of the Anglican, Roman 
Catholic, and Methodist churches and the Salvation Army.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    Rastafarians complained that the use of marijuana, pertinent to 
their religious rituals, was illegal.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The Christian Council of Churches conducted activities to promote 
greater mutual understanding and tolerance among adherents of different 
denominations within the Christian religious groups, although no 
evangelical church has joined.
    Rastafarians complained that there was widespread discrimination 
against their members, especially in hiring and in schools. Tension 
continued to exist among some Christian denominations, with evangelical 
Christians allegedly criticizing Catholics and mainstream Protestants 
for adhering to ``slave religions.'' Baha'i representatives noted that 
some followers hid their religious affiliation to avoid criticism and 
discrimination.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy also discusses religious freedom with local groups and 
other organizations.
                               __________

                                SURINAME

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 63,037 square miles and a population of 
approximately 493,000. According to the 2004 census, an estimated 27 
percent of the inhabitants traced their ancestry to the Indian 
subcontinent, another 18 percent identified themselves as Creoles of 
African descent, 15 percent claimed Indonesian ancestry, and 15 percent 
were of maroon descent, or descendants of escaped slaves. Smaller 
percentages of the population claimed Chinese, Amerindian, Portuguese, 
Lebanese, or Dutch descent.
    According to recent census data, 40.7 percent of the population was 
Christian, including Roman Catholics and other Protestant groups--among 
them Moravians, Lutheran, Dutch Reformed, evangelical, Baptist, and 
Methodist; 20 percent was Hindu, 13.5 percent was Muslim, 3.3 percent 
followed indigenous religions, 15 percent claimed to not know their 
religion, 4.4 percent claimed no faith, and 2.5 percent declared other, 
unspecified faiths. Indigenous religions were practiced by the 
Amerindians and the Afro-descendant maroon populations. The 
Amerindians, concentrated principally in the interior and to a lesser 
extent in coastal areas, practiced shamanism, a worship of all living 
things, through a medicine man, or piaiman. Maroons, who inhabited the 
interior, worshipped nature through a practice that had no special 
name, and they also worshipped their ancestors through a rite called 
wintie. Citizens of Amerindian and maroon origin who classified 
themselves as Christian often simultaneously followed indigenous 
religious customs, which was known to and accepted by their Christian 
church leaders.
    The Jewish community numbered 150, and there were small numbers of 
Baha'is and Buddhists. There were also other groups, such as the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the World Islamic 
Call Society.
    Several Christian denominations, including Canadian and U.S.-based 
church groups, operated missionary programs throughout the country. 
There were an estimated twenty U.S. missionaries; approximately 90 
percent were affiliated with the Baptist or Wesleyan Methodist 
churches.
    Many political parties had strong ethnic ties, and members tended 
to adhere to or practice one faith. Six of the eight governing 
coalition parties were ethnically based. For example, within the 
governing coalition, the majority of members of the mostly Creole 
National Party of Suriname were Moravian, members of the mostly ethnic 
Indian United Reformed Party were Hindu, and those of the mostly ethnic 
Javanese Pertjaja Luhur Party tended to be Muslim. However, parties had 
no requirement that political party leaders or members adhere to a 
particular religion.
    There was no direct correlation between religious affiliation and 
socioeconomic status; however, those who practiced indigenous religions 
in the small villages of the interior generally had a lower 
socioeconomic status. With the exception of those following indigenous 
practices, religious communities were not concentrated in any 
particular region of the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    There are five holy days that are celebrated as official holidays: 
Holi Phagwa (Hindu), Good Friday (Christian), Easter Monday 
(Christian), Eid al-Fitr (Muslim), and Christmas (Christian). Citizens 
of all faiths tended to celebrate these holidays.
    The Government does not establish requirements for recognition of 
religious faiths, nor are religious groups required to register with 
the Government.
    Aside from the standard requirement for an entry visa, foreign 
missionaries face no special restrictions.
    The armed forces maintain a chaplaincy with Hindu, Muslim, 
Protestant, and Catholic clergy available to military personnel of all 
faiths. While the chaplaincy provides interfaith services, personnel 
are also welcome to attend outside religious services.
    The government education system provides limited subsidies to a 
number of public elementary and secondary schools established and 
managed by various religious organizations. While the teachers are 
civil servants and the schools are public, religious groups provide all 
funding with the exception of teachers' salaries and a small 
maintenance stipend. Religious instruction in public schools is 
permitted but not required for all students. Schools offer religious 
instruction in a variety of faiths.
    Parents are not permitted to home school their children for 
religious or other reasons; however, they may enroll their children in 
private schools, many of which have a religious affiliation. Students 
in public schools are allowed to practice all elements of their faith, 
including wearing headscarves, crosses, or yarmulkes.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Most citizens, particularly 
those living in the capital of Paramaribo, celebrated to varying 
degrees the religious holidays of other groups.
    There is an interreligious council composed of representatives of 
various religious groups. Council members meet at least twice per month 
to discuss planned ecumenical activities and their position on 
government policies.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
U.S. embassy maintained a regular dialogue with leaders of various 
religious communities.
    Following the 2006 controversy and subsequent violence surrounding 
a Danish cartoon depicting Muhammad, embassy officials engaged in a 
dialogue with one of the largest Islamic organizations in the country 
to discuss freedom of religion in the context of human rights. In 
February 2006 the embassy delivered equipment worth approximately 
$30,000 (84,000 Surinamese dollars) to support a project to preserve 
Moravian church archives.
                               __________

                          TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 1,980 square miles and a population of 
approximately 1.3 million. Approximately 40 percent of the population 
was of African descent and 40 percent of East Indian descent. The 
balance was mostly of European, Syrian, Lebanese, or Chinese descent.
    According to the latest official statistics (2000), 26 percent of 
the population was Roman Catholic, 24.6 percent Protestant (including 
7.8 percent Anglican, 6.8 percent Pentecostal, 4 percent Seventh-day 
Adventist, 3.3 percent Presbyterian or Congregational, 1.8 percent 
Baptist, and 0.9 percent Methodist), 22.5 percent Hindu, and 5.8 
percent Muslim. A small number of individuals subscribed to traditional 
Caribbean religions with African roots, such as the Spiritual Baptists 
(sometimes called Shouter Baptists), 5.4 percent; and the Orisha, 0.1 
percent. The smaller groups were Jehovah's Witnesses (1.6 percent), 
atheists (1.9 percent), or those listed as ``other,'' which included 
numerous small Christian groups as well as Baha'is, Rastafarians, 
Buddhists, and Jews (10.7 percent), or undeclared (1.4 percent).
    Afro-Trinidadians were predominantly Christian, with a small Muslim 
community, and were concentrated in and around Port-of-Spain and the 
east-west corridor of Trinidad. The population of Trinidad's sister 
island, Tobago, was overwhelmingly of African descent and predominantly 
Christian. Indo-Trinidadians were primarily concentrated in central and 
southern Trinidad and were principally divided between the Hindu and 
Muslim faiths, along with significant Presbyterian and some Catholic 
representation.
    Ethnic and religious divisions were reflected in political life, 
with most Afro-Trinidadians voting for the governing People's National 
Movement party, and most Indo-Trinidadians supporting the opposition 
United National Congress (UNC) party. Religious overtones were 
sometimes present in the messages and ceremonies of these political 
parties, particularly those of the UNC, which occasionally incorporated 
Hindu references and cultural expressions into their public events.
    Foreign missionaries present included members of the Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Baptists, Mennonites, and 
Muslims. The Mormons maintained approximately thirty foreign 
missionaries, while other denominations averaged between five and ten 
foreign missionaries in the country during the period covered by this 
report.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
    To receive tax-exempt donations and gifts of land or to perform 
marriages, religious groups must register with the Government, which 
requires them to demonstrate that they are nonprofit organizations. 
Religious groups have the same rights and obligations as most legal 
entities, regardless of whether they are registered. They can own land, 
but they must pay property taxes; they can hire employees, but they 
must pay government-mandated employee benefits. Some religious groups 
register their organizations for increased visibility and to attract 
wider membership.
    The Government subsidizes both public and religiously affiliated 
schools. It permits religious instruction in public schools, setting 
aside a time each week when any religious organization with an adherent 
in the school can provide an instructor in its faith. Attendance at 
these classes is voluntary, and the faiths represented are diverse. 
Parents may enroll their children in private schools for religious 
reasons. Home schooling is not allowed, since the Education Act 
mandates formal schooling for all children, whether in public or 
private schools.
    During the second half of 2005, the Ministry of Social Development 
became responsible for ecclesiastical affairs. The ministry administers 
annual financial grants to religious organizations and issues 
recommendations on land use by such organizations.
    The law prohibits acts that would offend or insult another person 
or group on the grounds of race, origin, or religion or which would 
incite racial or religious hatred, and it provides for prosecution for 
the desecration of any place of worship. Government officials routinely 
speak out against religious intolerance and generally do not publicly 
favor any religion. The process of judicial review is available to 
those who claim to be victims of religious discrimination.
    The Government has set aside public holidays for every religious 
group with large followings. The Christian holidays are Good Friday, 
Easter Monday, and Christmas; the Hindu holiday is Divali; and the 
Muslim holiday is Eid al-Fitr. In addition, the Government recognizes 
the Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day, associated with the Spiritual 
Baptist religion. The Government grants financial and technical 
assistance to various organizations to support religious festivals and 
celebrations.
    The Government does not formally sponsor programs that promoted 
interfaith dialogue; however, it supports the activities of the Inter-
Religious Organization (IRO). This organization serves as an interfaith 
coordinating committee for public outreach, governmental and media 
relations, and policy implementation. It also provides the prayer 
leader for several official events, such as the opening of Parliament 
and the annual court term. The IRO liaises with the Ministry of Social 
Development as well as the Ministry of Education in its governmental 
relations.
    Ministers, members of Parliament, and public figures represented 
every faith and denomination and the broad spectrum of religious 
beliefs in the country. They often participated in the ceremonies and 
holidays of other religions and actively preached religious tolerance 
and harmony.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. Foreign missionaries operated freely in the 
country; however, the Government limited the number of foreign 
missionaries allowed to be in the country to thirty per religious 
denomination at any given time. Missionaries must meet standard 
requirements for an entry visa, must represent a registered religious 
group, and may not remain in the country for more than three years at a 
time. They may reenter the country after at least one year of absence.
    Members of the military force were predominantly Afro-Trinidadian 
and Christian, and the military maintained a part-time chaplain to 
provide Christian religious services. Military personnel also had 
access to other religious services in their local communities.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. Society is multiethnic and 
multireligious, and religious tolerance is instilled very early in 
life. Political leaders attended celebrations of all groups and often 
delivered speeches on religious tolerance that highlight the country's 
diversity.
    The IRO, which was composed of leaders of nearly all faiths with 
significant followings in the country, promoted interfaith dialogue and 
tolerance through study groups, publications, and cultural and 
religious exhibitions. The bylaws of the IRO do not exclude any groups 
from membership. However, the Pentecostals and Seventh-day Adventists 
did not participate for doctrinal reasons. The Mormons joined the IRO 
during the period covered by this report.
    Occasionally, a religious group complained about conversion efforts 
undertaken in neighborhoods that predominantly belonged to another 
faith. Most commonly, Hindu religious leaders raised this complaint 
against evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. These complaints may 
stem from underlying ethnic tensions between the Afro-Trinidadian and 
Indo-Trinidadian communities.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The 
embassy maintained contacts with most congregations and invited 
representatives to official functions.
                               __________

                                URUGUAY

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom 
during the period covered by this report, and government policy 
continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 68,039 square miles and a population 
estimated at 3.2 million. While the Government keeps no statistics 
concerning religious affiliation, a 2004 survey published in the daily 
newspaper El Pais reported that 54 percent of those interviewed 
designated themselves as Roman Catholics, 6 percent as evangelical 
Protestants, 5 percent as Protestants, 9 percent as believers without a 
religious affiliation, and 26 percent as nonbelievers. The mainline 
Protestant minority was composed primarily of Anglicans, Methodists, 
Lutherans, and Baptists. Other denominations and branches included 
evangelicals, Pentecostals, Mennonites, Eastern Orthodox, and Jehovah's 
Witnesses. In 2006 a religious-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) 
estimated that 400,000 persons considered themselves to be evangelical 
Protestants. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) 
claimed 100,000 members. There were approximately 25,000 Jews. 
According to local Jewish leaders, since 2002 the number of Jews has 
declined due to emigration. An April 2006 newspaper report indicated 
that approximately 850 families practiced Buddhism. The Unification 
Church was active in the country and had major property holdings, 
including a daily newspaper. There was a Muslim population that lived 
primarily near the border with Brazil. An Islamic cultural 
representative estimated approximately 300 to 400 Muslims in the 
country but noted that the majority were minimally observant. The 
estimated 4,000 Baha'is were concentrated primarily in Montevideo.
    Many Christian groups performed foreign missionary work. Groups 
reported no difficulties obtaining visas for religious work. Statistics 
indicated that there were an estimated 780 Mormon missionaries from 
neighboring countries and the United States in the country.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government 
at all levels sought to protect this right in full and did not tolerate 
its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. The constitution 
and law prohibit discrimination based on religion. The penal code 
prohibits mistreatment of ethnic, religious, and other minority groups.
    There is strict separation of church and state. All religious 
groups are entitled to tax exemptions on their houses of worship, and 
there were no reports of difficulties in receiving these exemptions. To 
receive the tax exemptions, a religious group must register as a 
nonprofit entity and draft organizing statutes. It then applies to the 
Ministry of Education and Culture, which examines the legal entity and 
grants religious status. The group must reapply every five years. Once 
the ministry grants religious status, the church can request an 
exemption each year from the taxing body, which is usually the 
municipal government.
    The religious holy days of Three Kings Day, Carnival (the Monday 
and Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday), Holy Thursday, Good Friday, All 
Souls' Day, and Christmas are celebrated as official national holidays 
but with secular names.
    Muslims may obtain an optional identity card that identifies their 
religious affiliation to employers and allows them to leave work early 
on Friday. A Muslim representative stated that employers generally 
respected this practice.
    Religious instruction in public schools is prohibited. Public 
schools allow students who belong to minority religious groups to miss 
school for religious holidays without penalty. There are private 
religious schools, which are mainly Catholic and Jewish.
    Foreign missionaries faced no special requirements or restrictions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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 Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom. The Christian-Jewish Council 
met regularly to promote interfaith understanding. In addition, the 
mainstream Protestant denominations met regularly among themselves and 
with the Catholic Church. There were several NGOs that promoted 
interfaith understanding.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
Embassy staff met with human rights and religious NGOs, including B'nai 
B'rith and the Israeli Central Committee of Uruguay. They also met with 
the leaders of religious communities, including representatives of the 
Catholic Church, the Jewish community, the Islamic community, the 
Mormon Church, and Protestant groups.
                               __________

                               VENEZUELA

    The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the 
Government generally respected this right in practice.
    There were some efforts by the Government, motivated by political 
reasons, to limit the influence of religious groups in certain 
geographic, social, and political areas. During the period covered by 
this report, the Government ordered the departure of a U.S. evangelical 
group from indigenous areas.
    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights.

                    Section I. Religious Demography

    The country has an area of 352,144 square miles and a population of 
approximately twenty-seven million. According to government estimates, 
70 percent of the population was Roman Catholic, 29 percent was 
Protestant (usually defined as all non-Roman Catholic Christians), and 
the remaining 1 percent practiced other religions or was atheist. The 
Venezuelan Evangelical Council estimated that evangelical Protestants 
constituted approximately 10 percent of the population. A variety of 
foreign missionary groups operated in the country, including Catholics, 
evangelicals, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
(Mormons).
    There were small but influential Jewish and Muslim communities. The 
Jewish community numbered approximately 15,000 and was most active in 
the capital, Caracas. The Muslim community was concentrated among 
citizens of Lebanese and Syrian descent living in Nueva Esparta State 
and the Caracas area.

                Section II. Status of Religious Freedom

Legal/Policy Framework
    The constitution provides for freedom of religion on the condition 
that the practice of a religion does not violate public morality, 
decency, and the public order; the Government generally respected this 
right in practice.
    The Directorate of Justice and Religion (DJR) in the Ministry of 
Interior and Justice is mandated to maintain a registry of religious 
groups, disburse funds to religious organizations, and promote 
awareness and understanding among religious communities. Each group 
must register with the DJR to have legal status as a religious 
organization. Requirements for registration are largely administrative, 
the key exception being that groups serve the community's social 
interests. Some groups have complained that the process is slow and 
inefficient. However, in contrast with the previous report, there were 
no accounts of the Government refusing to register certain religious 
groups in the period covered by this report.
    A 1964 concordat governs relations between the Government and the 
Vatican and provides the basis for government subsidies to the Roman 
Catholic Church. All registered religious groups are eligible for 
funding to support religious services, but most money goes to Catholic 
organizations because their assigned shares are fixed. While the 
Government continued to provide funding to Catholic-operated schools as 
usual, there were significant cutbacks to funding given directly to the 
Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (CEV). There were reports that 
funding increased to certain evangelical groups, although much of this 
was related to social projects implemented via the Government's social 
programs, and the specific amounts were not available.
    Foreign missionaries require special visas to operate in the 
country. The Government estimated that there were approximately 3,000 
such missionaries in 2005. Missionaries generally complained of 
increased refusal rates for first-time religious visas as well as for 
renewals. Missionary groups also generally complained that the 
religious visa process had become more difficult and prone to delays. 
After a temporary freeze in all religious visa applications, the 
Government returned to issuing visas, although reportedly at a slower 
pace than before.
    In October 2005 the Mormons withdrew 219 U.S. missionaries, citing 
difficulties in receiving religious visas. The growing crime rate was 
also a factor, especially considering that the young missionaries 
worked in poor, high-crime neighborhoods.
    The Government continued to provide annual subsidies to Catholic 
schools and social programs that help the poor. Other religious groups 
are free to establish and operate their own schools.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
    Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free 
practice of religion. The constitution forbids the use of religion to 
avoid obeying the law or interfere with the rights of others; however, 
there were efforts by the Government, motivated by political reasons, 
to limit the influence of the Catholic Church and missionary groups in 
certain social and political areas.
    In October 2005 President Chavez accused missionaries from the 
U.S.-based religious group New Tribes Mission (NTM) of contaminating 
the cultures of indigenous populations as well as carrying out illicit 
activities with the group's small aircraft. The Ministry of Interior 
subsequently rescinded the group's permission, granted in 1953, to 
conduct its social programs among indigenous tribes. The NTM appealed 
the order to the Supreme Court, which denied an injunction but admitted 
the case, which remained pending at the end of the period covered by 
this report. More than 100 NTM missionaries withdrew from the 
indigenous areas in compliance with the Government's order, abandoning 
properties held for decades. The Government reportedly seized some of 
these properties, without compensation, for its own social programs. 
Other foreign missionary groups working in the indigenous areas 
departed voluntarily after government officials warned that all such 
missionary activity would be stopped. Despite being duly registered 
religious and civil society groups, at the end of the period covered by 
this report foreign missionary groups were prohibited from entering 
indigenous areas.
    In April 2006 the Government's telecommunication regulator 
reassigned the frequencies that had been used since 1999 by a Catholic-
operated station, Vale TV. The Government contended that the frequency 
was needed for other purposes and had reportedly offered the Church a 
different frequency. Church officials said in May 2006 they hoped to 
reach a compromise with the Government; however, at the end of the 
period covered by this report no compromise had been achieved, and the 
station continued to broadcast.
    Public confrontation between Catholic bishops and government 
officials continued. In April 2006 a Catholic priest working for the 
CEV was kidnapped and killed in Caracas under unclear circumstances. 
The Catholic Church clashed with government officials after the 
attorney general engaged in repeated public commentary on the case, 
blaming the priest for being partly responsible for his own death. Both 
sides accused the other of using the case for political gain. As of May 
2006 the Government had formally charged one person for the crime but 
had not resolved several open questions surrounding the investigation.
    In July and August 2005, government officials traded attacks with 
retired Catholic Cardinal Castillo Lara over human rights and press 
freedom problems. The CEV also issued its annual statement in January 
2006 criticizing the Government for not addressing persistent poverty. 
President Hugo Chavez publicly attacked the bishops and challenged 
their conclusions. Church officials again criticized the Government in 
March 2006 for the deteriorating security conditions and rampant crime, 
exacerbated by the kidnapping and killing of three Catholic school 
students and their driver with alleged participation by Caracas police.
    In February 2006 there was a report that an educational video used 
by the Government's high school education ``mission'' depicted NTM 
missionaries and other groups operating in the indigenous areas as 
promulgating a doctrine of ``terror,'' ``fanatical preaching,'' and 
``espionage.'' The video was used in a program that reportedly serves 
two million youths. Religious groups raised their complaints to the 
Government, which reportedly agreed to discontinue use of the video.
    The military chaplain corps was comprised exclusively of Catholic 
priests. Although armed forces members of other religious groups were 
allowed to attend services of their faith, they did not have the same 
access to clergy members that Catholic service members enjoyed. In 
October 2005 the Ministry of Interior and Justice permitted the entry 
of evangelical chaplains to several of the prisons, positions that 
formerly had been open only to Catholics.
    There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the 
country.
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.
Anti-Semitic Acts
    The president, the Government, and their supporters occasionally 
made comments that were either clearly anti-Semitic or could have been 
construed as anti-Semitic. In December 2005 speech, President Chavez 
referred to ``descendants of those who crucified Christ and threw 
founding father Simon Bolivar out of Venezuela.'' Although an 
international Jewish group criticized Chavez' remarks as anti-Semitic, 
local Jewish groups accepted the president's subsequent explanation 
that he was not making an intentionally anti-Semitic remark. Jewish 
leaders later met with the president and senior government officials to 
discuss concerns about anti-Semitism among government sympathizers. 
These included frequent anti-Semitic remarks on opinion shows broadcast 
on the official television station and radio as well as in a 
progovernment national daily newspaper. Jewish leaders also expressed 
concern over the Government's growing relations with Iran, whose 
president called repeatedly for the termination of the country of 
Israel.

            Section III. Societal Abuses and Discrimination

    The generally amicable relationship among religious groups in 
society contributed to religious freedom.
    During the period covered by this report there were reports that 
citizens harassed Mormon missionaries in poor areas. The verbal and 
physical harassment appeared motivated by the Government's accusations 
against the NTM missionaries.

                   Section IV. U.S. Government Policy

    The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the 
Government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. 
However, the Government's frequent refusal to meet with U.S. embassy 
officials generally impeded bilateral communication on this and other 
topics.
    The embassy maintained close contact with various religious 
communities. The U.S. ambassador met regularly with religious 
authorities and sought to raise their concerns with appropriate 
government officials when appropriate and when government officials 
agreed to meet with embassy representatives.
                               APPENDIX A

                              ----------                              


                 UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

                                Preamble

    Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and 
inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation 
of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
    Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in 
barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the 
advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech 
and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the 
highest aspiration of the common people,
    Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have 
recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and 
oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
    Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly 
relations between nations,
    Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter 
reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and 
worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and 
have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life 
in larger freedom,
    Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-
operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect 
for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
    Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of 
the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
    Now, therefore, The General Assembly, proclaims this Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all 
peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every 
organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall 
strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights 
and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, 
to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, 
both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the 
peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

                               Article 1

    All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. 
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one 
another in a spirit of brotherhood.

                               Article 2

    Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in 
this Declaration, without distinction of a kind, such as race, colour, 
sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social 
origin, property, birth or other status.
    Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the 
political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or 
territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, 
non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

                               Article 3

    Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.

                               Article 4

    No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave 
trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

                               Article 5

    No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or 
degrading treatment or punishment.

                               Article 6

    Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before 
the law.

                               Article 7

    All are equal before the law and are entitled without any 
discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to 
equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this 
Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

                               Article 8

    Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent 
national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted 
him by the constitution or by law.

                               Article 9

    No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

                               Article 10

    Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing 
by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his 
rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

                               Article 11

    1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be 
presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public 
trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
    2. No one shall be held guilty without any limitation due to race, 
of any penal offence on account of nationality or religion, have the 
any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under 
national or international law, at the time when it was committed.

                               Article 12

    No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his 
privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour 
and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law 
against such interference or attacks.

                               Article 13

    1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence 
within the borders of each state.
    2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, 
and to return to his country.

                               Article 14

    1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries 
asylum from persecution.
    2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions 
genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to 
the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

                               Article 15

    1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
    2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor be 
denied the right to change his nationality.

                               Article 16

    1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, 
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. 
They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and 
at its dissolution.
    2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full 
consent of the intending spouses.
    3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society 
and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

                               Article 17

    1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in 
association with others.
    2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

                               Article 18

    Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and 
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, 
and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or 
private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, 
worship and observance.

                               Article 19

    Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this 
right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to 
seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and 
regardless of frontiers.

                               Article 20

    1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and 
association.
    2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

                               Article 21

    1. Everyone has the right to take part in the Government of his 
country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
    2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his 
country.
    3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of 
government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine 
elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be 
held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

                               Article 22

    Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security 
and is entitled to realization, through national effort and 
international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and 
resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights 
indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his 
personality.

                               Article 23

    1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to 
just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against 
unemployment.
    2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay 
for equal work.
    3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable 
remuneration insuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of 
human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social 
protection.
    4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the 
protection of his interests.

                               Article 24

    Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable 
limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

                               Article 25

    1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the 
health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, 
clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and 
the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, 
disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in 
circumstances beyond his control.
    2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and 
assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall 
enjoy the same social protection.

                               Article 26

    1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at 
least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education 
shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made 
generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to 
all on the basis of merit.
    2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human 
personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and 
fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and 
friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall 
further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of 
peace.
    3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that 
shall be given to their children.

                               Article 27

    1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural 
life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific 
advancement and its benefits.
    2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and 
material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic 
production of which he is the author.

                               Article 28

    Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which 
the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully 
realized.

                               Article 29

    1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and 
full development of his personality is possible.
    2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be 
subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for 
the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and 
freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, 
public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
    3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary 
to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

                               Article 30

    Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any 
State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to 
perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and 
freedoms set forth herein.

--------------
Hundred and eighty-third plenary meeting
Resolution 217(A)(III) of the United Nations General Assembly,
December 10, 1948

    (This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without 
permission; citation of this source is appreciated.)
                               APPENDIX B

                              ----------                              


                  INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND
                            POLITICAL RIGHTS

                                  and

 THE DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF INTOLERANCE AND OF 
               DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF

                                 ______
                                 

                  INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND
                            POLITICAL RIGHTS

                                Preamble

    The States Parties to the present Covenant,
    Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in 
the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity 
and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human 
family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the 
world,Recognizing that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of 
the human person,
    Recognizing that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings enjoying civil and 
political freedom and freedom from fear and want can only be achieved 
if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his civil and 
political rights, as well as his economic, social and cultural rights,
    Considering the obligation of States under the Charter of the 
United Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of, 
human rights and freedoms,
    Realizing that the individual, having duties to other individuals 
and to the community to which he belongs, is under a responsibility to 
strive for the promotion and observance of the rights recognized in the 
present Covenant,
    Agree upon the following articles:

                                 PART I

                               Article 1

    1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of 
that right they freely determine their political status and freely 
pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
    2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their 
natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations 
arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the 
principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a 
people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
    3. The States Parties to the present Covenant, including those 
having responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and 
Trust Territories, shall promote the realization of the right of self-
determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the 
provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

                                PART II

                               Article 2

    1. Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect 
and to ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to 
its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without 
distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, 
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth 
or other status.
    2. Where not already provided for by existing legislative or other 
measures, each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to take 
the necessary steps, in accordance with its constitutional processes 
and with the provisions of the present Covenant, to adopt such laws or 
other measures as may be necessary to give effect to the rights 
recognized in the present Covenant.
    3. Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes:
          (a) To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms as 
        herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, 
        notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by 
        persons acting in an official capacity;
          (b) To ensure that any person claiming such a remedy shall 
        have his right thereto determined by competent judicial, 
        administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other 
        competent authority provided for by the legal system of the 
        State, and to develop the possibilities of judicial remedy;
          (c) To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce 
        such remedies when granted.

                               Article 3

    The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the 
equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and 
political rights set forth in the present Covenant.

                               Article 4

    1. In time of public emergency which threatens the life of the 
nation and the existence of which is officially proclaimed, the States 
Parties to the present Covenant may take measures derogating from their 
obligations under the present Covenant to the extent strictly required 
by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures are not 
inconsistent with their other obligations under international law and 
do not involve discrimination solely on the ground of race, colour, 
sex, language, religion or social origin.
    2. No derogation from articles 6, 7, 8 (paragraphs I and 2), 11, 
15, 16 and 18 may be made under this provision.
    3. Any State Party to the present Covenant availing itself of the 
right of derogation shall immediately inform the other States Parties 
to the present Covenant, through the intermediary of the Secretary-
General of the United Nations, of the provisions from which it has 
derogated and of the reasons by which it was actuated. A further 
communication shall be made, through the same intermediary, on the date 
on which it terminates such derogation.

                               Article 5

    1. Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted as implying 
for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or 
perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and 
freedoms recognized herein or at their limitation to a greater extent 
than is provided for in the present Covenant.
    2. There shall be no restriction upon or derogation from any of the 
fundamental human rights recognized or existing in any State Party to 
the present Covenant pursuant to law, conventions, regulations or 
custom on the pretext that the present Covenant does not recognize such 
rights or that it recognizes them to a lesser extent.

                                Part III

                               Article 6

    1. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right 
shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his 
life.
    2. In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, 
sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in 
accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the 
crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present Covenant and to 
the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of 
Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final 
judgement rendered by a competent court.
    3. When deprivation of life constitutes the crime of genocide, it 
is understood that nothing in this article shall authorize any State 
Party to the present Covenant to derogate in any way from any 
obligation assumed under the provisions of the Convention on the 
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
    4. Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or 
commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon or commutation of the 
sentence of death may be granted in all cases.
    5. Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by 
persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on 
pregnant women.
    6. Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to prevent 
the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party to the present 
Covenant.

                               Article 7

    No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or 
degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be 
subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific 
experimentation.

                               Article 8

    1. No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave-trade in 
all their forms shall be prohibited.
    2. No one shall be held in servitude.
    3. (a) No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory 
labour;
    (b) Paragraph 3(a) shall not be held to preclude, in countries 
where imprisonment with hard labour may be imposed as a punishment for 
a crime, the performance of hard labour in pursuance of a sentence to 
such punishment by a competent court;
    (c) For the purpose of this paragraph the term ``forced or 
compulsory labour'' shall not include:
          (i) Any work or service, not referred to in subparagraph (b), 
        normally required of a person who is under detention in 
        consequence of a lawful order of a court, or of a person during 
        conditional release from such detention;
          (ii) Any service of a military character and, in countries 
        where conscientious objection is recognized, any national 
        service required by law of conscientious objectors;
          (iii) Any service exacted in cases of emergency or calamity 
        threatening the life or well-being of the community;
          (iv) Any work or service which forms part of normal civil 
        obligations.

                               Article 9

    1. Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one 
shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be 
deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with 
such procedure as are established by law.
    2. Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, 
of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any 
charges against him.
    3. Anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall be 
brought promptly before a judge or other officer authorized by law to 
exercise judicial power and shall be entitled to trial within a 
reasonable time or to release. It shall not be the general rule that 
persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be 
subject to guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the 
judicial proceedings, and, should occasion arise, for execution of the 
judgement.
    4. Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention 
shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that 
court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and 
order his release if the detention is not lawful.
    5. Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest or detention 
shall have an enforceable right to compensation.

                               Article 10

    1. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with 
humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.
    2. (a) Accused persons shall, save in exceptional circumstances, be 
segregated from convicted persons and shall be subject to separate 
treatment appropriate to their status as unconvicted persons;
    (b) Accused juvenile persons shall be separated from adults and 
brought as speedily as possible for adjudication.
    3. The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners 
the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social 
rehabilitation. Juvenile offenders shall be segregated from adults and 
be accorded treatment appropriate to their age and legal status.

                               Article 11

    No one shall be imprisoned merely on the ground of inability to 
fulfil a contractual obligation.

                               Article 12

    1. Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within 
that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to 
choose his residence.
    2. Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.
    3. The above-mentioned rights shall not be subject to any 
restrictions except those which are provided by law, are necessary to 
protect national security, public order (ordre public), public health 
or morals or the rights and freedoms of others, and are consistent with 
the other rights recognized in the present Covenant.
    4. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his 
own country.

                               Article 13

    An alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the present 
Covenant may be expelled therefrom only in pursuance of a decision 
reached in accordance with law and shall, except where compelling 
reasons of national security otherwise require, be allowed to submit 
the reasons against his expulsion and to have his case reviewed by, and 
be represented for the purpose before, the competent authority or a 
person or persons especially designated by the competent authority.

                               Article 14

    1. All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In 
the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights 
and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair 
and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal 
established by law. The press and the public may be excluded from all 
or part of a trial for reasons of morals, public order (ordre public) 
or national security in a democratic society, or when the interest of 
the private lives of the parties so requires, or to the extent strictly 
necessary in the opinion of the court in special circumstances where 
publicity would prejudice the interests of justice; but any judgement 
rendered in a criminal case or in a suit at law shall be made public 
except where the interest of juvenile persons otherwise requires or the 
proceedings concern matrimonial disputes or the guardianship of 
children.
    2. Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall have the right to 
be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.
    3. In the determination of any criminal charge against him, 
everyone shall be entitled to the following minimum guarantees, in full 
equality:
          (a) To be informed promptly and in detail in a language which 
        he understands of the nature and cause of the charge against 
        him;
          (b) To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation 
        of his defence and to communicate with counsel of his own 
        choosing;
          (c) To be tried without undue delay;
          (d) To be tried in his presence, and to defend himself in 
        person or through legal assistance of his own choosing; to be 
        informed, if he does not have legal assistance, of this right; 
        and to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where 
        the interests of justice so require, and without payment by him 
        in any such case if he does not have sufficient means to pay 
        for it;
          (e) To examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him 
        and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on 
        his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him;
          (f) To have the free assistance of an interpreter if he 
        cannot understand or speak the language used in court;
          (g) Not to be compelled to testify against himself or to 
        confess guilt.
    4. In the case of juvenile persons, the procedure shall be such as 
will take account of their age and the desirability of promoting their 
rehabilitation.
    5. Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to his 
conviction and sentence being reviewed by a higher tribunal according 
to law.
    6. When a person has by a final decision been convicted of a 
criminal offence and when subsequently his conviction has been reversed 
or he has been pardoned on the ground that a new or newly discovered 
fact shows conclusively that there has been a miscarriage of justice, 
the person who has suffered punishment as a result of such conviction 
shall be compensated according to law, unless it is proved that the 
non-disclosure of the unknown fact in time is wholly or partly 
attributable to him.
    7. No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an 
offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in 
accordance with the law and penal procedure of each country.

                               Article 15

    1. No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offence on account 
of any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence, 
under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. 
Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable 
at the time when the criminal offence was committed. If, subsequent to 
the commission of the offence, provision is made by law for the 
imposition of the lighter penalty, the offender shall benefit thereby.
    2. Nothing in this article shall prejudice the trial and punishment 
of any person for any act or omission which, at the time when it was 
committed, was criminal according to the general principles of law 
recognized by the community of nations.

                               Article 16

    Everyone shall have the right to recognition everywhere as a person 
before the law.

                               Article 17

    1. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference 
with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful 
attacks on his honour and reputation.
    2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such 
interference or attacks.

                               Article 18

    1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience 
and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a 
religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or 
in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his 
religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
    2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his 
freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
    3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject 
only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to 
protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental 
rights and freedoms of others.
    4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have 
respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal 
guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children 
in conformity with their own convictions.

                               Article 19

    1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without 
interference.
    2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this 
right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and 
ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing 
or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his 
choice.
    3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this 
article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may 
therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be 
such as are provided by law and are necessary:
          (a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others;
          (b) For the protection of national security or of public 
        order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.

                               Article 20

    1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
    2. Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that 
constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall 
be prohibited by law.

                               Article 21

    The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions 
may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in 
conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society 
in the interests of national security or public safety, public order 
(ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the 
protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

                               Article 22

    1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with 
others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the 
protection of his interests.
    2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right 
other than those which are prescribed by law and which are necessary in 
a democratic society in the interests of national security or public 
safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or 
morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This 
article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on 
members of the armed forces and of the police in their exercise of this 
right.
    3. Nothing in this article shall authorize States Parties to the 
International Labour Organization Convention of 1948 concerning Freedom 
of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize to take 
legislative measures which would prejudice, or to apply the law in such 
a manner as to prejudice, the guarantees provided for in that 
Convention.

                               Article 23

    1. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society 
and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
    2. The right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and to 
found a family shall be recognized.
    3. No marriage shall be entered into without the free and full 
consent of the intending spouses.
    4. States Parties to the present Covenant shall take appropriate 
steps to ensure equality of rights and responsibilities of spouses as 
to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. In the case of 
dissolution, provision shall be made for the necessary protection of 
any children.

                               Article 24

    1. Every child shall have, without any discrimination as to race, 
colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or 
birth, the right to such measures of protection as are required by his 
status as a minor, on the part of his family, society and the State.
    2. Every child shall be registered immediately after birth and 
shall have a name.
    3. Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.

                               Article 25

    Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any 
of the distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable 
restrictions:
          (a) To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly 
        or through freely chosen representatives;
          (b) To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections 
        which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be 
        held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the 
        will of the electors;
          (c) To have access, on general terms of equality, to public 
        service in his country.

                               Article 26

    All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any 
discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the 
law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons 
equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground 
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other 
opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

                               Article 27

    In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities 
exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the 
right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy 
their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to 
use their own language.

                                PART IV

                               Article 28

    1. There shall be established a Human Rights Committee (hereafter 
referred to in the present Covenant as the Committee). It shall consist 
of eighteen members and shall carry out the functions hereinafter 
provided.
    2. The Committee shall be composed of nationals of the States 
Parties to the present Covenant who shall be persons of high moral 
character and recognized competence in the field of human rights, 
consideration being given to the usefulness of the participation of 
some persons having legal experience.
    3. The members of the Committee shall be elected and shall serve in 
their personal capacity.

                               Article 29

    1. The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot 
from a list of persons possessing the qualifications prescribed in 
article 28 and nominated for the purpose by the States Parties to the 
present Covenant.
    2. Each State Party to the present Covenant may nominate not more 
than two persons. These persons shall be nationals of the nominating 
State.
    3. A person shall be eligible for renomination.

                               Article 30

    1. The initial election shall be held no later than six months 
after the date of the entry into force of the present Covenant.
    2. At least four months before the date of each election to the 
Committee, other than an election to fill a vacancy declared in 
accordance with article 34, the Secretary-General of the United Nations 
shall address a written invitation to the States Parties to the present 
Covenant to submit their nominations for membership of the Committee 
within three months.
    3. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare a list 
in alphabetical order of all the persons thus nominated, with an 
indication of the States Parties which have nominated them, and shall 
submit it to the States Parties to the present Covenant no later than 
one month before the date of each election.
    4. Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a 
meeting of the States Parties to the present Covenant convened by the 
Secretary General of the United Nations at the Headquarters of the 
United Nations. At that meeting, for which two thirds of the States 
Parties to the present Covenant shall constitute a quorum, the persons 
elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain the largest 
number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the 
representatives of States Parties present and voting.

                               Article 31

    1. The Committee may not include more than one national of the same 
State.
    2. In the election of the Committee, consideration shall be given 
to equitable geographical distribution of membership and to the 
representation of the different forms of civilization and of the 
principal legal systems.

                               Article 32

    1. The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four 
years. They shall be eligible for re-election if renominated. However, 
the terms of nine of the members elected at the first election shall 
expire at the end of two years; immediately after the first election, 
the names of these nine members shall be chosen by lot by the Chairman 
of the meeting referred to in article 30, paragraph 4.
    2. Elections at the expiry of office shall be held in accordance 
with the preceding articles of this part of the present Covenant.

                               Article 33

    1. If, in the unanimous opinion of the other members, a member of 
the Committee has ceased to carry out his functions for any cause other 
than absence of a temporary character, the Chairman of the Committee 
shall notify the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall 
then declare the seat of that member to be vacant.
    2. In the event of the death or the resignation of a member of the 
Committee, the Chairman shall immediately notify the Secretary-General 
of the United Nations, who shall declare the seat vacant from the date 
of death or the date on which the resignation takes effect.

                               Article 34

    1. When a vacancy is declared in accordance with article 33 and if 
the term of office of the member to be replaced does not expire within 
six months of the declaration of the vacancy, the Secretary-General of 
the United Nations shall notify each of the States Parties to the 
present Covenant, which may within two months submit nominations in 
accordance with article 29 for the purpose of filling the vacancy.
    2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare a list 
in alphabetical order of the persons thus nominated and shall submit it 
to the States Parties to the present Covenant. The election to fill the 
vacancy shall then take place in accordance with the relevant 
provisions of this part of the present Covenant.
    3. A member of the Committee elected to fill a vacancy declared in 
accordance with article 33 shall hold office for the remainder of the 
term of the member who vacated the seat on the Committee under the 
provisions of that article.

                               Article 35

    The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the 
General Assembly of the United Nations, receive emoluments from United 
Nations resources on such terms and conditions as the General Assembly 
may decide, having regard to the importance of the Committee's 
responsibilities.

                               Article 36

    The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall provide the 
necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of the 
functions of the Committee under the present Covenant.

                               Article 37

    1. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall convene the 
initial meeting of the Committee at the Headquarters of the United 
Nations.
    2. After its initial meeting, the Committee shall meet at such 
times as shall be provided in its rules of procedure.
    3. The Committee shall normally meet at the Headquarters of the 
United Nations or at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

                               Article 38

    Every member of the Committee shall, before taking up his duties, 
make a solemn declaration in open committee that he will perform his 
functions impartially and conscientiously.

                               Article 39

    1. The Committee shall elect its officers for a term of two years. 
They may be re-elected.
    2. The Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure, but 
these rules shall provide, inter alia, that:
          (a) Twelve members shall constitute a quorum;
          (b) Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a majority 
        vote of the members present.

                               Article 40

    1. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to submit 
reports on the measures they have adopted which give effect to the 
rights recognized herein and on the progress made in the enjoyment of 
those rights:
          (a) Within one year of the entry into force of the present 
        Covenant for the States Parties concerned;
          (b) Thereafter whenever the Committee so requests.
    2. All reports shall be submitted to the Secretary-General of the 
United Nations, who shall transmit them to the Committee for 
consideration. Reports shall indicate the factors and difficulties, if 
any, affecting the implementation of the present Covenant.
    3. The Secretary-General of the United Nations may, after 
consultation with the Committee, transmit to the specialized agencies 
concerned copies of such parts of the reports as may fall within their 
field of competence.
    4. The Committee shall study the reports submitted by the States 
Parties to the present Covenant. It shall transmit its reports, and 
such general comments as it may consider appropriate, to the States 
Parties. The Committee may also transmit to the Economic and Social 
Council these comments along with the copies of the reports it has 
received from States Parties to the present Covenant.
    5. The States Parties to the present Covenant may submit to the 
Committee observations on any comments that may be made in accordance 
with paragraph 4 of this article.

                               Article 41

    1. A State Party to the present Covenant may at any time declare 
under this article that it recognizes the competence of the Committee 
to receive and consider communications to the effect that a State Party 
claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under 
the present Covenant. Communications under this article may be received 
and considered only if submitted by a State Party which has made a 
declaration recognizing in regard to itself the competence of the 
Committee. No communication shall be received by the Committee if it 
concerns a State Party which has not made such a declaration. 
Communications received under this article shall be dealt with in 
accordance with the following procedure:
          (a) If a State Party to the present Covenant considers that 
        another State Party is not giving effect to the provisions of 
        the present Covenant, it may, by written communication, bring 
        the matter to the attention of that State Party. Within three 
        months after the receipt of the communication the receiving 
        State shall afford the State which sent the communication an 
        explanation, or any other statement in writing clarifying the 
        matter which should include, to the extent possible and 
        pertinent, reference to domestic procedures and remedies taken, 
        pending, or available in the matter;
          (b) If the matter is not adjusted to the satisfaction of both 
        States Parties concerned within six months after the receipt by 
        the receiving State of the initial communication, either State 
        shall have the right to refer the matter to the Committee, by 
        notice given to the Committee and to the other State;
          (c) The Committee shall deal with a matter referred to it 
        only after it has ascertained that all available domestic 
        remedies have been invoked and exhausted in the matter, in 
        conformity with the generally recognized principles of 
        international law. This shall not be the rule where the 
        application of the remedies is unreasonably prolonged;
          (d) The Committee shall hold closed meetings when examining 
        communications under this article;
          (e) Subject to the provisions of subparagraph (c), the 
        Committee shall make available its good offices to the States 
        Parties concerned with a view to a friendly solution of the 
        matter on the basis of respect for human rights and fundamental 
        freedoms as recognized in the present Covenant;
          (f) In any matter referred to it, the Committee may call upon 
        the States Parties concerned, referred to in subparagraph (b), 
        to supply any relevant information;
          (g) The States Parties concerned, referred to in subparagraph 
        (b), shall have the right to be represented when the matter is 
        being considered in the Committee and to make submissions 
        orally and/or in writing;
          (h) The Committee shall, within twelve months after the date 
        of receipt of notice under subparagraph (b), submit a report:
                  (i) If a solution within the terms of subparagraph 
                (e) is reached, the Committee shall confine its report 
                to a brief statement of the facts and of the solution 
                reached;
                  (ii) If a solution within the terms of subparagraph 
                (e) is not reached, the Committee shall confine its 
                report to a brief statement of the facts; the written 
                submissions and record of the oral submissions made by 
                the States Parties concerned shall be attached to the 
                report. In every matter, the report shall be 
                communicated to the States Parties concerned.
    2. The provisions of this article shall come into force when ten 
States Parties to the present Covenant have made declarations under 
paragraph I of this article. Such declarations shall be deposited by 
the States Parties with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, 
who shall transmit copies thereof to the other States Parties. A 
declaration may be withdrawn at any time by notification to the 
Secretary-General. Such a withdrawal shall not prejudice the 
consideration of any matter which is the subject of a communication 
already transmitted under this article; no further communication by any 
State Party shall be received after the notification of withdrawal of 
the declaration has been received by the Secretary-General, unless the 
State Party concerned has made a new declaration.

                               Article 42

    1. (a) If a matter referred to the Committee in accordance with 
article 41 is not resolved to the satisfaction of the States Parties 
concerned, the Committee may, with the prior consent of the States 
Parties concerned, appoint an ad hoc Conciliation Commission 
(hereinafter referred to as the Commission). The good offices of the 
Commission shall be made available to the States Parties concerned with 
a view to an amicable solution of the matter on the basis of respect 
for the present Covenant;
    (b) The Commission shall consist of five persons acceptable to the 
States Parties concerned. If the States Parties concerned fail to reach 
agreement within three months on all or part of the composition of the 
Commission, the members of the Commission concerning whom no agreement 
has been reached shall be elected by secret ballot by a two-thirds 
majority vote of the Committee from among its members.
    2. The members of the Commission shall serve in their personal 
capacity. They shall not be nationals of the States Parties concerned, 
or of a State not Party to the present Covenant, or of a State Party 
which has not made a declaration under article 41.
    3. The Commission shall elect its own Chairman and adopt its own 
rules of procedure.
    4. The meetings of the Commission shall normally be held at the 
Headquarters of the United Nations or at the United Nations Office at 
Geneva. However, they may be held at such other convenient places as 
the Commission may determine in consultation with the Secretary-General 
of the United Nations and the States Parties concerned.
    5. The secretariat provided in accordance with article 36 shall 
also service the commissions appointed under this article.
    6. The information received and collated by the Committee shall be 
made available to the Commission and the Commission may call upon the 
States Parties concerned to supply any other relevant information.
    7. When the Commission has fully considered the matter, but in any 
event not later than twelve months after having been seized of the 
matter, it shall submit to the Chairman of the Committee a report for 
communication to the States Parties concerned:
          (a) If the Commission is unable to complete its consideration 
        of the matter within twelve months, it shall confine its report 
        to a brief statement of the status of its consideration of the 
        matter;
          (b) If an amicable solution to the matter on tie basis of 
        respect for human rights as recognized in the present Covenant 
        is reached, the Commission shall confine its report to a brief 
        statement of the facts and of the solution reached;
          (c) If a solution within the terms of subparagraph (b) is not 
        reached, the Commission's report shall embody its findings on 
        all questions of fact relevant to the issues between the States 
        Parties concerned, and its views on the possibilities of an 
        amicable solution of the matter. This report shall also contain 
        the written submissions and a record of the oral submissions 
        made by the States Parties concerned;
          (d) If the Commission's report is submitted under 
        subparagraph (c), the States Parties concerned shall, within 
        three months of the receipt of the report, notify the Chairman 
        of the Committee whether or not they accept the contents of the 
        report of the Commission.
    8. The provisions of this article are without prejudice to the 
responsibilities of the Committee under article 41.
    9. The States Parties concerned shall share equally all the 
expenses of the members of the Commission in accordance with estimates 
to be provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
    10. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall be empowered 
to pay the expenses of the members of the Commission, if necessary, 
before reimbursement by the States Parties concerned, in accordance 
with paragraph 9 of this article.

                               Article 43

    The members of the Committee, and of the ad hoc conciliation 
commissions which may be appointed under article 42, shall be entitled 
to the facilities, privileges and immunities of experts on mission for 
the United Nations as laid down in the relevant sections of the 
Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

                               Article 44

    The provisions for the implementation of the present Covenant shall 
apply without prejudice to the procedures prescribed in the field of 
human rights by or under the constituent instruments and the 
conventions of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies and 
shall not prevent the States Parties to the present Covenant from 
having recourse to other procedures for settling a dispute in 
accordance with general or special international agreements in force 
between them.

                               Article 45

    The Committee shall submit to the General Assembly of the United 
Nations, through the Economic and Social Council, an annual report on 
its activities.

                                 PART V

                               Article 46

    Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing 
the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and of the 
constitutions of the specialized agencies which define the respective 
responsibilities of the various organs of the United Nations and of the 
specialized agencies in regard to the matters dealt with in the present 
Covenant.

                               Article 47

    Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing 
the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely 
their natural wealth and resources.

                                PART VI

                               Article 48

    1. The present Covenant is open for signature by any State Member 
of the United Nations or member of any of its specialized agencies, by 
any State Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, 
and by any other State which has been invited by the General Assembly 
of the United Nations to become a Party to the present Covenant.
    2. The present Covenant is subject to ratification. Instruments of 
ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the 
United Nations.
    3. The present Covenant shall be open to accession by any State 
referred to in paragraph 1 of this article.
    4. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of 
accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
    5. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all 
States which have signed this Covenant or acceded to it of the deposit 
of each instrument of ratification or accession.

                               Article 49

    1. The present Covenant shall enter into force three months after 
the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United 
Nations of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of 
accession.
    2. For each State ratifying the present Covenant or acceding to it 
after the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or 
instrument of accession, the present Covenant shall enter into force 
three months after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of 
ratification or instrument of accession.

                               Article 50

    The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of 
federal States without any limitations or exceptions.

                               Article 51

    1. Any State Party to the present Covenant may propose an amendment 
and file it with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The 
Secretary-General of the United Nations shall thereupon communicate any 
proposed amendments to the States Parties to the present Covenant with 
a request that they notify him whether they favour a conference of 
States Parties for the purpose of considering and voting upon the 
proposals. In the event that at least one third of the States Parties 
favours such a conference, the Secretary-General shall convene the 
conference under the auspices of the United Nations. Any amendment 
adopted by a majority of the States Parties present and voting at the 
conference shall be submitted to the General Assembly of the United 
Nations for approval.
    2. Amendments shall come into force when they have been approved by 
the General Assembly of the United Nations and accepted by a two-thirds 
majority of the States Parties to the present Covenant in accordance 
with their respective constitutional processes.
    3. When amendments come into force, they shall be binding on those 
States Parties which have accepted them, other States Parties still 
being bound by the provisions of the present Covenant and any earlier 
amendment which they have accepted.

                               Article 52

    Irrespective of the notifications made under article 48, paragraph 
5, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States 
referred to in paragraph I of the same article of the following 
particulars:
          (a) Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 
        48;
          (b) The date of the entry into force of the present Covenant 
        under article 49 and the date of the entry into force of any 
        amendments under article 51.

                               Article 53

    1. The present Covenant, of which the Chinese, English, French, 
Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in 
the archives of the United Nations.
    2. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit 
certified copies of the present Covenant to all States referred to in 
article 48.
                                 ______
                                 

   DECLARATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF INTOLERANCE AND OF 
               DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF

    The General Assembly,
    Considering that one of the basic principles of the Charter of the 
United Nations is that of the dignity and equality inherent in all 
human beings, and that all Member States have pledged themselves to 
take joint and separate action in co-operation with the Organization to 
promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human 
rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to 
race, sex, language or religion,
    Considering that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 
International Covenants on Human Rights proclaim the principles of 
nondiscrimination and equality before the law and the right to freedom 
of thought, conscience, religion and belief,
    Considering that the disregard and infringement of human rights and 
fundamental freedoms, in particular of the right to freedom of thought, 
conscience, religion or whatever belief, have brought, directly or 
indirectly, wars and great suffering to mankind, especially where they 
serve as a means of foreign interference in the internal affairs of 
other States and amount to kindling hatred between peoples and nations,
    Considering that religion or belief, for anyone who professes 
either, is one of the fundamental elements in his conception of life 
and that freedom of religion or belief should be fully respected and 
guaranteed,
    Considering that it is essential to promote understanding, 
tolerance and respect in matters relating to freedom of religion and 
belief and to ensure that the use of religion or belief for ends 
inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations, other relevant 
instruments of the United Nations and the purposes and principles of 
the present Declaration is inadmissible,
    Convinced that freedom of religion and belief should also 
contribute to the attainment of the goals of world peace, social 
justice and friendship among peoples and to the elimination of 
ideologies or practices of colonialism and racial discrimination,
    Noting with satisfaction the adoption of several, and the coming 
into force of some, conventions, under the aegis of the United Nations 
and of the specialized agencies, for the elimination of various forms 
of discrimination,
    Concerned by manifestations of intolerance and by the existence of 
discrimination in matters of religion or belief still in evidence in 
some areas of the world,
    Resolved to adopt all necessary measures for the speedy elimination 
of such intolerance in all its forms and manifestations and to prevent 
and combat discrimination on the ground of religion or belief,
    Proclaims this Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of 
Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief:

                               Article 1

    1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience 
and religion. This right shall include freedom to have a religion or 
whatever belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in 
community with others and in public or private, to manifest his 
religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
    2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his 
freedom to have a religion or belief of his choice.
    3. Freedom to manifest one's religion or belief may be subject only 
to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to 
protect public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental 
rights and freedoms of others.

                               Article 2

    1. No one shall be subject to discrimination by any State, 
institution, group of persons, or person on the grounds of religion or 
other belief.
    2. For the purposes of the present Declaration, the expression 
``intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief'' means 
any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on religion 
or belief and having as its purpose or as its effect nullification or 
impairment of the recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights 
and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis.

                               Article 3

    Discrimination between human being on the grounds of religion or 
belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the 
principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and shall be condemned 
as a violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed 
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and enunciated in detail 
in the International Covenants on Human Rights, and as an obstacle to 
friendly and peaceful relations between nations.

                               Article 4

    1. All States shall take effective measures to prevent and 
eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the 
recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental 
freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and 
cultural life.
    2. All States shall make all efforts to enact or rescind 
legislation where necessary to prohibit any such discrimination, and to 
take all appropriate measures to combat intolerance on the grounds of 
religion or other beliefs in this matter.

                               Article 5

    1. The parents or, as the case may be, the legal guardians of the 
child have the right to organize the life within the family in 
accordance with their religion or belief and bearing in mind the moral 
education in which they believe the child should be brought up.
    2. Every child shall enjoy the right to have access to education in 
the matter of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of his 
parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be 
compelled to receive teaching on religion or belief against the wishes 
of his parents or legal guardians, the best interests of the child 
being the guiding principle.
    3. The child shall be protected from any form of discrimination on 
the ground of religion or belief. He shall be brought up in a spirit of 
understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and universal 
brotherhood, respect for freedom of religion or belief of others, and 
in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to 
the service of his fellow men.
    4. In the case of a child who is not under the care either of his 
parents or of legal guardians, due account shall be taken of their 
expressed wishes or of any other proof of their wishes in the matter of 
religion or belief, the best interests of the child being the guiding 
principle.
    5. Practices of a religion or belief in which a child is brought up 
must not be injurious to his physical or mental health or to his full 
development, taking into account article 1, paragraph 3, of the present 
Declaration.

                               Article 6

    In accordance with article I of the present Declaration, and 
subject to the provisions of article 1, paragraph 3, the right to 
freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief shall include, inter 
alia, the following freedoms:
          (a) To worship or assemble in connection with a religion or 
        belief, and to establish and maintain places for these 
        purposes;
          (b) To establish and maintain appropriate charitable or 
        humanitarian institutions;
          (c) To make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the 
        necessary articles and materials related to the rites or 
        customs of a religion or belief;
          (d) To write, issue and disseminate relevant publications in 
        these areas;
          (e) To teach a religion or belief in places suitable for 
        these purposes;
          (f) To solicit and receive voluntary financial and other 
        contributions from individuals and institutions;
          (g) To train, appoint, elect or designate by succession 
        appropriate leaders called for by the requirements and 
        standards of any religion or belief;
          (h) To observe days of rest and to celebrate holidays and 
        ceremonies in accordance with the precepts of one's religion or 
        belief;
          (i) To establish and maintain communications with individuals 
        and communities in matters of religion and belief at the 
        national and international levels.

                               Article 7

    The rights and freedoms set forth in the present Declaration shall 
be accorded in national legislation in such a manner that everyone 
shall be able to avail himself of such rights and freedoms in practice.

                               Article 8

    Nothing in the present Declaration shall be construed as 
restricting or derogating from any right defined in the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human 
Rights.
                               APPENDIX C

                              ----------                              


TRAINING AT THE FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE RELATED TO THE INTERNATIONAL 
                         RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT

                    I. Summary of Major Developments

    Since the first report on International Religious Freedom was 
issued in September 1999, the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has 
worked continuously with the Office of International Religious Freedom, 
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, in implementing H.R. 2431 
(the International Religious Freedom Act). The result of this 
cooperation has been the integration of religious freedom issues into 
the regular curriculum at FSI. During the period covered by this 
report, members of the FSI training staff took part in conferences 
dealing with religious freedom, persecution, conflict, and 
reconciliation hosted by academic institutions, think tanks, and 
nongovernmental organizations. The Political Training Division at FSI 
has continued to work with the staff of the U.S. Commission on 
International Religious Freedom to ensure that their insights are 
reflected in FSI's course offerings.

                          II. Courses Offered

    The School of Professional and Area Studies (SPAS) at FSI offers 
training relevant to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 
(IRFA) in a variety of courses. The following are brief descriptions of 
courses offered by the divisions of Political Training, Orientation, 
Consular Training, and Area Studies.

              Foreign Service Officer Orientation (A-100)

    During the A-100 Course, a senior State Department official from 
the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) presents a 
session on international religious freedom. Additionally, students are 
provided key background materials on religious freedom on a CD Rom 
distributed to each officer. They are also directed to key websites 
containing related materials.

                 Political/Economic Tradecraft (PG-140)

    This is a 3-week-long course. The students have been assigned for 
the first time to work in an embassy's or consulate's political, 
economic, or combined political/economic section overseas. Political/
Economic Tradecraft is essentially a required course, in that State 
Department officers are assigned to take it by the personnel system and 
exceptions are rare. The State Department expects that a large 
proportion of these officers/students during their careers will be 
directly responsible for preparing their post's human rights and 
religious freedom reports.
    As part of required consultations during the course, each student 
is asked to obtain the Annual Report on Religious Freedom and the 
report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom listed 
in Section III. In addition the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and 
Labor provides a session during which religious freedom issues are 
featured prominently.

                         Global Issues (PP-510)

    This 3-day course is given twice a year and is geared toward mid-
level foreign affairs and national security professionals working for 
the Department of State and other agencies. In the fall, this course is 
combined with a separate module on human rights.
    As in the Tradecraft courses, the Bureau of Democracy, Human 
Rights, and Labor provides presentations during which religious freedom 
issues are featured together with other aspects of U.S. human rights 
policy.

                International Conflict Workshop (PP-519)

    This 4-day workshop focuses on various aspects of international 
conflict, especially the enhancement of skills needed to analyze the 
causes of conflict and develop a plan for preventive diplomacy. This 
course trains up to 30 foreign affairs and national security 
professionals at all levels working for the Department of State and 
other agencies.
    Multiple segments in this course address the factors that drive 
ethnic conflict, which include questions of religious identity and 
religious and ethnic persecution.

                     Basic Consular Course (PC-530)

    PC-530 is a prerequisite for serving as a Consular Officer in the 
Foreign Service. It is designed primarily for Foreign Service Officers 
preparing to go overseas to fill consular positions, dependents of U.S. 
government employees who will work as Consular Associates overseas, and 
domestic employees of the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
    The Immigrant Visa portion of PC-530 addresses refugee and asylum 
issues as they pertain to consular officers. Role-plays and other 
scenarios involving religious minorities have been incorporated into 
the American Citizen Services portion of the course.

                              Area Studies

    The Foreign Service Institute and the Appeal of Conscience 
Foundation annually sponsor a major symposium focused on religious 
freedom and the role of U.S. diplomats overseas. Officers in FSI 
language training and area studies courses take part in this symposium. 
The symposium brings together leading experts on religious issues and 
foreign affairs practitioners who can speak to the job related aspects 
of religious freedom issues to provide our officers with a clear 
understanding of the importance of these issues and the challenges and 
responsibilities they will face.
    Throughout the year, the course chairs in the Area Studies 
Division, in cooperation with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, 
and Labor, ensure that their courses address both regional and country 
specific issues of religion, religious freedom, and human rights. 
Participants receive substantial information encompassing the full 
range of issues affecting particular regions, including religious 
freedom and human rights, religious history and religious traditions. 
Students also receive reading lists (and internet guidance) that direct 
them to even more detailed material.

                         Ambassadorial Training

    The Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs regularly 
speaks to the Ambassadorial Seminar on the importance of this topic.

             III. Background Material on Religious Freedom

    The following background materials related to religious freedom are 
made available (as hard copy or through website address) to FSI 
students:

                           Religious Freedom

            Background Materials Provided to Students at FSI

   Mission Statement for the State Department Office of 
        International Religious Freedom
   ``Preparing the Annual Report on Religious Freedom for 
        2006''
   2005 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 
        (Executive Summary)
   Main Web Page of the U.S. Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom
     List of current Members of the U.S. Commission on 
            International Religious Freedom
     Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious 
            Freedom

    Highlights from Key International Documents:

   Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 18)
   International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
        Articles 18, 26 & 27)

     Links to International Religious Freedom Background Materials

    1. 2005 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom (Executive 
Summary): http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35335.html
    2. Main Web Page of the U.S. Commission on International Religious 
Freedom, an independent, congressionally funded commission: http://
www.uscirf.gov

   List of Members (current) for the U.S. Commission on 
        International Religious Freedom: http://www.uscirf.gov/about/
        commissioners.html
   Report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious 
        Freedom May 2006. http://www.uscirf.gov/countries/publications/
        currentreport/2006annualRpt.pdf#page=1

    3. Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://www.un.org/
Overview/rights.html
    4. International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights http://
www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a--ccpr.html
                               APPENDIX D

                              ----------                              


 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) AND THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS 
                           FREEDOM ACT (IRFA)

    The Department of Homeland Security has assumed responsibilities 
formerly charged to the Immigration and Naturalization Service under 
the IRFA. The DHS is committed to ensuring that all claims for refugee 
and asylum protection are treated with fairness, respect, and dignity 
and that all mandates of IRFA for these programs are properly 
implemented. This appendix summarizes the Department's actions during 
the Fiscal Year 2005, as required under Section 102 (b)(1)(E) of IRFA.

        I. Training of Asylum Officers and Refugee Adjudicators

    United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides 
extensive training to Asylum Officers to prepare them to perform their 
duties of adjudicating asylum claims. The training covers all grounds 
on which an asylum claim may be based, including religion. Asylum 
Officers receive approximately five weeks of specialized training 
related to international human rights law, non-adversarial interview 
techniques, and other relevant national and international refugee laws 
and principles.\1\ During the five-week course and in local asylum 
office training, USCIS provides Asylum Officers with specialized 
training on religious persecution issues. With the passage of IRFA in 
1998, the five-week training program expanded to incorporate 
information about IRFA as a part of the regular curriculum. In 
addition, a continual effort is made to include further discussion of 
religious persecution whenever possible in both the five-week course 
and in local asylum office training. The Asylum Division regularly 
updates its training materials and conducts training in local asylum 
offices to reflect any recently issued papers on religious persecution 
from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the US Commission 
on International Religious Freedom, or other organizations as well as 
any recent developments in case law or country conditions on this 
issue.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Asylum Officers are required to complete two five-week training 
courses, the Adjudication and Asylum Officer Basic Training Course 
(AAOBTC), and the Asylum Officer Basic Training Course (AOBTC). The 
AAOBTC covers the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and basic 
immigration law. The AOBTC includes international human rights law, 
asylum and refugee law, interviewing techniques, decision-making and 
decision-writing skills, effective country conditions research skills, 
and computer skills. In addition compulsory in-service training for all 
asylum officers is held weekly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    USCIS developed specialized training for refugee officers, the 
Refugee Application Adjudication Course (RAAC) as mandated by IRFA. 
When initially developed, the course consisted of two-weeks of 
intensive instruction in refugee law and overseas refugee processing 
procedures, paying special attention to religious persecution issues. 
USCIS officers responsible for adjudicating refugee applications were 
required to attend the course. The refugee law portion of RAAC was 
largely adapted from the Asylum Officer Basic Training Course (AOBTC) 
and new modules were developed specifically for overseas refugee 
processing.
    More recently, with the creation of the Refugee Corps and hiring of 
full-time Headquarters staff dedicated to refugee adjudications in the 
fall of 2005, the refugee training was expanded to three weeks and the 
content was augmented. New refugee officers must successfully complete 
the Refugee Officer Training Course (ROTC) to conduct overseas refugee 
adjudications. The course consists of in-depth training on refugee law, 
and much of the material is drawn from the Asylum Officer Basic 
Training Course. This three-week training covers all grounds, including 
religion, on which a claim for refugee status may be based, and 
involves specialized training on international human rights law, non-
adversarial interview techniques, and other relevant national and 
international refugee laws and principles. During the training, 
students receive specialized instruction on religious persecution 
issues. For example, as part of the last two sessions, members of the 
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (UCIRF) 
conducted presentations on IRFA. In addition, the training encourages 
further discussion of religious persecution whenever possible. USCIS 
has updated the primary lesson plan to reflect recent guidelines issued 
by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
(UNHCR) on religious persecution claims, as well as recent developments 
in refugee law. More than 30 officers have completed the training to 
date.
    In addition to ROTC, USCIS also provides preparatory training to 
officers who are embarking on short-term overseas refugee-related 
assignments. This training includes detailed information on religious 
topics that will be encountered on the overseas assignment.
    The Resource Information Center (RIC) in the Asylum Division of the 
Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate serves both 
Asylum Officers and Refugee Adjudicators, and is responsible for the 
collection and/or production and distribution of materials regarding 
human rights conditions around the world. The RIC has published an 
online guide to web research that is posted on the internal DHS 
website. This online internet guide includes links to government and 
non-government websites that contain information on religious 
persecution, as well as other issues relevant to asylum adjudications. 
The RIC separately catalogues religious freedom periodicals and 
separately codes RIC responses to field queries that involve religious 
issues.

              II. Guidelines for Addressing Hostile Biases

    In the affirmative asylum context, applicants for asylum who cannot 
proceed with the asylum interview in English must provide their own 
interpreter. Prior to conducting any interpretation for the interview, 
the interpreter must take an oath to translate fully and accurately the 
proceedings of the asylum interview. The asylum officer may terminate 
the interview to be rescheduled at a later date if the interpreter is 
found to be misrepresenting the applicant's testimony, is incompetent, 
or otherwise displays improper conduct.
    Starting in 2002, USCIS included specific anti-bias provisions in 
the interpreter services contract used by Asylum Officers in the Asylum 
Pre-Screening Program. The contract and interpreter oath also include 
special provisions that ensure the security and confidentiality of the 
credible fear process. Asylum Officers report to the Asylum Division 
any concerns about the accuracy or neutrality of the interpretation, 
which in turn are raised to the management of the interpreter services 
company.
                               APPENDIX E

                              ----------                              


                    OVERVIEW OF U.S. REFUGEE POLICY

    The world's refugee population is estimated to be nearly 13 million 
persons. Nearly 24 million more are displaced within their own 
countries by war, famine, and civil unrest. The United States works 
with other governments and international and nongovernmental 
organizations to protect refugees, internally displaced persons, and 
conflict victims, and strives to ensure that basic human needs for 
food, health care, water and sanitation, education, and shelter are 
met. The United States has been instrumental in mobilizing a community 
of nations to work through these organizations to protect and assist 
refugees worldwide, supporting major humanitarian relief operations, as 
well as seeking durable solutions for refugees. For the vast majority 
of refugees, voluntary return to their homelands is the preferred 
solution. Where voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity is not 
feasible, other durable solutions are sought, including local 
integration in countries of asylum or resettlement in third countries.
    Resettlement, including in the United States, is appropriate for 
refugees in urgent need of protection and for refugees for whom other 
durable solutions are inappropriate or unavailable. The United States 
considers for admission as refugees persons of special humanitarian 
concern who can establish that they experienced past persecution or 
have a well-founded fear of future persecution in their home country on 
account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular 
social group, or political opinion. The legal basis of the refugee 
admissions program is the Refugee Act of 1980, which embodies the 
American tradition of granting refuge to diverse groups suffering from 
or fearing persecution. The act adopted the definition of ``refugee'' 
contained in the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of 
Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Over the past decade, the U.S. Refugee 
Admissions Program has been adjusting its focus away from the large 
refugee admissions programs that had developed during the Cold War for 
nationals of Communist countries and toward more diverse refugee groups 
that require protection for a variety of reasons, including religious 
belief. The following describes the program's efforts, by region, in 
meeting the needs of refugees worldwide who have faced religious 
persecution.
    The U.S. admissions program processes refugee cases referred by 
UNHCR, U.S. embassies, and certain non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) whose claims are based on persecution due to religious beliefs 
(in addition to race, nationality, membership of a particular social 
group, or political opinion). It has worked closely with UNHCR and NGOs 
to strengthen this referral process.

                                 Africa

    For the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, religious 
freedom and peaceful coexistence are the rule, even where other 
conflicts hold sway or where there has been communal violence along 
sectarian lines as in Nigeria. The primary exceptions to the rule have 
been Sudan and periodic harassment of Jehovah's Witnesses--e.g., in 
Eritrea. During the 22-year civil war between ``north'' and ``south,'' 
the government conducted or tolerated attacks on civilians, 
indiscriminate bombing raids, and slave raids in the south, all with a 
religious as well as an ethnic dimension. Though the conflict in Darfur 
has featured its own human rights abuses based on ethnic differences, 
it lacks the religious dimensions of the North-South conflict. In 
Northern Sudan, Islam is treated as the state religion and a Muslim 
majority runs the government. In areas controlled by the government, 
access to education, as well as other social services, is far easier to 
obtain for Muslims than for non-Muslims. The government has restricted 
the activities of Christians, practitioners of traditional indigenous 
religions, and other non-Muslim religions. However, under the January 
9, 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the North-South 
conflict, a new constitution was drafted to include specific religious 
freedom guarantees based on a series of negotiated protocols. The 
interim National Constitution entered into force on July 9, 2005, and a 
new Government of National Unity took office in September of that year. 
The country remains in a state of political transition; however, the 
Government of National Unity has continued to impose restrictions on 
non-Muslims in the north, while permitting the Government of Southern 
Sudan (GOSS) to develop a secular administration respecting the rights 
of Christians, Muslims, and others in the south. During FY 2005, 2,205 
Sudanese refugees who had found refuge in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya 
(primarily) were resettled in the United States. With the end of the 
North-South conflict and the current peace prospects in southern Sudan, 
efforts are now focused primarily on repatriation for approximately 
550,000 Sudanese refugees. However, UNHCR continues to refer a limited 
number of Sudanese refugees in need of protection for consideration by 
the U.S refugee admissions program.

                               East Asia

    While many governments in East Asia permit freedom of worship, 
religious believers face serious persecution in some countries. The 
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) severely restricts 
religious freedom, including organized religious activity, except that 
which is supervised tightly by officially recognized groups linked to 
the government. While the DPRK Constitution provides for ``freedom of 
religious belief,'' genuine religious freedom does not exist. 
Consistent with the intent of the North Korean Human Rights Act, the 
United States has recently resettled some North Korean refugees in the 
United States.
    The situation in other countries such as China, Vietnam, Burma, and 
Laos is mixed. The Chinese constitution provides for freedom of 
worship; however, it restricts activities of religious organizations. 
In China, most independent religious activities are either prohibited 
or severely restricted. Despite dramatic increases in religious 
observance in China, the government continues to suppress, intimidate, 
harass, detain and imprison followers of those religions or spiritual 
movements it cannot directly control, most notably the (underground) 
Catholic Church loyal to the Vatican, Protestant ``house churches,'' 
some Muslim groups, Buddhists loyal to the Dalai Lama, and the Falun 
Gong spiritual movement. In Vietnam, the constitution provides for 
freedom of worship; however, it also restricts activities of religious 
organizations. There were a number of significant improvements in law 
and practice, and a vast majority of Vietnamese who wish to practice 
their religion do so freely, without harassment or interference. 
However, official oversight of recognized religions and harassment or 
repression of followers of some non-recognized religions continued. 
Some religious practitioners, especially ethnic minorities in the 
Northwest Highlands, continue to suffer harassment, arbitrary 
detention, and physical intimidation, though reports of such incidents 
have declined. Vietnam has released a number of religious prisoners, 
but others face administrative and civil restrictions. In Laos, 
Protestants in particular suffer periodic arrest and imprisonment. In 
Burma, the government maintains a pervasive internal security apparatus 
that generally infiltrates or monitors meetings and activities of all 
organizations, including religious groups. The government actively 
promotes Buddhism over other religions as a means of boosting its own 
legitimacy, and continues harsh discrimination against members of 
minority religions.

                          Former Soviet Union

    The breakup of the Soviet Union initially led to a resurgence of 
religious practice throughout the region, but in recent years the fear 
of newer religious groups, many of them with ties to coreligionists in 
other countries, has led to a backlash in a number of the newly 
independent states. Most post-Soviet states regulate religious groups 
and activities, specifying a set of ``traditional'' religions with 
certain privileges denied to other groups. They require registration 
and use this as a mechanism of control; by refusing to register new 
denominations it makes them vulnerable to charges of illegal 
association. In Belarus, and to a lesser degree in Russia, some 
minority religious groups suffer harassment and difficulties finding 
places to meet. In some countries, such as Belarus, groups with 
international ties are sometimes accused of being security threats. In 
some countries, one's faith may be associated with ethnicity, 
patriotism, nationalism, or even with terrorism; and authorities may be 
suspicious of religious groups perceived as having political agendas 
and organizations. This is especially true in some of the Central Asian 
republics where support for political Islam and terrorism may be found 
in small segments of the population. In the case of Uzbekistan, members 
of Islamic groups not approved by the State are often seen as potential 
terrorists and suffer harassment or imprisonment; members of Christian 
groups with ethnic Uzbek members are seen as politically and socially 
de-stabilizing and also suffer severe harassment. In the case of 
Turkmenistan, the government continues to monitor all forms of 
religious expression. Although the level of harassment continued to 
decrease in the last year, most religious groups continued to 
experience the types of government harassment similar to years past, 
including detention, arrest, confiscation of religious literature and 
materials, pressure to abandon religious beliefs, and threats of 
eviction and job loss. The U.S. refugee admission program provides 
resettlement opportunities to religious minority members (as identified 
in the Lautenberg Amendment) with close family ties to the United 
States. In addition, UNHCR has recently increased the number of 
referrals to the program. Refugee admissions based on grounds of 
religious persecution have been significant in both the Bosnia and 
Kosovo resettlement efforts. The Department of State will continue to 
work with the UNHCR, nongovernmental organizations (both faith-based 
and non-sectarian), human rights groups, and U.S. missions to identify 
persons who qualify under the 1980 act on religious grounds for whom 
resettlement is appropriate. The U.S. refugee admissions program has 
provided protection to Muslims, Jews, Evangelical Christians, 
Catholics, and Orthodox Christians as well as individuals of other 
religious minorities.

                        Latin America/Caribbean

    In general, religious freedom is widely recognized and enjoyed in 
Latin America. The key exception is Cuba, where the Government engages 
in active efforts to monitor and control religious institutions, 
including surveillance, infiltration, and harassment of clergy and 
members; evictions from and confiscation of places of worship; and 
preventive detention of religious activists. It also uses registration 
as a mechanism of control; by refusing to register new denominations, 
it makes them vulnerable to charges of illegal association. However, 
despite these obstacles to religious expression, church activity has 
grown in recent years. The U.S. refugee admissions program specifically 
includes religious minorities and other human rights activists among 
the list of eligible groups.

                        Near East and South Asia

    Repression of religious minorities is common in some countries in 
the Near East and South Asia. In Pakistan, the government fails to 
protect the rights of religious minorities. Discriminatory legislation 
and the government's failure to take action against societal forces 
hostile to those who practice a different faith fostered religious 
intolerance and acts of violence and intimidation against religious 
minorities, including Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and Zikris. In 
India, the government sometimes in the recent past did not act swiftly 
enough to effectively counter societal attacks against religious 
minorities and attempts by some leaders of state and local governments 
to limit religious freedom. In Afghanistan, despite constitutional 
guarantees, years of Taliban rule and weak democratic institutions, 
including an unreformed judiciary, have contributed to a culture of 
intolerance manifested in acts of harassment and sometimes violence 
against reform minded Muslims and religious minorities, including 
Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. In Saudi Arabia public non-Muslim worship 
is prohibited, as is conversion of a Muslim to another religion. In 
Iran, members of minority religious groups continue to face arrest, 
harassment, and discrimination. Iranian refugees who belong to 
religious minorities (Baha'is, Sufis, Jews, Zoroastrians, and 
Christians) are able to apply directly for U.S. resettlement. In 
addition, the UNHCR and U.S. embassies in the region facilitate access 
to the admissions program for individuals of other nationalities who 
may qualify on religious grounds. Congress passed the Specter Amendment 
which adds ``members of a religious minority in Iran'' to the list of 
categories of aliens who may benefit from the reduced evidentiary 
standards for demonstrating a well-founded fear of persecution in 
refugee processing, established pursuant to the ``Lautenberg 
Amendment'' contained in Section 213 of the foreign Operations, Export 
Financing, and related Programs Appropriations Act, 1990 (P.L. 101-
167). The Department of State will continue efforts to improve access 
to refugee processing through dialogue with nongovernmental 
organizations and human rights groups who may identify victims with 
valid claims based on grounds of religious persecution. The UNHCR also 
has addressed religious persecution issues in several regional 
workshops to increase the sensitivity of protection and resettlement 
officers to victims of religious persecution.
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