[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 20, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 2989-2990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1373]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 20, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 2989]]

                Proclamation 7162 of January 14, 1999

                
Religious Freedom Day, 1999

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On Religious Freedom Day we commemorate a landmark 
                achievement in the history of our Nation: the adoption 
                in 1786 by the Virginia legislature of a religious 
                freedom statute. This historic legislation, drafted by 
                Thomas Jefferson and co-sponsored by James Madison, was 
                designed to prevent religious discrimination and to 
                protect Virginians from pressure to join or support any 
                church. It served as the model for the First Amendment 
                of our Constitution, the guarantee of freedom of 
                religion that has beckoned so many people fleeing 
                persecution to seek sanctuary in this land.

                Americans are a deeply religious people, and our right 
                to worship as we choose, to follow our own personal 
                beliefs, is the source of much of our Nation's 
                strength. Our churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, 
                and other houses of worship are centers of community 
                service and community life. They preserve and promote 
                the values and religious traditions that have infused 
                our efforts to build a civil society based on mutual 
                respect, compassion, and generosity. They provide our 
                children with the moral compass to make wise choices.

                America's reverence for religious freedom and religious 
                tolerance has saved us from much of the hatred and 
                violence that have plagued so many other peoples around 
                the world. We have always been vigilant in protecting 
                this freedom, but our efforts cannot stop at our own 
                shores. We cannot ignore the suffering of men and women 
                across the globe today who are harassed, imprisoned, 
                tortured, and executed simply for seeking to live by 
                their own beliefs. Freedom of religion is a fundamental 
                human right that must be upheld by every nation and 
                guaranteed by every government. The promotion of 
                religious freedom for all peoples must continue to 
                serve as a central element of our foreign policy.

                Reflecting our steadfast commitment to this goal, last 
                fall the Congress passed, and I was proud to sign into 
                law, the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. 
                This legislation enhances our ability to advance 
                freedom of religion for men and women of all faiths 
                throughout the world. It also establishes a new 
                position at the Department of State--the Ambassador at 
                Large for International Religious Freedom--to ensure 
                that religious liberty concerns receive consistent and 
                appropriate attention at the highest policymaking 
                levels.

                On Religious Freedom Day, let us give thanks for this 
                precious right that has so profoundly shaped and 
                sustained our Nation, and let us strengthen our efforts 
                to share its blessings with oppressed peoples 
                everywhere.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 1999, as 
                Religious Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to observe this day with appropriate 
                ceremonies, activities, and programs, and I urge all 
                Americans to reaffirm their devotion to the fundamental 
                principles of religious freedom and religious 
                tolerance.

[[Page 2990]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-third.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 99-1373
Filed 1-19-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P