[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 2835-2836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1345]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 2835]]

                Proclamation 7267 of January 14, 2000

                
Religious Freedom Day, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On January 16, 1786, the Virginia legislature enacted a 
                law whose impact is still felt around the world today. 
                Authored by Thomas Jefferson and introduced by James 
                Madison, this act affirmed religious freedom as one of 
                the ``natural rights of mankind'' and pledged that none 
                would ``suffer on account of his religious opinions or 
                beliefs.'' Recognizing the fundamental importance of 
                this right to human dignity, our founders modeled the 
                First Amendment to our Constitution on the Virginia 
                statute and made religious freedom and tolerance core 
                values of our democracy. More than a century and a half 
                later, Eleanor Roosevelt, as the Chairperson of the 
                U.N.'s Commission on Human Rights, worked to extend 
                that vision to peoples around the world through her 
                contributions to the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of 
                Human Rights.

                Americans draw great strength from the free exercise of 
                religion and from the diverse communities of faith that 
                flourish in our Nation because of it. Our churches, 
                mosques, synagogues, meetinghouses, and other places of 
                worship bring us together, support our families, 
                nourish our hearts and minds, and sustain our deepest 
                values. Our religious beliefs give direction to our 
                lives and provide moral guidance in the daily decisions 
                we make.

                Freedom of religion, however, still has enemies. In 
                America in recent years, churches and synagogues have 
                been destroyed by arson and people have been attacked 
                because of their religious affiliation. Across the 
                globe, many people still live in countries where the 
                right to religious freedom is restricted or even 
                prohibited. Some totalitarian and authoritarian regimes 
                actively persecute those who seek to practice their 
                religion, imprisoning, torturing, and even killing men 
                and women because of their faith. Other governments 
                monitor and harass religious minorities, tolerating and 
                even encouraging hostility or acts of violence against 
                them.

                 My Administration is committed to safeguarding freedom 
                of religion at home and promoting it around the globe. 
                Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials are 
                working in partnership to prosecute and prevent crimes 
                aimed at people because of their religious affiliation, 
                and I have called on the Congress to pass the Hate 
                Crimes Prevention Act to strengthen the Federal 
                Government's ability to combat such crimes. On the 
                international front, we have made issues of religious 
                liberty a consistent and fundamental part of our public 
                diplomacy. My Ambassador at Large for International 
                Religious Freedom and his staff have crisscrossed the 
                globe, from China and Uzbekistan to Laos and Russia, to 
                advance religious freedom and to assist those who are 
                being persecuted for their beliefs. In accordance with 
                the International Religious Freedom Act that I signed 
                into law in 1998, the United States recently published 
                the first annual report on the status of religious 
                freedom worldwide and publicly designated the most 
                severe international violators. This report highlights 
                the many crucial efforts of individuals and agencies in 
                the Federal Government to advocate religious freedom 
                abroad, from negotiating with foreign heads of state to 
                pursuing individual cases of persecution or 
                discrimination.

[[Page 2836]]

                As we observe Religious Freedom Day this year, let us 
                give thanks for the wisdom of America's founders in 
                protecting our precious right to express our beliefs 
                and practice our faith freely and openly. Let us 
                resolve to be vigilant in defending that freedom and 
                teaching tolerance in our homes, schools, communities, 
                and workplaces. And let us continue to lead the world 
                in assisting those who are persecuted because of their 
                religious faith and in proclaiming the rights and 
                dignity of every human being.

                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 the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2000, 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 tolerance.

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-1345
Filed 1-18-00; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P