[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 22, 2013)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 4293-4294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01267]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 14 / Tuesday, January 22, 2013 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 4293]]

                Proclamation 8926 of January 16, 2013

                
Religious Freedom Day, 2013

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Foremost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the 
                freedom to worship as we choose. Today, we celebrate 
                one of our Nation's first laws to protect that right--
                the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Written by 
                Thomas Jefferson and guided through the Virginia 
                legislature by James Madison, the Statute affirmed that 
                ``Almighty God hath created the mind free'' and ``all 
                men shall be free to profess . . . their opinions in 
                matters of religion.'' Years later, our Founders looked 
                to the Statute as a model when they enshrined the 
                principle of religious liberty in the Bill of Rights.

                Because of the protections guaranteed by our 
                Constitution, each of us has the right to practice our 
                faith openly and as we choose. As a free country, our 
                story has been shaped by every language and enriched by 
                every culture. We are a nation of Christians and 
                Muslims, Jews and Hindus, Sikhs and non-believers. Our 
                patchwork heritage is a strength we owe to our 
                religious freedom.

                Americans of every faith have molded the character of 
                our Nation. They were pilgrims who sought refuge from 
                persecution; pioneers who pursued brighter horizons; 
                protesters who fought for abolition, women's suffrage, 
                and civil rights. Each generation has seen people of 
                different faiths join together to advance peace, 
                justice, and dignity for all.

                Today, we also remember that religious liberty is not 
                just an American right; it is a universal human right 
                to be protected here at home and across the globe. This 
                freedom is an essential part of human dignity, and 
                without it our world cannot know lasting peace.

                As we observe Religious Freedom Day, let us remember 
                the legacy of faith and independence we have inherited, 
                and let us honor it by forever upholding our right to 
                exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or 
                persecution.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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, 2013, as 
                Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to 
                commemorate this day with events and activities that 
                teach us about this critical foundation of our Nation's 
                liberty, and show us how we can protect it for future 
                generations at home and around the world.

[[Page 4294]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2013-01267
Filed 1-18-13; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F3