[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8623 of January 14, 2011

Religious Freedom Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our Nation was founded on a shared commitment to the values of justice,
freedom, and equality. On Religious Freedom Day, we commemorate
Virginia's 1786 Statute for Religious Freedom, in which Thomas Jefferson
wrote that ``all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to
maintain, their opinion in matters of religion.'' The fundamental
principle of religious freedom--guarded by our Founders and enshrined in
our Constitution's First Amendment--continues to protect rich faiths
flourishing within our borders.
The writ of the Founding Fathers has upheld the ability of Americans to
worship and practice religion as they choose, including the right to
believe in no religion at all. However, these liberties are not self-
sustaining, and require a stalwart commitment by each generation to
preserve and apply them. Throughout our Nation's history, our founding
ideal of religious freedom has served as an example to the world. Though
our Nation has sometimes fallen short of the weighty task of ensuring
freedom of religious expression and practice, we have remained a Nation
in which people of different faiths coexist with mutual respect and
equality under the law. America's unshakeable commitment to religious
freedom binds us together as a people, and the

[[Page 1964]]

strength of our values underpins a country that is tolerant, just, and
strong.
My Administration continues to defend the cause of religious freedom in
the United States and around the world. At home, we vigorously protect
the civil rights of Americans, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Across the globe, we also seek to uphold this human right and to foster
tolerance and peace with those whose beliefs differ from our own. We
bear witness to those who are persecuted or attacked because of their
faith. We condemn the attacks made in recent months against Christians
in Iraq and Egypt, along with attacks against people of all backgrounds
and beliefs. The United States stands with those who advocate for free
religious expression and works to protect the rights of all people to
follow their conscience, free from persecution and discrimination.
On Religious Freedom Day, let us reflect on the principle of religious
freedom that has guided our Nation forward, and recommit to upholding
this universal human right both at home and around the world.
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, 2011, 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 to show us how we can protect it for future
generations here and around the world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of
January, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
fifth.
BARACK OBAMA