[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 2 (Monday, January 17, 2000)]
[Pages 84-85]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7267--Religious Freedom Day, 2000

January 14, 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 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 of 
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.
    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

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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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., January 18, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
January 19.