SW News: With the city of Jerusalem in Israel witnessing a series of well-orchestrated attacks at holy sites, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed grave concern. USCIRF is a bipartisan government outfit founded by Congress members to keep tabs on religious liberty violations across the world.
Last Thursday, the outfit made an appeal to the Israeli authorities to pledge assurance to support religious freedom in the country and maintain status-quo at religious sites. According to USCIRF Commissioner Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, “Recent attacks at sites of religious significance in and around Jerusalem restrict religious freedom for people of many different faiths.”
The American outfit is scrutinizing the systematic targeting of churches, synagogues and mosques, and other places of religious significance. It has made a special note of the Neve Yaacov terrorist attack in which Jewish settlers smashed the windows of mosques in Hebron. USCIRF has also taken note of the vandalism of Christian graves at Mount Zion and the toppling of a statue of Christ at the Church of the Flagellation.
Kleinbaum expressed hope that with the advent of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan, places of worship will be respected and spared. He said, “The US government must continue to urge officials in the region to hold accountable the perpetrators of criminal acts at religious sites, and work actively to counter influential political voices inciting religious prejudice and violence that negatively impacts religious practice and worship.”
Commissioner David Curry has also condemned the attacks as devastating. He said, “they risk further escalating a situation in which political violence and terrorism preclude people from safely manifesting their religion or beliefs. We are especially concerned over safety amid the uptick of violence in Jerusalem and surrounding areas."
Curry wants the Biden administration to reiterate that political issues should not affect the protection of Article 18 regarding freedom of religion.