Commission lists threats to religious freedom

University of Utah President Michael K. Young took considerable interest as the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom released its annual report Friday, adding to its lists of nations it considers worthy of "countries of particular concern" designation or needing close monitoring.

Not that Young would find either his name or his institution mentioned in the 267-page report or two-hour morning news conference in Washington, D.C.

Rather, his is a continued interest as a former eight-year member and two-time chairman of the commission — created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 — that monitors and documents serious abuses of freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief around the world.

On Friday, the 10-member commission recommended to President Barack Obama, the U.S. Congress and the secretary of state that Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam be designated as "countries of particular concern."

Eight — Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan — already have that official designation by the U.S. Iraq and Nigeria are new additions.

The commission also placed Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Venezuela on its "Watch List" of nations it is closely monitoring. The last six are new this year.

Young said the annual report's country-by-country documentation of religious abuses "start with the worst cases first" — individuals and groups killed or imprisoned, houses and churches burned, and people forced out of villages. It's not simply that a single religion or group of faiths are "being inconvenienced or marginally discriminated against."

As for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Young — himself a member of the Mormon faith — said the LDS Church's reach doesn't run very deep in most of the countries and members aren't subject to the extreme and horrific atrocities.

Still, Young cited three reasons why members of the LDS Church should take interest in global religious freedoms and the commission's efforts:

Restrictions on and abuses of religious freedoms are not a temporary matter but often continue to escalate and encroach until the government has either achieved its purpose or ended its perception of threats.