Sign Open Doors USA Petition Urging Action on Filling Key Position
Contact: Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA, 616-915-4117, jerryd@odusa.org
SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 20 /Christian Newswire/ -- It has been one year since President Obama was inaugurated, yet he still has not appointed an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
With the recent release of the Open Doors 2010 World Watch List of the worst persecuting countries of Christians in the world, Open Doors USA has launched an advocacy campaign asking President Obama to immediately appoint an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
As your eyes are opened to the severity of persecution worldwide as exposed in the World Watch List, this petition is one way you can make a difference for persecuted Christians.
In leaving this important position unfilled, President Obama is in violation of U.S. law. In 1998, a unique piece of legislation was passed and signed into law by President Bill Clinton called the "International Religious Freedom Act." This bill created a special office called the "Office of International Religious Freedom" within the State Department. This department researches and tracks the state of religious freedom in every country of the world except for the U.S. and produces annual reports on each country.
Each year this department announces a list of the worst violators of religious freedom called "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPC). The government has a wide variety of options available to work with each country to improve religious freedom, including creating agreements or imposing sanctions on these CPCs.
The Ambassador at Large overseas this department, engages in diplomacy with countries that suppress religious freedom, helps negotiate within the U.S. government to determine which countries should be named as CPCs and advises on U.S. policy towards each of these countries.
"By not having an Ambassador at Large for the past 12 months, the U.S. has failed to demonstrate the importance of religious freedom," says Open Doors USA Advocacy Director Lindsay Vessey. "And considering the many religious conflicts around the world and the many Christians and people of other faiths who are persecuted for their beliefs, it is disappointing that President Obama has failed to fill this position."
Vessey adds that a recent Pew Research Center report found 70 percent of the people in the world live in countries with high levels of restriction on religion.
Please join with Open Doors and sign our petition to President Obama urging that he make the appointment of a qualified Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom a priority. To sign the petition, go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
(For more information or to set up an interview, contact Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email jerryd@odusa.org).
