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April 2002 Adventist World Affairs | Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

(News and Analysis from the Department of Public Affairs of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church)

TURKMENISTAN: Adventists Attend Hearing on Capitol Hill

Washington, D.C…. At a hearing by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on March 28, it was revealed that the U.S. government is considering granting Turkmenistan permanent normalized trade relations (PNTR). PNTR is a very favorable trading status with the U.S. and is greatly desired by nations around the world.

Congressman Christopher H. Smith, co-chair for the CSCE, expressed deep concern about granting PNTR to Turkmenistan while the nation continues to persecute people of faith, including Seventh-day Adventists. In addition, Congressman Smith agreed to write to the U.S. Department of State to bring attention to the plight of Adventists in Turkmenistan.

"We are concerned that granting PNTR will 'send the wrong signals' to the persecuting regime in Turkmenistan," says Dr. James Standish, director of legislative affairs for the Adventist Church. "Turkmenistan is involved in the systematic repression of the fundamental right to freedom of conscience. Its brutal repression of religious liberty should not be rewarded by trade benefits with the U.S. The granting of any financial benefits must be tied to Turkmenistan's cessation of the violence against believers, and must be predicated on Turkmenistan returning property the government confiscated," Standish concluded.

Echoing this same theme, Dr. John Graz, director for the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Adventist Church stated that, "Human rights violations against people of faith in Turkmenistan are breathtaking in their severity. Christians have been tortured, houses of worship have been confiscated and destroyed, clergy have been arrested, and there is an ongoing program of suppression for the peaceful practice of faith."

Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President Saparmurad Niyazov retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is coordinating a letter-writing campaign to alert U.S. leaders to the systematic violations of religious freedom in Turkmenistan. Information on the letter-writing campaign, including sample letters, is located at http://ola.adventist.org. [PARL staff]

GENEVA: Adventist Rep Endorses UN Human Rights Emphasis

Switzerland, Geneva… Speaking at a briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, during the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Seventh-day Adventist Church representative Dr. Jonathan Gallagher endorsed the emphasis made on building respect for human rights in the aftermath of warfare in Afghanistan.

"If a truly free and representative society is to be developed in Afghanistan (after so many years of violence and war), then fundamental human rights must be respected," said Gallagher. "For this reason we endorse the commitment of Mr. Kamal Hossain to make sure this happens. Mr. Hossain serves as UN Special Rapporteur of the Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan. As a faith community that shares values of dignity and respect for all human beings, Adventists wish to practice what we preach through medical care, education and humanitarian aid together with an unswerving dedication to religious liberty and freedom of conscience."

Gallagher's comments came during a March 27 meeting of UN member states and non-government organizations with Mr. Hossain.

"The Afghan people have been exposed to the arbitrary use of force for more than two decades," said Hossain. Human rights violations have included "recurrent massacres accompanying changes of control over territory, arbitrary detention, cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, arbitrary and drastic restrictions of freedom of speech, freedom of movement and freedom of association, gender discrimination and discriminatory treatment of minorities within an authoritarian structure of governance and have suffered systematic deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights. The highest priority in the program for restoration of human rights is to replace the rule of the gun with the rule of law."

Hossain's report released on March 24 indicated that more than 10 years after the Geneva Accords (1988), the United Nations and the international community should not be content with half measures and inadequate steps which would prolong the agony of the Afghan people, who continue to be victims of an extended conflict.

Responding to a question from Gallagher, Hossain commended the work of non-government organizations such as aid agencies and spoke of their role in "facilitating the development of human rights in Afghanistan and increasing awareness of such rights in society."

Two such programs involve the reconstruction of the medical education program in Afghanistan with the assistance of Loma Linda University and Medical Center, an Adventist owned and operated institution. Also, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA), the international relief arm of the Adventist Church, established an office in Kabul earlier this year to coordinate and distribute relief supplies and facilitate rehabilitation and long-term development projects.

"In addition to aid we extended to refugees along the northern and eastern borders of Afghanistan, ADRA supports education as a key to a sound future. ADRA is distributing hundreds of school kits as part of the "Back to School Campaign" in northern Afghanistan," states Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International. [Viola Hughes]

RUSSIA: Adventist Expert Interviewed by Russia Radio Broadcast Over Religion Draft Law

Silver Spring, MD, USA… Interviewed for a broadcast by Radio Free Europe, Dr. John Graz of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty expressed his concern about three draft laws under consideration by the Russian Parliament and Ministry of Justice.

In the April 9 interview, Graz said that the three bills posed definite challenges to religious freedom in Russia. "One bill concerns the identification of 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' religions in Russia which legalizes discrimination between religious groups. We believe that the government should not deal with such an issue that may lead the state to discriminate between faith communities."

The Adventist Church has always believed that all religions should be equal before the law.

"The other two bills deal with religious extremists," Graz continued. "We are opposed to the drafts on religious extremists. Our position is that you do not need to identify religious extremists, but to deal with all extremists in the same way."

Asked about relations between the Adventist Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, Graz said that in general good relations were cultivated but that the Adventist Church regretted the intolerance of some local priests outside Moscow.

The Adventist Church's Euro-Asia Division which includes Russia, the Ukraine and other former republics of the Soviet Union, has a membership of 150,000 meeting in 1,900 churches and 1,150 companies. [Jonathan Gallagher]

US: Pew Forum Releases Religion in Public Life Survey

Washington, D.C…. The Pew Forum released a survey entitled, "America's Struggle with Religion's Role at Home & Abroad" on March 20. The survey reports that 80 percent of Americans view religion's influence in this world as positive, 73 percent believe that it would be a good thing if the influence of religion on this world were increasing, 51 percent believe that a lesson from 9/11 is that there is too little religion in the world, while only 28 percent believe that there is too much religion. According to the survey, 67 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is a Christian nation, and 58 percent believe America's strength is based on religion. At the same time, however, 84 percent of Americans believe that one can be a good American without having religious faith, and 75 percent believe that many religions can lead to eternal life.

A particularly interesting finding contained in the survey is the declining perception of morality in American society. Between 1952 and this year, the percentage of Americans saying that people are as honest and moral as they used to be dropped from 47 to 21 percent, with a consistent decline decade to decade during that period. Similarly, the percentage of Americans saying that young people have the same sense of right and wrong as they did 50 years ago dropped from 57 to 19 percent.

A final interesting note is the reduction in the percentage of Americans who believe that religion's influence on American life is increasing. A record-breaking 78 percent stated that the influence of religion was increasing when polled in November 2001. The most recent polling data shows that only 37 percent of Americans now believe this to be true - the same percentage as before the 9/11 attacks. This prompted E. J Dionne of the Washington Post to observe "people turn to God in moments of crisis." [James Standish]

GENEVA: Church Reacts to UN AIDS Program

Geneva, Switzerland… The Seventh-day Adventist Church reacted to a speech by the executive director of the United Nations AIDS organization pleading for greater action and commitment to the treatment of HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact.

Speaking to the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 3, Dr. Peter Piot of UNAIDS said that "In today's, world, AIDS constitutes one of the most pervasive threats to the right to health. And for the millions of people affected by AIDS around the world, AIDS is one of the most pressing causes of stigma and discrimination." Globally, more than 60 million people worldwide have been infected. Twenty million have died.

Piot concluded his speech to the Commission stating that "A right is worthless if it cannot be realized. The right to health cannot be realized without appropriate HIV prevention, care and treatment for AIDS. AIDS is killing and weakening people. Without healthy people, no country can progress or prosper."

Jonathan Gallagher, UN liaison director for the Adventist Church, reacted to the UN plea. "Listening to Dr. Piot's words, some of the statistics really hit home. The fact that life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa has dropped from 62 to 47 years just because of AIDS, demonstrates its huge impact. To lose 15 years on average from everyone's life shows the dramatic cost in human suffering and death caused by AIDS."

Gallagher said that while there was appreciation for work that has been done to combat the impact of AIDS, much more needs to be done. The Adventist Church and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continue to develop projects in many countries to combat both the medical and the societal aspects of AIDS.

Dr. Allan Handysides, health ministries director for the Adventist Church, says that he and a team of health professionals have just returned from Africa and Asia. "The vital task is to promote awareness, behavior modification, education and abstinence," he asserts. "We visited schools, churches and hospitals, conducting sessions dealing specifically with myths surrounding HIV/AIDS, including cultural issues."

A seven-part video series produced by the Adventist Church is being broadcast by satellite to 400 downlink sites in southern Africa. These community events are expected to reach at least 250,000 people.

ADRA also operates many AIDS awareness programs, as well as projects designed to support AIDS sufferers and their families. The Adventist Church's many hospitals and healthcare facilities provide direct medical help to HIV/AIDS victims.

In a parallel development, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) announced March 19 the launch of a new initiative to help provide women involved in the AIDS epidemic. Not only suffering from AIDS themselves, women are also being forced to give up their work and studies to care for families ravaged by AIDS. The USD 3 million UN project aims to help women so affected in ten developing countries. [Viola Hughes]

AZERBAIJAN: 125 Religious Groups Re-Registered

Baku, Azerbaijan…For the first time, Keston News Service has obtained from the State Committee for Relations with Religious Organizations a full list of religious organizations, by denomination, that have managed to gain re-registration in Azerbaijan. Of the 125 re-registered communities, 107 are Muslim, 11 are Christian, 4 are Jewish and 3 are of other faiths.

Bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, Azerbaijan's over 7 million citizens are made up of mainly non-Christians. [Viola Hughes]

Copyright © 2002 Public Affairs and Religious Liberty. All rights reserved.
AWA may be reprinted or quoted providing acknowledgment is given.
Director, John Graz; Editor, Jonathan Gallagher; Advisor, Eugene Hsu; Managing Editor, Viola Hughes. Contributors: James Standish, Bert Beach, Samantha Burchard, Matthew Mills, Division PARL directors; Proofreaders: Marilyn Riley, Becki Timon.
Contact Information: 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, U.S.A. Tel: +301.680.6683
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