These four categories provide a useful framework around which to analyze the state of religious freedom during the last year.

Authoritarian Attempts to Control Religion

Unfortunately, it is not difficult to identify a number of nations in which the state is actively involved in the suppression or control of religion. It is well understood, for example, that the communist ideology does not accept social and religious organizations which are not under the control of the state. China, Vietnam, and North Korea are good examples of such a policy: non-registered Christian churches or religious groups have been declared illegal in these countries in the past few years.

State Hostility Towards Minority or Non-Approved Religions

Many national governments are not opposed to religion per se, but rather to certain forms of religion that do not conform to the dominant paradigm. For example, Pakistan has anti-blasphemy legislation, and the governments of Myanmar (Burma), Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of the Sudan, and Turkmenistan are not against religion itself. Forced conversions, violence, and discrimination are a daily tragedy for members of religious minorities in many nations. Members of religious minorities are often considered servants of the enemy. The institutional religious prejudice and intolerance is probably strongest in Afghanistan but it is followed closely by Saudi Arabia.

State Neglect of Discrimination

Harm to people of faith can come from both state and private entities. Some nations in which the state is not directly involved in the violation of religious freedom, facilitate violations by providing inadequate protection for religious minorities from private action. For example, the governments of Egypt, Indonesia, and India do not promote religious discrimination and persecution but these states have not adequately protected their populace from anti-religious acts perpetrated by private parties. In too many cases, the army and police were reluctant to halt the extremists who destroyed and killed religious minority's buildings and members.

Discriminatory Legislation

A number of nations have laws that institutionalize religious discrimination. For example, every time the Shari'a, the social law of Islam, is imposed, discrimination becomes legal. Russia provides another example in its religion law of 1997. Frequently there are problems of religious discrimination in nations in which the Orthodox Church is dominant. Religious discrimination is not only institutionalized at the behest of dominant religious groups, however. Surprisingly and tragically, France took one step closer toward religious discrimination in passing an anti-sect law, the first in western Europe, at the behest of those bent on exaggerating the negative influence and impact of new religious groups.

Before it Is Too Late

There is a global trend away from religious liberty. Intolerance encouraged by the dominant religions or ideologies is on the rise. The separation of religion from the state is no longer a well accepted concept in many areas of the world, as governments interfere in the religious field, and religions in the political arena, to the detriment of all concerned. The United Nations Special Rapporteur, Dr. Abdelfattah Amor, wrote, "Sadly, intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief are ever-present in the world....the worldwide trend as regards to religion and belief is towards increased intolerance and discrimination against minorities and a failure to take account of their specific requirements and needs." (E/CN.4/2001/63, February 13, 2001, pp. 46, 47)

It is to the shame of the human race that we are so quick to forget the lessons of history. How can we forget the untold heartache and destruction wrought by religious intolerance in the past? How can we forget the number of casualties from religious wars and religious persecution? How could we ever return to such primitive, counterproductive means of suppression? Yet even now, the world is digesting another act of insane brutality, terror attacks in Washington and New York, perpetrated by those who have adopted a politico-religious viewpoint that refuses to recognize the right of those of other faiths to live in accordance with the dictates of their conscience. As we appear poised on the precipice of history, it is time for the world to count the cost of turning its back on the fundamental principles of religious freedom, tolerance and equality. It is not too late for men and women around the world to say "no" to intolerance and discrimination.

John Graz

Categories

A total of 192 countries are listed in this report, 121 of which provide a great deal of religious freedom to their citizens. Thirty-seven countries have religious freedom, but in several aspects of life there remain threats to religious minorities. Twenty-three countries place restrictions on religious minorities. Ten countries totally deny religious freedom.

Religious Freedom by Area and Religious Background

The Western Hemisphere, from Canada to Argentina, remains largely free from religious suppression. Similarly, nations in Oceania typically enjoy robust religious freedom. At the other end of the spectrum is North Africa and the Near East in which many nations practice severe repression of religious minorities.

If we take into account the religious or ideological backgrounds, we must recognize that countries which have the most religious freedom are primarily Christian, Buddhist, and Animist. Communist nations and nations under strict Islamic rule generally have the worst record concerning religious freedom.

Why Do We Need a Report?

It is reasonable to ask why the Seventh-day Adventist Church releases a report on religious freedom around the world. After all, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance publishes a report every year, as do the United States Department of State, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and several non-governmental organizations. What can Adventists add to the information that is already out there? The answer is that the Adventist Church is uniquely well situated to report on religious liberty conditions around the world. At the time this report was compiled, the Adventist Church had a presence in 204 of the countries and areas recognized by the United Nations. Therefore, if there is a problem in a given nation, it is likely members of the Adventist Church are aware of it and are able to provide information on the ground reports. In addition, Adventists have developed considerable expertise in the area of international religious freedom due to the Church's emphasis on freedom of conscious since its inception in the mid-1800's. Finally, the report is crafted from the perspective of the Adventist Church based on reports from around the world, generally, but not exclusively, from members who can provide a unique view of religious freedom from their perspective.

The Adventist Religious Freedom World Report has gained respect for its thoroughness and accuracy from others working in the area of international human rights. Its content is thus being used by many organizations. For example, in the United Nations Special Rapporteur's international report for 2000, Adventists are mentioned in the accounts from four countries: Bhutan (p. 8), Nauru (p. 29), Nepal (p. 29), and Turkmenistan (p. 34). Adventists are also mentioned several times in the United States Department of State's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2000, under Cape Verde (p. 9), Rwanda (p. 64), Papua New Guinea (p. 213), Palau (p. 212), and Romania (p.351).

The purpose of this report is to help those who are persecuted, to encourage the implementation of religious freedom protections, and to ensure that persecution and persecutors will not be ignored. Victims of religious persecution are not alone. All that can be done will be done to alleviate the scourge of religious intolerance.

Working as part of the international community to create a clear picture of the climate of religious freedom around the world is of vital interest to a church that values freedom of conscious. It is with a sincere desire to advance the cause of freedom, that this year's report is submitted to international organizations, governments, members of the media, and to members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Organized on May 20, 1863, in Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.A., the Seventh-day Adventist Church has approximately 12 million baptized members. ⁽¹⁾ It is estimated that the Adventist community, including those who regularly worship in Adventist churches but are not baptized, and children who are yet to be baptized, numbers 25 million. The Adventist Church has a presence in 204 of the nations and regions recognized by the United Nations. The Annual Statistical Report for 1999 revealed that the Church employed 165,882 persons around the world. The Adventist Church runs 6,613 institutions, including -

Since its beginning, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has defended religious freedom for all. Under its patronage, several religious liberty associations have been established. These include the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) which was founded in 1893. The IRLA became a non-sectarian association in 1946. Its president for 2001 is Dr. Denton Lotz, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance.

This report focuses on the current experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but does not neglect a broader outlook.

You may contact the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6600, U.S.A. The phone number is (301) 680-6680, and the fax number is (301) 680-6695.

John Graz, Ph.D., Director (74532.240@Compuserve.com)

Jonathan Gallagher, Ph.D., Associate Director (JonGallagher@compuserve.com) unliaison.adventist.org

James Standish, J.D., M.B.A., Assistant Director (StandishJ@gc.adventist.org) ola.adventist.org

Bert B. Beach, General Secretary, Council on Interchurch Relations (74617.2745@compuserve.com)

The Religious Freedom World Report 2001 places the nations of the world in one of five categories, from most tolerant to least tolerant.

Category 1: Government and legislation provide religious freedom for all. Generally Adventists enjoy religious freedom.

Category 2: In spite of favorable legislation, Adventists have some problems in public schools and in the workplace.

Category 3: While legislation does not target Adventists, religious extremists, some government authorities, and/or the media create difficulties for Seventh-day Adventists.

Category 4: The government has voted restrictive legislation. Seventh-day Adventists encounter problems practicing their faith and fulfilling their evangelistic mission.

Category 5: There is no religious freedom. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is banned from operating.

It is necessary to mention that the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 may be subject to interpretation. In most cases, we have accepted the classifications applied by our correspondents. An American, Canadian, or Brazilian Adventist, for example, is likely to be more critical of his or her nation than an Adventist living in a country with many restrictions to religious freedom. Where religious freedom is part of the tradition and is accepted as a human right, minor restrictions, such as school and workplace accommodations for Sabbath observance, are identified as problems. Where religious freedom is only an elusive concept, such restrictions are simply accepted as the price to pay for being different regarding religion. The difference between religious freedom found in nations listed in Category 3 and Category 4, however, is significant and in some cases profound. Category 5 represents a total negation of religious freedom.

The foundational sources used for this report are the international network of correspondents in approximately 200 countries from the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty of the Seventh-day Adventist Church throughout the world. For this report, various sources from independent correspondents to national agencies, newspapers, and press services were also consulted.

Adventist News Network (ANN) Assist Communications

Adventist Press Service (APD) Adventist News Report (ANR)

Keston News Service World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF)

Compass Direct-Global News From the Frontline Christian Solidarity Worldwide

The following news agencies provided a tremendous volume of material: Adventist News Network (ANN), Adventist Press Service (APD), the Keston Institute, Compass Direct, and Religion Today. Statistics concerning Adventist membership have been taken from the Yearbook 2001, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Silver Spring, MD, 2001. Statistics of country populations are from Religious Freedom in the World, Paul Marshall, General Editor, Nashville, TN, 2000, and the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2000, by the United States Department of State, Washington, D.C., November, 2000.

Category 2

Benin Approximately 25 percent of the population of the Republic of Benin are Christians, and 15 percent are Muslims. Religious freedom is respected by the government.

Botswana This is a thinly populated country of 1.5 million people, mainly covered by the Kalahari Desert, with a sound economy and stable political atmosphere. Christians represent 59 percent of the population. Adventists, who number 20,000 members, have enjoyed a good relationship with the government. Some religious intolerance has been expressed in isolated cases by school heads insisting that Adventist students and teachers attend sports events on Saturday, rather than resting on their Sabbath. Obtaining time off from the workplace on Saturday to observe the Sabbath is sometimes problematic.

Burkina Faso The government policy of Burkina Faso is that religious freedom is respected.

Society also tolerates differing religious bodies. About 52 percent of the population are Muslims, while 20 percent are Christians.

Cape Verde Catholics make up about 90 percent of the population and there is much religious tolerance displayed by the government and the people. The last noted case of the violation of freedom of religion against Adventists was in 1998 when Adventists were arrested and tortured after the desecration of a Catholic church. After being imprisoned for 1½ years, the accused were found not guilty and were released. (Religious Freedom World Report 1999) Adventists have met with government authorities and religious liberty leaders at all levels.

Central Christians make up approximately 50 percent of the population. The government

African Rep accepts religious freedom, as does society.

Chad Christians make up about 30 percent of the population and Muslims account for 54 percent. Religious freedom is respected by the government, and society is tolerant in religious matters.

Congo Though there is civil unrest, there is religious tolerance by the government in this country made up of 50 percent Christians. The Adventist Church reports 375,525 members in this country.

Democratic Christians make up about 70 percent of this country. There is religious tolerance

Rep of Congo displayed, although there is civil unrest.

Ethiopia There is a significant Protestant presence in Ethiopia. The Coptic Church and Muslim presence are also strong. It is difficult to report on religious freedom in a country that has been at war for many decades.

Gambia Religious freedom is respected by the government. Muslims constitute over 90 percent of the population.

Kenya There is a small Muslim population, but Kenya is mainly Christian. About 35 percent are Protestants, with Adventists numbering around 200,000 members. Generally, the head of state and his government have dealt favorably with the Adventist church. At one time, the local government rescheduled election day from Saturday to a weekday to accommodate Adventists. However, a few schools and employers denied this right to some Adventist members.

Lesotho Occasionally Adventists had problems in schools or the workplace. However, dialogue and meetings with authorities were held and most of the issues were resolved.

Liberia Although the government of Liberia is involved in serious human rights violations, these violations focus on political and ethnic divisions, rather than on religion. As the focus of this report is religious freedom, Liberia is placed in a relatively favorable category. This should not diminish the suppression that is occurring in other areas of the nation.

Mali Religious freedom is respected by the government of this country with a 5 percent Christian population.

Namibia Adventists face occasional work/school problems. Meeting with authorities usually resolved the matter.

Reunion Reunion is a French "Department" of approximately 80 percent Christians. Religious freedom is accepted by the government, but the government stands against "cults." Such a stance can result in unwarranted governmental intolerance, as "cult" is a term that is difficult to define. Society is generally tolerant of religious groups.

Senegal Christians make up about 3 percent of this population and the government practices religious tolerance. The people of Senegal live in a democratic and tolerant society.

Sierra Leone The government practices religious tolerance, though there is currently political unrest and war.

South Africa There are occasional work or school problems concerning Saturday Sabbath observance. To solve these problems, meetings with authorities are held. Most cases have been resolved.

Swaziland There are a few work or school problems. After meeting with authorities, most of the problems are taken care of.

Togo Religious freedom is respected in this country with a population of about 30 percent Christians.

Category 3

Comoro Christians make up roughly 1 percent of the population. The Comoro Islands

Islands define themselves as an Islamic republic. Despite this, there is generally religious tolerance on the islands.

Djibouti Over 99 percent of the population are Muslims. There is no legal prohibition against proselytizing; however, proselytizing is discouraged.

Eritrea There are about 8 percent Catholic and Protestant members surrounded by 50 percent Muslims and 40 percent Copts. The war has destabilized the region and undermined respect for those whose conscience dictates that they not bear arms.

Niger In Niger, the government generally respects human rights. There is a certain degree of societal tolerance, although people are cautious or suspicious of anything contrary to Islam. Islam is practiced by over 90 percent of the population.

Nigeria Roughly 40 percent of a population of 123 million people are Christians in Nigeria, including 173,382 Adventist church members. Religious freedom is respected by the federal government. Society tolerates other religions, and no specific case in 2001 has been reported concerning a violation of religious freedom, though there were some riots in 2000. Northern Nigeria's predominately Muslim population has favored the implementation of Shari'a (Islamic) law in a number of Nigerian states. Islam is practiced by 50 percent of the population. "The adoption of Islamic Law (Shari'a) by 11 northern Nigerian states has inflamed religious tensions and caused increasing difficulties for church workers and members in those areas," according to Joseph Ola, president of the Adventist church in Nigeria.

While affirming that "Seventh-day Adventists are law-abiding citizens," Ola points out that "Shari'a is affecting us in many ways. Not only is preaching restricted in some areas, but the lifestyle and freedom of movement of Christians are impacted as well. We are restricted to certain ways of life. You cannot even ride in the same taxi with women, you must dress like a Muslim, and no hotels are allowed (to operate). Our stand as Adventists is that this law must be removed so that freedom of movement can be restored. Religious and ethnic tensions often run high in states where Shari'a is in force."

Opponents of Shari'a point to Nigeria's constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and prohibits the establishment of a state religion. Advocates of Islamic law, however, say that Shari'a does not replace the secular civil legal system, but operates as a parallel system with jurisdiction over only those who profess Islam. "The issue is very sensitive but we are not afraid to speak." Ola reports that church leaders have voted to send representatives to the national Parliament to speak about the hardships created by Shari'a. While there, the representatives will also address the difficulty raised by the practice of scheduling elections on Saturdays, the day Adventists observe as the Sabbath. In its 2000 Report on International Religious Freedom, the United States Department of State catalogues the difficulties faced by non-Muslims under Shari'a, including the use of zoning regulations to stop the establishment of churches, and bans on public evangelism and proselytism in some regions.

The report also notes the corresponding rise in sectarian conflict in areas where Shari'a is introduced. In Bauchi State, ten people were reportedly killed last June in religious clashes. Four Christian churches were set ablaze earlier in Jigawa State after the publication of a book by a Christian writer that was declared blasphemous to Islam. In February 2000, two Adventist church members were among the 1,500 killed during riots sparked by the introduction of Shari'a in Kaduna, another northern Nigerian state. (ANN, July 24, 2001)

Tanzania In this country of 30 million inhabitants, 45 percent are Christians, and 40 percent are Muslims. Adventist church members number 226,369. Many people in schools and work places have experienced violations of their right to worship, but a good number of those who have claimed their rights have been granted their rights. According to our correspondent, Attorney Nceku Moses Msimanga, "The appropriate question for Adventists to ask themselves could be, 'Have we adequately defined to the public what our religious freedom entails?'"

Uganda Christians represent 66 percent of the population, but the Muslims, with 16 percent, are on the increase. Adventists record 113,754 members. A few years ago, the Adventist Church, amongst others, was banned. Recently, universities and colleges have adopted a seven-day week for their school business. Adventist students have been denied a flexible program for accommodation. It appears that sooner or later they will be excluded from institutions of higher learning in Uganda, since entry tests, weekly and monthly tests, and end-term exams are conducted on Saturdays. Many students have dropped out of their courses and some have failed to complete their courses on time. Special reference is made to a law graduate from Makerere University, Esther Irankunda, who dropped out of a post-graduate course from the Law Development Centre (LDC). Esther enrolled in the school in October, 1997, in Kampala. Local lawyers and church administrators have negotiated with LDC administrators. In February 1999, Mitchell Tyner, Counselor to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty in the Washington, D.C. area, and Nceku Moses Msimanga, East African Division Public Affairs and Religious

Liberty director, visited the Centre administration and negotiated on behalf of the student. All negotiations have failed so far.

A student in an exchange program at Makerere University had to return to Tanzania Dar-es-Salaam University where his religious beliefs could be accommodated. It is also shocking to note that national exams for ordinary levels (Form 4) and advanced levels (Form 6) have been scheduled for Saturdays. This will not only affect students in public schools, but also Adventist schools will be expected to conduct exams on scheduled dates, including Saturdays. Adventists are negotiating a solution.

Zambia Zambia has a population of 9,582,000, of which 85 percent are Christians and 5 percent are Muslims. In 1996, the Zambian constitution was amended, and Zambia was declared a Christian nation recognizing the rights of individuals to practice religion in accordance with their conscience. The constitution goes on to provide protection against the violation of human rights. However, the bill of rights provides a derogation that sweeps across this liberty and stipulates that all rights will be enjoyed only to the extent that there is no reasonable requirement to curtail the rights in the public interest.

Seventh-day Adventists, who number 341,583, have faced a lot of challenges at work places and at educational institutions in so far as rights to observe the Saturday Sabbath are concerned. The Zambian economy has been highly dependent on copper mining and a large part of the employed citizens are either working for the mines or are with companies that service the mines. Miners who refuse to work on Saturday often face dismissal.

The public service has been less onerous to Adventists. Traditionally, the workweek is from Monday to Friday. However, it is not uncommon for compulsory seminars and workshops to be scheduled on Saturdays. This has often been a moment of reckoning for Adventists.

In the case of Wilson Chikatala v The Public Service Pension Fund is an illustration of the problem that emanates from such situations. Wilson Chikatala used to work for the Public Pension Fund in Lusaka. Starting at the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, the complainant was required to attend a workshop by the employer, which was scheduled to take place on a Saturday. The complainant sought exemption from the supervisor but was not granted his request. As in most such cases, he was requested to choose between his job or his church. The complainant opted to stay away from the workshop and was subsequently charged with an offense under the employer's disciplinary code and ultimately dismissed. The Appeal Board did not allow his appeal. The complainant has now commenced an action against the employer in the Industrial Relations Court, which is an arm of the judiciary branch at the level of the High Court dealing with labor matters.

The complainant has been unable to retain the services of an advocate (attorney) and so has been unable to make constitutional claims to the High Court. Thus the case will be treated as a simple labor matter, with the focus likely to be on whether or not the "discrimination" exercised against the complainant was lawfully required by the employer. It is unfortunate that this case will not be based on a constitutional claim, as such a claim may have provided valuable constitutional precedent to advance the cause of religious liberty.

Adventists who have stood for their rights to observe the Sabbath have often resorted to simply resigning from their jobs and seeking employment at places where they are granted Sabbath rest. Regrettably, the ability to change jobs easily is becoming harder and harder as unemployment levels rise.

Another area of religious liberty infringement faced by Zambians is seen in the institutions of education. Examinations, classes, and other compulsory activities are often scheduled on Saturday (Sabbath). Some of this intolerance has been enforced at mission schools operated by other denominations. A case in point in Zambia is that of Macha Mission School in Choma. The South Zambia Organization (Field) of Seventh-day Adventists had to reckon with the school authorities at Macha who did not tolerate Adventist pupils seeking exemption from activities on Sabbath/Saturday. At one stage, pupils were banned from conducting any worship services led by Adventists. The Macha case is not uncommon at schools in Zambia, especially at non-Adventist mission schools.

About a year ago, the Zambian government banned the Universal Church of God, an organization unrelated to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, for practicing rituals which were deemed inimical to the public interest. It was alleged that the church required its members to give blood offerings. The ban has since been lifted presumably after some confirmation that the reports may not have been true.

Many government leaders have officiated at Adventist meetings and have praised the Adventist churches for their many humanitarian acts. The warm relations have helped resolve religious liberty problems.

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe is a predominantly Christian country. Religious freedom is a constitutional right, but like many other countries, its enforcement leaves a lot to be desired. It would appear that many heads of institutions, government organs, etc., whether knowingly or unknowingly, have run their programs without concern for the religious practices of those effected. Adventist church members number 322,592.

Category 4

Mauritania Less than 0.3 percent of this population are Christians. Freedom of religion is non-existent. According to the constitution, Mauritania is an Islamic republic.

The Islamic law (the Shari'a) was proclaimed the "law of the land" in 1983. Conversion is prohibited. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is present in Nouakchott, though there is no Adventist church in Mauritania. In spite of anti-religious freedom legislation, the small number of Christians do not report hostility from the population or the government.

Somalia There is no constitution and no legal provision for the protection of religious freedom. There is no central government. Local tradition and past laws make proselytism a crime for any religion except Islam. (The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2000)

American The country follows the United States Constitution.

Samoa

Australia The freedom of religion clauses in the Australian constitution are patterned on those found in the United States Constitution. Unlike the United States, however, Australia has relatively little statutory or case law relating to religious liberty issues. Australians enjoy significant religious freedom. There are occasional cases of religious discrimination and employers unwilling to permit Seventh-day Adventists to take Saturday off.

Cook Islands The Cook Islands government officially recognizes certain faiths. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of four officially recognized denominations. There is increasing pressure from churches to impose Sunday observance through legislation.

Fiji The constitution provides for the separation of church and state, and religious freedom for all. Fiji has recently experienced significant racial tensions.

K iribati Seventh-day Adventists are well respected by the state. There are no significant problems concerning infringements of religious freedom.

New Zealand New Zealanders enjoy religious freedom. There are no significant problems except the occasional case when an employer refuses to permit employees to take time off to observe the Sabbath.

Papua New The constitution protects religious freedom. There are tensions that stem from

Guinea interchurch rivalry, but religious liberty is generally granted. Some Seventh-day Adventists experience difficulty gaining Sabbaths off from their employers. Generally, these problems can be worked out. There was a plan to pass legislation to forbid secular activities (sports, business operations) from 8am-3pm on Sundays. Pastor Wilson Stephen spoke to the governor about Adventist concerns over this proposed legislation. Pastor Stephen received a promise that the legislation would only be enforced against members of Sunday-keeping churches who do business or play sports on Sunday. While it is heartening that Seventh-day Adventists would not be impacted, the enforcement of religious holy days by legislation is unacceptable on its face.

Pitcairn The British control the island where there is robust religious freedom, with Seventh-day Adventists being the traditional majority religion.

Solomon There is constitutional protection of religious freedom. Civil tension has created

Islands difficulties recently on a number of fronts.

Tonga Seventh-day Adventists are well respected in Tonga where, generally, there are no substantial religious liberty problems.

Tuvalu Adventists are well respected in spite of the dominant state church of Tuvalu.

Category 2

French Seventh-day Adventists enjoy good relationships with other churches and the

Polynesia government. The church receives governmental financial support for youth activities and education. There is increasing difficulty for Seventh-day Adventist students to receive Saturday off. The anti-sect policies emanating from France has a growing echo in the public school system in French Polynesia. Adventist students and professors are increasingly experiencing difficulties. (See France)

Hong Kong Article 32 of the constitution states that (1) Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of conscience; and (2) Hong Kong residents shall have the freedom of religious belief, freedom to preach, to conduct, and to participate in religious activities in public.

Hong Kong authorities, however, have been reported to be studying the recently passed French anti-sect law as a possible model to crack down on religious groups. Such a law would allow serious abuses of power by officials. The French law would be even more dangerous when enforced by a government that does not have a tradition of democratic safeguards. There is also concern that this could be the first step in eroding the freedoms that Hong Kong currently enjoys.

New As in other French territories, there are potential problems with Saturday

Caledonia schooling. School authorities are displaying a growing intolerance of religious practices.

Philippines Freedom of religion abounds in this country. Mosques destroyed during the war between the military and Moral Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were repaired and restored. This is a manifestation that freedom of worship is not curtailed in this part of the world.

On May 27, Abu Sayyaf guerillas captured two American missionaries, Martin Burnham, 41, and his wife Gracia, 42, with 18 other people at a resort off the island of Palawau. Abu Sayyaf is a Muslim separatist group. They threatened to behead their prisoners if their demands were not met. (Christianity Today, August 6, 2001) This act of savagery was actively opposed by the government.

South Korea Of a population of 46.9 million, 22 percent of the people are Christians with a majority being Presbyterians. The Adventist church has 156,000 members, and has developed a university, secondary schools, hospitals, and 25 English language schools.

The 1987 constitution guarantees religious freedom. Article 19 states: "All citizens enjoy the freedom of conscience." Article 70 states, "(1) All citizens enjoy the freedom of religion; (2) No state religion may be recognized, and church and state are to be separated..."

The following report was sent by the director of the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Korea, Hyun Suh Koo. It illustrates the difficulties believers may have defending their principles even in a democratic society:

In the year 2000, Adventists experienced three notable cases of agitation against religious liberty. The first concerned the case of the date of the ad-nurse qualification test administered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). The test date was selected by MOHW and published in February and it was fixed on Saturday, Sabbath (Oct. 7). Several Seventh-day Adventist members who were running schools for ad-nurses sent official appeals to MOHW to reverse the directive of conducting the tests on Sabbath, but the appeals were not accepted. Usually MOHW administers the test on Sundays, but the Korean Christian Medical Evangelistic Association and Korean Evangelism Association appealed to MOHW to change the test date from Sunday to weekdays. To let that situation remain without appeal would provide great difficulties for Adventist students taking the tests conducted by the government in the future.

The problem prompted a response from the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was reported to the Korean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (KUC) in the middle of September. Adventists did not have much time to respond, but decided to ask for the help of the churches. KUC sent an official request to MOHW to reverse its decision and hundreds of churches helped by mailing letters to MOHW. Adventists did not succeed in changing the date, but received official promise from MOHW that it would reverse the decision for the following year. This served as the basis for changing the dates of the National Medical Board Test.

The second notable experience concerned changing the dates of the National Medical Board Test from Sabbath to a weekday. Youngtae Chung, a Seventh-day Adventist medical student at Seoul National University in his fourth year, saw an announcement of postponement of the test dates of February 17 (Sabbath) and 18, 2001. The test had not been originally scheduled to be given on Saturday. Chung was so faithful in keeping his Sabbath that he was almost forced to leave the institution by professors and other staff members. He overcame the difficulties and never failed to keep the Sabbath during his six years of medical study. Chung went to his church pastor for help. Hearing the situation, the pastor went to KUC the following day.

The chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee of the Congress was called on. Elder Lee of Cheonsung Seventh-day Adventist Church, also visited this congressman. A good discussion followed and the chairman asked a high officer of MOHW to come to his office, and asked the minister of MOHW for help. The dates were already published in the morning newspaper, so it would be very difficult to change them. Two hours after the meeting, the high officer of MOHW announced that the dates were changed! This was the first case in MOHW's history of changing dates for such an important test. Chung received the second highest points of all on the National Medical Board Test!

The third experience concerned preparation to submit an appeal to President Kim. It was decided to submit an appeal to the president so the Seventh-day Adventist young people in military service would be able to keep the Saturday Sabbath. Official letters were sent to the churches for members' signatures and were sent on to the KUC. After receiving signatures from 160,000 members, Adventists will submit an appeal to the president and to the Ministers of government in charge to ensure more perfect religious liberty.

In another major development, the producer of one of the major television stations, a Jehovah's Witness, appealed to an influential member of Congress to have his son released from jail for refusing to accept military service for religious reasons. The congressman is preparing new legislation because of the case. The case was broadcast on television, appealing to the people of Korea concerning religious liberty, and could possibly be the opening of a new era for religious liberty in Korea.

Vanuatu There is constitutional protection of religious freedom. There are no significant problems to report at this time.

Category 3

Indonesia The constitution provides for freedom of belief and exercise of religion, though atheism is not permitted and only five religions are specifically recognized: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism and Protestantism.

Indonesia experienced severe religious violence during 2000. Before comment on the violence in the provinces of northern and southern Maluku, an overview of the status of religious liberty in Indonesia is appropriate. In the most populous region of Java and some other places, Christians have great freedom to evangelize, build churches, and distribute literature. The following reports should not lead the readers to forget this fact. From a total population of 211.8 million, roughly 83 percent are Muslims, 4 percent Catholics, and 3 percent Protestants. (Religious Freedom in the World, p. 161) The Adventist church has a membership of 183,531, organized into two unions: the East and West Indonesian Union Conferences.

Ethnic and religious clashes have not spared Adventists. About 5,000 members living in Ambon suffered violence from fanatic Muslims, as did other Christians.

On December 20, 2000, one correspondent sent a message about a planned attack on the island of Musalant around Christmas by the Laskar Tihad to annihilate the 7,500 Christian residents of that island. The correspondent wrote, "It has been five months since the last major outburst and tensions are rising in the area. Small attacks have continued unabated, especially since the Laskar Tihad troops, some 14,000 of whom have come in from elsewhere in Indonesia, have been equipped with sophisticated weaponry. Small villages have no defense against their artillery."

There are places where Muslim fundamentalists are fierce, but there are areas also where one can openly conduct public religious meetings. Religious freedom is embodied in the constitution of Indonesia.

Mentioning the casualties, one correspondent wrote, "So far, some 4,000 persons have died on both sides. There are an estimated 120,000 refugees in Ambon, the capital of the Maluku Province." (Richard L. Van Houton, Reformed Ecumenical Council, December 20, 2000)

Report from Ambon

An Adventist correspondent gave the following report on the situation Adventists have endured in Ambon:

Ambon, the capital city of Maluku Province, is also the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maluku. The population is around 3 million; Adventist members number 4,885; and membership in Ambon city alone is 2,500. These statistics were given before the violence and fighting began. While some 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslims, the population in the Maluku region is almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. Before current conflicts, the region was known for its religious tolerance and for the peaceful coexistence of its two dominant religious groups. For the Maluku Province, around 60 percent of the inhabitants are Christians, while about 40 percent are Muslims.

Religious violence in January 1999, created an exodus of refugees in Ambon and the entire province. This violence caused more than 4,000 deaths, with thousands more homeless. At least 20 Adventist members died, and over 200 Adventist homes and church buildings were burned. In the village of Siri Sori Amalatu, a Christian village, 343 houses were burned. Only the Adventist church remained untouched with several houses around it.

Almost every aspect of the Seventh-day Adventist Church work in this region is under siege. Violence near Maluku Academy in Ambon, earlier considered a safe haven, has forced the school to close and its teachers and students have all fled, some evacuated to other provinces.

The safety of church workers and members can no longer be guaranteed in Ambon, Poso, Ternate, and Tobelo. Many Adventist pastors and members have been relocated. The President of Maluku Mission, Pastor Frans Luturmas, and some workers, are staying at their posts to minister to the remaining church members in the area, while some of their wives have been evacuated.

Prior to my arrival in Ambon in October last year to visit our members and workers there, Ambon had been shaken by bombs, mortars, and grenades. Some roads in the city had been blocked and snipers were present. Street fights and night attacks on Christians' homes continue. While visiting Ambon city on October 12 and 13, 2000, I witnessed an academy student being shot. We rushed him to the hospital, but since he was so seriously wounded, I don't know whether his life was spared. While in the city, I observed about 40 bomb explosions around the church building.

Looking ahead, I believe that the long-term resettlement of refugees is one of the most pressing problems facing church leaders in the region. Besides that, we have to face the same problem in Ambon, Poso, and Ternate/ Tobelo regarding members who are now hiding in the jungles in these regions and need food and shelter. In Manado there are around 60,000 refugees throughout the city and province. People need help as soon as possible.

The Conflict as Seen Through the Press

Following are abstracts from newspaper reports which give an idea of the conflict. In the Telegraph of December 5, 2000, on the front page,

Muslim Jihad under their leader Jafar Umar Thalib, shot and bombarded the Christian village Mardika Ambon. At least 19 Mobile Brigades (special police troops) from the third regiment, were involved in these shootings. Tony Pariela, MA, Political Observer of Pattymura University, said that brutality of Muslim Jihad could not be tolerated any longer and the Moluccas should be freed from the Muslim Jihad.

Manado Post, December 7, 2000, reported:

...Ambon was in an intense situation, three people died and several were wounded. From 5am-2pm, the whizzing sound of bullets and bombs were heard...All activities in the city stopped. This happened when two groups of people were facing each other and started fighting. Suddenly bombs exploded, killing three civilians and one soldier. The Ambonese in Holland threatened the Dutch government if they didn't qualify the incident in Ambon as genocide.

Telegraph, December 7, 2000, reported:

Again, a number of times, the Christian churches in Ambon appealed for international intervention and requested that the emergency civil commander, Dr. Saleh Latuconsina, governor of the Moluccas, be tried by International Court. The chairman of church lawyers, Samy Wailenury, said that the killings and slaughtering of Christians and forcing Christians to embrace Muslim, are a heavy violation against human rights. He added also that they were very disappointed with the government and the National Committee for Human Rights. At the same time, the Christian political party pushed and forced the government to drive out Muslim Jihad from the Moluccas, and bring its leader, Jafar Umar Thalib, to court for causing unrest and killings. Another report from North Moluccas stated that Jihad attacked several Christian villages and burned houses, churches, and school buildings. The report also stated that there were only six army personnel guarding these places, and seemed nothing in comparison to the thousands of Jihad attackers.

How Did the Tragedy Begin?

One of our correspondents recorded his testimony and the chronology of events according to his knowledge:

In Ambon, the beginning seemed to be a trifling matter. A Christian taxi driver from Saparua was stopped by a Muslim youth. This Muslim didn't want a ride but demanded that the driver give him a certain amount of money. The driver, thinking of no reason to give the money, refused to give it and a quarrel followed. The driver chased the Muslim, who ran to a mosque in the Batu Merah Village. Suddenly a group of Muslims (as arranged beforehand) emerged from the mosque, armed with knives, swords and spears, and chased back the driver to kill him.

At nearly the same time, news from Ambon said that the principal mosque Al Fatah in Ambon had been burned to the ground by Christians, which provoked the Muslim community who burned a Christian village in Bentent Karang and the surrounding area. This incident seemed to begin the troubles, killings, and burning of villages, churches, and mosques in the Moluccas. A Protestant Christian pastor who was praying in a church, was captured and dragged out of the church and killed. A pregnant woman, was killed and her unborn child was removed and barbequed in front of the husband/father who was tied to a pole. This tragedy was the beginning of war between Muslims and Christians. Christians wear red bandages around their head, and Muslims wear white bandages.

At first, both groups were armed with traditional knives, swords, spears and bows and arrows, but it developed into battles of war. Houses, stores, even schools and houses of worships became targets of both groups and were burned. The situation worsened as Jihad troops from Java were sent, which encouraged Muslims. More Christian villages were burned and there were more casualties. The situation became worse, since government officials and police began taking sides. An unstable political affair in this country made it hard for Ambon communities to obtain peace. Many Christian churches were burned by intruders. Eight Seventh-day Adventist churches and many houses were burned.

On the islands of Seram and Saparua, the Christian communities took refuge in the forest. Our brethren were forced to do the same and many died from disease and lack of food. Some were able to evacuate to peaceful cities in Indonesia.

Concerning the island and town Ternate, the entire island is in the hands of the Muslim community. Christian churches were burned, and houses owned by Christians were either burned or taken over by Muslims. There are now no Christians in Ternate.

On the island of Halmahera, sadistic killings from both sides caused great casualties. Cruelties continue in Halmahera. There are places in the hands of Christians, and other places in the hands of Muslims. (Report on the 11^th Assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia--revised version, May 31-June 6, 2000)

Meeting with the Government

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has approached the government to discuss its concerns about the state of religious freedom. When Dr. Habibi replaced Suharto as president, Pastor Hendriks, the Adventist union president at the time, appealed to Dr. Habibi to consider the plight of school examinations on Saturday for Seventh-day Adventist students, and to give permission to construct churches. Leaders in missions and conferences strive for good relationships with top government officers in their areas, as the Jakarta Conference leaders had visited Walikota of South Jakarta City.

In some provinces there are only five days of work or school per workweek, so there are no work or school functions held on Saturdays. Adventists still wait for the country to recognize the importance of religion in life and society, and want the country to respect the freedoms of religion and belief. They want the government to recognize the independence of churches in their internal affairs and in carrying out their mission.

Mongolia Adventists have been in Mongolia for nine years. There is one Adventist church which has a membership of nearly 100 members in a country of 2.6 million people. The democratic openness in 1990 restored religious freedom but Buddhism has a privileged position. Resolutions of the Parliament have threatened religious freedom and Christians are restricted in many ways, such as not being able to rent certain buildings or put up signs.

Niue The dominant established religion creates some opposition to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There are strict Sunday observance laws.

Western The influence of some traditional chiefs and customs leads to persecution of

Samoa minority religions. Some human rights abuses have been reported.

Category 4

Brunei According to Compass Direct (APD/4/25/2001), several Christians were arrested in December 2000 and January 2001, and some were called in for questioning by security police:

In an April 9 response faxed to British parliamentarians who had inquired about the Brunei detainees, Brunei High Commissioner Dato Haji Yusof Hamid said the arrests were "necessary to protect religious harmony in the country." He added, "In Brunei Darusalam, the constitution guarantees freedom of worship for all citizens but it does not mean undermining the majority religion. Hence, the government has taken these measures to ensure political stability, and social and religious harmony in the country."

China China's constitution guarantees freedom of worship, but Communist leaders have always been suspicious of organized religion, which they view as a threat to state power. Communist leaders have grown particularly wary of religious activity outside of government-approved churches over the past several years as Chinese turn to beliefs beyond communism to bring meaning to their lives.

The Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) controls authorized religions, which are Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, and Taoism. The RAB is controlled by the United Frontwork Department, which is controlled by the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Protestants are grouped into the China Christian Council for Protestants under the umbrella of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Catholics are recognized under the Catholic Patriotic Association and Bishops Conference for Catholics.

Adventists do not have a specific organization, but are part of the Chinese Christian Council with other Protestants. Protestant pastors are trained in official seminaries. According to various sources, there are about 300,000 Adventists in China. The main Protestant church in Beijing, Shanghai, is used by Adventists every Saturday. During his visit in May 2001, Dr. John Graz, Director of the Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, had an informal meeting with authorities in Beijing and attended an Adventist church service on Saturday. About 1,000 Adventists were present and, in the afternoon, approximately 300 met in preparation for baptism.

Religious activity by those in registered churches is impressive. According to some religious leaders, there are 6-8 million Catholics, and 13-16 million Protestants in China.

It is evident, however, that religious groups not under the control of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement are frequently harassed and persecuted. For example, according to information received, it is asserted that the Chinese government destroyed 1,500 religious meeting places in Zhejiang Province. These included both Christian and Buddhist places of worship. Eight Seventh-day Adventist Churches were destroyed as part of this suppression. All eight were part of the "Wilderness" Adventists (WA) movement, a movement that is somewhat reminiscent of Reform Adventists who are a relatively small group that split from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. WA's are very conservative doctrinally, they refuse to join government-controlled organizations, and they do not register their meeting places with the government. Thus, the situation in the Adventist church is somewhat similar to that of other churches in which some members believe it is unconscionable to be part of the official governmental church structure, though this is not the case for all. Clearly the consciences of those who object to being part of government-approved and controlled churches must be respected if China is to have true religious freedom.

Adventists recently jailed and interrogated in Jiangsu have been set free.

The report of the United States Commission states that China is a country where religious freedom is not respected:

Systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom in China continue. The persecution is so broad and severe, and the number of victims so high, that China cries out for immediate and prominent attention. Leaders and members of unregistered Protestant and Roman Catholic churches have been arrested, Tibetan Buddhist monasteries closed, and private religious practices monitored. Uighur Muslims in Zinjiang have been executed on specious charges and without even a semblance of due process or fair trial. The government has intensified its campaign against the Falun Gong movement, and at least 150 followers have reportedly died in police custody, allegedly following torture. More than 1,000 religious buildings and sites in Wenzhou were confiscated or destroyed by Chinese officials in late 2000. The government continues to maintain tight control over the training and selection of clergy and leaders of the official Protestant and Catholic churches. (USCIRF Press Release, July 23, 2001, p. 1; The Washington Post, August 5, 2001, A-22)

Laos The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the government restricts this right in practice. "All acts of creating division of religion or creating division among the people" are prohibited by the constitution. About 60-65 percent of the population are Buddhists, and about 1.5 percent are Christians. Catholics number approximately 30-40,000 as do the Protestants. Only two Protestant groups are recognized: the Laos Evangelical Church, the umbrella for Protestants; and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

According to Mark Albrecht (WEF RLC senior editor) the persecution of Christians in Laos is "a prime example of aggressive, active persecution by the government." Thirty-two Christians are currently suffering appalling, life-threatening conditions in Laos prisons on charges cited as sedition, national security, or just "believing in the Jesus religion." Christianity is branded the "number one enemy of the state" and an "imperialist foreign religion." The government is closing churches across the country and forcing believers to sign a "voluntary resignation from a foreign religion, into which the enemy has enticed us in past days." Those who refuse to sign suffer serious consequences ranging from job loss to imprisonment. (APD WEF, July 17, 2001)

The persecution of Christians has been confirmed by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF, August 16, 2001) which wrote, "In Laos last year, more than 95 Christians and their leaders from several provinces were arrested, detained (at times for months), and in some cases, convicted of criminal offences and imprisoned on account of their faith."

Laos is listed among the nine world's worst religious-freedom violators subject to United States action under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, a United States law.

Malaysia With 22.6 million inhabitants, 58 percent of the population are Muslims, 23 percent are Buddhists, and 8 percent are Christians. Malaysia is a multicultural society. Adventists have 4,129 members, who meet in 26 churches. Article 2 of the constitution guarantees religious freedom. Religious tensions occur from time to time, but authorities handle the situations to avoid crises.

On April 4, 2001, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datum Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, was invited to be a guest of the 11^th General Assembly of the World Evangelical Fellowship in Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital.

The Prime Minister's speech was in itself an example of how people of different religions can respect each other. Dr. Mahathir, a Muslim, was warmly welcomed with a standing ovation from the 600 Christian leaders from 82 nations who make up the World Evangelical Fellowship's General Assembly. The following communiqué gives a report about his involvement in favor of religious tolerance. He said,

Intolerance breeds injustice. Injustice invariably leads to rebellion and retaliation, and these will lead to escalation on the part of both, making reconciliation almost impossible. It would appear that during times of stress, despair, and frustration, people become increasingly irrational, and they do things which they never think they are capable of. And so we see hideous brutality perpetrated by the most gentle people.

Once started, religious strife has a tendency to go on and on, to become permanent feuds. Today we see such intractable interreligious wars in Northern Ireland, between Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Palestine, Hindus and Muslims in South Asia, and in many other places. Attempts to bring about peace have failed again and again. Always, the extremist elements invoking past injustices, imagined or real, will succeed in torpedoing the peace efforts and bringing about another bout of hostility.

No one can be held responsible for acts committed by his ancestors. Yet most of us are still fighting each other because in the distant past our ancestors had fought. Because 500 years ago, the Turks massacred the Serbs, today the Serbs are still bent on revenge seeking to kill Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo.

We are now at the beginning of a new century. It is a good time to resolve and break away from the tragedies of the past and build on the realities of the present. (World Evangelical Fellowship/APD/ 5/5/2001)

It should be noted that despite the words of the Malaysian Prime Minister, Malaysia is far from being a nation of full religious freedom. Significant legal and societal barriers prevent Malaysian Muslims from changing religions. In addition, there is a growth of extremist elements in Malaysia, and opposition parties have established restrictive Islamic laws in the states they control.

Nauru The government refuses to recognize the Seventh-day Adventist Church and denies its registration. A letter from the president of the Kirubati and Nauru Seventh-day Adventist Church states: "The Nauru government requires that a church has to be registered in order to function in the Republic." Three churches are registered in Nauru and are allowed to function. They are the Roman Catholic Church, the Nauru Congregational Church, and the Born Again Church. Our correspondent writes:

Although the Seventh-day Adventist Church has had members practicing their faith on the island for over 20 years, the Nauru government has continually refused to allow registration of the church there. On my first visit last year, I was told to write a letter. Secondly, I was told that there was no criteria needed by law to register, but that of simply applying. However, I was informed that the policy of the government was to allow no additional churches to register on Nauru, but I could try. I did, but received no reply.

On my last visit, I submitted a letter of request and received a letter in reply denying registration. No reason was stated. Non-registration means the church:

Cannot purchase or lease land.

Cannot meet in a public place.

Cannot conduct public meetings.

Is denied use of the Nauru Phosphate Company Interdenominational Church Building.

Cannot perform the marriage ceremony for its own members.

Cannot bury its own members.

Cannot legally conduct baptisms.

The church group meets in a member's home. There is no attempt by the government to interfere with this practice.

Permission to perform a burial ceremony was denied to an Adventist pastor. Pastor Dunn writes:

A church member had gone to the office of the First Secretary in the Nauruan government that morning to request that the church be allowed to bury the man. Permission was denied. The member told them that I was arriving that day and that I was the leader of the church and an ordained minister and asked whether I could bury the man, and was again denied permission.

The minister who conducted the funeral was quite gracious and did an appropriate and good job. We have no complaint about the way the Congregational Church assisted us and appreciate their assistance to do what we were denied the right to do. But it is a hurtful experience to have to call a stranger to minister to already hurting people. It is hurtful to have a stranger bury one of your church family members. Other violations of the right to religious freedom could be cited, but nothing has ever been placed in writing and so cannot be documented.

Our members have been threatened with jail if they conduct baptisms. Our members are denied the use of the Nauru Phosphate Company Interdenominational Chapel, even though most are company employees. Our ministers have been denied normal transit entry to the country. I am never sure whether or not I am going to get in as they never issue me with a visa despite following the required procedures well in advance.

We cannot send a minister to care for the church. A temporary permit was allowed for a month once. Actually, the First President of Nauru allowed the use of the interdenominational chapel, but this is now denied as previously stated.

Category 5

North Korea From a population of approximately 22.2 million people, it is claimed that one percent of the population are Christians, while 68 percent of the population are atheists. North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world. Persecution is a fact of life for Christians, who are perceived as a dangerous threat. In North Korea, Adventists have 26 churches and 866 members. In spite of the difficulty to communicate, the heart surgery team from Loma Linda University and Medical Center (a Seventh-day Adventist institution) made a two-week visit as part of their long-running overseas medical assistance and teaching program.

Dr. Joan Coggin said to Adventist News Network before the team left the United States, that --

We are delighted to be able to go to North Korea to follow up on our visit there in 1996. Our consistent goal is to make it possible to learn and develop techniques together rather than to just come in and operate on a limited number of patients. We see this as a mutual learning experience in which local medical personnel can benefit from medical exchanges while at the same time, our staff gains much experience from their participation, and through seeing first-hand the situation in the host countries.

The heart team's overseas program has functioned for 37 years and has visited such countries as Greece, Chile, Saudi Arabia, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Nepal, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

"We hope to be able to make an immediate difference to the lives of at least 25 heart patients in North Korea," says Coggin, "with many more indirectly benefitting as a result of such a medical exchange. It's a privilege to be part of this program which transcends national borders through mutual concern for wider humanity." (ANN, January 18, 2001)

Vietnam Article 4 of the constitution establishes the Communist party as the "only force leading the society and state." (Religious Freedom in the World, p. 324)

A new decree on religions (26/1999/ND-CP) that came into force in April 1999 increased the control on religious activity, and made all religious properties confiscated after 1975, permanent properties of the state.

In this context, a letter sent by the secretary of the Vietnam Mission Executive Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Vietnam, reveals the continuous pressure from authorities on religious organizations.

The following letter, which has been translated into English, was sent to all levels of government and within the Communist party in Vietnam. The letter states that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been in existence in Vietnam for more than 70 years, and the legal status situation is being processed by the Vietnamese government. The letter concerned the tearing down of the church of Da Nang, July 17, 2001, to build a kindergarten school.

The authors wrote:

Excellency:

As you well know, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been in existence in Vietnam for more than 70 years, and the legal status is being processed by the Vietnamese government. The church headquarters is located at 224 Phan Dang Lau, PHY Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, with telephone numbers 08-995-0097 and 08-844-7602.

On behalf of more than 100 ministers ordained and not ordained, and 20,000 members, we are writing this letter to express to you our dismay and protest of the action taken by the Educational Department of the Hai Chau District of the City of Da Nang, of tearing down our church building at 147 Phan Chau Trinh, Da Nang, in order to build a kindergarten school.

This sanctuary was built in 1939 with contributions from our members, and used as a house of worship to our Almighty God until 1982. At that time, the local authorities closed down the church activities with a simple reason that the church pastor had left the country. The church building was then rented to someone who operated a coffee shop. We protested the action and then the business was terminated. After that incident, the building has been used again as a kindergarten school. On the 18^th of July, 2001, the authorities began unilaterally to tear down our church building in order to build a new school with the intention to abolish a landmark of our Adventist church.

We strongly protest this action on the part of the local authorities to all levels of the Party and Government and demand that the tearing down of our church be stopped. This behavior is unacceptable and contrary to the Government decree on the issue of religious freedom signed by the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. At the same time, we request that the Government allow us to resume our church activities in this city. Moreover, we want to prevent opportunists from taking advantage of the situation and spreading rumors against the good intentions of our government. They might take this occasion to send wrong messages within the country and overseas that our Government is destroying churches and its properties. Thus, it might affect the Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the United States of America, which is awaiting approval of the United States Congress. Tearing down the Adventist church building in Da Nang is a small matter, but it is a big issue with regards to foreign public relations.

We, therefore, request that the tearing down of our church by the Educational Department of the city of Da Nang be stopped immediately. We have complete confidence in the leadership of the Party and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to honor and execute faithfully the Act of Religious Freedom for all people.

We respectfully submit to you this letter with a deep conviction that the government will take appropriate action to correct the situation. (ANN, August 14, 2001)

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in a press release of July 23, 2001, described the situation in Vietnam as follows:

Despite the increase in religious practice among the Vietnamese people in the last ten years, the Vietnamese government continues its repressive policy toward all religions and their followers in Vietnam, including Hoa Hao Buddhists, as well as Christians who are members of ethnic minorities, and appears to have increased its crackdown on prominent religious dissidents during the first half of 2001. Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly, a Roman Catholic priest who submitted written testimony to the Commission's February 2001 public hearing on Vietnam, and Venerable Thich Quang Do, the second-ranking leader of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), have recently been imprisoned or placed under house arrest. In February 2001, the Vietnamese government violently suppressed protests by thousands of ethnic minority Central Highlanders seeking the return of ancestral lands and the freedom to practice their religion. Although the Vietnamese government permitted Ambassador Peterson to visit the area recently, he reported significant obstruction from local officials in the Gia Lai province during his visit. In April 2001, the Vietnamese government recognized the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN) in the south; however, this recognition apparently does not cover two-thirds of Vietnam's nearly one million Protestants who are ethnic minorities.

The Commission is also concerned about the inhumane treatment of the Patriarch of the UBCV, the Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, who is 83 years old and has remained under house arrest, without charge, in a remote village of Quang Ngai province since 1982. He is reportedly suffering from serious hypertension, kidney and stomach disorders, and the inability to walk without assistance. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese government has prevented him from traveling to Ho Chi Minh City for proper medical treatment.

According to the World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF, January 2001),

The Minister for Vietnamese Religious Affairs and World Evangelical Fellowship agreed to monitor religious liberty in Vietnam. December 4-9, WEF Religious Liberty Commission director Johan Candelin met in Vietnam with the Minister for Religious Affairs, the Bureau for Religious Affairs, the Foreign Ministry, and representatives of Parliament. Candelin stated, "I am very happy with the high level contacts provided by the Vietnamese government. The talks were held in a good and constructive atmosphere, and I proposed annual meetings with the authorities, which they accepted. I think it is very important to share information about Protestant Christianity with those who work with religion on behalf of the state of Vietnam."

The Portuguese parliament voted a new law April 26 that aims to safeguard religious liberty and recognize freedom of conscience. The new legislation includes provisions of particular importance to Adventists, especially those relating to conscientious objection and to observing days of worship.

In adopting this new legislation, the Portuguese government seeks to recognize non-Catholic religious denominations in parity with the Catholic Church, which, to date, has been considered the "only church in Portugal," comments Mario Brito, president of the Portuguese Union of Churches. "This law reflects the legislative intent to guarantee to all citizens the right to hold, not to hold, and to change religious beliefs, and to practice and freely share one's religious convictions."

Article 11 recognizes the right to conscientious objection to military service, a matter of special concern to Adventists. Article 13 guarantees Sabbath privileges, under specific circumstances.

"These articles are particularly significant for Adventists," comments Teofilo Ferreira, associate director of the Ellen G. White Estate. "The recognition, under certain conditions, of the right to be excused from work, school, and examinations on the day of worship is clearly of great importance, as is the recognition of the right to conscientious objector status."

The new law contains 69 articles, which also include the recognition of marriages performed by non-Catholic clergy, as well as tax exemption for religious organizations. Exactly how the law will be implemented is, however, a matter of continuing debate, especially in the light of the 1940 Concordat between Portugal and the Vatican.

"It still remains to be seen to what extent the Catholic Church will be held to an equal status with other churches," continues Ferreira. "It's a question of privileges. Then there's the pressure of the Concordat, which is essentially an agreement between states as to how much one state-the Vatican for example - can interfere with another state. The actual impact of this new law will be evident when the present tension between the Vatican and the Portuguese government is settled over the forthcoming revision of the Concordat." The Concordat was signed in 1940 between the Vatican and the Portuguese government of the time, led by dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar.

"This law is a major breakthrough in religious liberty in the history of this 850 year-old traditionally-Catholic country," Ferreira concludes. (ANN, May 4, 2001)

United States The United States continued to enjoy a healthy level of religious freedom during

of America the year. However, the situation was not entirely free from concern. The Supreme Court's lowering of the protection for the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, continued to create problems, particularly for minority religions. In addition, there was concern about the drift towards a closer relationship between the government and religious entities that may have serious long-term implications. Finally, the legal protection accorded workers continued to be insufficient to ensure that employers take reasonable steps to accommodate the religious beliefs of employees.

Free Exercise of Religion

During the year, civil rights groups continued to work to undo the damage inflicted by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1990 case Employment Division v. Smith. Prior to the Smith decision, the state had to prove it had a compelling interest before someone could be forced to abandon a religious practice. After Smith, the state merely has to show that the law is not specifically aimed against a religious practice. Justice O'Connor, a member of the Supreme Court, correctly pointed out the problem with the Smith decision. She said, "laws neutral towards a religion can coerce a person to violate his religious conscience… just as effectively as laws aimed at a religion."

The Court made the impact of its decision clear. Justice Scalia, who wrote the majority opinion, said that small religions should lobby the legislatures if they want to be protected against laws that prevent them from practicing their faith. He also stated that "it may fairly be said that leaving accommodation (of religious practices) to the political process will place at a relative disadvantage those religious practices that are not widely engaged in; but that unavoidable consequence of democratic government must be preferred to a system in which each conscience is a law unto itself..."

In response to the Smith decision, a political alliance was formed to press for legislation to undo the damage the case did to the legal protection of religious freedom. This alliance was successful in their mission. In 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was signed into law. RFRA mandated that individuals could only be prevented from acting on their religious faith if, and only if, the state had a compelling interest to do so and the law is narrowly tailored to achieve that compelling interest. In the introduction to RFRA, Congress stated, "The Congress finds that…(in Smith) the Supreme Court virtually eliminated the requirement that the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed by laws neutral toward religion; and the compelling interest test, as set forth in prior federal court rulings, is a workable test for striking sensible balances between religious liberty and competing prior governmental interests."

Unfortunately, in 1997, the Supreme Court found RFRA unconstitutional due to federalism concerns, at least when it is applied to state laws.

Despite this major setback, religious liberty advocates continued to work to reinstate robust protection of religious freedom. In September of 2000, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) was signed into law. It mandates the application of the compelling interest test to the religious freedom claims of prisoners and to issues related to land use laws when applied to property and structures used for religious purposes.

Up until the Smith case, advocates of religious freedom had typically not focused significant attention to the protection for the freedom of religion provided under state constitutions. When the federal protection was reduced, however, the importance of state freedom of religion guarantees became clear. Thus there has been significant work done to pass state religious freedom restoration bills.

To date, ten states have passed religious freedom restoration acts that govern state laws (AZ, CT, FL, ID, IL, NM, OK, RI, SC, TX). In addition, state supreme courts of another ten states have decided that the state constitution requires a compelling interest analysis (AL, KS, MA, MI, MN, OH, VT, WA, WI, IN). In most other states, there are active movements to pass a religious freedom restoration act.

Despite the progress, troubling decisions continue to be made by courts applying the Smith analysis to religious freedom cases. For example, earlier this year a Catholic entity was ordered to pay for contraceptives for its employees, despite the Catholic ban on their use. Catholic Charities of Sacramento, Inc. v. Superior Court, 2001 WL 738085 (Cal.Ct.App. 3rd Dist. 2001). The law that required the provision of contraceptives was "neutral" and generally applicable, and therefore the California Court of Appeals found that Catholic Charities must abide by it even if by so doing they act against their religious beliefs.

Establishment of Religion

The Bush administration's agenda includes the faith-based initiative. This involves the state directly paying churches and other religious institutions to provide specified social services. The plan has raised a number of concerns. The separation of church and state has proven to provide an environment in which religion thrives. There is concern that weakening this separation will result in government control of churches and that churches will become dependent on state funding and will lose their willingness to speak against governmental abuses.

The faith-based initiative is occurring within a legal environment in which the Supreme Court's approach to the Establishment Clause is changing. In Mitchell v. Helms, which was decided in June of 2000, the Supreme Court did not focus on whether the assistance in question was going to a religious entity, but rather whether the assistance was available to a broad range of groups without regard to their religion based on neutral criteria. This "neutrality" analysis will likely permit greater government funding of a broad range of religious enterprises in the future.

As religious entities and the state develop a closer financial relationship, the ability of each to operate independently of the other will likely be compromised. If church and state do become more closely entwined, increased religious influence on the state may result in laws that increasingly advance the religious perspective of the majority. In addition, increased government funding will likely result in increased government control of religious entities and compromise the religious mission of these entities.

Religious Freedom in the Workplace

While civil rights laws require employers to attempt to accommodate their employees' faith in the work place, the Supreme Court has interpreted this requirement to impose a very low level of responsibility on employers. The Court stated that employers are merely required to accommodate believers if the cost of doing so is de minimus (insignificant). Some employers have taken advantage of this decision, refusing to make any real effort to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of their workers. Efforts continued during the year to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act to remedy this ongoing problem. The Act requires employers to accommodate employees' religious practices unless such accommodation would require significant difficulty or expense.

It is sometimes suggested that if employees experience difficulties at work, they should simply find a new employer. Such sentiments are expressed by those who are not familiar with the realities of the problems workers face. It is exceedingly rare for well-educated, well-paid workers to run into difficulties with their employers. Rather, it is typically low paid and poorly educated workers who find their employers unwilling to accommodate their religious beliefs. These workers often do not have the opportunity to change employment or localities. In addition, it would be unthinkable to tell a disabled employee to simply find another employer if her employer was unwilling to make a serious effort to accommodate her. It is equally unthinkable to suggest that people of faith should have no recourse when they experience such treatment.

Category 2

Albania There are no serious religious liberty problems encountered here, but issues for Seventh-day Adventists in military service have not yet been fully resolved.

Croatia Religious liberty groups (such as the International Religious Liberty Association) need to be vigilant as there are efforts under way in Parliament to pass a law which will classify religious movements as "traditional" churches with special rights and privileges, or new religious movements. The latter category would not have the same privileges as the "traditional" churches which have existed in Croatia for 100 years or more.

Hungary Even though some Adventists claim authorities are backtracking on full religious freedom, there is no evidence that this is the case. The government is attempting to introduce some sensible legislation that will more closely define the criteria an organization or group of people must meet if they are to be recognized as a church or religious community.

Latvia Attempts continue to introduce a two-tier system which differentiates between "traditional" churches and other religious communities. Adventists do not agree with this approach. The Seventh-day Adventist church meets the criteria for a "traditional" church; yet there are obstacles in claiming that status.

Lithuania Lithuania is a country of 3.7 million inhabitants of which approximately 80 percent are Catholics, 5 percent Russian Orthodox, and a little over one percent Protestants. Adventists number 1,000, and meet in 11 churches. The church has been organized in Lithuania since 1921.

A law passed in 1995, divided churches and religious groups into three levels:

Article 5 of the 1995 law on religious communities and associations granted "traditional" status to nine faiths - Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Russian Orthodox, Old Believer, Jewish, Sunni Muslim, and Karaite - without explaining how and why these groups were chosen. Although it is not officially stated anywhere, the criterion for being a traditional religion used when preparing the law on religious communities and associations was that the community has to have a presence in Lithuania for 300-400 years, Donatas Glodenis, senior official of the section of registers at the justice ministry, told Keston News Service from Vilnius on May 23.

The second level - "recognized" faiths - was originally intended to give similar rights to those enjoyed by "traditional" faiths. The law foresaw a state recognition procedure of religious associations that have become a part of Lithuania's social, historical and spiritual heritage. When the religion law was adopted, the rights of recognized religious associations were equal to those of traditional associations, or rather, there was a two-tier system: the upper level included state-recognized "traditional" and "other" religious associations, and thelower level included other "non-traditional" associations and communities. What mattered was not the traditional/other divide but the state-recognized/other divide.

Religious communities without "traditional" status are at a disadvantage. "There are important restrictions, including the right to buy land, the right to teach one's children in public schools, the right to pay the same rates for water, electricity and telephone, and the right to speak on national TV and radio." Arnoldas Matijosius, a Vilnius-based lawyer who has been handling the Baptist Union's recognition application, told Keston on May 22. "If any religion is younger than 300 years on Lithuanian soil, generally any law can discriminate against its followers. Unfortunately, that is supported by constitutional jurisprudence." Linas Andronovas, Executive Secretary of the Baptist Union, concurred. "In 1995 it was said recognized groups would be equal to traditional groups, but step by step all privileges have been whittled away. The only privilege now is that the government makes social security payments for clergy."

Other concerns for religious minorities, including Adventists, is the prospect of a new program called the "State and Religious Communities Relationship Coordination" which is part of the Ministry of Justice. This program will establish a Department of Religious Affairs. This department will be required to analyze the activities of religious communities and groups, to gather information relating to the legalization, suspension, and abolishment of the group's activities, and to inform society therewith. (KNS, "Lithuania: Controversy Surrounds Four-Tier Religious Status," July, 2001)

Biedziak said 2-3 officers from each county were being instructed on the legal, psychological, and religious aspects of "sect" activities at the main police training center in Legionowo, outside Warsaw, and would be "kept trained and well-informed" about new religious movements. However, training was "predominantly directed" against criminal activities by religious groups, including the recruitment and detention of minors. "Such groups differ from typical criminal gangs, so we need to train police to deal with them. But we are interested in religious groups only if they are planning or committing criminal acts - not in their world view or moral position."

At an October 13 Warsaw meeting with Poland's police chief, General Jan Michna, leaders of the 9000-strong Adventist church expressed alarm that the scheme used material from Catholic "anti-sect" centers which "distorted reality" about religious minorities. Adventist secretary general, Pastor Andrzej Sicinski, told Keston the aim of the "courtesy meeting" had been to urge caution when "the label of 'sects' is used by state institutions." He had asked General Michna to ensure that "protection of some individuals doesn't violate the rights of others. He assured us he will safeguard the constitutional right to freedom of conscience, and ensure that the police respect religious associations that respect the law."

The Adventists, whose church is one of 15 Christian denominations recognized under special laws, said Catholic centers were also giving "sect training sessions" to school directors and teachers with Education Ministry backing. An Adventist pastor had been barred from schools in the southeastern city of Zamosc after his church was labeled a "threatening sect" in a Ministry brochure.

Besides 15 recognized Christian denominations, a further 139 religious associations are registered with church rights. However, religious minorities frequently complain of pressure from the Catholic Church, which comprises perhaps 95 percent of the country's 39 million citizens.

The Inter-Ministerial Team set up in 1998, called on state institutions in a June report to train personnel in how to deal with sects, and announced plans for a new department in the Interior Ministry's Public Order section to coordinate administrative and legislative measures in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. (KNS, July 6, 2000) A Team official, Grzegorz Miklut, denied to Keston that any training directive had been sent to the police and said reservations voiced by Adventists and other churches would be "considered." The report had been intended as a "form of education in the field of sects," he said, adding that an "absolute distinction" had been drawn between "sects" and "religious groups." "It's difficult to measure the threat posed by sects," Miklut declared. "But the police follow orders from their commanders, not from the Catholic Church. Similarly, our team comprises officials from six ministries, none of whom are under church pressure."

Sicinski disputes this, declaring that the report had confirmed that sects posed a "negligible problem...The threat from sects is largely imaginary and there are far more important dangers facing citizens." Sicinski said Baptist and Pentecostal churches had faced "similar pressures," despite also being recognized under special laws. He believed there was "no basis" for the new Interior Ministry Department, and said it would have to 'justify its existence' by finding evidence against small religious groups.

Biedziak said police had taken action against several "typically destructive sects" in the 1990s, but had resisted pressure for intervention from families of members. "If adult citizens join a minority religious group which doesn't commit crimes and isn't destructive, this isn't a police matter," he said. "You can easily cause harm to minority groups which aren't destructive or criminal, but are culturally different and more visible in this monolithic, unified Catholic society." (KNS, July 6, 2000)

Poland's President Answers

During the year, Poland's President, Aleksander Kwasniewski expressed his appreciation for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's mission that aims at "enriching the spiritual wealth of the society" through "religious, as well as moral and social values." He also expressed his commitment to a "continued development of democratic values, and especially tolerance and religious freedom, in our society." (ANN, September 24, 2000)

Slovakia In December of 2000, the Slovak government passed an amendment that appears to protect religious minorities. The president of the Adventist Church in Slovakia, Emmanuel Duda said, "We welcome this provision because it reflects our position on the question of religious freedom. It is praiseworthy that the state does not evaluate religions according to the number of its adherents, but measures all with the same measuring stick."

The issue of equality of religious groups in Slovakia came to the floor when the Slovak government signed a special agreement, or concordat, with the Vatican, securing the Roman Catholic Church special rights in the country. "In the original agreement proposed, there were some points that were unacceptable for non-Catholic churches," said Duda. "However, the new version of the agreement does not contain these points."

"Under the recently passed amendment to the religious liberty law, other churches can negotiate similar agreements [to those entered into between the state and the Catholic Church]," reports Duda. (ANN, December 5, 2000)

Category 3

Belorussia Religious minorities continue to experience difficulty in Belorussia. According to our correspondent in the country, there have been serious problems between the Orthodox Church and other churches. In one instance, an Orthodox priest came to a public meeting held by Seventh-day Adventists in the Vitebsk region and said, "We have only one church and there is no place for your church." The local authorities were unhelpful in resolving the conflict, and thus a tense situation continued until the Religious Affairs Committee intervened.

There are also restrictions on meetings, such as the authority of one region not allowing public meetings to be conducted in villages, and also forbidding the holding of some programs in private homes.

The general environment for religious minorities is also sub-optimal. For example, the national mass media has published many derogatory and inaccurate articles about Adventists.

Bulgaria Bulgaria continues to experience difficulties. Government institutions, such as schools, sometimes refuse to accommodate religious minorities. The media frequently expresses its anti-religious minority bias, attacking with particular vigor Baptists and Pentecostals. Tragically, it appears that much of this intolerance is instigated by the Orthodox Church. The most important development in Bulgaria, however, is the introduction of the Bulgarian Draft Denomination Act into Parliament.

The final version of the Bulgarian Draft Denomination Act inspired protests from many religious communities and human rights organizations. According to Tolerance Foundation, an associated member of "Human Rights Without Frontiers International," the bill is in contradiction of Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The bill raises a number of concerns. These include the criteria for registering religions and for receiving government subsidies. The Tolerance Foundation ran a story earlier this year that summarizes the concern:

It is highly recommended that the overall draft should be revised thoroughly as concerns the conception, in order to be able to reflect this main principle. This does not mean that the juridical regulation of the issue, related with the religious organization, is not suitable; this means that the pursued aims and the way by which the regulation has been achieved must reflect the priorities and the approaches of the European Convention for Human Rights. In compliance with this point of view, it is necessary to recognize Art. 9 of the Convention as a starting point because the conformity with the other prescriptions of the Convention must be analyzed mainly from that viewpoint. Only in the case that the draft is in a sufficient accordance with the basic approach of Art. 9 of the Convention, another problem concerning other articles of that Convention can be examined. From my point of view, the presented draft is so incongruent from a possible conformity with the above mentioned Article, that it would be untimely if we attempt to interpret it like this. (Tolerance Foundation, May 17, 2001)

France It has been a disappointing year for religious liberty in France. France has long prided itself as a champion of human rights, yet this year an "anti-sect" law was passed that contains vague provisions that are ripe for abuse. The bill was passed by the National Assembly on June 12, 2001. According to Agence France-Presse and The Guardian (Michael Valpy, June 12, 2001): "The legislation contains two controversial parts. First, it creates a new category of crime, carrying a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment for abuse of a person in a state of psychological or physical dependence caused by the exertion of heavy or repeated pressure or techniques liable to alter his judgment. Second, it enables courts to order that officially designated cults be dissolved if two leading members are convicted of crimes such as fraud and child abuse."

The bill is vague and leaves key terms undefined. Its provisions could be applied to almost any religious group.

Adventists, who number approximately 10,000 members in metropolitan France, shared the position of the French Protestant Federation's president Jean Arnold de Clermont. Both French Protestant and Catholic leaders have informed Prime Minister Lionel Jospin of their concern. Quoted by Christianity Today, de Clermont says that the debate has been clouded by the "profound ignorance of politicians, and of society in general, concerning issues of religion in the western world." (Christianity Today, July 9, 2001)

According to Jean-Paul Barquon, the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in France, even if Adventists in France don't feel directly threatened by the new legislation, they will have to face increasing problems obtaining accommodation of Sabbath rest for Adventist students in the public school system.

Adventists believe that the new law is unnecessary. There are adequate laws to punish those who abuse their fellows, violate their physical integrity, engage in fraudulent activity, and other such clearly criminal behavior.

Joining French Protestants, the Catholic Church has also expressed concern about the new law. According to Agence France-Presse, The Guardian, June 12, 2001:

Father Ferrari wrote, "The defense of public order does not give the state the right to interfere in the internal affairs of a religious group in regard to its beliefs and doctrines."

"Legislation of sects," he added, "could raise the suspicion that it is, or might become, a weapon in the hands of those who not only want to combat but also restrict these groups, and reduce the public relevance of the religious factor: It could become a threat to religious liberty and the profession of faith, for any faith."

With the French law, for example, the state could eventually censure traditional religious practices, such as fasting, or sleeping schedules in some monasteries.

Greece The relationship between the Greek government and religious denominations continued to be complex. The elimination of religion from the Greek identification cards created stiff opposition from the Orthodox Church. (Compass/APD/8/11/2000) The Orthodox Church continued to exert influence over the state and society that sometimes resulted in discriminatory and restrictive treatment of other religious faiths.

Kazakhstan A draft of a new law regulating religion was recently distributed in Kazakhstan. It contains some discriminatory language and prohibits missionary activity in Almaty. In January of this year, there was a meeting for representatives of government and religious leaders to discuss the draft law.

The press has also been hostile towards religion. For example, the mass media distributed negative and hostile information about the Adventist church in Aktubinsk.

Another fact reported by one correspondent shows the difficulties faced by religious minority groups:

Two young men who lead a small Baptist church in Kulsary, protested against an illegal order banning the church. The prosecutor ordered the church to stop all meetings claiming that it could not function until it had state registration, despite the fact that Kazakh law does not ban activity by religious communities without registration - a frequent claim by officials across the country. When church leaders appealed to the regional prosecutor, he upheld the ban. The prosecutor later declared the church illegal according to Articles 8 and 9 of Kazakhstan's religious law. The prosecutor claimed that any new religion must be registered, and if they continued to meet they would be heavily fined and imprisoned. The two men appealed, but the response upheld the ban. These men now intend to appeal to the country's prosecutor. Lawyers agreed that the prosecutor's order violated Kazakhstan's laws and constitution. They intend to appeal, but need a local lawyer to represent them. They have not been able to find a lawyer to take their case as the lawyers apparently fear taking the case would harm their career in the region.

Kyrgyzstan There are some problems achieving accommodation of religious practices in state schools and in some work places. In some locations, authorities do not allow public meetings. The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church met with the governmental Religious Affairs Committee concerning these matters.

Macedonia The issue of the return of some of the church properties to the Seventh-day Adventist Church remains unresolved. These properties were taken and occupied by a small dissident group. Several times the Macedonian Courts declared that these properties must be returned. The dissidents have regularly resorted to violence and have refused to hand over the properties. The police have not been willing to implement the decision of the Courts.

Moldova In order to be able to organize congregations, religious groups must be registered, but in some regions the government refuses to provide such registration for religious groups that are not favored. For example, Adventists are not able to organize new congregations in the Pridnestrovye Region because they cannot register them. Registration has been refused for three years to an Adventist congregation in Bendery, in spite of the fact that this congregation has existed for more than 15 years and had previously been registered.

There are also numerous examples of private action against religious minorities. For example, it is impossible for Adventists to rent halls for worship and evangelistic meetings, or to use the radio, TV or newspapers for advertising. In some areas, Adventists cannot distribute literature. On some occasions, Orthodox priests have halted public and religious meetings held by the Adventist church.

Discrimination against religious minorities is serious. One music teacher was no longer allowed to work at school because she became an Adventist. Church members have experienced difficulties with the Orthodox Church when teaching Bible at schools after regular school hours. In the villages of Sholdenesht, Lincheny, and Ryshkany, the Orthodox priest does not allow Adventist church members to be buried in the general cemetery.

Acts of violence against religious minorities can also be a problem. A House of Prayer was destroyed in Topal Village because an Orthodox priest had provoked the villagers against the Adventist Church.

A Special Education Commission was established to develop a system of teaching religion in schools, but the Orthodox Church insists it is only their privilege to teach. To take care of these problems, the Moldova Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church met with authorities and Orthodox Church priests. He also applied to the government of Moldova.

Romania The Romanian constitution protects liberty of thought and religious liberty. The constitution stipulates that in the case of contradictions between religious liberty treaties and instruments to which Romania is signatory, and the internal laws, the international regulations have priority. Current Romanian law does not generally restrict religious liberty. There is, however, a movement to pass a more restrictive law regulating religion.

In the autumn of 1999, the government sent to the Romanian Parliament a very restrictive proposed religious regulation law. According to the provisions of this draft, the religious groups which don't have "officially recognized church" status would operate under considerable limitations. Even officially recognized churches would be negatively impacted by the law. The draft stipulates that it isn't possible for a local church to obtain legal status except in the case when the number of members exceeds 5 percent of the population of that locality.

As a result of common efforts of the minority churches, the draft was sent back by Parliament to the government. Despite this victory, the new Romanian government is ready to resume the legal initiative to regulate religions that may also prove to be problematic for religious freedom.

Generally, the Romanian authorities don't limit religious liberty. However, when pressed by the majority church, they delay and sometimes even refuse to give permits for the construction of new worship places. They also sometimes refuse to rent halls for evangelistic events and other types of religious activities organized by minority religions. Some rental contracts for public halls were cancelled even after the religious program had been underway.

The Romanian mass media has a history of antagonism toward minority faiths. In recent years, however, the attitude of the mass media has considerably improved. According to Viorel Dima, director of the International Religious Liberty Association-Romania, "The only field in which positive changes haven't been manifested concerning the attitude of the press towards the religious sector, is the right to respond." Dealing with the media remains a serious concern for religious minorities.

Religious groups which don't have the status of "officially recognized church" are not allowed to organize religious classes in schools. Generally, the officially recognized and minority churches also have difficulty in organizing religious classes in schools, because the Orthodox priests pressure school boards so that representatives of other religions may not be allowed to teach the courses. This is facilitated by the fact that, at the district school inspectorate level, the inspector who has responsibilities regarding the religious class in that district is generally an Orthodox priest.

State schools have generally been willing to accommodate the needs of students to have Saturday off. This willingness followed a suit, which the Seventh-day Adventist Church won against the Ministry of Education, that recognized the right of Adventist children to take the Capacity Examination (at the end of middle school) on a day other than Saturday. It is also implied that the Adventist students are not obliged to participate in classes on Saturday. Students continue to experience some difficulties with the scheduling of end exams that occur after their university years, although efforts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have already resulted in accommodation at some universities.

The Romanian Ambassador for the United States visited the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters on September 28, 2000, and addressed church leaders. He thanked the Adventist church and its president in Romania, Pastor Adrian Bocaneanu, for "helping heal the scars of communism in Romania."

Religious liberty is enshrined in Romania's constitution, which was adopted in 1991. Ambassador Geoana, who is now a member of the Romanian government, stated he is proud that the government has resisted the temptation to use religious freedom as a political tool. The effects of communism though, still tinges the thinking of some of Romania's citizens says Geoana. "We are not perfect...the journey is long; but we've come a long way," he adds.

Geoana urged continued activity of Adventist churches in Romania, saying that there is a common duty among people of faith to "help the human spirit reach the level the good Lord intended for us."

Russian Although religious freedom is protected by law, there are numerous examples in Federation which theoretical protection is not translated into actions.

One of the reasons for this problem is regional differences. The Kabardino-Balkaria Republic has a religious law that contradicts the law of the Russian Federation. The Kabardino-Balkaria Republic's law makes it exceedingly difficult for religious minorities to register their faith, and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic is unresponsive to appeals from religious minorities.

There are other regional difficulties, such as Adventists not being allowed to rent a hall for worship in Pskov. Additionally, permission was denied to build a house of prayer because an Orthodox nunnery was located nearby, and a special letter had been issued by the city government prohibiting Protestant churches from performing their activities. Government officials claimed that the letter was issued at the behest of the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church has also been active in spreading negative information about religious minorities.

Religious minorities have experienced problems in other localities as well. In Veshenskaya, an Orthodox priest threatened to burn the Adventist church down. He wrote on the gates, "Be careful. It's a sect. Sectarians go away." A pastor of the local church applied to local authorities for help, but was refused. In Sokol, authorities have refused to allow the Adventist congregation to reconstruct a house, which had been provided to be a House of Prayer. In Vologda, the Adventist congregation was not allowed to conduct an evangelistic crusade. The Adventist organization applied to the administration of Sokol, but no answer has been received. In some cases, the Adventists and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency were not allowed to perform humanitarian work.

Ukraine Religious minorities continued to experience difficulties at the hands of local authorities in the Ukraine. Many examples include an Adventist evangelistic crusade that was prohibited in the town of Chechelnik, located in the Vinnitsa Region. Also, the administration of the university in Chernigov threatened to expel a student who refused to attend classes on Sabbath, for reasons of

conscience. Several evangelistic meetings were prohibited in the Lyvovsk, Ivanofrankovsk, and Ternopol Regions.

Uzbekistan In relation to other nations in the region, Uzbekistan provides a good environment for Christian religious organizations. Nevertheless, the government does not allow public evangelistic meetings to be held. Adventist church leaders met with representatives of the government and the Religious Affairs Council to discuss the issue.

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia generally permits freedom to worship and to evangelize. There remains, however, strong discrimination from the Orthodox community, especially on the local level. Although the new government is more democratic than its predecessor, there are concerns that it favors the Orthodox Church and gives it a privileged status.

A new law to regulate religious faiths is raising concern. According to Dr. Radisa Antic, Union president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Yugoslavia, the draft on the proposed religion law recognizes in the Preamble that, "The Serbian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Lutherans, Reformed Churches, Islamic and Jewish groups, have a 'historical and traditional' position in Serbian Society.

For the past six years, the position of religious organizations in Serbia has been uncertain. Following the 1993 repeal of communist laws regulating religion, religious groups gained legal status by registering as "citizens' associations." A 1995 Supreme Court ruling closed this option and religious groups have not been able to register as legal entities since then. This new legislation is the government's first post-communist attempt to draft a law regulating religious groups.

"We find ourselves in a very delicate situation since we will have to apply for new registration," says Antic. Government officials have defended the legislation, saying that it is still in draft form and that the final version will reflect true democratic ideals. (ANN, August 1, 2001)

Religious minorities in Yugoslavia often experience harassment from the Orthodox Church. October 27, 2000, Dr. Antic Radisa began an evangelistic series in a public hall in the Slavia Hotel in Belgrade. Suddenly 30-40 young people created a disturbance. They grabbed the microphone and told people that the Adventist Church was a sect and wrote it on the board, inviting all who were Orthodox to leave. They wrote "Orthodoxy or death!" After about half an hour of this, some people left, then Dr. Antic spoke about 15 minutes.

Two days later, the same people returned to the meeting. The police were called but they did not want to enter the hall. It was reported that some of the troublemakers were from the Orthodox Theology Seminary, and some from the Svetosavski pokret (St. Sava Movement) which is an organization within the Orthodox Church. At the same time, the Orthodox Church made derogatory statements on television against the Seventh-day Adventist meetings.

The Adventist church has also experienced vandalism of its places of worship. On November 20, 2000, the local church building in Borca was smeared with tar. The incident was reported to the police who are still searching for the vandals.

Category 4

Georgia There are many people who live near the Adventist house of prayer in the city of Kutaisy, but who are unable to use the building for worship. Church leaders applied to the local authorities to help with this situation, but were refused. Now they are applying to the government of the country.

Tajikistan Because of civil war in the country, the government does not allow religious activity, including that of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Currently, the government of Tajikistan is unable to control the situation in the country. An estimated 95 percent of the citizens are Muslims. Most of these are Sunni Muslims. There are about 230,000 Christians, mostly Russian Orthodox, and approximately 470 Adventists who meet in six churches.

There have been attacks against Christian institutions in Tajikistan. On December 31, 2000, two bombs exploded in Dushanbe. One bomb destroyed two buildings annexed to the Orthodox Church of St. Nicolas, and the other blew out windows, gates, fencing, and damaged the walls of the Adventist church. The explosion came at 7:30 in the evening. On October 31, 2000, a Korean Christian mission suffered a bombing that killed seven people and injured 50.

Adventist leaders expressed their concern "...that such violent actions 'put a lot of pressure on Christians...and...destroy and persecute people who are committed to religion.'"(ANN, January 3, 2001)

Category 5

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan continues to engage in gross violations of religious freedom.

Local authorities have destroyed church property with impunity. The Seventh-day Adventist congregation of the city of Ashgabad was registered in 1990. In 1992, special permission was given to the church to build a church building. In 1993, the church was deprived its re-registration. The church was granted all documents for re-registration in 1994 and 1996, but the documents were rejected. The Turkmenistan Ministry of Justice did not want to register the church before the new Law of Freedom of Conscience was adopted. In December of 1996, additional documents of religious legislation were adopted which stated that for re-registration, a congregation must have 500 founding members. In 1997, the church submitted to the Ministry of Justice more than 500 signatures of the founders of the congregation, but the documents were turned down. In August of 1997, police tried to stop worship services in the temple. The pastor was requested to attend Administrative Court because of "illegal meetings," but was not charged as there were no infringements. Many of the signed founders of the Adventist church in Ashgabad were oppressed in their places of work or study.

In 1999, the church made one more attempt to re-register, and collected 500 signatures from its members. In the Autumn of 1999, the pastor was fined by the Administrative Court for "deviation from registration," and the Administrative Court reported to the city authorities before the court decision was made. In November of 1999, bulldozers started to destroy the church building, and the Ministry of Justice officially informed the church that their previous registration was eliminated, despite the fact that this was against the law. In addition, the church's bank account was closed and the church seal was declared "illegal." The church appealed to the Turkmenistan president, but did not receive assistance.

Church members continued to worship in their houses, as they are permitted to do so under the law. But on October 21, 2000, secret police arrested all worshipers without any official documents in violation of the law. All were interrogated and forced to sign a statement that they would not continue to worship. All literature, audio, and video cassettes were confiscated without official documentation. The pastor was arrested and spent three days in prison. He was threatened with further imprisonment and death.

In May, 2001 thousands of letters were sent to the president and to Turkmenistan embassies requesting that justice be done and the government permit reconstruction of the church it unconstitutionally destroyed. To date, no action has been taken to recompense the church for the property destroyed.

Category 2

Antigua Receiving Saturday (Sabbath) off is becoming easier, although Adventists who work in banks that operate on Saturday sometimes experience difficulties. The Governor General was a Seventh-day Adventist, and currently assists in providing a helpful channel of communication.

Barbados Rights are protected by legislation, but problems relating to employment accommodation and examinations on Saturdays continue. The authorities are usually accommodating when approached. New employment laws such as the Shop's Act are expected to help ensure that observance of days of worship are safeguarded.

Bolivia Article 3 of the constitution states that Bolivia "recognizes and upholds the Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion," though other religions are also free to worship. Adventist leaders have been consulted about a draft of law on religion. Relations with the government are good and no complaints have been reported by members concerning persecution or discrimination. Missionary groups are required to register and a Secretary for Cults investigates new religious movements. Bolivia has 210,785 Adventist members.

Brazil Article 5 of Brazil's Federal Constitution, Section VIII states that, "No one will be denied rights for motives of religious belief or philosophical or political conviction, unless they are invoked to exempt oneself from legal obligation imposed to all and one refuses to fulfill an alternative service, fixed by law."

To be in harmony with this Article, Representative Silas Brasileiro proposed a law which was approved by the Work and Social Security Committee of the Brazilian House of Representatives December 13, 2000. This law, if accepted by the constitution and Justice Committee, will go to the Legislative Assembly. This federal law would guarantee the rights of the citizens who, for religious reasons, cannot participate in college examinations or public testing when offered on Saturdays or Sundays.

Brazil has over one million Adventist members out of a population of 168 million. Catholics represent approximately 68 percent, and Protestants 21 percent of the population. The country of Brazil has the largest number of Adventist members in the world.

Chile Article 19 of the constitution guarantees freedom of belief and religious practice.

Chile is studying the French anti-sect law and may follow France in setting up an anti-sect policy and/or passing similar legislation. In April of 2001, the Chamber of Deputies Commission Investigating Cults gave the Minister of Justice a list of 20 cults qualified as "destructive" to Chilean society. The Commission asked the government to investigate and cancel their legal status. According to police reports, 26 organizations have a harmful profile, including Jehovah's Witnesses, who have 200,000 members in Chile.

The profile given for a "destructive cult" includes:

Colombia The constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and practice, specifically including the right to disseminate religion or belief. Some Saturday, Sabbath exemption problems occur in public schools, military service, and employment. Adventists have written letters to the relevant authorities. There are 185,348 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colombia.

El Salvador Article 25 of the constitution guarantees "free exercise" of religion. The Catholic Church has special status. A serious case of persecution by villagers against a group of Adventists involved in evangelism, has been recorded. In this country of 6.3 million people, Adventist members number about 50,000.

Grenada The constitution guarantees freedom of belief, and religious organizations are allowed to operate educational institutions. The church has good relations with both private enterprise and public services.

Guyana The constitution guarantees freedom of belief and practice. The Adventists are initiating dialogue with the new government and have excellent relations with tertiary institutions.

Jamaica The constitution guarantees freedom of religion and the right to propagate beliefs. There have been some serious problems for Adventist members attending public schools. Adventist church officials have written the agencies involved, and intervention for the students has brought good results.

Sabbath-keeping students in tertiary institutions of learning are being increasingly pressured to take examinations on Saturday at the University of the West Indies-Bahamas campus and the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Passley Gardens, Portland, Jamaica. Adventists are addressing the matter with relevant authorities on behalf of the students and employees on an ongoing basis.

Formerly, there was an arrangement that Sunday worshipers at CASE would tend the farm animals on Saturdays, while Saturday Sabbath keepers would do the same on Sunday. This arrangement was halted, and all students majoring in Agriculture are required to work both days. Adventists refusing to work on Saturday are being threatened with automatic failure in their course work. Meetings with relevant authorities concerning this matter are taking place.

The Cabinet recently approved a policy for a "Flexible Workweek." If this becomes law, an employer could require employees to begin their 40-hour workweek on any given day of the week, and end it on any given day. This would mean that Saturday and Sunday would be treated as ordinary workdays, and that the traditional Monday-Friday workweek could be abolished. The church is developing a program to inform members of their constitutional rights.

Though Monday-Friday is considered a normal workweek now, many employers will not employ Adventists because a standard question during a job interview is, "Suppose you are asked to come in to work on a Saturday, would you?" Local Adventist church authorities have an ongoing dialogue with ministers of other denominations who share general and some specific concerns. Adventists operate as a lobbying group to resolve as many of these matters as possible.

Montserrat Religious freedom is respected in Montserrat and Adventists have many job opportunities. The country is rebuilding after the volcanic devastation of previous years.

Peru The constitution guarantees freedom of belief and free exercise of religion. Peru has 459,087 Adventist members who seem to be having no serious problems concerning religious freedom. Government relations are good and Adventists are well known for their social and medical activities. Adventists support the International Conference of Religious Liberty, which is being organized by the Peruvian Chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association, and will take place on November 28-30, 2001, in Lima.

Puerto Rico Occasionally, serious religious accommodation issues arise regarding employment of Adventists and a seven-day workweek. Letters are sent to appropriate parties, and some cases have been legally contested.

St Kitts/Nevis The constitution guarantees free exercise of religion. There are few complaints

but Adventists have effective dialogue with government authorities.

St Lucia The constitution guarantees free exercise of religion. In the private sector, Adventists experience occasional difficulties with the issue of Saturday observance. The Roman Catholic Church has a significant presence and influence. Adventists have good relations with the government.

St Vincent The constitution guarantees free exercise of religion. However, in public service, there are general Saturday observance problems. Church officials are working to help resolve such accommodation issues. The Minister of Health is an Adventist doctor.

Surinam The constitution guarantees free exercise of religion. General Saturday observance problems have been noted with security and university services. The Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty is working to resolve the problems.

Trinidad & The constitution guarantees freedom of belief and free exercise of religion.

Tobago Adventists experience some problems in public service employment, examinations, and private enterprise, and banks are beginning to open on Saturdays. The government is drafting legislation, and Adventists receive much help and understanding from the Attorney General. An equal opportunity bill with a day of worship clause will soon come before Parliament.

Venezuela The constitution guarantees freedom of belief and free exercise of religion. There are some problems with Saturday observance in public schools, military service, and employment. Adventists have appealed to the president of the Constituent Assembly on this issue.

Category 3

Cuba The constitution recognizes freedom of conscience, but religious activities are limited and subject to state authorization. In a 1991 amendment, religious discrimination was prohibited. The government continues to exercise control over religious organizations, and unregistered house churches, in particular, are subject to harassment. There are 22,215 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cuba. Evangelistic meetings have been authorized, and several thousand people have been baptized and joined Adventist churches.

Mexico While the 1917 constitution places a number of restrictions on religious practice and observance, in general, the government allows religious freedom. Some

Saturday observance problems in public schools, military services, and employment are creating trouble for the 510,626 Adventist members in Mexico.

News reports from the southern state of Chiapas indicate ongoing interfaith clashes. Traditionalist Catholics stormed a Seventh-day Adventist church service and beat worshipers. The worshipers were then ordered to leave the village. A mob of more than 200 traditionalist Catholics and "caciques," or local mafia-like bosses, forcibly expelled 25 Adventist families (about 138 men, women and children) from the village on February 23, 2001. Families fled and are now living in an auditorium in the town of Comitan. Evangelical Church leaders and government officials are working together to negotiate a peaceful return of the families to their village. "In Chiapas, traditionalist Catholics and 'caciques,' or local mafia-like bosses, have expelled thousands of evangelical Christians from their communities during the last three decades." (Compass/APD, March 17, 2001)

In North Chiapas, Adventists have been forced to join paramilitary groups and participate in protest marches against the government. The church has been having dialogues with the government and the paramilitary groups to find a solution.

Problems exist in the east Oaxaca State, where Adventists of Santo Tomas Quieri have suffered religious intolerance from the local authorities and townspeople. Contacts with authorities and the community have been made to seek solutions, but there have been no answers. Adventists were expelled from the town.

In the area of Soconusco, Adventists of Plan de Ayala suffered religious intolerance from some of the community. Dialogues with the authorities have been opened seeking a solution.

The next day, the incident was published throughout the newspapers. Reading this, the Union Parishad Chairman in Sherpur District closed two church schools in that area. Ultimately, the case was dismissed, the children and the two teachers were released, and the church schools were reopened.

Golachipa Mission is a village under the Hossainpur Union in the District of Kishongonj. A piece of land was purchased there to build a chapel which was in a new and unreached area. The mission had placed someone there to work.

As per blueprint and approved project, materials like iron rods, cement, bricks, sheet-metal, etc. were bought and stocked in Golachipa-Hossainpur. Knowing this, the local Union Parishad Chairman, Shah Mahbubul Haque and others, came to the spot and threatened the masons saying that they could not build a Christian church there without his permission. On January 27 & 28, 2000, a group of people carrying deadly weapons and anti-Christian slogans, looted all building materials that were ready to be used for the construction. They also burned down the temporary finished houses of the masons and chased everyone out. A case has been filed to recover all looted materials.

The political situation there is getting worse. Recently, an incident took place in Khagrachori District in mid-February 2001. Two Christians (one an Adventist) were shot by an unknown person. Both are undergoing treatment.

Another incident took place recently. Three foreigners were kidnaped, causing headline news.

One night, a group of a hundred or more armed people came while Alfred and other villagers were sleeping in their houses. The Muslims set fires, burning some people alive, but some managed to escape through their window. When they did, they were caught by people who were waiting outside to kill them. Many were badly burned, and many died.

Alfred was the only educated Santali young man in his village. That is why he became a target. This sad story happened in October, 2000.

ANN also has reported on the persecution in Bangladesh:

"Some of the newly baptized members of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area of east Bangladesh are being persecuted for their faith," says Gary Krause, communication director for the Adventist Church's Global Mission program. According to information received by Isaac Bairagee, some new Adventist young people have been tied with ropes and severely beaten. Others had their heads shaved. These new believers have also been pressured by a local group of religious extremists to sign a statement that they will stop sharing their faith.

Adventists are encouraged not to antagonize others. They simply wish to be able to follow their conscience and exercise their religious freedom.

In the past few years, the number of Adventist church members in Bangladesh has more than doubled largely due to the work of Global Mission pioneers and the support of Maranatha Volunteers International, an Adventist lay organization that assists with the construction of churches and schools. Although pioneers are trained to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves," even a sensitive presentation of the gospel often conflicts with local vested interests. (ANN, January 3, 2001)

Bhutan Seventy-five percent of the 800,000 population of Bhutan are Buddhists. Less than 1 percent are Christians. According to several Christian news agencies, Bhutan represses Christians.

Very harsh persecution has started in Bhutan. Christians are asked either to leave their religion, or their country. In some places, they are beaten very badly. They are not allowed to meet together anymore. Freedom of religion has been taken away. Christians now face termination of employment, expulsion, and denial of all state benefits. (APD 5/5/2001 "BP Bhutan Represses Christians as Day of Prayer Approaches")

A Baptist leader wrote,

The police have brought many pastors for interrogation and threatened them with imprisonment. They are demanding that the churches stop their witnessing and are even closing down churches, especially those that rent their facilities from Buddhist landowners. (APD, 4/18/2001, Baptist World Alliance, Washington, DC)

Myanmar There is no religious freedom in Myanmar and the government propagates

(Burma) Buddhism nationally, internationally, and especially among ethnic minorities.

Christians and Muslims are persecuted. Tension between Buddhists and Christian Karens have been exploited by the government.

In a population of close to 50 million people, the Adventist church (organized in 1919) has a membership of 21,712 who meet in 179 churches.

A retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor who escaped from his village of Ohn Daw in Karen State and stayed in a refugee camp, wrote,

After my retirement in 1990, my wife, Naw Dee Paw Bwint, and I returned to the village and built a house, hoping to live there.

In 1994, the present Burmese military regime and Karen ethnic resistant forces had violent armed engagements many times at the border between Burma and Thailand. Under the direction of the military regime, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) was established and began to persecute Karen Christians. They seized our Christian school and the church at the Own Daw village. They destroyed all the school buildings, students' dormitories, teachers' quarters, and the church building. They also took the school paddy fields. My house, which was next to the school campus, was also destroyed. After destroying all the buildings of the school, the Buddhist army erected two pagodas, a temple, and a big two-storied building called a 'Damayon,' which is a place for entertaining people during Buddhist ritual feasts.

Superstitiously, Oo Thuzana, the leader of the Buddhist army, pronounced that there would be peace in the Karen state at the end of the four-year and a month period, which is the time frame from their Buddhist army establishment until the end of the next four years and a month. Oo Thuzana also assured everyone that at the end of that designated period, Christians and Buddhists would live together and would forget what had happened at Mar Ner Plaw.

It sounded good and we were happy to hear it. I built a new house again with good timber. We had lived in our new house for only three months when, on September 5, 2000, a new order came from Oo Thuzana that all Christians in the Ohn Daw village must leave the village. People who did not leave the village must become Buddhist or face death.

We felt very sad. It was tragic: we either had to give up our faith, or give up our new home, belongings, and birthrights. No one dared oppose the order. We know that Oo Thuzana is authorized by Lt. General Khin Nyunt, the secretary of the Burmese military government, to do anything they want upon the minority Karen Christian ethnic groups.

In the early morning on September 15, 2000, leaving behind our windows and doors opened wide, with so much grief and sorrow, we left our home not knowing where we would end up.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (London, UK, 20.07.2001/ CSI/APD):

A female pastor from central Chinland in Myanmar has been sentenced to two years with hard labor for harboring Chin separatists. Pastor Gracy, 27, of Rinpi Baptist Church was arrested by Burmese soldiers on February 13 and was sentenced on July 6 at Chin State Court.

The ruling Burmese military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has publicly declared Christian pastors in this northwest state to be their number one enemy. Christians in Burma experienced difficulties in obtaining permission to build places of worship and to obtain Christian literature. For the past two years, the United States Department of State has designated Burma a country of particular concern in its violations of religious freedom. More than 90 percent of the two million Chin people are Christians and many have suffered at the hands of the repressive regime. Last Christmas, the SPDC prohibited Chin Christians from holding any celebrations or prayer meetings and threatened to arrest any who disobeyed.

A correspondent sent us a message concerning the arrest and torture of an Adventist elder and pastor who were imprisoned in Tamu July 7, 2000. He writes, "The elder had his face covered by a cloth and was beaten by the Tamu Township's Peace and Development Council chairman in the Council office.

The Township chairman trod on his face with his boots." After severe torture he was released.

Pakistan The constitution defines Islam as the state religion. Pakistan was founded in 1947 as a Muslim homeland separated from India. About 96 percent of the inhabitants are Muslims (73 percent Sunni, and 20 percent Shi'a), and 2 percent are Christians.

The Adventist church has about 7,000 members in Pakistan. Karachi Adventist Hospital has 150 beds, and the Seminary (offering secondary and tertiary courses) has 500 students.

The Adventist church continues its church work, despite difficult restrictions at times.

Category 5

Afghanistan The constitution states that other religions may practice their beliefs, but the Taliban interpretation of Islam means that there is no religious freedom in practice. Conversion from Islam is illegal and punishable by death.

March 12, 2001, the United Nations General Assembly strongly urged the Taliban to halt the implementation of the February 26 edict which ordered the destruction of all statues and non-Islamic shrines. The text which calls the Taliban to protect Afghanistan's cultural heritage from all acts of vandalism, damage, and theft was sponsored by more than 90 countries. (Comtrex News Service, March 12, 2001)

May 22, 2001, Taliban rulers ordered the country's non-Muslim minorities to wear a distinctive badge on their clothing while outside their homes. Police chief Maulawi Abdul Wali said, "The decision is in line with Islam."

Christians have been targeted for converting Muslims to Christianity. According to Associated Press, August 6, 2001, the Christian relief agency based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Shelter Now International, that has been providing food, tents, and blankets to impoverished Afghans for more than 20 years, was closed by the Taliban and 24 workers were arrested. The organization is accused of spreading Christianity and trying to convert Muslims. (The Washington Post, August 6, 2001) Those concerned have now been put on trial, and their ultimate fate remains unknown at the time of the preparation of this report.

Maldive The practice of any religion apart from Islam is prohibited by law. Of the 256,000

Islands inhabitants of these islands, 99.9 percent are Muslims.

"Converts to the Christian faith can run into considerable difficulties" according to the German Press Agency IDEA. "In 1998, authorities arrested about 30 Christians and ordered them to recite Muslim prayers and read the Koran. Nineteen foreign Christians were expelled because of suspected missionary activities." IDEA/APD/9/5/00

The law apparently restricts non-Muslim religious ceremonies. The public celebration of non-Muslim religious rites is forbidden and must be strictly limited to the private sphere. Consequently, only mosques may be built. School curricula include mandatory teaching of Islam. (Report submitted by Abdelfattah Amor, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Religious Intolerance, p. 28.)

The Seventh-day Adventist World Report on Religious Freedom 2001 remains a rather modest contribution compared with the more extensive world reports from government organizations. What makes this report unique is that much of the information comes from Adventist sources. In this sense, it is a complementary resource that should be used in combination with other reports on worldwide religious freedom.

Many countries which violate religious freedom are predominantly Muslim. There is ample historical record of religious persecution in societies dominated by many faiths, including various forms of Christianity. In addition, many of the governments in primarily Islamic states are just as brutal in their repression of fellow Muslims, Hamadis and Baha'i as they are in their suppression of Christians.

May the God who gave us the freedom to choose, be with those who are persecuted, and with those who refuse persecution on behalf of human dignity and God's love.

This report on religious freedom came about by the efforts and cooperation of a team of people. Special thanks go to the division and union directors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, who submitted information for this report. The report would not be possible without accounts of the conditions in the nations where these directors work.

Great thanks go also to Dr. Jonathan Gallagher and Attorney James Standish who assisted in the preparation of the report, and to Dr. Eugene Hsu, Dr. Bert Beach, and Lincoln Steed for their advice and assistance. Many thanks are extended to Marilyn Riley for her assistance in compiling the document and editing it, and Viola Hughes for assisting in the editing of the report.