wfn.org | Adventist Church Releases Religious Freedom World Report

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

April 3, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Adventist World Church Releases Religious Freedom World 
Report

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA - The Seventh-day Adventist 
Church released its preliminary dossier on religious freedom 
around the world.  The report, issued on March 4, places the 
nations of the world in one of five categories related to the 
experience of the Adventist Church, ranging from "religious 
freedom for all" through "restrictive legislation" to "no 
religious freedom."

"In the main, persecution comes from religious extremists," 
says the report. "Other sources are governments and 
governmental institutions. Persecution has been particularly 
violent in India, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, 
and Sudan where the chief religions are Buddhism, Hinduism, 
and Islam. But Christians are not the only people being 
persecuted because intolerance does not stop at any 
religious boundary."

Among the countries listed as the worst offenders against 
religious freedom are Mauritania, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria 
and Saudi Arabia. The report cites a number of other 
countries for violations of religious liberty rights and 
restrictive laws.

"The reason for this report is to highlight the different 
trends in the area of religious freedom around the world," 
says John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) 
director for the Adventist Church. "A number of countries 
give cause for great concern, and in producing this report 
we want to call attention to the different problems faced 
by those whose religion is not that of the majority. We 
are committed to religious freedom as a basic human right, 
guaranteed by Article 18 of the U.N. Declaration." 

Copies of the final report 1999 will be available at the 
end of March, from the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty 
Department (PARL), Seventh-day Adventist World Church 
Headquarters, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, 
Maryland 20904-6600, USA. Fax 001-301-680 6695; E-Mail: 
74532.240@compuserve.com [99/08/02]