Assessing religious freedom worldwide: Shareable photos

Religious freedom is an American value and a universal human right.

“The United States promotes religious freedom as a moral imperative,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in the latest International Religious Freedom Report, released August 15.

Nineteen years ago, the U.S. Congress enacted the International Religious Freedom Act, landmark legislation that placed the principle that people should be free to practice their beliefs at the core of America’s foreign policy. The annual report to Congress assesses this freedom in 200 countries and documents violations committed by governments, terrorist groups and individuals.

“We promote religious freedom because countries that effectively safeguard this human right are more stable, economically vibrant and peaceful,” the secretary says in the report. “The failure of governments to protect this right breeds instability, terrorism and violence.”

Here are some shareable quotes on the topic:

Donald Trump (© Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
(© Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

 

Rex Tillerson talking at lectern (© Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
(© Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

 

Buddhist priest seeking alms as people pass by (© AP Images)
(© AP Images)