Burundi Religion

The Transitional Constitutional Act, promulgated in October 2001, provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. There was no change in the status of religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The generally amicable relationship among religions in society contributed to religious freedom. ... [Read More]

Burundi

The country has a total area of 10,745 square miles, and its population is approximately 6.3 million. Although reliable statistics on the number of followers of various religions are not available, a Roman Catholic official has estimated that 60 percent of the population is Catholic, with the largest concentration of adherents located in the center and south of the country. A Muslim leader has estimated that up to 10 percent of the population is Muslim, a majority of whom lives in urban areas. The remainder of the population belongs to other Christian churches, practices traditional indigenous religions, or has no religious affiliation. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of small indigenous groups not affiliated with any major religion, some of which have won adherents by promising miracle cures for HIV/AIDS and other ailments. A good proportion of persons who have access to formal religious services attend them. ... [Read More]

Burundi

c. Freedom of Religion ...

The Transitional Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Transitional Government generally respected this right in practice. The Transitional Government required religious groups to register with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which kept track of their leadership and activities. The Government required religious groups to maintain a headquarters in the country. In January, the FAB killed a church leader suspected of collaborating with rebels (see Section 1.g.). On December 29, unidentified armed assailants in Minago, Bururi Province, shot at the vehicle in which Monsignor Michael Courtney, the Papal Nuncio in the country, was traveling. Courtney was shot three times and died shortly afterwards. It was not clear whether he was the victim of a targeted attack. Shortly after the killing, Archbishop Simon Ntamwana accused the FNL of killing Courtney. An FNL spokespers ... [Read More]

Burundi

The Transitional Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Transitional Government generally respected this right in practice. ...

c. Freedom of Religion ... [Read More]

Introduction

Vietnam continued to restrict freedom of religion and the operation of religious organizations other than those approved by the State. The Government failed to issue a nationwide decree banning forced renunciations of faith, did not end the physical abuse of religious believers, continued to hold a significant number of religious prisoners, and although it permitted the re-opening of some churches closed in the Central Highlands in 2001, it refused to allow the re-opening and registration of hundreds of others. However, following CPC designation, some improvements in religious freedom were evident. Some religious leaders expressed cautious optimism about a new Ordinance on Religion that the Government released in November, and in December, the Evangelical Church of Vietnam North (ECVN) held its first National Congress in 20 years and named a new, independent leadership board. ... [Read More]

Proposed Refugee Admissions for FY 2005 -- Report to the Congress

Freedom of religion has varied widely in the former republics following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Most states regulate religious groups and activities to some degree, following the Western European model of establishing so-called "traditional" religions that enjoy privileges sometimes denied to other, newer religious groups; these same states sometimes view certain newer groups as "dangerous sects and cults." Following the example of Russia in 1997, many states enacted restrictive legislation to govern the activities of foreign missionaries, especially those from Protestant or "nontraditional" denominations. In many cases, registration with state bodies was required, not only to establish a group as a legal entity that could rent or own space, but in some cases to hold religious services, a practice which is inconsistent with the right to freedom of religion. ... [Read More]

U.S. Embassy, Nigeria: Crossroads

The Editor President George Bush welcoming President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal to the White House. [Read More]

Tanzania

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, there were some limits on freedom of religion. ...

During the year, there were other attacks on Zanzibar that appear to have been motivated by religious conflict. In April, practitioners of traditional religion burned portions of a tourist hotel on Zanzibar because the proprietor refused to allow them to practice rituals that would purportedly rid the hotel of witches. In May, unknown perpetrators used human waste to desecrate a church on Zanzibar's Pemba Island. ... [Read More]

Introduction

Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbayev began an initiative to promote dialog among religions; an international conference drawing regional dignitaries and religious figures was held in February. No further attempts have been made to incorporate restrictive amendments into Kazakh law. Elsewhere in Central Asia, the Government of Turkmenistan continues to restrict all forms of religious expression and interpret the laws in such a way as to discriminate against those practicing any faith other than government-controlled Sunni Islam or Russian Orthodox Christianity. In Uzbekistan, the Government permitted the existence of mainstream religions but invoked the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations, which is not in keeping with international norms, to restrict the religious freedom of other groups. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Cultural Diversity Not a Threat to Development, U.N. Report Says

-- "People's ethnic identities compete with their attachment to the state, so there is a trade-off between recognizing diversity and unifying the state." The U.N. report says that there is no empirical evidence to support a trade-off between diversity and state unity. It said that individuals can and do have multiple identities that are complementary -- ethnicity, language, religion and race. For example, many Mexican-Americans may cheer for the Mexican soccer team while still serving in the U.S. Army, it said. The Flemish and Walloons regard themselves as Belgian, and the Catalans and Basques see themselves as Spanish without jeopardizing state unity, it said. ... [Read More]