Advancing Human Rights to Combat Extremism

Advancing freedom of religion both as an end in and of itself and as a means to achieve peace, stability, and human flourishing should be a core objective of U.S. foreign policy. Religious liberty is opposed, however, by extremists who seek to impose their vision of an ideal society upon us all. Oftentimes a "choice" they give to those who seek to adhere to the beliefs they were raised in boils down to: Convert or die. This clash manifests itself in numerous parts of the world in varying degrees of intensity but is particularly acute in certain Muslim-dominated regions where groups such as ISIS, al-Nusra, Boko Haram, and Al Shabaab seek to bring all under their sway. To combat these extremists, the ideological battlefield is just as important as a territorial one. By emphasizing human rights principles, we counter extremist messaging, support moderate voices, and promote the popular aspirations of people around the world who simply want to live in peace and freedom. Last year, an important weapon in the fight against extremism was passed by the Congress and signed into law, the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act. This law provides tools and resources to our State Department to integrate religious freedom into all of our diplomacy in order to counter, in part, terrorism but also to promote religious freedom. The law strengthens the ability to investigate and monitor religious persecution by creating a designated persons list of violators while also setting up a database of those detained, imprisoned, and tortured for their faith so that the victims are not forgotten but, rather, can be more readily advocated for.