Nadia Cavner is a resident of Springfield, Missouri, and has had an accomplished professional career, along with a long list of extra-curricular awards and achievements. As a philanthropist and humanitarian Nadia Cavner is involved in numerous activist movements, including for religious freedoms. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms (USCIRF) is one government entity that she works with to improve conditions in this area. The USCIRF was created in 1998 with the International Religious Freedoms Act. The commission is independent and bipartisan, and its job is to monitor religious freedom on a global level.
Examples of their work include working to free the estimated 50,000 Christians held captive in North Korean prison camps, over 3000 Yazidi women and children missing in Iraq, 130,000 Muslims in internment camps in Burma, and the staggering 3 million Uighur Muslims currently in concentration camps in China.
In an annual report published by USCIRF, in their first edition published over 20 years ago, the organization warned the world about China’s behavior to the Uighur community. Today it’s been reported by USCIRF that the communist party in China has gone as far as harvesting organs to sell on the black market. Targeting primarily Christians and Muslims, the communist party sees their religions as a threat to the regime’s survival.
In their most recent report, USCIRF has listed ten countries as worst offenders: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and North Korea. The report also recommends India, Syria, Russia and Vietnam also be added to the list.
The organization has seen a dramatic rise in religious persecution due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many religions have been blamed for the outbreak in various communities. Causing conflict and harsh backlash towards people seen practicing or worshiping in their religious gathering places. In India and Pakistan, government officials have condemned various religious groups for spreading the coronavirus to their communities.
The coronavirus has been particularly prevalent in prisons. In many of the countries on USCIRF’s most recent report, prisoners are incarcerated because of their religious beliefs. By urging the United States government to lobby the various countries with religious prisoners to release or furlough the inmates, USCIRF hopes this will cut down on deaths caused by coronavirus.
Another way they help religious persecution is by utilizing global standards in religious freedom and will recommend policy changes to the government. On June 15, 2021, Nadine Maenza was named as the new Chair of the USCIRF. She is not new to the position, as she was first appointed in 2018 by then-president Donald Trump.
During her time with the USCIRF, Nadine Maenza has overseen many hearings and meetings, as well as traveled to numerous countries throughout the world. The vice-chair was also appointed at the same time, a position given to Nurey Turkel, named one of 2020’s top 100 influential people in the world. Religious freedom is a right that should be protected across the globe, and many individuals and groups fight for this daily. The USCIRF provides freedom to as many people as possible, but there is always more to be done.
Examples of their work include working to free the estimated 50,000 Christians held captive in North Korean prison camps, over 3000 Yazidi women and children missing in Iraq, 130,000 Muslims in internment camps in Burma, and the staggering 3 million Uighur Muslims currently in concentration camps in China.
In an annual report published by USCIRF, in their first edition published over 20 years ago, the organization warned the world about China’s behavior to the Uighur community. Today it’s been reported by USCIRF that the communist party in China has gone as far as harvesting organs to sell on the black market. Targeting primarily Christians and Muslims, the communist party sees their religions as a threat to the regime’s survival.
In their most recent report, USCIRF has listed ten countries as worst offenders: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and North Korea. The report also recommends India, Syria, Russia and Vietnam also be added to the list.
The organization has seen a dramatic rise in religious persecution due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many religions have been blamed for the outbreak in various communities. Causing conflict and harsh backlash towards people seen practicing or worshiping in their religious gathering places. In India and Pakistan, government officials have condemned various religious groups for spreading the coronavirus to their communities.
The coronavirus has been particularly prevalent in prisons. In many of the countries on USCIRF’s most recent report, prisoners are incarcerated because of their religious beliefs. By urging the United States government to lobby the various countries with religious prisoners to release or furlough the inmates, USCIRF hopes this will cut down on deaths caused by coronavirus.
Another way they help religious persecution is by utilizing global standards in religious freedom and will recommend policy changes to the government. On June 15, 2021, Nadine Maenza was named as the new Chair of the USCIRF. She is not new to the position, as she was first appointed in 2018 by then-president Donald Trump.
During her time with the USCIRF, Nadine Maenza has overseen many hearings and meetings, as well as traveled to numerous countries throughout the world. The vice-chair was also appointed at the same time, a position given to Nurey Turkel, named one of 2020’s top 100 influential people in the world. Religious freedom is a right that should be protected across the globe, and many individuals and groups fight for this daily. The USCIRF provides freedom to as many people as possible, but there is always more to be done.
