Obama Signs First Anti-Persecution Legislation Protecting Atheists
Freedom of religion, as humanist groups often claim, also means freedom from religion. While not debated and publicized (and, frankly, griped over) as much as the translation of the Second Amendment, First Amendment rights are constantly being challenged. Jeffrey Toobin recently wrote about the harrowing challenging journalists could face with the new administration in light of the recent Gawker case sponsored by Peter Thiel, who used his deep pockets to destroy an organization he didn’t agree with.
Perhaps in preparation of the sea change about to occur in the former swampland known as Washington DC, President Obama signed into law amendments to H.R. 1150, otherwise known as the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Act. The bill, first signed in 1998 by Bill Clinton, is an attempt at stopping religious persecution around the planet.
The job of the committee formed by the first bill is to identify acts of persecution, then report them to the president, who will concurrently be handed a list of potential actions against that country to try to force them to stop. These actions include public or private actions or condemnations, canceling of state visits, and withdrawing U.S. aid and assistance.
In 2014 the Republican representative from Virginia’s 10th district, Frank Wolf, introduced a reauthorization to keep this independent commission alive through 2019. As a human rights activist Wolf was inspired by the Sudan crisis and Darfur genocide. He’s held numerous conferences in his home district to raise awareness of such issues worldwide.
http://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/obama-signs-first-anti-persecution-legislation-protecting-atheists
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