In Saudi Arabia there are "lengthy prison sentences and lashings" for blasphemy charges, without even a conviction in court, he continued. The report noted the case of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh who was sentenced to death stemming from a 2013 arrest for allegedly making "disparaging remarks about Islam." He had previously been sentenced to eight years in prison and 800 lashes.
The report also pointed to the continued atrocities inflicted on religious minorities in 2015 by "non-state actors" like the terror groups Boko Haram and Da'esh, or ISIS.
The State Department ruled in March that ISIS had committed "genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims." Deputy Secretary Blinken noted on Wednesday that "naming these crimes is important. But our goal is to stop them."
The report noted its continued violence towards these groups in 2015 – "including killings, torture, enslavement and trafficking, rape and other sexual abuse against religious and ethnic minorities and Sunnis."
Boko Haram, meanwhile, kept targeting Christians in Nigeria, as well as Muslims who opposed their actions. "Boko Haram claimed responsibility for scores of attacks on churches and mosques, often killing worshippers during religious services or immediately afterward," the report said.
A "Global Terrorism Index" report published last fall said that Boko Haram "has become the most deadly terrorist group in the world," killing more people than ISIS.
Meanwhile, in Syria, "as the insurgency increasingly became identified with the Sunni majority," the government "targeted" areas with Sunni Muslims for bombardment. Terror groups like ISIS and al-Nusra continued to attack religious minorities there.
There have been some global signs of hope for religious freedom, however, Saperstein noted.
For instance, Iceland "abandoned its 75 year-old blasphemy law." And when synagogues were threatened with violence in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, youth – including some Muslims – banded together to physically protect the synagogues.
Muslims in France "showed their solidarity" with Catholics in attending the funeral Mass of 84 year-old Fr. Jacques Hamel, recently murdered in church in Rouen by ISIS sympathizers, Saperstein noted. In May of 2015, Muslims protected their Christian neighbors from a mob accusing them of blasphemy.
There was also the Marrakesh Declaration calling for "protecting religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries," signed by hundreds of Muslim leaders.
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"In closing, the protection and promotion of religious freedom remains a key policy priority for the United States," Saperstein concluded.
Matt Hadro was the political editor at Catholic News Agency through October 2021. He previously worked as CNA senior D.C. correspondent and as a press secretary for U.S. Congressman Chris Smith.