Condemning an ally?

WASHINGTON – worldmag — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended Tuesday that the State Department declare Iraq a “country of particular concern,” a label reserved for nations with “ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.”

So far only eight countries out of 12 recommended by the USCIRF have received this distinction. If added to the CPC list, Iraq would join countries like Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia, whose governments have been deemed guilty by the State Department of severe religious intolerance.

In Iraq’s case, the commission’s report cites “ongoing severe abuses of religious freedom” and “the Iraqi government’s toleration of these abuses” as the reasons for the recommendation, adding that Iraq is “among the most dangerous places on earth for religious minorities.” These minorities have fled Iraq “at rates far disproportionate to their numbers.”