US Praises Jordan, Qatar for Progress on Religious Freedom

Assistant Secretary Michael Posner -- along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- announced the release of the government's Annual Report on International Religious Freedom -- a comprehensive report compiled by the State Department that lists a host of countries guilty of severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.  

Among the worst violators listed in the report include North Korea, Iran, Burma, China, Sudan and Venezuela.

But during a press conference with reporters Monday, Posner cited two egregious acts of religious intolerance -- one in the U.S., the other in Germany -- while noting progress made in countries like Qatar and Egypt, where religious persecution is widespread. 

Posner referenced the killing of Marwa Ali El-Sherbini, an Egyptian pharmacist and young mother who was stabbed inside a German courtroom in July by a man with deep-seated hatred for Muslims.  He also noted the June 2009 shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., during which a man with well-documented anti-Semitic views shot and killed a security officer.  

Posner noted that while the U.S. has a proud heritage of religious tolerance, it isn't perfect. 

"We're fully aware that even in countries with robust legal safeguards, including the United States, we're not immune from acts of intolerance," he said.