In 2003 the Secretary of State designated Iran as a "country of particular concern" for the fourth consecutive time.

Iraq. Prior to the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime, the United States had no diplomatic relations with Iraq and thus was unable to raise directly with the Government the problems of severe restrictions on religious freedom and other human rights abuses. In early 2003, the U.S. Secretary of State designated Iraq a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act for the Saddam Hussein Government's severe violations of religious freedom. The country was similarly designated in 1999, 2000 and 2001. A U.S.-led coalition overthrew the Baathist regime in Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 9, 2003.

Since the establishment of the Coalition Provisional Authority in May, the U.S. Government discussed the importance of protecting religious freedom with the people and with leaders, from all ethnic backgrounds and faith traditions, involved in charting the path to a new constitutional system. It is the policy of the Coalition Provisional Authority to help the Iraqi people create a democratic, representative government that respects the fundamental rights of all its citizens, irrespective of ethnicity or faith. In April, close to 1.5 million Shi'a Muslims participated in the Ashura pilgrimage.

Laos. The U.S. Ambassador visited several problem areas to observe the situation of religious freedom firsthand. The Ambassador and other Embassy officials persistently raised both, general religious freedom concerns and specific cases of abuse with senior Lao officials. The Embassy maintained an ongoing dialog with the Department of Religious Affairs in the Lao Front for National Construction and informed officials of specific cases of arrest or harassment. The Embassy hosted the visit of a member of the U.S. Congress and supported and encouraged the visits of recognized U.S. NGOs devoted to promoting religious freedom.

Nigeria. U.S. Embassy officials regularly discussed religious freedom issues with federal, state, and local officials, and also prominent citizens, including representatives of Muslim and Christian communities. The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Embassy and in statements from officials in Washington, sought to encourage a peaceful resolution of the question regarding Shari'a criminal penalties in a way that would be compatible with recognized international human rights norms and urged that human rights and religious freedom be respected in all instances.

The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives created programs for conflict resolution training that it continued to implement, targeting several Muslim communities. The American Speaker Program has been particularly effective in promoting dialog and informing local audiences about religious freedom in the U.S. The Embassy also continued publishing its informational magazine in Hausa, the language of the predominantly Muslim north. In January, as part of the Embassy's efforts to engage Islamic opinion leaders, a forum initiated by the Emir of Kano brought together U.S. Embassy officials and five U.S. speakers with Muslim leaders for dialog on Islam, poverty alleviation, and other foreign policy issues.