State Hostility Toward Minority or Non-approved Religions

Some governments, while not implementing full control over minority religions, nevertheless are hostile and repressive to certain ones, or identify religious groups as "security threats." These governments implement policies designed to intimidate and harass certain religious groups, demand adherents to recant their faith, or cause religious group members to flee the country.

Eritrea. The Government's poor respect for religious freedom continued to worsen during the period covered by this report. The Government monitored, harassed, arrested, and detained members of Pentecostal, independent Evangelical groups, the Eritrean Orthodox Church, and Jehovah's Witnesses. There were numerous credible reports that over 400 members of non-sanctioned religious groups had been detained or imprisoned. Government restrictions make it difficult to determine the precise number of current religious prisoners, but it is likely more than 200. Prisoners of conscience are often subjected to inhumane treatment that includes poor living conditions and abuse. There were also numerous reports of physical torture and attempts at forced recantations. The Government denied visa applications for clergy who applied to travel to the country to meet with their congregations. Following a May 2002 government decree that all religious groups must register or cease all religious activities, the Government closed all religious facilities not belonging to the four sanctioned religious groups - Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Catholics, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. These closures, the Government's refusal to authorize any registrations, and the restriction on holding religious meetings continued through the period covered by this report.

Iran. The Government engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom. Members of the country's religious minorities — including Sunni Muslims, Baha'is, Jews, and Christians — reported imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on their religious beliefs. All religious minorities suffer varying degrees of officially sanctioned discrimination, particularly in the areas of employment, education, and housing. Baha'is may not teach or practice their faith or maintain links with co-religionists abroad. They are subject to harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary arrest. While three Baha'is were released from prison (two upon the completion of lengthy prison sentences), one remained in state custody. Authorities initiated the destruction of two Baha'i holy sites. While Jews are a recognized religious minority, allegations of official discrimination are frequent. The Government's anti-Israel policies, along with a perception among radical Muslims that all Jewish citizens support Zionism and the State of Israel, create a threatening atmosphere for the small community. The Government vigilantly enforces its prohibition on proselytizing activities by evangelical Christians by closing evangelical churches and arresting converts. Government harassment has included conspicuous monitoring outside Christian premises by Revolutionary Guards to discourage Muslims or converts from entering church premises, and demands for the presentation of the identity papers of worshippers inside. Sunni Muslims encounter religious discrimination at the local, provincial and national levels, and there were reports of discrimination against practitioners of the Sufi tradition.

Pakistan. The Government imposes limits on freedom of religion. The Constitution requires that laws be consistent with Islam and imposes some elements of Islamic law on both Muslims and religious minorities. The Government fails in many respects to protect the rights of religious minorities. There were instances in which the Government failed to intervene in cases of societal violence directed at minority religious groups. The lack of an adequate government response contributed to an atmosphere of impunity for acts of violence and intimidation against religious minorities. Relations between different religious groups frequently were tense, acts of sectarian and religious violence continued, and more than 100 deaths were attributed to sectarian violence during the period covered by this report. The worst religious violence was directed against the country's Shi'a minority, which continued to be disproportionately the victims of individual and mass killings. Human rights groups report that there have been incidents in which persons from minority groups, especially Hindus and Christians, have been abducted and forcibly converted.