Religious Freedom Day, 2000

Proclamation 7267 of January 14, 2000

Religious Freedom Day, 2000

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On January 16, 1786, the Virginia legislature enacted a
law whose impact is still felt around the world today.
Authored by Thomas Jefferson and introduced by James
Madison, this act affirmed religious freedom as one of
the ``natural rights of mankind'' and pledged that none
would ``suffer on account of his religious opinions or
beliefs.'' Recognizing the fundamental importance of
this right to human dignity, our founders modeled the
First Amendment to our Constitution on the Virginia
statute and made religious freedom and tolerance core
values of our democracy. More than a century and a half
later, Eleanor Roosevelt, as the Chairperson of the
U.N.'s Commission on Human Rights, worked to extend
that vision to peoples around the world through her
contributions to the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.

Americans draw great strength from the free exercise of
religion and from the diverse communities of faith that
flourish in our Nation because of it. Our churches,
mosques, synagogues, meetinghouses, and other places of
worship bring us together, support our families,
nourish our hearts and minds, and sustain our deepest
values. Our religious beliefs give direction to our
lives and provide moral guidance in the daily decisions
we make.

Freedom of religion, however, still has enemies. In
America in recent years, churches and synagogues have
been destroyed by arson and people have been attacked
because of their religious affiliation. Across the
globe, many people still live in countries where the
right to religious freedom is restricted or even
prohibited. Some totalitarian and authoritarian regimes
actively persecute those who seek to practice their
religion, imprisoning, torturing, and even killing men
and women because of their faith. Other governments
monitor and harass religious minorities, tolerating and
even encouraging hostility or acts of violence against
them.

My Administration is committed to safeguarding freedom
of religion at home and promoting it around the globe.
Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials are
working in partnership to prosecute and prevent crimes
aimed at people because of their religious affiliation,
and I have called on the Congress to pass the Hate
Crimes Prevention Act to strengthen the Federal
Government's ability to combat such crimes. On the
international front, we have made issues of religious
liberty a consistent and fundamental part of our public
diplomacy. My Ambassador at Large for International
Religious Freedom and his staff have crisscrossed the
globe, from China and Uzbekistan to Laos and Russia, to
advance religious freedom and to assist those who are
being persecuted for their beliefs. In accordance with
the International Religious Freedom Act that I signed
into law in 1998, the United States recently published
the first annual report on the status of religious
freedom worldwide and publicly designated the most
severe international violators. This report highlights
the many crucial efforts of individuals and agencies in
the Federal Government to advocate religious freedom
abroad, from negotiating with foreign heads of state to
pursuing individual cases of persecution or
discrimination.

As we observe Religious Freedom Day this year, let us
give thanks for the wisdom of America's founders in
protecting our precious right to express our beliefs
and practice our faith freely and openly. Let us
resolve to be vigilant in defending that freedom and
teaching tolerance in our homes, schools, communities,
and workplaces. And let us continue to lead the world
in assisting those who are persecuted because of their
religious faith and in proclaiming the rights and
dignity of every human being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2000, as
Religious Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the
United States to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies, activities, and programs, and I urge all
Americans to reaffirm their devotion to the fundamental
principles of religious freedom and tolerance.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two
thousand, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.