Religious Freedom Day, 2013

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8926 of January 16, 2013

Religious Freedom Day, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Foremost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the
freedom to worship as we choose. Today, we celebrate
one of our Nation's first laws to protect that right--
the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Written by
Thomas Jefferson and guided through the Virginia
legislature by James Madison, the Statute affirmed that
``Almighty God hath created the mind free'' and ``all
men shall be free to profess . . . their opinions in
matters of religion.'' Years later, our Founders looked
to the Statute as a model when they enshrined the
principle of religious liberty in the Bill of Rights.

Because of the protections guaranteed by our
Constitution, each of us has the right to practice our
faith openly and as we choose. As a free country, our
story has been shaped by every language and enriched by
every culture. We are a nation of Christians and
Muslims, Jews and Hindus, Sikhs and non-believers. Our
patchwork heritage is a strength we owe to our
religious freedom.

Americans of every faith have molded the character of
our Nation. They were pilgrims who sought refuge from
persecution; pioneers who pursued brighter horizons;
protesters who fought for abolition, women's suffrage,
and civil rights. Each generation has seen people of
different faiths join together to advance peace,
justice, and dignity for all.

Today, we also remember that religious liberty is not
just an American right; it is a universal human right
to be protected here at home and across the globe. This
freedom is an essential part of human dignity, and
without it our world cannot know lasting peace.

As we observe Religious Freedom Day, let us remember
the legacy of faith and independence we have inherited,
and let us honor it by forever upholding our right to
exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or
persecution.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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, 2013, as
Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to
commemorate this day with events and activities that
teach us about this critical foundation of our Nation's
liberty, and show us how we can protect it for future
generations at home and around the world.

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