PRESIDENT OBAMA PROCLAIMS JAN. 23, 2016 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY, 2016

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 

 

Since our country's founding, religious freedom has been

heralded as one of our most cherished ideals. The right to

practice religion freely has brought immigrants from all over

the world to our shores, often in the face of great adversity,

so they could live their lives in accordance with the dictates

of their consciences. Some of America's earliest settlers, the

Pilgrims, arrived at our shores in search of a more tolerant

society, free from religious persecution. Since that time,

people of many religious traditions have added their own threads

to the fabric of our Nation, helping advance a profound and

continuous vindication of the idea of America.

 

 

When the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was adopted

on January 16, 1786, it formed a blueprint for what would become

the basis for the protection of religious liberty enshrined in

our Constitution. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the statute

proclaims that "all men shall be free to profess, and by

argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion,

and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect

their civil capacities." The First Amendment prohibits

Government from establishing religion, and it protects the free

exercise of every faith. Our Government does not sponsor a

religion, nor does it pressure anyone to practice a particular

faith, or any faith at all. The United States stands for the

protection of equal rights for all people to practice their

faith freely, without fear or coercion, and as Americans, we

understand that when people of all religions are accepted and

are full and equal members of our society, we are all stronger

and freer.

 

 

Our commitment to religious freedom has fostered

unprecedented religious diversity and freedom of religious

practice. But these ideals are not self-executing. Rather,

they require a sustained commitment by each generation to uphold

and preserve them. Here at home, my Administration is working

to preserve religious liberty and enforce civil rights laws

that protect religious freedom -- including laws that protect

employees from religious discrimination and require reasonable

accommodation of religious practices on the job. We will keep

upholding the right of religious communities to establish places

of worship and protecting the religious rights of those so

often forgotten by society, such as incarcerated persons and

individuals confined to institutions. We will also continue to

protect students from discrimination and harassment that is

based on their faith, and we will continue to enforce hate crime

laws, including those perpetrated based on a person's actual or

perceived religion. This work is crucial, particularly given

the recent spike in reports of threats and violence against

houses of worship, children, and adults simply because of their

religious affiliation.

 

 

As we strive to uphold religious freedom at home, we

recognize that this basic element of human dignity does not

stop at our shores, and we work to promote religious freedom

around the globe. We are working with a broad coalition against

those who have subjected religious minorities to unspeakable

violence and persecution, and we are mobilizing religious and

civic leaders to defend vulnerable religious communities.

In addition, we are calling for the elimination of improper

restrictions that suppress religious practice, coordinating with

governments around the world to promote religious freedom for

citizens of every faith, and expanding training for our

diplomats on how to monitor and advocate for this freedom.

All people deserve the fundamental dignity of practicing their

faith free from fear, intimidation, and violence.

 

On Religious Freedom Day, let us recommit ourselves to

protecting religious minorities here at home and around the

world. May we remember those who have been persecuted,

tortured, or murdered for their faith and reject any politics

that targets people because of their religion, including any

suggestion that our laws, policies, or practices should single

out certain faiths for disfavored treatment. And as one Nation,

let us state clearly and without equivocation that an attack on

any faith is an attack on every faith and come together to

promote religious freedom for all.

 

 

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, 2016 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 that 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

fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord

two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the

United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

 

BARACK OBAMA