THE TANDEM PROJECT
UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
Separation of Religion or Belief
& State
Second Session U.N. Human
Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (5-19 May, 2008)
Available in other languages: click here if the language box does not display.
The Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) is a unique process launched by the UN Human Rights Council in
2008 to review the human rights obligations and responsibilities of all UN
Member States by 2011. Click for an Introduction to the Universal Periodic
Review, Process and News: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRMain.aspx
UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW
The Ghana
Universal Periodic Review was held by the UN Human Rights Council on
Link: HRC Web Cast:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/PAGES/GHSession2.aspx
The primary international
human rights instruments on freedom of religion or belief are:
Article 18 International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights; and the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of
all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
General Comment 22 on
Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/9a30112c27d1167cc12563ed004d8f15?Opendocument
The 1981 UN Declaration
on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on
Religion or Belief http://www.tandemproject.com/program/81_dec.htm
The 1981 UN Declaration
may be a unique one of a kind Human Rights Concordat between
nations and all religions or beliefs.
THE TANDEM PROJECT FOLLOW-UP
In 1986 The Tandem
Project International Conference Tolerance for Diversity of
Religion or Belief presented 27 Community Strategies
were written by local organizations on action steps to implement the 1981 UN
Declaration: http://www.tandemproject.com/tolerance.pdf.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Area
Survey on Freedom of Religion or Belief has three proposals on Integration, Dialogue and
Education as a Universal Periodic Review Follow-up
on human rights and freedom of religion or belief:
1. Develop model integrated approaches to
International Human Rights Standards on Freedom of Religion or Belief at
national and local levels to test the reality of implementation as appropriate
to the constitutions, legal systems and cultures of each country. *
2. Use International Human Rights Standards
on Freedom of Religion or Belief as appropriate to each culture and venue for
inclusive and genuine dialogue on freedom of religion or belief.
3. Apply International Human Rights
Standards on Freedom of Religion or Belief in education curricula as
appropriate in all grade levels, teaching children, from the very beginning,
that their own religion is one out of many and it is a personal choice for
everyone to adhere to the religion or belief by which he or she feels most
inspired, or to adhere to no religion or belief at all.
* Example: Universal Periodic
Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Tandem Project
recommends the issue of Witchcraft be
considered in a follow-up to the Ghana Universal Periodic Review as a violation
of international law and human rights standards on freedom of religion or
belief:
Freedom of Religion is
not the primary problem in
“When discussing religion
in
http://www.law.emory.edu/index.php?id=1570/
The intersection of human rights, racism, religion and cultural
traditions is not clearly understood.
This has been a focus of United Nations since passage of the 1966
International Covenant on the Elimination of all Forms of Racism (CERD) and the
recently concluded Durban Review Conference: http://www.un.org/durbanreview2009/sessions.shtml.
The issue of the Killing of Witches has unique dimensions in all countries.
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/11session/A.HRC.11.2.pdf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials.
U.S. State Department
Ghana Report in 2007 defined it this way; “Belief in witchcraft remained strong in many areas.
Traditional village authorities and families continued to banish rural women
for suspected witchcraft. Most accused witches were older women, often widows,
whom fellow villagers identified as the cause of difficulties such as illness,
crop failure, or financial misfortune. Many of these banished women were sent
to live in "witch camps," villages in the north of the country
populated by suspected witches. The women did not face formal legal sanction if
they returned home; however, most feared that they would be beaten or lynched
if they returned to their villages. Fearing violence against them, many women
accused of being witches did not pursue legal action to challenge charges
against them or return to their communities.
Kofi Anan, former United
Nations Secretary-General and active diplomat and defender of human rights was
born in
The Tandem Project
recommends an Exchange of Information with the following experts on how best to
approach Integration, Dialogue and Education in
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
The Tandem Project Follow-up will ask for an exchange of information
on the approach on freedom of religion or belief in Ghana Universal Periodic
Review to bridge human rights proclaimed in treaties at the international level
with the reality of implementation at a national and local level.
Religions in
Roman Catholic,
Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Evangelical Presbyterian, African Methodist,
Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Feden, The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist, Pentecostals,
Baptist, African independent churches, the Society of Friends (Quakers),
Orthodox Sunni, Ahmadi, the Tijani and Qadiriyya orders of Sufi, and a small
number of Shi’a, Indigenous religious groups including Afrikania. Baha’i,
Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Shintoist, Ninchiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, Sri Sathya
Sai Baba Ser, Sat Sang, Eckankar, the Divine Light
The
“
Today
Kofi Atta Annan, a
Ghanaian diplomat, served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United
Nations from
Stakeholder Letters: Submitted for the
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/UPRGHStakeholdersInfoS2.aspx
Commission on Human Rights and
Administrative Justice:
Commonwealth Human Rights
Initiative:
Amnesty International:
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127235.htm
The State Department
Office of International Religious Freedom mission is to promote religious
freedom as a core objective of
U.S. President Barack
Obama made an official visit to
Macalester College Institute for Global
Citizenship; http://www.macalester.edu/igc/
The Macalester College
Institute for Global Citizenship (IGC) mission: “To encourage, promote and
support rigorous learning that prepares students for lives as effective and
ethical ‘global leaders;’ innovative scholarship that enriches the public and
academic discourse on important issues of global significance; and meaningful
service that enhances such learning and/or scholarship while enriching the
communities within which Macalester is embedded.” Kofi Annan, former United
Nations Secretary General and Macalester graduate ’61 attended the opening of
the new building in 2009.
The former UN
Secretary-General received a Ford Foundation grant, enabling him to complete
his undergraduate studies at
Study of Law and Religion,
The Center for the Study
of Law and Religion at
Western perceptions of
religion and church-state relations must be put aside before productive
conversations about law, religion, and human rights can take place in
sub-Saharan
The conference proposes
from an international human rights perspective to “identify ongoing and future
problem areas relating to the relationship between church and state and the
interaction of religion and law in the various regions and countries of the
world.” If defining the word “religion” is difficult because it imposes western
definitions upon African cultural practices, how can alternative languages be
structured that would accommodate both the Constitutions and traditional
African cultural practices of these countries at local levels? The Tandem
Project will ask the Study of Law and Religion Department at
Lutheran World Federation; http://www.lutheranworld.org
The Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition with international headquarters in
The
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
1.
The Constitution
provides for freedom of religion, and other laws and policies contributed to
the generally free practice of religion.
The Government
generally respected religious freedom in practice. There was no change in the status
of respect for religious freedom by the Government during the reporting period.
There were some
reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation,
belief, or practice.
The U.S. Government
discusses religious freedom with the Government as part of its overall policy
to promote human rights.
2.
The country has an
area of 238,538 square miles and a population of 22 million. According to the
2000 government census, approximately 69 percent of the population is
Christian, 15.6 percent is Muslim, 8.5 percent adheres to indigenous religious
beliefs, and 6.9 percent is classified as other religious groups, which
includes those who profess no religious beliefs. The Muslim community disputed
these figures, asserting that the Muslim population is substantially larger.
Christian groups
include Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Evangelical
Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist,
Evangelical Lutheran, F'eden, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(Mormons), Seventh-day Adventist, Pentecostals, Baptist, African independent
churches, the Society of Friends (Quakers), and numerous charismatic religious
groups.
Several Islamic
traditions are present in the country: Orthodox Sunni, Ahmadi, the Tijani and
Qadiriyya orders of Sufi, and a small number of Shi'a.
Indigenous religious
groups include Afrikania. Other religious groups include the Baha'i, Buddhist,
Jewish, Hindu, Shintoist, Ninchiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Sera, Sat Sang, Eckankar, the Divine Light Mission, Hare Krishna, and
Rastafarian. There are also some syncretistic groups that combine elements of
Christianity and Islam with traditional beliefs. Zetahil, a practice unique to
the country, combines elements of Christianity and Islam.
There is not a
significant link between ethnicity and religion; however, geography is often
associated with religious identity. The majority of the Muslim population
resides in northern areas as well as in the urban centers of Accra, Kumasi,
Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale, and Wa, while the majority of the followers of
indigenous religious beliefs reside in rural areas. Christians live throughout
the country
3.
The Constitution
provides for freedom of religion, and other laws and policies contributed to
the generally free practice of religion. The law at all levels protects this
right in full against abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
Government employees,
including the President, are required to swear an oath upon taking office. The
oath can be either religious or secular, depending on the preference of the
individual.
The Government
observes the following religious holidays as national holidays: Good Friday,
Easter Monday, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Christmas.
There is no
government body that regulates or oversees religious affairs, as all religious
bodies are independent institutions; however, religious institutions must
register with the Registrar General's Department to receive formal government
recognition. The registration requirement for religious bodies at the Office of
the Registrar General is the same for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
There were no reports that the Government denied registration to any group.
Most indigenous religious groups, with the exception of the Afrikania Mission,
did not register.
The Government does
not provide financial support for any religious organization. Formally registered
religions are exempt from paying taxes on ecclesiastical, charitable, and
educational activities that do not generate income; however, religious
organizations are required to pay progressive taxes, on a pay-as-you-earn
basis, on business activities that generate income.
The Ministry of
Education includes religious and moral education in the national public
education curriculum.
The Government often
took steps to promote interfaith understanding. At government meetings and
receptions Christian and Muslim prayers are used; occasionally there are
indigenous invocations. Throughout the reporting period, the President and
Vice-President made public remarks about the importance of peaceful religious
coexistence. President Mills received delegations of Christian and Muslim
leaders soon after assuming office in January 2009 and called for the creation
of national days of prayer for both Christians and Muslims.
4.
The Government generally respected religious freedom in practice. There was no
change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the Government during
the period covered by this report.
There were no reports
of religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports
of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been
abducted or illegally removed from the United States or who had not been
allowed to be returned to the United States.
5.
There were some
reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation,
belief, or practice.
Traditional village
authorities and families continued to banish rural women, often older women and
widows, for suspected witchcraft. Fellow villagers identified these women as
the cause of difficulties such as illness, crop failure, or financial
misfortune. Many of these banished women were sent to live in "witch
camps," villages in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions that
are populated by suspected witches. The women did not face formal legal
sanction if they returned home; however, most feared that they would be beaten
or killed if they returned to their village or attempted to pursue legal action
to challenge the charges against them.
Public discussion continued over religious worship versus indigenous practices
and respect for the rights and customs of others in a diverse society. Some
religious leaders actively advocated tolerance toward other religious groups
and discouraged religiously motivated violence, discrimination, and harassment;
others, particularly laypersons associated with evangelical groups, continued
to preach intolerance for other groups such as Muslims and indigenous religious
groups.
Some Muslims
continued to feel a sense of political and social exclusion, citing token
representation of Muslims in national leadership positions, the preponderance
of Christian prayers in public settings, and the ubiquity of Christian slogans
as contributing to this perception of marginalization and discrimination within
the Muslim community. However, the new administration appointed several Muslims
to lead ministries, and all the major political parties campaigned actively in
Muslim communities during the 2008 electoral season.
Government agencies,
such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, continued to
campaign against Trokosi, a practice in the Volta region of pledging youth
(commonly young females) to extended service at indigenous shrines. Afrikania
and other supporters of traditional African religious groups continued to
accuse human rights NGOs of misrepresenting their beliefs and regarded
government and NGO campaigns against Trokosi as religious persecution.
There were high
incidences of human rights abuses at prayer camps, typically Pentecostal, where
persons, often with mental illness, were chained up for weeks, physically
assaulted, and denied food and water in the name of removing evil spirits.
Reports indicated that these practices extended to the Greater Accra, Eastern,
Central, Western, Ashanti, Volta, and Brong Ahafo regions. Mental health care
is limited in the country; families, especially in rural communities, have few
options for obtaining appropriate care.
There were some reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious
affiliation, belief, or practice.
Traditional village
authorities and families continued to banish rural women, often older women and
widows, for suspected witchcraft. Fellow villagers identified these women as
the cause of difficulties such as illness, crop failure, or financial
misfortune. Many of these banished women were sent to live in "witch
camps," villages in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions that
are populated by suspected witches. The women did not face formal legal
sanction if they returned home; however, most feared that they would be beaten
or killed if they returned to their village or attempted to pursue legal action
to challenge the charges against them.
Public discussion continued over religious worship versus indigenous practices
and respect for the rights and customs of others in a diverse society. Some
religious leaders actively advocated tolerance toward other religious groups
and discouraged religiously motivated violence, discrimination, and harassment;
others, particularly laypersons associated with evangelical groups, continued
to preach intolerance for other groups such as Muslims and indigenous religious
groups.
Some Muslims
continued to feel a sense of political and social exclusion, citing token
representation of Muslims in national leadership positions, the preponderance
of Christian prayers in public settings, and the ubiquity of Christian slogans
as contributing to this perception of marginalization and discrimination within
the Muslim community. However, the new administration appointed several Muslims
to lead ministries, and all the major political parties campaigned actively in
Muslim communities during the 2008 electoral season.
Government agencies,
such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, continued to
campaign against Trokosi, a practice in the Volta region of pledging youth
(commonly young females) to extended service at indigenous shrines. Afrikania and
other supporters of traditional African religious groups continued to accuse
human rights NGOs of misrepresenting their beliefs and regarded government and
NGO campaigns against Trokosi as religious persecution.
There were high
incidences of human rights abuses at prayer camps, typically Pentecostal, where
persons, often with mental illness, were chained up for weeks, physically
assaulted, and denied food and water in the name of removing evil spirits.
Reports indicated that these practices extended to the Greater Accra, Eastern,
Central, Western, Ashanti, Volta, and Brong Ahafo regions. Mental health care
is limited in the country; families, especially in rural communities, have few
options for obtaining appropriate care.
6. Ghana – US
Government Policy
The U.S. Government
discusses religious freedom with the Government as part of its overall policy
to promote human rights.
The Embassy
administered the Youth Exchange and Study program, which allows 25 students to
study in the United States and whose program goals include promoting religious
pluralism. The Embassy also sent one person to visit the United States on an
International Visitor Leadership Program to learn about interfaith dialogue.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127235.htm
Links to State Department
sites are welcomed. Unless a copyright is indicated, information on the State
Department’s main website is in the public domain and may be copied and
distributed without permission. Citation of the U.S. State Department as source
of the information is appreciated.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Documents Attached:
Ghana - Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief
United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki Moon, at the Alliance of Civilizations Madrid Forum said; “never in our
lifetime has there been a more desperate need for constructive and committed
dialogue, among individuals, among communities, among cultures, among and
between nations.”
Genuine dialogue on human
rights and freedom of religion or belief calls for respectful discourse,
discussion of taboos and clarity by persons of diverse beliefs. Inclusive
dialogue includes people of theistic, non-theistic and
atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief.
The warning signs are clear, unless there is genuine dialogue ranging from
religious fundamentalism to secular dogmatism; conflicts in the future will
probably be even more deadly.
In 1968 the UN deferred
work on an International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Religious Intolerance because of its complexity and sensitivity. Violence,
suffering and discrimination based on religion or belief in many parts of the
world is greater than ever. It is time for
a UN Working Group to draft what they deferred in 1968, a comprehensive core
international human rights treaty-a United Nations Convention on Freedom of
Religion or Belief. United
Nations History – Freedom of Religion or Belief
The challenge to
religions or beliefs at all levels is awareness, understanding
and acceptance of international human rights standards on freedom of
religion or belief. Leaders, teachers and followers of all religions or
beliefs, with governments, are keys to test the viability of inclusive and
genuine dialogue in response to the UN Secretary General’s urgent call for
constructive and committed dialogue.
The Tandem Project title,
Separation of Religion or Belief and State (SOROBAS), reflects the far-reaching scope of UN
General Comment 22 on Article 18, International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, Human Rights Committee (CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.4). The General Comment on
Article 18 is a guide to international human rights law for peaceful
cooperation, respectful competition and resolution of conflicts:
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/9a30112c27d1167cc12563ed004d8f15?Opendocument
Surely one of the best
hopes for humankind is to embrace a culture in which religions and other
beliefs accept one another, in which wars and violence are not tolerated in the
name of an exclusive right to truth, in which children are raised to solve
conflicts with mediation, compassion and understanding.
The Tandem Project is a non-governmental organization (NGO)
founded in 1986 to build understanding, tolerance and respect for diversity,
and to prevent discrimination in matters relating to freedom of religion or
belief. The Tandem Project has sponsored multiple conferences, curricula,
reference materials and programs on Article 18 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights – Everyone shall have the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion - and 1981 United Nations Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or
Belief.
The Tandem Project is a UN NGO in
Special Consultative Status with the
Economic and Social Council of
the United Nations