WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today called on governments to actively protect religious minorities and the rights of all their citizens to practice different religions freely. Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment to mark the State Department’s release of its annual International Religious Freedom Report, she said religious freedom is “a cherished constitutional value, a strategic national interest, and a foreign policy priority.”

Secretary Clinton characterized religious freedom as a crucial “safety valve.” Particularly in the context of the Arab Awakening, she argued that “it lets people have a say over important aspects of their lives, join their societies fully, and channel their frustrations into constructive outlets.”

Talking about her recent visit to Egypt, Secretary Clinton said, “President Morsi has said clearly and repeatedly in public and private that he intends to be the president of all the Egyptian people. He has pledged to appoint an inclusive government and put women and Christians in high leadership positions. The Egyptian people and the international community are looking to him to follow through on those commitments.”

Secretary Clinton noted that Christians were “feeling under pressure” in a lot of places in the Middle East, partly because of the rise to power of Islamist parties. She expressed concern that respect for religious freedom is tenuous and that sectarian violence has increased in Egypt since the fall of Mubarak. 

Citing Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and a number of other countries, she argued that “leaders have to be active in stepping in and sending messages about protecting the diversity within their countries. And frankly, I don’t see enough of that.” She said that the United States will continue to “push and prod and persuade and then, if necessary, look at ways to use consequences that can send a very clear message” to governments that do not protect the religious freedoms of their people.

Press Contact: Charita Law, claw@ceip.org, 202-939-2233