---------------------------------------------------------- What's On In Goa: * Oct 11: Konkani translation of Satre book, Alliance Francaise * Oct 12: Goa Orchestra performs at the Kala (Corelli, Bach) * Oct 15: Magic in town... Illusion India magic show, Pnj then Vasco * Mid-Oct: 2-day ornithologists workshop, Bondla southernbirdwing.com ----------------------------------------------------------
Release of the 2002 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom Secretary Colin L. Powell Washington, DC October 7, 2002 SECRETARY POWELL: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today, I submitted to Congress the Department of State's Fourth Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, a report that's required by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The report is available on the Department of State's new and improved website, www.state.gov, and available also on CD-ROM and a new innovation, mini-CD-ROM, for those of you -- THE PRESS: (Laughter.) SECRETARY POWELL: It wasn't that good. (Laughter.) And in due course, of course, it will be available in a printed version, but this gets it out faster to all the constituencies we want to get the information to. Our commitment to religious liberty lies at the heart of our national experience as Americans. Many of our ancestors fled religious persecution coming to these shores seeking the freedom to practice their faith. They laid the foundation for a society in which every person could worship free of fear, free of discrimination, and free of coercion. Americans now live in a country in which faith and freedom thrive. All Americans are grateful for the blessings of liberty and we stand in solidarity with all those suffering from religious oppression around the world. Religious freedom, we believe strongly, is an inalienable right of every human being. The existence of this right is beyond dispute. It is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in a host of other international instruments. Country by country, this report documents the conditions of religious freedom around the world. It shines a much needed light on governments that flout international law and basic decency by making it difficult, and even dangerous, for their people to follow the dictates of their conscience and to practice their faith. The light must shine on such governments, and we have done so in this report. These inexcusable assaults on individual liberty and personal dignity cannot be justified in the name of any culture, in the name of any creed or in the name of any country. The United States categorically rejects the notion that the security or stability of any country requires the repression of members of any faith or precludes the promotion of religious tolerance. There is never any justification for religious persecution or intolerance. This report will serve as a basis for discussions with other nations on how best we can work together to end violations of this fundamental human right and how to advance religious liberty around the globe. We hope that this year's report will help bring us closer to the day when the ideal of religious freedom becomes the reality for every human being on the planet. I am now pleased to introduce Ambassador John Hanford, who is our Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom, who will detail the report for your edification. Thank you very much. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com ======================================================================== To view GoaNet's archives http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goa-net ======================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Don't want so many e-mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead!
