Arab Parliament backs Algeria in religious freedom row 

CAIRO: The Arab Parliament has condemned a statement by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken regarding religious freedom in Algeria.

The parliament said the statement contained misleading and incorrect information.

In a statement of its own, it said that American intervention in religious freedom is unacceptable as it is an internal Algerian matter of societal and cultural privacy.

It pointed out that Algeria is one of the countries known for its centrism and moderation, in addition to the fact that the Algerian constitution and laws recognize religious freedoms and guarantee freedom of belief in a clear and unambiguous manner.

The Arab Parliament lauded “the great efforts made by Algeria in this field, under the wise leadership of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.”

The Arab Observatory for Human Rights of the Arab Parliament also indicated that Algeria provides a role model in promoting religious freedom.

Algeria was among several countries that Blinken mentioned in his statement on religious freedom on Jan. 4 as being subject to increased scrutiny on the records over religious freedom.

“I have designated Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam as Special Watch List countries for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom,” he said.

“Advancing the freedom of religion or belief has been a core objective of US foreign policy ever since Congress passed and enacted the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998.”

He added: “Governments must end abuses such as attacks on members of religious minority communities and their places of worship, communal violence and lengthy imprisonment for peaceful expression, transnational repression, and calls to violence against religious communities, among other violations that occur in too many places around the world.”

Blinken said: “The challenges to religious freedom across the globe are structural, systemic, and deeply entrenched.”