Current Event Article (must include PDF of newspaper article and be within the past 30 days)

Write a paper on a current event article that discusses restrictions on freedoms by a totalitarian state or an article on ethnic conflict within a nation. Summarize the article and explain why this issue is important to the global community. What outside influences might help change this issue? How? Is the article neutral? Why or why not?

Be sure to include a scanned copy of the article in your submission in addition to citations. Articles may not be more than one month old.

Writing Requirements (APA format). Refer to the APA manual.

Length: 4 full pages (not including the title or references page)
1-inch margins
Double-Spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title and Reference page required
APA cite article with link
Scan copy of article required

Restrictions on Freedom of Religion in Eritrea

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Restrictions on Freedom of Religion in Eritrea

Introduction

The international system has democratic and totalitarian states. In the contemporary world, democracies are the most prevalent, while Eritrea and North Korean are countries classified as totalitarian dictatorships. Totalitarian countries have governments or ruling leaders as the absolute power where they do not incorporate their people to partake in political decision-making. Moreover, totalitarian governments act without enacting laws, exert high controls on all spheres of life among citizens, and limit people’s freedoms such as freedom of free speech, association, press, and religion, among others. Totalitarian leaders rule with fear to ensure they have full and total control of its people; hence, it minimizes chances of revolts or protests (Connell, 2019). This description best describes Eritrea, a country with numerous human rights violations due to the presence of a totalitarian government that has never been elected by its people. This assignment summarizes an article on freedom of religion restrictions in Eritrea, explains global importance of the issue, and discusses external influences as possible mitigation strategies and drivers of change.

Article Summary

An article from cruxnow.com, a catholic church, and the Vatican news service explains freedom of religion restrictions in Ethiopia and Eritrea. However, in this summary and assignment, much emphasis is placed on Eritrea. According to the article, catholic churches in Eritrea face violence perpetrated by the government as opposed to Ethiopian violence that is executed by non-state actors in addition to ethnic, political, and religious differences. The author states that the Eritrean government has closed all Christian based institutions such as clinics, hospitals, and schools (Staff, 2020). The main aim of closing and targeting these Christian based organizations, primarily Roman Catholic churches, is to lessen their influence on Eritrean people. The totalitarian Eritrean government led by President Isaias Afwerki has closed hospitals, clinics, and schools run by Roman Catholic institutions to prevent them from instilling oppositional beliefs and championing self-reliance among people.

The author contends that the church has played an essential role in opposing brutal actions sponsored by the Eritrean government, the president, and the administration. In addition to closing Roman sponsored schools; the Eritrean government has also closed down Muslim schools, with all facilities and equipment being seized permanently. The author shows that freedom of religion in Eritrea is restricted, as the government only allows religious affiliations that praise the totalitarian government, supports the government’s actions, and does not exert any oppositional influence (Staff, 2020). This article shows restrictions on freedom of religion among Eritrean people perpetrated by the Eritrean government. It is plausible to conclude that Eritrea meets the criteria of a totalitarian state as the government has total control of its people’s public and private lives in addition to ruling with fear and limiting people’s freedom of religion.

Global Importance

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, the foundation of international human rights law, sets out universal values on rights and freedoms. In relation to religious liberty, article 18 of the UDHR states that “every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion,” showing that any form of religious discrimination or restriction is prohibited (UN, 2020). Eritrea is a member of the United Nations, hence, is obligated and bound to respect these universal values. Restrictions and violation of religious freedom in Eritrea thus become a global issue, as the Eritrean government violates the obligations to protect, respect, and fulfil religious freedom in addition to interfering and curtailing the enjoyment of the right and freedom. When countries such as Eritrea violate or abuse human rights domestically, international groups and agencies are obligated to intervene. Humanitarian intervention is therefore mandated through which the agencies examine violations and complaints to ensure human rights standards are enforced, respected, and implemented effectively, thus making the issue in Eritrea relate to the global community.

Roman Catholic churches and Christian institutions face violence perpetrated by the Eritrean government, including closing sponsored schools, churches, clinics, and hospitals. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest religious institution with Christians and followers spread across the globe. There are over 1.3 billion Roman Catholics globally, with Africa having the most significant growth of catholic congregations, believers, and Christian based institutions (Lopez, 2020). This shows that Catholicism is global; hence, religious violations and restrictions witnessed in Eritrea become a global concern requiring global intervention. The presence of universal values that Eritrean government ascribe to and the fact that Catholicism is global makes the issue of religious freedom restrictions global, as it affects the global community of Roman Catholics and violates globally agreed-upon values.

External Forces of Change

Restrictions on religious freedom is a global issue that requires universal, comprehensive mitigations strategies and influences to drive change and respect for human rights. Primarily, humanitarian intervention from human rights and religious-based commissions can highly drive and influence change in Eritrea. According to the international human rights laws, countries that violate or abuse human rights domestically are subject to investigation from human rights groups and international organizations. Humanitarian intervention is therefore mandated through which the agencies examine violations and complaints to ensure human rights standards are enforced, respected, and implemented effectively. For instance, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UNHR Council can intervene, examine the complaints, and develop effective mitigation strategies to address the issue (Badescu, 2011). Secondly, through religious-based commissions such as the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) external change forces can be derived. For instance, in the commission’s 2020 annual report, the commission recommends that the USA places targeted policy tools and sanctions such as asset freezing and on human rights related funding on countries such as Eritrea to deter religious freedom restrictions (Ochab, 2020). Such intervention and actions would profoundly influence change in Eritrea, as the country is faced with economic instabilities and high poverty indices. To maintain funding from the USA or the UN, Eritrea would be forced to lessen its violations and restrictions on religious freedom.

Secondly, the media plays a crucial role in influencing change in the country. This includes broadcast, print, and social media that can be used to condemn acts of religious freedom restrictions. Social media provides platforms where people form virtual and global communities; through these platforms, condemning actions of freedom restrictions can be facilitated. Global movements can arise, and online campaigns created bringing people from all over the world, supporting change initiatives that can pressurize the Eritrean government to make changes (Zanzoun, 2017). Global broadcast televisions such as CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera and radio stations can be used to air these violations perpetrated by the government, exposing the heinous acts, and condemning religious freedom restrictions. Global exposure, thus, would ensure a large population is reached, which would arise social movements, religious campaigns, and instigate mass action by human rights agencies, as well as intervention from the United Nations.

Conclusion

The presence of universal values set by the UDHR provides for the right to protect, through which humanitarian intervention can influence change and protection of Christian-based institutions in Eritrea and promote religious freedom protection and implementation. Media also plays a crucial role in exposing violations in the country, which instigates global action.

References

Badescu, C. G. (2011). Humanitarian Intervention and the Responsibility to Protect: Security and human rights. New York: Routledge.

Connell, D. (2019). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.

Lopez, L. I. (2020, March 26). Number of Catholics in World Grows: There Are More Than 1.3 Billion. Retrieved from https://zenit.org/articles/number-of-catholics-in-world-grows-there-are-more-than-1-3-billion/

Ochab, E. U. (2020, April 28). USCIRF Warns About Violations Of Freedom Of Religion Or Belief In 29 Countries And Beyond. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2020/04/28/uscirf-warns-about-violations-of-freedom-of-religion-or-belief-in-29-countries-and-beyond/#62528f0455e9

Staff, C. (2020, May 29). Catholic Church suffering violence in Ethiopia, Eritrea. Retrieved from CRUX: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2020/05/catholic-church-suffering-violence-in-ethiopia-eritrea/

1. (2020). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from United Nations: https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

Zanzoun, M. (2017). The Use of Social Media In Promoting Human Rights Among Speakers of English In Morocco: The Case of Facebook. International Journal of Education and Research , Vol 5(9), pp; 169-184.