President George W Bush proclaimed January 16th Religious Freedom Day in a
special proclamation from the Whitehouse.
"On this special day," the President said, "I encourage all
Americans to renew their commitment to protecting the liberties that make our
country a beacon of hope for people around the world who seek the free exercise
of religious beliefs and other freedoms."
"Today, as America wages war against terror, our resolve to defend
religious freedom remains as strong as ever," said Bush.
The next day in Britain, Prime Minister, Tony Blair, met with religious leaders
of all faiths in major conference on tolerance. He told the conference of
Christians and Muslims that there is a renewed urgency for greater religious
understanding in the wake of the 11 September terror attacks.
"Religious values can be warped or perverted but when people are true to
its real value, religious faith can be immensely liberating," Mr Blair
said.
In Pakistan, the military government has abolished controversial electoral laws
which religious minorities have long complained are discriminatory.
The reforms follow President Pervez Musharraf's speech to the nation on
Saturday in which he announced measures to reduce the influence religious
extremism.
The law restricting the voting rights of minorities such as Hindus and
Christians was introduced in the 1980s by former military ruler General Zia
ul-Haq on the demand of conservative Islamic groups.
Meanwhile in China a US consulate spokesperson said: "We have called upon
China as a member of the international community to meet international
standards on freedom of religious expression and freedom of conscience" in
the controversy of a Hong Kong man distributing Bibles.