Ten out of the 15 countries with the worst religious freedom abuses are Muslim nations, according to the recently released U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2013 Annual Report, which identifies the status of religious freedom throughout the world and cites countries that are the least tolerant, the Christian Post reports. The 15 most intolerant countries, identified as "countries of particular concern," cited in this year's report are Burma, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Of these, 10 are Muslim countries. The nearly 400-page report details a range of human rights violations occurring in these countries. According to USCIRF chairwoman Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, the state of international freedom around the world is "increasingly dire" because of "religious extremists… [who] target religious minorities and dissenters from majority religious communities for violence, including physical assaults and even murder." The report suggests a number of reforms the United States could recommend to each country, in concert with the United Nations, that could coincide with economic and humanitarian assistance or sanctions.
