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International Religious Freedom Day

October 27, 2018

Washington, D.C. - Today is the 20th anniversary of the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRF Act) into law. The IRF Act enabled the U.S. to promote religious freedom around the world through foreign policy. The Constitution makes clear that the freedom of each person to live out their beliefs as they see fit is a God-given right. This IRF Act underscores the fact that this right extends to all of humanity and is not reserved for Americans only. On the anniversary of this important legislation, Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) released the following statement:

"Today and every day our country must affirm that religious freedom is a human right. In the United States, we've been blessed with the ability to freely live out our beliefs. That's not an accident. In the Constitution, the founding fathers clearly outlined the role of government in protecting religious freedom and rightly believed it to be central to the success of the nation."

"The IRF Act provided a strong framework from which to promote religious freedom around the world, and now with the Trump Administration we've seen even more progress. Ambassador Sam Brownback has led extremely well in this area as well, and I was pleased to lead a townhall on this topic with him earlier this year. Too many people around the world are not free to worship or exercise their religion, and the United States remains committed to fighting such oppression."