Persecution1 min read

USCIRF 2026 Report Exposes Egregious Religious Persecution against AROPL

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Cover of USCIRF 2026 Annual Report exposing religious freedom violations in 29 countries, including persecution of Ahmadi believers.

By Hadil El-Khouly

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The 2026 Annual Report was released for public consumption on the 4th of March 2026, with a summary press statement titled USCIRF Releases 2026 Annual Report: Exposes Egregious Religious Freedom Abuses From Key Nations made available on the official USCIRF website. This report has been picked up by several publications, including The Divine Just State, due to the significance of its content in terms of religious freedom around the world. The freedom of belief is a basic human right and this is documented in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The report is generally seen as having influence on foreign policy in the United States of America because the government is forced to assess the relationship it maintains with foreign governments based on their application of human rights within their countries. A list of 29 countries were highlighted and categorised as either being recommended for designation as “Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs)” or being placed on the “Special Watch List (SWL)”.

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light was mentioned in the report several times due to the documented persecution in the past year faced by believers for no other reason than believing in their chosen faith. Countries like Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria are currently embroiled in legal cases where believers have had their human and civil rights revoked for no other reason than believing in this religion.

We thank the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for highlighting the struggles and plights of those who hold firm to the religion of their choice, and we here at The Divine Just State affirm the human right to freedom of belief.