IIRF President Thomas Schirrmacher has called on the parties negotiating a new government in Germany to retain the office of the Commissioner for Religious Freedom as an essential element of German foreign policy.
“Current developments in Nigeria, India, Syria, Israel, and Palestine, as well as the global threat to religious minorities, show that Germany’s commitment to religious freedom is of the utmost importance,” Schirrmacher said.
“In times of serious international crises and challenges, the successful work of the Commissioner for Religious Freedom of the German government must not be stifled. That would send a disastrous signal. Rather, global advocacy for religious freedom and human rights must stand out right now as a hallmark of German foreign and development policy.”
Schirrmacher noted that the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, the two leading parties in the current negotiation to form a new government, were responsible for the initial creation of the position of Commissioner for Religious Freedom.
Schirrmacher’s full statement is available online.