State Dept. Won't Name Pakistan Anti-Christian; Has Rejected Commission's Opinion Since 2002

The U.S. State Department has rejected recommendations by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to name Pakistan a "Country of Particular Concern" -- despite the fact that Pakistan is responsible for "systematic, egregious and ongoing violations of religious belief and freedom," according to the ISCIRF's 2011 report to Congress and the State Department.

According to the Cybercast News Service website today (May 5, 2011), the report paints Pakistan as a nation where blasphemy against Islam is a state crime, underage Christian girls are raped with impunity, and religious extremism has led in the last year to assassinations, suicide bombings, and attacks on mosques and churches by extremist Muslims.

Since 2002, USCIRF has recommended Pakistan be named a Country of Particular Concern, but the U.S. State Department has not followed that recommendation.

The commission is a U.S. government body charged with monitoring religious freedom around the globe.