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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress. It is funded entirely by the federal government on an annual basis and its staff members are government employees. As of February 2015, the Commissioners are:〔(Commissioners ), United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Accessed online February 17, 2015.〕 # Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, (chair). Also, President of Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, Commissioner )〕 # Dr. Robert P. George, (vice chair). Also, Professor at Princeton University.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dr. Robert P. George, Chairman )〕 George is a past chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, an advocacy group opposed to same-sex marriage. He drafted the ''Manhattan Declaration'', a manifesto signed by Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical leaders. # Dr. James J. Zogby, (vice chair). Also, President of Arab American Institute.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dr. James J. Zogby, Commissioner )〕 # Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, (commissioner). Also, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, Vice Chair )〕 # Prof. Mary Ann Glendon, (commissioner). Also, Professor at Harvard Law School.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Professor Mary Ann Glendon, Commissioner )〕 # Dean Eric P. Schwartz, (commissioner). Also, Dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Eric P. Schwartz, Vice Chair )〕 # Dr. Daniel I. Mark, (commissioner). Also, Professor at Villanova University.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dr. Daniel I. Mark, Commissioner )〕 # Rev. Thomas J. Reese, (commissioner). Also, Senior Analyst for the National Catholic Reporter.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J. )〕 # Hannah Rosenthal, (commissioner). Also, President of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Hannah Rosenthal, Commissioner )〕 The State Department's Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom serves as an ''ex officio'', non-voting member of the Commission. Past Commissioners include Preeta D. Bansal, John Hanford, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Charles J. Chaput, Michael K. Young, Firuz Kazemzadeh, Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli, John R. Bolton, Elliot Abrams, and Richard Land of Southern Baptist Convention. The legislation authorizing the USCIRF had stated that the Commission would terminate on September 30, 2011, unless it was reauthorized or given a temporary extension. It was given several extensions by the Congress, but would have expired at 5:00 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011 had it not been reauthorized for a seven-year term (until 2018), on the morning of the 16th. This happened after a new reauthorization bill passed both Houses containing two amendments were made to it that Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL (the Senate Majority Whip) had wanted as a condition of releasing a hold he had secretly placed on the former version of the bill; he released it December 13, after the revisions were made. They stipulate that there will be a two-year limit on terms for commissioners, and that they will be under the same travel restrictions as employees of the Department of State.〔(Authorizing Legislation & Amendments ), United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Accessed on-line June 4, 2010.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=US religious freedom commission reauthorized at last minute )〕 ==History== In the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, Congress created three mechanisms in order to advance universal human rights: *An Office of International Religious Freedom in the United States Department of State, headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom *A mandate that the State Department prepare Annual Reports on International Religious Freedom *A requirement to name the most egregious religious freedom violators as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) and to take policy actions in response to all violations of religious freedom as a specific element of U.S. foreign policy programs, cultural exchanges, and international broadcasting. On May 9, 2014, Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R, VA-10) introduced the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4653; 113th Congress) that would amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as an independent federal government advisory body through FY2019.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4653 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「United States Commission on International Religious Freedom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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