FOCA Pledges Cooperation with USCIRF

Washington, DC— The Friends of Charities Association (FOCA), a group composed of leading faith-based charities providing humanitarian relief work all over the world, today released the following statement regarding U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) policy recommendations:

“Today the USCIRF released its annual report of policy recommendations. Part of that report detailed religious indoctrination that lends support to intolerance and terrorism. The members of FOCA believe it is a right, and a religious obligation, to spread information about Islam. FOCA, however, denounces any messages that encourage intolerance or terrorism. Though such speech often claims to be religious in nature, it is an affront to the universal principles of all religions, including Islam. The members of FOCA are guided by these principles of Islam in all their charitable actions; as such they seek to prevent the spread of so-called religious indoctrination which supports terrorism and fuels religious or ethnic conflict. In this spirit, FOCA seeks to cooperate with the USCIRF and any other agency or group that seeks to eliminate religious speech that promotes hate. The members of FOCA believe that eliminating intolerant or hateful speech that claims to be Islamic will have two positive affects, first it will work to prevent terrorism, second it will help to correct the negative beliefs many hold of Islam.”

FOCA is composed of the following member organizations: the Muslim World League, the International Islamic Relief Organization, World Assembly of Muslim Youth, Al Haramain Islamic Foundation and Al Muntada Al Islami.

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