BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 28. The International Religious Freedom Summit (IRF-2024) is set to be held in the US on January 30-31. Holding this summit is the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), with the U.S. Senate sharing the co-chair spot.
Here's the twist: The USCIRF recently included Azerbaijan in their "special watchlist," making baseless allegations about religious freedom challenges in the country. To add to that, they've also placed several other countries with predominantly Muslim populations in the same category.
It is pretty clear that this committee is taking a nosedive into full-blown Islamophobia. The summit's agenda conveniently leaves out any talk about the challenges faced by Muslims. So, what kind of values are we expecting to be on the table at this gathering?
Here's the lineup of speakers to keep an eye on: five of Armenian-origin, including Siranush Sargsyan, parading as a "journalist-refugee" from Khankendi.
Taking the lead at this event is Peter Burns, who serves as the Executive Director of IRF-2024. Burns recently posted a picture on his official X page featuring Vivek Ramaswamy, a former U.S. presidential candidate with a soft spot for Armenians. Ramaswamy is holding an Armenian flag, dressed as a crusader, and with destroyed mosques in the background.
Now, isn't this not just a showcase of Azerbaijanophobia but a full-on display of Islamophobia – the unfiltered beliefs of the "religious freedom" committee? One snapshot reveals the true nature of this activists. This isn't a religious freedom summit; it's a gathering of crusaders. It begs the question, quite objectively, to the event organizers: Does religious freedom only apply to Christianity? Once again, the motive behind including Azerbaijan in the U.S. report on countries "restricting religious freedom" becomes all too evident.