US warns of rise of anti-Semitism, Islamist extremism

The United States releases a bleak report on the state of religious freedom around the world, decrying a rise in European anti-Semitism and jihadist attacks on Middle East minorities.

In its annual survey of religious discrimination, the State Department report notes a rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric and attacks in France, Germany and elsewhere in Europe despite efforts by local authorities to contain it.

Some of the hostility towards European Jews has been associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Washington thinks much of this has crossed the line into outright bigotry.

The report also says that while many governments have worked harder to end abuses, extremist non-state actors like the Islamic State are on the rise.

“No nation can fulfill its potential if its people are denied the right to practice, to hold, to modify, to openly profess their innermost beliefs,” Secretary of State John Kerry says as the report is unveiled.

“We hope to give governments an added incentive to honor the religious dignity of their citizens.”

— AFP