Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Presidential Documents 3535 

Proclamation 10697 of January 12, 2024 

Religious Freedom Day, 2024 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

The constitutional right to practice our faiths peacefully and openly is 

a core tenet of our democracy and helps us fulfill one of our highest 

aspirations as a Nation: to be a citadel of liberty and a beacon of freedom. 

On Religious Freedom Day, we renew our pledge to protect that right by 

ensuring each person of any faith or belief can live out the deepest convictions of their conscience with dignity and respect. 

Like so many Americans, faith has sustained me throughout my life—serving 

as a reminder of both our collective purpose and our responsibilities to 

one another. But for far too many people today, practicing their faith means 

facing fear and intimidation. In recent years, hate has been given too much 

oxygen. This year, in the wake of Hamas’ brutal terrorist assault against 

Israel, we have seen horrific threats and attacks in this country that have 

both shocked our collective conscience and broken our hearts. 

It is in the most challenging times that our commitment to freedom matters 

most. We must work harder than ever to practice the values that make 

us who we are. That is why my Administration is working tirelessly to 

protect and preserve the right to freedom of religion for everyone everywhere. 

In 2022, I established a new inter-agency group to counter Antisemitism, 

Islamophobia, and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination within the 

United States. Last May, my Administration released the first-ever United 

States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which outlines more than 

100 new actions we are taking to raise awareness of Antisemitism, protect 

Jewish communities, counter Antisemitic discrimination, and build solidarity 

across diverse communities. We are also developing the first-ever United 

States National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Related Forms of 

Bias and Discrimination in the United States, which will address the scourge 

of hate against Muslims in America. The strategy will also address hate 

against Sikh, South Asian, and Arab American communities, among others. 

Meanwhile, we continue to work with all communities to identify, prevent, 

and disrupt threats. 

Everyone must be free to practice their faith without fear, whether they 

are gathering for worship, attending a religious school, participating in the 

activities of other faith-based organizations, or simply walking down the 

street wearing the symbols of their faith. That is why, working with the 

Congress, my Administration secured the greatest increase in funding in 

our history for the physical security of non-profits—including churches, 

gurdwaras, mosques, synagogues, temples, and other places of worship. In 

my 2024 Budget proposal to the Congress, I requested that this funding 

be raised to $360 million, and my Administration works continually to 

protect places of worship, including through an annual Protecting Places 

of Worship Week of Action. Through such initiatives, we are providing 

resources for faith communities and encouraging religious organizations to 

share their best practices in promoting security with one another. 

As a world leader, we are also working to make it possible for people 

to practice their faith freely and peacefully around the globe. Billions of 

people worldwide are persecuted for or prevented from freely choosing, 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PRESDOC-D1
3536 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 13 / Friday, January 19, 2024 / Presidential Documents 

practicing, or teaching their faith. Repressive governments and violent extremists continue to reach across borders and target people for their beliefs. 

We have seen these abhorrent attacks on people of all faiths, including 

Christians in some countries. That is why, since the beginning of my Administration, we have provided more than $100 million to promote religious 

freedom and hundreds of millions more to provide humanitarian assistance 

to victims fleeing religious repression, including genocide. Further, we are 

denying the entry of goods into the United States that are made with forced 

labor—an abuse of human rights that is oftentimes associated with the 

genocide of religious minorities. We have imposed sanctions, visa restrictions, 

and export controls on actors and entities that are responsible for serious 

human rights abuses like religious persecution. 

On this day, we recognize that the work of protecting religious freedom 

is never finished. In our quest to build a more perfect Union, may our 

faiths and beliefs help us heal divisions and bring us together to safeguard 

this fundamental freedom guaranteed by our Constitution and to ensure 

that people of all religions or no religion are treated with dignity and 

respect. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2024, as 

Religious Freedom Day. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day 

of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the 

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortyeighth. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01115 

Filed 1–18–24; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PRESDOC-D1BIDEN.EPS</GPH>