The Task Force, which is currently in formation, is required to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor of Maryland no later than September 30 of this year. Opponents fear the Task Force will be used to stifle the freedom of speech and expression of adherents to new and small religions, the very groups that most require protection.
Civil libertarians agree.
They point out that the Task Force is unconstitutional on its face. The Task Force may also run counter to UN and other international covenants to which the US is a signatory. Recent UN deliberations have clarified that the right to freedom of religion applies not only to mainstream groups, but especially to smaller and new groups, the very ones targeted by the Maryland Task Force. The Committee views with concern any tendency to discriminate against any religion or belief for any reasons, including the fact that they are newly established, or represent religious minorities that may be the subject of hostility by a predominant religious community. U.S. anti-cultists have claimed the creation of the Maryland Task Force as a triumph that should be duplicated in states throughout the nation.