The larger labor federations reacted by calling for agreements between labor and management on the practice of religion during working hours. The legislature is working on an amendment to the laws on working hours and business hours to permit employees to claim time off for the practice of religion. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners. There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who have been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.
Religious communities live alongside each other in harmony.
The main Christian denominations participate in the National Council of Churches and have adopted an ecumenical approach to interfaith relations. The Council regularly presents common positions of the churches on matters of faith, church, and society. Protestant denominations in particular are significant promoters of Israel and the Jewish cause. The Protestant churches also reach out to the Islamic community. The Discrimination on the Internet Registration Center recorded 181 complaints in 1999 about discriminatory statements, racial discrimination, or anti-Semitism on the Internet.