The Act rests on the premise that the United States, through its constitution and international agreements, has an obligation to support religious freedom around the world by fighting religious intolerance in countries that limit the religious rights of their people. Under the Act, the United States will investigate allegations of religious persecution worldwide and take diplomatic, cultural, or economic measures against states where religious discrimination is found. By passing the Act, the U.S. Congress responded to growing concern about religious persecution in today's world. Certain governments openly sponsor and tolerate restrictions on their citizens' rights to practice, observe, study, or associate with other members of their religious faiths.
Some governments even restrict people's choice to change religion.
The former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, John Shattuck, cited specific countries that fail to recognize the fundamental right of religious freedom. In Sudan, the ruling party's intolerance of opposing religions is fueling a bloody civil war. Chinese Catholic and Protestant groups battle government repression, and the Chinese government tightly regulates religious practices in the regions of Tibet and Xianjiang. These lists define a wide array of minority religions as cults, and inclusion on these lists greatly restricts basic religious rights for these faiths. Russia's new religion law, which inhibits new religious communities' ability to own property, publish literature, or operate schools, could potentially discriminate against minority religions.