Opinion ID: 170857
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Religious Affiliation

Text: Paomey also asserts that he is entitled to restriction on removal based on his religious affiliation: Jehovah’s Witness. In asserting that he was subjected to -9- persecution based on this affiliation while living in Indonesia, Paomey recounted a single incident that occurred in approximately 1994, when he was taken to a police station for proselytizing from house to house. According to Paomey, he was told that if he engaged in such an activity again, he would be put in jail. Nevertheless, Paomey continued to proselytize in a “sort of undercover” manner. The IJ concluded that this experience did not amount to past persecution. We agree. As discussed in relation to Paomey’s claim regarding his Chinese appearance, persecution requires something more than mere harassment. Based on this single incident, we “cannot conclude that any reasonable fact finder would be compelled to find past persecution based on the record in this case.” Jonni v. Keisler, No. 07-9512, 2007 WL 3230401, at  (10th Cir. Nov. 1, 2007) (unpublished). The incident did not involve violence or any significant period of incarceration, and evidently was not so egregious so as to completely dissuade Paomey from engaging in such conduct in the future. Again, in the absence of past persecution, Paomey is not entitled to a presumption of future persecution. 8 C.F.R. § 1208.16(b)(2). Instead, Paomey must affirmatively show a clear probability of future persecution by demonstrating either that he would be singled out personally for persecution, or that he has “a reasonable fear of persecution because of [his] membership in a group subject to a pattern or practice of persecution.” Woldemeskel, 257 F.3d at - 10 - 1190. Paomey has made no claim that he would be singled out for persecution, and instead, appears to rely on the notion that Jehovah’s Witnesses are subject to a pattern or practice of persecution in Indonesia. Based on our review of the record, however, we cannot conclude that the evidence compels a finding that Jehovah’s Witnesses face a pattern or practice of persecution in Indonesia. “A pattern or practice of persecution entails something on the order of organized or systematic or pervasive persecution.” Sibuea v. Mukasey, No. 07-9508, 2007 WL 4554295, at  (10th Cir. Dec. 28, 2007) (internal quotation marks omitted) (unpublished). While the material provided in the record certainly indicates that deplorable acts of violence and discrimination have been directed against Indonesians on the basis of their religions, the evidence in no way supports the conclusion that Jehovah’s Witnesses have suffered organized, systematic, or pervasive persecution in Indonesia. On the contrary, the country report on Indonesia prepared by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom asserts that, “[t]hough the [Indonesian] Constitution officially recognizes only five religious, it also states that other religions ... are not forbidden, and the practices of other religious are permitted.” Notably, “[t]he government lifted its ban on the Jehovah’s Witnesses in June 2001.” Indeed, the State Department Report from 2003 reflects an easing of religious tensions in Indonesia, as it notes “a sharp drop in violence between Christians and Muslims in the provinces of Maluku, North Maluku, and Central - 11 - Sulawesi, [and notes that] inter-religious tolerance and cooperation improved during the year.” (Id. at 210.) With such notions in mind, Paomey has failed to meet his burden of producing evidence that compels the conclusion he will be subject to persecution if returned to Indonesia. 3