The United States paints a bleak portrait of religious freedom around the world

The United States paints a bleak portrait of religious freedom around the world , particularly condemning Islamic societies that have adopted laws that harshly penalize blasphemy and apostasy. “Such laws conflict with and undermine universally recognized human rights,” the State Department said Wednesday in its annual review of global religious rights. These pose special dangers to vulnerable groups such as women, religious minorities and the poor. The report labels two nonstate actors – the Islamic State group and Boko Haram – among “the most egregious abusers of religious freedom.”