[…] There must be a sensible balance between freedom of religion and freedom of speech, says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “An individual’s ability to practice his or her religion has no bearing on others’ freedom of speech,” Clinton said at a special briefing October 26 marking the release of the 2009 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

[…] In 2002, violence between Hindus and Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat killed 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus, and displaced 150,000 people. Today, Gujarat has yet to heal and tensions remain high. But feelings of helplessness and despair led Ahmadabad resident M. Hasan Jowher to rededicate his life to bringing harmony and respect to his troubled community. Jowher told America.gov about the night his office was set on fire by Hindu extremists during the 2002 riots.

[…] The United States condemns the Iranian government’s decision to level baseless charges of espionage against seven leaders of the Iranian Baha’i community: Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm and Mrs. Mahvash Sabet. Authorities have detained these Baha’i for more than nine months without access to legal counsel or making public any evidence against them.

[…] Religious freedom is the foundation of a healthy and hopeful society. On Religious Freedom Day, we recognize the importance of the 1786 passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
We also celebrate the first liberties enshrined in our Constitution's Bill of Rights, which guarantee the free exercise of religion for all Americans and prohibit an establishment of religion.

[…] Mr. Secretary General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: Laura and I are pleased to be back here at the United Nations, and I am grateful for the opportunity to once again address the General Assembly. I want to thank King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia for his leadership and for convincing us all to come together to speak about faith. I appreciate the participants who recognize the transformative and uplifting power of faith. One of my core beliefs is that there is an Almighty God -- and that every man, woman, and child on the face of this Earth bears His image. Many years ago, faith changed my life. Faith has sustained me through the challenges and the joys of my Presidency. And faith will guide me for the rest of my days.

[…] The Government generally respected religious freedom in practice. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the Government during the period covered by this report. There is no state religion; however, the Roman Catholic Church enjoys some privileges, stemming from its sovereign status and its historical political authority, not available to other religious groups. The Catholic Church's influential role in society led to controversy when church teachings appeared to influence Catholic legislators on matters of public policy.

[…] At age 25, Imam Khalid Latif already has achieved important leadership responsibilities as chaplain and director of the Islamic Center at New York University and the Muslim chaplain for the New York Police Department. “The university and police department are obviously very different,” Latif said. “But they're also very similar, as American institutions with growing Muslim populations who are trying to find their way.”

[…] Muslims in the United States typically observe Ramadan and fulfill their other religious obligations with the encouragement and support of non-Muslim friends, colleagues and neighbors, say U.S. State Department officials Seema Matin and William Lawrence. “I have always found that my non-Muslim colleagues and friends are very supportive during this [holy] month of Ramadan.

[…] An openness to immigration and laws protecting religious freedom helped create the conditions for religious tolerance in the United States, says an expert on immigration, religion and urban issues in America who has researched a neighborhood in New York City he calls “perhaps the most extreme case of religious pluralism in the world.” That neighborhood is Flushing, Queens, which encompasses more than 200 places of religious worship within 6.5 square kilometers.

[…] Type “Bible podcast” into a search engine and you get more than 300,000 results -- that’s enough to download prerecorded verses from a new Web site every day for more than 800 years.
The abundance of these podcasts, coupled with tens of thousands of Quran podcasts and even Bhagavad-Gita downloads suggests that people are looking toward technology to facilitate their relationships with religion.

[…] For the past three years the Free Synagogue of Flushing, New York, has organized a choral concert. Community members gather to honor and enjoy their neighbors’ talents. But the audience doesn’t just hear Jewish music: Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims share the stage. “It’s interesting when you hear the music of somebody else’s culture other than your own,” said a Flushing resident who attended the concert last year.