By Tenzin Tsetan
DHARAMSHALA, DEC. 09: A US based Tibetan professor has been appointed the Commissioner of US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) yesterday. Dr. Tenzin Dorjee, (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Monica, UCSB) is an associate professor at department of human communication studies, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).
Nancy Pelosi, House Minority leader of US Congress, has recommended his appointment to the post.
Greeting the ‘newest Commissioner’, USCIRF Chair Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J said, “He will be a great asset to our commission as we work to fulfill our mandate of the highlighting serious threats to religious freedom throughout the world and making policy recommendation to the president, secretary of state, and Congress on behalf of he cherished right of freedom of religious or belief and its fuller integration into U.S. foreign policy.”
Professor Dorjee thanked the commission for the ‘honor’ and ‘privilege’ to be appointed to the position on the USCIRF and be nominated by House Democrats leader Nancy Pelosi.
“As a commissioner, I have a global responsibility to work with other colleagues on the commission for religious freedom around the world,” said Dorjee.
The new commissioner also said this is a ‘great platform to advocate for religious freedom in Tibet’ such as the current issue of Larung Gar destruction where thousands of monks and nuns are forcefully expelled from the academy.
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal body comprising of nine commissioners that is partially responsible for reviewing the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and make policy recommendation to the President, Secretary of State and Congress. The President and leadership of both political parties in Senate and House of Representatives appoint USCIRF commissioner.
