US sounds alarm on threats to religious freedom in post-revolt Arab nations

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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is warning of growing religious intolerance and violence in Arab nations undergoing popular revolts.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that the overthrow of autocratic leaders in the Middle East and North Africa was inspiring but had also exposed religious and ethnic minorities to new dangers that threaten democratic transitions. She urged the people of the region not to “trade one form of repression for another.”

Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have all ousted longtime authoritarian rulers and pledged to move to democracies. Rebellions are also under way in Syria and Yemen. The U.S. has publicly expressed concern about the post-revolt treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in Egypt and Libya as well as ongoing sectarian violence in Syria.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-sounds-alarm-on-threats-to-religious-freedom-in-post-revolt-arab-nations/2011/09/13/gIQAnQrfPK_story.html