MINORITIES IN OTHER STATES

USA: President Clinton On Religion in the Work-place

Our devotion to religious freedom has shaped our identity from the beginning.

Thomas Jefferson wrote, "We have solved the great and interesting question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet, as well as the comfort which results from leaving everyone to profess freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious convictions of his own inquiries."

The founders understood that religious freedom is a two-sided coin and, therefore, our Constitution protects the free exercise of religion while, at the same time, prohibiting the establishment of religion by the state. This careful balance is the enduring genius of the First Amendment.

Americans worship deeply and in very great numbers. Throughout our history, men and women have come to America to escape religious persecution elsewhere and secure religious freedom here.

More and more people of many different faiths have been able to put down roots and pursue their beliefs freely here. And the churches, the synagogues, the mosques, the other institutions of worship they have built not only have been their own houses of worship, they have also quite frequently become centers of service, compassion, and community life; and in so doing have made our entire nation stronger.

Our experience has led the United States to become a leader in promoting religious rights throughout the world as well as our willingness to press for religious freedom at the United Nations and in our bilateral relations with other countries across the globe.

Our commitment to religious liberty is, therefore, and it must remain, a key part of America's human rights policy and an important focus of our democracy.

In 1993 I was proud to sign the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. I was disappointed that the Supreme Court struck down parts of the Act in June, but pleased that its provisions still apply to federal agencies, entities and institutions. In '95 we issued the guidelines reaffirming that our young people did not have to leave their religious beliefs at the schoolhouse door. And we clarified the limits of religious expression permitted in our schools.

Today we issue these guidelines to clarify and reinforce the right of religious expression in the federal workplace. These guidelines will ensure that federal employees and employers will respect the rights of those who engage in religious speech as well as those who do not.

First, they clarify that federal employees may engage in personal religious expression to the greatest extent possible, consistent with workplace efficiency and the requirements of law. Second, they clarify that federal employers may not discriminate in employment on the basis of religion. Third, and finally, they clarify that an agency must reasonably accommodate employees religious practices.

We expect all employees to follow them carefully.

My own faith calls those us who share it to a life-long effort not only to deepen the understanding of the soul, but to bring our actions, thoughts and feelings into harmony with God's will. On that journey. I have been immeasurably enriched by the power of the Torah, the beauty of the Koran, the piercing insights of the religions of East and South Asia and of our own-Native Americans, the joyful energy that I have felt in black and Pentecostal churches and, yet, even the probing questions of the skeptics. That is America at its best.

My great hope is that we can enter this new century and this new millennium as the most successful multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious democracy the world has ever known. We will respect and celebrate our differences while uniting around the ideals that bind us together, more importantly, as one America. Religious freedom is at the heart of what it means to be an American, and at the heart of our journey to become truly one America. Let us pledge to make these guidelines the source of harmony and strength as we guarantee to all of our people our precious liberty.

MUSLIM INDIA BOUND VOLUMES 1983 – 1996

YEAR             Rs.                               YEAR             Rs.

1996                150                              1989                350

1995                200                              1988                375

1994                225                              1987                400

1993                250                              1986                425

1992                275                              1985                450

1991                300                              1984                475

1990                325                              1983                500

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