U.S. Department of State Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2000 - Suriname

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice.

There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report.

Both government policy and the generally amicable relationship among religions in society contribute to the free practice of religion.

The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights.

Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion

Legal/Policy Framework

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice. The Government at all levels generally protects this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors.

There is no state or otherwise dominant religion. Members of all the various faiths in the country are allowed to worship freely. Religions are not required to register with the Government.

Religious Demography

Suriname is an ethnically and religiously diverse nation, with a tradition of religious tolerance. Slightly over one-third of the population traces its ancestry to the Indian subcontinent, another third is of African descent, nearly another third claims Indonesian ancestry, and there are smaller percentages of the population that claim Chinese, Amerindian, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Dutch ancestry. Religious diversity in the country closely parallels the ethnic diversity of the population.

According to government statistics, 45 percent of the population is Christian (23 percent Roman Catholic, 16 percent Moravian, and 6 percent other denominations such as Lutheran, Dutch reformed and the Evangelical Churches), 27 percent is Hindu, 20 percent Muslim, 6 percent follow native religions, and 2 percent claim no faith.

There are no restrictions on foreign missionary workers.

A large number of faiths, including U.S. based church groups, have established missionary programs throughout the country. It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of the American missionaries are affiliated with the Baptist Church, with a small percentage of followers of the Mormon Church also present. There are several chapters of Freemasons and Druids. In addition to U.S. based groups, there are international groups such as the World Islamic Call Society and the Baha'i Faith. Aside from the standard requirement for an entry visa, missionary workers face no special governmental restrictions. The Government, which plans to develop the interior, has encouraged and, where possible, supported the various groups without showing special preference to any one group in particular.

The governmental educational system subsidizes to a small extent a number of public elementary and secondary schools established and managed by the various religious faiths. While the teachers at the schools are civil servants, and the schools are considered public schools, religious groups provide all funding with the exception of teachers' salaries and a small maintenance stipend.

The Government has encouraged cooperation among the various ethnic groups by, for example, declaring the most important holidays of the major religions to be national holidays.

There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report.

There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners.

Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens

There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.

Section II. Societal Attitudes

Relations among the country's various religious communities are amicable. Most citizens, especially those living in Paramaribo, celebrate the religious holidays of other groups to varying extents.

Section III. U.S. Government Policy

The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the overall context of the promotion of human rights.