International Religious Freedom
Report 2007
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Uruguay
The Constitution provides for freedom of
religion, and the Government generally respected this right
in practice.
There was no change in the status of respect
for religious freedom by the Government during the period
covered by this report, and government policy continued
to contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
There were no reports of societal abuses
or discrimination based on religious belief or practice.
The U.S. Government discusses religious
freedom issues with the Government as part of its overall
policy to promote human rights.
Section I. Religious Demography
The country has an area of 68,039 square
miles and a population of 3.2 million. While the Government
keeps no statistics concerning religious affiliation, a
2004 survey published in the daily newspaper El Pais reported
that 54 percent of those interviewed designated themselves
as Roman Catholics, 6 percent as evangelical Protestants,
5 percent as Protestants, 9 percent as believers without
a religious affiliation, and 26 percent as nonbelievers.
The mainstream Protestant minority is composed primarily
of Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, and Baptists. Other
denominations and branches include evangelicals, Pentecostals,
Mennonites, Eastern Orthodox, and Jehovah's Witnesses. In
2006 a religious-based nongovernmental organization (NGO)
estimated that 400,000 persons considered themselves to
be evangelical Protestants. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Mormons) claimed 100,000 members.
There are approximately 25,000 Jews. According
to local Jewish leaders, since 2002 the number of Jews has
declined due to emigration. The estimated 4,000 Baha'is
are concentrated primarily in Montevideo. An April 2006
newspaper report indicated that approximately 850 families
practice Buddhism. The Unification Church is active and
has major property holdings, including a daily newspaper.
The Muslim population lives primarily near the border with
Brazil. An Islamic cultural representative estimated 300
to 400 Muslims in the country but noted that the majority
were minimally observant.
Missionaries were present and reported no
difficulties obtaining visas for religious work.
Section II. Status of Religious
Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution provides for freedom of
religion, and the Government generally respected this right
in practice. The Government at all levels sought to protect
this right in full and did not tolerate its abuse, either
by governmental or private actors. The Constitution and
law prohibit discrimination based on religion. The penal
code prohibits mistreatment of ethnic, religious, and other
minority groups.
There is strict separation of church and
state. All religious groups are entitled to tax exemptions
on their houses of worship, and there were no reports of
difficulties in receiving these exemptions. To receive the
tax exemptions, a religious group must register as a nonprofit
entity and draft organizing statutes. It then applies to
the Ministry of Education and Culture, which examines the
legal entity and grants religious status. The group must
reapply every 5 years. Once the Ministry grants religious
status, the group can request an exemption each year from
the taxing body, which is usually the municipal government.
The holy days of Three Kings Day, Carnival
(the Monday and Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday), Holy Thursday,
Good Friday, All Souls' Day, and Christmas are celebrated
as official national holidays but with secular names.
Muslims may obtain an optional identity
card that identifies their religious affiliation to employers
and allows them to leave work early on Fridays, and employers
generally respected this practice. While there are no mosques
in the country, there are two Islamic Centers: the Egyptian
Islamic Center in Montevideo, which is supported by the
Egyptian Embassy, and the Uruguay Islamic Center in Canelones.
The overall activity at these centers is low, and they serve
primarily as social hubs for Muslim immigrants who wish
to maintain ties to their culture.
Religious instruction in public schools
is prohibited. Public schools allow students who belong
to minority religious groups to miss school for religious
holidays without penalty. There are private religious schools,
which are mainly Catholic and Jewish.
Foreign missionaries faced no special requirements
or restrictions.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Government policy and practice contributed
to the generally free practice of religion.
There were no reports of religious prisoners
or detainees in the country.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious
conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been
abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or
of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to
the United States.
Anti-Semitism
Jewish leaders noted a significant increase
in the quantity of anti-Semitic graffiti. Police cooperated
in investigating these incidents. A Jewish cemetery in Montevideo
was vandalized, and anti-Semitic graffiti appeared for the
first time in the second largest city. In September 2006
four persons were arrested in connection with anti-Semitic
graffiti. Authorities had not resolved the case by the end
of the reporting period.
On April 17, 2007, a draft law was unanimously
adopted accepting the adoption of International Holocaust
Memorial Day as approved by the United Nations in early
2006. The law also condemns any expression of denial of
the Holocaust as a historical event.
Section III. Societal Abuses and
Discrimination
There were no reports of societal abuses
or discrimination based on religious belief or practice.
The Christian-Jewish Council met regularly to promote interfaith
understanding. In addition, the mainstream Protestant denominations
met regularly among themselves and with the Catholic Church.
There were several NGOs that promoted interfaith understanding.
Section IV. U.S. Government Policy
The U.S. Government discusses religious
freedom issues with the Government as part of its overall
policy to promote human rights. Embassy staff met with human
rights and religious NGOs, including B'nai B'rith and the
Israeli Central Committee of Uruguay. They also met with
the leaders of religious communities, including representatives
of the Catholic Church, the Jewish community, the Muslim
community, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
and Protestant groups.
[Released on September 14, 2007]
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