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report from U.S. State Department has highlighted rise of religious intolerance worldwide. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave reporters summary of "International Religious Freedom" report. He said: "[It] shines light on challenges people face as they seek nothing more than basic religious freedom and right to worship as they wish." Kerry said particularly worrying trend was increased discrimination against Jews and Muslims around world. report highlighted rise in anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe and Asia, and increase in anti-Semitism in other parts of world. Kerry warned that: "When countries undermine or attack religious freedom, they threaten their country's own stability."

report opened with quote from President Barack Obama, who said religious freedom was, " essential part of human dignity, and without it our world cannot know lasting peace". report outlined how nations were repressing religious freedom. It said: "Numerous governments imposed…undue and inappropriate restrictions on religious groups and abused their members, in some cases as part of formal government law and practice." report also warned that denying freedom of worship increased danger of political and societal instability. It said such policy: "Undercuts society’s ability to counter and combat biased and warped interpretations of religion that violent extremists propagate."