[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 515 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                    September 24, 1996.
Whereas oppression and persecution of religious believers around the world has 
        emerged as one of the most compelling human rights issues of the day, in 
        particular the worldwide persecution and martyrdom of Christians 
        persists at alarming levels, and this is an affront to the international 
        moral community and to all people of conscience;
Whereas in many places throughout the world, Christians are restricted in or 
        forbidden from practicing their faith, victimized by a ``religious 
        apartheid'' that subjects them to inhumane humiliating treatment, and 
        are imprisoned, tortured, enslaved, and killed;
Whereas in some countries proselytizing is forbidden and extremist elements 
        persist unchecked by governments in their campaigns to eradicate 
        Christians and force conversions through intimidation, rape, and forced 
        marriage;
Whereas in several Islamic countries conversion to Christianity from Islam is a 
        crime punishable by death and an Islamic court in Kuwait has denied 
        religious liberty to a convert from Islam to Christianity;
Whereas the militant Muslim Government of Sudan is waging what its leader has 
        described as a jihad (religious war) against Christian and other non-
        Muslim citizens in the southern part of the country, enforcing Shari'a 
        (Islamic law) against non-Muslim African Sudanese, torturing, starving, 
        killing, and displacing over 1,000,000 people, and enslaving tens of 
        thousands of women and children;
Whereas today in Sudan a human being can be bought for as little as $15;
Whereas Christians in China are now experiencing the worst persecution since the 
        1970's;
Whereas there are more documented cases of Christians in prison or in some form 
        of detention in China than in any other country;
Whereas both Evangelical Protestant house church groups and Roman Catholics have 
        been targeted and named ``a principal threat to political stability'' by 
        the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China;
Whereas in recent months, in separate incidents, 3 Chinese Christian leaders 
        were beaten to death by Chinese authorities simply because of their 
        religious activities;
Whereas 3 Christian leaders in Iran were kidnapped and murdered during 1994 as 
        part of a crackdown on the Iranian Christian community;
Whereas severe persecution of Christians is also occurring in North Korea, Cuba, 
        Vietnam, Indonesia (including East Timor), and in certain countries in 
        the Middle East, to name only a few;
Whereas religious liberty is a universal right explicitly recognized in numerous 
        international agreements, including the Universal Declaration of Human 
        Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
Whereas Pope John Paul II recently sounded a call against regimes that 
        ``practice discrimination against Jews, Christians, and other religious 
        groups, going even so far as to refuse them the right to meet in private 
        for prayer'', declaring that ``this is an intolerable and unjustifiable 
        violation, not only of all the norms of current international law, but 
        of the most fundamental human freedom, that of practicing one's faith 
        openly'', stating that this is for human beings ``their reason for 
        living'';
Whereas the National Association of Evangelicals in January 1996 issued a 
        Statement of Conscience and Call to Action, subsequently commended or 
        endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention, the Executive Council of 
        the Episcopal Church, and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian 
        Church, United States of America, in which they pledged to end their 
        ``silence in the face of the suffering of all those persecuted for their 
        religious faith'' and ``to do what is in our power to the end that the 
        Government of the United States will take appropriate action to combat 
        the intolerable religious persecution now victimizing fellow believers 
        and those of other faiths'';
Whereas the World Evangelical Fellowship has declared September 29, 1996, and 
        the last Sunday in September each year thereafter, as an international 
        day of prayer on behalf of persecuted Christians, and that day will be 
        observed by numerous churches and human rights groups around the world;
Whereas the United States of America since its founding has been a harbor of 
        refuge and freedom to worship for believers from John Winthrop to Roger 
        Williams to William Penn and a haven for the oppressed, and has 
        guaranteed freedom of worship in this country for people of all faiths;
Whereas historically the United States has in many instances failed to intervene 
        successfully to stop anti-Christian and other religious persecution; and
Whereas in the past the United States has forcefully taken up the cause of other 
        persecuted religious believers and the United States should continue to 
        intervene on behalf of persecuted Christians throughout the world: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms its commitment to the Nation's historic 
        devotion to the principles of religious liberty;
            (2) unequivocally condemns the egregious human rights 
        abuses and denials of religious liberty to Christians and other 
        persecuted religions around the world and calls upon the 
        responsible regimes to cease such abuses;
            (3) strongly recommends that the President expand and 
        invigorate United States international advocacy on behalf of 
        persecuted Christians and other persecuted religions and 
        initiate a thorough examination of all United States policies 
        that affect persecuted Christians;
            (4) encourages the President to take organizational steps 
        to strengthen United States policies to combat religious 
        persecution, including the creation of a special advisory 
        committee for religious liberty abroad which has an appropriate 
        mandate and adequate staff or to consider the appointment of a 
        White House special advisor on religious persecution; and
            (5) applauds the actions of the World Evangelical 
        Fellowship in declaring an annual international day of prayer 
        on behalf of persecuted Christians.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.