Whereas Shahbaz Bhatti, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s
Minister of Minorities, and an unapologetic champion of the right of religious
freedom and other human rights of all Pakistanis, was shot to death in his
vehicle on March 2, 2011, by a group claiming to oppose Bhatti’s efforts to
reform Pakistan’s blasphemy laws;
Whereas Governor Salman Taseer, who courageously sought to
release Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman and mother of 5 who was unjustly
sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, was gunned down in broad
daylight by his own security guard on January 4, 2011, allegedly because the
Governor supported reforms to the blasphemy laws;
Whereas Pakistan is a multireligious society comprised of
Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Sikhs, Buddhists, Baha’is,
and others;
Whereas Islam is the state religion and Pakistan’s
Constitution states that subject to law, public order and morality,
every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate his
religion
and that there shall be no discrimination in rights based on
religion in the provision of government services, property rights, education,
and public access;
Whereas Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of
Pakistan, envisioned a nation of religious plurality and equality;
Whereas support for religious freedom and related human
rights in Pakistan will help ensure the future of Pakistan as a free, strong,
and vibrant society and that enduring stability in Pakistan will come from an
active civil society in which religious freedom flourishes;
Whereas Minister Bhatti spearheaded the “Joint Declaration
of National Interfaith Consultation”, that was issued on July 12, 2010, in
Islamabad, which was signed by prominent imams and minority religious leaders
and which stated that “Pakistan is a homeland of peaceful people with
diversified colours, races and religions which is being targeted by the
conspirators to harbor hate amongst various sects and religions to propagate
extremism and terrorism” and “reiterated that the followers of all faiths and
sects will support the cause of national integration and interfaith harmony in
the country”;
Whereas interfaith dialogue and respect for diversity
reflects the multireligious nature of Pakistan and the vision of Pakistan’s
founder;
Whereas the government of President Asif Ali Zardari and
Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani appointed the first cabinet-level official on
religious minorities, Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, on November 3,
2008, and reappointed him on February 11, 2010, the only Christian in the
cabinet, to protect the rights of minorities as envisioned under Pakistan’s
Constitution of 1973;
Whereas the Government of Pakistan allocated a quota of 5
percent of all federal jobs for members of minority religious groups through a
law passed and implemented on May 26, 2009;
Whereas, in 2008, the Government of Pakistan for the first
time recognized the holidays of minority religious groups in addition to Muslim
holidays;
Whereas, on August 11, 2009, President Zardari declared
August 11 as Minorities Day
to celebrate and recognize the role
that Pakistan’s minorities played in the country’s independence and
development;
Whereas the parliament unanimously passed a resolution
denouncing the August 1, 2009, attacks against Christians in Gojra, Punjab, and
affirming that their rights should be protected in accordance with the vision
of the founder of Pakistan;
Whereas the parliament unanimously passed a resolution
condemning the May 28, 2010, Lahore attacks on the Ahmadi mosques, and calling
for a thorough government investigation and swift and just prosecution of the
perpetrators of the attacks;
Whereas Prime Minister Gilani announced 3 days of mourning
after the assassination of Minister Bhatti and declared at the funeral that the
government would do its “utmost” to bring the murderers to justice;
Whereas Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General
of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has condemned the assassination
of Minister Bhatti and called for the perpetrators to be brought to
justice;
Whereas extremist groups have used the blasphemy laws to
trigger sectarian violence, intimidate members of religious minorities and
others with whom they disagree, and exploit these laws for their own political
ends;
Whereas the blasphemy laws have been wielded falsely
against Muslims and non-Muslims alike for the settling of personal disputes,
and the law is used against Muslims more than any other religious group;
Whereas vigilantes have murdered individuals accused of
blasphemy before, during, or after trials, even when the accused have been
acquitted, such as the July 19, 2010, assassination in Faisalabad of Christian
Pastor Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajjad as a police officer escorted them
from a court hearing on the blasphemy charges against them;
Whereas there is a correlation between the lack of
religious freedom protections for all, the persecution of religious minorities,
and the rise of violent religious extremism, which threatens Pakistan’s
national security as well as the security interests of the United States and
its international partners;
Whereas the United Nations General Assembly and Human
Rights Council have continued to adopt resolutions on “defamation of religion”
or “vilification of religion” that fail to address the abuses associated with
blasphemy laws and elevate the “rights” of a religion over an individual’s
right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech as recognized by
international human rights standards;
Whereas incidents of religious intolerance,
discrimination, and related violence, as well as of negative stereotyping of
the individual based on religion or belief, plague many countries and effective
measures should be taken consistent with their obligations under international
human rights law to address and combat such incidents;
Whereas Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights recognizes that Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and
observance
;
Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights recognizes that Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers
;
Whereas Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights protect freedom of religion and expression
enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas Minister Bhatti gave his life to uphold the
universal values of freedom of religion and expression for the sake of
vulnerable minorities;
Whereas it is the foreign policy of the United States to
promote internationally the right of everyone to freedom of thought,
conscience, and religion, as well as freedom of speech in accordance with
international human rights standards; and
Whereas these values are advanced through interfaith
dialogue, punishment of violence and discrimination against religious
individuals, and by governments and other leaders, including the media,
choosing to set an example of civil and responsible discourse: Now, therefore,
be it
That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that the United States should—
(1)include a special working group on
interfaith harmony and religious tolerance in United States-Pakistan strategic
dialogues to discuss ways to continue the vision of Shahbaz Bhatti in both
countries;
(2)urge the Government of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan to reform the blasphemy law, so as to ensure it is no longer abused
to limit the rights of Pakistanis, whether Muslims or religious
minorities;
(3)assist efforts to
protect the religious freedom of all Pakistanis through prioritizing the
prevention of religiously motivated and sectarian violence, enhancing training
for local law enforcement including emergency response and scene investigation,
prompt and thorough investigation of any incidents of violence, and training of
judges on international human rights obligations;
(4)work with its
partners in the United Nations to support resolutions promoting religious
freedom and tolerance, including the prevention of negative stereotyping of
individuals based on religion or belief;
(5)engage with its
international partners to ensure promotion of interreligious dialogue and
protection and promotion of religious freedom and related human rights for all
people by—
(A)supporting civil society institutions that
work to uphold and guarantee religious freedom and related human rights;
(B)promoting
interreligious dialogue designed to strengthen civil society and advance
religious freedom;
(C)using all
available tools of public diplomacy to spread positive messages about religious
freedom and tolerance;
(D)encouraging
efforts to strengthen institutions crucial to rule of law and good governance,
particularly the judiciary and police; and
(E)recognizing the importance of programs such
as the Fulbright Program, the International Visitor Program, and other
exchanges for professionals, students, and religious and civil society leaders
from diverse communities, including programs that emphasize tolerance for
minority groups; and
(6)call on the Government of Pakistan and all
other governments to continue the same tradition of leadership and courage as
was shown by Minister Bhatti in the fight against violent religious extremism
in every form.