[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 459 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 459

Encouraging any new government convened in Egypt to fully allow for the 
                          freedom of religion.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 4, 2011

   Mr. Aderholt (for himself, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. 
 Calvert, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Forbes) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Encouraging any new government convened in Egypt to fully allow for the 
                          freedom of religion.

Whereas in its 2011 Annual Report, the United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended for the first time that Egypt be 
        named by the United States Department of State as a Country of 
        Particular Concern, along with other long-time religious freedom 
        offenders Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, 
        Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam;
Whereas according to the USCIRF Chair, Leonard Leo, ``CPCs are nations whose 
        conduct marks them as the world's worst religious freedom violators and 
        human rights abusers. In the case of Egypt, instances of severe 
        religious freedom violations engaged in or tolerated by the government 
        have increased dramatically since the release of last year's report, 
        with violence, including murder, escalating against Coptic Christians 
        and other religious minorities. Since President Mubarak's resignation 
        from office in February, such violence continues unabated without the 
        government's bringing the perpetrators to justice. Consequently, USCIRF 
        recommends CPC designation for Egypt.'';
Whereas many instances of discrimination against religious minorities, 
        especially the Christian minority, persist, including--

    (1) a lack of employment in higher positions of the public sector, 
universities, army, and the security service;

    (2) a lack of protection and lack of prosecution of perpetrators in 
cases of sectarian violence;

    (3) government harassment of converts to Christianity while, 
conversely, the government allows and encourages conversion to Islam;

    (4) the inability to obtain government issued identification cards 
which reflect conversion to Christianity; and

    (5) prejudice against Christian guardians in child custody cases which 
involve parents of both Muslim and Christian faith;

Whereas under the current law, government permission is required for the 
        construction and renovation of Christian churches and the process for 
        obtaining such permission is often onerous and inflexible while no such 
        restrictions apply for the construction and renovation of mosques;
Whereas a unified law regulating construction of places of worship was first 
        proposed in 2005 in the Parliament, but has never been passed;
Whereas the government's response to sectarian violence has been to conduct 
        forced reconciliation sessions between Muslims and Christians in lieu of 
        prosecution;
Whereas, on October 9, 2011, at least 25 people were killed and more than 300 
        were injured when military forces opened fire on a gathering of unarmed 
        Coptic Christians, and then drove armored vehicles into the crowds;
Whereas this incident follows multiple incidents in the spring of 2011 when 
        Coptic churches and monasteries were burned and more than 39 individuals 
        were killed and at least 263 wounded;
Whereas the New Year's Eve 2010 suicide attack on St. Mark's Coptic Christian 
        church in Alexandria was one of the worst incidents of violence against 
        Egypt's Coptic minority in a decade;
Whereas the trial for those accused of shooting and killing innocent victims 
        outside a Coptic church in Naga Hammady on Coptic Christmas Eve in 
        January 2010 has been repeatedly delayed and promotes a climate of 
        impunity; and
Whereas these incidents are but a few examples of the recent increase in 
        sectarian violence against religious minorities as well as other forms 
        of discrimination which Egyptian authorities have failed to properly 
        address: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) strongly encourages any new government convened in 
        Egypt to fully allow for the freedom of religion;
            (2) believes that Egyptian law should provide for this 
        freedom, specifically including freedom of conversion and 
        freedom to build houses of worship;
            (3) recommends the release of Coptic Christian prisoners 
        from the spring 2011 protests, unless all due legal processes 
        are timely followed; and
            (4) urges the issuance of permanent licenses to 
        monasteries, churches, synagogues, and other places of worship 
        to build boundary fences for their safety and protection.
                                 <all>