[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 407 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 407

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                     December 12, 2017.
Whereas the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) 
        found that religious persecution is not confined to a particular region 
        or regime and reaffirmed the commitment of the United States that 
        religious freedom, which is the freedom of thought and conscience and 
        the right to practice theistic and non-theistic beliefs, is the right of 
        every individual and should never be arbitrarily abridged by any 
        government;
Whereas the persecution of Christians is a global problem, occurring in 
        countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas;
Whereas Christians face persecution not only from Islamic extremist groups, like 
        the Islamic State and Boko Haram, but also from other religious 
        extremist groups and from officials at all levels of government;
Whereas the Middle East has been a home to Christians since the first century 
        A.D., but the Christian population in the Middle East has significantly 
        decreased over the past few decades as a result of persecution, 
        displacement, and genocide;
Whereas such persecution ranges from social harassment and discrimination to 
        physical violence, imprisonment, torture, enslavement, rape, and death;
Whereas Christians in Syria and Iraq have faced assault, torture, imprisonment, 
        enslavement, and execution in a genocidal campaign by the Islamic State;
Whereas according to 2017 reports from international non-governmental 
        organizations, the Christian population in Iraq decreased from 1,400,000 
        people in 2003 to just 275,000 people in 2016, as a result of 
        displacement and genocide caused by religious extremism;
Whereas Christian holy sites in Syria have been destroyed by the Islamic State;
Whereas in 2016, approximately 200 Christians in Iran were arrested, while 
        others have been beaten, tortured, subjected to feigned public 
        executions, and even sentenced to death for their faith, and at least 90 
        remain in illegal detention;
Whereas in Saudi Arabia, Christians as well as other religious minorities face 
        imprisonment, torture, and deportation and must practice their faith in 
        secrecy because their houses of worship are not allowed;
Whereas on April 9, 2017, Palm Sunday, 44 people were killed in bomb attacks by 
        the Islamic State on Coptic churches in Egypt;
Whereas the Islamic State has also claimed responsibility for the attack on a 
        bus on May 26, 2017, in which 29 Coptic Christians were killed while 
        traveling to a monastery in Minya, Egypt;
Whereas since the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya has served as a haven for 
        militant Islamist extremist groups, like the Islamic State, which has 
        resulted in more violent forms of Christian persecution;
Whereas the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of 51 Coptic 
        Christians in Libya in February and March of 2015;
Whereas Christian migrants from northern Africa traveling through Libya on their 
        way to Europe have been abducted, trafficked, and forced to convert to 
        Islam at the hands of the Islamic State;
Whereas in Afghanistan there are reports that converts to Christianity have been 
        murdered or sent to mental hospitals;
Whereas Christians in Pakistan face accusations of blasphemy, punishable by 
        death, and convictions and sentences for blasphemy are given despite 
        little or no evidence;
Whereas according to Open Doors USA, approximately 600 Christian churches were 
        attacked in Pakistan in 2016;
Whereas both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been massacred by Islamic 
        extremist groups like Boko Haram;
Whereas Christian converts in Somalia often face public execution;
Whereas in 2017, a mob of 100 men attacked a Christian church in Uganda, beating 
        and raping members of the congregation;
Whereas in May 2017, a Christian governor in Indonesia was found guilty of 
        blasphemy and sentenced to 2 years in prison, in what was widely seen as 
        a challenge to religious pluralism in Indonesia;
Whereas communist regimes have a strong history of oppressing and persecuting 
        Christians as well as other religious minorities;
Whereas since 2013, in the Zhejiang Province of China, crosses have been removed 
        from over 1,500 churches as part of that province's anti-cross campaign;
Whereas in China, members of Christian churches, as well as other religious 
        minorities, that are not registered with the government face increased 
        persecution from the Chinese state, including the risk of imprisonment 
        and torture;
Whereas in North Korea, the practice of Christianity is prohibited and if 
        caught, Christians are sent to forced labor camps;
Whereas in November 2016, Vietnam adopted a new ``Law on Belief and Religion'' 
        that falls dramatically short of internationally accepted standards for 
        human rights and curtails the right to religious freedom for over 8 
        million Christians in that country;
Whereas in Mexico and Colombia, Christian church leaders have been assaulted, 
        threatened, and in some cases killed by transnational criminal 
        organizations and paramilitary armed groups attempting to intimidate and 
        silence them;
Whereas religious discrimination, including the persecution of Christians, is a 
        global human rights problem; and
Whereas the right to religious freedom is a universal right recognized by the 
        Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns all violations of religious freedom and affirms that 
        religious freedom is a fundamental right of every individual that should 
        never be arbitrarily abridged by any government;
            (2) condemns the persecution of Christians around the world;
            (3) calls on discriminatory countries to cease their persecution of 
        Christians and religious minorities and combat religious persecution 
        carried out by extremist non-state actors; and
            (4) urges the President and the heads of the governments of all 
        countries around the world to uphold the right to religious freedom and 
        condemn the global persecution of Christians and other religious 
        minorities.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.