[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 24, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10913-H10918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REGARDING PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS WORLDWIDE

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 515) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives with respect to the persecution of Christians 
worldwide, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 515

       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 on 
     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

[[Page H10914]]

     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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York [Mr. Gilman] and the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hamilton] each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 515 concerns a worldwide human rights 
problem of intolerance which affects all of us regardless of our 
religious persuasion. It is a sad and astonishing commentary on our 
time that we need to consider such a resolution in this day and age.
  Yet it remains an incontrovertible fact that the persecution of 
Christians around the world for circumstances arising from their faith 
is on the increase. While the reasons that underlie this increase in 
bigotry, zealotry, and intolerance are many, the basic fact is that 
thousands of men, women and children suffer because of the dictates of 
their conscience.
  Intolerance aimed at one religion is an attack upon all religious 
freedom and all religions. It undermines a basic precept of our 
civilization that the individual is free to decide for himself how he 
wishes to worship, and that such a decision should be beyond the hand 
of governments or other individuals to react against.
  As this House has done countless times to protest abuses aimed at 
other sects and faiths, we need to address the campaign now underway in 
several countries to deny Christians their fundamental human rights. 
Religious freedom is not some manifestation of a western cultural 
bias--it is a universal human right. There is no justification for 
religious persecution, whether the target is Jews, Christians, Muslims, 
Buddhists, or those of other faiths. Religious freedom is indivisible 
and must apply equally to all faiths, or no single faith can ever be 
safe from the scourge of intolerance.
  I commend the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] and the other 
sponsors of this resolution for bringing this matter before the House. 
Mr. Smith, the distinguished chairman of our Subcommittee on 
International Operations and Human rights, is also a principal sponsor 
of this measure and one member who always strives to keep the issue of 
religious freedom alive before us. I urge all members of the House to 
join in passing this measure today. Please vote for House Resolution 
515.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I want to commend 
the sponsor, the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] for drafting the 
resolution to bring attention to this very serious international 
problem. I also want to commend the gentleman from California [Mr. 
Lantos] for working to make it a bipartisan resolution and for 
broadening the resolution to condemn persecution of all religious 
groups. I share my colleague's opposition to religious persecution 
practices by any individual or any government. I want the United States 
to use all of its influence and leverage to halt such persecution.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution provides yet another opportunity for 
Congress to show its support for efforts to end all forms of religious 
persecution. I urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia [Mr. Wolf], the major sponsor of this measure.
  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, as lead sponsor of this resolution, I rise in 
strong support of House Resolution 515, a resolution condemning the 
persecution of Christians around the world. First, I want to thank 
Representative Bill Gilman, chairman of the House International 
Relations Committee and Representatives Chris Smith and Tom Lantos, 
chairman and ranking member respectively of the Subcommittees on 
International Operations and Human Rights, for their support of the 
resolution and their help in getting this measure through committee in 
such a short time. I commend the House leadership for bringing this 
timely resolution to the floor this week.
  I also want to thank Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute and 
Nina Shea of the Puebla Program of Freedom House for their leadership 
on this issue. Michael and Nina have worked tirelessly in the past year 
sensitizing the American Christian community about 
Christian persecution and encouraging action. I appreciate their hard 
work and their commitment to this compelling issue, which has been an 
important one for me for some time.

  Mr. Speaker, religious persecution did not disappear with the cold 
war. It is very much alive today. In many countries around the world, 
people of faith are forced to endure severe persecution because they 
choose to worship Jesus Christ or adhere to the teachings of the Buddha 
dharma or practice the teachings of the Baha'u'lla (as in the case of 
the Bahai's) or otherwise practice their faith. In Bosnia, thousands of 
innocent men, women and children were slaughtered simply because they 
were Muslim. In Russia and some of the former Soviet republics, anti-
Semitism persists.
  This resolution focuses on persecution of Christians. First, it 
condemns persecution of Christians and the calls upon responsible 
regimes to cease such abuses. Second, it recommends that the President 
expand and invigorate international advocacy efforts on behalf of 
persecuted Christians. Third, it encourages the President to appoint a 
special advisor or advisory commission to recommend ways to modify U.S. 
policy to better address this problem. And fourth, it applauds the 
World Evangelical Fellowship for declaring an international day of 
prayer for persecuted Christians. The Senate unanimously passed a 
similar resolution on Tuesday, September 17.
  House Resolution 515 is the first resolution in recent memory to 
focus specifically on Christian persecution. It focuses on Christians 
not because persecution of Christians is any more abominable than 
persecution of Jews or Bahai's or Buddhists. Persecuting a person 
because of his or her religious affiliation or beliefs is abominable 
anytime it occurs and should always be condemned by the international 
community. This resolution focuses on persecution of Christians to 
bring attention to a problem that is increasing in its regularity, its 
ferocity and its scope. One scholar has said that in the 20th century, 
more Christians have been killed for being Christian than in any of the 
previous 19 centuries combined.
  We do not know the names of all today's Christian martyrs, but we do 
know what happens to them: Imprisonment and torture for attending 
Christian worship services or Bible studies; criminal prosecution, 
harassment and torture of believers for failing to register with 
government-sanctioned ``religious associations'' run by atheists who 
are hostile to religious practice; systematic beatings of children who 
attend Christian schools; unpunished looting and burning of Christian 
churches, businesses and homes; prosecution and sometimes extrajudicial 
murder for charges brought under broadly construed ``blasphemy laws''--
laws designed to punish people for saying something negative against 
the prophet Mohammed; imprisonment for possession of Bibles; and 
prosecution, torture, and murder of Christian converts.
  In Sudan, a country I have visited three times, women and children 
from

[[Page H10915]]

Southern Sudan (who are mostly Christian or practice a traditional 
African religion) are literally sold into slavery. Some for as little 
as $15. The authoritarian Government of Sudan, while fighting for land 
and power, has declared a jihad against the people of the South. 
Reports of forced Islamization are prevalent.
  Human rights groups and humanitarian organizations have been 
reporting for several years that humanitarian assistance, including 
food and medicine, is often withheld from families that refuse to 
convert to Islam. Freedom House reports that Christian boys are sent to 
the front lines as cannon fodder. Entire villages have been relocated 
into so-called peace camps--squalid desert communities where food and 
water are scarce or nonexistent.
  U.N. Special Rapporteur Gasper Biro reported that in May 1995, 
soldiers in uniform executed 12 men, women, and children for refusing 
to convert to Islam. Christian leaders, including clergy, have been 
assassinated, imprisoned, tortured, and flogged for their faith.
  Christians in many other countries also practice their faith in 
danger. Earlier this year, the Subcommittee on International 
Organizations and Human Rights, chaired by Representative Chris Smith, 
held a hearing on anti-Christian persecution where witnesses testified 
about persecution in North Korea, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Mexico, and 
other places. We have heard reports of persecution of Assyrian 
Christians in Turkey and evangelical Christians in the Oromo region of 
Ethiopia. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty 
International, the Puebla Program of Freedom House, Christian 
Solidarity International, Open Doors, International Christian Concern, 
and others continue to document case after case of Christian 
persecution around the world.

  But the best human rights reporting in the West only scratches the 
surface. Thousands of voiceless, nameless victims suffer alone. 
Families scared for their lives cannot share their pain with the world.
  Mr. Speaker, these kinds of abuses must not escape notice by the 
American people, the Congress, or the administration if we are a Nation 
devoted to the principles of freedom and dedicated to preservation of 
human rights here and abroad. We cannot ignore suffering if we are a 
Nation of compassion.
  Until recently, the American Christian community has been relatively 
silent on this growing problem. There are many Americans who do not 
know or understand the suffering which their fellow believers are 
forced to endure in countries that do not share our belief in liberty 
and the self-evident truth that all men are created equal.
  But the American Christian community has begun to educate itself and 
call for action. This Sunday, worshipers in over one hundred thousand 
churches around the world will be observing the International Day of 
Prayer for Persecuted Christians, a day for Christians to pray for the 
persecuted and pledge themselves to action.
  In January, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) issued a 
Statement of Conscience and Call to Action pledging 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.'' The statement of 
conscience was subsequently endorsed by the Executive Council of the 
Episcopal Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Presbyterian 
Church, United States of America.
  Pope John Paul II recently sounded a call against regimes that 
``practice discrimination against Jews, Christians and other religious 
groups'' declaring that ``this is an intolerable and unjustifiable 
violation not only of international law, but of the most fundamental 
human freedom, that of practicing one's faith openly.'' The U.S. 
Catholic Conference has decried the low priority religious freedom 
generally receives in U.S. human rights policy and commended efforts to 
``give greater visibility to our government's defense of religious 
liberty wherever it is denied.''
  Christian leaders such as Don Argue, president of the National 
Association of Evangelicals; Richard Land, president of the Southern 
Baptist Convention; Chuck Colson, resident of Prison Fellowship; Ravi 
Zacharias, president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries; and a 
wide range of interdenominational leaders and scholars have urged 
greater attention to this problem.
  So, I urge you to support House Resolution 515. It's not about party; 
it's not about politics. It's about religious liberty and justice. It's 
about Mehdi Dibaj, martyred in Iran in 1994. It's about Bishop Su, a 
64-year-old Catholic bishop imprisoned in China earlier this year, 
beaten with a wooden board until it broke in splinters, suspended 
upside down while being beaten, who has permanently lost his hearing 
due to repeated blows. It's about 15-year-old Salamat Masih, a young 
boy forced to give up his life in Pakistan after being accused of 
blaspheming Mohammed. And it's about To Ding Trung, a Vietnamese 
Christian evangelist serving time in Quang Ngai prison for ``abusing 
his freedom as a citizen by propagating religion illegally.''
  We are a great Nation and we are compassionate people. Vote ``yes'' 
on House Resolution 515.

                              {time}  1645

  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the resolution. It is not 
about a party, it is not about politics, it is about religious liberty 
and justice. It is regarding and about those who have been persecuted 
for their faith.
  This Congress, during the 1980's and 1970's, stood with those 
persecuted from different religious beliefs. I believe that this is one 
of the finest hours, that we stand for those who are being persecuted 
for their Christian faith, and want to again thank the chairman, the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], for his efforts, the gentleman 
from New Jersey [Mr. Smith] for his efforts, the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Lantos] for his efforts, and the House leadership on 
both sides of the aisle for moving this important bill.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Clement].
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. 
Hamilton] and thank the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Lantos], and the gentleman from Virginia 
[Mr. Wolf].
  Mr. Speaker, today I enjoy a privilege that can only be dreamed of by 
millions around the world. That privilege is freedom: My freedom to 
express myself as I choose. My freedom to openly believe in God and to 
serve Him according to the dictates of my faith.
  Yet it is a tragic reality that millions around the world are denied 
this fundamental right. The United States has rightly affirmed the U.N. 
Declaration of 1981 stating that ``Discrimination between human beings 
on grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human 
dignity * * * and shall be condemned as a violation of the human rights 
and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights.'' We have justly condemned human rights abuses against 
Tibetan Buddhists, Bosnian Muslims, Soviet Jews, and others.
  Yet there are many, many more whose cries we must also hear. For too 
long, we have shut them out, perhaps because of ignorance. We can do so 
no longer. These are the cries of millions of Christians in countries 
across the world who are harassed, tortured, raped, imprisoned, or even 
executed for exercising the freedoms we in America so easily enjoy.
  In Vietnam, China, Egypt, Iran, and other countries, government 
forces have jailed and often brutally tortured pastors, priests, or 
converts to Christianity. Some have been beaten or tortured to death.
  In the Sudan, government forces kidnap children from Christian 
communities and sell them as slaves and concubines. In China, Laos, and 
Cuba churches have been shut down or destroyed.
  In Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, and other countries, conversion from 
Islam to Christianity is punishable by death. In Pakistan, a terrible 
blasphemy law carries the death penalty for any statement against the 
prophet Muhammed.
  Mr. Speaker, it is unjust for us to ignore the suffering of these 
millions when it lies within our power to respond in some measure. It 
is my honor today to join my colleagues from both parties in 
cosponsoring House Resolution 515, introduced by Representative

[[Page H10916]]

Wolf. This resolution reaffirms our historic commitment to religious 
freedom, recommends appropriate measures on the part of our government 
and applauds the designation of an annual international day for prayer 
for these brothers and sisters. This Sunday, September 29, I plan to 
exercise my own precious freedom to join in prayer for them with 
churches and citizens across America and in 117 other countries.
  Mr. Speaker, religious freedom is not the privilege of one group. It 
is a universal right, and when the right of one is trampled, the rights 
of others follow. May we, today, not be condemned by these famous, 
haunting words of a Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany, which now hang on 
the walls of the U.S. Holocaust Museum:

       * * * they came first for the Communists, and I didn't 
     speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the 
     Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew * * * Then 
     they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I 
     was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no 
     one was left to speak up.

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his 
eloquent words.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from California [Mr. Campbell], a member of our committee.
  (Mr. CAMPBELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we enact the resolution; we do not enact the 
``whereas'' clauses. That is an important distinction that I wish to 
put on the record. I do not ask any of my brothers and sisters in this 
House of Representatives to vote no, because the resolution itself in 
my view is perfectly appropriate, but several of the ``whereas'' 
clauses, it seems to me, unnecessarily bring us to the edge of possibly 
saying things with regard to the religion of Islam that would not be 
constructive, and also with regard to the conditions in China.
  I draw particular attention to the ``whereas'' clause on page 2 of 
the committee print: ``Whereas, in several Islamic countries conversion 
to Christianity from Islam is a crime punishable by death.''
  This, I do not think is a helpful statement. I do not think it is 
helpful to criticize a part of a religion in a book regarding a 
punishment for giving up the faith, and I note that in the Judeo-
Christian religions, as well, to the followers of Christian and Jewish 
of the Old Testament, the prohibition for blasphemy is stoning, in the 
book of Deuteronomy.
  I am concerned as well in the ``whereas'' clauses regarding the 
militant Government of the Sudan as waging a ``Jihad.'' Surely our 
cause today and the cause of good feeling and human rights, including 
religious rights, would be advanced by not using the phrase ``Jihad'' 
so readily. It has, I think, a very powerful and potentially misleading 
application in this context.
  As I understand the Quran, ``Jihad'' means struggle, but certainly in 
the popular sense in the United States today it would mean a war 
commanded by, as a matter of faith, and/or as part of Islamic religion. 
I think that is a great danger to use such a phrase regarding the 
situation in the Sudan.
  Surely we could have accomplished just as much by saying that we 
condemn the large-scale human rights abuses, killings, and slavery in 
the Sudan, some of which are done for religious purposes, without using 
the extremely dangerous and I think inflammatory phrase ``Jihad 
(religions war).''
  We have also a ``whereas'' clause that ``Whereas an Islamic court in 
Kuwait has denied religious liberty to a convert to Islam from 
Christianity * * *.'' If it is a religious court, surely that is a 
matter for the religion in question. If the death penalty was applied, 
then that is a matter of human rights, but there is no allegation that 
it was applied; once more, a possible confusion of what is written in a 
book of ancient antiquity and what is actual practice.
  Lastly, in reference to China, I think it would have been more 
profitable not to condemn China wholesale, but rather the specific 
instances at issue of discrimination and human rights abuses.
  So, in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for giving me 
the opportunity to speak in what I hope is a moderating tone, to insist 
that we are fair and do not add to the flames of difficulty in passing 
this resolution, but not in endorsing all of the ``whereas'' clauses.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Smith], the distinguished chairman of 
the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights of the 
Committee on International Relations, who has been a long time and 
continuing advocate of this measure.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], for yielding time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 515, 
offered by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Virginia 
[Mr. Wolf], who has been a tireless ally in defending the helpless, the 
imprisoned, the enslaved, and the persecuted, particularly persecuted 
Christians. I want to commend my colleague for authoring this 
legislation and recognizing the modern-day travesty of religious 
intolerance, imprisonment, and increasingly, the growing numbers of 
people who are martyrs.
  In recent years, Pakistani Christian Javid Mashi was martyred; 
Iranian Christians, including Bishop Haik, have been killed and 
martyred by those regimes; Catholic and Protestant Church leaders in 
China, as well as ordinary believers, are regularly being arrested, 
regularly being beaten and fined by the dictatorship.
  I have led three human rights trips to the People's Republic of 
China, Mr. Speaker. I have seen people in this country, the community 
that has made it to this country and gotten asylum, and also people who 
have risked much to tell stories in China itself, about the incredible 
repression that the house church movement and the Catholic Church that 
is aligned with Rome endures on behalf of their belief in Christ. It is 
unbelievable, the beatings, the middle of the night visits by the 
security police, who drag them off to be interrogated, and then the 
long incarcerations for their faith.
  As a matter of fact, we met with one bishop who is aligned with Rome 
who actually celebrated mass in his apartment, only to be arrested and 
then get thrown back into prison for that expression of his religious 
belief, having already spent more than a dozen years in incarceration 
because of his faith.
  We see that the same thing is happening in Vietnam. There are a 
number of believers who are not aligned with officially recognized 
churches, which are controlled by the dictatorship, who are languishing 
in prison and often being tortured and imprisoned for their faith.
  Mr. Speaker, the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human 
Rights, which I chair, held a series of hearings in the springtime on 
religious persecution, and we spent an entire day looking at the rising 
tide of persecution against Christians.

                              {time}  1700

  The most compelling stories at that hearing and those that were 
submitted to us came from the actual victims who told us of the 
sufferings and of what they had endured. Persecution occurs in 
countries including Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi 
Arabia, the Sudan, and Turkey, where Government policies repress 
religious practice and where Islamic extremists stir public uprisings 
against Christians, particularly those who seek to share their faith 
and perhaps to witness for Christ or those who convert from Islam to 
Christianity. People can be killed simply for changing their faith. 
Where is the religious freedom in those countries where that is 
practiced?
  Persecution also occurs, as I said, in the People's Republic of 
China, in Cuba, in Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam, where Communist 
regimes feel threatened by Christians whose faith ultimately transcends 
the reach and control of political authorities.
  In many parts of the world, those in political power rightly see that 
the inner freedom and human dignity inherent in the Christian faith 
undermines the pervasive thought control imposed by those dictatorial 
regimes. Tragically, the testimony heard by our subcommittee confirmed 
that in countries governed by antidemocratic and

[[Page H10917]]

anti-Western regimes, Christians even become the scapegoats and as a 
means to vent and popularize hatred of the West and of the United 
States.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, the worldwide persecution of Christians 
continues to this day, and regrettably it is on the rise, one of the 
most compelling human rights issues in modern times. The martyrdom of 
Christians has reached absolutely staggering and shocking levels in 
this century. People of conscience have committed themselves to prayer 
and to action on behalf of those who are suffering.
  I commend the National Association of Evangelicals for their clarion 
call to action. Pope John Paul II earlier this year denounced the 
persecution of Christians by Islamic extremists and by Communist 
regimes. The World Evangelical Fellowship has spearheaded an 
international day of prayer for the persecuted church. The first annual 
day of prayer is set for Sunday, September 29.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] has raised all of 
our attention for years to this. I have traveled with him to such 
disparate places as the PRC and Romania, and we have seen persecuted 
Christians. This is another manifestation of his concern for our 
suffering brethren. I hope everybody votes for this and supports it and 
joins in this effort to provide freedom and some help for our suffering 
brethren.
  Mr. GILMAN. MR. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his strong 
supporting arguments and for pushing this measure through at this time.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the gentleman from 
Virginia [Mr. Wolf] for bringing House Resolution 515 forward. He is a 
leader on the issue of protecting human rights of people around the 
world. And I am thankful that he has brought notice to this House the 
tragic increase of anti-Christian bigotry and persecution around the 
world.
  America is the land of religious freedom, and should be a defender of 
religious liberty. We stand for a person's right to practice a faith. 
We have long since been familiar with anti-Semitism around the world, 
which continues to rear its ugly head. Many lawmakers have stood tall 
to fight that scourge. But we are here today because a new kind of 
persecution, anti-Christian persecution, is on the rise.
  In Sudan, China, Iran, Vietnam, and India, and, I regret, in other 
countries as well, Christians are being punished for believing in Jesus 
Christ or for possessing a Bible. For merely acknowledging the 
Scripture, Christians in these countries risk being kidnapped, killed, 
raped, and subjected to many other forms of torture. This is an affront 
to the international community and to all people of conscience.
  As a nation, the United States was founded on the basis that the 
Freedom of Religion was a basic human right. As elected representatives 
serving in a hall that declares ``In God We Trust,'' we in Congress 
have an obligation to speak out when religious freedom is denied.
  This resolution today affirms the commitment of Congress to condemn 
the threats to religious liberty around the world, on behalf of 
Christians and other persecuted people of faith. I call on all my 
colleagues to join us today in support of House Resolution 515.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] for his 
leadership on this issue and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House 
Resolution 515, offered by my good friend and colleague, Mr. Wolf of 
Virginia, who has been a tireless ally in defending the helpless, the 
imprisoned, the enslaved, and the persecuted--particularly persecuted 
Christians. I commend my colleague for authoring this resolution which 
recognizes the modern day travesty of religious intolerance, 
imprisonment and even martyrdom.
  In recent years, Pakistani Christian Javid Mashi was martyred; 
Iranian Christian Mehdi Dibaj, Minister Tateos Michaelian and Bishop 
Haik Hovespian-Mehr were martyred; Catholic and Protestant church 
leaders in China, as well as ordinary believers, are regularly being 
arrested, beaten and fined; Christians in Sudan have been executed, 
enslaved, tortured, and sent into forced labor for their refusal to 
convert to Islam; for the last 18 years, about one dozen Catholic 
priests and monks in Vietnam have been imprisoned; in nearby Cuba, 
Pastor Orson Vila remains under house arrest following his 10 months 
imprisonment. Mr. Speaker, the entire century has been plagued with the 
martyrdom and persecution of religious leaders and their faithful 
flocks--the number of Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox Christians 
who have died for their faith will never be fully accounted.
  The Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, which 
I chair, held hearings this past spring on religious persecution, 
particularly Christian persecution. The most compelling stories were 
from the victims themselves. Persecution occurs in countries, such as 
Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and 
Turkey, where government policies repress religious practice and where 
Islamic extremists stir public uprisings against Christians, 
particularly those who seek to share their faith or those who convert 
from Islam to Christianity.
  Persecution also occurs in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and 
Vietnam, where Communist regimes feel threatened by Christians whose 
faith ultimately transcends the reach and control of political 
authorities. In many parts of the world, those in political power 
rightly see that the inner freedom and human dignity inherent in the 
Christian faith undermines the pervasive control sought by dictatorial 
regimes. Tragically, the testimony heard by the Subcommittee confirmed 
that, in countries governed by anti-democratic, anti-Western regimes, 
Christians become scapegoats as a means to vent and popularize hatred 
of the West and of the United States.

  Clearly, if the United States is to retain its moral leadership, we 
must initiate policies that distance the United States from governments 
which engage in these persecutions, or allow rampages against the 
Christian communities and believers to go unchecked. The United States 
must seek to insure that the inalienable right to freedom of religion, 
along with the concomitant rights of freedom of speech, assembly, and 
the freedom to change one's religion, are supported through the United 
States foreign policy. Governments and tyrannical religious groups must 
be put on notice that persecution of Christians violates numerous 
international treaties and covenants and will not be tolerated by the 
United States. The Unites States must exercise decisive leadership and 
consistently raise these issues in bilateral negotiations and 
relations, and in multilateral fora.
  My colleagues, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Porter, and I had encouraged the 
White House to appoint a Special Advisor on matters of religious 
persecution. Recent press reports indicate that a special advisory 
committee is being appointed, headed by Department of State Assistant 
Secretary John Shattuck. While the stated mandate of the committee has 
not been made public, I would suggest that the mandate be unequivocal 
with a focus on the tragedy of religious persecution, particularly of 
Christians. The committee should have precise reporting deadlines. 
Proposing specific recommendations of policy, diplomatic action and 
other initiatives appropriate for government to undertake should be 
part of the committee's mandate.
  The worldwide persecution of Christians is one of the most compelling 
human rights issues in modern times. The martyrdom of Christians has 
reached alarming levels in this century and people of conscience have 
committed themselves to prayer and to action on behalf of those 
suffering. I commend the National association of Evangelical for their 
clarion call to action. Pope John Paul II, earlier this year, denounced 
the persecution of Christians by Islamist and communist regimes. The 
World Evangelical Fellowship has spearheaded an international day of 
prayer for the persecuted church. The first annual day of prayer is set 
for Sunday, September 29. I urge my friends and colleagues of all 
faiths to join in this call to action.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the resolution before 
the House, House Resolution 515.
  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my fried and colleague 
from Virginia for introducing this important piece of legislation and 
for his leadership on this issue. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this 
outstanding resolution.
  The persecution of Christians throughout the world is a serious and 
growing problem, but it has received surprisingly little attention in 
the mainstream media. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, 
160,000 Christians are killed each year for practicing their faith. The 
Congressional Human Rights Caucus held a briefing for Members on March 
7 of this year. We heard from various experts about the widespread 
persecution of Christians in China, Iran, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba, 
Pakistan, Sudan, and Egypt.
  In Sudan, Christian women and children as young as six are captured 
and sold into slavery as part of the Sudanese Government's jihad 
against Christianity. In China, churches and religious texts are 
destroyed and Christians are regularly jailed. Recently, three 
Christian leaders in China were beaten to death by Chinese authorities. 
In Kuwait, Robert Hussein was sentenced to death for converting to 
Christianity. These are just a few of the horrible examples of how 
Christians throughout the world are harassed and oppressed. Is it any 
surprise that among the worst offenders are the last remaining 
totalitarian regimes where religious freedom does not exist?

[[Page H10918]]

  Mr. Wolf, Mr. Smith of New Jersey and I sent a letter to President 
Clinton earlier this year, calling on him to present a statement on 
this crucial issue, and to fulfill his pledge to appoint a special 
adviser on religious persecution. As evidenced by the need for this 
legislation, the White House has failed to act. I am hopeful that this 
resolution will prompt strong action by the administration, placing the 
full force of our Nation's moral authority behind efforts to end 
persecution of religious minorities.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. (Mr. Gunderson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 
515, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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