[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 169 (Thursday, November 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
                              ACT OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2003

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 
423, recognizing the 5th anniversary of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998, legislation that established the Office of 
International Religious Freedom within the Department of State.
  This office is most often associated with its Annual Report on 
International Religious Freedom, which describes the status of 
religious freedom in each foreign country, government policies 
violating religious belief and practices, and U.S. policies to promote 
religious freedom around the world.
  This document serves as an important tool for both Congress and the 
administration in making policy decisions regarding our relations with, 
and support for, countries around the world.
  But in addition to the report, and frankly just as importantly, the 
Office develops strategies to promote religious freedom, both to attack 
the root causes of persecution and as a means of promoting other 
fundamental U.S. interests, such as protecting other core human rights, 
and encouraging the development of mature democracies.
  The importance of this work cannot be overstated--the promotion of 
religious freedom is intimately connected to the promotion of other 
fundamental human and civil rights, as well as to the growth of 
democracy.
  A government that acknowledges and protects freedom of religion and 
conscience is one that understands the inherent and inviolable dignity 
of the human person, and is more likely to protect, the other rights 
fundamental to human dignity, such as freedom from arbitrary arrest or 
seizure, or freedom from torture and murder.
  But our interest in promoting religious freedom runs deeper than our 
support for democracy and stability--it is, simply put, our most 
important core value, the very reason the 13 colonies were 
established. American support for religious freedom abroad certainly 
predates passage of this legislation in 1998. I am particularly proud 
of the role I played during my tenure as the Chairman and Ranking 
Member of the Helsinki Commission to raise awareness of religious 
persecution in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics, and the 
work of the Commission to promote the protection of religious 
minorities in the Eastern Bloc and elsewhere around the world.

  Religious freedom is the first of the freedoms enumerated in the Bill 
of Rights--a reflection of the founders' belief that freedom of 
religion and conscience is the cornerstone of liberty.
  As Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1803, ``It behooves every man who values 
liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the 
case of others; or their case may, by change of circumstances, become 
his own.''
  I was an active supporter of the original legislation, I am proud of 
the work done by the office since its creation, and am pleased to help 
commemorate this important anniversary.

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