[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 53 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E566-E567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NEGLECTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 2010

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I would like to share with our colleagues an 
editorial from the April 9 Scranton Times Tribune urging the Obama 
administration to name an Ambassador at Large for International 
Religious Freedom, as required by the International Religious Freedom 
Act, which was passed by Congress in 1998. The editorial rightly points 
out that the portfolio of this ambassador is ``fundamental to American 
ideals. . . .''
  The absence of a consistent voice dedicated to the pursuit of 
religious freedom both within the State Department and globally in our 
interactions with foreign governments is deeply concerning. America 
must speak out for those around the world whose most basic freedoms are 
being trampled.

                 [From the Times-Tribune, Apr. 9, 2010]

                        Name, Elevate Ambassador

       More than a year into office, President Barack Obama has 
     yet to name a key diplomat with a portfolio that is 
     fundamental to American ideals, international human rights 
     and U.S. law.
       The Religious Freedom Act of 1998, for good reason, 
     requires the appointment of an ambassador-at-large for 
     international religious freedom.

[[Page E567]]

       Religious liberty is, of course, a founding principle of 
     the United States. The first line of the First Amendment 
     states it flatly: ``Congress shall make no law respecting an 
     establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise 
     thereof . . .''
       Abundant experience shows that a government's lack of 
     religious tolerance is a sure indicator of broader 
     oppression. And it is a very modern problem. According to the 
     Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, about 70 percent of 
     the world's people live under regimes that restrict religious 
     freedom.
       The Clinton and George W. Bush administrations both named 
     ambassadors-at-large for religious freedom but failed to 
     afford them the status required by the 1998 law. Passed 
     unanimously by Congress, the law requires the ambassador to 
     be the principal adviser to the president and the secretary 
     of state on matters of international religious freedom.
       As noted by Joseph Grieboski, the Lackawanna County native 
     who founded the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, the 
     current administration would further diminish the status of 
     the ambassador by having the eventual appointee report far 
     down the chain of command rather than directly to the 
     president or secretary of state.
       Other ambassadors-at-large, for counterterrorism, war 
     crimes and global women's issues, report directly to the 
     president or secretary, or both, as required by the laws 
     establishing the positions.
       Religious liberty is a human rights issue inextricably 
     woven into America's position of promoting democracy and 
     freedom around the world. President Obama should signal 
     repressive regimes that it is an important matter to the 
     United States by quickly naming an ambassador and having that 
     person consult directly with him and the secretary of state.

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