[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E853-E854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ELEVATING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues legislation I am introducing to amend the International 
Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), including reauthorizing the U.S. 
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Religious 
freedom, often referred to as the first freedom, is of central import 
to the American experiment. As such it should feature prominently in 
U.S. foreign policy.
  Recognizing that this critical issue and other human rights related 
issues are often relegated to the sidelines within the State 
Department, I authored legislation more than ten years ago, in 1998, to 
establish the International Religious Freedom Office at the State 
Department, headed by an ambassador at-large, and to create the 
USCIRF--an independent, bipartisan commission charged with monitoring 
the status of freedom of religion or belief abroad and providing policy 
recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
  Since the passage of this legislation, religious freedom has been 
elevated within U.S. foreign policy. But it still does not enjoy the 
preeminence it deserves. And sadly, a strong U.S. voice on this 
critical issue has arguably never been more needed.
  According to a Pew Research Study released in December 2009, one-
third of all nations, containing 70 percent of the world's population, 
severely restrict religious freedom. We need look no further than the 
daily newspapers to know that these statistics are not

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mere numbers. Rather, they are sobering realities for millions of 
people of faith around the globe. Consider the following headlines from 
recent weeks alone: ``Chinese Christians Face Tense Easter in 
Beijing,'' ``Egyptian Copts, Reeling From Violence, Want Protection,'' 
``Baha'i Citizens Are Forced to Leave Iran,'' ``Pakistan's Other 
Blemish: Anti-Religious Violence,'' ``Indonesia Pressured Over 
Ahmadiyah Muslim Sect Killings,'' and ``Thousands of Cameras Watch 
China's Uighurs, Inhibiting Discourse.''
  The bill I introduce today will make a number of strategic 
improvements to the Religious Freedom Office at the State Department. 
To start, it places the ambassador-at-large in the office of the 
Secretary of State as opposed to burying it within the Bureau of 
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. This change is more in keeping with 
the original intent of the legislation that Congress passed. Over 
successive administrations this critical position has not been treated 
with the seniority it deserves and this revised language will help 
rectify this problem.
  The legislation also provides the ambassador with oversight and 
management authority of the IRF Office and other religiously oriented 
positions and programs at the State Department and carves out funding 
in the larger Human Rights and Democracy Fund to enable the IRF office 
to promote religious freedom through advocacy, reporting and 
programming. The legislation requires the Secretary of State, in 
coordination with the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the 
Treasury and the U.S. Agency for International Development to issue a 
one-time report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to 
promote religious freedom and religious engagement.
  In addition the legislation requires religious freedom training for 
every Foreign Service Officer (FSO) and states that USCIRF must be 
involved in that training. American embassies abroad must be islands of 
freedom. Whether in Vietnam, China, Pakistan or Iraq--every FSO should 
be trained and committed to advocating for those whose voices have been 
silenced by their own governments. This mandatory training will help 
ensure that our diplomatic corps is equipped in this regard.
  My legislation also strengthens the ``Countries of Particular 
Concern'' (CPC) designation process and effectiveness. CPCs are 
countries whose governments are found to have engaged in or tolerated 
particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The amended 
language will require that CPC designations are made 90 days after the 
issuance of the State Department's annual religious freedom report. One 
hundred and twenty days after a country has been designated a CPC, the 
Secretary of State must submit a report to Congress that identifies the 
action taken, the purpose of the action, and an evaluation of its 
effectiveness and impact. Also included is language tightening the 
President's waiver authority, so that indefinite waivers are not an 
option.
  Very significantly, this legislation will reauthorize the U.S. 
Commission on International Religious Freedom until September 30, 2018. 
USCIRF, unlike the State Department, is unencumbered by the impulse to 
maintain good bilateral relations above all else--an impulse which 
sadly can result in critical issues of religious freedom being 
sidelined in the pursuit of broader foreign policy goals.
  USCIRF, as an independent, bipartisan Federal Government commission, 
has been a reliable voice for the world's persecuted people. It 
monitors and reports on religious freedom abroad and makes informed 
policy recommendations to Members of Congress, the President and the 
State Department, based in part on information gathered during 
extensive travel and meetings with senior foreign officials.
  USCIRF regularly holds briefings and hearings for interested parties 
on and off the Hill and is frequently called upon to provide expert 
witness testimony to Congress.
  Just in the last year the Commission has taken a leadership role on a 
series of key issues. It was quick to recognize the strategic 
importance and courageous voice of the late Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's 
federal minister of Minorities Affairs, an outspoken critic of his 
nation's draconian blasphemy laws. During a critical time for the 
people of Sudan, it also issued special recommendations on the 
implementation of the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement. It has 
made a series of policy recommendations aimed at preserving and 
protecting Iraq's besieged religious minorities. It also has actively 
worked with dozens of Hill offices on combating the ``defamation of 
religions'' resolution before the United Nations.
  In short, ensuring that the commission is reauthorized is of 
paramount importance. In a Constitution Day speech, President Ronald 
Reagan famously described our founding documents which enshrine basic 
liberties, among them religious freedom, as a ``covenant we have made 
not only with ourselves, but with all of mankind.'' Passage of this 
legislation will go a long way in helping us keep that covenant. I urge 
my colleagues' support.

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