[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S7612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       SPECIAL ENVOY APPOINTMENT

  Mr. KAINE. Madam President, as chairman of the Near East and South 
and Central Asia subcommittee on the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, today I cosponsored S. 653, a bill that authorizes the 
President to appoint a Special Envoy within the Department of State to 
Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and 
South Central Asia.
  Unfortunately, there is a wide range of persecuted minorities who too 
often are victims of discrimination, marginalization, and violence in 
the region. Coptic Christians in Egypt, Baha'i in Iran, Ahmadi Muslims 
in Pakistan, and Christians in Syria are examples of communities and 
faiths that suffer intolerance.
  I believe that all peoples deserve equal treatment, regardless of 
faith, and I hope the appointment of a Special Envoy within the State 
Department will help protect those universal rights.

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