[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 171 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 4, 2013

  Mr. BENTIVOLIO. Mr. Speaker, as the United States continues to 
improve relations with the Islamic world, partnership with the 
Organization of Islamic Cooperation has become indispensable in 
creating mutual respect and progressive reform that has served as a 
bulwark against extremism, conflict, and suffering around the world.
  Comprised of 57 states, the OIC specifically has been identified by 
the previous and current U.S. administrations as a key partner in 
changing the dynamic between the U.S. and the worldwide Muslim 
community through ongoing cultural dialogue and extensive humanitarian 
efforts.
  Joint initiatives between the U.S. and the OIC have helped to 
eradicate polio and promote maternal health in Mali, Bangladesh, 
Afghanistan, and Nigeria.
  This partnership has also facilitated discussions on creating 
economic opportunity worldwide as a permanent solution to extremist 
recruitment endeavors, which continually seek out the most 
disadvantaged in society.
  Interfaith and intercultural discourse focusing on promoting 
religious respect and the modernization of the Muslim world have 
provided the means to produce new, lasting foundations of cooperation, 
which will be fundamental in ensuring American interests and 
international stability in the future.
  The continued support of the OIC and its efforts to promote peace, 
security, and fundamental rights should be of paramount importance in 
U.S. foreign policy.
  It is through relationships such as these that the United States will 
remain a consistent engine of positive international change.

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