[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 119 (Friday, July 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E991-E992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 13, 2017

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2810) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense and for military 
     construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for 
     such fiscal year, and for other purposes:

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the Franks 
Amendment No. 13 to H.R. 2810, the ``National Defense Authorization 
Act'' (NDAA), which would require the federal government to conduct so-
called strategic assessments of Islamic religious doctrine.
  I am shocked and appalled at this blatant attempt to single out 
Muslims for a religious test in a direct violation of the Constitution 
and our nation's founding principles.
  It frankly astounds me that such a hateful, discriminatory, and 
incoherent piece of religious bigotry has been made in order for this 
bill and is under consideration today.
  To illustrate the sheer absurdity of this amendment, I would like to 
offer the amendment's sponsor a brief lesson on the history of 
religious persecution and freedom in the United States.
  In 1620, a group of English-born Puritans braved the Atlantic Ocean 
in order to found Plymouth Colony in the New World of America--they 
were fleeing, above all else, religious persecution in England, where 
discriminatory religious tests were common practice and the law.
  On September 17, 1878, two and a half centuries later, 39 delegates 
signed the United States Constitution; in Article 6, Section 3 of this 
Constitution, they wrote that ``no religious test shall ever be 
required . . . under the United States.''
  In the First Amendment, they went even further: ``Congress shall make 
no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free 
exercise thereof.''
  Every child in America knows these facts about our nation's founding.
  The essential human right to freedom of worship, without fear of 
persecution or discrimination, is explicitly written into our genetic 
code as Americans.
  What we do not teach our children is to associate any particular 
religion with the violent acts of a few extremists who claim to belong 
to that religion.
  We understand that such an accusation would be irrational, 
intellectually dishonest, and ineffective at identifying and combatting 
the real roots of violent extremism.
  It would be remiss for me to neglect to point out that the Ku Klux 
Klan was founded and continues to identify as a Christian organization, 
or that racial terrorist Dylann Roof, who murdered nine innocent 
churchgoers in cold blood, was himself a member of a Lutheran church.
  Yet Representative Franks' amendment does not require any strategic 
assessments of ``violent or unorthodox'' Christian doctrine.
  Instead, Amendment No. 13 wrongfully casts the specter of terrorism 
upon all Muslim communities and individuals through the use of coded 
language like ``strategic assessments.''
  Nowhere does this Amendment acknowledge the fact that many Muslims, 
both domestically and abroad, have been contributing wholeheartedly to 
the U.S.'s mission to end violent extremism.
  Amendment No. 13 mandates the identification of key Islamic leaders 
who practice any form of Islam, with no exception for those who have 
never violated any laws--this is not only a completely nonsensical 
proposition, but a dangerous violation of the principles of religious 
liberty, individual privacy, and equal protection as established by the 
First Amendment.
  Amendment No. 13 requires the Secretary of Defense to create a ``team 
of experts'' to determine which practices and beliefs of the Islam are 
legitimate or acceptable--another direct violation of the Constitution.
  Mr. Chair, this Amendment is a stain on our national honor and pride 
as Americans.

[[Page E992]]

  Muslim Americans make up a vital part of our nation's diverse, 
multicultural fabric; every day, they make valuable contributions to 
the arts, the economy, academia, government, military services, and 
much more.
  If it is passed, Amendment No. 13 would only further stigmatize and 
alienate a vibrant community of Americans who have been subject to 
harassment and discrimination for years, and especially under the Trump 
Administration.
  We are better than that and I urge all Members to join me in 
rejecting this terrible legislation.

                          ____________________