[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9821-H9824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING THE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 407) condemning the persecution of
Christians around the world, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 407
Whereas the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22
U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) found that religious persecution is not
confined to a particular region or regime and reaffirmed the
commitment of the United States that religious freedom, which
is the freedom of thought and conscience and the right to
practice theistic and non-theistic beliefs, is the right of
every individual and should never be arbitrarily abridged by
any government;
Whereas the persecution of Christians is a global problem,
occurring in countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East,
and the Americas;
Whereas Christians face persecution not only from Islamic
extremist groups, like the Islamic State and Boko Haram, but
also from other religious extremist groups and from officials
at all levels of government;
Whereas the Middle East has been a home to Christians since
the first century A.D., but the Christian population in the
Middle East has significantly decreased over the past few
decades as a result of persecution, displacement, and
genocide;
Whereas such persecution ranges from social harassment and
discrimination to physical violence, imprisonment, torture,
enslavement, rape, and death;
Whereas Christians in Syria and Iraq have faced assault,
torture, imprisonment, enslavement, and execution in a
genocidal campaign by the Islamic State;
Whereas according to 2017 reports from international non-
governmental organizations, the Christian population in Iraq
decreased from 1,400,000 people in 2003 to just 275,000
people in 2016, as a result of displacement and genocide
caused by religious extremism;
Whereas Christian holy sites in Syria have been destroyed
by the Islamic State;
Whereas in 2016, approximately 200 Christians in Iran were
arrested, while others have been beaten, tortured, subjected
to feigned public executions, and even sentenced to death for
their faith, and at least 90 remain in illegal detention;
Whereas in Saudi Arabia, Christians as well as other
religious minorities face imprisonment, torture, and
deportation and must practice their faith in secrecy because
their houses of worship are not allowed;
Whereas on April 9, 2017, Palm Sunday, 44 people were
killed in bomb attacks by the Islamic State on Coptic
churches in Egypt;
Whereas the Islamic State has also claimed responsibility
for the attack on a bus on May 26, 2017, in which 29 Coptic
Christians were killed while traveling to a monastery in
Minya, Egypt;
Whereas since the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya has
served as a haven for militant Islamist extremist groups,
like the Islamic State, which has resulted in more violent
forms of Christian persecution;
Whereas the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the
killing of 51 Coptic Christians in Libya in February and
March of 2015;
Whereas Christian migrants from northern Africa traveling
through Libya on their way to Europe have been abducted,
trafficked, and forced to convert to Islam at the hands of
the Islamic State;
Whereas in Afghanistan there are reports that converts to
Christianity have been murdered or sent to mental hospitals;
Whereas Christians in Pakistan face accusations of
blasphemy, punishable by death, and convictions and sentences
for blasphemy are given despite little or no evidence;
Whereas according to Open Doors USA, approximately 600
Christian churches were attacked in Pakistan in 2016;
Whereas both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been
massacred by Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram;
Whereas Christian converts in Somalia often face public
execution;
Whereas in 2017, a mob of 100 men attacked a Christian
church in Uganda, beating and raping members of the
congregation;
Whereas in May 2017, a Christian governor in Indonesia was
found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in
prison, in what was widely seen as a challenge to religious
pluralism in Indonesia;
Whereas communist regimes have a strong history of
oppressing and persecuting Christians as well as other
religious minorities;
Whereas since 2013, in the Zhejiang Province of China,
crosses have been removed from over 1,500 churches as part of
that province's anti-cross campaign;
Whereas in China, members of Christian churches, as well as
other religious minorities, that are not registered with the
government face increased persecution from the Chinese state,
including the risk of imprisonment and torture;
Whereas in North Korea, the practice of Christianity is
prohibited and if caught, Christians are sent to forced labor
camps;
Whereas in November 2016, Vietnam adopted a new ``Law on
Belief and Religion'' that falls dramatically short of
internationally accepted standards for human rights and
curtails the right to religious freedom for over 8,000,000
Christians in that country;
Whereas in Mexico and Colombia, Christian church leaders
have been assaulted, threatened, and in some cases killed by
transnational criminal organizations and paramilitary armed
groups attempting to intimidate and silence them;
Whereas religious discrimination, including the persecution
of Christians, is a global human rights problem; and
Whereas the right to religious freedom is a universal right
recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns all violations of religious freedom and
affirms that religious freedom is a fundamental right of
every individual that should never be arbitrarily abridged by
any government;
(2) condemns the persecution of Christians around the
world;
(3) calls on discriminatory countries to cease their
persecution of Christians and religious minorities and combat
religious persecution carried out by extremist non-state
actors; and
(4) urges the President and the heads of the governments of
all countries around the world to uphold the right to
religious freedom and condemn the global persecution of
Christians and other religious minorities.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
[[Page H9822]]
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record on this
measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me begin here by thanking the gentleman from
Wisconsin, Representative Glenn Grothman, for his work on this
resolution.
As many in our country are preparing to celebrate this season of
peace and joy, thousands of Christian believers around the world are
marking the holiday in a much more somber way. They are marking this
holiday under a threat of persecution and under a threat of violence.
Pope Francis has said: ``When we read the history of the first
centuries, we read of so much cruelty toward Christians. I tell you:
There is the same cruelty today, and to a greater extent.''
Those were his words.
According to research, Christians today are more targeted for attack
than any other body of believers.
While about 30 percent of the world's population identifies as
Christian, 80 percent of all reported acts of religious persecution
right now are directed at Christians. Open Doors charity reports that,
each month, around the world, 300 Christians are murdered--this would
be for their faith--and more than 200 churches and properties are
destroyed. This is each month.
Over 770 acts of violence are committed against Christians, including
beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, and forced marriages.
For example, across the Middle East there are historic Christian
communities that are only one or two generations away from extinction.
These were the indigenous people to this region. In Iraq, there are now
fewer than 250,000 Christians remaining of a community that once had
more than 1.4 million believers.
Last Congress, the House took the lead in declaring the violence
against Christians committed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria as genocide.
Since then, Congress has pushed hard to make sure that these vulnerable
communities are protected and receive the assistance that they need.
I have visited these communities up in northern Iraq, and I can
attest to the amount of persecution that they have been through.
Of course, our brave men and women in uniform deserve our praise for
leading the fight to destroy ISIS, the so-called caliphate, allowing
for the safe return of Christians and other religious minorities in the
region.
We are blessed to live in this country free to enjoy our religious
festivals in peace and security. We must not turn a blind eye to the
atrocities happening elsewhere in the world.
With passage of this measure, we acknowledge the disturbing rise in
persecution of Christians around this globe and recommit our Nation to
support the religious freedom of all people.
We also call on other world leaders to end persecution of Christians
and other religious minorities that are also persecuted at the
national, local government, and community level. This includes
persecution, of course, by violent non-state actors like terrorist
groups Boko Haram and ISIS.
With this call to action, we work to advance our Nation's historic
goal to promote ``peace on Earth and goodwill toward men.''
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. I want to thank Mr.
Grothman from Wisconsin for authoring this resolution. I also thank my
good friend and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed
Royce, for his leadership as always.
Mr. Speaker, freedom of worship is a basic human right, yet we see
religious minorities all over the world subjected to persecution and
violence.
In Iraq and Syria, ISIS has forced Christians in Mosul to convert to
Islam, to pay a protection tax, and to flee or face execution. ISIS has
carried out genocide against the Yazidis, the Christians, and the
Shias. In Europe, we see synagogues fire-bombed and a surge of anti-
Semitism across the continent. In Burma, we see government security
forces engaged in ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.
{time} 1530
Freedom of religion has been a bedrock principle of open and
democratic societies for centuries. It is enshrined in our founding
documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in
charters of democracies all over the world.
The freedom to worship as a person chooses or not to worship at all
is a broad right that should not be restrained by a government or a
fanatical group. Religious persecution holds societies back, undercuts
progress, and is usually associated with a much broader assault on
basic human rights.
Here in the United States, we must make it clear that it is not
enough to just guarantee religious liberty to our own people. We must
speak out and act when we see this freedom, this liberty, and any other
freedom under attack anywhere and hold accountable those responsible
for human rights abuses.
In places like China, we see freedom of speech under attack. In
Chechnya, we see LGBT individuals targeted, tortured, and executed by
Putin's cronies just for whom they love. We see women's reproductive
rights under attack.
We must also speak out against attacks on our press, on our right to
organize, on equality for LGBT persons, and on women's right to control
their own bodies. This legislation helps us send a clear message that
protecting all human rights is a priority for the United States.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, we all know that America's first immigrants
came here because they were fleeing religious persecution in their home
countries. It would be hypocritical of us to condemn current-day
religious persecution around the world and then to slam our doors shut
in the face of those trying to flee such persecution. America must
remain a place where those facing persecution or death can find refuge.
Mr. Speaker, I support this measure and urge my colleagues to do the
same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman), the author of this resolution.
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my resolution, H. Res. 407,
condemning the persecution of Christians around the world.
The persecution of Christians is a global human rights problem that
Congress needs to address. According to Open Doors' 2017 World Watch
List, approximately 1 in 12 Christians around the world is experiencing
persecution for their faith.
North Korea, which is one of the world's most repressive regimes, is
a serious violator of international religious Christian rights, which
is not surprising, given it is a communist country. Communist countries
throughout history have done what they can to suppress and destroy
Christians.
Human rights groups have reported that members of underground
churches in North Korea have been arrested, beaten, tortured, or
killed.
In another communist country, China, religious groups, including
Christians, are required to register with the government. Those that do
not face imprisonment and torture.
In 2016, 232 Protestants were imprisoned for their religious
activities. As part of the country's anti-cross campaign, some 2,000
crosses and buildings have been demolished since 2014, according to
State Department estimates.
In the Middle East, the Islamic State and other jihadist militant
groups have forced Christians in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and other
countries in the region to flee or risk enslavement, execution, or
death. Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the number of
Christians in Iraq has plunged from 1.5 million to just a couple
hundred thousand.
In Libya, ISIS and other extremist groups have gained a stronghold in
the country since the fall of Qadhafi.
[[Page H9823]]
I reluctantly have to point out that the Christian persecution going
on in Libya and Iraq has happened after the United States decided to
get involved in these countries, so we have a special responsibility to
look out for the Christians there.
In Egypt, ISIS claimed responsibility for killing over 70 Coptic
Christians earlier this year.
The persecution of Christians in the Middle East doesn't end with
terrorists. It is institutional, as well.
Pakistan has some of the most extreme blasphemy laws in the world. In
June of 2016, two Christians received death sentences for blasphemy
convictions.
In Iran, approximately 200 Christians were arrested last year. At
least 90 remain in illegal detention.
Acts of persecution against Christians across the globe is a
violation of international law, which is why Congress must act.
Sadly, in our own country, the United States, sometimes Christians
can be forced to participate in ceremonies with which they don't agree.
It is kind of hard to believe that this is going on in the United
States of America.
H. Res. 407 will condemn the persecution of Christians around the
world. It calls for all discriminatory countries and groups to cease
their persecution of religious minorities and urge world leaders to
uphold the universal human right to religious freedom.
I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan
resolution.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend
and colleague for yielding and for his incredible leadership as the
ranking member on this important committee. I also thank Chairman Royce
for his work on this issue, bringing the bill to the floor, and truly
being a visionary legislator in shining a spotlight on the systematic
persecution of Christians around the world. It is frightening, it is
wrong, and we need to do everything we can to stop it.
Freedom of religion is a core American principle and a key component
for peace and stability around the world. There are too many examples
of Christian persecution. Congress must clearly condemn those
atrocities.
As cofounder and co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus, I have long
advocated for reforms in Turkey to respect the rights of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate and reopen the Halki seminary.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1
minute.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Boko Haram has wreaked havoc in
Nigeria, killing innocent Christians and Muslims alike.
Coptic Christians in Egypt and elsewhere face the constant threat of
violence, and we have seen some tragedies for this community just in
the past year. The number of Coptic Christians that have been killed is
truly astounding. They have laws now that, if a wall falls or any
church needs repair, you cannot even repair the church.
These are just a few examples of spots around the world where
Christian persecution is rampant.
Persecution against Christians and other religious minorities around
the world is a security crisis, and the United States Government must
remain vigilant in monitoring and response. It should be a unanimous
vote in support of this important resolution.
I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for bringing this to
the attention of Congress and, hopefully, the world.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, protecting human rights has been and must remain a
cornerstone of our foreign policy. Around the world, we see religious
liberties under siege in places like Iraq, Syria, Burma, and certainly
in Iran. But we also see threats to free press, rights to organize,
persecution for sexual orientation, and even reproductive rights in
places like China, Chechnya, and other places as well. So we must send
a clear message to the world that the United States does not and will
not stand idly by, and helping pass this measure helps us to say just
that.
I want to thank Chairman Royce, as always, for his cooperation. This
is strong, important, bipartisan legislation, and we should pass it
unanimously.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me supporting H. Res. 407,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Mr. Engel for his leadership in
bringing these issues to the floor and, certainly, our colleague, the
cosponsor of this resolution, Carolyn Maloney. I thank, again,
Congressman Glenn Grothman for authoring this important resolution
here.
Christians around the world are being assaulted, raped, tortured, and
murdered. Believers in North Korea, for example, have ``disappeared''
by the hundreds. They are hidden away in labor camps for decades. Many
of them are worked to death, as you know by the conditions in those
camps. The reason they are there is they attempted to practice their
faith: Christianity.
We know that, at the hands of ISIS, brutal atrocities have risen to
the level of genocide. Wherever ISIS goes, you see the consequence in
the terror that is visited upon Christians, Yazidis, Jews, and other
races.
In terms of the positioning that ISIS had in the Middle East, they
had ready access to the Christian communities. Having visited those
Christian communities in the aftermath of those attacks as they escaped
into the Kurdish regions, it was absolutely heart-wrenching to hear the
accounts of the survivors about what had happened among the Christians
and Yazidis.
These are just a few of the examples of the persecution against
Christians that is happening around the world.
I urge my colleagues to join me in this call to world leaders to work
to stop the global persecution of Christians.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House
Resolution 407 condemning the persecution of Christians around the
world, as amended.
I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who have been
persecuted for their religious views and remain committed to fighting
with you as we embark on the journey of promoting freedom of
conscience, speech, association, religion, and all other freedoms that
are inalienable to all humankind.
As a Member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I continue to
work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner in order to amplify the
important work of upholding religious freedom, facilitating human
dignity, and protecting human rights.
As a Member of Congress, one of our charges is to understand how to
improve religious freedom and diplomacy across the globe and here at
home.
A good measure for this congressional call of fostering religious
freedom and diplomacy is H. Res. 407 that calls on:
(1) discriminatory regimes to cease their persecution of not only
Christians but all religious minorities, and
(2) the President and heads of the governments of all democratic
countries to uphold the right to religious freedom and condemn the
persecution of Christians and minorities.
This resolution highlights the United States foreign policy
commitment to the protection and promotion of religious freedom across
the globe from Indonesia, to Pakistan to Nigeria to China to name a
few.
The persecution of religious minorities is a global problem,
occurring in countries across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the
Americas.
Christians, for example, face persecution not only from Islamic
extremist groups, like the Islamic State and Boko Haram, but also from
other religious extremist groups and from officials at all levels of
certain foreign government.
Such persecution of religious minorities ranges from social
harassment and discrimination to physical violence, imprisonment,
torture, enslavement, rape, and death.
Over 200 million Christians experience persecution across the globe,
the majority of those are found in the Middle East. But it is important
to note that Christianity is not a Western imposition on historically
Islamic countries in the Middle East.
The Middle East has been a home to Christians since the first century
A.D., but unfortunately the Christian population in the Middle East has
significantly decreased over the past few decades as a result of
persecution, displacement, and genocide.
[[Page H9824]]
Not only Christian lives, but also Christian holy sites have been
destroyed by the Islamic State.
And not only Christians, but anyone who opposed their ruthless war on
peace.
In many places, Christians must practice their faith in secrecy
because churches are not allowed, and makeshift churches in homes are
raided.
A loud example of this persecution is aimed at the Coptic Christians
in Egypt that have faced persecution for over 50 years, and on April 9,
2017, Palm Sunday, 44 people were killed in bomb attacks by the Islamic
State on Coptic churches.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on a bus
on May 26, 2017, in which 29 Coptic Christians were killed while
traveling to a monastery in Minya, Egypt;
This important resolution describes numerous instances where
Christians have been attacked by terrorist groups, groups that hide
behind religion as a pretext to destroy minority groups and to
recklessly and harmfully seek power.
Religious minority persecution has been on the rise in Asia,
primarily due to religious nationalism.
Recently, in Bangladesh, hundreds of Christians are being forced off
their property, and legal action rarely results in the favor of a
Christian party.
In Burma/Myanmar, since late August 2017, more than 645 thousand
ethnic Rohingya have fled a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Burma's
security forces and sought asylum in Bangladesh.
The Rohingya massacre is another example of religious minority
persecution, overlooked and disregarded by a government that, as some
may surmise, values power over people.
Not surprisingly, Christians and other dissidents of the government
in North Korea are forced into harsh labor camps, where approximately
70,000 Christians are imprisoned in 2017.
All that is to say that religious discrimination is a global human
rights problem and the right to religious freedom is a universal right
recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In the 114th Congress, I introduced and continue to support
legislation by my colleagues that seek to protect religious freedom and
democracy which are the very bedrock of the United States Constitution.
Fighting for human rights across the globe is one of my passions and
I have sought to promote and protect religious freedom such as H. Res.
290, a resolution I introduced in the last Congress condemning
blasphemy laws that serve as a pretext to persecute religious
minorities; that resolution was co-sponsored by our former colleague,
Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania.
Within the context of H. Res. 407 and other legislation addressing
human rights, some of the issues we continue to grapple with include:
Expanding the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list to include
more countries who have not improved in their treatment of religious
minorities or upholding religious freedoms;
The need for an Annual Countries of Particular Concerns Designations;
Double hatting of sanctions and indefinite waivers;
The need to designate non-state actors as violators of religious
freedom;
Prosecuting Islamic state militants; and
The need to have a high functioning Department of State with
appropriate leadership for both senior and junior staff, and sufficient
funding.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 407, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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