[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 130 (Wednesday, August 1, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5575-S5576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      AFGHAN RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, today I would like to raise concerns 
about violence perpetrated against religious minorities in Afghanistan, 
particularly the Sikh and Hindu communities.
  One month ago today, on July 1, a suicide bomber attacked a crowd of 
Afghan Sikhs and Hindus as they gathered to meet with Afghan President 
Ashraf Ghani on his visit to Jalalabad. At least 19 innocent civilians 
lost their lives, and 10 more were wounded. The attack also claimed the 
life of Awtar Singh Khalsa, the only Sikh candidate running in 
Afghanistan's upcoming Parliamentary elections, and Rawail Singh, a 
prominent community activist.
  Of the 19 killed, 17 belonged to the minority Sikh and Hindu 
religious groups.
  I condemn this cowardly and heinous attack and all those like it in 
the strongest possible terms. The Islamic State in Afghanistan claimed 
responsibility for the July 1 attack and multiple attacks on civilian 
targets since then. It is impossible to overstate the depravity of this 
group that resorts to killing innocent people when it fails to 
otherwise advance its cause.
  We cannot allow attacks such as this on civilians to pass unremarked, 
nor can we ignore violence specifically targeted toward Afghanistan's 
diverse religious minorities. Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have long 
faced systemic discrimination, economic marginalization, and, as this 
latest attack only serves to further illustrate, unspeakable violence. 
Members of Sikh and Hindu communities report facing prejudice, 
harassment, bullying of children, and attacks from militant groups; 
disproportionate denial of their rights in Afghan courts; and even 
interference in their efforts to cremate the remains of their dead and 
peacefully adhere to other tenets of their faiths. Only a few places of 
worship remain available to Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, many of 
whom face discrimination so severe that they choose to leave the 
country.
  For his part, Mr. Khalsa's candidacy was a testament to the strength 
and resiliency of Afghan Sikhs who, even in the face of unrelenting 
hardship, remain dedicated to their country's democratic future. After 
last month's attack in Jalalabad, that kind of political engagement has 
been dealt a terrible blow.
  The recent and ongoing attacks against Sikhs and Hindus come against 
a broader backdrop of sustained violence in Afghanistan. According to 
recent figures from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, more 
Afghan civilians were killed in the first 6 months of 2018--1,692 
deaths--than in any other 6-month period over the last 10 years. This 
figure demonstrates the continuing devastation caused by the past 17 
years of war in Afghanistan and the need for the United States and our 
partners in the international community to redouble efforts toward 
reaching a negotiated political settlement that can bring this long war 
to an end. Without peace in Afghanistan, the scourges of terrorist and 
insurgent violence, illegal narcotics trafficking, corruption, and 
limited government capacity to deliver justice and other public 
services will remain, and the Afghan people will continue to suffer.
  All Afghans, of all beliefs, stand to benefit from the end of 
bloodshed. Cowardly attacks against religious minorities such as the 
one that took place in Jalalabad only serve to damage prospects for a 
peace that can benefit all.
  The Jalalabad attack is also a stark reminder of the sectarian 
violence facing religious minorities in many parts of South Asia. 
Across the region, members of minority religious groups are being 
denied their basic human rights and the ability to live free from 
discrimination or violence. Attacks like the one in Jalalabad 
underscore the urgent need for governments in the region to hold 
perpetrators accountable and to enact laws and policies that foster 
tolerance, protect minorities' rights, and respect individual freedoms.
  America is also home to many Sikh and Hindu communities living in 
every U.S. State, who, like so many minority groups in our diverse 
country, have played a positive role in the social, cultural, and 
economic development of the United States. In my home State of New 
Jersey, I am reminded every day of how much better off we all are for 
the contributions of Sikh and Hindu communities to our great State and 
Nation. This is despite the fact that individuals in the United States 
of South Asian heritage and representing diverse faiths have faced 
attacks on account of their identity, including harassment, 
discrimination in employment and schooling, or even violent

[[Page S5576]]

hate crimes, such as the devastating mass shooting in Oak Creek, 
Wisconsin Sikh Gurdwara in 2012.
  Just as we as a country will not stand for religious intolerance at 
home, we must not fail to speak out against it abroad. Respect for 
religious and other basic human freedoms worldwide is a core American 
value, one that bears repeating whenever and wherever those freedoms 
are threatened.
  In closing, I will say it again: I condemn the July 1 attack against 
Afghan Sikh and Hindu civilians and any individual or group that would 
harm innocent people based on their peaceful religious beliefs. We 
stand in solidarity with religious minorities in Afghanistan, in South 
Asia, and around the world.

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