[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CALLING FOR A SPECIAL ENVOY ON RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST 
                         AND SOUTH CENTRAL ASIA

  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WOLF. In the wake of the devastating attacks targeting Christians 
in Iraq and Egypt last year, it is clear that religious minorities in 
the Middle East are facing a grave threat. There are even reports of 
Christian women who, having fled Iraq, are living in ghettos in Syria 
and have been driven to prostitution in a desperate attempt to provide 
for their families.
  With the exception of Israel, the Bible contains more references to 
ancient Iraq than any other country: Abraham, Nineveh, Esther, Daniel, 
to name a few.
  Iraq and Egypt are not an anomaly. A Christian mother of five in 
Pakistan remains in prison charged with blasphemy. If found guilty, she 
faces the death penalty.
  In the face of these grim realities, I have introduced bipartisan 
legislation, H.R. 440, which would create a special envoy at the State 
Department to advocate on behalf of religious minorities in the Middle 
East and South Central Asia. I urge all colleagues who care about the 
persecution of Christians in Iraq and Pakistan and Egypt to cosponsor 
my bill.

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