[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 574]
[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. Mr. Speaker, last week the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
Commission held a hearing on the plight of Christian minorities in Iraq 
and Egypt. In the wake of the devastating attacks targeting Christians 
in both countries, it is clear that religious minorities in the Middle 
East are facing a serious threat that must be addressed. This recent 
spate of violence has driven many Christians and other religious 
minorities to flee the lands they have inhabited for centuries and 
attempt to emigrate to the West. If the international community fails 
to speak out, the prospects for religious pluralism and tolerance in 
the region are bleak.
  President Reagan once said that the U.S. Constitution is ``a covenant 
that we have made not only with ourselves, but with all of mankind.'' I 
believe the United States has an obligation to speak out for the 
voiceless around the world.
  This week I will introduce, with other Members, a bill which would 
require the administration to appoint a Special Envoy for religious 
minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia in order to make 
this issue a foreign policy priority, and I ask my colleagues to join 
me.

                          ____________________