[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16504]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             STANDING AGAINST RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS

  (Mr. DUFFY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Speaker, last week Egyptian gunmen attacked a wedding 
at the Coptic Christian Church of the Virgin Mary, killing four and 
wounding many others. Among those killed were two young girls, a 12-
year-old and an 8-year-old. As a father of six, I can't imagine the 
horror and pain of those families having to bury their two young 
children.
  We have to ask: What was their offense? What was their crime, this 
12-year-old and this 8-year-old? Their crime was, their offense was 
that they were practicing their faith, that they were Christians.
  Mr. Speaker, in the coming weeks, Secretary John Kerry is going to be 
visiting Egypt. I call on Secretary Kerry to highlight during his visit 
the religious freedom abuses that have been occurring throughout Egypt. 
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has already 
named Egypt as a country of particular concern for religious freedom 
violations.
  I call on every Member of this House to stand up against those who 
are attacking Christians around the world. It is our duty to stand with 
those who have been abused for practicing their faith.

                          ____________________