[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9084-9086]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT OF 1998 AMENDMENT

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 4028) to amend the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 to include the desecration of cemeteries among the many forms 
of violations of the right to religious freedom, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4028

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Cemeteries are sacred sites that are of great 
     spiritual, cultural, and historical significance to many 
     religious and ethnic groups.
       (2) Congress is committed to protecting and preserving the 
     heritage and sacred sites of national, religious, and ethnic 
     groups, which includes cemeteries in the United States and 
     abroad.
       (3) Cemeteries around the world have and continue to be 
     defaced or destroyed as a direct result of their affiliation 
     with a particular religious or spiritual group.
       (4) Such attacks constitute an assault on the fundamental 
     right to freedom of religion, and are especially egregious 
     when sponsored or tolerated by the local or national 
     governments in the countries in which such offenses occur.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT OF 
                   1998.

       Section 2(a)(4) of the International Religious Freedom Act 
     of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)(4)) is amended in the fourth 
     sentence by inserting ``desecration of cemeteries,'' after 
     ``confiscations of property,''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. 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 on this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the fundamental freedom to practice the religion of 
one's choosing is a fundamental right and an essential element of 
democratic governance. Religious organizations of all kinds view their 
cemeteries, Mr. Speaker, as hallowed ground, deserving of respect and 
protection. Freedom of religion includes the right to gather at these 
sacred sites and to pay our respects to the beloved faithful who have 
gone before us.
  Yet, in many places around the world, the desecration of religious 
cemeteries is an ongoing problem: sometimes through vandalism by 
intolerant groups; sometimes by construction or demolition without 
proper consultation of religious authorities. For example, Mr. Speaker, 
earlier this month, more than 50 graves were vandalized in a Jewish 
cemetery in northeast Hungary--their headstones toppled and smashed.
  I was proud to be an original cosponsor of a similar effort by former 
Congressman Robert Turner last Congress, and I want to commend the 
gentlelady from New York (Ms. Meng) for her leadership in introducing 
H.R. 4028 this year. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, 
which this bill modifies, guides U.S. policy in promoting freedom of 
religion around the world.
  Among other aspects, that law requires the State Department to report 
annually on violations of religious freedom abroad. By adding 
``desecration of cemeteries'' to the examples of religious freedom 
violations listed in that act, H.R. 4028 says loudly and clearly that 
Congress and the American people stand in staunch opposition to the 
deliberate desecration of religious burial grounds.

                              {time}  1630

  In this way, the bill provides extra incentives for foreign 
governments to respect the rights of religious organizations regarding 
cemetery preservation.
  In addition to Ms. Meng, I also want to recognize the important 
contributions of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) during the 
Foreign Affairs Committee markup of this bill. Their bipartisan efforts 
have led to the good bill before us today, which deserves our unanimous 
support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MENG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and 
I rise in strong support of H.R. 4028, the Protect Cemeteries Act, 
which I authored.
  This resolution amends the International Religious Freedom Act to 
include the desecration of cemeteries among the forms of violations of 
the right to religious freedom.
  I would like to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for 
helping to craft and advance this bipartisan resolution and for 
recognizing the seriousness of cemetery desecration. There is truly a 
bipartisan and collaborative spirit on the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
and that is a testament to its excellent leadership.
  I would also like to thank Congressman Doug Collins for his 
partnership here and valuable contributions to the bill, and thank you 
to both Republican

[[Page 9085]]

and Democratic committee staffs for recognizing the value of this 
resolution and working so hard to bring it to the floor today.
  I would particularly like to thank Janice Kaguyutan, Jessica Kahan, 
and Doug Campbell for all their help and great work. Thanks as well to 
Agudath Israel and to Dr. Bernard Fryshman for his dogged advocacy on 
this issue over many years.
  The resolution is short, but--I believe--very significant. We are 
strengthening the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 by 
addressing the sanctity of burial grounds. Pursuant to this act, the 
United States can impose penalties on countries that obstruct religious 
freedom. These include, but are not limited to cutting foreign aid, 
imposing trade sanctions, and canceling cultural and scientific 
exchanges.
  There are two related problems we seek to address through this 
legislation. One is the religiously motivated vandalism of cemeteries 
that occurs with alarming regularity. The second is the building and 
development over cemeteries in places where there are no communities 
remaining to protect and look out for the cemeteries. H.R. 4028 will 
give our diplomats a new tool they can use to protect our interests.
  H.R. 4028 also empowers the commissions on International Religious 
Freedom and on the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. The 
latter commission was established in the 1980s through legislation 
introduced by the late Congressman Stephen Solarz.
  It works to identify and preserve cemeteries, memorials, and 
buildings in foreign countries that are associated with the cultural 
heritage of Americans, and it does much work in areas of the former 
Soviet Union, where Jewish communities were destroyed by the Holocaust 
and where power subsequently passed to atheistic, communist regimes.
  It is essential that we act to protect religious freedom in these 
areas where, as we know, political instability and anti-Semitism are 
widespread. The genocides of the 20th century destroyed communities and 
left their burial grounds uncared for and unpreserved.
  The preservation of cemeteries often reflects the religious tolerance 
and freedom of the countries in which they are located. It is my hope 
that this resolution will help promote such preservation and greater 
tolerance, respect, and empathy around the world, as well as honest 
assessments of history. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4028.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and 
International Organizations.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 4028 introduced by my good friend and colleague, the gentlewoman 
from New York (Ms. Meng), which adds desecration of cemeteries as a 
violation of religious freedom identified in the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
  Sadly, such an addition is necessary because we have seen repeated 
acts of desecration of cemeteries occurring throughout the world, 
especially in Europe, but also in the United States, including my own 
State of New Jersey.
  Jewish cemeteries seem to be a particular target of desecration. By 
some counts, attacks on Jewish cemeteries have been on the rise over 
the last several years. We have tried to document that again and again 
in our work at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Organization for 
Security Cooperation itself.
  A number of Jewish organizations as well have come forward with 
extraordinarily demoralizing numbers of cemeteries, as well as 
synagogues that have been attacked, as there is a rising tide of anti-
Semitism.
  I chaired a hearing on May 22 on the International Religious Freedom 
Act with a focus on the Commission on Religious Freedom, and one of the 
things that was brought forward in vivid detail has been the lack of 
enforcement and the lack of due diligence on the part of the 
administration when it comes to the International Religious Freedom 
Act. Not since 2011 has there been a designation of what we call 
country of particular concern, CPC status, or the dishonorable status 
that it conveys ought to be done every year.
  Congressman Frank Wolf, the author of IRFA, the International 
Religious Freedom Act, made it very clear it is law, and I would point 
out for the record that I chaired all of the hearings in the House as 
that bill was working its way through the House. We have had, I 
believe, a dereliction of duty on the part of the administration to do 
what it has to do under IRFA.
  There has been no designation since 2011. The commission pointed out 
that there are eight countries that ought to be so designated, followed 
by eight others, including Vietnam, that needed to be added to the 
list, making a total of 16 countries that are then liable to sanctions, 
the 18 or so sanctions that are prescribed in the legislation, again, 
authored by Mr. Wolf.
  I am so glad Ms. Meng is adding this to the list, but the list itself 
and all of the other violations need to be taken seriously by the 
administration. Hope springs eternal. I hope they do it sooner rather 
than later--like today--but I won't hold my breath.
  I say this because it is a very, very serious issue, and that was 
brought forward at our hearing just the other day.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, there are other groups, including the Ahmadi 
religious minority in Pakistan. We heard testimony on May 22 about how 
their gravestones are being violated as well.
  By far, Jewish people have their cemeteries desecrated and others as 
well, and it is a terrible and despicable act of violence against 
individuals and religious freedom.
  Ms. MENG. Seeing no other speakers, I yield myself the balance of my 
time to close.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, anti-Semitism and religious intolerance 
remain all too prevalent in our world. We grapple with these issues in 
some form every day.
  This resolution will give American officials real tools with which to 
promote not only religious tolerance, but truth, truth in the form of 
preservation and recognition of the memories of those who came before 
us, and only through truth can we realize a better world.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to, again, thank Ms. Meng for her 
wonderful leadership role in this and many other pieces of legislation 
going through our Foreign Affairs Committee and commend Mr. Collins, as 
well, for this blow against hatred and intolerance and in favor of 
religious free exercise around the world. I strongly support the bill 
by Ms. Meng, H.R. 4028.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
Congresswoman Meng's legislation. Including language that protects 
cemeteries is consequential as every culture and faith hold final 
resting places as sacred ground.
  Just two months ago in March vandals broke into a Jewish cemetery in 
Hungary. The vandals spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic messages 
on the Jewish tombstones to show their hatred.
  This is a stark reminder of the travesties against personal freedoms 
abroad. These incidents are not isolated and often coincide with other 
violations against religious freedom.
  Desecrating the cemetery of another religious or ethnic group is a 
very defiant way to express hatred and inflict pain. The religious or 
ethnic groups that care for the cemeteries are having their religious 
rights trampled on.
  These prejudice acts are especially devastating when tolerated or 
encouraged by the local or national government.
  The final resting place for the deceased deserve the respect of all 
regardless of personal beliefs or religion and deserve to be added to 
the list of violations to the International Religious Freedom Act.
  I want to thank Congresswoman Meng for authoring this legislation and 
bringing this issue to Congress' attention.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4028, as amended.

[[Page 9086]]

  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________