International Religious Freedom

I have long believed that the United States has an obligation to speak out for religious freedom, often referred to as the “first freedom.”  Recognizing that religious freedom was often sidelined in our bilateral relations and diplomatic engagement with other countries, in 1998, I authored the International Religious Freedom Act, which created the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and established the International Religious Freedom Office at the State Department headed by an ambassador-at-large.   This was a critical first step in integrating religious freedom into our broader foreign policy, but much remains to be done.  Just last year the commission was reauthorized for an additional three years.  You can access my statement here following passage of this critical legislation.

Sadly, religious freedom advocacy has never been more needed.  Last year the Pew Forum released a report on global restrictions on religion which found that "nearly 70 percent of the world’s 6.8 billion people live in countries with high restrictions on religion, the brunt of which often falls on religious minorities." If the international community fails to speak out and advocate for those whose basic human rights are being trampled, the prospects for religious pluralism and tolerance are bleak.

Each year USCIRF recommends which countries the Secretary of State should designate as “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) for committing particularly egregious violations of religious freedom.  Click here for an interactive map depicting USCRIF’s current CPC countries.

Special Envoy for Religious Minorities

In January 2011 I introduced bipartisan legislation (H.R. 440), which the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed, to create a special envoy at the State Department charged with focusing exclusively on the plight of religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia, including Christians, Baha’is, Jews, Ahmadis and more.  Senators Roy Blunt and Carl Levin introduced companion legislation, S. 1245.  But over a year later, both this bill and the House-passed legislation are languishing in the Senate.

I introduced the special envoy, bill along with Democrat Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, in January 2011 following a Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing during which we heard sobering testimony about the challenges facing religious minorities in Iraq and Egypt.  These realities were all the more troubling given the historic roots of the faith communities in those two countries.  The hearing pre-dated the so-called “Arab Spring.”  But arguably, the dramatic changes in the region have only made these communities more vulnerable.  As such a special envoy has never been more needed.

Sadly the administration and the Senate have failed to act.  I have written repeated letters to various Senators urging swift action before the conclusion of the 112th Congress.
 

Elevating International Religious Freedom in the State Department

Earlier this year, I introduced legislation (H.R. 1856) to amend the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), making international religious freedom a greater priority at the State Department.

The bill includes a number of strategic improvements to the Religious Freedom Office at the State Department.  Specifically, the legislation:

• Elevates the ambassador at-large to the office of the secretary of State rather than within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor;
   
• Provides the ambassador with oversight and management authority of the IRF Office and other religiously oriented positions and programs at the State Department;
   
• Requires the secretary of State, in coordination with the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury and the U.S. Agency for International Development, to issue a one-time report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to promote religious freedom and religious engagement;
   
• Requires religious freedom training for every Foreign Service Officer (FSO) and states that USCIRF must be involved in that training;
   
• Strengthens the "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPC) designation process and effectiveness. CPCs are countries whose governments are found to have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom, and
   
• Reauthorizes the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom until September 30, 2018.  (The Commission’s reauthorization, as mentioned above, ultimately passed as stand-alone legislation)

Other International Religious Freedom Legislation

In addition to the legislation outlined above I have cosponsored several other bills dealing with religious freedom globally, including:

• H.RES.732, Calling for the protection of the rights and freedoms of religious minorities in the Arab world.

• H.RES.709, Welcoming His Holiness, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the worldwide spiritual and administrative head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to Washington, DC, and recognizing his commitment to world peace, justice, nonviolence, human rights, religious freedom and democracy.

• H.RES.556, Condemning the government of Iran for its continued persecution, imprisonment and sentencing of Youcef Nadarkhani on the charge of apostasy.

• H.RES.16, Calling on the State Department to list the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a "Country of Particular Concern" with respect to religious freedom.

• H.RES.484, Calling on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to respect basic human rights and cease abusing vague national security provisions such as articles 79 and 88 of the Vietnamese penal code which are often the pretext to arrest and detain citizens who peacefully advocate for religious and political freedom.

• H.RES.164, Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan upon the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, Minister for Minorities, who courageously advocated for religious freedom and tolerance in Pakistan and calling on the United States to renew its efforts with international partners in the Human Rights Council and the United Nations General Assembly to promote religious freedom and tolerance in accordance with international human rights standards.