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HOUSE PASSES BILL TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
Bipartisan Measure Pushed by Rep. Wolf  Calls for Creation of Special Envoy
To Address Persecution in Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt

Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today approved bipartisan legislation sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to create a special envoy at the U.S. State Department for religious minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.

The legislation was introduced in January in the wake of increasing violence, targeted attacks and heightened discrimination against Christians in Iraq and Egypt, and persistent concerns in Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other nations.

Wolf, co-chairman of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, said threats against religious minorities have been increasing in recent months and that the United States has an obligation to speak out for the voiceless, to develop policies to protect and preserve these communities, and to prioritize these issues in broader U.S. foreign policy.

The commission held a hearing in January on the recent spate of attacks and the ongoing persecution of Christians in Iraq and Egypt.  Commission members heard testimony about the increasing sectarian tensions in the two countries and the need for greater U.S. attention to the plight of religious minorities.

"The U.S. government needs an individual who can respond and focus on the critical situation of religious minorities in these countries whose basic human rights are increasingly under assault," Wolf said. "If the international community fails to speak out, the prospects for religious pluralism and tolerance in the region are bleak."

Rep. Eshoo, who co-chairs the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus with Wolf, has long pressed the State Department to develop a comprehensive policy to address the unique needs of the ancient ethno-religious faith communities in Iraq, a policy which recognizes that these indigenous communities are not simply the victims of generalized violence in Iraq but are facing targeted violence, which is forcing them to flee the lands they’ve inhabited for centuries.  

"In a time of partisanship and polarization, it’s gratifying when members from both parties can come together to address the humanitarian crisis that’s been unfolding in the Middle East, and has not been given the attention it deserves, "Eshoo said.  "As the daughter of Assyrian and Armenian immigrants who fled the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East, it’s terrifying to see history repeating itself in today’s Iraq.  I’m hopeful that the special envoy created by this legislation will elevate the crisis of the Middle East’s religious minorities, giving them the diplomatic attention they so badly need and deserve."

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. More information on the measure is available at wolf.house.gov.