U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today managed debate of H.R. 4653, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act. Smith gave the following statement on the House floor:
"Mr. Speaker, I move that the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4653, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2014, as amended, authored by Chairman Frank Wolf of Virginia.
"H.R. 4653 demonstrates the strong bipartisan support that exists for religious freedom, with nearly an equal number of Republican and Democrat co-sponsors. This makes for a powerful statement in a world where we see the rights of religious minorities and conscientious objectors being trampled upon in countries where intolerant ideologies, be they of a sectarian or secular nature, seek to crush moral and spiritual thought and conscience.
"The headlines are filled with examples. A 27-year old mother in Sudan was imprisoned and faced a death sentence in Sudan because under Sharia law she was considered an apostate as the child of a Muslim father, even though the only religion she herself had ever professed was Christianity. To this day, Meriam Ibrahim remains unable to leave Sudan.
"Anti-Semitism, pervasive and lethal in the Middle East, has spread like a cancer in many parts of Europe and has resurfaced in Ukraine with a series of shocking and violent attacks following the ouster of former Prime Minister Yanukovich.
"In Communist dictatorships such as China, religious believers are imprisoned, tortured and even executed for attempting to practice their faith. In China today, there is a pernicious, escalating war on believers made worse by the wanton brutality of the regime’s ubiquitous secret police. In North Korea, the situation couldn’t be more dire, with Christians in particular subject to what human rights observers have termed genocide, dying by the tens of thousands from starvation and torture in concentration camps for daring to hold true to their consciences—that innermost sanctuary of the individual.
"Tragically, many countries of the world are a long way from achieving the human right of religious freedom recognized by Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
"In 1998, with great legislative skill, commitment and driving passion, Chairman Frank Wolf pushed a supportive Congress but highly reluctant White House into enacting a singularly important human rights law—the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
"For the first time ever, Frank Wolf’s law made the protection and promotion of religious freedom a serious priority in U.S. foreign policy by creating an Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom, by establishing the Office of International Religious Freedom at the Department of State—which among other duties, compiles the International Religious Freedom Reports on every country in the world—and by crafting the independent-minded U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the subject of today’s reauthorization.
"Importantly, Frank Wolf’s landmark law also created a system for naming and taking action against Countries of Particular Concern, or CPCs. History has shown that when the U.S. elevates religious freedom and that priority is conveyed to Countries of Particular Concern, conditions often change for the better, prisoners of conscience gain their freedom and progress is made in the free or at least freer exercise of religious liberty.
"According to the Commission, three themes guide Commissioner’s discussions on priority countries with severe violations of religious freedom: state-sponsored hostility to and repression of religion; state-sponsored extremist ideology and education; and state failure to prevent and punish religious freedom violations (impunity). Several of the CPC countries that systematically violate religious freedom fall into all three categories
"Mr. Speaker, when an Administration—be it Republican or Democrat—demotes or trivializes religious freedom to a minor talking point, human rights abusing nations construe such indifference as license to harass and exploit persons of faith.
"Since its founding, the International Religious Freedom Commission has issued 15 annual reports and 14 special reports covering 76 countries. Of these, the Commission has identified 16 of these as countries that should be designated CPCs.
"I should also point out that in the Commission has acted as a true watchdog, recommending with incisive commentary twice as many countries as CPCs than the State Department has designated as Countries of Particular Concern. This includes nations such as Vietnam, which is an egregious violator of the rights of religious minorities. The Commission, however, calls it like it is and pulls no punches.
"It is unfortunate that, while CPC designations remain, the penalties associated with the designations have now essentially lapsed. The last designations by the Obama Administration were in 2011, and as two years have passed, the sanctions directly linked to the International Religious Freedom Act’s sanctions authority have expired. This failure to implement our law on religious freedom sends a deeply troubling message to violators of this fundamental human right. It is thus even more important that we in Congress speak with a clear voice today.
"Two and a half years ago, after passing with strong bipartisan support in the House, reauthorization for the Commission got bogged down in the Senate.
"This time we hope we can avoid such a repeat. In the House there has been tremendous cooperation on both sides of the aisle. We have had excellent input from the Commission throughout this process, including testimony from then-Chairman Dr. Robert George of Princeton University, at a hearing my subcommittee held this past May 22. (On July 1, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett was elected as the new Chair, Dr. George is now Vice Chair.) Members from religious minority communities – Muslim, Bah’ai and Christian – spoke about the importance of the work of the Commission in Iran, China and Pakistan helping shine a light on the serious abuses that take place in all three countries, and in so doing, elevated an issue that is of grave concern in far too many countries of the world today.
"I therefore ask all our colleagues to join us in supporting this fine bipartisan piece of legislation, sending an important message to the world that the United States values religious liberty, and that it should continue to be a cornerstone of our foreign policy."
