Commending Afghan women for their participation in Afghan government and civil society, encouraging the inclusion of Afghan women in the political and economic life of Afghanistan, and advocating the protection of the human rights of all Afghans, particularly women, in the Afghanistan Constitution.
Legislative Activity
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The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
November 19, 2003 • 6:52 PM
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Introduced in House
October 8, 2003
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H9286)
October 8, 2003
Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.
October 8, 2003
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
November 19, 2003 • 11:31 AM
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H11529-11533)
November 19, 2003 • 11:31 AM
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 393.
November 19, 2003 • 11:31 AM
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
November 19, 2003 • 11:59 AM
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H11593-11594)
November 19, 2003 • 6:45 PM
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 414 - 1 (Roll no. 642).(text: CR H11529)
November 19, 2003 • 6:52 PM
On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 414 - 1 (Roll no. 642). (text: CR H11529)
November 19, 2003 • 6:52 PM
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
November 19, 2003 • 6:52 PM
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
November 19, 2003 • 6:52 PM
Voting History
1 vote recorded • Roll call available
Floor Debate
19 membersWhat members said about H.Res. 393 on the floor
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Floor Debate
19 membersWhat members said about H.Res. 393 on the floor
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 49) expressing the sense of the Congress that the sharp escalation of anti-Semitic violence within many…
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 49) expressing the sense of the Congress that the sharp escalation of anti-Semitic violence within many participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is of profound concern and efforts should be undertaken to prevent future occurrences.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, anti-Semitism is a deadly disease of the heart that leads to violence, cruelty, and unspeakable acts of horror. The anti- Semite is, as Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel grimly wrote last week, an ideological fanatic and pathological racist: ``An anti-Semite is someone who never met me, never heard of me, yet he hates me.''
While we all are aware and deplore the hate crimes and cowardly acts that are committed routinely by Hamas and their like-minded murderers, what is new, Mr. Speaker, is the enormous surge in anti-Semitic acts and the resurgence of hatred for Jews in Europe, the United States, and in Canada.
Just a brief look, Mr. Speaker, of some of the startling statistics makes the point. In France, for example, there was a 600 percent increase in anti-Semitic acts from the year 2001 to the year 2002. Thankfully, the French have moved with new legislation designed to not only chronicle and get a better handle on how often these hate crimes are occurring, but they are also trying to stop them.
The Anti-Defamation League, Mr. Speaker, did a survey that also showed a spike in five other countries of Europe. They found that 21 percent of the people in those five countries had strongly anti-Semitic perspectives or views. The ADL also looked at the United States and found that 17 percent of our own people in the United States had strong anti-Semitic views. If you extrapolate that, Mr. Speaker, that is about 35 million Americans. That is up 5 percent from just 5 years ago.
H. Con. Res. 49 recognizes this dangerous and alarming trend, condemns this ancient-modern scourge, and calls on each of the 55 countries that make up the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to take concrete steps to eradicate anti-Semitism. The resolution before us today is an unequivocal condemnation of violence against Jews and Jewish cultural sites, racial and ethnic hatred, xenophobia and discrimination, as well as persecution on religious grounds wherever it occurs.
The resolution calls on all the states of the OSCE to ensure effective law enforcement and prosecution of individuals perpetrating anti-Semitic violence as well as urging the parliaments of all those states to take concrete legislative action at the national level. We are encouraging, Mr. Speaker, the creation of education efforts to counter these anti-Semitic stereotypes and the attitudes that we are seeing increasingly among younger people. We are calling for an increase in Holocaust awareness programs, and seeking to identify necessary resources to accomplish these goals.
Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, I chaired a congressional hearing and three international summits on anti-Semitism within the last year alone. Joined by my good friend and colleague from the German Bundestag, Gert Weisskirchen, at the three special summits, and my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), who I thank as well for his good work on this, these summits have focused on this rising tide of anti-Semitism.
The summits, Mr. Speaker, were held in Berlin, in 2002; in Washington, in December of 2002; and in Vienna, earlier this year, in February. We heard from world renowned leaders, including Rabbi Israel Singer, President of the World Jewish Congress; Ambassador Alfred Moses, Abraham Foxman and Ken Jacobson of the Anti-Defamation League; Mark Levin from the NCSJ; Rabbi Andrew Baker of the American Jewish Committee; Dr. Shimon Samuels, director of the Weisenthal Center located in Paris; and many others, Amnesty International and other human rights' organizations, all of whom made very powerful statements about this alarming rise of hate directed towards Jews.
Let me just quote for my colleagues what Dr. Samuels said, very briefly: ``The Holocaust, for 30 years, acted as a protective Teflon against blatant anti-Semitic expression. That Teflon has eroded, and what was considered distasteful and politically incorrect is becoming simply an opinion. But cocktail chatter at fine English dinners can end as Molotov cocktails against synagogues. Political correctness is also ending for others, as tolerance for multiculturalism gives way to populist voices in France, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Portugal, and the Netherlands. These countries' Jewish communities can be caught between the rock of radical Islamic violence and the hard place of a revitalized Holocaust-denying extreme right. Common cause must be sought between the victimized minorities against extremism and against fanaticism.''
Dr. Jacobson pointed out, and I quote, ``Sadly, some European leaders have rationalized anti-Jewish attitudes and even more violent attacks against Jews as nothing more than a sign of popular frustration with events in the Middle East. Something to be expected, even understandable, they say.''
Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing more and more about this idea of pretext; that there is a disagreement with the policies of the Israeli Government, that somehow that gives license and an ability and permission for some people to hate the Jews themselves. We can disagree, as we do on this House floor. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), and I have been working on this for years, and of course the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos). We disagree on some issues, but anti-Semitism? We do not hate. We do not use that as a pretext,
as a front to promote hatred. That is exactly what is happening in Europe, in the United States, and in Canada.
Let me point out too that, as a result of these summits, we have come up with an action plan. Mr. Weisskirchen and I have signed it, it has been agreed to by our commissions, and we are trying to promote it among all our States. Again, education, trying to get parliaments to step up to the plate, and trying to make a meaningful difference to mitigate and hopefully to end this terrible anti-Semitism.
Last week, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) and I joined Rudy Giuliani in Vienna for an OSCE assembly focused on anti-Semitism. We have been doing it in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, but now the OSCE itself has taken up this important cause. And it will be followed up with a meeting, most likely in Berlin next year, to focus on anti- Semitism so that we rally the troops all over the world, starting with Europe, the U.S., and Canada to say ``never again.''
Let me also point out to my colleagues, and I thought his statement said it all, when Abraham Foxman, who gave riveting testimony at our Berlin conference, pointed out just recently in the Jerusalem Post, just a couple of days ago, and I would like to close with his statement, he said ``Anti-Semitism is surging in the world to the extent unprecedented since the end of World War II. Europe must take seriously the ideology of anti-Semitism coming out of the Arab and Islamic world. It must denounce the deliberate targeting of Jews by terrorist groups, whether it be al Qaeda or Hamas. It must denounce the vicious anti-Semitic material in the Arab press and educational systems and call on Arab leaders to do something about it. It must understand that the Holocaust happened not only because Germany was taken over by the Nazis, who developed a massive military power to conquer most of Europe, but also by the complicity--active and passive--of other Europeans. Today, the great threat comes from the combination of the ideology of hatred with Islamic extremists to acquire weapons of mass destruction.'' And then he bottom lines it and says, ``Let Europe never again be complicit in developments of this kind.''
Mr. Speaker, this Congress needs to go on record in a bipartisan way, Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Moderates, and Liberals to say anti-Semitism, never again, and we need to do it strongly today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
At the most recent conference that was held in Vienna, I just want to again thank the great work that Ambassador Minikes did, our Ambassador to the OSCE. He has worked very, very hard to help put together that anti-Semitism conference. He did an outstanding job. Ambassador Cliff Sobel, our Ambassador to the Netherlands, also worked very hard on it as well, as did many others in the State Department. It was a joint effort. Again I want to thank Rudy Giuliani for the good work he did in leading that.
Let me just also say that, Mr. Speaker, next week in Rotterdam we will have an OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and I plan on offering another resolution on anti-Semitism at that and hopefully we continue not only this dialogue but this outrage that we are expressing about intolerance. The more we raise our voices, the more we have mutually reinforcing policies, including good law, good law enforcement and hopefully a chronicling of these misdeeds so that law enforcement knows that they do indeed have a problem. This has been a particular problem in Europe, where hate crimes are committed and they are not attributed to the hate crimes that they represent.
The more we chronicle, the more we will see that there is an explosion of anti-Semitism in Europe. This is a good resolution. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and I thank the gentleman and chairman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for moving this bill expeditiously through the committee and for his strong support for it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim my time for purposes of yielding the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution, but I must note that it is not enough. We need to make every effort to assist the women of Afghanistan to become full and participating members…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution, but I must note that it is not enough. We need to make every effort to assist the women of Afghanistan to become full and participating members of society as so many women there wish.
Inside the Beltway it may seem that we are doing enough, but we have continually appropriated money to help Afghan women and children, 5 million in 2003, 25 million in 2004, 60 million in the recent supplemental appropriations bill. But unfortunately the money is not necessarily getting to the women themselves, and Members of Congress have written to our President about that, but we have not actually made the difference that we would want.
Last week when I returned to my district, I met an Afghan women's advocate, Afifa Azim, who was full of hope but has been let down by this administration. She had come all the way to America to search for support from private organizations in California. Imagine, she had to travel here to find private help when we have appropriated millions of dollars for women's programs and the President has told us he is committed to administering the money in the best possible way. Other Afghan women advocates are telling me the same.
The problem is not that the women of Afghanistan are not full of hope, nor is the problem with Congress who has appropriated funds. The problem is that the administration has not tracked the resources to make sure that they get to the Afghan women who need these funds; and I would like to read from the San Francisco Chronicle a story about Ms. Azim. She said, ``What's most unfortunate is that in the beginning, the international community was promising to first help the women, but that has not happened. For almost 2 years, they were promising to open women's centers in different provinces, but it hasn't happened, all because of a lack of resources, not desire.''
If the President is serious about winning the war on terror, he must not forget that a great key to our success lies in the women of Afghanistan. I support this resolution, but I would be happier if we were actually directing the President to send the resources necessary to the women of Afghanistan. And I include in the Record the article from the San Francisco Chronicle about Ms. Azim's visit.
[From the San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 17, 2003]
Afghan Woman Soldier on Bay Area Visit To Raise Support for Freedoms
Not Yet Realized
(By Anastasia Hendrix)
Standing just 5 feet tall, even in heels, Afifa Azim may
appear diminutive but her ambition to improve the lives of
women in Afghanistan is enormous, and she is visiting the Bay
Area to get some help.
Though the world's attention has shifted to the conflict in
Iraq and the repressive Taliban regime has been chased out of
Afghanistan, women there have not been able to enjoy the
freedoms they had decades ago, she said.
``Most of the women outside of Kabul, in the villages, are
still oppressed, still wearing burkas and still are afraid,''
she said. ``I am saying please be patient and pay attention
to Afghanistan. We still desperately need it.''
Azim is the director of the Afghan Women's Network, an
umbrella organization comprised of 65 nonprofit,
nongovernmental groups designed to support, train and employ
women.
Born in Kabul, the 49-year-old mother of two daughters and
three sons oversees the agency's headquarters in Peshawar,
Pakistan, as well as two offices in Afghanistan. The agency
has yet to get a working fax machine, she said, but has
received grants for several computers.
She is meeting with native Afghans and women's rights
advocates as part of a program developed by the San
Francisco-based Women's Intercultural Network (WIN), which
strives to create a network of women's organizations around
the world for ``collective action on mutual concerns.''
``A lot of people are going into Afghanistan now doing
refugee work, doing work on housing, food and infrastructure,
but nobody's really working directly with the women to build
the capacity of their organizations,'' said Marilyn Fowler,
president and chief executive officer of the network. ``It's
not just about money, but also the training and technology
that is so badly needed.''
Azim is one of nine women on a committee participating in
the drafting of Afghanistan's new constitution, which will be
important to legally protect women's rights, she said.
It is a more daunting task than it may seem, said Rona
Popal, executive director of the Fremont-based Afghan Women
Association International, who recently returned form a
trip to Kabul.
``For example, the Ministry of Women's Affairs is one of
the poorest ministries (in the Afghan government). Many
programs have been closed, and a lot of women have had to be
laid off,'' she said. ``What's most unfortunate is that in
the beginning, the international community was promising to
first help the women, but that had not happened. For almost
two years they were promising to open women's centers in
different provinces, but it hasn't happened--all because of a
lack of resources, not desire.''
If anyone is up to the challenge of fighting for the
emerging women's rights movement in Afghanistan, it is Azim,
said Irene Lu, a senior at Standford University who spent six
months this year working for the Afghan Women's Network in
Kabul.
``It's amazing how much she really loves her country. She
works day and night thinking of specific projects,'' Lu
said,` `She's often at the office until1 1 or 12 at night,
and she even came to the office at 3 a.m. to talk to me about
one of the projects we were working on.''
With Azim, Lu created a national directory of nonprofit
women's groups in and around Afghanistan, surveyed women in
refugee camps and created a paid internship program for
female students at Kabul University.
Azim said there are setbacks and times of sadness and
frustration, but that she relies on the strength of other
women's rights advocates for motivation and her family for
inspiration.
Her three sons, ages 18, 19, and 20, all volunteer for her
organization. Her daughters, ages 8 and 22, are constant
reminder of her goals, she said.
``I want them to have a bright future, to be able to have a
good and happy life,'' she said.
Her husband, Azim, is also supportive of her efforts, it
not necessarily her frequent trips to Kabul, she said. The
family fled Afghanistan in 1985 but plans to move back by new
year, she said.
Today, Azim is headed back to Pakistan. She said she will
travel and work as much as necessary to broaden awareness
about the struggles still facing Afghan women.
``We know that American women are strong and have the power
to do something to help our women, even if the government
can't or won't'' she said. ``Of this, I am confident.''.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 393) commending Afghan women for their participation in Afghan government and civil society, encouraging the inclusion of…
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 393) commending Afghan women for their participation in Afghan government and civil society, encouraging the inclusion of Afghan women in the political and economic life of Afghanistan, and advocating the protection of Afghan women's human rights in the Afghanistan Constitution, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In 1996, a heavy shroud was placed on the people of Afghanistan when the Taliban captured Kabul. But the Taliban's brutality and blatant disregard for the lives and the well-being
of the Afghan people was perhaps most clearly evident among half of its population, the women of Afghanistan. They had been made destitute, sick and marginalized. They were banned from receiving any education past the age of 8. They were denied proper medical treatment. Throughout, the strong will and courage of the Afghan women helped them endure these most deplorable of circumstances.
Today, the Afghan people are free. Women are enjoying freedoms and opportunities previously denied to them under the Taliban. The new Afghan Ministry of Education estimates that over 5 million children are in school, and 42 percent of these are girls. A Ministry of Women's Affairs has been created for the sole purpose of advocating for the rights of women and ensuring their access to, and participation in, all sectors of Afghan society. The current head of the Human Rights Commission is an Afghan woman, Dr. Sima Simar. Afghan women are playing an active role in the political and economic reconstruction of their nation, including as members of the commission responsible for the drafting of the Afghan Constitution. Their contributions can already be seen in this draft document. Articles 44, 83 and 84 of the Constitution mandate the promotion of women's education and the elimination of illiteracy while also establishing requirements that seek to ensure female representation throughout the government. After suffering unspeakable oppression, persecution and violations of their most basic freedoms, the women of Afghanistan, as the women's minister recently stated, ``can have our position in the society, and our people in Afghanistan can be under one Constitution.''
All of these developments, Mr. Speaker, as the International Crisis Group has described it, ``heralded a new day for women in Afghanistan.'' However, this would not have been possible without the support of the international community and, in particular, the unwavering commitment of our United States. One of the many ways in which we have demonstrated our commitment to the full participation of women in Afghanistan's political and economic reconstruction has been through programs such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, AID, and its contribution of $2.5 million for the creation of women's resource centers in various provinces throughout Afghanistan.
The resolution before us details the developments that have taken place since the end of the Taliban regime and the progress made in improving the daily lives of Afghan women. Further, it notes the efforts of the United States in encouraging the full inclusion and participation of Afghan women in the political and economic arena and proclaims our ongoing commitment on this front. House Resolution 393 is a straightforward resolution that commends the participation of Afghan women in civil society and underscores the will of the U.S. House of Representatives that the protection of the human rights of all Afghans, particularly women, be protected in the constitution of Afghanistan.
I ask my colleagues to support this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), the sponsor of the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), a staunch defender of human rights worldwide.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), a strong leader in our Committee on International Relations.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), my good friend. It is always a real honor and a pleasure to work with him. He is a man of integrity, great intelligence, and I consider him one of my mentors. It is always a pleasure to handle a bill on the floor with him.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would merely like to underscore the stark contrast between the Afghanistan that we had under the Taliban and the free Afghanistan that today is working to rebuild from the ruins of over 20 years of war and oppression. But all is not perfect, as we heard from many speakers here today. The road ahead will not be an easy task, but nothing that is worth doing and having usually comes easy.
The Afghan people and especially the women of Afghanistan need our support. They need our steadfast commitment to stay with them, to remain engaged for the long haul. This resolution before us reiterates that commitment, a commitment that was articulated by President Bush just this morning, and I ask my colleagues to support the resolution of the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of the resolution. First, I want to commend my dear friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of the resolution.
First, I want to commend my dear friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of our delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, for his lifelong indefatigable and passionate advocacy of human rights, and his powerful opposition in all fora to anti-Semitism. We are all in his debt.
I also want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), of the Committee on International Relations, for moving this legislation so expeditiously to the floor. And I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), the ranking Democrat on our OSCE delegation, for his outstanding work on behalf of all of the causes that the human rights community is interested in.
Mr. Speaker, as the only survivor of the Holocaust ever elected to Congress, I am acutely aware of the dangers of allowing anti-Semitism to go unchecked. The horrors of the Holocaust in World War II began with anti-Semitism. Growing up in Europe in the 1930s, I saw firsthand the horrendous results of anti-Semitic rhetoric, leading to the nightmare of anti-Semitic violence, and, ultimately, to the mass murder of 6 million innocent men, women and children.
Mr. Speaker, today, anti-Semitism in Europe, as well as in a number of other places in this world, is approaching the appalling levels that I personally experienced in the 1930s.
We cannot, we must not, and we will not sit idly by and ignore the sharp escalation of anti-Semitic rhetoric and anti-Semitic violence.
Our resolution notes that expressions of anti-Semitism in some European countries range from vicious propaganda to physical assaults, from the burning of synagogues to the desecration of cemeteries. Since the 1990 Copenhagen Concluding Document, a number of resolutions have been adopted by OSCE condemning anti-Semitism. In that spirit, I welcome this effort.
Our resolution urges officials of our executive branch and Members of Congress to raise the issue of anti-Semitism in their bilateral and multilateral meetings with all foreign government officials where appropriate and to condemn in the strongest possible terms not only anti-Semitism but racial and ethnic hatred, xenophobia, discrimination and religious persecution of all types. We urge all member countries of the OSCE to ensure effective law enforcement by local and national authorities against criminal actions stemming from anti-Semitism and other types of racial hatred.
Most importantly, our resolution calls upon all States to promote educational efforts to counter anti-Semitic stereotypes and attitudes and to dramatically increase Holocaust awareness. Our best ammunition in this fight against anti-Semitism is education.
Mr. Speaker, the battle against this age-old and horrendous mental sickness will not be easily won, but I believe the recognition of the problem and the call for actions to deal with it is the first critical step. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation which serves to eliminate the outrage of hate-filled anti-Semitism.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), the distinguished ranking Democratic member of the Helsinki Commission, who has demonstrated a passionate commitment to human rights and on all of the issues that that commission works with.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), who has been a champion not only of the fight against anti-Semitism but on behalf of all human rights causes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), who has been throughout his congressional career and prior to that an indefatigable fighter for human rights.
(Mr. HASTINGS of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), a distinguished member of the Committee on International Relations.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley), a distinguished member of the Committee on International Relations and a fighter for human rights.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis).
(Mr. DAVIS of Alabama asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), a distinguished fighter for human rights.
Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time and for her very helpful input on this resolution. Her commitment to protecting human rights is well-known, and I am honored to work…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time and for her very helpful input on this resolution. Her commitment to protecting human rights is well-known, and I am honored to work with her to support the women of Afghanistan.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this very important resolution. I am honored to sponsor it and I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for introducing it with me. I also want to thank my neighbor, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) along with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the staff on the Committee on International Relations for helping to bring this resolution to the floor.
Frankly, it is no secret that Afghan women had a very, very hard time under Taliban rule. Women were frequently beaten, raped, kidnapped and killed. They had no access to education or health care. For 5 years, they were told that the only place for them was at home with their husbands or in the grave. Women were systematically and routinely singled out for abuse simply because they were women. In short, they lived in nightmarish conditions that few of us could even imagine.
Two years after the fall of the Taliban, the women of Afghanistan are making tremendous progress in reclaiming their rightful place in society. Women are returning to positions they held in pre-Taliban times, working as doctors, lawyers, teachers, civil servants and in numerous other professions. Most girls are attending school, which was not true ever before in the history of this country. They are no longer forced to wear the burdensome burqa, although many of them do, and hopefully they are no longer living in fear of being brutalized simply because they are female.
These women have overcome unimaginable obstacles and they deserve our ongoing support as they work to build a new democracy. I have been involved in several meetings here in the United States and a video conference with women leaders in Afghanistan through the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. It is encouraging to see that the country is transforming itself into a democracy and the Afghan women are participating, working towards elections, and some of these women will be candidates. All of this is good news, but there is still so much more that must be accomplished.
As part of the rebuilding process, the people of Afghanistan are drafting a constitution that will define the principles of their new democratic government. Under the Bonn agreement, the final draft will be finished in a few short months. As the drafters continue the hard work of crafting that important document, we must continue to encourage the inclusion of women and the protection of their most basic rights. The creation of a permanent Afghan government marks an important
transition in the history of that country. It also provides a unique opportunity to commend the women of Afghanistan for overcoming the monumental challenges they have faced and to reiterate the U.S. commitment to protecting the human rights of all. This is what the resolution does.
The United States has a vested interest in promoting a democratic regime in Afghanistan. As President Bush put it, women will be the backbone of a new Afghanistan. It is critical, therefore, that women be assured of their right to participate in the civic life of their country. It is encouraging to note that women have been involved in the drafting of the constitution. However, in order for women to continue participating in public life, this right must be protected.
I am pleased that the U.S. has taken such an active role in aiding the women of Afghanistan. In the last Congress, we passed and the President signed into law the Afghan Women and Children's Relief Act. This much-needed legislation provided educational and health care assistance for women and children living in Afghanistan and as refugees in neighboring countries. This was an important first step that provided immediate assistance. Now, however, it is time to look beyond the short term and provide long-term assurance that the women of Afghanistan will never again be targeted for abuse by their government and forced to live under such horrific conditions.
Mr. Speaker, this is an important and timely resolution. In order to promote true democracy in Afghanistan, we must do all we can to encourage the inclusion of women in the civic life of their country. I am honored to support this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to do so as well.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill commending the participation of Afghan women in that society. But let me share with the Members that I…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill commending the participation of Afghan women in that society. But let me share with the Members that I had an opportunity to travel in Afghanistan, and there is a small orphanage that I have supported. I have been a board member for a number of years on this particular board for this school that attempts to teach orphans in Afghanistan. And I wanted to see about the work that they were conducting. So when I was there, I actually had an opportunity to talk not only to the students, several of whom spoke English, but also with the teachers.
One of the teachers showed me, by the way, the scars on his legs and arms. He was caught by the former regime. He was not teaching jihad. He was teaching mathematics. He was teaching science. And that was considered verboten. That was forbidden by that government. And as a consequence, he was tortured for that. But the school continued its work clandestinely, and today that work continues. And I asked the young students there what they intended to be when they grew up, and we got different answers from different students. But one young woman stood up and she said, ``When I grow up, I want to go to the University of Kabul because I am going to be a physician.''
And I asked her, ``Why do you want to become a doctor?''
She said, ``I want to become a doctor because I want to help my people.''
We forget that two thirds of the physicians in Afghanistan before the Taliban, two thirds of physicians, were women. But, in fact, when that society was hijacked by the Taliban and that brutal regime began the process of excluding women not only from education but from the workforce and from riding a bus or from visiting a doctor, we forget just how brutal that regime was.
I have got a great deal of respect for what the new government is trying to do. The new Afghan government has established a Ministry of Women's Affairs dedicated to improving women's rights, but in the meantime the reality continues, that at the hands of regional warlords and brigands and religious fanatics, women are still beaten and they are still raped and they are still abducted.
However, as this is happening, women are playing a role in the political reconstruction of Afghanistan. Seven women are members of the constitutional drafting commission. That is 20 percent of the commission. Under the released draft constitution, Afghanistan's president can nominate
women to hold up to 50 percent of the seats of the upper house of parliament.
For the first time in years, Afghans are hearing the voice of women on the air because the broadcasts of Radio Free Afghanistan air commentary from both the women in the Afghan ministries and the men and women that are interviewed on the streets, in the towns. And it is important to remember again that before 1978 women were very influential in this society. Not only were they two-thirds of teachers, as I mentioned, but they played a role throughout the society, throughout the workforce, and they must play a vital role in helping Afghanistan become a stable state.
There is so much work to be done, and there is so much more attention that we as a Congress, not just the administration, but we as a Congress need to pay to this problem.
But Afghanistan has made tremendous strides, at least in Kabul, in the liberation from the Taliban; and we have to remember that the Taliban is still rooted in parts of that country. And I ask my colleagues to support this resolution and to continue to focus in their own time and in their own ways on ideas of how we can expand some measure of progress beyond the capital into the regional areas of Afghanistan.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for yielding me this time, and before I go forward, I would be terribly remiss if I did not point out that the gentleman from…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for yielding me this time, and before I go forward, I would be terribly remiss if I did not point out that the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) has spent his lifetime in the struggle that some of us come to with equal passion, but not the clarity that he brings to the issue.
I also am happy to support the resolution offered by the chairman of the Helsinki Commission and to compliment the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his continuing work in the area of human rights and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) as being a stalwart champion for human rights.
As Chairman Smith has already mentioned, last week he and I had the privilege to represent the United States at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's conference on anti-Semitism. A footnote right there. That conference came about because the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), myself and others on the Helsinki Commission along with colleagues in Europe brought it to the attention of the parliamentary assembly by way of resolution which we will introduce yet another resolution for follow-up purposes when we are in Rotterdam 1 week from now. But it was in this body that that conference's seed was planted. The conference, which was the first of its kind,
provided the OSCE's 55 member states and NGOs with an opportunity to discuss ways in which governments can work to combat anti-Semitism within their borders and abroad.
Today's resolution is an important symbolic statement of the House that the United States will not stand idly by while many European governments neglect a rise in anti-Semitism. We must work with our allies and not hesitate to apply pressure when needed to ensure that governments properly address increases in anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination.
A few years ago, there were hopes that anti-Semitism was gradually declining and restricted to fringe elements such as neo-Nazis, white supremacists and certain conspiracy theorists. However, recent developments throughout much of Europe and the Middle East suggest that there is a resurgent anti-Semitism with a much broader base and message that resonates at an alarming level. Many European leaders have formally recognized the resurgence of anti-Semitism in their countries and have begun to take the necessary steps to stop this spreading virus. But still, more must be done to ensure that what occurred to the Jewish and minority communities in Europe during World War II will never happen again.
Sadly, Mr. Speaker, the fight against bigotry and xenophobia is an ongoing struggle as many of us know from our own personal experience. Last week when the gentleman from New Jersey and I were in Vienna, we heard from a woman whose name is Rosalia Abella of the Ontario Court of Appeals. As she noted in one of the more poignant statements made at that conference, ``Indifference is injustice's incubator.'' Indeed it is.
Now is the time for the United States to be vocal and now is the time for the House to be active as it is today under the leadership of the gentleman from New Jersey and the gentleman from California. Today is not a day for complacency. If we remain silent, then there will be no tomorrow. We cannot legislate morality, we cannot legislate love, but we can teach tolerance and we can lead by example.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 49, expressing the sense of Congress that the sharp escalation of anti-Semitic violence within many participating States of the Organization for…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 49, expressing the sense of Congress that the sharp escalation of anti-Semitic violence within many participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is of profound concern and efforts should be undertaken to prevent future occurrences.
I begin by praising the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for their conference this past weekend devoted to the issues of anti-Semitism and how to combat it. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is the largest regional security organization in the world with 55 participating countries from Europe, Central Asia, and North America. The OSCE has a comprehensive and cooperative approach to security, stressing preventative diplomacy and human rights.
The conference last weekend was the first high level OSCE conference devoted specifically to the issue of anti-Semitism. Over 400 government and nongovernment officials attended.
The conference took place at Vienna's Hofburg Palace. This same location is where Hitler stood, 65 years ago, proclaiming Austria's annexation to a cheering crowd of thousands. Sixty-five years later, what can we say about tolerance and diversity in Europe? What can we say about Human Rights worldwide? Specifically, 65 years after the beginning of the worst genocide in our time, what can we say we have learned about anti-Semitism and the horrors of racial hatred?
Much has changed since then. Yet today there are both overt and subtle versions of anti-Semitism, in the United States and abroad. Physical assaults, arson at synagogues and desecration of Jewish cultural sites are occurring. Unfortunately, government officials are not speaking harshly enough against them.
The conference on anti-Semitism opened a day after the Romanian Government retracted an earlier claim that ``there was no Holocaust'' on Romanian soil. In Greece, a recent newspaper cartoon had one Israeli soldier telling the other, ``we were not in Dachau concentration camp to survive, but to learn.''
France has experienced a six-fold increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the space of a year. In Poland, the word ``Jewish'' is used as a term of abuse for Polish soccer fans. In other parts of Europe, claims are made that Jews had forewarning of the September 11th attacks at the Pentagon and World Trade Towers.
The existence of anti-Semitism has played throughout history as a major threat to freedom. Participating states of the OSCE should unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism, racial and ethnic hatred and xenophobia, and they need to be loud and clear in their message.
We cannot allow future generations to be taught a distorted view of history. Prejudice must be rooted out of textbooks, governments must speak out against these wrongdoings, and anti-Semitic actions must be classified as hate crimes. We also need to ensure effective law enforcement. Finally, we must promote the creation of educational efforts and we must increase Holocaust awareness. I abhor and stand against all forms of hatred.
If action had been taken in the 1930s, many lives could have been saved. There are so many lessons of history that need to be learned, lest they not be repeated. For that reason I support H. Con. Res. 49.
Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos). There is no Member of this body who has done more in his lifetime to fight anti-Semitism than the gentleman from California…
Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos). There is no Member of this body who has done more in his lifetime to fight anti-Semitism than the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and I congratulate him for his effective leadership against anti-Semitism here and around the world.
I also want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is the chairman of our OSCE delegation. I have the honor of being the ranking Democratic member. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), who will be speaking shortly, is one of the commissioners. We have made the fight against anti-Semitism a top priority of our delegation. We have been effective in making it a top priority within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
We have done that because we have seen a rise of anti-Semitism, physical assaults on individuals solely because they are Jewish, desecration of Jewish cultural sites, propaganda in the media have all been on the rise. We must have a zero tolerance policy about anti- Semitism.
The OSCE Helsinki Commission provides a unique opportunity for us to fight anti-Semitism. It not only has in its membership all of the countries of Europe, Canada and the United States, but it has the participation of our Mediterranean partners, which include Israel, Egypt and Jordan. The OSCE Helsinki Commission has had a history of effectively dealing with human rights issues, so that is why the United States leadership has been effective in bringing about the forums to deal with anti-Semitism. I know there was just a meeting in Vienna that the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) participated in. We adopted in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly last year a very strong resolution against anti- Semitism as a result of the U.S. leadership, and we have signed a letter of intent with Germany to spell out specific actions that we need to take in order to fight anti-Semitism.
We can never justify anti-Semitic actions by international developments or political issues. We need to have an action plan to fight anti-Semitism. We need to have strong laws that are adopted by our member states and enforced. We need to speak out against anti- Semitism as parliamentarians. Silence is not an option. As all my colleagues have expressed, we need educational programs for our children. The resolution says we need to create educational efforts throughout the region encompassing the participating states of OSCE to counter anti-Semitic stereotypes and attitudes among younger people, increase Holocaust awareness programs, and help identify the necessary resources to accomplish this goal. Our children are our future. In many of these states, we are finding there are counterproductive programs promoting anti-Semitism.
We need a proactive agenda. This resolution puts this body on record in strong support of our resolution within OSCE to continue our commitment to support action plans to stamp out anti-Semitism. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be in the company of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) in cosponsoring this resolution. I rise in support of its…
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be in the company of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) in cosponsoring this resolution. I rise in support of its passage and ask my colleagues to vote in its favor as well.
Mr. Speaker, one of the essential lessons of the Holocaust is that words lead to murder, that the teaching of contempt and acceptance of bigotry and anti-Semitism can lead to genocide. Today, over 50 years after the horrors of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism has again become a disease spreading throughout the world. In recent years I have witnessed its resurgence, particularly through my work relating to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and legislative efforts concerning religious freedom in Europe.
At the commission, resolution after resolution, statement after statement are filled with the rhetoric of hatred, using the international fora to further promote and generate support for an anti- Semitic agenda, an agenda which condemns a freedom-loving people and a democratic nation, while many times legitimizing those regimes that torture, oppress, and subjugate their own people.
As the previous chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and as the current chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, and as cochair along with my colleague and friend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) of the Congressional Task Force on Anti- Semitism, I have pressed European officials to take concrete steps to monitor, investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law crimes that are borne out of hatred for the Jewish people.
In January of this year, for example, Jewish leaders in France came to me with concern and anxiety about the increasing example of vandalism and personal attacks against rabbis in that country. I immediately called on the French foreign ministry officials and French parliamentarians to address this grave matter.
The situation in France, however, is only a microcosm of a growing problem that is sweeping throughout many OSCE states. While I will not delve into details because my colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), have already done
so, I will simply note, as has been said, we must learn the lessons and the mistakes of the past, or we are condemned to repeat them.
This is why it is imperative that we take immediate action to prevent further escalation of anti-Semitism and related violence, to help ensure that the evil of the Holocaust will never again be allowed to exist.
As Eli Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace laureate has said, ``A destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, only man can prevent.'' We can help prevent a repetition of history, and we can begin here today by voting in favor of this resolution. Let us adopt House Concurrent Resolution 49 and convey the commitment of the U.S. House of Representatives to work with our allies to confront and combat anti-Semitism and eradicate it from its roots.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and commend those who were involved with bringing it to the floor today. About 5 months ago, I traveled across Afghanistan. Just actually my…
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and commend those who were involved with bringing it to the floor today.
About 5 months ago, I traveled across Afghanistan. Just actually my wife and I decided to travel by car, and we were told that it was rather risky and that it was a precarious situation; but we wanted to see exactly what was happening on the scene, and I would like to report a little incident that happened.
As we were traveling between Kabul and Mazar Sharif, we saw the devastation throughout the countryside, burned-out Russian tanks and buildings that had been destroyed. We noticed some young people, hundreds of people, gathered at this old building that seemed like a bombed-out relic from World War II; and we had our driver stop, and we walked over and we had an interpreter with us. And there we found, I guess, about 100 young Afghan children all about 8, 9, 10 years old, sitting in this burned-out building where they had piled rocks together and formed little desks, trying to teach each other how to read and to write. There was never a symbol of a people who were more committed to moving ahead and to bringing themselves out of the ashes of this horrible catastrophe that has befallen their country for these last 25 years than these young children; and what was most important is they were not just a bunch of boys. There were young boys and young girls who were there being taught to read and to write and to improve themselves and thus bring up their country, and it was one of the most inspiring sights I had seen.
The United States has a special burden here in Afghanistan. We turned away from the Afghans before, and it led to another era of crises after the Soviets left; and let me just note that I am afraid to offer this to my colleagues: I think we need to pay more attention to Afghanistan. This resolution is an important step, but we need to pay more attention. Things are sliding back in the wrong direction if we do not pay attention.
And I think we have a message today to the people of Afghanistan, and that is democracy is sometimes slow to move, but we are committed to helping them rebuild their country and to build those institutions that provide for human dignity. We respect their religion, we respect their faith, but we also know that the persecution of women is not required by Islam, that this Taliban extremism and Islamic extremism that we see in various parts of the world does not reflect the broad cross-section of Muslims who would grant women their rights and have little children who happen to be girls educated and treated equally and with due respect. But today we have to work with the Afghan people to make sure that the Taliban does not come back, and that threat still exists. And to the people of Afghanistan we say today do not give in to these evil people again. The Americans have not left. We will not leave until they are secure from the return of the Taliban and al Qaeda and the terrorists that held them in bondage.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of this resolution. First I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), the gentlewoman from New…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in strong support of this resolution. First I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen) for their important contribution in bringing this issue to our attention.
Mr. Speaker, Afghanistan is entering a crucial phase in its efforts to leave behind the legacy of two decades of nightmare, civil war, narco-terrorism, the Taliban, and the appalling abuse of women and girls. Over the coming year, the Afghans will be approving a new constitution and a new Afghan government hopes to hold free and fair elections. These acts will determine Afghanistan's course for decades to come.
The role of women and girls in this process remains, unfortunately, unclear. After suffering for so long under the brutal Taliban regime, Afghan women are finally participating in Afghan society, including the political process in that country. But despite progress being made, the threat still remains that Afghan women will once again become the subject of both discrimination and violence. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, girls' education is coming increasingly under attack, with the burning of schools dedicated for that purpose. And there are disturbing reports of abuses of women's rights by local warlords in spite of the efforts of the Afghan transitional authority to protect them.
Our resolution commends the participation of Afghan women in the government of Afghanistan and in civil society, and it encourages the full inclusion of women in all sectors of Afghan society, particularly the political, economic and educational sectors. As the key decisions on the Afghan Constitution draw near, the United States and the international community must continue to press the Afghan government to allow the full inclusion of women in Afghan society at all levels and to provide for the full protection of women's human rights in the Constitution of Afghanistan.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 393.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) who has been an indefatigable fighter for all human rights issues and without whom we would not be considering this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend from California for his powerful statement.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).
(Ms. LOFGREN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and acknowledge the tremendous role that he and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) had in the passage of this resolution. I rise in…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and acknowledge the tremendous role that he and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) had in the passage of this resolution.
I rise in strong support of this resolution which commends Afghan women and supports their participation in government and the inclusion of women's rights in the Afghan constitution. The gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), my good friend, and I co-authored this resolution to acknowledge the struggles that Afghan women have faced and to show the support of this Congress for winning the battles that remain.
Women under the Taliban were denied their basic rights to work, education, and health care; and they suffered greatly over the course of 23 years of war. The end of the Taliban regime, appointment of women to the cabinet, and the establishment of the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the participation of over 200 women delegates in the June, 2002, Loya Jirga gave women hope. Yet many women continue to wear the burka out of fear of attack from fundamentalist extremists, and there are extremely disturbing reports of discrimination and the burning of over 30 girls' schools.
Earlier this Congress showed their support not only in words but with financial support. Our amendment to the fiscal year 2004 emergency supplemental appropriations legislation directed $5 million to the Independent Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan and $60 million in direct funding for the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Afghan women-led governmental organizations which is necessary to build permanent institutions to safeguard women's rights in Afghanistan.
For women to advance in Afghanistan, they must have equal rights under the law, they must have the right to vote and the right to run for office and the equality of opportunity and access to health care, education, and employment. These rights will not be possible in Afghanistan without their inclusion in the constitution and without the ability of delegates to the December Loya Jirga to speak out for women's rights and human rights without fear of reprisal.
I deeply thank this Congress and the leadership of this Congress for being committed to helping the women in Afghanistan, for their support of the passage of this important resolution, and their earlier support for direct appropriations to help the women in Afghanistan. I particularly thank the leadership of the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
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I thank my good friend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly support this resolution, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey…
I thank my good friend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly support this resolution, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for sponsoring this crucial piece of legislation. I am very aware of the danger of being inactive about the threat of anti-Semitism. It was anti-Semitism that was responsible for the horrors of the Holocaust, the most horrible crime committed against the Jewish people ever. Sadly, I have to say here today that nearly 60 years after the end of World War II, anti-Semitism in Europe, in many of the OSCE member states, is on the rise again. Once again we witness evil propaganda, physical attacks against Jews, the burning of Jewish sites and the desecration of synagogues. We must not stand aside and ignore this grave escalation of anti-Semitic violence and hatred.
This resolution addresses this threat. It particularly calls on administration officials and Members of Congress to focus on anti- Semitism in their bilateral and multilateral meetings. It calls upon OSCE member states to swiftly bring anti-Semitists to justice and to focus on educational endeavors to fight anti-Semitic stereotypes.
I would also like to point out that this piece of legislation is similar to a resolution I introduced last year. House Resolution 393 also addresses the anti-Semitic threat in the OSCE region. It urges European governments to provide security and safety of the Jewish communities, to prosecute and punish perpetrators of anti-Semitic violence, and to cultivate a climate in which all forms of anti- Semitism are rejected.
I was proud that my colleagues in Congress joined me in sending this message to the European Union, but we must go further. Anti-Semitism continues to fester throughout the OSCE region. This resolution is the right follow-up to my legislation that passed in the last Congress.
Mr. Speaker, the threat of anti-Semitism is looming large and our fight against it is far from over, but I believe that recognizing this problem and taking action is critical. I therefore urge all of my colleagues to strongly support House Resolution 49 sponsored by the gentleman from New Jersey. I would ask them all to vote for this resolution unanimously. I want to thank the gentleman from California again for his work on this resolution and all my colleagues in bringing this to the House floor.
Mr. Speaker: I will reluctantly vote in favor of this legislation, partly because it is simply a sense of Congress resolution. But I am concerned about this bill and the others like it we face with…
Mr. Speaker: I will reluctantly vote in favor of this legislation, partly because it is simply a sense of Congress resolution. But I am concerned about this bill and the others like it we face with regularity on the floor of Congress. We all condemn violence against innocents, whether it is motivated by hatred, prejudice, greed, jealousy, or whatever else. But that is not what this legislation is really about. It is about the Congress of the United States presuming to know--and to legislate on--the affairs of European countries. First, this is the United States Congress. We have no Constitutional authority to pass legislation affecting foreign countries. Second, when we get involved in matters such as this we usually get it wrong. H. Con. Res. 45 is an example of us getting it wrong on both fronts.
This legislation refers to the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe as if it is a purely homegrown phenomenon, as if native residents of European countries are suddenly committing violent crimes against Jews. But I think we are only getting part of the story here. What is absent from the legislation is mention of the well-reported fact that much of the anti-Jewish violence in Europe is perpetrated by recent immigrants from Muslim countries of the Middle East and Africa. Reporting on a firebombing of a Synagogue in Marseille, France, for example, the New York Times quotes the longtime president of that region's Jewish Council, Charles Haddad, as saying, ``This is not anti-Semitic violence; it's the Middle East conflict that's playing out here.''
Therefore, part of the problem in many European countries is the massive immigration from predominantly Muslim countries, where new residents bring their hatreds and prejudices with them. Those European politicians who recognize this growing problem--there are now 600,000 Jews in France and five million Muslims--are denounced as racist and worse. While I do not oppose immigration, it must be admitted that massive immigration from vastly different cultures brings a myriad of potential problems and conflicts. These are complicated issues for we in Congress to deal with here in the United States. Yes, prejudice and hatred are evil and must be opposed, but it is absurd for us to try to solve these problems in countries overseas.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join the gentleman from New Jersey and the gentleman from California as I have over the years on many human rights issues, and this is a human rights issue. Racism,…
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join the gentleman from New Jersey and the gentleman from California as I have over the years on many human rights issues, and this is a human rights issue. Racism, religious hatred, these are things that decent people must condemn and we must unite in our strong opposition wherever this type of vile behavior and vile thought patterns emerge. We must recognize that there are, however, people who exploit these type of negative feelings and this type of racial hatred. Anti-Semitism is perhaps the epitome of this ignorance and irrationality and mindless hatred and it is again raising its ugly head both in Europe and in the United States.
Let us note that over 10 years ago, a major political figure in the United States referred to New York City as ``Hymietown.'' What is important is the fact that he was winked at and that for 10 years after that statement, he still remained a recognized leader. That did tremendous harm in America's black community. It sent a horrible message to young blacks and we are paying some of the price of an increased anti-Semitism today in our black community by mistakes that we made 10 years ago by not condemning that and other types of horrible remarks that should never have been made or accepted in our political debate.
In Europe today, we see that same kind of winking going on. Oh, yes, people are ignoring statements that are being made that are totally unacceptable to people who believe in civilized behavior and are opposed to this type of vile hatred, the vile hatred in relationship to their fellow man. This is an alarm bell today. I am very proud to stand here with the gentleman from
California and the gentleman from New Jersey ringing the alarm bell. We are not going to sit idly by and wink at an increase in this level of hatred towards our Jewish friends nor towards any other minority in the Western democracies. The Western democracies, our friends in Europe, just like we in the United States, have to remain vigilant and it is up to us as leaders of this society and the democratic leaders in Europe to call to task those who would wink and would not condemn this type of vicious trend in their society. We can cut it short now. Let us stand together united against anti-Semitism and all such hatred.
Mr. Speaker, in terms that we do not usually use on this floor but in terms that may be familiar to our friends in Europe, in the American context, I am a man of the left. I voted against the war in…
Mr. Speaker, in terms that we do not usually use on this floor but in terms that may be familiar to our friends in Europe, in the American context, I am a man of the left. I voted against the war in Iraq. I will vote for the resolution later about Israel's right to respond to terrorism, but I will put into the Congressional Record Tom Friedman's article urging them to think about prudence and restraint. I think the settlements are by and large a mistake. And I speak today in defense of this resolution, specifically to others on the left in Europe, many of whom have in my judgment been morally deficient in the obligation we have to speak out against prejudice and injustice across the board. Those who hold to liberal values have no moral right to put an ideological screen between victims and those values, and those on the left who use an excuse of a disagreement with the policy of the Sharon government or the Bush government or anybody else as a reason to be soft on anti-Semitism betray liberalism and betray its values.
By the way, with regard to the government of Israel, let me speak to the people on the left. I disagree with some aspects of its policy, but I staunchly defend its right to exist. But even more important, by every value that I as a liberal hold dear, the government and society of Israel is quite morally superior to any of its neighbors, and to focus only on those aspects of disagreement and to ignore its longstanding commitment to civil rights and civil liberties, in fact I think our society, the United States, has a good deal to learn from the society of Israel about how you deal with external threats and still show a respect for civil liberties.
I thank the gentleman from California and the gentleman from New Jersey for bringing this forward and the gentleman from Illinois for his support. I want to reiterate as a man on the left who shares a great deal of both general values and specific policy prescriptions with many on the left in Europe, I am appalled at those who fail to carry out our liberal principles fully and across the board. A vigorous and ongoing condemnation of anti-Semitism is a requisite part of that commitment.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to support H. Res. 393, commending Afghan women for their participation in Afghan government and civil society, encouraging the inclusion of Afghan women in…
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to support H. Res. 393, commending Afghan women for their participation in Afghan government and civil society, encouraging the inclusion of Afghan women in the political and economic life of Afghanistan, and advocating the protection of the human rights of all Afghan women in their Constitution.
As we are all aware, the women of Afghanistan suffered horrible tragedies under the Taliban regime. The Afghan people have since rejected the Taliban and are in the process of building a free and democratic republic and repairing the damage. These efforts have improved the daily lives of all Afghan citizens,
particularly Afghan women, children, and refugees.
More Afghan girls are attending school than ever before in the history of Afghanistan. Millions more adult women are either returning to school to make up for being forbidden to attend school during the Taliban regime, or taking vocational training classes to prepare for the job market. Now, women in Afghanistan are able to work outside the home and hold positions in all levels of government and in private sector organizations, something unheard of during the Taliban regime.
In order for women to fully participate in Afghan society, they must have the right to vote, the right to run for office, equality of opportunity, and access to health care, education, and employment. This is why I am joined by my colleagues today to advocate that women's human rights should be guaranteed in the Afghanistan Constitution.
I have traveled to Afghanistan and seen the plight of these women. I have heard their stories of hardships and their wishes for a better life for them and their children. I support this resolution because I know how timely and vital it is for the future of Afghani women to have these rights. The United States is actively involved in encouraging the full inclusion and participation of Afghan women in the political and economic life of their country, and must continue to do so throughout the reconstruction process. We must continue to urge the participation of women in the continued efforts toward a lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for their extraordinary leadership on…
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for their extraordinary leadership on this important issue and so many others.
We are experiencing the worst outbreak of anti-Semitism in Europe since the end of Holocaust in 1945. Just under 60 years have passed since the defeat of Hitler and now swastikas have reappeared in Europe. They can be found sprayed on Jewish schools, drawn on gravestones in a desecrated Jewish cemetery, painted on the wall of a synagogue, and stitched on the flags of anti-Israel demonstrators, and in the hearts and minds of the people who attack rabbinical students and Jewish athletes.
When we allow intolerance and hatred to fester and flourish, we are faced with tragic consequences. Put simply, hatred, violence and prejudice must not be tolerated. Countries must speak out against anti- Semitic acts, but rhetoric is not enough. Words will not restore the hundreds of Jewish cultural and religious sites which have been burned, desecrated and destroyed throughout Europe, and words alone will not prevent these tragedies from happening again.
Governments and institutions must condemn these acts as we do today, and they must ensure effective law enforcement against them. They must also promote tolerance education for their children. There is no question teaching children about the horror and tragedy of the Holocaust and other tragedies will create a generation of youth who are less likely to commit hate crimes and who are more likely to mature into adults who will envision and work towards peaceful world relations.
When this body passes H. Con. Res. 49, we will be spending a strong message to the world that anti-Semitism must be confronted and must be eradicated. I thank both leaders, particularly the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for his extraordinary life commitment to ending anti-Semitism and for world peace.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Smith-Cardin- Lantos resolution. I am a cosponsor of this resolution because I am deeply concerned about the surge of anti-Semitism in Europe and…
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Smith-Cardin- Lantos resolution. I am a cosponsor of this resolution because I am deeply concerned about the surge of anti-Semitism in Europe and throughout other parts of the world, but particularly in Europe.
This is not a problem that simply can be monitored. It must be actively and aggressively dealt with, for we must never forget that just 60 years ago, Europe saw the worst scourge of systematic, government-ordained hatred, violence and murder in the history of mankind, in what was an unbelievable Holocaust.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has recognized and condemned anti-Semitic violence in its member states. At its parliamentary assembly in July 2002, the OSCE resolved to aggressively enforce laws and investigate anti-Semitic criminal acts. It is important that the United States openly support the OSCE's resolution and actively encourage it to address hatred and prevent violence in Europe.
Mr. Speaker, there are several topics on which the United States and Europe disagree. There must be no disagreement, however, on the absolute right of the Jewish people to practice their religion freely and to live in peace and prosperity. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe should not only investigate anti-Semitic crimes but also promote and facilitate discussions that address the root causes of xenophobic hatred.
I encourage my colleagues and the administration to take advantage of bilateral meetings with our European counterparts to reaffirm our deep commitment to the prevention of violence in Europe.
I again thank the gentleman from New Jersey for bringing this resolution to the floor and urge its adoption.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the resolution commending Afghan women for their participation in the Afghan government. Overcoming a history of suppression under Taliban rule, the…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the resolution commending Afghan women for their participation in the Afghan government. Overcoming a history of suppression under Taliban rule, the women of Afghanistan have worked to strengthen women's rights in Afghanistan's new democracy.
Prior to Taliban rule, Afghanistan had a Constitutional democracy that affirmed women's rights, including the right to vote and equal pay provisions. However, under control of the Taliban, women were silenced and denied basic-fundamental rights to healthcare, education and employment. Today, Afghan women have emerged to help build a brighter and more stable future for Afghanistan.
Afghan women are more involved than ever in the Afghanistan government. Currently, there are two women holding high-ranking positions in Afghanistan's transitional government. Additionally, on September 5, 2003, the third annual conference of Women for Afghan Women (WAW) met in Kandahar to draft an Afghan Women's Bill of Rights to present to President Hamid Karzai. These rights include mandatory education for all women, protection and security from gender abuse, freedom to vote and the ability to run for all elections.
Afghanistan is at a crucial transition point and it is imperative that the United States continue its support in promoting democracy and equality for both men and women of Afghanistan. I urge all of my fellow Members to vote with me in support of H. Res. 393 and commend the women of Afghanistan for their contributions and involvement in the Afghan government.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, many people thought that the Holocaust cleansed the Western world of anti-Semitism, that the catastrophe, the mass murder,…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, many people thought that the Holocaust cleansed the Western world of anti-Semitism, that the catastrophe, the mass murder, and the genocide in the Holocaust caused the civilized world or at least the Western part of the civilized world to recoil in such horror that anti-Semitism would
not be a major problem again. We now know that maybe it did that for a generation or two, but that the scourge of anti-Semitism is returning in great and terrible force in its ancient homeland of Europe and other places.
Today we have two major problems of anti-Semitism: in Europe and in the Muslim world. It is very appropriate that we adopt this resolution today to ask the governments of Europe through the OSCE and individually to crack down on anti-Semitism, to speak out against it, to act against it because many of the governments of Europe, many of the parts of the political left in Europe and elsewhere as well as the right have not done so. They ought to do so. And this resolution is fitting and appropriate to adopt today for that purpose.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for putting this before our body. I grew up hearing about anti-Semitism…
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for putting this before our body.
I grew up hearing about anti-Semitism from my grandparents and my parents, things that I could not believe could have ever happened; but the anti-Semitism acts that they spoke of seemed like historic oddities to me, something from a distant time and a distant place. I never dreamed, never dreamed that anti-Semitism could ever rear its ugly head again during my lifetime or the lifetime of my children.
Especially after World War II, I thought Europe and the rest of the world had learned a very important and valuable lesson. I ran for Congress so that I could speak out against issues that I thought were horrific; and anti-Semitism, and its continued existence on this planet, is certainly something that I wish to speak out against. I am glad that we are condemning anti-Semitism in no uncertain terms and putting the United States Congress on record and speaking out forcefully against this horrible scourge and plague.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Helsinki Commission for yielding me this time. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this very important resolution. This is about anti-Semitism. But more broadly…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Helsinki Commission for yielding me this time. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this very important resolution.
This is about anti-Semitism. But more broadly than that, it is about hate. It is about the human inclination from time to time to hate others who are different, to discriminate against others who are different, who have a different color of skin, who have a different religion, who have a different national origin. More human violence perhaps has been perpetrated in the name of those distinctions and prejudices and hate than any other.
It is important that we regularly and strongly and without equivocation speak out against those who would perpetrate and spread hate in our world, in our country, in our communities.
I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, and I thank my good friend, the gentleman from California, for their leadership on this issue. It is an appropriate statement for us to make as the representatives of a free and tolerant people.
Bill Text
2 versions available
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 393 Engrossed in House (EH)]
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
November 19, 2003.
Whereas the women of Afghanistan suffered horrible tragedies under the Taliban
regime;
Whereas the Afghan people have rejected the Taliban and are in the process of
building a free and democratic republic and repairing the damage
inflicted upon Afghan society by the Taliban;
Whereas those efforts have improved the daily lives of Afghan women, children,
and refugees;
Whereas more Afghan girls are attending school than ever before in the history
of Afghanistan and, in addition, many millions more adult women are
either returning to school to make up for the time they were not allowed
to attend school during the Taliban regime or taking vocational training
classes to prepare for the job market;
Whereas women in Afghanistan now are able to work outside the home and hold
positions in all levels of government and in private sector
organizations, as they did before the Taliban regime;
Whereas the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the writing of the Afghanistan
Constitution provide a unique opportunity to continue this success and
to affirm women's human rights under the law;
Whereas, in order for women to fully participate in Afghan society, they must
have the right to vote, the right to run for office, equality of
opportunity, and access to health care, education, and employment;
Whereas women's human rights must be guaranteed in the Afghanistan Constitution;
and
Whereas the United States, through its diplomatic activities, is actively
involved in encouraging the full inclusion and participation of Afghan
women in the political and economic life of their country, and must
continue to do so throughout the reconstruction process: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) commends the participation of Afghan women in Afghanistan's
government and civil society;
(2) proclaims its ongoing commitment to encouraging the full
inclusion of women, and indeed all members of Afghan society, in the
political and economic life of their country; and
(3) advocates the protection of the human rights of all Afghans,
particularly women, in the Afghanistan Constitution.
Attest:
Clerk.