Stop the Revolving Door in Washington Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill and yield myself such time as I may consume.

This bipartisan legislation creates a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. Housed at the State Department, the Special Envoy would be responsible for monitoring and combating acts of religious intolerance, engaging with foreign governments to address laws that discriminate against religious minorities, and working to ensure that the unique needs of religious minority communities are being addressed.

This bill is important because religious minority communities all around the world--particularly in the Near East and South Central Asia--are facing increased attacks and persecution. For example, Egypt's recent governments have failed to prevent, investigate, or prosecute crimes against members of religious minority groups, especially Coptic Christians. Churches have been burned to the ground and numerous Christians murdered.

Iraq used to have a significant number of religious minorities. These groups have been subject to escalating violence, persecution, and discrimination for their religious beliefs, and today they comprise only about 3 percent of Iraq's population. By some estimates, half of Iraq's Christian population has fled since 2003.

In Iran, the arrest and harassment of members of religious minorities, including Sunni Muslims and Christians, continues to rise. In one notable case last year, an Iranian-American Christian pastor was imprisoned for threatening Iranian national security. And what was his crime? Helping to set up small churches in people's homes. Iran's minority Baha'i community is particularly harassed, punished, imprisoned, and even killed simply because of their religion.

This past August, a Baha'i community leader in Bandar Abbas, Iran-- Mr. Ataollah Rezvani--was found murdered in his car on the outskirts of the city, shot in the back of the head. He had been the subject of threats and pressure from agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, and until shortly before his death he had been receiving menacing phone calls from unidentified persons. There is little doubt that his murder was religiously motivated. Until now, the Iranian Government has not begun a formal investigation into his murder or the murder of many other Baha'is that have been killed in recent years. It is past time for the Iranian Government to move immediately to seek justice for the cruel deaths of its Baha'i citizens. I wish these were isolated cases, but countless other examples exist, from Afghanistan to India to Saudi Arabia.

We indeed are fortunate to live in a country that was founded by religious refugees on principles of tolerance. But it is important that we do everything we can to ensure that religious minorities elsewhere in the world enjoy the freedoms and protections they deserve--the freedoms and protections enjoyed by all Americans. Appointing this Special Envoy would be an important step in that direction, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlelady an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

In closing, let me thank the authors of this bill, Mr. Wolf and Ms. Eshoo, for your dedication, your focus, and your hard work.

It would seem that in the year of our Lord 2013 we would learn religious tolerance by now all over the world, we would have learned that it is the right thing to do to be patient with individuals who might believe different than we do, to allow them their way of life so that they can prosper and grow and pray in their own beliefs. Unfortunately, that's not true. For all of us, we should be concerned wherever religious tolerance is not adhered to.

I recall the words--and why it concerns us--Dr. King said once that ``injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'' If we allow minorities who believe differently than we do anywhere to think that it is okay, and we are not going to use whatever diplomatic or other forms of relationships that we have to try to have religious freedoms, they're mistaken. We must not allow our voices to be silent, we must speak aloud in clear language, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking Chairman Royce for

swiftly moving the bill and for his comments today. I also thank the Republican leadership for recognizing that this simple but critical legislation is worthy of making it a priority by this Congress, even as there are other issues that face us at this time.

In January 2011, following a spate of attacks against Christians in Iraq and ongoing persecution in Egypt, I convened a Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing focusing on the plight of religious minorities in Egypt and Iraq. Among the witnesses was Representative Anna Eshoo, who ultimately became the lead Democrat on this bill for two consecutive Congresses.

During the hearing we heard sobering testimony about the challenges facing these communities. A resounding theme emerged: Chaldo-Assyrian Christians and Coptic Christians were being marginalized and targeted for violence. These realities were all the more troubling given the historic roots of the faith communities in these two countries-- amazingly, many Iraqi Christians today still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus.

Not only were these communities being threatened in the lands they had inhabited for centuries, their plight was largely unknown and seemingly unimportant within the broader foreign policy apparatus. Notably, at the time of the hearing, the post of the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom had been vacant for 2 years.

While the hearing predated the so-called ``Arab Spring,'' without question the dramatic changes in the region have only further jeopardized these communities. I was convinced then and remain convinced today that religious minorities in the Middle East and in key countries in South Central Asia, such as Pakistan--as the chairman mentioned--and Afghanistan need someone who can be their voice both within the halls of Foggy Bottom and abroad with foreign governments.

Last Congress, this legislation overwhelmingly passed the House only to stall in the Senate in the face of opposition by the State Department--the same State Department which to date has failed to designate any Countries of Particular Concern for egregious religious freedom violations since August of 2011.

The administration's opposition is shortsighted and, frankly, indefensible. As we debate this legislation, Coptic Christians are leaving Egypt in droves. As we debate this legislation, several Baha'i leaders languish unjustly in an Iranian prison, as does American citizen Saeed Abedini.

As we debate this legislation, Ahmadi Muslims, as the chairman said, in Pakistan are prohibited from voting and their graves are desecrated. As we debate this legislation, Syrian Christians fear they too will be caught in a crossfire like Iraqi Christians, or worse yet, like the Iraqi Jewish community. I am told only a single Jewish person remains in the country today where once a vibrant Jewish community flourished.

This legislation is supported by such diverse groups as faith-based organizations, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, United Methodist Church, The Ahmadi Muslim community, Southern Baptist Convention, and Christians United for Israel, among others, as well as a multitude of diaspora organizations which are directly linked with the very people the Special Envoy would serve.

Will a Special Envoy guarantee these communities' survival--and even flourishing? I do not know. But I am certain that to do nothing is not an option--lest on this administration's and this Congress' watch we witness a Middle East emptied of ancient faith communities, foremost among them the ``Sunday People.''

German Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, faced with the tyranny of and horror of Nazism, famously said: ``Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.''

I want to thank the chairman again, Mr. Royce, and urge my colleagues to join me in sending an undeniable message to persecuted people of faith the world over--and just as importantly to the forces that oppress them--that America, this shining city on the hill as envisioned by our Founders, will not be silent in the face of evil.

Please vote ``yes'' on H.R. 301.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I want to begin by thanking the ranking member. I also want to thank the chairman of the committee, and most especially my colleague and friend, Congressman Wolf.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 301, a bill that will create a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.

This legislation responds, as has been said so eloquently by those that spoke before me, to the urgent needs of Christians and other religious minorities who are really under siege in the Middle East precisely because they are Christians and because they are minorities.

In light of the ongoing events in Syria, this legislation could not be more timely. I commend Representative Frank Wolf, whom I have worked closely with as cochair of the Religious Minorities Caucus, for his partnership in this effort. Most importantly, I thank him for his conscience.

We first introduced this legislation in 2011 after Congressman Wolf chaired a hearing to review the violence and the hardship faced by Middle Eastern religious minorities. I testified that day about the plight of who I am descended from, the Assyrians--the world's oldest Christians who have fled and continue to flee Iraq.

We agreed to press forward with this legislation to create a Special Envoy at the State Department, the ambassador level, to elevate this issue for the attention that it deserves. The United States of America needs a high-level official dedicated to religious freedom in the region and committed to addressing the concerns of minority communities.

Appropriately, H.R. 301 has attracted solid bipartisan support, with 68 cosponsors calling for the State Department to elevate religious freedom in the Middle East as a diplomatic priority of our country.

Just as Senator John Danforth served our Nation as Special Envoy to Sudan and Senator George Mitchell Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, religious minorities in the Middle East require and deserve a high- level authoritative voice to address their situation.

The history of violence against Christians in the Middle East must not be allowed to repeat itself, and it is. Notably, Syria's ancient Christian population, which makes up 10 percent of the country, has been forced to flee their ancestral homeland, as noted in today's New York Times in a lengthy article.

Churches have been, and continue to be, attacked and sacred objects ransacked, and the very lives of those that stand against this are being threatened.

The Christians of Syria, as well as Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Egypt, are the oldest in the world. Christianity was from the beginning a Middle Eastern religion. The Assyrian Christians, the Chaldeans, actually celebrate mass in Aramaic, which is the language Jesus spoke. For more than 2,000 years, Christians have been a key part of the Middle Eastern community.

From the founding of our Nation, religious freedom has been a pillar of our democracy, and it remains one of the great hallmarks of our country.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical legislation to create a Special Envoy focused on the freedom and survival of these ancient faith communities, and I thank Representative Wolf most especially for his tireless advocacy.

I also thank the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for supporting this legislation and for writing to every Member of the House urging their full support, as well as the honor roll of faith-based organizations who support the legislation.

Let us go forward and send a very clear message, not only to the other legislative body, but also to people

around the world, that we remain the beacon of hope and light and that we uphold this pillar of religious freedom, not only in our own Nation but in countries around the world where people of faith are under siege.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 301) to provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and that they also might have the ability to include extraneous material on this resolution in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of this legislation because this legislation provides for a very needed Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and in South Central Asia.

This bill, introduced by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), is substantially identical to one which we brought up last year and tried to get out of both bodies; it was H.R. 440. This body passed that legislation by more than 400 votes.

Sadly, in the 2 years that have elapsed since then, the dangers motivating this bill have only grown more acute. In many areas of the Middle East, the first freedom, as we called it, the freedom of religious liberty, is disregarded.

Minority communities are not merely under threat; those communities are now under attack. From Afghanistan, to Iran, to Syria, to Egypt and elsewhere in these regions, religious minorities have been increasingly subjected to unconscionable--often violent--persecution. These alarming trends are occurring in the midst of growing regional instability as brutal regimes and terrorists and insurgents seek to assert control over populations and seek to enforce their ideologies by use of fear, by use of brute force.

As the bloody civil war rages in Syria, ancient Christian communities are being forced to flee the lands they have inhabited for centuries in the midst of this bloody civil conflict.

In Egypt, Coptic Christians have experienced unspeakable abuses at the hands of radical Muslim groups and have been fleeing their country in droves to escape further violence. I have met with many from the vibrant Coptic Christian community in southern California.

In Iran, more than 500 Baha'is have been arbitrarily arrested since 2005 by the Iranian Government. In Pakistan, 80 members of the Muslim Ahmadiyya sect were killed by terrorists in their places of worship in 2010, in addition to consistent incidents of violence and even judicial persecution of Christians there. Many of us are aware of the violations of the rights and the deaths of the Shi'a minority there as well.

For all of these alarming reasons, this legislation is at least as timely as it was 2 years ago. I commend our colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), for bringing it to our attention.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, cochairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, author of this bill, and long a spokesman for religious freedom for those of all creeds.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in the spirit that Mr. Meeks articulated there, we Americans who cherish religious liberty and all people of goodwill who value the rights of conscience cannot remain silent in the face of this rising regional intolerance. I think, as he put it, and as Mr. Wolf and Ms. Anna Eshoo put so eloquently, I think it is time to bring about this Special Envoy to deploy in the Middle East. I thank Mr. Wolf for his leadership and certainly urge passage of H.R. 301.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I am joining with my colleague Rep. Anna G. Eshoo in reintroducing legislation to create a special envoy position at the State Department to advocate on behalf of vulnerable religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia.

In countries like Iraq and Egypt, ancient Christian communities are being driven from the lands they have inhabited for centuries. In Iran, Baha'is are imprisoned and some cases executed simply because of their faith. In Pakistan, Ahmadi graves are desecrated. In Afghanistan, a country where America has sacrificed greatly in both blood and treasure, the most basic right to freedom of religion or belief is not recognized in the constitution. This is but a snap shot of the grave challenges facing these communities.

If the international community fails to speak out, the prospects for religious pluralism and tolerance in the region are bleak.

Last Congress the House, to its credit, overwhelmingly passed, by a vote of 402-20, bipartisan legislation, H.R. 440, to create a special envoy position at the State Department charged with focusing on the plight of religious minorities in these regions. Sadly, in the face of State Department opposition, the Senate failed to act.

There is a historic precedent for special envoys--including the Sudan special envoy and the North Korea human rights special envoy--whose positions were created in response to an urgent need for focused attention on a critical issue. The dire challenges facing Coptic Christians, Baha'is, Chaldo-Assyrians, Ahmadis, the small remaining Jewish population and countless other religions minorities throughout the Middle East and South Central Asia is surely such an issue.

While there is no guarantee that a special envoy will be able to single-handedly solve the problem, it certainly cannot hurt to have a high-level person within the State Department bureaucracy who is exclusively focused on the protection and preservation of these ancient communities. Such an envoy would send an important message to both our own foreign policy establishment and to suffering communities in the Middle East and elsewhere that religious freedom is a priority--that America will be a voice for the voiceless.

President Reagan once said that the U.S. Constitution is ``a covenant that we have made not only with ourselves, but with all of mankind.'' I believe the United States has an obligation to speak out for the voiceless around the world and urge my colleagues to join me cosponsoring this critical legislation.