Condemning the persecution of Christians around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 407 condemning the persecution of Christians around the world, as amended.

I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who have been persecuted for their religious views and remain committed to fighting with you as we embark on the journey of promoting freedom of conscience, speech, association, religion, and all other freedoms that are inalienable to all humankind.

As a Member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I continue to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner in order to amplify the important work of upholding religious freedom, facilitating human dignity, and protecting human rights.

As a Member of Congress, one of our charges is to understand how to improve religious freedom and diplomacy across the globe and here at home.

A good measure for this congressional call of fostering religious freedom and diplomacy is H. Res. 407 that calls on:

(1) discriminatory regimes to cease their persecution of not only Christians but all religious minorities, and

(2) the President and heads of the governments of all democratic countries to uphold the right to religious freedom and condemn the persecution of Christians and minorities.

This resolution highlights the United States foreign policy commitment to the protection and promotion of religious freedom across the globe from Indonesia, to Pakistan to Nigeria to China to name a few.

The persecution of religious minorities is a global problem, occurring in countries across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Christians, for example, face persecution not only from Islamic extremist groups, like the Islamic State and Boko Haram, but also from other religious extremist groups and from officials at all levels of certain foreign government.

Such persecution of religious minorities ranges from social harassment and discrimination to physical violence, imprisonment, torture, enslavement, rape, and death.

Over 200 million Christians experience persecution across the globe, the majority of those are found in the Middle East. But it is important to note that Christianity is not a Western imposition on historically Islamic countries in the Middle East.

The Middle East has been a home to Christians since the first century A.D., but unfortunately the Christian population in the Middle East has significantly decreased over the past few decades as a result of persecution, displacement, and genocide.

Not only Christian lives, but also Christian holy sites have been destroyed by the Islamic State.

And not only Christians, but anyone who opposed their ruthless war on peace.

In many places, Christians must practice their faith in secrecy because churches are not allowed, and makeshift churches in homes are raided.

A loud example of this persecution is aimed at the Coptic Christians in Egypt that have faced persecution for over 50 years, and on April 9, 2017, Palm Sunday, 44 people were killed in bomb attacks by the Islamic State on Coptic churches.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on a bus on May 26, 2017, in which 29 Coptic Christians were killed while traveling to a monastery in Minya, Egypt;

This important resolution describes numerous instances where Christians have been attacked by terrorist groups, groups that hide behind religion as a pretext to destroy minority groups and to recklessly and harmfully seek power.

Religious minority persecution has been on the rise in Asia, primarily due to religious nationalism.

Recently, in Bangladesh, hundreds of Christians are being forced off their property, and legal action rarely results in the favor of a Christian party.

In Burma/Myanmar, since late August 2017, more than 645 thousand ethnic Rohingya have fled a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Burma's security forces and sought asylum in Bangladesh.

The Rohingya massacre is another example of religious minority persecution, overlooked and disregarded by a government that, as some may surmise, values power over people.

Not surprisingly, Christians and other dissidents of the government in North Korea are forced into harsh labor camps, where approximately 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in 2017.

All that is to say that religious discrimination is a global human rights problem and the right to religious freedom is a universal right recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In the 114th Congress, I introduced and continue to support legislation by my colleagues that seek to protect religious freedom and democracy which are the very bedrock of the United States Constitution.

Fighting for human rights across the globe is one of my passions and I have sought to promote and protect religious freedom such as H. Res. 290, a resolution I introduced in the last Congress condemning blasphemy laws that serve as a pretext to persecute religious minorities; that resolution was co-sponsored by our former colleague, Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania.

Within the context of H. Res. 407 and other legislation addressing human rights, some of the issues we continue to grapple with include:

Expanding the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list to include more countries who have not improved in their treatment of religious minorities or upholding religious freedoms;

The need for an Annual Countries of Particular Concerns Designations;

Double hatting of sanctions and indefinite waivers;

The need to designate non-state actors as violators of religious freedom;

Prosecuting Islamic state militants; and

The need to have a high functioning Department of State with appropriate leadership for both senior and junior staff, and sufficient funding.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 407) condemning the persecution of Christians around the world, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, let me begin here by thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin, Representative Glenn Grothman, for his work on this resolution.

As many in our country are preparing to celebrate this season of peace and joy, thousands of Christian believers around the world are marking the holiday in a much more somber way. They are marking this holiday under a threat of persecution and under a threat of violence.

Pope Francis has said: ``When we read the history of the first centuries, we read of so much cruelty toward Christians. I tell you: There is the same cruelty today, and to a greater extent.''

Those were his words.

According to research, Christians today are more targeted for attack than any other body of believers.

While about 30 percent of the world's population identifies as Christian, 80 percent of all reported acts of religious persecution right now are directed at Christians. Open Doors charity reports that, each month, around the world, 300 Christians are murdered--this would be for their faith--and more than 200 churches and properties are destroyed. This is each month.

Over 770 acts of violence are committed against Christians, including beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, and forced marriages.

For example, across the Middle East there are historic Christian communities that are only one or two generations away from extinction. These were the indigenous people to this region. In Iraq, there are now fewer than 250,000 Christians remaining of a community that once had more than 1.4 million believers.

Last Congress, the House took the lead in declaring the violence against Christians committed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria as genocide. Since then, Congress has pushed hard to make sure that these vulnerable communities are protected and receive the assistance that they need.

I have visited these communities up in northern Iraq, and I can attest to the amount of persecution that they have been through.

Of course, our brave men and women in uniform deserve our praise for leading the fight to destroy ISIS, the so-called caliphate, allowing for the safe return of Christians and other religious minorities in the region.

We are blessed to live in this country free to enjoy our religious festivals in peace and security. We must not turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening elsewhere in the world.

With passage of this measure, we acknowledge the disturbing rise in persecution of Christians around this globe and recommit our Nation to support the religious freedom of all people.

We also call on other world leaders to end persecution of Christians and other religious minorities that are also persecuted at the national, local government, and community level. This includes persecution, of course, by violent non-state actors like terrorist groups Boko Haram and ISIS.

With this call to action, we work to advance our Nation's historic goal to promote ``peace on Earth and goodwill toward men.''

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman), the author of this resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Mr. Engel for his leadership in bringing these issues to the floor and, certainly, our colleague, the cosponsor of this resolution, Carolyn Maloney. I thank, again, Congressman Glenn Grothman for authoring this important resolution here.

Christians around the world are being assaulted, raped, tortured, and murdered. Believers in North Korea, for example, have ``disappeared'' by the hundreds. They are hidden away in labor camps for decades. Many of them are worked to death, as you know by the conditions in those camps. The reason they are there is they attempted to practice their faith: Christianity.

We know that, at the hands of ISIS, brutal atrocities have risen to the level of genocide. Wherever ISIS goes, you see the consequence in the terror that is visited upon Christians, Yazidis, Jews, and other races.

In terms of the positioning that ISIS had in the Middle East, they had ready access to the Christian communities. Having visited those Christian communities in the aftermath of those attacks as they escaped into the Kurdish regions, it was absolutely heart-wrenching to hear the accounts of the survivors about what had happened among the Christians and Yazidis.

These are just a few of the examples of the persecution against Christians that is happening around the world.

I urge my colleagues to join me in this call to world leaders to work to stop the global persecution of Christians.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. I want to thank Mr. Grothman from Wisconsin for authoring this resolution. I also thank my good friend and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, for his leadership as always.

Mr. Speaker, freedom of worship is a basic human right, yet we see religious minorities all over the world subjected to persecution and violence.

In Iraq and Syria, ISIS has forced Christians in Mosul to convert to Islam, to pay a protection tax, and to flee or face execution. ISIS has carried out genocide against the Yazidis, the Christians, and the Shias. In Europe, we see synagogues fire-bombed and a surge of anti- Semitism across the continent. In Burma, we see government security forces engaged in ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

Freedom of religion has been a bedrock principle of open and democratic societies for centuries. It is enshrined in our founding documents, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in charters of democracies all over the world.

The freedom to worship as a person chooses or not to worship at all is a broad right that should not be restrained by a government or a fanatical group. Religious persecution holds societies back, undercuts progress, and is usually associated with a much broader assault on basic human rights.

Here in the United States, we must make it clear that it is not enough to just guarantee religious liberty to our own people. We must speak out and act when we see this freedom, this liberty, and any other freedom under attack anywhere and hold accountable those responsible for human rights abuses.

In places like China, we see freedom of speech under attack. In Chechnya, we see LGBT individuals targeted, tortured, and executed by Putin's cronies just for whom they love. We see women's reproductive rights under attack.

We must also speak out against attacks on our press, on our right to organize, on equality for LGBT persons, and on women's right to control their own bodies. This legislation helps us send a clear message that protecting all human rights is a priority for the United States.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we all know that America's first immigrants came here because they were fleeing religious persecution in their home countries. It would be hypocritical of us to condemn current-day religious persecution around the world and then to slam our doors shut in the face of those trying to flee such persecution. America must remain a place where those facing persecution or death can find refuge.

Mr. Speaker, I support this measure and urge my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

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

Mr. Speaker, protecting human rights has been and must remain a cornerstone of our foreign policy. Around the world, we see religious liberties under siege in places like Iraq, Syria, Burma, and certainly in Iran. But we also see threats to free press, rights to organize, persecution for sexual orientation, and even reproductive rights in places like China, Chechnya, and other places as well. So we must send a clear message to the world that the United States does not and will not stand idly by, and helping pass this measure helps us to say just that.

I want to thank Chairman Royce, as always, for his cooperation. This is strong, important, bipartisan legislation, and we should pass it unanimously.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me supporting H. Res. 407, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my resolution, H. Res. 407, condemning the persecution of Christians around the world.

The persecution of Christians is a global human rights problem that Congress needs to address. According to Open Doors' 2017 World Watch List, approximately 1 in 12 Christians around the world is experiencing persecution for their faith.

North Korea, which is one of the world's most repressive regimes, is a serious violator of international religious Christian rights, which is not surprising, given it is a communist country. Communist countries throughout history have done what they can to suppress and destroy Christians.

Human rights groups have reported that members of underground churches in North Korea have been arrested, beaten, tortured, or killed.

In another communist country, China, religious groups, including Christians, are required to register with the government. Those that do not face imprisonment and torture.

In 2016, 232 Protestants were imprisoned for their religious activities. As part of the country's anti-cross campaign, some 2,000 crosses and buildings have been demolished since 2014, according to State Department estimates.

In the Middle East, the Islamic State and other jihadist militant groups have forced Christians in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and other countries in the region to flee or risk enslavement, execution, or death. Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the number of Christians in Iraq has plunged from 1.5 million to just a couple hundred thousand.

In Libya, ISIS and other extremist groups have gained a stronghold in the country since the fall of Qadhafi.

I reluctantly have to point out that the Christian persecution going on in Libya and Iraq has happened after the United States decided to get involved in these countries, so we have a special responsibility to look out for the Christians there.

In Egypt, ISIS claimed responsibility for killing over 70 Coptic Christians earlier this year.

The persecution of Christians in the Middle East doesn't end with terrorists. It is institutional, as well.

Pakistan has some of the most extreme blasphemy laws in the world. In June of 2016, two Christians received death sentences for blasphemy convictions.

In Iran, approximately 200 Christians were arrested last year. At least 90 remain in illegal detention.

Acts of persecution against Christians across the globe is a violation of international law, which is why Congress must act.

Sadly, in our own country, the United States, sometimes Christians can be forced to participate in ceremonies with which they don't agree. It is kind of hard to believe that this is going on in the United States of America.

H. Res. 407 will condemn the persecution of Christians around the world. It calls for all discriminatory countries and groups to cease their persecution of religious minorities and urge world leaders to uphold the universal human right to religious freedom.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague for yielding and for his incredible leadership as the ranking member on this important committee. I also thank Chairman Royce for his work on this issue, bringing the bill to the floor, and truly being a visionary legislator in shining a spotlight on the systematic persecution of Christians around the world. It is frightening, it is wrong, and we need to do everything we can to stop it.

Freedom of religion is a core American principle and a key component for peace and stability around the world. There are too many examples of Christian persecution. Congress must clearly condemn those atrocities.

As cofounder and co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus, I have long advocated for reforms in Turkey to respect the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and reopen the Halki seminary.

Boko Haram has wreaked havoc in Nigeria, killing innocent Christians and Muslims alike.

Coptic Christians in Egypt and elsewhere face the constant threat of violence, and we have seen some tragedies for this community just in the past year. The number of Coptic Christians that have been killed is truly astounding. They have laws now that, if a wall falls or any church needs repair, you cannot even repair the church.

These are just a few examples of spots around the world where Christian persecution is rampant.

Persecution against Christians and other religious minorities around the world is a security crisis, and the United States Government must remain vigilant in monitoring and response. It should be a unanimous vote in support of this important resolution.

I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for bringing this to the attention of Congress and, hopefully, the world.