III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 176 

Condemning the terrorist attacks on Christian worshipers in Sri Lanka on 

Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, and standing with the Government 

of Sri Lanka to encourage the protection and preservation of religious 

liberties. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 30, 2019 

Mr. HAWLEY (for himself, Mr. COTTON, Mr. BLUNT, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 

ROBERTS, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. RUBIO, and Mr. PERDUE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the terrorist attacks on Christian worshipers 

in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, and 

standing with the Government of Sri Lanka to encourage 

the protection and preservation of religious liberties. 

Whereas, on the morning of April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, 

7 Islamist suicide bombers carried out coordinated attacks on— 

(1) the Shrine of St. Anthony Church in Colombo, 

Sri Lanka; 

(2) St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka; 

(3) Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka; 

(4) Zion Evangelical Church in Batticaloa, Sri 

Lanka; 


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•SRES 176 IS 

(5) a guest house near the National Zoo of Sri 

Lanka; and 

(6) a housing complex in Dematagoda, Sri Lanka; 

Whereas more than 250 people were killed and more than 

500 people were injured in the attacks; 

Whereas the attackers acted in the name of National 

Thowheeth Jama’ath (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘NTJ’’), a local Islamist group that had previously attacked Buddhist monks and statues; 

Whereas NTJ has ties to global Islamist terrorist organizations and subscribes to an intolerant Wahhabi ideology 

that condones violence against non-Muslims and fellow 

Muslims; and 

Whereas the Wall Street Journal has reported that, according 

to SITE, a terrorist-monitoring firm, on Tuesday, April 

23, 2019, the Islamic State released a video claiming responsibility for the attacks, stating that ‘‘the executors of 

the attack that targeted citizens of coalition states and 

Christians in Sri Lanka two days ago were Islamic State 

fighters’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns the April 21, 2019, terrorist at3 tacks in Sri Lanka as— 

4 (A) targeted principally against Christians 

5 because of their faith, on their holy day of 

6 Easter, during their Easter prayers; and 

7 (B) perpetrated by radical Islamist terror8 ists acting in the name of a hateful radical 

9 Islamist ideology; 


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•SRES 176 IS 

1 (2) considers the April 21, 2019, terrorist at2 tacks to be an attack on— 

3 (A) all Christians and members of all 

4 faiths in Sri Lanka and around the world; and 

5 (B) the basic human liberty of freedom of 

6 religion; 

7 (3) stands with the Government of Sri Lanka 

8 in bringing peace and security to the citizens of Sri 

9 Lanka, particularly the religious communities of Sri 

10 Lanka; and 

11 (4) calls on Sri Lanka and all governments— 

12 (A) to protect the freedom of religion, at 

13 home and abroad; and 

14 (B) to partner with the United States in 

15 advancing security and freedom. 

Æ 


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