IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 407 

Condemning the persecution of Christians around the world. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 26, 2017 

Mr. GROTHMAN (for himself, Mr. BABIN, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. YOHO, Mr. DESANTIS, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. JOHNSON

of Louisiana, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia, 

Mr. RICE of South Carolina, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. GAETZ, Ms. GRANGER, 

Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. JORDAN, Mr. PERRY, Mr. FASO, Mr. DUNN, Ms. 

JENKINS of Kansas, Mr. TIPTON, Mr. ROSS, and Mr. SIMPSON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the persecution of Christians around the world. 

Whereas the persecution of Christians is a global problem, occurring in countries across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, 

and the Americas; 

Whereas Christians 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 government; 

Whereas such persecution ranges from social harassment and 

discrimination to physical violence, imprisonment, torture, enslavement, rape, and death; 


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•HRES 407 IH 

Whereas Christianity is one of the most persecuted religions 

in the world; 

Whereas over 200,000,000 Christians experience persecution 

across the globe; 

Whereas the majority of persecuted Christians live in the 

Middle East; 

Whereas Christianity is not a Western imposition on historically Islamic countries in the Middle East because the 

Middle East has been a home to Christians since the first 

century A.D.; 

Whereas the Christian population in the Middle East has significantly decreased over the past few decades as a result 

of persecution, displacement, and genocide; 

Whereas Christians in Syria and Iraq have been facing genocide for many years; 

Whereas the Christian population in Iraq decreased from 

1,400,000 people in 2003 to just 275,000 people in 2016, 

as a result of displacement and genocide caused by religious extremism; 

Whereas many Syrian Christians have been displaced, and 

those unable to escape have been subject to imprisonment, torture, enslavement, and execution by the Islamic 

State; 

Whereas Christian holy sites in Syria have been destroyed by 

the Islamic State; 

Whereas in Iran, Christian converts have been banned from 

attending church services during the Christmas season, 

in an effort to limit the spread of Christianity; 

Whereas in 2016, approximately 200 Christians were arrested in Iran for their faith; 


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•HRES 407 IH 

Whereas in Saudi Arabia, Christians must practice their faith 

in secrecy because churches are not allowed, and makeshift churches in homes are raided; 

Whereas Christians in Saudi Arabia face imprisonment, torture, and deportation; 

Whereas in Afghanistan, where Islam is viewed as a unifying 

faith, Christian converts are often murdered or sent to a 

mental hospital after their families learn of their new 

faith; 

Whereas Christians in Pakistan face constant accusation of 

blasphemy, punishable by death, and convictions and sentences for blasphemy are given despite little or no evidence of blasphemy; 

Whereas in 2016, approximately 600 Christian churches were 

attacked in Pakistan; 

Whereas Coptic Christians in Egypt 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; 

Whereas 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; 

Whereas since the fall of the Gaddafi regime, persecution of 

Christians in Libya has significantly increased; 

Whereas Christians in Nigeria have been massacred by Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Fulani; 

Whereas in January 2017, Fulani militants raided a Christian village in Nigeria, killing six police officers and four 

civilians; 


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•HRES 407 IH 

Whereas Christian converts in Somalia often face public execution; 

Whereas in 2017, a mob of 100 men attacked a Christian 

church in Uganda, beating and raping members of the 

congregation; 

Whereas Christian persecution has been on the rise in Asia, 

primarily due to religious nationalism; 

Whereas in May 2017, a Christian governor in Indonesia was 

found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in 

prison for ‘‘distorting’’ a Koranic teaching during a campaign speech; 

Whereas in Bangladesh, hundreds of Christians are being 

forced off their property, and legal action rarely results 

in the favor of a Christian party; 

Whereas communist regimes have a strong history of oppressing and persecuting Christians; 

Whereas since 2013, in the Zhejiang Province of China, 

crosses have been removed from over 1,500 churches as 

part of that province’s anti-cross campaign; 

Whereas in China, members of churches that are not registered with the government face imprisonment and torture; 

Whereas in North Korea, the practice of Christianity is prohibited and Christians are forced to hide their faith from 

the government; 

Whereas if caught, Christians in North Korea are forced into 

harsh labor camps, where approximately 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in 2017; 


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•HRES 407 IH 

Whereas in November 2016, Vietnam adopted a new ‘‘Law 

on Belief and Religion’’ that limits the right to religious 

freedom for over 8,000,000 Christians in that country; 

Whereas in Mexico, Christians and Christian church leaders 

are killed by drug cartels for speaking out against organized crime and corruption; 

Whereas although the Colombian government respects the 

right to religious freedom, Christians from indigenous 

communities often face imprisonment because of their 

faith; 

Whereas religious discrimination, including the persecution of 

Christians, is a global human rights problem; and 

Whereas the right to religious freedom is a universal right 

recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human 

Rights: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the persecution of Christians 

3 around the world; 

4 (2) calls on discriminatory regimes to cease 

5 their persecution of Christians and religious minori6 ties; and 

7 (3) urges the President and the heads of the 

8 governments of all democratic countries around the 

9 world to uphold the right to religious freedom and 

10 condemn the global persecution of Christians. 

Æ 


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