IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 145

Condemning the recent order by the Taliban regime of Afghanistan to require

Hindus in Afghanistan to wear symbols identifying them as Hindu.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 25, 2001

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. LANTOS, Mr.

LEACH, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. BERMAN,

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. FROST, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. KING, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. HORN, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. HOEFFEL,

Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms.

BERKLEY, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. MCNULTY,

Mr. HOLT, Mr. WEINER, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr.

PALLONE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. REYES, Mr. MORAN of

Virginia, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. HOYER, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. HONDA, Mr.

TIERNEY, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. NADLER, Ms. SOLIS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr.

ENGLISH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. OBEY,

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. FARR of California, Mrs.

MORELLA, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. STARK, Mrs.

NORTHUP, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. ISRAEL, and Ms. SLAUGHTER) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Condemning the recent order by the Taliban regime of Afghanistan to require Hindus in Afghanistan to wear symbols identifying them as Hindu.

Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

guarantee the freedom of religion;
2

•HCON 145 IH

Whereas on May 22, 2001, the Taliban regime of Afghanistan directed Hindus and other non-Muslims to wear a

yellow identity symbol and for Hindu women to fully

cover themselves in a veil;

Whereas this proposal is reminiscent of the yellow Star of

David that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany

and Nazi-occupied areas;

Whereas Department of State spokesperson Richard Boucher

condemned the Taliban action, stating that ‘‘forcing social groups to wear distinctive clothing or identifying

marks stigmatizes and isolates those groups and can

never, never be justified’’;

Whereas the Taliban regime recently offended the world by

ordering the destruction of all pre-Islamic statues in Afghanistan, among them a pair of 1,600-year-old, 100-

foot-tall statues of Buddha that were carved out of a

mountainside;

Whereas the reprehensible policies of the Taliban are exacerbating the suffering of the people of Afghanistan who are

already besieged by a devastating drought and the continued fighting in the region; and

Whereas the American people feel a great deal of sympathy

for the people of Afghanistan and continue to provide humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) strongly condemns the Taliban’s use of Nazi

4 tactics to force Hindus in Afghanistan to wear sym5 bols identifying them as Hindu;
3

•HCON 145 IH

1 (2) joins with people of all faiths around the

2 world in standing against the religious persecution

3 by the Taliban regime;

4 (3) demands the Taliban regime immediately

5 revoke its order stigmatizing Hindus and other non6 Muslims in Afghanistan and conform its laws to all

7 basic international civil and human rights standards;

8 and

9 (4) calls on the Government of Pakistan to use

10 its influence with the Taliban regime to demand that

11 the Taliban revoke the reprehensible policy of forc12 ing Afghan Hindus and other non-Muslims to wear

13 a yellow identity symbol.

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