IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 840 

Condemning continuing violations of religious freedom in the Middle East, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 15, 2009 

Mr. BURTON of Indiana (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, and Mr. FRANKS

of Arizona) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning continuing violations of religious freedom in the 

Middle East, and for other purposes. 

Whereas for thousands of years, a broad and diverse array 

of religious communities have resided in the Middle East, 

including numerous denominations of Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others; 

Whereas the increasing activity, both political and violent, of 

Islamist extremists throughout the region have caused 

the displacement within or emigration from the Middle 

East of many indigenous Christians, Jews, and others; 

Whereas government-controlled media in Iran, Syria, Saudi 

Arabia, Egypt, and other countries, as well as in the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, 


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continue to publish and broadcast anti-Semitic and antiIsrael materials that demonize and stereotype Jews; 

Whereas the Government of Iran continues to persecute many 

Iranian religious communities; 

Whereas the Government of Iran does not recognize any nonMuslim religious minority communities other than Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians; 

Whereas all non-Muslim religious minorities are prohibited 

from running for all but 5 seats in the national legislature, from serving in the security services and the judiciary, and from working as public school principals; 

Whereas Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly called for a crackdown on Christianity in that country, and the Government of Iran continues to close down 

churches and arrest converts to Christianity; 

Whereas the Government of Iran has taken and continues to 

take special measures to harass and discriminate against 

Baha’is, including seizing their communal property, arresting and imprisoning them on account of their faith, 

banning them from practicing or teaching their religion, 

prohibiting their official assembly, closing their communal institutions, effectively precluding them from enrollment in state-run universities, excluding them from 

the social pension system, refusing them legal compensation for injuries, denying them the right to inherit property, and frequently charging them with espionage for 

Israel; 

Whereas anti-Israel demonstrations in Iran increasingly include the denunciation of Jews and Iranian synagogues 

and continue to be assaulted; 


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Whereas Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly and virulently denounced the Jewish State of Israel, 

has openly denied the Holocaust; 

Whereas apostasy and conversion from Islam are punishable 

by death in Iran; 

Whereas the 2008 Department of State Country Report on 

International Religious Freedom on Iran stated that 

‘‘During the reporting period, respect for religious freedom in the country continued to deteriorate . . . government rhetoric and actions created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shi’a religious groups, most notably for Baha’is, as well as Sufi Muslims, evangelical 

Christians, and members of the Jewish community . . . 

reports of Government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued during the reporting period . . . Baha’i religious 

groups reported arbitrary arrests, expulsions from universities, and confiscation of property.’’; 

Whereas in February 2008 a revision to the Syrian Penal 

Code was drafted for approval by the legislature whereby 

apostasy, specifically conversion from Islam, would be 

punishable by death under the revised Penal Code; 

Whereas the Government of Syria reportedly continues to bar 

Syrian Jews from working in the armed forces or civil 

service, gives extra scrutiny to applications by Jews for 

government documents, and lists religion on the identity 

cards and passports of Jews, and Jews alone; 

Whereas in July 2006, the Syrian Deputy Minister of Religious Endowment declared on state television that Jews 

are cursed and called them ‘‘the descendants of apes and 

pigs’’; 


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Whereas the 2008 Department of State Country Report on 

International Religious Freedom on Syria stated that: 

‘‘The Government continued to outlaw the Jehovah’s Witnesses . . . in addition, the Government continued to 

monitor the activities of all groups, including religious 

groups, and discouraged proselytizing, which it deemed a 

threat to relations among religious groups.’’; 

Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia does not recognize 

or protect freedom of religion under the law; 

Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia continues to engage in political, economic, religious, legal, and social discrimination against those who do not adhere to the statebacked Wahhabi interpretation of Islam; 

Whereas there are numerous reports of harassment, violence, 

and murder by the Saudi mutawwai’in (state religious police); 

Whereas textbooks in Saudi state-sponsored schools reportedly continue to include statements of hate and contempt 

for Christians, Jews, Shiite Muslims, Isma‘ilis, and others; 

Whereas in Saudi Arabia, foreign workers and their family 

members have reportedly been exploited, discriminated 

against, arrested, or deported on account of their religious beliefs; 

Whereas, according to the United States Department of 

State, customs officials in Saudi Arabia ‘‘confiscated or 

censored materials considered offensive, including Christian Bibles and religious videotapes’’; 

Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia reportedly continues to refuse to finance the construction or maintenance of Shiite mosques, deny approval for the construcVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:05 Oct 16, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR840.IH HR840

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tion or registration of Shiite community centers, and prohibit the import or sale of Shiite religious paraphernalia; 

Whereas the 2008 Department of State Country Report on 

International Religious Freedom on Saudi Arabia stated 

that: ‘‘The public practice of non-Muslim religions is prohibited, and mutawwa’in (religious police) continued to 

conduct raids of private non-Muslim religious gatherings 

. . . although the Government also confirmed its policy 

to protect the right to possess and use personal religious 

materials, it did not provide for this right in law, and the 

mutawwa’in sometimes confiscated the personal religious 

material of non-Muslims.’’; 

Whereas since the radical Islamist group Hamas violently 

seized power in the Gaza Strip in June of 2007, harassment of and violence against Christians has increased; 

Whereas Christian-owned stores in Gaza, such as the Bible 

Society bookstore, have been targets of firebombs and 

gunfire; 

Whereas Palestinian Authority officials have in the past 

failed to effectively combat harassment of and violence 

against Christian residents of Bethlehem; 

Whereas the Government of Egypt continues to refuse to recognize conversions by Egyptian Muslims to Christianity; 

Whereas the 2008 Department of State Country Report on 

International Religious Freedom on Egypt stated that: 

‘‘The Constitution provides for freedom of belief and the 

practice of religious rites, although the Government 

places restrictions on these rights in practice.’’; 

Whereas Islamic extremists in Iraq have bombed dozens 

churches in the past 4 years and demanded Christians eiVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:05 Oct 16, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR840.IH HR840

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ther convert or pay thousands of dollars in ransom, and 

have kidnapped or killed a number of Christian clergy; 

Whereas many of Iraq’s Christian population has been forced 

to flee their homes under threats from Islamic extremists; 

Whereas Sabean-Mandaeans reported that Islamic extremists 

threatened, kidnapped, and killed members of their religion for refusing to convert to Islam; 

Whereas the 2008 Department of State Country Report on 

International Religious Freedom on Iraq stated that: 

‘‘While the Government generally endorsed freedom of 

thought, conscience, and religious belief and practice for 

Muslims and non-Muslims alike, violence conducted by 

terrorists, extremists, and criminal gangs restricted the 

free exercise of religion and posed a significant threat to 

the country’s vulnerable religious minorities throughout 

the reporting period . . . radical Islamic elements from 

outside the Government exerted tremendous pressure on 

individuals and groups to conform to extremist interpretations of Islamic precepts . . . sectarian violence, including attacks on clergy and religious places of worship, 

hampered the ability to practice religion freely . . . as 

the Government began to exhibit the will and capacity to 

challenge its militant opponents, the violence began to 

abate and the Government became increasingly successful 

in restoring security, in a generally nonsectarian manner, 

throughout the country.’’; and 

Whereas in addition to the many reports of violations of religious freedom in the Middle East, many other incidents 

are never reported due to fear of further persecution: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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1 (1) condemns violations of religious freedom in 

2 the Middle East; and 

3 (2) calls on the President to— 

4 (A) direct the Secretary of State, as well 

5 as the United States representative at all appli6 cable international institutions, to urge that vio7 lations of religious freedom in the Middle East 

8 be considered and addressed in all appropriate 

9 international fora; 

10 (B) consider the status of religious free11 dom in each country in the Middle East when 

12 assessing and developing relations with govern13 ments in the region; and 

14 (C) further incorporate religious freedom 

15 into bilateral and multilateral strategic dia16 logues; and 

17 (D) denounce, strongly and repeatedly, de18 monizing of and incitement against Jews, 

19 Christians, Muslims, Baha’is, and other reli20 gious communities in media and educational 

21 textbooks controlled or sponsored by Middle 

22 Eastern governments. 

Æ 


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