IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 640 

Condemning the global persecution of Christians. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 18, 2019 

Mr. PALMER (for himself, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, Mr. HICE of Georgia, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. BUCK, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. 

FULCHER, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. WRIGHT, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. BILIRAKIS, 

Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. HILL of Arkansas, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. BYRNE, Mr. 

FLEISCHMANN, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. BUDD, Mr. ROY, Mr. CLOUD, Mr. 

BABIN, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. GIANFORTE, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, 

Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. SPANO, Mr. 

KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. RATCLIFFE, Mr. 

WALKER, Mr. BIGGS, Mrs. MILLER, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mr. SMITH of New 

Jersey, Mr. MULLIN, Mrs. RODGERS of Washington, Mr. MOOLENAAR, 

Mr. WESTERMAN, and Ms. FOXX of North Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the global persecution of Christians. 

Whereas Christian persecution remains a global problem; 

Whereas, according to the Pew Research Center, Christians 

remain the most persecuted religious group in the world; 

Whereas persecution includes acts such as physical violence, 

forced exile, imprisonment, torture, rape, and death; 

Whereas, according to Open Doors USA’s 2019 World Watch 

List, the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians 


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were responsible for 4,136 Christians killed for faith-related reasons, 1,266 church or Christian building attacks, 

and the detention without trial, arrest, sentencing, and 

imprisonment of 2,625 Christians; 

Whereas, in 2010, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother and field laborer, was charged with blasphemy and sentenced to 

death by hanging in Pakistan; 

Whereas, after nine years of imprisonment, Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi based on insufficient 

evidence and she was finally allowed to leave the country 

in May 2019; 

Whereas, since 2014, discrimination and violence toward 

Christians, Muslims, and other religious minorities in 

India have significantly increased using anticonversion 

laws, anti-cow-slaughter laws, forced conversions, and injustice within law enforcement; 

Whereas, in Nigeria on February 15, 2014, Boko Haram 

militants attacked a farming village in Borno State, killing 106 people while targeting male residents of the 

Christian community; 

Whereas, in August 2014, ISIS swept into the Nineveh Plain 

in Iraq, forcing thousands of Christian families to flee 

their homes; 

Whereas, in 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry stated that 

a genocide was being committed against Christians and 

Yazidis in Northern Iraq and Syria; 

Whereas, in 2016, United States Pastor Andrew Brunson 

was wrongfully imprisoned by the Government of Turkey 

for two years until his release in 2018; 


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Whereas, on April 9, 2017, Palm Sunday, two Egyptian Coptic Christian churches were bombed, killing 45 and injuring 126 churchgoers; 

Whereas, in Nigeria on June 23, 2018, Fulani militants in 

Plateau State killed 120 Christians as they returned 

from a funeral; 

Whereas, in December 2018, police officers in Chengdu, 

China, arrested Protestant Pastor Wang Yi and more 

than 100 Early Rain Covenant Church members; 

Whereas Chinese authorities searched and sealed each of the 

Early Rain Covenant Church’s properties and forced 

members to sign a pledge that they would not attend the 

church or church school again; 

Whereas China banned the online sale of the Bible; 

Whereas Chinese authorities are forcing Christians to replace 

pictures of Jesus with pictures of Chinese government officials; 

Whereas an estimated 60 million Christians reside in China 

and most worship in underground churches to avoid government control; 

Whereas, on April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, more than 180 

people were killed while worshipping at Christian churches in three separate locations in Sri Lanka; 

Whereas the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the 

Easter attacks, stating it was carried out by seven ISIS 

fighters and targeted Christians and ‘‘citizens of Crusader coalition states’’; and 

Whereas, in May 2019, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy 

Hunt issued an interim report finding that ‘‘the overwhelming majority (estimated at 80 percent) of perVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Oct 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR640.IH HR640

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secuted religious believers are Christians.’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns persecution of members of any 

3 faith; 

4 (2) calls for every government to recognize the 

5 right of Christians to practice their faith without 

6 fear of persecution, including physical violence, 

7 death, or imprisonment; and 

8 (3) calls on the Department of State to 

9 prioritize freedom of conscience and religious free10 dom in United States foreign policy consideration. 

Æ 


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