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 Geor-
gia, 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) sub-
mitted 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, oc-
curring 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, tor-
ture, 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 histori-
cally 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 sig-
nificantly decreased over the past few decades as a result 
of persecution, displacement, and genocide; 
Whereas Christians in Syria and Iraq have been facing geno-
cide 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 reli-
gious extremism; 
Whereas many Syrian Christians have been displaced, and 
those unable to escape have been subject to imprison-
ment, 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 ar-
rested 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 make-
shift churches in homes are raided; 
Whereas Christians in Saudi Arabia face imprisonment, tor-
ture, 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 sen-
tences for blasphemy are given despite little or no evi-
dence 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 Is-
lamic extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Fulani; 
Whereas in January 2017, Fulani militants raided a Chris-
tian 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 exe-
cution; 
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 cam-
paign 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 oppress-
ing 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 reg-
istered with the government face imprisonment and tor-
ture; 
Whereas in North Korea, the practice of Christianity is pro-
hibited 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 Chris-
tians 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 orga-
nized 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns the persecution of Christians 
around the world; 
(2) calls on discriminatory regimes to cease 
their persecution of Christians and religious minori-
ties; and 
(3) urges the President and the heads of the 
governments of all democratic countries around the 
world to uphold the right to religious freedom and 
condemn the global persecution of Christians. 
Æ 
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