IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 459 
Encouraging any new government convened in Egypt to fully allow for the 
freedom of religion. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 
Mr. ADERHOLT (for himself, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. CAL-
VERT, Mr. PITTS, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. FORBES) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Encouraging any new government convened in Egypt to fully 
allow for the freedom of religion. 
Whereas in its 2011 Annual Report, the United States Com-
mission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 
recommended for the first time that Egypt be named by 
the United States Department of State as a Country of 
Particular Concern, along with other long-time religious 
freedom offenders Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Ni-
geria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, 
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam; 
Whereas according to the USCIRF Chair, Leonard Leo, 
‘‘CPCs are nations whose conduct marks them as the 
world’s worst religious freedom violators and human 
rights abusers. In the case of Egypt, instances of severe 
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•HRES 459 IH 
religious freedom violations engaged in or tolerated by 
the government have increased dramatically since the re-
lease of last year’s report, with violence, including mur-
der, escalating against Coptic Christians and other reli-
gious minorities. Since President Mubarak’s resignation 
from office in February, such violence continues unabated 
without the government’s bringing the perpetrators to 
justice. Consequently, USCIRF recommends CPC des-
ignation for Egypt.’’; 
Whereas many instances of discrimination against religious 
minorities, especially the Christian minority, persist, in-
cluding— 
(1) a lack of employment in higher positions of the 
public sector, universities, army, and the security service; 
(2) a lack of protection and lack of prosecution of 
perpetrators in cases of sectarian violence; 
(3) government harassment of converts to Christi-
anity while, conversely, the government allows and en-
courages conversion to Islam; 
(4) the inability to obtain government issued identi-
fication cards which reflect conversion to Christianity; 
and 
(5) prejudice against Christian guardians in child 
custody cases which involve parents of both Muslim and 
Christian faith; 
Whereas under the current law, government permission is re-
quired for the construction and renovation of Christian 
churches and the process for obtaining such permission 
is often onerous and inflexible while no such restrictions 
apply for the construction and renovation of mosques; 
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•HRES 459 IH 
Whereas a unified law regulating construction of places of 
worship was first proposed in 2005 in the Parliament, 
but has never been passed; 
Whereas the government’s response to sectarian violence has 
been to conduct forced reconciliation sessions between 
Muslims and Christians in lieu of prosecution; 
Whereas, on October 9, 2011, at least 25 people were killed 
and more than 300 were injured when military forces 
opened fire on a gathering of unarmed Coptic Christians, 
and then drove armored vehicles into the crowds; 
Whereas this incident follows multiple incidents in the spring 
of 2011 when Coptic churches and monasteries were 
burned and more than 39 individuals were killed and at 
least 263 wounded; 
Whereas the New Year’s Eve 2010 suicide attack on St. 
Mark’s Coptic Christian church in Alexandria was one of 
the worst incidents of violence against Egypt’s Coptic mi-
nority in a decade; 
Whereas the trial for those accused of shooting and killing in-
nocent victims outside a Coptic church in Naga 
Hammady on Coptic Christmas Eve in January 2010 has 
been repeatedly delayed and promotes a climate of impu-
nity; and 
Whereas these incidents are but a few examples of the recent 
increase in sectarian violence against religious minorities 
as well as other forms of discrimination which Egyptian 
authorities have failed to properly address: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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•HRES 459 IH 
(1) strongly encourages any new government 
convened in Egypt to fully allow for the freedom of 
religion; 
(2) believes that Egyptian law should provide 
for this freedom, specifically including freedom of 
conversion and freedom to build houses of worship; 
(3) recommends the release of Coptic Christian 
prisoners from the spring 2011 protests, unless all 
due legal processes are timely followed; and 
(4) urges the issuance of permanent licenses to 
monasteries, churches, synagogues, and other places 
of worship to build boundary fences for their safety 
and protection. 
Æ 
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