Condemning the global persecution of Christians.

Bill: 116-hres-640
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Palmer, Gary J. [R-AL-6]
Introduced: 2019-10-18
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Human rights

Racial and ethnic relations

Religion
Latest action: action_date: 2019-10-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-10-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution condemns the persecution of members of any faith and calls on foreign governments to recognize the right of Christians to practice their faith without fear of persecution.</p>

tv_txt: IV 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 640 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 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; 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 persecuted religious believers are Christians. : Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns persecution of members of any faith; (2) calls for every government to recognize the right of Christians to practice their faith without fear of persecution, including physical violence, death, or imprisonment; and (3) calls on the Department of State to prioritize freedom of conscience and religious freedom in United States foreign policy consideration.