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States News Service
July 29, 2011 Friday
HOUSE PASSES ESHOO BILL TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
WASHINGTON
The following information was released by the office of California
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo:
The House of Representatives today approved bipartisan legislation
sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to
create a special envoy at the U.S. State Department for religious
minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.
The legislation was introduced in January in the wake of increasing
violence, targeted attacks and heightened discrimination against
Christians in Iraq and Egypt, and persistent concerns in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, among other nations.
Wolf, co-chairman of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights
Commission, said threats against religious minorities have been
increasing in recent months and that the United States has an
obligation to speak out for the voiceless, to develop policies to
protect and preserve these communities, and to prioritize these issues
in broader U.S. foreign policy.
The commission held a hearing in January on the recent spate of
attacks and the ongoing persecution of Christians in Iraq and Egypt.
Commission members heard testimony about the increasing sectarian
tensions in the two countries and the need for greater U.S. attention
to the plight of religious minorities.
"The U.S. government needs an individual who can respond and focus on
the critical situation of religious minorities in these countries
whose basic human rights are increasingly under assault," Wolf said.
"If the international community fails to speak out, the prospects for
religious pluralism and tolerance in the region are bleak."
Rep. Eshoo, who co-chairs the Religious Minorities in the Middle East
Caucus with Wolf, has long pressed the State Department to develop a
comprehensive policy to address the unique needs of the ancient
ethno-religious faith communities in Iraq, a policy which recognizes
that these indigenous communities are not simply the victims of
generalized violence in Iraq but are facing targeted violence, which
is forcing them to flee the lands they've inhabited for centuries.
"In a time of partisanship and polarization, it's gratifying when
members from both parties can come together to address the
humanitarian crisis that's been unfolding in the Middle East, and has
not been given the attention it deserves," Eshoo said. "As the
daughter of Assyrian and Armenian immigrants who fled the slaughter of
Christians in the Middle East, it's terrifying to see history
repeating itself in today's Iraq. I'm hopeful that the special envoy
created by this legislation will elevate the crisis of the Middle
East's religious minorities, giving them the diplomatic attention they
so badly need and deserve."
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. More information
on the measure is available at wolf.house.gov.
From: Baghdasarian
July 29, 2011 Friday
HOUSE PASSES ESHOO BILL TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
WASHINGTON
The following information was released by the office of California
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo:
The House of Representatives today approved bipartisan legislation
sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to
create a special envoy at the U.S. State Department for religious
minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia.
The legislation was introduced in January in the wake of increasing
violence, targeted attacks and heightened discrimination against
Christians in Iraq and Egypt, and persistent concerns in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, among other nations.
Wolf, co-chairman of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights
Commission, said threats against religious minorities have been
increasing in recent months and that the United States has an
obligation to speak out for the voiceless, to develop policies to
protect and preserve these communities, and to prioritize these issues
in broader U.S. foreign policy.
The commission held a hearing in January on the recent spate of
attacks and the ongoing persecution of Christians in Iraq and Egypt.
Commission members heard testimony about the increasing sectarian
tensions in the two countries and the need for greater U.S. attention
to the plight of religious minorities.
"The U.S. government needs an individual who can respond and focus on
the critical situation of religious minorities in these countries
whose basic human rights are increasingly under assault," Wolf said.
"If the international community fails to speak out, the prospects for
religious pluralism and tolerance in the region are bleak."
Rep. Eshoo, who co-chairs the Religious Minorities in the Middle East
Caucus with Wolf, has long pressed the State Department to develop a
comprehensive policy to address the unique needs of the ancient
ethno-religious faith communities in Iraq, a policy which recognizes
that these indigenous communities are not simply the victims of
generalized violence in Iraq but are facing targeted violence, which
is forcing them to flee the lands they've inhabited for centuries.
"In a time of partisanship and polarization, it's gratifying when
members from both parties can come together to address the
humanitarian crisis that's been unfolding in the Middle East, and has
not been given the attention it deserves," Eshoo said. "As the
daughter of Assyrian and Armenian immigrants who fled the slaughter of
Christians in the Middle East, it's terrifying to see history
repeating itself in today's Iraq. I'm hopeful that the special envoy
created by this legislation will elevate the crisis of the Middle
East's religious minorities, giving them the diplomatic attention they
so badly need and deserve."
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. More information
on the measure is available at wolf.house.gov.
From: Baghdasarian