Eshoo Applauds House Passage of Bipartisan Religious Minorities Special Envoy Legislation

Urges Swift Senate Action

WASHINGTON, D.C.– The House today overwhelmingly passed legislation introduced by Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) to create a special envoy at the State Department charged with focusing exclusively on the plight of religious minorities in South Central Asia and the Middle East. The bill passed the House by a vote of 402 to 22.

Eshoo and Wolf, co-chairs of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus, first introduced this legislation in the 112th Congress, prior to recent events in the Middle East that have only further jeopardized religious minorities. In 2011, the bill passed the House by a vote of 402-20, but a hold was placed on it in the Senate.

"Religious minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia are confronting deadly threats every day, ranging from discrimination and marginalization to outright violence," Rep. Eshoo said. "This legislation responds to the urgent needs of those Christians and other religious minorities by creating a special envoy at the State Department. A special envoy will help develop policy options to ensure the protection and preservation of these ancient faith communities, as well as serving as a high-level advocate within our own government and with foreign governments. The history of violence against religious minorities must not be allowed to repeat itself."

In remarks on the House floor, Rep. Wolf described the tenuous situation of a myriad of persecuted groups, saying, "As we debate this legislation, Coptic Christians are leaving Egypt in droves. As we debate this legislation, seven Baha'i leaders languish unjustly in an Iranian prison as does American citizen Saaed Abedini. As we debate this legislation, Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan are prohibited from voting and their graves are desecrated. As we debate this legislation, Syrian Christians fear they too will be caught in the crossfire like Iraq's Christians, or worse yet, like Iraq's Jew – that's right, I am told only a single Jew remains in the country where once a vibrant Jewish community flourished."

He added, "I urge my colleagues to join me in sending an undeniable message to persecuted people of faith the world over, and just as importantly, to the forces that oppress them, that America – this shining city on a hill as envisioned by our founders – will not be silent in the face of the evil."

For more on Eshoo's work on the persecution of religious minorities, click here.

To read Eshoo and Wolf's blog post on this topic, click here.

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