Eshoo, Pitts Introduce International Religious Freedom Act of 2014
As the global landscape for religious freedom has changed dramatically over the past 15 years, so has the need to update the necessary tools to promote religious freedom. The amendments made to law by theShahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act will help ensure that the U.S. government is better equipped to address both challenges and opportunities.
“The ongoing violence against religious minorities in the Middle East has demonstrated a desperate need for the U.S. to recommit itself to one of its greatest exports—religious freedom,” Eshoo said. “It’s time to update the International Religious Freedom Act to better promote religious freedom as a high priority in U.S. foreign policy.”
“Religious Freedom has been a central pillar of American democracy since its inception,” said Pitts. “From the Mayflower to today’s present plight of religious minorities in the Middle East, our country has been a beacon of hope and freedom to the world. Just as America has a special place in the world for religious freedom, international religious freedom deserves a special place in our government’s foreign policy.”
Background
Non-state actors that violate the rights of religious minorities have proliferated across the globe in recent decades. Only a few years ago, Boko Haram lacked a Foreign Terrorist Organization designation by the Department of State, but carried out brutal attacks on Nigeria’s Christian population while our government wrestled with ways to punish the organization. The Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Actadds non-state actors to the group of bodies that the United States government could sanction for violations of religious freedom abroad.
The bill would strengthen the standing of certain advisors within the executive branch responsible for advocating for international religious freedom, as well as amend United States’ policy to ensure that religious freedom is a central component of U.S. foreign policy.
Shahbaz Bhatti was once Pakistan’s sole Christian minister and a tireless advocate for the rights of Pakistan’s religious minorities. He was assassinated in 2011 by Islamic militants after speaking out against the country’s anti-blasphemy laws. Following the assassination of Mr. Bhatti, President Obama said Bhatti had "most courageously challenged the blasphemy laws of Pakistan under which individuals have been prosecuted for speaking their minds or practicing their own faiths.”
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