Congressman blasts government’s ‘anemic’ response to Christian persecution

Last updated on: June 21, 2013 at 8:00 am by CNA Daily News

Congressman blasts government’s ‘anemic’ response to Christian persecution 2013-06-21T08:00:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Jun 21, 2013 / 02:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) has criticized the U.S. government’s “anemic and at times outright baffling” response to the persecution of Christians in the Mid-East, urging the appointment of an envoy to protect religious minorities.

“America has always been a friend to the oppressed, the persecuted, the forgotten. But sadly today, that allegiance is in question, as religious freedom and human rights abuses around the globe increasingly go unaddressed and unanswered,” Wolf said June 17 during a discussion at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

“Looking to the Middle East there is often societal and communal violence and repression against religious communities, which specifically targets religious minorities,” he added during the discussion, which was hosted by the Center's Middle East Program.

Wolf, a co-chair of the House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, spoke about the situation facing religious minorities in the Middle East.

The congressman noted that the civil war in Syria has killed some 93,000. Its consequences for Syrian Christians are “largely unknown and, unfortunately, rarely addressed by Western media.”

According to Wolf, the plight of Coptic Christians has been neglected by successive U.S. administrations. They now face marginalization under Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-controlled government.

He said the recently drafted Egyptian constitution is “highly problematic,” citing its provisions criminalizing blasphemy and allowing a stricter vision of Shariah law.

The congressman lamented the decline in the Jewish population in countries such as Iraq and Egypt, and the marginalization of the Baha’i community in Iran.

“It appears a similar fate may await the ancient Christian community in these same lands.”

“While it remains to be seen whether the historic exodus of Christians from the region will prove to be as dramatic as what has already happened to the Jewish community, it is without question devastating, as it threatens to erase Christianity from its very roots.”

He pointed to the decline of Iraq’s Christian population from 1.4 million in 2003 to 500,000 today. Churches have been targeted for attacks, while individual Christians face threats of kidnapping and other violence.

The congressman said that the U.S. government’s General Accounting Office found that the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development could not prove that they spent funds Congress specially designated to help Iraq’s religious minorities.

“Perhaps this failure to follow a clear congressional directive was attributable in part to a refusal on the part of this administration – and frankly the previous administration – to acknowledge that minorities were being targeted, rather than merely victims of generalized violence in Iraq.”

The years-long vacancy of the United States’ Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom also gives the impression that religious freedom is not important, Wolf added.

He said that Congress should pass legislation to create an envoy dedicated to advocacy on behalf of religious minorities in the Middle East and south-central Asia.

“This will send an important message to both our own foreign policy establishment and to suffering communities in the Middle East and elsewhere that religious freedom is a priority — that America will be a voice for the voiceless,” he said.

In May, Secretary of State John Kerry released the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2012. He urged all countries to take action to safeguard the “fundamental freedom” of religious expression.

Critics, however, including Wolf, said the report should have deemed Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan and other nations as “countries of particular concern,” a designation that has consequences for U.S. sanctions policy.

Previous Post

June 21, 2013

Catholic and Muslim leaders meet for dialogue on secularism

Next Post

June 21, 2013 Italian cardinal urges strong support of Mideast Christians

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: According to 1 John, God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE