Amata Gives House Speech on Protecting Religious Freedoms Worldwide

Congresswoman Amata speaking in the House on protecting religious freedoms worldwide

Video of her floor speech is available HERE.

"Religious persecution is a tragic reality in many parts of the world - whether it be against Uyghur Muslims in China, Christian minorities in parts of Africa and the Middle East, the Baha'i in Iran, or religious communities attempting to worship without official control by repressive regimes in Burma, China, or North Korea; and anti-Semitism is on the rise," said Congresswoman Amata. "This bipartisan bill, which unanimously passed the Senate, will continue the good work of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF. Congress created USCIRF as an independent federal entity in 1998; although the fundamental freedom of religion was under siege around the world, it did not receive enough attention in U.S. foreign policy."

She continued, "USCIRF is a body of experts who speak out on behalf of persecuted believers of any faith, and push for accountability beyond what the State Department or the White House may view as diplomatically comfortable. The Commission's independent voice remains critical today, as the State Department too often pushes religious freedom to the side. Although the law requires the Department to designate 'Countries of Particular Concern' for religious freedom violations, their list of CPC countries never includes all the countries that meet the statutory criteria."

"Thankfully USCIRF continues its truth-telling to identify the other persecutors that should be designated. Those countries include Vietnam, where communist authorities severely repress Christians, Buddhists, and other believers who attempt to worship outside of state control. They also include Nigeria, where Islamist militias murder Christians with impunity. They include Afghanistan, where the brutal Taliban have re-taken power and moved that country back to an intolerant darkness. If any countries are 'Countries of Particular Concern' for serious violations of religious freedom, those should be among them," Amata stated.

"S. 3764 is a simple extension of USCIRF's statutory authority so that the Commission can continue its bipartisan, non-sectarian work on behalf our nation's 'first freedom' - religious liberty," said Aumua Amata. "I am very pleased that this is a clean reauthorization and does not include any of the previous attempts by some in the other body to make USCIRF more partisan, or to dilute its mandate with extraneous issues. Through robust oversight, we also must work to ensure that USCIRF remains focused on its true, bipartisan statutory mandate. Namely, 'the annual and ongoing review of the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom.'"

"I want to thank Senator (Marco) Rubio and his bipartisan colleagues who introduced this bill in the Senate, where it received unanimous support. I also want to recognize the important work of the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs human rights subcommittee, the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. (Christopher) Smith, the author of the House-side reauthorization. He has been a leader on religious freedom issues throughout his 43-year career in this House," she concluded. "We need to pass this bill immediately, to help ensure that freedom of religion - under threat from extremists and authoritarian governments around the world - remains front and center."