The US House of Representatives has passed a legislation to appoint a special envoy for religious minorities in South Central Asia and the Middle East.
Introduced by Congressmen Frank Wolf and Anna Eshoo 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 was passed by the House by a vote of 402-22.
The special envoy legislation is supported by a diverse group of faith-based organisations, including US Conference of Catholic Bishops, United Methodist Church, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Southern Baptist Convention and Christians United for Israel, among others, as well as a multitude of Diaspora organisations which are directly linked with the very people the special envoy would serve.
"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," Wolf said yesterday.
"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 said.
"Religious minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia are confronting deadly threats every day, ranging from discrimination and marginalisation to outright violence," said Congressman 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," he said, adding that 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," Eshoo said.
