A cross is set on a church damaged by ISIS near Mosul, Iraq.Hadi Mizban / Associated Press

IRFA modernization gives State Department new tools to protect Christians (and others) persecuted by ISIS.

ishtartv.com - christianitytoday.com

Tom Strode - Baptist Press, 12/16/2016

President Obama has approved legislation promoted by religious freedom advocates that should strengthen the United States’ effort to combat persecution of Christians and other faith minorities.

The House of Representatives approved the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), H.R. 1150, on December 13 to complete congressional action on the proposal. That action came only three days after the Senate amended and passed an earlier House-approved version. Both the House and Senate endorsed the amended bill without opposition.

Bill supporters were optimistic that Obama would sign the measure, named in honor of Congress’ longtime top religious freedom advocate, into law. He did so on Friday.

H.R. 1150 serves as an update of the 1998 bill that established a religious freedom office in the State Department and an independent watchdog panel, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Wolf, the since-retired congressman from Virginia who championed global religious liberty, sponsored the original IRFA 18 years ago.

The new legislation is designed to improve the federal government's effectiveness in promoting religious liberty by, among other measures:

Requiring the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to report directly to the secretary of State;

Establishing an "entities of particular concern" category—a companion to the "countries of particular concern" classification used for nearly 20 years by the State Department—for non-government actors, such as the Islamic State (IS) and the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram.

Instituting a "designated persons list" for individuals who violate religious freedom and authorizing the president to issue sanctions against those who participate in persecution.

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, called the legislation "a vital step toward protecting conscience freedom for millions of the world's most vulnerable, most oppressed people."

"Millions, including many of our Christian brothers and sisters, have experienced the most brutal forms of persecution, and entire cultures are now on the brink of extinction," Moore said, in written comments for Baptist Press. "This is an urgent human rights crisis, and global religious liberty is too important to become a partisan wedge issue.”

After President Obama signed the bill, Moore stated:

The passage of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act shows a strong coalition working together for the cause of international religious freedom. The bipartisan nature of this passage shows us that religious freedom does not have to be a partisan issue but is rooted in our deepest commitments as Americans, and I hope that persecuted religious minorities around the globe will see that they have not been forgotten. While the passage of this act by no means solves the religious freedom crisis around the world, it is a step in the right direction.

Paul Coleman, deputy director of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said the bill "demonstrates that the US is serious about the importance of religious freedom both for those who are suffering and for all those who love freedom in general."

"Those who are suffering around the world simply for holding to a certain faith shouldn't be forgotten, and those responsible for that persecution should be made to face appropriate consequences for their acts," Coleman said in a written statement.

Final passage of IRFA came in a week when IS claimed responsibility for a bombing at a Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, that killed 24 people—even while violent religious persecution continued in such countries as Iraq, Nigeria and Syria. In Iraq, the Christian community has decreased by 80 percent in the last decade from 1.5 million to 300,000, the Wilberforce Initiative reported December 14.

Approval also came in a year when USCIRF reported that global religious liberty continued to decline. The commission cited the rampant imprisonment of prisoners of conscience, the startling increase in refugees, and the ongoing bigotry toward Jews and Muslims in Europe, as examples of attacks on religious adherents.

The State Department named its "countries of particular concern" (CPCs) in April, adding Tajikistan to a list that already consisted of Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The CPC designation is reserved for governments that commit or tolerate "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom."

In May, USCIRF—a bipartisan, nine-member panel appointed by the president and congressional leaders—urged the State Department to add the Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, and Vietnam to the CPC list.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., sponsor of the bill, said after its passage, "From China and Vietnam to Syria and Nigeria, we are witnessing a tragic, global crisis in religious persecution, violence and terrorism, with dire consequences for religious believers and for US national security.

"Ancient Christian communities in Iraq and Syria are on the verge of extinction and other religious minorities in the Middle East face a constant assault from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria."

Christians "are the most persecuted group on the planet," said Alexandra Tompson, legal analyst at ADF International, after a December 14 discussion at Vienna, Austria, sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "Even in Europe, they often face intolerance and discrimination."

The new IRFA also:

Creates a list of overseas religious prisoners;

Mandates religious liberty training for all foreign service officers;

Establishes a minimum number of full-time staff members in the State Department's international religious freedom office.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the legislation "will help ensure that defending religious freedom remains at the core of our engagement in even the most repressive parts of the world and that we have the most effective policies in place to be successful."

The Southern Baptist Convention approved its latest resolution on international religious freedom in 2015, saying it encourages U.S. government officials "to elevate religious liberty concerns to the highest priority in foreign policy, invoking sanctions against those nations which advocate or tolerate persecution of those with differing religious beliefs."

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 16, 2016

Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 710, H.R. 875, H.R. 960, H.R. 1150, H.R. 2726, H.R. 3218, H.R. 3784, H.R. 3842, H.R. 4352, H.R. 4465, H.R. 4618, H.R. 4680, H.R. 4887, H.R. 4939, H.R. 5015, H.R. 5065, H.R. 5099, H.R. 5150, H.R. 5309, H.R. 5356, H.R. 5591, H.R. 5612, H.R. 5676, H.R. 5687, H.R. 5790, H.R. 5798, H.R. 5877, H.R. 5889, H.R. 5948, H.R. 6014, H.R. 6130, H.R. 6138, H.R. 6282, H.R. 6302, H.R. 6304, H.R. 6323, H.R. 6400, H.R. 6416, H.R. 6431, H.R. 6450, H.R. 6451, H.R. 6477, S. 8, S. 546, S. 612, S. 1635, S. 2577, S. 2854, S. 2971

On Friday, December 16, 2016, the President signed into law:

H.R. 710, the “Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act,” which requires the Department of Homeland Security to commission a comprehensive assessment and create a corrective action plan to address the effectiveness of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program at enhancing security and reducing security risks for maritime facilities and vessels.

H.R. 875, the “Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2016,” which authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to enter into:  (1) fee agreements for CBP to provide inspection services at ports of entry; and (2) agreements for the donation of real and personal property with respect to ports of entry at which CBP performs inspection services;

H.R. 960, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Newark, Ohio, as the Daniel L. Kinnard VA Clinic;

H.R. 1150, the “Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act,” which amends the International Religious Freedom Act;

H.R. 2726, the “Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act,” which requires the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue coins in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing;

H.R. 3218, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1221 State Street, Suite 12, Santa Barbara, California, as the Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis "Lou" J. Langlais Post Office Building;

H.R. 3784, the “SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2016,” which establishes, within the Securities and Exchange Commission, an Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation and a Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee;

H.R. 3842, the “Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers Reform and Improvement Act of 2015,” which authorizes in statute the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) within the Department of Homeland Security and makes several changes to FLETC's management and operations;

H.R. 4352, the “Faster Care for Veterans Act,” which authorizes VA to conduct a pilot program to establish a patient self-scheduling appointment system;

H.R. 4465, the “Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016,” which establishes an independent board to be known as the Public Buildings Reform Board to identify opportunities for the Government to reduce significantly its inventory of civilian real property and reduce costs to the Government;

H.R. 4618, which designates the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 121 Spring Street SE in Gainesville, Georgia, as the Sidney Oslin Smith, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse;

H.R. 4680, the “National Park Service Centennial Act,” which authorizes certain programs relating to the National Park Service and for other purposes;

H.R. 4887, which designates the United States Postal Service located at 23323 Shelby Road in Shelby, Indiana, as the Richard Allen Cable Post Office;

H.R. 4939, the “United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016,” which enhances engagement with the governments in the Caribbean region and with the Caribbean diaspora community in the United States;

H.R. 5015, the “Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016,” which directs the Department of Defense to restore improper tax withholdings from individuals separated from service;

H.R. 5065, the “Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening Act,” which requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to notify air carriers and airport security personnel of TSA's guidelines regarding permitting baby formula, breast milk, and juice on airplanes;

H.R. 5099, the “CHIP IN for Vets Act of 2016,” which establishes within the Department of Veterans Affairs a pilot program to enter into partnership agreements to construct new departmental facilities;

H.R. 5150, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3031 Veterans Road West in Staten Island, New York, as the Leonard Montalto Post Office Building;

H.R. 5309, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 401 McElroy Drive in Oxford, Mississippi, as the Army First Lieutenant Donald C. Carwile Post Office Building;

H.R. 5356, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14231 TX–150 in Coldspring, Texas, as the E. Marie Youngblood Post Office;

H.R. 5591, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 810 N US Highway 83 in Zapata, Texas, as the Zapata Veterans Post Office;

H.R. 5612, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2886 Sandy Plains Road in Marietta, Georgia, as the Marine Lance Corporal Squire "Skip" Wells Post Office Building;

H.R. 5676, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6300 N. Northwest Highway in Chicago, Illinois, as the Officer Joseph P. Cali Post Office Building;

H.R. 5687, the “GAO Mandates Revision Act of 2016,” which eliminates or modifies reporting requirements of the Government Accountability Office;

H.R. 5790, the “Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower

Protection Enhancement Act of 2016,” which expands whistleblower protections for FBI employees who report waste, fraud, or abuse in order to protect them from retaliation;

H.R. 5798, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1101 Davis Street in Evanston, Illinois, as the Abner J. Mikva Post Office Building;

H.R. 5877, the “United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016,” which authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of State, to enter into cooperative research activities with Israel to enhance capabilities in cybersecurity;

H.R. 5889, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1 Chalan Kanoa VLG in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, as the Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military Heroes Post Office Building;

H.R. 5948, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 830 Kuhn Drive in Chula Vista, California, as the Jonathan "J.D." De Guzman Post Office Building;

H.R. 6014, which authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enter into a reimbursable agreement with a State or local government agency to carry out certain projects at an airport for which notice to the FAA is required by Federal regulation;

H.R. 6130, the “Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016,” which allows civil actions to recover certain artwork or other property that was lost because of Nazi persecution without regard to Federal or State statutes of limitations;

H.R. 6138, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 560 East Pleasant Valley Road, Port Hueneme, California, as the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion "Seabees" Fallen Heroes Post Office Building;

H.R. 6282, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2024 Jerome Avenue, in Bronx, New York, as the Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Post Office Building;

H.R. 6302, the “Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016,” which raises the cap on premium pay that any U.S. Secret Service employee could be paid for performing protective services during 2016 from level IV of the Executive Schedule to level II the Executive Schedule;

H.R. 6304, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 501 North Main Street in Florence, Arizona, as the Adolfo "Harpo" Celaya Post Office;

H.R. 6323, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system in Long Beach, California, the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center;

H.R. 6400, which revises certain boundaries in the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System;

H.R. 6416, the “Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016,” which amends Department of Veterans Affairs authorities related to:  (1) health care; (2) homelessness matters; (3) educational assistance and vocational rehabilitation; (4) disability compensation and claims appeals; (5) small business and employment matters; (6) burial and memorial affairs; and (7) construction reforms;

H.R. 6431, the "Promoting Travel, Commerce, and National Security Act of 2016,” which establishes United States jurisdiction over offenses committed by employees of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice who are stationed in Canada in furtherance of border security initiatives;

H.R. 6450, the “Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016,” which modifies the authorities and responsibilities of agency Inspectors General and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency by, among other provisions:  (1) granting timely access to agency information and Federal grand jury materials; (2) requiring the Council to resolve jurisdictional disputes between Inspectors General; (3) adjusting the membership and procedures of the Council's Integrity Committee; (4) requiring additional reporting information to the Congress on investigations; (5) expanding certain agencies' authority to restrict access to information to protect national security or interests; and (6) exempting Inspector General investigations from certain statutes;

H.R. 6451, the "Federal Property Management Reform Act of 2016” which provides for increased collocation with Postal Service facilities and guidance on Postal Service leasing practices; and (2) establishes a Federal Real Property Council;

H.R. 6477, the “Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act,” which provides sovereign immunity for a foreign state for certain works of art that are imported into the United States from the foreign state for exhibition or display;

S. 8, the “U.S-Norway Nuclear Cooperation Agreement” which provides congressional approval for the Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and Government of the Kingdom of Norway;

S. 546, the “RESPONSE Act of 2016,” which establishes the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Subcommittee under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Advisory Council to provide recommendations on emergency responder training and resources relating to hazardous materials incidents involving railroads;

S. 612, the “Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act or the “WIN Act”, which authorizes construction of specified Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) water resources projects for flood risk management, navigation, hurricane and storm damage risk reduction, and environmental restoration; (2) modifies previously authorized Corps projects; (3) authorizes several Indian water settlements; (4) amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to authorize several grant programs that address lead and other contaminants in public drinking water systems; and (5) contains numerous other water resources project-related provisions;

S. 1635, the “Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017,” which authorizes, modifies, and extends authorities for the Department of State;

S. 2577, the “Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2016,” which reauthorizes several Department of Justice grant programs to assist victims of crime and to enhance analysis of DNA samples related to criminal investigations;

S. 2854, the “Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016,” which reauthorizes the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act and expands it to apply to certain civil rights crimes that occurred before 1980; and

S. 2971, the “National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Act of 2016,” which authorizes in statute the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Urban Search and Rescue Response System.