WorthyNews:US Senators Introduce Bipartisan Resolution To Protect International Religious Freedom

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by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid rising concern over attacks on minority faith groups around the world, a bipartisan coalition of United States Senators last week introduced a resolution urging the State Department to expand its support for international religious freedom as “a fundamental right and a cornerstone of US foreign policy.”

Endorsed by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the bipartisan Senate resolution was introduced by US Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Feb. 29. The initiative was cosponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

“The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has identified thousands of incidents where religious freedom was violated around the world in 2023, including violence against Rohingya Muslims in Burma, attacks on Uyghurs in China, and persecution of clergy by Russians in Ukraine,” the Senators said in a press release. “In 2023, USCIRF identified more than 2,200 individuals targeted by 27 different countries and entities for their religious beliefs, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs. USCIRF also identified the continued destruction of religious sites as an additional threat to religious freedom.”

Emphasizing that the protection of religious minorities must be central to American foreign policy, the Senators are calling on the US State Department to hold violators of religious freedom accountable by “leveraging all diplomatic and sanctions tools available.”

“The right to religious freedom is an American ideal and the cornerstone of our nation’s identity,” Senator Coons said in a statement. “Protecting religious minorities must remain central to American foreign policy, and we must call out and condemn attacks on religious people and nonbelievers alike.”

Senator Lankford added: “The fundamental right of every person to have a faith, live your faith, change your faith, or have no faith at all must be recognized throughout the world….The United States must continue its international leadership to defend religious freedom, which is why we are reaffirming our commitment to fight for religious freedom around the world.”

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